Dalit painter's artefacts on atrocities, preserved at Gujarat's tech institute, to form part of proposed Dalit museum

Anil Vardhan (right) with Martin Macwan

By A Representative
While young Dalit painter Anil Vardhan is all set to go ahead with his third one-man show in Ahmedabad's Ravishankar Raval Kala Bhavan on paintings (click HERE) which which seek to provide an exposure into his experiments with colour intermingled with his love for music, a tete-a-tete with the young artist revealed his other side -- his deep anger over atrocities on Dalits and their incessant fight against untouchability.
Vardhan possibly believes that by exposing works before a wider audience would require him to display themes of love and music. However, he told Counterview, "Time will come when I will be only displaying things that tell a wider social message, of untouchability and caste discrimination."

Inspired to paint on themes of caste discrimination by well-known Dalit rights activist Martin Macwan, who is founder of the Dalit Shakti Kendra (DSK), a technical institute near the industrial hub of Sanand, which houses Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet Tata Nano car plant, Vardhan showed some of his excellent art works on Dalit issues, which have been carefully preserved at DSK.
Reaching DSK on way to Ahmedabad, where his exhibits will be opened by former National Institute of Design (NID) director Ashoke Chatterjee and Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA) director Preeti Shroff on Tuesday, he took this reporter around DSK to show his small as well as life-sized art works ranging from themes like Dalits being offered water from a distance in Gujarat villages, to how they are denied permission in temples.

Based on the temple theme, one of Vardhan's art works showed how Dalits were forced to peep from the holes from outside a top Odisha temple to have a glimpse of the offerings before the God because they were not allowed in. Standing next by him, Macwan explained, "It is an important chapter of Dalit history. It took a court order to stop the despicable practice. Significantly, decades ago, a similar practice prevailed at Gujarat's famous Santram Temple of Nadiad."
Also on preserved at DSK are Vardhan's 98 illustrations -- all in Madhubani style -- he prepared to highlight as many types of discrimination prevailing in Gujarat's rural areas. "These illustrations, on paper mash, suggest as 98 different questions posed to Dalits across Gujarat during a complete survey of untouchability practices prevailing in the rural areas in 2009", he said, displaying a few of them to this reporter. On display at DSK, apart from his paintings, include Vardhan's miniatures, murals and wall paintings.
Asked whether he would exhibit these and many other art works on Dalit atrocities, Vardhan, who is a primary school art teacher in Sihor, Bhavnagar district, and has been associated with DSK for about a decade, said, "I will exhibit as an example few of the artefacts at the Ravishankar Raval gallery. However, I am waiting for an appropriate time to highlight these works. They will surely form part of the Dalit museum, being planned at DSK."

Intervened Macwan, "While Vardhan's works would form a major part The Dalit art museum, which we are planning at DSK, he is not the only artist who will find a space."

He added, taking this reporter around DSK to show others' works, "Several artists have contributed their paintings and other art works to DSK on caste-based atrocities theme and would find a prominent place include well-known American black painter Juliet Seignous' 28 paintings preserved at DSK; Rina Vaghela, a brilliant fine arts student at Vallabh Vidyanagar; and Savi Savarkar, whose painting on Dalits and cow was attacked by saffron brigade in Maharashtra."

Comments

From algorithms to exploitation: New report exposes plight of India's gig workers

By Jag Jivan The recent report, "State of Finance in India Report 2024-25," released by a coalition including the Centre for Financial Accountability, Focus on the Global South, and other organizations, paints a stark picture of India's burgeoning digital economy, particularly highlighting the exploitation faced by gig workers on platform-based services.

Countrywide protest by gig workers puts spotlight on algorithmic exploitation

By A Representative A nationwide protest led largely by women gig and platform workers was held across several states on February 3, with the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) claiming the mobilisation as a success and a strong assertion of workers’ rights against what it described as widespread exploitation by digital platform companies. Demonstrations took place in Delhi, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra and other states, covering major cities including New Delhi, Jaipur, Bengaluru and Mumbai, along with multiple districts across the country.

Over 40% of gig workers earn below ₹15,000 a month: Economic Survey

By A Representative The Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, while reviewing the Economic Survey in Parliament on Tuesday, highlighted the rapid growth of gig and platform workers in India. According to the Survey, the number of gig workers has increased from 7.7 million to around 12 million, marking a growth of about 55 percent. Their share in the overall workforce is projected to rise from 2 percent to 6.7 percent, with gig workers expected to contribute approximately ₹2.35 lakh crore to the GDP by 2030. The Survey also noted that over 40 percent of gig workers earn less than ₹15,000 per month.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Budget 2026 focuses on pharma and medical tourism, overlooks public health needs: JSAI

By A Representative Jan Swasthya Abhiyan India (JSAI) has criticised the Union Budget 2026, stating that it overlooks core public health needs while prioritising the pharmaceutical industry, private healthcare, medical tourism, public-private partnerships, and exports related to AYUSH systems. In a press note issued from New Delhi, the public health network said that primary healthcare services and public health infrastructure continue to remain underfunded despite repeated policy assurances.

When compassion turns lethal: Euthanasia and the fear of becoming a burden

By Deepika A 55-year-old acquaintance passed away recently after a long battle with cancer. Why so many people are dying relatively young is a question being raised in several forums, and that debate is best reserved for another day. This individual was kept on a ventilator for nearly five months, after which the doctors and the family finally decided to let go. The cost of keeping a person on life support for such extended periods is enormous. Yet families continue to spend vast sums even when the chances of survival are minimal. Life, we are told, is precious, and nature itself strives to protect and sustain it.

Death behind locked doors in East Kolkata: A fire that exposed systemic neglect

By Atanu Roy* It was Sunday at midnight. Around 30 migrant workers were in deep sleep after a hard day’s work. A devastating fire engulfed the godown where they were sleeping. There was no escape route for the workers, as the door was locked and no firefighting system was installed. Rules of the land were violated as usual. The fire continued for days, despite the sincere efforts of fire brigade personnel. The bodies were charred in the intense heat and were beyond identification, not fit for immediate forensic examination. As a result, nobody knows the exact death toll; estimates are hovering around 21 as of now.

When resistance became administrative: How I learned to stop romanticising the labour movement

By Rohit Chauhan* On my first day at a labour rights NGO, I was given a monthly sales target: sixty memberships. Not sixty workers to organise, not sixty conversations about exploitation, not sixty political discussions. Sixty conversions. I remember staring at the whiteboard, wondering whether I had mistakenly walked into a multi-level marketing office instead of a trade union. The language was corporate, the urgency managerial, and the tone unmistakably transactional. It was my formal introduction to a strange truth I would slowly learn: in contemporary India, even rebellion runs on performance metrics.

Report exposes human rights gaps in India's $36 billion garment export industry

By Jag Jivan A new report sheds light on the urgent human rights challenges within India’s vast textile and garment industry, as global regulations increasingly demand corporate accountability in supply chains. Titled “Beneath the Seams,” the study reveals that despite the sector employing over 45 million people, systemic issues of poverty wages, unfair purchasing practices, and the exclusion of workers from decision-making persist, leaving millions vulnerable.

Search This Blog