PAINTING EXPLORES JALLIANWALA BAGH AND ITS CONSEQUENCES IN GREAT DETAIL by AMIT ROY The Singh twins, Rabindra and Amrit, have completed their triptych inspired by the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of April 13, 1919, now recognised as a landmark event which hastened the end of British rule in India. The three panels of the painting, which the twins have called Jallianwala: Repression and Retribution, put the brutal attack, which took place in the holy city of Amritsar, into some kind of historical context. The artists have sought to examine why the atrocity happened in the first place and its far-reaching consequences. Commenting on the triptych, Amrit and Rabindra told Eastern Eye: “As well as making important episodes in shared British Indian history that have helped shaped the society we live in today accessible to a wider public, our artworks carry lessons for our modern times – not least, the vital role that journalists and the media play in exposing atrocities, giving a voice to the voiceless and ensuring the right to justice for those oppressed in the world is fought for and preserved.” Jallianwala: Repression and Retribution The 2.5 metres by three-metre central panel, which was unveiled at the Manchester Museum in April to coincide with the centenary of the incident, focused on the massacre itself. Troops under the command of Lt General Reginald Dyer fired into an unarmed crowd, killing 379 people and injuring 1,100, according to official figures. Today, however, it is generally accepted the figures for dead and injured were much higher. Dyer is depicted as the main character in the central panel. In the panel on the right, the dominating presence is that of Udham Singh, who is considered a heroic freedom fighter in India, but a criminal in the Britain of his day. He shot Sir Michael O’Dwyer, the…
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