this one adorns my wall along with the mahalakshmi.
finished em on DIWALI this year. :)
finished em on DIWALI this year. :)
the dance of creation by the remover of obstacles :)
Monday, 18 November 2013
the purusha and the prakruti....matter and energy....the cosmic dance of love...
radhe radhe
eternal. holy. lovely. serene. beautiful. longing. true love.
eternal. holy. lovely. serene. beautiful. longing. true love.
dashavataram in another version
this one was a gift for an aunt.
this hopefully now adorns the walls of her home :)
the flute playing centerpiece boasts of the head of Lord Jagannath on the body of the divine Krishna- the supreme lord.
the surrounding pieces are shown below.
the pics are not in any particular order.
this hopefully now adorns the walls of her home :)
the flute playing centerpiece boasts of the head of Lord Jagannath on the body of the divine Krishna- the supreme lord.
the surrounding pieces are shown below.
MAHALAKSHMI PATTACHITRA
doing this pattachitra took me almost a year of practicing! this is how far i have reached in this still miles-to-go field :)
Friday, 26 July 2013
SHREE KRISHNA with SAKHIS- a rendezvous of the supreme soul with merry-making soulful danseuses
what better love can the world experience than the love among the divine manifestation of the almighty as lord Krishna and the love of the milkmaids of vrindavan? the supreme soul sings and dances and plays his divine flute, hypnotizing the hard working rural ladies to sing and dance to his amorous, yet efficiently elegant and subtle tunes...the cows, the birds, the cowherds and the milkmaids...no one had respite, and none wanted it either. the following pictures depict my version of the ethereal play, rendered still, yet blissful, on a chart paper, drawn as usual, with a pattachitra (palm leaf painting) style of indigenous art :)
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| 1. THE FULL PAINTING. THE LAST TWO FIGURINES DEPICT TWO GOPIS WHO ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE OTHER TWO PICTURES THAT FOLLOW. THEIR NAMES ARE NANDINI AND ROHINI. |
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| 2. THE FIRST HALF OF THE GOPIS, MAGNIFIED, SHOWING RADHIKA (RADHA), LALITA, VISHAKHA AND SUMATI. |
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| 3. THE SECOND HALF MAGNIFIED, SHOWING THE GOPIS (MILKMAIDS) NAMED SUMATI, VICHITRA, GAURI, SARASWATI, SULABHA, AND SUMITRA. |
a grayscale pattachitra
the black yellow and white divine trinity ruling the state of odisha, India, have a special place in the hearts of a pattachitra artist, whether a professional, or a protege or an amateur... this post here is dedicated to my version of shree jagannath, lord balbhadra and devi shubhadra, drawn on a chart paper, but with a pattachitra style :)
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| LORD BALBHADRA/BALRAM & LORD JAGANNATH |
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| LORD JAGANNATH AND DEVI SHUBHADRA |
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| THE DIVINE SIBLING TRIO |
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| THE RULING DEITIES IN GRAYSCALE ON A CHARTPAPER |
ten avatars of vishnu-a rendition of traditional pattachitra style of art on a chart paper
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| the first part. each of the avatars are described in subsequent photos. |
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| the middle part of the representation |
It took me about a month to complete this. but every detail the work contains required tenuous concentration and i must say, it is not for the fickle :) the first picture shows from left to right, the avatars of fish (Matsya avatar), turtle (Kurma/Kachhap avatar), boar (Varaha avatar) and the Lion-man (Narsingh avatar) incarnations of lord vishnu. the fourth avatar is depicted with prahlad kneeling at his feet, and hiranyakashipu dead at the hands of the divine avatar.
the next picture shows from bottom to top, the next four avatars of lord vishnu, namely the dwarf (Vaman avatar), the Parshuram Avatar (which reveals the hunter gatherer and aggressive warrior persona), the shriRam avatar (showing the subtler and utopian and pedantic characters of humanity), while the last one shows balarama avatar, the agricultural herdsman brother of the great lord Krishna (krishna is not considered as an avatar, instead as the supreme godhead who takes avatars, i.e, equated with the stature and identity of vishnu himself).
