Mad Woman in the Attic

हां, में उन खुश नसीबों में से हु, जिन्होंने ननिहाल का लाड दुलार, सुख और ऐश्वर्य का भोग किया है। मेरे तीन मामा है, अब तो बॉम्बे वाले ही है। सबसे बड़े मामाजी की कोई ज़्यादा याद नहीं है। लेकिन उनका दुलार भरा चेहरा हमेशा ही आँखों के सामने आ जाता है, जब भी उनकी बात निकलती है। अजमेर वाले मामाजी का तो मेरे जीवन की सबसे मीठी यादों मे योगदान रहा है। पर आज मै बॉम्बे वाले मामाजी के बखान करुँगी। माँ कहती है मामाजी मे उसको नानाजी का रूप और गुण खूब दिखता है। नानाजी का तो सिर्फ धुंधला चेहरा ही याद है, लेकिन मामाजी को देखकर लगता है कि नानाजी बहुत ही गुणों के धनी ही होंगे। वे तो सरपंच थे और आस पास के सारे गाँवों मे उनके डंका बजता था। नानाजी पर भी कुछ लिखूंगी, मेरी माँ और भाई बहनो से पूछ कर उनका भी चित्रण करुँगी। मामाजी हमेशा ही भविष्य की ओर देखते है। उनके लिए अतीत का क्या महत्व है, उसका मुझे कोई इल्म नहीं है। जब हम परिवार जन मिलते है, तो हर किसी के पास गांव मे बिताया हुआ कोई न कोई किस्सा, कोई न कोई क्षण तो मिल ही जाता। मामाजी के अतीत की कोई कहानी उनकी ज़ुबानी आज तक नहीं सुनी। कभी सोचती हु की काश मे भ...

In one of my Culture Studies class, I performed the ‘great-but-not-required’ task of teaching Marxist theory and cultural materialism. I was told by my colleagues that I could just teach the basics and fundamentals of Indian Culture. The classes got over. I had moved on from teaching to other projects. 5 years later, a student messaged me on Facebook, “I am in the States for a two-year degree program in film studies. Today was my first theory class, and it was all about cultural materialism. Thank you for not making me feel inadequate today.” Bachelors of Mass Media This, in my understanding, is the core function of a teacher. When a student remembers you after so many years for what you have taught, you have done well! Yes, a teacher gets applauded for doing new things in the class. Research Methodology  I was invited to take a course on Research Methodology in a design college, for two different classed. One class was very enthusiastic about it and we cumulativ...

My parents were connected with their roots, and every summer vacation, they would take us to the villages they belonged to, in Rajasthan. And as an impressionable young child, I thought I also belonged there. My father's village, called Peeplad, was amidst the Aravalis, and the hills were made of rocks and boulders. In the harsh summer of May and June, these Aravali rocks co-operated with the sun and never allowed anyone to come closer to them. But when it was 4 o clock, cooler winds came subtly and cooled the rocks immediately. My father and uncles and aunts at the temple entrance By 5, we were on these rocky hills with our cousins, climbing and slipping, collecting round stones to show off to our friends in the city, swinging on the branches of the banyan tree and playing hide and seek and so many other games. We would also take active part in the evening aarti in the ancient temple on the hill, though I think, it was majorly for the prasad. But we were mesmerized ...

Why do we wear clothes? Yes, a very silly question to ask! The first reason in history was to protect yourself from adverse weather and climatic conditions. So we draped ourselves in block printed cottons and silks to save ourselves from the harsh sun and allow the air to cool you off, through those filters of layers. I always remember the image of Neel- Aal (indigo- madder dyed cloth in the Indus Valley Civilization) that Shri Rajeev Sethi evokes in every presentation that he made; for the cause of saving the traditional textiles of the country. One doesn't know how it happened, but it must have been the saddest time in history- when clothes became to be associated with izzat or honor and therefore lajja or shame. It was the time, when we became us and them, and the boundaries only went on to fortify themselves. Since then, so much of energy has just been spent on creating new ways of izzat through clothing, and more energy spent on maintaining that izzat.  It must ...

Yes, when I am in the mountains, it feels like a festival!!! Far away from the maddening crowd, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, far away from the thoughts that make you anxious, far away from the mundane! Norbulingka, Dharamshala, 2006 And closer to yourself, when you smell the foliage, pat that dog, look at this flower closer, greet a stranger on the way, give a lot of thought to what you want to eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner, enjoy every bite that you take in, munch on all local food available on the road, use your eyes consciously to capture and soak in every detail, and of course, keep walking and strengthening yourself!   But what I want to write here, is the journey before the actual journey. How and what does one prepare for a festival?  Firstly there is the excitement at the thought of the 'event', how will the vacation go, what shall I see and experience, and so many kinds of interesting thoughts, imagining fantastical storie...