Tuesdays always dawned bright
When I joined SCMC in the July of 2016, I was still reeling from my decision to drop art as a career option completely, and as someone who finds solace in swirly patterns and blending colours, I was relieved to know we had a class called Introduction to Visual and Aesthetic Communication. I happened to be three minutes late to Professor Milinda Natu’s first lecture and got a good yelling. But surprisingly, even though I get disheartened by harsh tones almost instantly, I was just in awe with the woman, and I left the two hour lecture that day with a beaming smile on my face.
From Van Gogh’s swirly blues to Seurat’s dots and Caravaggio’s shadow play; Milinda Ma’am guided us through the works of artists of all kinds with passion reverberating in her voice and a tiny smile in her eyes. Being a visual art student in IB, I assumed I could identify tell-tale artist works and I was confident of my element interpretation, but every Tuesday, I was humbled as I learnt something new and gained different perspectives even on some of my favourite artists like Johannes Vermeer. Not to forget, the short films and advertisements she showed us every class which were beautiful, creative and aesthetically pleasing. I mean how can you not love a woman who shows you the 10 best animated short films of all time and the Carl and Ellie Scene from Disney’s UP?
If I am being honest, I was not too fond of 90 percent of the assignments we got in the first semester, and I know I did many just for the sake of the submission date; but it was the aesthetics assignments that I genuinely looked forward to every alternate Tuesday. Each assignment was so creatively challenging and inspiring and honestly, Milinda Ma’am’s approval meant so much that it kept a silly smile on my face the whole week. I particularly enjoyed the assignment in which we had to connect the five elements; Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Aether to the five senses and create a product. My group and I designed a gift hamper of five ready-made cake frostings and icings which were so fancy that I even executed my own inventions in real time, which was a brilliant success. I scored a 9*** on that assignment and I was so proud of my group and our work.
Milinda Ma’am was not just someone who imparted her vast expanse of creative knowledge, but she was also someone who was real with us. She was not afraid of showing us the mirror and hauling us out on our nonsense when she saw fit. She was critical and not always in a way that would appreciate but that’s what a lot of us needed and I respected the fact that she spared our feelings to teach us discipline, manners and perseverance. Personally, I find her one of the most inspiring and beautiful human beings I have ever had the opportunity of interacting with and I am grateful to have learnt from her.
First semester has been a hurricane of change coupled with a whirlwind of academic goals to achieve and college activities to participate in. Many a days I found myself being hurled across the jagged rocks by the harsh winds, but Tuesdays always dawned bright and it’s only because of one woman and her aesthetic.
Article by: Nairika Lodhi (Batch of 2019)
Photograph by: Nairika Lodhi (Batch of 2019)
