Vijay Kiyawat

Ritu Sanhaar Series

Some 1500 years ago, the great ancient poet Kalidas wrote a lyrical poem named Ritu-Sanhaar in Sanskrit language. Ritu-Sanhaar means description of seasons. Kalidas divided the Indian year in six seasons (Ritus). The are Greeshm Ritu (4th may-30th june), Varsha Ritu (1st july-12th sept.), Sharad Ritu (13th sept.-26th oct.), Hemant Ritu (27th oct.-24th dec.), Shishir Ritu (25th dec.-4th mar.), and Vasant Ritu (5th mar.-3rd may). Over the years I have recorded my observations of nature including flowers, trees, birds, festivals and cultural activities in India. The paintings in this series are based on Kalidas’s description in shlokas and some of my observations in the related season.