05-Feb.-2015
Life without art is said to be stupid. However art can be found in any and every thing; this is what Asif Sir taught us from a over early time. The sky is a canvas and the clouds paint infinitely over it. In the evening the breeze puts the trees in motion and the dancing trees swim at the canvas of the dusky sky. It is during the night when the canvas turns dark and hosts the shimmer. This is art. The grey color of the road is art as so is the texture of the mud. Music is an art and dance is an art. Mysticism is art and life is art; of even higher a degree. Thus the valid statement for art happens being, ‘art lies not in the object but in the eyes of the person’. Somewhere the purpose of life thus sums up in being artistic; artistic on out own way and conveying and propagating the message of art to one and all.
The art room of DPS Srinagar, was the poly house for lot many artists of the valley. Initially the art room was a crowded room stuffed with canvas boards, isles, paintings, and other means of art. Its beauty lied in its colourful crowd, even the mixing plate was a unique symbol of art. In a mystic way this in itself happened being a wonderful piece of art. DPS Srinagar has always been badly indulged in the all-round development of its students and one aspect of the same mission has been the system of ‘stay-back’ (extra classes after the school hours). Art stay-back was a schedule of Monday 3pm-4pm and verily that used to be the best thing of beauty. Art faculty at DPS Srinagar has always been headed by one among the finest artists of Kashmir, the one and of course only of a kind Mr.Asif Iqbal. Asif Sir verily has succeeded in inculcating the sense of art among all his students. Verily having a sense and liking for art, develops an aesthetic sense in an individual and alters his thinking once for ever in a broad, open and wonderful way.
Over the period of time, the department of Asif Sir’s developed into one magnificent department, alone of its kind in the valley at the higher secondary level. “The Department of Fine and Commercial Arts”. DPS has given its students the fostering of the mother and sowed seeds of versatility in them. As school ended, like generations, we too got indulged in the chores of life and focused on the tasks at current disposal. Almost four years after school, the opening of Gallery One in the city hub showed a way down the memory lane. The concept of an art gallery on the first go, ticked the mind of DPS, art room, Asif Sir and the art exhibitions there.
Reaching the gallery, the eagle’s eye view reflected the white background, symbolizing and reflecting a 100 things explicitly and of course an infinite implicitly; for art is subjective. The walls of the huge gallery are decorated with the canvases of various sizes and dimensions, reflecting innumerable colours and expressions. The gallery indeed is a hub of creative works by a number of creative minds. Each artist in his capacity has manifested the finest and sophisticated form of art, yet simple. The works of stone, of paper. Of wood and what not. Gallery One is a roof of a different world. Indeed a cloud-nine world, where only the fantasies and beauty lures and the reality vanished to abstraction. The objects of creativity have a virtue of beauty that works on any and every mind and spells a magic of a unique level to every mind.
To cherish, enjoy and appreciate the art one needs no specific qualification. Though it can be done anywhere and at any time, like the dark of the night; darkness is the best of the canvas to paint the imaginations and fantasies of the mind and cherish this bounty of nature, Gallery One is the place where different, varied and versatile items and objects of art are present; all under one roof.
Walking the gallery on three different levels; one, the nostalgic DPS art room memories, another of the cloud-nine of enjoying the art and lastly the pragmatic reality of the long vacuum with the two, and then in the form of meeting the art teachers in a way of merry surprise, in front of me stood, Naushad (Gayoor) sir, showkat (Kathju) Sir, Adil sir among others, the people who taught us the existence of art, its location, identification and taught us to cherish the same.
Long live the legendary minds and long exist the gallery.
25-Feb.-2015
When the mind was still cherishing its happening; its existence, its birth the doom came. Exactly 20 days back, the cherished pleasure that I and of course many of the kind had, who knew would come to an end, as soon; that too to a destructive end.
The lease as they say was for a period of three months, if it was about to expire, the authorities should have given a prior notice. If not that, they wished to lock the premises of the gallery, they could do that in the accepted peaceful way. But the reality happened being brutish. Like any fierce tribe of barbarian attackers, the authorities came and destroyed the artefacts, the rare pieces of artistic creation; the delicate sophistications…
This part of the globe, where the situations have left the minds in chaos and rife, the acts and doings of compassion get a treatment like this. How good of a milestone and noble of an effort Gallery One was (was?). This initiative that waited a 100 years, when came, cherished the minds, left deep and happy impressions; who but knew, such a bad treatment was awaiting it?!.
Unless the community respects and values the art, nothing can get its people out of distress and chaos….
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