Art by an Artist from the #OTPCommunity: Pratheeksha U.
What is the one thing that makes humans humans?
What is the one thing that binds us together irrespective of our differences?
What is the one thing that has saved mankind from going absolutely nuts for the last 70,000 years?
In our opinion, the answer to all these questions is the same. And that is ART. For us humans (or perhaps aliens! We aren’t sure yet!) at OTP reaching out to you through this blog, art is a way of life. That is the reason why we chose to work with art and artists, and OTP came to life as a safe-space for artists.
In the months that followed, all of you beautiful souls reading this jumped the wagon and the community we have dreamed of started to thrive. Now, before we embark on this artistic voyage together, we would like to take you through our MISSION 9, something absolutely centripetal to OTP’s existence. Consequently, our first blog is dedicated to talking about Mission 9. (No! It’s not some secret CIA mission, even though it sounds like that. Don’t worry!)
SO WHAT EXACTLY IS OTP’S MISSION 9?
“India is a country filled with artists and hidden talents in every nook & corner beyond our imagination. From painters to digital artists to local craftsmen in rural settings to our mothers, grandmothers working on beautiful embroidery designs in their spare time - every single one of them is an artist hiding in some corner of this vast land. Our aim, or rather mission, is to build a community of (atleast) 999 artists and make art extremely accessible to all kinds of people from across the globe, and to empower 999 artists from modern India. This is what we call MISSION 9, ” sums up Sonia Chawla, our founder.
AND WHY DID WE CHOOSE NUMBER 9 FOR OUR MISSION?
Unknown to most of us, number 9, despite being an odd number (mathematically and otherwise) actually holds a lot of significance in various civilizations, cultures and belief systems. We did intense research and settled on number 9 because of following 8 reasons -
Starting with Hindu mythology, number nine is Brahma the creator’s number. We found this to be incredibly profound since we're so closely associated with so many creators aka artists.
In Chinese culture, number nine is symbolic of creativity, longevity and eternity.
In addition to that, various other civilizations associate nine with fulfillment, life mission, wisdom, and higher consciousness as well as joy, happiness, compassion and universal love.
Nine is also the number of elements in the universe - namely Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Ether, Time, Space, Soul, and Mind.
In Indian aesthetics, there are 9 moods or emotions associated with artistic expression, called the ‘Navarasa’. These ‘Rasas’ are also believed to guide our psyche and expressions in real life.
In Greek mythology, nine muses or goddesses of Art, Science and Literature are found. They are considered the inspiration and knowledge source of arts, poetry, songs and myths. Fascinating, isn’t it?
Talking of Biblical references, the ‘Fruits of the Holy Spirit’ comprises nine attributes and the ‘Gifts of the Holy Spirit’ are also nine in number!
Returning to Hinduism and Hindu mythology, here number nine represents completion of a cycle or chapter in life and beginning of a new one. It is also said to symbolize transformation and manifestation.
If you are art-fanatics like us and any of these reasons seem interesting, convincing enough to you, we would love to welcome you on-board! Our doors are always open - the artist within you, art enthusiasts, curious souls - all of you have a place at OTP. We look forward to our journey with you.
Thanks for reading!
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