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A brush with
destiny
Gaitonde's record is exoneration
for artists who grew
with the national movement, telling their story
in their own painterly language
Nirupama Dutt
 A
line from a near-forgotten poem by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge
comes to the mind, in a gloss over the month-long and more appraisal
of the as the stupendous response to Christie's first auction in
India, "We were young, we were merry, we were very very wise…"
More so because one of the Bombay boys who were part of the
Progressive Artists' Group, the reticent Vasudeo S. Gaitonde (1924-
2001), set a world record for modern Indian art when his gilded ochre
abstract landscape fetched Rs 23.7 crore at Christie's first auction
in India. A vindication once again for these talented young men who
got together create a fresh visual language for a country on the
threshold of freedom. Indeed these half a dozen painters set out to
start a parallel art movement, making their presence felt in a group
and yet working consciously at their own respective individual
identity. Yes, indeed, they were young, they were merry and if not
very wise certainly very passionate and time has valued their
creations even though their own lives were full of trials and
tribulations. Take for instance the ironic exile of their most vocal
protagonists Maqbool Fida Husain (1915-2011) who nevertheless painted
as one would say unto the last stroke. It was he who had described
best the aim of these young men with paint brushes in their hands.
Amusingly, Husain carried a brush in his hand always perhaps it was
his way of symbolising a brush with destiny.
Arts
Being
human
Photographer and installation
artist Leena Kejriwal has been using her art to highlight issues she
feels strongly about
Nonika Singh
Art
and activism are not necessarily enjoined, nor is advocacy for
a cause, a natural corollary of artistic practice. And photographer
and installation artist Leena Kejriwal, whose latest work of public
art M.I.S.S.I.N.G, deals with the burning issue of missing
girls insists she is no activist either. She quips, "I am only
being human."
Broad
brush
Parenting
Parents’
role during exams
Exam time is marked with
high-stress levels, anxiety, pressure and tension for both the
students and the parents. They should make sure that they do not add
to their children’s stress and convey their own anxiety to them
Dr Samir Parikh
That
time of the year is here, dreaded equally by students and
parents alike. The examination season is marked with sky-high stress
levels, anxiety, pressure and tension on part of both the students as
well as the parents. Parents often feel like it is them who are giving
the examination instead of the child. Lives begin to revolve around a
flurry of tuitions and tuition teachers, strict time-tables and
academics. We as parents believe examinations to be the most important
aspect of a child's life to the exclusion of everything else and pass
this message along with the tension to the child as well.
Dual-role
stress affects women’s heart
Dr Ashok Seth
Managing
demands at work and home stresses a woman's heart. This stress
affects more urban women every year, resulting in spurt in
cardiovascular diseases at a much younger age
Society
Weaving the fabric of stories to educate kids
Geeta Ramanujam has set up
Kathalaya, an organisation to integrate learning through story telling
in schools
Vibha Sharma
Once
upon a time, Geeta
Ramanujam, a teacher, pondered over the questions: How to bridge gaps
in learning, how to make concepts more interesting for children, how
to cultivate reading habits in children, how does one feel proud and
rooted to one's own culture?
soul
talk
Travel
A
little France in Canada
Quebec in Canada exudes an
aura of French lifestyle harking back to its past history
Ranjita Biswas
The
ambience is French but the city is in Canada. That’s Quebec
for you. With its unwinding roads, stone buildings reminiscent of
Europe a few centuries back, and somewhat laid-back ambience, the city
seems removed from the hustle and bustle of modern North America.
Globetrotting
Entertainment
The
reclusive stars
After years of stardom, some
celebrities choose social seclusion and disappear from public space
Shoma A. Chatterji
Suchitra
Sen, the prima donna of Bengali cinema who passed away
recently, has raised questions about why some celebrities live in
social seclusion. Suchitra Sen disappeared from public space after her
last film Pronoy Pasha (1978). She came out of this seclusion
twice; once, when Uttam Kumar passed away and once when she came out
to get photographed for her voter’s identity card, the paparazzi
suffocated her for a mugshot of the charismatic star who had avoided
them for many years.
Raima
unplugged
Raima Sen on her latest film Children
of War, which is based on the Bangladesh war
Surekha Kadapa Bose
Raima
Sen depicts the face of Bengal and intelligent films. Her films
acclaimed highly by critics, namely Chokher Bali, Antar Mahal,
Parineeta, Manorama Six Feet Under, The Japanese Wife and several
others. Added to this is her pedigree. She is the granddaughter of
late Bengali actor Suchitra Sen and grand niece of Gayatri Devi, the
Maharani of Jaipur. Her latest film, based on the independence war of
Bangladesh, named Children of War was earlier titled as The
Bastard Child once again has got good reviews. Excerpts from an
interview:
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