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Ganesh Rai: Painting the world with love!

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It was Albert Einstein who said that “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” You see a magazine, a flyer, an advertisement, a TV Commercial, a music video, a film and you marvel at the creativity of the designer – Who he is, Where from he got those ideas, and how on earth did he transform them into this captivating media form?

Ganesh rai Newsmaker 4In Dubai, your curiosity will not take you far… for you’ll find that Ganesh Rai, the artist, is close at hand.  A resident of Sharjah, he is the epitome of creativity, and a live wire in the Kannadiga expatriate community, the go to man for all things involving design and creativity in Dubai, and not less in the whole of the UAE.

While his art and artistic repertoire may have flowered in Dubai, it did not begin there. It began in the headquarters of Coorg, Madikeri – the land of coffee, hockey and warriors.  He was born an artist, but by education he is a commerce graduate from the Govt. College in Madikeri. Ganesh told News Karnataka at the start of a  wide ranging one on one, that he had fond memories of his college days.

But not one to give up on his passion and love for art, and no slouch from hard work, he obtained an art diploma from the  Chamarajendra Drashyakala School Mysore. Imbibing the tenets of art is one thing, imparting it to others is another.  And Ganesh felt that is what he would do, because he loved not only art, but also teaching it. He studied to teach, at the Kalaniketana art School, Mysuru, and became an art trainer at the Maahalasa art school Mangalore, at the start of what was to become a very creative and fulfilling career.

Art on Paper,  or canvas often has a limited audience, but when that creativity is translated into sculpture and other public structures, it attains a sense of permanency and attracts a lot more people is what Ganesh told News Karnataka about his  art works found in Madikeri.

These include the design of the main entrance gate of the Madikeri Junior College,  Ganesha statues, customized statues for the Karnataka Electricity board, Madikeri and the Archana Ganapathi Seva Samithi Virajapete, paper pulp statues of God & Goddesses like Subramanya, Ganapathi, Mahakali, Kollur Mookambika, Maha Vishnu and many others. Ganesh also made his name in cement crafted statues, and honey wax statues all over Madikeri. The Kaveri statue at Palibetta, Mother Marys and St. Michael’s  statue at Kedamalloor church, Madikeri,  Raghavendra Swami statue for Mantralaya, Karumariyamma, Shivalinga and Nandi statue for Madikeri temple, Swami Vivekananda statue for Madikeri Kaveri Krapa building can only remind you that there was an artist called Ganesh Rai at work in Madikeri.

But sculpting was not the only art form he pursued – he also painted. And in Ganesh,  the words of the famous Pablo Picasso came  true – “There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into sun”. He painted canvasses for many an organization in the government and his accomplishments include the Talakaveri oil paint for Tamil Nadu tourism, portraits of Field Marshal K M Kariyappa, Freedom fighter Gopalakrishna Gokhale, Jayaprakash Narayan, and oil paint depictions of the “The Last Supper” , Madikeri’s Om Kareshwara Temple and many other depictions of natural landscapes, which must be seen to be enjoyed. Such is their beauty.

Art transcends boundaries and language, and his art has crossed Indian shores into faraway lands like Australia, America, France, Dubai and many other countries, where Ganesh has received tremendous appreciation for his work.  He also displayed his art work at a number of exhibitions around the state and country including the Mysore Dasara cultural exhibition, Karnataka Lalith Kala Akademi,  Bengaluru, 54thAkhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana, Dharmasthala Laksha Deepotsava exhibition, Kodava Sahitya Sammelana, at the Chitrakala Parishat Bangalore, Sanchari Art Exhibition Bangalore, Bhopal Tragedy  Exhibition, Virajapete, at the St. Annamma Church,  Virajapete and many others.

