Inquilab Zindabad: A Culture of Debate and Dissent (1)
I initiated this project as an attempt to document what I saw as a thriving culture of dissent and student politics through the graffitied walls of the campus. I chose to do this on 35mm film as I thought the juxtaposition of this almost permanent analog format with an artistic medium that is so ephemeral was very compelling - indeed, some of this graffiti disappeared the day after I took the photograph, while the rest was taken down in the subsequent months after political appointments in the top level administration (including the Vice Chancellor) from the far right (aligned with the RSS and ruling BJP) created an atmosphere of hostility and fear. This is an administration that has suspended and taken disciplinary action against students for making graffiti and for protest, while fostering the rise of the RSS-affiliated student organization ABVP that only knows violence.
Inquilab Zindabad is a Persian phrase, which translates to "Long live the revolution".
Soumya Jayanti
Delhi
India