12 Mar 12

emahomagazine.com Interview -C P B Prasad, -By Isha Bajpai

I thought you all might like to read my interview in India's most creative e-magazine. I am happy to share the same with you all. C P B Prasad, Artist, -Thanks.

The Artist beyond Artists: Mr. CBP Prasad

In the paintings of Mr. CPB Prasad, colours try to say something, something that exists all around us but is never realized. His childhood days in Coorg, Karnataka have inspired many of his paintings. The nature and the beauty of his landscapes are exact depictions of the reality and seem to be waiting to come alive any moment. He used to walk to school and college and observed and absorbed his natural surroundings. The green trees, un-stoppable rain, are still fresh in his mind.
Most of his works are landscapes: landscapes,seascapes, landscapes of other planets. Most of them have a hidden message which can contribute to the society’s awareness of itself.
His paintings show his fascination for the colour blue. For him it’s a colour, so calm, that one day he wishes to die on a sea shore, in the lap of blue sky and beside the infinite blue sea. He finds his relation to water and spirituality from Lord Rama who gave up his life walking into the sea.
In Space: series of paintings, which he calls as “Ego Busters” show how small we are in comparison to the universe and how egoistically we live our lives. It brings us face to face with the stark reality of our existence.
His painting, Soul Connections, depicts the good or bad signs in any relationship. The concept is that we are fated to meet certain souls in our lives and connect to them. The painting shows the influence different souls have in our lives. In the series of a soul’s paintings, Prasad paints the levels of a soul’s existence. According to him, some souls are close to Moksha and some are far away – an idea he depicts through colours. He thinks humans have the ability to change the direction of their life and their soul, but they don’t have the time to introspect as they are so busy in making a living.
For Prasad, spirituality energizes our souls when we visit temples. “I think temple towers and the souls of particular Gods in the temple play a bigger role in bringing peace to people’s lives,” he said. He considers Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, Leonardo Da Vinci as his role models.
Prasad does not prefer painting humans as for him, humans are insignificant in this vast universe. “Humans think too big of themselves, but it is not so. They are spoiling this wonderful planet with their greed,” says Prasad.
Prasad thinks that, “Sale is not a benchmark for any art. Quality of the painting and the intent and the message behind the paintings is the bench mark for any work of art.” He believes painting to be a self less job. He considers art to be the thoughts that last for hundreds of years through works of art.
Prasad wrote a poem on River Kosi and painted it. While the society has forgotten the message of the poem, his painting and poem will live eternally to remind us of the event and people’s reactions to it.

Rage of Kosi

Every year rain brought havoc,
Rivers always overflowing,
Big rivers like Kosi bring more misery,
Flooding is a every year affair.

Kosi had engulfed 16 districts in Bihar,
Hundreds of people were dead because of floods,
Kosi had deviated on its course,
People alive had become greedy.

Milk was selling for 300/litre,
Cookies were at 50/packet,
Rice was at 150/kg,
People had lost their houses.

40 Lakh people were displaced,
80% livestock was dead,
Cows were seen standing in 2 feet water and eating,
They may not last long to digest.

Govt had announced 1000 Cr relief,
Everyone knew it never reached the needy in time,
1.15 lakh tonne relief rice,
Will people really get it?.

Jailbirds had vanished,
We could see people taking their young to safety,
Will they be safe from infections ?
Will there be enough medicine?
India’s poorest people had become more poorer?
Is it God’s will?
Is it people’s apathy towards fellow humans?
Governments did not reinforce the check dams?
People bother for themselves never for others life’s!

Written By: Isha Bajpai