THE CLASS ACT
A paramount part of her life was spent here in Pune. She did her Pre-University from Wadia College, and went on to complete her degree in Applied Arts from Paris when her father was sent there on an Ordnance mission.
Anupama Singh is one of the eighteen artists in India to be chosen by United Nations Development Project (UNDP) to work with a plethora of artisans spread far and wide in remote places of the country.
A rare combination of pen and sword has guided her through life’s journey. Anupama Singh’s father was a celebrated Army Officer and mother, Prabhjyot Kaur is still a renowned Punjabi novelist whose writings are inspirational and find their markings in every Punjabi literary record. Anupama’s artistic talents came to the fore at a very young age with her parents encouraging both the sisters to pick up fine arts. “At a young age my sister and I had been encouraged to hone our skills in every aspect of art and crafts,” she reminisces. “Although my father had a strong persona, his heart lied in the finer things in life,” she points out. One of her first exhibitions of Paintings was on display in RSI when she was only a teenager. That was a good three decades back.
The doting wife of one of the most powerful men in the Indian Army, Lieutenant General J J Singh, Anupama is an artist, an entrepreneur and an inspirational first lady of the Maratha Regiment. In addition to having the much-coveted degree in Applied Arts from Paris, she is proficient in French, which she taught for eighteen years at the Spicer College. Anupama diverted from her creative career while she was busy rearing up her kids. “I diverted into teaching so that I could spend more time with my two children while my husband was away,” she explains. “Nothing gives more pleasure than to see your children prosper in life,” the mother feels and flourishing, they are. While the son is in Paris excellling in Engineering , the daughter is an accomplished fashion designer based in Delhi.
Clad in a flowing, chiffon, brocaded peach saree designed by her daughter, Anupama Singh moves across the dining room where she meets the crowd, - a gathering hosted in her husbands honour in the Maratha Unit. A brilliant flash of smile on her countenance and a child like exuberance that is infections, an enrapturing aura that is very enduring to young and the old, she mingles with old and young. At fifty, Anupama’s jubilance is like an enthusiastic sixteen-year old’s with a hint of an awe-inspiring quality. No doubt she snatches the limelight in every army gathering.
Her art speaks of contemporary yet century old human issues, which has a classic appeal. The paintings are hues of subtlety yet eloquent. The delicate stroke of the brush creates a statement, which is both animated and has a venerable approach to it – like the damsel in distress
Of her work with the UNDP, she explains, “We help the artisans in remote villages to make a living out of making handicrafts and export their talents to the West. There are no middlemen involved in the export of these products so that we can boost their standard of work. Many such craftsmen have been motivated by the government to improve their craftsmanship in order to uplift their living standards”. Under such projects she has already worked in Sikkim , Salavass, a remote village in Rajasthan, Moradabad and in some places in Madhya Pradesh.
Her work sees her travelling through the length and breadth of the country. The artefacts designed by Anupama are made of metal, wood, glazed pottery, marble that are distinctive in having a traditional character with a mix of superior supplies to give them a global appeal.” We see to it that there is no compromise on the quality of products. They are of International standard and are in much demand in the West, mostly in Paris , UK, other western European countries and the United States,” she offers.
“Earlier the Indian government exported carpets depicting Persian themes and motifs but now we are making carpets having Indian designs”, she says of one of her works. One of her creations and contributions to this project are the inimitable carpets she has designed. They are a unique blend of three Indian forms of art whose manifestations are taken from the Jamavar Shawl, Kalamkari Prints and Kundan Jewelery. The fusion of all these three forms offers an attractive semblance to the monotony of these carpets that are becoming a rage in Paris, Belgium, Britain, U S, and many commonwealth countries.
Resting in her husband’s laurels is not for her. An ensured deference and a protected existence failed to tie her down. Working incessantly against all odds of domesticity, sundry social afflictions, and a vagabond existence that come with a regimental life style, she created ‘Renaissance International’, an export house dealing in handicrafts, life style products and home furnishings. Her products are global in appeal and, ethnic in essence sculpted by her Indian Artisans. ‘I ensure that my products are upmarket and trendy. In addition they are of high quality and have the quintessence of the spirit of rural India’, reveals the prudent entrepreneur. No wonder then that, adorning the walls of The White House and some studios in LA are some of her creations. From wall hangings, paintings, candle stands, vases, pottery to purses, carpets and upholstery, statues, bric-a-bracs all are very painstakingly given minutest and meticulous attention to give them very stylish and a chic facade. “I draw my inspiration from the work culture in Paris”, she says, who has spent six years of her college life in Paris learning art and culture. Now she goes there to visit her son and to market her trendy items.
“Undoubtedly there is a vast market out there waiting to be lured into the mystics of traditional India. We just need to exemplify and package our products in order to market them.” An artist at heart she has an eye for the rare and the irreplaceable. The uniqueness of her handicrafts is reflected in the sedate yet urbane artistry of her creations. The metal ,wood and wax used to mould crested drawers engraved with intricate designs come with an eye to detail and knowledge of the artist’s contemporary sagacity.
Accompanying her husband on almost all-important visits throughout the country, the wife devotes time in studying art, background and living style of the people around the place. She studies the culture and the heritage of the far-flung villages to get pioneering ideas that she transforms into her creations. The blending of colours; sometimes subtle sometimes bright, relevant to the place and the artifact coupled with the flow of design come naturally to her, as she moulds the raw talent in these artisans to create world class tour de force.
In a different picture of life, whilst on tours to batallion Headquartes, she kindles warmth and hope in many a desolate hearts of our Jawans’ wives, who wait for the safe arrival of their husbands from the border areas fighting insurgency and terror. She finds time to meet the needy and the disgruntled families, who come to her for solace and help as she makes her every effort as the first lady of the regiment to look after them. “We need to educate our Jawan’s children and their widows and get them settled in life,”is her prime concern. Like her handicrafts that speak of esoteric ethnic value with a universal character, Anupama Singh is a woman of decorous upbringing and strong traditional values, a persona that complements the modern eon. Her parentage and indoctrination are reflected in her soft demeanour and affability. “My mother used to quip that what you are, reflects in your creations, art is mere manifestation of one’s true self.” Anupama’s skill truly speaks of her as an artiste, who is class apart!
Class Arts : Designs taken from Kundan Jwellery, Kalamkari Prints and Jamawar shawl.
Anupama Singh : The mother, wife and the artist. (Indl Photo)
Snap No 5
DAMSEL IN DISTRESS : One of her many paintings.
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