Brothers in Arms

The tradition of all arts in south India had their roots in temple rituals. The The kalamkari cloths are no exceptions and transferred on to the cloth are narratives from epics, Puranas etc. The craftsperson here has chosen to narrate a tale from the Ramayana. This epic is a very cherished poem of the Hindus. It consists of 24,000 couplets, relating the story, which projects the Hindu ideals of life.

To explain the sequence of events in this kalamkari, delving into mythology is necessary. According to that, Sugriva was the son of Surya and the king of monkeys. Bali was the son of Indra and half brother of Sugriva. Meanwhile, Rama's wife Sita had been abducted by the demon king Ravana. Rama and Lakshman entered into an alliance with Sugriva who promised to support Ram in his campaign against Ravana. In return Sugriva wanted Rama's help in regaining his kingdom from his half-brother Bali who had usurped his throne and exited him. Rama killed Bali and restored the throne to Sugriva.

Working in monochrome, the artist has used the tree to divide the picture into two. The major part of the picture depicts Sugriva and Bali engaged in ferocious fight in the midst of a jungle. They are confronting each other with clubs. Around them are trees, bushes and shrubs. The left half of the picture has Lord Rama aiming his arrow. The arrow is strung on the bow ready to fly. He is dressed in a simple dhoti, with his hair tied up in a knot, looking like any other wandering ascetic. Only the halo around his head suggest that he is a god, that too, an avatar of Vishnu.

The work has a sensitive form and an inherent balance, which is most attractive. This description by Renu Rana.