Wednesday, June 24, 2020

ARTIST RAVI DHAR FROM KASHMIR

                                           

                ( Acharya Abhinavgupta)
( Portrait of Bhagwan Gopi Nath Ji by Ravi Dhar )


                                                         (Oil on canvas by Ravi Dhar )
       

  ( Keshav  Bhat Jyotishi by Ravi Dhar )
                                                           (A portrait by Ravi Dhar)

 
         (A portrait by Ravi Dhar)
                                                      ( A portrait by Ravi Dhar)

                                           ( Ram Mandir Safa Kadal by Ravi Dhar)

                                                (Portrait of his mother by Ravi Dhar)
                                                         (A portrait by Ravi Dhar)
                                                     (A portrait by Ravi Dhar)
                                                          (Lal Ded by Ravi Dhar)
                                                         (A portrait by Ravi Dhar)
                        ( Saint poetess Roopa Bhawani of Kashmir with her Guru by Ravi Dhar)
                                                                            
                              ( A portrait by Ravi Dhar )
     ( A landscape in watercolour by Ravi Dhar )
                                         

                                                               ( A portrait)
                                 
                                  ( Saint poetess Roopa Bhawani by Ravi Dhar)
                                         

                    ( The selfless Messiah  meets the Saviour..A painting by Ravi Dhar)
                                       
       ( Swami Nand Lal Ji by Ravi Dhar)
  ( Kashmiri Pandits meet Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji)
               (Yogini  Lal Ded by Ravi Dhar)
( Birbal Dhar and Raj Kak Dhar meet Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore a Painting by Ravi Dhar)


( Portrait of Swami Lakshman Joo by Ravi Dhar)
                                        

       ( Mata Roop Bhawani by Ravi Dhar)
                                         
               ( Arinmal  by Ravi Dhar )
                                     
( A Painting from 'Na Bhatto Aham 'series by Ravi Dhar...See PS note on "Na Bhatto Aham"  as written by the artist against the painting uploaded on his Facebook Timeline on 21-10-2020)
                                        
  ( Mata Mathura Devi ,a Spiritual guide and saint from Kashmir)
                                          
                                        ( Mata Roop Bhawani by Ravi Dhar)
                                          
(MATA  BHAGBHARI  PRESENTS  A CLOAK TO GURU HARGOBIND JI IN KASHMIR BY RAVI DHAR .)

                                    
( Shaivacharya Kshem Raj ,disciple of Abhinavgupta by Ravi Dhar )
                                   

( Embankment being built with books of Kashmiri Pandits during the rule of medieval Sultans  ' Na Bhatto Aham' series by Ravi Dhar)

                                       
                                 (Portrait of Hindi poet Mohan Nirash by artist Ravi Dhar)
                                       
   (Portrait of Stalwart Kashmiri poet Dina Nath Nadim by Ravi Dhar )
                                    

 ( Dulucha, the Mongol chief with his soldiers plundering the Kashmir valley . The tale of first exodus of indigenous people from Valley. A painting by Ravi Dhar ) 
                                     

                            ( Portrait of Swami Ram Ji of Kashmir by Ravi Dhar )
                                        
                                                 ( Vaidhyaraj Shriya  Bhat by Ravi Dhar)
                                         
                      ( Kota Rani of Kashmir Committing suicide by Ravi Dhar) 
                                            ( Goddess Sharda of Kashmir by Ravi Dhar)
                                          
                                                     ( Radha Krishna and Gopis by Ravi Dhar )
                                                   ( Buddha and Kashmir by Ravi Dhar )
                                                 

                                             ( Rishi Vasugupta of Kashmir by Ravi Dhar )

                                          
                                                   ( General Zorawar Singh by Ravi Dhar  )
                                           
                                                             ( Bhagwan Parshuram Ji) 
                                          
                                              ( Mahatma Krishen Joo Razdan by Ravi Dhar)
                                       

                                              ( A painting for Martyr's day by Ravi Dhar) 
                                         

                                                ( A portrait of  Kalhana  by Ravi Dhar ) 
                                                                            
                                         ( Acharya Somananda of Kashmir by Ravi Dhar  )
                                              
        ( Reshi Peer a well known saint of Kashmir )



   ( Philosopher Jayanta Bhatta of Kashmir)
                                         
                                                ( Portrait of Tika Lal Taploo by Ravi Dhar)
                                         ( Portrait of artist Gokul Dembi by Ravi Dhar )
                                                                            

                                       ( Portrait of artist Bushen Kaul by Ravi Dhar )
                                         
                ( Portrait of artist Triloke Kaul by Ravi Dhar)
                                           
            ( Portrait of Master Zinda Kaul by Ravi Dhar)


ARTIST  RAVI  DHAR...(Born 1958)

