Manisha Raju

இந்தப் பக்கத்தை தமிழில் வாசிக்க: மனீஷா ராஜு ‎

மனீஷா ராஜு

Manisha Raju (born December 13, 1969) is a Chennai based artist. Most of her works depict female deities and figures, mythological characters, and characters based on the Bhakti tradition. She has participated in various art exhibitions and camps.

Birth, Education

Manisha Raju was born on December 13, 1969, to Harihar Gugilwar and his wife Pratibha in Nagpur, Maharashtra. Her father worked in the Ordinance Factory Board, Defense. Manisha has a younger sister Sangeeta and two younger brothers Shrikant and Ajay.

She did her schooling at the Hadas High School, Nagpur. She finished her higher secondary education at the St. Francis de Sales College. She received her bachelor's degree in mathematics, Physics and statistics from the Institute of Science. She holds an MBA in Human Resources and a Masters in Public Administration from Nagpur University. She received her Ph.D. for "A critical study on performance appraisal of cotton spinning Mills in Vidarbha region, Maharashtra" and also received an award for that study.

Personal Life

Manisha Raju married the artist Raju Durshettiwar in 1997 and have a daughter Harshada. They live in Chennai.

Artistic Life

Lakshmi, Acrylic on Canvas, 36"x36"

Mahakali, Acrylic on Canvas, 84x60 inches

Early life

Manisha Raju's father had a passion for art. Her mother was skilled in embroidery using silk thread and fabrics. Manisha Raju was the only child interested in painting, so her father encouraged her to learn painting. He took her to art schools where she got a chance to see how those artists draw and application of colors. She was also sent to take painting classes. She then went to college and studied Chemistry, Mathematics and Statistics for Bachelors in College, MBA in Human Resources, Masters in Public Administration. During college years, Manisha Raju was introduced to a veteran artist named Dadasaheb Deshmukh, who had studied at Santiniketan and was acquainted with personalities like Abanindranath Tagore. Encouraged by Deshmukh, she went to his studio and experimented with miniature paintings and Tempra technique. Manisha Raju is also learned Hindustani Classical Music.

Cholamandal Artists Village

Manisha Raju married the artist Raju Durshettiwar, who studied at Nagpur College of Arts. Manisha Raju also joined Raju Durshettiwar to live at the Cholamandal Artists Village in Chennai and supported his creative endeavors. They rented the floor above the house of M. Senathipathi, the head of Cholamandal. During this period, Manisha Raju got the opportunity to interact with many important artists of Cholamandal such as M. Senathipathi, P. Gopinath, P.S. Nandan, C. Douglas, D. Venkatapathy, etc., to see their works and to visit various art galleries. She was fascinated by the paintings by Chennai artists like K.C.S. Paniker, Reddeppa Naidu, Paris Viswanathan, P. Gopinath, P.S. Nandan, C. Douglas, P.V. Janakiram, S. Dhanapal, A.P. Santhana Raj, K.V. Haridasan, L. Munuswamy and D. Venkatapathy. She considered K.C.S. Paniker as a great personality and has said that artists can learn a lot from K.C.S. Paniker and A.P. Santhana Raj's work. She was a member of the PPA-Progressive Painting Association, an artist association of Cholamandalam. Her husband Raju was also her mentor. These experiences inspired Manisha to develop her skills and become a full-time artist.

She practiced using various mediums such as water color, dry pastels and acrylic. The mythologies and epics, Manisha Raju grew up listening to, are reflected in her works. After coming to Chennai, she visited Chidambaram, Kanchipuram, Mahabalipuram, Marundeeswarar temple in Thiruvanmiyur etc and the granite stone images of deities in these temples reminded her of the stories she had heard growing up. These sculptures influenced Manisha Raju's painting styles. Manisha Raju's early paintings largely featured depictions of women's everyday life. Manisha Raju's migration from a small town in Nagpur to the metropolis of Chennai after her marriage, the hectic city life she encountered there and the new environment set her on the path of solitude and self-discovery. She realized that caught in the frenzied city life people are only concerned with their jobs and not themselves. So she painted a lot of female figures of children, mother-child, sisters, in conversation and of people talking among themselves and within themselves, emphasizing self connection and self discussion.

Manisha Raju's first group exhibition was in 2002. In 2004, her first solo exhibition was organized by Dr. Nanditha Krishna, president of the C.P. Ramaswamy Foundation. Manisha Raju wanted to bring in elements from astrology into her works as she was researching that area during this period. As a result, she held a solo exhibition of acrylic paintings in 2007 titled Navagraha. This marked the beginning of the mythological elements and deities that appear in the works of Manisha Raju.

