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Emergency helped Tamil Nadu governor grow as a painter
Indo-Asian News Service

Chennai, Oct 13 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala has Indira Gandhi to thank for his artistic abilities as he worked on his first collection of portraits in a prison cell in Patiala during the time he was imprisoned during the emergency in 1975. 

"Paintings offered me solace while I was in solitary confinement," Barnala told reporters after a six-day exhibition of his 44 paintings began at the Lalit Kala Akademi here Wednesday evening.

Academy chairman R.B. Bhaskaran inaugurated the exhibition. 

"I began painting in 1941 but worked on my first collection of 30 portraits in prison during the emergency days. I was inspired by nature, particularly the mountains," he said. 

This is his third exhibition. The show has been organised by South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavur, in collaboration with the Academy. 

The oil paintings will be sold for charity.

Informed sources in the Raj Bhavan said that a painting has already been sold to a business house here for Rs 60,000.

Barnala said he was a self-taught artist but during a stay in Lucknow where he graduated, he had received some professional instructions from an artist.

His first painting exhibition was organised when he was serving as the governor of Uttaranchal, where the beauty of the Himalayas inspired me.

When he was governor of Andhra Pradesh in 2004, Barnala thought of selling his works for charity.

A group of blacksmiths who had no shelter sought his help. 
"I decided to auction some of my paintings," the governor confided.

So far, Barnala has sold paintings worth about Rs 400,000 and donated the sum for the blacksmiths' shelter.