Don’t whine, just shine – what we can learn about overcoming challenges from these differently-abled artists
The inspiring CANvas 2019 exhibition featured 150 works of differently-abled artists, and shows the power of the human spirit in overcoming challenges and expressing true inner talent. So stop complaining, and start creating!
PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In the earlier 350 posts, we featured an art festival, cartoon gallery. world music festival, telecom expo, millets fair, climate change expo, wildlife conference, startup festival, Diwali rangoli, and jazz festival.
A remarkable two-day art exhibition was held recently at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath in Bengaluru, featuring 150 artworks by people with disabilities. Titled CANvas, the exhibition was an initiative of Rotary Bangalore Abilities (RBA), a club formed in 2018 by a group of committed professionals and persons with disabilities.
The event was inaugurated by Jayavibhava Swamy, Director, Department for the Empowerment of Differently Abled and Senior Citizens, and Dr Rudraprasad, Senior Surgeon and Professor of Neuroscience, NIMHANS.
The level of creativity was so high that many felt it was an art expo by the MOST-abled, according to RBA committee member Lakshmi Ravishankar, who joins us in an interview in Part II of this photo essay. She is also a board member of the National Association for the Blind.
Notwithstanding the challenges they face, RBA members have still decided to join the battle for doing good in the world, according to Rotary Club Bangalore President Zarir Batha. RBA president Justin Philips is the editor of a braille magazine called Insight, a transcriptionist for market research companies, and a music instructor. Secretary Pradeep K, though partially blind, is a software professional; treasurer Sravani Ramachandran, a paraplegic, is a financial analyst with IBM.
The exhibition was curated by Shyamala Ramanand; see YourStory’s interviews and coverage of her other shows, Akanksha and 50 Shades of Black and White. The show featured the works of 36 artists from Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
In this two-part photo essay, we feature the artworks of some of the artists, including N Vidarthe, Ranjith, Aishwarya, Aparna MG, Ramakrishnan, Sanath Kumar, Thyagaraj, Sravan PT, and Jijo Das.
Differently-abled artists love getting recognition and respect for their talent – over and above commercial sales of their work, as they explain in Part II of this photo essay.
Now, what have you done today to see the bigger picture in life, get a sense of perspective, and go beyond complaints to real accomplishments?
Team Rotary Bangalore Abilities
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