EDUCATION

Education society to hold elections after five years
B. S. Malik

Sonepat, October 16
Finally, after a wait of five years, the schedule for holding elections to the management committee of Tika Education Society, Sonepat, has been announced by the returning officer-cum-Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Sonepat, Mr Sujan Singh Yadav.

According to the election schedule, October 22 and 23 have been fixed for filing of nominations and on October 24. The scrutiny of the nomination papers will be completed up to 12 noon. Withdrawal of nomination will take place up to 1 pm and election symbols will be allotted to the contesting candidates between 1 pm and 2 pm.

All life members of the society will cast their votes in the election for the post of president, vice-president’ secretary and cashier.

The society, which runs five educational institutions in Sonepat town, CRA College, Tika Ram Girls College, Tika Ram College of Education, CRZ Senior Secondary School, Tika Ram Girls Senior Secondary School and Tika Ram Primary School, has been managed by the government appointed administrator, the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Sonepat, for the past five years.

With the announcement of elections, the leaders of different political parties have become active with regard to gaining control over the prestigious society. A number of members of the society have also expressed their apprehension that with the involvement of political leaders, including the INLD of the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, the society would become “Rajniti ka Akhara” like in the past when the Congress had installed its own leaders in the management.

But they are of the opinion that the society is not going to benefit from political interference. It is also recalled that Mr Chautala reportedly held discussions with his party leaders in Sonepat during his recent visits to the district and asked his party leaders to take interest in installing INLD supporters in the management of this prominent education society.

CULTURE

ARTSCAPE
Creating grids of musical scales in art
Ravi Bhatia

An artwork of Michael Sauer.

Treating Delhi’s art connoisseurs once again, the most widely travelled and veteran artists, Om Prakash, showcases his 50th exhibition of recent works at The Grand, in the Capital. Former Prime Minister and art collector I. K. Gujral inaugurated the exhibition of paintings, titled, ‘Music in Art’, at the Brixs Foyer, The Grand, New Delhi on October 10.

According to the organisers, Om Prakash is widely known for his pioneering work in the Neo-Tantra style of paintings, derived from geometrical abstraction. He exhibits his recent canvasses, which meaningfully depicts his vision of sound and colour from abstracted reality with geometrical precision to create the grids of musical scales. In this special series, he integrates the realm of music in his highly euphoric paintings depicting the ethereal sound recreated from the modes of Indian classical ragas, targeting the spiritual level.

Om Prakash’s work seems to restate William Blake’s observation. “I question not my corporeal or vegetative eye anymore than I would question a window concerning a sight. I look through it and not with it,” says Om Parkash. He also adds: “I would sign my paintings only when I can hear them. I would play that music on my sitar which I can visualise.”

Although inspired by the unique iconography used in traditional Indian ragamala paintings of 18th and 19th century, basically in their content and spirit, yet Om Prakash has extended their vocabulary to achieve the unique and mysterious originality in the modern idiom. In his journey of fifty years as a painter (Om Parkash held his first solo exhibition in New Delhi in 1958), he has consistently tried to achieve the exalted quality, which he calls the spiritual. He is well-known for his use of fantastic colours with whispering tonal ranges; to creatively depict his vision supported by unique mysterious forms. Known as one of the pioneers of Tantra art, considered to be one of the most respected movements in the contemporary Indian art, his paintings were exhibited in 1980’s in German museums as a part of Indian festivals in the USA, Australia and Moscow.

Om Parkash has held 49 solo exhibitions besides participating in several important thematic group shows in India and aboard, including Indian Triennale of International art. He got the national award in painting by the then President of India in 1969, besides winning several other states and national awards. His paintings are included in several important public and private collections in India and abroad, including the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, Lalit Kala Akademy, New Delhi, Berlin Museum, Asia and pacific Museums, Warsaw, Gery Art Gallery, New York, Pace collections, USA and All India Radio, New Delhi. Prof O. P. Sharma was awarded the Fulbright scholarship for postgraduate studies in art and art history at Columbia University, New York. He taught ‘Art and Basic Design at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi from 1961 to 1981.

Thereafter, he joined the College of Art, New Delhi, as its Principal, from where he retired in 1992. Besides, wielding the brush, playing sitar, interacting with other creative arts and administration of art education for four decades, Prof Sharma has also put together his experiences to present a holistic view of art by authoring a book ‘Art in Art’ published in 1994 and 1999. The exhibition will be on till October 24.

A Rich Mix

A painting of Achuthan Kudallur.

