Sreni

“Knowing this body as a pot of clay,

Securing this mind as a citadel,

One may fight Mara* with wisdom’s weapon,

Guard what has been gained – and be unattached."

(verse 40 – The Dhammapada, the teachings of the Budhha)

Mara – the defiling forces of the human psyche that is unwholesome and vitiates the mind. It springs from three ‘roots’ 1. greed/craving/attachment, 2. hate/ill will/revulsion, 3. ignorance/delusion/unawareness.

History:

“The ancient text of guru Parasara (father of Ved Vyasa) state that all arts and crafts were practised by anyone irrespective of their family’s occupation. The Jataka tales mention Brahmana carpenters, 4th century text Baudhyana describes potters and brick makers from people “classified” as Kshatriya(worriers), Vaishyas(traders) also. Suttavibhanga describes stone masons and wheelwrights born from Shudra (lower working class) fathers and Brahmana mothers. The goldsmiths of Maharashtra included children born in cattle-herding families. “ 

Dr. Stella kramrisch. 

( Art Historian, curator and a specialist on ancient and medieval Indian art ) 

British Raj in India conducted the first census in 1872 under governor-general Lord Mayo with a suggestion from the upper caste brahmins who wanted to apply the vedic text “Manusmriti” as a base for segregating people into 4 strata of the society, top one being Brahmins then Kshatriyas (warriors and ruling class), Vaishyas ( business class) and Shudras (lower cast). This, on a larger scale, suited them as well as the foreign government who otherwise had very little idea about how to understand this diverse and complexed religious and cultural identities of Indian people. 

Since then, India has carried out 15 censuses based on the same method and has faced severe opposition from Dalits, Tribals and other marginalised communities. It wouldn’t be incorrect to say that till today they are facing cast and gender discrimination despite having a positive segregation method by the ruling governments. 

Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar was an Indian Jurist, social reformer and political leader who chaired the committee that drafted the constitution of India after independence from the British raj in 1947. He belonged to a marginalised community and opposed the method of discriminating people in this British-brahmin led system. He ultimately gave up the fight and converted himself to Buddhism towards the end of his life.

Indian Miniature Format:

Historically the art of miniature format folios and manuscripts were present in the form of Jain manuscripts on palm leaf in the 11th century AD before the Mughals brought folios of miniature illuminations created on paper with them from Persia in the 14th century. As the styles merged and evolved, these folios became popular amongst smaller Hindu kingdoms resulting in schools like the Pahari, Rajasthani, Deccan etc. in 17th and 18th century.

Context:

Fired ceramics has been practiced as major craft since Indus Valley Civilisation in India by people regardless of their faith, family occupation until the British occupation in the sub-continent 300 years ago. The Kumbhar (traditional potter) was regarded as someone from a lower stratum of the society and was considered unclean during the British rule as the society was furthermore fragmented into classes and casts. We Indians are still struggling with that colonial hangover even after more than 75 years of independence. In recent times we are witnessing a great upheaval of artists wanting to engage with clay, as life here keeps getting more urban centric. There are two evolutions happening in the opposite directions simultaneously, where on one hand people from urban areas have a greater desire to work with clay regardless of their occupation, cast or faith and on the other, more and more people from the traditional potter’s families are quitting the craft due to heavy industrialisation.