Creative activism on a moving bus

December 13, 2014 01:33 am | Updated 01:33 am IST - BENGALURU:

BENGALURU - 12.12.2014 :  Mahila Sancharaka - Women's stories on urban mobility, displayed in a Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation bus (BMTC), by students of art school, in Bengaluru on December 12, 2014.    Photo: K. Murali Kumar.

BENGALURU - 12.12.2014 : Mahila Sancharaka - Women's stories on urban mobility, displayed in a Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation bus (BMTC), by students of art school, in Bengaluru on December 12, 2014. Photo: K. Murali Kumar.

In the midst of an increasing number of cases of sexual assault, students of Srishti School of Arts, Design and Technology (SSADT) organised an exhibition in a unique space: a moving Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus. Travelling around the city, postcards, photos and stickers were used to create awareness about the problems faced by women while travelling by bus.

“The objective was to go beyond activism and use art creatively to spread the message,” said Deepak Srinivasan, a faculty at SSADT.

The students spoke to many women bus conductors and passengers to bring out perspectives of different people travelling by bus. “Women don’t have to show themselves as Jhansi ki Rani to protect themselves while travelling”, said Gavati Nad, who made an art essay of her experience while travelling in a bus dressed as Jhansi ki Rani.

Maria Shakir had a combination of photos and illustrations, which speak about the problems faced by women vendors while travelling in a bus. “Many women vegetable and flower vendors told me that they have to pay extra for their luggage even though they have a bus pass,” she said.

Anwesha Chakrabarty, Prachi Malviya and Bhagya Mathew exhibited a scripted graphic comic series, which speaks of how a woman becomes a super conductor to protect herself.

After looking at the displays, Krishna G., a bus conductor, said, “I want women to understand that only if they take the initiative and speak will we be able to help them.”

A woman conductor said, “Men will always find a way to avoid punishment and repeat their mistakes unless punishment becomes stricter.”

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.