A concept plan is being finalised for establishing the Svetoslav Roerich and Devika Rani International Museum in the Tataguni estate near Bangalore.
Attracted by the Himalayas, Svetoslav Roerich and his multi-faceted father Nicholas Roerich, both renowned Russian painters, had made India their home. They comfortably settled in to become part of the country’s cultural milieu.
Svetoslav later came to Bangalore and settled down at the Tataguni estate. He married popular Bengali and Hindi film actress Devika Rani, the then first lady of the Indian silver screen, who was the grand-niece of famous Bengali poet and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
“Plans are underway to set up the museum in memory of the two great personalities. The concept plan is being finalised and estimates will follow,” C G Betsurmath, commissioner, Archaeology, Museums and Heritage told Business Standard.
He said, the Karnataka government, which is setting up the museum over 25 acres of the 456-acre estate, will be located in a beautiful landscape surrounded by a vast ‘Tree Park’, and rose garden to be developed over 25 acres, Roerich house, studio and their burials. “The proposed museum acts as a memorial and will also be a tribute to the renowned artists who were a synthesis of art and yesteryear Indian filmdom, the Indian cultural milieu and philosophy,” he said.
Efforts would be made to model it on a par with the art museum of reputed painter Van Gogh in the Netherlands. Film and photographic archives, personal belongings of Roerich and Devika Rani, books, artefacts, letter correspondences, paintings, clippings of film world of the actress and other salient features connected with the life of both the artists would be exhibited, said Betsurmath, while asking the general public, relatives and close associates of the late Roerich and Devika Rani to donate them to the museum.
They would be displayed in a befitting manner and acknowledged by the department. They may contact: The Commissioner, Archaeology, Museums and Heritage, Government of Karnataka, Karnataka Exhibition premises, Mysore-570010. 0821-2423574. Email: commissioneramh@gmail.co orcommissioner@karnatakaarchaeology.gov.in
Before settling down at the centrally-located house on Edward Road, Svetoslav and Devika Rani had bought a sprawling estate on Kanakapura Road on the outskirts of Bangalore and developed the area into a verdant farm, planting several aromatic trees and shrubs.
A spacious farm house and a studio became part of the landscape. The studio which served as a quiet haunt for Svetoslav’s artistic creations also housed his priceless collection of art, artifact and curios, including some masterpieces of the two celebrated artists.
Following the demise of Roerich and later his wife, the property was caught up in a dispute and legal issues. The court recently ruled in favour of the Karnataka government, the commissioner said. Following this, it has taken up plans to bring back to life the Tataguni estate by conserving and developing the place with a museum, rose garden, international centre for creative arts, and publications.
