My Dear CNP Artists…
Namaskar…!
Thank you very much for the appreciation, motivation and apprehension together about my work on CNP. I doubt whether these three go well together or what. I tried my best to convince the CNP Staff with possible textual content by the renowned mystics, but somehow that couldn’t reach their perusal and I was all alone on my side to defend my poor images. My images wait for the right time……..I posted them untimely.
I feel the sense of utmost elation to be the part of CNP where I have grown, where I have found space and freedom. I owe much to CNP. There is no doubt in it. I have a deep sense of love towards CNP and I love all CNPians very much.
I have received two mails- one from Shri Ganesh H Shankar personally and the another one is from CNP Staff regarding my one of the images from the series ‘living Khajuraho’ titled ‘…living khajuraho: orgasmic bliss…’ and another one on random theme titled …’a raped patch: a disgraced truth…’ which have been removed by the moderators because they found them objectionable or I rather must say these images they found inappropriate to meet with the CNP framed rules. Yes, I do agree, certain things in life don’t agree with our societal mind-set. We have to compromise a myriad of things which are of utmost priority in the solitude of our life, but we suddenly translate them into our narrow road of our limited ‘eye-sight’ and make it a mechanical way of life and make it a societal pattern within which we find ourselves protected and secured, but nature nowhere offers any security which we find we are by following our own made rules. The rules are man-made for our convenience, not to impose on art and creativity, on space and freedom. The rules come from within the artist.
The rules have their hidden definition, hidden fragrance, hidden bloom with regard to the intent and content of the creation by the artist. Rules are just for managing and arranging things, not to hinder creativity and art. Creation happens only in space and freedom. Rules are not everything. Self-intent of the artist and self-content of the artist is of utmost respect and importance in any form of art. Time is ever-changing, perception is ever-changing, but rules are dead. The rules are stagnant, they don’t flow. Art flows, it grows, and it blooms. The rules are left behind in pace with life. We need to update the rules in regard to the pace of ever-changing nature. We need to update our social boundaries that we have drawn to limit ourselves. Nature is not in our control; rather we are controlled by nature. But we never learn to respect nature. ‘Creative Nature Photography: Where Art of Seeing is the Way of Life!’ has a total different connotation in my consciousness. Self-discipline is the essence and fragrance of the artist’s expression. We are very clever at forming the entire jungle of rules and to push them ahead in the name of discipline. But this is fake and pseudo discipline which has no any kind of relevance to art and creativity. But our stubbornness is intense and deep.
Right from the beginning of my series on ‘…living khajuraho…’ I was skeptical not to be fit in this forum. I had a far-fetched doubt to be opposed and not to be accepted in this forum though it only meant for the Nature Photographers and that too, for the Fine Art Nature Photographers. I thought this forum is not a typical ‘social media forum’, but I rather thought it to be a purely dedicated to ‘Fine Art Nature Photography’. But unfortunately, I am compelled to state herein that this forum must not let it be in its narrowest spirit that I feel after my posting of the said images. These images are nothing. My humble request to the CNP Staff is not to let CNP to be converted into a social proscribed. Art is not for that. Art is beyond this narrowness and shallowness. I recommend CNP Staff to read a very wonderful book by Rabindranath Tagore on Art and Aesthetics. I share a link herein to go through if someone is interested.
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One more thing I would love to suggest to all CNP Staff is to be courteous enough to share their views and to write their qualms and queries in regard to such images as part of the comments under the images an artist posts so that the young CNPians and other members on the forum may get themselves acquainted with what has been going on to some specific images and that to be transparent on our part, too. I feel there must be ample conversation with the artist on his image in open so as to make the forum more transparent and educative. But I am very sorry to say that the same has not happened here. Nobody shared his/ her views on his/ her objections. These disputed images must be visible on CNP with all conversations that we carry out to make all new comers aware of what actually the thought process of CNP is. It will make it more educative and more knowledge inclined.
To me, art is an individual religion for the individual artist. It is not mass religion. It is not for crowds. It is for the revelation of the artist’s consciousness. Art is ever untrodden path where the artist has to be a pilgrim alone. I would have felt myself satisfied if I have been involved in the open discussion under my disputed images, but in vein.
I tried to cite references in regard to breaking boundaries towards which we are blind and deaf, none found it essential and worth supporting. I accept it as my own failure to convince you about my own images.
The worry about young CNPians to me is very baseless, worthless and carries no essential truth in it; rather we express our own suppressed being in the name of young CNPians. I may appear a little bit harsh, but I cannot hide myself behind a pseudo curtain. I would love to be as I am and I don’t have a different face of mine on CNP as well. My poor images are in a way nothing if they are taken into consideration. They are just like soil, as simple as a tribal dweller.
We cannot restrict art in rules and if it is restricted in rules, it is everything but not art. In Fine Art and Creative Nature Photography, Art takes a quantum leap. It goes beyond all social taboos. It crosses all boundaries. It touches the furthermost core of consciousness. It goes beyond social horizons. Where there is nature, the rules follow on their own accord.
The surprising fact for CNP is that most of the members are from science background and that too from the engineering side. No one I know who is from literature side. I think this makes a huge difference in perception so far as the perception of art is concerned. I am of the observation that a very few photographers are good readers on CNP and it make a huge difference in right kind of perception and right kind of appraisal.
We always need to change the rules, not nature. If we don’t follow the voice of nature, we are fake and pseudo human being to be called the so called nature photographer. I respect your rules that you have made and I don’t find myself fit for these rules.
Without sufficient inquiry on the matter and without any kind of written discussion with the artist, I feel creative suffocation and creative impediment on the way of my journey. My experiences tell me that where there is a matter of imposed rules is in aggression; I should withdraw myself from the picture. I am sheer happy with my camera and my images which don’t have any competition to take part in. They are all alone in my dark recesses of my awareness. To me art is not to exhibit myself, but to pay my gratitude towards nature. I will continue responding views for sometime if I have any in this regard. I cannot restrict myself as an artist to compromise to ‘Man-made rules for Nature Photography’ when the intent is so obvious on the plane of consciousness. I cannot move a bit so long as my inner artist doesn’t allow me to do so.
With tears……
I will always miss CNP.
Thanks and regards…..
