By Sunil Sonker
Mussoorie, 28 Feb: Beyond Borders – Art and Culture Festival 2025, organised here by Empowerment – Art and Culture Organisation, concluded at a programme organised in the auditorium of a local hotel, today. Artists from different countries enthralled the audience with their art at the Beyond Borders – Art and Culture Festival.
Kumar Vikas Saxena, Director of Empowerment – Art and Culture Organisation, said that bringing together international artists gives an opportunity to explore, experience and express different cultural landscapes. Its aim is to “promote dialogue and cooperation through culture and art”. He said that the natural and cool air and sudden rain in Mussoorie have made their creative journey more beautiful. Some artists are painting under the open sky while some are staying indoors and painting these scenes on canvas in their own style. He stated that the first phase of the festival was held in Delhi, where the artists visited historical sites, interacted in art studios and participated in discussions. The second phase of the festival was held in the spiritual land of Rishikesh, where the artists felt the divinity of this holy city. They experienced the ‘Ganga Aarti at Parmarth Niketan’ and imbibed the spiritual energy of this land. This experience started reflecting in their art and many artists engraved the ‘peace, spirituality and rhythmic energy of the city’ in their works.
The closing ceremony of the festival was held in the quiet hills of Mussoorie. Bangkok artist Suriya Koon brought alive the beauty of Mussoorie in his art, which also reflects the spiritual energy of Rishikesh. French artist Carola did live painting amidst rain, in which the mist-covered hills were depicted in her unique style. Thipatis Boonvijitnitithorn from Thailand, inspired by the spirituality of Rishikesh, created a painting called “Land of Light”, which has a wonderful depiction of Nataraja. Slovenian artist Carmen depicted the spiritual peace found in Uttarakhand through hand gestures (Hasta Mudras), which depict the feeling of an open heart on a “saffron background”. Kazakh artist Nurlan painted a picture of an innocent girl in the Himalayas, which shows a beautiful combination of Indian and Kazakh culture. Greek artist Nicoletta brought out the colours of Holi in her art, through which the liveliness of this festival can be felt. Serbian artist Nikola carved the mysterious beauty of Mussoorie in his own unique style. Hungarian artist Esther was very attracted by the ‘serpent lamps’ lit during Ganga Aarti, which inspired her to be inspired by Lord Shiva and created a unique work on this subject.
This festival gave the message of ‘unity and harmony beyond borders’ through art and culture, where artists felt the spirituality and natural beauty of India through their works and expressed it in their art.
