The Hindu : New Delhi News : Art for animals

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Saturday, Feb 16, 2008
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New Delhi

Art for animals

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

Glory and grace: A painting by artist Uma Kilachand.

NEW DELHI: Creating art for the welfare of animals, People for Animals (PFA) has brought to the Capital artist Uma Kilachand. She will be showcasing her collection titled “Divine Art” at a display-cum-sale at hotel Le Meridien here from March 7 to 9.

PFA holding exhibition

“PFA is holding an exhibition and sale of a breathtaking collection of 40 renditions of mythological figures, mostly Shrinathjis, along with some images of Lord Ganesh and Lord Balaji. The artist is donating the proceeds to PFA to support its animal welfare work across the country. Our organisation has been conducting art-based fund-raising events for more than a decade,” says PFA chairperson Maneka Gandhi.

Paintings of Lord Krishna

Influenced from a very young age by Lord Krishna as Srinathji, Uma Kilachand has been painting and embroidering his images since 1971. Shrinathji is her family’s “Ishtadev” and as a child she was fascinated by her grandmother’s morning ritual of worshipping, bathing, feeding and adorning him.

Starting with simple paintings, her art has extended to larger and more resplendent images with the Lord draped in vibrant silks and “jamevars” and adorned with crystals and pearls. Each painting requires six months of painstaking and passionate input. Uma Kilachand personally sources each gemstone and fabric, and her close attention to detail is evident in the glory of the final creation.

Shrinathji is another form of Lord Krishna, as the seven-year-old boy-god who lifted Mount Govardhana to protect his people from a fierce downpour sent down by Lord Indra.

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