KINGS IN UNIFORM
THE WEEK India|January 22, 2023
Hkinn's photographs from Myanmar showcase the impact of military rule in her country
NIRMAL JOVIAL
KINGS IN UNIFORM

In February 2021, when the military seized power in Myanmar after detaining leaders like Aung San Suu Kyi, photographer Hkinn’s prophecy came true. The 30-year-old activist and artist, who prefers to hide her official name for security reasons, told me that she knew a coup was in the offing when she worked on her photographic series, Soulless City, which was completed in 2019.

The series, currently on display at the Kochi Muziris Biennale, tells a compelling tale of ordinary citizens against the backdrop of Myanmar’s modern capital Naypyidaw—a brainchild of former military leader Than Shwe. Naypyidaw, which means the abode of kings in Burmese, has numerous areas that are off-limits for civilians. The military’s version was that the former capital, Yangon, had become congested and Naypyidaw was strategically located. It replaced Yangon as the administrative capital of Myanmar in 2005. There are many like Hkinn who believe that superstitions, megalomania and paranoia of the military leadership, and their intent to keep power away from the citizenry, led to the construction of Naypyidaw.

“The city was not built for the people; it was built to show off the military’s might. That is why I named my series, Soulless City,” says Hkinn, who was born and brought up in Yangon. “The political situation in my country is so complex. There has been a civil war going on for more than 60 years.… Even when there was a civil government, the military held 25 per cent seats in parliament. Military operations and military-related budgets were not overseen by the civil government.”

この記事は THE WEEK India の January 22, 2023 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は THE WEEK India の January 22, 2023 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

THE WEEK INDIAのその他の記事すべて表示
William Dalrymple goes further back
THE WEEK India

William Dalrymple goes further back

Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.

time-read
3 分  |
November 17, 2024
The bleat from the street
THE WEEK India

The bleat from the street

What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.

time-read
2 分  |
November 17, 2024
Courage and conviction
THE WEEK India

Courage and conviction

Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case

time-read
2 分  |
November 17, 2024
EPIC ENTERPRISE
THE WEEK India

EPIC ENTERPRISE

Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus

time-read
4 分  |
November 17, 2024
Upgrade your jeans
THE WEEK India

Upgrade your jeans

If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.

time-read
2 分  |
November 17, 2024
Garden by the sea
THE WEEK India

Garden by the sea

When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus

time-read
4 分  |
November 17, 2024
RECRUITERS SPEAK
THE WEEK India

RECRUITERS SPEAK

Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates

time-read
3 分  |
November 17, 2024
MORAL COMPASS
THE WEEK India

MORAL COMPASS

The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape

time-read
5 分  |
November 17, 2024
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
THE WEEK India

B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH

INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode

time-read
3 分  |
November 17, 2024
COURSE CORRECTION
THE WEEK India

COURSE CORRECTION

India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI

time-read
8 分  |
November 17, 2024