Today Clouds in the Mountain has been added to the gallery of Cloud Appreciation Society. It almost completes the circle, from the memory of viewing the stunning mountain enveloped in the clouds to finally reaching to its its desired audience.
About Cloud Love
Meghaduta (literally meaning “cloud messenger”) is a lyric poem written by Kalidasa, considered to be one of the greatest Sanskrit poets in India. A short poem of only 111 stanzas, it is one of Kalidasa`s most illustrious works.
Meghaduta is separated into two parts – Purvamegha (Previous cloud) and Uttaramegha (Consequent cloud). According to the story, Kubera, treasurer to the Gods, possesses a band of celestial attendees working for him, named the Yakshas. One of these Yakshas was so besotted and preoccupied with his wife that he absolutely disregarded his duties. As a consequence, he was cursed and banished into the thickness of earthly woods. Wholly demoralised, he kept thinking about his wife and felt her absence terribly. His wife also kept reminiscing about him all day and all night.
Then one day, monsoons started to splash upon earth. The Yaksha saw a rain cloud pass by and requested it to carry a message to his wife, then languishing on Mount Kailash in the Himalayas. The Yaksha then commences to describe the route the cloud should be taking in the northward direction. The description is so enamouring and so pictorial, that one can actually experience the scenes are flashing in front of the eyes in a vision. The Yaksha makes the route seem as bewitching as possible, so that the cloud takes his message to his wife, in the city of Alaka (according to Hindu mythology, Alaka sometimes also referred to as Alakapuri, is a mythical city in the Himalayas.).
The emotions portrayed by Kalidasa in his lyric poem Meghaduta are extremely exquisite, giving rise to the poem first being translated into English by Horace Hayman Wilson in 1813.
Sky and Clouds
Growing up, I heard the reference to this epic through many sources and knew what it was about. But what I didn’t understand was the level of perfection those poetic words offer about the beauty of love and appreciation for the nature.
Many years ago, I had a chance to take a roadtrip with my family to the hilly region of Uttrakhand in India. When we reached near the destination at the end of the day, I have to admit, I was stunned by the commanding view of the Kailasha Parvat – the immense Kailasha mountain offering a sense of effortless grandeur and unperturbed calm. It instilled a cherishable memory of a gorgeous subject that I hoped to paint after my trip.
More
The sky is always changing with its landscape designed and redesigned as the clouds float around. I take pictures of sky almost everyday and try to share as many as I can. Thank you for being part of my journey and you continued support.
Bhavna Misra 