Casting the 10-handed deity

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Artist Narayan Sinha showcases bronze castings (above, left) of Goddess Durga at the Harrington Street Arts Centre

It is that time of the year when monsoons recede and the festivity of the autumn resurges. The change of season gets reflected amidst nature, bearing symbols in its ethereal beauty and expression. The blaring of dhaak beats, tinkling of the bells and sound of conch shells keep reverberating in the atmosphere. The fields are filled with the fresh new blossoms of white kaash phool.
The light blue canvas of a clear sky above is painted with cumulus clouds, floating like fluffy cotton wool. These signs only herald the homecoming of Devi — the Mother Goddess Durga — for the annual Durgotsav.
Keeping this imminent festive fervour in mind and a shade card of happy hues in the heart, talented and multi-faceted young artist Narayan Sinha lays down an aesthetic spread of the 10-handed deity right from her preparatory stage of evolution to the finale of immersion, under one roof at Kolkata’s sprawling art gallery, the Harrington Street Arts Centre.
An adroit craftsman, an adept sculptor, a keen collector of artifacts and a skilled shutterbug, this 30-something resident of Nalhati is a bundle of surprises, all rolled into one. But this small-towner from the Birbhum district of West Bengal keeps his feet firmly grounded. “I’m a self-taught artist,” he says humbly. Make no mistake as you step into his solo show. For the bamboo scaffolds, ropes, dimmed lights, hay and wooden framework forming the skeletal structures of clay images can perfectly remind a visitor of an ideal Kumortuli of an idol-maker or an artisan’s art-studio or a temple site, coming alive with teeming people, their faith and piety, plus a resplendent palette.
Sinha’s repertoire ranges from fibre glass, bronze-casting, iron, metal-welding, recycled items, photographs, paintings, charcoal sketches to superimposition techniques. His “art safe” is like a magical strong-box that stocks an array of fascinating paltry things and precious valuables alike. From minute safety-pins to behemoth beams, his coffer gets replete with articles, which can be rehashed to work artistic wonders in a jiffy.
The pooja paraphernalia is prominently perceptible at Sinha’s gallery, as he tries to scatter icons and impressions meant for an elaborate ceremonial occasion in every corner. The pure devotion giving way to an auspicious ambience is hard to miss here. Fragrance of smoky frankincense, panch pradip (a stand with five lamps), sindoor (vermilion), petals of lotus and marigold, brass utensils, nuts and bolts, red-bordered white saris, the owl signifying the vahan (consort) of Goddess Lakshmi, a row of unfinished sun-dried visages of clay images or a huge wooden door and string-pulled fans with archaic designs, usually found in the old aristocratic households — all these and much more materials have neatly decked up the available space, thus lending it with an eye-soothing effect in the process.
Even the inauguration happened in the august presence of the culture capital’s art fraternity, which began with stotra-mantra paath (chants of hymns) renting the air and reminding one of the holy dawn of the Mahalaya. “If religion and rituals are the only medium to provoke a sense of moral ablution to ward off the sins, then art certainly cleanses a human soul to pave the path to spirituality. I’ve sculpted out my own route to reach God. My art has made me more humane than anything else under the sky,” he proclaims.
Having culled his chosen course through the chiselled art, Sinha keeps collecting pieces that arrest the onlooker’s attention. “I brought those brass plates of different sizes from Rajasthan and some of them have been obtained from the Murshidabad and Birbhum districts of West Bengal,” he informs, pointing out at the display. “We must conserve these traditional treasures for our posterity and preserve the creations of our erstwhile workmen for keepsake. After all, these handicrafts represent the priceless relics of our past glory,” he says.Predictably titled Devi, the exhibition will remain open to public view till October 15 between 12 noon to 7 pm daily except on Sundays and national holidays.
Having ceaselessly contemplated over the concept of his currently produced-project for the last four years, Sinha claims that he “wasn’t initially getting the right note to hit upon with his creative pre-occupation”. “You can’t ignore the prevalence of art in life. What is most intriguing is that in every aspect of our mundane toil and labour, we induce art to make our presentation pleasing to the sight,” he says.
Already armed with a dozen solo shows to his credit, Sinha has delivered his specimens to be showcased at the prestigious Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai, at Tina Ambani’s high-profile Harmony Art Show besides Kolkata’s Birla Academy of Art Gallery and at Galerie La Meré, where his artwork has found a memorable place among a bracket of precious collectibles after exhibiting his oeuvre for three consecutive years from 2001 till 2003 at the venue.