While his political acumen has been the subject of several books, and his speeches the focus of all news channels and newspapers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi now finds himself in the spotlight for an entirely different reason. Amidst his multiple administrative actions, Modi has, albeit for a fleeting moment, traded his policymaking self for an artistic instinct, a few brushstrokes in collaboration with Delhi-based artist Satish Gupta. It is reported that the painting completed with the PM’s inputs has found a patron willing to part with 1.3 crore rupees for the artwork.
“ I wrote Om Namo Shivay in the outline and he filled in the colours. Namo is the link with the Prime Minister since he is known as Namo to the masses. ”
To contribute to the Kapil Dev-headed Khushii Foundation’s endeavour to raise funds for the education of poor children through the medium of an art auction titled “India on Canvas”, the PM has lent his hand to complete Gupta’s “Om Namo Shivay”, a painting which traces its inspiration to the idols of Shiva found at the famous Brihadeeshwara temple in Thanjavur. The temple completed a thousand years in 2010. A representation of the forms of Shiva manifest in the idols of the temple along with a macro image of a Shiva painted amidst the idols, forms the basis of the work
“I’ve done extensive work on Shiva. I have spent a lot of time in the temple making many images of Shiva. This work is a sculpture painting where I have combined two and three dimensions in one work. I see the work as a symbol of the omnipresence of Lord Shiva in the micro and the macro world,” says Gupta. When Khushii approached him for a collaboration with the Prime Minister to do an artwork, he “thought that would be the appropriate painting to work with him on.”
“I believe that the massive mandate that he got is the micro image of the people of India and the macro image is being that of the Prime Minister. That is the connection that I had in mind. I wrote Om Namo Shivay in the outline and he filled in the colours. Namo is the link with the Prime Minister since he is known as Namo to the masses,” adds Gupta. The artist says he is happy to contribute through his work for the poor, adding, “It was something very satisfying for me. The idea of educating these children was my reward.”
Held in collaboration with the famous auction house Sotheby’s, the auction-exhibition saw the collaboration of eminent artists alongside distinguished Indians from other walks of life. These included the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and Arun Jaitley joining forces with Chintan Upadhyay, Anjolie Ela Menon and Satish Gupta to further the charitable endeavour.
