I had the distinct privilege of meeting and interviewing Somnath Hore at his home in Santiniketan in April of 1985 and this paper will present a few memories about that experience. After a brief introduction, I will share excerpts from our two-hour interview. I confess at the outset I did not know of Somnath Hore or his artwork except from other artists in India who had told me about him when I arrived earlier in the year. At Kala Bhavana, I expected a campus bustling with activity, students running hither and yon, loud music, volleyball or soccer, the exuberance of youth. What I found, instead, was a quiet, reserved, dignified place where the pace was slow and deliberate. There seemed to be seriousness of purpose and camaraderie that felt to me like what it must have felt like originally as an ashram, a spiritual retreat for the famous Tagore family of Calcutta. After 1923, the Tagore family ashram quickly became a magnet for artists, writers, musicians, and many social reformers including brief residential visits from Mahatma Gandhi. Somnath Hore’s personality was perfect for that place and that time. There have been many artists and art educators trained at Kala Bhavana who have put their mark on art in India since Independence. Somnath Hore was not a student there and did not serve on the faculty there either until the late 1960s. However, he left his mark along with other legendary artist-teachers who have contributed to the success of the art school. Anyone who has met and spoken with Hore and has spent any time on the campus of Tagore’s university will immediately recognize that Somnath Hore and Kala Bhavana were a perfect match, twins born of different mothers. When I first met Somnath, I was struck by what an unpretentious person he was. He was admired by nearly every Indian artist I had met previously, and he was held in high esteem by all of them. I expected more ego when I met him. Instead, I found someone quiet and contemplative, whom I came very quickly to admire.

Here are excerpts from our conversation at his home on April 20, 1985:

C: Let’s start by talking a little bit about your imagery and the content of your work.

S: “When I started working seriously in 1942, it was Chittaprosad (Chittaprosad Bhattacharya) who inspired me to draw something about the Japanese bombing of Chittagong where I lived. I was there at the time, and I watched the planes coming and bombing innocent people in the villages.” “Also at that time, in 1943, the Famine came. It was a terrible thing. One of the worst things in my lifetime. It was made even worse since the famine was a manmade one and all the people…

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