Size: 30” x 40”
76 x 101 cms
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Dated: 11.08.2008
The painting depicts one of the famous arguments
between Akbar & Birbal. Akbar strongly believed
that a mother’s love was the greatest because she
would sacrifice everything for her love. Birbal begged
to differ & so was asked to prove his statement.
For the experiment, he chose a monkey & its young
one. Both were put into a large tank &
water was introduced into it slowly.
When the mother saw that the baby might
drown in the rising water, she lifted the little one.
As the water rose, she kept lifting the
baby higher, but when the water reached above her
nose, she put the baby down & stood upon it.
The experiment was stopped instantly. This is called
survival instinct, Birbal explained, & it is greater
than mother’s love.
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