Grandfather Jehangir Ardeshir Lalkaka

This article was written by my Aunt Bachoo and appeared in Parsiana on April 29, 1975.

by Bachoo Dadyseth

The year was 1884, it was the 3rd of March, a grandson was born to Khan Bahadur, Sir Nowroji Pestonji Vakil C.I.E. a businessman, industrialist and philanthropist of the city of Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujarat in India.

The little boy, Jehangir, was named in the highest Parsi tradition after perhaps a revered elder by his young parents, Pirojbai and Ardeshir Lalkaka.

As a precocious, talented child, he seldom evinced much interest in toys, but exhibited a pronounced inclination towards drawing. He would neither tire nor manifest signs of boredom when scribbling with a pencil on paper for long stretches of time: besides, he adored the sounds of music.

Jehangir Ardeshir Lalkaka was a small-built man whose artistic stature kept soaring throughout his career which may be summed up in one word - brilliant. His life story is the story of a series of successes. He was endowed with a keen sense of humour and being seriously interested in music, both western and Indian, it held sway and influenced his work in general.

He had his earlier education at Ahmedabad and attended the Elphinstone College and Sir J J School of Arts in Bombay. According to his personal notes, the turning point in the artist's life came in 1907. Sir Nowroji, visualizing the potential genius in the boy, decided to take him abroad to pursue his art education under eminent professors and art teachers of England and Europe, to gain knowledge and experience.

He joined St. John's Wood and Westminister Schools of Art, London, and for a while studied under Mr. A Stanhope Forbes, R.A. at Newlyn. He visited Europe, travelled extensively and studied for a while in Paris. Those precious moments spent in famous art galleries and museums, from where he gleaned fresh knowledge to enhance his storehouse of experience, remained with him throughout his life.

Combined with his superabundant talent, he rose to be and remained one of his country’s greatest and most eminent portraitists. From now on, his life was a pyramid of triumphs.

In 1913 he set up a studio at Chowpatty Seaface, Bombay which he retained for seventeen years. (Note by Hootoksi: "They say that marriages are pre-ordained but who could have guessed in 1913, that the lady from whom my grandfather rented this studio would be the grandmother of the man (Robert) I was to marry in 1971?") Thereafter, a short break from private practice in order to fulfil a coveted post, he opened another studio, at Nepean Sea Road, and his last private studio was instituted in his home at Bangalore.

In 1914 he married Miss Tehmina Kharas (his portrait of her, left). She had a golden voice and played an important role in his life and career. He had two sons, a daughter and grandchildren.

Mr. Lalkaka's first commission to paint a portrait came when he was still a student in England, from Shrimant Raja Sahib of Aundh, a forerunner to hundreds of portraits of the famous, his friends, relations, models and personalities.

Landscapes, compositions, decorative panels in oils, pastels, crayons, watercolours etc. he had evolved his own technique and style.

Commissions to paint poured in and he embarked on the most fruitful period of his career, painting portraits for which he was to gain fame in his own lifetime.

To mention but a few:

Life memorial portrait of Sir Pherozeshah M Mehta for the Municipal Corporation, Bombay, unveiled by H.E. Sir George Lloyd;

Sir D.E. Wacha and Principal A.L. Coverntoon's portraits for the Elphinstone College;

Sir Nowroji P. Vakil's portrait for Nowroji Hall, Ahmedabad;

H.H. The nawab of Rampur’s life size portrait for Durbar Hall, Rampur;

H.E. Sir Leslie Wilson's portrait, as District Grand Master, for the Masonic Hall, Bombay;

Portrait of H.E. Sir James Sifton, Governor of Bihar and Orissa for Patna Council Chamber;

Lord Brabourne and Sir Frederick Sykes, both Governors of Bombay;

Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the late President of India, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi;

Dr Dadabhoy Naoroji for the Union Parliament House, New Delhi;

General Cariappa, the then Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army;

Members of the House of Tata, the great steel magnates and industrialists;

Mahatma Gandhi (several, one of which is exhibited in London);

As well as several other eminent citizens, political heads of states, former ruling princes, ministers, members of the British Royalty and many others.

His ability matched his prolific production. Some of the innumerable letters of appreciation received by the artist are attached and will speak for themselves.

The portraits themselves stand as living proofs. His works are not just another painting; each portrait is a pulsating individual, representative of the times. A personality immortalized into eternity; for posterity to gaze and wonder; conveying something of the artist himself. Each new generation will read its own interpretations in the image of a human countenance.

Artist Lalkaka seems to have stamped each of his major works with an indefinable greatness.

Press cuttings of his times are all praise for his genius. He has been cited in the "Artists' Directory" published by the Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi, and the Times of India "Who's Who" besides several magazines of repute. He had been a member of the Government of Bombay Board of Examiners for Art examinations from 1917-1938.

In 1930, Jehangir Lalkaka, along with a Bengali artist, was selected in an all-India open competition held in Delhi, from amongst several known artists of the day, to paint Coronation State Portraits of Royalty for the Viceroy's House, New Delhi. The prestige he enjoyed and the high esteem in which he was held as an artist may be judged from the fact that at Windsor Castle, the private dining room of His Majesty King George V was placed at his disposal, to be used as the studio.

