NALGONDA: The brush of Barigela Srinivas of Kondapuram village of Chandur Mandal, Nalgonda district, paints vividly the suffering and the aggression of the then rulers during the Telangana armed peasant struggle. His paintings give a graphic visual form to the atrocities and subsequent uprising that contributed to the liberation of Telangana.
“Art is not for art. It is for the people. I want to ignite the consciousness of the people about the peasants’ uprising with my paintings,” Srinivas says, adding: “My ambition is to use the art to raise awareness on societal issues.”
Srinivas was born to Yadaiah and Lakshmamma in Kondapuram village of Chandur mandal in Nalgonda district. Since his childhood, he used to draw pictures visualising events and objects in his mind.
Srinivas, who was brought up in the school of communist ideology, always wanted to use art to capture the suffering and struggles of the poor and how communism had given them the hope that they were in need in their hours of crisis.
The live painting by Srinivas captured the mood of Telangana Liberation, Merger, and September 17, the liberation of erstwhile Hyderabad state from Nizam rule. At the Martyrs’ memorial, another image of an activist with his hand across the barrel of the gun of the Razakars and a machete raised ready for battle captures the attention of the visitors.
Srinivas said: “ I drew these pictures live intending to inform the outside world of the circumstances that led to the peasants’ armed struggle in Telangana.” I have painted extensively during Covid-19. It not only keeps me active but keeps on top of people’s minds when it comes to portraits,” he adds. Srinivas is proud that his sketches on child marriages, foeticide, hunger, poverty have gone viral. “My work titled Aadukoney vayasu lo adukkeney akali’ about a girl child who is hired as child labour to sell balloons in Hyderabad got hundreds of shares. ‘Gutka tagaku gutukku manaku’ was another sketch and line that struck a chord with the people.
He also paints portraits of political leaders on their birthdays. His paintings of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka hold mirror to his artistry. He also gets orders from political activists to sketch the paintings of their leaders for the hoardings during public meetings and other events.
Srinivas completed his PG in journalism and public administration. He said that he is supporting his family with the income from his paintings and hopes that the government will go to his rescue. “I request the government to provide some financial assistance for the sustenance of my family,” he says.