“Every moment gives me an opportunity to recreate beauty that I am inspired by,” says Savita Narasimhan. Her creative expressions take the form of song, painting or story, for Savita is impressively gifted. She is a much-lauded musician, a sensitive painter and an educative columnist.
“I grew up in the company of colours, notes and words,” she reminisces. Her parents’ pastimes were sketching, singing and reading! These influences gained potency when her twin sisters, 13 years her senior, followed the same pursuits with passion. Conversations at the dining table regularly wove themselves around these topics.
But serious pursuit of art demands commitment. The import of this was consciously inculcated into her by her father, a benevolent dictator. With a sensibility that belied her age, Savita willingly complied with her father’s injunctions.
In the following years, the family made a concerted effort towards developing her skills as a musician. By the late 1990s, Savita gained recognition as a worthy artist.
Fascinatingly, that very period also had her maturing as a painter. India’s folk tradition captivated her and her preferred choice became Madhubani, Warli and Phad. These she painted on different mediums - canvas, cloth and hand-made paper. “While I love the classical art form, my preference as a painter, is towards the vast array of folk traditions that our country has. Art is an integral part of the lives of our simple villagers. Their paintings project their endearing earthiness and I love that,” says Savita.
The success of the odd exhibition or two that she held to showcase her artistic output encouraged her to go professional. In 2012, she started Ranglekha, an outfit through which she markets her exquisitely-painted paper products - bags, boxes, envelopes, tags, cards, journals and the like. “I’m very happy with the way things are happening,” she smiles.
This professional musician and painter is comfortable handling both art forms. “ Music and painting are highly introspective processes and they can be mutually inspiring. I love both equally.”
Researching into these traditions came about as a natural extension of her passion and she commenced writing articles on the evolution and history of the different styles of folk painting.
Savita’s artistic repertoire is expansive. Madhubani murals, charcoal paintings, Phad scrolls and pencil sketches… “The tree bug once bit me and the urge didn’t subside till I painted quite a few trees in different shapes and sizes,” she laughingly shares.
Not surprising. Savita is an ardent lover of Nature and a zealous environmentalist. “My paper bags are all organic. I avoid mill-made paper. The thought of trees being cut horrifies me. Even in my choice of organic paper, I have opted for hand-made organic paper. There is no industrial activity involved in my products. The paper is made from cotton waste, millet husk and other materials that can be recycled.” Savita’s words reflect a marked attitude of reverence towards Nature, the supreme Muse for all artistic creations.
“Life has to be viewed from a higher perspective,” she avers bringing to my mind Thoreau’s words: “Only that day dawns to which we are awake.” The offshoot of this worthy philosophy is what Savita endeavours to project through her music, paintings and writings.
