Ticklers

Intro: Swapna makes people laugh with her `myriad' cartoons and caricatures

Blurb: Her cartoons never hurt. Instead they bring out the humour in each subject.

Published in Weekend supplement of The New Indian Express, Coimbatore edition, dated 6 October, 2007

By Francis P Barclay

Four baffled little pups line up in the first frame. Puzzled looks centre on their spooky faces, as their gobs are fastened with red scarfs. The caption says ‘SH-SH-SH SILENCE.’ Laughing starts there and goes on and on till the last frame as you stop at each tickling art work in between. A broad-eared Gandhi frowns, Ganesha plays flute with his nose, while his playful rat competes with him nearby. Another upbeat Ganesha hops about on the next frame. A ‘non-stop storyteller’ keeps yacking on. Enlivened egg shells feature with eyes and nose. Then, vegetables and fruits .... Swapna Bafna’s cartoons and caricatures leave you in stitches. A student of the Lalit Kalakshetra and an aspiring cartoon animator pursuing Mass Communication, she says, at times, cartooning is fluky. ``Often, when I sit to draw someone, it would end up in a `cartoon'. Why shouldn't I cherish it,'' a blithe Swapna asked herself, and thus came her maiden exhibition on cartoons and caricatures, `Myriad,' under way at Jayam's Hall on the Race Course Road in Coimbatore. As the name suggests, the exhibition features a plethora of art works tried out with different motifs and media. Sachin, Kapil, the Big B, Amir, RK Narayan…everybody is there at the exhibition in satirical depiction. And every cartoon is special to her. Though a novice in cartooning, her fast strokes show maturity.Swapna, 21, who also teaches multimedia at a city-based college, has an extraneous feeling about whatever she sees. The best way to express those humorous feelings is cartoons, says she. The fervour for drawing cartoons has always been in her. But not until the characters of Disney's Finding Nemo inspired her, she took up cartooning seriously. A cartoon work with the characters of Finding Nemo is also on display at the exhibition.``I don't want to hurt or make anybody sad through my art works. It's the other way: I want to bring out the humour in everybody. I avoid politics in my cartoons,'' she says. Swapna draws her inspirations from whomever she encounters and finds amusing. She studies their facial proportions and does an instant portrait. She works on a single subject time and again, before taking it to the canvas.Cartooning seems a hard row even for the dab hands in art. Swapna agrees. But anyone can master the art through steady practice, she says. The exhibition has a collection of 40-odd hangings, from bitty stock cartoons to the flashy caricatures of personalities and she is ready to explain the nuances of this art.``To bring out humour through cartoons is an arduous task. One needs passion and creativity. I found them in abundance with Swapna and that's why I suggested her to take a plunge,'' said Raviraj, director of the Kalakshetra, where she had been learning cartooning for the past two years.``When it comes to cartooning, the medium isn't important. I have tried every medium to limn my cartoons,'' she says. Her collection includes waters, oil, acrylic, glass paint and transparent photo colours too. For her cartoon on Gandhi, she has employed cross-hatching method with pen. She has also ventured painting on sand. On display at the exhibition is one such painting, which has the Seven Wonders of the World portrayed.Swapna attributes her success to her family and Lalit Kalakshetra.To make the exhibition more interactive, Swapna has provided a set of simple expressions with eyes, nose and mouth, which the visitors can try out. ``It's easy,'' she says. The exhibition will be on till Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. For further information call 0422-4368902 or 9842014569.

`Paintings' sans paint

Published in supplement Weekend, Coimbatore edition
with The New Indian Express dated April 21, 2007


