SURREAL SEYCHELLES

THE ALLURE OF THIS ISLAND NATION LIES WITH ITS PEOPLE AND THE CULTURE IT EMBODIES

- ANTARAA CHATTERJEE

SWIRLING WAVES, GIANT ALDABRA tortoises in vibrant hues staring up at me with their ancient eyes, red houses with slanting roofs, and an endless stream of colours surrounding me; I was in Seychelles, but Seychelles was the soul of this art gallery.

It was my fifth day out of the eight days I was at this tiny archipelago of 115 islands off East Africa, and it was as colourful as the fish I spotted while paddling through on a crystal kayak on La Digue island. The Anse Source D'Argent, crowned as the most photographed beach on the planet, with its shimmering white sand flanked by the aged, huge granite boulders, is a sight to behold. The island quickly caught my interest with its storied past and picturesque present.

George Camille, one of Seychelles' most prominent artists, whose gallery we were visiting on Mahé island, spent his childhood on the island of La Digue. He was telling us stories about growing up with seven siblings and how, despite the lack of an active art scene on the island, he was drawn to it.

"When I was younger, there was no art in Seychelles," said Camille. "My house in La Digue only had religious paintings and symbols. But my eldest brother was the one who inspired me to take up drawing."

Camille, 60, grew up amidst the tropical environment of Seychelles. All his work reflects life, people, and everything that makes Seychelles what it is.

"My father was a baker, and my mother was a housewife. During the 40s life here was devoid of modernity and ambition. Kids didn't go to school; they helped their parents at their jobs. But I went to a local school and managed to get a scholarship to the Seychelles College, where art was in the curriculum," he said. The college shut down after the military coup of 1977.