The Hindu : New Delhi News : Sahmat begins its 20th year with a hope

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Wednesday, Jan 02, 2008
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New Delhi

Sahmat begins its 20th year with a hope

Staff Reporter

Photo: R. V. Moorthy

Remembering Safdar: Spanish artiste Judith Martinez accompanied by Christophe Peres from France on the guitar at a function organised by Sahamat in New Delhi on Tuesday.

NEW DELHI: The Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT) has begun its 20th year on a sanguine note. Perceived as a point of convergence for all forms of art, SAHMAT stepped into its 20th year on Tuesday with the hope of retaining its ability of forging “solidarity among artistes”.

“Looking back, I think the fact that we have been able to consistently provide a platform to artists from the visual media, theatre, performing arts, and films and have been able to sustain a solidarity among artistes has been an achievement,” said Mr. Rajan of SAHMAT.

Set up in January 1989, after actor, poet, political and street theatre activist Safdar Hashmi was killed while performing a play 20 km away from Delhi, SAHMAT brings together people from a cross-section of society to defend democracy and freedom of expression.

“We have architects, designers, activists, actors all bound together by a common conviction. We are not a political body. Our members may have political affiliations, we may have political consequences, but our conviction is that India must remain a secular republic. And all cultural activities must uphold the values of secularism and pluralism.”

Advocating greater autonomy for art and less control on artists, members say the surge in attacks on art and artists has been a let-down. “Criticism has its own place in a democracy, but attacking artists…it’s a shame. M. F. Husain for instance is an icon of modern Indian painting. ”

While issues concerning civil society that found a voice of support from SAHMAT are many, the alleged doctoring of history during the National Democratic Alliance reign and the SAHMAT exhibition in Ayodhya after the demolition find a place on top of the list of achievements.

Against saffronisation

“Not a single political party knew what was wrong with the books, especially the history ones. We were the ones who raised our voice against saffronisation of history. It was SAHMAT that gave academics and intelligentsia a platform to come together and lay threadbare what was going wrong,” said noted theatre personality M. K. Raina.

The exhibition organised after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya is yet another indicator of SAHMAT’s commitment towards preserving the secular and pluralist fabric of the country, said Mr. Raina.

“There were whisper campaigns, the administration created last-minute hurdles and the then Prime Minister gave a fiery speech against us days before the exhibition. There was a malicious campaign that we have a poster that proclaimed Lord Ram and Sita as siblings. What made us feel let down was that nobody heard us out. Inside and outside Parliament there were accusations, media did not take up our version, finally the truth came out — there was no such poster.”

While performers and artists have come together to mark the special anniversary programme, from January 1 to 19, SAHMAT is missing a delegation that was to come from Pakistan.

“They were to cross Wagah on December 29, but because of the political conditions in their country artistes, poets and writers from Pakistan could not make it,” said Mr. Raina.

The celebrations on Tuesday began with a street play by Jatan Natya Manch from Haryana, a Flamenco dance by Judith Martinez from Spain accompanied by Christophe Peres from France on the guitar.

“There will be poetry recitations, theatre, music, exhibition of photography of Sunil Janah and paintings and woodcuts of Chittoprasad and works of M. F. Husain, apart from the delectable Delhi cuisine,” summed up Mr. Rajan.

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