REMEMBERING Dr ANANDA COOMARASWAMY *
K. CHANDRASEKHARAN
S.
Durai Raja Singam of Malaysia, who is an untiring devotee in his worship of Dr
Ananda Coomaraswamy, has shown us the way how to remember him not by mere dream
of him, nor by mere exhortation of others to preserve his memory, but by his own
wonderful example of compiling all that is said of him by persons to reckon
with and whose assessments of the mind and achievements of the great art-critic
are really worth communicating. Years ago, in 1947 itself, when Coomaraswamy
passed away, he had collected a number of tributes and articles of value which were
published under the title Homage to A. K.
C. and the world became grateful to his act of commemoration. Again,
another volume of remembrances followed in 1952, and still again now a third
volume entitled Remembering and
Remembering Again and Again has come out to mark the centenary of that
savant.
In
the introduction to this beautifully got-up book, the compiler who has chosen a
greater number of persons in the know of what is art and what has been the
cherishable contributions of the Centenarian, has observed revealingly: “For us
it seems that the only consolation can be that he will continue to pervade our
thoughts and rise to a pitch of adoration among us and among all people who
pursue Truth and beauty.” The pitch of adoration has not been in any other case
so very evident as in that of the author himself. His unsparing diligence in bringing
to light not only Coomaraswamy’s thoughts upon art through the opinions of
other scholars and art-connoisseurs in all parts of the world, but also in his
loving gathering of many unknown facts about the hero, in spite of Coomaraswamy’s
refusal to conveying anything concerning himself or the events of his life.
Having
been a dedicated soul to things of the spirit, Coomaraswamy could not bring
himself to encourage any biography of his. For he set great store by the higher
value of knowing more of art, philosophy and culture than of making known more
of himself to others. His admiration for the many unknown artists of this land
who had raised memorable works of art in the shape of architecture, sculpture
and painting, but who have left no trace of their names anywhere in the history
of art-creations, proves the summit of his own mind’s complete self-abnegation
in the matter of publicity, which is the bane of modern public life.
In
the Foreword written by both Ananda Coomaraswamy’s wife Dona Louisa and his son
Rama, we are told of the significant words of the famous art-critic in this
context. “I have neither the disposition, interest or time; what is more, this
would be entirely anti-traditional, altogether against the grain. There is but
seldom the occasion for autobiography and these must remain rare. For me, from
my point of view, this would be asvargya,
against Heaven.” What an elevating thought! His ambition, if at all he
possessed any for himself, was to disabuse our countrymen of the obsession of
Western culture and re-light the torch of a rich tradition of which any country
could be proud.
Roger
Lipsey, who is shortly bringing out a full-length biography of Dr Ananda
Coomaraswamy as a centenary publication, has added a few words by way of
introducing this volume, in a searching manner needing remembering. He says: “He
(Ananda Coomaaraswamy) was thoroughly creative, and his works aroused love in
some, fair criticism in others, contempt in still others who were offended by
his fiery commitment to explaining a world and world-view in which it is not
God who is dead but rather those men who forget His life in themselves.” The
above passage pictures to us adequately the prevailing attention of the world
to Ananda Coomaraswamy’s mind and work. We will be deemed un-pardonable, if we
have to remain without realising how much of the singular devotion of a “whole
man” can accomplish for humanity itself, in its none-too-regulated progress.
When
not much of Coomaraswamy’s personality is known outside, to have collected so
much material concerning his writings and photographs of much interest is
itself praiseworthy. Durai Raja Singam, himself is an object for emulation when
we come to know that he is only a school-teacher and a native of Ceylon but by
adoption a Malaysian, who with all his ardour has not personally met Dr Ananda
Coomaraswamy or stayed with him. His Coomaraswamiana has been growing in size
with the years and his achievement as a single man about another single person
who has consumed everything about art, who has visited every place worth seeing
in his search of art-treasures and who as in Yoga of concentration, produced so
many exegetical comments on the philosophy and culture behind the opulent
heritage of India.
A
good number of articles gathered here, has dwelt upon Coomaraswamy’s
contribution to thought and art. Any statement referred to in these pages from
Coomaraswamy makes it a fruitful study spent. A terse phrase or a Sutra-like
comment adds profundity to our asset of thinking. For instance, to what a vista
of wisdom would he lead us by a sentence as this: “Art is not an expression of
personality, but a release from personality.” It is said of his writing that it
is an “instrument of precision.” Indeed, it is true that he embarked with
missionary zeal on the onerous task of not exposing to the West the truth about
Asia, but to restore to us the sense of values and self-respect that we had
lost.” In iconography he was a fore-runner to many others and was the sole
pioneer for later workers in the same field to own a deep debt of gratitude to
his ability and characteristic modesty of being an unassuming informant. The
critical article of V. S. Nervane in this volume, does really stimulate the readers
to turn their eyes to the other side of the picture, especially when Ananda
Coomaraswamy speaks of women’s status, literacy drive and obsession instead of
absorption of Western culture as not quite our correct course of action in any
progressive sense. But on the whole he too cannot gainsay the fact “that with much
of his (Coomaraswamy’s) criticism there will be widespread agreement, and one
cannot help admiring the thoroughness and fervour of his indictment.
All
the thanks of the entire art-loving world would go to Durai Raja Singam, the
modern Ekalavya of a renowned “Kalayogi” of modern times.
* “Remembering and Remembering Again and Again.”
By S. Durai Raja Singam. Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. Price: M $ 25