Random Designs and Paintings

Colors of SurajKund.

An International cratsfair at Faridabad, Haryana draws artists and craftsperson not only from different corners of India but also from all over the world.  29thSurajkund International Crafts Mela was all about splash of vibrant colours, folk dance and music of India , artefacts and handicrafts from all over the world and definitely the unique joie-de-vivre spirit of India ! The Mela celebrates the unique diversity of Indian traditions and culture in a ambience, created to represent the ethos of rural India. Surajkund International Crafts Mela showcases some of the most exquisite handlooms and handicrafts of India. Handmade fabrics soaked in ethnic colours make an eye catching display for the visitors.The multi-cuisine Food Courts provides ethnic cuisines from all over the world, which are immensely popular with visitors.

When two Syrian artists visited India for the first time !

It won’t be a wrong statement  if we say that the 29th SurajKund International crafts fair replicated a miniature world where many talented craftsperson across the world gathered to showcase their handicrafts. Craftsperson from all over the world were present in fair. From neighbouring countries like Nepal,Sri Lanka, Bangladesh to South-east Asian states of Thailand, Malayasia to far Middle-East countries like Lebanon, Syria and others. But this year the fair is special for Fouad Arbach and Ahmad Ratib Dadi, who came all the way from Syria.  While Syria is ravaged by civil war, these two men travelled to India for the very first time to participate in  Surajkund fair.  While visiting this stall we were awestruck by their beautiful handmade artefacts and traditional silk shawls.  The banner of their shop which is named "The Arabesque Factory" was hanging in the front of the stall along with Syrian Flag and dark wooden hanging lantern. Interestingly range of boxes and other artefacts including a board game were made from sea shells and lemon juice ! When we asked them to elaborate more on their process of making these products, they handed us a booklet and showed me a video which were all in Arabic. However what really touched us more was the warm welcome we received from these two gentlemen. They couldn’t speak English but they could understand few words of the language.

 When we asked them for their interview, they happily obliged to our request. Although they only spoke Arabic which was illegible to us, that didn’t deter us from understanding what and Fouad and Ahmed were trying to tell us.  A small message written in Hindi was addressed to the visitors of their stall. It declared “Our products are from Syria. They are made of sea shells and lemon juice. The war is over in Syria. Namaste “. Just like them and their unique handiworks, the simplicity  and directness of their message touches one to his core. 

While Fouad extended the hospitality by offering traditional Syrian sweets to me and my friend, Ahmed , the artist, kindly showed us all his handicrafts and told us that this art of making products from sea shell and lemon juice went back to hundreds of years in Syria. When I asked Fouad whether he would come back to India again, he replied in broken English , “ I love India. I will come again” On a parting note they gave us their visiting card from which I discovered their website www.handmadesyria.com. Before leaving the stall they clicked photos with us. It made me think how technology has made it possible to capture a rare meeting and how this memory will travel all the way to Syria through Ahmad’s cell phone. As we bid goodbye to them, I felt subtle happiness to know that there is always hope and joy at the end of every struggle. Despite the fact that language created a barrier for us to interact, the story of war torn Syria and the pain of Syrian citizens are not unknown us. Even then the presence of Fouad and Ahmed at Surajkund told us that no matter what they have not given up on hope. They fight everyday to stay alive, they fight everyday to keep their art alive.

Bhopal tragedy survivors : Unbending courage and exemplary sense of justice !

Nafisa, 51, Shahjahnabad breaks down every time she talks about her dead sister. Her daughter Shireen, 18 years old suffers from chronic attacks of epilepsy.

Kapoori Bai, 54, lost her husband 1 year after the gas leak while her son has become partially blind.

Basanti Bai, 60, lost her husband to epilepsy while Gulab Bai’s husband and one of her son died immediately after the incident.

Daulat Ram,71,  says his young daughter died after suffering from respiratory condition. She was operated at Memorial Hospital where she took her last breath.

