To mark the 49th National Day, noted artist and author Kavitha Ramakrishna presented a Tanjore painting depicting the traditional Omani dagger Khanjar to renowned painter Maryam Mohammed Al Zadjali, who is the director of Omani Society for Fine Arts (OSFA), the nation’s premium art institution.

A prominent name in the region’s art scene, Maryam Mohammed Al Zadjali has been at helm of the art association since 2008. Having worked hard to reflect the diversity of artworks produced in Oman, over the years Maryam has put together exhibitions, workshop, seminars and collaborations to place the Sultanate’s art landscape on the world map. She also has the distinction of being the first woman director to run a Fine Arts Society in the entire GCC region.

Having been inspired by Maryam’s contribution to Oman’s thriving art scene, Kavitha Ramakrishna, decided to make and present a special Tanjore painting which is an ancient art form from India. Besides being a reputed author and well renowned Tanjore style artist, Kavitha is also Sanskrit language expert, yoga practitioner, dedicated educator and philanthropist.

WATCH: Kavitha Ramakrishna on her book Tamoghna

On presenting a Khanjar painting using the ancient art form of Tanjore, Kavitha said, “Madam Maryam has contributed enormously to a healthy fine arts culture and furthered its growth in Oman. She has been inspirational for many artists including me. I believe providing cultural enrichment opportunities for the society is extremely important. Madam Maryam has played a big role in giving the art connoisseurs the opportunity to experience many different art forms. Above all she is an internationally collected and awarded artist, who has developed unique series of works pushing the limits of creativity.”

Kavitha added, “In addition, this gesture of presenting a Tanjore painting helps in promoting close cultural connection between India and Oman. I thank Madam Maryam for accepting my work of art. Besides, with the 49th National Day approaching already to be celebrated in the month of November I felt this would be the ideal gift to commemorate the art of the country too.”

Thanking Kavitha, Maryam said, “I am thoroughly impressed with Kavitha’s work of Tanjore which is a popular form of classical Indian painting. The fabulous composition, vibrancy of the surface and the vivacious colours of the painting differentiates it from the other kinds of paintings I have seen. The embellishments she has used further adds to the attractiveness of her work. I congratulate Kavitha for being a cultural ambassador and using opportunities to create people-to-people and cross-cultural connections between Omani and Indian citizens.”

Kavitha’s Tanjore paintings depicting Oman’s national emblem, forts, mosques and jewellery

Kavitha has used her expertise in the ancient art form of Tanjore paintings to capture Oman’s rich heritage. Her Tanjore paintings depicting Oman’s national emblem, forts, mosques and jewellery decorate the walls of some of the prestigious institutions in the Sultanate, thus giving wings to Kavitha’s dream of promoting India’s art to a wider audience. Kavitha has also been popularising the ancient art form from Tanjore by offering free training and teaching on offline and e-learning platform.

She was bestowed with the rare honour opportunity to showcase her work at Oman’s Ministry of Tourism’s exhibition and also at another event commemorating the 60 years of diplomatic relations between Oman and India.

While her Ministry of Tourism exhibition which commemorated the 44th National Day of the Sultanate showcased Omani traditions, the work at the 60 years of diplomatic relations between Oman and India event focussed on ties between the two countries.

Recently, Kavitha received the honour to work from India’s Ministry of AYUSH based on her extensive research for her book ‘Tamoghna’ which touches upon on the history of yogic philosophy, essence of yoga practice and deals specifically with vast benefits of surya namaskar.

She recently submitted her research paper on the formidable therapeutic technique surya namaskar (salutations to the sun) to the World Health Organisation (WHO) at Geneva. Her research paper evaluates applicable and relevant information on surya namaskar, the vibrant technique within the yogic repertoire.

As an author, Kavitha has depicted the unique character of exquisite Oman in a book in the Kannada language titled ‘Na Kanda Muscat’.

Arts, culture and community work connoisseur Kavitha Ramakrishna has been honoured with several prestigious awards. Kavitha is a recipient of Karnataka government’s Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Award, Al Mara Excellence Award, Indian Embassy Oman award, and 2019 Oman’s Woman of the Year Award for significant contributions in the field of arts, culture and community work.