February 18, 2008

e-web learning


While online music and art lessons are convenient, they cannot replace the process of one-on-one learning, says Anita Iyer.

In a world where investment advice and even medical opinions are being given on-line, can music or art lessons be far behind?
The proliferation of the Internet, enhanced band widths and falling costs of recording and uploading large files have opened up a whole new way of learning music or art on-line. In a sense this e-learning is putting the traditional Gurukul system of learning on its head.

As Neyveli Santana Gopalan, a prominent vocalist based in Chennai says, “
Internet has changed the way music was perceived in older times. Due to the advent of Internet and its influence on our lives, the Gurukul system (Students coming to the Gurus) is replaced by Shishyakul (Gurus going to Shishya)”.

Today, the web world is over flowing with websites offering Carnatic music lessons by renowned vocalists and instrumentalists at nominal prices. Learning music lessons online comes as an advantage for both the learner and teacher as they can access music suiting their busy schedules.

It is mainly the increased interest of westerners and distant learners which has boosted the concept of online music lessons, proclaims Mr. Suresh Vaidyanathan, a Ghatam maestro and a vocal artist who has 25 students varying from USA to Japan learning under him. Elucidating the concept of e- music learning, he says, “I record video clippings of 10 MB each and attach an Excel sheet with notations mentioned in it and mail it to my disciples throughout the world. As music needs to confirm with Taal and Sur, I specify the counts and beats of music in the rows and columns in the excel sheet”. “Normally, all my lessons are recorded with home video camera and are send via mail. But sometimes, the lessons are too big and breaking the continuity is meaningless so in such cases, I send across a CD or a DVD of my recordings via post”.

Talking about the profile of learners, Mr. Suresh says, “It is mainly the westerns who get influenced and fascinated by seeing the Indian classical performances abroad and develop a keen interest to learn the art form. As not many Indian artists are available abroad, they seek online music lessons as a mode to learn our music. Many NRIs learn Indian music because they want to establish themselves and want to prove that they are capable enough to hold a concert abroad”.

The period of learning music via Internet depends on the receptivity, capacity, the time spent by each student for practices and sincerity in his approach while learning.

Anant Padmanaban, a NRI based in United States who takes online lessons for Mandolin instrument says, “It was about four years ago that I got inclined towards the musical instrument Mandolin on my visit to Chennai. I took some basic lessons in mandolin for a week from Guru Gopalakrishnan based in Chennai and on my return to United States, I continued to learn music by taking online lessons”. “The only problem that amateurs face while learning music lessons online is understanding the basics. So if you are clear with the basics, learning further lessons via mail is like distant learning and is not that tedious a job”.

There are many online websites providing lyrics and video clips of bhajans, geetams, Swarajatis, Varnams of Carnatic music, one of them being http://www.karnatik.com/, http://www.indiamusicinfo.com/ and many musical videos are also uploaded on http://www.youtube.com/

Bharat Subramanium, Director, http://www.indiamusicinfo.com/ says, “Here at indiamusicinfo.com, we aim to impart knowledge and to make the learners understand the true values of music and to bring them up to the level of performing”. “Music cannot be learnt by reading the musical notes from website and to achieve excellence, there has to be a backing from a learned Guru. So, on our website we have added video clips by renowned vocalist Neyveli Santana Gopalan and also mentioned the lyrics for the classical songs for easy learning”.

“At the moment, we only have vocal Carnatic music listed up but have not thought about musical instrumental lessons as there are many constraints attached to it. One of it being the bandwidth and the fingering moves involved in playing the instruments”, reasons Mr. Bharat.

Neyveli Santana Gopalan whose videos are uploaded on http://www.indiamusicinfo.com/ says, “My music classes are recorded by the website people and later uploaded on their website -http://www.indiamusicinfo.com/ from where these video clips can be downloaded at nominal prices. One advantage that comes along with online lessons is the learner can listen to it at his own convenience”.

