An art exhibition titled ‘We are on trial’ was inaugurated by actor Naseeruddin Shah in Mumbai on the life, work and trial of rationalist late Dr. Narendra Dabholkar.
Besides the thespian actor, Dr. Dabholkar’s wife Dr. Shaila, daughter Mukta and advocate Abhay Nevagi, were also present at the inauguration. Mr. Nevagi has been fighting the legal battle for the Dabholkar family.
The exhibition showcases art work by students of Sir JJ School of Arts and has been organised by a group called, Friends of Dabholkar which constitutes working women journalists. Inaugurated on Friday, it is open for visitors at YB Chavan Center till November 1, when Dr. Dabholkar would have turned 77.
Mr. Shah said, “I did not know about Dr. Dabholkar and his work but after I learnt about what he was doing, I was surprised to discover that a man can value his belief more than his own life.” He added, “I am proud to have lived at a time when Dr. Dabholkar lived. Till humanity survives, Dr. Dabholkar’s steps will be etched in history as time passes, rather than fading away.”
Dr. Dabholkar and his associates were the first to propose eco-friendly Ganesha festivities in Maharashtra | Photo Credit: Sonam Saigal
On August 20, 2013, three bullets were fired at Dr. Dabholkar, when he was on his morning walk at Pune’s Vitthal Ramji Shinde Bridge. He was scheduled to address a press conference later in the day to advocate for an eco-friendly Ganesha festival. One of the paintings at the exhibition is on eco-friendly Ganapati as Dr. Dabholkar and his associates were the first to propose this during the 10-day Ganesha festivities in Maharashtra.
Recounting her husband’s routine Dr. Shaila Dabholkar said, “Narendra is always there with us. He always told me to keep fighting for what is right.” She said he used to receive a lot of threats and would say he would dodge the bullets fired at him by jumping sideways as he was a kabaddi player.
It’s been nine years since the murder and trial is going on against Sanatan Sanstha functionaries Dr. Virendrasinh Tawade, Sachin Andure, and Sharad Kalaskar along with Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad advocate Sanjeev Punalekar (out on bail) and Vikram Bhave (on bail).
The exhibition also pays tribute to Govind Pansare, 80, MM Kalburgi, 77, and journalist Gauri Lankesh. | Photo Credit: Sonam Saigal
The exhibition also pays tribute to three other rationalists – Govind Pansare, 80, who was shot dead on February 6, 2015 in Kolhapur; MM Kalburgi, 77, Kannada intellectual murdered on August 30, 2015 at Dharwad; and journalist Gauri Lankesh, 55, shot dead outside her residence in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is a presentation by Dhanraj Kalmani and Anamika Barange of a corpse and is called, ‘A trip to the cremation ground’, an innovative initiative, started by Dr. Dabholkar and his team which continues. This three-hour trip is organised on a new moon night for school children, parents and teachers wherein participants visit a cremation ground, clean up the premises, and learn about its layout. Maharashtra Committee for Eradication of Superstition (MANS) volunteers explain to them that the idea that a person becomes a ghost after death is unscientific and totally baseless. Ghosts do not exist. Songs challenging superstition are sung. Dr. Dabholkar had organised a campaign, ‘Shobh bhutacha, bodh manacha’ (searching for ghosts, exploring the mind).
Delay in trial
Mr. Nevagi said the murder case has seen so many ups and downs and dead ends and mentioned how delays were also caused because the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) made a statement before the Bombay High Court that they would send the weapons found in the case to Scotland Yard, but they never did so.
Rahul Kamble’s artwork depicts the delay in the trial which began in 2021. He has used metal and cooper to show how Pune Police, investigating the murder, initially arrested two members of the Nagori gang and claimed that the weapons used in the crime were recovered. However the claims turned out to be false. The second part of the artwork portrays how the Pune police used planchette to speak to Dr. Dabholkar’s soul to get clues for the probe. He said, “The irony is how a tool of superstition was used to find the murderers of a man who fought his whole life to educate people on superstition.” The third part of the artwork depicts how time was wasted because of the claim of sending weapons to Scotland Yard.
Several paintings and art installations illustrate work done by the MANS -- a Scientific Temper Action Conference organised at Latur, an anti-superstition conference at Satara, a woman centric manifesto of superstition eradication published at a conference at Solapur, a charter for the field of education, focusing on secularism and scientific temper prepared at an event in Baramati.
A family protrait | Photo Credit: Sonam Saigal
One of the 30 paintings also touches upon mental health, in keeping with what Dr. Dabholkar used to say, ‘no health without mental health’. He had also initiated a programme called ‘Jodidarachi Viveki Nivad’ (reasoned selection of life partner) to encourage inter-caste and inter-faith marriages. The exhibition also features Dr. Dabholkar’s family portraits .
Nationalist Congress Party leader and MP, Supriya Sule, who was also present at the event said, “I am very happy to see that students of JJ School of Arts have presented such fabulous work here. The next generation must learn about the works of Dr. Dabholkar. I am certain that superstition will also be abolished the way sati was.”