the last picture again shows the lord balaram avatar, as a continuation from the second picture, but adds to it the avatars of lord jagannath (also called as baudh avatar, and sometimes equated with gautama buddha, and both of them are considered as the one and the same as well as the nionth avatar of the lord) and the last and tenth avatar, lord Kalki (yet to come on the earth). the detailed single pictures follow :)
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| 1ST AVATAR: LORD MATSYA |
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| 2ND AVATAR: LORD KURMA |
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| 3RD AVATAR: LORD VARAHA |
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| 4TH AVATAR: LORD NARSIMHA (NARSINGH) |
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| 5TH AVATAR: LORD VAMANA |
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| 6TH AVATAR: LORD PARSHURAM |
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| 7TH AVATAR: LORD SHRI RAM CHANDRA |
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| 8TH AVATAR: LORD BALRAM (BALBHADRA), CONTEMPORARY OF LORD KRISHNA |
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| 9TH AVATAR: LORD SHREE JAGANNATH (IDENTIFIED WITH LORD BUDDHA) |
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| 10TH AVATAR: LORD KALKI |
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Twigs
Hanging from the high boughs of a sturdy oak
A bunch of twigs sways in the strong wind…
Left and right and forward and backward it swings
Flexible in conception and safe in its making
The strenuous job for a master builder, it is one of a kind….
It was once a lonely straw rotting upon the earth
And now ‘tis the home of a family, their own hearth…
The tempest brewing outside is but oblivious to it,
Hell bent to destroy every dream that dares to challenge it…
The tumultuous squall doesn’t care for the bird-lings just hatched in it…
The anxious canaries swirl resolutely around their abode
Mimicking fate’s endless charade in an engrossed mode…
The gale grew stronger and raindrops fell
The fiery thunder the scrawny twigs incompetent to quell
Oh so futile to lift destiny’s hefty impervious veil.
The once intricate meticulously built nest now gone,
The twigs now strewn half-burnt and damp,
The storm nowhere to be seen as the odious task was done.
The birds crying helplessly, in an eerie tone,
As they lamented by their nest as the first sunray shone,
The twigs now lay obnoxiously on the ground,
Back to where it came from, back to being alone….
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dew drops on the window
Pressing his hands and face on the glass pane
Looks out a child to the outside world insane…
Foggy images of decrepit structures and encasing weeds,
People engrossed in fulfilling their selfish needs.
Trees standing leafless, like the thorny scrubs of death,
Uncanny sounds of ghouls and unholy wreath.
A whitewashed landscape, cold and colorless gaping…
A fog so stealthily, yet vividly creeping and shaping.
A rowdy place beneath a cloudy canopy of grey skies
A black bird ravenous, sits on the sill and spies…
Startled, the child takes off his face and hands to see
His breath has formed a mask on the pane, gee!!!
His pupil glowing, he traced a sun on the pane,
And a heart below it, atop a world free of pain.
High green mountains that formed,
Above beautiful hamlets and forests, and birds hummed
Floral gardens were now a reality in the eyes
And blue rivers gurgled white froth below the vast blue skies.
A fluffy cloud now harmlessly flies by…
What truth can be better than this beautiful lie?
For when the tracing was gone, merged back into the mist,
The first sun ray emerging from the cloud midst,
It showed a place so cruel, and obsessed in itself,
Unconcerned, unaffected by the shrewd destiny’s tryst.
The numerous dew drops now fuse into one and flow down,
Helpless under gravity and truth’s menacing shadow
The child sighs and backs off into the house
His dreams gone with the dew drops on the window……
His dreams gone with the dew drops on the window……
its a sunset
a warm calm windy afternoon it was,
which was ending, when i decided to sit and see the setting sun.
the ground dressed in multicolored patterns of multitudes of hues,
the leaves, some green some yellow,l some new some mellow, fluttering in tune.
the bird-lings chirping, a song so pure.
yearning for their parents to come home, bowing to the evening's allure.
the hefty trees stand sturdy strong and sure
the high boughs swaying with a lovely, nay! mocking demure!
the shadows lengthen slowly, i watch as the sun goes down further west,
the grass smells so sweet, freshly cut, and wet.
the walls adorned with patterns of sunlight,
the reddish hue that begins to spread,
from a corner of the turquoise sky,
slant rays peep out from beneath the nimbus clouds,
like a newly wed bride, oh so shy!
the visions gradually blur with time,
a need so strong yet sublime,
the church bells together chime,
my thoughts, the skies so lewdly mime!
the trees give way to a happy couple loving,
the patterns on the wall now have no meaning...
the red apple slowly dissolving, like a drop of color on still water,
like memories of a time long gone, and an incomplete yearning!
shadows hold me transfixed, enraptured, my pupils widening,
the dancing fireflies rejoice, the birds disappearing.
