And my sculptures
Two cites on the of Ganga ghat Lucknow and Banaras a famous saying that come to our mind when we think of these – ‘Dawn at Lucknow and Morning at Banaras are very famous in India to experience’. I never lived in Banaras for long. Banaras being an ancient city of temples, but whenever I went there, it always had something that attracts me to live there to be a part of it. The series of temples at the brink of Ganga ghats, bomboos on temples tops with orange flags (Kesaria), bamboo umbrellas on temple premises and bamboo barricades (Ballian) on the brink that connects one ghat (brink of the river) to the other. It adds when you see this incredible scene with elongated boats with people and their belongings on it. It takes you nostalgically to a historical plane where India used to look in time. The time where rhythmic chants – shlokas, artee - ritual that offer prayers to the God and high tingling sound of bells, changes the ambience inducing religious belief and purity of heart. It is an ultimate experience for everyone. Millions of people come to Banaras to ward off evil sprits and sacrifice their bad habits by bathing in the Ganga river, this holy experience energizes me to make these sculptures.
The romanticism of Banaras ghats, are portrayed in my work. Whether being using of bamboo or ceramic boats, or mirror as river Ganga, or in that matter the use of metal in the shape of a setting Sun. Whatever material that I have used is mere medium, the important it are the shapes that I have taken it from the ghats of Banaras. The small thing that is being portrayed is influenced by the romantics and holy ambience of Banaras city. The triumph of humanity over a man is what we can experience in the one of the oldest city of the world. Though, the history of Banaras is very old and even the scriptures are one of the oldest in the world, the stories that still lives through generations of centuries, it is very difficult to ward off fully the impact and the effect of the city into our daily lives. It is not being on a religious brink but it is all about the state of living from the ages of Shiva—one of the founders of Hinduism as written in the scriptures.
Ardhnareshwar—half man half women (again Shiva) is said that the river Ganga had been tamed by the circular comb of the hood called jata—that infact, brought Ganga from the heavens to earth without harming it. It is being said that Shiva—one of the primal force to build up the earth and it’s living as trees, animals, fishes etc. is yet an example of how the world is created and is portrayed by the writers who scripted it. There are numerous example in which Shiva and its Shakti (the power) is being described, though, there are detailed stories about the Ganga and its purity—it is remarkable to see that Ganga being the longest river bed found in Asia and one is the fifth among the world to travel from the east to the west crossing the northern India connecting almost ever major city around the Indian subcontinent, and it is termed as one of the holy rivers due to its meditative importance. There are innumerous amount of stories about the city and its structure. My work has been an attempt to portray whatever I could. To build up the ambience of the city and its essence to the world that sees it. It is needless to explain each and every part of the historical background of the city as it exists more than ten thousand years and had a very rich history of it kind. And also it is impossible to portray each and every part of it in my works because of the kind of scriptures present as an historical background and the kind of effort is needed to portray it needs more time. One life is not enough to just experiencing it. Though. Bamboos. Sun. Ganga ghats, etc are the same as it was once built, so I am recollecting these experiences with a background of the history so that an abstract construction of my works relates directly to the sentiments of the people and the place that it holds its importance.
Gangadhar Mahato
Two cites on the of Ganga ghat Lucknow and Banaras a famous saying that come to our mind when we think of these – ‘Dawn at Lucknow and Morning at Banaras are very famous in India to experience’. I never lived in Banaras for long. Banaras being an ancient city of temples, but whenever I went there, it always had something that attracts me to live there to be a part of it. The series of temples at the brink of Ganga ghats, bomboos on temples tops with orange flags (Kesaria), bamboo umbrellas on temple premises and bamboo barricades (Ballian) on the brink that connects one ghat (brink of the river) to the other. It adds when you see this incredible scene with elongated boats with people and their belongings on it. It takes you nostalgically to a historical plane where India used to look in time. The time where rhythmic chants – shlokas, artee - ritual that offer prayers to the God and high tingling sound of bells, changes the ambience inducing religious belief and purity of heart. It is an ultimate experience for everyone. Millions of people come to Banaras to ward off evil sprits and sacrifice their bad habits by bathing in the Ganga river, this holy experience energizes me to make these sculptures.
The romanticism of Banaras ghats, are portrayed in my work. Whether being using of bamboo or ceramic boats, or mirror as river Ganga, or in that matter the use of metal in the shape of a setting Sun. Whatever material that I have used is mere medium, the important it are the shapes that I have taken it from the ghats of Banaras. The small thing that is being portrayed is influenced by the romantics and holy ambience of Banaras city. The triumph of humanity over a man is what we can experience in the one of the oldest city of the world. Though, the history of Banaras is very old and even the scriptures are one of the oldest in the world, the stories that still lives through generations of centuries, it is very difficult to ward off fully the impact and the effect of the city into our daily lives. It is not being on a religious brink but it is all about the state of living from the ages of Shiva—one of the founders of Hinduism as written in the scriptures.
Ardhnareshwar—half man half women (again Shiva) is said that the river Ganga had been tamed by the circular comb of the hood called jata—that infact, brought Ganga from the heavens to earth without harming it. It is being said that Shiva—one of the primal force to build up the earth and it’s living as trees, animals, fishes etc. is yet an example of how the world is created and is portrayed by the writers who scripted it. There are numerous example in which Shiva and its Shakti (the power) is being described, though, there are detailed stories about the Ganga and its purity—it is remarkable to see that Ganga being the longest river bed found in Asia and one is the fifth among the world to travel from the east to the west crossing the northern India connecting almost ever major city around the Indian subcontinent, and it is termed as one of the holy rivers due to its meditative importance. There are innumerous amount of stories about the city and its structure. My work has been an attempt to portray whatever I could. To build up the ambience of the city and its essence to the world that sees it. It is needless to explain each and every part of the historical background of the city as it exists more than ten thousand years and had a very rich history of it kind. And also it is impossible to portray each and every part of it in my works because of the kind of scriptures present as an historical background and the kind of effort is needed to portray it needs more time. One life is not enough to just experiencing it. Though. Bamboos. Sun. Ganga ghats, etc are the same as it was once built, so I am recollecting these experiences with a background of the history so that an abstract construction of my works relates directly to the sentiments of the people and the place that it holds its importance.
Gangadhar Mahato
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