This january 1st is the 27th memorial to Safdar Hashmi at the Constitution Club annexe on Rafi Marg. Starting at 1 pm, it will feature street theatre, music, dance, poetry and a special exhibition of works made by artists in Bombay and Delhi - Avaaz Do! These works have been specially made by artists in response to the climate of fear and threats to our freedom of expression and lifestyle choices which have become endemic in the recent past. The murders of writers and rationalists, the murders of members of the minority community and dalits have shocked the nation. Many writers have returned their state awards in protests and a huge number of scientists, artists and prominent citizens have raised their voice against the divisive politics we are witnessing.
Avaaz Do! is a platform for artists to express their feelings through their creative work in the form of banners. Amongst the many artists who have contributed are: Atul and Anju Dodiya, Meera Devidayal, Lalitha Lajmi, the late Hema Upadhyay, Jitish Kallat and Reena Saini Kallat, Nalini Malani, Shakuntala Kulkarni, Veer Munshi, Arpana Caur, Ketaki Sheth, Justin Ponmany, Vivan Sundaram, Inder Salim, Tushar Joag, Sharmila Samanth, Mahula Ghosh, Saba Hasan, Pushpamala N.
