A modernday depiction of Sikandar
Do you remember these lines from the song Rothe hue aate hai sab — Vo muqaddar ka Sikandar, janeman kehlayega — from the 1978 Bollywood blockbuster Muqaddar Ka Sikandar?
Well, the idea to curate an exhibition titled Sikandar, showcasing artworks by 12 artists, came to art curator Erum Khan, from this very Bollywood number.
“Sikandar is originally a translation [a Persian rendition] for Alexander, says Khan, adding, “But for me, the word no longer represents only a warrior plundering nations to satisfy his ego or lust for power. It signifies a person who has the will to conquer odds, any kind of negativity or evil and even to gain control over oneself.”
When the artists chose to work on this particular theme, they had different concepts in mind. Razi Khan, who has been painting for the last 35 years, says, “I will be giving some artworks that fulfil the definition of Sikandar. For me, anyone who eradicates negativity from society is a Sikandar.” Khan started his career as a painter drawing film posters.
Another artist, Afshan Raza Khan, a sculptor, says, “I make sculptors out of automobile scrap. The artwork is inspired by the real warriors, who used to go and fight for us in the battlegrounds. As the concept of going for a war [like when it used to happen previously] literally doesn’t exist [any longer], anyone who has conquered his/her own world, is a Sikandar, for me. This could be a mother, who makes the house a perfect home.”