Coming Back To Life

Its that time of the year again...most of the major submissions of the term done, except for a few exams from the 19th , life's more livable now, lined up for the week are throwball practices, I played the first match of the season today, while I got the serve right , I'll have to work seriously on my catching. Anyway there's ample time to practice now (yipeeeee!!!).

Also, I am looking forward to watch the play by the Darpan Academy of Performing Arts -'Unsuni' at Natrani tomorrow. Here's the link for the same-http://www.darpana.com/node/454 Natrani holds a special charm for me, hopefully when I am there tomorrow, I’ll relive the Sankalp days. For the benefit of the uninitiated, Sankalp is the Theatre Club at MICA. My best memory of Natrani is rehearsing all night at sub-zero temperatures (okay that is an exaggeration), but it used to be really chilly, especially running backstage, almost on the banks of the Sabarmati river. We literally lived on 'Chai-Biscuit' at that time. What was more harrowing was attending Economics lectures in that benumbed state the next morning, and the heartless professor insisted on having a 'surprise' mid-term exam that year, to add to our woes.People with Economics Textbooks and notes was a common sight on the sets.

Natrani, for sure, holds some charm for me. It gave me a chance to live a queer fantasy of mine, you know when you're working for a production, there's this unique bonding that happens among the unit members, and the play becomes your baby. And everybody starts covering everybody else's mistakes. And when the play is actually staged, the atmosphere is so emotionally charged, it’s not even funny. You have to see people getting hyper and all nerves in the green room. I can't wait for this years production to take shape. I felt so coooool(okay I give myself away with that one, so much for watching the 'Makings' of various movies on T.V. as a child.)

Watching Hrishikesh Mukherjee's 'Khoobsurat' or any Hrishida movie today, after along hiatus was so refreshing. I can safely say that I am an ardent Hrishikesh Mukherjee buff. Chupke Chupke, Khoobsurat,Anand,Golmaal , in that order , are my all time favourites by Hrishida.Although , now I realise that in Khoobsurat , he did push the 'Traditional Indian Bahu' stereotype, and annoyingly so, a bit too far.But his films were much better than most of the mainstream cinema of that time, in my opinion, that is.A welcome change form the tradtional song and dance-running-around-the-trees routine , his films did depict the middle class and simple day to day issues in a manner that it conveyed the message,keeping the humour and the subtlety intact.And since I saw Khoobsoorat today, I'll try to catch Golmaal and Chupke Chupke too , making use of this short break.

Come October, life's gonna be very hectic again. Although I'll be headed home and remain there for the most part, I'll have to make a few trips to Delhi for my thesis. It also means that finally I get to meet Faith Singh, the woman who started Anokhi in Jaipur.Its so intriguing, and disheartening at the same time that the most successful revival institutions(commercial)(if I may call them that, at the cost of oversimplifying ) , Fabindia and Anokhi, were founded by foreigners. I am mentioning this here 'coz I really feel pained by our own neglect of our cultural crafts, or for that matter cultural 'anything'.And that my whole dissertation is on revival and branding of traditional Indian textiles and crafts.I was apalled at the dearth of information available on the same in the libraries of three prestigious instituitions of the city.Two of them being design institutes of repute.It means that much more sweat and toil for me, and running from pillar to post to collect infomation.Anyway, I'd for sure, enjoy every moment of it, 'coz it is so close to my heart.

I was able to defend my proposal well in front of the Dissertation panel, and that for sure gave me a high.All the slogging came to some use , at last.And that marked the end of the 'donkey work' for this term .

Life's good again:)