Imaging the Unimaginable

The Concept of Shiva

(Film Synopsis)

The essence of Indian culture and spirituality, the Indianness of our value systems, is revealed more through image and myth than any study of history or sociology. And if one would dare to attempt to image the Indian thought about the Ultimate Reality, the concept of Shiva as a God offers immense potential. This ancient source, which pre-dates “religion” itself, has nurtured the stream of Indian culture from the Indus valley to the present times and unites this land from the Himalayas to the tip of the peninsula.. There must be something germinal in this concept to have withstood the test of time for over five thousand years and to have embraced in its fold a vast range of thoughts from the animistic forms of worship to the highest philosophical speculations.

One cannot discuss Shiva without also addressing Shakti. Together they embody and transcend all apparent contradictions – between the Essence and its Manifestation, creation and destruction, ascetic and sensual…

Cinematically this contradiction offers rich possibilities. The film will explore different aspects of Shiva and Shakti with the help of various art forms concentrating mainly on temple sculptures, paintings (caves, miniature style, folk art etc ), dance, religious festivals and poetry (Sanskrit and regional Shaiva bhakti poetry from the South). Since Shiva is often represented through natural forms, certain landscapes would be effectively used as visuals.

This appreciation of the image and myth of Shiva-Shakti gives us a glimpse of the Indian way of thinking; this journey also gives us an insight into the Indian artistic tradition. The film attempts an aesthetic contemplation of the Shiva-Shakti concept in its myriad forms in the hope that this experience will give the viewer a glimpse of the original intuition behind the representation of the Divine in such a manner.