Anupama - Strings of Heritage

Krishna engraved on Palm Leaf

by Anupama | Jul 30, 2017 | Art & The Artist

With Krishna Janmashtami round the corner, I thought it apt that I do a blog post on Krishna. Krishna fascinates each one of us. You can love Him, you can hate Him, but you cannot remain indifferent to Him. He is the mythological legend, who is flamboyant, romantic, shrewd, just, wise, noble, divine and at the same time quite human. His childhood stories enthrall every child and adult. His rich and festive life continues to inspire artists, be it in dance, art or poetry. Krishna is as you wish to see him. If you wish to see him human, then his lover boy image makes him so. And if you wish to see divinity, then the same love can be seen as divine. Confused?? I hope not….it’s a wee bit philosophical. But I can’t help it. Seeing just one palm leaf engraving of Krishna, a ‘two feet by five feet’ masterpiece got me thinking about him. Mr.Debasish Sahoo, an artist from Orissa enlightens me on the subject.

Let us explore together.

Palm leaf being used as writing material is as old as writing itself. With engraving inscriptions, small illustrations were also drawn and this was when, Palm leaf engraving became an art in itself. Originating in Orissa, mainly being practiced in Cuttack and Puri, the figures in Orissa art are inspired by the main deity, Lord Jagannath who is our very own Krishna. The palm leaves are cut when unripe and are prepared for the engraving. This involves a process of sun drying, wetting for 4 to 5 days and again drying in the shade. These are then stringed together through holes, to form paintings of any length. But as the breadth is constrained it goes no more than 24 inches. A sharp metal instrument is used to etch the design and engrave it. Ink is rubbed in and wiped off repeatedly to bring the etchings in relief. The ink again is a concoction of bean leaves, charcoal, oil and turmeric powder. The life of these paintings can be predicted by the Geeth Govind manuscripts by the poet JayaDeva still preserved in various museums and this was written in the 12^th century. The artist Mr. Sahoo, shares an old manuscript from his collection here. Palm leaf engravings are best hung without glass and in 3 to 4 years of making, it changes colour to a golden yellow which is a natural process. And the best part – it is maintenance free. The cost of the painting depends on the experience of the artist and the amount of work on it. This art is called Talapatrachitra or Chitrapothi.

Sharp instrument used for Palm leaf engraving

150 years old manuscript, artist’s collection

The engraving I will show you today, is all about Krishna. The outer most borders are floral designs in margins, after which the next broad border covers the story of Krishna, in small circular panels. It begins from the right hand upper corner, continues in a clockwise direction and ends with the destruction of Kansa, the villain and peace in the kingdom. These circles again are flanked with floral designs, different kinds of birds and animals. In this small frame, you can easily see two types of birds, elephants, deer, cow and tiger.

Krishna’s story begins

Some such circular frames in close-up. I have captured the killing of Putana by the infant Krishna and another scene of baby Krishna stealing butter along with his friends.

Krishna stealing Butter with friends- The Makhanchor

Krishna puts an end to Putana’s life

The main painting at the centre is again divided into 3 main frames with a circular frame at the centre of each of these. Mr. Sahoo explains the various frames as the AshtaRasleelas of Krishna. The first part has a horizontal depiction of the Kalinga Mardan, where Krishna subdues the multi headed poisonous snake in the Yamuna River. Mermaids or rather fish bow to Krishna on either side. The piece at the centre is ‘Jugal Bandi’ (one of the 8 rasleelas) where Krishna and Radha are seen as one. On either sides Krishna is seen with Gopikas or the milkmaids who were in love with Krishna. The next horizontal part here is the Govardhan mountain being held up by Krishna to save the villagers from the storm.

Kalinga Mardan, Jugal Bandi and Govardhan Giridhar all in one frame

The central portion is devoted to a big circular frame of Krishna with Gopikas depicting the Sangeeth Rasa(music) and Dandi Rasa( dance), Gopikas are shown on all sides which is the Gopi Rasa.

