Colours Of Contentment

In her studio on the second floor of her Hyderabad home, Anjani Reddy paints beautiful women in serene poses, always surrounded by flowers and nature. But her women do not smile, nor are they angry or crying—they are simply serene. The 66 year-old is an artist who bares her soul in her work, her inner peace so palpable that one cannot help but be touched by it. “Every artist projects some element of herself in her art. I do too. When I paint the women, I project an inner serenity, I want to share my personal moments with connoisseurs. A woman does not have to smile to show that she is happy,” reveals Reddy, recipient of the Raja Ravi Varma Samman conferred by the Megh Mandal Sansthan of Rajasthan at Chaitranjali, an annual event that recognises contemporary Indian artists.

- Shyamola Khanna

Reddy grew up in Hyderabad, with her uncle’s family, because her father didn’t want to move out of Nandikandi, their ancestral village. From the beginning, she told anyone who asked that she wanted to draw. When she was older and decided to pursue fine arts, friends and family thought she was saying ‘finance’ and were impressed. They were quite disappointed when she clarified that she had said ‘fine arts’!