An assembly line printing...non-stop marathon!
Ramesvara: Srila Prabhupada described how he wanted the book production to work it really sounded like an assembly line, so from those letters to the press devotees, the artists said that we can’t keep up, there is no way we can keep up, maybe we need to do the unthinkable for an artist. Have an assembly line? So somehow or other they buried their ego. Once Prabhupada had answered all the questions Bharadwaja became the designer of composition for each painting. Jadurani filled in all the colour and form. Then Muralidhara came along to fill in all the fine finishing touches, all the lights, highlights, the jewelry and all the fine details. Most of the paintings that you are seeing in the Krishna book were painted by three artists working on each canvas with this technique. Devanhuti had her own style, so she was allowed to paint her own paintings by herself. But working in this way the combination of the four of them produced an averaged of two paintings a week for two years.
Look at what is happening by chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Devahuti’s style is very unique and distinct as you know. Assembly line, I mean they have a painting of the demigod of the oceans and they had no clue what he looks like, was he supposed to look watery? I mean think about this: Prabhupada had to explain how to paint each personality. Okay this is the one print that we used, Prabhupada liked it and authorized it that we could actually use in the Krishna book and everything else is in original. From the first painting to this, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
There are eighty-seven paintings in volume one and volume two, this marathon started a just at the beginning of 1969 and it was completely interrupted when Jadurani got sick. It picked up speed again at the end of 1969, and when did George give the money? And when did Prabhupada get the book printed? 1970. Not a lot of time to paint all these paintings. Isn’t that amazing—non-stop marathon!