The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Glued to the chair
Babus sit pretty for decades

Rules are for fools, or for the common man. These are certainly not for government officials. That is the only conclusion one can draw from the front-page story highlighted by The Tribune the other day that some Central government officers have been serving in a single ministry for as long as 39 years, cocking a snook at the rule that they can do so only for seven years. What is all the more regrettable is the fact that this is also happening in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) under the Ministry of Personnel, which must enforce the Rotational Transfer Policy (RTP). And to think that it happens to be headed by the Prime Minister himself!

Why this is happening is well known. After all, a non-rolling stone gathers a lot of financial moss. Even in the sensitive Corporate Affairs Ministry – some officials of which are being quizzed by the CBI in the 2G scam to know the profile of certain telecom licences – several section officers have been serving for 11 to 39 years. This ministry is one of the many which are also violating another DoPT rule, which directs every department to annually furnish details of serving officers and their period of stay to enable periodic transfers.

Yet, the pretext that is usually bandied about is staff shortage. But then, finding an excuse does not justify the commission of an irregularity. That way, even those who commit a murder come up with a justification for it. The DoPT has specifically fixed a 45-day deadline to relieve transferred officers and says that in cases of failure, such officers won’t be able to draw salary from the old ministry. But no action has ever been initiated against its officers for violating rules. If the writ of the government does not run in its departments themselves, where else can it take resolute action?

Struggle for Palestine
India takes pragmatic stand

The world is waiting with utmost curiosity for the UN General Assembly’s outcome when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will present the Palestinian case for full membership of the world body on September 23. There is a suggestion from the European Union that he should seek the recognition of the Palestinian Authority as an “entity” rather than “a full-blown state”. But Mr Abbas says that any dilution of the Palestinian demand will deprive the Palestinians of their right to enter into any kind of negotiations with Israel as an equal member of the international community. Ultimately, their demand for a sovereign Palestinian state may get weakened. India is among the countries which will support the Palestinian cause in keeping with its policy pursued in the past, though it has no ill will against Israel.

The backing of India and other countries, however, cannot lead to the UN General Assembly accepting the Palestinian demand unless the US sees reason and does not use its veto power. The US Senate has told President Barack Obama to thwart the Palestinian attempt to acquire a new status as this would affect the interests of Israel, the closest US ally in West Asia. The Senate has even threatened that the US will not release its share — $ 500 million annually — for funding the world body if the Palestinians succeed in getting what they want.

The US needs to review its stand in view of the emerging reality in West Asia. Washington’s blatantly pro-Israel move at the UN may affect the people’s drive for democracy in the Arab world. The US has been playing a major role in the emergence of the Arab Spring. It should not do anything that may make the Arab public suspect US moves in West Asia. The new Palestinian leadership is not as rigid as was the case in the past. Except for the Hamas, which controls the administration in the Gaza Strip, no Palestinian group refuses to accept the right of Israel to exist as a nation surrounded by Arabs. The opportunity must be seized by the US and the rest of the world community to help the emergence of Palestine as a sovereign state with the territories it had before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Thought for the Day

If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now — when? —Hillel

ARTICLE

Undertaking political yatras
Parties getting ready for elections
by T.V. Rajeswar

There is no doubt about it. All political parties are getting ready for the parliamentary elections in 2014 and the Assembly elections in some states in 2012 and they are planning yatras and rallies. The trigger was no doubt Anna Hazare’s announcement of a yatra against corruption in various states starting in the near future. The BJP has come out with a couple of yatras of its own for Uttar Pradesh. One of the two yatras will cover Western Uttar Pradesh around Agra while the other yatra will concentrate on Eastern UP, also known as Poorvanchal. This region encompasses the districts between Gorakhpur and Varanasi.

These yatras are obviously election-oriented, keeping in view the Assembly elections due by mid-2012. Mr L.K. Advani has come out with an announcement of yet another yatra, which is focused on corruption. It is likely that all the yatras will converge at some point in 2012 and later again, probably more than once, at pre-appointed places in UP and elsewhere. Mr Advani will be concentrating on the eradication of corruption and the need for good governance during his yatra. The two regional yatras are to be led by people like Mr Rajnath Singh, a former BJP President, and Mr Kalraj Mishra, who ranks slightly lower in the pecking order of the BJP in UP.

At a parallel level, Mr Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat, went on a three-day fast that began on his birthday, September 17. He has seized the order of the Supreme Court not to proceed with the hearing of the case against him pertaining to the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat. The apex court directed that the case be transferred to the concerned magistrate’s court for normal hearing and disposal. The fast is in the name of peace, harmony and development of Gujarat. Clearly, Mr Modi is aiming high. His morale has been boosted by a report of the United States Congress Research Group that Mr Modi is in the reckoning for prime ministership in 2014 as a BJP candidate. The research group has also spoken in terms of the resurgence of the BJP and the possibility of the party coming to power. Indeed, the projected twin yatras for UP along with the super yatra of Mr Advani about the same time are all aimed at capturing power in the state in 2012, which is but an intermediary step to 2014.

