Surer -tuli       (Painting with music )

Earlier in the year I worked at Dulwich picture Gallary in London with their RAGMALA exhibition .

It was a beautiful exhibition of a large private collection of Indian miniature paintings.

I learnt that these were used to enhance the listeners appreciation of the music by passing it around while they enjoyed the live recitals of different Ragas and Raginis . My knowledge of Raga system or the art of interpreting the Paintings is very shallow if not minimal .I looked at the catalogue staring at the paintings for some inspiration. Suddenly I thought that if I can hear a Tagore song based on the ragas mentioned in the title of the paintings it might make more sense and give me a way in.  I selected a painting of a Ragini linked to Megh raga.  And who do I turn to ?  Late late night text to Rishi . Tell me a Rabindra sangeet  on Megh . Faster than a computer a reply came back  “nilo anjano ghano punjo chayay”  is  in a similar Raga Mallar . I took another look ,it came across quite differently. I could connect different parts of the painting to the lyrics of the song.

Once I saw a pattern I could indentify a general trend . So the first pert of my dance workshop was about the general techniques of painting .

There is a sky on the top ,then  trees and greenery in the middle part connecting the sky and the land and finally land  with smaller greens ,bushes, flowers and so on .

The song tells us just in that order “the sky covered with clusters of dark clouds” , then a reference to the gathering of Kadamba tree and finally breaking the chains of the perched earth are bursting out  new shoots .

With the song in the background I could lead my mixed group of elderly local participants to move painting the pictures in space forgetting any initial inhibition of using the body in a different way . I was thrilled to see their engagement and enjoyment . In my mind i knew I could not have reached that moment without holding on to my life long reliance on Tagore .

Now that I have introduced the technique how can I move on to explain that  the technique is there to help the artist to communicate an idea. Another  Blackberry whats app from a running train “Rishi anything on Sri Raga?”  Wish it was just as effective to send a message to God ! 

In no time I had the reply “Kar Milano chao Birohi” .

Earlier the exhibition guide drew attention to the fact that in the background of a lush green pasture and a prosperous town, the central figure of the lady sits waiting ,sad and alone, unconcerned of the fullness of life around her .

I was with a group of people who had life’s experience behind them .  

There was perfect understanding  when I said that often in our own lives  too we  wait anxiously for   “someone else”  to make us happy . We expect  our  parents , friends, partners, children and grandchildren  to bring us happiness .Lost in this expectation we ignore the richness of what is around us . We keep looking out, moving through a forest of complex emotions of fear, anxiety, meanness and  self pity ; instead of turning our search inwards within our own mind to find  peace and light within ourselves . I played the song and invited them to dance their own feelings freely using their own creativity .

This is how it looked.