Mrs. Samundeeswari Venkatachalapathy

Mrs. Samundeeswari Venkatachalapathy.

Art is an integral part of my life. In school years it was performing arts, Bharatanatyam later it was Veena and Carnatic vocal. My father worked as Joint Director in Department of Agriculture.

We lived in several small towns and villages across Tamil Nadu. This gave me an opportunity to observe the customs of the community and learn about the artworks exclusive to the region.

After marriage, my family and extended family commitments kept me busy. Even then art was embedded in the form of tying Poo Charam’s. Bucket loads of loose flowers were immaculately made in strands by the ladies of the family over a cup of tea. The intricate way of making strands came very easy to me.

Another time pass at that time was cross-stitch. I started with Madura coats printed designs and eventually could design place mates, tissue box covers etc.  One more Art form that I practice religiously for 30-40 years is Kolam. My day started with the dots and designs, the Kolam adorn my entrance. Only recently, I have outsourced this routine due to health reasons.

My late husband Mr. Venkatachalapathy Senior advocate was an avid traveler. We travelled to many places within India and few places outside of India. During those travels without fail, we visited the city museum where we learnt about culture, civilization and people.

Being a history graduate, we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Often, we used to discuss how mighty empires disintegrated due to neglect and lack of proper support.

Hence, when my son-in-Law Senthil came up with this idea of reviving our traditional arts I was immensely happy. I offered my support unconditionally to this project and happy to look after its operation in India.

Together with our team members, we are in a mission to safeguard our traditional arts from disappearing. Because our arts preserve our story, our history and our lifestyle for the coming generation.

Join us in this effort if you know of any artisans with unique talent in traditional art, please refer our platform.