Three-in-One Boom Shankar

The picture given above is of a painting, one of the many that adorn the walls of our house. It is our practice to see this every morning. It is a beautiful piece of art as anyone can see. But there is much more to it. It triggers many thoughts and brings back the memories of past, of things and events that we have heard, seen and read from time to time.

This is a painting made by a brilliant Paris based painter of Indian origin. The artist has given it the name "Boom Shankar". We know of "Bhimashankar" (situate near Pune in Maharashtra), one of the twelve "Jyotirlingas" that any devout Shiva worshipper longs to see during his life time. He is "Bhima Shankar" and this is "Boom Shankar".

If you observe the above photograph, it looks like one painting, but they are actually three separate paintings with a continuing theme. They can be hung separately at three different positions on the walls. They can also be placed together side-by-side as done above. It is a 3-in-1 painting, three different pictures covering the same theme.

One can appreciate it as a piece of art and leave it there. One can also contemplate that it is a symbol of Lord Shiva, himself in deep penance. "Yad bhavam, tad bhavati". You see what you perceive.

****** 

Those who have visited the Ananta Padmanabha Swamy temple in Trivandrum, now Thiruvanantapuram, and deriving the name from the same Anantha, are familiar with having the darshan of the Lord through three doors. The idol is one, but you get the darshan through three different doors. The grand idol is 18 feet long and the devotees cannot see the entire statue from one point. They can see the face and chest from the first door, the "Kamalanabha" part with Lord Brahma sitting in the Lotus emanating from the navel of Ananta (hence the name "Padmanabha", the one having a lotus in his navel), and the lotus feet of the Lord through the third door. 

The view is from three sides, but the full picture is got from the combination of all the three. That was the first 3-in-1 I saw, first as a school boy in the 1960s, and several times again later in life. Each time it was a different experience, as with each passing year other experiences elsewhere in similar situations made it even more rewarding and enchanting.

******

Elephants, Lions, Tigers and such animals always generate interest among us, irrespective of our age. They did so even more in our childhood, when we had only seen their pictures but not in reality. Circus camps were bestowing an opportunity in our childhood to see them face to face. Such chances were available to the children living in big cities, but those of us living in villages did not have such luck. We had to be satisfied by the stories about such circus shows from those who had seen them, until we got a chance to see them in later years.

Our father returned to our village after a visit to Bangalore in 1958. My elder brothers and sisters were able to follow what he explained, but it generated a lot of interest among all of us. He had seen a show of "Kamala 3-Ring circus" or the "The Great Indian Circus". It had come to the Subash Nagar field, opposite to the Bangalore City Railway Station. The present Kempe Gowda Bus Station has occupied this field, which was originally known as "Darmambudhi Kere". Kempambudhi and Darmambudhi lakes were two reservoirs built in the memory of the two queens of Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda, founder of Bengaluru, we were told in our childhood.

"Kamala Circus" was very famous for its three rings. It was a 3-in-1 show. Circus companies run their shows in a big tent with a ring shaped arena in the middle with spectators sitting around it. All circus companies have one such ring. But Kamala circus had three rings with action going on in all of them simultaneously. 

While the excitement of hearing the stories was great, I learnt much later that this circus was owned and started by a doyen of circus shows, Prof K Damodaran of Thalassery, Kerala. It was named as "Kamala Circus", named so after one of his daughters. The circus traveled for many years in countries like Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Singapore, Philippines, Malaya (now Malaysia), Siam (now Thailand), Indonesia and Australia, for several years. 

The circus had more than a hundred artistes. There were also an equal number of animals. Its total weight while being transported through oceans was more than 300 tonnes! We were told that the circus ceased to exist because the ship transporting the circus capsized in the ocean due to fighting between the elephants on one of the journeys on the sea. It was very painful to hear it, and we believed it to be true as one could imagine what happens when elephants start fighting in a ship. They were days before "Fact Checks". It was much later that we learnt it to be false!

******

Raj Kapoor's 1970 film "Mera Naam Joker" was a 3-in-1 film. With a running time of over 4 hours (248 minutes), it still is one of the lengthiest films ever made. It is longer than the recent long running time films like Dhurandhar (214 minutes) and Dhurandhar: The Revenge (229 minutes). Mera Naam Joker had two intervals, similar to Raj Kapoor's earlier film Sangam (1964). Mera Naam Joker could as well have been three separate films. Those who saw English films in those days would remember that some English films actually started after the interval, with only Films Division newsreels, advertisements and trailers running before the interval!

As youngsters watching films we were interested in viewing the censor certificate at the beginning of the movie, since it showed the number of reels. Anything less than 16 reels was poor in our opinion as the film would be over quickly and not worth the 45 paise or 65 paise we paid for the ticket. (Compare this with the ticket prices in the Multiplexes of today). With one rupee in the pocket (which was itself hard to get when we were children) we could watch a movie and have snacks as well as groundnuts or something like that. (Popcorn or potato chips were available only in MG Road theatres). Mera naam Joker was "Paisa Vasool" in the true sense though many complained that they had to shell out extra money for a pill to cure the headache they got after viewing the film.

Some of the songs in the movie Mera Naam Joker are philosophical and with deep meaning, and are popular even today. Rumours were as interesting in those days as they are today. The news in circulation was that Raj Kapoor lost all his money by making this film as it was a commercial failure, and he made up the loss by later producing the movie Bobby (1973).

******

Back to Boom Shankar. Such 3-in-1 paintings are known as "Triptych" paintings. Triptych is a work of art divided into three separate panels or sections that form a single cohesive image or tell a connected story. They can be of the same size or with a bigger middle one and smaller side ones. (Many luxury hotels provide such mirrors as can be seen in the picture above). Some of them can be ringed together and shut enabling safe transportation. This method is also used in manufacture of jewellery, especially pendants. 

Two of the type are called "Diptych". Pair of writing tables that can be separated or joined as per the demands of the time, were popular in our childhood days. Restaurants also used such tables to meet the requirement according to number of guests.

Paintings with multi-panel works are known as "Polyptych" paintings.

Visitors to Indian Temples and Churches, especially ancient churches in Europe are familiar such Diptych and Triptych paintings depicting large canvas paintings, on glass ceilings and panels.

******

Each time one sees Boom Shankar, many such 3-in-1 thoughts come flooding in. But they have to wait for another day!