In Bondage

Bound are we

In our minds

In our actions

To our environment

In my mind

I dream of a day

When I can fly

Across the seven hills

And the seven seas

This picture is almost five years old. I was stepping out of a coffee shop one day, in the centre of Bangalore, and then I glanced upon these wooden sculptures right outside the coffee shop. Tied to a tree, with a thick rope around their waist and face, it was a painful picture. The scene reminded me of the story of Joan of Arc and numerous other womenfolk in India and elsewhere, as victims oppression. It was a very uneasy feeling. To me, it seemed as if history was coming to life through these statues in bondage.

At another level, these statues also signified probably, the bondages of our current society. Bondage to our work, to our environments, our mortgages etc. We have landed ourselves in this unfortunate situation. We have forgotten that we can also get away from the rat race. Cant, we change?