I was walking by an old part of a town in a faraway land. The part of this town was culturally rich and was brimming with art everywhere. As I passed by an old monument in the town's plaza, on my left I saw an art gallery. There was a contemporary art show on display, and I decided to step in and witness the works of various artists. It was a small galley and I saw a few paintings along its perimeter and paused to witness small sculptures and murals those interjected the art hung on the clean walls of the gallery.
I finally arrived at the centrepiece - the highlight of the galley. The art titled "मुसळ" ("Musal" in Marathi) - was a huge pestle with vermilion sprinkled at its base. The bottom part of this pestle was covered in that deep red too. This pestle is used to thump and separate the grains from the husk.
The art was priced at... Let's just say an absurdly high amount with which about a handful of villages would be fed for a year!
The art depicted the atrocities the farmers faced. The red depicted the crushing of the farmers. Below this description was the name of the artist, the year in which it was created and a price tag. The art was priced at... Let's just say an absurdly high amount with which about a handful of villages would be fed for a year! The money that could fulfil the bare necessities of the farmers was vested in that centrepiece in the gallery.
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