Genius of the likes of Picasso, Shakespeare – we have heard of. How many are acquainted with a simple name like Dashranth Patel? Trust me, he is worth knowing of.
This man is almost a talent thesaurus. Painter, potter, industrial designer, photographer, philosopher, teacher, multimedia artist, and I still think I may have slipped out a few of his attributes. He co-founded India’s premier design institute – National Institute of Design. He has a museum dedicated to his honor- Dashrath Patel Museum in Alibaug, a small town in Maharashtra. (Hopefully I will plan a visit there sometime, and update you with photos from there itself.)
He keeps up with the education of the ‘famous’, being a school dropout. What really draws me towards him is the raw ethic in his work. Its unique and natural. Probably the way man was supposed to be.
Here is a snapshot of his work:
Credit: Dashrath Patel Museum
I am in awe of this man but must admit I am a tad bit envious. Its not his talent which bothers me but the freedom which he had or rather built for himself. I came across how he encountered with photography-while amidst an exhibition in Paris in 1952, he met a man who volunteered to teach him how to use the camera. That was it.
Why did I choose to share this particular man’s story as compared to someone more contemporary? This is how : I woke up this morning thinking about this new blog – then thought about how our world functions. Got thinking about how ‘specializations’ function – A designer must be able to pin point whether it is graphics or product or abstract. A person good with words should clearly be able to differentiate between fiction, taglines, lyrics, poetry or blogs. My point being that there is such a high degree specialization garnished with more streamlining, it makes me wonder – what if there are more people like Patel, people who want more, who are searching for more than what can be put within one box – is there a place today for us?