In his appeal, Mr Modi has invoked the Supreme Court judgment and said that one thing was apparent from this order: the unhealthy environment created by the “unfounded and unhealthy allegations against him and the Government of Gujarat after the 2002 riots has come to an end.” In the past 10 years, it had become fashionable to defame him and the State of Gujarat. “Let us come together and contribute to enhancing the dignity of Gujarat”, he said. He also appealed to the people to support his “sadbhavana” mission which he claimed would strengthen Gujarat’s environment of peace and harmony.

In Gujarat, Congress leaders like Mr Shankersinh Vaghela and Mr Modh Vadia started their own fast programme at the Sabarmati Ashram premises. The leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Mr Shaktisinh Gohil, issued an open letter addressed to Mr Modi. Mr Gohil wrote that if Mr Modi had genuinely believed in “sadbhavana”, the 2002 riots would not have happened. Mr Gohil went on to say that in 2002 Mr Modi did not bother to go to the house of even a single minority member and wipe any tears because at that time he saw only votes, not tears. Mr Gohil also decried Mr Modi’s style for combining Gujarati “asmita” with his own self and concluded his letter by asking the Chief Minister to appologise to six crore Gujaratis and the people of India before making yet another publicity stunt.

Not to be outdone by the BJP’s manoeuvres, the Congress-led UPA government is reportedly planning to enact a number of anti-corruption laws in the winter session of Parliament. These are besides the Lokpal Bill, which is before the Standing Committee of Parliament. The proposals under consideration include electoral reforms, public procurement, delivery of services to citizens, public disclosures and the accountability of judges. Moreover, a Group of Ministers has also recommended the elimination of discretionary powers of the ministers. The government is considering a series of measures to expedite the disposal of corruption cases against public servants by setting up several more CBI courts, over and above the 44 already functioning. The objective is to fast-track all the pending cases before the courts so as to bring about the disposal of these cases within a reasonable time limit.

The Land Reforms Bill as well as the Food Security Bill, in the final stages of consideration, are likely to become laws after being passed in the winter session of Parliament. It may be recalled that the National Advisory Council presided over by Congress President Sonia Gandhi had attached a lot of importance to these subjects.

However, all these ambitious plans are likely to be undermined by the inflation factor which is perilously close to a double digit. The wholesale price index for the month of August, 2011, stood at 9.97 per cent. The Reserve Bank of India is watching the situation and is in touch with the Ministry of Finance since they have to take a coordinated action to ensure that the price situation does not go out of control. At another level, the rupee hit its two-year low after it declined to Rs 48.1 per US dollar. The consequent result is the increase in the price of petrol yet again. This increase will have a cascading effect on the prices of various commodities, including food articles.

Notwithstanding all the well-meaning measures being contemplated by the Congress party and the UPA government, the food prices and overall inflation would surely take their toll on the electoral outcome. The BJP yatra in UP and elsewhere would eventually not only play up corruption but also the UPA government’s failure to tackle the various scams and terrorism. In fact, the three major issues affecting the government’s credibility are failure to tackle scams, the price increase and unending terrorism. None of the recent bomb blast cases has been solved and the accused brought to book. Eventually, the electoral outcome will depend upon the people’s perspective of the UPA government’s performance.

The writer is a former Governor of UP and West Bangal.

MIDDLE

Five-star Tihar
by Raj Kanwar

The growing influx of political bigwigs and corporate honchos to Tihar has put the jail administration in a fix as to how to arrange suitable accommodation befitting their status and lifestyle.

“These latest ‘jail birds’, an official whispered, “are of a very different and delicate feather and their ‘cages’ would have to be more spacious and luxurious.” What has further compounded the issue are the visits of VIPs of all hues to meet the new ‘residents’ at regular intervals.

Now that the Prime Minister-in-waiting, LK Advani, has challenged the government to send him to jail too, there is no knowing how many more VIPs might soon have to be accommodated at Tihar.

According to jail sources, the authorities are seriously considering some options to tackle the problem. One option that is getting a wide support is to construct a separate VIPs’ Ward that will include well-furnished bedrooms with attached bath and a visitors’ lounge with all the facilities available in five star hotels. Both the rooms and the visitors’ lounge will have colour TVs.

The ward’s kitchen will provide multi-cuisine fare and hot and cold beverages, with 24-hour room service. But there will be no bar, since the authorities could not afford to take the risk of facing the prospect of a drunken brawl.

The house-keeping and catering of the new ward will be outsourced to the Ashoka Hotel group.

