Akbar Padamsee-An artist with a midas touch
In artist Akbar Padamsee’s demise the nation and the world of fine arts has lost one of the most prolific, most talented and versatile artists of all times. The modern era of arts and paintings will always be remembered with the name of this great artist who marked a niche of his own in the world of arts and gave Indian arts and painting a new definition.
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, Founder of Isha Foundation centre Coimbatore, where the artist spent his last days said that Akbar Padamsee was a genius of colour and craft and generations to come shall relish and be inspired by his magic of colour.
Akbar Padamsee, a recipient of Padma Bhushan, created paintings that extensively depicted the elements and senses. A pioneer in progressive modernist movement Padamsee besides being known as a world class painter was also a renowned photographer, sculptor, film-maker, lithographer and engraver. His versatile paintings had a midas touch and have found a place of prominence in eminent galleries in India and around the world. The brother of celebrated late film-maker and ad-man Alyque Padamsee, Akbar was honoured with fellow ships by the Lalit Kala Akademi and the JD Rockefeller foundation besides a list of national and international awards making him a global artist of repute. His name and arts will remain immortal and his works – an inspiration to aspiring artists and painters.
M Pradyu
Deepika championing for social causes
It is good that fully active professional celebrity Deepika Padukone at peak of her youth and professional career has become sensitive to social causes where she went at Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi) on 07.01.2020 to express solidarity with protesting students against recent violence in the campus by unidentified persons. She should better utilize her celebrity-status for guiding JNU students for concentrating more on studies as students rather than misusing the campus for anti-national activities and rising as future politicians.
But a curious question is why she chose JNU as her entry-point for social causes. She could even do so in raising voice for increasing crimes against women. She should have joined public-protests against recent episode of rape-cum-murder of Dr Priyanka Reddy in Hyderabad. It should be hoped that not only Deepika Padukone but other celebrities from film-industry especially youngsters will devote time for uplifting morals and character of youth in the country.
Madhu Agrawal
Trade union activities at university campuses should be banned
I strongly condemn the brutal attack on students at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi but it is not all hunky dory at learning campuses in our country which has been turned into a battleground by politicians who use student unions for fighting their own vested political agendas against their opponents. Students should not be used as pawns in the hands of political parties and their leaders.
Students join universities to fulfill their aspirations but their inspirations are hijacked by political leaders to fulfill their own goals as they are used for shadow boxing which needs to be halted. JNU is at the centre of all controversies as it happens to be in the National Capital and easy target for all. Security at JNU should be beefed up and people indulging in violence including the students should be severely punished. Trade union activities and all politics in university campuses should be banned with immediate affect.
S.N. Kabra
Delhi govt should repeal RTI act
Jammu-Kashmir Government directed all its departments to implement national RTI Act, 2005. With such implementation of the national Act in the state, Jammu-Kashmir RTI Act, 2009 will lose its relevance. Therefore Jammu-Kashmir government should simultaneously repeal Jammu-Kashmir RTI Act of 2009.
There are several states including Delhi where irrelevant RTI Acts of individual states legislated prior to implementation of national RTI Act in the year 2005 are not yet repealed, thereby unnecessary burdening the system and resources to keep the outdated RTI Acts of individual states in force where very few rather negligible RTI applications are filed under obsolete Acts of individual states. Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) should write to all states including Delhi to repeal RTI Acts of individual states. Delhi government should repeal Delhi RTI Act of 2001.
Subhash Chandra Agarwal
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
