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CBC
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Sackville artist communicates thoughts through bird portraits, sculptures
Rhythm Rathi 16-piece exhibition in Saint John wraps up in late August Mixed-media artist Indu Varma of Sackville, N.B., looks at birds from a different perspective. Varma, who grew up in India, has created a 16-piece exhibit called Birds & their Symbolism. It is inspired by stories from Hindu mythology, symbolic meanings of birds across different cultures, and her childhood experiences. The exhibit of paintings and sculptures will be displayed at the Saint John Arts Centre until Aug. 29. Image | birds exhibit 4 Caption: Varma's series is inspired by stories from Hindu mythology, symbolic meanings of birds across different cultures and her childhood experiences. (Indu Varma) Open Image in New Tab "The birds to me symbolize freedom, open spaces, flying high, not having any boundaries, living in the moment.... I think those are some lessons we can learn from these feathered friends," she said. Varma calls birds messengers, teachers, storytellers and a bridge between earth and sky. She describes her style as abstract realism. She said her focus is always to engage her viewers and make them think beyond the subject of the exhibit. She credits her Indian background for the vibrant colours in her work. "All these things are in my psyche and they automatically show up." Growing up, Varma often saw her father feed stray birds and animals, she said. She watched parrots visit her mother's garden and watched peacocks dance in the rain. She said those were some sights that inspired her. "Peacock also is known to eat snakes, so it's kind of like … they swallow the poison of life and yet they emit their beauty and grace." She said the series began about five years ago when she was researching crows for another project. Varma said it gradually evolved to other birds. According to her observation and research, the birds she chose have symbolic meanings in both Indian and Canadian cultures, said Varma. Varma is a former president of the New Brunswick Teachers' Association. As a leader in education, she always looked at the Canada goose as an example of leadership. "When they fly in the V formation, the one that is ahead has to work the hardest, but when it gets tired, someone else replaces it, so it's a model of shared leadership." Image | birds exhibit 1 Caption: Varma has 16 works on display. (Indu Varma) Open Image in New Tab She said those attending the exhibition will learn how she has metaphorically used birds to convey messages and tell stories about freedom, exploration, the possibilities that lie ahead and the fearlessness of exploring outside of one's comfort zone. Andrew Kierstead, executive director of the Saint John Arts Centre, calls it a "very strong exhibition." "As an artist, she wants to communicate a particular thought or meaning to the work that she's created and that certainly comes across very clearly," he said. Kierstead cited several pieces from Varma's display as his favourites. He said the fact that every exhibit is deeply personal to the artist and how she tries to represent two cultures is impressive. "It is finding that common thread between two cultures that are half a world away."
Hans India
29-06-2025
- General
- Hans India
The Journey Beyond Death
Confronting death often shakes our sense of purpose and understanding of life. It stirs questions about morality, rebirth, and the soul's journey. This reflection offers insights into spiritual beliefs that transcend the physical realm Every time we see death or attend a funeral, we experience something like cemetery induced reclusion which makes our mind & body numb. It happens every time we see death from close quarters, particularly of near and dear ones. This makes us question the very purpose of our life, the determination of right and wrong, of ethics and morality. We start thinking that if death is the be all and end all of it all, then why should we bother about doing good deeds and fear punishment for our sins? There are mainly two kinds of people who have two different beliefs in this regard. The first kind of people believe in rebirth of human beings and strongly feel that the account of our good and bad deeds will be settled on the day of judgment, when the dead would rise from their graves; and then there are second kind of people who not only believe that human souls are reborn, but they also feel that humans transmigrate into 8.4 million species before getting a human birth again. However, there is very little knowledge about the third kind of people who believe that human souls take rebirth and are always in the human body. According to Hindu Mythology, a soul never dies, it is the body which dies & immediately after death the soul changes body as we change clothes. With modern techniques like Past Life Regression, there are lots of cases around us where we see a child claiming to be experiencing visions of his/her previous births. Various cases of child prodigies, who can memorize voluminous scriptures at a young age, or who excel their peers in particular academic disciplines, are also the result of the soul carrying its experiences and skills from one birth to another. We must not forget a fact that just as a seed is of no use unless it is sown and tends to grow up into a plant, the existence of the soul is purposeless after leaving a body unless it takes rebirth. As human beings nearly all our interactions are with fellow humans. Thus, we create karmic accounts with humans, to settle which we have to take birth in human form again. The analogy of the seed also illustrates this point. Just as a mango seed brings forth a mango tree, which then produces mangoes, which again provide mango seeds, the human soul possesses human qualities, feelings and experiences, and is the seed of human life. Hence it cannot function in any other living creature's body. Though many of the facts mentioned above are known to people, skepticism about the existence of souls and facts like rebirth are widespread because of the lack of an experience of soul-consciousness. Such an experience requires spiritual effort for which one has to focus the mind and the intellect inward and then contemplate on it in silence. Slowly one begins to sense the existence of a sentient entity within, which is the soul. Such an experience, repeated over time, brings soul-consciousness, or the belief that one is a soul. It is this experience of reality which removes the shroud of ignorance from all other facts of the subtle world of souls, which we usually dismiss in disbelief for lack of material proof. So let us practice to remain in soul consciousness and enjoy being an enlightened soul without any botheration. (Writer is a spiritual educator & popular columnist for publications across India, Nepal & UK. Till Date 8500+ Published Columns have been written by Him)
