Sufferings in the hands of fascists frame

The gory details: A visitor at the Anti-fascism photo stall at the  Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s 24th party congress venue in Madurai on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: R. ASHOK

A unique anti-fascism photo exhibition displayed under the title, ‘Yours is not to reason why,’ at the venue of Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s 24^th party congress, gave a glimpse of sufferings of the survivors of Auschwitz concentration camps, to the public. 

The photographs which were clicked by Sudeesh Yezhuvath, an artist based in Kerala, during his visit to Auschwitz in 2018, chronicled the events and places that played a major role in torturing Jews. Reasoning why the title ‘yours is not to reason why,’ was chosen, Mr. Yezhuvath said the lines were chosen from the poem, ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade,’ written by English poet Alfred Tennyson – for its resemblance to the current state of affairs in India.  

“The lines that say, Follow the instructions without questioning,’ is akin to what Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) wants people to do,” he said.  

Pointing to a series of framed photographs of the prisoners at the detention camps, he said the current situations in the country reflect the concentration camp days.  

Though, at first, he did not have the idea of exhibiting the photographs, the discussions on Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in 2019 and dangers surrounding it led him to display the terrors of concentration camps designed and administered by the Nazis.  

“The concentration camps which killed 13 lakh people in three years is one of the worst happening in human history,” he added.  

Though the concentration camp tortures cannot be equalled with any other recent events, the killing of Palestinians by Israel comes close, Mr.Yezhuvath said.  

To lay emphasis on this cruel modern age, photographs of Palestinian killings sourced from internet were also on display. 

The bigger version of the exhibition toured Kochi, Bengaluru, Kozhikode and Villupuram from 2021 to 2024.  

People who view the photographs at the exhibition will understand what the current situation, if left unchecked and unopposed, would lead to, Mr. Yezhuvath added.