Rituals
The Divine is pervasive in India, so deeply embedded in day to day life, that growing up in India, many may not even notice it. My curiosity was piqued by a variety of rituals, some very simple, but each evoking this notion of the Divine. Although meant to connect us with the Divine, I think rituals play an important role in connecting us with ourselves and our roots. This series of paintings in oil, acrylic and ink, inspired by the rituals I came across, is a product of my own exploration of the culture I grew up in. The Indian classical music and dance forms that fill my canvasses, depicting mythological tales and paying homage to the Gods, are so devotional and deeply spiritual that their practice is a ritual in itself. To me even the spontaneous outburst of dance at the onset of the monsoon embodies the same sense of devotion and gratitude. The practice of making a long and often arduous journey to a place of worship is, for me, an embodiment of people’s unrelenting faith. The sight of a family waiting outside the main shrine for hours for the doors to open, only to catch a quick glimpse of the Lord, moved me during my recent visit to a temple in South India. Ancient and deeply traditional, yet the seemingly simple rituals of drawing a “Rangoli” (sacred design typically drawn in a courtyard), lighting a lamp, or hanging a“Toran” (decorative garland) in a doorway make any place seem like home to me. I think these simple rituals go beyond religion, cross the boundaries of time and space and are indeed a way of life. It is these rituals that in their wide variety of forms, tie together the varied threads of the Indian fabric.
