Of People and Places

The ground is strewn with these pods that look like a string of pearls. So I thought, why not have some fun with them? The first thought  I had was that this resembles the pots that Rajasthani folk dancers balance on their head in Bhavai  dance.  Women twirl and sway gracefully as if balancing eight to ten pots on their head is as easy as breathing! And a girl with some loooooong braids !! Some old style party wear anyone? Pods from the Babool/ Babul tree - Aren't they pretty? ( Acacia Nilotica - Gum Arabic tree)  The Babul tree, Bhopal

At Kavayyi lake in Payannur .  The boatman silhouetted against the river and the inky blackness of the island trees.Would you like to see what I saw, that evening ? The sunset mellowed down... The colors faded into each other....became nothing The pale glimmering moon turned brighter... The colors washed away -the stains in the sky fading...  fading .... turning inky... while the boatman sat motionless... while darkness crept in.... and night descended. 

Lying flat on my back on the terrace, it's lovely to gaze at the sky. Clouds pass ever so slowly, and my thoughts drift with them. One day, just before sunset - I saw the first star appear. I saw how relative movement is - that time can stand still and the clouds can seem still if there isn't a point of reference, I felt the earth move in tune with the clouds.An illusion of sorts when you are facing the sky. I saw that even amid clouds of darkness, the moon burns bright - even if you cant see it, it's there. You just have to wait for the clouds to pass to see the moon peeking through.  Trying to recreate all the colors that  I saw as the evening stretched into night - which one do you like?

Part 3 of the conversation with Abhishek Dubey - One that is close to my heart. About the struggle in artists and writers to be true to oneself and to the society we live in. Have you been writing since childhood? Not much. It was in college that I began to write in earnest. We wrote together for Jazba and read a lot. When you start creating something together, it influences you to do personal work too. I started to write by connecting my experiences to the things that I had read about. Finding your voice, finding your own point of view is very slow, but extremely rewarding. It began to be a good practice. As you continue to write, some elements in your writing style begin to improve. Your understanding changes, matures and leads to new insights. I discovered Gorakh Pandey’s “ Bhojpuri ke nau geet ” and thought that they were splendid. His style of poetry influenced me. He was a people’s poet. And he was writing in    my mother tongue – t...

Part two of the conversation with Abhishek. To read part one of this conversation – click here . Many of the questions that he struggles with, I struggle with too. Some I had thought I had put to peace, but I was mistaken. We talk about things that make me uncomfortable. Stepping out of one’s comfort zone, to confront, to look truth in the eyes – It needs courage doesn’t it? Continued… So you think theatre can play an important role in bringing about change. Theatre can be a powerful influence. In the history of theatre performance in India, most plays were written for the stage, for the middle class and the elite. After independence, the style of writing changed – but even these plays were for people who were wealthy enough to give patronage to theatres. In parallel, a movement began – of working with the common people and performing amid them. Prithvi theatre and IPTA (Indian People’s Theatre Association) – used to go to towns and villages an...

Abhishek is working in Eklavya Publications – A man of many talents, he has an abiding passion for literature, is well-read, opinionated and can break into song at the drop of a hat. His djembe has been a source of delight for many of us, when at sunsets and full moon nights he sings and plays, his eyes shining. The music makes us forget our troubles, at least for a little while. He often writes poetry in the form of songs and sets them to music.  This is a conversation in two parts. This is part one of the conversation-- Were you interested in theatre right from childhood? My interest in theatre came in much later, after I came to Bhopal to study Mass Communication. In the villages and the cities where I lived or in the schools that I went to as a child – there was never an atmosphere where somebody was reading, or somebody was interested in poetry, theatre or the arts.  I moved constantly with my parents, and I have lived in many places but it wasn’t...

When I was flipping through my sketchbook, I found these sketches I had made at Japan Habba in February 2020. That's the best thing about having a little book to carry around - it lets me cherish moments and memories. And in the act of sketching, I make fuzzy things clear in my mind and observe little details that send up a whole flurry of emotions when I revisit them much later :) The air is festive and I am greeted by many smiling Indians and Japanese people - " Ohayou Gozaimasu" ( Good morning). The origami paper cranes remind me of Sadako's story - and how it became the symbol of peace. I I make a bee- line for the book stall - 5 books at Rs.100 - who can resist that? And I buy ten books in greed. Treasure! I have a weakness for Japanese children's books - they are so creative! Next we head to the Yukata stall to put on some Yukata - A summer dress made of light cotton fabric, worn by both men and women. And I rush to see t...