Benodebehari’s contribution to Indian art and aesthetics spans many disciplines. As an artist, he was ahead of his times and was the first to move away from the constraints of being both Indian and nationalist as many of his peers were. Instead he turned to the arid landscape around Santiniketan, the ‘khoai’, for inspiration. His exposure to Japanese art gave him technical proficiency in no small measure. Having spent 32 years in Santiniketan — first as student and then, teacher — he made rigorous the vision of mastermoshai, Nandalal Bose. But, above all, his most abiding contribution is his body of art criticism, which came out as a book, Chitrakar.

Going back to the seven visitors at the NGMA. They reflect the deeper malaise that afflicts India today and should provoke introspection in an age when the visual arts, as a genre, are under assault — both from the audio-visual media and rapacious advertising.