Chandrakant Tajbije

Shiva’s Nandi!
Shiva’s joy and delight is Nandi, his bovine mount. No animal in the sacred myths & folklore of
India is more adored and revered than the Nandi, which is the most beloved symbol of purity,
patience and piety. Its elegant and stylized form is seen in all Indian folk art traditions like Bhil,
Gond, Pichwai, Patta and even in abstract works by modern artists.

Pune’s Chandrakant Tajbije has created a brilliant blend of tradition with modernity in a
pictorial style that bursts with life. He makes imaginative use of bold color schemes and
textures in vibrant acrylic that cast a spell on the viewer. Chandrakant’s stylistic motifs utilize
the full range of folkloric imagery to depict the age old sacred traditions of Shaivite worship
with artistic elegance and an ethnographer’s diligence. The evocative vistas of the Benares
ghats and silhouettes of ash-smeared Sadhus, temple spires, umbrellas and talismans give his
artworks a mystic allure.

The rich ornamentation of the caparisoned Nandi adorned by its necklace of bells,
amulets, drums and conch shells make the paintings resonate with a throbbing vitality suffused
with a sacred piety. Chandrakant’s eye for detail give his artworks an authenticity and
immediacy which is compelling. You can hear the peal of temple bells and smell the diaphanous
smoke of the Ghat’s famous arati ceremony creating a chiaroscuro halo as a colorful backdrop
to the paintings.

Chandrakant’s “Nandi” is not only a joy to behold but an inspired invocation of the power of
innocence, love and piety. In Seeing is Feeling & Being!
– C.S.Nag
(Author & Filmmaker)