DURGAPUJA OF "BARISHA UDAYAN PALLY" - 2012 & 2013

MOTIF OF SPIRAL,SKY & THE FALLEN IN TARUN DE'S ART

 

Desert cactus green 'Vasudhara' -

Gate of  2012 pandal of Behala Udayan Sangha.

Motif of tall green robust leaf-like structure rising upwards . 

Spectators enters the 'Gabhagriha' through this structure.

 

Devi was depicted to be in motion in 2012 .

Her path is strewn with lotus . 

Kartick and Saraswati on her  left .

Twister-like spiral stretches from sky to ground level. 

Devi  positioned midway,her children below her level . 

Mahishasura is  at  lower-most level of this twister/spiral. 

Hint of Maslow's triangle ?

Tarun De's style is subtle - not loud at all.Both in Iconography as well as in his installations. Our 1st exposure to Tarun dey's work was through a journalist friend of mine who advised me in 2012 not to miss the Puja pandal of  'Behala Udayan Sangha'. So, we were there on the Panchami night  and were just 'floored'. This year, we were not in need of a reminder. Again, we were there  on the night of Panchami, before the crowd took over.

   Challenge of  Devi's Iconography . 

Tarun De  created completely different facial expression, 

without alteration of setting of eyes, his signature mark  .

 The spirit of  Tarun De's set-up works along a vertical alignment. Sky above. Earth below. The connection can be a spiral. Abuse of nature can be a part of his display. In 2012, the idols exuded a tremendous momentum, as if sliding down a twister-shaped  spiral. In 2013, Devi is standing still.  Same big eyes, yet, her 'dristi' so very different.

In 2012, Taun De allowed  the visitors a view of Devi from the  gate itself.Through slightly slant tall green-panted structure. In 2013, he constructed a hemi-spherical  dome in-between . The exterior is brightly lit,with animals' motif in dark shadows. Inside,  he positioned a   spiral on a cylindrical body under a luminous  figure-filled 'sky'. The photos here are eloquent - I do not have to write many words to explain every bit.

 

In 2013, Tarun De presents a slightly tapering shaft with a spiral 'path' winding up to reach the sky above, placed in a space with hemi-spherical top

equivalent to 'mandapa'  of a Hindu temple .

( Nataraja , creepers and stars adorn the shaft. Inset - Walking up the spiral)

The point here is , when we take photos, the blog is not planned in my mind simultaneously. What attracts notice is captured in the camera. Later,  bits and pieces are stitched together in my mind . As if a clutch of photos will give the viewer a taste of the whole. That  never happens . Somewhere I read, when the scribbler whistles, he hears the music in totality. Likewise, when I copy+paste the photos, I  visualise the pandals  in totality. All that I can convey to the readers is my impression about the artist's work. And... my regret that  we were not attentive enough while making our observation while clicking photos.

Pardon me for all I have missed. And, ... you ... please do not miss Tarun Dey's work in 2014, if you are in Calcutta next Durga puja.

Entrance of 2013 Pandal. 

In front, an abstract shape  reminds us of power of 'trishul' and aspiration  of  a  bird's wings. A hemi-spherical 'mandapam' with bright lights and interspersed shadows lies beyond.

 Yet another view of the spiral inside the 'mandapam'.

A battle-scene on the hemi-sphere of the 'mandapam'.

 Devi rests in a 'sthanaka' posture after Mahishasura is vanquished. 

Her eyes and feet express the tension of the battle between her and the demon which has just ended.

 

 Mahishasura  out-of-balance .

PUBLICATIONS ON DURGA PUJA OF CALCUTTA

MY EXPECTATIONS  AS A READER

Work of Tarun Dey @ Behala Udayan Pally , 2013.

 Excellent work on Durga's Iconography.

Work of Tarun Dey @ Behala Udayan Pally , 2012. 

 Devi descends from the skyalong spiral of jyoti and lotuses

and Asura at the  bottom of spiral . !

