Dr. Beena S. Unnikrishnan’s national traveling art exhibition, Ekaa– The One, which offered a potent modern interpretation of the 64 Yoginis, had its grand opening in Kolkata. The exhibition, which debuted in the city, gave viewers a unique opportunity to engage artistically with one of India’s most conceptually advanced but little-known cultural traditions.

The inauguration was graced by Anuradha Mazumder: Renowned Poet, Author and Elocution Artist, Apala Datta: Principal, Birla Bharati, Mrs. Smita Bajoria: Hon. Consul General, ROYAL DANISH CONSULATE, Dr. Beena S. Unnikrishnan: Founder, Editor in Chief The Atelier Magazine and Founder Kankali Trust (KT-ACED), Anirban Das: Theme Artist and Director of Bengal Echoes; award-winning Concept Designer for Asian Paints Sharad Shamman, Dipannita Acharya: Renowned Indian Folk Singer and Musician, Paromita Ghosh: Founder, Director Candid by Paromita, Raju Burman: Owner of Rupa Publications, Treasurer of the Publishers and Bookselllers Guild and Syed Gardezi: Acting US consulate.

Dr. Beena spent five years creating a series of 64 modern paintings of the Yoginis that were included in Ekaa- The One. The project was a component of an ambitious 16-state national tour. Before reaching Kolkata, the exhibition, which started in Kochi earlier this year, had already made its way to several other cities throughout the nation, providing venues for viewers to interact with the Yoginis not just as mythological characters but also as potent frameworks of feminine knowledge, identity, and cosmology. The initiative was designed as a non-profit traveling exhibition to reintroduce the Yogini tradition to modern audiences through art, research, and discussion.

The Yogini temples, which appeared between the ninth and the twelfth centuries, were round, outdoor buildings that questioned conventional notions of gender, power, and ritual. They were perceived as locations where feminine knowledge and cosmology were investigated outside of conventional structures. Drawing on this tradition, Dr. Beena’s paintings reinterpreted the Yoginis using a modern visual language, tying the ancient tradition to current discussions about gender, heritage, and identity rather than attempting literal representations. The artist, well-known for her distinctive technique, began each painting with the eyes to establish a personal connection before finishing the form.

The exhibition’s goal of making the Yogini heritage accessible to a larger public outside institutional or commercial frameworks was reinforced by the fact that it was presented as a non-commercial public initiative, remained free to enter, and did not sell any of the artworks. When Ekaa– The One arrived in Kolkata, it ignited a fascinating conversation between traditional feminine knowledge systems and modern artistic expression, transforming the exhibition from a mere display of paintings into a potent cultural event that reintroduced the ageless Yogini tradition to modern audiences through a daring and modern perspective.

Priyanka Dutta