An art teacher for plus two students at the highly-reputed Welham Girls School, Dehradun, Nishi Chandra is as passionate about teaching her students the nuances of the artist’s vocation as she is about transferring mental images to canvas. A successful artist with several exhibitions to her credit, Chandra brings to her job valuable creative and mentoring skills developed over the past decade.
“Painting is a very satisfying and creative pursuit. For students who are good at it, it can become a rewarding career. Animation and design companies are desperate to recruit talented young artists as cartoonists, animators, illustrators and graphic designers. Even if not chosen as a career option, art pursued as a hobby or extra-curricular activity has a creatively soothing influence on the mind. It can help students de-stress and improve their learning outcomes,” says Chandra, a textile design graduate of the ONGC Polytechnic, Dehradun, who took to painting as a vocation immediately after graduation in 1988.
A realist who likes to portray the everyday lives of women and children on canvas, Chandra has also experimented with murals and frescoes which she has designed for eminent architects and interior designers such as Hari Agashe, Richard Pariera, Vishwas Lele and Hafeez Contractor. From murals this talented artist went on to design low-cost chic furniture. “I remember going shopping for a CD stand in Baroda, where my husband was briefly posted. Not finding one, I designed it myself and started designing portable, low-budget furniture, retaining the straight lines and raw appeal of the pieces as my trademark sign,” says Chandra who has actively participated in Society (magazine) exhibitions around the country showcasing wrought iron lamps adorned with hand-painted shades.
Back in her hometown Dehradun after 12 years of globe-trotting with her air force officer husband, now Chandra is committed to helping her students at Welham’s and Dehradun’s citizenry develop their art appreciation sensibilities. “There are no galleries in Dehradun to enable people to learn to appreciate art, sculpture and painting. To fill this cultural gap, I’m working with like-minded people to start an art gallery where painters and artists can exhibit their work. Art reflects life and society and by appreciating it individuals learn to respect freedom of expression, creativity and individuality,” explains Chandra.
Right on, sister!
Natasha Pathak (Dehradun)