By Francis P Barclay

Paintings are the best to embellish bare walls; and if embellished with `paintings extraordinary' or `paintings' without paint, certain is the enhanced looks of the walls. But, where to go for paintings extraordinary? Drop in on Poompuhar in Coimbatore.
You may ask what's a painting without paint and how it will look like? It is a framed artwork made of things like wood, marble and gem stone powder. Although traditional styles are employed in making, this wall hanging can even adorn modern homes without altering their decor.
A showroom of handmade products, Poompuhar has an assorted collection of such artworks. The new ones to join this set of carved artworks are the five-foot tall `Krishna and Radha' portraits. In all the four portraits on the show, Krishna and Radha are composed in their garden.
To bring out different shades in the portraitures, the artist has used woods of different colour. About eight types of wood are used in each piece and for the central figure of Krishna and Radha, white plastic is used. ``Earlier, ivory was used, but after the government banned it, plastic is used,'' a showroom salesman says. The highly intricate and alluring artworks come from Mysore, he adds.
Making an art piece of this kind demands a lot of time and patience. Even for a branch of a tree or a small peacock in the background of the portrait, five types of woods are used to give necessary shades. Each piece of wood is carved finely and fixed into a groove dug in the main frame to give a three-dimentional effect. They are quoted at Rs 17,000. There are also smaller ones, priced from Rs 6,000.
In another set of artworks, wood is carved and embedded to limn the figures. They call it `inlay' work, where also shades are given by using different types of wood. Inlay works are also done on things like jewel boxes.
Another new arrival is carved marble clock, the price of which starts from Rs 750. Hand painting is done on it to add elegance.
Come to another corner of the showroom, there is a set of framed wall hangings that have powders of precious and semiprecious stones stuffed in between glass plates. Images are brought out by using different colour stones, like Amethyst for purple, Calcedony for white, Aventurine for green and Agate for yellow. This form of art is used to make decorative key holders, paper weights, jewel boxes and mobile stand too. Marble paintings have prices from Rs 550, while stone paintings are available even for Rs 50.
Another collection have 3D images brought out using ceramic, painted with metallic colours.
Now, it's time to make a purchase, for Poompuhar gives 10 to 25 percent discount on account of Tamil New Year. Showrooms at Salem, Erode and Ooty also offer discounts. The offer will end on April 28.

Kitchen to work place, eves prove their mettle

Blurb: Opportunities are galore for women and they enjoy equal rights with
men and achieve success in almost all fields. And with the opening of IT
sector, they enjoy maximum economic freedom

By Francis P Barclay

ON March 8, as usual, sitting at one end of the Big Bazaar, near Town Hall, Mayamma sold vegetables and earned about Rs 100. After sundown, she rushed home, to attend to the chores that had been awaiting her. Aged about 60 and mother of three children, she is adamant - never depend on any one to eke out a living.
***
The same day, after cooking food for her husband, who is too weak to work, and finishing the household work, 58-year-old Thangamaniammal left for the canteen where she works in the evening shift. For preparing and serving food she gets Rs 50 a day. Like Mayamma, she is also self-supporting.
****
As role models of modern women, both Mayamma and Thangamaniammal have come a long way to claim their rights and privileges as members of the society. For example, so far, they have not failed to exercise their right to elect their representatives to the state Assembly or local body. But they are not aware of International Women's Day, and also that it is celebrated world over on March 8 with thrust on the need to treat women on a par with men.
``I do not know anything about International Women's Day, as I have not been told about it by anyone,'' Mayamma says.
They are also ignorant about women's liberation movement, and hence has no concern for its ill use either. The question, `is liberation perceived in the wrong sense' is thus irrelevant to them. In fact, they even fail to comprehend the question, and confusion reflects on their faces when asked whether women have not failed to draw their limits vis-a-vis their relation with men.
But ask R Chitra, a law student, what she thinks about man-woman relationship, in the light of the emancipation of women. ``Most women misconceive liberation and kill the virtues in them,'' she says.
Liza, another law student, feels that India is a land of myriad cultures, to which are infused Western concepts as well. In the jumble, a `liberated' woman fails to draw her limits. It is because they are suppressed too much
by the parents and when they come out, they are either rebellious or submissive.
``When liberated, they try to dominate others and see men as enemies. They forget they should respect men also. They hardly pick up the best of Western concepts,'' she adds.
Saradha, also a law student, says that even today women are suppressed. They neither know what is liberation nor aware of their basic rights. At the same time, those who call themselves as liberated blindly follow the West.
They wear modern outfits, go for discotheques and on dating and show no limit in socialising with people, wherein the integrity of Indian culture is lost. Only a few know about their rights and know what is equality and
respect their variants. When it comes to gender and equality, liberation is not a question at all, she says.
Asha R Rao, a gynaecologist at Rao Hospital in RS Puram, feels that a little bit of self-imposed restriction is necessary while enjoying the fruits of liberation. For example, she says that in countries like US and UK, girls start dating at the age of 10. But in India, a country rich in culture and tradition, it is not appreciated. ``Our concept is that a person should be mature enough and self-sustainable before taking advantage of this freedom,'' she points out.
Her advice to the youngsters is that while going through a cultural change, one should not forget the niceties of our ancient joint family system and should draw a limit for the change.
``Our Constitution guarantees women their due rights, from education and employment to equal payment. In fact, opportunities are also open to them, but the truth is that they are not fully grabbed by them. So, the call for things like hike in reservation for women is all but a claptrap,'' Saradha says.
Expressing concern over the rise in pre-marital sex, Liza says ``Certainly we don't want to emulate the life style of our mothers and grandmothers. But it does not mean that we should ape the West. Instead, we should use our freedom for claiming our due rights and use our talents for the cause of the society. The women who have gained eminence through social work should be taken as role models.''
Vanitha Rengaraj, chairperson of Sharanalayam, a home for destitutes, feels that economic freedom, which is attainable only through education, is the first and foremost necessity for women to claim their rights. At the same
time she sounds caution against the lifestyle of IT professionals. ``There are many girls in the IT sector who earn more than Rs 60,000 a month. But a fair chunk of them not only waste their money, but also spoil their life through late night parties, boozings and drugs. Is this what poet Subramania Bharathiyar once dreamt as `Pudhumai Penn'?'' she asks and adds that we should stick to our tradition and culture and earn name and fame.
A supporter to the IT professionals' lifestyle is Nandhini Rangaswamy, secretary, GRD Educational Institutions, who claims that for her, all days in a year are women's day. ``Opportunities are now galore for women and they
enjoy equal rights with men and achieve success in almost all fields. And with the opening of IT sector, they enjoy utmost economical support,'' she adds.
Shanmugapriya, Assisstant Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore East believes that women are empowered enough to achieve anything, though it is upto them to make use of their power. ``Women should be a terror to wrong-doers. She should always stick to ethical and moral values and should also know how to protect herself from abuse. Her personality and attitude will play a great role in her success for which parental care is very necessary,'' she sums up.

