This moment too shall pass!

Things have been different around the house off lately. It is past midnight and as I write this, there is complete quiet here. Not the usual, joyful, serenely comforting calm of my home but the suffocating silence and it is unsettling. 

I am feeling bit rung out of energy with my tired body that is uncooperative to the will. My mind is constantly reiterating on doing double time with me even while I am on verge of collapse any moment! It is a very peculiar feeling to be physically exhausted, emotionally drained and yet your mind wanting to work relentlessly. While my body and mind struggle to have a compatible, synchronized rhythm, there is a quiet riot in my heart. I am stressed, withdrawn, looking blankly outside my window.

I stare vacuously at the screen of my laptop. A glance at the photo on the screen and it brings alive, hues of twilight sky. I look out from the window with weary eyes and the silhouettes of a quiet night calms my nerves for a moment. The cool breeze, a few shining stars and random barking of a street dog keep me company while weight of each moment passing by becomes difficult to bear. 

At the table near me are the medical files of my mother in law on which I have worked for last four hours, planning next course of action, figuring out how to accommodate her dozens of tests and counseling sessions with psychiatrist in a routinely frazzled schedule. Having a cancer patient in the house is painfully long and deeply exhausting experience.   

I am on the brink, physically and emotionally. A casual insensitive remark a relative made last week rings in my mind, yet again! I can't stop thinking how inflicting pain seems to be uniquely human trait because in Nature, creatures kill one another for the sake of food, dominance or territory. Why do we do it? Why do we stand by and watch others passively while they suffer and add to their pain and attain joy out of it? Some incidents bruise you deeply questioning the very basis of relationships within family and outside it. Past few months, me and my family have experienced harrowing time.

Not many of us honour life but when people fail to disregard decorum and sanctity that life threatening illness naturally commands, the realization numbs you.

I keep reminding myself "this moment too shall pass". From across the window I hear little chirping of birds, indicating arrival of new day. I dash to the bed praying God to grant me and my family all the strength and equilibrium to help us pass through this difficult phase in our life and ability to accept what is beyond our control and garner acceptance and serenity. 

Snapshots from Kala Ghoda Festival 2015

Mumbai's nine days of high energy revelry and cultural festivities that reminds one of a carnival, The Kala Ghoda Festival got over! Each year, I regale in its hangover for few days but unfortunately, this time, I could not pay as many visits as I would have ideally loved to, due to time constraints. 

I have done enough talking about KGAF in my last post. So, presenting here is a glimpse of some of the art installations and artefacts I clicked during my two visits to KGAF amidst all the chaos around! 

 

A peep into Kala Ghoda Festival 2015

One of the most popular events that define the core character of beautiful city of Mumbai, through its various hues, The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, is back! I have been able to pay visit only once so far to this community celebration of arts, culture, crafts and life in general at one of the most beautiful and historic precincts of Mumbai, The Kala Ghoda Art District. 

Like it happens every year, the art installations have drawn people and are deeply engaging for the viewers, even for the people who would not ordinarily cross the threshold of a gallery. A work of art can have certain influence and yet connect to its viewer regardless of its social, political or cultural conditioning. What ultimately matters is the object of art itself, that is, the physical or intellectual expression of the artist’s vision and intent, and how it relates to the viewer who engages with it. Remember that quote, “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” ?When a piece of art is installed in a public place then it has to be interactive as a visual and also intellectual, wherein the spectator has an opportunity to take away something every time he/she encounters the piece. Or else, it will be considered as a just another statue at a cross road! 

I find quality of visitors at KGAF an interesting mix and not necessarily only art loving folks. Albeit, I was shocked to find many people abusing art installations by climbing/sitting on them or holding some part of the installations and getting too close for sake of getting a good shot! When reminded, that they were not supposed to cross the line drawn around the art installations, many people were found shockingly rude and I was told to "mind my own business". I cringed to see so many beautiful art installations broken due to mishandling of visitors. 

For art to meet its purpose, it should reach out to every person on the street and not be restricted to only elites. In India, unfortunately, we fail to understand that sense of responsibility expected from viewers to respect art and the artists. Most of the times, in my observation, people don't even bother to read about the work of art at display to understand its nuances or interact with the artists present at KGAF. They are more interested to get that "perfect shot" even if that means shoving and pushing others! I hope the KGFA organizers take a serious note of this and address these issues from next year. Art is an important part of our core identity. It is our moral obligation as viewers to respect our heritage and culture.

Each year, the KGAF, packs immensely creative activities for all the age groups; be it music, dance, visual arts, literature, theatre, food, films, pottery, photography, street art, heritage walks or  a number of workshops on several topics. No matter how hard one tries, it is difficult to participate in all activities as so much happens there every single day! This quintessentially Mumbai cultural event provides space for everybody; the elites, the kitschy, the eccentrics, the commoners and the unconventional ones...all feel absolutely welcome and at home here as there is something for everyone and therein lies its appeal!

I intend to catch a much detailed glimpse of KGAF in next few days. Do look out for some more photographs and stories here!

Colours of innocence!

Have you ever wondered when our thoughts turn to children, in whose eyes we see our ideals still shining, our dreams still glowing, our hopes still bright, we become bit sentimental. Well, I am no different! Only a sentimentalist would ever regard childhood as a time of untroubled innocence. 

