palakhisohala

INTRODUCTION
How I embarked on the Palkhisohala Project


by Bhaskar Hande



I made up my mind to walk with the Palkhisohala (pilgrimage to Pandharpur) quite some time ago: in 1991, when I started to make sketches based on Tukaram’s Gatha (corpus of verses or abhangas). It was always an attractive subject for me. An artist-painter’s profession consumes a great deal of time. I had the urge to join this pilgrimage many a time, but couldn’t find the time for it. Also, 700 years had passed since Jnandev took his samadhi, and so in 2008, the 400th anniversary of Tukaram’s birth, I was doubly inspired to participate in the Palkhisohala. I participated not just as a person but decided to make something creative happen. I was inspired to document something about our glorious past for future generations. In my earlier books, I’d already written that adequate notice has not been taken of the names of individual painters, sculptors and craftsmen.

I first travelled for two months throughout India. It was a project called 'Show Your Hope', a travelling exhibition that went from Holland to India. Artists from 86 countries participated in it. I made the journey in a truck, passing through Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Pakistan. My responsibility was to organize the exhibitions in India. I held them in Amritsar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Nasik, Pune, Goa and Bangalore. The exhibition ended on June 18, 2008. After that I was in a relaxed mood, so I started a new project and immediately decided to document the Dehu-Pandharpur Palkhisohala 2008.

I think the 400th birth anniversary occasion had such a strong impact on me that I decided to document it. Instead of just talking I prefer to set an example. What we actually produce is the only evidence we have in the practice of art. Mere theorizing is of no use. The evidence has to be captured when the event takes place.

I asked other artists to do sketches with me for the Palkhisohala. I distributed sketch books to the artists. We started on the day of the Palkhi Prasthan in Dehu Sansthan. In the past I’d show up for such events held in Dehu.

So far this was not new to me, but making sketches challenged me. Only five artists were present at the time. Just making a start was enough. Each artist made 10 sketches on the first day.—The result was not satisfactory but the artists were excited about the experience. Sitting in public and sketching was not a big deal for me. I’ve been doing sketches since my art academy days. My thoughts kept churning in my brain, as I wanted to document the Palkhisohala with a different approach.

The word Vari comes from Vaar, which means seven days. Seven days come again and again, and so does the Vari come year after year. People need something that is in tune with their spiritual life. The Palkhisohala gives a large number of people a platform. The Palkhisohala may have a tradition that goes back 323 years, but the number of people travelling and participating has increased significantly. The number of Deendis has also increased.

The Palkhisohala was started by Narayanmaharaj, the son of Sant Tukaram, in 1685. Narayanmaharaj was in his thirties, quite a mature age to make a decision. He made the trek from Dehu to Pandharpur via Alandi on foot; he was convinced that this journey, carrying Tukaram’s and Jnandev’s symbolic footwear every year, was a family obligation. He introduced a whole new concept to the devotional in society. However, in the Varkari Sampraday some authorities don’t pay much heed to this approach. Was Narayanmaharaj the founder of the Palkhisohala, or had the family of Tukaram already initiated the Vari? The double moniker "Jnanoba-Tukaram" was coined by Narayanmaharaj. But pilgrims went to Pandharpur even during Tukaram's lifetime. His poems or abhangas contain ample evidence of that. Today's Palkhisohala is conducted according to Narayanmaharaj because his principal motive was to carry Jnandev’s and Tukaram’s padukas (the impressions of footprints in a mould).

An artist marching with a Deendi is a totally new experience for people. My fellow artists travelled only as far as Pune—I carried on further. It was a complete change in my lifestyle as I lived in luxury in Europe for a long time. Even in India I lived comfortably. But in the Palkhisohala I decided to adjust to its usual ways. I had a rough experience of life 25 years back, so why should this be any different? I was quite relaxed after a turbulent period of four years. I had decided to settle in Pune after living in Holland for 25 years. That might have been one of the reasons I was prepared for the pilgrimage. I often wondered why. I never traveled in Maharashtra’s interior. I was born in Umbraj, a village in Pune District. During the first 17 years of my life I’d never ventured beyond my Tehshil area. Ever since I was a student in Mumbai I've travelled frequently to North India, but seldom inside Maharashtra. I decided to join the pilgrimage and see what experience I could gain. I visited places where Tukaram's padukas took a rest, i.e., where the Palkhi stays overnight. I made sketches in charcoal, pencil and pen, and also took photographs.

In Baramati I met other artists who were studying in rural art schools. They welcomed me with enthusiasm. Actually, student artists come in direct confrontation with this subject, as opposed to the classical figures they’re exposed to in school To my mind the Palkhisohala is like an academy for all branches of fine art: dance, drama, music, literature, drawing, painting. One’s eyes and mind should be open to everything. All art academies and universities keep their eyes closed to such events and blindly follow traditional English art education. Professionally, everyone admits their influence but academics seldom pay any attention to them. I came to this event rather late but it was never out of sight for me. Otherwise, the project ‘Your form is my Creation' would never have taken place. I have received two State awards. The first one was for work inspired by Tukaram’s verse. Unwittingly, I heeded my inner soul and became familiar with the living academy that the Palkhisohala represents, thanks to the entire bhakti tradition.

One meaning of peace refers to the inner peace, a piece within us: a state of mind, body and mostly soul. People that experience inner peace say that the feeling doesn’t depend on time, place, people or any external object or situation, proclaiming that an individual may experience inner peace even in the midst of war. One of the oldest writings on this subject is the Bhagvad Gita, an important part of India's Vedic scriptures. Bhakti is one of the outcomes of this process. War and peace can predict certain aspects of human behavior. It may affect the daily life of the common man or society as a whole. The Vari or pilgrimage is one event that involves a large number of people in peaceful procession. Devotion is one of the states of mind, a feeling or emotion, that brings together an entire society.

Walking keeps one’s mind fresh and the body fit. In city life everyone is under some pressure or other. It’s hard for people to recognize the pressure they are under. Walking is one way to keep the body in condition. Medicines would hardly keep one’s health in order but walking can work wonders for your heart and lungs. Travelling long distances changes people’s environment, and thus induces new thoughts.

Tourism is travel for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes.” Tourism has become a popular global leisure activity. Thinking of global activities in the context of the Palkhisohala and its Vari, I arrived at the point where inner satisfaction played a higher role in the life of ordinary people.

Sketching is to the artist as gesture is to a dancer, words to a poet and notes to a singer. They are all manifestations of expression in the creative world. It might be capturing a moment in a photograph, but beyond these expressions it’s the rhythms of the body that get transformed into a realm where ecstasy flows inside out. An artist draws a line that puts shade and shadow beside an energetic flash. Realistic drawings show the artistic nature of the Vari, so I decided to experiment after having practiced abstract expression for so long. But still, they end up as abstract forms. What I had lithographed in 1992 reappeared in Pandharpur while I was drawing the Pradakshina (circling). The peripheral procession of the Deendi represents the Palkhisohalas.

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The author is grateful to Jayant Deshpande for editing this introduction.