100 years of Krishen Khanna

When I first met Krishen Khanna in early 2001, the clean-shaven gentleman in a sharp waistcoat hardly looked like an artist. I was used to most in the community outfitted in kurta-jholas and, in the case of Khanna's contemporary M.F. Husain, walking barefoot, with his beard and unruly white hair in tousled glory. In contrast, Khanna was cut from a different stock.
He started off as a banker at Grindlays Bank, but was always attracted to art. He would attend the Progressive Artists' exhibitions and meetings in the late 1950s and early 60s. Finally, in 1961, he quit his job to pursue art full-time. Stories are still told about how, on the last day, when he stepped out of the bank, he found his friends V.S. Gaitonde, Husain, and Bal Chhabda, waiting outside to celebrate his new life.
Stationed in Mumbai till 2010, Khanna moved to Delhi-Gurugram to live with his son. Over the years, in the lovely farmhouse — with his wife Renu, 98, as his constant companion — his studio filled with artworks and memorabilia from the period that is often seen as the golden years of the Progressive Artist's Group. 'It was a wonderful time to be an artist, and frankly I could not see myself doing anything else,' recalls the last surviving member of the group — which comprised iconic names such as F.N. Souza, S.H. Raza, Husain, K.H Ara, S. Bakre, Akbar Padamsee, and Tyeb Mehta. And Khanna, who turns 100 on July 5, continues to add to this collection, sketching and drawing almost every day, even finishing a large painting themed around dereliction recently.
'For nearly half a century, Krishen Khanna has been in the forefront of modern Indian art, as an artist, intervenor, and man of imagination. Above all, he has articulated an aesthetic vision that is deeply epical — an epic imagination which has, in a way, painted a moving chronicle of the human condition of our times, troubled and scattered as they are. A narrative of human suffering and empathy, of human dignity and survival.'Ashok VajpeyiHindi poet, critic and art lover
Support for the marginalised
The largely self-taught artist, who went on to win the Rockefeller Fellowship in 1962 and travelled abroad to be an artist-in-residence at the American University in Washington D.C., is well known for his sizeable body of work on the India-Pakistan partition. 'As I lived in Lahore and studied at the Government College, before I went on to study at Imperial Service College in England, Pakistan was a part of my early life,' says Khanna. His family moved to Shimla during Partition, and the socio-political chaos he saw in his youth later found expression in his canvases. 'Talking of Partition is not out of place, even in today's milieu. As an artist, it takes time to distil emotions that one experienced as a child when the country was being torn asunder.'
Khanna moved from abstracts to human forms because, as he shared with London's Grosvenor Gallery, he thought 'that the person or the individual is being neglected — the person in a particular situation who is influenced by the conditions around'. His support for the marginalised shines through strongly in his work depicting pavement fruit-sellers, migrant labourers, and, of course, bandwallas.
'I have always held deep admiration for Krishen Khanna's artistic vision and his immense contribution to modern Indian art. His Bandwallas are iconic — there's something profoundly lyrical and cinematic about the way he captures movement, music, and the social fabric of India. What also strikes me is his ability to weave personal memory with national history. His works on the Partition, drawn from lived experience, are powerful in their emotional resonance and historical sensitivity. He is not just an artist; he is a storyteller of our times, someone who brings humanity, depth, and reflection to every canvas.'Shalini PassiCollector, philanthropist and reality TV star
His Bandwalla series is one of his most well-known, capturing the reality of Delhi's music makers. Their red uniforms and gold epaulettes depicted in lush colours contrast sharply with their impassive expressions, giving viewers insight into their precarious lives. 'The KNMA has some of the most seminal works by the artist in its collection. His recurrent characters — truck drivers, bandwallas performing or resting during break, people at dhabas, labourers on the streets — are reflective of an empathetic modernism and expressive figuration,' says Roobina Karode, director and chief curator at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art. His approach won him the Padma Bhushan in 1999.
'Krishen Khanna is a very sensitive artist. He looks deeply to choose his narratives, like he did in the Mahabharat series where he focused on the pain of the mother in Abhimanyu's Mother. There is also something touching in his faceless bandwallas. I knew him well and spent more time with him when he was younger; we often talked about his choices and how he navigated his life. He is one of the artists I've worked with who is a perfect example of how passion can keep you going. If you live for your passion then life becomes so meaningful — all of us can take this important page out of his life.'Sharan ApparaoFounder of Apparao Galleries, who has collected works of Khanna's from the 60s to recent times
A life well lived
To celebrate his centenary, the Raza Foundation — along with Vadehra Art Gallery, Gallery Espace, Art Alive Gallery, Progressive Art Gallery, and Gallerie Nvya — is organising a tribute on July 4 at the India International Centre in New Delhi. It will feature a two-hour colloquium on Khanna's life and art, a screening of the film The Human Condition (on Khanna's life and art practice) by French director Laurent Bregeat, and a dramatic reading of a few pieces of correspondence between Khanna and his friends.
'Krishen Khanna is undoubtedly the Renaissance man amongst us,' shares Karode. 'About to strike a century is the rarest gift of life, and what a life — from a banker to being one of the leading artists in India post-Independence, to a storyteller par excellence. His eloquence as a painter, writer, and orator has touched the lives of so many of us.'
Kalpana Shah, owner-director of Tao Art Gallery in Mumbai, is one such person. A friend and associate of Khanna's, she recently held a significant solo show of his to mark 99 years of the artist's creativity. 'I have known Krishen both professionally and personally for the last 25 years, and I have always found him jovial, full of anecdotes and the perfect gentleman,' says Shah, adding that the show spotlighted his versatility, featuring sculptures, tapestries, sketches and paintings from six decades of his practice. One of the Bandwallas is currently on display at the gallery.
'Krishen Khanna holds a unique and significant place in the history of Indian art. His association with the Progressives is well known, but what is inspiring is also how he has remained personally engaged with artists, educators and the community at large over the years. His artworks stay relevant and resonate powerfully with collectors and curators across generations. His bandwallas are more than just a recurring motif — they reflect his deep empathy and connection to everyday life in India. Future generations will always appreciate the relevance of what he has contributed, both to Indian art and to the broader cultural community of South Asia.'Roshni VadehraFounder, Vadehra Art Gallery
For his birthday celebrations, Khanna plans to show his recent work. 'It took me quite a while to paint it, and it has gone through many iterations,' he states. 'I have always been a strong colourist, but I still remember what critic Rudy von Leyden told me, that my drawing is 'weak'. So, I have sketched and drawn every day since then to make my lines strong and powerful.' This dedication, we hope, will hold him in good stead for many more years to come.
The writer is a critic-curator by day, and a visual artist by night.

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