By Lt Col VK Dougall (Retd), Director, Kala Kendra
Dehradun, 24 Dec: Dr Dwijen Sen, fondly called ‘Dada’, was a father figure to the art fraternity of Dehradun for over half a century. He was a man of a multi-dimensional personality. In spite of his exceptional talent as a painter and sculptor, Dada was a modest man. He was content to pass on his knowledge to his students rather than resort to affectations that most artists are prone to. Therein lay his uniqueness. He was a homeopathic doctor who alleviated the sufferings of thousands of people with his sympathetic manners and effective medication. No one who was touched by his presence can ever forget the aura of his goodness.
Born on 25 December 1924 in a Bengali family of eminent doctors and engineers, he was expected to follow the family tradition. However, young Dwijen’s love for art made him leave his home to fulfil his ambition of becoming a sculptor and a painter. During this period of his life, he was involved with the freedom struggle and even went to jail. He enrolled in Shanti Niketan in 1942. In 1946 he passed out with a diploma in fine arts, crafts and sculpture from Kala Bhavan of Vishwabharti University. He came to Dehradun in 1948 where he met his adoptive mother, Shakuntala Dougall, who remained his mentor for the rest of her life. In 1949, he established Kala Kendra with the help of his adoptive parents.
Dada won many awards for his paintings and sculptures. His paintings adorn the galleries of the USA, Germany, England and France. Bronze statues of Mahatma Gandhi at Dakpathar, Sardar Patel at Clock Tower, Lal Bahadur Shastri in Mussoorie, Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw, General Prem Bhagat and General Raina at the IMA, KD Malviya at ONGC, Col Everest at Survey of India, and Bhai Bir Singh at Balbir Avenue are a testimony of his creative genius.
We, at Kala Kendra, pay our respects to our Guru and pledge to keep his legacy alive through our endeavours.
