Brush with sensitivity
By Anjana Datta
AS Chandigarh’s art galleries are confronted with a plethora of creativity, many talented artists are coming up with unique works. One such artist is Rosy Khosla who displayed her oil paintings at an exhibition held in Indusland Art Gallery recently.

SIGHT & SOUND

Printmaking and Paul Coldwell
By Prem Singh
“INCREDIBLY nervous! Incredibly excited! Why me?” This is how Paul Coldwell, a distinguished British artist and printmaker, reacted to the invitation of the British Council in New Delhi for a visit to India. For those in the UK who have never visited India the invitation is nothing short of a nightmare. For them it is a country of disasters and extreme contrasts.

Opening account in music world
By Madan Gupta Spatu

MUSIC never dies in the storm of time for it is universal and the essence of life. It can’t be separated from life as there is rhythm in every action of man and nature whether we are walking, talking, weeping, laughing or sighing.

Today, the ear-splitting loud ‘dhak-dhak’ rock or jazz music with senseless ‘tukbandi’ lyrics may dominate young hearts, but tomorrow time will again demand ghazals and songs with melody based on sur and taal.

R.D. Kailey is not a name surfing on the sky of Punjabi ghazal gayaki. Rather solo performances have catapulted him to the higher rungs of the popularity chart in the region. For the past decade he has been singing the literary works of Shiv Kumar Batalvi in such a style that fans of this legendary poet have demanded the recitation repeatedly. He has given 60 shows in Punjab, Himachal, Chandigarh, Delhi and Haryana so far. Gifted with soft and silky vocal chords he swayed the audience in every performance.

Shiv had admonished “Eh mere geet kise na gaana” but hearing Kailey sing it, Shiv would have sonsidered him worthy of his confidence. His popular compositions like Munda lambran da..., Hain nee rataan kaliyan..., Mai nee mere geetan wich birhan di rarak pave..., Peearan da paraga..., Raat chandni..., and many lyrics have been composed and sung by Kailey in an entirely different style that distinguishes him from his contemporary singers.

Though the dominant strain in Shiv’s poetry is that of separation, ‘birha’, there are certain compositions which are rhapsodic in nature. And Kailey handles the different moods with ease and expertise.

A Senior Manager in Punjab National Bank, presently posted at Una (HP), Kailey’s first love is classical music. Born at Pathankot, he learnt gayaki from his guru Laxman Dass Sandhu of Patiala Gharana. T-Series cut his album of shabad gayan titled “Jay Satguru Nadar Karey” in the shape of audio and CD.

He is a versatile singer. May it be Rafi nite, the general secretary of which he is, or poetry of legendary shayars, he gives beautiful shape to the lyrics with his cosmetic surgery based on classical learning. He sings dadra, quafi, thumri, ghazals, bhajans, old or new hits with equal perfection. Right from Warris Shah, Bulley Shah, Ghalib, Akbar Allahabadi, Faiz, Shamim, Bashir Badr, Batalvi, Prof Mohan Singh and even Ashq Ambalvi to poet journalist Sham Singh’s scintillating poems, couplets, ghazals and songs, he has exhibited his talent on different platforms. While he attracted serious listeners at Shiv’s programmes, he received clappings from the foot-tapping audience at Rafi’s nites.

He composes the tunes himself to suit the themes of lyrics with his novel style. One of his sham-e-ghazal concerts touched the strings of the audience to the extent that it dawned that “once more, ek baar aur” type of demands could hardly diminish when he recited Hai dil sey dil ki baat, ghazal kah raha hoon main, jaago tammam raat ghazal kah raha hoon main...

Like A.R. Rahman, he also presented the Vande Matram in a very novel composition at Parliament Annexe in a function organised by the Feroze Gandhi Memorial Society.

Kailey plans to come out with his richest tribute to Assa Singh Mastana by reproducing his collections. He has a rich collection of the literary works of old as well as new poets like S.Rakesh, Ashq, Madam Pal, Ved Diwana, Zahid Abrol, B.D. Kalia ‘Hamdam’ and latest addition Amrik Singh Pooni, former Chief Sectretary, Punjab.

Brush with sensitivity
By Anjana Datta

AS Chandigarh’s art galleries are confronted with a plethora of creativity, many talented artists are coming up with unique works. One such artist is Rosy Khosla who displayed her oil paintings at an exhibition held in Indusland Art Gallery recently.

Rosy’s works titled “Banjaran” presented a rich fiesta of art which was an expression of her individual preference. Her works offered something fresh in terms of presentation. Her series of “Nomadic Life” were brilliant and by virtue of their theme, distinct from the rest which were mostly landscape and city or monumental-related impressions.