Tulsi Ram, 65, lost his young daughter just after the incident. He suffers from respiratory condition which makes me spit blood.

Shehzadi Bee,68, a resident of Bluemoon colony says that though their family survived the incident,but both she and her husband suffer from heart condition.

Rajbanti

Hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi

Shehjazi Bee

Tulsi Ram

Daulat Ram

These are the voices of Bhopal disaster survivors who are holding a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, on the eve of its 30^th anniversary. The protest is organized by the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal. They have come a long way since that dreaded night when over 500,000 people were exposed to lethal methyl isocyanate, leaked from Union Carbide.  Thirty years have passed but its memory still terrifies those thousands of survivors. December 3, 1984 brought them death, pain, loss, terror and years of bereavement and despair.  Even then justice is delayed, justice is denied. All survivors have the same story to tell. Everyone has gone through the same ordeal. Nobody came out of it unscathed. Perhaps only the degree of their loss differs from one another to some extent.

The survivors demand nothing more than their much needed compensation which the Union Carbide and Indian government promised to pay thirty years back. An ex-gratia compensation of Rs. 1 Lakh was given to only 33, 672 survivors among the 5, 69, 081 people exposed to Union Carbide’s toxic gas while other 93 % victims are yet get their due. Not only the government is downplaying the damage caused by Union Carbide , it is also demanding a far lower additional compensation from the American corporations in the Curative petition, which is only 1.2 billion dollars instead of at least 8.1 billion dollars. They only want access to clean water, proper health facilities and basic food items at subsidised rates. Previously all  widows got Vidhva pension which was of negligible amount, even that has been discontinued according to the widows present at the hunger strike.

Rajbanti, 52 , lived only half a kilometre away from the factory. She describes her experience of that night when she suddenly woke up around 3:00 am, as she felt a burning sensation. She and her family were clueless about what’s happening. When they realized about the gas leak, their only shield was to cover themselves with bed sheets and clothes. They didn’t know the fatal consequence of this gas leak would be either sudden death or life long suffering from cancer, TB, epilepsy, partial or full blindness and asthma. Her family has seen it all. Her mother died one year after the incident. When asked how she died, Rajbanti describes her mother’s condition – “Kala par gayi thi. Ankhon se dekh nai pati thi” (She turned totally black. She lost her eye sight.) . Both her father and her sister’s husband silently passed out in their sleep few years after the incident. Local doctors declared their condition as cardiac failure or “heart fail” as Rajbanti states. Her husband Ghasiram suffers from extreme bouts of cough while two her sons have heart condition.  Her daughter Kusum recently got her tumour operated. She ends up declaring that nobody was spared from the gas.

Rajbanti’s detailed account reverberates in every survivor’s story. They are deprived from all basic amenities. Most children support their sick parent by working as labourers while some childless widows are forced to work as domestic help. Yet their spirits are undeniably resilient. Their International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal constitutes of the following NGOs -Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh,Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha, Nirashrit Pension bhogi Sangharsh Morcha, Bhopal Group for Information and Action and Children Against Dow Carbide. Rachna Dhingra of BGIA was leading the water-less strike along with some of the survivors. On 20^th November , after more than a week long protest, The Minister of Chemical and Fertilizers have agreed to their demands, Rahisda Bee, of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationary Karamchari Sangh, states, “The Minister has promised full commitment to having scientic data as the basis for assessment of injury caused by Union Carbide. There is abundant evidence in medical research and hospital records to show that well over 90% people suffered injuries that were minor or temporary. They will now be entitled to Rs. 1 Lakh additional compensation that was denied to them earlier.”