the sun has set, the dark has come, the dragonflies long begone,
the impervious shadows have danced their way in,
the purple marquee asks me now to go n take rest,
ahh! what a long day it has been!
which was ending, when i decided to sit and see the setting sun.
the ground dressed in multicolored patterns of multitudes of hues,
the leaves, some green some yellow,l some new some mellow, fluttering in tune.
the bird-lings chirping, a song so pure.
yearning for their parents to come home, bowing to the evening's allure.
the hefty trees stand sturdy strong and sure
the high boughs swaying with a lovely, nay! mocking demure!
the shadows lengthen slowly, i watch as the sun goes down further west,
the grass smells so sweet, freshly cut, and wet.
the walls adorned with patterns of sunlight,
the reddish hue that begins to spread,
from a corner of the turquoise sky,
slant rays peep out from beneath the nimbus clouds,
like a newly wed bride, oh so shy!
the visions gradually blur with time,
a need so strong yet sublime,
the church bells together chime,
my thoughts, the skies so lewdly mime!
the trees give way to a happy couple loving,
the patterns on the wall now have no meaning...
the red apple slowly dissolving, like a drop of color on still water,
like memories of a time long gone, and an incomplete yearning!
shadows hold me transfixed, enraptured, my pupils widening,
the dancing fireflies rejoice, the birds disappearing.
the sun has set, the dark has come, the dragonflies long begone,
the impervious shadows have danced their way in,
the purple marquee asks me now to go n take rest,
ahh! what a long day it has been!
Monday, 28 January 2013
you gotta come back
walking by the woods one night,
the cool breeze caressing my head,
i realized that i was afraid
of the dark and nothing was in sight.
never was i so sure of fear, alone
i wondered, why was i afraid now? begone!
i asked fear to go; it didn't take pity on my plight,
the cool caressing breeze turned wild, the soothing
sounds screamed, i whimpered alone, and nothing
came to help me. oh 'twas dark! the night!
i cried, or so i thought, because tears eluded me, for i realized,
so far away am i, from home, from you, my aims i prized.
sitting by the porch, one sunny winter afternoon, i sighed
looking out at toddlers play, adults converse,i lied
to myself! saying i was fine! even though the world wasn't mine,
as it someday was. and i couldn't help it, i just sighed.
the singsong voice of a birdie, sitting hidden somewhere in the lush bush,
i heard, it asked, my self reflecting in its stance, "what was the hurry of being seen?"
the answer eluded me, i dunno what to say! maybe because i tried hard enough to make a name,
knowing its easy enough to lose it, and meanwhile u awaited my homecoming, my sweet dame!
my features the soft red sunlight awash, i mustered courage, stifled my sighs, bit
my lips and consoled myself, because there wasn't anyone beside me,
my world, my dreams, my fame, my name, gone with the westerlies fast,
as they came, so they went, nothing ever seems to last.
i want you by my side, but 'm too lost in pride,
come and find me honey, i'm too tired to walk!
oh baby you gotta come back! you gotta come back!
the cool breeze caressing my head,
i realized that i was afraid
of the dark and nothing was in sight.
never was i so sure of fear, alone
i wondered, why was i afraid now? begone!
i asked fear to go; it didn't take pity on my plight,
the cool caressing breeze turned wild, the soothing
sounds screamed, i whimpered alone, and nothing
came to help me. oh 'twas dark! the night!
i cried, or so i thought, because tears eluded me, for i realized,
so far away am i, from home, from you, my aims i prized.
sitting by the porch, one sunny winter afternoon, i sighed
looking out at toddlers play, adults converse,i lied
to myself! saying i was fine! even though the world wasn't mine,
as it someday was. and i couldn't help it, i just sighed.
the singsong voice of a birdie, sitting hidden somewhere in the lush bush,
i heard, it asked, my self reflecting in its stance, "what was the hurry of being seen?"
the answer eluded me, i dunno what to say! maybe because i tried hard enough to make a name,
knowing its easy enough to lose it, and meanwhile u awaited my homecoming, my sweet dame!
my features the soft red sunlight awash, i mustered courage, stifled my sighs, bit
my lips and consoled myself, because there wasn't anyone beside me,
my world, my dreams, my fame, my name, gone with the westerlies fast,
as they came, so they went, nothing ever seems to last.
i want you by my side, but 'm too lost in pride,
come and find me honey, i'm too tired to walk!
oh baby you gotta come back! you gotta come back!
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