A Universal Language: Neha Bisht

Art is beauty and pain. It never speaks, but it always shows, and somehow, everyone
understands. Whether it be music, painting, or writing, art brings us together—a nod to
humanity, something universally comprehensible.

From childhood, Bisht was surrounded by paint-stained palms and the wonders of world
history recited as bedtime tales. Her passion endured, and painting her words became
both comfort and habit. Unable to translate her emotions into words, her hands would
evoke them on a blank canvas with her beloved brush.

“Art is the single medium of communication that transcends language. You don’t need to
know any language to understand its message,” says Neha Bisht, a painter and published
author of her book, ‘Meandering Brush’. For her, painting provided an escape where she
could speak freely, unbound by language.

She believes that art is a universal language, one that mankind can understand without
words. Roadside murals exemplify this. People of all types pass by—those who greet in
many languages, those who carry two linguistic patterns in their pockets, and those who
hold their mother tongue as their only weapon.

But all become one as they gaze upon a simple mural. “Art is a very strong visual; a
visual is a very strong form of language. You may forget the poem, but you never forget
the visual,” Bisht summarizes.

Mrs. Bisht has been painting all her life. ‘The Edge,’ one of her renowned pieces,
garnered a strong reaction from the audience. It depicts a cliff enveloped by dark grey
clouds, with a shining ray of light piercing the darkness. This piece spoke to many
without words. Can you believe it?

Not written in words, yet understood by all. Like many artists, she uses spiritual
symbolism, inviting her audience to seek deeper meanings in her paintings. She uses trees
for stability, wind for change, water for healing, and flowers for purity, creating a
psychological effect on the viewer.

She emphasizes that while art is subjective, that is how it is meant to be. It is an open
language, not about facts but about communicating thoughts in myriad ways. “In the end,
every viewer reaches the same consensus on the big picture: a significant moment where
a decision must be made, and a powerful surge of influence carries the painted message
forward.”

Artists have a big responsibility not to get caught up in propaganda, she recounts. They
must create from the heart, connected to the big picture of existence, not for the
nitty-gritty of politics. A ubiquitous language gifted to all, art unites every living being on
the planet with just a paintbrush, easel, and canvas. That is simply a piece of art, and
without it, we’d be blind.

-Vidisha Tripathi