Deepavali Card : 2021

{exploring sound and gesture through letter forms}

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As a graphic designer and cultural researcher, I started the Deepavali card project in 2018. The project celebrates my bicultural identity, Kannglish (Kannada, native language + English), and the Sanskrit mantras (verses) from various Upanishads (scared texts) and Sutras, which are spiritual aphorisms promoting peace and harmony. These verses are usually written in Devanagiri script, but I have been exploring Kannada letter forms. These forms are derived from ancient Brahmi script, and Kannada is the spoken language in Karnataka state where I am from. Kannada script is used to depict the sutra combining with Latin letter forms to denote and unravel new meaning. This project has been my desire to hold on to my cultural history and language for future generations to embrace. 

This is my fourth card in the series. The Sanskrit word on the card reads Namaste, a word used since Rig Vedic times in suktas (hymns), which means, I bow to you. Namaste during worship is to surrender oneself to the divine, and as a greeting, one acknowledges and accepts the other with honor and respect. The divine yum vibration of the anahata chakra mandala evokes love, compassion and joy. If we can open our hearts to embrace beauty in imperfections, the vibrations produced as we meditate on yum and utter Namaste, we can make our heart a home to love and peace. The card was mailed to 150 friends, colleagues, and peers. I received several kind acknowledgements and I am joyful that my Namaste touched many hearts.