HYDERABAD: A red, round canvas with the portrait of a Kathakali artist was all we initially saw at the student-led art display at Chitramayee State Gallery. But as we took a few steps back, the story of Draupadi from the Mahabharata suddenly unfolded before our eyes. The creativity of the CHIREC students, especially in the way they brought mythology to life in such a modern setting, was praiseworthy.
Among the many standout pieces in the student-led art display was Janaki Varma’s ‘Unravel’, a series of five canvases created using mixed media. Each canvas vividly represented a critical moment in Draupadi’s life, beginning with her never-ending miseries, including being objectified and gambled away, the disrobing incident, and the humiliation that led to her vowing to never tie her hair until she could do so with the blood of the perpetrator.
Janaki’s presentation of Draupadi’s revenge was particularly striking. She depicted Bhima, Draupadi’s husband, in his most ferocious form called Roudrabheeman, a character traditionally seen in Kathakali. “In Kathakali, each character has a designated type of makeup and costume, and Roudrabheeman’s getup is iconic for its portrayal of raw fury and vengeance,” she said, adding, “Since I’m from Kerala, I used this connection to add a personal touch to my depiction.”
Her canvas showed the moment Bhima avenged Draupadi by ripping open Dushasana’s belly and tying Draupadi’s hair with the former’s blood and intestines—a moment of cathartic liberation.
The canvas in the middle particularly emphasised this dramatic moment, drawing from the Kathakali tradition, where a red rope is used in the performance. But Janaki chose to represent it with realistic, gory intestines, making the visual even more powerful.
Janaki’s other works in the exhibition included ‘Regenerate’, a wooden sculpture depicting Sita from the Ramayana, and ‘Eye-solated’, a ceramic and resin piece inspired by the Greek myth of Medusa. These showed her versatility across different media and cultural inspirations.
