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Chapter-5
KRISHNA IN THE CONTEMPORARY
PAINTINGS OF HARYANA ARTISTS
191
Lord Krishna has created His own niche in the realm of art and
culture. He is represented mostly in the form of visuals as wall-paintings,
sculptures, miniature paintings and folk images. Apart from this, He has also
been a Hero in Indian literature, folk songs and dances. Several festivals are
also dedicated to him. Lord Krishna encouraged numerous folk artists,
sculptors and masons of Haryana. He has been considered from the
standpoint of religion as well as art history, the two academic disciplines
that have been the most concerned with representations of Krishna in the
Indian tradition.
The northern gateway of India, i.e. Haryana, was so influenced by
Krishna that the state even dedicated a museum to him. This museum,
known as Sri Krishna Museum, is situated at Kurukshetra, Haryana. Its
objective is to bring about a moral and cultural resurgence among the people
through the ideas and ideals of Lord Krishna. The museum collections
revolve around Krishna in varied or diverse facets, apart from the
Mahabharata episodes.
Lord Krishna has influenced the artists in such a way that they have
been painting the theme of Krishna and His various facets and aspects right
from the very beginning. He is omnipresent in all forms of art, be it
traditional, folk or contemporary. There are scores of artists who have
chosen this theme for once or twice, while some of them have even chosen
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this theme forever. There are artists from all over the country who have
worked on this theme or are still working. A few of them come from
Haryana. These include artists who are permanent residents of Haryana, as
well as those who have migrated from some other place or from Haryana to
some other place.
Some such artists include:
• Viren Tanwar1
• S.K. Khushwah2 – Anunita
• Kanhai School of Paintings – Kanhai Chitrakar, Krishn
Kanhai and Govind Kanhai3
• R.M.S. Malik4 - Manoj Malik5 and Rachna Malik6
• Bhoop Singh Gulia7
• Shakti Singh Ahlawat8
• Ram Viranjan9
• Karamwati10
Viren Tanwar: He was born and brought up in Hisar, Haryana. He
explains his art as a personal alchemy of elements gleaned from his rural
background. He had a special interest in drawing right from his school days.
He found a drawing tutor for himself and thus got his basic concepts cleared.
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This distinguished artist created a number of paintings dedicated to
Lord Krishna. Initially, the underlying idea behind taking Lord Krishna as a
character in his paintings and prints was that he was working on Indian
Mythology and had also heard much about the Tantric and decorative art.
Moreover, he saw some senior artists painting on various Gods and
Goddesses. As a result, he was drawn towards painting on religious themes;
hence he painted Lord Krishna.
At a very young age, Viren used to make toys with clay. Some of the
toys made by him unknowingly depicted the forms of Krishna. It reflects
that Krishna was present somewhere in his subconscious mind. During his
study period also, he created Krishna forms. In 1970s, he illustrated some
sketches on Lord Krishna. One of his prints depicting Krishna in relief
work was selected by AIFACS, Delhi in 1983. (Pl.131) This bichromatic print
evokes a feeling of relaxation and serenity. Krishna is showing lying down
on to his left side, while playing the flute. A morpankh has also been shown
over his head. A Kadamb tree on his back looks as if it is there to shelter
Krishna. The concept of making a robust form of Krishna here indicates
happiness and prosperity. Three other paintings are based on the theme of
Murli-Manohar. (Pl.132) (Pl.133) Although all three paintings are created in
square shape displaying a similar theme, yet the poses and styles of the
paintings are different. Morpankh, flute, lotus flower and decorative patterns
are the main motifs used in these paintings.
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In 1980s, an Indian national living in Los Angeles invited the artist to
embellish his house he was building for himself with a totally Indian decor.
He did that, but in addition, painted a large mural (18’x12’) on one of the
walls of the living room, which depicted the life and loves of Lord Krishna.
Two other paintings of this artist present Krishna as involved in Maharaas.
