Diptej Vernekar, artist, fine art professor, Goa.
He looks at it as an art and craft that requires talent, knowledge of engineering and architecture. It is this ‘behind the scene’ effort that needs recognition and appreciation, and Diptej Vernekar has tried to bring the concept together. A professor of fine arts at GVM’s College in Ponda, Diptej has conceptualised this innovative theme while participating in Serendipity Arts Festival this year – displaying the unique tradition of Goa – Narkasur.
The generations in Goa are known to have grown with the art of making a Narkasur effigy as children and youth from every wado in every village took pains to deliver this demon. Year after year people watch him rocking on the streets on the eve of Diwali, stretching through the nightlong processions before getting burnt in the wee hours!
Why fascinated him to choose this theme? Drawn towards the tall, hefty figures of the paper Narkasurs built over a bamboo structure with precision, Diptej points out that crafting it required art, architectural knowledge and engineering skills, but this aspect was never even thought of, while people simply enjoyed the battle between the Narkasur and Krishna.
“To stress on this art and craft side of the Narkasur along with the other technical aspects, I decided to make it the centre of attraction through Serendipity, where not only local Goans, but tourists and visitors from other States also will learn and understand them,” says Diptej.
The professor wanted to change the perspective of looking at the Narkasur and let people appreciate the talent behind the making of it, and also make youth feel motivated to take up the art, add their own innovativeness and present it before the public as part of the Goan culture.
According to him the Narkasur is the result of labour of love – there’s manual labour involved while making it, and it gives an opportunity to budding artists to apply their mind to add innovative technologies and keep improving their skills each year.
Diptej last participated in Serendipity in 2022, wherein he curated the ‘Incarnation Park’ project that explored the hidden role of local region-cultural artifacts, (again Narkasur idols) by making them accessible to the public as an outdoor gym. This year, the organisers approached him asking if he has anything similar to the earlier theme, suiting the taste of visitors in Panaji and which blends with the city as well. And Diptej chose two themes – ‘Mini Narkasur Archive’ and ‘Beasts of Reincarnations’ – each having fifteen and five Narkasurs, respectively, totaling 20.
It took him six months to work on the themes chosen – beginning from February-March until now – ideation to installation. All of these are not crafted by Diptej. The smaller Narakasuras are made by five teams of around 50 children from five different cities – Panaji, Mapusa, Vasco, Margao and Ponda. It is entirely their craft; I only shouldered the responsibility of transporting them to Panaji and displaying them at the Directorate of Accounts (old) building where they can be viewed from December 14, between 11 am to 7 pm till December 21.
The five bigger sculptures under ‘Beasts of Incarnation’ are based on five creatures, a rare ant, a dragonfly, pangolin, a flying chameleon and a frog – all native to Goa. Diptej has tried to link it with ecological issues, indirectly making viewers focus their attention that one has to maintain ecology for the survival of the planet. Installed at five different spots in Panaji – Kala Academy, Old GMC, Yoga Setu, Old Accounts building and Old PWD building, these will surely grab eyeballs, hopes Diptej.
Robotic fight of Mini Narkasurs
Two of the two-feet-tall mini Narkasurs will depict a robotic fight controlled by remotes where they will be seen kicking each other. This is a tussle between the North and South of Goa. These Narkasurs are assembled by a separate team led by Kiran Tamboskar from Parse and Unik Chari from Canacona.
