Mad Woman in the Attic

I feel low. Well, I am a pessimist usually. Most of the times, there is no need for a reason. That’s the general mood of the life I live. I also like being one. Because from the deepest of my lows, I find some amazing insights- insights about myself, about the times and society that we live in! Ah the mental stimulation of being in that space! But today I have a reason. I saw ‘Sacred Games’. The second season! And it reminded of the most quintessential part of me. Bombay! Sacred Games was written by Vikram Chandra around 2006. It was about Bombay, it was about crime in the city, it was about people who had made the city their home,   it was about the relationships that they forged with each other (out of choice or compulsion). It was a best seller, a must- read novel to know about the city. Then why did I not include it as one of my texts for PhD thesis? I went back to ‘Baumgartner’s Bombay’ and ‘Ravan And Eddie’, the two novels that we studied as texts during our M A clas...

In the Indian ocean of vast wealth, Amidst Coromandel's lush green fields of prosperity, The white shimmers of local cotton, In the salt of the river, In the hands of dexterity and organic colors, I glow with the adornments of season, flowers, tree, birds, water..  I am a quintessential part of the textile painting tradition of the Indian subcontinent. My lineage traces back to Mohenjo Daro and Harappa, when the first cloth was dyed and painted in neel-aal (indigo- madder). With time, my artisans' superlative knowledge of color chemistry give me a quality of growth and enforcement, and I become the reflection of the essence of nature's life stream in my textures and colors. On the vastness of resist- dyed cottons and silks, beautiful line drawings create fluid narratives or nature imagery with a 'tamarind twig pen', and colors are filled with 'bamboo pens'. Sometimes, narratives find expression in block printing also. A large rang...

Objectives: The present proposal aims   - To document the khyal compositions from the Banaras gharana ; as sung and rendered for the past 300 years - To renew and reinvigorate the khyal tradition of the Banaras gharana - To disseminate forgotten forms and styles of Banaras gharana khyal as a repository of cultural ways and values - To provide, to the students of music, research scholars, the vast mine of this rich tradition, for further references   - To set newer standards through artistic collaboration The art of music in India has for centuries been neglected and despised by the general public. That period is now happily over, and an awakening of interest is everywhere manifest; educational institutions of recent birth are in a flourishing condition, and there is a demand on all sides from amateurs for musical tuition, while treatises, and new notations and editions of ancient texts are continually being published. It cannot be denied, however, th...

बादल, बादल, बादल, सफ़ेद, जैसे जन्नत, तुझे देखने के लिए, खूब धन व्यय करता हु मैं और तेरे इशारों पर नाचता हु मैं, लेकिन कब मुझे तुझमे और औरत में यह समानता दिख गयी, तुझे तो मैं सिर्फ निहारता हूँ, और उसी औरत को इसके लिए ताड़ता हूँ । कई साल पहले, रोज़ देखते थे तुझे, आज जब वापस देखा, तेरे कई रंग ढंग याद आये, सत्यानाश हो इस कम्बख्त कमोड का, तू भी पुराने आशिक़ों  में शरीक हो गयी । कहा हो तुम, यहीं तो हमारा प्यार है, इन्ही बादलों में, हवाओं में, कहा हो तुम। ढूंढें अनुरागी मन तुम्हें, पूछे हर पेड़, बूटे से, तुम्हारा पता। कहीं मिल जाओ अगर, क्या ढूँढूँ मैं, मेरे प्यार को, या इन पेड़, पत्तों, झरनों को। मेरी माँ की कढ़ाई जो उसने पाई पाई जोड़ खरीदी थी, जो वो रोज़ रगड़ के मांजती थी, जिसे वो साल में एक बार कलाई करवाती थी, जिसमे रोज़ पाकी सब्ज़ी खा कर मैं बड़ी हुई, जिसमे मैंने पहली बार सब्ज़ी बनाई थी, जिसने मुझे इतनी बार दांत खिलाई थी, आंच काम रखो, ठीक से मांजो, क्या अगले घर जाकर हमारी नाक कटायेगी? कभी कभी नफरत होती थी  मेरी माँ की कढ़ाई से, सोचा खुद एक कढ़ाई लुंगी, जिसे मेरी तरह रखूंगी, मेरी कढ़ाई देख कर ले...

Delhi govt is all set to remove the blueline buses from the roads of delhi. I dont want to write about the goods and bads of the issue, but write about my experiences with a particular bus route. Have been in delhi for a year now and been travelling by BUS no 534, that runs from Anand Vihar to Mehrauli. These buses come as a contrast to the BEST buses in Mumbai, in terms of punctuality, discipline, ticketing. First thing that one notices is the decor of these buses. These buses are decked to the core with bangles, danglers, pictures of gods, wind chimes and most importantly a deck system. This deck system is a nuisance to most passengers, who want to catch awink in the bus, provided they get a seat.  Getting a seat in the bus was no big deal for me as a woman, thanks to the reserved seats for women. I dont remember any single day travelling standing right upto Mehrauli. Instead, the whole journey has always been a pleasurable one for me, because i could listen...