I enjoy writings/ photos of Durga Puja pandals and the idols published in newspapers and periodicals as well as coverage in  TV shows . Since we returned to Calcutta permanently in December,2003,  I gradually learnt to pick-up the best from the pre-Puja reports and the publications during the active days of Puja. Ruby and I visit  pandals  in early mornings and on Panchami/Dashami/Ekadashi mornings/nights to enjoy the work of art  and  take photos to add to our collection.  Being a senior citizen, I always avoid crowd.  Crowd is a deterrent to taking photos . Sometimes, the volunteers  are too pushy . Only occasionally they demonstrate  tolerance when they notice my age and  a DSLR with a telephoto.

 Work of Bhabotosh Sutar @Naktala Udayan Sangha, 2013.

 Installation resembles a  temple and its court-yard.

 Apart from  serious writings in Newspapers/periodicals - example : Tapati Guha Thakurta of CSDS, Shouvik Sengupta - I have not come across much in print on modern day Durga Puja of Calcutta.  So much  hard work is done for 3/4 months every year ahead of  Calcutta's greatest show of autumn festival, so little impact  the event makes in our books and periodicals. Films do use  Durga Puja  many times - but it is 'Kahani' that used  the street festival spirit in a manner that attracted major attention of people.

 Work of Partha  Roy @ Suhrid Sangha ,2013.

 Unconventional Iconography .

 From my side, I have made humble effort to write blogs containing photos  of pujas of Behala, of Sanatan Dinda's work, of  some good work of Tarun Dey, Sibsankar Das  and Bhabotosh Sutar.  The most  viewed among them is a Puja very dear to my heart  -  that of Nalin Sarkar Street in  2011.

 

Work of Sanatan Dinda @ Nalin Sarkar Street, 2011.

 A grand composition positioned within  a superb installation.

 In 2013, news about two publications have made me very happy - one book on Durga puja of Calcutta has already has been published  and the other reportedly is getting ready. I read about the 1st book from a post by my friend Kanad Sanyal. It is compiled by Samrat Chatterjee who is my one-time neighbour and a well-known name in  Calcutta's Durga Puja circuit. The second one is pleasant revelation  - on 20/10/2013,The Telegraph published an extract from a Coffee-table  book which is being made ready by  Mudar Pathreya of Trysis .

 @ Badamtala Asharhsangha,2008.

Pandal styled on Kalighat Pata.

 I take this opportunity to convey to  Mr Pathreya that I look forward to   some serious writings on iconography of Durga,  comparison of concepts of 'Installation Art' among the  present crop Art College pass-outs, their contribution in  changing face of Puja pandal decoration,  plagiarism ....... etc.

 Mr MUDAR PATHREYA, our expectation is high !

DURGA PUJA @ PARNASRE SOUTH BLOCK CLUB,2013

A FINE REPRESENTATION OF FOLK ART

 Idol installed in an unequal hexagon. 

 'Chalchitra' complements the geometry - not completely. 

From every angle, a slice stay out of camera's view. Alas,crouching was difficult for me !

 The vanquished !

Triangles, diagonals and squares in frame-work of the pandals  and  very traditional  folk art  - a very distinguished look for  Parnasree South Block Club's  Durga Puja.  A very fine  balanced composition- neither ostentatious nor clumsy.

  View from the gate A vertical pillar, decorated  nicely, 

hides full-view of  Durga.

From entrance to 'chalchitra', mythology and folklores  adorn the pandal. We went there on the evening of Sapatami. When downloading, I saw the the p[anels on the compound wall have not been properly captured. Ruby took a few shots though. I went back in the morning of Astami mid-day when  'pujo' was not over.  The area was full of devotees and - and  later I understood - people waiting for lunch/'bhog' to be served.

 Krsnaleela and Ravan in a vertical panel, inside the pandal.

 Punishment at hell - a horizontal panel on the compound wall.

 
Most of my friends believe that Puja pandal cannot remain empty and people's head/torso popping in enhances the appeal.Looks authentic ! Here are photos from  what we shot on Saptami eveing and Astami noon.

 

On   LH - 'Shakti/Chandi' rides a tiger  .