Krishna with Radha and Gopikas, Love in the purest of forms

The last portion depicts the Paduka Rasa where Krishna helps Radha wear the toe ring. Next is the Navkeli (Nav means the boat). This Rasleela is on the boat. This portion also has the DoloRasa which is on the swing. The Bijay Rasa which is finalizing marriage is not shown here. All in all this painting alone introduces us to the expertise of the artist. The fine features, the expressive faces and stances, the variety in life is all captured in one frame. Unfortunately, I did not capture it in one frame.

PadukaRaso, Krishna helping Radha with the toe ring

PadukaRasa, Krishna helping Radha with the toe ring

Navkeli and Dolo Rasa,two of the 8 Rasleelas of Krishna

All the same, Mr. Sahoo shows us some more paintings, one of which is the Dashavatara(the ten forms of Vishnu) and the Geetha Saar in Mahabharatha, where the centre portion depicts Arjuna and Krishna in the Vishwaroop Darshan.

Palm leaf engraving by the artist Mr. Debasish Sahoo

Mr.Debasish Sahoo, artist from Orissa

Krishna in all these forms and facets is the reason He is our favourite. So a very happy birthday to Krishna…

And Twinkles to all of you. Have a great week.

Anupama

Note- Mr Debasish Sahoo

Prashanthi Handicrafts, Opp Kedar Gouri Temple,

Old Town, Bhubaneswar,Odisha

The Treasures, Mangalore

by Anupama | Jul 27, 2017 | Tours & Experiences

Today let me take you on a virtual tour of my favourite handicraft store in Mangalore, ‘The Treasures’. When I say favourite, I have a whole lot of stuff that I bought here, including furniture. Whenever I visit my native, I make it a point to browse through this store for new finds. Their collection includes idols in brass, bronze, carved wooden pillars, furniture, home decor accessories and some more. As you enter the shop, a beautiful lady in bronze greets you and her accessory speaks of the lovely aesthetic sense the couple running this store have. Suraj and Reshma are friends and show me around their collections. They also do events and backdrops with traditional elements. For now, let me give you a peek into their store.

To ward off the evil eye, found in temples across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu

Yali or vyala pillars handcarved in wood, from the south belt. Very prominent in most temples at the entrance or as part of pillars. They can be found in temples across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Yali is a feature of the Dravidian and Vijayanagar style of architecture. It is a mythical creature- part lion, part horse or part elephant and also with the tail as a serpent and sometimes with wings. Signifying immense strength, it is believed to be stronger than any other animal. It is also believed to ward off the evil eye. So if you want to have this for your home, you know where you can get it.

Ganesha in a brass Mandap

Bronze and brass, Gods and Godessess with fine chiseled features. The Ganesha in a brass Mantap looks beautiful. They also customize and can get a bronze nameplate done for you.

To decorate the entrance

See the Thorans (door hangings for the entrance) in metal, enamel and fabric. Notice the beautiful old door as the background to the thoran collection.

Soda bottles with marbles

I love to check out the collection of antiques that they have. Right from kitchen utensils, urulis and soda bottles with marbles, they have a super eclectic collection.

Hundred year Old wooden carved horse, an antique

I love to check out the collection of antiques that they have. Right from kitchen utensils, urulis and soda bottles with marbles, they have a super eclectic collection.

Art with coconut shells and mixed media

Any store worth its salt, should have the speciality of the town. And Mangalore being a coastal town, has coconuts as its speciality. Yes, the coconut shell art with mixed media gives it a special touch. There is also the pebble art which is very attractive and both these art forms are by the artist, Ganesh Shetty.

Pebble art- Men and women at work

The car festival is an annual temple celebration and is another crowd puller. This store has replicas of the ‘car’ or ‘Rath’ in wood and in thermocol. Definitely art with the local touch.

Mangalore Car festival

They also have lovely wooden furniture with the antique distressed look. Some are awfully old, but some others are custom made with the distressed finish. I will post pictures of my loot from here in a separate post. So next time you are in Mangalore do check them out.

PS- Since we have had some queries on the location, let me quickly update their address

The Treasures,” Brahma Samaj”, Near Navbharath Circle,

KodialBail, Mangalore-575003

For queries or custom orders, contact

And for the record, this is not a sponsored post.

