Of city exploration, cultural appreciation and artistic observation

CHENNAI: The solitary crow on a peepal tree, the parijat tree that only blossoms at night, and the black and white mango tree with a kite hinged on it are all nostalgic excerpts from IRS officer Paritosh Vyas’ childhood, which now are part of his painting series ‘Smriti a memory’.

However, this is not the only memory that reflects on paper. Everything he sees and learns, which instills his curiosity, is turned into art. Taking it to the public for the past two years, Paritosh has been sharing his works on social media. “It is all thanks to my wife, who is instrumental in getting my art framed and posted on social media. I was very private about my work,” says Paritosh. “We want to post something that helps people or makes them appreciate art,” adds Dharasindhu Dhoshi, his wife.

Paritosh graduated in 2015 from NIT Surat as a civil engineer. In 2017, he got into the IRS and now works as assistant commissioner, handling GST and customs, in Chennai. For Partiosh, weekends are about exploring the city to understand its history and culture. He also creates a replica of the places he visits.

“Architecture inspires me because I am a civil engineer and I have an interest in history. Most of the buildings today are reflective of the period they were built in. The building will tell you a lot about the people who lived during that time. If you sit there and sketch a monument, then you are in the company of the building for at least two to three hours, and you will understand the entirety of the structure in much greater detail,” he says. 

Curiosity drives Partiosh’s art. “People, sometimes, take the city they live in for granted. Since I am new to this city, I am always on the lookout to understand things that are typical to Chennai, and Tamil Nadu. I consciously look for such things around me as there is some piece of art everywhere. The heritage committee appointed by the High Court of Madras has listed 460 monuments in Chennai — all heritage properties — that need urgent care. I am on my mission to visiting and drawing all the monuments,” he shares. 

Paritosh owes his skills to his father, who despite being a doctor, taught him to draw and paint. “My core interest lies in exploring traditional Indian crafts. I have started learning Kalamkari at Kalakshetra. Gond painting, a famous folk art of the Gond tribal community, and art inspired by Japanese folktales are few of my other experiments,” he shares. 

Carnatic musician and painter S Rajam’s paintings inspire Paritosh. “I have been training in Carnatic music for the past 20 years and I equally enjoy everything in my life. I don’t consider my art as an escape from my job, instead it is something that infuses creativity into my job,” Paritosh says.

Speaking of how he sees bureaucracy and art, he points out, “As a bureaucrat, I wanted two things to be able to do something for the country, and to make a real change in the lives of people. Both are done through my artworks which reflect the culture and history of India and educate people thereby attempting to bring a change in them.”

Paritosh and Dharasindhu hope to collaborate and make an illustration of the ‘Panchtantra’ soon. As a couple, they believe in the positive impact art delivers on one’s life. “Our life has been art-inspired. Sometimes he would sing and I’d play the harmonium, or we would do a series of artworks together,” elaborates Dharasindhu. Paritosh aims to bring the traditional artists and their works to the limelight. “We invest in buying traditional art because there are so many artists who need support. They need recognition and support. I urge everyone who can spare some money to invest in art,” he notes.