It is end of June as I write this blog. Indians in most parts of the country are enjoying the mood uplifting monsoon that has just set in. In such joyous mood I take you to my painting Varsha Ritu-2 (Rainy Season-2). The painting is based on Indian poet Kalidas’s description of the rainy season in his lyrical Sanskrit poem “Ritu-Sanhaaram“.
Hindi translation of the opening stanza of this season reads:
“देखो प्यारी! जल की फुहारों से भरे हुए बादलों के मतवाले हाथी पर चढ़ा हुआ, चमकती हुई बिजलियों की झंडियों को फहराता हुआ और बादलों की गरज के नगाड़े बजाता हुआ यह कामियों का प्यारा पावस राजाओं का सा ठाठ-बाट बनाकर आ पहुँचा है।”
And the english translation by Arthur W Ryder reads:
“The rain advances like a king
In awful majesty;
Hear, dearest, how his thunders ring Like royal drums, and see His lightning-banners wave; a cloud For elephant he rides, And finds his welcome from the crowd Of lovers and of brides.”
In stanza 3, the Hindi version reads:
“देखो ! जिन बादलों से पपीहे पिउ-पिउ करके पानी माँग रहे हैं, ऐसे पानी के भार से नीचे झुके हुए, धुआँधार पानी बरसाने वाले और कानों को भली लगने वाली गड़गड़ाहट करते हुए बादल धीरे-धीरे घिरते चले जा रहे हैं।”
In English- ” Bowing down with the load of water, are slowly gathering the heavy downpour bringing clouds”
And this is how Kalidas’s clouds in my painting look like:
Image of Varsha Ritu-2
Varsha Ritu-2, watercolor on Waterford paper, framed 27″x 37″
Further, stanza 24 in Hindi reads:
“बन में चारों ओर खिले हुए कदम्ब के फूल ऐसे लग रहे हैं मानों वर्षा के नए जल से गर्मी दूर हो जाने पर जंगल मगन हो उठा हो।……..”
In the painting once can see golf ball size Kadamb (Burflower Tree or Neolamarckia cadamba) flowers on the trees and on the green expanse.
Photo of Golf ball sized Kadamba flowers
The lower left quarter of the painting portrays this Kadamba description of Kalidas.
Actually Kalidas has written 29 stanzas for the rainy season, narrating several details. I have picked only some for this painting. I hope my painting will further uplift your mood in this pleasant season.
I have painted clouds as per Kalidas’s description for other seasons as well. I shall take up those in my coming blogs.
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