Artist paints against terrorism
The scourge of terrorism has plagued India for far too long and it has become a global menace. Almost 200 innocent lives fell prey to the bullets of the terrorists during the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai and India’s soul bathed in its very own blood. Artiste Narendra Borlepwar had witnessed this violent occurrence from very close quarters. Whatever he witnessed disturbed him to an extent that left him almost incapacitated to do any work.
“I was feeling sorry at my helplessness. I couldn’t sleep; my brush and colours came to my rescue in the form of my paintings that came out on my canvasses. It was the only way to vent my anger against terrorism, the only option after seeing the dance of death from a very close bracket,” said the artiste, who is from Nanded. He had a first-hand look at innumerable dead bodies, and took hundreds of photographs at the St. George Hospital. Now, the efforts of the artiste go towards ensuring that terrorism is rooted out not only from India, but from the entire world. Borlepwar feels that the images of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks haunted not only the entire country, but the whole world too. “How is it that a small terror group in Pakistan dares to attack India? And why should we go begging to a foreign nation like the United States for justice?” asks the artist. According to him, now is not the time for such begging for justice, and his paintings advocate war against terrorism. “I’m glad that so many of Narendra Borlepwar’s paintings and photographs depict terrorism as an immediate concern for not only the entire nation and but also the whole world. The paintings are a spanner against violence, and should help a lot of awareness too,” said President Pratibha Patil. One of Borlepwar’s paintings depicts a termite leader wearing a politician’s cap sitting on a cozy chair, on an India made of wood, while the rest of the country is eaten away by smaller termites. The painting is meant to reflect how new-age Indian politicians have eaten away the nation’s soul. Borlepwar feels that the terrorists are quite aware of the impotency of India’s political leadership, just like the inherent impotency of a piece of wood that is eaten away by termites. “For the artist fraternity, the Mumbai terror attacks marked a moment to rise in protest. As a sensitive artist, Borlepwar has raised his voice through his art. He witnessed closely the entire violent drama on the night of 26/11, and as a true artist, expresses his emotion on the canvas. His paintings convey a message, that we should change our attitude and perform our duties to our nation and society, so that no outsider would dare to cast an evil eye on our motherland. Borlepwar has certainly proved his mettle in the field of arts,” said chief minister Ashok Chavan. The artist has titled his collection “Do or Die” indicating that people have to take responsibility to change their attitude towards the country. He has already completed 30 paintings in the series. He hopes that these paintings will compel them to think and act in unison.
Sourendra Kumar Das
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