Lots of Twinkles to you, have a great weekend.

Anupama

A Glimpse of Madhubani

by Anupama | Jul 23, 2017 | Art & The Artist

Madhubani per se requires no introduction. It is relatively popular among folk arts of India and is from Bihar. But for the first time since I started writing, I am not sure about where to begin. Should I begin at the beginning, when Sita from the era of Ramayan began painting in Mithila. Or shall I introduce you to Madhubani, as I came across it in a book by Jyotindra Jain- ‘Ganga Devi: Tradition and Expression in Mithila Painting’. Or shall I introduce you to Mr. Ashokkumar Das, grandson of Late. Jagdamba Devi, the first artist in Madhubani to be conferred a national award in 1970 and Padma Shri in 1975.

So this is why, this post is only ‘A Glimpse’ of Madhubani. Let me start with Mr Ashokkumar Das, an artist from Jitwarpur village, Madhubani district, Bihar. He was in Bangalore as part of Dastakar exhibition. The first thing he mentions as we chat, is that there are five national awardees and 10 state award holders in his family. No mean feat, definitely! I am attracted to some intricate paintings with a lot of line drawings and these he enlightens me are in the Godna form.

There are four main forms in Madhubani or Mithila paintings. These forms were earlier dictated and bound by the caste or varna system prevalent. Now with the abolition of caste system, there are no restrictions. So the artists have a freedom in their artistic expressions and are not bound in any way.

The Bharni Style- This was mainly practiced by the upper castes and depicted Mythological characters in epics, especially the Ramayana and Mahabharatha which the womenfolk knew from continued recital.They used rich vibrant colours and had no restrictions. Sita Devi is considered a pioneer in this form. Bharni means filling. As the forms of Vishnu, Krishna, Kali and other Gods depicted are filled with colours, so the name.

The Katchni style- The Kayastha community practiced this form and could depict Gods and Godesses, but the colours used were limited to black and red. So they are not as vibrant in appearance. But they make up for the lack of colours with lots of linear drawings, lines and patterns. This in turn results in a beautiful form. Ganga Devi Is considered a pioneer in having created different types of line work and renderings instead of colour. I just love her work and will need a separate blog post for her…so that will have to wait another day.

Tantric or Geru or Godna style- This was mainly practiced by the lower communities, as they did not have any exposure to the holy texts and depicted nature as around them. The filling of the background was done using diluted cow dung as wash. Sun, moon , animals, birds and the tattoos on their bodies usually formed their subjects. Some colours were allowed to be used.

Kohbar Style- This is a unique painting that is done on a wall in the nuptial chamber where the wedding ceremonies take place. It is a symbolic painting which has a very special place in Mithila’s culture. The painting is dominated by the lotus flower which symbolizes female and the bamboo plant symbolises the male sexuality. According to the ancient texts, Shiva and Parvathi are considered to be the happiest and most successful as a divine couple and they are depicted to bless the newlyweds with the same love and success in matrimony. The sun and moon are also depicted. The water creatures, love birds are symbols of fertility and love.

Ashokkumar Das discusses the features of Mithila Lok Chitra or Madhubani folk art-

Two dimensional, with sharp nose and big eyes.
There are no blank spaces. Geometric designs are used generously to fill the blanks.
Traditionally done on mud walls plastered with cow dung but now being painted on handmade sheets.
Natural colours are used. Bel leaves, mehendi leaves for green, neelkanth flower for blue, harsingar flower for pink, rose for red, tender turmeric for yellow, lamp ash for black. These are mixed with gum water so that they get bound to the paper. But in the current scenario, many use acrylic and water colours, though there are a few artists who use natural colours.
Nib is used for outline(it is captured in one of the pics)

You see here, many of the paintings have fish as a common motif. That’s because fish is an ‘all in one’ symbolising love, fertility and prosperity. The artist says, “Maach, paan aur makhaan, Shubh maana jaata hai’”. (That is fish, beetle leaf and lotus seeds are good signs.) Well, we all need good signs.

