A PRINT , A PAINTER and A PICTURE SELLER

 

  This Oleograph  was hanging  in the approx. 160 year old ancestral manor of  the Seeplaputhur Family,  in  rural Tamil Nadu , facing the prospect of becoming food for termites.

.....Now rescued from definite ruin , cleaned up and given a prominent place in the Bangalore Apartment , as befits an heirloom .

An heirloom with a little history attached to it. 

Caption : "Murli Manohar"

Artist : Narottam Narain of Nathdwara

Published by : SS Brijbasi and Sons , Bunder Road , Karachi

Printed in : Germany 

A registered copy. 

It was a  trend during the first half of the 20^th Century for households to have such prints on their walls. Many middle aged people today will remember having seen similar pictures of deities in their ancestral homes . Some dismiss them as Calender Prints. But they not old calenders. They are special prints that brought about a silent revolution in how we imagine our Gods , bringing  forms that were  till then mostly confined to Temples  closer home.

When Indian Art , that followed  traditional canons , was introduced to  the Western idiom of realistic painting during 18^th  – 19^th centuries , there was  a sea change in how religious themes  came to be picturised.

Nathadwara , in Rajasthan, was renowned as a Centre of Artisans .  

Narottam Narayan Sharma of Nathadwara ( 1896 - 1992) was an extremely popular and influential painter of divine images , trained in the traditional fashion ie, drawing flat illustrations on scrolls and screens meant for worship. But, impelled by the modernism that had crept in,  he took to  the Photo-Realism genre to give Gods an " empathetic presence " , bringing them closer to the devotees. He became famous for his paintings of Krishna and this particular painting "Murli Manohar " ( painted in 1934 ) is reputed to be the best selling image  in the history of Oleographs in India . At a certain point his paintings  were  more popular than those of Raja Ravi Varma . 

The very first image of Shrinathji of Nathadwara temple to ever get printed was painted by Narottam Narayan . This event ( of 1928 ) caused a major controversy as the temple guardians feared such easy availability of God's image would affect pilgrim traffic to the temple and dent its earnings ! Eventually , however, it turned out to have the opposite effect , bringing more visitors  to the temple ! Since the prints were distributed all over , more people than would normally make a pilgrimage to Nathadwara  could get a glimpse of the Lord , thereby developing interest in seeing the actual Icon in the Temple. And those who did travel anyway, were happy to bring back a print for their own wall. A Win-Win situation. 

 Narottam's paintings of gods were all mass printed by the popular Karachi based publisher SS Brijbasi and Sons ( " Picture Publishers") who got  their all printing done in Germany,  until Partition happened. Later , the publishing house ran its own press in Mathura, Bombay and Delhi ...and in recent times , in Sivakasi too ! But , Oleo is no more . Offset printing  had captured the industry.

 Oleography( or Chromolithography ) invented in Germany in late 18 th Cent. , revolutionised the way Indian people related to Gods.

Traditionally made pictures of gods were always around . But they could not be obtained unless specially commissioned , hence they were out of reach for most ordinary people .

Oleography was a gamechanger .  The technique  consisted of multi layered lithography , using oil based inks . Excellent effects could be achieved in this method.  These prints were not only very attractive and brilliantly coloured , but were  inexpensive too.

It was large scale "democratisation " of Religious icons .

The oleo colours of this picture are still vibrant ! Brijbasi's 1933 catelog seems to have boasted of "akarshak rangon " and " gazab ki chamak " of their prints from " Jermani ke mashahur kharkane se " 

....No empty boast !

