Green Is As Sanatani As Saffron: This Saavan, Begin The Movement To Reclaim It

If red is symbolic of the Devi’s battles for Dharma, green drapes her “being” and body. It is her colour. 

In the Lalitha Sahasranamam, she is “Kadambakusumapriya” - the one who is fond of the Kadamba flowers. To whom the Kadamba flower is dear. 

Such is the individual beauty of Kadamba tree that if it were to stand alone in a universe with no other representation of a ‘tree’ or ‘nature’, it would be enough -- by itself. 

Kadamba leaves, their greens, the tree, its greens, its weighty boughs and the flower, make it art unto itself. Life, rejuvenation, and energies could be collective synonyms to the sight of Kadamba the tree and flower. 

Then, she is Kadambavanvasini. She resides in the kadambavana (kadamba forest). The Devi’s ‘placement’ amidst the Kadamba trees gets realised in these two names. 

While the reference to Kadamba in Lalitha Sahasranamam momentarily seems restricted to the flower, it would be callous to think that the Kadamba flourish has not captured the attention and the senses of the Devi herself.

Green - Sacred And The Devi’s Own 

When Abhanindranath Tagore created his iconic depiction of Bharat Mata in the beginning of the 20th century, he would present to the people of colonised India an immortal image of Her. 

The radiant blending of saffron and yellows, this depiction would become a prominent symbol of the Indian national movement. 

The four arms of the Devi, with different hasta mudras holding a japa mala, vastra, manuscript, and paddy, showcase Tagore’s precise miniature art, proudly 'Bengal' in origin, visual language, and style.

The green for the sheaf of grain held by the Devi in Tagore’s work, is ripe, refreshing, and finely-stroked. 

Gouache - the medium for this work - lets the greens used by Tagore – breathe and heave with life. The work is more than a century old, yet the wash of green around the Devi’s feet, holding the white lotus afloat, is as grand and ebbing as it is in any lotus pond.    

Green is Sanatan’s. Green is Sanatani. It is free and flowing out -- from the soil of this sacred land. Yet green must be “reclaimed”. 

Uttarakhand takes the celebration of green seriously and to the soil in Harela (the name itself includes colour connotation), which was celebrated recently. 

Worship, rituals, planting saplings, completes Harela’s celebration in Uttarakhand. 

No other state has been able to dedicate a day to the celebration of green under a ‘gazetted holiday’. A perfect beginning to “reclaiming” green. 

In parts of northern India, particularly Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Punjab, dhani - the colour of paddy, takes over the symbolism of rains and prosperity. Dhani shoots off into lives beyond the sapling-‘season’. Dhani bangles are worn by brides in several Sanatani cultures where agriculture is tradition. The sacred connotation of dhani is entwined in the celebration of the feminine, festivals and rituals centered on the Devi and rains. 

She is called “Vindhyanchalnivasini” - the one who resides in the Vindhya mountains. Her abode and address - the cradle of green - in an interplay with rawness, wilderness, and the wild. 

The Vindhyas – not as lofty as the Shivaliks - or as broodingly sprawling as the Western Ghats, seem to take a bit from both. Under the scorching sun, they acquire a dusty green countenance and embrace the strength of broad brush strokes of green during the monsoon. “Vandurga” is one of her names in the Durgasahasranam. The intrinsic relationship of the red of the Devi with green is inherent in these names, as the one who is dweller of the forests and the mountain ranges is also the protector of Prakriti and jeeva. 

What belongs to the protector must be protected, as evident in the lives and generational continuity of the vanavasis, and as seen at several temples dedicated to the Devi across India, where wild animals, visibly, themselves guard her abode. Green nurtures them.

In the throbbing urge for protecting the green, and the life and food cycles, it turns out, they ‘inhabit’ green. Forests surrounding the Tulja Bhawani Mandir (Rajasthan), Ma Vaishno Devi Mandir (Jammu and Kashmir), Daat ki Devi Mandir (Uttarakkhand) are a few of the several examples.

The spiritual personification of 'latika' - creeper - in her name Bhaktimatkalpalatika- ignites in this bhakta's mind one of the most compelling depictions of her name and the 'natural' oneness of the Devi with green.

Latika - the word and name reveals the nature of her presence, a movement in growth, the clasping, climbing, spreading of green in a creeper. 

She is also Tambulapuritmukhi- the one whose mukha (mouth) is 'full' from (chewing) betel. 

The name suggests the Devi's close interaction with a product of green or green itself - this time in chewing - this very act  involves time and a process leading to rasa. 

