“… I want to paint you.”

She was surprised, sure enough. But she was also curious. Her face concealed nothing, and that was what fascinated me. As she walked through the gallery, each piece evoked something unique from inside her, and she did not bother to mask it.

Anyone could read the critique in her face, if they took the time. It is an artist’s dream – to clearly see the emotions we inspire with our work.Many had passed by my work since the showing began, pausing for a moment, offering a quick word of praise. I didn’t approach them. But, when she came to my painting, she lingered.

At first, she kept a sort of distance, taking in the portrait from optimum perspective.Then, she moved closer. Closer, still.

Narrowing her eyes, following the strokes of brush that formed arms and legs, and the arch of the neck. But, instead of smiling, like the others, she was disturbed. There was a distinct anxiety resting in her eyes. And that anxiety shattered me faster than any editorial the local paper had ever dished out. Editorials can be shredded with triumphant pleasure. But in the slight furrow of her brow, and the downward tug of her lips, this woman single handedly brought my heartbeat to a most uncomfortable rhythm. It was this distinct discomfort that pulled me from my place of observation and motivated me to speak.

“Something wrong?” I asked. I startled her, but she smiled and returned her attention to the portrait.“I was just looking at this dancer,” she replied.“Yes, but you seemed… upset?” I ventured. “What is it about the dancer?”

She darted her eyes at me for a moment, but only long enough to decide to continue our conversation.“It’s just, I feel sorry for her,” she explained.“Sorry?” I wasn’t sure what to think, really. “Why?”

“Because, I think she is lonely.”

That threw me off guard. I was accustomed to the usual praise.

“Beautiful.”

“Profound!”

“Truly, one of a kind.”

It grew tiresome in a way, but it was comfortably expected. The local venues were always thrilled with my offerings, but over time, my enthusiasm was reduced to contempt. When my secretary had first booked this showing for my latest piece, I almost threw my coffee at her. I was exhausted with the weekend shows at The Courtyard. True, they had conjured a good deal of business as of late, but I felt no satisfaction at the end of the day. All I could hope for were a few simple remarks, no real conversation.

No true appreciation.I had little expectation for this showing. My most recent work was a portrait of a ballet dancer. A studio had commissioned it, but agreed to let me display it at the show before delivery. It was simple in concept, but stood out amid the offerings of that particular show. Amid the bulky sculptures and spattering of interpretive study, my dancer’s clean lines were in stark contrast. Dark strokes outlined her body against white canvas, highlighting her single color.A pale violet tutu.“Please, what makes you say that?” I pressed herThis time, she turned to face me, surely intending to end our discussion, or perhaps threaten to call security. I had to save myself quickly.“Forgive me, it’s just, I am Stephen Erik,” I said. Her eyes widened, right on cue. “You mean, you’re the–”“Yes, I’m the one responsible for this… sad little dancer,” I replied, through somewhat gritted teeth.Sad. Sad was not the word I had imagined when bringing this piece to life. There was a soft laugh mingled with her smile, and I thought I saw a faint blush in her cheeks.“It’s wonderful to meet you, Mister Erik. I always hope to see something of yours here at the gallery, and I’ve never been disappointed.”At this, I felt I was able to breathe again. “And, you are?” I prodded.“Grace.”“Well now, Grace, please, indulge me? Why do you say the dancer is lonely?”For a moment, she hesitated, and I almost regretted revealing my identity as the artist. I’ve discovered that nice people are often afraid to offend the creator of the work. Perhaps they think we mix our own blood into the paint, or clay, or watercolors. I have never had such an attachment, although others surely have. More than spared feelings, I always craved true reaction. And, happily for me, Grace could not taper her true impressions.“She holds herself tightly. Like no one else has ever held her before,” she told me.I looked again at the portrait.

