Indian folklore steals the show in New York exhibition

Indian folklore recently made its presence felt in American shores with the Garuda and Naga, both mythological creatures, forming a part of the attraction at the famous American Museum of Natural History in New York. These items of Indian folklore were exhibited at the renowned institution, along with mythological creatures from different corners of the world. Creatures that perhaps took shape in only human folklore and imagination, such as frightening dragons, huge birds, graceful unicorns etc. were all there in the exhibition appropriately named ‘Mythic Creatures.’ The forms of Indian Garuda and Naga, two of the most prized exhibits in ‘Mythic Creatures’ are found in a number of Asian countries even today. The Garuda is now the national symbol of two Asian countries - Thailand and Indonesia. This mythic creature has also inspired the idea of the Roc, the huge bird that is found in the Arabian Nights adventures of Sindbad the Sailor.

Mr. Laurel Kendall, curator, anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, says that one can find the Garuda if one looks at most of the map of the Asian continent. Kendall, however, admits that very few people in the West know about the Garuda. But the curator goes on to add that the imagery of and stories about the Garuda continued to exert a great influence even beyond places where the Garuda is recognized as a Garuda."

In the exhibition, models of mythical beasts have been juxtaposed with fossils to examine how actual sightings of prehistoric animals, embellished with a mix of fear and fantasy could have given birth to tales of creatures like dragons, unicorns and mermaids. 'Mythic Creatures' is scheduled to remain open until January 2008. In the 21st century, we call the world a global village claiming that technology has been making it smaller each passing day. ‘Mythic Creatures’ demonstrates how the blend of human imagination, fantasy and fear created these creatures so many centuries ago which were common features in several different civilizations.