______________________

NOTES : 

1.Oleograph, also called chromolithograph or chromo, colour lithograph produced by preparing a separate stone by hand for each colour to be used and printing one colour in register over another. The term is most often used in reference to commercial prints. Sometimes as many as 30 stones were used for a single print. The technique was pioneered in the 1830s but came into wide commercial use only in the 1860s. It was the most popular method of colour reproduction until the end of the 19th century, when more efficient techniques rendered it obsolete. (Brittanica)

2. In the Lithographic process, ink is applied to a grease-treated image on the flat printing surface; nonimage (blank) areas, which hold moisture, repel the lithographic ink. This inked surface is then printed—either directly on paper, by means of a special press (as in most fine-art printmaking), or onto a rubber cylinder (as in commercial printing).The process was discovered in 1798 by Alois Senefelder of Munich, who used a porous Bavarian limestone for his plate (hence lithography, from Greek lithos, “stone”). ( Brittanica)

3. Offset printing, also called offset lithography, or litho-offset, in commercial printing, widely used printing technique in which the inked image on a printing plate is printed on a rubber cylinder and then transferred (i.e., offset) to paper or other material. The rubber cylinder gives great flexibility, permitting printing on wood, cloth, metal, leather, and rough paper. An American printer, Ira W. Rubel, of Nutley, N.J., accidentally discovered the process in 1904 and soon built a press to exploit it. (Brittanica)

Vegetarian hunt in Russia

 The World has flattened, distances have shrunk and people have migrated all over , so cultural differences are not all that big these days. Being a vegetarian was once a mighty big inconvenience when traveling overseas . It is no problem at all now as Vegetarianism is well embraced everywhere and has also grown its own sub-fads like Veganism , Ketodiets etc . Finding "rabbit food" ( as it was once trolled) is not difficult anywhere  now. 

Still , had a tiny prick of anxiety about Russia , because so little is discussed about food choices there .

A quick reading up revealed Russians are not great lovers of Vegetarian food and other than a stray potato or cabbage salad, most cafes  may not have much on offer. 

Not to panic ! Georgian cuisine to the rescue ! 

The Georgian restaurant we enjoyed eating in  , in St.Petersburg . “Phali Khinkhali” .

Its logo is a khinkali fluttering on tiny wings . Khinkali , dumplings with stuffing of choice , is the quintessential Georgian food which we never got to taste - to our eternal regret . Each meal is served course by course and portions are humongous . By the time we had munched through the starters and appetisers , we were overstuffed and had to wave away the dumplings . Had to save space for the pudding ! It happened in both the Georgian restaurants we visited, so no taste of Khinkali , sadly ! 

But plenty of other flavours and textures  to remember:

 

1.Cucumber , Onion and Tomato salad , dressed with ground walnut, lime and olive oil . ( walnuts are used extensively in everything )

2.Pkhali (minced vegetables, served moulded like colourful idlis : spinach , cabbage , beetroot ,seasoned with garlic , herbs and powdered walnut . )

3.Badrijani : grilled slices of eggplant ,covered with thick walnut-garlic paste and rolled up . Served cold with cilantro/ parsley .

4. Ajapsandali : a kind of ratatouille consisting of aubergines, tomatoes, mushroom , potatoes and red pepper, seasoned with garlic and herbs.

5. Mchadi are small, crispy toasties made of cornflour, milk and water. Served with cheese.

6. Lobio , a dip made of white beans , walnut, garlic and herbs .

7. Khachapuri : a Georgian staple , the "cheesy bread" . Something like naan/ pita filled with cheese. Some cheese is added as topping too. BTW , puri means bread in Georgia !

8. Ajika : a kind of spicy pesto made of red peppers . Goes well with the bread .

 

A mash of stewed vegetables tasted very indian. Reason : The all purpose , mixed spice powder  they use (Khmeli-Suneli) , resembles our garam masala .Ingredients : coriander, marigold, fenugreek, dill, mint, parsley .

 Desserts : 1.Baklava . Sinful , crunchy Puff pastry stuffed with pounded nuts and sugar .

2.Pelamushi : delightful pudding made of grape juice, wine and cornflour . 

Trdelnik .

The one Russian snack we tried, in a cute kiosk outside a Basilica .

A sort of funnel cake , made fresh upon order . Crisp at first bite , it loses the crunch very soon , but a treat nonetheless . The girl in the kiosk dint speak English , but the sign boards were helpful.

So what is a Trdelnik ? A hollow pastry of Czeck-Slovak origin. It which is cooked a special way , on a spit , like kebab .  The dough , cut in ribbons, is wrapped around a wooden cylinder , sprinkled with sugar and baked over open flame with frequent turning of the cylinder  . The hot pastry is  slid off the cylinder when the sugar on top caramilises  into a shiny , crisp crust . It is best eaten hot/warm  , right off the oven. The pastry  can be plain or kneaded with olives , nuts etc. Sugar is omitted if so desired. 

