Amid controversies, protests and anti-participation drives of eminent artists, Vadfest held at Vadodara from January 23-26. MS Universtiy’s faculty of fine arts was one of the venues of the cultural extravaganza, the same place which had a hit by right wing politics in 2007. Shivaji Panikkar, art historian and Dean, School of Culture & Creative Expressions, Ambedkar University, Delhi who had suffered most during those days in Baroda, questions the motives behind Vedfest saying “the Faculty has only complied with the dictates of the right-wing”. Speaking exclusively to Sunil Kumar, Shivaji Panikkar explains why the art community must think critically about Vadfest.
SK: What do you think about the protest against Vadfest? Are you against it, like others who had pulled their names back from events?
Panikkar: The question that I raise is a bit more complex than whether to join the event or not? As such I am not against any art event, in a way they are useful for artists. It does not matter who is sponsoring it, state government or somebody else, right wing or left wing, as far as people are benefiting in various ways out of it. That is why I never talked about or made an appeal to the artists to withdraw from VadFest like Pushpamala.N, Madhusree Dutta or as a few other artists did. But instead, I do indeed ask the artists if they should go with the majoritarian politics, or should they be resisting the right wing’s hidden agenda? If so how? I raise the question to enable thinking and my personal opinion is that joining this event surely is displaying mere opportunism from the part of Faculty of Fine Arts and the artists. If at all the consensus was to join-in, the art community should have had a strategy to hold on to its autonomy, right to free expression and join-in in their own terms. Having had long connection with that institution I do ask the exhibition organizers to explain the decision to join the event, and the criteria of inclusions and exclusions in the exhibitions.
SK: But what you are writing on social media platform tells a different story.
Panikkar: Actually, I am only asking the art community to critically think about Vadfest, and so I want them to respond certain questions such as the institution’s autonomy and freedom of expression of the artists. In the context of the event I want the art community to think about the violent oppressions that the right wing has meted-out on the art and artists in the past several decades.
However, an event such as this is explained in terms of a corrective means to reinstall the lost reputation of the institution in the very hands of the same right wing. All the same, the institution is made to negotiate with the dominant political will that celebrates global capital and artists are made to merely survive in the changed circumstances. A bit of hindsight proves as to how much FFA has changed from the events starting on 9 May 2007, and it is perhaps time to reflect on the events retrospectively, with a historical perspective. Should not the art community think about it’s past in terms of its rights? Should not they think about what the right wing politicians did to the institution back in May 2007, who were responsible for the attack and misconduct in the Faculty of Fine arts, MSU, Baroda?
 |
| Sunil Kumar with Shivaji Panikkar |
SK: You used to define yourself as a free thinker, an academician with no party affiliation, but the way you are asking the artist community to think upon the situation sounds more like an active politician.
Panikkar: Firstly, I surely do not have any membership in any political party. Second, there are a certain political sides within the art world, so my words may sound like having certain affinity to a party. I don’t deny my political role as an academic. Why am I saying this is because it is now that clearer political division of art community begins to be visible. It becomes clearer after May 2007 events - after the right wing forces attacked the FFA. I was the in-charge Dean then. One of the students Chandramohan was manhandled, and arrested from the annual examination display without informing the Dean, and the police put him in the jail on the basis of so called obscenity and for hurting religious sentiments. I was kept under rigorous suspension for four years. My life and work was totally stuck up for those four years. We have to accept that this is the work of the Hindu right wing whose interference into the art learning institution, and then capturing it for their reactionary celebration.
What upsets me is that since the 1st step of "normalizing" the Faculty after the May 2007 events, the faculty there has only complied with the dictates of the right wing. There definitely was a ploy. Since then my colleagues who supported the cause in resisting rightwing simply washed away their hands and began complying with the completely saffronized University authorities.
Vadfest is actually happening in that context. How can a faculty accept Vadfest without sorting out such backlogs? That is the question I am asking to the faculty members who were my colleagues then. I can only say that if this is political then let it be so.
SK: What would you like to say on state statement that there is democracy in our country, whosoever has to stay away from Vadfest can do so and those who want to be a part of it, is welcome?
Panikkar: Well, I am not criticizing Vadfest on any party line. I am criticizing as a free thinker and I can criticize other parties equally too. Right now, I am criticizing right wing because of its negative interventions into the art field. They have done enough destruction. With Vadfest I see the right wing’s ploy of exercising total control over art community. That is perhaps the reason why artists like Vivan Sundaram, Pushpamala, Gulammohamed Sheikh, Nilima Sheik among others are keeping out or rejecting VadFest invite.
SK: But Vivan Sundaram is working on his own party line and some others also.
Panikkar: Yes, perhaps, in any case, Sundaram is among those artists who, from beginning asserted his leftist orientation. GM Sheikh has been painting pictures from his secularist minoritarian position and so, you can’t apply a single blanket cover of politics to all. But yes, there are party lines and there are politically inspired artist. But then what is wrong in that? One should not also forget the fact that MF Husain who was targeted by the Hindutva forces belonged to minority community, or why was GM Sheikh compelled to take voluntary retirement from FFA, and to those who know history the answers are very clear.
SK: What justice you want from government? Does an apology make any difference in the standoff situation?
Panikkar: Firstly, they are never going to come out with apology. But still I would talk surely for my institution FFA, and for the student Chandramohan. Both were attacked and totally demoralized. We should have sensitivity to the fact that he is a first generation learner from a poor carpenter’s family. When a chaiwala’s son has become the PM of the country, why not a carpenter’s son can’t have his right to get his degree? I request the politicians and the police to drop the criminal case against him so that he can move freely, get his visa or passport or whatever. He also needs some honor, recognition, and acceptance like all others.
No comments:
Post a Comment