Date:13/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/13/stories/2008101357950200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Artists wield their brush for a harmonious cause

Staff Reporter

They paint to protest the recent violence on Christians

— PHOTO: M.Vedhan

Remonstration: Paintings by artists to show their solidarity against the communal violence in Orissa and Karnataka being displayed in the city.

CHENNAI: A group of 25 artists have united under the banner “Artists for Harmony” to register their protest against the violence unleashed on Christians in Orissa and Karnataka recently. On Sunday, they assembled at the All India Catholic University Federation office here to express their solidarity on this by painting on the issue.

Among the paintings on display are, a crucified “Mother India,” a red-eyed man donning a chain of crucified men and women round his neck, a victim with a bleeding vermillion dot on his forehead pleading “Don’t Kill Me” and a tribal woman being chased by fundamentalists in an attempt to rape her. Event organiser Revathi Radhakrishnan from the voluntary organisation Pengal Sandippu said, “Anti-communal activists will use these paintings as campaign material for awareness programmes to be conducted in Chennai and parts of Orissa and Karnataka.”

She said that the event was meant to reinforce the secular credentials of our nation. “It is not only for Christians to protest against this event. Every secular Indian should be protesting,” she added.

Historical Continuity

Art historian K.T.Gandhirajan said that the ongoing Hindu fundamentalist activities targeting Christians and their places of worship had a historical continuity to it. His painting “Samhara” depicted mosques and temples in the foreground, showing the communal violence unleashed on Jains and Buddhists by Saivites way back in the 7th century AD.

He said that “the only way to stop the current wave of violence is to promote mutual understanding and respect for people belonging to other religions,” he said.

Artist A.Viswam who participated in the protest said that the artists should remain secular and avoid any attempts by political parties to appropriate their medium as a tool for political propaganda.