Durga of the Cornfields
Violence against young girls is a continuing problem in India. Sometimes pre-pubertal girls, and at times mere infants, are molested, raped and murdered. Much of this stems from a number of factors, including a patriarchal set up still prevalent in villages, a lack of education and a perception of power over poorer sections of society as viewed by some higher classes.
Lack of faith in the political class, local administration, the long-winded judicial process and the social stigma attached to such ordeals ends up in victimising the girl. This often translates to a lifetime of trauma and suffering in silence. All this is in stark contrast to the tradition of worshipping the goddess Durga as an embodiment of female power and dignity in India.
Many such crimes take place in cornfields, where the battered and mutilated bodies of girls are left, much like the effigies of the goddess Durga sometimes left to disintegrate in the open after the festival is over.
Oil on canvas
50x60x1 cm
Singaar / Adornment
At fall of dusk, a woman prepares herself for the arrival of her lover. Fresh after a shower following her day’s work, she is about to apply incense and embellish her body with ornaments, apply a bindi on her forehead and wear her finest garment. At the same time, she is very aware of what her lover would say; that adornments don’t really matter…what matters is her.
“Just come as you are, the dust and grind from the day notwithstanding. My tired eyes will accept you nevertheless”.
Oil on canvas
50x60x1 cm
Durga
Durga is the infant girl born, the young child who goes to school or to others’ houses to wash and clean. She is the young achiever, the cynosure of all eyes and also the woman ravaged by men at the earliest opportunity. She is the woman who makes a home, caring for her children through work or simply being there and also the one who goes out to sell her body to earn the next morsel of food for her children. She is the elderly grandmother who regales everyone with her tales and also the homeless destitute who dies by the roadside.
Durga is every woman.
Oil on canvas
50x60x1 cm
Of Mummified Kings
Whom does power benefit? What sort of satisfaction does it bring? How much power is enough?
As the world goes through geopolitical changes, we see a massive rush all around for power. It has forever been easy to side with the powerful and be ready “yes people” who just want benefits from their association with the powerful. All principles and morals stay where they always were: in some fine-printed, easily forgotten and probably never meant paragraphs.
The powerful try to hang on for as long as possible and external embellishments cannot hide the mummified souls beneath.
Oil on canvas
50x60x1 cm
The Morning After
A woman, sitting on the edge of her bed in the morning, faces the light from her bedroom window. We do not see her face to know what she is thinking or whether she is thinking at all or is just taking some time before she proceeds to freshen up. The situation, therefore, opens up a lot of interpretations, inviting the viewer to participate or just walk by.
Oil on canvas
50x60x1 cm
Inanimate Object
Arjuna, the great Pandava hero, won Draupadi’s hand in marriage. When he, along with his four jubilant brothers, took her home, they called out to their mother Kunti.
“Look, what we have with us here,” they said.
Kunti was busy, and without turning around, replied, “whatever you have brought, share it amongst yourselves”.
The five obidient brothers, not wishing to disobey their mother, married Draupadi. Kunti, obviously, at some point had seen what had happened, but there was no word from her to rectify the wrong done to Draupadi, however inadvertently caused on her part.
As for the Pandavas, they continue to live their lives and continue to be revered to this day.
Oil on canvas
50x60x1 cm
The Sentinel
Social media today is at least as powerful, if not more, than the atom bomb that was dropped on Japan. It is no wonder that the powerful in today’s world have invested all their energy and fortunes towards developing social media sites and artificial intelligence.
But with ever-increasing access to information, it is easy to access misinformation too. Misinformation that makes regimes and untruths that do away with things inconvenient to the power hungry. In an era of instant gratification where masses can be easily polarised, one needs to be on vigil. Trust now comes with the need to be on guard. Another of today’s bitter truths.
Oil on canvas
50x60x1cm
Mist
There are moments in our lives when we want to fade away within our immediate environment. Such moments are sometimes our most vulnerable ones, where we do not want anyone else to be there. These are actually moments of reflection, which may allow us to emerge from the mists formed within our very own minds.
Oil on canvas
50x60x1 cm
Chakravyuh / The Entrapment
The story of Abhimanyu from The Mahabharata still resonates in our day to day lives. Just as he was trapped and killed in the chakravyuha (a circular battle formation), so are we when we go for the next big thing to pander to our egos, selfishness and wants. Without pausing to think, we gradually suffocate ourselves in chakravyuhas of our own making.
Oil on canvas
50X60X1 cm
Krishna / Prince of Darkness
Krishna was a god who mingled with mere mortals in The Mahabharata. For all his god-qualities, he could not prevent the Great War that cost so many lives. In addition, he took to trickery when Arjuna wanted to kill the slayer of his son, but was running out of time. These actions take away much of his divinity and brings to question his god status.
