the metaphor

Taken for granted. Annointed when needed. Only revered when in use. And after its purpose is served, discarded and thrown and another one bought to serve the desires of the soul yet another day. Its life is strange as the ways of the world and the circle of life.
The humble earthen lamp's Like unsung hymns of clay.

Using the earthen lamp as a metaphor, Manav explores issues of environment consciousness.












The earthen lamp is woven in the cultural-religious fabric of India from time immemorial. This humble small clay bowl called the "diya" is shaped by poor potters who keep them in large numbers by the road side in heaps for selling. Sometimes beside garbage dumps or beside sewage drain they have a nondescript existence till the time they are bought home by people. Once home, only at the time of worship, they are used as a tool at the altar. The same humble small bowl of clay that had no meaning, no significance or existence in the human psyche suddenly turns into the medium of conveying the desires of the soul. Sacred as soon as when placed at the altar. Priests say you do not need to purify these mud bowls by sprinkling of Holy water of the Ganges because it is made of earth and is pure.Oil is poured in it. A wicker lit. And it assumes the status of the Holy Grail carrying one‘s prayers of the soul to the Gods and our spirit awakens. Once the prayer ends, the earthen lamp is discarded again to be immersed in the Ganges.  

We recognise and respect earth only when we use its resources for our use without reverence. Having been a part of the religious rituals many years and having grown up and lived this practice in India for years this whole symbolic circle of life has deeply affected the artist to use earthen lamps "diyas" as a metaphor to explore and raise questions on environment consciousness.







the analogy

The artist has also taken his analogy from the Ganges.The sacred river of India has dedications that have always poured on it in many ways. The opening lines of the lyrics of an old song from an Indian film speak about the dichotomy of perception. It conveys,

‘ if you believe, then I am sacred, or else mere water that flows…’

Given today’s world of current complex issues of treatment and perception of women as well as earth (referred to as mother earth in many quarters of Indian spirituality ) the artist draws a cross spectrum reference of eroding human values. The pollution of the rivers, the shrinking of water and its availability and such other climate change issues have been in the artist’s ethos of work since beginning.

Zen by Manav Gupta 

And also about the very glaring issue of how perception and context interplay each other. How men and objects are made to traverse responses and the destiny of reactions based on usage, perception, context and situation.

Sacred
if you believe.
I lie
wrapped
in a heap of nothingness

Unsung,
unlit,
unheard.
Till the end of time.

At an altar
sometimes,
flames peep out
of my earthen palms.
An iridescent arch
woven by moonbeams.

And your soul
sings your desires.

manav



Source
manavgupta.in