Story of a mother & daughter
MOTHER-DAUGHTER relationships can be complex, but also filled with compassion and love. They often seem far away from each other than they really are but the care remains. Same goes with Rajni Sahni who loves her daughter with all her life. It was during her labour when she was faced with some major complications in her pregnancy. And Rajni was bed-ridden for almost 6-7 months due to tremendous pain but she found the perfect way to vent out all the pain and frustration – she revived her passion for painting.
In an exhibition titled, ‘Mimesis’ – which literally means representation of self, Rajni has tried to bring out her pain and feelings during those hard times of pregnancy onto a canvas. Curated by Jiten- dra Padam Jain, this exhibition of prints and paintings will go on till July 24 at the Shridharani Art Gallery.
“The mother-daughter relationship is the most powerful bond in the world, for better or for worse. It sets the stage for all other relationships,” say experts. And Jennie Hannan, executive general manager of services at counselling provider Anglicare WA, agrees. “How a woman sees herself, how she is in her adult relationships with partners, and how she mothers her own children, is profoundly influenced by her relationship with her own mother,” she says.
“But while most five-year-old girls love their mothers with an unshakeable conviction, it’s often a different story by the time they reach adolescence. The once-adored woman who rarely put a foot wrong is suddenly always doing embarrassing things,” Jennie added.
Rajni incorporates natural elements to echo a feminine experience. She welcomed her daughter in the new world, who is also her inspiration of creating the artwork displayed at ‘Mimesis’.
“We live on the most beautiful planet, earth which has very clean and attractive nature full of greenery. Nature is our best friend which provides us all the resources to live here. It gives us water to drink, pure air to breathe, food to eat, land to stay, animals, plants for our other uses etc. for our betterment. We should fully enjoy the nature without disturbing its ecological balance, and I did, when I conceived my daughter,” said the artist, who takes her inspiration from Rabindra Nath Tagore education hub, Santiniketan.