Such a long journey :Balbir Krishan

Georgina Maddox

Balbir Krishan’s incredible journey as an artist and individual is testimony of the triumph of the human spirit despite crushing odds.

Sitting on the floor of his cozy studio in New Delhi’s tony Nizamuddin East colony, Balbir Krishan is finishing his latest canvas. Surrounded by some of his favourite paintings, that have been lovingly framed and mounted by his life partner, Mike, Balbir has found a haven to paint and realize his dreams. This is a big step for a self-taught artist who came from a village called Bijrol in Baghpat district, Uttar Pradesh. Rising out of his modest studio is a large canvas with the image of the Goddess Durga at its centre. This is not the usual Goddess portrayed in splendor. Her arms are bare and unadorned, she holds no tools or weapons in her hands instead she is blindfolded mourning over the dead and lifeless form of a woman across her lap. “The Goddess is disempowered her weapons have been usurped by patriarchy,” says Balbir who spent two months creating this work titled Am I Safe ? Given the current atmosphere where women have been brutalized, raped, murdered and made
to feel unsafe, the work is apt and comes from a place of empathy.