Within three weeks the world would observe the 5th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by the US-led forces. The extent of pain and suffering of the Iraqi men, women and children (as also those of the brave US and other soldiers ordered to perform a thankless job, and their families) is yet to be convincingly reflected in the international media. Even the brave soldiers remain unsung. Now an artist in Britain has begun a heroic effort in this direction.
“In 2003 (Britain’s) Imperial War Museum commissioned Steve McQueen as an official war artist. Steve, who won the Turner Prize in 1999 with his film tribute to Buster Keaton, went to Iraq and was embedded with the troops for 10 days. ‘They were great guys, and I wanted to open people’s eyes to what was happening’.
“He (Steve) thought of stamps. He would create a sculpture – in fact a cabinet of display panels – each one holding a sheet of stamps bearing the face of a soldier killed in the Iraq war. He came home to work on the idea. The Ministry of Defence wasn’t too keen. There is always tension when unconventional artists are sent to war zones. The MoD asked why he didn’t do landscapes. More problematically, they wouldn’t provide contacts for the next of kin of the war dead.
“It was Alex Poots, then shaping up the first Manchester Festival, who put Steve in touch with some 150 families. When approached, the bereaved were far from shocked and outraged. Many were happy to provide family snaps that went into McQueen’s work. The finished piece first went on display in Manchester Central Library. ‘Some 300 people turned up, bereaved families and their kids, meeting for the first time. They got to know each other. There were tears. It was wonderful.’ The display, called ‘Queen and Country’, has been on display at the Imperial War Museum in London, since last November.
“And the stamps? There is a move to take things further. Steve McQueen is urging the Royal Mail to issue them as actual postage stamps. But the Royal Mail is hesitating. The Arts Fund – the country’s major arts charity – is now throwing its considerable influence behind McQueen’s suggestion and asking the public to do the same, by signing a petition on their website. Their survey shows more than two thirds of the public do not think enough is done to recognise the sacrifice made by British troops killed in Iraq. Now’s the chance.”
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.