Tanima Parida excels in painting Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra. She has won a number of awards for her works on the Trinity. Tanima, who specialises in making paintings of the different beshas of the Trinity, was recently felicitated by the Odisha Chitrakala Akademi, Cuttack for her contribution towards spreading the Jagannath culture across the state.
Born to Padmini and Taruna Kumar Mishra, Tanima was inclined towards painting since childhood but academic pressure prevented her from pursuing her passion. That, however, could not douse the creative fire in her. She completed her education, took up a job at a private firm and simultaneously started practising painting.
After marriage, when Tanima was in Darjeeling, she did a short-term course on ‘Art on Different Material’ from a local art school. She got the first taste of success when one of her works, a painting of twin dragons on a glass board, attracted attention and won her accolades.
Since then, there has been no looking back for Tanima. “My husband and in-laws have been really supportive. They advised me to take my passion seriously. I have always loved making colourful portraits. One day, my father expressed his desire to see a painting of one of the beshas of the Trinity. I was excited about the idea but didn’t have much idea of the different beshas of the Lord,” says the Bhubaneswar-born painter.
Tanima referred to several magazines and newspaper articles and finally came up with a painting of one of the beshas of Lord Jagannath. Her father loved it so much that he suggested that she try out a few more. “Although I am a devotee of the Trinity, I didn’t have in-depth knowledge of the different beshas, the jewellery and other accessories,” Tanima says. “But I feel God’s blessings are always with me. I met popular painter Mahendra Prasad Mohapatra who taught me the basics of making images of the Lord, which is symmetric as well as geometric. I started collecting data on the different beshas of the Trinity that had earlier appeared in local newspapers and tried to depict them on canvas.”
Today, Tanima is a pro at painting the varied beshas of the Trinity. Her works adorn the walls of her house and are a feast for the eyes. “The Jagannath culture is rich and I want to spread awareness of its importance among the next generation through my paintings. We should be aware of our culture. My family members also keep altering the different beshas of the Trinity at the entrance of our house coinciding with the beshas at the Srimandir,” she says.
Simple and unassuming, Tanima is one of the new stars of Odisha’s traditional art, Pattachitra. She paints Pattachitra on canvas with acrylic. Her works have found a place at different exhibitions in Bhubaneswar and been much appreciated. While Pattachitra paintings require immense patience, hard work and skilled craftsmanship, Tanima says the entire process of making these paintings simply fascinates her.
Though Tanima has been invited to showcase her works of the different beshas of the Trinity at exhibitions outside the state, she has so far declined such offers. “I hardly get a few hours a day to paint the varied beshas of the Lord and I can’t afford to lose that by travelling out of the state,” she says.
Tanima generally takes five days to a week to complete one painting. However, the more intricate ones at times take more than a month. “It also depends on how I divide my time between my family and work,” she says.
Ask her about modern art, and Tanima says, “I don’t understand modern art much. I feel inspired to paint the Lord. So, I focus only on what I understand and can do justice to,” she says.
SOYONG, OP