The India Scene

Ramesh Pateria: The Outstanding Marble Sculptor From India by Dilip Dahanukar

I met Ramesh Pateria for the first time in the late 60s when I visited his show in the Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai. There was an untamed animal quality about him. Badly shaved and with hair unkempt he looked like a hobo on the street. But his pieces of art were outstanding. They were marble pieces carved with precision with a strong hand into stunning sculptures. They were far from realistic figures of lifesized damsels intricately carved in white marble that we commonly encounter in gardens in Europe. Pateria’s bold sculptures were startlingly different. They were modern forms, striking images in 3 dimensions, most of them 3 to 4 feet in size. Some were smaller, just 1 foot tall and some were bigger measuring 6 feet or more in length. The line was clean and looked like a painting materialized into a solid shape in marble.

I asked him, “Why marble?” He looked at my suited-and-booted appearance and smiled. “I like the material. It’s got lines and natural designs inside the rock. I take it as a challenge to bring out its inner beauty in my forms. Besides, marble is easy to work with.” He replied looking pleased that I was taking interest in his work. “Where do you find such beautiful marble rocks?” I asked him naively.

“You can find them in marble mines in Makrana in Rajasthan. You have to be there when the rock is being mined. Not all the pieces are interesting. The selection is easier at night when the cutting is being done under powerful lights which highlight the inner lines in the rock. I live in the mine like a common laborer in simple hut.” Pateria was candid with his explanation. His eyes were sparkling and he has a magnetic quality in his voice and gestures which overtook his shabby appearance. I liked him and his work. I bought one of the pieces.

We became friends. Every time he came to Mumbai we met and I listened to his experiences in the marble mine. He loved to passionately describe how he carved particular pieces using a focused light. He would move the light around the piece, raising and lowering it to show me how he shaped it as he carved it at night. The light cast shadows bringing out the features of the sculpture and I would see the lines as master strokes of the acclaimed artist! He told how he would sit in the open on foldable steel chair with a glass of local brew in hand looking intently on the raw stone. He would keep staring at it for several minutes at a time as he worked on its future shape in his mind. Sometimes he would make a sketch before starting to carve.

I delved into his history. Pateria was born in Rajasthan near the famous marble mines of Makrana. From childhood, he was fascinated with the work of marble carvers who chipped marble blocks to create statues of Hindu Gods. His attraction to shaping stones took him to an art school and resulted in his graduation from the College of Fine Arts in Baroda, a city in the State of Gujarat. He would work continuously for several hours with undiluted concentration as he sculpted marble rocks into modern art objects. His work attracted attention and earned him scholarships from Madhya Pradesh State in 1964-65, and Cultural Scholarship from Ministry of Education Govt. of India in 1967-69. He taught art to children at the Modern School, New Delhi in 1971-72. He then secured British Council scholarship to study sculpture at the Portsmouth Polytechnic in U.K. during 1972-73 and painting at the Royal College of Art, London in 1973-74. He had a number of shows to his credit and he is featured in the book “Indian Sculpture Today 1983” published by the Jehangir Art Gallery of Mumbai.

One day Pateria came to my house and announced to me and my wife that he had married! He introduced us to his wife Esther David who was a student of sculpture and as they had worked under a common guru Sanco Chaudhary they had fallen in love! Esther was the daughter of a famous Zoologist Reuben David who created the zoo in the city of Ahmadabad in India. But we wondered how it was going to work out with maverick Pateria. Our fears came true as soon they separated and thereafter they were divorced. Esther later turned to writing and became a well known author with many published books.

Recognition came Pateria’s way when he won the National Award for sculpture from the apex body of art and culture in India the Lalit Kala Academy in New Delhi in 1969. Pateria regularly exhibited in National exhibitions in Trieenials and Biennales in India and Europe. As Pateria kept working he became a much sought-after artist with his works fetching five and later six figure prices. But in spite of his large income he continued to live in the same simple bohemian way. He won a number of awards in State exhibitions and in 1982 he was crowned with the prestigious “Shikhar Award” by the Madhya Pradesh Government.

A renowned art critic S.V.Vasudev wrote that Pateria “has grasped the modern idiom in full to arrive at an individual style which, again, is constantly renewing itself for extensive exploration of marble as a medium and sculpture as art — precise in its diction and profound in its meaning.”

Unfortunately for the art world, Ramesh Pateria died young at the age of 50 in a tragic accident in New Delhi in 1987. I was very sad that my friend was gone and India had lost a very fine sculptor at that. I wish that he had lived longer and filled the World with more of his wonderful visionary marble creations. But it was not to be. However his immortal art continues to delight us.

