Tradition on track

Nepalese artist Uma Shankar Shah uses semi-abstract and figurative graphic artworks to depict nature and Hindu mythologies. In his first solo show in the capital presented by Gallerie Ganesha titled “Roti-Beti”, he takes inspiration from the railway line that connects India and Nepal promoting trade and fostering socio-cultural relationships.

He uses miniature style of painting to express his views regarding the religious traditions and social practices. “I have very closely studied the Mithila style of miniature art and I am also hugely inspired by the Rajasthani miniature art. I find the delicacy of miniatures suitable to portray the small details needed for my work,” shares the artist.

Using imaginative cityscapes he captures how railway system became a centre of attraction for the people of Mithila region and the influence of Bollywood on them. He says, “Through my work, I have tried to narrate a story using various elements and have tried to bind them together. I want to showcase the fascination our older generation found in steam engines and also of Bollywood films. At the same time, I also grew up to be a politically aware citizen observing the political changes in my country. All these small stories had to therefore, come together as one piece.”

Elaborating further he says, “The entire show has a significant political undertone. I took inspiration from the city of Madhesh with its political history and current status. At that time, there were no Madheshis in either the army or in higher government posts.”

Speaking of his work titled ‘Roti-Beti’, Shah says that the show draws its inspiration from two phenomenons — livelihood and marriage. Roti signifies economic livelihood that the trains gave the people, and Beti depicts the fact that many Indian women migrated to Nepal after marriage. He shares, “My works like ‘Naturalised Citizen’, ‘Mithalani’, ‘NJJR’, are all about the political, economic and cultural exchange between Madhesh and India, people travelling in trains from Jainagar in India to Janakpur in Nepal for reasons of trade and marriage.”

In this show, Shah is also exhibiting an 18-feet long, three-dimensional train installation — in fibre and metal — which with its roof and compartments, platform and human figures, will bring alive the whole rail experience for the viewers. The 51-year-old Fine Arts professor from Tribhuwan University says, “Trains have astonished Nepalese ever since their introduction in India by the British and have became a symbol of a search for new life in the hearts of Nepalese people.”

Apart from depicting trains, Shah has also done a series of paintings depicting the beautiful landscape of Nepal. Titled ‘Cityscapes’, Shah turned to this series in the aftermath of the Nepal earthquake. “I had been working on trains since 2014 but when the quake happened, I was compelled to pay homage to my beautiful country. But I didn’t want to show any destruction. I wanted to show temples in their full glory and beauty before they were completely destroyed. It was like preserving what we had, because believe me, even when they are rebuilt, they can never be the same again,\" concludes Shah.