The Mahabharata has been interpreted in various ways by critics, writers, film-makers and artists, but still continues to yield something new every time.
Masked behind the familiarity of various stories, an installation by Naresh Kapuria shows how incidents and excerpts from the epic are still relevant today.
The show is an artistic interpretation of how mankind continues to make the same mistakes the characters in the epic made and is still a relevant lesson for generations to come.
Titled “The Last Chapter of Mahabharata”, the installation is on display at the Alliance Française and has been curated by Jean-Philippe Bottin.
Each installation has a message from the epic that is brought to life and deals closely with the topic of war and why it should be avoided at all costs. One such installation — a throne of thorns — explains how any position of power that is earned by conflict will never be comfortable for the person on that seat.
Using the story of Arjuna and the fish, the “fish pillar” installation has lessons on the importance of focus and the chakravyuh installation speaks about the dangers of half-baked knowledge.
The artist has also dedicated one corner to the game of dice and another to how lack of communication can lead to war.
An impressive display at the show is the installation in which Kapuria had created a web of arrows alongside a broken bow that uses light, net, shadows and a quote by Ernest Hemingway to make a point — no weapon has ever settled a moral problem. The artist has painted signs and symbols used during the Panchala period and painted works in 3D to portray the mind of Dronacharya.
Kapuria has even made portraits of Dhritarashtra, Duryodhana, Shakuni, Yudhisthira and Bhishma Pitamah playing the game of dice.
Talking about the exhibition, that has been two-years in the making, Kapuria says he wanted to show something different from other interpretations of the epic and that is why decided to highlight the last chapter to reveal how the war was brutal, but was fought within the framework of certain rules.
“As an artist I hate war. But what sets this war apart is the rules that regulated it and those who did not follow it were killed. It also deals with the sheer waste of war,” he says.
Kapuria says he stated doing this type of installations using lighting in the 1980s, when people could not understand his work. Now he continues to do such installations when digital art is trending.
For many people, the popular television show or Amar Chitra Katha comics have provided visuals for Mahabharata .
The installation takes the visual interpretation of the epic a step further and gets people thinking. A wall dedicated to shlokas also makes for interesting reading.
Research scholar Chavi Asrani, who worked with Kapuria on the project and helped with the interpretation of the epic, says the Mahabharata is an ocean of knowledge and explains the way to lead life to the fullest. The incidence in the epic explains mistakes that should be avoided and the path which should be taken for the progress and betterment of the humanity. The message that the installation establishes is that we should spread peace and harmony and resolve conflicts in a peaceful manner without the bloodshed. The exhibition is on till August 6.
As an artist I hate war. But what sets this war apart is the rules that regulated it and those who did not follow it were killed. It also deals with the sheer waste of war