RH - Festivity in a village as a Patua narrates his tale.

  I was  very happy - in fact thrilled  - when I found ABP Ananda gave coverage to this pandal on the morning of Nabami. But for the location - distance from a  main road - aesthetically, a very good work stayed beyond the notice of pandal-hoppers !

 

View of the gate from inside.

DURGA PUJA @ BARISHA CLUB, 2013 : BY SANATAN DINDA

BLESSINGS FROM THE HEAVENLY !

  Momentum.... momentum ! 

And ... blessings from the celestial, much like  temple art of India.

 It was my good luck that  Ruby and I   were invited by a Group to spend a day with them during pre-Puja days to visit nine pandals-in-the-making and  help them in short-listing the better ones. Barisha Club was one of the pandals we visited. I am a keen follower of Sanatan's work - on Panchami's clear night, we ventured a visit . It was mid-night - quite a big gathering there. We could have hardly an opportunity to take photographs without  people's heads interfering or entering the frame/s. Besides, unlike last year, this year, we had  lesser space for moving around and no VIP area for photography. Therefore, I am much unhappy with the result we brought back in our cameras.

 Conch @ Entrance (LH) , Siva-Sati @ Exit (RH) .

 

The welcoming conch.

'Brikshadevi' - warning us about our abuse of nature.

No matter how much celestial blessing is there, 

NATURE need be protected.  

Offerings  at the feet of 'Brikshadevi'.

At the entrance, Sanatan installed a huge conch and a 'Brikshadevi'. A huge scroll rests on the ground wjich could not be photographed.On both the flanks, there were religious motifs, lotuses,  crawling vegetation ending ina human body lying prostrate at Devi's feet.

  Sanatan's Durga carries all  the attributes mentioned in  scripture.

Vanquished demons  pray for her forgiveness, may be salvation too !

 Photograph taken from an opening on the  path to 'Exit'. 
Better view was not possible because of a reluctant Security person.

 Devi in momentum, Mahishasura, Chanda-Munda begging for her blessing in a corner - in a typical Sanatan-style -  very small depictions of Lakshmi-Saraswati-Ganesh-Kartik.

 Totems (?)  on a mythological platter ?

Siva holds Sati (?) in a wonderful wall-relief like set-up in the exit that has been clicked thousands of times and posted in the internet by numerous photographers.

  Siva holds Sati - viewers are left to decide 

if this scene depicts Siva's sorrow on  Sati's demise !

On the left, a hollow lotus  with the idol in line of view.

We have in our HDD  more photos - to be shared - of Lakshmi-Saraswati-Ganesh-Kartik, of the demons and the ones we took when we went  during the pre-Puja visit.  In fact, several photos which we took during that visit could not be re-shot this time because of crowd. For example, the scroll lying in front of the idol.

 The scroll  must have been overlooked by many.

Wish the space management was as good as in 2012 !!

  Is  this a scene of submission of the Evil ?

I end with a photo at the bottom of the layout where lies a person with horns, painted in angry red colour, coming  from the extended  roots of the 'Brihshadevi' standing at the entrance - both the figures' hands outstretched !

FIERCE MANIFESTATIONS OF SIVA & SHAKTI FROM HOYSALESWAEA TEMPLE, HALEBID

 HAVE YOU MISSED THESE WALL-RELIEFS

 IN YOUR 'parikrama' ?

 Siva's fierce manifestation . He has three eyes, fangs out,

carries a severed head in his lower left arm. 

Noticeable : his earrings are identical, 

Ganas are normal people - no skeletal figure here.

Sculptor could not manage the shape of Siva's right leg !

We  would have missed them if we did not decide to look for interesting wall-reliefs on the Nandi Pavilions. The circumbulatory path of this sprawling temple with two 'garbhagrihas' and its  interior offer  such an oeuvre of photographer's delight !  Only on 2nd thought, we decided to venture this side. As such , I was bogged down with a weak battery and my enthusiasm level was low. Ruby covered  more than I could with my sleepy camera.

