TITLE - THE FROG THAT IS CAUGHT IN THE MOUTH OF A SERPENT ,ITSELF KEEPS SWALLOWING THE INSECTS THAT APPROACH ITS MOUTH.
MEDIUM - GOUACHE AND PASTEL PENCIL ON PAPER
SIZE - 45 CM X54.7 CM
YEAR – 2022
IMAGE COURTESY TO KETAKI SARPOTDAR
THE FROG THAT IS CAUGHT IN THE MOUTH OF A SERPENT, ITSELF SWALLOWING THE INSECTS THAT APPROACH ITS MOUTH...
The title of this work comes from a Sanskrit subhashita, which is a two-line poem in the Sanskrit language. This title emphasizes the psychological state of being trapped. There is an Indian folk tale called "The Fox and the Group of Mice." In this story, an old fox, weakened and unable to hunt, decides to use his wit to feed himself. The fox stands on one leg with his mouth open, looking up at the sky, and claims to the rats that he is a devout being who survives on air. The rats believe that the fox is a great being and feel fortunate to see him. The rats, impressed by the fox’s apparent devotion, believe he is an extra-ordinary person. They start visiting him to worship, and each time they leave, the fox snatches and eats the last rat. Rat numbers were dwindling while the fox was getting fatter. I heard this story from a godman. In this visual, I have created a fictional scene whose reference is an actual photograph of the same godman and the crowd surrounding him. The work illustrates how a deceptive godman fakes levitation by concealing a stick and its base under his clothing as a trick to manipulate the crowd. This allows the viewers to understand the mindsets and two different psychologies working in the same situation. Small metaphors, such as bees circling lights, symbolize blind following that yields nothing. Additionally, I have portrayed children in the crowd as a representation of hope for the future. The work serves as a metaphor for understanding how crowd psychology operates in the contemporary world, particularly in situations where faith and beliefs play a crucial role. It examines how fake godmen manipulate these beliefs for their own benefit, exploiting the emotions of the crowd and the phenomenon of deindividualization or the act of following to enhance their own power.