Marg@80: Marching On! By Prof. Dr. Avinash Kolhe explores the legacy of MARG, tracing its contribution to Indian art, architecture and cultural thought while examining its evolving editorial vision and contemporary relevance. 

Exactly 80 years ago, in 1946, to be precise, when India was on the verge of freedom, scholars, poets and artists, led by Dr Mulk Raj Anand (1905–2004), came together and launched MARG, focusing on the art and architecture of India. In the last 80 years, MARG has come a long way, and to celebrate this, an exhibition has been put together in the foyer of the Army & Navy Building, bang opposite Kala Ghoda.

The Vision Behind MARG

Founder-editor Anand completed his PhD on Bertrand Russell at the University of Cambridge in 1929 and published Untouchable in 1935, which went on to become an important literary work about India’s pernicious caste system.

Some hailed Mulk Raj Anand as India’s Charles Dickens. Untouchable was introduced by E. M. Forster!

During the 1930s and 1940s, Anand divided his time between London and India. As Independence approached, leaders like Nehru, Bose and Gandhiji were grappling with the identity of an ancient civilisation like India and its place in the modern world. Anand was one of the few who wanted to move away from Western ways of looking at Indian culture. Out of this urge was born MARG, which, incidentally, stands for ‘Modern Architectural Research Group’.

Artists and Architects Unite

Anand, along with a group of 14 leading artists, launched this unique magazine. Anand’s team included giants like Karl Khandalavala (art historian), Minnette de Silva (an architect from Sri Lanka who was also a contributing editor), Nihar Ranjan Ray and Bishnu Dey (art connoisseurs from Calcutta), and Charles Correa and Le Corbusier (urban architects).

The Tatas provided financial support and office space. The first issue came out in October 1946. Its initial goal was to serve as a kind of loose encyclopaedia of the arts of India. Its focus was on a comprehensive and holistic view of the arts, architecture, cultural heritage and practices of South Asia, with a special emphasis on India.

Art, Architecture and Nation-Building

MARG started with a subscription base of 300. Right from its first issue, it was all about nation-building and researching India’s art and culture. It is interesting to note that some of MARG’s earliest issues were bilingual, in French and English. This was because, back then, much of the world had been colonised by either the French or the English. MARG wanted to communicate with the intelligentsia of the colonised nations.

Here, the making of Chandigarh must find special mention, as it was about India’s freedom and new possibilities. Nehru captured this spirit beautifully when he said, “Let this be a new town, symbolic of the freedom of India, unfettered by the traditions of the past, an expression of the nation's faith in the future.”

In 1961, MARG (Vol. 15, No. 1) devoted an issue to Chandigarh. Then, in 1965, came MARG’s special issue (Vol. 18, No. 3) on New Bombay.

MARG’s Evolving Editorial Vision

In the 21st century, there has been a timely shift in MARG’s editorial policy, as so much, good, bad or ugly, has changed since MARG was launched. There is a well-placed fear among many serious-minded people that capitalism has hijacked art, which now talks only of profit. MARG is trying to address this. Some of its new issues discuss floor painting and tattooing.

An Exhibition Worth Visiting

The unique exhibition ‘MARG@80’ is open until 31 October. It is one of those ‘must-see’ exhibitions.