Rudre Veene

This illustration was created for poet D. R. Bendre’s Rudra Veene, a work in which the ancient Indian classical instrument becomes a symbol of the world’s end. The poem reflects on social, political, and emotional unrest, people trembling with fear, speaking in thunderous threats, showing cowardice, burning with jealousy, committing bloodshed, and enduring injustice. It evokes the toppling of rulers, the quiet persistence of caste and creed discrimination, and friction between men and women. Natural calamities, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and floods stand as metaphors for the destruction of society. Yet, amidst the darkness, Bendre envisions hope: the stars and the sun lighting a new path, promising that life will blossom again with the next morning.