The eternal battle between Good and Evil is borne out in the Hindu epic Ramayana, where Sri Rama eventually rescues his wife, Sita, from the evil ogre Rawana. More than something religious as the Kelantan Islamist government insists and thus the ban, the Ramayana is a tale about ethics, spirituality and faith. The Malaysian Ramayana is manifested in wayang kulit, and though it draws strong influences from Indonesia and Thailand, Dr. Ghulam-Sarwar Yousof posited that the Ramayana versions in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia were derived from the Krittivasi Ramayan, composed in 15th century Bengal. His repertoire also included tales from the Mahabharata and the Hikayat Panji. Dolores Wharton wrote in her seminal book, 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.” The other Nik Zainal piece, a drawing, certified by his wife, Aminah, on July 11, 1995, looks like a crest, for what purpose it is unknown,with two mousedeer as mascots. Nik Zainal Abidin, whose goldsmith father was a ‘dalang’ (puppeteer), was arguably the first to adapt the wayang kulit myths and folklore into fine art. He worked as a set designer for RTM in the 1960s until his retirement in 1987. He is 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. And who could forget his mosaic glass mural done in 1962 for the West Wing of Muzium Negara. He was a member of the Wednesday Art Group (1955) 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 took part in the World Expo in Osaka, Japan.