Remembering Dr. Ananda Coomaraswamy

REMEMBERING Dr ANANDA COOMARASWAMY *

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