Gujarat riot paintings on display

Ahmedabad: Colourful paintings and wall hangings depicting the vivid, abstract pictorial images of 2002 Gujarat riots, were put up here on display yesterday to mark the fifth anniversary of one of the country's worst religious riots.

The exhibition titled "The memory of truth, the truth of memory" is part of a week-long programme dedicated to the riot victims jointly organised by Himmat (courage) a voluntary organisation together with a number of other voluntary groups. Six young members of the organisation who had lost family members in the riots worked with artist Santosh Kumar Das for over a year to create the pieces of art on display.

Rehabilitation

"Actually this is an archive against forgetting the violence. So when we talk about rehabilitation what does it mean, have we moved away from that violence then, these paintings are saying no," said Monika, a member of the Himmat group.

Besides artworks painted by children, 23 paintings by Das are also up on display.

The violence, which continued for weeks, was triggered by the burning to death of 59 Hindu pilgrims on a train.

Officials say about 1,000 people were killed and hundreds of homes and shops gutted. Human rights groups say about 2,500 people, mostly Muslims, were burned or beaten to death.