Nexus which robs our temples, steals our gods
As we await the release of the movie, Thugs of Hindostan, and our real- life cons, Vijay Mallaya, Nirav Modi and Harshad Mehta, have put a question mark on the functioning of our system, author S. Vijay Kumar enchants us with a crime thriller that exposed a nexus between art dealers, police, government and academicians.
The Idol Thief, based on the true story of Subhash Kapoor and his modus operandi to steal invaluable Indian heritage, begins with a perfect contrast between two situations, two ages and two opposite mindsets. At one end is our glorious past, the 11th century CE and 1311 CE Tamil Nadu and its people with a sense of honour and dignity. It was a time when priests and devotees did not hesitate to choose death to protect their idols. It was regarded as a supreme sacrifice. It is no longer the case as far as our modern, rational, practical, cunning men are concerned. And Subhash Kappor is a man of the present times.
Subhash Kapoor, labelled by the American authorities as “one of the most prolific commodities smugglers in the world”, initially helped his father with the family business of rare books, manuscripts and Pahari paintings. When he moved to the US and opened a gallery, Art of the Past, Kapoor emerged as one of the most prominent figures in the international art circuit. This road to success was marked by innumerable dark dealings that were struck with the help of various associates at national and international level. Ironically, three outstanding books — The Chola Temples series by S. R. Balasubrahmanyam, Early Chola Bronzes by Douglas Barrett and Bronzes of South India by P. R. Srinivasan — became the guiding forces and were treated as bibles in his shady trade of idol- looting.
Though the story revolves around Kapoor and his foot- soldier, i. e. thieves on the ground, the real focus remains on the fascinating bronze idols of the Chola dynasty. From 850 CE to 1250 CE, the Chola rulers built stone temples all over Tamil Nadu and placed in them idols that became world- renowned — including the Nataraja ( Lord Shiva performing the dance of creation and destruction), Ardhanarishvara depicting the androgynous form of Durga where the goddess has the body of a woman and the face of a
Though Article 49 in our Constitution clearly states that ‘ it shall be the obligation of the State to protect every monument or place or object of artistic or historic interests’, there are endless loose points in the system lion, etc. Yet, few people know the story behind the theft of these idols and their recovery.
It was Kapoor’s shrewd plotting which resulted in the disappearance of innumerable artefacts of Indian history and culture.
Tamil Nadu has borne the brunt of looting mainly because of this fascination for Chola bronze statues, highly coveted by museums and collectors. It has been reported that since 1992, total of 1,204 sculptures ( 372 stone and 832 bronze), belonging to 387 temples have been stolen. And these are only the reported thefts of the protected sites.
The main objective of the book, as claimed by the writer, is to bring to light the actual scale of the loot and to expose the nexus between art dealers, museums, academicians and law enforcement.
This crime, in the form of looting of India’s rich historical tradition, was in fact started by the British and other colonial powers.
S. Vijay Kumar argues that “hoards of Indian art were just picked up and shipped to the mother country. In some cases, art was taken from the natives in exchange for a bag of rice and some betel nuts”. What about our own people? The case of contemporary looting is worse and involves a wide range of people, methods and technologies. Though Article 49 in our Constitution clearly states that “it shall be the obligation of the State to protect every monument or place or object of artistic or historic interests”, there are endless loose points in the system. Inspections and survey reports are rigged, investigations are deliberately goofed up, objects are valued low and there is hardly any follow up in theft cases. “After all, India was ( and still is) a land of compromises.”
The author, interestingly, is also a part of the book and plays an active role in the arrests of many idol thieves and restoration of idols. A shipping executive by day and an art thief hunter by night, the author had started a blog on Indian art that culminated in a major breakthroughs and bust of international art scams. A simple but honest endeavour opened a can of worms and exposed many.
The book, with the unfolding of crime and its nexus, lacks any writing skill and is a simple narration of events. At some places the author seems to be in a great hurry to tumble out all the facts. It can be a good plot for a Hindi or Tamil movie, but I wonder if it can be called a “novel”!
This crime, in the form of looting of India’s rich historical tradition, was in fact started by the British