Incredible....is the right word!!

I am tempted to pen down my initial thoughts pertaining to the works of Riyas Komu (thanks to Ullekh NP’s vivid descriptions).

Innovative and conceptual, Riyas Komu has worked with varied mediums including painting, sculpture, installation and photography. He moved to Mumbai in the early 1990s, the fateful period which saw the demolition of Babri Masjid and in turn triggered acute communal and political unrest in the city. This had a lasting impact on Komu and since then he has confronted as well as addressed issues adhering to socio, political and cultural adversities which frame his works.

In order to sustain a perpetual disequilibrium, Komu constantly explores new choices/ alternatives and challenges for his oeuvre, irrespective of the outcome. Primarily trained as a painter, his fascination towards sculpture has led him to experiment and create large sculptural installations which he feels, enables to broaden his spectrum as well as cater to greater challenges which thus lead his practice to arrive at a conceptual solution.

It is certainly not easy to confront the adversities of disharmony and inequality and yet make way to be expressive with the same! However, Komu has outlived his practice in order to create an interactive space for the spectator and repeated engagement with the works reflects his remarkable vision- of the form, content and context.

Thoughts on Life...

I am quite skeptical about the whereabouts of this beginning.…An appropriate beginning could be interrogating the components of life. Does life merely comprise of the five elements or there stands something more to this component called ‘life.’

Have come across several people sharing their respective experiences of life and ultimately into offering their expert advice on the same. Facing the innumerable obstacles that take over our lives and how we overcome the same with utmost courage is the understanding of life for most of us. However, there are also people who talk about this essential component in an extremely casual manner not realizing the significance of it. The definition of life would vary for every individual depending upon their diverse commitments and experiences.

Life to me is something which you can live to die for someone or something. That someone or something could be just anything or anyone. It could be your career, your family, a person, a dream or just about anything or anyone. When you get accustomed to a particular person or thing and the acquaintance changes from being a mere to major, when you tend to connect every joy and every sorrow of yours to that person or thing, when you begin to live every single joy and sorrow of that person or thing, you know then that is what you can term as your life.

What goes through when one you realize that your life is going to be snatched from you? How does one react and sink into the fact that survival remains impossible without life? Yes, in the literal sense, it does not mean the end of life. Thereafter, all that one can sense is the predominant feeling of absence. The visage of happiness or sorrow leaves one completely and all that remains is the terrible sense of void. Pretensions of being happy and content form the outlook for the world that is now unknown.

It is rather unknown whether one can offer life a second chance to bloom and drift away from the unpleasant experiences it has given. Is it viable to surrender to all the bitter circumstances of life always or instead go on with a never say die spirit.

I shall vouch for the never say die spirit because life has its share of ups and downs and as per the law of the universe, all that goes up has to come down and vice versa. One can never tell when life can smile back at you and offer the most wonderful things.

So treat life with love and life shall love you back!!!

Happiness

It's all about cheerfulness, joy, bliss and contentment. The more you give the more you get. It costs nothing but it creates much. It happens in a flash but the memory of it may last forever. It is the nature's best cure for trouble. In course of the day, some people you know may be too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours and spread happiness around.It is the greatest treasure that one possesses and yet is easy to give others.

On Love and Commitments...

Love is strength and commitment. To love someone can mean telling them what they don't want to hear. Love is courage and it takes a lot more courage to say 'I am scared', or 'I love you', than it does to clout someone around the ears.

Love is respect for ourselves and others . It is all about allowing people to be where they are and loving them anyway. The moment we say, you do this and I will love you, that isn't love- it is sheer manipulation.

Love is about looking for the good in people and if we can do that and do it consistently then our own happiness is guranteed. As our life is a reflection of ourselves, the more love and beauty that we perceive, the more we grow...

Let the mind start a journey through a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you know, let the soul take you where you long to be....close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar and you'll live as you've never lived before....