What god justifies trickery through his own actions? What god is unable to prevent human actions? What is god? In the end, was Krishna really human? Would humanity be better off with people just being good to one another rather than despise others and appease god?
Angst / The Scream
In our instantly connected worlds today, we are more disconnected than ever from our immediate surroundings. We take pleasure in virtual escapemrooms and lose touch with reality. It is really an entrapment that we have made for ourselves. Sometimes, we just try to break free of our present boxed existence to try and aim for something that may actually hold some real value to us.
The window in this painting is also as false as those virtual worlds, given the person’s shadow falls on it. It is this sense of being trapped that makes us want to scream in an attempt to break free.
Oil on canvas
50x60x1 cm
Dhritarashtra / The Blind King
Dhritarashtra became king following the death of his brother Pandu. While Pandu has been described in The Mahabharata as a pale person, Dhritarashtra was born blind. However, he ascended the throne and was father to a hundred sons, all lost in the Great War of Kurukshetra. He may have meant well and the circumstances that led to war may not have been directly his fault, but sometimes one may wonder if the blindness was not physical but metaphorical or even intellectual. In some sense, as a king, he allows himself to walk into the war.
Human race has been cursed with such metaphorical blindness through history, often with tragic consequences. Kings do not pay for their stupidity of thought and action, but the common soldier does. This is a fact we see ever so often in the form of power-hungry leaders of governments and corporations across the globe today.
Oil on canvas
60x50x1 cm
Bhishma / Uttarayan (The Ascent)
In the Indian epic Mahabharata, Bhishma is the grand patriarch of the family. He fought for the Kauravas against the Pandavas in the battle of Kurukshetra, bound by allegiance to the throne of Hastinapura., even though he knew he was backing the “evil” side. Blessed with the ability to choose the moment of his death, we see him here with his palms outward and legs rooted to the ground in a display of helplessness and surrender to his circumstances. The chosen moment of his death, the end of the winter solstice (Uttarayan), is fast approaching as the red sky signals the advent of summer.
Oil on canvas
60x50x1 cm
Santhal Girl
The santhals are a tribal populace found across the states of West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar. They are known for their characteristic lifestyle. Though some santhals are employed in coalmines, in villages, their principal occupation is the cultivation of rice.
Oil on canvas
60x50x1 cm
Draupadi
A central character in the great Indian epic The Mahabharata, there is little doubt that one of the reasons of the Great War depicted therein was to avenge the humiliation of Draupadi at the hands of the Kauravas.
The Pandavas had lost a game of dice against their cousins, the Kauravas. In the process, they lost everything including their kingdom, their belongings and in the end, Draupadi, who was the wife of all the five brothers. The story narrates how she was saved from utter humiliation by the god Krishna, but what stands out is the extent human beings can go to when they are at their wits end.
Oil on canvas
30x40x1 cm
Sea At Tajpur
Looking out from a boat towards the distant lights on the shore in Tajpur, India. The body of waves and the deeper waters near the boat contrasts with the light mist in the distance as do the darker, murkier foreground against the distant lights and life.
Oil on canvas
50x60x1 cm
Red Window
A modern take on a woman beside a window. While we know what the subject of the painting is, there are, like life, many unanswered questions. We do not know who the woman is. We have no idea if the red colour is that of the curtain or if the outside world is depicted in red with the constant conflicts that rage on, a hint of which has been reflected on the woman. If this be so, one cannot but remain unaffected by whatever happens in the outer world, even though the person is within the confines of the house.
Acrylic on canvas
50x60x1 cm
La Gioconda
The enigmatic La Gioconda. For centuries, she has successfully raised emotions at her depiction by Leonardo da Vinci. When the artist died, it is said he had gifted the painting to King Charles of France, which explains why its home is in that country, despite Leonardo being an Italian. Reams have been written on this painting and hours spent trying to demystify her smile.
Today, as the world lurches from one horror to another, her eyes have shut and the smile has disappeared from her lips. We have brought upon us such misery through our own actions that even La Gioconda finds very little to smile about.
Charcoal on canvas
30x40x1 cm
Relax
One of my first canvases when I re-started painting. The simple, idyllic scene where a person is at rest, immersed in his own thoughts.
Acrylic on canvas
30x40x1 com
Gandhari
Deep into the night, Gandhari looks out at the fields of Kurukshetra. Her hundred children having perished in the battlefield, she looks out as their funeral pyres burn in the distance. She is almost an apparition as she is beside herself in grief.
