A sentiment from the art world departs
When a soul departs, it leaves behind uncountable memories for many to rewind and replay. Mention the name Alka Raghuvanshi, and the subconscious ignites not just a recollection of the many facets of her personality but also an ‘ehsaas’ (a sentiment) that she left behind.
Ehsaas, the title of an illustrated book that she penned, was the name of one of the many shows she curated. For this show, the artist and writer turned 31 personalities from the world of art and culture, into mobile installations. One of them was artist Sanjay Bhattacharyya. He reminisces how Raghuvanshi was always “very enterprising”, and adds, “As an artist, she was spontaneous. She played with colours, which everyone can’t. Even though she had health issues, she worked a lot.”
After the news of Raghuvanshi’s demise broke on social media on Wednesday evening, many were shocked. “We had a long chat on her birthday in April, and just three days back she messaged from the hospital saying she wasn’t well and would call once she’s back home,” says artist Shridhar Iyer. “I met her about 30 years ago, and she was like my elder sister. It was devastating when I saw the news,” says Siddhartha Tagore, art collector and gallerist who met her in 1997-98.
Art curator Ina Puri says, “You saw her, and respected what she did. I wasn’t friends with her personally, but she was present in our world. It’s difficult to accept that I will no longer bump into her. It will take us a while to come to terms with this.”