(Pl.134) (Pl.135) The intermingled forms of Radha and Krishna have been
created. They are in a sitting pose and Radha is shown behind the Lord;
these harmonious forms are playing the divine flute together. Radha and
Krishna are sitting under a banana tree on a Kadamb leaf carpet in the
former Maharaas painting. Banana tree being a symbol of purity and
prosperity, seems to be enchanted by the sweet sound of flute.
Another painting of this artist dedicated to Krishna is a miniature-
style painting. The painting depicts Radha waiting for Krishna and her wait
is eternal. (Pl.136) In this painting, Radha is shown sitting on a rock with a
white lotus flower in her hand. She is extracting pearls out of the flower.
Rhythm has been achieved in her hairstyle due to a parandi tied with her
long hair. Parandi gives the painting a touch of Punjabi culture. Krishna is
visible on the backside of the painting, holding an uprooted Kadamb tree.
Two white lotuses are tied to his garment. The background of the painting
reveals two mountains, a few blossoming white lotuses and decorative
motifs; there is nothing artificial in the painting. Enhancing all the natural
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forms and showing the intense relationship of Radha – Krishna is the basic
concept of this painting.
The art shows where Tanwar exhibited his Krishna-themed paintings
were Harmony art show of his contemporary works in 2007 and Aura art
show in Mumbai in 2008. In all his collection of Krishna paintings, he
added a content of nature as he is of the view that the form of Krishna is so
intermingled with nature that a symbolic representation of nature
automatically flows in. The Kadamb and banana trees, lotus flowers, grassy
carpets and decorative designs are composed in the background. Lord
Krishna’s complexion taken by him is either green or blue and in most of
the paintings, the colour of his dress is yellow (as pitamber). Morpankh and
flute are the ubiquitous features of his paintings, except his miniature-style
paintings on Krishna. Expression of Maharaas can be easily seen in the
amalgamated forms of Radha and Krishna.
S.K. Khushwah: He was born and brought up in Yamunanagar, but
later shifted to Kurukshetra. This eminent artist was influenced by Lord
Krishna from a very young age as his father was a follower of Krishna. So
great was his father’s devotion towards Krishna that he learnt all 18
adhyayas of Bhagwad Gita despite being illiterate. His devout father also
used to sing songs in Krishna’s praise.
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The artist comments that the colour sense was also gifted to him
indirectly by his father as he was a bangle-seller and the colourful bangles
left a deep impression in the artist’s mind. As a child, he used to mould and
convert the broken bangles into some artistic shapes. Thus, he also learnt
sort of clay-modeling from his father.
The artist experienced a strong bent of mind towards Krishna when
he shifted to Kurukshetra. Everyone was at that time searching for
Krishna’s images in Kurukshetra, as it was a garh of Krishna. He maintains
that Prof Kulbhushan Sahni of Saharanpur encouraged him to paint on
Krishna. Another factor behind his penchant for Krishna was the presence
of beautiful wall-paintings of Krishna in Haryana. On seeing the wall-
paintings reflecting Lord Krishna in Kurukshetra town, Pundri, Jyotisar and
Krishna Museum, he was all the more inclined to work on Lord Krishna.
The art works he created on Lord Krishna include a replica of a wall-
painting derived from Pabnava; the theme of which is Maharaas-leela.(Pl.137)
This romantic episode of Radha-Krishna was strongly liked by the artist. He
recreated that painting in his own technique by using mixed media – water,
oxide, earthern colours and fevicol. This painting was executed in 2003 on a
ply board of 6' × 10'; during a workshop at Brahm Sarovar on Gita Jayanti
Samaroh.
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The painting is now in the collection of Krishna Museum,
Kurukshetra. It presents 17 gopikas encircling Radha and Krishna, where
Krishna is playing the flute and Radha is playing the sarangi. Eternal love
in a rhythmic form seems to be flowing in the painting. While the forms of
Radha and Krishna are inseparable, all other gopikas are also shown
standing hands in hand; it seems as if this chain would never be broken.
Another painting created by the artist in 2004 reflects a war scene of
Mahabharata. Here, Arjuna is shown eager to pick up his bow and arrows
and kill the enemies. A mural painting showing Krishna’s padmachinha was
made by the artist in 1986; the concept behind making this painting was that
the artist himself wanted to worship Krishna’s feet, thereby taking His
blessings.
