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Madan Lal's recent Sculptures of 'Jalnidhi' series are the result of his rare visual experience he had in Padamanabhpwam's Wooden Palace where to the backside of it a pond 'revealed' itself to him. The green trees and foliage surrounded the pond, to the extent that at first glance it seemed almost hidden in semi-darkness.

Madan had a strange feeling, almost spiritual, tinged with awe and wonder, and was gratified at the thought that Nature has bestowed upon him an opportunity to be a witness of a unique spectacle.

The images of the pond haunted him for a long time. The images also brought back memories of the ponds and wells of his village, intensely and gave him the sensation that reverberated with the images of water flowing and swirling in rivers, lakes, pitches, and bowl. Water - a bliss and gift given by nature to all lives on this earth. The present series of Jalnidhi, bears testimony to these experiences and sensations Madan had at one time or another.

Madan had not sculpted this image, yet these sculptures relate to the various forms of water - situation - natural or man made - and bring to us a whole philosophy of life, which centres round the water. Here, one would also remember the ritual of offering water to the sun and various deities in India, as a gesture of reverence and prayer.

Madan apparently chooses to reflect or meditate on the water substance and invites us to do the same. Moreover, for this he has created the sculptural forms, which have a resemblance to the ponds, rivers, lakes, wells tributaries, etc. Yet, at the same time, he is concerned with the forms, which would stand out independently, and would give us a feeling of monumentality, to speak for themselves in different dimensions. One would not miss the geometrical cognisance of these forms.

Elements of nature and her properties seemed to be the focal points in his sculptures. The vibrations, one gets from the growth-element in Nature, such as a seed turning into a plant, and a bud into a flower or a fruit, have always been an obsession with Madan Lal. Here one can recall his earlier brick, stone, and iron sculpture. The vegetation as such, has given birth to many a new forms in his sculptures, to express a sense of joy and wonder in his life force. The sculptures of Jalnidhi series are also replete with imagined vegetation forms.

Madan seems to present an aerial views of various landscapes with water, and his sculpture when put together, become visually more stunning. They convey a feeling of the earthy and the ethereal, at one or the same time. A lot of thinking has definitely gone into their composition. What seems to be simple and direct is not very simple and direct.

Madan's acquaintance with the Japanese art scene and Japanese gardens with their beautiful ponds, during his three-year stay in that country and three subsequent visits, and his fascination for the ambience created by Sarnath ruins and garden; and his associations with Varanasi ghats and the river Ganga, have also contributed in some Jalnidhi series.

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