Fusing nature with mankind

Published in supplement Weekend, Coimbatore edition
with The New Indian Express dated Feb 24, 2007


By Francis P Barclay

Art and femininity, by definition are indissoluble. It is with this intuition that the seven young lady artists have come to display their sundry art works, all bouncing with unchained gleam and gusto.
At the `Vaanavil thoorigaigal' (brushes of the rainbow), the ongoing painting exhibition, organised under the Eighth Growing Young Artists Series at the Kasthuri Sreenivasan Trust Art Gallery on the Avinashi Road in
Coimbatore, on display are a plethora of art pieces worked out on a medley of mediums from oil on canvas and water on `handmade' to pencil on velvet.
If the colours used are vibrant, the themes are pleasant. No antagonism, no harrow, no anguish. Most paintings prevail upon the thrill of still life.
The seven, Kavitha M, Nannai T, Kalaimani M, Lavanya N, Gayathri M, Thirupurasundari G and Rajalakshmi K are students of the Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai. They are among the 50-odd girl students of the college, in which about 900 students are studying.
The paintings are lush with bright hues. They blend nature with mankind in their paintings. A few paintings may seem to have only trees and landscapes, but a close look would help one find the structures of woman limned in them. But in Gayathri's `Human tree' the truth is explicit.
Rajalakshmi's `Thinking lady', `Playing boys' and the people `Dreaming' and `Dancing' on the canvases expose the tranquility of life.
Says Kalaimani: ``I wish to have art as my main occupation and keep on trying different styles, unlike most artists who choose a particular medium and become expert in it.''
Although novices in art, they give a ripe touch in whatever medium they work on or styles they adopt. Inventiveness is the thing, it seems.
Among the pieces on display are also spot paintings portraying day-to-day life. ``For an artist, the work place is spread across the world and life is the main theme. Essentials are from outside the room,'' says Thirupurasundari.
Is it thats why the parents hesitate to let girls pursue art? Nannai wonders. ``I had to insist my parents a lot before they gave their nod for me to participate in this exhibition. Even to join the BFA course, I had to do a lot to convince them, explaining about the myriad opportunities available for art learners. Many are unawares!'' she says.
But Thirupurasundari's case is different. Her father is a sculptor. In fact, it was his idea that she should join the fine arts college, which he yearned for and couldn't. He has been encouraging her in art right from her childhood.
Rajalakshmi discontinued her B.Com. course when she was in the first year, to join the Fine Arts course. She says opportunities are aplenty for artists. Art will be useful even in other areas which demand creativity like
visualising, animation and graphics.
``Art would always remain in its pure form in our lives. We would be doing paintings and exhibiting them. Our aim is to become world renowned artists and we would become one day,'' Gayathri says.
On the spot portrait and painting demonstrations are also done at the exhibition. Art works quoted at from Rs 200 are for sale.
The exhibition will be on till February 26 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. For further details contact 0422-2574110