Another replica was made by him based on Radha-Krishna
togetherness in 2007. The theme remained the same but the artist here
innovated his own technique; he used wax polish and spoon to apply it so
that the effect of mural could be achieved. Here Radha and Krishna are
holding each-other’s hands. The episode of Putna Vadh has also been
depicted by this artist. Along with these paintings, he also created a wooden
sculpture indicating a flute and the Bhagwad Gita in it.
In all works done by this artist on Krishna, the feel of romance was
highlighted. He also gives importance to sticking with the deep roots as he
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feels life pours in through them, this is the reason that he is trying to keep
the previous works that are present in form of wall-paintings alive. He never
wants the cultural heritage to vanish. The artist is still carrying on with the
Krishna series. He asserted that his mind had been saturated with the
romance of Krishna and so he could never leave painting on this theme.
The art tradition of S.K. Khushwah was carried forward by his
daughter Anunita. (Pl.138) The artwork she created on Lord Krishna includes
the replica of a wall-painting derived from Pabnava; which displays
Krishna in his baal-roopa. Just by having a glimpse of this painting, one
can easily observe the mischievous nature of Krishna during his childhood.
He is running away from his mother while trying to eat butter, and Yashoda,
on the other hand, is chasing him. This painting highlights the relationship
of mother and child; it defines how a child teases his mother and still the
concern of the mother remains unending. The painting is in the collection of
Krishna Museum, Kurukshetra.
Kanhai Chitrakar: The previous generation of this artist was
residing in Mahendragarh, Haryana, but they preferred to settle in Vridavan,
the holy town of Krishna. This artist particularly felt the call of Krishna’s
flute to get settled on the bank of River Yamuna. He created his own
distinctive style of gold paintings, which later came to be known as Kanhai
School of Paintings. Kanhai is known for his realistic as well as abstract
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Krishna paintings. He believes that to paint Krishna is to worship Krishna.
He had his initial training under the great master of that time, Sh. Nanalal
Jani, who adorned the court of Maharaja Chakradhar Singh of Rajgarh.
Kanhai has captured the divine essence of Krishna with his perfect
command over the brush. He opened his art studio at Vrindavan around
1956-57 to continue his sadhna.
Kanhai Chitrakar has passed on this art tradition to his two sons –
Krishn Kanhai and Govind Kanhai. The family is ceaselessly creating a
tangible form of spiritual exaltation. They wish to continue doing so by the
grace of Almighty.
Krishn Kanhai observes that the feeling of rasa, saundarya and
bhava which is considered as one of the major concerns of any art work is
very much alive in the form of Lord Krishna. His paintings have
been inspired by epic writings like Srimad Bhagwata, Geet Govinda and
several Braj-bhasha compositions penned by saint-poets like Surdas, Bihari
and Raskhan etc. He became a master of the traditional art of gold paintings
under the guidance of his illustrious father. However, he did not remain
confined to the tradition he inherited but contributed to it significantly by
introducing several innovations, making the canvases more aesthetically
appealing, visually attractive and spiritually rich during his journey as an
artist, which started in 1977.
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Govind Kanhai, on the other hand, is considered an excellent artist
known for his figure work and ‘bhav darshan’. He is specifically trained in
embossing and gem-setting techniques. His paintings are emotionally rich,
lyrical and visually pleasing, owing to their superb colour combinations. His
artistic career started in 1981.
They now have a number of paintings displaying themes like Radha-
Krishna, Murli-Manohar, Krishna-Balrama, Krishna as makhan-chor, baal-
gopalak, bal-roopa, Raas-Leela and Maharaas. One of the paintings created
by Krishn Kanhai and Govind Kanhai represents Krishna as Murli-
Manohar.(Pl.139) In this realistic painting, Krishna is sitting on the bank of a
river and playing the flute. His eyes are closed, giving the impression of His
inward journey while producing divine music. It is a night scene as the
moon and its shadow on the river water are visible. A peacock has been
intermingled with the form of Krishna. Decency has been shown in creating
this painting. A big crown over the head of Krishna, His ornaments and
garments, crown of peacock, grass, and tree - everything has been minutely
created.
