Colours that keep hope alive amidst life’s daily struggles

Daisaku Ikeda, a Buddhist philosopher and author, said: “When we possess the treasure of hope, it gives rise to other treasures, too. Hope draws forth our inner potential and strength. Hope is a magic weapon that enables us to make our dreams come true.” And this hope is the inspiration behind the solo art exhibition by Dr Susmita Lakhyani. Called “Celebrating Hope”, the 51 paintings remain true to the title as they show the cycle of life and death, bright radiant spots of light amidst darkness, and hope among pain and suffering.

Chiefly inspired from her own life experiences and the philosophy of sage Nichiren Daishonin and writings of

Dr Daisaku Ikeda, the paintings celebrate optimism and courage. Some of the paintings are inspired from her travelling to different places while some of them are dark, yet clinging delicately on hope. The “Voyage of victory” shows the rumble and tumble of the mighty sea called life, which is peppered with difficulties and hardships. It is shown in the form of a dry leaf. Out of this dried leaf, a boat with a flag can be seen. A clear message that it is only through these experiences, challenges, and hard work and perseverance that one emerges victorious.

Then we have “Genesis of Faith 1”, which shows the struggles outside in the form of logwoods in the foreground and a female soul/figure standing amidst it. The painting upholds the thought that amidst struggles, if there is hope within, then victory will surely manifest itself. This is symbolically shown as a number of suns, and the uppermost sun bursts leaving the whole body enlightened.

“Genesis of Faith 2” has lotus flowers symbolising faith emerge from the dried leaf symbolic of hardships and struggles. It is from struggles that a person becomes more humane and this leads to purity and then faith — faith in one’s abilities, faith in the supreme power.

“There’s a lot of stress around us and as we are moving towards more materialistic success, we are encountering low-life situations where nothing works out. This leads to psychological stress and my paintings are an attempt to spread the message of optimism. I want a chain reaction of hope,” the artist says.

There are 13 paintings that are acrylic and pastels on paper and the rest are oil on paper. The medium used does full justice to the contrast that Lakhyani attempts to show through her art. “Whenever I am in trouble, I look within and I find immense hope and courage. If you are unhappy you will only seep sadness and make your and others’ lives miserable. We need to connect with ourselves first,” she says.

That’s why one of her paintings is titled “Identity”. The thumbprint depicts that each one of us are unique and that Buddha exists in the core of each life. Our real identity is Buddha — the awakened one.

Then there’s “Nirvana” that has a huge crumpled leaf with tiny shoots of green emanating from the periphery. Somewhere it shows the cycle of birth and death, which is the very essence of life.

Noted artist Arpana Caur inaugurated the exhibition and she had words of encouragement for Lakhyani. Caur appreciated the luminosity of colours, especially the black in “Buddha’s Enlightenment: Bodhi And Lotus”. The paintings have a sense of calmness about them — as if life comes to a standstill in that one moment when you see a ray of light. Hues of red, yellow, green and golden are in harmony — and it is this that Lakhyani attempts to portray. “Optimism is the essence of life. Victory is very mundane. Life is an endless struggle and if we face problems, then why should we hate it Difficulties signify that we are growing and moving ahead in life,” Lakhyani says.

Her exhibition is a simple and yet a very effective way of communicating life as we know it, yet choose to ignore. As long as one has hope, there is nothing one cannot achieve. Everything is born from hope.