Mere desh ki dharti: What this so-far overlooked Shivaji crop art tells us about us
Despite being an agricultural country, India hasn’t seen much of what is called 'crop art'.
Reason?
We don’t actually know whether we believed for the longest time that crops and art go hand in hand. One crop art made in February on the occasion of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti has come to notice now — four months after it came into being. Thanks to social media.
The message is this: we need to appreciate and pay more heed to things/issues near home.
The name of Maharashtra’s Latur crops up in the national discourse around this time every year. Because — drought, followed by farmers’ suicide.
According to a report, Maharashtra has recorded 808 farmer suicides in the first four months of the year. Last year, the number was 896.
The election's heat sealed discussions on these issues until now. We were busy examining satellite images of Balakot instead to see whether Pakistani terror camps have actually been destroyed.
But now, as the election dust has settled and the state election in Maharashtra is not far away, we guess it’s time we found the time to address an issue near home.
The artwork, rediscovered by Google Maps, happens to have found a place on a sprawling six-acre land area in the village of Nilanga in Latur district.
The man behind this artwork is Mangesh Nipankar, a well-known Rangoli artist. Over 2,500 kg of seeds were planted a week before February 19, Shivaji Jayanti. The art looks like a painting as there’s a frame around it.
It has been there since February. Visitors are allowed to come and have a closer look. But it went viral as some internet users found that Google Maps captures the art in a splendidly breathtaking form. If you type 'Chhatrapati Shree Shivaji Maharaj Farm Painting Art' in Google Maps, it zooms in and reveals the green crop art with minute details of Shivaji.
As it closes in on the artwork, do you notice the absence of green in the vicinity?
That's also another reason why we need more such crop arts, looking up the sky and screaming for divine intervention.