Reference Table. Project: Metro Hyderabad. Area: Madhapur. Details of the Worker: Name: Dharani Venkata. Age: 44 years. Sex: Male. Village: Barkatpura. Profession: Daily labourer. Compiled by: Prasanta Sahu. Year: 2016. These words written at a corner of an exhibit draws our attention. Look closely at the canvas and the image of an under-construction portion of a metro is turned upside down and juxtaposed on a human hand. “Blood circulation is dense in this hand because of digging and handling machinery. The Metro needs physical labour to erect it but do we really know who are the people working?” questions teacher-cum-artist Prasanta Sahu. His works on Hyderabad Metro Project, done during the artist’s residency programme at Kalakriti Art Gallery, are part of an exhibition titled ‘Blueprint of a city’ here.
While in Hyderabad for the programme, Prasanta went around the city, interacted with the workers, took photographs and documented the proceedings. He recalls how workers react to his queries. “Dharani Venkata was surprised and wondered why I was asking so many questions like a government employee and the purpose of the information. Later, he became friendly and offered me tea, ” he recalls. Prasanta spent a day interacting with him and observing him closely. “Later I develop the metaphors, signs and symbols,” he says.
‘Blueprint of a city’ includes works based on the people who serve the society but never get any kind of recognition. “This is my homage to that group which contributes to the society. This is a kind of recognition for them as well,” says Sahu. In the process of his work, Prasanta documents too. “I photograph and take references. I interact with people and collect the information. I basically intervene in their space and finally produce a painting. It is strictly not a documentary and is open to any kind of interpretation,” he explains.
From the last three years, Prasanta has been highlighting social issues. ‘I feel the other sector is equally important for the society. When I go out to eat in a hotel, I pay the bill but I do not know the farmer who has toiled hard to plough the grains. Another exhibit here juxtaposes two images showing a kitchen stove, some utensils and a person’s hand over them, superimposed over elements of a car engine. The hand is of the person cooking…while we only see certain obvious elements, he is actually working with many more. In that aspect, he is akin to a garage mechanic who is also using recycled materials like a mobil can and a water bottle. A cook also recycles a few utensils or ingredients and has control over the mechanics of a stove.
Prasanta talks of his stint as a teacher at Santiniketan. “As an art teacher, one has to understand the students’ strengths and weaknesses. Unlike in a Maths or physics class, where one can teach to 30 students at once, in art one has to understand an individual’s perspective depending on their background,” he concludes. The exhibition is on till July 15
