Bullets can kill a person but not the spirit of a soldier. Gopal Namjoshi spoke toGANITA about his installation

We read tales of valour in Kargil in books or archived news reports. But Gopal Namjoshi has depicted them in the form of a sculpture. A muralist, artist and a designer, his installations are thought-provoking yet aesthetically beautiful and have been adaptive in including sustainable material. He has mounted them in public spheres for creating awareness and engagement.

This time he has played with bullet shells, especially cast for his work,  Homage to Kargil War Heroes, displayed at Central Atrium of Select City Walk. “A bullet can kill the person but not the spirit of the soldier. Aatma ko koi goli nahi maar sakta. It is written in Mahabharata too. Keeping this in mind, I constructed a soldier riddled with bullets but taut in spirit,” said Namjoshi, explaining the theme. With a team of six assistants, he completed the installation, weighing 670 kg, in 30 days. Around 80,000 bullets were used to create a huge figure. “A soldier needs to have a larger image in society,” added the artist.

“From the little exposure to the Army, I know how war is not the only challenge soldiers face. Rather it’s the daily encounters with terrorists that claim more lives. I think that the Army is doing its mandated job. People don’t realise its hardships. Yet the Army is mostly embroiled in controversies because of political failure. Successive governments have been putting the Army in a situation which needs diplomatic negotiation. Army is not doing the wrong thing but whatever is decided on the political front is wrong,” Namjoshi exclaimed. “This art installation signifies the spirit of those loyal volunteers of India which is and will remain larger and higher,” he concluded.