The art of igniting creativity

New Delhi was awash in art as spring sprang in February, not only at the India Art Fair but other ‘parallel’ venues too. The Art of India show by The Times of India drew crowds in Delhi and Mumbai, preceded by the silver jubilee of the Kala Ghoda Festival. The 9th Serendipity Arts Festival happened in Goa while Kolkata and Shantiniketan hosted the first Bengal Biennale. And 2025 will also see the sixth Kochi-Muziris Biennale. So is art the new maths for Indians?In other words, are we Indians finally realising that there is more to life than getting 100% marks in every exam and cultivating a “scientific temper”? Have we realised that appreciation of art is one way of developing the inherent creativity genes that are usually beaten into a deep coma in India by the twin hammers of competition and expectation? Is India slowly reclaiming its legacy of artistic excellence and intellectual ferment, which go hand in hand?

The short answer is No. Sadly, India is still quite far from that optimal state. Arts events-like litfests-have high social media exposure, so many young people whether college-goers or older do turn up there. But have they developed that artistic eye to appreciate what they see, beyond the obvious? Very few. Most of the people who throng these art expositions are in the business, so to speak, as painters, gallerists, buyers, art students and critics; hardly any lay visitors.

More importantly, few under-18s attend art exhibitions, much less visit art museums. Many Indian cities do not even have such museums anyway, good or bad, where children can be familiarised with art. Small towns and villages are even less likely to have spaces where young Indians can absorb the process of creativity. Expensive and exclusive schools do include modules to stoke artistic instincts but most of the others still think art is an indulgence or ignore it.

Of course, technology now allows virtual walk-throughs of great art museums including those abroad, but how many schools and colleges or parents in India bestir themselves to give young students that opportunity? Teachers, curriculum makers and parents must realise that although appreciating art cannot necessarily improve academic performance, it certainly fosters critical thinking early on in an experiential manner and has the potential to fire their imagination.

Traditional art forms still survive in the hinterland but are not included in our regular pedagogy. That means these artistic pathways may peter out in a couple of generations as the young ones will not have the time or mindspace to learn them. This lacuna will not only deprive children of a sense of traditional aesthetics even if they grow up in the regions where such art forms are prevalent, but they will also lose a cultural link and established avenue of self-expression.Art museums abroad are often full of little school children, not herded along by teachers but sitting down in the big rooms hung with huge canvases or dotted with sculptures, just soaking in the ambience. As they grow older and see more and more art, they begin asking questions, which means they have started a dialogue with what they see. Single or rare visits do not result in osmosis but exposure to art spread over all their school-going years certainly make a difference.Being surrounded by art is educative and in these fractious, distracting times, a balm too. But the relationship with art has to begin early and stay the course if India is to regain its aesthetic prowess and ignite young minds. Schools and parents need to reorient their attitude toward art, museums and art exhibitors also must reach out to younger audiences. As Pablo Picasso once said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”