Christ in the making

I haven't been able to post regularly because I have been up to my eyes in paint. I am working feverishly on my series on the life of Christ for St.Francis Xavier's Cathedral in Goa. I'm doing a set of three works that depict the Temptation in the Wilderness, The Sermon on the Mount and a symbolic representation of The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. It has been gruelling and so extremely fulfilling at the same time!

I am sending these off on the 15th. It used to be very painful in the past, parting with my work. But now, I have become a seasoned mother, seeing my children fly the nest every once in a while. I keep photos of them. I look at them regularly, wonder how they are faring in their new homes and if they are "happy". These are going to a Catherdral, so they are certainly going to be well looked after and contented...

Poor Satan. What a fate to be maligned and bitched about for ever and ever more,Amen. I sympathize with Satan, you know. He was just an Equal Rights kind of guy, a Champion of Democracy. And for that he got pummeled and shoveled out of Heaven. In today's context, how would he have been any different from Nelson Mandela or an Aung San Su Kyi? They also fought against dictatorship of different kinds, didn't they?

Oooh, this is controversial territory. I remember Dr. Subbu teaching us Paradise Lost back in college and how the class was divided about who the true hero of Paradise Lost is. What a free for all that was! There were some of us who maligned "God" of the Old Testament for being a cruel God, saying that one who could create a place like Hell for people who did not worship him and accept his authority without question was indeed Fidel Castro's second cousin. Then there were those who got apoplexy listening to that and were convinced that we would soon be joining Satan in Hell for our audacity. Personally, I was blurred about the existing definitions of God and Hell and Heaven and Satan and all the stock words in coinage since kingdom come. It is difficult to analyze without prejudice. But, I gravitated towards Satan's side, I must confess. My take was that if he was indeed out of line, maybe God could have hired some heavenly bouncers and given him a thrashing to discipline him. Nah, I take that back, even that sounds terrible! But frying the poor guy and his friends in fire and brimstone and changing his appearance, boarding and lodging permanently was just not done. It was a gross violation of human rights.

Jokes and academic debates apart, I have absolutely no questions about the purity of Christ. It's been my privilege to make this work on the Lord. So, please, I don't want to see any protestors on my lawn brandishing "Burn in Hell" placards!

My paintings will be up here by 15th morning, so watch this space!