2004 - Gopinatha's Artwork travels the world
Early in January, Sucirani, now in Vrindavana, departed this world. Sad and uncertain about our future, I returned to Gopinatha dham alone. I waited for a clue how to proceed.
Suddenly an email arrived asking us to bring our miniatures, to England. A devotee from the Manor, Sita Rama Prabhu, visited Perth and stayed at Gopinatha dham. He liked the dioramas so much that he felt they would be appreciated as part of their Annual Janmastami festival, at the Manor, which is attended by 50,000 guests.
I was in disbelief. How could we travel with such delicate items? How much work would be required just to set them up, and what if they all broke into pieces on the way?
But he was insistent. Was this Gopinatha's desire?
We thought carefully and became practical. New, transportable dioramas would be required. Practically it was too much work to do all in four months. I immediatly understood that this task was next to impossible.
Actually no pictures can capture the minute detail and expanse of this diorama.
So many people present at the exhibition commented on these works.
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JANMASTAMI EXHIBITION
Part One-Scenes of Vrindavana
This diorama depicts a wager of love with Krishna and his friends
on one side, and Srimati Radharani and her friends on the other.
Here Radha and Krishna and their friends perform a
musical concert.
Here we see a forest picnic. Radha and Krishna are served
by Their loving gopis.
This is Jhulan, or a swing festival for Radha and Krishna.
For this set we were using four "altar settings" now embedded with tiny lights and elaborate detailed work. We named this series
Scenes Of Vrindavana .
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Part Two- The Beautiful Rasa Dance
This was our second group of four dioramas which
depict Radha and Krishna's Rasa Dance, a well known Vrindavana Pastime
Here Krishna playfully steals the gopi's clothes and then promises to dance with them
One evening Krishna plays His flute and calls all the gopis.
Then the Rasa Dance takes place on the bank of the Yamuna river.
These pastimes are enactments of the spiritual world.
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SOME CLOSER VIEWS
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next...Part Three- The lifting of Govardhana Hill →
