[1]As the dark clouds envelop the sky, their bosom heaving with luminous rain, the silver streaks of lightening flashing to illuminate, albeit for a fraction of a moment, the joyousness of a burgeoning earth. The optimism of the koels, who have been singing their plaintive yet seductive songs in an attempt to entice the clouds, has finally paid off. And the skies open in a veritable deluge of sparkling drops that touch the earth and the magic unfolds.
The monsoon in India comes laden with a myriad moods and connotations, romance and viraha or separation, poetry and puddles, fertility and floods, art and affection — all woven in the colours of the rainbow in joyous abandon.
No wonder then that Indra, the Lord of the heavens is also the thunder God and paeans are sung to him in the Vedas for his role in bringing rains is perhaps the most proactive. It is said that Vritra, the cloud-dwelling demon of drought held back rains once and Indra had to use his arsenal of thunder and bolts of lightning to defeat him in the battle and push him out of his cloud-built tower. The word monsoon comes from the Arabic word mausim, meaning weather. Paradoxically, the origin of the word for torrential rain begins in a desert that doesn’t even know the exquisite and sensual pleasure of a monsoon downpour! Origin notwithstanding, the monsoon has had a literally cascading impact on Indian literature, art, dance, music and architecture.
Kalidas’s lyrical poem Meghdootam — the messenger cloud — is based on the story of when divine Yaksha is separated from his Yakshini by the gods; his pining messages of love are carried by monsoon clouds. Centuries later, Rabindranath Tagore would look at the monsoon sky and write — Lightning darts through the clouds, ripping them, dotting the sky with sharp crooked smiles.
The poignant smell of the earth as the first raindrops fall is something that has inspired the romantic in all of us. No surprise that the ittar-maker or Gandhi then created that incomparable aroma of the first monsoon showers on a parched
earth and called it mitti or earth!
In the Baramasa miniature paintings from Rajasthan, the monsoon pictures have women perched on swings, white cranes flying across a dark sky, peacocks with the plumes fanned out, parakeets and blooming lotuses with the musicians singing the Malhar ragas of the rains. Everything speaks of rain without the painting actually depicting a shower; for it is said that rains had to be depicted with “ropes of pearls”.
Given that contemporary paintings don’t even want to give cognisance to the huge impact seasons have on our psyche, it was a pleasure to visit an exhibition that welcomes this wonderful season with Monsoon Sutra, curated by Dashmeet Singh showcasing paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs and installations of 18 emerging and prominent artists.
The exhibition was held at the Hungarian Inform-ation and Culture Centre in cooperation with The Art Floor.
Ankush Safaya’s live installation Chaiwala Tea Stall, serving ginger tea and pakoras in true spirit of the season was the show stealer, in consonance with the artist’s conviction that a chaiwala is a great leveler. His abstract canvases were redolent with images that delved into the subconscious and manifest at the same time.
Another superb installation, Drenched In Love, focuses on the romantic aspect of the monsoon. An upturned umbrella symbolic of rebellion of those who don’t have a roof over their heads when it rained. Vibhor, an artist with autism, focused on his love for nature and his delicate and elegant works were truly outstanding. The Art Floor supports him and Aakriti, an NGO run by her mother.
Prashant Sarkar’s Ecstacy was evocative as were a set of abstracts by Dashmeet. Drenched in the colours of the monsoon, the works were simply delightful. Emerging artist Abhinav Chowbey showcased his splendid control over his idiom and the language he is attempting to create. Artist Reva Pandit brings to the show her thoughts on love for self, intertwined with nature. The sculptures by Neeraj Mittra, Chhote Viswa and Abhinav Chowbey in bronze, ceramic and stone were of high professional quality and elegant in thought and execution and really deserved attention.
It was wonderful to note that someone is attempting to think multi-discipline. So what if it was not Girija Devi singing jhoola and kajri so appropriate for the season, but the very charming Nathalie Ramerez and Daniel who serenaded the monsoon with their charming flute and guitar and set the tone for the evening.
Dr Alka Raghuvanshi is an art writer, curator and artist
Links:
[1] http://103.241.136.51/alkajpg-566