Author Dilip Dahanukar urges you to see the art of Ramesh Pateria to appreciate the fantastic work which he created. Download FREE Ramesh Pateria’s Photo Booklet

Article Source: Relaxed Reading

Diabetes Type 2 in India - What Causes Diabetes? by Michael J Hutch

70% of the world’s cases of diabetes type 2 are in low and middle income countries. The estimations of people with diabetes type 2 in India range between 35 and 50.8 million people. This makes up one of the world’s largest diabetes population, with China ranking closely at the top with an estimated 43.2 million patients. These numbers are stunning, but you must remember that India is home to almost 1.2 billion people. With a little over 300 million residents of the United States, 17 million of which have diabetes type 2, the density of those suffering in the US is 5% while 4% of Indian residents currently have the condition.

These numbers given here are only the people who have come forward and been diagnosed with a problem. Millions more are suffering without a name to put to their ailments. They may eventually be diagnosed, but because of the current lack of accurate diagnoses, the numbers are never fully accurate. Since diabetes type 2 is so prevalent in every country of the world, you begin to wonder what causes diabetes and why everyone does not simply avoid the causes and remain free from the condition for the course of their lives.

The answer to this is that there is no way to simply avoid getting diabetes if you have a genetic predisposition. In this case, however, most people are diagnosed with diabetes type 1 as a young adult or even a child. It comes from an inability to produce sufficient levels of insulin naturally. Diabetes type 2 is more preventable, though genetics do still play a role. However, allowing yourself to live an inactive lifestyle that includes a poor diet can lead to obesity, and 90% of diabetics are obese. A sedentary lifestyle is a factor that is largely what causes diabetes type 2. You also increase your likelihood of developing diabetes as you age.

People are more prone to developing diabetes type 2 if they naturally have a shortage of insulin supply in their bodies. This is the genetic portion of what causes diabetes. Over time, the body begins to respond less to the production of insulin due to too much fat surrounding cells. Blood sugars remain too high and symptoms begin to appear. They begin mildly with signs like excessive need to use the restroom, sudden weight loss, lack of energy and blurred vision. These are all direct results of off kilter blood sugar levels.

Michael Hutch is a Type 3 diabetic and an expert in diabetes type2 in India. He studied for a PhD in Medicine from an Australian University in the 1980s. To learn more, please visit http://www.Diabetes-Your-Blood-Sugar-India.com today!

Article Source: Relaxed Reading

Ramesh Pateria - A Creative Marble Sculptor From India
By Dilip Dahanukar

I met Ramesh Pateria for the first time in the late 60s when I visited his show in the Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai. There was an untamed animal quality about him. Badly shaved and with hair unkempt he looked like a hobo on the street. But his pieces of art were outstanding. They were marble pieces carved with precision with a strong hand into stunning sculptures. They were far from realistic figures of lifesized damsels intricately carved in white marble that we commonly encounter in gardens in Europe. Pateria’s bold sculptures were startlingly different. They were modern forms, striking images in 3 dimensions, most of them 3 to 4 feet in size. Some were smaller, just 1 foot tall and some were bigger measuring 6 feet or more in length. The line was clean and looked like a painting materialized into a solid shape in marble.

I asked him, “Why marble?” He looked at my suited-and-booted appearance and smiled. “I like the material. It’s got lines and natural designs inside the rock. I take it as a challenge to bring out its inner beauty in my forms. Besides, marble is easy to work with.” He replied looking pleased that I was taking interest in his work. “Where do you find such beautiful marble rocks?” I asked him naively.

“You can find them in marble mines in Makrana in Rajasthan. You have to be there when the rock is being mined. Not all the pieces are interesting. The selection is easier at night when the cutting is being done under powerful lights which highlight the inner lines in the rock. I live in the mine like a common laborer in simple hut.” Pateria was candid with his explanation. His eyes were sparkling and he has a magnetic quality in his voice and gestures which overtook his shabby appearance. I liked him and his work. I bought one of the pieces.

We became friends. Every time he came to Mumbai we met and I listened to his experiences in the marble mine. He loved to passionately describe how he carved particular pieces using a focused light. He would move the light around the piece, raising and lowering it to show me how he shaped it as he carved it at night. The light cast shadows bringing out the features of the sculpture and I would see the lines as master strokes of the acclaimed artist! He told how he would sit in the open on foldable steel chair with a glass of local brew in hand looking intently on the raw stone. He would keep staring at it for several minutes at a time as he worked on its future shape in his mind. Sometimes he would make a sketch before starting to carve.

