Ganpati to Gajah Art Exhibition

On the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, Art Spice Gallery of Metropolitan Hotel organized an aesthetic and spiritual exhibition entitled ‘Ganpati to Gajah’. The gallery in alliance with wildlife SOS raised awareness about Elephant Conservation using the creative and inspiring medium of art.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Maneka Gandhi, the Union Cabinet minister for Women and Child Development. Painted by the Singapore artist, Alpana Ahuja was inspired by the miracles of love and care witnessed at Wildlife SOS’s Elephant Conservation and Care Center in Agra. Her time with the rescued elephants at the Wildlife SOS center was the beginning of her journey with Phoolkali and this exhibition is a reflection of her inner love for Lord Ganesha and her compassion for elephants. The exhibition showcases the footprints or padchins of elephants created with the help of Wildlife SOS’s elephant Phoolkali– who made this possible with the help of bananas and other treats. These unique prints and other artworks represents the animals ‘March to Freedom’ completing Alpana’s journey with this gentle elephants’ footprints in canvas.

Ganpati Ji

Maneka Gandhi, who is also an animal right activist, shared her experience about the exhibition saying, “This is a wonderful and a completely unique show. These elephants have been abused for many years and rescued later on. The government is making at least twenty centers. There are almost eighty-nine elephants in circuses alone and there must be around eighty in zoo. Seven to eight hundred in temples and these must come out because elephants are as important as tiger. There are less than one thousand tuskers left”. On being asked what the government should do to curb this problem, Maneka Gandhi said, “The government should be paying for each of these centers as the basic problem is where to keep them after rescuing”.

Artist and curator, Alpana Ahuja believes, “My journey has been inspired by my friendship with the elephants at Wildlife SOS. My collection begins with Lord Ganesha, part-elephant himself and then to the footprints of Phoolkali, the majestic elephant.”

Laxmi

Alpana Ahuja shared a few words on Elephant Conservation by pointing out, “A lot needs to be done in this regard. Not only elephants but for other animals like leopards and tigers as well. In India, a lot needs to be done for forest conservation, conservation of habitat for elephants along with other animals. India is a big country and undoubtedly, we can spare some land for these animals that have full rights as a man has. Man does not necessarily eat up everything as at the end of the day, if there is no forest or animal left, even man would not survive for long”.

Phoolkali’s Padchin

“I knew Wildlife SOS for long but when I personally visited it, I was surprised to see that here is an NGO doing the entire job of the government. They have taken so much in their hands and they run totally on donations but the sad part is that nobody in India is aware of their efforts. Ironically, people abroad know of this organization better than those residing in India. The reason behind this may be that we are becoming so urban, that we are losing touch with the forest or natural world. These forests need to be preserved. My first painting exhibition was in Singapore but I wanted to exhibit this message in Delhi because people should know about their surroundings”, shares Alpana who went travelled all the way from Singapore to New Delhi and visited Agra in this weather to spread awareness for these elephants.

Serenity one

On being asked as to what does the footprint of Elephants convey, Alpana remarked, “Padchins collection is called the ‘March to ‘Freedom’. It conveys an elephant’s sad journey from an abused past of beatings and starvation to love and care which with they were nurtured later on. So, it is their march to freedom. Now, these elephants are happy. So, these footprints lead to freedom and a lovely life that they are now spending in Wildlife SOS”. Alpana’s favorite is the Serenity water-color painting of Elephants which is also her first painting. “This painting is very dear to me as this started the entire journey of elephants”, says the artist.

Babita Gupta, owner of Art Spice Gallery and a self-taught, accomplished artist, says, “It is a first-ever show where the beauty and mysticism of the elephant and its conservation have been brought to the fore, and even more so on the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. What is more rewarding is the fact that the proceeds from the Padchin Collection will be contributed to the Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Center in Mathura.”

Artist Alpana Ahuja

Adding up, Kartick Satyanarayan, the Co- Founder of Wildlife SOS says, “Wildlife SOS has dedicated its mission to protect and conserve Indian wildlife and this particular art exhibition is dedicated to the welfare, rehabilitation and management of captive elephants. Wildlife SOS has been working to make lasting changes to protect and conserve India’s natural heritage, forests and wildlife wealth through many programs with leopards, sloth bears, black bears and elephants.”

The art exhibition is going on at Art Spice gallery, The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa, Bangla Sahib Road, New Delhi from 23rd August to 19th September, 2014.

Timings – 10am to 7pm (Monday to Saturday)

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