Self-taught Athira Sajith’s task was “daunting” from the very beginning. She had to convey the essence of 18 of the main Puranas on canvas, as art work to accompany 18 Puranangal , an unabridged Malayalam translation of the ancient Sanskrit treatises that is being published by DC Books. By no means a small feat, especially given that each word in each of the tomes, said to have been compiled by Ved Vyasa, holds a wealth of meaning. And that’s apart from the multitude of stories, ideas, ideals and thoughts in each. Athira has risen to the challenge and come up with 18 acrylics on canvas on the Puranas, plus one depicting the Naimisharanya [the scene where Suta narrates the Mahabharata to a conclave of sages]. All the paintings are inspired by Kerala’s traditional mural art – with a few abstract twists. The paintings were on display in the city this week, after exhibitions in Kochi, Kottayam and Kozhikode.
“The beauty of the Puranas is that they are open to interpretation,” says Athira. “I read and did extensive research on the Puranas, besides talking in depth with each of the professors who are translating the texts. With my mind filled with the information, I meditated, which in turn helped me collate it all on canvas. In these moments, I felt that there was nothing in the world but me and my canvas. Then, I let my imagination flow,” adds the Chennai-based artist, who has done the cover art for DC Books’ Srimad Valmiki Ramayanam .
Athira, who is a native of the city, took to art in her childhood. A chemistry graduate, she earned a diploma in mural art from the University of Kerala and a BFA in art via correspondence from the University of Mysore. “I have a fascination for mural paintings and find something sublime in their beauty and style. Actually, I love everything about Kerala’s cultural and artistic traditions and draw inspiration from it. I often give my mural paintings a modern twist,” she says. For example, in the painting ‘Bhageerathi’ that represents Naradeeya Purana, she’s used pastel shades, which are not traditionally used in mural art, to depict the episode where King Bhageeratha brings River Ganga, personified as Goddess Ganga, to the earth from the heavens. For many of the figures in the paintings, she’s also added pieces of jewellery “that are figments of my imagination” or gone for an unusually minimalistic look.
She’s also used abstracts and semi-abstracts, particularly in the background, in her art works. Her semi-abstract of ‘Srishti’ from the Brahmanda Purana, for example, charts life, in all its facets, from genesis as an egg to death and salvation. In this she has depicted Lord Brahma, the creator, in all his glory, surrounded by the other two pillars of Hindu faith, Vishnu, the preserver, and Shiva, the destroyer. The artist has taken an even more abstract route for painting the Linga Purana through ‘Srishti Sthithi Samharam’. In this she has used a Linga with the Trimurthis to represent the search for truth, knowledge and eternality. “More than anything, I want my paintings to convey emotions,” she says. None more so than in her painting of ‘Krishna Leela’ [Brahmavaivartha Purana], which shows Krishna surrounded by his women, each with varied emotions showing their connect to the God.
