artnlight

Serendipity 2014 was a beautiful experience for me which is why I decided I will definitely be a part of their "Colour Me Autumn" Festival. And what a good decision it turned out to be. Not just because it makes good business sense to exhibit and sell at Serendipity, not just because I really like Kuldeep Kaur and her gorgeous one of a kind haveli turned concept store, but also because of the people who showed with me and the quality and the variety of the work and the entrepreneurs I got to meet and spend time with. Dithi Mukherjee was showing her art for the 1st time in Delhi and so was Aarti Karwayun Chawda. Both close to me and whose work I respect immensely. Just to see these artists with their work was very inspiring for me, and if that was not enough I saw that Kuldeep Kaur of Serendipity and Shallay Bartholomew of Ispirato had brought together an extremely talented line-up of entrepreneurs of irrefutable calibre, most of whose work I had heard of and seen and admired online. 

Coming up next more pictures from the exhibition & glimpses of the gorgeous art and design pieces at The Colour Me Autumn Festival.

Bengal and Calcutta or Kolkata as it is now called is a place I have wanted to go to forever. The people I met who came from there were a large part of the reason. Unfailingly brilliant conversationalists, intellectuals, liberals all. Another reason was the many bengali films seen at various film festivals over the years. We are speaking of the land of RabindraNath Tagore, Satyajit Ray, RamaKrishna Paramhamsa, Vivekananda, Chaitanya MahaPrabhu, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Jagdish Chandra Bose. I know this is now reading like a history textbook. But there is no way one can speak about Bengal and not speak of history, so illustrious is their heritage and so sizeable is that single state's contribution to original thinking be it in any field. I was just so curious. And to be there during their famed Durga Pooja is any travellers or experience junkie's dream. Another very important reason to go to Kolkata was also to meet my long time virtual friend and artist extraordinaire Dithi Mukherjee. I have watched with admiration her art grow from strength to strength and evolve to a degree that spoke of deep dedication and an undeniable inner light.  

I was not sure how to even begin making a post of the what went on to be a some of the most deeply enriching  and nourishing days spent this year. So here is the 1st generic post about Kolkata, visual impressions, a quick cleaning of feet in the soil of Kolkata before stepping into the experience that Durga Pooja is.

 And so I reached Kolkata, to be met at the station by Chandi Da, Dithi's trusted driver. And Chandi Da was one more reason to make me fall in love with this place, such was his quiet enthusiasm in describing the city to me. And through my days in Kolkata, it was Chandi Da who drove us through the winding streets of North Calcutta with masterfulness. Please do not be surprised if you hear of various anecdotes about Chandi Da in the subsequent Durga Pujo posts, you have all been duly introduced to him.

 All one had to do was look up. This brand of crumbling old world beauty was everywhere. Every turn of the road, Every gate that opened seemed to be a story waiting to be heard.

 This city has its quirks. On a busy street where there is hardly enough place for people to walk suddenly on the roadside springs up mini shrines of Gods and goddesses. Some are mobile shrines like the one shown above on a cart or a make-shift table. So people are going about their business and some people bow down  and pray religiously to these gods with people walking all around them. Now one could argue that this was so typical of India, but everything that is typical of India seemed to jump out at you and say "Look at me, I am real" in this city.

 Kalighat was an amazingly alive experience filled with the most interesting people. But that is another post.

 My trip was made by the many many beautiful old people who lived in their beautiful old homes, who have earned many a wrinkle with a life well lived.

Artnlight completes 5 years today. 5 years of seeing any new & nice thing & only thinking of putting it up here. 5 years of seeing a nice thing & because it is personal & private to me or someone else, being frustrated that I can't post about it here. When I started blogging in a blur of love, I never thought I will be doing it with equal excitement 5 years down the line. Infact I just didn't think. I just wanted to have a blog of mine so bad, that I started. Like every big decision in my life, this blog too happened because no thought was possible in the face of the beauty & headiness of it. There have been times when I have wanted and taken my time away from here, only to come back with more eagerness & even obsessiveness. 5 years of finding time, making time in my craziest busy times, sad times, happy times to post something here. I know I haven't been a regular blogger, but what I do here has sustained me in my darkest hours. But most amazingly it has changed me. From closed to open, from an employee to an entrepreneur, from 'I don't know how this will work' to 'lets just try it & what if it does'. And it is this space has given that to me & it is all of you who've come back to read this blog who have given that to me.

It is with a lot of gratitude that I sit to put this post together. Gratitude for the people whom I met through this blog whose work has changed my work, whose way of seeing something has changed mine.  Gratitude to all of you who have encouraged me just by coming here & reading what I write, to each one of you who have stopped & taken the time out to comment. I can't tell you enough how much that has meant to me & how it has kept me going. I just want this month to be a very exciting time for the artnlight reader and I will try my best to make it so for you with Anniversary posts which have a give-away or just some special news for all of you. So I wrote to a few people who have walked this journey with me, who have been special to me & inspired me and asked if they would like to make a post or be featured here.

 

Here’s my little token of gratitude for you Vineeta, for being an inspiration and for bringing to us a world of beauty, on the 5 year anniversary of Artnlight: some images from home (taken in Kolkata and Shantiniketan); moments that embody the light and beauty that i draw strength from, the core that helps me express.

Art is the Light ~ a sufi song that transports the mind, frees the heart and heals the soul.

 ‘The places you see, the things you make and the people you meet will fuel you forever.’ They also say that ‘when the student is ready, the teacher appears’ (Buddhist proverb). For all of us who are lucky to know and learn from you Vineeta & your Artnlight, for me personally, you water the seeds of beauty in our consciousness with all that you make and with all that you share. Thank you for inspiring and thanks for holding my/our hand(s) as we unfold our own myths, as we explore our own individual journeys. Keep shining and spread the love, let it grow and make you complete.

Dithi, thank you for this beautiful post & the generous give away. Yes :) you can now win this Dithi Print called 'Away from Home'. 

And to win this give away all you need to do is: 

1.Comment on this post saying what you have enjoyed most on Artnlight in the last 5 years.

2. Like Dithi's page on FB.

Commenting will be open for a week after which we will choose a winner :) :)

The participation for this give-away is not limited to India (yeee!!!!) so where ever you are, comment away & like Dithi's page & you are ooonnnn!!!!