The ongoing I AM – Identity Art Marathon at Arpana Art Gallery is a multitude of art and culture events with a combination of four exhibitions (figurative by Ranjan Kaul, abstracts by Shahanshah Mittal, photographs by Manu Sharma, and drawings by Abid Zaidi) along with talks, walks, live sessions and workshops.
Talking about the second edition of the festival, curator Aakshat Sinha says, “The idea of the I AM – Identity Art Marathon is to help us experience many rather than just any one specific form of art. Art has the power to infect us with ideas, force us to act, and generally help us to evolve. Our identity is but a sum total of our experience. Let’s increase our experiences to find out who we really are.”
Thus from May 24 to June 16, participants can partake in various cultural exchanges such as documentary workshops, storytelling performances, informative talks. But the spotlight falls on the Slum Tour, to be held on May 26 covering Sanjay Colony in Okhla Phase II.
Interestingly, Sanjay Colony is among the biggest slums in Delhi. Allegedly, the walk will provide insights on the day-to-day life of the people. It has been organised by Ravi Kumar’s Understanding India Tours. Kumar is a resident of the area, and began his travel company a year ago. “We will pick up participants at Siri Fort and then start the two-hour walk in Sanjay Colony. Not a long walk, barely covers 25 kilometers,” explains Kumar.
Slum tourism has sparked off ethical debates across the globe, especially with Mumbai’s Dharavi being dabbled as the world’s biggest slum. But Delhi is slowly emerging as the latest hub. Offering to bring the ‘real India’ to foreign tourists, many such organisations besides Kumar’s cater to the slum tours. “We normally go to the doctor’s clinic, government offices, schools, playing areas, and a few houses. Most of the participants are foreigners, and sometimes students also come to visit,” adds Kumar.
But are slum tours voyeuristic or do they provide a real glimpse of life? “I do these slum tours because I want the perception of people to change about the kind of life we live here. When you think of slums what comes to mind is unemployment and dirt and starvation. But that’s not always true. Some areas are dirty yes, but things are changing. I am trying to change people’s perception through my organisation. Also, what I earn is shared with the community. Fifty per cent of the proceeds go into the welfare of Sanjay colony and a community we have set up called Prithak Foundation. However, the profits are not a lot at the moment,” rues Kumar.