This Artist Wants Women to Reclaim India’s Streets, With Cow Masks

Sujatro Ghosh is protesting through art, not through physical violence.

(Photo Courtesy: Sujatro Ghosh)

As the prime time debates sizzle with discussions of cows being mothers and being served on platters, a 24-year-old artist has taken matters into his own hands to talk about the issues that seem to have been sidelined.

Exactly a week ago, Sujatro Ghosh started a photoseries wherein he’s photographing women in a cow mask around Delhi, to highlight the need for making the streets a safe space for women and not just cows, as he told The Quint in a conversation.

(Photo Courtesy: Sujatro Ghosh)

Ghosh was born and brought up in a liberal environment in Kolkata sans religious polarisation. Now an alumnus of Jamia Milia Isalmia University, shifting to Delhi a few years ago was a paradigm shift for him.

The incidents in Dadri and the other cow slaughtering incidents made me ponder about what could I do to stand up for it. Physically fighting against some extremists groups was never an option, so I took the support of art and took the protest a step forward through social media to make myself heard

(Photo Courtesy: Sujatro Ghosh)

He started this project in Delhi as “it is the hub of everything” and has photographed people in his hometown, Kolkata. But, he wishes to make this a pan-India project.

Getting Started

Ghosh began the project with the help from friends and acquaintances from different parts of the society. But, it wasn’t easy as there were many who were apprehensive to being photographed.

Many of my friends and acquaintances rejected the offer and told me they won’t be okay with showing their body in such a way. On the other hand, many agreed to being photographed, but were not ready to expose their identity (which I never planned to expose).

(Photo Courtesy: Sujatro Ghosh)

Now that the project is out, the response has been overwhelming for the 24-year-old.

I have been getting calls, emails and messages from all over the country and from abroad to get photographed.

Zealous Support

Having shot in front of India Gate and President’s Estate in Delhi, what Ghosh presumed would be a tough task, instead was much easier than he anticipated.

(Photo Courtesy: Sujatro Ghosh)

It was somehow a cakewalk! Everyone, including the security, offered us help to shoot the picture I wanted... they obviously laughed at us all the way nonetheless!

Going Forward

The artist has received tremendous support from friends, acquaintances and strangers – both online and offline. Some have even offered to help him fund his project so that he can take it all over the country. While a nascent thought, he might himself start an online fund to take his project places.

(Photo Courtesy: Sujatro Ghosh)

But, as in any social cause, Ghosh had to deal with some detractors as well.

There are few who never tend to agree with what you say and I don’t wish to see everyone agreeing with the work that I am doing. Probably that is the force which keeps me going.

However, he has not faced any political opposition and also highlighted that his intention is to raise awareness about social causes and not hurt political or religious sentiments of any community.

A Simple Message

The one and only key takeaway from Ghosh’s project is the need for safety of women on the streets of the country with the same enthusiasm with which cows are being protected.

I wish to send a stronger message across with this fictional photostory of mine. If we can protect cows, then why not women?

(Photo Courtesy: Sujatro Ghosh)

He is using “#RisingbeyondJingoism” and “#misplacedpriorities” along with his images to remind people of the issues they are brushing aside, all in the name of “gau-maata”.

Ghosh has begun a BitGiving campaign to fund his project and you can donate by going to this link: https://www.bitgiving.com/cowmask

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