BANGALORE: Music and art are one of the most inspirational things for several souls. How about doing both at the same time? Well, this concept has been experimented with, in the past. It is a unique idea, which has been tried in numerous schools around the world, where children were divided into pairs and asked to listen to music and paint at the same time. They were asked, What do you think while hearing this? What do you feel? and students had to make paintings. It has been proven that music can have a huge influence on the quality and speed with which you paint on canvas. It conveys different interpretations based on an individual’s life experiences.
One such organisation in Bangalore is Gana Yoga Chitra Charana, a Kaushik Kala Kaustubh initiative. Though one and a half years old, it has already conducted art programmes in Shimoga, Bangalore and many other places. It is the brainchild of Lakshmi Narayana Kaushik, a former KERC employee and now a freelance artist, who has conducted may art shows in the past. Another unique concept, a product of his imagination, was held in January this year. What really stood out in this programme was that the kids who underwent rigorous training under Lakshmi Narayana, painted live on stage within a span of five minutes, listening to music, that too in front of a huge audience. Each stroke of their painting was based on their understanding of raagas, pallavi and charana. Not just music, there was a Kathak performance, musical recital by stalwarts and yoga happening simultaneously on stage.
The beautiful paintings were a culimination of the kids’ interpretation of the dance postures and yoga.
The kids were free to choose the medium of painting, be it crayons or water colour and thread, depending on their choice. Kaushik said, “This does not only help the participants, but also keeps the audience engaged, as the spectators have to concentrate on more than three things at a time and appreciate its beauty. It helps you be alert and makes you mentally active.”
He doesn’t charge any fees to train the students. But, the parents of the participants pool in money to help him organise the event. He has plans to hold similar events and workshops in future, soon after summer vacations begin for the school going children.
He smiles and adds, “All that one needs is passion for art and you should be ready for the rigorous training session, which is nothing less than a ‘battlefield’. He has taught students to paint Lord Krishna, Ganapathi, Shiva and Parvati and has plans to teach students to draw pictures within the duration of one minute.
Lakshmi Narayana hopes that he is able to promote this fantastic art, by getting a chance to perform in educational institutions.
“This helps kids improve their concentration levels and adds another dimension to their creativity,” he added. So what next?
An event at Ravindra Kalakshetra is on the pipeline, where they have plans of entering the Limca Book of Records. Gana Yoga Chitra Charana has its office in Kirloskar Colony, Basaveshwarnagar. Interested schools or persons can contact him on 9448438133 or mail him at bvl.kaushik@gmail.com.