Born in 1956, in Bavaria (South Germany), painter Michael Sauer has held many solos in Austria, Germany, Spain and the United States of America. Currently in town for his joint exhibition with Indian painter Achuthan Kudallur, at the Dhoomimal Mega Art Complex, from October 12-30, Michael Sauer reveals that his works have a remarkable influence of the Indian way of paintings.

In 1946, the German artist got to know of the Indian art scene and also the Indian way of paintings. Especially, the South Indian School of Paintings that constituted of S. G. Vasudev, Redeppa Naidu and other artists from Cholamandel as well as mural paintings in the temples of Tamil Nadu. This had a strong influence on the artist. Colour and line were now applied in an entirely different manner, besides a new view in the use of the brush. He discovered the technique of incrustation, working with the paintbrush upside down. He painted into the coloured areas, abraded and blended colours in order to create abstract levels in his paintings.

Line and colour being so characteristic in Indian art were used by the artist in many different ways: sometimes they were out in order and arranged very strictly as can be seen in his works influenced by religious symbols and some times, there were paintings, the voluptuousness and colourfulness of which seemed to lead back directly to tantric experiences.

Both elements are characteristic of Michael’s art: intense abstraction yet always referring to the emotionalism of colours. Over and over again, we recognise Hindu and Buddhist symbols, the lotus flower, mandalas, Buddha, Lingam and Yoni.

In recent days, however, Michael has turned to figurative principles in painting, as is the case in today’s European art everywhere. All of a sudden, we discover very substantial scenery in his pictures. We look into Kashmir landscapes, rose gardens of the Mughals or the deep blue of a clear sky. Michael Sauer’s pictures are some of the few examples of the alliance of traditional European painting periods with the achievements of old and new Indian art.

For Achuthan Kudallur, painting is not a dialogue, not a conversation, but a communion with colour. A strong dynamic is imparted to his pictures by coloured facets that are drawn near to each other without any boundaries. At the same time, Kudallur’s paintings are always evoking varied emotions. Many of his pictures, presently showing in the joint exhibition, have a structure, which is not obvious at first sight but becomes clear when looked at more closely.

It was as early as the nineties that Kudallur employed the shape of cross bars or swastikas as a fundamental dividing principle in his paintings. During the last few years, he has added yet another dimension to his paintings - repetition. Homogeneous shapes are viewed moving over the surface over and over again, as if on a firm surface. Kudallur’s paintings are celebratory and the canvas throbs with the joyous, riotous spread of colour. His is an exciting, energetic and tranquil art – Kerala villages, beaches, temple evenings are all reminiscent of a childhood remembered. Achuthan is definitely one of the few international artists, who have retained in their pictures the colourful vivacity of the ‘cosmos’ and ‘Cosmos’ being the Greek word for gem; in the sense of diversity. The luminous power of his absolute colours gives an almost mythical power to his paintings, which seem to emerge form the inside and we see the relationship between the term Cosmos as medieval philosophers used it. His opus is definitely an important milestone in the development of today’s abstract art.

Mood and motion

The Chawla Art Gallery on the Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road here is showcasing the paintings of Puja Bahri, a young self-taught artist of Delhi from October 18 to October 20. Her painting reflect the attempt to strike a balance between mind and body, between line and colour. Her present exhibition, according to the organisers, reflects her experience of Yoga. A number of her paintings can be easily associated and identified with various Asanas - a synthesis of mood and motion.

MUSIC ZONE
Deeply soulful

Rococo recently released ‘Dil Ki Gahraiyan’, a music album replete with original soulful music. Rococo is a joint venture between Rococo Media Productions, Massachusetts, the USA and Rococo Media Productions Pvt Ltd, New Delhi.

Indeed, after a very long time an album has hit the music scene, which can boast of true quality music and meaningful lyrics. The use of sarangi in three songs is highly pleasing. Each of the eight songs in the album has the potential to be a superhit on its own strength. The title song is an awesome number, which was penned by Saahil and superbly rendered by Satinder Hans. He has sung another melodious number ‘Pyaar aata hai’, written by a boy of Najafgarh, Jitendra Kunwar. The racy folk song, ‘Najariz’, has been sung by Bharti, who hails from Ballabhgarh. Video model Devika Lal performed a waist-twisting dance on this haunting number. Madhuri Pandey and Ashok Sahani have sung four captivating songs, which are must for every music lover. Rahul Harit, is a well-known face in the music circles in Delhi, who started his career with a band called RDX 6, and later became an composer mastering the art of creating soothing number.