Yes, her arms were crossed over her chest, and her feet tightly planted in fifth position. I had sketched her hands myself, and yet, I had not quite noticed how tightly her fingers grasped. Or, perhaps I had done this.Perhaps I had subconsciously slipped my own hands into those of the dancer.“That’s quite an observation,” I replied. “Is that all?”“No,” she admitted. “The color. Purple. It’s such a lonely color.”I chuckled a little. “As opposed to, shall we say, yellow?”Her eyes darted back to me, wholly unamused. “Yellow can be lonely, too.”“Oh, really? How so? Tell me this philosophy of yellow,” I implored.“Yellow is a friendly color. It has lots of friends. Lots of people flock to yellow, because it smiles so much. And then, when yellow cries, they don’t know what to do. Because yellow is the one who smiles. So they just wait. Maybe they hand yellow some tissues or something. But it’s not what yellow really needs. So yellow is lonely, too,” she replied.

“Even surrounded by people who love them.”I was silent for a long while. I didn’t really know what to say. So much thought, so much perception into a color that rarely graced the edge of my palette. “And… purple?”She took a breath. “I think purple holds all of its feelings inside itself, until it is alone. And then, it cries. But nobody sees.”At that moment, I knew.

I wanted to paint this

By – Supriya

Thankyou!

By – Supriya

Thankyou!

By – Supriya

Thankyou!

By – Supriya

India’s movement toward independence occurred in stages prompted by the inflexibility of the British and, in many instances, their violent responses to peaceful protests. Many attribute the Indian Revolt of 1857 (known by the British as the Sepoy Mutiny) as the first battle in the struggle for Indian independence.

The 1857 Indian Revolt revealed the miscalculations of the British in understanding the social and cultural issues important to Indians. Indian soldiers called sepoys (from the Hindi sipahi) grew increasingly uncomfortable with the British encroachment on India’s states and provinces as the English East India Company expanded its influence in the region. In addition, poor wages and harsh policies made nationals increasingly tired of the British presence in India.

In 1885, the Indian National Union was formed, which became the Indian National Congress and had as its goal the moderate position of seeing more locals in political representation. The Indian National Congress (INC) was created to help ease the tensions in the British relationship with Indians after the Sepoy Mutiny. In the beginning, the INC did not contradict British rule, but in the face of increasingly egregious acts by the government, the INC came to identify with the independence movement. The INC would dominate Indian politics and house many of the early leaders of the independence movement including Gopal Krishna Gokhale, leading those in favor of dominion status and Bal Gangadhar Tilak, leading those who saw self rule as the only option. Throughout the impendence movement leaders emerged from among the Congress’ membership including Mahatma Ghandi, the leader of the non-violence movement, as well as Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of the new nation.

The push for independence occurred in three interconnected stages: the noncooperative movement, the civil disobedience movement, and finally the “Quit India” movement. None of these stages were rigidly defined; they naturally flowed into one another as a result of contemporary events. The foundational principles of the noncooperative movement included resisting the British by not buying imported goods, refusing to pay taxes, and not working for the British, rather than violence as a means of gaining independence.

A major turning point occurred in March 1930 with the Dandi March, which sparked the civil disobedience movement. In what many consider a stroke of political savvy, Gandhi chose the British taxes and regulations on salt as the issue around which to stage a protest. Every Indian, whether aristocrat or peasant, knew the value of salt, which was used as a preservative. Gandhi’s highlighting of the British monopoly on salt production helped showcase the issue of native choice in daily life. In a strategic move, Gandhi and seventy-eight supporters undertook a twenty-three-day journey by foot to Dandi, a coastal region where salt was abundant. Upon their arrival, Gandhi made natural salt, thus violating the British law that only imported salt could be used or purchased. Illegal salt was being made all over the country, and many Indians, including Gandhi, were being imprisoned for doing so. Salt thus became a symbol for the injustice and oppression of the British Empire. After the Dandi March, the entire nation became more aware of the fight for sovereignty from British rule.