When I ask him about the support they get, he is all praise for the state government and the Government of India. In fact the saying that, ‘Every cloud has a silver lining’ holds true for these artists. It was only in 1960’s when they were badly affected by draught that the government looked for alternative income sources and funded the artists to use Madhubani art onto paper, bringing the art to the limelight. I wish ‘Kaavi kale’ would also get a similar lease of life.

I find it very fascinating, that Madhubani was mainly practiced by the womenfolk and passed on from one generation to the other. In fact the bride’s skill in this department was considered very important for choosing a groom. It was only after its commercialization and recognition by the government, that men also entered the arena of painting. Mr. Ashokkumar Das gives me a snippet of gossip here…if any of you remember the serial ‘Surabhi’ hosted by Siddharth Kak and Renuka Shahane? Mr. Das tells me that he took them around to the different families practicing this art as part of the show. Well, I am happy that I got to meet him. He has offered to show me around all the artists’ homes when I go to Madhubani. And off course I am going…..

Hope you enjoyed this post. Have a great week. Lots of twinkles to you!

Anupama

Balur Estate since 1853- Where time stands still

by Anupama | Jul 20, 2017 | Tours & Experiences

Not having planned anything ahead, we were at loose ends on the weekend. The only thing fixed, was we wanted to travel for a weekend getaway. We stumbled upon Linger properties suggested by a friend and Balur Estate in Chikmangalur District. A heritage property set amidst 400 acres of coffee plantation. After a beautiful drive in the wilderness (Google maps was great with the directions) we found our way to our holiday stay.

We were put up in the main building which has been retained as is from 1853, called Planters room. It was actually a room as part of the house. Reminded me of my ancestral home in Mangalore which was demolished recently. Each room has atleast 2 doors interconnecting the house, with a ceiling height of 20 feet, with wooden rafters and tiles. The property faces the Charmady Ghats, covered perpetually in mist and clouds, which seemed to have no agenda whatsoever, just like us. The landscape reminded me of a Kannada movie we had watched, ‘Bettada Jeeva’(Soul of the mountains).

Each piece of furniture here is an antique, comfy and homely at the same time. Years of love and care are reflected in the collection of antiques at the estate. There’s even the old way of heating water using firewood. Here time seems to stand still, but this clock is working.

A library that beckons and helps us unwind. In the city we are always busy. Even a relaxing holiday is packed with unending activities and we have forgotten quiet. So the quiet here is welcome and at the same time unsettling. Have we forgotten to be with ourselves?Though there was a drizzle throughout our stay, we decided to brave the weather and walk around the estate. What a lovely walk!

Inspite of the rainy slush, I loved the experience of learning about the different spices grown, the lifestyle of the people at the estate and the process of getting the coffee, market ready. November to January is the time of harvest at the estate. Pepper, coffee, cardamom and areca nut are harvested and prepared for the market and exports. These months would be interesting for a visit, to see this process, for bird watching and bonfires. Throughout our stay, I could hear peacocks, but dint get to see them.

Walking through the estate, seeing the different stages of growth, I was reminded of how life keeps changing. How we too grow through our life experiences…I felt one with nature- the trees, the rain, the mountains and off course the coffee. Tasted the purest of filter coffee Arabica without chikoree or added flavours. Homely food, cooked with local flavours adds to the charm. Life, in its simplest and most beautiful form at Balur Estate.

The caretaker, Mr. Rakesh is friendly and ever ready for a chat. He took us around the estate telling us about the organic way of life at the estate. Saplings of teak, Rose, mango, jack fruit are awaiting their turn to spread their leaves to the sky and put down their roots on this ground. The coffee pulp after segregation goes in for composting. All that comes from nature goes back to it, to nourish life.

I went on a holiday, returned a poet…

There’s the mist moving across the mountains

Never still for even a moment.

Isn’t this how I move through life

Never savouring the moment?

The next morning we set out for Annapurneshwari temple in Hornad which is only an hour away. But flanked on either side by tea and coffee plantations, we had a leisurely drive. Good roads, pleasant weather and peacocks calling out…a lovely drive.

