Jul27
Author Archives: avnish
Jul25
Support My Himachal Health Care efforts!
Jul23
ENERGY LANDSCAPES Videos. The Art of Payson R. Stevens
Southwestern College Art Gallery presented a retrospective of the work of Payson R. Stevens. Trained in both art and science, Stevens is a San Diego resident who divides his time annually between the Indian Himalayas and Del Mar, California. ENERGY LANDSCAPES will show paintings and drawings going back to the 1970s in the Main Gallery, as well as Stevens pioneering Interactive multimedia work, computer generated graphics, books and posters in the Student Art Gallery. The Southwestern College show is the first major U. S. exhibit of Stevens work. He has shown his work extensively in India, most recently at the US Embassy, American Center in New Delhi.
Jan17
ENERGY LANDSCAPES. The Art of Payson R. Stevens: A My Himachal Fund Raiser
My Himachal Fundraiser: February 21, 2010, 2-5 pm
Southwestern College Art Gallery presents a retrospective of the work of Payson R. Stevens. Trained in both art and science, Stevens is a San Diego resident who divides his time annually between the Indian Himalayas and Del Mar, California. ENERGY LANDSCAPES will show paintings and drawings going back to the 1970s in the Main Gallery, as well as Stevens pioneering Interactive multimedia work, computer generated graphics, books and posters in the Student Art Gallery. The Southwestern College show is the first major U. S. exhibit of Stevens work. He has shown his work extensively in India, most recently at the US Embassy, American Center in New Delhi.
Originally trained in molecular biology at the City University of New York and in oceanography at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Stevens studied at the Arts Students League and the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He has been involved with traditional and new media as an artist, designer, writer, and film maker for 40 years.
Payson Stevens
Stevens founded two award-winning companies, InterNetwork, Inc. and InterNetwork Media, Inc. and was a 1994 recipient of the Presidential Design Award for Excellence from Bill Clinton. He was lead author of “Embracing Earth: New Views of Our Changing Planet,” printed in four languages. He was also contributing author and artist/designer to the award-winning college textbooks “Geology Today” and “Biology Today.” His film credits include a CINE Golden Eagle Award for a National Public Television broadcast script on Antarctica. From 1981 to 1995, Stevens and his company helped develop a series of award-winning Earth science reports, brochures, posters, and multimedia projects for the major U.S. science agencies.
Stevens has continued to do fine art in both traditional and computer-generated formats since 1970. His electrographic art was in many group shows in the 1970s and was published in the first book on this art form, “Copy Art.” His computer art was featured on the SIGGRAPH 83 Art Show Poster and exhibited at SIGGRAPH and other group shows. His computer art was published in the book, “Computer Images: State of the Art,” and is found in corporate and private collections. Stevens is currently painting and drawing in his studio in Del Mar and during annual trips to the Kullu Valley, India where he lives part of the year with his wife, the writer Kamla Kapur.
While living in India, Stevens witnessed the impacts of rural poverty: pervasive child malnutrition, limited immunizations for childhood diseases, and few doctors. Moved by these conditions, he helped found the US and Indian NGO, My Himachal (www.myhimachal.com) with a focus on child health care, education, and environmental conservation. Stevens and My Himachal were recipients of San Diego’s Project Concern International’s “Hands Across the Borders” award in 2008. He has been an advisor to India’s Great Himalayan National Park since 2000.
Exhibition Events
Opening Reception: January 28, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Artist Talk: January 28, noon – 1 p.m.
Southwestern College Art Gallery
Stevens will discuss his paintings and the synthesis of science, technology and fine art that his characterize his career.
Special Reception: My Himachal Fundraiser: February 21, 2010, 2 -5 p.m.
Join the SWC Gallery as it hosts a special reception to raise funds for Stevens’ NGO, My Himacal. Well-known adventurer, television personality and Fortune 500 motivational speaker Dr. Jeff Salz will host the event and discuss Stevens’ work in India. All proceeds from the sale of the artwork will be donated to My Himachal to help fund childhood health, malnutrition projects and preparing rural villagers for the impacts of climate change.
