Art Under Attack - Another report with more info on the painting incident

[Guest guest]

Outlook India: May 11, 2007: http://tinyurl.com/362ruo

 

Art Under Attack

 

Let's not even bring in Richard Gere and Shilpa Shetty here, and stay

with more serious issues: the sordid controversy over MF Husain, the

arson and mayhem in the Dinakaran's Madurai offices, and now, before

you can celebrate the overturning the ban on James Laine's book on

Shivaji, the bizarre and outrageous happenings in Vadodara.

 

The trouble apparently began at around 3.30 pm on May 9 when Niraj

Jain, an advocate and a local VHP leader, followed by other

VHP " activists " reportedly barged into the Fine Arts faculty of the

Maharaja Sayajirao University (MS University) in Vadodara where

Chandramohan, a student from Andhra Pradesh, was displaying his

paintings at the annual appraisal show for the final year students.

 

It should also be noted that the student, Chandramohan Srilamantula,

originally from Hyderabad, is the only student in his batch to have

received a Lalit Kala National Akademi award -- his wood cut work

titled, ironically, 'Remorse " was one of the 15 works selected from a

total of 6858 works submitted by 2678 artists througout the country.

Let's also note that this was an annual appraisal show and was not an

exhibition at a gallery even which was open to the public.

 

But that didn't stop the goons who had obviously been tipped off

about the annual appraisal show. They proceeded to allegedly

manhandle Chandramohan and hurl abuses at the faculty members and

other students. Their preparation seemed complete, for they were

accompanied by local press photographers and police from Sayajiganj

police station followed soon in their wake, and instead of taking

Niraj Jain and his " activist associates " to task for unlawful entry

into the University, they were quick to take Chandramohan

Srilamantula and Venkat Rao into custody and charge them for " hurting

the religious sentiments of Christians and Hindus in the district "

under section 295 A and 153 B of IPC, calling them a " threat to the

secular atmosphere of Baroda " .

 

But it seems it was not just the local Hindutava mobocracy at work,

against Chandramohan's paintings of Shiv Linga and Goddess Durga.

Some Christian religious leaders had also been roped in to " protest "

his paintings of Jesus Christ which also were described as " highly

vulgar and objectionable " .

 

Ironically, one Rev Immanuel Kant, of the Methodist Church has been

quoted in some media reports as saying, " Our religion is all about

forgiving but there is a limit. I have passed on the word to the

Roman Catholic associations and the Parish Association also. Their

representatives and 20 other pastors will be here soon. We are also

planning to take out a protest rally in the city to voice our

concern. "

 

When asked why and how paintings meant for an internal appraisal

could possibly have offended anyone's religious sensibilities and how

Niraj Jain -- or, indeed, his Christian counterparts' --

sensibilities could ever have conceivably been offended, Niraj Jain

maintained that he had been disturbed by " reports about the

exhibition in local papers ...I just walked and pointed out the

pictures to the police and that was it. " (It should of course be

noted that advocate Niraj Jain of the VHP is known for

such " protests " , and has been known to brandish a revolver and was

last in such prominent news when " protesting " a scheme to provide

eggs to primary school children, he had chosen to register

his " anguish " by hurl eggs at the Gujarat education minister )

 

But, Shivji Paniker, Dean (In-charge) of MS University, pointed out

that the police are not supposed to enter a college campus unless

called by the authorities. Since there had been no complaint from the

university authorities, why did the police rush in and arrest the

students?

 

The Commissioner of Police, PC Thakur, maintained that the police

acted on information " that the situation could spiral out of control

and turn violent on campus " and that they were not obliged to wait

for college authorities' permission or request in such special

situations. He also maintained that no one had been manhandled and

that the university authorities were not keen to press any charges

against Niraj Jain. The Commissioner also described Chandramohan's

paintings as " extremely graphic and vulgar " and insisted that the

police had been very cordial with him and that the Dean Shivji

Paniker and other university authorities were present when the

panchnama was done.

 

Whatever be the police version or the nature of the paintings, the

concerned students, faculty and artists point out that there was just

no reason for the police to have gotten involved at that stage. But

Niraj Jain was unapologetic: " The students should be thrown out of

the university and the Dean also. This is something which is

unacceptable " . The two students were produced before a magistrate

today, for the second time, and their bail-application will now be

heard on Monday, May 14.

 

What is even more inexplicable is why the magistrate would not grant

bail to the student when the law on such matters is very clear -- it

has been held in more cases than one that the " intent " is very

important as is the fact that even in the case of exhibitions of art,

it has been held that those are for private viewing, as against a

public display -- since people have a choice whether they wish to see

such works or not. As against all this, and this bears repeating,

these impugned paintings were part of an annual appraisal in a fine

arts institution! There clearly was no intent to create any religious

enmity, and if anything, it was the intervention of the VHP goons

which seems to have tried to give it those political colours. It is

something very basic: an encroachment in the private domain of the

University itself. If the police feels free to enter a University

today and take cognizance of someone's subjective " outraged

sensibility " , what is to prevent that happening in homes and offices

tomorrow?