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Abracadabra from a different age

Colours and letters create mystical intonations and chants

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God

John 1:1

Yes. Words and letters have always had an awe about them, be it in the Judeo-Christian tradition where images and idols were banished from public spaces as profane or in the Indian cultural milieu where each letter and its intonation had its own mystical quality associated with it. Whether it is the sacred Aum or the tantric Hrim the echo and the intonation had a magical quality to them. Harnessing this magical nature of the alphabets and sounds is Ram Kasture who takes t his association a little further with his esoteric letters in Devanagari script that morph from being stylised letters and words to complex images of colour and sounds. Titled Resonance-An exhibition of abstract calligraphy at Kalahita Art Foundation, the number and the range of works showcased communicate the whole gamut of the artist’s vision.

The magical incantation comes alive when one sees the illumination of a painting where the script reads: Aum agnim-ile purohitam yagnam devum ritvijam hotram ratne dhatram.

“Calligraphy is the art of beautiful writing where the alphabet are rendered in a beautiful way. I have even designed new tools to achieve my vision,” says Ram Kasture. who has used acrylics on canvas and poster colours. The exhibition will be on till May 25.

SERISH NANISETTI

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