Dr Dwijen Sen fondly called Dada, came to Dehra Dun in 1948 where he met his adoptive parents Mrs Shakuntala Dougall and Mr P L Dougall who remained his mentors for rest of their lives.
Dada established Kala Kendra in 1950 at Dehra Dun. His talents as an artist were recognised by the eminent people of that era. One of the notable associates of Kala Kendra was, Mr Rathindranath Tagore, son of Nobel Laureate Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. Dada was the member of the Central and State Lalit Kala Academy from 1969 to 1980.
To promote the understanding of art and crafts, exhibitions of Indian and foreign artists have been held in the past in Kala Kendra. Some of the eminent personalities who inaugurated these exhibitions at Kala Kendra were:
Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru – Prime Minister of India
Mrs Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit – A Freedom Fighter & Politician of India
Begum Abida Ahmed – wife of President of India, Mr Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
Mr H Middleton – British High Commissioner in India
Mr K M Munshi – then Governor of Uttar Pradesh
As a tribute to their Guru, the students of Kala Kendra organizes an exhibition of Paintings, sculptures, pottery and ceramics at Kala Kendra every year on Dada’s birthday i.e. 25 December.
Mr Sudarshan Agarwal, Governor, Uttarakhand, inaugurated the first Exhibition organised by the students of Kala Kendra, after Dr Dwijen Sen’s demise in 2004. In his message he said……
I am glad to know that students of Kala Kendra are organizing an exhibition as a tribute to their Guru Dr Dwijen Sen. Dr Sen was a renowned artist, sculptor and a gifted Homeopathic Doctor, who served the people of Dehra Dun for 50 years with great commitment and dedication. He also won several awards for his paintings and sculptures. His paintings adorn the galleries in Yugoslavia, United States, Germany, England and France.
I pay my respectful tribute to the great son of this country.
Sudarshan Agarwal
Governor, Uttarakhand