The world of abstract is vast and Pathak’s attempt

There’s ‘Symphony’ and ‘Symphony 13’ on tarpaulin. Abstract art is still catching on with people who prefer figurative paintings as they find abstract art "tough" or "unrelatable".For artist Abhijit Kumar Pathak, abstractionism is a way of life. Life has good as well as bad moments. But Pathak deftly manages to manoeuvre colours and fabric through it to lend coherence and liveliness. Inspired by Ellora’s stone sculptures, the artwork plays a vital role in Pathak’s endeavour to experiment. If tarpaulin gives freedom, a hard substance like wood will limit it. Or I could associate it with my childhood memories of scribbling on the walls of my room with a pencil. "I particularly liked an untitled painting which was mix media on wood. Then there’s "Musical Notation" — mixed media on tarpaulin — which is, again, layered in bright yellow colours. The challenge was to turn wood into a piece of art. The works embrace you, almost making you listen to the music. Pathak emphasises that nature, our daily lives and the din of the modern world are very much a part of us and that’s what is reflected in his works.

The world of abstract is vast and Pathak’s attempt to go beyond the obvious is worth your time. She or he would see why a tree exists.. A black circle on a white canvas could mean darkness and gloom or an ominous sign while it could also be construed as tratak meditation method, a popular yoga technique. The paintings are lyrical — created almost to the rhythm and beat of music. Everyday objects and the life around us are all open to interpretation. He usually listens to instrumental music while painting. Pathak uses his affinity with music to take the viewers into a world of harmony and symphony. If you are sensitive, the same will reflect in your works… unknowingly we relate to sound in different aspects of our lives and this is what I am trying to do", says Pathak. In today’s art world, abstractionism is bound by limited thinking. So in abstract art one line could also have a meaning," explains Pathak. The paintings are mostly in mixed media. Pathak’s doing tremendous work with various mediums. "Abstract art forces people to get involved… that’s the success and power of the abstract," he smiles. "If you are stuck in a traffic jam in the summer and you are asked to draw… the heat, the irritation of being stuck on the road and the tension about having to reach your destination on time all manifest in that drawing.Abhijit Kumar Pathak’s solo exhibition ‘Mosaic of Mysteries’, curated by Uma Nair, will be showcased at the Lalit Kala Akademi from March 24-30. 

The exhibition will showcase 13 paintings of Polyester stretch fabric Company the artist, each different yet in complete harmony with one another. "My paintings are like a collage full of fabric, colours and pigment… tarpaulin gives me a textual surface and is more durable," he explains. One needs to take new challenges or risk being too repetitive," quips Pathak. This partly has to do with Pathak’s affinity towards classical music. "Drawing with a pencil on a canvas could be very different from using clay on canvas, as clay will be more difficult to handle. Among Pathak’s artworks is ‘Musical Notes’ which is mixed media on paper with lot of layering. The use of tarpaulin is equally fascinating. However, Pathak differs. "You see a tree, a mountain as is… but an abstract artist could transform it into something you may not have seen. The artworks have a child-like innocence as if they are still growing and on a path to expansion. "I am continuously trying to make people find themselves and their own meaning in my works," says Pathak. A few other paintings are untitled. It is a conscious choice as Pathak uses multiple layers and fabric in his works. To take abstract art a step further, Pathak is all set to unveil his solo show ‘Mosaic of Mysteries’, which is curated by Uma Nair, at Lalit Kala Akademi from March 24-30

The much-awaited Make in India summit

The detour has cost me an additional Rs 20, as the rickshaw had to take a right turn from Asian Heart Institute and exit near the American School," said Naim Shaikh, a resident of Bandra (east) who wanted to go to his workplace at Kurla. Though the ceremony lasted a few minutes, the tour saw dignitaries spend nearly an hour for the interaction. Important Pacts InkedAfter inaugurating the Make In India Centre Expo in Mumbai on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with the Prime Ministers of Sweden and Finland and Deputy Prime Minister of Poland. "The people were miffed by the attitude of the police and the situation could have gotten out of hand due to frayed nerves and heated arguments between the visitors and security personnel," said Akshay Shah, a visitor. FDI has grown by 48 per cent in recent months and it will continue to grow in the future," said Amitabh Kant, secretary of the department of industrial policy and promotion. Mr Fadnavis also attributed the success of Make In India to the ‘Make In Maharashtra’ initiative. On the first day itself, three deals worth Rs 21,400 crore with various companies were inked by Maharashtra. Mr Modi recalled the long association of his home state Gujarat with Poland through Jamnagar during his bilateral talks with the Deputy Prime Minister Dr Piotr Glinski. The Prime Ministers of Finland and Sweden and the deputy premier of Poland were also among the attendees.

