Mahesh Kumar
The Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT) has dedicated its latest exhibition to the memory of Comrade Sitaram Yechury. Currently being displayed at Jawahar Bhawan, New Delhi, the exhibition traces SAHMAT's journey from 1989 to 2024, highlighting key programmes and initiatives over the past 35 years.
According to Sohail Hashmi of SAHMAT, Sitaram Yechury was a steadfast ally of the organization, contributing significantly to various events aimed at combating communal violence and promoting secularism and social justice.
Founded in 1989, SAHMAT issued its first call for "Artist Alert," encouraging Indian artists to assert their democratic freedoms within civil society. Speaking at the exhibition, Hashmi recounted that the campaign "Artists Against Communalism" was launched in 1991.
“As part of this campaign, SAHMAT protested against the demolition of the Babri Masjid, defying bans and bringing exhibitions, music performances, films, and street theatre to large gatherings across the country, including in Ayodhya,” Hashmi told The Crossbill.
Between 1999 and 2004, SAHMAT expanded its focus, hosting symposia on economic and educational policies and launching campaigns against the communalization of education. During this period, the organization also intensified its publication and poster campaigns. Hashmi noted that the communal violence in Gujarat marked a crucial time for SAHMAT, prompting it to step up public inquiry platforms to amplify the voices of those marginalized and silenced.
Over the past 35 years, SAHMAT has consistently championed the rights of minorities within a secular framework. It has also organized solidarity campaigns for figures such as M.F. Hussain and Habib Tanvir.
The organization has paid tribute to prominent writers including Premchand, Faiz, Manto, Nagarjun, and Bhisham Sahni. Additionally, it has hosted lecture series on figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, as well as on the history of Indian independence.
Hashmi further explained that SAHMAT has provided the artistic and intellectual community with a platform to protest and resist. He said, “By challenging government actions, the judiciary, and the media on issues related to constitutional rights and social dignity, SAHMAT has created a space for artists and intellectuals to critique and reshape the language of protest and resistance.”
The current exhibition, which celebrates India’s secular traditions, follows in the footsteps of previous SAHMAT exhibitions such as Ham Sab Ayodhya (1993), Postcards of Gandhi (1995), Ways of Resisting (2002), Forms of Activism (2014), Avaaz Do! (2016), Constitution at 70 (2020), India is Not Lost (2021), Ham Sab Sahmat (2022), and Moments in Collapse (2024).
Prominent figures such as Professor Prabhat Patnaik, Geeta Hariharan, S.K. Pande, Prabir Purkayastha, Zoya Hassan, N.K. Sharma, and Parthiv Shah, along with others from various walks of life, visited the exhibition and commended SAHMAT’s efforts.
According to Sohail Hashmi of SAHMAT, Sitaram Yechury was a steadfast ally of the organization, contributing significantly to various events aimed at combating communal violence and promoting secularism and social justice.
Founded in 1989, SAHMAT issued its first call for "Artist Alert," encouraging Indian artists to assert their democratic freedoms within civil society. Speaking at the exhibition, Hashmi recounted that the campaign "Artists Against Communalism" was launched in 1991.
“As part of this campaign, SAHMAT protested against the demolition of the Babri Masjid, defying bans and bringing exhibitions, music performances, films, and street theatre to large gatherings across the country, including in Ayodhya,” Hashmi told The Crossbill.
Between 1999 and 2004, SAHMAT expanded its focus, hosting symposia on economic and educational policies and launching campaigns against the communalization of education. During this period, the organization also intensified its publication and poster campaigns. Hashmi noted that the communal violence in Gujarat marked a crucial time for SAHMAT, prompting it to step up public inquiry platforms to amplify the voices of those marginalized and silenced.
Over the past 35 years, SAHMAT has consistently championed the rights of minorities within a secular framework. It has also organized solidarity campaigns for figures such as M.F. Hussain and Habib Tanvir.
The organization has paid tribute to prominent writers including Premchand, Faiz, Manto, Nagarjun, and Bhisham Sahni. Additionally, it has hosted lecture series on figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, as well as on the history of Indian independence.
Hashmi further explained that SAHMAT has provided the artistic and intellectual community with a platform to protest and resist. He said, “By challenging government actions, the judiciary, and the media on issues related to constitutional rights and social dignity, SAHMAT has created a space for artists and intellectuals to critique and reshape the language of protest and resistance.”
The current exhibition, which celebrates India’s secular traditions, follows in the footsteps of previous SAHMAT exhibitions such as Ham Sab Ayodhya (1993), Postcards of Gandhi (1995), Ways of Resisting (2002), Forms of Activism (2014), Avaaz Do! (2016), Constitution at 70 (2020), India is Not Lost (2021), Ham Sab Sahmat (2022), and Moments in Collapse (2024).
Prominent figures such as Professor Prabhat Patnaik, Geeta Hariharan, S.K. Pande, Prabir Purkayastha, Zoya Hassan, N.K. Sharma, and Parthiv Shah, along with others from various walks of life, visited the exhibition and commended SAHMAT’s efforts.
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