Chandresh Kudwa, one of India’s best rock and blue guitarist recently launched India’s first interactive guitar lessons website- http://www.theguitarthing.com/. Talking about his website he says, “In my website I have taken care of basics like how to hold a guitar, anatomy of a guitar etc. The website has a series of lessons varying from beginner’s guide to advanced levels to attain higher proficiency levels”. In www.theguitarthing.com, the guitar lessons are prerecorded in a video clips focusing on the moment of the fingers on the strings for amateurs to learn. These video clips can be downloaded via credit cards at nominal prices of Rs. 10 and Rs. 20 per lesson.

“Learners often clear their concept by mailing me down their queries and I respond in my best possible way. So, there is a one to one interaction between me and subscribers of video in my website”, he says.

http://www.playpianotoday.com/ is an online piano learning website which teaches people to play keyboard by the technique of Rhythmic patterns without the need of a written music sheet. Music is learnt by hearing to the beats and seeing the moments of the fingers on the keyboard in the video available on the website.

Learning online can be a challenging task for freshers, believes Mr. Suresh. Recollecting one such incident, he says, “I remember once a student based in Europe who was interested in taking online lessons in Ghatam. I provided him with all the required materials and also video conferencing but after a span of three months he still insisted that he was not very comfortable with playing Ghatam. I later discovered that he was holding the Ghatam in a wrong position and so I ended up rendering him a half an hour clip on how to hold the clay pot! Any one who has a fair idea of music and have witnessed the concept of music can learn the lessons online”.

In spite of the conveniences offered, one of the grave problems with online teaching is the connectivity. While learning art, any form of distortion is disturbing and many a times connectivity poses a problem while learning online. The second problem is rectification of errors as there is no direct interaction between the learner and the Guru. “I keep sending lessons via mail and rectify their queries and mistakes through chats but to make sure the disciple is moving the right way, I insist that they mail me video or audio file of them performing and give a feedback”, says Mr. Santana Gopalan.

Although, there are many takers to online music, there are some who think otherwise. Anandi Rajan, a Tanjore painter says, “Online lessons shelves to bridge the distance between the Guru and the disciple, but there is nothing like direct learning. Through my online site there are many IT professionals who can learn crafts work. But for traditional art forms like Tanjore paintings it is advisable to learn the fundamentals of the art form to understand the intricacies involved in it. By learning online, it is not always possible to rectify mistakes and provide suggestions. Any traditional art form be it Carnatic music, learning musical instruments or paintings has a set of predetermined rules which cannot be taught online and direct learning is essential. Although, online learning is a boon for people who want to excel any art form after knowing the fundamentals ground rules of it”.

Echoing similar thoughts is Lalgudi Vijaylakshmi, a prominent violinist and a vocalist based in Chennai who says, “Learning lessons online helps only to a certain extent because you cannot learn the nuances properly. It is not possible to learn the finer aspects of music especially instruments and the learner cannot attain a proficiency level by learning online”

“Even I give online music lessons but I believe that it is better that the discipline is familiar with the Guru’s language and communication skills, the medium of knowledge becomes easy. Though studying online is the only tool for many to learn Indian music, it is essential that the learner clears his basics and meets the Guru once in a while for better communication”, she says.

Knowledge can be transferred by any means but there should be a spiritual connection between the disciple and the Guru, believes Santana Gopalan. “Even though, learning online is a convenient way, nothing is comparable to direct interaction between the learner and the Guru. There are secret techniques to enhance any art form, which the Guru may not be willing to share online”, concludes Mr. Santana Gopalan.

It can be undoubtedly said that online music lessons have definitely drawn more music lovers towards Indian music and works as a bridge for Carnatic music admirers abroad. However, it cannot be argued that it is impossible to learn music simply by reading notations, there has to be an understanding of lyrics and nuances can be imbibed only by personal learning. Online learning is a tool of convenience but cannot replace the process of one to one learning

February 17, 2008



Sudharshan Patnaik, winner of several international awards, who has left his footprints on the sand globally with gigantic sand sculptures, shares a moment with Anita Iyer.

