NIKKI SINGH URVETI-GOND ART-Madhya Pradesh-India-BIRDS-BONDING-snakes-Mythical-folklores-Demons-Tree of life (NSU 12)

Raksa the Gond demon with snakes is depicted in this artwork with the tree of life protruding from the head of the demon. The spirits of their ancestors are said to dwell in nature. Other traditions say that serpents or spirits inhabit certain bodies. Animals are sometimes possessed of magic powers and should be respected is the thought which the Gonds have lived with for centuries. Well, when these serpents come out, they cause enormous storms and floods. Those still living within the same ecological and cultural frameworks may connect far more to the cycles and spirits of nature, being directly in contact with and at the mercy of the weather, sun, moon or the animals in their area. The Gonds in particular seem to live their lives with a pure willingness to see the divine in everything- the tree, the ant, the clouds, the predator, the mountain- it is all living, breathing divinity to them. One may observe this in the depictions of flora and fauna in the paintings, often anthropomorphized or inhabited by a spirit. One can feel the artist’s reverence, no matter how mundane the subject.