B 17

Rev. Joseph Peet’s name is etched in golden letters in the history of Travancore not only as a great educationist but also as a social reformist who stood for abolishing slavery and the caste system in the state. The human plight touched Rev. Peet deeply and he not only converted the downtrodden into the path of Christ but also helped them in gaining social equality. When Rev. Peet was doing his missionary works in Mavelikkara, he fought a one-man army battle against the evil social forces. He even bought slaves from the market and freed them. He never forced anyone to convert to Christianity however he showed them the path of knowledge and light.

In his relief Panel, artist Ganesh divides the frame into three in which on the left side one could see Rev. Peet getting the slaves from the market and freeing them. The other slave in chains waits for his turn to be freed. Ganesh follows a classical style in modelling as he gives an emblematic frontal pose to Rev. Peet while the slave is given a profile. The backside of the other slave completes the total human image. The central portion of the panel has a proselytization process in progress where the slave is elevated to the status of a human being. On the extreme right panel, the public comprised of freed slaves witness this act of benevolence. Ganesh is successful in capturing the essence of Rev. Peet’s reformist act in a sequential narrative way.