The worship of Raja Matangi Devi - the ninth of the Dasha Mahavidyas who is depicted in emerald green, stands as the paramount reason to establish and reclaim the colour from any cultural relinquishing within Sanatan. Even a sole sight of her depiction with holding the veena, weapons, and a parrot perched on or around her, exerts a momentous realisation of a powerful confluence of Shaktis. 

Green’s emergence as the basic source of the different colours and fragrances adorning the Devi, and surrounding her, becomes an evitable occurrence. The realisation and acceptance of this natural occurrence in the worship of the Devi has perhaps missed our collective celebration as devotees. That involuntary dab and dip in the green in our perspective of the Devi and the Sanatani inclination to the protection and celebration of green, is what we need to reclaim. 

The green sari of Madurai Meenakshi, of Durga, in their depictions and drape, tell a Sanatani that green is the drape of ‘Ma’, her own. 

The Dense Universe of Green in Indian Art 

Green, wrapping the Ghats, fields and the path of devotees, is the sacred backdrop of devotion to Vithal and the Pandharpur Yatra. Agriculturalist Shrikant Ingalhalikar of Pune in Maharashtra - a devotee - takes the palette of 'dhani' – the colour of paddy - itself – literally and seriously.

Known for celebrating devotion with a unique art that makes him pick paddy as his medium and an engineer by training, he recently created a 120 feet depiction of Vitthal on the occasion of Devshayani Ekadashi. Laid on browns of the rain-soaked soil from which it erupts, the depiction of Vithal in ‘dhani’ fills the eyes.

He has depicted other deities in paddy in the past - reminding one of Tambo Ato - the Japanese art and a fairly-recent tradition. Vithal seems to ‘appear’ from the soil in his depiction – in the very medium that’s an offering to the Devi and in worship of the Devi. A small effort – but huge inspiration in the cultural reclaiming of green through green itself. 

In Indian traditional and modern art, green establishes the equilibrium. Green stabilises the composition. It is the colour reveller in the journey of the divine between joy and sorrow, conquest and the quest for dharma – best symbolised by red (What red means to Shakti and to Indian Art (swarajyamag.com). Green is grounding. Green is grounded. 

"Pahari" means "belonging to the hills." How could green not be the defining color when Kangra, Chamba, Kulu-Mandi, Basohli, Mankot, Guler, and Garhwal contribute to the Pahari style?

Green spreads its visual equilibrium, fervour and a fertile ground holding other hues in the depiction of scenes based on the Ramayana, the Bhagavat Puran, Gita Govinda, Rasamanjari, the depiction of Ragamala, Baramasa, and the interactions between Shiv and Paravati, Radha and Krishna, in the depiction of Krishna-leelas. 

Though the National Museum in Delhi has revealed a treasure in display over the decades, this collection (Pahari Painting — Google Arts & Culture ) could be used as a reference point. The diversity of foliage diving the space into two horizontal halves in the depiction of 'Raja Pritam Singh with nobles (1775/1775)', the minitaure 'Lord Krishna and Radha' (1800-1899), 'Redemption of Ahalya' a 19th century work from Kangra, display green encasing the story and narrative in its restful warmth. 

Lord Rama and Sita performing 'yagna' ceremony, an 18th Century is a magnificent celebration of green, where the ritualistic banana leaves on the four corners of the yagna stand out in wide variety of green used for trees, faraway forests, the borders of the work, leaves, grass and growth providing an inset to the site of the yagna attended by the rishis, Ram, Sita and Lakshman. 

Depicting the Vanvas of Ram Sita was, as if, the sole excuse in devotion for the artist to explore green as was evident in this collection (Ramayana Retold: When ASEAN’s Superheroes Ram And Hanuman Met Valmiki’s).

A well-known 19th century miniature from Kangra school at the Salar Jung Museum depicting the birth of Krishna has green playing the role of time-definer indicating the rain-nourished trees and surrounding. The sharp use of white on green thickens the tufts of green.

The depiction of Ram, Lakshman and Sita in vanvas in Indian traditional art is incomplete without green taking over as a potent storyteller. Each leaf and detailed foliage comes to life as pigments of green press against each other, squeezing branch and tuft in their conversation with the space. 

In the world of the colourist Raja Ravi Varma, green celebrates the revelry of life, gender and garment.

Jamini Roy’s use of green took the dancing Gopi to the traditional, folk, villages, and rustic zeal. Green was at the outset of Shankuntala created by Nandlal Bose. Green would appear as the colour of the garment of the unknown and ordinary women soaked in their day’s chores. 

