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The DayAfter
Story Good Morning India: Wanted a mountain policy |
| GOOD MORNING INDIA | |
| A Message in Blood | |
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by Yogendra Bali | |
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There is one section which depicts the portraits and tale of ‘child martyrs’, tender Indians who laid down their lives.
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It was an exhibition about the martyrs of the freedom movement and the creator of the exhibition, Ravi Chandra Gupta, deserved in his own right a place of honour in the Guinness Book of World Records. I am not aware, and have not come across during my long carrieer as an art critic, that another painter could match his unique achievement. He is a "painter in blood" who seeks to use high creative faculty to convey a message. The World Exhibition was entitled "Shaheed Chitra Pradarshini" or "Gallery of Portraits in Blood." But what overwhelmed me was a special section of 70 portraits of great martyrs done not with colours but in the artist’s own blood. Ravi Chandra Gupta, standing beside me and watching some of his creations, whispered in my ears: "I could not give those great martyrs a more befitting artistic tribute than this." I just nodded my head in agreement. If you are were there, you would have done the same. And what is the message this artist seeks to convey, not only to the children of India but to every man and woman who enjoys today the gift of freedom and democracy? It is simple. He says in simple Hindi "Rashtra! Aaj Inhi Jai Boley" The nation should today honour and pay tribute to them. His display is a mobile exhibition of the martyrs for Indian freedom. Gupta wants to take it to every nook and corner of the country to tell the people about those who gave their lives to ensure that you, all other Indians and I live in freedom. His mobile exhibition has dozens of pictures, every one of them telling a stirring tale of freedom. There is one section which depicts the portraits and tale of ‘child martyrs’, tender Indians who laid down their lives. How I wish voluntary organisations and educational institutions take the responsibility of taking Ravi Chandra Gupta’s message of blood all over the country. All I want to say in this year-end column---Good Morning India bows its head in respect to those great martyrs. |
I
was fascinated by the 70 sketches displayed at a special exhibition on
martyrs of the freedom movement of India, organised by the Nehru Bali
Samiti to mark Children’s Day 2002 on the birth anniversary of
Jawaharlal Nehru. My octogenarian friend, S. P. Goyal, for whom
carrying the message and teachings of Jawaharlal Nehru to newer and
newer generations of Indian children has been a lifelong mission, had
told me that a children’s competition and a very special exhibition on
the freedom movement was being organised this year. He promised that I
would be impressed. How right he was! I was not just impressed; I was
incoherent. Why? I would like to share my experience which totally
swept my off my feet, with the readers.