[Reader-list] Sahar Ke Nishan: Politics & Poetics of Visual Representations

[Joy Chatterjee]

Walls are mostly private, so I don't think there is any crime for some one 
to prevent his/her wall to be defaced according to his/her freedom of 
understanding of art and poetics. But this doesn't mean that no one can do 
any thing on the walls. In fact, in spite of the law, even today India's 
one of the most creative wall writings and drawings can be seen in Calcutta!

Best
Joy


At 04:51 PM 4/11/02 +0530, you wrote:
>Thanks Sadan for posting your tentative formulations from your ongoing
>research. Hope you get some response.
>
>Within this context i will like to draw the attention of the readers to a law
>that is now in force in Delhi. (extended to Delhi after 13th December!). It
>will bring in a tremendous change to the everyday, fluid, liminal visual
>landscape of the city. Unfortunately this law has no sense of everday
>`poetics` of the city!
>
>The wet Bengal Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1976 (as extended to
>the National Capital Territory of Delhi)
>
>2. (aa) "defacement" includes impairing or interfering with the appearance
>beauty, damaging, distinguishing, spoiling or injuring in any other way
>whatsoever, and the word "deface" shall be construed accordingly;
>
>(b) "property" includes any building , hut, structure, wall, tree, fence,
>post, pole or any other creation;
>
>(c) "writing" includes decoration, lettering, ornamentation, etc., produced
>by stencil.
>
>3. Penalty for defacement of property - (1) Whoever defaces any property in
>public view by writing or marking with ink, chalk, paint or any other
>material, except for the purpose of indicating the memo and address of the
>owner or occupier of such property, shall be punishable with imprisonment for
>a term which may extend to six months or with fine which may extend to one
>thousand rupees or with both.
>---------------------
>Think of all the imprisonment - but think then of the revenue loss for the
>state! (..)
>
>Hope a poetic understanding of spaces will be more powerful than the
>`technocratic` and `stainless` understanding of space. Anyway marking of city
>spaces is now massively getting contained and each mark will cost. Either you
>guy your legality or then buy your punishment.
>
>best
>Jeebesh
>
>
>
>
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