Greektown, Toronto
Krishna is a Guy
Neil is an accomplished sculptor
who hails from Ingersoll, Ontario, and is now settled in Toronto, near
Greektown. A generous sponsor, Lajput Prasher, commissioned him to sculpt
Krishna and Radha out of a massive maple tree trunk for the upcoming Huntsville
project.
I had the good fortune to see
Neil’s work-in-progress as he’s putting the finishing touches to an 8-foot-tall
Krishna. Thus far, Krishna projects a powerful presence. I’m impressed. It’s
indeed rare to see a rendering of the Lord, in wood, by a Canadian, on Canadian
soil.
I asked Neil if he could just
enlarge the eyes a little as well as put a tiny extra smile to His face. Other
than that, He looks good. It was my driver, Karuna Sindhu, who was with me and
made the observation, “He looks masculine.” That is what we wanted to
achieve, so I’m happy that Karuna said that. We desired a handsome Krishna to
stand beside a pretty Radha.
I have expressed it before, that
Krishna should not be portrayed with feminine features, which is often the
case. Many artists come across rendering Him in an overly female fashion. It
gets to be very overdone with make-up and fine ornaments. I’ve seen artist
portrayals of Shiva and Rama as being “actual men.” I believe Krishna deserves
the same treatment. I get a little tired of people asking me, “Who is that
woman on the chariot with Arjuna?”
Dear artists, please do justice
and fairness in presenting the Supreme.
May the Source be with you!
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