Although fortunately we have at-least 3-4 actual photographs of SriRamkrishna (Thakur), I always try to imagine Him in many other locations and episodes as noted by Master Mahashay or ‘M’ in ‘The Kathamrit’. M’s great descriptions simply let you be in the event and ‘SEE’ them in front of your eyes. While reading, I always become excited to ‘SEE’ SriRamkrishna on a boat, in a car visiting crowded streets of 1880’s Calcutta, visiting the photography studio, in the circus and so on. Unfortunately though, we do not have any photographic references of Thakur in such dramatic events. Neither do we have, sketches or paintings or any other art forms, that accurately depict the events in detail or as accurate as possible.
Naturally, it came to my mind to start doing it myself, with whatever tools, skills that I had with me. Using my exposure to 3d digital content creation, I planned to make small animations showing some of the selected episodes from the ‘Vachanamrit’ (Marathi translation of the ‘Gospels of SriRamkrishna’.
As you know from my earlier and the very first blog in this website, the project ideated during 2016. Me and my team stared out with a basic 3d modeling of Dakshineshwar. A somewhat vague idea was taking form, to make a 3d animated version of the events from the Gospels of Sri Ramkrishna.
After having the block version of Dakshineshwar, we stared listing out all the models we will be required. To keep it simple we decided to start with episodes that happen in Dakshineshwar only and skip any other locations. Obviously, the ‘ToDo’ list became populated quickly with 3d character models starting with Thakur himself and then Master Mahashay, Keshav Chandra Sen, Balaram Basu, Rakhal, Narendra Nath and so on.
While working on the early versions of these models, we quickly realised that this work is going to be a massive project soon. Even to store the 3d models, the software files and lots and lots of pictorial references, we needed to use our typical project planning and organising workflow.
As I like to ‘Name’ most of the important things, we needed to name this “would be” massive project. What to call this project? As I typically do, I tried creating words using some connected and meaning terms.
The Gospels of Sri Ramkrishna, Kathamrit, Vachanamrit, The Lila prasang, The Divine play etc. Initially, I came up with names like the ‘Pictorial Gospels of Sri Ramkrishna’ or ‘Visual biography of Sri Ramkrishna’. But I was not happy about those names. They are no doubt natural and self-explanatory, but seems too obvious and hence of ‘Low weightage’ for this spacial project.
It was during May and June of 2018, after some failed and unconvincing attempts, I came up with a name ‘Chitrakathamrit’ (चित्रकथामृत). Now that’s something. We all were feeling happy about the words. Clearly, it is about the ‘Amrit Katha’ but in Visual fashion. As we were discussing on it, soon, one of my team member, proposed a much simplified version of it.
“Can we just use the words ‘Chitramrit’?”
And that’s it! ‘Chitramrit’. We had a great name for our project.
We started detailing the Dakshineshwar temple and also started working on some 3d Character models. Of which I will talk in the next post.