A Piece of Sky: A Walkabout at India Art Summit ‘09
Experiencing Installation Art by: Anish Kapoor, El Anatsui, Jagdish Kumar, Mayura Subhedar, Sudarshan Shetty, Suchitra Gahlot and Subodh Gupta. 20-22nd August, 2009 / 3:00 PM “The time had come; To try my wings… And even though it seemed at any moment I could fall, I felt the most amazing things… The things you can’t imagine; … Continue reading
Theyyam through the lens of Bakhtinian thought
“Fear is the extreme expression of narrow-minded and stupid seriousness, which is defeated by laughter…. Complete liberty is possible only in the completely fearless world.”– Mikhail Bakhtin This statement creates the basis for the carnival-esque world of the comic, the grotesque and the rebel. Creating a context for Theyyam’s connection with Rabelais’s world Theyyam is … Continue reading
Listening Camera – A Black and White Memoir of Jazz Moments
The genius of jazz lies in its spontaneity and rebellious spirit; so can a photograph honestly frame this ephemeral music? As his lens travelled back stage and up-close, between wires and sound-systems and even into private jam sessions – to Philadelphia, New York, Berlin, San Francisco and then closer home to Mumbai and Chennai – … Continue reading
Kiska Ravan?
Vodafone sends me a Dusshera message: Burai par acchai Ki jeet! Dusshera lata hai ek ummeed, Ravan ki tarah hamare dukhon ka ant ho. Ek nayi shuruat spl. msgs & logos ke saath. SMS DUS to51515@Rs3/SMS Today, the image-making of the villain is a highly manufactured socio-political enterprise. This message of the triumph of good … Continue reading
Frozen Pilgrim
Beleaguered god-men in saffron lined the holy river the mountain road exposed dusty hillocks with tourist-infested tea stalls the journey persisted; the forests grew thicker, the path grew thinner Lohajung waited in silence. The lush meadows with their untamed lichens glowed under the mid-day sun by nightfall the earth was blanketed with white blossoms. The … Continue reading
Natasha Ginwala: Work and Writing 