But do our children really have that untroubled innocence anymore? Surprisingly, this question came to my mind while I paid visit to an interesting exhibition of handicrafts and was met with a very pleasant surprise! I saw absolutely amazing toys made with Terracotta, wood, crystal that took me back to the innocent, simple games I used to enjoy as child with my friends and siblings! 

Wooden toys made by artists from Karnataka

Today, there is more trouble for children and less time for innocence compared to recent generations. It is not so much that kids have changed, but that the world has changed around them. And how fast! 

Everywhere you look, children today are being forced to grow up faster. Every time I see a tiny toddler (who should ideally be frolicking around and playing with friends/ playmates) engrossed with a game on a cell phone or laptop my heart cringes! To an unprecedented extent, we are witnessing the ravishment of the tender, the sensitive, the delicate, by the savage and brutal forces in modern society.

  

Terracotta toys made by national award winning artists from Kutch, Gujarat

Children are growing up so fast that  they are virtually bypassing childhood as we (if you are in your thirties/forties, you would know what I am talking about here) knew it. They are smart, proud, fiercely independent, strong-willed and sophisticated. They are a generation that has been raised to doubt and challenge authority, to accept little at face value - to enter the mature world long before they are mature themselves! Their lives contain things beyond comprehension a few decades ago, with entire planet and beyond accessible through a single click of a button!

Tiny, crystal birds made by a National award winning Delhi artist 

Of course, it is great boon to have technology that has enriched our life and made it much easier, convenient and fun but at the same time sometimes it feels our children are robbed of their innocence in the process. It has alienated children from the real world that influences their social skills to great extent.  

Wooden yo-yo made by artist from Karnataka

Any Indian, who has been brought up in smaller city would know the joy of playing games like " gilli danda", "lagori","chor police","kho kho" "kabbadi". The thrill of climbing trees and searching for the fruits specially the ones that were tasted by the birds is beyond words! The excitement of catching butterflies, ladybirds or tadpoles and after the maddening chase was over, releasing them gently and sleeping on the grass bed and feeling proud of one's valiant efforts, was almost an everyday overwhelming ritual. The most beautiful part of these adventures was that there was always a whole gang of children to play with.

Colourful, tiny, wooden pots made by artist from Karnataka 

How we used to play and study; how we managed to take time out for entertainment; how we spent time with parents and grandparents listening to the stories with wide-eyed wonderment! What I always admired most in those games is simplicity and how they helped exploring one's individuality and understand many facets of life in general with amazing fun and creativity !

Crystal birds made by a Delhi artist

When the summer months arrived, there was a huge treasure trove of indoor games! Playing with simple, ordinary things like  shells, stones or tamarind seeds was ultimate joy! Creating games out of junk was a matter of pride! All these games helped great bonding and imparted great values and life skills without burden of learning them. Many games were designed to teach mathematical skills, develop motor skills, hand eye coordination, concentration, strategy planning, creativity, knowledge and team spirit. The joy of these games was doubled when grand-parents joined the team! Making puppets, assigning names and creating new stories and the characters with help of grand-parents was favourite with boys and girls alike!

Wooden racing cars 

Every time, I visit a store to buy gift for any child, I am overwhelmed by the choices. I wonder, why children are complaining of boredom in spite of the multiple options they have? I am dying to see a hand made doll and listen to her stories from a child's mouth. I am dying to see that sense of wonder on a child's face that I feel is lost long back somewhere! Is there anyway we can get it back? I would give anything just to have one glimpse of it!!! 

"You said it"! R.I.P the most uncommon man!

I don't know about you but one of my very fond memories of younger days is, waiting for the newspaper man every day, sort out The Times Of India from the bundle of newspapers delivered at our home and dart towards a corner before any sibling or parent could reach me and regaling the iconic comic strip "You said it" by R.K. Laxman! 

It was delicious addiction everybody in the house was consumed with and also a reason for many fights amidst the siblings while snatching the newspaper and being first to read the cartoon of the day. Days invariably started with Mr. R.K. Laxman's brilliant humour through his finest character of a "common man"- symbol of India's ordinary citizens, their concerns, joys, sorrows and frustrating helplessness. His "Common man" cut across all the categories and class and with whom everyone could relate so well! The uncanny perception of a common man and his hopes, dreams, aspirations, trials and tribulations, dashed with brilliant sarcasm easily conquered millions of hearts! 

Mr. R.K. Laxman, India's most revered cartoonist/caricaturist passed away yesterday, leaving an indelible mark. His cartoons chronicled India's social life and political history in unique style. Mr. Laxman's genius was in compelling his readers to think through his astute ability to spot the real issues and convey the sentiments effortlessly without making the readers feel the burden of seriousness of the issues addressed in his cartoons. It served as great comic respite for most Indians from blurs of daily life laced with unique challenges of mundane life.

With Mr. R. K. Laxman's sad demise, we have not only lost a silent social reformer but also a great political, social conscious keeper. The great era of healthy, brilliant satire is over. 

R.I.P Mr. R. K. Laxman! You were the most uncommon man India has ever known!