SOUTHASIA COMES TO DAUDPUR

Daljit Ami

The old, disused granary of my ancestral home buzzed with activity in the third week of July. Having long been lying empty and decrepit, a fresh coat of paint did wonders to the godown which suddenly became a gallery. The inauguration, with renowned artist Malkit Singh, was an event marked by respect for local elders and their wisdom. With the summer sun dancing on the images, stories of ordinary people from across Southasia came alive in Daudpur. The steady stream of curious visitors was ample evidence of continuing interest, with growing numbers converging on Daudpur, after the word went around.

The septuagenarian artist Singh pointed out that his generation aspired to take exhibitions to villages and with this initiative, it has become a reality. He stressed that this is an historic event happening in rural Punjab. Laxmi Murthy, Director, Hri Southasia for Research and Exchange and Davinder Pal Singh, Executive Director of Panjab Digital Library (PDL) pondered over the idea of bringing such exhibitions to rural areas. Laxmi said that Hri has desired to bring Southasia to common people and in Daudpur, it has succeeded in its pursuit. Davinder shared that PDL has organized different exhibitions in urban areas but this exhibition offered the opportunity to reach out to more people.

It was the first time that such an event was held in our village. Of course, there have been religious and political exhibitions on several occasions. With so many people keen to see it, we were asked to extend the time of exhibition. We screened three documentaries in the evening from 8:00 pm, and the audience made a beeline to the exhibition soon after the screening.

Many visitors had never seen such an exhibition. For me, it was truly encouraging that people from all sections visited, and the repeated visits of cattle-shed cleaners and dish washers was touching as they spent time with every exhibit. They made someone or the other read out the stories for them. The curiosity level of people cutting across ages was remarkable. Right from an octogenarian home-maker to young school drop-outs, it was an attraction which become the talk of the village. A particularly poignant connection forged was that of Navjot Kaur with Vidya Pradhan. Navjot, a graduate from the village, had few job prospects. She had come to the exhibition hall to mop and clean, and was struck by Vidya’s story of struggle for higher education.

[L] Navjot Kaur, a recent graduate, helping clean the venue against the image of Vidya Pradhan in the background, [R] Visitors at Daudpur

For Daudpur, which has been somewhat prosperous but resembles a ghost settlement of fancy houses but sharply reduced population due to out-migration, it was a much-needed cultural boost. Once the traditional method of propaganda -- the Gurudwara loud-speaker- -came into use, people from nearby villages poured in to visit exhibition and attend screenings. Some travelled more than 100 kms to be part of the experience, which soon became a community effort. Chairs for the screening were contributed by the neighbourhood, and many people sat on cots. The second and third day saw some people standing in the courtyard and on an adjacent roof top. It seemed like the people of Daudpur could simply not get enough of Southasia. 

(This article was first published at Hri Southasian for Research and Exchange's website: http://www.hrisouthasian.org)