Kesa-vinyas-
‘A peep into the genesis art
of hair-dressing in India’ [DELHI]

Apurva Sinha

When you see an exquisite piece of artwork, it must bring back multiple memories from the past history, giving strength to your cultural moorings. An innovative dialogic blend of ‘atman’ and ‘brahm’, ‘kala’ found its root with the genesis of umankind. ‘The human body is the best work of art’ and the ancient practioners of art mastered over the intangible expressivity of self.
‘Kesavinyas’, an exhibition going on in the guards quarter, Red Fort, presented by the Archaeological Survey of India, excerpts an ideation that indicate towards a concept called ‘the native art’, to which the native people connect and take pride. Conceptualised on the ‘hairstyles in Indian Art’, the exhibition is a journey back to the unseen eras where figures were not just an artist’s quest for expression ,but were used as the figurals of adornment for the religious places that acted as a centre for community interactions. ‘Sikha (hair) allows God to pull people to Heaven”, as cited in the Vedas; was ‘sikha’ the motive to reach to the God, a mere sense of adoration or an outcome of impactful cultural contacts? The exhibition opens up new avenues for the beholder and draws one’s attention to the fact that idea is not just to promote the beauty of Indian art but to bring out the intricate details that ornament a beautiful piece of art.