In India the railways are far beyond a mere means of transport, they are a way of life, a pulse, the heartbeat of the city. That slow, unyielding chug has inspired artists across generations and across platforms. The works of Ruskin Bond are littered with guest appearance by the railways and we would be lynched if we didn’t mention the iconic scene from Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. While most train-side scenes don’t include a stretching Shah Rukh and sprinting Kajol, they have a serene beauty that often goes unnoticed. One man realised these little moments were passing people by and decided to capture them forever in paint, thus began the collection of Bijay Biswaal.
Born in a remote area of Oriya, he is entirely self-taught but his technical and creative skills have made him an artist of national and international repute. Art has been in his blood since he was a child. ‘Painting has been an addiction for me ever since I have been four or five years old. I used to watch my mother cook with the fire coming out of the coals and I would paint that.’ He works in a wide range of mediums – water colours, oil paints, pastels – but his subject is almost always the same, the ever-moving patchwork pictures of railway life. He joined the railways in 1990 as a way to supplement his art career so he could finally afford his supplies and gain his independence. His co-workers didn’t always understand his artistic inclinations but eventually his passion and his work found a way to coexist ‘My life revolved around trains and you can say it was a professional hazard that I started painting the Indian railways,” jokes Biswaal. Still, he claims that he if he were ever to pick between the two, painting would win every time, he’d rather survive without a job than without happiness.
Although he had a long affair with art, Biswaal only started to paint professionally in 2011 he has since amassed an impressive number of accolades. His work has been displayed in Russia, Belgium, Istanbul and at galleries across India. He has won many competitions, both for still life and for his caricatures. His personal favourite is ‘Roots’, painted in 2006 it has won fame and prizes across India including a National award. It depicts an ancient Banyan tree winding its long roots around a human body and symbolises how we should remember to stay true to our roots. His other colourful portrayals show a side of the railways that most people don’t slow down long enough to see, although he dreams of one day living in the hills and painting the small stations of Shimla we can be assured that wherever he is his art will continue to flourish.
Despite his fame Biswaal has stayed true to himself and refuses to see painting as a mere source of income. As he says, “I didn’t take up painting to sell my work. When people asked me how I would make money from selling these. I said I am not doing this for money, I am doing this because it makes me so happy. It gives me the utmost joy and I can’t explain the true bliss I experience while painting,” With this level of dedication it is no wonder that his art maintains a level of excellence and beauty that holds the attention of all who look upon it.
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