The exhibit will be open to the public from January 28 to February 24 (Monday-Thursday 10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. Wednesday/Thursday 6-8 p.m. Parking is free on the day of the receptions. The gallery is closed on college holidays).
Contact:
Southwestern College Art Gallery
900 Otay Lakes Road
Chula Vista, CA 91910-7297
Gallery: 619.421.6700 ext. 5383
Payson Stevens
Sep14
Community Care – Enriching Life
Harrisburg, PA, USA: In our endeavor to reach far flung areas of Himachal Pradesh, we tied up with LWH, Manali’s community outreach program in Spiti valley and financed second time their efforts to carry forward various health-related activities for laborers and local villagers.
As we are waiting for complete report, I would like to apprise our donors and supporters with ongoing work. Below facts are sent by Drs. Sheila and Laji from Spiti valley, who are running the program.
My Himachal financial support was used for three needs:
- Purchase of vaccines (Hib and Hep.B)
- Vitamins, nutrition supplements and deworming agents
- Surgical treatment of migrant road workers.
Vaccinations:
200 doses of H. Influenza B vaccine and 500 doses of Hepatitis B were purchased. In addition to this syringes and needles were also sourced with My Himahal funds.
As of now Drs. have given 138 Hib doses and 163 Hep.B 1st doses.
2nd and 3rd doses will be given in this month and in October. Most of these children came from Pin Valley. Plans are to cover three more main villages (Dankar, Tabo and Kibber).
Last month the villages in Pin Valley were covered (Sagnam, Tehling, Guiling, Bur, Mikkim, Kungri and Sehling).
Also funds helped finance vitamins, nutrition supplements and deworming agents, which will be be given to children under five years of age. Many of these children are malnourished and most are underweight for their age and Drs. believe that it is due to lack of regular food and ignorance about giving six balanced meals a day. Program is also doing some health education to individual parents and in their local anganwadi.
Surgical help for migrant workers:
A Nepali lady was brought to Drs. Sheila and Laji on 8th August night from the government hospital in a septic condition. She had multiple gall stones causing blockage of her duct leading to pus in the gall bladder. She was extremely sick, emaciated, dehydrated and in shock. She was not even fit for a major surgery or to be transferred to another hospital. Drs. operated her as an emergency and her gall bladder was removed under local anaesthesia. She recovered well and was discharged in a day’s time. Drs. could do this because of the availability of funds towards migrant workers.
More details of the program would follow in October.
Photos by: Drs. Sheila and Laji and staff.
Jan20
Payson Stevens talk at San Diego Museum of Art
Kamla, Abbot Gesheji, Payson, and Zangpo Lama
Payson Stevens returns to SDMA to give a talk and show a documentary he made at Tabo Ancient Monastery in the Spiti Valley of India. Once part of Tibet, the monastery is a repository of ancient and powerful Buddhist art where Tibetan Buddhism has been continuously practiced since 996 AD. In September 2008, Payson and his wife, Kamla Kapur, were trapped in Tabo for two weeks when a huge storm blocked all roads going in and out of the village. He will recount their experi- ences and tell how the Abbot opened up the temples for him to make his documentary of rarely photographed murals and sculpture.
Since 2003, Payson and Kamla have been living half the year in a remote valley of the Indian Himalayas, where they built a home. Trained in science and art, Kamla, Abbot Gesheji, Payson, and Zangpo Lama Payson now spends his time painting and exhibiting in India (www.energylandscapes.com). He has been an advisor to the Great Himalayan National Park since 2000 on nature conservation and sustainable livelihood issues. He is a founding member and on the advisory board of the NGO, My Himachal (www.myhimachal.com), where he is involved with child healthcare and nutritional issues in the rural Kullu Valley.
THE PROGRAM: 3:00 pm, SDMA Boardroom
3:30 pm Lecture: Payson Stevens
WHEN? Saturday,February 7, 2009
For advance registration call 858-792-9439 or email jas[at]dutia[dot]net.
