№ MMXXVI

RACHNA · A LIVING ARCHIVE

Rachna by M.

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MM · XXVI

Canvas
Untitled (Krishna Fluting)

Shringara

धनि यह वृन्दावन की रैनु

Dhani Yaha Vrindavan Ki Rainu

Surdas
1 min read 1 versesवृन्दावनVrindavanनंदकिशोर

1 verses · ~1 min

धनि यह वृन्दावन की रैनु। नंदकिसोर चरावे गैयां बिहरि बजावे बैनु॥ मनमोहन कौ ध्यान धरै जो अति सुख पावत चैनु। चलत कहां मन बसहिं सनातन जहां लैनु नहीं दैनु॥ यहां रहौ जहं जूठन पावैं ब्रजवासी के ऐनु। सूरदास ह्यां की सरबरि नहिं कल्पवृच्छ सुरधैनु॥

इति

Surdas

The Poet

सूरदास

Surdas

Untitled (Krishna Fluting)

Paired Painting

Untitled (Krishna Fluting)

In this evocative work, Manjit Bawa breathes life into the eternal myth of Krishna, the divine cowherd. Eschewing the cluttered landscapes of traditional miniature painting, Bawa places his subjects against a vast, luminous field of saturated yellow: a space that feels both infinite and intimate. This yellow is more than a color; it is a radiant light that dissolves the boundaries between the physical and the spiritual realms. Krishna is depicted not as a distant god, but as a gentle youth whose flute play creates a sanctuary of peace. The cows, painted with soft, rounded contours and a sense of profound gentleness, lean in toward the music, their expressions reflecting a quiet ecstasy. Bawa’s work is deeply rooted in the Sufi and Bhakti traditions, where the relationship between the musician and his audience becomes a metaphor for the soul's longing for the divine. The lack of shadows and the focus on pure, fluid linework creates a sense of suspended time, inviting the viewer to lose themselves in the silent melody of the canvas.

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If this held you

Four more, in the same key.

Chosen for their rasa and their register, not their popularity. Each one carries some part of what Dhani Yaha Vrindavan Ki Rainu carries.