Mumbai: Over 40 art works by convicts from six prisons in Maharashtra were put on a week-long show yesterday at a prime art gallery in South Mumbai, with young children reading out their own little essays after being inspired by one of the artists.
When Lalitha Ramarao Gonugunta's poignant charcoal sketches of a woman's struggle in this tough world were shown to young students from Know Your Environment organisation, they came up with their own unique interpretations of the artworks, according to Kavita Shivdasani, who runs the NGO.
Origins
The idea of the ‘Art from Behind the Bars' show came up when Shivdasani took the children to visit some of Maharashtra's jails.
On that journey, art workshops were organised in Mumbai and Pune for convicts "[after] convincing police officers to allow these artists to participate in [an initiative] like this," Shivdasani said.
"It gives me great pleasure when I see people putting aside their bias and [appreciating] paintings for what they are."
Baby John Parkar, an inmate at Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai, sketched a compelling prison series that shows the despair and depression of being imprisoned.
Other convicts — Naresh Kadam and Anil Agmani, inmates at Nashik Jail, Rahul Maruti More from Yervada Central Prison in Pune, and Naresh Bhaskar Jhadav from Paithan Open Jail in Aurangabad spoke of their feelings, unfulfilled dreams and hopes through vibrant colours and charcoal.