1. Tell us something about your childhood. Did you visit the beach often?
I was born in the coastal town of Puri in Orissa. It was a part of my routine to visit the Puri beach almost every day and I loved to play with the sand on the shore. Like every child I used to like making sand castles and later I began making small idols of gods and goddess using my imagination. I soon realised I could do something better than this and popularise the vanishing art of sand art. This form of art has its root in the Orrisan myths and I wanted to revive sand art.

2. Could you throw some light on the Orrisan myth you are referring to?

Although it is not historically proved, it is believed that the origin of sand structures goes back to the time when poet Balaram Das, the author of Dandi Ramayan, was not allowed to climb the annual rath yatra chariot of Lord Jagannath. He was a great devotee of Lord Jagannath and as he wasn’t allowed to offer his prayers to the idol on the chariot, to release his frustration, he made a sand sculpture of the Lord on the beach. Lord Jagannath was so pleased with his devotion that the original statue from the chariot disappeared and the sand structure was transformed into a real idol. So, it is since then that sand statues are made in Puri beach in Orrisa. The period that we are referring here was the 14th century A.D., so the origin of sand art can be traced a few centuries back.

3. How did you develop this art form?

Whenever I used to go to the beach during my teenage days, I would end up making sand statues from the golden sand. There was no limit for my imagination and I loved making structures on the huge sand canvas. There was a constant urge within me to give this diminishing art an international exposure.

4. Could you explain the process of making sand sculptors?

To make any sand sculpture, the basic raw materials required are fine sand and water. The sand sculptures are made on the shores of the beach where there is flow of water. A sketch is drawn beforehand and at least 15-20 people are required to make a huge statue. Often, a few adjustments need to be made in the original sketch, as sand cannot always be moulded the way we want. In case of coloured statues like Santa Claus made for Christmas, sand is mixed with colours and it is a tedious process, which takes about a month.

5. Tell us about the Golden Sand Art Institute at Puri beach.

Golden Sand Art Institute is an open-air institute on Puri Beach started by me in 1994-95. I started this institute with the aim of developing sand art as a professional art form. There are about 70 students now learning the art of sand sculpture under me in this institute. It is also due to the boom in tourism that this art form has received international exposure and many tourists who travel to India also desire to learn the art of making sand statues.

6. How different is it to create sand sculptures on the beaches of India and abroad?

Internationally, people are more curious to know the technique of making sand statues. Initially, they were amazed by the concept but now that they are aware of it they come forward to learn the art. In our country, there are many people who are involved in making sand sculptures now so the curiosity is fading but hundreds of people do flock to have a look at the art.

7. All the themes you pick up are sensitive. What is your message to the world?

I do believe that sand art can be a powerful medium to convey any message. I have worked on themes like wildlife, terrorism, creating awareness about HIV AIDS, and world peace. As a part of our sand institute, we make a new statue each day with themes on current affairs. Just recently, following the racism controversy in cricket, we made an innovative piece on it.

8. You have won many international awards...

It feels great to have represented India in all these international competitions. Receiving all this fame makes me think that I have finally achieved what I wanted - to popularise this art form. About a decade back, there weren’t many sand artists, but today I can proudly say that there are more than 1,000 artists in India who are taking up this art form as a serious profession.

9. What do you aim to do further now?

My aim is to create awareness and enthusiasm among the people. Whenever, I travel abroad, I hold workshops and demonstrations to educate the people there. I wish to include sand art as a regular curriculum in the schools of art and culture.


February 05, 2008

Power of Yoga


As our lives get more stressful, yoga is helping to restore the balance between the mind and body, says Anita Iyer.

The popularity of Yoga is certainly picking up pace with urban India moving around with yoga mats tucked under their arms. Television channels like Sanskar, Aastha, have made yoga gurus like Baba Ramdev a household name. Although mired in many controversies, Baba Ramdev is undoubtedly the idol for many yoga amateurs. Early in the morning, innumerable viewers sit glued to television sets waiting for Yoga Gurus to free them from disorders by performing almost magical postures.

