( Acharya Abhinavgupta)
( Portrait of Bhagwan Gopi Nath Ji by Ravi Dhar )
(A portrait by Ravi Dhar)
( A portrait)
( The selfless Messiah meets the Saviour..A painting 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)
( Embankment being built with books of Kashmiri Pandits during the rule of medieval Sultans ' Na Bhatto Aham' series 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 )
( Rishi Vasugupta of Kashmir by Ravi Dhar )
( A painting for Martyr's day by Ravi Dhar)
( A portrait of Kalhana by Ravi Dhar )
( Philosopher Jayanta Bhatta of Kashmir)
( Portrait of artist Bushen 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.
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).
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. "
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)
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