News Excerpt: 

The Subika painting style is intricately linked to the Meitei community’s cultural history through its six surviving manuscripts. Awareness about this unique art form has dwindled over the years, and it is on the brink of extinction due to neglect.

About Subika Paintings:

• The term Subika is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Siva-ajna’ (pronounced Shiv-agya), a corrupted term of Saubhagya which means good luck or prosperity.

• It is to be noted that the Buddhist traits were incorporated in the Suvika  (Sivajna – the Manipuri work for Suvika is Suvika).
• The Subika painting style is intricately linked to the Meitei community’s cultural history through its six surviving manuscripts - 
• Subika, 
• Subika Achouba,
• Subika Laishaba: 
• The painting possesses an interesting area of studying its visual elements and cultural values of Meitei community.
• The painting of Subika Laisaba is a composition of cultural motifs made by pre-existing features and other influences stimulated from their cultural worldviews.

• • Subika Choudit, 
  • Subika Cheithil,
  • Thengrakhel Subika.

• Cheitharol Kumbaba (the royal chronicle), doesn’t mention a specific founder, there is a possibility that this art form existed when the writing tradition was introduced in the state.
• The use of Subika paintings has been estimated since the 18th or 19th century.

Visual Language And Property of Subika Paintings: 

• Its illustration has visual language from the elements such as lines, shapes, forms, colours, and patterns. 
• These visual images become their cultural motifs which are arranged to create visual effects as well as to communicate cultural meaning and values. 
• The visual language examines a vocabulary of visual images from which Meitei scribes or artists build several images.

What are Manuscript Paintings?

• Manuscripts are the oldest form of art in Asia where Indian, Tibetan, Chinese, and Persian manuscripts etc. are included. 
• In Asian culture, manuscript painting is considered as a corpus of cultural knowledge that represents cosmology, civilization, and skills employed in depiction of the legends, history, moral values, prediction of fortune, and ideals. 
• In India, the tradition of manuscript painting with different styles evolved and reflected the cultural milieu of that community and region. 
• These traditional manuscript paintings technically develop their own styles depending upon their history, beliefs, social structure, and worldview. 
• Most of the time, these paintings are heavily influenced by their local cultures. However, in commonality with other far cultures manuscript painting may also be noticed with the styles, and techniques of a particular style of art. 
• Certain points and aspects in traditional art forms make them aesthetically unique from others. 
• • Although it is the cultural values, morals, beliefs and worldviews of that community that help to develop a particular art form, it is also the environment where that community survives. 
  • It is their collective consciousness that helps to develop a particular art form. 
• As India is culturally, geographically, and historically diverse, we can also see various styles of painting that are categorized in different schools in the present time.
• However, the majority of Indian manuscripts are drawn on paper and strips of palm leaf which were exclusively in use before the introduction of the new material, perhaps in the 11th century.