CHENNAI: Less than three months after Vinita Sidhartha, founder of Kreeda, launched her book Just Play a deep dive into the philosophical underpinnings of traditional Indian games seven artists have come together to interpret the book’s observations in their way. ‘Games People Play’, which recently opened at Forum Art Gallery, Adyar, is curated by the gallery’s director Shalini Biswajit, who also is one of the artists on display.
Bringing home the basic premise of the book and the artworks inspired by it, Shalini says, “In (Vinita’s) book, she not only explains the games but also suggests and explains the life lessons that lie behind each game. What are the lessons you learn while playing a game, how to take triumphs and failures in your stride, and the solutions you come up with based on your approach to the game.” Shalini was impressed upon reading the book and knew almost immediately that it would be a great idea to translate all of these into visual terms. So she invited six artists.
Cosmic game
Central to many traditional games is the idea of the individual and their relation to the cosmos, and this is brought out in many of the paintings. Shalini has produced three paintings for the show — Play to Win I and II and Samsara — all of which deal with individual free will and the responsibilities one bears for the choices one makes. In her view, the whole of life becomes a gameboard of snake and ladder, where one’s virtues take one up the ladder, while the vices bring one down.
Architect Kavita Prasad’s work bears elements of nostalgia, as she looks back to her childhood days when traditional games were commonly played in homes, on the verandahs and courtyards. In the work of Thejomayee Menon, the spinning top, or bambaram, becomes an allegory for the earth’s revolutions itself and is contrasted with the stillness of a lotus. And so, each artist brings their unique perspective through their depiction of these games.
Authorspeak
At the opening was Vinita herself, who was thrilled to see the paintings inspired by her book. “Such a fabulous array of painting and artwork, it’s so exciting to see all this. I think the awareness and visibility of traditional games will only increase as a result of this,” she remarked. There was something about the tactile nature of traditional games that made them worth preserving, she added, like motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and interaction with people, all of which contribute to their uniqueness going beyond the games themselves.
Apart from the artworks, visitors to the show can also try their hand at some of the traditional games laid out in the gallery space, and perhaps even buy one for their families. Copies of Vinita’s books are also available for anybody curious to go deeper into the symbolism of these games. The exhibition at Forum Art Gallery is on till October 15, and the gallery is open from Monday to Saturday.