 A close of the severed head, being carried by Siva Bhairava.

 Hoysaleswara temple - those who have  visited this temple physically know this well - had several problems of  the curator function.  Wall-reliefs of same nature were  'created' by several top sculptors and all had be be accommodated on the temple's walls , leaving no recess inbetween. If at all a relief was to be provided, wall-reliefs of musicians were inserted . The wall-reliefs with apparent defects were banished to Nandi Pavilions.

MahisasuraMardini. A perfect study of attributes.

She  is about to pierce a demon mounted on the lion's shoulder - strange & uncommon  imagery.

Sculptor could not manage buffalo's shape & size.

I have picked up two wall reliefs of fierce manifestations of  Siva and Shakti   as proof of my 'theory'. Let me see  if comments come forth !

NOTE - Ruby Chatterji has suggested that the demon/lion  corner is not at all clear ! Here is an exploded view :

MY MOST VIEWED PHOTO

This evening, I  was  glancing through my photo album in flickr.com  after a long time.  Till 2010, I was a regular visitor there. I used to upload photos regularly. Afterwards, I became irregular .

To-day,when I discovered  a photo  of a dilapidated building I took in my late grandfather's village Shimulia way back in January,2007 is the 'most-viewed' photo of my photostream in flickr.com, I was pleasantly surprised. looking back ....

I purchased a HP digital camera in 2002 when I visited USA in connection with a meeting on Green Belt training. That was a much simpler camera compared to what we use loades with present day's technology. ir used to work fine with Eveready's red pencil batteries. Low resolution photos it took - however, my brush with digital photography was through  that camera of HP.  I captured many moments of personal and professional moments with aid of that simple camera.Later, the camera's battery cover's hinge developed a problem , causing loose connection at critical moments.

When my elder son brought a Canon A520 in December,2006 from the USA for me, I was relieved. It was just at the time of my retirement from professional life  - soon after signing off from DCIPS in Calcutta, I went to Shimulia - to pay my obeisance to Charchika Kali and to have a few days of holidays in a  rural setting.

Little did I know that I shall have problem with supply of batteries. My Eveready 'red' batteries gave up during the very 1st day of my arrival. It was at 12.26 pm when last of the batteries died and .....
this was my last shot :

Viewed 4261 times in flickr.com

as on 12/03/2013.

No supply was available in that village . I  however managed to take lots of photos with a borrowed contraption for charging batteries from one of my cousin's neighbour. The shots of an old ruin of a palace was quite liked  my friends - but, that is another story.

IMAGES OF 'PURUSHA AND PRAKRITI'

 FROM TEMPLES TO CANVAS  TO  
STREETS OF CALCUTTA

Those who are worshipers of  Siva the super-ascetic may please stay away from this blog.

Idea of  writing this blog occurred to me when I could get a decent copy of  'Purusha/Prakriti' painting by  Bikash Bhattacharya during an internet search for my desktop background.  This painting - interpreted and discussed by many - is an unforgettable work of BB. Immediately , my thought turned to Sanatan Dinda's 'Durga' of Barisha Club, Puja-2012.

Famous painting by late Bikash Bhattacharya on the theme of 

'Purusha' and 'Prakriti',

marked for its social connotation.

Source - internet.

Lots of words , explaining background/origin of a concept and its evolution  through centuries and various mediums of expression,  are required to tackle the subject of this title. But, I have no big 'funda' on this subject. Therefore, whatever I write here is my very humble personal exposure to the big philosophy of 'Purusha and Prakriti' practiced by various religious groups across the sub-continent and neighbouring countries.

Variation of this concept  has been noted by philosophers studying religions and their practices  in various continents through ages.RamPrasad Sen has used this concept in many of his songs offering obeisance to Kali.  Dan Brown invoked this  concept in his famous book 'Da Vinci Code'.  I wonder if well-known Bengali writer late Probodh Kumar Sanyal used  the concept - somewhat superficially - in a few of his novels.  More visible are the creations of sculptors and painters - a selection from my collection will be presented here.

