A day after the Supreme Court was informed that the names of the Shantiniketan-based family of renowned artist Nandalal Bose had been deleted during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, his grandson on Tuesday expressed a mix of resignation and bewilderment over the deletions.
Suprabuddha Sen, 88, the son of Bose’s younger daughter Jamuna Sen, said he and his wife, Deepa Sen, 82, have been living in Shantiniketan since he retired from Damodar Valley Corporation in 1996. Sen said their family house was built in 1958, and since then, they have been living in the university town.
While speaking to The Indian Express, he said, “What will I say? I really do not know why my name was deleted. Only those who deleted my name can give the reason”.
“I was called for the hearing, but given my age, the officers came to my residence, and the hearing was conducted here. I gave my 1954 matriculation certificate from Patha Bhavana at Vishwa Bharati and my passport. Since my passport had expired, they said it could be accepted. I told them that since a passport was issued, it means the Government of India had done stringent police verification and had found that I am an Indian citizen, so they issued it.”
“I had worked in the Damodar Valley Corporation for 32 years, so I had that letter. I gave them that letter and the pension pay order, which shows my wife’s and my pictures. My wife also provided all her documents, but we were still on the adjudication list, and now we have been deleted.”
According to Sen, it really does not matter to him anymore. “I am 88 years old. When my name was deleted, I felt nothing. How much longer will I be in this world? But after this, the BLO and another lady officer came and helped me file an appeal with the tribunal. The tribunal is the only way.”
“I do not feel bad that I won’t be able to vote this time, but I just have to take it in stride that the two parties fighting led to the deletion of our names.”
Sen said the name of his secretary, Chakradhar Nayak, who has been with him for 52 years, has also been struck off from the electoral list.
He said he has been voting in Santiniketan since he shifted to his ancestral home. The last time he voted was in 2024 for the Lok Sabha elections.
Nandalal Bose was one of the pioneers of modern Indian art and a key figure of Contextual Modernism.
Bose, a pupil of Abanindranath Tagore, later became the principal of Kala Bhavan, Shantiniketan, in 1921. In 1954, Nandalal Bose was awarded the Padma Vibhushan.