KARGIL, JULY 11: Along with hundreds of soldiers and dozens of scribes, there is an old man with snow white beard and a sketch book in his hand roaming around in the battle front at Kargil.He is Roopchand, an painter from Gurgaon. This 65-year-old artist goes everywhere - from a gun position to an Army bunker, talks to jawans on the roadside and even attends the briefings of the journalists in the Army's Kargil headquarters.Sitting on the banks of the Suru river, he copies the impression of the war onto his sketch book. After capturing various aspects of the war in his book, he says that he will finally translate these pencil sketches on canvas and paint a full series which he chooses to call `The Kargil Episode'."These oil and water colour paintings showing different aspects of the Kargil crisis will be exhibited in Rabindra Bhavan Delhi and the money collected from the sale will go to the War Relief Fund," he says."Painting the stories of valour of our soldiers besides pictures of their plightwhile fighting high up on these mountains has become aim of my life now," he says."I want the world and especially the people of India to feel through an artists' eye about this war - about the soldiers, who never say no to proceed on the battle front and even take bullets on their chests only to defend us. It gives me an unbelievable amount of satisfaction," he adds. Roopchand's attraction to the war zone to paint the life on the battle front is not an entirely a new thought. "During 1962 and 1965, I did exhibitions depicting the realities of the war. In 1971, soon after the war ended I exhibited a series - `Freedom of Bangladesh' in Chandigarh which proved a big success," he says. "People reacted to my works every time and I feel this time also, I will be able to contribute my bit."He says that he will be doing sketches, water colours paintings as well as write poems throughout his three week stay in the battle front. "I have rented a room in the town as staying in hotels are expensive for me," hesays.Presently chairman of the National Art Centre, Gurgaon, Roopchand has also been involved in an artists' campaign against US aggression on Vietnam. "I was part of an artist group who held an exhibition against America. This exhibition was held in Copenhagan, Denmark," he informs.Basically an abstract painter, Roopchang had been teaching fine arts in Home Science College, Chandigarh, before shifting to Gurgaon, where he works with a group of artists. He has also published two collections of his poems - Bindu in Hindi and Loose Scribbles in English.Roopchand says he will also try to get a feel of being a refugee here. "The plight and agony of the locals, who had to flee their homes is heart rendering."As the fighting continues on the mountains and more and more casualties pour in in the Field Ambulance unit here, Roopchand captures the tragedy in his sketches. "What a thousand books cannot say about Kargil conflict, a painting can depict," he believes.
