The encouragement to select this topic for visual ethnography came from the relevance and importance of the topic in communication design. It was also one of my childhood interests to cut the stamp foiled Ganeshji or any deity or beautiful decoration in golden shining on it on these cards of invitation. It had always been the topic of my curiosity to see how these beautiful pictures are engraved on such small cards and how papers are cut into such small pieces of drawing.

Luckily, visual ethnography gave me the chance to study this craft closely and entirely. I could study the interesting process of manufacturing invitations and wedding cards and its impact on the people in this profession. Some people were stuck with traditional printing technology, which has become outdated due to the influence of the digital world. Some of them could adapt themselves according to the situation and manage to adjust to the technological changes that come from time to time. Due to which they are dwelling for the time being.

Visual ethnography was a completely new field for me. With the excitement of a new subject and an old craft tradition to explore, which is driven by my own interest, I embarked on this journey of understanding the craft of invitations and wedding cards.

India has the dubious distinction of having the world’s largest number of sexually abused children, with a child below 16 years raped every 155th minute, a child below 10 every 13th hour, and one in every 10 children sexually abused at any point in time.

Generations of Indian children have watched their parents remain silent on sexual issues. We learn this silence, which is further complicated by a tradition that demands that every child respect and obey all elders. And so children obey and remain silent, no matter what the elders do.

This project aims to break the communication barrier about the issue between parents and children and encourages children to break the silence about a ‘touching problem’ and openly communicate on the subject with a trusted adult.

Buddhism has had a very large impact on the art history of India. It is the fourth-largest religion followed in the world. Buddhism has three vehicles to enlightenment: the Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. Vajrayana includes an embodiment of Sunya called Adi Buddha, or Vajradhara. Dhyani Buddhas emanated from Adi Buddha, and Dhyani Bodhisattvas with Saktis emanated from Dhyani Buddhas, which were responsible for creation. Due to major incarnations in Vajrayana, Buddhism has a wider scope for iconography, which can be classified into idols, mandalas, and mudras (hand postures).

In this project, I will be concentrating on mudras. Mudras are non-verbal modes of communication and self-expression consisting of hand gestures and finger poses. It is an external expression of ‘inner resolve’, suggesting that such non-verbal communications are more powerful than the spoken word. Mudras are gestures that symbolise divine manifestation. They are also used by monks in their spiritual exercises of ritual meditation and concentration, and they are believed to generate forces that invoke the deity. Another interesting meaning is given to the idea of the mudra. It reveals the secret imbibed in the five fingers. In such an interpretation, each of the fingers, starting with the thumb, is identified with one of the five elements, namely the sky, wind, fire, water, and earth. Their contact with each other symbolises the synthesis of these elements, which is significant because every form in this universe is said to be composed of a unique combination of these elements. This contact between the various elements creates conditions favourable for the presence of the deity at rites performed to secure some desired object or benefit. That is, mudras induce the deity to be near the worshipper.

This project focuses on illustrating the deeper meaning imbibed in mudras through a series of posters. It will also include the exploration of the delicate forms of mudras through illustrations. It will not only be relevant for the Buddhist followers but also for the students of design and art who want to study and want to know the meaning behind iconography in Buddhism.