-------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Wishing all Goanetters | | a Prosperous | | and | | Happy New Year - 2006 | | Goanet - http://www.goanet.org | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=214461&cat=India
Gujarati painter assimilates Biblical images in Indian milieu for a record Kalol, Gujarat | January 09, 2006 5:32:06 PM IST Imagine a thirsty Christ being given the elixir of life by a woman clad in a village dress from Rajasthan or a vivid image of his disciples, wearing traditional Indian attire, being served authentic Indian cuisine during the last supper! It's a unique concoction, an assimilation of images from the Bible, but in an Indian milieu. A poor artist from the small town of Kalol, 40 kilometers from Gujarat's principle city of Ahmedabad, has virtually mortgaged his entire belongings to spread his message of peace and brotherhood around the world. Driven by a passion to do something different in life, Edwin Parmar started with nothing more than a few bottles of color and brushes, leftover from his professional work as a painter of banners and hoardings in the town. The idea behind the images, he says, was driven by a thought that if Christ were to be born in a village in India, how would have his life been? So in his unique assimilation of Indian and western culture, Parmar went about showing Mother Mary wearing a sari, the Hindu god King Rama interacting with Christ and so on. Parmar, who started work on his project on the 5th of December last year and has already completed 365 feet of the mural. He plans to carry on till a breathtaking 470-feet which he hopes to complete by February. "In these paintings, I have taken inspiration from Indian culture, some images are Rajasthani, some have a Mughal touch and I have come up with a completely new concept. The central theme is the Bible and I want to say that religions have no boundries and in my painting I want to essentially give a message of peace," he said. Parmar credits his wife, Elisa, with giving him the inspiration to try something different, and has since never backtracked in his endeavours despite facing huge financial problems. His ultimate aim, he says, is to make it to the Guiness Book of World Records. Elisa, who donated all her jewellery for the cause, is prepared to do whatever more is required in his attempt. "We had to face a lot of difficulty but in the end, I hope that he will be successful in whatever he does," Elisa said. Parmar spends an average of sixteen hours a day at his magnum opus, and has already spent around 1000 US dollars on it. While he has met most of the expenses from his own pocket, he received considerable help from local Christian associations and the Church to fund his attempt. Yet, there is still more that he needs and is currently appealing for donations.(ANI) -- Cheers, Gabe Menezes. London, England -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Goa - 2005 Santosh Trophy Champions | | | | Support Soccer Activities at the grassroots in our villages | | Vacationing in Goa this year-end - Carry and distribute Soccer Balls | --------------------------------------------------------------------------
