Bengaluru artist finds inspiration for paintings from Gulzar's poetry

An ardent lover of Gulzar’s poetry, Minjal Mukhija, a Bengaluru-based artist has tried to express the different shades of his poetry in her paintings.

It is an attempt to create a visual story from the words penned by the great poet in the form of a painting. After reading "Raat Pashmine Ki", one of the greatest collections by Gulzar, Minjal was completely engulfed by the brilliance of his words.

“I gradually started reading all his published books and started looking forward to his forthcoming book releases. One book followed another and I unconditionally surrendered to each book reading the poems repeatedly, and that's how a wonderful journey with his poetry began," said Minjal.

'Submerged', a collection of poetry, on the theme, is currently being exhibited at the Cymroza Art Gallery at Breach Candy.

Also Read | Breaking barriers: Art in the digital age

“While reading his poems my imagination would get so strong that l would get transported to a place where images floated around me creating a visual story of its own. It was a fairly inclusive and beautiful process where one imagery followed another forming into a sequence where I would experience viewing the entire poetry in visuals. There was an intensifying urge of putting it on the canvas and this is how his poetry started imprinting on canvas,” she said.

"The show is a celebration of all the shades of Gulzar's poetry, which has been so vibrantly alive. A journey through life that I explored through his poems," she said. In 2015, Minjal met Gulzar with the request for the approval of her paintings which were based on the legendary poet's literary work. “Gulzar Sahab wanted me to work on my paintings for one more year,” she said.

The artist went on a self-exploration mode with earnest determination to bring out the best in her work. She decided to push herself out of her comfort zone and do everything possible to evolve herself to the expectations of Gulzar Sahab.

Minjal says that she will forever cherish the memories of the special moment when Gulzar Sahab granted permission to work on his poems, after a year. "These oil and watercolour paintings are just an expression of the profoundness of my experience."

"Gulzar Sahab's work is so vast that I cannot grasp it all and thus my journey still continues. This art show has meant more to me than I can possibly describe for very many reasons, I am especially indebted to Gulzar Sahab for showering me with his grace and being a constant guiding star for me," she said.

Check out latest DH videos here