It is a triptych tinged with rust-red, as though blood has dried on it. It is Suhas Roy’s pieta — and beyond. Women cradle the body of Christ on their lap on the first two panels ; while a smiling cherub flits by the cross as He descends from it on the last. Roy’s exhibition “Drops of Silence” brings together more than 35 creations — canvases, glassworks and etchings. There is the famous Radha series — she is almost lost in the ebullient yellow of sunflowers in one; is half-naked and fringed in crimson in another; and is Everywoman in the swirling lines of charcoal. The Bengali artist’s pantheon includes baby-faced Buddhas and tender Durgas as well. “The inspiration comes from the deities but my aim is not to merely depict the tales associated with them,” says Roy, introducing the works on display at Dhoomimal Art Centre. That is why his Radha is without her Krishna. “I don’t want to look at her just as a mythological figure. She has many qualities that ordinary women have,” he nods at the unsmiling Radha.
