Artist Dinanath Bhargava Observed Lions To Make Original National Emblem

The artist spent 3 months in Kolkata Zoo, says his family

Indore: Taking notes from making the new National Emblem, family members of Dinanath Bhargava, a co-artist in the team that had designed the original national emblem of India, on Wednesday said that to accomplish the task, he kept visiting a zoo in Kolkata for three months to observe lions.

As his family recalls, this amid a row over the national emblem installed atop the new Parliament building, to which the opposition parties have taken objections, accusing the Centre of replacing the "graceful and regally confident" Ashokan lions with those having menacing and aggressive posture.

Late Bhargava was part of the group, which designed the national emblem that decorated the Indian Constitution's manuscript. It was designed based on an ancient sculpture 'Lion Capital of Ashoka' at Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh that dates back to 250 BC.

In an official report by news agency PTI, Dinanath Bhargava's wife Prabha said, "India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had given the task of designing the Constitution's original manuscript to Ravindranath Tagore's Shantiniketan's Kala Bhavan principal and noted painter Nandalal Bose."

But Late Bose had handed over the task of creating the Ashok Stambh's picture to her husband, who was young at that time and studying Arts in the Shantiniketan, she said. "After the directives of his guru, my husband continuously visited Kolkata's zoo for three months to closely observe lions for their expressions and to see how they sit and stand," she said.

The family members claimed that a replica of the original artwork of Ashok Stambh designed by Dinanath Bhargava is still in their possession as he had completed it many years later around 1985.

The artwork designed by Late Bhargava using gold leaf shows the mouth of the three lions opening a little and their teeth are also visible in it. At the bottom "Satyamev Jayate" is also written in golden colour.