An in-house jail doctor revealed that it would also have an attached modern hospital with at least two ICUs since most of these VIP prisoners suddenly become prone to hypertension and other ‘high-style’ diseases.

In the discussion among the jail officials, there was a rare unanimity that the construction and furnishing should not be given to the PWD since urgency would be the essence of this contract and this department is known for its lethargy as its abject failure in installing CCTVs at the Delhi High Court is too well known.

Incidentally, many jail officials looked scared and confessed that there was no knowing which of these VIP ‘birds’ might become ministers again, if acquitted and released, and would take revenge on us for our acts of omission or commission. It was, therefore, agreed that the security and management of the VIP Ward should also be given to a private security agency.n

OPED THE ARTS

Across the globe universities and art institutions are closing down courses in printmaking. With availability of digital enhancement of pictures with 100 per cent accuracy, there are few takers of this art. Yet, some efforts are on to revive it.
The Fading print!
Johny ML

Dilemma- woodcut print- one of the earliest printmaking techniques by Mahesh Prajapati Photo courtsey: Mahesh Prajapati

Has the cutting edge technology heralded the death of a grand tradition in art-'printmaking' or 'graphic arts'? The die-hard printmakers and the collectors of graphic prints would deny it. The fact is, there have been efforts to overlook this art form, which also uses technologies from a bygone era. So, in a way, it's a war between two kinds of technologies- new and old, and the old seem to be losing ground. In the last few years when the art market was booming in India, responding to the international trends Indian galleries too started promoting the new- age art including digital art and photography. In doing so they almost pushed the graphic prints out of the scene. It was a brutal blow.

But, die-hard fans of graphics refuse to accept it. "Death of printmaking is wishful thinking," says Anandmoy Banerjee, a Delhi based printmaker. "One can reduce the visibility of certain kind of art form when other forms become dominant. But you cannot kill an art form. It remains safe in the hands of the practitioners and, as a kind of poetic justice, internationally too, printmaking is staging a coming back," says Banerjee who was instrumental in forming the Indian Printmakers Guild along with several other prominent printmakers in the country in 1990.

When Walter Benjamin talked about a work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction in the 1940s, he was hinting at the possibility of ending the grand narratives created by the singular authors. Benjamin was explicating a political theory of subversion through the metaphor of art. He argued that when a work of art becomes reproducible and multipliable, the question of authenticity and authorial diktats end there. Art becomes democratic, universal and liberal.

Battle of technologies — new and old

Senior printmakers reviving the art of printmaking at Garhi Studios, New Delhi

Despite the Benjaminian onslaught on authenticity and authorial presence, printmaking -as an art form could survive. This happened to maintain authenticity- the prints were limited to a certain numbers and the original surface on which the primary image was created (a block) was destroyed after a certain number of prints were made. Through the ethics of limited edition, printmaking stood the test of the times and found patrons from all over the world, though the case was different in India till 1990s. "Art, when approached as a collectible item, the collector or the buyer always looks for authenticity. He wants a unique piece, which is a fair demand. Through the control of number of editions, a sense of authenticity is imparted to the genre of printmaking," adds Banerjee.

Somehow, the idea of limited editions, which was acceptable to both the artists and the collectors, suddenly fell out of favour, thanks to the new technologies which also made prints and were cheaper. "A printmaker spends his time in preparing the surface for the respective printmaking mediums like lithography, etching, linoleum, woodcut, photo-transfer, silkscreen printing and so on. The same results could be created on software. So, how could one insist that an artist should only be working with the conventional printmaking mediums? Computer software and printing technology should also be treated as art forms !" Comments a Delhi based artist.

"Where do you locate the presence of the artist if everything could be done through the help of software and printing technology?" asks Subbanna, another veteran printmaker who works from the Garhi Studios in Delhi. For those who argue on behalf of the traditional printmaking art, artistic touch is an important element. Artist is the prime mover of things; right from the preparation of the surface to the final printing, making editions, signing and creating portfolios- artist's involvement is present. But, those who argue against this tradition ask, why the mouse holding person couldn't be as involved as an artist who works hard at the stones and conventional printing presses? With the help of a technology, anyone, who does not have any artistic talent, could also produce works of art using software.

While Benjamin may be having the last laugh on the perpetual confrontation between authenticity and reproducibility in art, Rajan Fulari, a young printmaker who takes care of the Garhi Print Making Department in New Delhi, thinks that the new age artists have developed an unnecessary cynicism towards the traditional printmaking techniques. "When I approached a few contemporary artists to make a portfolio of etchings, most of them raised reservations on printmaking and showed their appreciation for digital and computer based art." However, the scenario is not bleak. Young artists are still curious about printmaking and many of them come to Garhi studios to try their hands.

