কুন্তী or Kunti was a character of the Mahabharata.She tried to be an ideal mother of the protagonists, Pandavas. Alas, she was only a human… this piece explores the human nature of that character.
Since her husband, king Pandu, was unable to procreate, with his consent, she worshiped the Devas and became “blessed” with three of the eldest Pandavas. During her maiden years, Kunti had served the ill tempered sage, Rishi Durvasa. As a reward, the mighty rishi taught a sacred mantra to invoke any Devas to bear powerful demigod sons with them. As a playful young maiden, she wanted to test the mantra, before her marriage and invoked the Sun god, SuryaDeva. This resulted her having her first child - Karna - whom she abandoned to regain social acceptance. Karna, later becomes the tragic antihero; who is one of the most phenomenal warriors of that time, charitable to a fault, loyal to his friend resulting to his utter demise.
This mix media painting, 14” x 28”, captures the inception moment of Karna.
Apologies for not uploading a high resolution image. Found out, people are downloading and using my creation. However, you can click on the image to zoom and see the detail of the brushworks.
I love this independent take on Kunti. Your colours always light up the room. Maybe this piece will face criticism from the conservative community but do not be discouraged. I wish Robi Thakur saw this work, would love to read his reactions. The lines from his immortal work come to mind:
ReplyDeleteবৎস, তোর জীবনের প্রথম প্রভাতে
পরিচয় করায়েছি তোরে বিশ্ব-সাথে
সেই আমি, আসিয়াছি ছাড়ি সর্ব লাজ
তোরে দিতে আপনার পরিচয় আজ।
Wishing you many accolades Chirantan. Keep breaking the barriers and social stigma.