verses in colours

And so,you just not see Lord Krishna lifting the Govardhan mountain,but also the villagers standing in awe and reverence,the animals,the birds,the clouds and the lashing rain too.

An exhibition of many such ‘stories’ was inaugurated at the Ravishankar Raval Kala Bhavan in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

Rathod shares his happiness when he says that his paintings were much appreciated at the exhibition held at the Oberoi Hotel (Mumbai) a couple of months back.

This artist from Bhavnagar was an art teacher,but after retiring,he continues to experiment with his style of painting for he remains a guru,constantly guiding and encouraging his students. “I constantly try experimenting with my art form. Only then I can advise students on what works and how they can improve their art,” he says. For example,he points out,the miniature-style painting which he chose to do on silk,while most of the others paintings are done on boards.

While he strictly adheres to the traditional,Indian folk art style,his subjects too are borrowed from ancient texts like Kalidasa’s Shakuntalam,Meghadootam and Kumar Sambhav,among others.

Be it king Dushyant seeking to know from the birds,animals and creepers if they’ve seen Shakuntala; the lonely Yakshini separated from her beloved,or the young Bharata playing with a lion; Hanuman visiting Sita at the Ashok vatika or a Shiv-vivaah — each frame is intricately colourful and decorated,and the verses are virtually translated in rich colours.

The exhibition is being organised by the Gujarat State Lalit Kala Academy and will continue till February 20,from 11 am to 7 pm.