A Mumbai-based artist has come up with a series of artworks that attempts to convert the commonly-used slur 'Choodiyan pehen rakhi hain kya?' (Are you wearing bangles?) into a symbol of strength and power.
Kisalay Vora, best known for his public art works, has now begun a campaign to challenge the notion that bangles are symbols of weakness for they are often used as objects of shame and derision accompanied by the slur.
"Why bangles? What's weak about bangles? It's like saying: You are like women, therefore you are weak. Why are women saying this? What cultural message are they sending out when they do this?" asks the artist.
Using bangles as a central theme, Kisalay wants to renegotiate the social symbolism associated with them and champion the cause of gender equality.
"I have heard many women saying 'ladki ki tarah mat roh' (Don't cry like a girl), or 'Yeh meri beti nahin, mera beta hai'(this is not my daughter but my son) or the ultimate: gifting boxes of bangles to men in power, as a way of telling them: you are weak and spineless. For me, that's a very disturbing image," says Kisalay.
The artist's works "Two Sisters", "Pride", "Distortions in the mirror are deliberate" draws attention to the subliminal messages embedded with these oft repeated and demeaning phrases.
The sculpture of a macho, muscular arm adorned with large glitzy bangles elevate bangles from their role as mere adornments and accessories into symbols of strength and power.
His works on this theme represent the dichotomy of power and weakness, pride and shame, courage and cowardice - from employing a spine to represent the strength of a person while simultaneously using it as a stand to display bangles.
