This week I want to applaud men who genuinely celebrate International Women’s Day. Yes, that’s right. Men who understand what it means for women to stand up and be seen, men who encourage and support, who stand beside or behind them, and most importantly, men who shut up and listen when women speak.
If you are one of them, I tip my faux straw hat to you. I’ve recently taken to wearing hats in the city—ones I originally bought for beach holidays—as summer has already arrived with unmistakable intensity, promising to be quite the sizzler this year.
Adding to the seasonal heat was the increasingly shrill chorus of advertisements targeting women with special offers for International Women’s Day. Each year, brands seem determined to make consumers of women without the slightest effort to understand the day’s significance. It’s simply another opportunity to boost sales—no different from Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Children’s Day, and countless others. Are you appalled, or at least mildly annoyed, by this blatant appropriation by marketers?
Amidst numerous Women’s Day-themed events, I found myself at a celebration that honoured two things dear to my heart: art and feminism through the spotlight on women artists. MG Doddamani, a Bengaluru- based professional artist, curator, and art teacher, invited me to inaugurate and moderate a discussion at ‘Avyanna’ —a showcase featuring artworks by his female students created especially for International Women’s Day.
Success in the art world is elusive, and finding mentors who nurture emerging artists is even rarer. Doddamani has, over the past two decades, curated several exhibitions where he’s thoughtfully included works by young artists alongside established ones. His background has uniquely sensitized him to artists and their struggles. Coming from a farming family in rural Karnataka, he initially lacked artistic exposure. It wasn’t until he joined an art college in Gulbarga that he discovered his life’s purpose. An opportunity to continue his education at Santiniketan solidified this path. Even as he developed into a respected practicing artist, he ran a gallery where he curated numerous shows promoting talented artists from rural areas. Through this work, he established Oorja as a platform dedicated to nurturing art and artists.
This marks the second year of Avyanna, which began with Doddamani’s desire to encourage a longtime student who had found her way back to art after battling cancer. Initially planning a solo exhibition of her works, he pivoted to a group show when she expressed concerns about creating enough pieces. As he considered this shift, he realized that in recent years, his student base had increasingly consisted of women pursuing art as a means of expression. This observation sparked the idea for a show exclusively featuring women artists. Judging by the enthusiastic response, Doddamani is confident it will become an annual tradition. I was delighted to hear this, especially since we had previously curated “Heart to Art,” featuring women artists at an Under The Raintree pop-up. It’s deeply satisfying to see such initiatives continue and evolve.
The artist who sell their works at Avyanna donate a considerable portion of the sales to a cause and this year they chose Karunashraya that provides free-of-cost palliative care for end-stage cancer patients. A unique collage combining the works of all the artists and their teacher was put up for auction to raise funds for this hospice.
The event held yet another surprise element. You think you know someone, but often when you scratch the surface, the real person emerges—sometimes disappointingly so. In this case, I was thrilled to discover a genuine soul. I’ve been acquainted with Renu George, the elegantly “arty” owner of Time & Space gallery, for years. She comes from the immensely talented Sajnani family of theatre actors, and her husband George is the most sought-after dance partner in social circles.
During our discussion on “Art Redefined”, Renu stole the hearts of artists and art loverswith her remarks. “People should stop buying art as an investment and instead enjoy art for its own sake,” she declared. “This is the only way to nurture both artists and audiences for art.” Such a bold and honest statement from a gallerist deserves applause, and I wholeheartedly offer mine.
Sandhya Mendonca, author, biographer, and publisher, casts a female gaze at the world in this column.