Ashish Baran Misra Born in 1951 in Dehradun. . The journey as an artist began way back in his childhood days when he saw his Grandmother making religious murals and motifs with natural materials. He was exposed to various artists in Dehradun since his early days when they would visit his parents who were both teachers. Soon his scribbles turned into a serious inclination for Art and he took it as a subject in school. Masters in Art from DAV College, Dehradun While in DAV his teachers, Dr. A. B. Verma, Professor Ranvir Saxena, Dr. Sarla Raman, all leading authorities in Art and well known artists, moulded his young mind with their knowledge of Indian and European Art. After his MA he joined the famous artist Dr. Dwijen Sen of Kala Kendra as a student for two years, where he learned clay modeling and other aspects of art. Wynberg Allen School, Mussoorie 1974 – 2013 For him his real development as an artist started with his journey as a teacher. He taught his students art which encouraged them in self expression that brought out their inborn creativity and nurtured their imagination beyond the mundane. In his words,‘’ When you see what you are sowing has started blossoming, it gives you a lot of confidence and gives wings to your imagination also”. In his words ‘’my students inspired me to do good work’’. He contributed to the School in various ways like setting up the school Museum among other things. Exhibitions Participates in group shows at Kala Kendra, Dehradun each year Collections His artworks are in private collections in Australia, New Zealand, England, USA and in many places within India. Current After his retirement he is settled in Dehradun, where he spends his time in making artworks, writing and small craft work. Ashish Baran Misra’s four decades of teaching career has gifted the Art world with some remarkable artists. He inspired and brought out inner lying creative aspirations of over two generations of students. His personal Art journey has been hidden behind his carrer as a teacher, in his personal space, and a quiet persona. His affinity with nature, flora fauna, Himalayan landscapes, the simple hill people, everyday life around him, and more… are inspirations for his artworks. Behind the physical imagery of the people, he portrays the deep emotional content of their everyday lives. Strong dynamic lines of the figures generate energies which conjure upon a sense of vibrating movements.The hardships of hill life and its people, the migration from these villages are an aspect depicted with honesty, while on the other hand there are the divine subjects of hermits, sadhus, Gods and paintings of life and beyond. These show his emotional evolution as an artist, where there is devotion, seeking, meditation. In his watercolour and wash technique he captures the various shades of these divine Mountains. In this exhibition the Artworks of Ashish Baran Misra are shown painting the lives of the Garhwal Himalayas. These were painted over a period of forty years, in various mediums such as watercolour, acrylic, pen and ink, tempera, oil etc. His travels in Garhwal inspired his artworks based on Jaunsari wedding, village goldsmiths, the terraced fields and various other village scenes. Ashish Baran Misra is a gifted author and poet as well. Most of his Artworks have a few accompanying lines penned by him. This exhibition is an Ode to the Teacher that influenced many lives and yet chose to stay anonymous and away from commercializing his art. Surbhi Agarwal