Important Notice

The central figure in this classic Bawa painting, set against a flat, monochromatic background bears a strong resemblance to Lord Krishna, who is often portrayed as a blue-skinned cowherd sporting a peacock feather on his head, playing a flute and surrounded by cattle. Blue-bodied but without the peacock feather, and surrounded by dogs rather than cows, Bawa's figure might also be Ranjha, from the tragic-romance of Punjabi literature,... The central figure in this classic Bawa painting, set against a flat, monochromatic background bears a strong resemblance to Lord Krishna, who is often portrayed as a blue-skinned cowherd sporting a peacock feather on his head, playing a flute and surrounded by cattle. Blue-bodied but without the peacock feather, and surrounded by dogs rather than cows, Bawa's figure might also be Ranjha, from the tragic-romance of Punjabi literature, Heer-Ranjha. Bawa, who was deeply influenced by Indian mythology, miniature paintings, and Sufism, meant for his painting to have multiple interpretations.

In a 1996 interview with Marcella C Sirhandi, associate professor in art history at Oklahoma State University, Bawa is ambiguous on the identification when he says, "It is not Krishna... It is Ranja [sic]... Even if it is Krishna, it doesn't matter - Ranja is also a flute player, and Ranja was a divine lover, more than Krishna, because Ranja gave everything for love." (Interview with Marcella C Sirhandi, "Manipulating Cultural Idioms", Art Journal, Vol. 58, No. 3, College Art Association, Autumn 1999, pp. 40 - 47, accessed through JSTOR) Bawa draws the connection between Krishna as Venugopala and Ranjha, both flute players who epitomize true love.

In the same interview, Bawa ascribes another layer of meaning to the present lot. Shaken by the violent communal riots that followed the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, he describes the dogs in this painting as representations of secular creatures who are not defined by a religious identity. "The fundamentalists are breaking my culture. So I do paintings like Ranja with dogs... The dog is anti-Hindu and anti-Muslim both. Showing the dog is antireligion." (Interview with Marcella C Sirhandi)

Beyond the multi-layered meaning and symbolism, Bawa's Ranja is striking for the interplay of colours - the deep maroon background, the blue skin and yellow dhoti of the central figure and the white, pastel shades of the dogs. Both, human and animals are rendered with equal care and delineation, and they seem to exist in an undisturbed world of understanding and communion.

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