by R.G. Singh
Manish Verma is an artist who paints the face of the Buddha. Manish Verma, who was in Mysore recently on an assignment, is a well-known artist who has made Bangalore his base. His works had been exhibited at Kalaa Dhaaraa, a mega exhibition of contemporary art hosted by Ramsons Kala Pratishtana, Mysore. Incidentally, one of his paintings was the first one to be sold at the exhibition. He has also executed several works like large mural panels for various private individuals and private companies, including one in Mysore. He has held several solo shows and many of his works are in private collections.
Excerpts from an extended talk session…
R.G. Singh (RGS): Manish, Why do you paint only the face of the Buddha? Why not some other saint or savant?
Manish Verma (MV): Perhaps, maybe, the answer lies in my home town which is Bilaspur in Bihar. Bodh-gaya (which is closer to my native) is a place I have often visited. The birthplace of the Buddha and the place of His enlightenment have had a very positive effect on me. The face of the Buddha conveys immense peace. The plagues of the world do not touch him. He is tranquil in the midst of action. This is what attracted me when I saw stone sculptures of his image. That is when I discovered that painting the Buddha’s face was a part of my own pilgrimage. I felt that I was destined to paint him.
RGS: What is your link to Bihar?
MV: I was born in a Bilaspur in 1973; after my early schooling, joined the College of Arts and Crafts in Patna. In 1996 I left for Delhi and worked as a freelance painter for several companies. Still restless I made my way to Uttar Pradesh then Haryana and still down to Andhra Pradesh. I rarely stayed in these places for more than a few months, the wanderlust driving me further and further to see new places and meet people, know their culture, language and cuisine. I have made many friends in these places and we keep in touch.
RGS: Finally Bangalore? Why? What brought you to this city?
MV: I came to Bangalore in 2004 and took up the first job that I could find and it was only in 2011 that I quit to become a full-time painter. Why Bangalore? Well, because it is a city that is very accepting of newcomers. I felt and soon realised that I could make my presence felt as an artist here and make my living as an artist.
RGS: What inspired you to become a painter?
MV: Frequent visits to Bodh-Gaya in my teens and the urge to seek the real meaning of my life. The lifestyle of the younger generation, even my generation is frantic. No one seems to have time or the space for one another. My early scribbling and doodling, and the discovery that I could make a line become a figure led me to recreate on canvas the peace of the Buddha… the message of the Buddha that is one of compassion for one’s fellowmen.
RGS: So the Buddha is the focus of all your work?
MV: Yes, certainly. But I have a series planned that will illustrate the life of the Buddha from the days when he was Prince Siddhartha to his becoming the Buddha and finally his attainment of Nirvana. I will be using the Jataka stories for reference. The story of the Buddha is timeless. It is for all time.
RGS: Is there a particular technique you follow?
MV: I used the ‘wash technique’ which is pale colours in my earlier paintings. But I have begun experimenting with bright colours and feel that I have gained a certain amount of success using this new, call it, the ‘Manish Verma technique’ (he giggles).
RGS: You have done some work of an entirely different kind in Mysore?
MV: I have done large rural-tribal murals for a few private establishments in Bangalore and one huge Mysore style based mural in Mysore. These were commissioned works. An exact brief was given, what was expected of me and so on. It was within this framework that I created these larger than life murals.
RGS: Tell me, who is Manish Verma?
MV: I do not know… (ponders for a long time) I feel I am a very simple person. I do not claim to know answers. I find this difficult to express. Maybe one of my future paintings will help me find the answer. I live in the present, in the ‘now’ and that is enough for me … for the present.
RGS: Is there anything at all that you do apart from painting?
MV: I love gardening. I love nature. My parents inculcated in me a love for nature. I also love classical music and Sugam Sangeeth. I cannot work unless there is music being played in the background. I travel a lot. I meet new people. And every such chance meeting gives me a new insight into myself. Sometimes I have tried to create Mysore style of paintings but feel I have a long way to go in that field. As I said, I live in the present, I do not know what the future holds and it is the peace of the Buddha that keeps me rooted.
RGS: Finally, do you have a wish-list?
MV: Not really… but I hope that there will be an artists’ village, an Arts Centre in various places in Karnataka where artists could spend time rejuvenating themselves in terms of their art; where there is no such thing as senior artist, well-known artist or any other classification… just artists united by their art.
The brief interaction ends. It is late evening, the sacred Chamundi hill is a dark outline, the small owl seated on the electric pole calls out softly and below the yellow lamp, Manish pushes his motorcycle off the stands and straddles it. “It is now 9 pm and I should be in Bangalore by midnight,” he smiles and kick-starts the bike and rides off.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / June 22nd, 2014