G. R. Santosh

Born Gulam Rasool Dar in Srinagar, Kashmir, on 20 June 1929, Santosh adopted his wife’s Hindu name as his own, challenging conventional ideas of patriarchy and religion. After his father’s death, he worked as a signboard painter, papier-mâché artist, and weaver. He later studied under N. S. Bendre at M. S. University, Baroda, where he developed figurative and cubist landscapes. A spiritual experience at the Amarnath cave in 1964 led him towards tantric philosophy and inspired his pioneering contribution to the neo-tantra movement. His works explored the relationship between the sexual and transcendental through the concept of purusha-prakriti. Santosh was also an accomplished writer and poet in Kashmiri and Urdu. He received the Padma Shri in 1977 and several other honors, including three Lalit Kala Akademi National Awards. He passed away in 1997.