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A Short Story of Vani Pillai:

सदञ्चित मुदञ्चित निकुञ्चित पदं झलझलञ्चलित मञ्जु कटकम्

पतञ्जलि दृगञ्जन मनञ्जन मचञ्चलपदं जनन भञ्जन करम् ।करम्

कदम्बरुचिमम्बरवसं परमम्बुद कदम्ब कविडम्बक कगलम्

चिदम्बुधि मणिं बुध हृदम्बुज रविं पर चिदम्बर नटं हृदि भज ॥ १

–    ॥ नटराजस्तोत्र ,चरण शृङ्ग रहित (पतञ्जलि) ॥

“With his foot curved in joy, adorned by the very nature of Truth, and making a jingling sound by the bells on the anklet that adorns it, the one who is blemishless, of an unmoving abode, the one who destroys the cycles of life and death, is of the hue of the kadamba flower who is the ultimate being, with the sky as his garments, whose throat resembles the blue colour of all the oceans of the world, who is the jewel of consciousness, who is like the Sun to the lotus-like hearts of the enlightened ones, Worship that dancing form of the great Lord at Chidambaram in your heart.” – Nataraja Strotra, Patanjali

Kalaivani’s journey of visual expression is inspired as much by the spiritual, as it is by sacred colors. Her unbounded devotion to the Eternal Lord is reflected in her choices of image, motif, and icon, as she seeks to capture them in traditional and modern interpretation. The balance of form and shade in her paintings invoke a rare sense of peace and calm, in stillness that is deeply reflective of temple art.

The red of Shakti and purity, the green of harvest and nature, the yellow of happiness, peace, and meditation, the blue of the sky, the oceans, bravery and determination, the white of peace and knowledge, in the traditional Indian palette from which she paints, reconnect us to our cultural and spiritual roots.

She believes that art, like spirituality, has no beginning and no end, meant to be felt and experienced in the emotions it evokes rather than limiting itself to the body of stylisation. And that it is in this journey of self-discovery that salvation of the artistic spirit is to be found.