Kolkata: Bodhi means knowledge. Buddhists believe that the Ashwattha tree located in Bodh Gaya, under which Siddhartha Gautama meditated and attained enlightenment to become the Buddha.
Buddha was born in Lumbini to the royal parents of the Shakya clan, he renounced his home life to live like a wandering ascetic. He attained nirvana at Bodh Gaya. Nirvana is referred to as the extinguishing of passions or the three fires, greed, aversion and ignorance.For ages, this Bodhi tree has been imagined by artists as a symbol of peace, embodying their messages against violence. However, in the current era, violence is not the only enemy of human civilization. Trapped in the coils of technology, bound by the chains of modernity, and riding the steamroller of progress that is destroying nature, this civilization’s relentless pursuit of advancement is the greatest enemy of humanity and the world. How we invite danger into our lives by becoming dependent on technology has become the central subject of this modern art.
The recent installation of the Bodhi tree by artist Sanatan Dinda at the Academy of Fine Arts is set to become his most iconic creation. The Bodhi tree is made from e-waste such as discarded laptops, mobile phones, and remote. Watch the Video
This creation stands as a protest against the increased digi-war .
Artist Sanatan’s internationally acclaimed installation is, in fact, a protest against our helpless surrender to aggressive technology. Regarding this, artist Sanatan Dinda says, “The plastic resin used in cutting-edge technology, which was indispensable yesterday, has now been discarded and turned into waste. This e-waste is polluting the water, land, air, and atmosphere around the world.”
For now, those who are pushing this heap of junk towards the Third World to protect themselves while sitting comfortably in armchairs, swimming pools, and gardens, they should know that in the future, their children will also have to carry oxygen cylinders to school. In the name of civilization’s progress, the wanton destruction of trees and wetlands is an act of combined modern technology and capitalism. As a conscious citizen and a regular practitioner of art, one must vociferously proclaim an undeniable truth: the world is gravely ill. Humanity remains indebted to the Earth.
This incredible installation poses a vociferous reply against the irrevocable change that has been brought to the world by technology. It is being exhibited in the North Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kolkata from Saturday until July 19.
