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Lot Essay
Similar to his image of Bapuji, in 1936, Nandalal Bose created the most iconic image of Abdul Ghaffar Khan, a Pushtan leader who came from what is now the Northwest Frontier province of Pakistan. Khan was affectionately called the 'Frontier Gandhi'. While Gandhi was given the title of 'Mahatma' (great soul), Khan was bestowed the title of 'Badshah' (king). Bose's image beautifully captures the love, respect for humanity, non-violence philosophy and commitment to Hindu-Muslim unity that Khan is known for.
As a young man, Khan founded a school for Pashtun children and later was influenced by Haji Abdul Wahid Sahib, the social reformer. He eventually established contact with other progressive Muslim leaders in India, who urged him to continue his work toward the education and upliftment of the Pashtuns. But Khan was still searching for answers. In 1914, he performed a fast that lasted several days. The fast strengthened his resolve to dedicate his life to social reform, and he spent the next few years touring the region. He soon came in contact with Gandhi and was immediately drawn to his non-violence philosophy and found in Gandhi's message a unifying message with Islam. In 1929, Khan founded the nonviolent movement, Khudai Khidmatgar (servants of God), which was dedicated to social reform and ending British rule in South Asian.
"The dramatic contrast of white against a background of black provided Nandalal with an effective means of capturing the presence of this iconic figure in India's freedom struggle. Nandalal cleverly integrated Urdu invocations to Allah into his depiction of the homespun cotton garment - rendered with fluid lines, this work evokes the rhythms of Arabic calligraphy." (Rhythms of India, exhibition catalogue, Singapore, 2008, p. 163)
As a young man, Khan founded a school for Pashtun children and later was influenced by Haji Abdul Wahid Sahib, the social reformer. He eventually established contact with other progressive Muslim leaders in India, who urged him to continue his work toward the education and upliftment of the Pashtuns. But Khan was still searching for answers. In 1914, he performed a fast that lasted several days. The fast strengthened his resolve to dedicate his life to social reform, and he spent the next few years touring the region. He soon came in contact with Gandhi and was immediately drawn to his non-violence philosophy and found in Gandhi's message a unifying message with Islam. In 1929, Khan founded the nonviolent movement, Khudai Khidmatgar (servants of God), which was dedicated to social reform and ending British rule in South Asian.
"The dramatic contrast of white against a background of black provided Nandalal with an effective means of capturing the presence of this iconic figure in India's freedom struggle. Nandalal cleverly integrated Urdu invocations to Allah into his depiction of the homespun cotton garment - rendered with fluid lines, this work evokes the rhythms of Arabic calligraphy." (Rhythms of India, exhibition catalogue, Singapore, 2008, p. 163)