It is said the world wars in future will be fought over water. With the rate the present generation misuse water and destroy the sources, this sounds prophetic and frightening.
Through ‘Vellathinte Peril’ (In the name of water), Rajendran Pullur presents a disturbing picture of the imminent plight of human beings for want of water. The exhibition of paintings that started at the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery here on Thursday serves as a signal of resistance and warning to the generation that is oblivious of the pressing reality – scarcity of water. The paintings kindle in the viewers a recollection of the green past and fill them with despair over their own negligence that led to large-scale destruction of the nature.
The paintings in acrylic on canvas present a vivid picture of the innocence of the nature being encroached by the corporate water lobbies in the form of mineral water bottles. These bottles form a powerful symbol in most of the paintings, reminding us how far we have been enslaved by the multinational water companies. We find all organisms, especially fishes, striving to get a drop of water and eventually adapting to a waterless existence. Humans have encroached on the sea space as well and the fishes feel insecure. The wells have dried up and bore wells have mushroomed. But there is no scarcity of water in the bottles.
The carelessly thrown away bottles have covered the face of earth and all organisms are caught up in their tangle. The careless bulldozing of the hills has left the generation stranded.
In one of the paintings we could find a crowd assembled below a small hill created after the surrounding mountain was bulldozed. There is no way to reach the well on the top of the hill.
Another painting features a water thief while another one has greenery for sale. The wait for water below the dried up taps is unending. Dried up rivers have left only dead fishes. There is no place to row a boat and the boatman has set them on flame.
Crows have assembled below a leaking pipeline for a drop to quench their thirst. The fishes are aspiring to fly, for their place in the ocean was stolen by empty drinking water bottles.
Mr. Pullur, who hails from Kasaragod, was inspired by the pathetic plight in his neighbourhood to create the work, which is being exhibited in Kozhikode for the first time.
The show will conclude on January 15.
