What a solution!

Jasmine Singh

Ideally, there are (ideally, there should be) two ways of looking at a problem, first, acknowledging the problem, and second, looking for solutions to it. On Thursday, two artistes— Ankur Patar, Harp Farmer, and two members of the Lipi Foundation (a social organisation working in the space of family counselling and digital awareness) gave away some really different ways of dealing with the existing drug problem in Punjab.

After accepting that there is ‘only some’ drug problem in the state, these four people on the dais, would now want the public to turn their heads towards the positivity of Punjab instead! Their campaign Stop Defaming Punjab is an endeavour to bring back the pride of Punjab, and request people to stop defaming it.

Just the right time for a campaign like this? Harp Farmer aka Harpeet Singh from Nadalon, Hoshiarpur breaks into a philosophical discourse. “Time, now time is something that man has invented for its own use,” he says, which of course doesn’t answer the question. This artiste wants to break the stereotypes, and he explains what this stereotype is? “When I, or other Punjabis (he means the non-drug addicts) go abroad, they are often asked just one question, ‘So you come from Punjab where everyone takes drugs or they are asked Ki Punjab ch aini drugs di problem hai? This is the stereotype I want to break. I would want to be identified as an artiste coming from a nice and positive Punjab,” he says. So, what has the artiste or the Lipi Foundation done on this stop defaming Punjab issue? “This we will disclose soon,” says Hemant Mehta of Lipi Foundation, as his fellow member, Dr Mehak Singh comes up with yet another vague answer, “We are going to be visiting villages (to do what?),” she says. On the other hand, Ankur Patar, a well- known illustrator has designed a solution to it, “We would put up an exhibition of my works, highlighting the bright side, and the beauty of Punjab,” he adds!