India, New Delhi, North-East India and Racism

 In a Survey released last year by The Washington Post, India was ranked among one of the most racist country in the world today. With this fact on the backdrop, we take a quick visit to the “Land Of The Big Hearted” or “Dilli Dilwalon Ki”. New Delhi, the capital of India where arguably people from the North-East India faced the worst case of racism and stereotyping within their own country by their own countryman because of the way they look, dress, work and their eating habits.

Final Cartoon Strips At The End Of The Seminar

However I must add that I hate fact when people takes on to the streets protesting about certain injustice but having no clue what the best possible solution could be. Somehow I wonder if that’s what I see every day. That’s how a useless and desperate soul does who wants themselves heard or wants an instant fame out of a situation or with a covet personal gain or whatever b**lshit, but has no intention in solving the actual problem. So we will meet “World Comics India” and what they are doing to address the above mentioned issues using their “Grassroots Comic Movement”.

Let’s imagine it this way; you walk down the road and someone calls you a foreigner. You walk into a store, the clerk mocks at you with an ugly racial remarks and the store manager does nothing instead he joins in the party. You go out in short skirts on weekend and they raped you with their lecherous eyes. You work at a spa or a beauty parlor and the aunties think you are cheap or available or hopefully a prostitute. You went out searching for an apartment; you couldn’t get one because you are a non-vegetarian. You throw a party last night because it was your birthday, the next day you get a warning from your landlord to vacate. You walk into a police station to lodge a formal complaint (or an FIR); the constable makes sure you are being humiliated and violated. You are being specially targeted to rape or beaten to death because of your different racial feature and the cops generalize you for either a prostitute or drunkard instead of lodging a formal complaint. You are being kick out of your job without paying because your boss thinks you are an outsider with no backup to come back and protest…

Now my question is; where are all the big hearted now? Or is this big hearted only applicable towards the white tourists? Steps in “World Comics India”, a non-funded organization founded by Sharad Sharma, one of the most prominent faces in the world of Indian Comics and a Delhite, travels India and abroad conducting seminars and teaching the importance and the untapped power of using basic comics as a medium to express.

Exhibition Cum Open Discussion

Using just four frames on an A4 size paper, some basic comic characters and a story; World Comics India tells stories of people by locals in local dialects. And very recently I had a great opportunity be become a part of one such seminar cum sensitization program against racism and stereotyping faced by the people from the North East India in New Delhi. With students from both North East, local Delhites and other parts of the country under one roof discussing, exchanging culture and personal experiences, clearing perceptions and finally working together in creating a series of comic strips addressing the issue of such inhuman and shameful act met towards fellow Northeasterners, which later was displayed to other students and general public through seminar and open conversation.

At Connaught Place, New Delhi

The initiative became a very effective platform for open discussions and educating locals why it was unacceptable and inhuman act towards the people from NE who traveled far away from home because of the prevailing inhuman military dictatorship rule impose in their regions by the world largest Democratic Indian Government, for better higher education and for better job opportunities Delhi provides. Soon it gained momentum and slowly with the acceptance from the locals who after realizing what they did, were willing to open up and join in the movement. That’s how you raise your voice in a creative way and not just staging on the streets and shouting slogans.

Lastly, it will be very unfair on the part of people from North East if we are not willing to adjust and live in harmony with this people around us by accepting and respecting their cultural and traditional values. It will also be very unfair on our part if we do not allow ourselves to become a part of this culture because one way or the other, it’s our home far away from home. And it will very unfair on our part if we do not take up the initiative of teaching and educating ignorant people about our own culture, traditions and our ways of life.

Sharad Sharma, A Live Cartoon Session

I am not a very active social activist but I am from North-East India, so I have had my own share of firsthand experience on how we are being discriminated here in the national capital. Of course during the recent times, many unrelated situations have been blown out of proportions by the media, NGO’s and Student's Organizations from the North East itself with their own coveted intentions. For example, incidences where criminal cases being put to spotlight as racial attacks which eventually attracts more hatred and communalism. This must stop and we as a civilized citizen should start realizing the negative impact of such actions. Some few years ago, the whole of India and Indians around the world join hands in protest against the Australian government because of unprecedented racial attack met towards fellow Indians in Australia. However the real question that remains un-answered is; what about those racial attacks happening everyday within the country by their own countryman against their own fellow countryman? If Narendra Modi wants to clean India, he should also better start working on this situation and not preach India as a Hindu country. In fact Hindi is not even our national language.

Last Words: “Dilli Dilwalon Ki” needs a new heart. The road to the new beginning.

The Trouble With The Indian Art Galleries

Let’s begin with, sorry again, because I have been real lazy to write anything in a while. Anyway here I am and to kick off with, I might go lashing against the Indian Art Galleries and on how they run. But before we begin, I just wanted to add that there are always exceptions.

MF Hussain works displayed at Delhi Art Gallery amid tight security

Over the years since I started practicing art full time, I have been following art galleries, organizations or cultural centers from around the globe and observing them. Well I guess that what we artists do these days when we don’t have much jobs around. I think, in a way this gives us a feeling that we are somehow connected to the art scene out there, when actually we are not. Anyway, during such observations I couldn’t help myself but notice the differences between how art galleries in other parts of the world (especially the west) runs and how it’s being run here in India. I will talk in three perspectives. I will not be taking names though.

One: Art is supposed to inspire, a way to creative thinking and adding beautiful colors to our lives and not just selling. Selling art is very important and that should always be a priority, but if you are selling only the artworks of famous artist, that’s where the problem is. In Indian art galleries, all you can see is the artworks of famous Indian and international artists. It sure is an amazing experience to see such artworks but what about those upcoming and struggling artists!!! “F**k Off” is what they are literally telling this group of hopeful artists.

In fact, it is very surprising to know the fact that most of the famous Indian artists today became a known name outside of India and then they come back to India and gets accepted within the Indian art scene. Don’t believe me??? Try asking the next established Indian artist you meet.

Anjolie Ela Menon's Work in Mumbai

Two: Art shouldn’t be for just some few elite groups of people, it should be for all. Unfortunately that’s not the case here. Art galleries here have their own mailing list to some few elite clienteles’ and that’s where all their invitations go. The rest of us have to personally walk-in to find out what’s going on. It’s not that these art galleries doesn’t have their websites or social media pages, it’s just that most of them never update any information there. And on social media, I think most of them never even came back the day after they sign up for it. I am not sure if they even remember their passwords.

It gets worst, for example if you wanted to know something and since you just can’t walk-in into their office without an appointment, so you email them. One year later, you still haven’t heard back from them yet. Keep waiting… If you are one lucky person, you might get a reply five/six weeks later and never hear from them again even if you reply back for more details. Rest assured they will never pick your call on the number listed on their website. It will keep ringing. And in case if it’s a government art gallery, don’t even try your luck. They are way out of your league.

Three: Every now and then, I keep seeing updates on Facebook Pages, Twitter etc. via art galleries about their weekend or monthly initiative that promotes and indulges creative thinking among kids or giving opportunity to emerging artists. For example: free weekend art classes for kids under 13 or monthly juried art competition for upcoming and emerging artist. You guess it right; none of them are from Indian art galleries.

No wonder, so many of these private art galleries here goes out of the picture after a few years or so. It’s a high time that the Indian Art Galleries should start realizing the fact that these little activities however small and sound unimportant are actually the driving force behind art and creativity. It attracts people and engagement. You run out of it, you also run out.

Last Words: Of course there are always exceptions but long story short, “You are F**ked” if you are an emerging artist out here.