Captured by : MOHAN VARMA-SAGUN_1
He grabs a piece of paper and folds it in half. He then carefully opens up a tiny pair of scissors and, ignoring the noise around him, begins cutting the folded paper. His expert fingers grip the tiny scissors and turn it swiftly around the piece of paper, all the while talking about this facet of his art. After a few delicate turnarounds and before one could realise, the simple paper has transformed into a beautifully carved motif with a lotus and a pair of swans around it. The awestruck audience instantly falls in love with this incredible Sanjhi art originated in the hometown of the naughty blue god - Krishna.
Sanjhi is the traditional art of stencilling from Mathura. It might look simple but is really a difficult task to create a Sanjhi jhanki, a paper stencil. One wrong move or cut and the whole design may get ruined. “Initially it used to happen with me when I was a child,” admits Mohan Verma, a Sanjhi artist at Serendipity Art Festival. Verma boasts to hail from the only surviving clan in Mathura that carries on their traditional family legacy proudly.
For him it’s like Sadhana. “It’s a conduit of expression for an artists’ devotion to Krishna,” says Verma, who is a master in the art of making miracles out of paper and scissors. This unique craft form features exquisite designs and intricate picture motifs, cut into paper. Craftsmen use specially designed scissors to accomplish this process. The motifs are then transcribed on walls, floors and water. To make the fragile paper motifs last longer, Verma frames it between two glasses.
He humbly admits that as a craftsman he only makes the ‘khaka’. According to him the real Sanjhi artists were far great. But there aren’t many now, living. There were many families in Mathura who followed the traditional art but after the new generation is not willing to carry forward the art after their ancestors. “It is very time-consuming and needs a lot of concentration. A khaka may take not only days but months and sometimes years too,” states Verma who has taken the art to next level by not only making wedding cards, lamp shades, curtains, wall frames, trays and household items but even extended it to cloth.
It took Verma three months to cut motifs on a 10,000-meter-long cloth that formed the ceiling of a tent for a big fat wedding. He also worked for a month-and-half to cut Sanjhi designs on a silk saree which fetched him Rs 70,000. Each of the Sanjhi art piece is visually impressive and owing to the artist’s perfection of portrayal, it is just priceless. He works on each piece offering a well-matched combination of colours and the intricacy of ornamental patterns, making it beautiful.
“It’s the paintings on water - depicting various ‘leelas’ of Lord Krishna. Three temples, Radhavallabh ji, Bhattaji, Jaipurwalon Ka Mandir still continue to display the traditional art Sanjhi in their premises, though the other 200-300 temples in and around Mathura and Vrindavan have long ceased to showcase it as it is unaffordable. However, following the footsteps of our forefathers, we continue to offer Sanjhi art to some of the temples free of cost, as our offerings to Thakur ji (Krishna),” he says.
The youngest of three brothers, Verma did not see the inside of a classroom due to poverty. He was inspired to the art in childhood seeing his late father Chainsukhlal and late grandfather Shrinarayandas devoting their life to it. Including his elder brothers Vijay and Ajay, ten members of his family are actively involved in Sanjhi art. Vijay recalls that there are some families settled abroad who come down to India in Pitrupaksha every year to offer their ‘seva’ to Thakurji by painting Sanjhi rangolis on water. After temple doors are closed at 10.30 am, it’s time for the Sanjhi artists to work with devotion. It takes hours before the art in the form of a painting on water is finally complete. The team of artists work until 5 pm, or even 7 pm at times.
The origins of this art form lie with Radha, according to folklores. It was she who made Sanjhi rangolis using natural colours, along with flowers, leaves and coloured stones, to woo Krishna. Her friends, gopis, soon followed suit, also making intricate designs to impress Krishna. “Sanjhi has been popular ever since, and during the Mughal period, contemporary themes were introduced for greater perspective. Today, Sanjhi art is found in many homes in India and abroad,” briefs Verma whose work has spread far and wide giving him name and fame. Associated with Delhi Craft Council, Verma is happy that the art lovers and even government gives patronage and support for the art to grow. Sanjhi is on a revivalist curve as fashion and interior designers are using the motif in modern creations which makes him happy.
“Our art is being appreciated and that’s more than the money it brings in as we only wish that this traditional spiritual art should survive and thrive,” he confides. Indeed it is hard work and everything is done manually. Each and every wedding card is crafted by hand and 46-year-old Verma has accepted orders for few thousands of such cards. In Gurgaon around 10-15 thousand homes display his art. There is a 50 foot Sanjhi painting on the outside wall of a home at Saket in New Delhi. “The family has displayed it for the public to appreciate,” adds Verma who had erected ‘Bhagvatiji ka pandal’ along with lights, jewellery and dress of the goddess in Kolkata three years ago which won much appreciation.
Verma and his brothers hold workshops across the country to spread awareness about the art and attract more craftsmen. After he taught 25 underprivileged girls from Muslim families in Nizamuddin, they mastered it and now earning their livelihood out of Sanhji crafts. “It was a coincidence to see a similar stall installed in an exhibition that I participated. I was surprised to know that it was a group of students whom I had taught in one of my workshops,” he recalls.
The Verma family is one of the few custodians of this ancient art form and have practicing it for several generations. There is still hope that this ancient art will survive in this modern world.
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What is Sanjhi art?
Known for its inherent spiritual implications that reach beyond immediate aesthetic appeal, Sanjhi art is considered to be one of the finest arts of spiritual expression. The art grew in the 16th and 17th centuries, when the walls and floors of temples were decorated with Sanjhi motifs. The term Sanjhi is derived from the Hindi words ‘sanjha’, or ‘Saanjh’ (evening) which the period of dusk with which the art form is typically associated. The art depicts Indian mythological stories in numerous forms, with predominant focus on Krishna’s Leela.
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Devotion through art
To create a Sanjhi design, stencils are made on handmade paper using specially designed scissors. These stencils are placed on flat surfaces or water, where the rangoli has to be drawn. Dry colours are then sifted onto the surface. Filling the colours and lifting the stencils are as critical as cutting the design. Peacocks, bullock carts, horses, cows, butterflies and trees are some of the common motifs used. The intricate craftsmanship reflects the artist’s devotion and the intimate love for Krishna. To produce an elaborate Sanjhi design could take anywhere between an hour and a month.
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Pics: Narayan Pissurlenkar
