THERE IS A ‘LIFE’ AFTER MARRIAGE
Aruna Tewari is a fun-loving woman with a positive attitude towards everything in life. She describes herself as a colourful person, who doesn’t believe in sorrow. “I believe everyone should lead a happy life no matter what happens. Hardships are a part of life and everyone should fight it with courage and strength and if you are happy then your environment would be happening too. If a woman is happy from within then people who meet her would feel the happiness in them. I am a person who lives life to the fullest”, says Aruna Tewari, the painter, who brings colours to not just a canvas but life as well..
Life is a combination of both- positive and negative, then why don’t you show the other side of the coin?
Aruna: I believe we already have a lot of sadness and negativity to deal with and if, even I would portray the same thing, then what difference would people find in my paintings. My aim is to give them some sort of relief and bring to them an atmosphere of love, peace and meditation; so that they can release their tensions and feel my work. What I envisage in my art-work is love, peace, purity, serenity -there is not even an iota of negativity and sadness. Everybody is struggling to find peace and I want that whenever people are sad, they look at my paintings and come back to their own-happy self. And I have to tell you that my paintings are reflection of my inner-self.
How come your interest inclined towards art from teacher training?
Aruna: I was into art since my childhood but my parents weren’t very supportive to it. Like every parent, my parents also wanted me to be a teacher or a doctor to lead a comfortable life but I never had interest in teaching, though it gave me a different learning experience altogether.
I left sketching when my kids were too young but after my kids went to boarding school, I started to do something or the other to be in touch with the art. I kept practicing to achieve my dream of being an artist. I never thought my art had a commercial point of view but I always wanted people to love my work.
When I shifted to Delhi I thought to take up professional course to understand art in deeper sense and pursued 2 years of diploma course from Delhi College of Fine Arts. The experience of being around youngsters at this age was beautiful and memorable; it took me back to my college days. Sometimes, I would feel that I can’t do it because I don’t have time, but then I understood that I have to strike a balance between my work and personal life. So, I choose to reduce my sleep time so that nothing suffers.
How did you balance your artistic life and marriage life?
Aruna: Well, whenever my husband would come back I would shut my work so that he doesn’t come to know about it. My children would leave for school at 7 in the morning and would come back at 2 in the afternoon; in the meanwhile I would work towards my art. Then after dinner when your family is watching television then you can invest that time in your art and even after they sleep. All that you have to do is have that determination towards working for your goal, your art. I agree I missed going out with friends, family and so on, but I knew that my goal is more important than anything else right now.
How was your husband’s reaction towards your art?
My husband is not artistic person, so he couldn’t understand any of my art-work. All that he would ever say is ‘Acha hai’. I do ask him about any loop holes that my art has but he can never tell me anything about that but he has been a great support in this entire journey.
Why have you chosen canvas as medium of expression?
I have chosen canvas because I love to work on it and when it comes to colours, acrylic and oil painting have been my favorite since the beginning.
When and what was your first painting?
In 2002, I painted a landscape for the very first time. At the very first attempt I did so well that it was unbelievable for me. Even now I have it with me, so whenever I look at it I feel if I learn about it then I can do much better.
What is different in your paintings as compared to others?
My paintings are so simple that anyone can easily relate to it. I haven’t read much about art so I don’t know the deeper sense of it but I know that art should be relatable and not everyone likes complexity. I use bright colours because they are striking and my theme is women because a woman is an ocean of emotions. She alters herself according to the surroundings and strong-willed. They are the most flexible creatures of god. So, that’s why I wanted to showcase every precinct of a woman through the medium of art, which is being liked by people a lot.
What sort of art-form you like?
Simplified art form is what I like. With respect to my art, I want my paintings to be of domestic use so that any member of a family who looks at it, feels positive and even people who visit your place feel it. There are already a lot of things to be thought about, I don’t want people to invest their precious time in making sense out of my art-work.
Any artist you look up to?
Every artist has a unique mindset that is been portrayed by them on the canvas. So, every artist should be appreciated no matter how much you get out of the painting. Every person is good.
Any message for married ladies or girls who are about to get married?
My message to ladies is to live life to the fullest. Age is just a number for anything you want to do. Every person is young but if you feel you are old then you would stay old. So, be young at heart because then there are no limits for your life.