As we said our goodbyes at Balur Estate after a yummy lunch, we came across the owner of the property Mr. Chandrashekhar and I got to know where to buy the coconut fibre trays they had. Even as we were leaving, we learnt that a new building was coming up. This would have a full fledged kids’ play area, wifi zone, coffee shop, indoor games and a library.

After all, it’s difficult ‘to do just nothing…’

Lots of Twinkles to you…have a great weekend.

Anupama

Khavda Pottery….the last family practicing this ancient craft from the Indus Valley Civilization

by Anupama | Jul 17, 2017 | Art & The Artist

Khavda Pottery

“Respond to every call that excites your spirit.”- Rumi Coming from the land of colours, Gujarat, a small village Khavda-Bhuj, in her colourful ghagra (traditional Gujarathi dress) with a duppatta (the shawl) covering her head, Rahima Bhen is the image of simplicity and rural India…..Khavda pottery, unchanged through centuries, is the art of making pottery with a special mud, found near the village lake called, ‘Rann Ki Mitti’. The fine mud is put into water to soften it and takes any shape easily…Used on a potters’ wheel called ‘chakda’ and shaped with hands, its special feature is its colour and the paintings adorning it. Once it takes shape, it is cleaned, sun dried and then baked in a furnace. The vessels are then coated with a thin wash of ‘Geru’, a type of soil which gives it the special colour. The womenfolk then paint the items, by using natural colours.

The tools of the trade-

Frayed bamboo twigs used to paint the natural colours.
Blackish red is got by pounding the stone, ‘Geru’ and leaving it in water.
The white is ‘khari’ mitti ( fine soil) mixed with water.
The clay is the special mud called ‘Rann ki mitti’.
The potters’ wheel ( chakda).
And lots of talent and hard work.

At the workshop conducted by heartforart, I see pottery items painted with beautiful reddish black and white colours. The lady who paints this has a shy beguiling smile. Using her creativity, she paints designs on them as she imagines them, taking her inspiration from nature….the scorpion, flowers are some we asked her about. As I interacted with her, she was equally curious and wanted to know if I had visited Kutch…When I said I intended to, I immediately got an invite to her house…to taste bajre ki roti aur chutney…how sweet is that.

I ask her about her kids and how they manage when the parents are away at workshops and exhibitions.She says her mother-in-law takes care of them (I so love the joint family system). They are three of them who work on the pottery, her husband, mother-in-law and herself. When I ask her about the other families who used to work on this craft, she is a little sad, “Not any more…no one other than us works on this. It is a lot of hard work and not enough people who appreciate.” She talks of her father who used to do this work and her brother, but now he is a truck driver……

Abdul Ibrahim, her husband is equally friendly….. As we chat, he speaks of these workshops which help them establish their craft and get contacts for commissioned work. He has received orders for dinner sets from Pune, Delhi and Calcutta. Most of their sales happen during Rann Utsav, when there is a celebratory atmosphere and lots of tourists…definitely on my bucket list now.

As usual I cannot help it…I advise (somebody help me in this….bad, bad habit).
“Abdul Bhai, why not have the bottles with a wider rim? We may break it while cleaning”.
He smiles and answers, “It’s ok Madamji, you buy another.Otherwise how will I have a livelihood????”
Good question…but then you are in Kutch. “Madam phone karlijiye ya email??”Dduh…Off course…
(Madam, you can place a telephonic order or by email)

There is a pride in them, for having kept at it, and in spite of the odds. Not an easy job to collect the clay, work with it, suffer a loss- when wares break in transport…it is a lot of hard work. But theirs is the only family practicing the craft. “We have to do it”, they say……

They don’t expect charity…they only want our patronage. “Can we do it???” This is the question we have to answer.

Twinkles to you…have a happy day.
Anupama

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Krishna engraved on Palm Leaf

The Treasures, Mangalore

A Glimpse of Madhubani

Balur Estate since 1853- Where time stands still

Khavda Pottery….the last family practicing this ancient craft from the Indus Valley Civilization

Khavda Pottery

The tools of the trade-

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