Subrata Das : Painter

Biography – Chandranath Das

The Himalaya I engage with is not just a majestic range of peaks, but a lived presence shaped by the people and rhythms rooted in this mountain world. It has never been a distant beauty for me, but a space to dwell in and learn from. My long association with this landscape deepened during my time in Darjeeling, where I had the privilege of serving as the Chief Curator of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute for over three decades. Darjeeling became both a place of work and a personal retreat, a space where daily life gently gave way to creative discovery. My artistic practice finds its roots in both freedom and discipline. After studying Fine Art at the Government College of Art, Kolkata, I pursued further studies in Cultural Heritage and Restoration in Italy and the UK, completing a Master’s and Research degree (AMA). I have been fortunate to receive honours such as the Senior Fellowship of the Trevor Walden Trust (UK) and a Senior Scholarship from the Ministry of Higher Education (Italy). A lifelong interest in visual culture, history and conservation has enriched my journey. Regular visits to local museums, conversations with artists and conservators, and time spent in archives have all shaped my understanding of image making. My involvement in museology eventually led to the distinction of becoming the first AMA holder from outside the UK in this field, along with the Commendation Medal awarded by the Eastern Command, Ministry of Defence, Government of India, in recognition of my expertise in Himalayan art: honours that I carry with deep gratitude. In addition to artistic practice, my authored works include Fabulous Collections of Darjeeling & Sikkim, Mountain and Mountaineering, Darjeeling: Down the Ages – Artist’s Live Sketches, the poetry-painting album Shoilo Shohor Darjeeling – Kobitay Chhobi and The Unseen Life of Ramkinkar Baij. One of the more ambitious undertakings has been the creation of the largest portrait and the longest 3D model of the Himalayan range in a single frame, a project that received recognition from both the Harvard World Records and the London Book of World Records