The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from Sanskrit word Yuj, which means to unite or merger. It means uniting the mind, body and soul by the process of meditation. The main objective of performing yoga is to strike a balance between the mind and body and attain self-enlightenment.

Discussing various aspects of yoga, Yoga Guru Suneel Singh, a 45-year-old Yoga practitioner says, “I have been performing yoga since I was a teenager and yoga for me is the art of living. There is certainly a rise in the number of people taking up yoga to relieve themselves from anxiety”, he confirms. Explaining how the concept of yoga works for relieving stress, Mr. Singh adds, “When a person is nervous or stressed, his breath is shallow and irregular but when he meditates, his breathing is regulated and his mental fatigue is released and he feels relaxed. Meditation can be either concentrating on any object, word, the holy letter Om or maybe chanting of a mantra”. The benefit gained differs from person to person as the degree of involvement differs. Yoga steadies the mind to a great extent, decreases anxiety, relieves depression, mental fatigue and relaxes the human mind.

There are many professionals who have experienced peace by practising the tenets of yoga. Alex Antony, a 23-year-old media professional says, “The field of media involves long hours and sometimes I end up working for about 16 hours a day which leaves me completely exhausted. I started yoga about two years ago and practicing it for at least one hour on a minimum of four days a week helps in relieving mental fatigue and attaining balance”. Yoga as an art form originated and is practiced in India since the past thousand years. Yoga finds its reference in the Upanishads, the Bhagvad Gita, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and Purans of the Vedic and post-Vedic era. There are no age limitations for performing Yoga. It can be done whenever desired as it doesn’t require any apparatus. The saturation depends on the personal capacity of the person performing the Yoga and it helps in attaining physical, mental and spiritual stability.

Yoga aasans are instrumental in providing remedies to many ailments and can be divided into static and dynamic. In static aasans, the person remains in the same position for a longer period like Padmasan. This increases the blood circulation to a particular body part thereby reducing pain in the particular area. Dynamic aasans comprises of exercises, which burn calories by stretching the body. The internal organs are massaged in this process and toxins are cleansed from the body.

Suneel Singh has integrated age-old traditional forms of yoga with newer and other forms of exercise to suit the urban practitioner. He has been conducting workshops on health care solutions for ailments like obesity, diabetes, neck pain, arthritis, stress, insomnia, heart problems, mental tension and depression etc., yet he believes that yoga has its own limitations. “Although effective for various ailments, yoga has its own restrictions. Yoga is preventive and not curative as many today claim. If practiced on a regular basis many diseases can be averted in later stages of life. Yoga means disciplining yourself and restriction from vices”, he explains.

Contradicting the above statement, Ms. Shilpa Jain, a yoga consultant says, “It was about three years back that I started learning yoga and took it seriously after I was cured of cancer. I used to practice Pranayam for at least 2-3 hours a day and I attribute at least 80% of my recovery from the disease to Yoga. Later after learning the art, I took up yoga as a profession and today I am a consultant”.

In yoga, we synchronize the breath so there is more of oxygen intake in the body and greater amounts of carbon dioxide is released, thereby making you feel rejuvenated. Yogacharya Sneh Ganotra says, “We hold workshops specifically for curing ailments like asthma, migraine, joint pains etc. Here the emphasis is mainly on controlling the breath and performing aasans. Deep breathing infuses energy in the body, reaching the lungs and works for the betterment of the individuals”.

“Due to changing food habits and lifestyle, there is a greater need for concentrating on all the powers of the body and meditating to stay in touch with the inner soul”, she adds.

There are three pillars in Yoga- Ahar which means that we must restrict the intake of food and abstain from meat, alcohol, tobacco and fermented foods etc, nidra or proper sleep as an essential element and the third factor being brahmacharya which means refraining from materialistic gains and leading a satisfied life.

Yoga possesses a great healing power for maintaining both the physical and mental well being of individuals and is a way to a healthy and balanced approach to life.

February 04, 2008

Mystical paintings


Tanjore paintings are deeply rooted in tradition and still innovative within limits, finds Anita Iyer.

