| Jyoti Bhatt | Artist/ Art teacher
| Kanak Ravel | Family
| Urmi Raval | Family
| Vikram Raval | Family
| Kishor Raval | Family
| |
1st August 2003 will be his 111th birthday. On that occasion we present this peek into his Art-World as a tribute to him and his work. We thought we will put up reproductions of his paintings before they get lost in the history. All his paintings carried his signature mark R.M.R.
His friends knew him as Ravibhai, to us his children he was just our dear Bapu.
Though he was an artist, he was excited about science, weavers of the dreams, story-tellers, thinkers, poets...
He taught us to be curious and inquisitive. I am richer today because he listened, even we dissented from his views, a gift I deeply cherish and am grateful for. My only regret is I did not avail myself of his presence and learn anything about art and painting when I spent two years with him under the same roof and oh, when he would been so happy to be my Guru!
I hope I was able to convey to him that I loved him, though probably in not so many words!
It was the most difficult 'Yagna'(campaign) that he had started and continued till his last breath for
inspiring money minded Gujaratis to look towards arts and culture. This he did through 'Kumar', the only
magazine in Gujarati that covered arts, architecture, archeology, poetry,literature, problems related to
youth and women, education, mathematics,photography, science humor etc 'Kumar' has been published since
1924, and its motto printed then on the cover page of the each issue affirmed - 'Aavati Kaalna Naagarikonu
Maasik' (A magazine for the citizens of tomorrow ).
Apart from the writing, editing and publishing work for 'Kumar,' Ravibhai had started a school "Gujarat Kala Sangh'
at his own residence where, several of the well-known artists from Gujarat were initiated into art. He traveled and
lectured, tried successfully to bring artists, writers and people from various walks of life together, and
made them aware of their responsibility towards the society. His autobiographical master piece,
'Gujaratman Kalana Pagaran' has been one of my most favorite books. The details and interesting
stories regarding all the topics that I have -- and many more that I have not - mentioned, are narrated
very graphically in this book. And, as we would expect, it is illustrated profusely with his own
drawings and paintings and also supported by many rare photographs of great documentary value.
As a fitting tribute to Ravibhai, people in Gujarat have been calling him Kala Guru (Great Art Teacher, a Maestro),
like the other two of the all-time great Indians, Kalidas and Ravindranath Tagore are known as Kavi KulGuru and Guru Dev.
Vikram Raval (grandson-in-law), Youngstown, OH
I grew up in two different
homes, one in Bhavnagar and another in Amdavad. In both homes , Bapu was
talked about with utmost respect and admiration by my parents and my grandparents.
Right from my childhood I knew him as some great man. When I grew-up, I
became a great fan of KUMAR, just like my parents and my brothers. We eagerly
awaited each month for new issue of KUMAR. We saved every and each issue and
later got them bound in hard-bound volumes which are still present in our home.
KUMAR was just one of many contributions of Bapu in intellectual, moral
and cultural enrichment of generations of Gujaratis. Bapu was a Giant. He was a
visionary. There are not enough words to fully describe who he was and his
contribution to Gujarat . I hope that this new website will introduce him to
our next generation and their following genarations which are growingup here
as America as well as in India .
Kishor Raval (nephew), Philadelphia PA
Bapu, as we called my uncle, has steered the family away from the traditions and preconceived notions
by encouraging us all to think indepenedently. Were it not for him, our family would still have been
mired down in old values, customs and produced more Civil Servants.
Jyoti Bhatt (Artist and art teacher), Vadodara, India
It is required for the Hindus to declare their 'Kul'(ancestral roots) during the religious or wedding
ceremonies. Such 'Kul's are named after their ancestors, many of whom were 'Rushi' (sages)
or their likes, from the Vedic age. However, as a Gujarati artist, if I have to declare my 'Kala-Kul',
then the name that I would give is that of Shri Ravishankar Raval. This can be said for many or
perhaps all the artists from Gujarat. No, I do not belong to 'Raval-Gharana', in the sense that I
actually studied painting under him. But two of my art teachers at the initial, school days during the
40's were, like several of their contemporaries, greatly influenced and inspired by the pioneering work
that Ravibhai had started in Gujarat. I too was inspired by him -both indirectly and directly. In
fact, his interest in my own work and in my growth as an artist, encouragement and blessings that I was
fortunate to have from him repeatedly has contributed considerably to make me what I am today.
Urmi Raval (Granddaughter), Youngtown, OH, USA
On Pujya Bapu's 111th birthday I feel love for him the way I felt when I was
growing up and I strongly feel that those we hold most dear never leave us...what he taught us is how to live life and his love will always be part of all we are..his simplicity, his sense of humor and his dignity is always in my
memory...