Shiva

We are used to seeing static, head-on images of Shiva Nataraja, the cosmic dancer. When I was asked to take pictures of a Nataraja idol and some others by the Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Department in 1986, it was delivered to my house, and was standing six-eight feet tall, with a price tag of probably 80 lakhs to one crore. I stared and stared, wondering how to bring motion, dynamism, and, if possible, some rage and action to the picture.  In my view, I succeeded, by taking the picture from the side instead of straight on. (You can see some of the other pictures that I took on my website: )

This picture shows Shiva in motion, whirling, his hair flying, as if he has already taken a step forward, is astride, is just about to stamp once more, definitively, on the demon under his feet.

The Tamil saint Thirumalar's poem, from the 6th C. AD, complements my depiction:

When Siva dances his cosmic dance of knowledgebliss,
The Vedas dance, the Agamas dance, music and dance dance.
The lustrous universe dances, all the living beings dance, the entire world dances,
The primordial sound in which began all life, dances.

The Tamil text of the poem:

As a post-script, I would like to add, for whatever it is worth, that wherever Tamil Nadu had a pavilion in national exhibitions across the country (and some abroad), this picture, together with some others which I had taken, was invariably on display. In the year that I took it, it was first shown in Delhi, where then-President Zail Singh, and the Vice President, Mr. Venkataraman, requested a copy from the Tamil Nadu Government. At least in the case of Mr. Venkataraman, upon his retirement, when he chose to stay on Greenways Road in Chennai, very close to my house, he proudly brought this picture with him from Delhi, and prominently displayed it at home.