This victory has come after an immense struggle where the poor impoverished  survivors with obdurate sense of justice has been fighting one of the most richest, powerful and unscrupulous industrial organizations in the world. Till now the ground water contamination is severe. Due to lack of maintenance, at times sewage pipes leak into drinking water pipes supplied by municipality. The survivors continue dealing with various health problems — including chronic respiratory problems, vision problems and an increased occurrence of cancer and birth defects — and an environment that remains contaminated to this day. While Warren Anderson, Union Carbide’s CEO, continues to evade his punishment, Dow Chemicals  keep on refusing to assume any additional liability for Bhopal. Nevertheless the recent confirmation from the Central government of India has boost up the hope of finally getting justice in terms of much needed compensation, scientific way of categorizing the survivors in order to get medical benefits and lastly the amendment of Curative petition in order to speed up the hearing at the Supreme Court.

Never Let Me Go : How we all complete !

"What I'm not sure about is if our lives have been so different from the lives of the people we save. We all complete. Maybe none of us really understand what we've lived through, or feel we've had enough time." - Kathy Aich

Incompleteness, is what you are left with as the end credit rolls. You only feel an empty and incomplete numbness. Deep melancholy grips you just like the lead characters of this film, as one by one each of them succumb to their fate. Helpless and hopeless. So close to having a life, still so far. You relate to them and then you don't. After all they aren't humans per se. They are just mere clones. Clones who are modelled after trashes, as an angry and hurt Ruth blurts out.

"We all know it. We’re modelled from trash. Junkies, prostitutes, winos, tramps. Convicts, maybe, just so long as they aren’t psychos. That’s what we come from. We all know it, so why don’t we say it?”

 Which is farther clarified by Miss Emily's statement 

 "We didn't have the Gallery in order to look into your souls. We had the Gallery in order to see if you had souls at all." 

 As kids Kathy, Ruth and Tommy live in Hailsham boarding school along with hundreds of other children. Unaware of their fate they grow up like any other children in any other boarding school. Until one fine day Miss Lucy walks into their lives and smashes everything they ever believed in . Her daring move to tell them who they are and what lies ahead, is one of the most heart wrenching moments of this movie.  As they slowly grasp the reality and become aware of their roles as organ donors , they try their best to create a parallel universe. The fact that their identity is nothing but a mere shadow. They are auxiliary. They are replaceable. They are worth as much as their each organ . Rather they are just vessels carrying the much valuable organs which are meant to be given to their originals. They are just no one. Even with these knowledge till the end they remain nothing but human. Everything they do, everything they feel and everything they are, anything but human. This is where Kazuo Ishiguro's novel and Mark Romanek's direction effortlessly merge together.

Love and Loss, Empathy and Inhuman, Fate and Mortality, Hope and Futility...all fit together seamlessly in this film. Even though they aren't human enough to claim some more time to live, yet they manage to live with enough dignity in the face of impending death. Love is their rebellion. Love is their only hope. And in the end Love is their only deliverance. I guess that's how we all live. In a way we all have a limited time span no matter how long or short it is. Yes, we all complete. Regardless of  how much we try to cling on to life, we all live through it one way or the other. Destiny looms high on the horizon of this movie. Kathy, Ruth and Tommy never seem to question it much. Kathy's silent acceptance, Tommy's dashed hopes and Ruth's realization, intertwine their destinies yet keep them apart. 

Destiny or Choice ? Which is more important? Is it even a question? Do we really have the luxury of choosing our destiny? Or is it always the other way around? If nothing else Never Let Me Go makes you believe that Destiny really doesn't give you much choice ! Acceptance is the only way to live one's life. And Kathy embodies that spirit. She has passively given up when her hopes of love were broken. She goes on with life, becomes a carer and fate once again connects her to Ruth and Tommy. Kathy narrates the entire story. We see their lives through her eyes. Her inert acceptance and unspoken resignation to fate act as a constant reminder of pervasive sense of futility.  In a way it seems like subversion of free will. 

Despite of this unceasing hopelessness , again her acceptance comes to her rescue. Her unflinching faith in love , regard for friendship and compassion as a carer define her and the life she choose to live. Ultimately her limited time span isn't futile, its complete. Its brimming as much as it could have been and in that she achieves liberation. And with that we get our share of catharsis.

Random Photos !!! Theme - Objects- Mood-Colours-Lights !!

