Thursday, November 30, 2006

Art for(of) living

The sun was shining very brightly and especially in such a dirty street it was like in a desert. It was one such day where you don’t want to be out even for a single minute and cover yourself in every possible way to hide the sun. Yet it’s the fate of some to be in the same room as the sun and he was one among them.
He was wearing a very shabby piece of cloth, dirty with dust, drenched in sweat, sitting in a small shade of a very old tree. The tree looked naked without its green leaves and even at this age it helped him. A piece of art was lying there beside him, his hard work for the past few days.
It depicted a beautiful young girl sitting quietly on a small rock. Behind her was the roaring sea, blue in color to match the girl's dress. Her hair was falling on the face yet she didn’t seem to mind it. Very far away there was a ship that looked very tiny with distance lying in the middle of the huge sea. Is the girl thinking of someone who just boarded the ship?
It was such a beautiful art that depicted a thousand words. An old lady passed, she stopped, turned back and had a look at the art. He became happy to have attracted a customer. She came closer, even closer and then stared at him. As if seen a ghost she left the place to his disappointment. This had been the case for him since morning. Either people ran away due to his appearance or they just don't seem to care. But what could he do to change the appearance? How could he afford if people don’t take interest and buy his art. People called him 'Lazy beggar'.
It was in such a state that a gentleman came. First he was disinterested but the girl's face caught his attention .He came nearer and asked him to give the piece, took it in his hand ignoring the trail of dust behind. He analyzed, smiled, looked at him, handed him a 100 bucks and left the place. He was happy to have earned and this was more than what he had expected. Thanking the gentleman and wishing he should live happily in his life, he left the place to get his first meal of the day.

Few months later, clad in a full black suit, he was sitting on the stage. People who looked at him wondered how one could possess such a dignified look. The auditorium was jam packed -it made him to smile. He liked this and it motivated him to achieve more in whatever way possible. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome you all for the felicitation ceremony of Mr. Albert Johnson, renowned painter, whose Lonely girl painting received the……. “

He didn’t hear the rest. He knew what it would be. He was thinking of the price quote he had got for the painting. Latest was US$500 from a banker and he was still waiting to earn more.

“We now request Mr. Albert to say a few words to our art students “

“Dear students, Art means practice, hard work….. “

2 comments:

anand said...

Its the bitter truth of the life.. if u want to get name and fame in a FAST pace.. u hav to cheat someone.. (but not always)

harish said...

it is bitter ... that's a compliment.