Gitanjali in Brushstrokes – 103 Paintings as Offerings to The Song Offerings

Rabindranath Tagore

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Poet, philosopher, and musician Rabindranath Tagore was a polymath who broke through artistic barriers to become the first non-European Nobel winner in literature. Words cannot express the depth of his influence on world literature or the ethereal quality of his contributions to humanity. At least not with my limited vocabulary and pretentious understanding of this life and the cosmos. He was a mystic & an ascended soul, a human of mammoth stature revered by many. Therefore, when few days ago, I heard mother universe murmuring an invitation to read Gitanjali (1910) or Song Offerings while meditating, I wasted no time in ordering the book. Although at the outset, not having embraced Tagore’s masterpieces sooner was met with a humbling embarrassment as an Indian and a lover of literature. To cease guilt tripping and understand the verses better, I read it in two languages as if devising a personal method to seek forgiveness. A poetic masterpiece with undercurrents of unbreakable connection with the divine, deep introspection and immeasurable longing, reading multiple award-winning Gitanjali was a treat to my soul.

As I work on letting the latent creativity spring forth and make up for all the days I didn’t spend painting, writing or reading, this little personal project seeks to breathe life into my newfound communion with Gurudev’s writings as an outlet for self-expression with words and colours reflecting the sense these 103 songs make to me. I am new to watercolours and have painted only one piece as shared in this post. Water is my second most favourite medium to work with spiritually after fire for more reasons than one. And strokes of watercolours, like meditation, delve into realms of subconscious merging and branching with every drop into fibres of the sheet as if embodying the lessons of life and dissolving the duality. With this amalgamation, a singular, profound picture emerges which like an oracle card is open to myriad perspectives and interpretations.

In the psychological dance of shadows and light, my guiding principle – ‘striving to shine without the desire to be seen’ surfaces every time I find myself in the seat of a creator. Thus, this creative journey is solely to honour Tagore while paying homage to the light within and connecting with my roots. And, giving my flighty self a routine to ground. I hope and pray, my paint brushes and colours become the instrument of the divine and I, the ever receptive vessel for His Will to exercise itself. I wish the same for you.

Love,

P

🎵: The strings attached is a poetry (not in Gitanjali) by Rabindranath Tagore I’ve grown up loving & humming as a personal anthem.

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Drew a sketch I came across in one of the videos about Tagore’s life & the project title.

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