I delved into his history. Pateria was born in Rajasthan near the famous marble mines of Makrana. From childhood, he was fascinated with the work of marble carvers who chipped marble blocks to create statues of Hindu Gods. His attraction to shaping stones took him to an art school and resulted in his graduation from the College of Fine Arts in Baroda, a city in the State of Gujarat. He would work continuously for several hours with undiluted concentration as he sculpted marble rocks into modern art objects. His work attracted attention and earned him scholarships from Madhya Pradesh State in 1964-65, and Cultural Scholarship from Ministry of Education Govt. of India in 1967-69. He taught art to children at the Modern School, New Delhi in 1971-72. He then secured British Council scholarship to study sculpture at the Portsmouth Polytechnic in U.K. during 1972-73 and painting at the Royal College of Art, London in 1973-74. He had a number of shows to his credit and he is featured in the book “Indian Sculpture Today 1983″ published by the Jehangir Art Gallery of Mumbai.

One day Pateria came to my house and announced to me and my wife that he had married! He introduced us to his wife Esther David who was a student of sculpture and as they had worked under a common guru Sanco Chaudhary they had fallen in love! Esther was the daughter of a famous Zoologist Reuben David who created the zoo in the city of Ahmadabad in India. But we wondered how it was going to work out with maverick Pateria. Our fears came true as soon they separated and thereafter they were divorced. Esther later turned to writing and became a well known author with many published books.

Recognition came Pateria’s way when he won the National Award for sculpture from the apex body of art and culture in India the Lalit Kala Academy in New Delhi in 1969. Pateria regularly exhibited in National exhibitions in Trieenials and Biennales in India and Europe. As Pateria kept working he became a much sought-after artist with his works fetching five and later six figure prices. But in spite of his large income he continued to live in the same simple bohemian way. He won a number of awards in State exhibitions and in 1982 he was crowned with the prestigious “Shikhar Award” by the Madhya Pradesh Government.

A renowned art critic S.V.Vasudev wrote that Pateria “has grasped the modern idiom in full to arrive at an individual style which, again, is constantly renewing itself for extensive exploration of marble as a medium and sculpture as art - precise in its diction and profound in its meaning.”

Unfortunately for the art world, Ramesh Pateria died young at the age of 50 in a tragic accident in New Delhi in 1987. I was very sad that my friend was gone and India had lost a very fine sculptor at that. I wish that he had lived longer and filled the World with more of his wonderful visionary marble creations. But it was not to be. However his immortal art continues to delight us.

Author Dilip Dahanukar urges you to see the art of Ramesh Pateria to appreciate the fantastic work which he created. Download for FREE from: http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewnews.asp?id=31503.

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Solar PV in India - About to Explode?
By Renga Nathan

India formally launched its National Solar Mission in Jan 2010. This ambitious programme is expected to provide significant incentives to encourage large-scale investments for the production of solar energy. The goal of the mission is to increase the installed capacity of solar energy for electricity generation from a paltry 2 MW currently to 20,000 MW (20 GW) by 2022.

Highlights of the National Solar Mission

20 GW by 2022

The target set by the Mission is to achieve 20,000 MW of solar power by 2022. That’s an awesome amount, when you consider that

Target to be Reached in Phased Manner

To ramp up capacity of grid-connected solar power generation to 1000 MW within three years - by 2013; an additional 3000 MW by 2017 through the mandatory use of the renewable purchase obligation by utilities backed with a preferential tariff. This capacity can be more than doubled - reaching 10,000MW installed power by 2017 or more, based on the enhanced and enabled international finance and technology transfer. The ambitious target for 2022 of 20,000 MW or more, will be dependent on the ‘learning’ of the first two phases, which if successful, could lead to conditions of grid-competitive solar power. The transition could be appropriately up scaled, based on availability of international finance and technology.

Focus on Equipment Manufacturing for Solar PV and Thermal

To create favourable conditions for solar manufacturing capability, particularly solar thermal for indigenous production and market leadership. Currently, the bulk of India’s Solar PV industry is dependent on imports of critical raw materials and components - including silicon wafers. Transforming India into a solar energy hub would include a leadership role in low-cost, high quality solar manufacturing, including balance of system components. Proactive implementation of Special Incentive Package (SIPs) policy, to promote PV manufacturing plants, including domestic manufacture of silicon material, would be necessary. One of the Mission objectives is to take a global leadership role in solar manufacturing (across the value chain) of leading edge solar technologies and target a 4-5 GW equivalent of installed capacity by 2020, including setting up of dedicated manufacturing capacities for poly silicon material(s) to annually make about 2 GW capacity of solar cells. India already has PV module manufacturing capacity of about 700 MW, which is expected to increase in the next few years. The present indigenous capacity to manufacture silicon material is very low, however, some plants are likely to be set up soon in public and private sector(s). Currently, there is no indigenous capacity/capability for solar thermal power projects; therefore new facilities will be required to manufacture concentrator collectors, receivers and other components to meet the demand for solar thermal power plants.

