She calls herself Poornima Travelling Sukumar and for good reason. She is currently travelling with a cargo of goodwill to Kashmir in a lorry. This art caravan she says is called Winter on Wheels and is gathering warm clothing for the Kashmiris affected by the recent floods. At every stop, she and her co-traveller Akram Feroz also make time to connect with the locals. “In Bhopal for instance, we went to four public spaces, gave out canvasses to people and this art will come with us to Jammu and Kashmir,” says Poornima in a telephonic chat.
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This Fine Arts graduate from Chitrakala Parishat decided in her early twenties that making memories was more important to her than making money. Poornima steered clear of desk jobs but is in great demand today as a ‘wall artist’ and as an occasional art director for ad films. Says she, “A wall artist is not a graffiti artist. My work tells a story that a client has to live with. It is art that becomes a part of your living space. My idea of success is different. To me success means travelling to as many places as one possibly can and meeting new people and experiencing all that life has to offer. And to paint. It is not about making money though one does need that occasionally. “
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The long truck journey she is currently undertaking began in Hyderabad and continued across Nagpur, Bhopal, Indore and Baroda. “During the duration of this journey, the truck is our home. We sleep on the clothing packets we have been gathering from various cities. We freshen up at washrooms at petrol pumps and eat at local joints. The paintings we have gathered will be auctioned sometime soon and the proceeds will be divided between the artists and the relief initiatives for Jammu and Kashmir, ” informs Poornima and adds, “Akram and I are doing this in collaboration with ITMD- Hyderabad, J&K RTI Movement, Rural Voice, J&K Flood helpline, Project Heal Kashmir and various other organisations.”
The long truck journey she is currently undertaking began in Hyderabad and continued across Nagpur, Bhopal, Indore and Baroda. “During the duration of this journey, the truck is our home. We sleep on the clothing packets we have been gathering from various cities. We freshen up at washrooms at petrol pumps and eat at local joints. The paintings we have gathered will be auctioned sometime soon and the proceeds will be divided between the artists and the relief initiatives for Jammu and Kashmir, ” informs Poornima and adds, “Akram and I are doing this in collaboration with ITMD- Hyderabad, J&K RTI Movement, Rural Voice, J&K Flood helpline, Project Heal Kashmir and various other organisations.”
The itinerary
28-29 October – Udaipur-Jaipur
30-31October – Agra
1 -2nd November – Delhi
3rd- 4th November- Chandigarh
5th-8th November- Ludhiana,Jallandhar,
9th-10th November- Jammu
11-14th November- Srinagar
28-29 October – Udaipur-Jaipur
30-31October – Agra
1 -2nd November – Delhi
3rd- 4th November- Chandigarh
5th-8th November- Ludhiana,Jallandhar,
9th-10th November- Jammu
11-14th November- Srinagar
For more details, check the Facebook page Winter On Wheels – A Truck Journey Around the Country
with The New Indian Express Reema Moudgil works for The New Indian Express, Bangalore, is the author of Perfect Eight, the editor of Chicken Soup for the Soul-Indian Women, an artist, a former RJ and a mother. She dreams of a cottage of her own that opens to a garden and where she can write more books, paint, listen to music and just be.
with The New Indian Express Reema Moudgil works for The New Indian Express, Bangalore, is the author of Perfect Eight, the editor of Chicken Soup for the Soul-Indian Women, an artist, a former RJ and a mother. She dreams of a cottage of her own that opens to a garden and where she can write more books, paint, listen to music and just be.