Lamp Craftsperson applying the art of paper cutting to calligraphy.

Sanjhi is a stencil-style papercutting art derived from religious ceremonials associated with the tradition of Radha and Krishna. Its origins are in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh.

A community of goldsmiths, sonars, took on the role of ornamenting Radha and Krishna statuettes during auspicious festivals. They also began to design elaborate patterns with stencils, coloured powder and a cloth base. Over a period of days the pattern would build up and finally be consigned to the river. The context of the festival is Radha’s love for Krishna, and pictorial images are built up of flowered gardens, idyllic settings with parrots, peacocks, monkeys and cows living harmoniously in the service of Radha and Krishna. Krishna’s flute is a sound and a symbol that repeats itself in many manifestations of Vrindavan’s Sanjhi art.

Ram Soni, a Sanjhi artist, cut the words and images with a pair of specially designed scissors using handmade paper. Depictions of different forms of trees, a special feature in most Vrindavan imagery, support the calligraphy. In the image of Krishna playing his flute, the paper is cut to bring out the words of a Krishna bhajan.

The sentence on the opposite side of the four-sided lamp is 'agar bheetri batti jale to sare jagat ko prakash deti hai', meaning “If the inner light shines, the entire world is illuminated.” Mahatma Gandhi wrote these words for a collection called Thought for the Day, which was dedicated to a friend who had lost his wife.

Calligraphy or script is not commonly found in Sanjhi art. Its development here opens a new avenue of design for the Sanjhi artist who has a wealth of manuscripts and songs associated with the Radha and Krishna legends.