Latest news with #Rajapriya
Hindustan Times
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
This 1,000-year-old art style is the hottest trend in home decor today
India is a land of culture where every region and state speaks of tradition and history. Even before any museums or galleries existed, art has been used to express emotions, traditions and tell stories. Modern art, although it does not exactly portray the art forms, whether carving or painting on daily objects or temple walls, continues to inspire today's artists. People from Indigenous communities around the world have made huge contributions with their rock and wall art. These artworks are more than just beautiful; they tell stories about everyday life, as well as reflect spiritual ideas and symbols that are important to these people. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, GR Rajapriya, founding director and principal designer at Eastcraft Designs, shared, 'Ancient art forms like cave paintings and carvings, tribal arts, continue to inspire young artists in creating modern art by offering a direct link to humanity's earliest creative impulses and universal forms of expression. Modern artists often draw on the techniques and aesthetics of cave art, such as bold outlines, limited colour palettes and a focus on movement and symbolism, to infuse their own works with a sense of authenticity and universality.' Another folk art form from Western India, famous for its beautiful and visually appealing folk art, known as Warli, is distinguished by the use of basic shapes such as circles, triangles and squares created in a striking, monochrome style. Rajapriya revealed, 'Warli art has had a significant impact on modern art and design, both in India and outside, as the concept of minimalism takes the world by storm.' Rajapriya explained, 'The use of geometric shapes and a monochromatic palette has encouraged contemporary artists and designers to adapt similar ideas into their own works, bridging the gap between tribal tradition and modern aesthetics. Warli motifs are now widely employed in textiles, fashion, home décor, and even large-scale murals, having moved from their initial context of mud walls in rural Maharashtra to urban locations and global art galleries.' These art forms serve as a vital reminder of art's growth while also demonstrating the power to communicate throughout time. 'Wall art and murals, like the techniques and instruments used to create them, have undoubtedly evolved as a result of modern influences. However, underlying it all, there are still reasons why art should be created. People have an obvious need to sculpt, tell stories and beautify everything around them, which will always exist, demonstrating the ingenuity of those who lived before us in the present,' Rajapriya concluded.
New Indian Express
08-06-2025
- Science
- New Indian Express
Milk of mom's hard work: Girl hits new heights
CHENNAI: In a modest home in Attur, Salem, nestled under a rusted corrugated sheet roof, Santhi's day begins before the daybreak, at 4 am. The 55-year-old walks to the shed, pats her two milch cows gently, and the day has been just the same for the past 33 years. 'My only dream was to see my daughter study and make it big in life.' That dream has now taken her daughter, R Rajapriya, across the world to Brazil and soon to Finland. At 35, Rajapriya is now a post-doctoral researcher in cement chemistry, supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) in Brazil. Another leap came when she was recently awarded the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Fellowship 2024 with a perfect evaluation score of 100%. The fellowship, valued at Rs 2.8 crore, will see her researching sustainable construction technologies at the University of Oulu in Finland, with a six-month stint at C2CA Technology in Netherlands. Rajapriya was just a toddler when her father, a farmer, died of jaundice. Left with no income and a child to raise, Santhi started selling milk to local cooperative societies. She recalled, 'We had four cows then, now only two remain.' With meagre earnings from selling, private schooling was out of reach. Hence, Santhi enrolled Rajapriya at Attur Government Girls' Higher Secondary School. Her brilliance soon spoke for her. By Class 8, a private school offered her free admission, impressed by her exam scores. After scoring 1,096 out of 1,200 in Class 12, she chose civil engineering on the advice of a relative's friend during the Anna University counselling session. Rajapriya said, 'Back then, we had no idea about higher studies. Based on his suggestion, I chose engineering at a college in Chennai.' To cover her college and hostel expenses, the family had to take out an educational loan. After completing her BE, she took up teaching briefly before pursuing her ME in Construction Engineering and Management. Upon completing ME, she resumed teaching, this time at a private engineering college in Chennai, where she worked for two years.