Pick your valentines

Published in The New Indian Express, Coimbatore edition
Weekend supplement dated February 10, 2007

By Francis P Barclay

You might have already opened your heart to your love and shown that you have a special room for him/her there inside. Yet, it will make a difference if you say how precious he/she is for you on the Valentine's Day. And the
best way to make your sweet heart feel happy is, no doubt, present him or her with a greeting card.
New arrivals at the greeting card stores in Coimbatore are awaiting to make the day special. They include glittering cards that can sing and glitter with embedded `disco' lights in multiple colours and huge pop-up cards that even size 16 inches.
Murali, sales manager at a wholesale and retail greeting card shop in Raja Street, says ``We brought 250 packs (each pack has 10 cards) for Valentine's Day and sold about 200 packs so far. We have to place order for another 150 packs.''
Admitting that there is a minor slack in business as many are contended with sending an sms or e-card, Murali says most people prefer greeting cards, for they can be preserved for remembrance. Seasonal sales would pick
up from this weekend, although wholesale purchases started about 10 days ago, he adds.
``Last year, party activists staged protests in front of greeting card shops, saying that we should not sell Valentine's Day greeting cards. They burnt a bunch of cards in front of our shop,'' he recalls.
``Fearing such protests, we have ordered less cards,'' he adds.
Among the lot who present greeting cards many are school children.
Gift shops also record good sales during this period. Bouquets made of specially-designed artificial flowers are a big hit. Besides, there are ceramic and plastic gift articles that college students prefer to present.
Saying that sales are not encouraging when compared to Christmas and Deepavali seasons, a sales person in a gift shop in Big Bazaar Street says good business might be recorded in the first three days of next week.

Entering the fashion world

Published on Page 4 Weekend
with The New Indian Express
Coimbatore edition, dated January 13, 2007


By Francis P Barclay

Fashion designing is a virtuosity that demands a creative instinct for innovation, knowledge about the fashion world and a yearning for change. It seems, today's youth have all these in abundance. A testimony to this was
`Saffron', an expo-cum-sale presented by the final year design students of Sri Jayendra Saraswathy Maha Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore.
The three-day exhibition, which ended on Friday, was a sumptuous spread of apparels, meant for all gender and age, and accessories.
What was the motive behind the expo? Vinayagamurthi, Head of the Department of Costume Design and Fashion, had this to say: ``It was our maiden attempt to understand the customers' needs and preferences and we succeeded. In fact, we were overwhelmed by the sales volume and customers' response. We sold about 110 apparels on the first day itself.''
Of the 380-odd garments displayed by the 40 students, 180 were in assorted styles. An elated Vinayagamurthi said ``More such exhibitions will roll out from us.''
There were a few virgin styles that everybody did appreciate. Archana E, a student, said ``Change is recurrent in fashion. At present, apparels with embroidery and kundan works are in great demand. So, we have brought out
innovative designs.''
``Fashion had never been so important as now. Its monetary worth is also increasing, for the attire not only adds to the physical look, but also boosts the inner spirit. It is the outlook of the mind,'' she added.
Her contrasting work on a saree was alluring. A big rose that comes a little above the chest of the wearer and the branches running across the rest of the saree have made her work remarkable. The roses are painted with fabric colours and embellished with sequence and beed work.
The highlight of the show was that many garments were designed and created based on themes. For example, labelled as `Natural view', there was a skirt, blouse and handbag set, all made of jute and coconut fibres, with a little touch of sparkling paint.
Another was Mohanapriya's `Autograph', a saree with a mass of scribbles on it as design. An ordinary saree has been given a new look with sequence and 3D work.
Similarly, Tamarai Selvi dyed a white saree and made it more attractive with a design of small knots. She gave it a wonderful name also - `Tie `n' Dye'.
Meenambika's kundan and embroidery work on a cotton silk saree took one month to complete. A plain saree, that she had bought for Rs 300, carried a price tag of Rs 2,000 at the exhibition!
The accessories on display included ornaments of kundan work.
Fashion jewellery making is a profitable vocation, and anybody can learn it. ``I have made fashion jewels for my use. Now I make them for sale because they have great demand in the market,'' said Aathi Selvi, another student.

