FRAZER ANDRADE
frazerandrade@herald-goa.com
SANQUELIM: Neeptesh Nilesh Naik, 27, from Velguem, Sanquelim, is a man of many talents. He has a deep love for painting, dancing, cooking, and exploring adventurous places. His journey into the world of art and cooking began at the young age of 12. And the enterprising youth has managed to turn what began as mere hobbies into a thriving
career, to support his family.
“Initially, I would engage in various art forms just to pass the time, but whenever my friends and family saw my work, they showered me with compliments. These compliments motivated me to improve. Since I also loved cooking, my dream was to become a chef one day. When my parents were at work, my sister and I would often be left home alone, so I started cooking for us, which fuelled my passion for it,” he shares.
Neeptesh adds, “I always told myself I had to work hard, be independent, and help my parents, who worked so hard for us. At the age of 15, I began earning through my God-given artistic skills. After completing my studies, I joined as a teacher at a school in Pale-Usgao.”
In addition to teaching, Neeptesh conducts various workshops in schools during summer vacations. He is an excellent mehndi artist, accepting orders for weddings, and is a skilled rangoli artist, folk dancer, baker, actor, and decorator. He undertakes decoration projects for weddings, naming ceremonies, haldi, baby showers, and more. “I also hold workshops for different handicrafts like paper flower making, bottle painting, glass painting, wall painting, and pillow painting. I focus on using discarded materials, promoting the concept of reusing waste to create something beautiful and useful,” says Neeptesh. “I’ve created so much art that I’ve actually lost track of how many works I’ve done,” says Neeptesh.
“My family has been incredibly supportive in everything I do. They even stay up late with me when I’m working on orders, especially my mom, who motivates me in every situation,” admits Neeptesh. After school, he follows a strict schedule to manage the various orders he has accepted. He returns home by 2 pm and dedicates the rest of his day to creating art and baking.
Despite his passion and success, Neeptesh has faced challenges. “One of the major issues was that we lived in a rented room—a single room—so it was difficult to store all my materials and finished work. For bigger projects, I sometimes had to rely on financial help from others,” he shares.
Neeptesh is grateful for his creative mind and the opportunities it has brought him. He has participated in several exhibitions, always managing to sell his artwork. “I never came back empty-handed,” he says, recalling how people would purchase all his pieces and compliment his work. “Before I bought a bike, I used to travel by bus to every event, and my mom would always accompany me,” he adds.
Encouraging young artists, Neeptesh says, “Trust in yourself and your hard work, regardless of what others say. As an artist, it’s important to be open-minded and non-judgmental in terms of race, religion, sexual orientation, politics, ethnic background, and more. Showcasing your talent requires broad thinking—being rigid doesn’t help in any way.”
“Art has no boundaries; it’s not always tied to a specific piece. Sometimes, there’s a message in the work, sometimes it’s ambiguous, and other times there’s no message at all. In today’s world, most artists give the viewer the freedom to interpret the work however they wish. Some artists seek a specific meaning, but for me, I like to leave it open to the viewer. If someone sees a message in a piece, then for them, it’s there. If they don’t, then it isn’t. Art allows freedom of thought, giving everyone the chance to form their own subjective opinion,” he concludes.