Asana of Faith by Jayesh Shukla

Asana of Faith by Jayesh Shukla (b. 1962) reflects a pure form of bhakti in everyday India. In many villages, worship lives in a small room where a framed image of Lord Ram, Maa Sita, Bhai Lakshman, and Hanuman ji is placed with care, and a simple chair becomes a sacred throne. The paduka here recalls Bharat’s devotion, when he kept Ram’s sandals on the throne during vanvaas, honouring dharma through absence and remembrance.

Shukla stitches this memory into lived ritual. Bhajan and kirtan, family gatherings, and the gentle discipline of daily prayer. Even the cloth placed beneath the chair, often stitched by the women of the home, becomes an offering that gives dignity to Ram’s asana. The framed “Ram Sabha” image in this work is nearly 80 years old, preserved by the artist in his collection.

Through this installation, Shukla shows how Indians have lived with art for generations. Long before the language of readymade objects and narrative art, our culture practised it through devotion, simplicity, and faith.