Join politics to lead the nation, youth told

Published in The New Indian Express, Page 2
Coimbatore edition, dated January 9, 2007

By Francis Barclay

Coimbatore, Jan 9: Educated youth should step into politics to shape the country's future, said Karthik P Chidambaram, son of Union Finance minister P Chidambaram, during an interaction with students of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) here on Tuesday.
Youth should not shy away from politics on the pretext that it is highly corrupt. The responsibility of cleaning the muck rests with them, Karthik, one of the founders of Karuthu.com, told the session organised as part of
the two-day `Muthamizh Vizha.'
He lamented over the fact that the era of students' revolution appears to be over. Students hardly participate in public affairs.
Though campus elections are significant, many colleges and varsities fail to hold them. But in universities abroad, students councils are treated on par with Senate.
Politicians alone cannot be blamed for the fall in democratic values.
The political outlook of treating the Opposition as enemy should change in the State, he said.
Even while promoting Tamil language, English should be promoted in rural areas. It is a global language, and for economic prosperity, knowledge of English is mandatory, he reasoned.
He attacked the present system of education that focuses only on examinations and marks.

Box story

`Globalisation, a two-way street'

Coimbatore, Jan 9: Globalisation is like a two-way street where exports and imports flow fast. Jump in imports need not cause any fear since there will be a spurt in exports too, Karthik P Chidambaram said.
C Ramasamy, Vice-chancellor of the varsity, said in his presidential address that globalisation is bound to succeed as the country is now governed by eminent economists at the Centre. Students are being prepared
for the global markets now, he added.
In his advice to students, he stressed the need to set goals and read a lot. He also outlined the importance of higher education.
Organised by the Students' Club of the TNAU, the `Muthamizh Vizha' features debates, poem recitations, plays, etc., by students. Lyricist Yugabharathi, the `Kalakka povathu yaru' troupe of Vijay TV, Tamil movie director Vasantha Balan and renowned dramatist `Crazy' Mohan are presenting programmes. Poet Arivumathi will address the valedictory function tomorrow.

Portraying the secret of life

Published on Page 4 Weekend
with the New Indian Express dated Jan 6, 2007

By Francis P Barclay

The divine soul is wide awake in each one of us, yearning to enounce the secret of life. Be cool and close your eyes, it will slowly disclose the secret. It's what Manisha Raju, a representational artist, says about art as she believes that it is a means to reach the celestial inner self.
Born in 1969 at Nagpur in Maharashtra, Manisha has a few art exhibitions to her credit both at home and abroad. Her latest exhibition `Nostalgia' was held at the Kasthuri Sreenivasan Art Gallery on the Avinashi Road in Coimbatore. The 20-odd paintings, that were on display at the six-day exhibition which ended on January 1, were about meditation and introspection.
Although art was an inborn talent, all her initial interests were in studies and she got a doctorate in management besides many degrees. But not after she visited the Cholamandal artist village in Chennai, 10 years ago.
She settled there and art became her main vocation. She started with abstract art, but in 1999, she started doing figurative works in dry pastel medium. Although Cholamandal has got a grip in her, the influence of the
Bengal School of Art is evident in her paintings. ``That's because of the influence of Shantiniketan artist Satyavrat Deshmukh,'' she said.
Manisha's paintings reveal her belief that inner soul is always live and vibrant. The forms of people, from Lord Vishnu to Arthanareeswaran to a flower vendor are more or less similar and feminine. ``The difference in form is only with the outer self,'' she said.
She has her own style of drawing the face. ``The illuminating faces in my paintings are those of the inner self,'' she said.
Manisha doesn't fail to outline a flower in each of her paintings. ``I use flowers to reveal the freshness of the soul. The life span of a real flower is very less but the flowers in the paintings are always fresh,'' she said.
She added: ``The lotus which I have used in many of my paintings symbolises evolution. Lotus is a flower in which development is brisk and overt. Life is also like that.''
Indian mythology also has influence in her paintings. ``Mythology is a source of values, culture, tradition, conceptual ideologies and aesthetics. The forms have a traditional touch of Indian mythology. The colours are
lavish with dark backgrounds. My lyricism is an expression of mythological forms,'' she said.
The figures in her paintings have closed eyes. They are composite and tranquil with a divine aura. ``They are silently speaking with the supreme inside,'' Manisha explained.
As you look into the paintings, you `hear' the errie sound of silence. It makes you feel the power and pleasure of introspection.
And what does the soul say? ``The secret of life. Gaining it is a long process. The ultimate secret of life is `nothing'.''