Manipur painter uses art to promote indigenous culture

Imphal: A young painter from Manipur's Tangkhul community is striving to promote and revive the indigenous culture and traditions of the region.

Themreichan Kasom, a self-made artist from the state, discovered his love for colours and palette at a very young age. However, he began to improve as an artist after he completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Imphal Art College in 2010.

Themreichan, who is a Master degree in Fine Arts from Delhi, uses art as a platform to tell stories. Now he wants to reach out to a wider audience.

"It was inner drive, which led me to become an artist. I remember when I was in my primary school, I used to come back from school and sketch as many as I could and since then, I had been in love with painting. I used to tell my mom that I wanted to become an artist, and so knowing my interest in art, my parents sent me to an art school," said Themreichan.

Most of his works portray the lifestyles of the village and promote the identity of the indigenous people, so as to build the sense of closeness and bridge the gap between the urban and the rural lives.

He says, "Through my work, I want to showcase the way of living in the village to other communities. Because during my studies and research in art, I found lots of stories and histories of other places and communities in art forms, but the same thing is missing in our region. Nothing has been documented in the form of an art. So, I would like to promote our culture through my painting."

In search of deeper meaning in art and exploring the vividness of the people and its countryside, Themreichan gave up his comfortable life in Delhi and relocated his base to Ukhrul, one of the hill districts of Manipur.

In the lap of nature, Themreichan experiments with various types of paintings. However, his specialisation lies with detailed painting using water colour.

"I felt that it was not justified for me to show the village life through my work when I was away from the village. That is why I relocated back to the hometown from Delhi and experienced the ground reality. Be it the sunrise, sunset or even the monsoon. So through my own experiences and emotions, I portray the village lifestyles and the priceless culture of the indigenous people," he added.

With his unique feather art painting, this young painter has received much recognition and love from the art collectors from across the globe. His feather art paintings feature the lifestyles of the countryside.

"Before I started sketching, I used to capture the idea beforehand and accordingly, I painted and I still have lots in my mind to be sketch. Like for example, if I see man carrying firewood in a basket and if it inspires me, then it remains in my mind and later I sketch accordingly. So, I try to capture the special moment and show it through my work," said Themreichan.

Multi-talented Themreichan feels that music and art blend well and music relaxes his mind and soul. Moreover, the talented artist has also released his first music album and his second album is already in the pipeline.