R.M.S. Malik: This artist, belonging to Rohtak, had a few of his
collections based on Lord Krishna. He experimented with so many themes
and aspects and Krishna was one of them. He was inclined towards Lord
Krishna because he wanted to have divine presence in his paintings. In two
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of his paintings, he has shown Krishna as Parthsarthi, the reason for the
same was that the place to which he belonged was in close proximity to
Kurukshetra, where the Lord is actually believed to be Parthsarthi. Krishna
is very clearly and realistically depicted in these paintings; on the back is
shown Surya Dev who is believed to be the ultimate source of energy for
everyone. The round wheels of the chariot beautifully create an impression
of movement.
In another painting (Pl.140), he depicted Krishna’s padmachinha with a
lotus flower, which symbolizes the form of charan-kamal that signifies that
the divine feet are as pious, pure and tender as lotus. In Hindu mythology,
lotus is also considered to be a sign of prosperity as the Goddess of wealth,
Mahalaxmi, is seated on it. On the feet, Swastika and other sacred Hindu
symbols are also visible.
One of his other paintings represents Radha dressed up as Krishna,
wearing His garments and playing the flute. (Pl.141) This painting relates to
the incident when Radha asked Krishna that the feelings of a girl could
never be understood by Him as He was a boy. Accepting the challenge,
Krishna agreed to become Radha and asked her to be Krishna for a day.
The painting presents Radha standing in the form of Krishna, a boy
enjoying freedom and playing the flute without any fear. The bird seen in
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the painting is also astonished whether the person standing in front of its
eyes is Radha or Krishna.
Malik’s art tradition was followed by two of his children; Manoj
Malik and Rachna Malik. They have also taken up the theme of Krishna in
their paintings. Based on this concept, Manoj Maik’s painting titled
Parthsarthi (Pl.142) shows Krishna preaching Arjuna in the battlefield of
Mahabharata in Kurukshetra. Arjuna is shown as a sincere and obedient
disciple who will follow all the sayings of his Guru. Arjuna was motivated
to have a detached attitude while fighting as in the battlefield, nobody is
anyone’s relative; this was the gist of the Gita sermon as delivered by Lord
Krishna. The artist of this painting has made it quite realistic with muted
colour tone. The halo behind Lord Krishna symbolizes his knowledge,
which is being imparted to Arjuna.
The artist gives more importance to work and knowledge as
compared to other emotions and feelings; therefore among so many concepts
and leelas of Krishna, he prefers to take the form of Krishna as Parthsarthi.
He says he himself has very closely experienced the phase of learning,
experimenting and gaining knowledge from his elders; and so the concept of
Krishna imparting and Arjuna gaining knowledge has a great relevance in
his life.
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Rachna, on the other hand, has painted Krishna with Radha in
abstract form with a very different technique. (Pl.143) The theme she has taken
is narrating the romantic phase of life by creating amalgamated forms of
Radha and Krishna. Here, Krishna is playing the flute and Radha is
standing close to him, listening to the enchanting music as flown in the air.
The fusion of the forms depicts their togetherness. The technique which the
artist chooses is quite haphazard; the forms are not easily visible at the very
first sight and the viewer has to concentrate to find them. The concept of
putting this technique and to make the painting as abstract and not so
realistic belongs to the artist. She explains that not everyone but only those
who understand the feeling of love, romance and happiness can feel the
warmth of this painting.
Bhoop Singh Gulia: The paintings of this noted artist are flavored
with rural life and countryside landscapes. He enjoys simplicity and silence
in his paintings. Most of the paintings as created by this thoughtful artist
reflect the state that can be achieved after long hours of meditation and
concentration. One such painting created by him was based on the theme of
Lord Krishna. (Pl.144) In this painting, he made a shadowy landscape in
which the ups and downs in the lives of the inhabitants of Braj area have
been shown symbolically through the hilly terrain. In the foreground of the
painting, there is a representation of Krishna in sculptural form. The view of
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artist regarding this is that the actual Krishna has been merged in the land in
such a way that all his preachings and deeds are vanishing gradually.
