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month. The nayak and nayika resonate with graceful sensuality, colour and the music of their love; their urges and pains shared by the animals, trees, birds and the blossoms. 'Baramasa' remains a romantic poetic genre of unique concept and expression, which describes each of the months in terms of love and its rhetoric. It undeniably is a poetry which reflects the moods of the lovers, but none is as evocative as the splendour and awe inspiring beauty of the Indian monsoon and remains uniquely Indian. To an Indian, monsoons are a symbol of hope and life. The bond that India has with rains is enticingly romantic when in the villages the nubile maidens will take to swings and sing songs as they swing and enjoy the rains.
The essential theme of Baramasa is the passionate yearning of a lovelorn heart, the pangs of separation that each change of season brings in. Each month brings a special message to the beloved, every season a special reminder of the joy of love and longing. The nature participates in the world of human emotions and mirrors the lovers or the singer’s experience of tenderness and pain of love. The Baramasa depiction in poetry, painting and music brings in together two confronting worlds, the world of man and nature into one thread.
Composed in Hindi and other regional languages, these lyric are sung, mostly by women. The Baramasa of Keshav Das is the most well known and was composed in 1591 for Raja Indrajeet of Orcha. The poet had remarked, “During the month of Sravana, the rivers meet the sea, which makes it a pleasant scene. Creepers fresh after the rain cling to trees. There are lightening streaks in the sky and peacocks cry out happily. All lovers meet their beloveds in the month of Sravana. In this month one should not even think of venturing outdoors. Dark clouds have gathered and are loudly thundering, rain pours down in torrents. Lions and tigers are roaming and elephants are breaking trees. There is no difference between night and day. One’s home is like nectar and the outside is like a poison”.
“Radha and Krishna celebrating Teej” belongs to the provenance of Jaipur and dated 1850 is the representation of rainy season. This miniature is extraordinarily beautiful in its mounted frame as well as the intricate floral border surrounding it. The border is delineated with different types and varieties of flowers and in different hues and shades, making it charmingly elegant and extraordinary. In the centre in a cartouche on top of the border is a script indexing towards the thematic content written in red and black ink.
The painting has the representation of the main protagonists Radha and Krishna. The latter is seated on the swing with Radha in his lap in a very intimate pos with Radha looking romantically towards him but Krishna is distracted as his gaze is not on her but perhaps on the Sakhis who are nearby. Sakhis surround her but she remains oblivious of their presence. In the background is the representation of the city of Vrindavan perhaps; an open landscape through which a small stream flows by and a huge tree in the left foreground with blossoming floral bushes and another small rivulet flowing close by. The tree serves as a boundless support to which is tied the swig on which Radha and Krishna are lost in blissful oblivion. Two groups of Sakhis are represented one in front of the swing and the other coming in from the left. The latter are musicians carrying various musical instruments like the drum, the ektara or perhaps it is a sitar and another has the clappers in her hands. The sky is laden with heavy thunderous grey clouds that may open up any time.