A wall-sized greyscale photograph of Manipuri civil rights activist Irom Sharmila on a hunger strike, provides a stark display at the Lalit Kala Akademi here.
The photo is part of paintings, installations and videos that celebrate the different forms of activism, put up in an exhibition that marks 25 years of the Safdar Hasmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT).
Photographer Gauri Gill who clicked Irom's photo says, "In 2005 I was asked to photograph her by a feminist group. I was granted permission into her hospital where she forcibly fed through a process nasogastric incubation under supervision of armed forces."
Also known as 'Iron Lady of Manipur', Irom Sharmila had began a hunger strike in November 2000 against Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958.
Alongside Gauri's photograph is a small note based on her interaction with the activist.
"My mentality is solidarity. Everything is an illusion to me. After my death my soul will pass away from this mundane world without my mother and my friends," says the excerpt.
Irom tells Gauri, "As human beings our most important duty is to live. God examines and protects us all. He loves me more than my mother."
Apart from Gauri, 35 artists participating in the show explore a variety of subjects like communal violence, environmental degradation, identity, tradition, artistic freedom and gender bias. The heart of the exhibition is based on human struggle- both physical and psychological.
The 2002 Gujarat riots has also been examined by artists like Ram Rahman and Vasudha Thozhar whose work portray the struggles of the survivors.