But what was unique about her paintings was that she had depicted with a lot of detail different forms of nomadic life — the emotional as well as their physical struggle which highlighted not only the sensibility, but also the sensitivity of the artist. All paintings drew you into their own narrative.

In her paintings, Rosy has tried to capture the various moods and moments of nomadic people and sought to express, in simplified form, their emotions, passions, fears and doubts about their very existence. A first-hand knowledge of her works revealed a thorough study of her brush work, the choice of colours and a strong base in drawing. She wielded a powerful brush and was able to communicate her inner feelings by capturing the flow of lines on the canvas. The wispy brush of colours and the overall impact of the images struck a resonance between the depth of emotions and meticulous craftsmanship of the artist. The bright colours and exotic images notwithstanding, the theme was such that concerned everyone.

A product of Apeejay College of Fine Arts, Jalandhar, Rosy is a gifted artist. She is endowed with an aptitude for drawing and painting. Her command over the visual medium and her ability to portray human figures in every conceivable posture that relates one figure to another in surging, intricate compositions, is superb.

Rosy is a versatile artist. As one cruises through her earlier works, one finds oneself entrapped in an aura of rich cultural traditions of our glorious past. Her miniature paintings on the folk art of Rajasthan present another Rosy Khosla — the artist. For instance, paintings of Lord Krishna, Radha-Krishna, a female belle and camels have an enduring excellence. But what fascinates most in all her works is the personal touch of the artist which is visible through spontaneity of her expression.

A woman of aesthetic sense, Rosy loves painting. “It is a distraction for me. For me nothing is more absorbing than painting. Whatever the worries of the time, once the painting, begins to flow along there is no room for them in my mental screen,” remarks Rosy. During her childhood she used to dabble in rangoli just to decorate her house. Her creative mind always propelled her to do something and she started painting as a hobby. What was initially a hobby later became a full-time preoccupation.

After doing post-graduation in fine arts, she got married to Vipin Khosla, a businessman from Chandigarh, and settled here. Soon she had two daughters now aged 11 and eight. But despite her busy life as a housewife, she continued to paint and participate in group shows.

She held her first solo exhibition in 1997 in Chandigarh which proved to be a big hit. All her paintings were sold on the very first day. Her exceptional technique and sensitive drawing drew special attention. Though she is greatly inspired by Anjali Ella Menon and Jahangir Sabe Wala, she wants to retain her own style and wants to be known an artist to be reckoned with.

Sight & Sound
by Amita Malik
Those exciting music videos

THIS is going to be a free and easy column of random thoughts. I was wondering the other day, what programmes are there which give one pure pleasure? They are becoming rarer by the day. But mercifully, are not obsolete. I certainly give top marks to the programmes on wildlife, colourful peoples with their diverse customs in different parts of the world, travelogues which also take in cuisine and local games, aerobatic shows and sky-diving on National Geographic and Discovery Channel. They have justifiably invaded millions of Indian homes. Their technical resources and meticulous professionalism are unsurpassed in this field. We also have our Mike Pandeys, who soldier on with very limited resources, others, like the Bedi brothers, initially had to find better pastures abroad thanks to DD’s nit-picking, I would only like to say that when I am tired or depressed, I switch on to wildlife, with all its beauty, tenderness towards their young and always clean fights, and feel refreshed and comforted.

Televising ballet, and what a rich tradition we have in classical dancing, is not yet a fine art of Indian TV. Serious music recitals are almost non-existent, although Star Plus makes a gallant effort in its early morning programmes. One often wishes the kind of top classical musicians that Bharat Bala flew up to Ladakh for Jana Gana Mana or the open-air recitals in Delhi’s Lodi Gardens and elsewhere, could be extended to proper uninterrupted recitals on TV. But where would they get the ads? As for the terrible ugly acrobatics which pass for choreography in our commercial films, and the porny song and dance sequences which form the staple diet for most TV channels, the less said the better. Although one often wonders how our young women stars, presumably educated and from decent backgrounds, can lend themselves to such sexual exploitation on the screen. The Fashion Channel also does unabashed sexual exploitation, but how gracefully and even artistically they do it, without even the suggestion of a leer. As if exposing your bosom and much else besides were the most natural thing in the world.

Which brings me on to something on our fast-proliferating music channels which gives one infinite pleasure. These are the romantic — and I mean this in the old-fashioned sense — music videos which feature the most beautiful and elegant young girls and handsome young men in romantic interludes. It may be Shobha Mudgal with her Prem Ka Geet or a soldier on whom leave eyeing his wife longingly as the family takes him over and he can hardly get a moment with her. The longing here is unbearable and the music to match. It is curious how the same situations are so crudely tackled on the big screen by so-called choreographers and dance directors and how artistically and gently they are done on video cassettes. One can only be thankful for these gentle refreshing musical interludes.

