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He paints between lines
 Here is a man from Chennai trying to capture the spirit of
Kashmiri Saivism in art form. And that too of a great guru of
Kashmir, Shaman
Lakshmanajoo Raina. This name is not a totally strange one to readers of Chennaionline as IAS officer
C K Gariyali has been writing movingly about her association with him in her column, ‘An Officer’s Diary’.
But what is surprising is that artist Srinivasa Ravikumar chose to interpret
Lakshmanajoo’s teachings without having once met him.
“The exhibition has drawn the essence of the mantras in ‘Vigyan Bhairava’, ‘Sochenda
Tantra’, ‘Malini Vijaya Tantra’ - the bedrock of Kashmiri Saiva masters,” explains the artist.
He has always been fascinated by the “mystery of life and the magic of the universe, J Krishnamurti, close encounters with yogis, seers and sages”.
He gave up his banking job and then even the copywriter work he took up later and dedicated himself to art.
His first exhibition was ‘akara’' on Yogi Ramsurath Kumar of
Thiruvannamalai (1992).
Then came ‘The Yoga of Thirumoolar’ in February 1999, dedicated to the centenarian
Sankaracharya of the Kanchi Mutt,
Sri Chandrasekarendra
Saraswati.
After attending a Zen painting class at the Theosophical
Society, Chennai, where you draw with your left hand the object you perceive. He then held an exhibition called ‘Loving Heart’, dedicated to J
Krishnamurti.
Following the Zen books, he came across a mention about
Lakshmanajoo in the book ‘Zen Flesh, Zen Bones’. Then, of course, he got hooked to what the
Kashmiri guru wrote and decided that his next exhibition would be based on his philosophy.
Though a Vaishnavite by birth, his grasp of Saivite philosophy comes through neatly and passionately in this exhibition.
The 115 paintings/sketches that mere on display at
Lalit Kala Akademi till June 21 showed different ways to realise the Almighty.
The exhibition opens with a thought-provoking Sutra from Parvati, Lord Siva’s consort:
‘O Shiva, what is your reality?
What is this wonder filled universe?
What constitutes seed?
Who centres the Universal Wheel?
What is this life beyond form pervading forms?
How may he enter it fully above space and time, names and descriptions?
Let my doubts be cleared!’
The doubts are cleared not just for Devi but also ordinary folks in the Sutras that are attached thoughtfully - in faultless English - under each painting/sketch.
The medium Ravikumar had used in this exhibition varied from newsprint, handmade paper to canvas. And he has used lead pencil, ballpoint pen, crayons and oil to give life to the ideas.
“My work is paradoxical and enigmatic or Yogic constructionism. I try to unify science and religion, religion and politics, politics and art! Myth and modernity - ancient and contemporary. Fun and toil.” That sums up his philosophy.
The most astounding painting at the exhibition was Sutra No 26 - where he has brought to life the likeness of Lakshmanajoo even though he has never seen him. “I was in Srinagar once but did not meet him and he must have blessed me then. Because this painting was inspired and not copied from anywhere!”
The mind-blowing texts make one jump out of the skin while the art work calmly guides one. The power of the words has been duly balanced by the stroke of the brush.
When asked about the queer name of the exhibition - Sexessence of Shiva - though the art works were anything but sexy, Ravikumar was at pains to point out that he had merely coined a new term. “What is beyond quintessence is sexessence. That which cannot be perceived and understood by normal human beings - unlike Lakshmanajoo, whom I call Himachala Mahatma - that is Sexessence. It goes beyond the Pancha Boothas of Saivite philosophy and so I thought I needed a new word to identity that space and matter,” he explains.
Here are some examples.
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| Sutra 8: Attention between eyebrows, let mind be before thought. Let form fill with breath essence the top of the head, and there shower as light. |
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| Sutra 26: Unminding mind, Keep in the middle - until. |
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| Sutra 34: Look upon a bowl without seeing the sides or the
material. In a few moments become aware. |
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| Sutra 48: O Lotus-eyed one, sweet of touch, when singing, seeing, tasting, be aware you are and discover the ever living. |
S Chitra
Published on 25th
June 2004
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