Full Time Artist

From 1997 to 2002, Manisha Raju was engaged in her doctoral research and had to travel to Nagpur during 1997to 2000 frequently. From 2004, she worked as a professor in the Management department of a college in Chennai for 4 years. In 2008, she resigned and became a full-time artist.

Artistic Significance, Aesthetics

Sakthi

Ardhanareeshwari

Durga, Acrylic on Canvas, 22"x22", 2008

Aandal, Acrylic on Canvas, 48"x32"

Vitthal, dry Pastel on Paper, 15x11 inches, 2019

Bhowra (பம்பரம்), Acrylic on Canvas, 24x24 inches

Hanuman, Soft dry pastel

Manisha Raju's works often depict female deities and figures, characters from Indian mythology, and figures from the Bhakti tradition. She could be seen as the artist who combined feministic ideas with Indian Bhakti tradition through her works. Manisha Raju paints using mediums like water color on paper, dry pastels and acrylic on canvas. She says that dry pastels are her favorite among those. Red color is used extensively in Manisha Raju's paintings. Red figures, red flowers, female faces with a red bindi on their forehead, and a red backdrop are the defining features of Manisha Raju's works. Female figures are depicted in dominant red-yellow colors while male figures are depicted in cool blues, purples and greens. Manisha Raju's favorite Arthanareeswarar paintings have Shakti depicted in red and Shiva in blue, purple and green. She has used colors like blue, purple, green and black to balance the red-yellow color in the background of many paintings. Manisha Raju's interest in Shakti worship, the Amman in the small goddess temples in Tamil Nadu decorated with yellow turmeric and vermillion Kumkuma such as the Injambakkam Gauri Amman temple, where she regularly worships, and her favorite Tamil Amman movies are her influence for the red-yellow color pallete in her paintings. Manisha Raju has a fascination for philosophical texts like Bhagavad Gita and also loves reading Osho's books. Hanuman is her favorite god. Not only the Gods even the devotees like Meerabai and Kabir also interested her. After settling in Chennai, she read about Tamil traditions and Tamil Bhakti tales in English translation. She felt a connection to Andal and painted many works that were centered on her, after reading the stories of Kannagi, Andal, Akkamadevi, etc. Manisha Raju has said that the influence of the Bengal school of art on her works came from the veteran artist Dadasaheb Deshmukh, whom she met in Nagpur. Dadasaheb Deshmukh studied at Santiniketan and had been acquainted with the personalities of the Bengal school of art like Abanindranath Tagore. Manisha Raju's journey of self discovery led her to the deep seated memories of mythological stories and characters she had heard in her childhood and the South Indian temple stone sculptures of Tamil Nadu that evoked those memories, the small Goddess Amman temples, the Amman movies she had watched, mythological stories she had read and the personalities from the Bhakti tradition. All these elements can be observed in Manisha Raju's work.

Manisha Raju says, "Basic concept of my lyricism is self interaction, and closed eyes are the most distinctive feature of my work. It's an interaction with the soul for at least a few moments to realize the origin and end of this physical body, and the existence of the endless, limitless, immortal spirit, which exists in every human body" about the introspective nature of her works. She also says, "Painting is the reflection of one's true feeling, ideas and imagination. I never want my work to be complicated and distracting from the peace. Nor do I want a visitor to do any kind of mental exercise while gazing at my work, on the contrary I want it to be very simplified and I want it to provide a certain comfort to them."

Contributions

Manisha Raju organized art camps with some artists from Chennai and Nagpur for a few years before the Corona lockdown. She has arranged to display the works of Nagpur artists in Chennai. These efforts helped establish a dialogue between Nagpur and Chennai artists. Manisha Raju has done community work like painting camp for tribal children in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra state.

Manisha Raju's paintings were used for the cover art and posters of the first edition of Neeli, an online magazine run by Tamil writer Ramya, about the works of women writers and artists. Manisha Raju's paintings also used as cover page for a book ”ritu Vidya” by Sinu Josef and a Marathi book "Godhan".

