Osian's Auction Catalogue Indian Antiquities and Modern and Contemporary Fine Arts | June 2015

THE AMITABHA NIYOGI FAMILY COLLECTION THREE GENERATIONS OF ART LOVERS, CULTURAL ACTIVISTS AND ACADEMIC SCHOLARS Image 1 Rabindranath Tagore From The Kamal Morarka Collection Image 2 Nandalal Bose From The Niyogi Family Collection BROJO GOPAL NIYOGI [1857 - 1919, Calcutta] > NIRANJAN NIYOGI [2 November 1884 - 21 July 1968, Calcutta], s/o Brojo Gopal Niyogi > AMITABHA NIYOGI [3 April 1916, Comilla, Bengal (present-day Bangladesh) - 22 December 2002, Kolkata], s/o Prof. Niranjan Niyogi > Ranjan Niyogi (b.1959) s/o Amitabha Niyogi Shri Amitabha Niyogi was the Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal (1972-1974) and Advisor to Governor,West Bengal (1977). His mother, Smt. Santana Niyogi, nee Mitra was the grand-daughter of Brojosundar Mitra, famous Brahmo leader who was close to Debendranath Tagore (father of Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore and founder of the ‘Bramho Samaj’). Prof. Niranjan Niyogi, his father, associated with the Bengal Educational Service, was a Professor of Ravensaw College, Orissa. He also served as the Principal, Dayal Singh College, Lahore and City College, Calcutta. He was also a member of the Senate, Calcutta University. Prof. Niranjan Niyogi, also a Bramho leader, was an acolyte of Rabindranath, who was a regular visitor to the family house of the Niyogi’s in Calcutta. A copy of Late Smt. Santana Niyogi’s book, “Bhavrekha”, was presented by Amitabha Niyogi to Kabiguru during his visit at Udayan in the ‘Uttarayan’ Complex at Santiniketan in the year 1937. As a return gesture, Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore presented his painting ‘Flower in a small vase’ to Amitabha to be handed over to his parents, Prof. Niranjan and Smt. Santana Niyogi (See Image 1; this painting is now in the Kamal Morarka Collection) Brojo Gopal Niyogi (father of Niranjan Niyogi), was a leading missionary of the Brahmo movement; associated with Devendranath Tagore (father of Rabindranath), and also a cordial friend of Keshab Chandra Sen. Rabindranath Tagore visited together a couple of times, so instilling a special respect and love for Shri Nandalal Bose in Prof. Niranjan Niyogi. Niyogi Family at their Havelock Sahib’s Bungalow (Cuttack), neighbours to Hemendranath Mazumdar during the mid 1930s Niranjan Niyogi with Rabindranath Tagore 72