Bring an Indic Green Palette – Now!

To reclaim is to create and recreate. To reclaim green, we need to create an Indic palette of green. It’s a shame that in the 21st Century Indian artists refer to the western palettes for buying, using, deciding and placing colour. Of course there is no alternative to jade, lime, sea green etc. But the absence of an Indic green palette makes no sense.

So, here is a sample squeezed from green as it exists on soil and celebration of life: Tricolour green, Dhani, Ghats green, Himalayan green, Nilgiri green, Leheriya green, Amritphale (pear), Teak, Tusli, Amlaki (amla), Moss, Kadamba green, Neem, Mandukah (frog), Sugarcane, Moringa green, curry leaf, nariyal green, Mehendi, Parrot, Mayur, Forest Guard Green, Olive green, Cane, Tea, Wheat green, Kaner, Teejh green, kerai, Rainforest, Sal, and many more.

An Indic colour palette of other colours should follow. But green first. 

Reclaiming of green is as political as cultural. 

Reclaiming In the Political Sphere – Turn It Cultural 

Some examples of how to: 

One: Make green a dominant part of the Indian sport kit. It’s that one colour in the Tricolour denoting energies and growth. Why is it missing on the pitch and the turf and the court and the rink? 

Two: Make Harela and Teejh - with efforts from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the inspirational celebration of Prakriti, environment and green in a connected celebration of Parvati and Shiva in other states.

Three: Decades ago, at the Hungarian Culture Centre in Delhi, an artist told this author that Hungarian artists strive to preserve symbols in nature and flora associated with Hungarian life and tradition, in their works of art. Their distinct love for the pomegranate as a symbol of fertility, life and prosperity, as per what he told, found a place in his own art. When the spot and focus Kadamba deserves in art and Indian aesthetic is realised and relished in colour, green, spontaneously, will be reclaimed. 

Four: The Bishnois of Jodhpur who protect 'green' as part of the tenets of their dharma, Sanatani environmentalists such as Saalumarada Thimmakka (Karnataka), Chami Murmu (Jharkhand), Himmaram Bhanbhu (Rajasthan), and others, needs to uphold the colour that's symbolic of environmentalism as intrinsic to dharma. Sanatanis need to celebrate those Sanatanis for whom environmentalism is an aspect of, belonging to, serving, dharma. 

Five: The fine texture of green runs through the celebration of Sanatan by women. To drape is to reclaim. To adorn is to reclaim. To celebrate a colour in temple life and festivals is to reclaim. To educate about is to reclaim. Women manage all in a worship-inclined lifetime. Sanatani women in Maharashtra have shown how green, when mass-celebrated during the Navratra, gets across to its many textures in the celebration of religious and cultural identity. 

The whirl and drape of the green leheriya in Rajasthan and parts of Uttar Pradesh would be understood as largely localised, but it is a grand display of truth-telling that can take a Pan India scale – in initiatives that announce celebration as reclamation. 

Six: A hint from USA. Singer Beyonce was in the news in February for giving indications that she was turning to country music. It happens to be a big deal culturally as she is reclaiming part of her musical heritage.

The pop singer comes from Houston, Texas, where cowboy heritage lingered on her upbringing. Country music's tryst with race, politics and culture makes the matter even more interesting. This report (Super Bowl 2024 announcement: Why Beyoncé is reclaiming country music (bbc.com) mentions that post 9/11, country music became “nationalistic”.

For her part, Beyonce has spoken about her wish to celebrate “the oft-hidden history of black pioneers within cowboy and cowgirl culture.” In all, she is determined to “reclaim”. 

The problem of relinquishing or separating or forgetting or losing claim arises when the sacred is intentionally hidden or camouflaged in commotion or removed. Therefore, the reclamation of green is above and beyond the mere winning back of “roots”. It is the essence itself. 

Reclaim, Don’t Relinquish Green. 

For what is relinquished or not claimed, or when claimed not celebrated, is as good as endangered, and then extinct. The reclamation of green will ensure the deepening of the understanding of green’s ascendancy in the mind of the Sanatani.

The first space of reclamation is the mind of the Sanatani, where the potency of the colour draws a fine picture of representation gained and representation lost or representation lost to. 

The Pahari tradition in art has shown that green, the secondary colour, placed between yellow and blue, becomes the primordial thread that connects the depiction of Ram, Krishna, Devi, Shiva, their, family, conquests and universe. There is a lesson concealed. Reclaim, don’t relinquish.