Chanchalguda Jail and the Krishnakriti Foundation:
"When the prison gates slam behind an inmate, he does not lose his human quality; his mind does not become closed to ideas; his intellect does not cease to feed on a free and open interchange of opinions; his yearning for self-respect does not end; nor is his quest for self-realization concluded. If anything, the needs for identity and self-respect are more compelling in the dehumanizing prison environment".
Thurgood Marshall
The objective of Krishnakriti foundation in association with Chanchalguda jail is to nurture creativity among the inmates and to support the initiatives of creativity and understanding in the cultural sphere, with a special focus on fostering Hyderabad's art scene. It is the tremendous plot for the prisoners to overcome their checkered pasts and to create a reflection of life with the help . colours and brushes. Art workshops, seminars and exhibitions helped them alot to think positively.
Sayyad Shaiek, an artist who serves as a krishnakriti foundation representative in the chanchalguda jail and conducts art classes for the inmates. His positive attitude helps the prisoners to overcome the dark, side of their personality. His efforts helped alot to generate the art perceptions among prisoners.
Whether in terms of formal and conceptual experiment, or through a dedication to the refinement of certain core convictions, the participants attest to a process by which the imagination constantly renews itself and reshapes its objects.
This is the finest and most important lesson that art can teach humankind at large: that the self is not made more secure by its entrenchment in a few clear certitudes; but rather, that it grows through ceaseless self-questioning, fresh beginnings, new encounters with reality.
Sayyad Shaiek
Sayyad Shaiek was completed his BFA in Painting from Andhra University, Vishakhapatnam in 2005 and MFA in Printmaking from the University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad in 2007. He has received Awards from Prathibha Award, Andhra University, in 2002; the Lalit Kala Pasarishat, Vishakhapatnam, in 2004; 'Sukoon Festival Award' from the University of Hyderabad, in 2006; the 'Highly Commendable Certificate' from Hyderabad Art Society, Hyderabad in 2007 & 11, and Scholarship from the Krishnakriti Art Foundation, in 2007.
Sayyad is intimate with the landscapes of Indian villages. His works are mystical; they open up the heart of the land, its buildings and its people. His works engages perspective to carry the spectator from their own space into a place of vivid imagination. He can be reached at
[email protected]