Khankaah e Sokhta is a locality in downtown Srinagar city . Close to Safa Kadal or in between Safa Kadal and Nawa Kadal, this  locality has been  home to some prominent people inseparable from  the political  history of Kashmir . Men like Birbal Dhar and  Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad were  from this locality.Durga Prasad Dhar , fondly known as DP Dhar , who remained India's envoy to Moscow and negotiated the Indo  Soviet Peace  Treaty during 1971 Indo Pak war,  was also from this locality. The residential house of Pandit Shyam Lal Dhar ,a rich landlord , was also in this locality. This building was perhaps the biggest residential structure in Srinagar city.The locality produced artists,writers, saints , Sufis,  teachers, Hakeems,  traders and Kashmir handicrafts  exporters. It may not be possible to name all In this post . I shall deal them in detail in some other post.

Mata Roopa Bhawani, the great saint-poetess of Kashmir during the 17th century,  was also born in Khankaah e Sokhta locality. She was the daughter of Pandit Madhav Joo Dhar.

                                       

( Swarasati Devi in cement, iron and concrete by Ravi Dhar)

Artist Ravi Dhar belongs to this locality . Born to Pandit  Girdhari Lal Dhar and Girija Dhar, he had his early education in Roop Bhawani  School nearby . For his secondary school education ,he moved to the National School ,Karan Nagar and finally obtained a degree in paintings from Kashmir University in 1980. He also did post graduation (Master degree) in English and Hindi.
From 1980, Ravi Dhar started working as commercial artist and art designer.He  has worked at Allahabad and Pilani as art teacher and art designer. He taught English and art at the prestigious CEERI Vidya Mandir ,Pilani. He has also worked as artist cum designer at the Birla Museum,Pilani. Presently he is working  as Principal  SDM Public School ,Pilani (Rajasthan).

                                 
                                      ( Artist Ravi Dhar)

As artist ,Ravi Dhar has worked with all mediums and has  specialization in the  use of cement and fibre glass for sculptures. For paintings, he uses water  and oil colours.Another area of specialization for him has been portraiture. His portraits  have been widely appreciated .He has also painted  landscapes, still life,birds and animals. Apart from realistic he has also done some beautiful  figurative  paintings .

He informs:

" I miss my birthplace. It pains me to think that I can not live  in my birth place.I miss my river  Vitasta ,hills,Dal lake , boats, seasons ,flora ,fauna,fruits ,snow and the gracious autumn of my Kashmir. I miss those simple human beings . Everything looks like a dream now. All this nostalgia gets reflected on my canvas."

His colours are vibrant and green remains his favourite. His green  symbolises mother earth,   harmony, freshness ,fertility and  safety. It also has a healing power.

His Lal Ded is a gracious Yogini always engaged in Shiv Sadhana. She wears the traditional Pheran, Ath , Dejhoor and wooden Khadaaon or khraav. This painting has brought a  change in many minds about image of Lal ded who had been painted as a naked roaming Yogini  .
                                            
                                      
( Artist Ravi Dhar with Avtar Mota in a function)


My friend Sudesh Raina told me this:

" When I saw Ravi Ji's Lal Ded ,I felt so happy at this new  portrayal. I found more proximity to this image and more divine grace in his presentation. We need to adopt this painting in our households . It presents a soothing aura and  divine dignity. "
                                         
   ( Ravi Dhar being awarded Harmony India Award by Mayor Jammu city on 17-10-2021)


So is  his painting depicting Roopa Bhawani. His painting showing Ram Mandir,Safa Kadal located on Jhelum bank is impressive and nostalgic.

                                         

 ( Portrait of Avtar Mota done by Ravi Dhar)

I conclude this mini post on artist Ravi Dhar with a couplet of poet Zubair Rizvi:

Mein  apni dastaan ko akhir -e-shab tak to le aaya,
Tum iss ka ḳhoobsurat sa koyi anjaam likh den....

( Avtar Mota)



PS

This is what artist Ravi Dhar has written under the  painting titled 'Na Bhatto Aham' appearing on his Facebook Timeline.

"NA  BHATTO  AHAM - A CRY IN AGONY..

The Afghan rule was the darkest period in the history of Kashmir. Think of any worst kind of pain and suffering, you find it inflicted upon Kashmiri Pandits during Afghan rule. Conversion, killing, abduction of women, and plunder by horse riding ruthless Afghans was the order of the day . Anyone who tried to assert and speak against this barbarity was publicly hanged. Terrorised beyond limits, they flinched and wilted, fell and faltered and in pain and agony yelled out their lungs" Na Bhatto Aham"(I am not a Bhatta, a Kashmiri Hindu) only to avoid death and plunder."

( Ravi Dhar)