By Bhogtoram Mawroh
A few days ago I came across a Facebook post by Mario Pathaw, an upcoming artist from Meghalaya, whose paintings have featured as murals on government buildings and whose design serves as the emblem of Meghalaya. I learned about his work when Raiot, an online webzine for which I was editing for a while, featured an extract from his graphic novel ‘Tynrai Shwa ki Tnat (Roots before branches).’ He had created the book when he was still pursuing his Master’s degree at the Industrial Design Centre (IDC School of Design), IIT Bombay. Since then, he has produced many artworks, which have brought him both recognition and work.
Comic books (graphic novels are a more expansive version) have a long history in the state. It began in the 1980s with artists like Bah M.K.D. Sohtun, Bah W.R. Dkhar, Bah Michael Lyngdoh, Bah Wengsingh Roy Dkhar and many more contributed to this genre. From among these stalwarts, Bah S. Koressterwell Majaw emerged as one of the most prolific comic book writers of that period, having written for over 10 Khasi Comics, with Shillong Seven Huts Publication as one of the popular publishing houses dealing with Khasi Comics. Mario is part of this hallowed tradition, and his graphic novel is part of the growing culture of combining text and pictures to tell a story, which has emerged from our hills. So, it was very sad to find in his Facebook post that he has stopped sharing his work.
Mario admitted that social media helped in creating an engagement with his work. Over the years, it gave him recognition and visibility, which brought more work. But this has come at an unfortunate cost. Over time, he has noticed that his artworks have been “plagiarised and misused, reproduced without … (his) knowledge, consent, or credit”. He has spotted them “on merchandise, in enterprises and emporiums” with whom he had never interacted. For him, this was baffling and heartbreaking. I also saw his artwork in souvenir shops. I assumed that the store had his permission. But after he admitted to his work being used without his consent, I am no longer sure about it. What this does is deprive him of the rightful earnings that he deserves for creating original pieces of work, which took time and effort.
We talked about filing a copyright infringement lawsuit against the stores and individuals selling his artwork without his permission. While that might work to some extent, it may not completely stem the problem unless a platform displays and sells original works of artists from the state. After all, there are many artists like Mario who have made their living through art, and they also need a support system that works for all.
I am very interested in supporting the local visual artists, because I have friends (like Benjamin Syiem, a national award-winning artist) who are working in this sector and I am also an amateur artist myself with one of my childhood dreams was to become a comic book artist. I did political cartoons on a weekly basis for the Meghalaya Times for some time, and I have my page, U Jler, where I draw comics based on current affairs. My greatest delight was when I published my first volume of U Jler Comics and an illustrated storybook on the Khasi adaptation of the timeless story of ‘The Little Prince’.
While I am quite proud of my work, I have a day job, and these were personal projects without the intention of actually making money. I am well aware of how difficult the sector is. There are unreasonable deadlines imposed by clients, delayed payments, and a shortage of work. It’s not a very lucrative sector, and those who have made a living out of it are doing so despite the lack of money. But money is very important.
One platform where artists can showcase their work is exhibitions, and I have gone to a few of them over the years. The government organised some, while some are collaborative initiatives by the artists themselves. The recent one was an exhibition organised on ‘World Art Day’ in All Saints’ Hall by Careen J. Langstieh, an accomplished artist herself, in collaboration with other local artists. It was wonderful to see artworks in different genres, meeting established artists like Benedict Hynniewta and Mario himself. One artist I really admire among all is Batliakor Laitthma, whose paintings are honest, and one can see her constantly improving and evolving. Unfortunately, I did not find her artworks in the exhibition, which just reveals the depth of talent that exists in the state. If not for anything, going to such exhibitions is immensely therapeutic.
Such exhibitions, however, are very few. There are platforms like the Winter Tales and Shillong Literature Festival where some artwork gets exhibited. But it is very difficult to get the artwork sold when people who come to such festivals have other things in mind. Therefore, I have always thought that a permanent space for art exhibitions, where they put artwork of artists from all over the state for exhibition and sale, could be a very good initiative. This space should be open to all artists. At any one time, there will be multiple artists displaying their works, but they will get to showcase only a fixed number of their artworks. In case they can get them sold, the artist can bring new pieces for display. Because the number of artists and their artworks will exceed the capacity of the space, every artist will have a time limit (say, a month), after which others can showcase their own work. After the time limit is over, those who have already showcased can only bring their work again after, let’s say, three or four artists have already got their opportunity, unless there are no works to display. This will create an incentive for artists to bring their best work so that they can sell it, and not just use it as a showcase for their vanity.
The exhibition will also have space for the sale of merchandise, and the artists themselves or their agents will operate it. These stalls will also have information on the legitimate stores or emporiums that may sell the artists’ work. If one finds the artwork in locations not listed in the pamphlet or flyer provided at the exhibition, it means those locations are infringing on copyright. Customers can then call the artists, who will start legal proceedings against the guilty party.
As for the customers, this will be a mix of locals and non-locals, especially tourists, who should be encouraged to include the exhibition as part of their itinerary. The state also gets a lot of visitors who come to meet the government for investment or to provide loans. There are also workshops and seminars that happen all the time. The participants will be made aware of the exhibition, which they can visit before they return. I recently met the German ambassador to India at an event put on by Asian Confluence, a think tank based in Shillong. The ambassador was in the state for a project. And he is not the only one. So, footfall could only improve with time.
For a long time, people have known Shillong as the ‘Cultural Capital of the North East’ and Guwahati as the ‘Financial Capital of the North East.’ Much of the money Assam gets is borrowed, so they’re in the same situation as Meghalaya. But despite this, there is no way we can ever compete with Assam in terms of attracting investments because of the size of the state in terms of area and population. But we can outdo it in terms of aesthetics and being a place where people can come not just for scenery but for art and culture as well. We have a lot of scope in terms of residences for writing because of the salubrious climate we have and a lot of materials for producing great artwork, whether it be stories from the past or the current affairs of the present. So, a permanent exhibition could just be one way in which we can boost the image of our state and help generate revenue. In the process, we also ensure young artists like Mario receive their due and no one exploits them.
(The views expressed in the article are those of the author and do not reflect in any way his affiliation to any organisation or institution)