Omkara - A Journey of a kind

	What is the Omkara ? Hinduism is a system of belief and from the many excerpts in the Holy Hindu bible BHAGWAD GITA there appears the word Omkara meaning - ' the vehicle to cross the ocean of life ' Crossing this ocean is the journey that the mortal being must undertake in a lifetime and henceforth encounter the three basic elements of mortality - creation, preservation and destruction. The soul is immortal and therefore never ceases to die The body is mortal and is the vehicle for the soul. Together they have to cross the ocean of life accompanied by the three gods who are responsible to create, preserve and destroy.
	Establishing a relationship between the Omkara and a 1969 Model Fiat (popularly known as the Premier Padmini) The car is an embodiment of this belief and exhibits the three elements of life which are governed by the three gods â?" Lord Shiva the god of destruction, Lord Vishnu the god of preservation and Lord Brahma the god of creation. The vehicle is symbolic of the clothes that the â?~mortal beingâ?(TM) adorns himself with during his lifetime. The soul resides within the vehicle and can never be seen. It is nor rich, nor poor, nor colored, nor white. It is a presence of the soul that the vehicle holds within its self that gives it life, very much like the relationship of a human form to his own soul. Dressed with the royal and majestic imagery of India, one side of the omkara is illustrated with three elephants approaching an Indian palace.Whereas the otherside of the vehicle portrays the very serence and placid mood of the duo Lord Shiva ( god of destruction ) and Godess Parvati (godess of everything that perishes ). The two of them exhibit the perfect courtship as â?~ only what perishes can be destroyed and vice versa â?~ From the locks of Lord Shivaâ?(TM)s hair flows the river ganges ( the holy river of India ) in which resides Godess Ganga. On the reverse of the car seated within a lotus resides Lord Vishnu protected by serpents overhead. He is the preserver of the vehicle till it completes its journey through the oceans of life. The interior of the car is adorned with the richness of Indian textiles and spirituality of hindu scriptures which create a presence vital to portrayal of a soul within the vehicle. The hood of the vehicle is illustrated with a huge OM which in the most simplest form can be interpreted as the ultimate truth of Hinduism.
	The Purpose This car undertaken as a project is meant to highlight the pride of Hinduism and the pride of being an Indian. This project does not only highlight Hinduism as a belief system but speaks a great deal to me about the belief that Hinduism holds in life and after. It presents an analogy of the relationship of our body to its soul and highlights the fact that they are infact separate entities dependent on each other for completing a journey of life. This project was undertaken for two primary purposes Firstly, to inform people of different cultures residing within the United Arab Emirates about an aspect of Hinduism Secondly to face the challenge of it all. It seemed very challenging to me to turn a very whimsical statement into reality. What had initially started off as a concept for upholstering a mustang car seat amusingly lead to the possibility of painting a vehicle over the next two months, that laid ahead till graduation. The challenge was the inspiration that led to the beginning of the OMKARA.
	The Challenges I had spent numerous hours working on the plan and procurement of this vehicle in specific, and it was through exploration, I realized the complexities of executing a graphic piece around a 3d form. The different areas of the painting had to conform to the position on the car and at the same time maintain a sense of order. I also had made it a point to break away from the symmetry of imagery on either side of the car. The time that was given to me for developing this concept and executing it was approximately 3 months. Mobility period of the project could be estimated at around 1 additional week. The body of work that I finally produced was an eye opener for myself, primarily because I had learnt a great deal and had produced a piece of work that was both commercial and fine artsy. The project taught me to stay within the boundaries and produce a workable solution to a problem The final solution to this project was presented as a real life size car that was rolled in to university gallery for the graduation art show.
	The People The completion of this installation project depended immensely on the contribution of many individuals who stood beside me every step of the way inspite of calling me insane and demented from time to time. I would like to thank ... Mum, Dad and Sis for supporting me morally, financially and primarily just being there for me whenever i needed them Chums such as Prashant Kamath and Atheeqe Ansari (for being forever enthusiastic and energetic about the project), Piyush Gadoya and family (for providing me with last minute decorative ornaments to accessorize the omkara), Aditi Vora and Pallavi Kishore (for crucial last minute touches before the first exhibition), Mona Khan (for staying back late to make sure all 'work in progress' exhibits were in order) Professors Dirk Van Wyk and Kimberley Lund for persistently backing me all the way from start to finish and making sure an idea on paper was realized despite all odds. They were truly the primary driving force behind the completion of this project. Professor Paul Bantey for making sure that the 'Omkara' made its way safe and sound to its exhibition spot in the Architecture Building. The success of the first exhibition was a result of his painstaking and strategic planning efforts. Shopmaster Kulwant Singh for taking time out to help whenever his expertise was required. Mr. Haji and his sons, the team of talented mechanics and painters of Arabsat Garage, Sharjah for their invaluable contribution without whom the 'Omkara' would have only remained a colorful sketch on paper. The support that i received both technically and morally from these guys can truly never be summed up in words or ever be made up for. I would only hope that they are aware of how grateful i am for the support they have offered me all through out this project. Mr. Dariush Zandi of Total Arts for believing in me and offering me an opportunity to showcase the 'Omkara' in the Courtyard Gallery. I am truly grateful to this absolutely amazing person for caring so much and being so supportive. Antonia Carver of ITP for covering the story in TimeOut Dubai and giving me a superb review of the same. I am very extremely thankful to her for writing about the show whilst many others had backed off thinking that it was too risque . Thanks Antonia !
	The Future The creation of the Omkara is only the beginning and hereafter, it must set off on the journey of life and travel across the oceans completing its task of survival and the task of carrying the soul. With the availability of funds and a firm sponsor, I wish to take the Omkara around the world â?" across the oceans. I intend to start this journey from the Arabian sea and complete the same in the Indian Ocean where the vehicle would be put to rest on the floor of the ocean bed. ( ending its life ) Under the Ocean, the vehicle starts to undergo a new life where nature paints its own colors on it. It changes its form because of the circumstances its in but the soul remains the same. In other words, the soul undergoes reincarnation. With an attempt to revive this vehicle, I intend to raise it from the ocean bed after a certain period of time and on a conceptual stand point, this act of submersed period is meant to signify 'moksha' - during this period, the vehicle along with it soul ceases to exist, it would mean that the soul has attained complete enlightenment and freedom from the chain of reincarnation. If not, the vehicle would be raised, adorned, renovated and reincarnated to complete yet another journey. Our body changes its form from one life to another, but the soul that resides within remains the same. The Omkara is perceived to be the ultimate truth of hinduism â?" creation, preservation and destruction.