Painter's Journey Into The Root : Ksh. Sarat Singh

Rajmani Ayekpam *

Even a person having a little knowledge of art or cultural movements knows that painters are the forerunner of every art or cultural movements. So, painters are highly regarded in the western world for their creativity and farsightedness. They are not merely those persons who draw picture of their own but they are the forerunner of every cultural and literary movement.

In Manipur, a painter or any fine art artistes are regarded as a kind of artiste who has sacrificed general education and crazy about their art work. Whether he or she has sacrificed their general education but anybody can't become a painter or fine art artiste without any inborn talent. In earlier times, parents did not want to become their ward as a painter or a fine art artiste. Due to change of conception and time in the mind of masses, consider it to become a painter or fine art artiste as a one of the rarest talent in any person. So, parent spends a good amount of money by sending their ward to an art school to become a good painter or a fine art artiste.

Now, technology has invaded art or painting. A good number of software attempted to substantiate painter's work. Preparation of festoon, banner, and poster has been now substituted by flex printing in computer. Nobody go to painting shop when he or she is needed service of a painter. Instead, he or she goes to a computer centre. The grassroots level work of a painter is totally wash-out by technology. A good fine art teacher's role is reduced to as a drawing teacher in school or private tutor for rich man's ward.

Fine art has become one of optional papers in BOSEM or CBSE board examinations. Many aspiring students offered fine art as one of optional papers in their board examination. So, many boys and girls took it seriously as any other their curriculum. Children's drawing column has been one of the popular weekly columns in many local newspapers. Drawing or painting competition for children has become one of most sought after feature in our society.

Any art exhibition in the state has little attention from the public even though this state has produced a good number of fine art artistes. Bhadra Singh, RKCS, Thoidingjam Tombi are the artistes worth to mention. Whether public's little awareness of art exhibition or lack of publicity or standard of exhibition have little effect to the general public. However, any painting or sculpture or any work from any artiste is a very serious attempt to express their inner feeling.

Marketing is one of the serious problems among the artistes of this state. Lack of good art gallery is also one of the hurdles to the growth of fine art in the state. A good amount of money has to spend for exhibitions organized in metropolitan cities like Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi etc. Due to lack of recognized art gallery in the state any enthusiast art lover can't buy any art work. On the other hand, any art enthusiast can't get opportunity to see any latest art work from the state.

Among these conditions, Ksh. Sarat Singh, painter at par his standard, tries to go a journey into his cultural root by using canvas. His last exhibition on the theme of 'Cultural Image Through Painting and Printing' presented by Ipudhou Fine Arts & Crafts, Museum from 4-6 January, 2013 at State Art Gallery, Dept. of Arts & Culture, Govt. of Manipur is one of painstaking journey to discover cultural root of his motherland. His covered from musical and exotic life of plain people to colourful and vibrant life of hill people. You can see cultural life of hill and plain through his paintings showed on that exhibition.

Dance and music, ethnic man and woman with traditional costume and traditional life style are the main theme his paintings. Any scholar who studies the cultural life of Manipuri tribal people will immensely helpful by his paintings. Modernization swept completely cultural life of our tribal people. So, such kind of paintings is very important for future generation.

His colour tone used in all paintings is fresh so any audience will felt freshness when he / she look at. The details presented in his paintings are very much near to exact cultural root of particular ethnic group. His mastery is the understanding of vast cultural life of Manipur. On the other hand, he is the person who is very much worried about the degradation of cultural life of Manipuri tribal people.

There's no need to introduction of Ksh. Sarat Singh in the artiste world of Manipur. Being a graduate and post graduate in Fine Arts (Graphics) from Viswabharati, Santiniketan he already participated many art exhibitions at state and national level. He participated in state and national level art exhibitions held at Manipur, Kolkata and Delhi, Group Art Exhibitions at Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai etc.

Besides, he has solo exhibitions at Pune and Imphal. He has participated in many painting workshops conducted by Manipur University, Manipur State Kala Akdaemi and Lalit Kala Akademic at Chandigarh etc. He has already won many laurels in his career like Viswabharati University Merit Scholarship, Senior Fellowship under the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, winner of two times State Level Award organized by Art Society, Manipur. His collections is distributed at different parts of country like Mumbai, Kolkata and abroad.