Experience sharing..

APU is that one place that changed my life in a very big way. I had read Economics before that at the number one college in the country. While everyone around me at that time was focused on getting the highest paying jobs at banks, I found myself disillusioned with the world…particularly the idea of development. I was looking to study development and came across APU very randomly. That day and after a very engaging interview (which was a LOT of fun), I got in! I joined in last and found a new world here altogether. The space created for open minded conversations, for learning was exactly what I was looking for. I engaged in different disciplines and renewed my love for writing but, with a desire to write that creates some impact. That has affected my writing till date. It was also here that the course Art and Experience with Kaustuv changed me. Until then, I believed with my whole being that I cannot draw or colour or paint. yes, interpretation of art was possible but, not creating them. Taking the course with Kaustuv changed my outlook towards art. I was always taught that there is good art and bad art, that there are rules to follow which I could not and hence, I could never make art. With this course I saw that I was neither praised for my work nor criticised. It was only shared how the instructor or my classmates interpreted it. Thats it! That time and today I am working as a full time artist – having had my first exhibition in 2016 as well. I am, of course, still learning and thinking of ways with which I could mix art with development but, then my journey has just begun!

Shivranjana Rathore [shivranjana.r@apu.edu.in]

[2012-14 Batch]