Fortune vs misfortune
One of the artworks which had us intrigued was from the Sister Misfortune series, Lakshmi and Alakshmi. “Alakshmi is the dark side of the ever-welcome Lakshmi, Goddess of Fortune, who really needs no introduction. Alakshmi is the goddess of misfortune who is minimally mentioned in our mythology as it’s human nature to shy away from the unpleasant. But how dark is dark? Is it as disturbing as we have been led to believe or is it merely the rest of the story? And thus, begins an exploration both disturbing and ultimately triumphantly life-affirming. An exploration not just of duality but of multiplicity. This is the complex universe of women appearing in various and beguiling avatars and goddesses of Hindu mythology,” explains Smruthi. The painting of goddess Parvati was another work that spoke a thousand words. Parvati covering her face with a lotus is the story behind the Lingam and the Yoni — a lipped disk-shaped form — the Yoni (the emblem of the Devi) with the phallic Lingam on the canvas (the presence of the god Shiva). Furthermore it showcases how their union symbolises fertility and it was a curse by the Rishis which associated god Shiva and goddess Parvati with reproduction. The story of the virgin mother, Rajeshwari, is told over and over again in mythology where it is mentioned how several devas and asuras died or suffered when they tried to capture her. Goddess Rajeshwari’s story has been effectively captured in the painting as the goddess of creation. The exhibition is filled with such rare stories of the goddess mentioned in our mythology like Tara, Ganga, Aparna, Sita, Durga, Prakriti, Gauri, Gramadevi, Saraswati, Kamakshi, Ardhanarashwari and Radha.
“Even in this time and date it is important to highlight how culturally rich we were, where women had power and it was not imperative to adhere to certain stereotypes like now. It is my way of telling everyone that we come from the land of great goddesses and we should break the stereotypes,”
concludes Smruthi.