MANDALA
‘Art’ of the box
A P Shreethar, an artist, a dynamic museum designer, and the founder of a new cultural movement called Momentism, hails from the deep south of India. Momentism refers to artwork created in a short moment or a very minuscule time frame. His innovative and out-of-the-box thinking led to the birth of the Click Art Museum, Chennai, in 2016, which is India’s first Click Art museum.
Being supremely gifted in arts, craft, and sculpture from his school days, Shreethar won a state-level award in art appreciation while just in the ninth standard. What’s unique about him is that he was never formally trained in painting or sculpture and is a self-taught artist. He exposed himself to world-class literature on art from different countries like Germany, Russia, and France to feed his imagination. He roamed his favourite street in Chennai, the hub of old bookshops housing art classics from all over the world, which served the same purpose as Google does today. He worked in an advertising agency as a visualiser for some time with Mr Vijayasekar, his advertising guru. Later, he went on to become a full-time painter with a vision, exploring various styles and forms like Photo Realistic and Giclee paintings. His legendary work and masterstrokes have left a pioneering trail for all future artists to come.
His talent has fetched him recognition from both India and abroad. On World Photographer’s day, he opened a vintage camera museum in Chennai as a tribute to world-class photographers. Shreethar himself is an avid collector of vintage cameras and possesses a thousand of them. Recently, he launched the world’s first silicone museum named ‘Live Art Museum’ in Chennai in 2017.
One of his masterpieces is the A P J Abdul Kalam memorial museum in Rameswaram which showcases Dr Kalam’s 95 paintings and two silicone statues. Shreethar also talks about creating one of the largest Mona Lisa interactive museums in the world. He has a special place in his heart for the Mona Lisa and often dreams about it. He has already curated many beautiful adaptations of it and is all set to fulfil his big dream.
Phone: 9884035121, 7824002020
Email: ap.shreethar@gmail.com
Drawing a child’s mind
Art is not only about beauty, creation, and self-expression but also a means to connect with people and interpret them. It gives physical form to one’s subconscious mind and informs us what is going on within it. Tripti Rastogi, an art therapist and art trainer, is making parenting easier for many couples through art. According to her, art is an expression, and early childhood is the perfect time to start nurturing it. She introduces students to various art techniques and helps them create beautiful artworks. This process gradually helps children give form to their imagination.
For parents, it is important to understand what is going on in their children’s minds. In today’s world, when both parents are burning the midnight oil to give the best possible upbringing to their children, often, they miss reading their minds. At times, children also face challenges while sharing their thoughts and feelings. This is where art comes in, to play a crucial role. When children have the habit of making their own artworks on a regular basis, it becomes easy for the parents to keep a check on their mental health. Their drawings and artworks give a clear picture about the inner state of their mind and heart, making it easier for parents to handle any situation in hand.
Tripti cites the case of a suicidal girl who refused to share what was going on in her mind. Her parents had no option but to take her to a psychiatrist. She was willing to be treated but refused to speak up. This is where art helped a lot in revealing her mental state. She used to visit her doctor every day and make a drawing, along with her counselling session. After a few sessions, there was a visible transition in her drawings which reflected the improved state of her mind.
Tripti is a graduate of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and having worked in exports for about 10 years, she quit her career to raise her kids. This chaotic yet beautiful process helped her come up with her art school called Kids Kuriocity. Once she started training kids from different parts of the world, she began loving the process of training and interacting with them and felt the need of knowing them beyond their words. This inquisitiveness pushed her to learn art therapy, and that is how she was motivated to work harder and earn her art therapy certificate.
Maitri Light: The healing light of love
Though there are several energy healing modalities like reiki and pranic healing that have brought succour to millions of lives, a new and extremely powerful energy healing called Maitri Light is showing magical results in mitigating all forms of suffering, be they of the mind or the body. Introduced by Maitreya Dadashreeji, the founder of Maitribodh Parivaar, a socio-spiritual organisation aiming to spiritually awaken the masses, Maitri Light is one of his selfless offerings, which involves a process of prayer and divine healing. In this process, Maitreya Dadashreeji or any other divine being is invoked and prayed to, to help the receiver. In one session, one challenge of the receiver is focussed on at one time. Maitri Light works at the deepest level of a person’s consciousness by removing the blocks, thereby bringing relief to the person. It could be physical relief, mental comfort and strength, guidance, or grace of the divine energies.
Maitri Light can be given distantly, without any contact. The entire process lasts for five minutes and is completely free of cost. It eases the unsettled emotions of a person. It allows an individual to respond positively to any situation that they may be going through in life. It uplifts their consciousness, removes negativity, and lightens their path so that they can make the right decisions in their life and grow.
Keshav Harlalka, a beneficiary, says, “I was diagnosed positive with COVID-19 infection on 3rd October. The very next day, I received Maitri Light from one of the mediums. As the disease attacks the throat first, I immediately sensed and felt that there is a constriction in the throat as I was receiving Maitri Light. The constriction was there for two or three minutes, and then it subsided, as though the virus in the throat had disappeared. My fever came down immediately: I had a two-degree temperature drop. My cough was relieved within five days. I felt as though COVID was nothing! I thank Dadashreeji for giving us the gift of Maitri Light from the bottom of my heart!”
Sneha, 21, shares, “I had been going through bouts of depression and emotionally turbulent episodes every now and then. Since the time I received Maitri Light, I have seen all the negativity leaving me slowly. My mind is becoming calmer, clutter-free, and more pleasant than ever before. That’s how powerful this is.”
To request a free session, you can visit www.maitribodh.org/maitrilight