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Saddened to see changes made in Jallianwala Bagh; should have been left untouched: Deepti Naval
Actor Deepti Naval has expressed concern over changes made in the Jallianwala Bagh. The place where so many people were killed has been made into a selfie point. It is a place to mourn, not celebrate
Internationally acclaimed actor Deepti Naval has expressed concern over the changes made in the Jallianwala Bagh.
“Amritsar is no longer the same old place. I would like to remember Amritsar of post-Independence era till the 60s,” said the noted actress who was in the town to participate in the three-day literature festival, “Unmesha”. She participated in a conversation with Ratnottama Sengupta, an eminent scholar and critic.
Naval is known for her characters in “Main Zinda Hoon”, “Mirch Masala” and “Ankahee”, which were greatly appreciated by the audience. In her long stint in television and cinema, Naval did a lot of roles, which focused on the changing role of women in Indian society.
“I was happy to see the beautification of the Golden Temple but I don’t want to remember it for the turmoil in the mid-80s,” she said.
“On the contrary, I felt sad to see changes made in the Jallianwala Bagh. They should have left this monument of national importance untouched. The soil stained with the blood of martyrs should have been preserved. The place where so many people were killed has been made into a selfie point. It is a place to mourn, not celebrate,” she said, drawing a parallel with the 2nd World War memorial at Hiroshima in Japan. “In Hiroshima, everything that happened during the bombardment has been preserved and the damaged buildings gave been cordoned off. Rest they left as it is,” she said.
The actress said she has a studio in Kullu. “It has posters of my films, painting work, books and many more. A local girl has saved it. It’s just a studio, not a place to live. I am looking for a place to live,” she said.
“I am an artiste and would prefer to be called an artiste,” she replied when asked whether she would like to be called a painter, writer, poet or actor.
She said she has experienced things and documented them in photographs: “When I went to Ladakh, I saw the difficult life there and tried to show it through pictures.”
Naval said her new book, “A Country Called Childhood” will be launched on July 2. In this book, she has written about her childhood in Amritsar. “I am not sure whether it will be adapted into a film,” she added.