After capturing the hearts of his fellow Kannadigas, and countrymen, he moved to Dubai and pursued his art, this time in the virtual world. He moved into graphic design and modern digital art forms, creating logos, banners,  magazines, decorations and the like for many reputed organistaions. “I never rested on my laurels, just learned something new every day”, he told News Karnataka.   As Mary Angelou said, ““You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”

Why the sudden switch to the digital world we wanted to know, and what attracted him to this new form of art. We were surprised by his answer. “Although I learned and mastered the art of painting, drawing, photography and sculpting, it was when I watched the movie Jurassic park, I got a strong desire to enter the graphics world. The movie changed my perspectives and I developed a keen interest in graphic designing. Another instance was watching the classic Malgudi Days serial where the cinema techniques amazed me. I then went to Sanket studio and checked the movie making process over there. At the same time Zee TV was advertising an animation/graphic designing course which I was very interested in pursuing but couldn’t afford it. My enthusiasm to learn computers brought me to Dubai”, he said.

He mastered this art form too and his fame grew. But he was firm that the digital world, even though he loved it, would not replace original art forms.“It’s true that design software is now so advanced, that anything can be created, including 3D structures, but I don’t think it will affect other art forms at all. It is a massive ocean. I’m of the strong belief that software itself doesn’t have all the answers, technology doesn’t equal creativity”, he explained.

Ganesh’s work was eulogized in both the print and electronic media, like Udaya TV, Indian Express, Deccan Herald, Prajavani, Udayavani, Kannada Prabha, Akashavani Bangalore and many others, while recognition followed naturally – The Karnataka state best teacher award, Karnataka Rajyotsava district award, a gold medal from Dr. Veerendra Heggade, the Shilpa Kala Ratna award, Kala Praveen award, Kala Kirana award, an honour from Karnataka Police dept, Lalith Kala Akademi, Bengaluru and many other came his way without much ado.

Ganesh Rai loves his state, Karnataka and his fellow Kannadigas and while in Dubai, goes out of his way to serve Kannada organizations like the Sharjah Karnataka Sangha, UAE Bunts, UAE Tulu Koota Dubai, Karnataka Sangha Dubai and all who come to his door seeking his talent and help in pursuing their community objectives.

While he offered his service to these organizations in many forms, he also helped them with his primary talent creating banners et al for the Symphony music school, Sangama Kalavidaru UAE, Nama Tuluveru, Billavas Dubai, Daiji Ranga Mandir, Guld Billava Sangha, and many others. Also he created logos of many UAE based associations including the Sharjah Karnataka Sangha, Abudhabi Karnataka Sangha, UAE Bunts, Dhwani Pratishtana etc.  When asked as to what factors he considered important in the design of a logo, Ganesh said, “Whenever I design a logo, first & foremost, I make sure that it depicts the tradition and culture of the organization for which it is created. I strongly feel that, when it is viewed, it must instantaneously, give an insight into the organization”.

When the pressures of life in this rapidly moving world get to you, you must have some one and some place you take refuge in. Ganesh says, “My family has been my refuge in times of stress and deadlines. My wife Manjula Ganesh Rai and children Monish and Aishwarya, have been very supportive and without them I would not have reached where I am today”, was his final refrain as we ended the delightful conversation.

About the Author

Deepak Somashekara, the man who brought Kannada cinema to UAE-8Kiran Nirkan: A Mechanical Engineer by profession, Kiran is currently working in Dubai as a facilities engineer. He is a special correspondent for News Karnataka Dubai. 

The NRI Newsmaker is a section dedicated to recognizing those talented and hardworking individuals who have made a name for themselves in the field they have stepped into. Their efforts may have been gone unrecognized by the masses but they certainly deserve your acclaim. Because as Kannadigas, they have done commendable work and made their state beam with pride.

 

Ganesh Rai: Painting the world with love!
Ganesh Rai: Painting the world with love!
Ganesh Rai: Painting the world with love!
Ganesh Rai: Painting the world with love!
Ganesh Rai: Painting the world with love!
Ganesh Rai: Painting the world with love!
Ganesh Rai: Painting the world with love!
Ganesh Rai: Painting the world with love!
Ganesh Rai: Painting the world with love!
Ganesh Rai: Painting the world with love!
Ganesh Rai: Painting the world with love!
Ganesh Rai: Painting the world with love!
Ganesh Rai: Painting the world with love!
Ganesh Rai: Painting the world with love!
Ganesh Rai: Painting the world with love!
Ganesh Rai: Painting the world with love!

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