Red and Yellow . This picture was taken at Ghalib ki Haveli, Chadni Chowk, New Delhi.

 Blue !

Old brown wrought iron.

Old Chandelier . Black and whitish golden.

Yellow and Red.

Hanging idol. 

Blur. Golden.

Daawat- e- Ishq Review.

When I  first saw the promos of Daawat-e-Ishq, I was just disappointed. It didn't seem appealing at all. Rather the promos and title of the film seem to be bit confusing. When you watch the movie you realize that inspite of its title this film is not about love for food or food lovers rather its about so much more. As a keen follower of all exclusive bollywood updates, I already knew about the film (Yes, I just love watching Zoom). What really drew me to this fim was....Aditya Roy Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra. (Yes, I get dazzeled by stars..like pretty much all the time.) Plus, no doubt Habib Faisal is someone to watch out for. His Do Dooni Char reaches out to the middle class crowd and nitty-gritty of their lives where choosing between right and wrong is an everyday moral dilemma. While Ishaaqzaade set in violent wester UP re-told the classic tale of Shakespeare's Romeo-Juliet with a new twist. But Daawat-e-Ishq is different. At a first glance its a feel good rom-com. But by putting up a statement from Indian Dowry Act (498a) in the begining itself, Faisal makes it clear that this boy meets girl rom com has another layer to it.

 Coming to the plot...its a simple story. A bright Hyderabadi student Gulrez Qadir (Parineeti Chopra) a topper in her state, dreams of studying Fashion Designing in New York. While her father (Anupam Kher) a middle class high court clerk wants her to get married. But her father's entire life savings of Rs.15 lakhs falls short against the demand of all prospective grooms and their families. In the mean time Gulrez falls for Amjad (Karan Wahi) and they decide to get married. Then again all her hopes are dashed when Amjad's parents demand dowry. She breaks up with him. Tired and hurt, Gulrez decides to pursue her American dream. She devices a clever scam of swindling any dowry demanding groom by recording their demands and blackmailing them. She convices her father against his wishes. They go to Lucknow and pose as rich NRI from Dubai. She and her father assume fake identites of Sania Habibullah and Shariyar Habibullah respectively.Through online website Gulrez's father contact all the prospective grooms while Gulrez keeps recording their meetings. Tarique Haider(Aditya Roy Kapoor) and his family come and demand the highest dowry of 40 lakhs. Gulrez and her father immediately give consent for the marriage. Nevertheless Tariq disagrees. Tariq,a kind and loving Lucknavi Khansama/chef who runs his famous restuarent isn't like other guys. He isn't after money. All he wants is to marry for love. So he asks Gulrez for three days before marriage so that they can know each other. Gulrez agrees and by the end of third day she discovers Tariq has a heart of gold (Well...watch the movie. You will know !). Now she really starts liking him and doesn't want to cheat him.Nonetheless now already deep into the plan, she chooses to listen to her mind rather than her heart. A day after marriage when the police arrive at Tarique's doorstep, he gets the shock of his life.  He sets out to seek revenge. But where does love stand against revenge ?!? Nowhere !

Some of the reviews have stated that this movie is misleading and it can lead to misusing of Act 498a. Well...I completely disagree with it. The whole point of Daawat-e-Ishq is that  it is making a strong comment against the prevelent dowry system. Any viewer can understand Gulrez's frustration after numerous baseless rejection and her plan to con such dowry demanding leechs of our society. Likewise, men like Tariq (Gosh! How rare they are?!?! May be non-existent !) are also there who are against such horrendous system. Though being a peace loving guy he never fights with his parents for their dowry demands, he silently protests against the system and how...! (You must watch the film for that ). Definitely, its not an exceptional movie but its endearing and absolutely worth watching. Both Aditya and Parineeti fit their characters really well. Aditya's smile and stare do half the job while Parineeti gives it all and molds herself into brave and spunky Gulrez. In the end Habib Faisal leaves you with a feel good feeling and little hope !