কুন্তী (Kunti): The Sun Worshipper

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.

Here's the 'Making of Kunti' on popular demand :)

अहं ब्रह्मास्मि (aham brahmāsmi) — I’m All and all is me

 aham brahmāsmi (अहं ब्रह्मास्मि / অহং ব্রহ্মাস্মি) is a Mahāvakya (one of the summaries) of the Upanishads from the Yajur Veda. It means, “I am Brahman” or ‘I’m the Divine’. The philosophy of Advaita Vedanta implies the oneness of the individual self (Atman) with the universal reality (Brahman).

This mix media painting 8.44” x 6” is my humble articulation and visualization of the Mahāvakya. I look forward to your interpretation of this canvas, as comments.

The Namesake

A renowned oncologist from the US happens to be my namesake and someone I respect like an elder brother. How does one repay the kindness of a doctor who is dedicated to fight against cancer and against all odds, save the precious human lives? Simply, not possible to repay this brave heart with the kindest touch. Hence, in my humble way, I’ve dedicated this 18” x 24” mixed media painting to Chirantan Da. It happens to be that Dr. Ghosh hails from my hometown, Kolkata. In this portrait, I have attempted to capture the cultural heritage of Bengali lifestyle in the quintessential old Kolkata backdrop.

কল্মষমোষিণি (Kolmosh-moshini): Vanquisher of Darkness

 কল্মষমোষিণি in Bengali means the one who brings about the end of sins or darkness. This adjective is bestowed upon the deity, mother Durga, who brings the end of — Mahisashur (all powerful demon) signifying our own inner darkness. She is the mother who helps us overcome all darkness, and nurtures with light and the greens of creation. This 15” x 11” mixed media canvas is homage to my Bengali heritage, it is a creative expression of sincere respect.

উড়ন্ত (Uronto): Flying

উড়ন্ত (Uronto) literally means flying… for me it’s more than that. It’s also about freedom, precision and engineering marvel of nature. This is a 18” x 24” mixed media painting inspired from my visit to Düsseldorf Kunst im Tunnel and the Sundarban region of Bengal.

Dragonflys are amazing flyers, they can fly 20-35 miles/ hour (30-55 Km/hour), have almost 360• view, turn on dime, fly backwards while in flight. However, the blue-tailed bee-eater catcher still plucks it out of the sky… such is nature. So let’s enjoy the time we have for carefree flight.

লোহিতা (Lohita): Crimsona

লোহিতা (Lohita): Crimsona is a 22” x 29” exploration in mixed media to test out a technique of brushstrokes. This is a painting where I want the audience to come very close to observe the deliberate details and also step back a bit and squint their eyes to enjoy the title. 

লাল নৌকো (Lal Nouko): The Red Boat

This 18”x24” mixed media painting is a fusion of impressionist and pointillism to a degree. Though the boat isn't painted red, it draws the 'Sindoor' red from the sky on its dark wood tint. Saw an amazing sunset in rural Bengal, which inspired this.

সন্ধ্যা (Shondha) - Evening

সন্ধ্যা(Shondha) - Evening, is my imagination of a mystical brook that plays with the moon’s reflection, stony undulations, trees and finally quenches ‘man’s red flower’ - fire.

Amidst the dark and grey, it draws me to something beautiful and romantic. Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book is filled with allegorical icons, he calls fire, the ‘red flower’ as it signifies man’s ability to change and control his environment. For me, this evening is a symbolic juxtaposition of nature and man, reality and imagination.

This mixed media painting is 18” x 24” and replaces an old painting of mine that was lost in storage fire.

পাল তোলা (Pal Tola): Sails drawn

পাল তোলা literally means the canvas sails are drawn. However, when rushing to one's home...each extra moment is a loss. The original was lost to a storage unit fire in Bronx, NYC so I decided to replace it with this 8” x 10” mixed media experiment.

বেগুনী অম্বর (Beguni Ombor): Purple Sky

বেগুনী means purple and অম্বর translates to sky. However, for me, this is the anticipation of the sailor on the dingi boat... what does it say to you? The original paining was in acrylic but lost in storage fire in Bronx, New York. This replacement is a 8” x 10” mixed medium treatment that reflects my current style.

Also, this is inspired by Indian Holi celebration, a festival of colors!