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Arpana Caur is one of India’s finest artists. A self-taught painter, she is influenced by her mother’s writings and Punjabi folk literature.
What does Spirituality mean to you?
It is a whole way of life, a wholesome outlook on life. It is about trying to live life as a better human being, explore one’s inner depths, live with compassion, sharing and joy. It is very different from religion, which is at the core of so much fanaticism, tragedies, massacres, suffering. The “me better than you” syndrome is so often fuelled by religion, whereas spirituality is about loving the other, about seeing one’s reflection in every living form. Spirituality at its core is therefore deeply humanistic and whether someone spiritual labels himself a social reformer or not, he ends up being one. Kabir wrote about spirituality, but he also questioned the caste system or the authority of the priests and the mullahs. Guru Nanak while being a spiritual being was also socially very conscious, denouncing the caste system, advocating equality for women and so on.
Fanaticism creeps in every single religion, including mine. And I face this dilemma for instance, when painting Guru Nanak: am I to paint him with a turban or with a sufi cap that he is said to have worn? Am I going to offend the religious sensibilities of some people? That is religion, whereas in fact, Nanak exemplified the spirit of true secularism. He always travelled with one Muslim and one Hindu companion.
So today, we see great works of art banned or destroyed, only because they are seen as an expression of otherness, of what is alien. Religious fanaticism has increased even in India. I see it among others as a result of economic difficulties; religion can be an anchor for those who need to vent their frustrations. Spirituality on the other hand is only about love.
Do you believe you are guided and protected by a superior force?
I have constantly felt so at a personal level, but the moment I think of a larger scale, I doubt it. How could I comprehend and explain all the pathetic inequalities of our society, the tragedies of the tsunami or other natural disasters of the kind?
