Meet Artists Who Destroy Their Own Art!

The concept of good and evil figures in religion is nothing new. In Christianity there is the concept of God and Satan, and in Greek mythology there is the concept of Gods and Titans, these concepts do exist in Hindu mythology across various forms, but the most prominent one might be Lord Ram and Demon king Ravana.

The Indian epic talks about Prince Rama defeating the Demon king Ravana in order to rescue his wife Sita, this story is said to be first written by Valmiki and then followed by countless other variations across India and beyond.

Every year we celebrate Dusshera in order to celebrate the triumph of good over evil, and if you ask any Indian, they will tell you that Dusshera is not complete without the burning of the effigies of Ravana all across India.

The practice of making and burning Ravana effigies is relatively new, with the first documented event of this going back to just 1948, initiated by refugees of Pakistan. This newly made tradition has quickly made its way into the culture and symbolism that represents India. Today, we will take a look into the artists and the process of making these beautiful effigies and then burning them with no regrets.

Meet Shobharani Mohapatra, also known as “Ravana mausi” (roughly translated as “the Ravana making aunt”). She has been making and burning 15-20 Ravana Effigies every year for the last 40 years of her life in Bhubaneswar. Without her contributions, Dusshera would feel incomplete in Bhubaneshwar.

She says she started her craft when a group of local boys asked her to make a small Ravana effigy for the neighbourhood which she made for free with bamboo, paper and glue. She says that since then, it has redefined her purpose in life.

It is artists like these who keep on making such painstakingly beautiful pieces of art through bamboo splinters and glue hands just to burn them up every year with a smile on their face. It takes a lot of courage and effort to do something like this and I think they deserve the appreciation they never get for their work.