Here, he worked at the two large portraits of his Majesty King George V, one for the Vicero's House and the other for the Commander-in-Chief's from the original painted by Sir Luke Hildes, R.A. The first painted being greatly admired, the second was commissioned and Lalkaka had to cancel his passage back to India, and stay on to execute the fresh order.

At Buckingham Palace, the famous Blue Drawing Room was used as the studio for painting the portrait of Her Majesty the late Queen Alexandra.

His work was highly lauded. He was invited to the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace and to various important functions at India House. He had the opportunity to visit art exhibitions of the Royal Academy of R.B.A, of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water-Colours, and other important exhibitions. On his return to Bombay, he was accorded a rousing reception by the Art Society of India and several contemporary artists paid him compliments.

Their Excellencies, the Viceroy and Lady Irwin, sent their personal congratulations on the success of his mission. he was garlanded amidst cheers and gave a return speech.

Between 1932-1934, he was chosen for the coveted position of the first Indian as the Deputy Director of the Sir J.J.School of Art, a rare distinction, calling for high merit. He was the Associate Director of the School between 1934-1935. On his retirement from this post, he and his wife were entertained to a warm send off by the staff and students, under the Presidentship of the then Director, Mr. W.E.Gladstone Solomon. A valuable piece of carved ivory was presented to Jehangir Lalkaka as a memento for his invaluable contribution in the service of art.

He was a recipient of several medals, awards and commendations. He was awarded their Majesties' Silver Jubilee Medal by the Government of India in 1935. His claim to eminence is clearly justified.

He participated in several exhibitions at home and abroad and has also given a one-man show in Bombay in 1947 of oils and water colours. The exhibition was thrown open by the then Sheriff of Bombay, Mrs Mithan J Lam, Bar-at-Law. One of the leading Bombay daily's art critic had said, "Mr Lalkaka is not a young man, yet his water colours show that he has all the enthusiasm of youth plus a mastery of his medium, then again, \"The artist shows the limitations as well as the possibilities of water colours and in no case is there any sign of laboured work. His sketches all seem to 'come off' even though he chooses the most difficult subjects which would daunt many quite competent artists." His sense of tone values were unerring and his pastels could be termed as masterly as his oils.

He had given an all-water-colour-sketches one-man show at Mussoorie, a Himalayan hill-station, and the summer seat of the Maharajas. In an art exhibition at Simla, his decorative panel, an oil painting of fruit pickers (at right in the photo) won the Maharaja of Dhar's cash prize. In another exhibition, his own mother's sketch in red crayon (at left in the photo), bagged him a medal. He was the recipient of various other medals and prizes as well.

He seemed to be at ease working in all mediums - "par excellence," hailed the critics. He was one of the few internationally famed artists who achieved fame during their own life time.

In 1949, he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, London.

His towering talent never overshadowed his humility, nor detracted in any way from his sense of humour. He maintained that for him music remained forever a great source of joy and inspiration. He continued painting through nearly 41 years, a span of almost half a century.

Jehangir Ardeshir Lalkaka played a dynamic role to help stimulate and assist the art of his country, and he gave of his self through art. He was keen that art should permeate all walks of life and should not remain a segregated section of one's self but be part of an integrated whole. His aim was to see the knowledge of art being carried to the remotest village and he realised the need for sponsoring folk art. He advised artists to take up lecture tours and illustrate by holding exhibitions and thus whilst giving, also gain. He probably was one of the precursors of today's art movement. He himself was a much-traveled man in India and abroad.

He encouraged young gifted artists and was known to hold out a silent helping hand in cash and kind. He foresaw a bright future for the artists of India and believed art should be a living force. The art and culture of his country were of paramount interest to him. His pupils included the late Dr. Homi Bhabha, world renowned scientist and artist.

At the height of his career, he retired at Bangalore, where the pace of living was more leisurely, but kept producing prolific work. A few years later, he was disabled.

In 1967 on May 24, he passed away in Bombay, leaving behind a treasure of wealth in his portraits and paintings.

His popularity as Jehangir Lalkaka the man and the artist may be gauged from the flood of condolence letters received by the bereaved family from politicians, personalities and admirers. The Bombay Art Society held a condolence meeting to honor his memory and Art Directors and artists and admirers once more paid homage to him. The Jehangir Art Gallery, Lalit Kala Academy, all considered his passing away a personal loss, and the art world was the poorer by his retreat.

Assessing his efforts and triumphs from a twentieth century view point, he will rank with the masters like Sir Joshua Reynolds, Rembrandt, Velasquez, Romney others, whom he greatly admired and considered a source of inspiration.

A fitting tribute to his work is a quotation from one of the letters written by a sympathizer: "The world has lost one of the greatest artists of our times...I had the good fortune to see him breathe life into a blank piece of canvas or paper and with his magic touch make it pulsate with life."

He remained in the vanguard up to the end of his career and took his curtain call shining in glory.

Hootoksi wrote a book on her grandfather and his art, letters, testimonials and press clippings. Click HERE to view the book.

Click HERE to view an article on the artist which was published in Parsiana of May 1996.