The Ramayana celebrating the triumph of Good over Evil has fascinated people from South Asia to Southeast Asia, and other parts of the world, for centuries.  Nik Zainal Abidin was the first to adapt the ancient Sanskrit epic into the kelir (curtain) of watercolour ‘canvas’ filling it with noble and villainous characters. The Ramayana comprising some 24,000 verses tells of how the virtuous prince Rama set about to rescue his abducted wife, Sita, an epitome of women purity, from the hydra-headed demon Ravana, with the help of the quintessential superhero Hanuman. Fusing myth and magic, the battle also involves giant serpents and flying elephants. Elephants are highly revered as a symbol of royalty and valour in India where the tale originated. Before the advent of television and computer generated imagery, such spectacular dramaturgy entertained commoners and royalty alike, and has developed into its own art form in the mystical Indonesian island of Bali. Dolores Wharton wrote in Contemporary Artists of Malaysia: A Biographical Survey: “There are many who tried their hands at painting wayang kulit but none has unlocked the vitality of drama or acquired the skills of painting the figures that Nik Zainal does so effortlessly.” A work from Nik Zainal’s Istana Kayangan Series (1967) sold for a premium of RM22,120 at The Edge Auction in March 2017. Nik Zainal Abidin is best known for his design of the Kunci Ibu Kota, the cokmar (royal mace) and the royal throne for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 1960. Another masterpiece is his mosaic glass mural done in 1962 for the West Wing of Muzium Negara. He was a member of the Wednesday Art Group and showed promise when he won the 1st Prize in the Joy of Living exhibition in 1964. In 1970, he was selected for a German cultural tour and he also took part in the World Expo in Osaka, Japan. He had two solos at the Samat Art Gallery in 1970 (June) and 1971 (October-November) respectively. He worked as a set designer for Radio-Television Malaysia in the 1960s until his retirement in 1988.