SARATOGA SPRINGS – We begin today with a simple question: Do dreams come true?
The short answer is yes, sometimes. But, of course – not always.
This is a story of one such dream. Unique and personal, as most are. Rich in imagery, colored by our life’s experiences.
The difference between this dream and many others is that we all have an opportunity to ride along with this one – to see if it will come true.
Local artist Raj Kang (visit Her Website) has a stunning gift: the ability to communicate effectively and seamlessly from her heart, mind and soul to her hand, and thus to you. All great artists possess this gift in some measure, and Raj is certainly one of these… her artwork speaks for itself, and I urge you to spend some time exploring her site – she is equally adept at conveying landscapes, as contemporary designs, mystical experiences, and portraiture.
It is the last two categories that we focus on today.
For Raj, those two categories came together in a stunning dream of clarity over a decade ago – in 2006. Because of life circumstances – the journey from her native Punjab region, through California and to Saratoga Springs two years ago, today she is closer to realizing her dream than ever before.
Do dreams come true? Perhaps, but the neat thing about Raj’s dream is that we are all about to see whether it does.
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OK, a bit of factual background is in order:
– Unless you have been under a rock, or eschewed the internet entirely for several months, you are no doubt aware that Saratoga Springs – the summer playground of the stars – will be visited by one Ms. Oprah Winfrey next month, which certainly kicks things up a notch. Ms. Winfrey will be in town to visit Skidmore College and some students that she has sponsored, as well as speak at the College’s 2017 commencement.
This, my friends, is the epitome of the word MEGA. Expect this to be more akin to a Presidential or Papal visit than just another TV star coming to town. Don’t take it from me: Ask your daughter. Ask your grandmother!
And, it is a simple, almost mathematical, equation that MEGA always is closely followed by MANIA. The upshot being: you are not likely to hear all the details of Ms. Winfrey’s itinerary in our town in advance, nor should you expect to see her just wondering around Broadway, dropping in to this boutique or that.
Maybe. Or if she does, expect that she will be surrounded by a crack security detail from Harpo Central H.Q., supplemented by the hand-picked from our local and NY State Police. And that, given modern realities, is exactly how it should be.
But modern realities should not stop someone from dreaming…
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I visited Raj, and she described her dream. As vividly as it occurred last night, but remember it took place over a decade ago:
“In 2006,” she began, “I read about a millionaire from the United States – at the time I did not know it was Oprah, but later learned it was her. This millionaire had sponsored a school in South Africa for women. It was of particular interest to me.
“Shortly after, one night, I went to sleep and dreamt of Oprah. She was wearing a red sari…” Raj continued, “In that sari, she was a vision of two Indian Goddesses: Lakshmi (who represents abundance, prosperity and beauty), and Saraswati (wisdom, enlightenment, and the divine word)… In her right hand, she was holding a book with the title ‘Shakti,’ which means ‘empowerment’ – or what Oprah brought to those young women in South Africa. In her left hand, she is dispensing gold coins.
“I got up and painted it as I saw it in my dream.” Raj concluded.
Just like that. Well, as she was telling the tale, my eyes could not help but drift often to the canvas: a three foot wide by four foot tall painting on display in her living room. As I said before, Raj is an outstanding, moving artist, whose paintings were tastefully hung throughout the house. But as far as I was concerned, there was only one painting here – you could not look away.
The OPRAH-phant in the room.
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Again, don’t take my word for it – see it for yourself. This Saturday, April 15, from 3-6 p.m., the AMP Galleries (downstairs at 454 Broadway) will host a reception for Raj and her painting. This is One Night Only folks, so if you have plans for the afternoon or early evening – change them.
Here’s why: If YOUR dream is to take a selfie with Oprah in Saratoga, this might be as close as you get…
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Meanwhile…
“Arthur, I did not tell you the second part of my dream yet.” Raj said.
Yes, Raj – what is that?
“I dreamt that I had a chance to meet Oprah and give her the painting, as a gift for all she has done for humanity.” Raj said.
{{Audible intake of breath – from me.}} Oh, boy!
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Well, friends, this may come as a shock to some of you, but I don’t have Oprah on speed dial!
And yet, I do have this vehicle, part of the World Wide Web, that I’m having fun driving these days. So let’s take a shot here. Let’s try to make Raj’s dream come true. But first, I must engage in a…
SKEPTICAL REPORTER INTERLUDE
All righty – let’s cut to the chase: Raj is a successful artist, and deservedly so. Part of being successful is merchandising to art lovers with filet mignon tastes and Stewarts’ chili budgets… Meaning: successful artists merchandise themselves on platforms/media that are less expensive than original artwork. These would be your lithographs, postcards – even t-shirts and badges in some cases… it would appear that Raj might be sitting on a mini-gold mine here…
“No.” Raj stated firmly. “I could have done that already, but I did not. And I will not. This is one of a kind and will remain so.
“I want to make Oprah a gift of this. I hope it will happen.” Raj concluded.
Well, fine. Raj is on the record. Her Vice President of Marketing is quite upset, but that’s life. Given Raj’s on-the-record statement, we can end our interlude, and summon our meager forces to try and make something good happen. Who knows who will read this? It’s worth a try I think.
END OF INTERLUDE
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So, at this point, we can say the following: I have knowledge that certain entities (call them “Civic” and “Academic” dignitaries) have been made aware of Raj’s painting and her goal of gifting Oprah. We will not identify them further, so as not to step on their efforts.
But I see no harm in enlisting the readers, as well as myself, from cheering on their efforts from the sidelines, wishing them luck, and sending all those universal touchy-feely good vibes to everyone connected with this’ way.
Sometimes you tell stories and they have an ending – happily ever after, or less so. Sometimes, you report stories in progress and await the outcome.
We end today with the same question we began with about 1,200 words ago: Do dreams come true?
We await the answer. But, for me the answer today is: I hope so.
Arthur Gonick
April 11, 2017
