Why is the Santhal Family (1937) by Ramkinker Baij considered significant?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → It is regarded as the first public modernist sculpture in India
Option (1) It replaces the notion of portraits of kings or British dignitaries on a high pedestal — Incorrect. This is said of D. P. Roy Chowdhury’s Triumph of Labour. Santhal Family stands on a low pedestal.
Option (2) It pays homage to millions of destitute families whose cries fall on deaf ears — Incorrect. This is the socialist reading of Amarnath Sahgal’s Cries Un-heard.
Option (3) It lends an important indigenous character of cave and temple sculpture — Incorrect. This is said of P. V. Janakiram’s copper Ganesha, shaped by the temple sculpture of South India.
Option (4) It is regarded as the first public modernist sculpture in India — Correct. Santhal Family stands in the open outside Kala Bhavana and is the first public modernist sculpture in India.
NCERT (2026-27): “Santhal Family This is an open air large-scale sculpture created by Ramkinker Baij in 1937.…It is placed on a low pedestal, making us feel as if we are part of the same space. The significance of this work is that it is regarded as the first public modernist sculpture in India. We do not need to go to a museum to see it as it is placed outside Kala Bhavana.…”
|