Painting Camps

2019 National camp by Lalit Kala Academy, at Wardha, MS
2017 Camp organized by Integral Coach Factory for museum at ICF Chennai
2012 Camp organized by Prakrit arts Gallery, Chennai at Bhedaghat, MP

Exhibitions

Solo Exhibitions

2021, Nostalgia by Forum Art Gallery, Chennai
2017, Kalakriti Art Gallery, Hyderabad
2015, Swayamsiddha, A Gallery opening show for Ambrosia Art Gallery, Chennai
2011, Tathagata, Prakrit Arts Gallery, Chennai
2009, “Stuthi”, Prakrit Art Gallery Chennai
2008, ‘Re-Visited’, Sri Parvathy Arts Gallery, Chennai
2007, ‘Navagraha’ Prakrit Arts Gallery, Chennai.
2004, 'Search for self' Solo Show at CPR Art Gallery, Chennai
2006, ‘Nostalgia’ Kasthuri Srinivasan Art Gallery, Coimbatore.
2004, 'Search for self' Solo Show at Ananya Art Gallery, Pondicherry

Two-person Exhibitions (India)

2011, Pratyaksha –Paroksha, at CISFA ki choti Gallery, Nagpur
2005, 'Foot Steps of Time', at Dakshinachitra Art Gallery, Chennai

Online Exhibitions held during the Corona lockdown period

2021, Un-Lock Series 17.1 (Solo Show) by Sarala Art Gallery, Chennai
2021, Quiescent II, (Group Show)
2021, Vishwam, by Vasant Rao Curation Project
2021, Dare to Dream, by Art Cube Gallery, Bangalore
2020, Panchali, by Vasant Rao Curation Project
2020, Nature (Group Show), by Veda Art Gallery, Chennai
2020, Quiescent I, (Group Show)

Group Exhibitions (India)

2022, Games people play, by Forum Art Gallery, Chennai
2020, Talking Spaces at Forum Art Gallery, Chennai
2019, Identity & Experience at Forum Art Gallery, Chennai
2019, Gnani Art Gallery, Singapore presented by Forum Art Gallery Chennai
2018, Kadamba Show in Forum Art Gallery, Chennai
2017, Artitude at Art House, Chennai
2017, Artitude at WestIn hotel, Chennai
2017, In house show at Forum art gallery, Chennai
2017, In house show at Veda Art Gallery, Chennai
2017, Fusion, Organized and curated by Dimples Art Gallery, Chennai
2016, Show organized by Asian Art Gallery, US
2016, In house show organized by Veda Art gallery in Hayaat, Chennai
2016, Show organized by Vinyasa Art Gallery
2016, small format exhibition by Cholamandal
2016, Visible Visages organized by Veda Art Gallery, Chennai
2015, Plethora of Gods, at Forum Art Gallery, Chennai
2015, Show organized by Spastics society of India, Art Houz Gallery Chennai
2015, Small format exhibition by Cholamandal
2015, Ganesha Show at Ambrosia Art Gallery, Chennai
2014, The ai-Smile, Women Artist' show, charity gala at Hyaat, Chennai
2014, Sapthas, group show by Chennai women artists at KST Gallery, Coimbatore
2013, Women artists, exhibition at Vinyasa Art gallery, Chennai
2011, Kamalini show with artist at Prakrit Arts Gallery on the occasion of International women's day.
2011, Panchatantra in participation with five artists at Laburnum & Indigo Galleries at Cholamandal Artists village, Chennai.
2010, “Panchamukhi” group show by five Chennai women artists at Vernissage Art Gallery, Cochin
2009, “Diverse Phrase” in participation with five artists at Kasthuri Srinivasan Arts Gallery, Coimbatore
2009, “Panchamukhi” group show by five Chennai women artists at Kasthuri Srinivasan Arts Gallery, Coimbatore

Other Exhibitions (Invited Shows - Global)

2016, Show at Singapore by Art Houz gallery, Chennai
2011, Samay, organized by Prakrit Arts Gallery, Chennai at Neharu Arts centre, London
2011, Lafz, organized by Krishala Arts Gallery, Bangalore
2011, Invite show at Malaysia by Lakshana Arts gallery
2010, Size - S, organized by Prakrit Arts and Krishala Art Gallery, at Neharu Arts Center London
2010, Madras Canvas, organized by Forum art gallery Chennai at Kula Lumpur

Other Exhibitions (Invited Shows - India)

