West Bengal Artist Makes Jewellery On Violence Against Women To Seek Justice For Kolkata Rape Victim

The recent horrifying and spine-chilling RG Kar Hospital (Kolkata) rape case has the country’s undivided attention. From doctors to celebrities, everyone has been protesting and demanding better safety laws and stringent punishment for the culprits. West Bengal is also gearing up for the festival of Durga Puja. Now, it has been anticipated that this year, many Durga Puja pandals would reflect the protest centred around the incident. As per reports, various artists and puja organisers have already chosen different forms and crafts of protest and seeking justice for Abhaya. Amid this, one artist from Siliguri, Poulomi Munshi, decided to be a part of the protest with her craft. She is a jewellery designer, who decided to express herself through a craft known best to her. This year, ornaments designed by her will reflect her demand for justice for the young doctor.

In an interview with Local18, Poulomi expressed, “Everyone is aware of this incident. Since I created fashion jewellery, I have tried to express my protest through my jewellery.” She has showcased her flawless craftsmanship, which is grabbing attention. For this year’s Durga Puja, she has created various types of jewellery by using a combination of clay and wood. It reflects her hope for justice. Her statement necklace has a black thread and an eye-catching pendant which displays a blindfolded woman, which symbolises justice, wrapped in black cloth. She has used various headlines from paper clippings which say, ‘We want justice’. She has also included Arijit Singh’s recently-released song, Aar Kobe in her jewellery piece.

Poulomi believes that every artist has their own language of protest. She pointed out that ace-singer Arijit Singh expressed his anguish and protested by composing a song; a few chose to portray it through plays and dramas. Since she is a jewellery artist, she believed this could be her way of expressing protest. Poulomi shared, “I don’t know if this jewellery will sell. But I crafted it thinking that we still don’t know when the victim of RG Kar Hospital’s rape case will finally receive justice.” She compared that just like people have begun the countdown for Durga Puja festivities, similarly those protesting are eagerly waiting for Durga Maa to serve justice.