Dark clouds pouring heavy rains and deepening the darkness of the night. A woman silently walks out of her home, towards the dense forest, unaffected by the weather or the rebukes of her family. She is Radha presented as the Abhisarika nayika (the heroine who moves). Upon hearing the tunes of Krishna’s flute she is caught in a trance-like state and hurriedly walks toward the origin of those sweet melodies.
Radha has her feet slightly raised and holds her lehenga (skirt) in order to better navigate the uneven and wet ground. There seems to be an urgency in her manner. In comparison, the lady behind her appears static, probably her Sakhi (friend) questioning her erratic behaviour. The door of the building in white is ajar, for the love-lorn soul has no time to bolt it. On the left, midst a grove stands Krishna, exquisitely dressed and holding a lotus- the symbol of beauty and purity in his hand. The bright red border of the painting expresses the idea of pure passion as being felt by Radha and Krishna.
This painting follows the Basohli miniatures of Pahari paintings, based on the Rasamanjari of Bhanudatta, a Sanskrit poetic work on romance. The Nayika or heroine- whose symbol in art is Radha, represents the human soul. Braving all obstacles- natural and man-made, following the call of the Supreme Lord (tunes of his flute), the soul reaches its destination. It is this eternal quest of the human for the divine to which numerous poetic and artistic traditions like this Basohli painting are dedicated.
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