 

And of course , no escaping desi fare ! We certainly dint go looking for it , but just stumbled upon a cafe called “ In Jagannath We Trust “ that had , in addition to  beverages , some non-spicy , non greasy Indian foods sans onion and garlic. The picture  above shows one of the posters on the wall of the cafe. No idea what it says, though ! 

No , not run by ISKCON , but by another Vaishnava Trust  .

 

No dearth of fruits ! A local market where everything looked fresh and delicious . 

Outside one of the Cathedrals where tourists throng . 

The Romance of Russian Scarves

 When looking for souvenirs  to take home from Russia , the tourist can drown in the flood of Babushka nesting dolls . They come in all avatars , in all price ranges , of all materials and also printed on  all possible things, including the very attractive shopping bags in which souvenirs are packed for you. They are pretty, true, but very predictable .

The second most popular souvenir is the Scarf . I dont know if that is predictable too , but I did fall in love with them . ( And yes, The Babushka dolls wear scarves too !) 

(The Souvenir Carry Bag showing Babushka Doll wearing a Scarf )

Old or young , urban or rural , chic or dowdy , all Russian women have one indispensable item in their wardrobe : A length of fine woollen fabric , printed with eye catching floral designs , fringed with braided tassels . Variously called Scarf , Shawl or Kerchief .  "Sharf " in Russian . 

Invariably  in bright colours , with beautiful floral and paisley prints, they remind strongly of the illustrations  seen in Russian Fairy Tale books . Especially the beautifully detailed artwork of Ivan Bilibin for Alexander Pushkin"s "Tale of The Tsar Saltan". 

( Illustration for the story of Tsar Saltan - incredible details and colour combinations)

 The Scarf  can be a wrap , a poncho, a veil ,a muffler, a bandanna .....anything ! It goes as well with modern pant-suits as with traditional long skirts . This charming article of clothing is the most recognised accessory of women of the former Soviet nations.

 

( Painting by Philipp Malyavin (1869-1940) Credit: WikiCommons)

The Scarf's popularity dates back a little more than 200 years.

Pavlovo Posad , aka Pavlovsky , a small town 65 kms miles from Moscow , has always been a weaving center producing fabrics of very fine , soft wool , dyed in bright colours and embellished with some embroidery .

When the Czarist courts started showing great interest in Italian styles and products of the time , it naturally reflected on their attires too . Using Shawls came in vogue in Russia in the early 18th Century 

Floral motifs, cherubs , vines and scroll work , borrowed from art of the Renaissance , were much favoured.

It was a favourable period for the Textile industry in Pavlovo Posad  and business boomed .

Printing from engraved wooden blocks in three colours was perfected , but it soon made way for the richer colouring achieved by screen printing ( called Net Printing there ).

The region saw the rise of many celebrated textile artists and Pavlovo Posad scarves/ shawls became famous .

During the Stalinist regime, propagandist and folklore motifs were widespread, replacing imperial designs .

But now , its back to florals , paisley and geometricals .

Reportedly , all designs drafted by in-house artists today have to be approved by a department in The Ministry of Culture before getting printed !

 

The name Pavlovo Posad continues to be numero uno in this industry because the woolen yarn woven here is so fine as to be almost translucent .The hallmark of ‘a small rose within a square ‘, printed unobtrusively near the edge of the shawl/ scarf , ensures authenticity . These shawls can be expensive, much like the brand “ Mysore Silk” in our land . The special ones are handed down generations as heirlooms to be cherished . They are also gifted to churches to make vestments.

 The same “manufactories”( mills) also produce affordable scarves with wool in warp and viscose in weft . But, Printing quality remains the same .

 Colors red and golden yellow predominate , as they are metaphors for happiness . The most favoured motifs are roses and dahlia . The background is often a dark hue in order to show up the motifs better. Back looks just grand ( my favourite) , deep blue and bottle green being popular too. 

Did I buy Shawls to carry back home ? You best, I did !