Monsoon Special: Abhisarika Nayika by Mola Ram Singh and The Rain by Kamala Das

This week in Daak:

1. Abhisarika Nayika by Mola Ram Singh

2. The Rain by Kamala Das

3. A Poem a Day

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1. Kama Abhisarika Nayika (Eager Heroine on Her Way to Meet Her Lover) by Mola Ram Singh, Punjab Hills, Garhwal, Pahadi, 18th century, LACMA

Rain has the simultaneous connotation of fulfilment and longing. While a cloudburst replenishes and refreshes everything, it also opens our heart to its own deep desires. No wonder then that so many stories, poems and songs are set against the backdrop of rain. This Pahadi painting illustrates the burning desire of one of eight types of female lovers (nayika) in Kesavadas’ Rasikapriya (Connoisseur’s Delights) who braves a fierce storm to keep a rendezvous with her lover. With her single-minded determination ignoring the perils of a thunderstorm and snakes, it’s easy to see why the intrepid heroine of this painting was the most popular nayika to be portrayed in Pahadi paintings. We particularly love the depiction of rain like delicate strings of pearls, adding a touch of drama to the darkening skies.

2. The Rain by Kamala Das

We left that old ungainly house
When my dog died there, after
The burial, after the rose
Flowered twice, pulling it by its
Roots and carting it with our books,
Clothes and chairs in a hurry.
We live in a new house now,
And, the roofs do not leak, but, when
It rains here, I see the rain drench
That empty house, I hear it fall
Where my puppy now lies,
Alone..

In Das’ poem too, rain evokes a longing, albeit of a different kind. Das nurses the memory of an abandoned, dilapidated home where she lost and buried a beloved dog. Even though she is seemingly housed in a more comfortable space with leak-proof roofs, the rain reminds her of what she has left behind. Perhaps, in grieving for her dead puppy, she is also grieving the loss of her old self?

3. A Poem a Day

If you want to read more poetry from South Asia, check out our Poetry Calendar. It has a new poem for each day (including several from Kamala Das) and can be used year on year! It makes for a fantastic desk companion and an inspiring gift for poetry lovers