19 Aurovilian artists in Rajasthan…

The 6th Chittorgarh Art festival had the beginning of a typical Indian travel story. You had to be ready at all times for the unexpected: No plane tickets until one day before departure….. Then, we were late for the plane…but so was the plane. Our arrival in the middle of the night after 12 hours of travelling in the tiny village of Nandway, about 70 Km from Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, was not memorable either, especially when we weren’t aware that we had to sleep in a dorm for two nights. But it all unfolded to a nice story of art and joy.

There is nothing like the light in Rajasthan, it simply makes it a feast for the artist appetite. The walk in the village, for those who ventured out early enough, was a delight of color, culture and sunbeams through a soft morning fog.There one felt at home in time.

The first days were consecrated to what could be called “Art in the village”. After a warm welcome ceremony from the villagers, our 19 Aurovilian artists escorted by dozens of children proceeded to paint the Town Hall walls.The following day, a pond a few hundreds meters away saw itself decorated on its ouside with enormous stone mandalas. Finally to show a good example, a few of our artists were asked to clean the walls of an old interior basin, which they did joyfully, armed with gloves and masks. Under this shiny Rajasthani winter sun, the atmosphere was always joyful, the food always delicious and the ladies dorm ended up to be a great example of fun women unity.

Our artists left their village, sad to leave and also eager for their new adventure which was going to take place in a resort close to the Menal waterfall located 84Km from Chittorgarh. Even if the waterfall was dry due to the season, the inspiration of the stunning landsape was enough for the stimulation and creativity of all.
Then under the crisp Rajasthani weather, canvases got filled with landscapes, abstract motives and outstanding portraits, all in different approachs, often reflecting the respective style of the artist. A dozen boxes were decorated with beautiful love stories, poetry, patterns and more. The heart was light, the mind was quiet and the result was art pieces reflecting the happy feeling of the time.
The intelligent fated composition of this artist Aurovilian story, which started by the difficulty of a beginning (crossing our emotional and physical comfort zone) ended being a perfect exercise of integral yoga.

Apart from the uncovering of surprising talents among us, this art festival was a rare opportunity for us to discover the great artist and being in each other and in ourself, but also to know our limitation, get a boost of humility, greatness, and above everything ended up being a beautiful story of togetherness and human unity….all tinted with the joy of art.

Chana Corinne for AVArtService

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Chittorgarh Art Festival 2018, Artists Village Residency Feb 3rd – 7th, Organised by the Chittorgarh Art Society.
Movie produced by Auroville Pictures, filmed and directed by RV and edited by Claire and RV.