A Story to Tell

For the innovative and forever creative human mind, storytelling has been intrinsic to our nature thus having shaped our cultures and civilizations from time immemorial. The scope of our imagination at interpreting these tales can perhaps be seen best on our cave walls across India. Delineating scenes from life as hunters-gatherers to much later interpreting religious texts at Ajanta, Bagh and other locations in South India and Ellora, they open up to vast panoramic views of complex compositions and continue to astound us through their sheer brilliance of colour and stylistic approach in bringing these tales to life.

A story to tell, brings together selective works from BAAC’s collection of Miniatures, manuscripts, textile pieces and wooden engraved sculptures. Drawing largely not just upon textual references of the Devi Mahatmya, Ramayana and the Mahabharata but also subjects that are secular. Intertwined and connected, they weave in and out of the epic lores through their momentary appearances and references across these texts, adding to the multi-dimensionality of these narratives and their interpretation through ages.

The present display explores these narratives in a variety of forms that have remained integral to our Indian sub-consciousness. Dynamic and brimming with moral reflections, they have compelled their continuous retelling, sometimes through royal patronage, and at others for their religious, ritualistic and scholarly use over time.

Uma Ray 

Curator