Celebrating the Political Parcha

“For plugging the holes in history the pamphlet is the ideal form… When one considers how flexible a form the pamphlet is, and how badly some of the events of our time need documenting, this is a thing to be desired.”
∼ George Orwell

On January 1, 2026, the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT) opened a one-day exhibition titled Parcha: The Political Voice. Since 1990, every January 1 has held a particular meaning for SAHMAT. It marks the day Safdar Hashmi was fatally attacked by political goons while performing Halla Bol. SAHMAT was formed by writers, painters, scholars, poets, architects, photographers, designers, cultural activists and media persons following the rage against Safdar’s murder, and in defence of pluralist and democratic spirit of creative expression.

Over the decades, SAHMAT’s annual exhibitions have become a form of cultural resistance, responding to communalism and political violence through visual culture. From early exhibitions marking 50 years of independence to later interventions around Ayodhya, SAHMAT has consistently used art to critically engage with the idea of the nation and the times we live in. Its exhibitions on Palestine, in particular, connected global struggles with local ethical responsibilities, reminding audiences that cultural solidarity does not end at national borders.

Parcha: The Political Voice was curated by three young artists and scholars: Aban Raza, Shatam Ray and Vijender Vij. The exhibition emerged through an open call, but notably not through social media. Instead, the call travelled through word of mouth, emails and conversations – the older, slower ways of reaching out. It was directed at artists, writers, thinkers and politically alert individuals who felt the urgency to communicate something that mattered.

Curator Aban Raza with art critic Geeta Kapur during a walkthrough of Parcha: The Political Voice at the SAHMAT exhibition. Photo: Eshan Sharma

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Sohail Hashmi engaging with the parchas on display at Parcha: The Political Voice. Photo: Eshan Sharma

The history of pamphlets dates back to the origins of printing, when the written word first became accessible to a wider public. Since then, pamphlets have functioned as vehicles for expressing and propagating ideas. They can be polemical, lyrical, informational or overtly propagandist, depending on the cause they address. In this exhibition, the pamphlet or parcha emerged as a deeply democratic form, explored by artists in diverse ways. Some chose to write, others painted, while some worked with photographs, etchings or visual symbols. What emerged was a rich exploration of the parcha as both form and idea.

The opening saw a warm and varied gathering, with people across generations engaging closely with the works. Moving through the exhibition, one could spot well-known intellectuals and artists, including Geeta Kapur, as well as Professor V. K. Tripathi, former IIT Delhi professor, who in recent years has become widely known for distributing pamphlets on public issues.

Speaking to The Wire, Aban Raza noted that the parcha remains extremely relevant. In any working-class colony, if you want to convey something, handing out a pamphlet is still the most natural and effective way. In her view, the only way to counter the overwhelming disinformation spread by mainstream media is through the parcha. During citizen-led protests, she explained, communication took multiple forms. Placards and posters conveyed slogans, but pamphlets carried concrete information: how many deaths had occurred, who was responsible, how events were unfolding, and which corporations were complicit in violence elsewhere.

The parcha thus became a way to counter massive disinformation. It is a humble form, simple yet powerful. The excitement around it lay in the belief that anyone who creates a pamphlet will inevitably research and reflect, and anyone who reads it will also have to make a small effort. That mutual effort, in their understanding, is the basis of meaningful communication.

Visitors engaging with Parcha: The Political Voice, capturing the pamphlet-based works on their phones. Photo: Eshan Sharma

Founding SAHMAT member Rajan with curator Aban Raza, engaging with works on display at Parcha: The Political Voice. Photo: Eshan Sharma

Former IIT Delhi professor and activist V.K. Tripathi articulated this succinctly: through a pamphlet, one first expresses oneself. Second, it becomes an excuse to begin a conversation. One can say, this is our pamphlet on this issue. If the reader is interested in even two sentences, a conversation begins. Even if they only take the pamphlet, one assumes it will be read at least once. Saying things in simple, straightforward words creates impact. The simplicity and directness of everyday language is what affects people.

In an age where social media produces excess information and constant noise, the parcha cuts through by demanding attention and care. Digital platforms overwhelm, but the pamphlet allows focus and filtering, enabling engagement with questions of basic rights and basic needs. In this sense, it remains one of the most effective formats of communication.

The exhibition reflected this ethos in its works. One artwork took the form of origami, reminiscent of childhood paper fortune-tellers, reinterpreting the Preamble of the Constitution through images of monuments, people and gods. It became a reflection on diversity and the layered idea of India. Gargi Raina’s work was perhaps the most discussed piece of the evening, presenting a map of Palestine painted in red on a keffiyeh, evoking violence, loss and the struggle for sovereignty. Another work brought together six photographs from protests in India, drawing connections between distant geographies and shared forms of resistance.

Manini Chatterji’s work used stamp paper to disrupt conventional ideas of communication. Addressed “To whomsoever it is of concern,” it carried the line, “Do not despair, my friend. Dreams never die, nightmares end,” offering quiet reassurance in a moment of crisis. An artist from Bengal responded to the rise of aggressive, false masculinity and its impact on mental health during humanitarian crises through stark posters. Another parcha dissected the anatomy of a pogrom, laying out a chilling timeline of anti-Muslim violence in Delhi.

Some works invited tactile engagement. This pamphlet unfolds into an eight-fold zine, encouraging viewers to read, handle, and participate. Photo: Eshan Sharma

Some works invited tactile engagement. This pamphlet unfolds into an eight-fold zine, encouraging viewers to read, handle, and participate. Photo: Eshan Sharma

Interestingly, there were no supporting texts accompanying the artworks. This allowed viewers complete freedom to interpret what each parcha was communicating. Some works were immediately legible, while others demanded time and close attention. In many ways, the exhibition was democratic on two levels. First, in terms of participation. It brought together senior artists like Raina alongside first-time contributors who did not necessarily identify as professional artists but as citizens expressing themselves. Second, it was democratic in its audience. Visitors ranged from working-class people to well-known intellectuals, historians and scholars. Such diversity is rare in gallery spaces, which often attract a fairly homogeneous crowd. The open space at Surjeet Bhawan thus became the site of a genuinely transformative encounter.

Unlike earlier SAHMAT exhibitions, this was a one-day event, though with the promise of returning in a larger format and for a longer duration. Raza hopes to take the exhibition across India with the full collection of parchas, allowing the project to grow. SAHMAT invited artists working across mediums to contribute works that resonated with the democratic impulse of the humble pamphlet, drawn or printed on paper. All works were required to remain modest in scale, no larger than 12 x 12 inches, like political pamphlets meant for reproduction. The intention was to reproduce each work in multiple copies for wide circulation, reinforcing the parcha not just as an artwork, but as a tool for communication and dissemination.

Visitors engaging with Parcha: The Political Voice, where the parcha emerges as a living, contemporary form rather than a relic of a bygone era. Photo: Eshan Sharma

Visitors engaging with the parchas on display at Parcha: The Political Voice. Photo: Eshan Sharma

In returning to the pamphlet, Parcha: The Political Voice reminds us that resistance does not always need spectacle. Sometimes, it begins with a small piece of paper, passed hand to hand, asking us to pause, read, think and speak.

Eshan Sharma is a history researcher, documentary filmmaker and the founder of Karwaan: The Heritage Exploration Initiative.

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