Aminul Haque, a well known artist of our State is known to his junior artists as Akul da. This man’s thoughts and contribution in the field of art takes us into a different world. His gentle personality endears him to all. Born in 1954 at Guwahati, he did his schooling in Don Bosco School, Guwahati and later moved to Sainik School, Goalpara. He graduated from Gauhati University in science.

While in Don Bosco, his interest in drawing and diverse hobbies such as singing, drama and boxing grew. He took part in many children’s competitions and sang in the chorus too. Aminul was never too diffident about anything. He participated and won top prizes frequently. His subjects were simple but tough for children of his age. His grades were always high when it came to drawing as a subject. As a teenager, Aminul started singing too, with his friends who were already in films and also wrote lyrics. But his passion for drawing continued. During his college days, he took part in youth festivals and won many medals. His parents – late Mafizuddin Ahmed and Anwara Begum, always gave him the freedom to do what he wished. But later, the tragic death of his father devastated Aminul and his wish to pursue architecture remained unfulfilled.

Soon after his college, he joined the Food Corporation of India in 1978 and was also engaged in drawing and painting, along with many well known artists of our state like Benu Mishra, Dhruba Deka, Neelpawan Baruah, Rajen Hazarika and many others. Since then he has also been associated with Gauhati Artists’ Guild.

His penchant to draw themes which are melodious, sentimental, lively, emotional, rhythmic and yet so fine, make him unusual. He admires the works of legendary artists like Goya, Picasso and Indian artists like MF Husain, Ramanand Bandyopadhyay, Bikash Bhattacharya, Jamini Roy and many more. These people had a great impact on him while he was gathering knowledge about art.

Although Haque gives his best to all mediums, he prefers water colours and says that it brings out his language exactly. Aminul works at night, as he prefers silence and soothing music. Curvy lines and bright colours are his trademark signature. “Everything I do is only a reflection of me. Even the medium and surface I choose, spatula, brushes or my own hands, depends on my mood and the moment,” says Aminul. “If you are honest and confident, you can mould and control anything. Any medium or surface, no matter what.”

One can observe simplicity and a spiritual god-fearing quality in him as well as in his works. Art has always had a softening influence on him. His drawings form a fitting introduction to his paintings, revealing the predilection of the artist for forms; forms that are consistent in terms of tone and line. He loves classical Indian forms. Miniature paintings inspire him with their intricate, colourful beauty, executed meticulously with delicate brushwork. The movement of each object or figure shows how intense the artist is with his creation. He prefers to alter his vision if he needs to change his taste. “I always struggle with colours and shapes, until they fall to a desired pattern. Like a music conductor, I organise my entire music instruments to play and orchestrate an aesthetic unit out of various experiences.” His interactions with all people and all his experiences at work definitely influence his work, but his work has also influenced them. As a result, he somehow manages to gather creative ideas and these become reality in a unique way in his canvases.

Aminul has had three solo exhibitions. The first took place in 1975 at the Haji Musafir Khana, Guwahati inaugurated by late FA Ahmed (the then President of India). The second was held in 1985 at the State Art Gallery, Guwahati. His last solo was in 1996 at the Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata. Over the next few years, his works were widely seen in almost all group exhibitions like the World Youth Festival (1973) Guwahati, North Eastern Hill University (1977), Shillong, Millennium Art Exhibition (2000), Guwahati, All Annual Exhibition of CAG since 1976 and workshops/art fairs like the Art & Craft workshop of NEZCC (1988), Guwahati, the National Art Fair, New Delhi (1990), Mumbai ( 1992), Kolkata (1996), Art for Peace (2002), Guwahati, All India Senior Artists Camp (2002) at AIFACS, New Delhi etc, besides having been featured in several exhibitions. His most wellknown works include: Moon in the Cage (oil), Rhythm (oil), etc. Aminul’s works have been exhibited all over the country and have found place among personal collections in India and abroad.

Aminul Haque is married to Dr Nilima Thakuria, who happens to be a gynaecologist, poet and an artist too. His strength is his wife who motivates and encourages him. He believes that if the other half is not supportive, one cannot perform well. He is also blessed with a son named Rahat Amim.

At present, Aminul is busy with his job. In his spare time, he does illustrations, reads books and enjoys music to release stress. The satisfaction of seeing one’s thoughts translated into a painting is an exciting and fulfilling experience. For him painting is a personal and meditative procedure, through which he distils, expresses and clarifies his feelings and reactions to the people and current afffairs.

Courtesy: The Assam tribune (2007)