|     |
|
| |
 Raja Raja Varma, brother of Raja Ravi Varma - Padma Jayaraj e-mail: padmajayaraj@gmail.com April 2, 2023 March 8th has been celebrated as International Women's Day for equity in all spheres of public and private life. The variety of pictures that brought unimaginable angles of perception was astounding thanks to the digital world. One that marked uniqueness pointing to the spiritual dimension highlighted the Indian ethos.  A picture that closely reminded of a typical Ravi Varma painting highlighted the spirit of Indian ethos with words that give a touch of modernity. The word WOMAN is W - Wheel of family O - Ocean of knowledge M - Mirror of children A - Address of love N - Navigator of life boat The lady in the picture looks like that of a typical Ravi Varma painting with the backdrop of a natural scene. The green wilderness on one side, the sunlit horizon stretching beyond looks so typical, so genuine. The feminine principle of Nature is projected in the persona of a woman, a typical Ravi Varma cast: sensuous appeal, in color scheme, in dress code, and in the backdrop. I take this opportunity to bring to light the part played by the brother Raja Raja Varma in the life and works of the illustrious artist, Raja Ravi Varma. Nemam Pushparaj, artist, film director, author, and who worked as chairman of Lalithakala Akademi, Kerala, for a term has published a book on Raja Ravi Varma, His Times and His Art, in Malayalam. In his book, I came across the diary kept by Raja Raja Varma, who lived like the shadow of his celebrated brother Raja Ravi Varma.  Raja Raja Varma (1860 -1904), the talented brother of Raja Ravi Varma, worked and lived happily in the shadow of his brother. He was 12 years younger than his older brother. The diary kept by this brother shed light on the life of artist Raja Ravi Varma in the public domain. All through their life together, Raja Raja Varma lived with him working as his secretary. He was 18 years old when he started to accompany his older brother to different parts of India. And he lived in the shadow of his famous brother until his death at the age of 44. As his secretary, Raja Varma kept a journal recording the day-to-day events, which sheds light on the life and work of both brothers. Raja Ravi Varma admired the landscape paintings of his younger brother. And the younger brother teamed up by doing the background of natural settings. The backdrop of the paintings of his many epic characters was done by Raja Raja Varma. Raja Varma had come triumphant in many contests and enjoyed his reputation as a painter. But he chose to remain in the shadow of his brother even after proving his talent. His exceptional landscapes form the backdrop of many Ravi Varma paintings. Especially those in which the legendary characters are in focus, the landscape that highlights them is the contributions of his brother, Raja Raja Varma. We find the names of both brothers only in the paintings done toward the end of his life.  Padma Jayaraj is a freelance writer on the arts. |
