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With Artist Jiten Hazarika (Left)

I've often wondered what is it that drives an artist in their chosen vocation, in spite of (what looks like) repeated failures, misgivings, disillusionment & often, despair. Is it their passion for art, or is it their simple belief in goodness of things or is it just a habit.

In a book called The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg that I recently read … I came across a very interesting theory which states that any habit is governed by a neurological sequence called The Habit Loop that consists of three elements : a cue, a routine & a reward - if we relate it to most of the activities we do each day, I think it will make very good sense.. But the more interesting knowledge (from the same book) is something that followed  … through several experiments over the years, scientists have been able to establish with some certainty that what drives this Habit Loop, is an innate craving & anticipation of what is about to come … and yes - apart from knowledge, experience & culture - what also drives human beings - is habit.

Last month, I joined an Art Camp in Delhi, which was attended by quite a few of the most renowned contemporary Indian Artists … & it was my sheer good luck to see them work at very close quarters, to participate in the open studio & yes, spend some quality one-on-one time with some of the great artists.

Mr Jiten Hazarika - an octogenarian who is internationally acclaimed for his figurative abstracts, shared snippets of his life with me in a quieter moment. On completion of graduation in Civil Engineering in 1963, he was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers, Indian Army, in 1964. After attaining the rank of Colonel, he retired prematurely in 1990 to devote himself completely to painting … With a career full of potential, tangible achievements & further possibilities to choose from, he chose what his heart told him to … I think, this is passion … a very powerful & abiding emotion that drives us by helping us setting priorities - making it easy for us to choose. Mr Hazarika's deep knowledge & understanding of Philosophy & Sanskrit Literature must also have helped him in achieving this excellent clarity of thought & belief. Above all, he also said, how his simple rural childhood has deeply influenced his artwork … perhaps this is what that gives his art an unspoilt freshness & a moving simplicity.

Talking about simplicity, it would be an aberration, if I don't mention of Mr N Manoharan - a very senior contemporary Indian artist with equal mastery over various mediums. He is an expert in several watercolor techniques & moves with ease to other diverse mediums like pastels, acrylic or oils to create mesmerizing compositions. Finding an opportune moment, I went to take his advise on the use of proper artist's gear like easels, lighting, posture supports, mannequins etc. To my surprise he smiled shyly & then mentioned that he just props his canvases on some table & paints, while nibbling at his favorite snacks! Here is an artist with such rare talent & extensive knowledge & look at the down-to-earth simplicity of his approach. Truly amazing! I have seen the same person, rushing out of the evening room, leaving behind his drink - only to return with a paper & some charcoal sticks to finish up a sketch in about 3 minutes. I could see the urge, the passion that drove him to do what he did, in the middle of what was otherwise a standard cocktail session.

Perhaps it is this passion or the simplicity or both that provides the necessary impetus to artists to ever move ahead & do things that they do - repeatedly … so much so that, it becomes a habit one day. And creates its loop.

Perhaps. 

Artist Manoharan (left) sketching