Art and aspirations

Published On: June 1, 2018 08:17 AM NPT By: Swasti Gautam


Today, Ghising has a bachelor’s degree in science, law and a double master’s degree in rural development and Buddhism. Yet he continues to paint, maintaining his family occupation.

For Maila Ghising, making Thankas is not just about earning his livelihood. It is a form of art that reminds him of his ancestry, his roots, and his childhood. About 20 years ago, when Ghising was just 11 years old, he dropped out of school. Apparently, he lost interest in studies after completing his sixth standard examination.  

After that, the 11-year-old boy fled from his hometown in Kavre district to Kathmandu, chasing nothing but freedom. Ghising started painting Thankas in Kathmandu to sustain himself. At that time, he was alone in this big and new city with no one to take care of him. By painting Thankas, he earned around Rs 200 per month. Today, Ghising has a bachelor’s degree in science, law and a double master’s degree in rural development and Buddhism. Yet he continues to paint, maintaining his family occupation. 

“Making Thankas is as normal and essential as eating dal-bhat for me. It is an integral part of my daily routine and I cannot live without doing it,” he says. 

This art form has taught him different things at various stages of his life. When Ghising was in his teens, painting Thankas was how he put food on his plate. It also helped him buy his first watch made of plastic from a street side shop. As he grew older, these paintings became his best friend that helped him finance his education. Now, Thankas have much more spiritual meaning for him. This art is the method through which he gains concentration, it gives him solace and, through these paintings, he is able to find peace within himself. Thankas have been a part of him for as long as he can remember. 

Even today, Ghising distinctly remembers painting Thankas in dingy room in Kathmandu at the age of 11, although does not recall the exact age when he held a paintbrush for the first time in his hand. 

“I do not remember when I started painting. My grandfather, my uncles, and my brothers used to paint. So knowingly or unknowingly I had become good at it very early on,” says Ghising. 
Six years after he had left school and ran away from home, Ghising had a strong desire to complete his formal education. So he decided to join a government school in Kathmandu. “I used to paint in the afternoons and go to school every morning,” he says. He also quickly realized that he was good in studies. He felt highly elated when he passed his eighth and tenth standard board examination scoring first division. 

“I passed my SLC examination in 2001. During that time my friends were already doing well professionally. While some had become teachers at a school in my village others were pursing different careers,” says Ghising, who at that time was living in a rented room that cost for Rs 300 a month. “But I did not give up. I even stopped comparing my life with that of others. I knew there was a bright light at the end of the tunnel,” he adds. 

After securing first division in his 10th standard exams, Ghising decided to pursue science in his high school so he joined Amrit Science Campus in Lainchaur, Kathmandu. “I used to live in Patan. I still wonder how I was able to attend lectures at six in the morning in Lainchaur and get back to painting Thankas in Patan by 11 am,” says Ghising who feels that today, even if he gets a scholarship to study, he will not be able to travel and work so much to get a degree. At that time, even the public transportation system was not as convenient and easy available as it is today. 
So in his early 20s, Ghising was already working, financing his own education, and paying his bills all by himself. 

Around the year 2005, Ghising had started earning Rs 6000 a month making Thankas. So he decided to join Bachelors in Science for which he would have to invest Rs 4000 every month. Going to college in the morning, working in the afternoon, and studying at night quickly became a regular thing for him. 

After completing his BSc, Ghising’s desire to study further intensified. So he joined college to pursue bachelors in law in the morning. At the same time, he also enrolled for masters in rural development in the evening. He studied both the subjects with great interest and secured good marks to boot.  

However, even after completing his masters, his job was not secure. “My state was like most other Nepali youths with a degree. We had a multiple degrees in hand but getting a job was next to impossible,” says Ghising who continued painting to sustain himself. 

He did get offers from schools in his village to teach there but he wanted to explore the world. He wanted to earn more than the Rs 18,000 a month that the schools were offering him.  So, following the trend of the youth at the time, Ghising decided to go to Japan. 

But in the course of applying for visa, one of his brothers persuaded him not to go abroad. “He asked me to do masters in Buddhism and asked me to go to Japan only after completing this course,” says Ghising who is now glad that he stayed back in Nepal. 

Buddhism taught him a lot of things including the importance and significance of Thankas. Suddenly, his life and profession had a newer and fresher meaning. He also, quite recently, completed his thesis in Buddhist paintings. 

Finally, in 2013 he opened his own Thanka shop and employed 30 artists. Today, he has a house in Kathmandu and is living happily with his wife, whom he met while studying law during college and the couple has a three-year-old child who is the center of their universe.

Buddhism and painting 
Researching for his thesis on Buddhist painting has given Ghising an in-depth knowledge about Thanka paintings. According to him, these paintings can enhance concentration and is one of the methods to reach the state of enlightenment. 

He says the first Thanka was made when King Bimbisara of Magadha wanted to give a unique and prestigious gift to King Baudhayana during his coronation ceremony. The king went to Gautama Buddha to seek advice and was, in turn, asked him to fetch the best painter of his kingdom. 

Under Buddha’s guidance, the painter painted ‘The Wheel of Life’ Thanka, which was then gifted to King Baudhayana. ‘The Wheel of Life’ is a symbolic representation of our karma and its effects. It also depicts the four truths of Buddhist teaching. The circular shape of the wheel symbolizes rebirth and the causes and effects of people’s own deeds. 

According to Ghising, as Buddhism started spreading to other parts of the world, Thankas evolved too. Thanka is originally a Tibetan word where ‘Than’ means a piece of cotton and ‘Ko’ means image, body or people. 

“Art has different meaning for different people because each individual will interpret art differently but, no matter how they view it, art has the ability to teach them many lessons,” he says adding that Buddhist paintings have become an important part of his existence and that he intends to follow this path set by Buddha and continue painting for as long as he is able to hold a paintbrush.


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