Tanjore paintings can often be seen adoring our living rooms and corporate office walls and never fails to grab our attention for a minute. With their rich blend of bright colours, use of jewellery and larger-than-life figures, a Tanjore painting mesmerizes art lovers. As Ms. Indu Gupta, a Tanjore painter from Delhi says, “What makes Tanjore paintings unique is their colour combination, use of gold and precious stones and typical arcades. It is the hardwork and use of gold and stones, which raises the cost of any Tanjore paintings from Rs. 2000 to Rs. 2 lakh, but still there are takers for this art form”.

Tanjore Paintings are known for their surface richness, vivid colours and compact compositions. One amazing fact about Tanjore painting is that they were placed in dark temple shrines by the emperors. The reason for this was to enhance the presence of these bright gold paintings in the dim place.

Ms. Anandhi Rajan, a Tanjore artist from the past 15 years says, “In Tanjore paintings gaudy colours are used and much importance is given to the depiction of facial expressions and use of glittering gold foils instead of colours gives it s dramatic effect”. The subjects in Tanjore paintings are largely religious with depictions from mythological stories Ramayana or any other epic. The most common themes are the paintings that depict episodes from Lord Krishna’s life.

Exceptional attribute of Tanjore paintings is their shelf life. As stones and gold are used, the paintings do not tarnish and have a lasting life of about 80-100 years normally. It is a known fact that a red background is the distinctive mark of Tanjore paintings, but green is also sometimes used for an added effect. There are even fixed colours for Gods like Lord Vishnu is preferably coloured blue, Lord Nataraja chalk white and Goddesses are usually Yellow. Uniqueness of Tanjore paintings lies in the fact that all the figures have round bodies and almond-shaped eyes. The traditional Tanjore artists have a flair for ornamenting the figures with jewellery and ornate dresses.

In the primitive period, the traditional pandits of Tanjore drew Tanjore paintings on the walls of the temple in the Mughal era. Though Tanjore paintings get their name from Tanjore of Thanjavoor, a place in Tamil Nadu, it is not the birthplace of this art form. Tanjore style of painting developed between the 16th and 18th century under the patronage of the Maratha rulers when they occupied Tanjore. The art form achieved popularity during the rule of Sarfoji Maharaj, (the last Maratha ruler in Tanjore) who was a great patron of art.

With the decline of dynastic rule in Tanjore, the Tanjore artists (Rajus) were divided into three groups- the first headed to Vuyaioor, second to Mysore, and the third stayed on at Tanjore. The emphasis for painters at Tanjore was on studded precious gemstones and gold foils, at Vuyaioor on decorative garland and in Mysore school of painting on intricate designs and paintings. Apart from these, there were many artists who migrated to Tanjore from Mysore, Andhra, Bijapur, Maharashtra and Gujarat and their style of painting was slightly different and influenced by various Gharanas they emerged from.

The Tanjore paintings were deep rooted in tradition, innovation was limited and the artists kept the technique of making these paintings as a close secret. But as years passed and the numbers of artists for Tanjore painters were limited, the artists were forced to reveal the technique and soon these paintings found a place in palaces apart from the traditional temples.

The process of making Tanjore painting requires minute detailing and involves many stages. Firstly, a preliminary sketch of the image is made on the base, consisting of a cloth pasted over a wooden plank. Then chalk powder or zinc oxide is applied evenly on the base. After the drawing is made, decoration of the jewellery and the apparels in the image is done with semi-precious stones. The dresses, archs, pillars and thrones are adorned with gold leaves and stones of different colours. Finally, dyes are used for add colours to the figures in the paintings.

Today, there are many traditional age- old paintings, which are in a dilapidated condition. Mr. V.K. Iyer, a strong advocate of Tanjore art from Chennai says, “I remember reworking on a Tanjore piece, which was about 80 years old. The work doesn’t end with merely drawing the painting, there are certain steps to be taken to preserve the master piece like using anti-fungal on the drawing board, no organic paints are be used and precautionary steps are to be taken regularly. Today the problem is the materials needed to make the original painting are not easily available so we have to look out for alternatives”.

