Being an Indian, my country's culture has influenced me in too many ways to count. So I thought of doing a rough piece and put something together that reflects that vibrance and diversity of Bharat (as India is known) and its cultural heritage.
Not only are so many aspects of these traditions culturally relevant, today they are also being recognized as scientific methods to create human wellbeing. As an example, Indian classical music, an ancient and wonderful tradition is being studied today for its various physiological and psychological benefits. Below is one of my first sketches, from a looong time ago, of the sitar, one of the traditional Indian string instruments, made popular in the west by Ravi Shankar.
For those curious to hear the magic a sitar maestro can create, please listen to the audio of Ravi Shankar, with the tabla maestro Ustad Alla Rakah.
Namaste or namaskar is one of those most widely known aspects of Indian culture. Namaste is a gesture of welcome, and is expressed by bringing both palms together in front of the chest. In India, namaste ir much more multifaceted than the unidimensional explanation that I have just given. A namaste with the palms around eyebrow level (known as ajna chakra in yogic parlance) is reserved for gods and holy men. Something around the mouth area or chin (for lack of a better description) is used in more day-to-day situations. It indicates that you bow down to the divine within the other person. Yoga utilizes namaste in various practices such as surya namaskar and asanas, as a method to set the inner energies in motion.
Here's another early sketch of mine, with a traditional Indian woman (with nose-ring and all!) with a namaste greeting.
Indians are also crazy about festivals. Traditionally, there is a festival every day of the year which celebrates some aspect of life. From sowing and harvesting to ancestor worship and education, practically everything has been made celebratory through these festivals. This is in fact the very reason why festivals are so important - to make life a celebration. Navratri, dussehra, vijayadashami, mahashivratri, ugadi, makar sankranti, holi and diwali are some of the major festivals in India.
Certain festivals are more prominent in the north of the country than the south and vice versa. For example, raksha bandhan, a festival celebrating sisterhood, is more predominant in the north. The rituals followed during various festivals also vary with region. For example, rangolis, elaborate, coloured geometric designs made at the doorsteps of Indian households are subtly different depending where in the country you are. Below, is an attempt at recreating a kolam, albeit with a slightly psychedelic bent. I was trying to create a 3-D effect as if to lay out the kolam over a sphere. (Though that didn't work out quite as I had planned)
Below is a depiction of a goddess, Linga Bhairavi Devi, who is also the cynosure of navratri and dussehra celebrations, at the foothills of the Velliangiri Mountains in South India. I've chosen to focus only on her three eyes (the third eye is her eye of clarity) since they are in my experience, the most powerful aspects of her form.
Goddess worship is BIG in India.And their worship is slightly different as compared to the worship of male deities. At goddess temples (also called devi temples), kumkum is more predominant than vibhuti. Kumkum is vermillion, a red powder made from turmeric, lime and other ingredients, that is associated with feminine deities. Vibhuti is the holy ash, obtained from burning rice husk or cow dung, which is the symbol of male deities, especially Shiva. Some people enjoy covering both their bases, and so use both! That's kind of what I was going for below. The three horizontal stripes are of vibhuti and relate to Shiva. The red circles relate to Devi.
Another very well known aspect of Indian culture is the Sanskrit language. Though a kin of Greek, Latin, Avestan other ancient Indo-European languages, Sanskrit has come a long way since the days of 6000 years ago. Though not used in daily communication or as a living spoken language, Sanskrit is still alive and thriving in India. The scriptures are generally written and learnt in Sanskrit, as are many mantras, chants and slokas.
Below is a representative diagram of three Sanskrit, Shiva, and Veda, which in many ways are the fundamental basis of traditional Hindu scripture, thus the use of the three primary colors Red, Green and Blue to represent them.
Perhaps the most well known exponent of Sanskrit is Adi Shankara, a 10th century AD saint who composed many seminal works in the language, including the poem Soundarya Lahari, and the chants Nirvana Shatakam, and Guru Paduka Strotram. The last two are integral parts of Shiva worship along with the mantra, Om Namah Shivaya.
