Departures of note

Jogen Chowdhury was an eminent Indian painter and a former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member, widely regarded as a major figure in modern Indian art. He died at 87 in Kolkata after battling blood cancer for about 18 months.

Born on February 16, 1939, in Faridpur (in present-day Bangladesh), he migrated to Kolkata during Partition. He enrolled at the Government College of Art and Craft in Kolkata in 1955, graduating in 1960, and later studied art in Paris on a French government scholarship from 1965.

He worked as an art teacher and designer for the state handloom board before gaining recognition as a painter, and also served as curator of the art gallery at Rashtrapati Bhavan. His works are displayed at the Rashtrapati Bhawan and he was known for inspiring generations of artists.