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Writing History in Colours
National identity and nationhood are not
imaginary entities; on the contrary, these are like faith
that sustains and responds to the human desire to belong,
to be rooted, and to learn from the past. One of the significant
aspects of representing history, apart from the written word,
is the visual media of which painting is an integral part.
It may not be construed as a mere co-incidence that on the
63rd anniversary of our Independence the Indian Institute
of Advanced Study, Shimla should host a week-long workshop
on the theme “Shimla Conference 1945” under the
“Artists at IIAS” program. Prof Peter Ronald de
Souza, Director IIAS contends that this way we look at our
history through the eyes of the artists.
It was, indeed, a feat to the eyes and a feast for the soul
to see the depiction of the mood of the nation, the agony
of Mother India, the despair of the leaders when the 1945-Shimla
Conference failed and the partition of the country seemed
inevitable.
The Simla Conference of 1945, generally known as Wavell Plan
was convened to discuss the reconstitution of the Viceroy’s
Executive Council. Lord Wavell had earlier visited London
to finalize the plan. On his return, he convened the conference
in Simla on June 25, 1945 which was attended by major political
leaders of India. The Conference reached a potential agreement
for the self-rule of India. The talks failed, however, on
the question of Muslim representation. Of the leaders who
attended the Conference Maulana Abul Kalam Azad represented
the Congress while Mohammed Ali Jinnah represented the Muslim
league.
These historical facts have been beautifully illustrated by
the nine nationally and internationally renowned artists,
coming from different States of the country for the workshop.
As the product of independent India they may not have seen
the turbulent times of pre-independence but as artists they
can feel it intensely with their artistic sensitivity. By
and large, it is not the Simla Conference that holds the interest
of the artists but its aftermath – the disappointment,
the fear and the uncertainty that is writ large on each and
every canvas. It is almost re-living the pain of the country
broken into three pieces.
Him Chatterjee’s observation appears viable when he
says, “Historians, litterateurs, political scientists
and others write the history in words. The cinema portrays
it on the screen. We, artists are also part of that history
and we portray it through a different medium. We offer a singular
angle to the events through the prism of colours.”
“And Shimla is ideally suited for such a venture,”
observes Prof de Souza because the 1945-Conference was held
in Shimla at the Vice regal Lodge (present IIAS). The ambience
is just perfect with the edifice breathing history and vibrating
with the memories of the bygone era.
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Each of the nine paintings is on 4x4 canvas; the medium used
is acrylic, oil and charcoal. Every work is just superb. Kanu
Patel from Gujarat titles his work “The Cardiograph
of Simla Conference”. The thread from Gandhiji’s
Charkha (the spinning wheel) is like the waves of the cardiogram;
it is encircling the canvas; on the top are five folk-type
figures representing the communities – Christian, Muslim,
Sikh, Dalit and Communist. Suddenly the smooth flow is disturbed
and the cardiogram shows up and down waves and the thread
is snapped. Mr Patel pointed out that the ambience is of nostalgia
and the sense of loss.
The sense of loss is also depicted by Ajay Jaitley from Allahabad.
He gives the effect by a tattered Simla Conference document
lying neglected and half a dozen Gandhi caps flying across
the canvas displaying a distressed atmosphere. Similarly,
Shail Choyal from Udaipur shows the fragmented psyche by his
fragmented presentation of the theme. The background is formed
by the sprawling building of the Viceregal Lodge (IIAS); one
panel shows men and women falling head down; dead cows in
front of the temple and dead pigs in front of the mosque tell
the sad tales of the diabolic acts. A long stick held by two
figures – a Hindu and a Muslim -- denoting togetherness,
is broken and the fabric of the country is rendered into pieces.
Amit Dutta from Delhi chooses a white background to emphasize
peace and non-violence. Gandhi’s bespectacled mien forms
the centre of the canvas. Down below are hands with fingers
in lotus mudra of peace but the thinking process is certainly
shaken out of proportion.
Ashit Paul from Kolkata lends folk touch to his Mother India.
She is gazing wistfully at the edifice of the Viceregal Lodge,
sitting with her children (of united India) in her lap. She
is unaware that a green pair of scissors is ready to slash
her right arm, slyly. The gloom across the subcontinent is
highlighted by the use of dull, dark colours. Suman Gupta
from Jammu tends to look from the inside to the outside. The
inner portion is murky but the outside view of the porch is
clear. A noteworthy aspect of this work is the brownish effect
of wood-panelling which looks realistic as if the painting
is executed on Burma teak.
Ramesh Bhosle from Pune uses the colours of the flags to denote
political gamut. The lush green part of our flag is torn by
the dark green flag with crescent moon and a star. Jinnah
straddles across the flags including our tri-colour and the
Union Jack; Gandhi is in a questioning pose. The expressions
of triumph on Jinnah’s face and of despair on Gandhi’s
side-pose are too vivid to be missed.
Internationally renowned “installation” artist
Subodh Kerkar from Goa has chosen the Dancing Girl from Mohenjodaro
as a symbol to underscore his theme of Partition. Dr. Kerkar
opines that the Partition resulted in a peculiar situation
in which the cultural centres of the Hindus went to Pakistan
while their cultural centres came to us. His installation
is carved out of a thick metal sheet and is mounted on railway
track. When asked the significance of the railway track, he
revealed that the Mohenjodaro were discovered by a railway
engineer.
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