We must also thank Star Sports for their uninterrupted coverage of the US Open Tennis, in sharp contrast to DD’s ignorant, greedy, advertisement-laden and frequently interrupted coverage of Wimbledon. Except that I think commentator Andrea’s endless nattering, mostly gossip about the players, has become a major irritant. One just dreads DD’s exclusive coverage of the Olympics because at the time of going to press, their sports channel has vanished and DD Metro is so distorted in reception that it is totally useless.

Reverting to hard news, DD has started its innings in New York for the PM’s US visit with the usual cliche sorties to Indian haunts in New York and young NRIs saying the most trite things in American accents. How about getting some African Americans or American experts on India to describe what India means to them. And we will have the usual interviews with Indian politicians and officials and, of course, the official briefing of the day. I have known only Saeed Naqvi to get the French President before an Indian visit. DD will be content to get the Indian PM (on the noisy plane back) and the Foreign Minister.

TAILPIECE: Zee News has already got into a controversy with Pakistan about their “Inside Story” on the ISI. Last week, with the captioned “Passed by the Censors” they showed more unabashed ugly copulation on the screen in their “Inside Story on Censorship” than I support one would get in a sex parlour. No censorship on the small screen, it seems.

Printmaking and Paul Coldwell
By Prem Singh

“INCREDIBLY nervous! Incredibly excited! Why me?” This is how Paul Coldwell, a distinguished British artist and printmaker, reacted to the invitation of the British Council in New Delhi for a visit to India. For those in the UK who have never visited India the invitation is nothing short of a nightmare. For them it is a country of disasters and extreme contrasts.

All this apart, Paul arrived in Delhi on August 14. The British Council had invited Paul, Head of Printmaking at Camberwell College of Arts, London Institute, as a guest participant at the Indian Printmakers Guild’s 10th anniversary exhibition held from August 16 to 31, 2000, at its Queens Gallery, New Delhi.

Nearly all members of the guild share a relationship with the contemporary British arts scene and current trends in arts education in the UK either through the Charles Wallace India Trust, INLAKS, the Commonwealth Foundation or the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. And the British Council stands for creating opportunity for people worldwide.

Paul’s next sojourn after Delhi was Chandigarh where he came at the inviation of the Government College of Art to conduct a three-day printmaking workshop organised in collaboration with the British Council from August 19. The college is celebrating its golden jubilee year.

This writer met the British printmaker, and found that simplicity in expression of ideas is most dear to him, no matter through which medium it comes — drawing, printing, sculpture or printmaking. He believes that he has always looked for an uncomplicated process of making prints and sculptures.

Ever since he first went to Art College in 1971, printmaking has been intergrated into his overall activity as an artist, serving to reinterpret ideas formed in sculpture and also generate new ideas. While for a number of artists, printmaking is a minor activity, for him it is as important as sculpture and drawing. In an interview with a critic and broadcaster, Tim Marlow, he explained his position. I suppose I always had a desire for the work to be democratic. I know that it is a word which has difficult connotations but it was one of those things that first attracted me to printmaking. Printmaking, the idea of being able to produce a multiple, is wonderful and I don’t think it reduces the value of the object.

For me it increases the value. I think that Goya’s ‘Disaster of War’ would be a lesser piece if it were a one-off. I like the idea that things that you have completely controlled through every aspect of their production can exist in a multiple form and go out into other people’s houses.”

This is Paul’s first visit to India. Though the printmaking workshop he interacted with Indian art students. Ms Sushma Behl, Head of Art and Culture, British Council, who accompanied the artist, introduced him to the young and aspiring printmakers. She promised to organise more workshops in collaboration with the Chandigarh college in future. She hoped that Paul’s visit would serve as a catalyst to the students aspiring to become printmakers.

Twentytwo students of BFA Painting and Graphics (Printmaking) participated in the workshop. Paul based his work on ideas around drawing and photography and encouraged the students to use both the traditional process, etching, drypoint as well as photo etching. He explored with them the ways these two approaches could compliment each other. Students were soon seen working on the metal plate with a thinking head, throbbing heart and skilful hand.

Paul by his caring, committed and concerned nature definitely reinforced their interest and opened new vistas for them. The confidence and conviction that one observed in the attitude of the students on the concluding day of the workshop proved how vital and beneficial interaction with the professionals in the field of art is in our system of professional art education.

Boarding the Shatabadi for Delhi at Chandigarh this writer enquired of Paul; “Are you still incredibly nervous?” No, no, “no he replied. He was touched by the warmth and hospitality and discovered another India hitherto unknown to him. After a short stint in Calcutta and Chennai, Paul flew back to London on August 30 taking with memories of a new India.