'Sankhya' is the  book to get at the root of this dualist concept. 'Purusha' is Consciousness , unchanging. "Prakrkiti' is the primordial force and ' material cause of the world'. It is through  intimate interaction of 'Purusha' and Prakriti' , life is created/sustained.The Dualism  can be identified in Yin and Yang of the Chinese, in Avalokiteswara and Tara in Vajrayana or Tantrik Buddhism and ....... in Siva and Shakti of Hindu Saivites.

 

Siva ( ithyphallic)  & Parvati @ 

Parashurameswara temple ,Bhuvaneswara.

Siva linga on square Gauripatta - 

anionic interpretation of Siva and Shakti.

from a small temple @ SriMukhalingam, A.P.

 
Iconic and anionic interpretations  of Siva and Shakti abound in Hindu temples.  Siva is super-ascetic - he is  the 'consciousness' of   'Purusha' too. In context with another Blog I wrote years ago, I found this interpretation of Siva's imagery is difficult for some modern day Saivites to accept. Nevertheless, interpretations of philosopher's and artist's  of the duo can be subject of a very interesting study. Let us examine a few more here :

Above is a Tantrik interpretation of  'Purusha' and Shakti. Here we find 'Kali' as  Shakti on top of passive 'Purusha'  - as if 'passed out' after a session of opium -  in one of the terra cotta temples of Baronagar.

Notable here is the similarity and difference from the 17th century interpretation of  Shakti vis-a-vis 'Purusha'.  Devi is on top of 'Purusha' in both the depictions. But,Sanatan has portrayed 'Purusha' not as inert or passive. He has gone deeper into  Tantra  in planning this imagery where there several layers. I have stopped at the stated interpretation of this unconventional imagery - more on this at appropriate juncture.

 

Present day interpretation of  Siva and Shakti. 

Devi has transformed the 'evil self ' of Mahishasura . What we find here is consciousness of 'Purusha' supporting Shakti !  

Sanatan Dinda's creation @ Barisha Club, Calcutta. Puja - 2012.

 One very interesting point of this 'work' of Sanatan is the cluster where faces of lion,'Mahisha' and Siva co-exist. In Sankhya, it is 'Prakriti' which has manifestation of 'Sattwa', 'Rajah' and 'Tamo gunas' . Here,  the artist has created a reverse imagery - the 'Purusha' manifests the three 'Gunas' !

Three Indian painters have become famous for their interpretation of  Tantra  and interplay of 'Purusha and Prakriti' .  The oldest among them is late Nirode Majumdar who also  contributed to a book on RamPrasad Sen's songs on Kali ('Song for Kali:A Cycle of Images and Songs'- published by Seagull). SH Raza and Ghulam Rasool Santosh have created  niche for their work based on Tantra among connoisseurs. A painting of GR Santosh titled 'Siva-Shakti' is copied here from the internet :

'Siva-Shakti' by Ghulam Rasool Santosh.

Source - Internet.

During last ten years, Sanatan Dinda has used Tantra-inspired motif of 'Yantra'  several times. I follow his current work in Durga's pavilions as he brings out complex interpretation of 'Purusha and Prakriti' there. Revelers of Calcutta Pujas may miss out  some of his imageries and/or their inner meaning - more on this subject in a separate blog.

Nandalal Basu painted 'Annapurna' where Siva is shown as an emaciated 'Nataraja'. Here the 'Purusha' is suffering - not the 'consciousness' unaffected by external factors. Debatable subject - let us have a look :

 AnnaPurna by Nandalal Basu.

 Is this a portrayal of Avalokiteswara and Tara ?

Buddhist Monastery, Bylakuppe, Karnataka.

The last photo of this blog is from Tibetan Buddhist Monastery of Bylakuppe, Karnataka.Their interpretation of Vajrayana Buddhism has a lot of imageries of a  'Purusha' - with specific traits and power - and his consort in deep embrace.More erudite person can compare the inner meaning/s of the imageries,  passive-vs-active 'Purusha' and explain the complexity.  Present blog's scope ends with recording the visuals from my computer's HDD.