• shanti bhavan
  
• lead poisoning
  
• tillany museum
• shanti bhavan
  
• healthcare projects
• community development
• women's empowerment
  
• journalism institute

Text of inaugural welcome address by Dr. Abraham George

His Holiness Balagangadharanatha Swamiji, His Holiness Dr.Shivamurthy Swamiji, Sri Mullaivendan, Minister for Information,
Govt of TN, Dignitaries, Honorable Guests, and friends,

I have the honour and great pleasure to welcome all of you today to the inauguration of Tillany. This museum is a project of The George Foundation that is engaged in several social projects in the Dharmapuri district, and serving the neighboring rural communities of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. On behalf of the Board of Trustees of The George Foundation, I take this opportunity to formally welcome the dignitaries and the distinguished guests.

May I welcome

HH Balagangadharnatha Swamiji

HH Dr. Shivamurthy Swamiji

Hon'ble Chief Minister of Karnataka, Sri SM Krishna

Sri Mullaivendan, Minister for Information, Govt of TN

Sri N. Vaghul, Chairman ICICI Ltd

Prof. MS Nanjunda Rao, Director, Chitrakala Parishath

I want to specially recognize and heartily welcome Mr. Douglas Rose and other members of LDS charities, and Mrs. Barbara Crossette of the New York Times, and her husband David Wigg, - all of you have taken considerable trouble to travel long distances to attend this event.

The great artist Pablo Picasso once said, "Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life." In this rural setting of the rustic landscape where everyday life is a struggle against odds, art brings solace to the soul.
In the midst of these village communities, there is no dearth of human creativity, but what is lacking is the means to express their artistic yearnings and enhance their lives. Tillany represents a meeting ground - a home for talented upcoming artists who deserve encouragement and support for their expressions.

The word "art" has a range of meanings; in contemporary thought, art is readily associated with beauty. Fine arts and crafts are not normally thought of as necessities of life, yet they complete human life. They are the dedication of human leisure, human expression and its best fruit. Like science and moral action, art belongs to the human mind and involves imagination, thought, expression and experience. Fine art is the product of "genius," that arises only from a talent for producing that for which no definite rule can be given.

According to Tolstoy, the arts serve as a medium of spiritual communication, helping to create the ties of human brotherhood. Through art we express our history, our traditions and our thought. It helps us see the world around us in a way different from what our eyes see in our daily lives. Often art lets us see the real meaning of what we see and what we fail to see.

For any society to be complete, art must be a part of life. It needs to be encouraged and supported. Many talented artists are unable to express their skills because they do not have the financial means to support themselves. Often, they do not have the ability to market their work and earn a good living. Consequently, art often fails to materialize. Society is thus deprived of the beauty of art.

With the involvement of the artistic community, Tillany will strive to bring about an explosive energy, as the word Tillany evokes, to all forms of fine arts. In doing so, we hope that the communities around Tillany will come together to showcase their works and enjoy the harmony and spiritual fulfillment that art brings.

Once again, I thank all of you for coming to the inaugural function. I hope we will have many more occasions to be together at Tillany.