Natu - Malasana : The Indian Potty Pose

This painting is a window to the grand Himalayas as seen from the Dhalpur maidan (plains) in the Kullu valley, Himachal Pradesh. I am depicting here a celebration internationally known as Kullu Dussehra, attracting more than 4-5 lakh(400,000-500,000) people from across the Globe. Its history dates back to the 17th century when King Jagat Singh installed an idol of Raghunath on his throne as a mark of penance, and declaring the god as the ruling deity of the Valley. You see versions of this deity being carried by Kullu people, in this painting. The two dancing women portrayed in this painting are performing a traditional Nati dance step, typical of that region. Traditionally, it is a slow dance, to the beats of a percussion instrument called Dhol-Damau, but it can progress to being quite intense and advanced as we can see here. The step shown here is a single leg squat and piston squats respectively, a pose that takes weightlifters and athletes years to perfect, an excellent display of lower body strength, joints mobility and balance.