CHICAGO: Indian Consul General Dr Ausaf Sayeed is a proven career diplomat endearing himself well with the community at large, but he has also emerged as a very hospitable and amiable host while entertaining guests at meetings and the media group invited at his Chicago downtown residence last week had a first hand feel of this trait.
Not to be outdone in this respect is his wife Farha Sayeed. A talented artist, not basking in his glory, she has carved out a name and fame for herself in a relatively uncharted field – carving and painting on egg shells of birds. She acquitted herself very gracefully while making media guests feel at home at their residence and gave them a glimpse of her art work.
CG Sayeed was in a reminiscent mood sharing his experiences as an Ambassador to Yemen as also his handling of passport work in Hyderabad at the start of his career. It was revealing to know that Aden, a free port during British yoke, had a large number of Indian population who felt at home with keeping up their links with India and Indian culture by celebrating religious festivals and social-cultural programs. There were two scores of religious places – Hindu-Jain temples, churches and Parsee fire places.
“The Jain temple had a huge collection of old manuscripts which with the help of the Indian government were well taken care of,” he said. Dhirubhai Ambani, an industry Moghul, had his business start at Aden, Dr Ausaf mentioned.
It was also revealing to know that many Yemen lawmakers and government officials had their education at Pune and they yearned for cementing educational and cultural ties with India.
This relatively small, tension-free place got embroiled in fierce proxy fights among contending nations and locals. Much of Saudi oil shipped to India passes thru the Aden port. The peace in the region is important for India.
Dr Sayeed also said how he overhauled passport issuance facility in Hyderabad by eliminating “touts” who had entrenched themselves near the government facility. He has taken energetic steps to streamline the functioning of the Indian consulate in Chicago. Besides, he has initiated moves that would help cementing academic, business and cultural ties between Midwest and India.
Farha Sayeed, the artist wife of Dr Sayeed, has a two-day exhibition of egg shell carving slated at Chicago Symphony facility in Chicago Downtown on Sunday March 20 and Monday March 21.
She has a passion for creating Faberge-styled exotic Objets d’Art from egg shells of ostrich, emu, goose, duck, turkey, guinea, rhea, and hen. These eggshells are intricately cut, carved, and ornamented, using pearls, beads, crystals, brocade, velvet, satin, golden laces, etc., and finally are mounted on beautiful silver and golden stands, making each end-product a customized masterpiece.
She transforms relatively no-use eggshells into breathtakingly beautiful and precious pieces of art, which can adorn even a palace because of their elegance and beauty. An interesting aspect of Farha’s egg sculpting is her successful experimentation with the fusion of Indian and Islamic elements in this unique art form, which is otherwise Western.
Farha’s collection of decorated eggs was first displayed by the Art Lovers’ Group of a renowned Danish Pharmaceutical Company.
This was followed by a series of full-fledged solo exhibitions titled “Eggsperience” in Copenhagen,”Eggcellence” in Jeddah, “Eggxotica” in New Delhi, and “Eggspressions” in Sana’a, to great appreciation. Farha also participated in the Annual Dallas Egg Show along with other international egg artists.
A member of International Egg Art Guild, Farha is considered as a pioneer in promoting Egg Art in India.
“I had a passion for arts and crafts since my childhood; when I came across a new medium of eggshells it attracted me instantly. Eggs reflect the origin of life. To me egg sculpting is a reflection of my self-expression and a way of looking at objects in a different perspective”, she added.
(Suresh Bodiwala has contributed his piece on Ms Farha)
Ramesh Soparawala
India Post News Service
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