CHITRAKALA

The Artist for Dharma

“Sheer grace of God made me an artist. Drawing has been my forte and passion from my childhood. All I would require was just a pencil and a paper, I would just draw anything that I saw. I was born in a traditional Brahmin family and my kuldevata is Ambaji (Gujarat). My father Subash is real-estate businessman, and my mother Kamini is a homemaker. Our family hails from Rajkot and now we are residing in the outskirts of Bombay, Bhayander (Thane). My time at the college while pursuing mass media was kept occupied by my passion. Drawing the scene with my professors taking a class for us was more interesting than paying attention to them,” confessed Hitharth S. Bhatt.

The passionate artist tried to get into fine arts for his bachelor's degree, however the supreme being had other plans for him. His family had wanted him to get into their traditional real-estate business. But Hitharth was keen to pursue art and the Dharma (Hindutva). He had been passionate about football and was creating sketches of football players at one time. However, a lightening thought made him conclude that creating such sketches will not be purposeful. Hitharth feels that God pushed him to do sketches for the purpose of promoting Hindutva.

The nationalist is married to Bhavi, and the couple are blessed with Bhriti. “Bhriti also means wages and it is the best gift from God to me. I have been doing a lot of artworks over the years and quite a few are done with acrylic on canvas, still sketching for me is an invigorating task. I am a keen follower of Modiji from the time he governed Gujarat. This made me create a sketch of him on the day he became the Prime Minister of India. My sketch of the Central Minister Smriti Irani was received well,” added Hitharth.

A video of Hitharth creating the portrait of Poorna Pragnya Hanuman went viral on Twitter.

Hitharth went on to sketch several Hindu deities. Among those, the portrait of Hanuman became a milestone for him. It showed him the right path and took him to Indic authors like Manoshi Sinha Rawal, a writer by passion and editor by profession. Manoshi was quick to adopt Hitharth as her younger brother and this gave him an opportunity to sketch for her book, ‘Saffron Swords’. This was the beginning of a wonderful journey, and she helped the budding artist to get to know Francois Gautier, the defender of Hindutva. This association created a milestone of sorts, for Hitharth began to work with Francois Gautier.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum of Indian History was founded by Francois Gautier, and it holds exhibitions which contain pictures and paintings of freedom fighters and dharma warriors. Hitharth has made 35 pieces thus far for this museum. The 14th Dalai Lama, Narendra Modiji, Uddhav Thackeray, Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji, Nitin Gadkari etc., have visited this museum. Francois Gautier had held a talk show at The Nehru Planetarium in Mumbai, and he had showcased some works of Hitharth at that time.

“I wear Hindutva like a badge and am proud of it. My daughter Bhriti is very passionate about dharma. I try to instill Hindutva into my friends and relatives. This is done in order to change the way they think, and they become positive thereafter. My major progress took place after I created the sketch of a unique Hanuman. I spoke to Manoshi didi and it is because of her that now I am talking to you. My artwork, name and everything else are due to her,” stated a steadfast Hitharth.

This lovely sketch of Hanuman is more than a piece of art. The sketch contains numerous Vanara-s, the Princes of Ayodhya, Rama & Lakshmana, and Hanuman fulfilling several tasks. One can see the Lankadahan Hanuman, Sanjeevi Hanuman, Ramsethu Hanuman, and Suryanamaskaar Hanuman. Episodes connected with the Ramayan are part of this picture, Hanuman writing Ram nam on the stones that were used for the construction of Rama Setu, Rama breaking the pinaka bow in order to marry Sita, the battle between Jatayu and Ravana while Sita is present in the pushpak viman as a captive, Lakshman chopping the nose of Surpanaka, Rama eating fruits from the hands of Sabari. The sketch contains the raakshas army along with Ravana and Kumbhakarna, the Bear-king, Jaambhavaan and his team, and an injured Lakshmana lying down on the lap of Rama with Jaambhavaan keeping guard under the Dronagiri mountain.

The artist requested the interviewer to name his Hanuman and He was from that instant known as Poorna Pragnya Hanuman. Hitharth offers prints and outputs of Poorna Pragnya Hanuman. He stated that his family keeps pushing him and it is because of their constant support that he is what he is now.

Hitharth is keen to create sketches and pictures of deities and patriots during the times to come. He wants to discover everything connected with the 732 Hanuman-s installed by saint Vyasaraja, the Rajaguru of the Emperor of Vijayanagara, Sri Krishnadevaraya. Accolades and achievements are sure to decorate this Hindutva warrior during the forthcoming days.

Mr. Rajesh Govindarajulu is one of the founding members of the Verandah Club Pvt. Ltd. He is a leading columnist, historian, jeweler, entrepreneur, and a heritage enthusiast who is earnestly working to revive the past in the light of the present. Experiential learning about the history of Coimbatore is his main course of interest and he is also a panel member of many colleges in the city.