Bangalore: S.G. Vasudev is a name every art lover has heard before, a man who has been discussed in equal measure both by the connoisseur and the novice.
Today, at the age of 79, Vasudev spends most of his time painting at his stunning studio, bathed in sunlight and surrounded by an enormous, overgrown garden on the outskirts of Bangalore.
Despite his self-imposed solitude, however, Vasudev manages to be a remarkably sociable man, the sort who simply doesn’t know what to do when he has a moment to spare! We talked a couple of days ago, Vasudev was on his way to visit a gallery in city – when our conversation, almost by chance, turned to the Arnawaz Vasudev Charity, named after his late wife.
India is a nation deeply rooted in art and culture, a process that took place over centuries. With the birth of modern, independent, India, however, the people have grown increasingly alienated from this rich legacy.
Those who turn to art as a living must resign themselves to a lifetime’s struggle, with very little outside help and support. The artistic legacy of Vasudev is common knowledge, what is less known is his charity work. For over two decades, Vasudev has been supporting struggling young artists, through financial aid and the like, under the aegis of the Arnawaz trust.
The Arnawaz Vasudev Charity was started in the year 1989 by Vasudev and his good friends — Girish Karnad and Shanta Guhan. Since the year 1988, the private trust has been providing financial assistance to young artists.
Located amid the verdant beauty of the seaside Cholamandal village, on the outskirts of Chennai, is Vasudev’s cottage. Artists, writers and anybody else involved in creative pursuits, who want to spend a few months of solitude rent the cottage. The modest rent makes for proceeds that go straight to the charity.
Although Vasudev has made his home here, in the city, much of his life was spent in Chennai, where he studied and first made his way as an artist, in Cholamandal.
He met Arnawaz when they were both in college — Arnawaz, who received very little support from her family, would juggle outside work to scrape together the money for college. “Arnawaz and I married in 1971 and started our life together in Cholamandal,” said Vasudev.
In 1983, Arnawaz was diagnosed with cancer and succumbed to the disease a few years later. Grief-stricken, Vasudev’s first thought was to donate money for cancer research, he recalled.
“A few of my friends asked me to consider starting a foundation for art,” he said. On Arnawaz’s first death anniversary, a gallery in Chennai held an exhibition of her works, the money from which went to the trust. “That’s how we began,” he said.
Author Girish Karnad, who was a friend to both Vasudev and Arnawaz, agreed to join in, as did Shanta Guhan, another old friend. Has the foundation ever considered branching out into other forms of art? “My interest definitely lies in visual art,” said Vasudev, at once. “When Arnawaz was a student, she struggled to make ends meet, which made me realise that we need to give back to our own community.”
Some of the better known artists from the trust have been suggesting a curated exhibition that will travel across the country. “Either all of the money we make, or a part of it, will go back to the charity,” Vasudev explained, saying plans will be made in 2014.
We get to chatting about the city’s art scene. “There is very little awareness and support. The recession has hit galleries hard,” he agrees, adding, “It’s a pity, of course, there is so much
happening here.”
Vasudev, who was at the Jaipur Art Summit recently, has returned, full of ideas about a Bangalore Art Festival, along the lines of the Literature Fest, which has grown immensely popular even in the two years of its existence. “Mumbai has one and so does Delhi, it’s about time we had one too,” he said, as he raves about his trip to Jaipur.
About two months ago, filmmaker Chetan Shah released Open Frame, a biopic on Vasudev. The film is a reflective look at the artist’s life and his creative process, his early struggles, parental pressures, marriage and the Cholamandal Artists’ Village.
His regular garrulousness aside (we chat about the art scene, the galleries he’s visited recently and the artists he has met), Vasudev remains curiously taciturn about himself, both as an artist and a human being.
However, all that changes when he talks about his wife. It’s clear then, that life has been a difficult journey, but his standing as an artist is a testament to the fact that the greatest beauty lies in the hardest moments. It’s yours for the taking, should you accustom your eyes to the darkness.
