The National Law School of India University’s (NLSIU) Law and Society Archives has launched ‘Maps of Memory: The Uma Chakravarti Collection’, an exhibition that brings together feminist and democratic histories from across South Asia. Hosted at the Bangalore International Centre from March 29 to April 6, the exhibition features archival fragments — posters, photographs, films, and documents — that trace networks of activism, solidarity, and political imagination from the mid-20th century onwards.
Curated by NLSIU faculty Diya Deviah and Ammel Sharon, the exhibition draws from the personal collection of renowned historian, filmmaker, and activist Uma Chakravarti. It gives a glimpse into people’s movements across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, exploring how feminists imagined alternative futures through acts of resistance, community, and care.
The exhibition is structured around four thematic sections, including Archiving Feminist Histories, Friendships Beyond Borders, Democratic Participation and Civil Liberties, and Counterpublics and the Classroom. Each theme is introduced through a video, offering viewers the curators’ interpretive lens and unpacking the layered meaning of materials on display.
Of particular interest to Bengaluru audiences is the inclusion of a newsletter from the city-based women’s organisation Vimochana, whose visuals were later borrowed by Sri Lankan activists for their own publications.
Also featured is a moving testimony by Nandana Reddy, who recounted the imprisonment of her mother, Snehalata Reddy, the acclaimed actor from Samskara, who died while on parole after being held in solitary confinement during the Emergency.
The exhibition also includes interpretive panels on the relationship between memory, material records, and insights from neuroscience. It distinguishes archives from collections, emphasising that archives are not just physical or digital storage spaces, but institutions governed by curatorial vision, public access policies, and historical responsibility.
“We don’t see archives as dusty repositories for specialists,” say the curators. “In a post-truth era, archiving becomes a public question—about what counts as fact, whose stories are remembered, and how histories are constructed.”
The exhibition opened with a panel discussion featuring Uma Chakravarti, historian and publisher V. Geetha, and theatre performer, poet, and activist Du Saraswathi.
Ms. Geetha highlighted Bengaluru’s unique role in shaping feminist discourse, particularly through the alliances and friendships that emerged between Dalit, feminist, and left-democratic activists. The exhibition also featured a performance by Du Saraswathi titled Pakshi Purana—a reflection on masculinity and a call to notice the tenderness and care birds show one another.
The curators are hosting four workshops on inclusive archiving and digital poster design. The exhibition is open to the public till April 6.
Published - April 04, 2025 07:56 pm IST
