Nanda Discussing the Possibility of Migrating to Vrindavana with Elders of Gokul

Nanda Discussing the Possibility of Migrating to Vrindavana with Elders of Gokul

 by Fattu, Bhagwat Puran series
 Kangra School, Mid-18th century.

        Gokul where Krishna was deposited by Vasudev is no longer safe. Nanda as the village headman must discuss migration to Vrindavana. Nanda sits with four other elders of the village--perhaps acting as the "panchayat" (a group of five elders of the village who make the important decisions for the community). Each person is animated--notice the hand gestures of each individual.  While the heated discussion goes on Nanda' s two wives, Yashoda and Rohuni, sit near by. Balram and Krishna play in the foreground.  Meanwhile,  a gopi (a woman who looks after the cows) pours water for a cow. Hearing the animated discussion,  even the calf turns towards the elders lost in the discussion.  Something important is in the air, though life seems to go on at its normal pace.
        Fattu's Krishna is not a prince living in a palace. He is a simple villager living in a hut. Gokul is a village and not a city as depicted by other artists. Fattu has subtly built up the suspense by using the animated gestures of the figures and by turning the calf's head. Interestingly,  the men again are individualised portraits; women are not. Both the children in the foreground are carefree, lost in their own world. The concerns of different generations, of different people is depicted with subtlety and sensitivity. Fattu places the viewer in midst of the scene. The naturalism of the scene is mesmerising.