Artist Satish Gujral honoured with commemorative stamp on birth centenary

Marking the birth centenary of renowned Indian artist, sculptor and architect Satish Gujral, a commemorative postage stamp featuring one of the few self-portraits he painted during his lifetime was unveiled on Monday

Marking the birth centenary of renowned Indian artist, sculptor and architect Satish Gujral, a commemorative postage stamp featuring one of the few self-portraits he painted during his lifetime was unveiled on Monday.

Raseel Gujral Ansal, Gujral’s daughter, described the stamp as a tribute not only to her father but also to India’s artistic legacy. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

The stamp, released by the Department of Posts in collaboration with the Raseel Gujral Art Legacy (RGAL) at Bikaner House, was unveiled by Union communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Calling Gujral a singular creative force, Scindia said the artist’s ability to work across disciplines, from painting and sculpture to architecture, set him apart. He also spoke about how Gujral transformed the profound hearing impairment he suffered as a child into a defining strength of his artistic practice.

“At a very young age, he experienced a very severe hearing impairment. But he used that adversity to propound a new language that was based on colour, on texture, on form, on space. What appeared to be a limitation to mere mortals like us really became the foundation of extraordinary artistic value,” Scindia said.

“There are moments that belong not just to a family, but to the cultural memory of a nation. Today is one such moment for us,” she said, adding that her father taught her “to look for the soul within things and the truth behind every act”. “The true purpose of art is not simply to be seen, but to change the way we see.”

The launch coincided with the opening of an exhibition at Bikaner House, where limited-edition commemorative stamp collectibles will be on display from August 4 to 9.

The stamp reproduces a 2010 acrylic on canvas self-portrait showing Gujral seated with a paintbrush. The work, rendered largely in colour with the artist’s face depicted in photorealistic black and white, is believed to be one of only four self-portraits he created during his career, according to exhibition notes. The original painting is also on display.

RGAL has released two limited-edition collectible sets to accompany the stamp. One features 25 commemorative stamps, a reference to Gujral’s birth date, December 25, 1925, and is priced at ₹25,000, with an introductory price of ₹21,000. A Centenary Master Edition containing 100 stamps, marking the 100th year of Gujral’s birth, is priced at ₹99,000, with a promotional price of ₹88,000.