So, the artist wishes to carve out the real Krishna in the form of love
in this materialistic world. The belongings of Krishna like the flute, rosary
and morpankh are shown lying scattered on the ground, which indicates that
the people’s faith in Krishna is deteriorating with the passage of time and
the artist is keen to evoke spiritual feelings in the hearts of contemporary
people again. The painting was created on canvas in 2007 and its colour
scheme is earthy, that is, shades of blue, brown and green have been used.
The artist maintains that he experimented with this theme as it was need of
the day and the people should realize it is the divine power and not
materialism that is controlling the whole universe.
Shakti Singh Ahlawat: He belongs to village Balambha in Rohtak
district. The village once used to have as many as 13 chaupals. One chaupal
also contained wall-paintings; the form of Lord Krishna as gopalak was
found there. Shakti’s idea to make paintings on Krishna thus stems from his
traditional heritage, which remains deeply engrained in his subconscious
mind. Basically being a rural lad, this artist was influenced by the rural
context of Lord Krishna, and so he painted on his life.
This artist, famous for his portraits, has two of his paintings dedicated
to Lord Krishna - both of them were of the abstract kind. In the first
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painting (Pl.145), He is indicated as Murli- Manohar with Radha and a cow
sitting beside them. Krishna is sitting cross-legged and seems to be in a
relaxed mood, composing a sweet tune with his flute. Krishna is shown
wearing a janaeu, which is worn by the Brahamins in Hindu religion; the
condition is that the person who is wearing it has to follow all the rituals
related to it. The artist perceives Krishna to be a profound follower of Hindu
religion as he has shown Him wearing a janaeu.
Radha and Krishna are shown to be incomplete without each other as
Radha’s odhni is not limited to Radha only, but it has become an
inseparable part of Krishna as well. Both of them are enjoying the divine
music, away from the worries of the world. Radha and Krishna, along with
the cow, appear to have been lost in ecstasy. A yellow diamond mark on the
forehead of the cow in this painting symbolizes prosperity, for which
Kamdhenu is known. It is believed to fulfill all one’s desires and bring
affluence. The colours used in the painting are flat green, grey, blue, white
and yellow ochre; and they have been balanced in a pleasing and
harmonious manner.
The second painting of this artist shows Lord Krishna with Radha.
(Pl.146) The feel of ecstasy and entertainment can be seen in this painting also.
Krishna, and behind him, Radha, are shown in a standing position. Their
eyes have been shown closed, which indicates the high levels of meditation
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they have achieved through the charismatic tune of the flute as composed by
Lord Krishna. In this painting, pastel shades, including green, blue, red and
yellow have been used; the colours in the painting indicate night scene. The
concept of the artist of making these paintings is to delineate the true form
of love and legend of Radha and Krishna. Similarly, the artist himself wants
to remain engrossed with his own work and life.
Ram Viranjan: He is presently based in Kurukshetra. His
experiments on various themes and techniques are numerous. He created
three paintings based on the theme of Lord Krishna. One of his paintings is
in the collection of Krishna Museum, Kurukshetra. This painting is a folk-
art form called Madhubani Painting. The term originates from a village
named Madhubani in Bihar, where this art was originally practiced by
females. It served as a tool of creative expression for everyday lives and
happenings. Originally, this kind of painting was done on freshly plastered
mud walls of houses, but in contemporary times, it is done on cloth, hand-
made paper and canvas as well.
The vital theme of the Madhubani paintings comprises Hindu Gods
and Goddesses. The main theme is supported by the traditional geometric
patterns. Some of the main attributes of all Madhubani paintings are double-
line borders, ornate floral patterns, abstract-like figures of deities, bold use
of colours and bulging eyes and a jolting nose of the faces of the figures. As
207
per the belief that Gods visit each house in the morning, the artwork
primarily donned the walls and doors, intending to please the Gods.
