The Godhra Effect

Often, artists carry the banner against social injustice. The post-Godhra creative spark is in the same vein. It’s an affirmation of an...

Often, artists carry the banner against social injustice. The post-Godhra creative spark is in the same vein. It’s an affirmation of an alternative voice. S H Raza’s maiden invocation of ‘Om’ in shanti bindu, for the Tao Art Gallery’s group show, Shantipath, has moved many.

Saffron, green, white and blue, the photo show curated by Meher Pestonji, has mingling communities of commuters; and a bird’s eye view of our inner violence in Anita Dube’s The Sleep of Reason Creates Monsters of the Mind.

However, artists like Tushar Joag feel, ‘‘addressing issues through art is not enough. People need to see the subterfuge.’’ So Joag, along with Sharmila Samant, Shilpa Gupta and Archana Hande, took it one step further with Reclaim Our Freedom Week — a series of street plays, art exhibitions and poster campaigns.

Rekha Rodwittiya’s and Karl Antao’s ongoing show at Sakshi Art Gallery is also a powerful response to the riots in Vadodara and Ahmedabad. Says Rodwittiya, ‘‘I felt ashamed. I couldn’t prevent my son from seeing all that violence. I realised that the perpetrators of this heinous act were no longer ‘them’, but ‘us’. And when my neighbour’s son described his ‘excitement’ on seeing a truck on fire, I was speechless with horror.’’

Human activity, rising industrial emissions, and the surge in wildfires were identified as major contributors to the record levels. (File)

After historic warm year, carbon dioxide levels in 2024 set new records: WMO

World45 min ago

The WMO revealed that global CO₂ levels in 2024 reached a record high due to a rapid increase of 3.5 ppm. Human activity, industrial emissions, and wildfires were identified as major causes, while other greenhouse gases also saw significant rises. The 2024 El Niño event exacerbated the situation.

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