Raja Ravi Varma (Hindi Edition)

This is the story of a boy who grew up drawing on freshly painted walls with charcoal and later earned the title of Raja through his artistic prowess. His portrait of a Nair woman who worked in his wifes home earned him as much respect as anger. Many critics and admirers were drawn to his deep connection with Sugandha, a woman from Maharashtra, who became the Menaka, Damayanti, and Urvashi of his most famous paintings. Ravi Varma was Indias most renowned painter. He was as controversial as he was talented. He brought Hindu deities out of the temple and into the homes of ordinary people, immortalizing numerous figures and moments in history with the touch of his brush. Deeply influenced by European art, Varma won numerous international competitions and was honored by several princely states. It is said that Swami Vivekananda commissioned his portrait from him. Rich in cultural history and set against the backdrop of the British Raj, this novel by Ranjit Desai, centered on the life of the famous Marathi writer Raja Ravi Varma, gives us an opportunity to learn many new things about the life of Indias first and greatest calendar artist and to understand his mind.