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Childhood memories of climbing up and down the trees and meeting birds on the way are often fresh in the minds of those who have grown up amid such bounties of Nature. And for Delhi-based artist Rupa Samaria, such nostalgia became part of her inspiration to paint birds, as a full time profession.
Currently, about 50 of her recent avian artworks are exhibited at the show titled A Bird Call. And the conservationist and birder has dedicated a section to Delhi’s state bird, that is, the house sparrow, which is a dwindling species. Hoping to hear the echoing chirrups of this species, yet again in the metropolitan, Samaria says, “I grew up in a home with house sparrows. They are now coming back to Delhi, but it’s not how it used to be (earlier). It’s the state bird of Delhi, and still we don’t see them in our houses anymore. This is because of many reasons, including pollution and matchbox-style buildings. It’s not impossible to get them back. Planting native trees and artificial nests is one way to try to do so.”
Lifelike acrylic paintings of 40 bird species including the sparrow, owl, kingfisher, apostlebird, and peacock among others — mostly created during the pandemic — please the viewers at this show. A tactile installation of a house sparrow also forms part of the show, and activates when touched, launching into the chirp of a chidiya. A terracotta sculpture of an owl stands apart. And for the flora lovers, there’s also a display of paintings of ashy prinia on a champa tree, strawberry finch on a magnolia tree, and Asian koel on a cotton silk tree.
Samaria, who quit her regular job at a city school, to paint avian landscapes full-time, shares, “Before I paint a bird, I research about its habitat and character. I love the brilliant colours of the bird’s plumage; it fascinates me because I’m first an artist and then a conversationist…”
“This show was supposed to take place exactly two years ago, in mid-March 2020, when the first Covid lockdown forced us to cancel it,” recalls the artist, adding, “To cope with the ups and downs of the pandemic, I painted a mural of a parakeet on my terrace. I stay in Green Park, near Deer Park and there are lot of birds around. There were many parakeets visiting my terrace, and I went crazy with the colours of the birds, during the pandemic. Painting during this time gave me a lot of confidence.”
“During the pandemic, people started talking about Nature and birds a lot more than before. People became closer to Nature and the birds started coming to us in the metropolises. You don’t want another pandemic for this proximity, do you? So we should be doing things that make the birds stay,” opines Samaria, who seeks to amplify the birds’ silent cry for help, through her artworks. She also makes a visual comment on the practice of sacrificing owls during Diwali.
Catch It Live
What: A Bird Call
Where:Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road
On till: March 23
Timing: 11am to 7pm
Nearest Metro Station: Jorbagh on Yellow Line and JLN Stadium on Violet Line
Author tweets @siddhijainn
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