In an attempt to revive this dying art, the artists have developed techniques where easily available materials are replacing the ones used centuries ago. In the traditional method, the base for Tanjore painting was made from jackfruit tree where as today ply-board is used. “Earlier natural vegetable colours were used to paint the pictures but today acrylic chemical paints are used, which even offer better shade contrast. Also, instead of precious stones, substitutes like Jaipur glass stones and semi-precious ones are used. The figure shapes earlier were rounded body but now- a- days it has changed a bit”, concludes Mr. Iyer.

Although Tanjore paintings represent an era of golden art in Tanjore, a fact that cannot be denied is its resemblance with Mysore paintings. “What makes Tanjore paintings special are the intricacies involved in making the paintings. Tanjore paintings resemble the Mysore style of paintings but the shapes are conical instead of plump figures in Tanjore. Also, the use of jewellery is limited in Mysore style of paintings and colours are used in place of stones in the paintings”.

Undoubtedly, Tanjore paintings have a unique charm of their own and have created a niche for themselves among other paintings. The paintings were made for rituals and worship in the traditional period and not for display. However, today they have predominantly become display items, which adorn the drawing rooms as also the corporate offices.

February 01, 2008

A bad Sunday!

It is not a wise idea to watch Sunday on any day of the week, says Anita Iyer.
The movie Sunday revolves around Sehar (Ayesha Takia), a comic dubbing artiste whose world turns upside down knowing that a particular Sunday is missing from her life. Sehar in the movie tends to forget about happenings in her life and that causes a lot of chaos and confusion. To give her respite, ACP Rajveer (Ajay Devgan), a dishonest Police official resolves to crack the case. In the way of locating the lost Sunday, Rajveer comes across a murder case which passes gestures of Sehar being the murderer. Is Sehar really a murderer or innocent as she claims is the real climax of the story.


The other star cast in the movie includes Ballu (Arshad Warsi) a taxi driver and his friend (Irfan Khan) a struggling actor who carries the roles of Ravana, Draculla, Dons and the hilarious Himesh Reshamiya. The emotional punch of Arshad Warsi suffering from Kidney disorder was redundant and doesn’t fit the story line at all.


The second half revolves around the mystery of two murders in the movie and it is disappointing rather than surprising in the end to find the murder. The whole movie seems to be shot in Delhi with beautiful historical landscapes in the background


The first half of the movie has great comic timing with marvellous performances by Arshad Warsi and Irfan Khan proves that he can shoulder comic roles too. All the songs in the movie are out of place and have no relevance to the movie what so ever, only the title track ‘Sunday’ manages to groove the audiences. Even the choreography by Ganesh Acharya is not worth talking about and fails to impress.


Known for his comic movie “Golmaal – Fun Unlimited”, Rohit Shetty doesn’t quite succeed to tickle the funny bone this time with Sunday. Although Shetty has teamed up the best actors, it fails to guarantee success at the box office.

Nothing different.

Nagesh Kukunoor disappoints desperately with his new movie Bombay to Bagkok, says Anita Iyer. The plot of the movie revolves around Shankar (Shreyas Talpade), a cook who steals money from a local don and in a way to escape the goons joins a team of doctors. He accompanies these doctors heading towards Bangkok for relief work. In the chaos, he loses the money purse and the movie is about his adventure in finding it.

In the meantime, in Bangkok his life changes when he bumps into Jasmine (Lena Christianson), who works in a Thai massage parlour. The problem is she speaks Thai and he speaks Hindi so they are not able to converse with each other, all the talks are through broken English. To add a twist to the love story, the goon reaches Bangkok in search of Shankar. How Shankar finds his lost money purse escaping from the goons and his love story with Lena is the crux of the movie.

Shreyas Talpade is yet again successful in proving his excellent acting skills and Lena, the Thai lead is also promising. The role of Chota Don played by Vijay Maurya where he raps instead of conversing is outstanding and keeps the audiences glued to the screen. The role of Punjabi Rachinder, Shreya’s closest buddy is well- written.

