November 16, 2006

An exhibition of photographs and paintings was held recently to highlight the plight of a village where most of the inhabitants are addicted to gutka mixed with opium

An interesting trend seems to have developed of late to bring neglected, yet grave social issues, to light through art-related exhibitions. The first of its kind was the exhibition of paintings on Macchar Colony done by the children of the area.

More recently, an exhibition of photographs and paintings was held to highlight the plight of village Phalkara near Badin, where apart from the more acknowledged problem of acute shortage of food, most of the inhabitants are addicted to gutka mixed with opium, and as a result leading lethargic and unproductive lives.

Luckily for the village, a tragedy which struck one of the families of Phalkara –– where a young woman tried to commit suicide by burning herself to death –– was brought to the notice of Dr Nadeem Qamar, a cardiologist in Karachi. He decided to investigate the cause of her attempted suicide and visited the village, only to discover, to his horror, the pathetic living conditions of the entire hamlet. Keen to alleviate their suffering, the doctor approached an NGO that works for the development of communities, and together they came up with a plan to involve art students, not only to create awareness but also to raise funds.

And so it was decided that the students of Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture would spend a day in Phalkara to capture on camera or in paint both the natural beauty of the surroundings and the utter morbidity of the existence of the villagers, all of whom, from the youngest child to the oldest adult are addicted to the gutka.

The works –– ranging from fascinating photographs of trees, insects, plants and the villagers to paintings of the village scene –– were exhibited and sold at an art gallery to collect funds for establishing a health centre in the village.

For those who tend to be skeptical, the news does seem to be good. The land for the purpose has already been donated by Dr Qamar, and a few other individuals and organisations have expressed interest in supporting this good cause. So hopefully, this won’t be just another well-meaning attempt at social work that fizzles out after some time, and instead, the residents of Phalkara will find there is some salvation for them, after all.

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