These are all the subjects of various paintings created by Britain –based C K Purandare and even if they may, on first observation , not have anything in common, the fact is that they do. And in plenty.
They, collectively and individually, make a statement – that of the apathy that has crept into society and people. The old woman casting a vote is Purandare’s way of saying how voting in democracy has become nothing more than a ritual because governments are finally sculpted out of power equations, influences and strengths of vote bank politics without actually having anything to do with the common man’s say in the matter. Similarly, a soldier embracing his child is an emotional appeal of sorts. Off he goes to kill someone else’s father – that’s what it says , bringing to the fore the futility of war. As such, Purandare’s paintings are bound by a common genre that applies to them all – they are political in nature.

In his own words ‘ My paintings are not decorative. They try to depict the real world around us. My attempt is mainly to document collective miseries of people and investigate social pathology behind the misery. The dominant political discourse today is dictated by the state, market and media – none bothered about the weak. The alternative to tis discorse seems to drift towards being self-obsessed – hedonist, reclusive or esoteric. So there is a need to reiterate that hunger poverty and violence still afflict a vast majority of humans in the world. The paintings endeavour to state this problem. They will will have served their purpose if they make you pause and think’. Yes, most of Purandare’s work do that and more. They hold a mirror to society and our own attitude that is becoming increasingly materialistic each passing day. They also possess a streak of black humour, as in the one that has been titled ‘ Now we can afford depression’ which shows a woman whose material needs have been satisfied but she still suffers from stress so that she has to take recourse to healing methods such as reiki, yoga, etc.

As interesting as the paintings is Purandare’s background. Originally from Pune, he graduated with an engineering degree in metallurgy and an MA in sociology from the University of Pune. He has done research on the insurgency against the State in North-eastern India. The exploration took him through Assam, Manipur and Tripura in 1988. But prior to this he had undertaken a study of the ultra-leftist Naxalite movement and human rights violation in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. He then migrated to Britain and decided to take up painting. ‘This I did after realising the limitations of verbal or written communication when it comes to saying something about socio-political situations,’ he explains. Paintings is what Purandare now does as a full time occupation with engineering having been left far behind. His aim is to stir people into action. ‘we all seem to have slipped into a cocoon state and it troubles me to see all of us so apathetic or even tolerant to what is on around us’ he says.

Purandare’s paintings have been exhibited in Scotland and he held his first show in Pune during December 2004. And although he makes it a point to visit India at least once a year, Purandare has shied away from more exhibitions. Ask the reason and he attributes it to the huge costs involved. ‘Customs clearance and safety of the paintings is a major problem,’ he confides. But it does not mean that he has stopped reaching out to those who may be interested in his expression of human suffering and visual story-telling. Purandare has produced a CD-ROM titled ‘Outsider Art’ that not only has the images of his many paintings but also narration for each of them.

To borrow a phrase from the critical appreciation of Purandare’s work by Victoria Champion, an artist from the United States, ‘’the paintings sing with life.’’ Very True.

The Herald, October 5, 2006