When the world was shut and people were grappling with loneliness and anxiety of being in an unprecedented lockdown, away from their loved ones, it was art that came to the rescue of billions of people around the world. Art therapy is not just an excellent tool to soothe your senses, but it also plays an instrumental role in reviving our heritage.
Harsha Wadhwani Basu is a Madhubani-inspired Indian folk artist based in Amersham. Her art has immensely helped her mental health and is the sole reason why she is on a mission to encourage and inspire everyone to make art a part of their life. She has a background in literature, journalism and book publishing which, along with a love for children, helps her bring unique concepts together to make art come alive in different areas of life.
Harsha spoke to Asian Voice about how she’s promoting Madhubani Yoga within the South Asian community across the globe and in turn helping people cope with the pandemic through art. Here are a few excerpts:
Q- Please explain the concept of Madhubani Yoga to our readers.
Madhubani-Yoga is an ingenious concept designed for contemporary children where we offer a five-day creative retreat that brings together two ancient Indian art forms - Mithila art and Yogasana. Each day we visualise and learn to draw one animal in Madhubani style followed by discovering and having fun with the Yogasana associated with it. We want the little artists to move their bodies and young acrobats still; all the while focusing on the vital life skill called 'patience' and learning by doing.
Q - What kind of workshops and exhibitions have you been doing over the years? How did the pandemic impact that?
While most of my time is dedicated to practising and learning Mithila/ Madhubani Art, I do look forward to school holidays when my doors open wide to give modern children the opportunity to relax by doing something 'unambitious' and learn this ancient, culture-rich art form. All my art events revolve around enjoying some pristine time away from social media and the constant chatter of our very own minds. I tend to lean into using my skills for social causes and host mindful events for all genders and age groups.
I have participated in a few group exhibitions in the past which has given me the huge opportunity to introduce this lesser-known art form to the international community. Pandemic, however, has had a huge impact as there is nothing like face-to-face interaction with artwork or being able to draw on the universal energy in a physical event.
Q - How challenging is it to run a niche artwork like yours and what goes into making it more and more visible and appealing?
The biggest challenge is finding and reaching the right audience. It is huge as everything seems to get lost between countless cheap and fair-looking options. Social media does help in making it more visible, but what works most is word-of-mouth, customers' direct experience and art-appreciation events. Recasting and innovation sometimes make art more appealing but obviously with the huge risk of tampering with the tradition.
Q - What role according to you does art like yours play in healing people or how does it act as a coping mechanism in such times where we all could do with some warmth and kindness?
The word 'art' is often associated with 'therapy' because art brings us back to ourselves. If applied in the right way, it asks nothing from us and yet gives us so much. I have found Mithila art very forgiving and rudimentary. While it has no expectations around perfection, all focus is on telling our stories and painting our thoughts. If done properly, Mithila art feels like writing a diary. It makes us spend time with ourselves and loved ones while making something that's beautiful to us because it is made thoughtfully. It is the focused and mindful people who are able to put themselves in others' shoes and share warmth and kindness wholeheartedly. We are able to share more love when our own glass is full in the first place.
Q - What are your plans and vision for the near future. for your art and its dissemination?
I am on a mission to make everyone paint - no age bar; no gender bar. Period. What I do has given me infinite love which I share with the world through art events and by creating more and more conscious art. I am also learning constantly from life and from the traditional artists right from the birthplace of Mithila art. These are my plans and my heart's doors are wide open to welcome grace whichever form it falls into my lap.