Meghalaya captured on canvas of CA-turned-artist
Vartika Sinha documents her 'evolving journey' through her art work
Vartika Sinha is enamoured of Meghalaya’s natural beauty and traditions. The 39-year-old artist is bringing to life vignettes from Meghalaya on her canvas and sharing them with those who know little or nothing about Meghalaya’s hidden treasures.
Sinha, whose family is originally from Uttar Pradesh, spent a substantial part of her childhood in the North East, including Meghalaya and Nagaland.
“My father was in the army and he was posted in the region in the late eighties when insurgency was at its peak. I was a student of Step-by-Step School in the nursery class. We never explored the Living Root bridges or the outskirts during that period. But the connection with Meghalaya continued even after we left the state,” Sinha told Sunday Monitor.
Journey as a painter
As a child, Sinha spent much of her time amid nature. But she was never interested in painting. She completed her chartered accountancy and joined the corporate world where she worked with MNCs such as Coca-Cola and General Electric. She resigned from her corporate job in March 2018 after spending 11 years.
“I did not have any formal training in fine arts till then. I got interested in painting in 2017. It was July 2017. I was helping my son with a school project. I did not even know that yellow was a primary colour. As I was trying to help him, it piqued my interest, and later, I did some online research. It was the beginning,” said Sinha, who lives in Bengaluru, as she talked about her journey as an artist.
She also narrated an incident that changed the course of her career and passion. “One day I started painting around 7.30 in the evening and when I finished and looked up at the clock, it was already four in the morning. I was surprised by how time passed by and I did not feel the need for food or rest. That was the defining moment for me. My perception of occupation changed. I decided to pursue painting,” she added.
Sinha came across the works of Mark Carder, a self-taught artist who started painting at 22. Sinha got interested in the classic realism genre and “I reached out to Carder and visited Austin in the US to get trained under him”.
Meghalaya on canvas
Sinha always nurtured her love for Meghalaya and her admiration for the tribes there even before she evolved as an artist. It was this love that brought her back to the state in the late nineties. She would visit the state frequently with her family and explore the root bridges. In 2009, she visited Mawlyngnong, Asia’s cleanest village, and the single Living Root bridge.
“I have travelled around the globe but when I visited Mawlyngnong, I wondered why it was never promoted. I was not a painter then. So, I just clicked a photo,” Sinha recollected.
Sinha’s first painting was that of the root bridge, which was widely appreciated and admired at the India Art Festival in Bengaluru. “That gave me the confidence to create more. People at the exhibition were taken aback by the 500-year-old knowledge (of building root bridges). So, it became one of my projects to capture the various aspects of Meghalaya on the canvas. I started visiting the state frequently,” Sinha said.
The artist toured the off-beat places where she found spectacular root bridges, splendid waterfalls and many interesting people.
Another aspect of Meghalaya that fascinates Sinha is the tradition of matriliny, which is practised by the three tribes in the state, the Khasis, the Jaintias and the Garos. “It is amazing how people there empower women and how women are multitasking.
Among her paintings of Meghalaya are those of the single and double-decker Living Root bridges, the Sacred Grove at Mawphlang, paintings on the theme of matriliny and some still life on canvas.
“I want to paint the triple-decker root bridge and the Dawki river (Umngot). When I visited these places, it was raining and I did not get good photographs. So, I will visit again,” Sinha informed.
Sinha also wants to curate the culture and natural beauty of Nagaland.
Multitasking
Besides being a painter, Sinha is a holistic healthcare advisor and businesswoman. Talking about her being a wellness advisor, she said it was also through a life-changing experience when she was diagnosed with chronic urticaria and no doctor in the country or abroad could detect the reason for the disease.
“I started exploring alternative therapies and research on illnesses and their root causes. I started sharing my experience and knowledge with friends and family members and they benefited. It was then that I realised that many people are suffering and not just me,” Sinha said about her nine-year journey of healing.
Sinha used art as a medium of holistic well-being. Her art form consists of four series — sustainability, consciousness, holistic wellbeing and global village. She believes that one has to acquire health and happiness to share the same with others. This led to the formation of Ubuntu Ether during the pandemic. She would teach meditation and ways to cope with anxiety.
“It all started informally. Now, I am giving Ubuntu a structure and conducting corporate workshops, Whatever I have learned so far is worth sharing,” she said.
Sinha also promotes cruelty-free art by practising and spreading awareness on environment-friendly paints and safety gear. She also follows the Gurukul method to teach underprivileged children.
Juggling art and business is not easy, but Sinha does it with aplomb. Being a CA, Sinha understands that promoting her works is necessary to sustain herself as an artist. “I create for demand as well as for my fulfilment as an artist. Initially, I would feel shy to speak about my work but I realised how important it is. Business is necessary,” she said.
Sinha describes her art as a “documentation of my evolving journey”. As her journey continues, one can expect more creative surprises from the artist that will give insights into the beautiful life in the northeastern state.
~ Team Sunday Monitor
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