Poda Panaada ! (Get Lost you Useless one)
The title Poda Panaada is in the Tamil colloquial language. It’s a phrase which refers to a person as useless by comparing him/her to Panaadai. Panaadai is the leaf sheaths seen in palm trees. In June 2026, I had the opportunity to visit the Lalit Kala Academy Art Gallery in Chennai. The world of artists is unique, and I usually engage with it reluctantly. The freedom it embraces overwhelms me many a time. During that visit, the work of artist P. Kirtana caught me unawares. She had given the most unusual title for her series of art presented at the gallery as Poda Panaada ! I assumed that she wanted to convey defiance. One of her larger artworks portrayed a woman sitting with a quiet yet firm recklessness. In a society that tells women to sit like this, don't sit like that… the woman portrayed by the artist owned her striking posture unapologetically. It reminded me of the woman sitting on the cover of Geetha Ilangov...