WHERE? Boardroom, San Diego Museum of Art, Balboa Park, San Diego
Nov17
My Himachal’s Dr. Des Kashyap brings music and name of state on US Radio
Chapel Hill, Carrboro, North Carolina, USA: Dr. Des Kashyap a scientist at University of North Carolina and general secretary of My Himachal was invited for a radio show called “Jazz Incognito” on a local radio station 103.5 FM, WCON. This show invites talent that could play and sing Jazz songs that are inspiring examples of improvisation and innovation. North Indian music especially Himachali music is one good example where improvisation plays a significant role. As Himachali music is all about imaginative improvisation right from the world to go, this was a good opportunity to present Himachali folk music for the first time on American radio.
This was one of a life time opportunity where I got a chance to promote Himachal and explain to the world how beautiful my state of Himachal is how peaceful we are and how much we love music and how much importance music hold in our lives explains Dr. Kashyap. This show was aired on Sunday November 16th 2008. It was for the first time ever that you could hear pahadi songs playing on radio on American soil. In an hour long show, he started with explaining the difference in singing style and music tastes between North and South part of India. He played couple of his music compositions and pahadi songs like “Parliyan dhara mor jo bole”, hatu ri teere and chandaniyan rattan ra nazara from his upcoming pahadi song album that he is currently working on.
Dr. Kashyap also took this opportunity to promote the non-government organization “My Himachal”. He took a couple of minutes to explain what kind of activities this organization was involved in. He also requested the donors to come forward and help the cause of My Himachal in whatever way they could.
I don’t think this has happened before and will ever happen again. The experience was incredible and I felt so proud of myself to be part of this historic event says Dr. Kashyap.
Jul12
Kullu health mela 2008
Sep16
Friends remember Hitender Thakur
Harrisburg, PA: On Saturday, friends of a Harrisburg murder victim remembered the young life lost. They also called for the arrest of his killer.
Hitender Thakur was shot dead in May 2006. He was robbed while working as a convenience store clerk in Harrisburg. Thakur was just 23-years-old and a student at HACC. On Saturday, friends gathered at Susquehanna Township’s Veterans Park. That is where Thakur played his favorite sport, Cricket. Attendees dedicated a special bench there to Thakur’s memory and also played Cricket in memory of Thakur. More than a year later, there are no arrests yet in the case.
Friend and event organizer Porus Irani had tears in eyes while saying, “It’s just getting frustrating, that’s all it is. Because it’s been over a year and we thought it would be quick. But it just seems like nothing’s going on because we don’t hear about it on the news or hear about it on the radio or anything and it’s just getting frustrating.” Friends are trying to raise money for a reward fund, hoping it will help catch the killer.
Mar19
Himachal talk at San Diego Museum of Art by Kamla and Payson
My Himachal advisors Payson R. Stevens and Kamla K. Kapur gave a presentation at the San Diego Museum of Art on March 10, 2007.
They described their life in the Kullu Valley where they live half of the year. Known as the Valley of the Gods, it is a unique region filled with old-growth cedar forests and ancient devta and devi (male and female deities) religious practice. The slide presentation discussed aspects of the devta culture, the natural environment, and issues living in a region where people still carry on daily activities the way their forefathers did hundreds of years ago. Examples of Kullu Valley crafts, including shawls, woven slippers, wollen putti and topis were shown. Kapur read from her new book, GANESHA GOES TO LUNCH (www.kamlakkapur.com). The talk was well received and Stevens discussed My Himachal’s efforts to improve the lives of people in the Kullu Valley and Himachal Pradesh. Flyers of the My Himachal’s recent projects were handed out.
In addition, artwork from the The Museum’s Edwin Binney 3rd Collection of South Asian paintings from the Kullu Valley were also on exhibit. The Museum has over 1,450 paintings and is one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of South Asian paintings outside of India.
THE SPEAKERS: Stevens, an earth scientist and artist (www.energylandscapes.com), and his wife Kapur, a writer and playwright (www.kamlakkapur.com), spent three years building a home in a remote free mp3 download area of the region. Stevens has been
an advisor to the Great Himalayan National Park since 2000, working on issues of sustainable livelihoods for villagers. Kapur’s new book, Ganesha Goes to Lunch: Classics from Mystic India, is a re-creation of Hindu myths (Mandala Pubications April 2007).