The faded glory

There was a time when artists from all genres tried their hands at printmaking. In Delhi, the printmaking movement was started in 1970s under the leadership of late Sankho Chowdhury. Artists like G.R.Santhosh, J.Swaminathan, Gogi Saroj Pal, Manjit Bawa, Tapan

Bhowmick and many others used to work in Garhi studios. During 1980s the studio got a real momentum with the arrival of artists like Anandmoy Banerjee, Subbanna, Dattatreya Apte, Kanchan Chandar, Sushant Guha, Jayant Gajera and others. The presence of a master printmaker like Devraj Dakoji also helped the Delhi printmaking scene to flourish. Kolkata, Hyderabad, Baroda and Goa also had a flourishing printmaking culture, which is currently on a path of revival.

With no considerable patronage, the survival of printmaking in India has to be seen as a miracle. "When we started off there were no takers for prints. Those who came to buy the works were basically hoteliers who wanted identical works in their rooms and lobbies. Only by the end of 1980s, Indian collectors started taking real interest in printmaking," observes Banerjee. Artists like Palaniappan, Laxma Goud, P.D.Dhumal, Hanuman Kambli and others have gained their reputation as Master printmakers and the kind of patronage they received has inspired some young artists to the art of printmaking.

Printmakers waded through the tough times by creating collective portfolios of print and selling them for cheaper prices than the prices commanded by paintings and sculptures of the time.

On the tracks of revival

"Printmaking is on a revival path," says Waswo X Waso, an American artist, printmaker, photography artist, writer and an ardent collector of graphic prints. "I have been collecting the graphic prints of Indian artists for a long time. My research proves that many serious collectors have these gems in their collections, " affirms Waswo, who has been invited as the guest editor of the Art Etc News and Views Magazine published from Kolkata, which has two consecutive issues focused on printmaking in India.

When a magazine owned by an organisation that has one of the finest art collections in India, as well as a gallery of repute focuses its energies on traditional printmaking, it should be seen as an indication of changing tides in the favour of printmaking. "It is not that the galleries don't have enough prints in their inventories, but the problem is most of us wants to go by the trend. Printmaking is no more in vogue. Sooner than later, things are going to change. There is obviously a rethinking on not only the contemporary printmaking in India but also the prints by the veterans, modernists and the pre-modern artists," observes a Delhi based gallerist. The retrospective of the late Bengali artist and printmaker, Chittoprasad at the Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi, should be seen against this backdrop. Ashish Anand, art collector and the director of Delhi Art Gallery has been collecting the prints of Chittoprasad for some time.

The project took six years to materialize which presented two well researched volumes and reprints of three books from yester years that accompany the retrospective. Chittoprasad, who had been an activist artist during the mid-20th century, extensively documented the Bengal famine in 1943 through his etchings, wood cuts, drawings and reportage. A Communist Party of India cardholder at that time, Chittoprasad diligently worked on his prints in order to reach out to a wider public.

" Young generation does not have any clue about Chittoprasad and this show would serve as an eye opener on the relevance of printmaking. Printmaking could be as powerful or more powerful as photography or digital art," says Rajan Fulari. Others like Ashwini Pai Bahadur, director of Artspeaks Gallery, New Delhi, holds that the printmaking is on a comeback trail. "I have dealt with a lot of prints in the previous years. And this year too I am planning to have a full fledged printmaking show in my gallery. Besides, I would like to invite a master printmaker to conduct workshops for the interested artists and art collectors," says Bahadur. Besides, after a lull for ten long years, the Indian Printmakers Guild is planning a huge national exhibition of prints in Delhi.

Market boom has become a thing of the past and printmaking has demanded its rightful place in the general discourse of art and culture.

Delhi based Johny ML is a curator, translator and a free-lance art critic Why is printmaking an art?

Though printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, it normally covers only the process of creating prints with an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable of producing multiples of the same piece, which is called a 'print'. Printmaking (other than monotyping) is not chosen only for its ability to produce multiple copies, but rather for the unique qualities that each of the printmaking processes lends itself to. Prints are created by transferring ink from a matrix or through a prepared screen to a sheet of paper or other material. Common types of matrices include: metal plates, usually copper or zinc, or polymer plates for engraving or etching; stone, aluminium, or polymer for lithography; blocks of wood for woodcuts and wood engravings; and linoleum for linocuts. Screens made of silk or synthetic fabrics are used for the screen printing process.

Dating back to Indus Valley

Contemporary printmaking came to India in 1556, about a hundred years after Guttenberg's Bible was first printed- for the purpose of duplication of documents. There is, however, evidence that the use of the concept of mass duplication dates even further back in India, to the time of the Indus Valley Civilization. For instance, grants of land were originally recorded by engraving the information on copper plates and etchings on different surfaces like wood, bone, ivory and shells. Printmaking as a media for artistic expression, as it is recognised today, emerged in India less than eighty years ago.