It all began from a random circulation of an invite from a dear friend, calling artists around the country for participation. What appeared as a very simple platform for art and artists turned out to be an initiative that was so humbling and a much needed one for several accomplished and budding artists across Bhārata.

To thrive and to be recognized for a talent in art is very difficult in a country like ours, simply because of the abundance of skill, and the lack of proper marketing techniques. It was for this reason “The Hyderabad Art Festival” came as a unique platform which not only spoke about artistic talents across the country but also came up with the rare idea of grants and scholarships for the deserving artists.

The art festival is a brainchild of MAZDA Art lead by founders Vispi Tarapore and Dilnawaz Tarapore. The Hyderabad Art Festival 2023 was conceptualized in the month of March and concluded with euphoria among artists who were shortlisted on 10^th Sep 2023.

The festival happened across three days, the 8^th, 9th and 10^th of September 2023. It not only allowed artists to exhibit their work in one of the biggest galleries in the state, but also hosted some of the most illustrious and world renowned artists in the country for live demonstrations. Mr. Bijay Biswaal, Mr. Prafull Sawant, Mr.Sadashiv Sawant, and Mr.Ramesh Aundhkar, were among the renowned names. Close to 200 artworks were on exhibit with about 150 artistes from across the country.

Talking about my philosophy in art, I have always believed that art has no mistakes. It has no geographical or psychological limits and that defines the true beauty of art. The discretionary nature of art brings its creator to an optimum level of using her imaginations. I have always been an ardent art lover. I used to spend time creating artworks which somehow faded when I was placed at an investment banking firm. It took me nine years to realize that I was meant to indulge in art more than anything else. I became a mother to a beautiful daughter in 2016 and that was when I also took a break from work. I was fighting baby blues like many women and that is when I pulled out a canvas for the first time after many years.

To my surprise every artwork I produced slowly took away a part of the melancholy, the post-partum lows and gave me new insights into different art forms. Hence I finally decided to take this up full time. Art to me is beyond colors and drawing. It opened new ways of interpretation and analysis on several fronts and hasn’t stopped from amazing me with its myriad magical moments. From being a beginner to present day artist that I have emerged into, it has taught me various facets of both art and life. I am immensely fortunate to have been shortlisted for the festival with my artwork.

My artwork titled “āngan” is all about emphasizing the little joys of the house courtyard which in today’s generation is looked upon as another extended space. Gone are the days when the inmates of the house considered the courtyard as the best place to exchange hearty conversations over a cup of “chai” or to simply gaze through at the outside world. The courtyard to me still brings back fond memories of playing seven stones with my brother and friends, a space that is reminiscent of a million things like the kulfi wala, snake charmers and meeting the gurkhas who finished their shift. It brings back many memories of chattering with neighbors asking them about the wonderful aroma wafting through their kitchen space into the courtyard. This particular piece is inspired by a picture clicked in Rajasthan when an old couple sat in their courtyard admiring the little kids playing outside. Moments like these are far more precious to me than time spent over gadgets and technology.

The Hyderabad Art Festival showcased great creations. I list a few of the noteworthy ones for their creative concept and ideas in my personal opinion:

1. Artist Mrityunjaya set his painting on ‘fire’ and if you are wondering about what I mean by that, you should probably take a keener look at his artwork below. His portrayal of characters in a religious activity brings forth ’agni’ or the sacred fire - the messenger between devatas and humans. To portray “fire” in an artwork is one of the most challenging things to do and the artist did complete justice to this element through this artwork.

2. Yet another electrifying artwork was from artist Honakhande. The concept of birthing and nurturing was vividly portrayed by the artist. What drew my attention was the smile on the mother’s face and the symbolic representation of birth through a sapling all-encompassing the beauty of prakṛiti(Mother Nature). This is an example of nudity being beautiful without being vulgar.

3. The creator of this artwork mimicked inner reflection in its most aesthetic way. While the person meditating is not detailed, his reflection has a lot to say. This in my interpretation is the way in which we look into ourselves, into our ‘antaratma’, for self-introspection. Art in this sense is robust in bringing forth views without having the need to be vocal about it.

4. Yet another artwork that caught my attention was the most organic depiction of a street with old buildings and cows. It took me back to the memory lane where my mother and I went to the local markets and visited other places in the heart of the city of Hubli in Karnataka. Sighting cows or the “gomāta” (as my mother stated) was very common on the streets and they were not looked upon as intruders as they are in today’s Bhārat. People stopping by to pat them or some who worshipped them, was an ordinary affair.

5. One of the artworks that spoke a lot about human expressions was this one from an unknown artist. Dance is one of the best mediums of physical expression. It emotes life in all its colorful ways and this artist strikingly captured the expressions of joy in nāṭya, Kūcipūḍi. The dancer emerges from the darkness and jumps up in absolute abandon and that elevated its beauty to a whole new level, giving it an embossed look. A painting worthy enough to be mentioned.

6. Manḍala artworks from the Founder and artist Dilnawaz Tarapore are worth a mention for it brought out the true representation of the universe and the concepts attached. Featuring “padma” in most of her mandalas, artist Dilnawaz brings out conceptual artwork relating to inner excellence , spiritual prowess, meditation and Adi yogi.

There were several artworks that I liked but the above definitely needed a mention according to me. The final day of the Hyderabad Art Festival saw many people flocking in to support the contenders. What made me happy was the learning and experience that we were all exposed to as artists in these three days. There were workshops, demonstrations, panel discussions, and opportunities for networking. All the artworks that made it to the winners’ counter thoroughly deserved it and I can’t wait for the next season of this art festival to see everyone weave magic through art.