Oil on canvas
50x60x1 cm
Seated Woman
Drawing in her legs towards her, the woman adopts a secure posture to sit and observe the world.
Conceptual study.
Charcoal on canvas
30x40x1 cm
Midnight Swim
An abstract representation of a person about to take a swim in the swirling waters of a river. The moonlight sparkles on the water, being mesmerisingly inviting. The stillness of the night allows the swimmer to be alone and one with a complete submission to one’s faculties.
Oil on canvas
30x40x1 cm
Ponder
Wondering on the next move has always been part of human character. We contemplate and make the move, trying to keep one step ahead of what life may throw at us. Unfortunately life is never a game and therefore often has the last move. But as human beings, we follow much the same steps as we journey through life.
Mixed media on canvas
50x60x1 cm
Siblings
A girl carrying her little brother in her arms. This is not an uncommon scene in India, especially in the villages where young girls look after their younger siblings in addition to doing other things around the house while the mother carries on with cooking and the like.
Based on a photograph.
Charcoal on canvas
50x60x1 cm
Contemplation
One of the most personal acts of a person is to contemplate. In such a situation, one is left to face oneself. There is no one to hide from and nothing to hide. One is bare in front of the mirror and it is only the truth, pure and naked, that is unveiled.
Mixed media on canvas
50x60x1 cm
Distant Moon
Dreaming is not bad. However, there are instances where we spend time and effort in looking at things that do not necessarily interfere with our lives. Yet, we spend more and more time interacting with it either from a distance or directly through actions. Worse, at times, in doing so, we neglect ourselves. It is much like this dog that stares at the reflection of a blood red moon on the water, while forgetting its basic needs that has made its bones stand out.
Acrylic on canvas
50x60x1 cm
Siblings
A tribute to Satyajit Ray’s masterpiece Pather Panchali (The Song of the Little Road), this depicts the characters of Apu and Durga in the story. Apu is staring directly at us, unsmiling, perhaps with a sense of the horrors that lie ahead, Durga looks aside with a hint of smile, her thoughts fixed on the train she had hoped to see with her little brother. The thoughts in her mind are depicted through her dark tresses which looks like the smoke emanating from the train engine.
Charcoal on canvas
Karna
One of the strongest characters in the Indian epic The Mahabharata, Karna knew he was flawed, but he continued to do what he knew was the right thing to do. Abandoned at birth by her mother, Karna was raised boy a charioteer who ensured Karna had excellent skills at battle. He was killed by the cowardly Arjuna when his chariot got stuck in mud.
Oil on canvas
50x60x1 cm
Sleep
Sleep, partly inspired by Ophelia, shows a lady with eyes closed lying in the midst of a garden. She is tinged blue and is pale, which suggests this may not just be someone asleep but dead. Her legs, partly crossed, seems to belie that option. Perhaps she is asleep after all, lost in her senses being one with nature.
Acrylic on canvas
50x60x1 cm
Facade
Facade is an expression of how we are. We have different roles to play wherever we go and whatever we do and sometimes, we play these roles keeping aside all that is going on in our lives. While this may not always be with the right intent, the fact that we do wear masks as we move on through various situations remains the same. In many ways, this may well be grouped with the paintings in the “We” series.
Charcoal on canvas
30x40x1 cm
Nude
A conceptual depiction of a nude figure portrayed in isolation. The absence of a background depicts the isolation she is in, where she is able to reflect on her innermost thoughts.
Oil on canvas
50x60x1 cm
We (1)
“We” is part of a series of paintings that depict the hollowness that we human beings have become. From afar, this may portray a rather prosperous, healthy person blissfully asleep but up close, the green discolouration of the skin that signals the beginning of the flesh decay that has set in. The protruding belly is no more a sign of prosperity but the result of putrid gases in a decaying corpse.
Oil on canvas
30x40x1 cm
The Lady Under The Lamp
A portrayal of a woman sitting very close to a low hanging lamp which illuminates a part of her face. She seems engrossed in some thought or the other. One may wonder if the depiction refers to a gradual illumination of her mind as she goes on thinking about what she is. Else, this could just be what it is on the surface; a woman and a lamp.
Charcoal on canvas
30x40x1 cm
We (2)
A statement on our consumerist existence, We (2) represents how we have, through our wants, have transformed ourselves into beggars. Like a beggar asking passers by for alms, we always crave the next big thing. The next gadget, the next phone, and so on. Somewhere in all of this, the begging bowl has become our very identity while we have reduced our own identity to that of a begging bowl.
Oil on canvas
50x60x1 cm
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