Traversing across the country on various
occasions over a decade, whether on a holiday, an art show or even a trek in
the Himalayas, Harshada Kerkar was invariably struck by the little
street-children she encountered – more so by the impenetrable bond between
them. “I always saw these children watching out for one another with an
undeniable intensity that spoke of a great bond – some little sister holding
her little brother, or a boy running with his little brother. I always wondered
that despite their circumstances, what kind of force or power did they have
within them to protect their younger siblings? Where does it come from? What is
amazing is that despite their lack of material wealth, their attachment to each
other is very strong,” avers Harshada, whose oeuvre of work delves into the
humane aspects of her everyday subjects.
Another aspect that was to leave an
indelible mark on the artist was the fact that every time she asked one of
these little children to pose for her, they would inevitably ask her to include
a sibling in the picture. “On several occasions I was forced to take a picture
along with a sibling. They would say, ‘didi please wait’ and then disappear
into their huts to bring back a little sister or brother. They would then ask
for exclusive pictures. I found this kind of attachment to their siblings so
touching. These children are not pretentious. Their emotions are raw and real.
In our elite modern world, bonds like these seem passé,” she explains of the
hundreds of pictures clicked over the years from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.
The advent of Raksha Bandhan has now
provided her the perfect foil to explore the strength of this bond between
siblings, particularly brothers and sisters. “Actually, I was on another
assignment when I was particularly struck by a picture of a sister hugging her
brother. This set in motion an idea for a solo exhibition on this topic itself
which very few artists have explored so far, even the masters,” she says of her
15 charcoal paintings, including a few dry pastels, which began to take shape
in June this year.
“I am exploring this brother-sister
relationship as it is all the more relevant now. I feel this bond is as strong
as that of a mother and child, if not more. Growing up as a child I have witnessed
this strong bond between my father and his sister,” she reiterates while
elaborating that her paintings have been inspired by the celebrated 1900’s
artist Mary Cassatt who devoted an entire series to the mother-child theme in
dry pastels.
As India prepares to celebrate this bond on
August 29, Harshada Kerkar’s ode to this beautiful relationship is right on
cue.
(‘Together’ will be exhibited at Kala
Academy, Panjim on August 30, 2015)
