Our Correspondent
Kohima, Jan. 22 (EMN): A platform and to provide support to the young and upcoming artists in Nagaland, a ten day-long ‘master art’ workshop was organised by arts group Rattle and Hum Foundation in collaboration with the department of Art and Culture and Nagaland. The workshop is scheduled for Jan. 22 to the 31st, at the Heritage in Kohima.
On the inaugural day of the workshop on Tuesday, a Mumbai-based artist and master trainer, Viveek Sharma, spoke at the event. He spoke from personal career experience. Being an independent artist and a person who chose to struggle on his own, Sharma said: “Sometimes I had three days food in my stomach and sometimes just water.” The only support he said to have was “to create my own identity through my work,” he recalled. However, there was one thing—Hope—and the spirit to “keep doing” that made him into what he is today, Sharma said.
Asserting that everyone was born with a creative mind, Sharma urged upcoming artists to ‘introspect within ourselves what is the best in us’ and render every drop of energy into achieving that. Irrespective of background and geographical barriers, Sharma encouraged the youngsters to show their talent to the world.
As a dreamer himself, he remarked “Be a dreamer, because if you don’t dream, you will never achieve whatever you want to achieve.” Sharma requested the participants to “keep trying again and again and don’t give up.” Perseverance will help them reach their destination, he said.
Also, Sharma felt that there was a lot of potential and a “big platform” in Nagaland with the state having a heritage of culture. He asked the participants to reflect on their cultural values through their work “very strongly.”
“I never left my Indian-ness” and that he got into the international platform by being “rooted Indian” and painting Indian subjects, he said.
Nowadays, one can easily reach out to the international audience through social media, he said. He urged the youngsters to believe in themselves and put in 100 percent into achieving their goals. The participants are “so lucky” to have an Art and Culture department supporting them in providing a platform such as this event, he said.
‘Opportunity knocks once and it is up to us whether we want to grab the opportunity when it comes,’ Sharma said. He asked them to be alert in every moment and be positive about live. “The moment you lose that opportunity, there are ten more people standing there to have it,” he said.
Also, the advisor for Art and Culture, and Tourism, Khehovi Yepthomi was the special guest of the event. In his address to the gathering, he said that the workshop was ‘a chance for the participants to learn something new or to sharpen their skills.’ It is in fact an opportunity to establish connection with people from other parts of the world, he explained.
“Art, a three-letter word encompasses various forms of expression of human emotion and abilities. It also holds the elements and aura of that particular community or tribe which reflect its identity and uniqueness,” Yepthomi said.
The legislator was of the view that artists’ are people who are “passionate about what they do and who are willing to share their selves with complete strangers.”
The advisor encouraged the participants to pursue and invest their talent, time, and energy into enhancing their skill. He advisor wished the best to all the participants.
“Have an open mind and set the best out of what, this workshop offer, because this project will definitely enlighten all of you to look into art, from a new and different perspective,” he added.
Advisor to the Rattle & Hum Music Society (RHMS), Abu Metha also spoke words of encouragement to the participants. He urged them try and learn as much as possible from the workshop. He pointed out that providing such a platform to upcoming artist will help them to become ambassadors to the coming generation and to the world positively.
The president of the RHMS, Theja Meru informed that the participants’ paintings will hit Kohima streets on Jan. 30 and the 31st. A pop-up art exhibition will be conducted on the two days at the old NST area in Kohima from 11 am and till 3 pm. The closing ceremony to the workshop will also be held at 3 pm on Jan. 31 at the old NST. Further, he said that the money from the paintings will fund more art projects in the future.
Assistant trainer Ajit Nagarkar, a graduate of Fine Arts from Sir JJ School of Arts in Mumbai; along with Viveek Sharma will be the main trainers for the aspiring artists. 11 individuals registered for the workshop. The event partnered with the Himalaya Fine Art, Mumbai and collaborated with the Savannah College of Art and Design, in Hong Kong.
