Sarmaya – Fables

Sarmaya is a museum with a collection that represents the diverse histories and artistic traditions of the Subcontinent. The archive is based in Mumbai, India. Sarmaya Fables delves into untold stories from the repertoire of historic objects, artworks and artists from the collection.

Scripts: Avehi Menon, Kuhu Kopariha, Diksha Ahire

Genre

Film, Animation, Art Archive

Tantalus featuring works of Rithika Merchant.

What message does a character from Greek myth have for us in the 21st century? In this episode of Sarmaya Fables, we prance through artist Rithika Merchant’s paintings to find the answer. See how the artist embeds contemporary concerns in the landscape of mythology and through the timely tale of Tantalus.

All images are from the works of Rithika Merchant from the Sarmaya collection

Hamsa Jataka featuring works of Badri Narayan.

Stories about the Buddha are not just part of our tangible heritage, like the torana carvings at Sanchi Stupa—they’re woven right into our oral culture. The Jataka tales were inspired by the life and teachings of the Buddha and date back to 300 BCE. They made a great impression on the imagination of one of Sarmaya’s favourite modern Indian artists, Badri Narayan. In this episode of #SarmayaFables, we narrate the tale of the ‘Hamsa Jataka’ using works by Badri from our collection. The attempt is simply to evoke the flavour of this great work of Indian literature through the strokes of a master, whose personal philosophy too was shaped by the tenets of Buddhism.

Ghosts of Temples Past – The myth of the Shore Temple in Mahabalipuram

The temple complex and the prosperous city of Mahabalipuram was a cause of envy, not just on earth but also to the Gods. Lord Indra, God of Rain and thunder in his jealousy subjected Mahabalipuram to a deluge. Rain bore down on the city. the city of Mahabalipuram and six of the seven temples were swallowed in the storm. The stories persisted without any evidence until the 2004 Tsunami, when the water pushed back to make enormous waves, glimpses of rows of large rocks were seen by residents and tourists. The Indian Navy later discovered evidence of a few remains of two submerged temples. And suddenly the stories did not seem so outlandish.