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A vivid portrayal of sufferings, turmoils
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An exhibition of paintings by a local artist is an eye opener. It is a visual commentary on everything that is "repressive and anti-people."
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Inspired by a different creed.
IT IS a painting exhibition of different kind. It is not only aimed at helping the artist not only bring his works out, but also get his social message across.
The paintings on display at an exhibition, which opened at Thanjavur on Friday, are those of Pugazhendhi that depict the horror let loose against the humanity by anti-social forces and remind the visitors of the need for them to rise against such kind of tyranny.
Hailing from Thumpathikottai in Thanjavur district, Mr. Pugazhendhi is a different artist. He doesn't paint for money or name. Nor has he confined his art to aesthetics. He wants his works to reflect the happenings all over the world.
He has pitched tent in the town with his works, under the title, "Puhai Moottam".
It is a visual commentary on everything that is "repressive and anti-people" — from the Gujarat violence to various laws such as the infamous Rowlat Act of the British Government, the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) and the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA).
Through one of the exhibits on the Gujarat violence, the painter wants to know whether Gujarat is the womb of Mahatma Gandhi or a cemetery. ("Gandhiyin karuvaraiya kallaraiya").
He wields his brush even against the `unjust' invasion of Iraq by the United States, and the subsequent plundering of the Baghdad Museum, that treasure trove of the Mesopotamian civilisation.
The pangs of the Cauvery delta, the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu, caused by the drought, have been vividly portrayed.
He signs off with an optimistic note: "dawn has to come definitely after darkness."
Amuthan Adigalar, a Christian missionary, declared open the exhibition on
The Thanjavur MP, S.S. Palani Manickam, who was a guest, said Pugazhendhi had vividly portrayed the Gujarat violence with all its macabre details. Perhaps, he may be right, as he was a member of the Parliamentary Committee that visited the State after the carnage.
The MLA, S.N.M. Ubayathuyllah, had a piece of advice to the painter: he should concentrate on cultural degradation and the repression of democratic and human rights.
Mr. Pugazhendhi conducted the show in Chennai and at Villipuram, and there was a good response. "I hope it will have a same reception here," he says.
The exhibition is on till Sunday at Sri Besant Lodge.
From Srinivasan G
in Thanjavur
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Life
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
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