2018, Show organized by c4c for flood relief Kerala, Chennai
2017, Participation Show in Forum Art Gallery
2016, Participation show in Forum Art Gallery
2016, Participation show in Veda Art Gallery
2016, Participation show in Forum Art Gallery
2016, Participation show in Veda Art Gallery
2015, Shloka – organized and arranged by Lokaat Art Gallery, Nagpur, MS
2015, Progressive Painters Association Show at Laburnum and Indigo Art Galleries
2015, Eternal Enlightenment – show on Goutam Buddha at Ailamma Art Gallery, Hyderabad
2015, Padme – show on lotus at Forum Art gallery, Chennai
2015, Show on Ganesha at Ambrosia Art Gallery, Chennai
2015, Show by Concern India Foundation at ITC Chola
2015, Show by Spastics Society of India Show at Art House
2014, Progressive Painters Association Show at Forum Art gallery, Chennai
2014, Progressive Painters Association Show at Laburnum and Indigo Art Galleries
2014, Small format exhibition at Vinyasa Art Gallery, Chennai
2014, Art for Concern by Concern India Foundation, ITC Grand Chola, Chennai
2013, Small Format Annual Art Exhibition at Cholamandal Art Gallery, Chennai
2013, Resist – art exhibition at Forum Art Gallery, Chennai
2013 Madras musing, Veda Art Gallery, Chennai
2013, Contemporary small format exhibition at Time & Space Gallery, Bangalore
2013, Group Show at Forum Art Gallery, Chennai
2013, 1 X 1 of Its Kind, PPA Show at Forum Art Gallery
2012, Show organized by Anand Vikatan at Lalit Kala Akademi, Chennai
2011, Basant Panchami, by Prakrit Arts Gallery, Chennai
2011, PPA Cholamandal Exhibition, Cholamandal Art Gallery Chennai
2011, KCS Panikers celebration at part of Art Chennai at Cholamandal Art Gallery, Chennai
2010, Cholamandal Show at Cholamandal Arts Gallery, Chennai
2010, Preview Show, London, Pune
2010, “Fusion” at Hotel Taj, Bangalore organized by Krishala Art, Bangalore
2010, Artist Handicraft Association, Cholamandal Art Gallery Chennai
2009, 'Art fusion Show' Neharu art Centre, Mumbai
2009, PPA Art Exhibition at Kasthuri Srinivasan Arts Gallery, Coimbatore
2009, PPA Art Exhibition, Laburnum & Indigo wing Cholamandal Art Gallery Chennai
2009, Serenity to Womanhood, by Forum Art Gallery, Chennai
2009, Madras Canvas in short, by Forum Art Gallery Chennai
2008, Chola Sherton, by FROZEN, social organization, Chennai.
2008, 'Double take' by Prakrit art gallery, Chennai
2008, 'Madras Canvas' by Forum art Gallery, Chennai.
2008, Lalit Kala Academy by Pallava artist Village, Chennai
2008, Apparao Galleries Chennai and Delhi
2008, Affordable Art Show by Vinyasa art gallery, Chennai
2008, 'Between the Lines' an art show organized by Art. Here. Now, at Lalit Kala Academy, Chennai
2007, ‘Southern Metaphor’ at Prakrit Arts Gallery, Chennai.
2005, 'Affordable Art Show' by Vinyasa Art Gallery at Chitrakala Parishad, Bangalore.
2004, Concern India Foundation, Sunder Mahal Chennai
2004, Royal Academy “Ganesha Show”, Gulbarga, Karnataka.

National Exhibition

2011, South Central Zone Cultural Center, Nagpur, Maharashtra

Auctions

2015, Spastics Society of India, Chennai
2010, Confluence, art auction by Prakrit Arts Chennai
2008, 'Gems 2008' an auction organized by MSSI, Park Sherton, Chennai

Art Fairs

2014, Art Chennai at Cholamandal Gallery, Cholamandal Artist Village, Chennai
2014, Art Mela organized by Sarala Art Center, Chennai at Cholamandal Artists' Chennai
2012, Art Chennai, Cholamandal Gallery, Cholamandal Artists Village, Chennai
2008, 'Kala Mela' organized by Lalit Kala Academy, Chennai

Art Camps

2019, National camp by Lalit Kala Academy, at Wardha, MS
2017, Camp organized by Integral Coach Factory for museum at ICF, Chennai
2012, Camp organized by Prakrit arts Gallery, Chennai at Bhedaghat, MP

Social Contributions through Art

2019, Wall painting for beautification of Gandhi Sarovar Lake, Nagpur, MS
2018, Lamp making workshop for tribal children in Gadchiroli, MS in association with Ambuja Cements
2017, Workshop For Tribal Children on Gond Art, on school walls, organized by Ambuja Foundation in Gadchiroli, MS
2015, Camp organized by me on the occasion of International women's day under the banner of Prangan in Chennai, Participating Artists 10 from Chennai and Nagpur;
2014, Work shop on wall-Painting for rural school students organized by Ambuja cement, Chandrapur, Maharashtra

Open Studios

2020, Open Studio In and around Cholamandal Artist Village, Chennai
2018, Open Studio at Cholamandal Artist Village, Chennai

Lectures and Interactions

2015, Govt. College of Arts, Nagpur, MS

2017, Govt. College of Arts, Nagpur, Maharashtra

References

‎

✅Finalised Page

Anonymous

Search

Manisha Raju

Namespaces

More

Page actions

Contents

Birth, Education

Personal Life