Women’s Day: Of grit & hard work

Aversatile artist, Teena Sharma’s life is a story of hard work, grit, determination and success as she has carved a space for herself in the art circles, despite facing several hardships. An art teacher with a reputed school, Tina is a painter, wood sculptor and a book cover designer.

Advertisement

As this year’s theme of the day focuses on breaking the bias and creating ‘Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow’, Amritsar Tribune team talks to women from different walks of life who have broken into male bastions and have contributed to society to make this world a better place to live in.

Having lost her father at a tender age, Teena feels that painting and sculpting are the means of catharsis for her whenever she feels low. Apart from looking after her mother, Tina also helps her brother Deepak who has special needs. She revealed that her brother Deepak, too, is a sculptor and had received a state award from the Indian Academy of Fine Arts.

Teena said initially she used to paint only but things changed when her mentor and sculptor Narinder Singh asked her to work on wood too. “I sold my first art work in 2016. Since then, I have been a part of numerous exhibitions all over North India and every single one was rewarding,” she said.

When asked how she manages time between job, painting, sculpting and family, Teena said, “This is what every woman is good at. We know how to manage things.”

Talking about gender equality, Teena said it still is a distant dream as society has not changed much when it comes to women rights. “People still would not allow a woman to pursue her dream, although they would allow her to get a job. Pursuing a dream and being employed are two different things. You want employment because you want money, but dreams are not all about money,” she philosophised.

Tina added that society needs strong women who can shape up lives. “After my father’s death, my mother took a job and took care of all three of us. She is a strong woman and this is the reason we are pursuing our dreams.”

“I have never given much thought to what people have been saying or would say,” she concluded.

— Manmeet Singh Gill