Mumbai : After having raised the bar for other sculptors in the industry for the last 25 yrs by presenting various forms of Bull, in vivid mediums and textures, reputed Mumbai based Sculptor Ratan Krishna Saha, is all set to unveil his latest innovative and creative sculpture exhibition ‘God of Seeds- The Farmers’, which depicts the transition from abundant fertility of the farmlands to the current situation which is affecting their produce and their lives. His solo art exhibition “God of Seeds- The Farmer” will be held at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai from 12th to 18th November, 2019 between 11 am to 7 pm. 

Ratan Saha is a Mumbai based artist with a Post Graduate Degree in Sculpture from the illustrious MS University, Baroda. In this latest body of sculptures, Saha deals with the plight and hopes of Indian farmers reeling under the pressure of various agencies that burden them with debts, patented seeds, pesticides, farm tools and data.

Titled ‘God of Seeds- The Farmer’ this exhibition brings out Ratan Saha’s latest sculptures done in copper, brass and bronze. He has been investing his creative energies in his studio and in agricultural fields to understand the lives of the farmers better. He looks at farmers as Gods who protect and perpetuate seeds. Through this exhibition he wants to reiterate the fact that farmers are living gods who deserve much more reverence than we give to the virtual gods.

“Farmers are the annadatas (food givers) of the world,” says Ratan Saha. “They are the unsung heroes in our country. We talk about the slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kisaan but it looks like we have forgotten our kisans. Each time we put some food into our stomachs we should be remembering the farmers with a lot of gratitude. We do not do it today and it is my effort to remind all the people about the need to be grateful to farmers. We need to develop a different mindset for taking care of those people who feed us. We need to address their distress and try to alleviate them from their pains. Not only individuals but also the government and corporations should become sensitive towards the farmers’ issues. Otherwise we will be cutting our own legs,” Ratan Saha says.

Saha has travelled to the distressed agricultural areas in the country and has done his documentation and research by interviewing the farmers and the calamity affected family members. Also he has interviewed rural farming and social justice activists like Anna Hazare. Saha’s sculptures speak of the truth of our existence in the times of Post Truth.

Some of the prominent works on display are ‘Chariot’, sculptural representation of a tractor which is a reminder of all those sacrifices done by the farmers to buy a tractor for himself and his family. ‘The Sickle’ a farm tool with which the farmer is seen cooling him/herself at the shade of a monumental sickle. One more interesting sculpture is the ‘The Father’, which is a pregnant father whose pregnancy is his imagination and the imagination is all about agriculture.  When it comes to farming and agriculture, men take out their ‘motherly’ nature and nurse the land and plants the way a mother does to her children. ‘Tree of Knowledge’, reminds the viewer of the banyan tree under which Buddha gained his enlightenment. Even the absent space resembles a Buddha. There is also a video installation as part of this exhibition.

The exhibition also throws light on the cause of Child Labour through the work ‘The Daughter’ which depicts a girl carrying a pumpkin which at once represents the social burden of child labor and the satisfaction of her own effort in the field while carrying a produce. Through the work ‘The Tiffin’ the artist says that it is pertinent to thank the unknown producer of the food; the farmer who is neither hugely benefitted nor adequately celebrated. ‘The Glory’, here, in the work, we see the male protagonist wearing a turban with a water-pump above. Water is one predominant thought always in the mind of a farmer and water-pumps are integral to the farmers’ lives.

In each work where he uses different methods and materials to create the forms, Ratan Saha takes particular care to create a meaning rather than just deriving pleasure in using certain material for the sake of using it and making a sculpture with some ‘difference’.

What: ‘God of Seeds’ The Farmer’-Art Exhibition by Artist Ratan Krishna Saha When: 12th Nov to 18th Nov 2019, 11am to 7pm Where: Jehangir Art Gallery, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai