Selection of the subject:
In ancient as well as in today's world women are the ones who have to prove their character. In all situations, women were questioned and made to prove their innocence, loyalty, and integrity. While men were never asked and always forgiven for their deeds. Women are an inseparable and integrated part of culture all over the world. They enrich society with various activities, knowledge, and work. When women get equal rights, the world will progress toward a better future. Together, all of us are expected to play roles that would prove complementary. But, since time immemorial, women were always made to go through difficult situations without any support from a male-dominated society.
So, the subject selected the situation women face in their life. The best way to express the situations women face is by selecting female characters from our Indian epics.
Thinking Line:
The main motive for selecting this subject was to make today’s youth aware of women and the ordeals that they went through. As I have mentioned earlier, I have picked up a few important female characters from Indian epics and showed how they faced the difficult situations imposed upon them.
Draupadi
The most notable incident in Draupadi’s life is the game of dice at hastinapura where Yudhishthira losses his possessions and wife, and she was humiliated by Kaurva brothers and Karan. An attempt is made by Dushasana to disrobe Draupadi, but she was saved by the divine intervention of Krishna.
This incident of ‘Vastraharan’ is showed through typography by showing red cloth connecting with the name Draupadi and showing the chaos happening in the palace.
Shurpanakha
She met the exiled prince Rama of Ayodhya during one such visit to the forest of Panchavati and was instantly smitten by his youthful good looks. She adopted a beautiful form to entice him, but Rama meanwhile kindly rejected her advances, telling her that he was faithful to his wife Sita and thus would never take another wife. Rejected, Shurpnakha then approached his younger brother, Lakshmana, who said that he is only second to Rama and therefore not worthy of her. Infuriated by their dismissals, the humiliated and envious Shurpanakha returned to her demonic form and attacked Sita, but was thwarted by Lakshmana, who cut off her nose.
I selected a font that is extra bold and has sharp contrast. I maintained some irregularity while executing the name because the popular description of demonic characters does not mention standard features of beauty. Shurpanakha being the sister of the demon King Ravana, was no exception. In typographic execution, I tried to express the story by chopping a piece of the letter ‘Nna’
Sati
One of the wives of the god Shiva and a daughter of the King Daksha. Sati married Shiva against her father’s wishes. When her father did not invite her husband, God Shiva to a great sacrifice, Sati died of mortification. Some say she threw herself into the sacrificial fire, an act that is sometimes given as justification for ‘suttee’, the ritual immolation of a wife on her husband’s funeral pyre.
This is shown by the name surrounded by fire and ashes in the fire pit.
Ahalya
Created by the god Brahma as the most beautiful woman, Ahalya was married to the much older sage Gautama. In the earliest full narrative, when Indra comes disguised as her husband, Gautama; Ahalya sees through his disguise but nevertheless accepts his advances. Ahalya is cursed to become a stone and would regain her human form only after she (in the form of a stone) is brushed by Rama’s foot.
Name Ahalya, is given the texture of stone with soil as an appropriate background.
Menaka
Menaka was born during the churning of the ocean by the devas and Asuras. She is one of the most beautiful dancers in the court of the King of Gods, Indra. Vishwaamitra, one of the most respected and revered sages in ancient India, frightened the devas and even tried to create another heaven. Indra, sent Menaka from heaven to earth to lure him and break his penance. She succeeded in breaking the penance of Vishwaamitra. She fell in love with him and a baby was born to them, who later grew in sage Kanva’s ashram and came to be called as Shakuntala.
Vishwaamitra realized that he had been tricked by Indra, and he was enraged. But he merely cursed Menaka to be separated from him forever, for he loved her as well and knew that she had lost all devious intentions toward him long ago.
I tried to portray Menaka by showing her appearance on earth and the separation by separating letters.
Sita
Described as a daughter of ‘Bhumi’ (The earth), Sita is brought up as the adopted daughter of King Janaka of Videha. Sita, chooses Rama, the prince of Ayodhya as her husband in swayamvara. She chooses to accompany her husband along with her brother-in-law Lakshmana in his exile. The trio settles in the Dandaka Forest from where she is abducted by Ravana, the Rakshasa King of Lanka. Rama asks Sita to undergo Agni Pariksha (an ordeal of fire), by which she proves her purity, before she was excepted by Rama.
Years later, Sita returns to the womb of her mother, the Earth for release from a cruel world and as testimony of her purity, after she reunites with her two sons Luv and Kusha and husband Rama.
This incident (Sita returns to the womb of her mother, the Earth) I have tried to show by showing soil on both side top and bottom and the name ‘Sita’ in the middle with one fourth part in the bottom part of the soil.
