BENGALURU: Most have heard of the age old fable of the thirsty crow. Now, city-based artist will adapt this story into a visual performance to highlight the plight of Bellandur lake.
Paramesh D Jolad is a visual and performance artist who combines his love for art with his passion to raise awareness about and protest on issues affecting the society. He is also a part of the Venkatappa Art Gallery (VAG) forum
“The plight of Bellandur lake is a tragic one. There is water in the lake but it is so polluted that no one can use it for drinking or for any other purpose. People in Bengaluru are thirsty for water. There is wide spread shortage of water but we can no longer rely on lakes to stem our thirst. There was a time when we had so many lakes but now most have disappeared,” says Paramesh.
For his performance, Paramesh will don a crow costume near the banks of the Bellandur lake and be there for four hours from 11am to 3pm, today. There will also be a three-foot pot and several Gandhi caps besides him. “The Gandhi caps is symbolic for the politicians and the public. The sorry state of the lake is a sign of the apathy of not just the politicians but also the public,” he says. The pot signifies the water of Bellandur lake and instead of stones, Paramesh will ask people to put the Gandhi caps in the pot in a way of saying that both parties should work together to solve the issue.
Other Protests
Paramesh has tried to highlight a number of issues using such innovative ideas. His earlier performance include raising the plight of farmers by wearing a headgear designed like a wooden plough used by Indian farmers. Paramesh went to Chennai, Mangaluru and Kerela with his headgear and received many words of support from the general public. Even chief minister Siddaramaiah noticed Paramesh’s headgear in one of his performances. He also dressed as a mummy with a balance scale during the Cauvery water protest. On one side was a map Karnataka and on the other was a effigy of Jayalalitha.
Paramesh is from Kodihal in Bagalkote and was interested in painting and the arts right from his childhood. He specialized in painting at an art school in Gadak before getting involved in the art scene in the city.
“One of my first protest as a performance artist was during the privatisations controversy of the Venkatappa Art Gallery. Although I raise concern on social issues such as child labour, parenting problems, through my painting, I realised that performance art was a medium with an immediate impact,” he says. He has not stopped since.