This painting, created on a paper during a workshop, displays
Krishna playing the flute and gopikas surrounding Him. (Pl.147) This
decorative painting highlights the form of Krishna in the middle of the
design; the flute that he is playing is so flexible that it is shown bent. The
morpankh over his head and designs in his dress are elaborated. Krishna is
encircled by six images; starting with uppermost left side, the image is of
Radha, who is dressed as a bride as if she is waiting for her beloved Krishna
to come and woo her. The next image is of a cow, which symbolizes Lord
Krishna as a gopalak.
The images of a Guru and Surya are also there in the painting; both of
them being symbols of knowledge and light. Another image is of fish
swimming in the water and the last one is of a peacock that increases the
beauty of Lord Krishna, being placed on his head in his crown. All these art
forms seem to enjoy the sweet music being played by Krishna on his flute.
Karamwati: Karamwati does folk painting based on Krishna in her
house at village Prithla, district Faridabad. She, like almost all womenfolk
of her village, creates a form of Luxmi-Narayana, also considered as Radha-
Krishna, on a wall with the help of geru. The event on which it is created is
a festival of Haryana- Devothni Gyas. This day falls eleven days after
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Diwali and four days prior to Ganga-Snan (Puranmasi). The motive of
celebrating this festival by creating folk painting is to wake up the Devatas
as they are on rest prior to this time and after this, the marriages are going to
begin. The image of Narayana made at that time has to be washed away
before Sankrant as according to people’s perception, both the forms shall
never meet as they share the relationship of brother and sister. This art
tradition of folk painting and belief related to it was adopted by Karamwati
right after her marriage, that was solemnized nearly 42 years ago. She
believes that so much importance is given to Krishna at their village as
Prithla is so near to the Braj area.
Adorned with figures of peacocks in purely folk style and other folk
motifs as semi circles and triangles etc are made the forms of Naryana.11 It
is made in the angan near chulha and exactly beneath this, a diya is lighted
on the floor. The main characters, Radha and Krishna, are formed in the
centre. (Pl.148)
The images of Krishna were omnipresent in almost all villages of
Haryana in the form of wall-paintings, sculptures as kept at several places in
the state and in some museums, miniature paintings and folk images. The
total number was much higher than the images as found in the contemporary
paintings of Haryana artists. The reason for the same as directed by Rajesh
Purohit, Deputy Director, Kurukshetra Museum, is the impact of Arya
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Samaj on the people of Haryana that prevailed in the 19th Century. The
people following this sect shun the concept of idol-worship, therefore the
number of idols declined. Moreover, after Independence, secularism was
given more importance than the religious themes. This was not only the
situation with the art forms, but it was similar for literature also. It became a
sort of social pattern at that time.
It was only in the folk art forms and folk songs where the religions
were still alive. No one was able to suppress the inner feelings of the people
and that carved out their way in the form of folk art. Film-maker B. R.
Chopra’s serials ‘Mahabharata’ and ‘Krishna’ rekindled the flame of
people’s love for Krishna and other religious figures once again.
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REFERENCES
1. Tanwar, V. Personal interview, Chandigarh, June 25, 2008. 2. Khushwah, S. K. Personal interview, Kurukshetra, June 22, 2008. 3. Chitrakar, K., Kanhai, K. & Kahai, G. Personal interview,
Vrindavan, Mathura, July 25, 2008. 4. Malik, R. M. S. Personal interview, Rohtak, June 3, 2009. 5. Malik, M., Personal interview, Rohtak, June 3, 2009. 6. Malik, R. Personal interview, Rohtak, June 3, 2009. 7. Gulia. B. S. Personal interview, Rohtak, July 19, 2008. 8. Ahlawat, S. S. Personal interview, Rohtak, July 19, 2008. 9. Viranjan, R. Personal interview, Kurukshetra, June 20, 2008. 10. Karamwati, Personal interview, Prithla, District Faridabad, June 6,
2010. 11. Gulia, B. S. (2008). The traditions of northern India (p. 24).
Gurgaon: Shubhi Publications.