Tyeb Mehta, one of India’s most tal-ented and celebrated
artists, passed away in Mumbai on July 2. He had been battling ill health for
some years.
Born in Kapadwanj, Gujarat, the 83-year-old artist lived in
Mumbai for most of his life apart from brief but crucial spells in London, New
York and Santiniketan.
Tyeb Mehta was an artist of quiet humility but was vocal and
public in his stand against communal violence and in his support of human rights
and the freedom of expression. His work was notable for its commitment to the
ideals of equality and freedom.
When he was 22, India was partitioned and his street was also
divided, reflecting the reality of a ravaged subcontinent. He was unable to
travel the relatively short distance to his workplace. In the bloodbath that
followed, he was witness to a horrifying incident in which a young man was
lynched. This was an image that would stay with him for the rest of his life.
"The crowd beat him to death and smashed his head with stones," he said in an
interview with art critic Nancy Adajania. "I was sick with fever for days
afterwards and the image still haunts me today. I am paralysed by the sight of
blood, violence of any kind, even shouting…"
Sixteen years ago he drew by hand the huge backdrop for SAHMAT’s
Artists Against Communalism cultural sit-in at the Shivaji Park in Mumbai in
1992. Against this backdrop, Sitara Devi and Astad Deboo danced and Hariprasad
Chaurasia played the flute. Despite his increasing physical frailty in recent
years, he came out to join the protest at Mumbai’s Jehangir Art Gallery in May
2007 after the BJP attacked the student review in the art department of the MS
University in Vadodara.
For us at Sabrang, Tyeb Mehta and his family have been staunch
supporters of our work and he was generous in donating his work to support our
efforts against communal forces.
We join the wider art fraternity in paying tribute to a fine
artist who spoke out during dark times.