KOCHI: Muvattupuzha-based artist Tom Vattakuzhy is elated. After Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and CPI’s Kanhaiya Kumar, now Finance Minister TM Thomas Isaac has used his painting titled ‘Death of Gandhi’ as the cover for the state budget document to make a political statement against the NDA-led Union government.
“Painting has the power to grasp the pulse of society and document the changing times. It demands a visual sensibility to understand the deep meanings of the platform. When a state budget itself uses the painting, it is a recognition to the art form and the artist,” said Vattakuzhy.
Finance department officials had contacted him a month ago, seeking his permission to use the image.
“At a time when history and culture are being mutilated in the country, I wanted to make a lasting impression in every Indian’s mind through the image,” he said.