When the British conceded independence to India, it came with such swiftness that many of the unresolved tensions were swept aside, only to come bursting forth later. Lord Louis Mountbatten (1900–1979), the last viceroy of British India, who was in good standing with Nehru, granted the demands of the Muslim League to create a separate state, Pakistan, for Muslims. Increasingly uncomfortable in Hindu-dominated India, many in the Muslim League had agitated for the formation of a separate Muslim state. At the time of his assassination in 1948, Gandhi opposed the partitioning of India, but the speed of independence overshadowed such concerns. Violence ensued as Hindus attempted to cross newly created borders into India, while Muslims fled to Pakistan, resulting in many deaths and clouding India’s long-awaited freedom from the British Raj.

Indian society is a pluralistic society with a complex social order characterized by a multitude of ethnic, linguistic, religious, and caste divisions. It comprises people living in rural, urban, tribal setting and all sections which carry the ethos of Indianness.Amid the complexities and so much diversity among the nation, widely accepted cultural themes, the feeling of oneness, brotherhood, and values of constitution binds individuals and enhance social harmony and order.

MEANING OF SOCIETY-

Sociologist Peter L. Berger defines society as “a human product, and nothing but a human product, that yet continuously acts upon its producers.”It consists of groups of human beings who are linked together utilizing specific systems and customs, rites, and laws and have a collective social existence.

INDIAN SOCIETY AND ITS FEATURES-

1). Indian culture has been modified continuously, with times making India a composite culture.

2).Indian society was a stratified society from ancient times.The division of society into Aryans and non-Aryans was mentioned in Rig Veda. The Aryan society was further divided into four groups based on the pursuit of occupations.

3). The confrontation of Hindu and Muslim culture led to a synthesis with interesting results and mixed culture as a result of Sufi writings, the bhakti movement, Kabir Panth.

4).India today (after independence) amalgamated different caste groups religions, race tribes, linguistic groups. It glorifies the ideals of liberty, equality, fraternity as its goals in a secular, socialistic framework.

SALIENT FEATURES OF INDIAN SOCIETY-

1). Multi-Ethnic Society–

An ethnic group or ethnicity is a category of people who identify with each other, usually based on a common language or dialect, history, society, culture or nation.A society with the co-existence of a wide variety of racial groups is a Multi-ethnic society. India is home to almost all racial profiles.

2). Patriarchal Society–

Patriarchy is a social system in which men hold primary power and enjoy greater status than women.In this system, men make all decisions in both society and their family unit, hold all positions of power and authority and are considered superior.

3). Family-

The family forms the basic unit of social organization.It is the most immediate group a child is exposed It is in the family a child learns language, the behavioural patterns, and social norms in his childhood.

Family is a basic, definite, and enduringFamily is formed by the companionship of the husband, the wife who procreate children.

DIVERSITY-

Diversity is differences in racial and ethnic, socioeconomic, geographic, and academic/professional backgrounds. People with different opinions, backgrounds (degrees and social experience), religious beliefs, political beliefs, sexual orientations, heritage, and life experience.

India is the oldest civilization in the entire world. In this long journey of 5000 years, we were ruled by many rulers, belonging to different religions and cultures. Further, a lot of people migrated from other countries, and India accepted them with open hearts. Due to this exchange, we can observe a lot of diversity in terms of religion, culture, race, and religion in our country. However, despite all these diversities, India remained united even in dark hours and faced all the crises with a united spirit. The thread which binds all Indians together is known as “Unity among diversity”. In this article, we will explore the meaning of Unity in diversity in India, the types of diversity in India, what is diversity, provisions of unity in the constitution, its importance and the hurdle in achieving unity.

The unity in diversity is defined as the spirit of brotherhood without any discrimination.The term “Unity in diversity” implies the feeling of oneness or togetherness even after having a lot of diversity. Its spirit unites the people together and this bond shows the path of righteousness. This Diversity can be in the form of religion, colour, caste, creed, cultural practices, etc. In our country, these diversified traits are not seen as a conflict, but they are the varieties that enrich our society and the nation. It is used as a symbol of harmony and unity among people belonging to different religions or cultural backgrounds.