Curated by Chhavi Jain, the exhibition series titled, Mann ka Malhar: A lyrical exposition, is inspired by the many moods and ragas of rain. By Team Viva

Rain inspires creativity. The term ‘brainstorm’ is enough to hint at how great ideas often come during a downpour! Curated by Chhavi Jain, the online exhibition Mann Ka Malhar: A  lyrical exposition, aptly coincided by with monsoon season, depicts how a group of contemporary artists interpret the Malhar (rainfall) through their state of being.

The show captures the many moods that ones goes through while witnessing the rain — from an uncontrollable storm of emotions to a sense of longing, wonderment and tranquillity.

Presented by Anant Art, the show features nine artists from across India and is a culmination of dialogues between them and their artworks. At the backdrop of this is a shared, yet unique experience of the pandemic that has impacted realities and intensified complexities around us.

Within the realm of Indian mythology and legend, Malhar is one of the most ancient ragas in Hindustani classical music that, when sung, is believed to induce torrential rainfall. The story is famously traced to Tansen, a prominent figure in Hindustani classical music, in the court of the Mughal emperor, Akbar. The Indian lore manifests magic realism in its peculiar power of invocation. The raga has over ten variants, the more prominent ones being Megh Malhar and Mian ki Malhar.

“A journey into Malhar attempts to interlace the classical with contemporary visual forms. The curation seeks to bring to light the artists’ interpretation of Mann ka Malhar, or the Malhar within, a state of being (of mind and emotions), with a range of internal or external scapes to experiment with,” said Chhavi.

In the raga’s nature lies positivity, fragrance, creation and a power to cleanse. Plausibly, the rainfall alludes to a state of mind brought about by the recital of the raga.

Malhar, a raga of night time, is usually depicted in its intense form and visualised in hues of blue and deep purple. Despite its association with rain or monsoon, the depiction of this raga in forms of bandish (musical compositions) and other forms of representation, has been variable.

Artist Tanaya Sharma’s Garden of Bloom uses the symbol of floating crowns to suggest alleviation of oppressive, hierarchical systems as a method of cleansing brought about by rains. Artist Abhijit Saikia conceives an image of displacement and longing, inspired from his surrounding realities as though struck by an unpredictable storm.

While artist Rajib Chowdhury creates magic with his perception of monsoon and adorns his work with Agha Shahid Ali Khan’s poetry, artist and professor Indrapramit Roy delves into the unpredictable nature of life as well as the anxieties of urban life especially during monsoon and the pandemic.

Artist Khandakar Ohida’s audio-visual work Rain is Falling (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FaP38BpTRU&t=145s), has been conceived in the rustic fringes of Kelepada, a village in West Bengal. Impacted by the global pandemic, Ohida, while on a visit to her family in the village, is reminded of simpler times of her childhood days. A lullaby, symbolic of motherhood, subtly encapsulates the work in its wake. Through a heavy, dark sky, a metaphor to a heavy heart, Ohida relocates the horizon of Mann ka Malhar with nostalgia in an attempt to reconnect with her roots and emotional depths.

Among other participating artists are Digbijayee Khatua, Ganesh Das, Laxmipriya Panigrahi, and Malavika Rajnarayan.

(The exhibition is live at www.anantart.com.)