Aura of spiritualism

After a certain age, the inclination towards spiritualism and the mystic power of the Supreme Being becomes way of life. Having lived for as long as nine decades or more, one feels that strong connect with the Almighty, the need to forget all worldly desires and spend a life in silence and serenity.

Exemplifying his love for the Almighty and all things spiritual, artist Rajinder Kumar Saini curated a week-long exhibition titled ‘Aura – the Mystery’ at the India
International Centre, that concluded recently.

Using only Chinese black ink and brush, the artist wistfully compiled a collection of 40 miniature paintings, all portraying the different auras that can exist around a person. While huge paintings on canvas and photography exhibitions are regular occurrences in the city, Saini’s neat effort in creating artwork on a small scale is thought provoking and worthy of applause.

Relating the story behind these paintings, which one finds both mysterious and fascinating, Saini tells Metrolife, “It would be a matter of surprise for one to know that the seed for this collection was sown when my mother, then 92 years old, had entered a phase of deep meditation. In order to provide her a congenial atmosphere, I started playing spiritual music to communicate with her.”

“This communion with soul made me come close to the real meaning of human life and existence. The long hours spent with her listening to spiritual music, automatically moved my brush strokes and I ended up with a collection
beyond my expectations,” Saini says.

One finds the monotony in grey or rather the ‘black’ aspect of the collection and the obvious yet questionable circular figures prevalent in all the artworks. Saini clarifies, “The colour black reminds us of the simpler black and white times. A colour which never loses its charm, black is deeply impactful and carries universal appreciation.”
While each painting looks similar yet minutely different, the human figures in each of them are meant to signify God as the ultimate end.

“There comes a stage in life when you feel the urge to create abstract art. With my mother lost in deep meditation sitting by my side, I felt the energy within her. Creating minute figures with neat detailing involves so much heat and energy that one might even get sick...” he adds.

One tends to get overwhelmed by the deep-rooted and serious atmosphere these miniature paintings with overpowering impact, create. However, Saini leaves the paintings untitled.

He explains, “Abstract art is very subjective and I would love if people come up with diverse interpretations for each one of them.”

“Restricting spiritualism according to a particular description is not what I aimed at through this exhibition,” he adds.