You may see red in the things you dislike, or be purple with rage when things go awry or be green with envy when others upstage you to steal the show’s shine — but that’s all right. What is far more consequential is that do you have all key colour components inside your body to ward off the evil called physical chrome-imbalance? “Well, as far as the popular concept goes, colour-blindness is more common in our daily parlance than colour-deficiencies. However, the crisis of the latter type can result into acute psychological and material problems or even organ related diseases. Physiological ailments like arthritis and migraine and psychological disorders like stress and depression can be caused due to deprivation of dyes in the human body. Hence, colour therapy is an imperative remedy to address this malady. At a spiritual level, this method of treatment acts as a holistic cure. At a scientific level, however, it acts as psychotherapy,” says Dr Sudeep Ranjan Sarkar, an eminent psychologist-cum-self-taught painter.
Pegged on the premise of urbanscape with the effectiveness of colour therapy, this artist’s eye-catching unconventional oeuvre was recently showcased at Kolkata’s Gallery 79. Titled Life in a Metro, his maiden solo exhibition with an offbeat theme drew eyeballs from all quarters.
Dr Sarkar is a registered psychologist with the Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists and a charter member of Association of Professional Psychologists.
Talking of the visitors’ response to his paintings, Dr Sarkar notes, “I’ve actually got people coming and telling me that the colours on the canvases have left a very positive feeling on their tired minds. You see, such paintings can be customised, considering the dearth of a particular hue in the human constitution, and can considerably help enhance the same element at a sub-conscious level. Be it red, yellow, blue, orange, black, white or green — a good dosage of colours can work wonders as a magic potion for the weary brow. Fact of the matter is, we are all living in an angst-ridden age, suffering from daily drudgeries, mental ennui and exacting deadline pressures. The modern-day man is, therefore, desperately looking for an outlet to unwind himself, thus stretching his strained limbs and letting his hair down.”
Although extensive research work is in progress on the foreign soil that revolves around this field in the medical science, yet nobody has implemented its procedures in treating the patients at large, claims Dr, Sarkar. “Incidentally, both music as well as aromatherapies have gained ground in administering antidotes to put patients on the path of recovery with their restorative properties. For example, time and again, medical practitioners have used soulful compositions of the masters of symphony — Mozart and Beethoven respectively — to treat some diagnostic syndromes. Never, though, has any attempts been made to take the aid of colour therapy’s healing traits to annihilate the internal ills of mankind,” he says.
Dwelling on his radiant futuristic pieces, dipped inside a palette of vivid shades, Dr Sarkar suggests that his repertoire of 25 specimens, dabble in the figurative art rather than abstract imageries. Lined up with an array of human faces, the paintings portray a picture of reality strewn all around us. Be it a mother feeding her child or a coy newly-wed bride decking herself up, the collection reflects everyday, prosaic life with traces of poetry attached to it. The media applied here is acrylic on paper and charcoal, while the dimension varies from a mix-n-match range of 2.5 ft X 2 ft to as minuscule as A-4, A-3, A-5 paper sizes. Plans are in the pipeline to carry forth this one-of-its-kind display to foreign countries like London and places like Sharjah and Dubai in the Middle East.
“From my frequent conversations with other psychiatrists and analytical specialists dealing in this sphere, what I could gather is that normal conventional psychological regimen is just not clicking for good. Hence, colour therapy scores a vantage point. For starters, I intend to spread the word around beginning from Europe and then moving to the US. The ultimate aim is to achieve alleviation of pain and evolution of human growth. What say!” he winds up the parting shot.