The Indian artist has long been famous for the very human depiction of animals. This is for the simple reason that these artists do not see any difference between human and animal beings. This exquisite drawing from the wall of the Amber Palace, just outside Jaipur, was photographed in 2001. The Bhojanshala of the Amber Palace has the finest surviving art of Rajasthan. The smile on the face of the elephant and the twinkle in his eye are remarkable!
This is a most difficult time that the world is passing through. However, we do have a choice to use it to look at ourselves, rethink our lives, take care of all that is around us and to reshape a better future for this planet. We will have achieved something positive and learnt something very important even in the midst of our crisis. We are very fortunate to have a heritage of a great philosophy, which has always taught us universal love and the interconnection of all creation, including us, animals, the trees and rivers.
The early Upanishads, which were penned in the 8th–9th centuries BCE, presented this marvelous vision of the interconnectedness of all that there is around us. In any case, cruelty to animals is wholly unnecessary and the world could take a leaf out of the Upanishads, to shape a vision for a better tomorrow.
Benoy K Behl is a film-maker, art-historian and photographer who is known for his tireless and prolific output of work over the past 44 years. He has taken over 53,000 photographs of Asian monuments and art heritage and made 145 documentaries which are regularly screened at major cultural institutions worldwide. His photographic exhibitions have been warmly received in 74 countries around the world.
