The Other War
Photography
23/12/04 19:16 Filed by Saswat Pattanayak in:
Saswat | Editorial
Four years back I ran into a public debate
(click here to read the first scenario) with a
Border Security Force officer who was the guest
speaker at a university in India. Amidst other views,
one of his arguments was that we needed to see the
war photographs. The students went ahead and did some
paintings on the black and white boards depicting the
huge tanks and the brave fighters.
Such portrayals of course did not include the human
costs of war. Nor did it arouse any sentiment for
sanity. More the tanks, more the aggression.
Psychological Warfare by other names.
The argument was in favor of an abstract patriotism
and a holistic battlefield resulting in a war even
though founded on fake grounds. And over the years,
thanks to the journalists or the embeded ones, we
were refused to see what all horrible things used to
happen to people after the war, no matter their
sides.
The apprehension that graphics of post-war blues
would send wrong signals was right in its place. What
if people rebel and refuse to join the war. After all
who wants such damage to the body and mind in a
no-return investment of time and resources.
Well, if a picture paints a thousand words, these
ones speak millions.
Click here for the updated pictures.
The words are Millions which decry the wars and
indeed encourage us all to realize that we do not
need to let the future generations go through this
torture in the name of our f**ed up convictions aka
historical blunders.
Tags: Saswat, War, Capitalism, Peace