All our partners are very enthusiastic.. In his talks with his Swedish counterpart Stefan Lofven, Mr Modi invited Swedish companies to forge partnerships in the fields of defence, electronic goods, medical equipment etc. The third MoU was between Raymond Industries and MIDC as part of the ‘Farm to Fabric’ initiative. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the ‘Make In India’ vision led to different states adopting "competitive federalism". Putting technology to good use, the two Prime Ministers tele-inaugurated the new state-of-the-art manufacturing unit of Trivitron Healthcare in Chennai. The Prime Minister also spoke about the Make In India initiative being successful due to the government’s decision to deregulate and simplify doing business in India. The location of the plant will be decided shortly. The main road in BKC was closed for security reasons and vehicular traffic had to take a detour to go to Bandra or Kurla at the other end. The second MoU was signed between Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd and Jain Irrigation Pvt Ltd and the state department of agriculture and marketing for setting up a juice-manufacturing facility to support farmers growing oranges in Vidarbha. "The Make In India vision has changed the outlook of the entire country. The MoUs are between Sterlite Group company, TwinStar Display Technologies and MIDC to set up an LCD manufacturing unit known as Panel FAB, with technical collaboration with Autron of Taiwan. There is a fair competitive atmosphere across states throughout the country. It is expected to benefit 5,000 farmers with an average landholding of two acres each. Mr Modi and the dignitaries visited the stalls of Tata Steel, ABB, Siemens and Sonalika, among others.

The presence of heads of states and business houses along with foreign delegates saw high levels of security, which inconvenienced visitors as well as mediapersons. Public transport like BEST buses and rickshaws were also forced to take the detour. The event started with Mr Modi and other premiers cutting the inaugural ribbon to enter the venue that will house stalls of states as well business houses, both Indian and foreign, for the week-long event.Later in the day, Mr Modi had bilateral talks with the Prime Ministers of Sweden and Finland and Deputy Prime Minister of Poland. The unit will be set up in Nandgaon Textile Park at Amravati district and it will procure cotton from the beleaguered farmers in the district and Vidarbha."In all, around 2,500 international and 8,000 domestic companies are participating in the multi-sectoral industrial event that is being attended by foreign delegations from 68 nations and business teams from 72 nations. Meanwhile, the morning launch had its fair share of trouble for visitors as the overzealous security personnel stopped and refused entry to visitors despite Wholesale Nylon Polyester stretch them having proper passes. Mr Modi and the other premiers then took a tour of the pavilion and also visited stalls and interacted with representatives. Mr Modi discussed areas of cooperation in food processing, clean energy and transportation sectors.

The much-awaited Make in India summit, which seeks to encourage investors and companies to invest and get products manufactured in the country, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a specially erected venue at Mumbai’s business hub at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) on Saturday. Later in the day, many visitors who had registered for various seminars on the Make in India website were shocked as the security personnel did not allow them to enter the venue. The project intends to give a higher value to orange growers. "India never had this kind of participation from across the world. Raymond intends to invest Rs 1,400 crore for manufacturing of linen yarn and fabric and garmenting.While neither Mr Modi nor any other premiers spoke with the media, Union commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman, speaking outside the venue, said, "I can’t speculate on the number of memoranda of understanding that will be signed, but this is a brilliant start. The states are now moving from co-operative to competitive federalism," said Mr Fadnavis after Mr Modi launched the Make In India Week. The project entails investment of Rs 20,000 crore. During his interaction with the Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila, Mr Modi invited Finland's active participation in engineering, power plants, biotech and innovation. Three key MoUs related to the state were exchanged at the Make In India Expo in the presence of Mr Modi

Championing rupee decline to boost exports is doing

Championing rupee decline to boost exports is doing more harm than good, said a latest report by State Bank of India (SBI)."The rupee volatility has impacted export intensive industries more severely than import intensive industries as the credit profiles of import intensive industries are cushioned by presence of natural or contracted hedges, ability to pass on increased costs to customers, support from strong parents or government and being able to substitute imports in select circumstances," it added. Gems & Jewellery and leather are also doing badly," the report stated..58 times.During March to August 2018, the report said companies in sectors such as petroleum, NBFCs, power, telecommunication and automobile have turned to external commercial borrowing (ECB) under the automatic route and accounted for about 71 per cent of the total borrowing.

However, it added that auto ancillary, pharma (bulk drugs), industrial paper and chemicals (speciality) sector saw maximum upgrades.95 times. Interestingly, 15 per cent of the companies out of total 478 companies under the study have slipped into default category and most of them are in textile business.An analysis of the rating migration of 478 export intensive companies falling under textile, agriculture, leather, automobile, gems & jewellery sector during March to August 2018 revealed that the credit ratio (number of upgrades to downgrades) stood at 0. The total borrowing during the period stood at Rs 14,700 crore.In the import intensive industries, the ratio of upgrades to downgrades stood at 0. Out of 1,092 companies falling under electrical, engineering goods, metal and Oil & Gas industries, 67 companies have been downgraded while 64 companies have been upgraded during last six month. While companies, which have resorted to external commercial borrowings are taking a Polyester stretch fabric Suppliers hit on their bottom line, it noted that even export oriented companies, especially in the textile sector has slipped into default category during the last few months