At an interactive workshop called ‘Punjab Link’ in Shropshire county schools, UK, the photographer-artist helped the students discover a new India, says Alka Pande.
IT HAS BEEN A LONG JOURNEY FOR THE Chandigarh-based photographer-artist, Diwan Manna. Tumultuous, tiresome, at times mundane but never boring, always pulsating with force.
From a village in Punjab-Bareta-to another village in Shoeshine country. England, this particular journey was momentous. As eventful as most journeys are, this route was an invaluable eye-opener.
“I wanted to do so many things, my mind was whirling with ideas. As a result, I put my finger in too many pies. But now my objectives are clear, and I feel more confident of myself.”
There is not just a physical change in him but a mental one as well. His perspectives have sharpened. The extremely positive response he got in England added to the boost his faltering enthusiasm had received before he left the country.
Prior to his departure, for the past couple of years, he had done a lot of documentation for the North Zone Cultural Centre, a job which in some ways, had acted as a brake on his creativity, simply because the work was monotonous and repetitive.
A 1982 gradate of the Chandigarh College of Art, Manna specialized in Graphics and photography. In the late ‘80s, he had made a mark in the art scene of Chandigarh, with his black-and-white studies on the diverse segments of society. Peons, rickshaw pullers, sadhus selling toys-he captured all this with his camera.
At the same time, he started working with two different media, painting and photography. Mixing painting and colour negatives of photographs, he captured image after image in strangely riveting colours. He had found, finally, a vast creative potential in colour negatives.
Early this summer, Manna took six weeks off to work in England. He became one of the artist residing in Shropshire county as part of a project called Punjab Link. The project was an interactive exercise between the artist and the students of Shrophire county schools. Its aim was to familiarize the students with the works of the contemporary artists of Punjab.
Manna visited eight schools, covering about 150 students in the age-group of seven to 16 years. His action plan included “a pre-residency visit”, during which he met the students, interested parents and the press.
He talked to them about his work, showed them his portfolio and gave the students guidelines about the workshop.
Spending an average of three days at each school, he concluded his visit with an exhibition of works by the students. The pre-residency talk was a two-way process: “It stimulated interest amongst the students, and also helped me gauge their potential.”
The students and teachers had put in extra effort to welcome Manna, decorating entrance halls with artifacts from India. Manna nevertheless found the old, popular but hackneyed notion of India prevailing.
“They expected to see me dressed in a sari, and were stunned to see me in jeans and jacket and speaking fluent English. They kept asking me about snake charmer, elephants and maharajas. They were not at all conversant with modern India.”
It was at Rhyn Park School, bordering Wales, where Manna got the best response. Not only were the children energetic and creative, but the support given by the head mistress, Janet Warwick, and the teacher associated with the project, Sue Lovecy, was extremely encouraging. The school even bought fresh frames, created funds for an exhibition of the children’s works even though the expo was not on the agenda.
The well-stocked art stores of the schools presented a great contrast to the facilities existing back home. It was apparent that the school placed a great deal of importance on art as a creative pursuit. During his second residency at The Marches, he was amazed at the facilities provided to the school children. The school had a well equipped art studio, a ceramic kiln, a separate sculpture and music department, with three recording studios.
Manna’s work methodology at all the schools followed a set format. He showed the students his work and then asked the children to work on different themes which fascinated them. He instantly built up a great personal rapport with his students.
One of them, from Selattan, said on the opening day of the workshop, “I was too excited that I could not sleep the whole night.” Sometimes, even the parents got interested and some of them came and helped out.
The major themes he worked on were Dream Fantasy with the younger age group and Social Issue with the older ones.
Using rolled paper, corrugated sheets, paints, brushes of different sizes, sponges, cloth, and waste paper, the end result was Diwan’s own work style, a blend of live models against painted backgrounds.” The response of the children was pure and unadulterated. The children got an idea, which they expanded into bigger things,”
In bed with their favourite film star (16-year-old students from Rhyn Park); in a New York pub (by five girls from Sellaton School); warriors conquering another country (students of Weston Rhyn); animals in a jungle; nuclear explosion; and nuclear fallout were some of the major themes worked upon.
After his six-week programme in different schools, Diwan felt that the children were deeply influenced by video. Some of the children even walk with their necks stuck out, a result of watching video too much and too indiscriminately.
“The negative influences of crime, blood-splattering, fights and guns were obvious in their paintings. The same one-sided viewpoint is also seen in their perception of India. The media played a negative role: all that is beamed across on television are bomb blasts, communal violence, changes of government; achievements and cultural traditions are aspects that are not focused upon.”
Diwan has returned a more confident person. Not only has his expression improved, but he feels that he “can do the same thing here in India, given the right support. Students in India are not less creative, it’s just that facilities here are far less. It doesn’t take much for schools to provide the basic infrastructure-just a little more thought and dedication on the part of the school authorities.”
Creatively, too, Diwan says he has progressed: “I know exactly what I want, and I know I can do it,” he says with a quiet smile.
