Remembrance of
Things Past and Furious
Sushma Sabnis

For some, irrespective of them being directly affected, the
twanging string of pain and loss resonates much deeper, not just
as an emotional response to sudden calamity but a practical one
that propels them into action. These everyday heroes quietly
live out their lives, surviving the trauma, unaware that they
shine like beacons in a self-imposed-mental-fog ridden society.
Six young women, Shah Jehan Shaikh, Tahera Pathan, Rabia
Shaikh, Rehana Shaikh, Tasleem Qureshi and Farzana, survived
the communal massacre of Naroda Patiya, Ahmedabad in
February 2002, along with their silent supporters, redefined
‘survival’.
The artist herself displayed large format works about her
experiences mostly in a style of triptychs. Large paintings
depicting loss caused by fire, the effect of burns on people
and land, textured ash coloured canvases capture the
aftermath in these works. Some of the paintings like ‘Terminus
Erraeus’ focused on specific symbolism ironically rooted in
mythology and history presenting political, religious and
social dichotomies prevalent in the country. In the painting,
‘Portrait of Shah Jehan’, a triptych of a burn victim is the centre
before, Himmat and Beyond Pain : An Afterlife proved
successful in using methods practically employable to
rebuild not just broken lives, but dignity on an individual and
a larger scale of an entire society. The show also reiterates
that Art subtly acts as a healing salve especially in a riot torn
community encouraging its optimistic rejuvenation.
and cheese’, cheesy shows commanded huge crowds of the
page-x kinds, Beyond Pain: An Afterlife was well received
with a highly intellectual and humane response, thanks to
the subject and intense media coverage. The problem if
any could be that the works were unevenly distributed in
two separate venues. When a show walks on the lines of a
piece. Shah Jehan, one of the six girls who
had displayed her works, in the painting
appeared docile with an expression
which could be shyness and a hint of
questioning sadness in her eyes.
The embroidered and framed pieces
of fabric displayed the sewing skills of the
girls. The embroidered art works were
examples of one of the modules designed.
Also one could see colour co-ordination
being taught using transparent pieces
of cloth sewn one on top of each other.
The photography project undertaken in
the course of the workshop, displayed
a journey taken from Gandhi Ashram
to Vatva, where the Himmat workshops
were held. If seen from the perspective of
the journey rather than the destination,
this photo-essay unravels a path which
subtly moves from non-violence to
survival after violence. The tone of the
entire show was set by this remarkable set
of photos, which cement the purpose, not
so much as a mere documentation but as
an intimate experiential journey.