The movie disappoints Nagesh Kukunoor’s fans desperately. It is hard to believe that Bombay to Bangkok is a Nagesh Kukunoor’s movie who delivered wonderful movies like Iqbal, Dor, Rockford, and Hyderabad Blues in the past.

The slug – Same, same but different is incorrect because there is nothing different in this movie but only predictable comedy, there is no originality in the jokes of the movie. At the end, it can be said that Bombay to Bangkok has only few impressive moments and worth only a one time watch!

January 30, 2008

Meditative moments


Charan Sharma’s paintings on Buddha creates an illusion of his presence, says Anita Iyer

Charan Sharma, the renowned contemporary artist, recently held an exhibition at The Museum Gallery in Mumbai showcasing his current works ‘Upasthiti’ which means ‘Being there’ or ‘Presence’. The exhibition displayed magnificent paintings on Buddha, Buddhist monks and scriptures engraved on the walls.


Ask him the inspiration for his works on Buddha, he says, “I attended an 11-day Vipasana camp in Nashik refraining from even talking for 11 days and concentrated only on Buddha. It was here that I became inclined towards Buddha and to know more about the Mahapurush and his philosophy, I travelled to Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and many other places. Now the principles of Buddha flow directly on my canvas through my brush”.
Charan Sharma has been involved in portraying Buddha images since the past seven years. “Buddha symbolises contentment and I am contented,” he believes. “I have travelled a long way from my last work ‘Enlightenment’ to ‘Upasthiti’. In the previous work, images of Buddha were clearly seen in the painting but in Upasthiti the presence of the Lord is felt without even painting him through monks and Buddhist scriptures,” he adds.

Charan Sharma was born in Nathdwara Gharana - a family of traditional temple artists involved in making miniature paintings of Lord Krishna and other idols. "I was born into a family of artists in a small township in Mewar, Rajasthan. Brought up in that traditional culture, I learnt and developed the art. My father and brothers were traditional painters from Rajasthan, but they painted Krishna paintings in Marwar style. Right from the childhood, I was exposed to the Marwar style of painting. But after graduating in Fine Arts from Rajasthan, I wanted to experiment with something different from the Marwar style and Krishna paintings. So I went to the J.J School of Art in Mumbai to learn something different,” he recollects.

The surroundings we reside in shape our thoughts and actions and this is clearly seen in Charan Sharma’s earlier works with strange themes like dilapidated Havelis, a dump of pebbles, puppets and toys. On this, Charan Sharma explains, “All these themes may seem unusual to you but to me who was born and brought up in this culture, it comes naturally. My paintings are inspired by the surroundings, the jharoke, havelis and puppets in Jaipur”.

Sharma is known for his works that brought alive the lonely ruins of Navalgarh, Dhund, Basoli, and Pichwai, among others. Quizzed why he draws dilapidated havelis, he reasons, “I generally draw dilapidated buildings because they are in pathetic state toda, reduced to ruins. Also I believe, however contemporary we become, we must stick to our roots, so I enjoy drawing havelis recollecting my past days. I wish to convey message of protecting and preserving the valuable heritage through my paintings.”

Charan Sharma has explored various mediums, different materials and techniques, but this time in Upasthiti is showing 20 paintings, which he has done on canvas using Acrylic colour and gold leaf. The uniqueness in his paintings lies in his style of combining tradition with modernity and yet preserving the originality. Each of his paintings has a distinct signature, an originality that cannot be plagiarised.

The modern artist has internalised the Buddhist message and reproduced his philosophy in a new light. Every painting by Charan Sharma has a gist of Buddha’s philosophy. “From Upasthiti, I like a painting titled ‘Entrance’ conveys the message of ‘keep going for knowledge and achieve enlightenment’ and the other work – Echoes means ‘let the vibrations stay in’.

Charan Sharma’s paintings from Upasthiti on Buddha in his meditative mood, and silent monks in a peaceful march effectively communicate their message to the masses. Having a look at the paintings gives a feeling of contentment and a feeling of the presence of Buddha.