IS NOT ART EVERYWHERE ?

It was a few months ago, I was in the corner of brigade road in Bangalore waiting for a friend who I knew from school. we had not seen each other for over 4 years, a lot had changed. I had gotten fatter and odd looking and she from the pictures I saw had grown up to look lot more graceful than I remember. As I waited for her at the corner I reminisced on our first encounter at the school art class. She was always gifted with the brush and had the innate ability to bring objects to life through her paintings. We were in class 4 and she was my partner during the art class that happened on Thursday evenings. I was never good at art and art class for me was when I took time off to stare outside the window and ponder over what dinner might be. Madhulika on the other hand would create these magnificent tales through her art from brilliant blue peacocks dancing in the rain to the woman ferrying water through the winding streets of the village. Looking at my disinterest in the activity she questioned " do you not like art ? " slightly take aback by that question I remember replying " Art is silly, there is no point to it. You just try to draw something you see and then colour it. Instead you can just see the same thing live in the photographs." I still recollect her grimace when she said " Art is everywhere, you just don't see it."

It had been ten minutes and then from the side of the curb I could see her walking towards me. Slightly nervous, I collected myself together and began to make my way through the crowded pavement. We both were surprised to see each other and the next fifteen minutes was lost in describing how both of us had changed. We settled down at the India Coffee House for some steaming coffee and plenty of conversation. She began to tell me about her experience at the Chitra Kala Parishad and how she began to learn about the need for art as a form of human expression. after our second cup of coffee she jovially asked " Do you think we need art in our lives?", Without hesitation I answered " Art is everywhere, its there in this cup of coffee or for that matter the chair that you are sitting on. I think its something that will always be a part of every process from the mundane to the creative. I see art differently now, I see it when I write,speak, research and sometimes even when I am out for a run." She was taken aback by my reply she quickly retorted " seems like that staring outside that window did you some good." We parted ways and I travel back to this conversation every time I loose sight of the adventure in the activities that I am doing. I reclaim that adventure by searching for the art in that mundane action.