To achieve the installed capacity target for manufacturing of solar PV and CSP components, the Mission recommends local demand creation, financing & special incentives for the manufacture of solar PV and CSP.

Demand and Incentives - Key Drivers

The government reckons that two key drivers - governmental incentives and a demand boost could effectively promote solar power.

The Mission reckons one of the key drivers would be through a Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) mandated for power utilities, with a specific solar component. This will drive utility scale power generation, whether solar PV or solar thermal.

The Mission also has an emphasis on providing solar lighting systems under the ongoing remote village electrification programme of MNRE to cover about 10,000 villages and hamlets. The use of solar lights for lighting purposes would be promoted in settlements without access to grid electricity and since most of these settlements are remote tribal settlements, 90% subsidy is provided. The subsidy and the demand so generated would be leveraged to achieve indigenization as well as lowering of prices through the scale effect. For other villages which are connected to grid, solar lights would be promoted through market mode by enabling banks to offer low cost credit.

The government has mentioned incentives for both solar PV and solar thermal. For instance, in the case of Solar Thermal, the Mission statement says: “The Mission in its first two phases will promote solar heating systems, which are already using proven technology and are commercially viable. The Mission is setting an ambitious target for ensuring that applications, domestic and industrial, below 80 °C are solarised”

However, it is expected that the major thrust for solar thermal will be in the context of heating applications. This implies that for electricity generation, which will be the highest priority for the plan, the Mission will provide a significant boost to solar PV.

How will the Indian industry and businesses react to this ambitious plan? Will this result in massive investments from the private sector into solar PV?

While there are few actual investment commitments so far from the Indian private sector, the number of companies that have come up with plans and MoUs with various state governments indicate that the response to this plan from the Indian private sector will indeed be very significant. Given the fact that the cost (capital cost) of solar PV is expected to decrease considerably over the next five years, while the cost of electricity generation from coal is expected to increase, solar PV based electricity generation will become more and more attractive as a business opportunity.

In addition, the capital cost of solar PV plant has come down from about $5 million per MW about three years back to about $3 million per MW currently. That’s a 60% reduction in just about three years. Further significant cost reductions are projected for the next few years as well. If the cost reduction predictions indeed turn out to be accurate, cost of solar PV based power generation could achieve parity with that from coal.

It has been often repeated that India has one of the highest amounts of solar radiation in the world and hence is an ideal region for solar based energy generation. But it is countries such as Germany and Japan, much smaller in terms of total solar energy potential, that had taken the lead on benefiting from solar energy. The key reason for these countries becoming leaders was the proactive stance taken by the governments of these countries. The governments provided significant incentives (through the mechanism of feed-in-tariffs) to the solar industry (especially solar PV) thus artificially making the industry attractive to entrepreneurs. This however had the healthy effect of those countries moving up the solar PV learning curve quite quickly, and today, about a decade after the policies were introduced, both these countries have a thriving solar energy industry. It is hoped such a phenomenon would repeat in India as well, as a result of the National Solar Mission.

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Marigold fine arts and fine art photography in india by Sameer Badhwar

Art is an international language. European art has a deep foundation which dates back to the 20th century starting with the impressionists. Impressionists were the first markers of European art and were then followed by all the movements of modern art and the explosion of Contemporary Art thereafter. Because of its strong roots and extensive history, European art is insured to be a valuable and strong investment.

The key elements that establish the value to a work of art is the rarity and uniqueness of the piece Marigold fine art and art expert and international art deal (Bel-Air Fine Art, Geneva) Francois Chabanian based the choices for their modern and contemporary art collection on these key principles of European art. Since the first Delhi exhibition in November Marigold has faced a level of success that only fortifies the value and appreciation of European art internationally. The positive response is equally spread among art collectors, art lovers, those who are simply eager to see such unique and new art in their country and art students. This curiosity and keen interest is an important indicator that India is ready to open a new chapter in art, for both purposes of education and business. In the present day world where virtual investment seem to come with no security, people are starting to turn to art as a tangible and more safe way to invest and grow their money.

To conclude it is important to remember and highlight that buying and appreciating art is first and foremost with respect to emotions and passion more than it should be an investment.

For more information related to marigold fine arts, fine art photography india, fine art gallery india, fine art prints in india, fine art painting, contemporary fine art india please visit: http://www.marigoldfineart.com/

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