To father with love

Artworks of Hyderabad-based photojournalist (late) Bharath Bhushan are on display at Ravindra Bharati

“My father wanted me to be a curator of an art gallery. This show is my small tribute to him,” says Anupriya Bharath, daughter of renowned photojournalist and artist Bharath Bhushan, who passed away due to cancer in January this year. An exhibition and sale of 135 of his acrylic works is currently on at the foyer of Ravindra Bharathi in Hyderabad

Simple strokes and vibrant colours on canvas depict various Telangana-centric themes including its people, the State festivals of Bonalu and Bathukamma, birds, animals, gods and portraits.

Bharath, whose photographs also highlighted Telangana’s art, culture and people, began to paint around a decade ago. “He probably created around 10,000 works in the last 10 years,” says Anupriya, a management professional working with Accenture.

Even while living with multiple health issues, Bharath’s source of comfort was his art and photography. “His day used to begin at 4 am and he followed a schedule even when he was unwell. He would spend around six hours browsing the Internet, constantly updating himself on new developments in the art world.”

Bharath was quite protective of his artworks, treating them like his children. “He would not let any of us touch them and personally took care of the placement and cleaning.”

That Bharath’s favourite colour was blue is evident in most of his works and Anupriya says even the decor and crockery at home are in this shade. “He also wore only blue as he felt the colour helped him be in sync with sky and water. People were in awe of his long hair that was not affected by his cancer treatment,” recalls Anupriya fondly, hoping this endeavour will make her father proud.