The situation is worsened in the current post-truth political environment where public consciousness is submerged under the influx of nationalist flamboyance and pageantry – lies rule the public. The Public today cries out, “tell us lies, we’re here ready to believe”.
JOSEPH JOYSON PALLIPARAMBIL OFM CAP
The Eternal Silence of these infinite crowds frightens me”, wrote Nirad C Chauduri, about the dumbness of the English public of yesterdays (A Passage to England). Ironically, we in India now, are witnessing to an all permeating dumbness and numbness among the common folks in an all time strange, dire and complex political fiasco. The situation seems to be grave as we tend to ponder further over the famers’ struggle, which eventually drew international attention albeit covert operations of the Indian rulers to bury the facts as deep as possible. “It’s none of my business until it burns my skin”- sort of blunt and blind attitude of contemporary Indian public and a consequent silence served great prop to the thuggish misbehavior of the rulers now-a-days.
Current government in their second successive tenure, turned further bullish with their thumping victory to crown and throne. No wonder, they rolled out poorly-cooked-out policies one after another leaving NO room for the people even to ponder let alone protest. It is in this context, we may place the plight of farmers who were compelled from within to take on to months-long protest leaving behind their otherwise routine farming activities. Three draconian farm laws enjoined by the rulers challenging the very existence of the already tottering farm sector are in fact, an eventual consequence of a growing numbness creeping into the common Indian life. It became so order-of-the-day-kind that when we come to know “a farmer in the neighbourhood committed suicide”, is no more a surprise. What I, as a practicing painter, perceive here is all about our lacking right perception on right time.
Right wing nationalists have paved way for a prevalent “don’t-look-at-it” attitude among the common people. It is here, I fall back to the vibrant experience at the CARP Art Camp held at a hill-top hamlet, Capuchin Shanthiniketan, Nadukani, Idukki, in the first week of December 2020. The Camp was titled Mud-n-Mind, giving enough room for discussions and deliberations on the farmers’ struggle. CARP convened the Art Camp in solidarity with the never-before-sort- of-strike. A favourable air brought about notable creative art expressions. On my part, a profound awareness within me that the public in general is prey to lacking sensitivity, urged me create a triptych which I titled, “Deep Look”. One may need silence to have a deep look. Nevertheless, silence does not follow the deep look, rather, a response by way of an expression with words or actions, follows. In my case, it was a creative expression, a painting. As for me, it was an expression of “breaking my silence” – deep look talking from within as loud as possible.
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