New Delhi: On the eve of the Commonwealth Games in 2010, New Delhi's chief minister Sheila Dikshit had given her official blessings to graffiti artists to lend character to walls in the city's public places. Little might she have thought of those least bothered about choosing an appropriate location for artistic expression.
Now controversy has erupted over an image of Mahatma Gandhi stencilled on the wall of a public toilet in the city's Hauz Khas Market. What's more galling is that the artist has not left a signature. The anonymous graffiti artist's ‘work' is being seen as an insult to the man who inspired the nation's freedom struggle.
A shopkeeper in the area, Devi Prasad, told Gulf News, "Hauz Khas is seeing its public walls being adorned by graffiti artists. But we do not know who they are. But this is the first time they have done something insulting."
The government, meanwhile, is pondering a law to protect the image of the Mahatma, considered the Father of the Nation by way of strengthening the (Prevention of Improper Use) Act of 1950. The Act barred the use of the name and photographs of Mahatma Gandhi for the purpose of any trade, business or professional goals.
Interestingly, Mahatma's great grandson, Tushar Gandhi has no objection to the graffiti and does not believe that Gandhi's image on the toilet wall is offensive or derogatory.
He said the artist might only have been trying to capture the importance Gandhi attached to sanitation. "The artist must have had this in mind and captured the right spirit and essence," he said.
However, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh International, said, "To use his picture on the wall of a dirty toilet is an insult to him. "If someone thought that the sensitive issue could be tackled in this manner, it is highly objectionable. His graffiti on the wall will certainly not affect the society in a manner that they will begin thinking of sanitation. It is nothing but mischief on someone's part."
Pathak, who has been working relentlessly in the field of sanitation for decades, said: "In the name of art, an artist cannot be allowed to play with the sentiments of people. The government should take strong steps to discourage such things."
