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In the longest time, I could not write. By the summer of 2011, in a sweltering room, I looked one last time through my hostel window with a suitcase pressed against my legs. I was bothered with a question, “ Where are you?”
I knew it was hasty to move back to Kochi from Mumbai, and for a few, shocking. Constantly had the dreams of sitting atop on my grandmother’s gabled roof and revisiting the letters I hid under the roof’s tiles. But when I returned, the terrace changed, it no longer opened to the skies and the sky climbing trees. It was ensconced within the concrete walls, and I was tempted to leave Kochi, it felt like the terrace. Until my aunt said, “ It’s a shame if you say no one understands you, you never understand them until you heard their stories."
Ammachi's room is a haven for all us, grounded and canopied by a large mango tree. There were two open windows, which graciously welcomes mosquitoes, and though it's quite small, it was taken over by many beds. Not solely for the comfort of backs but souls. It was the heart of the house where her sisters, children and grandchildren got together to voice out their thoughts. No, she wasn’t a feminist, with an imposing bull horn, but she gave everyone the right to speak within those four walls. I remember first being seated in that room when I was thirteen never grasping it all. But in time we were learned to sit and listen to the stories of our ancestors, real life stories of hardships and triumph, the abhorrent views of the society, how a family functions. Yet in time, it all trickled in me, how my grandmother was raised and even my mother. The changes they made for each other and me, and the choices in time I made to be myself. Ammachi isn’t a story teller, but she encourages her loved ones to share their moments of the past so that her children could have a clearer future. Last year, when I took off to London, I had a moment of silence in my room, and realised she helped me answer the most important question, “Who are you?”
79 IN TIME BY ATHEENA WILSON
01: PROLOGUE
02: WHEN WAS WHEN
03: TAKEN BY THE CURRENT
04: BEAUTY
05: IDENTITY
06: BRAVERY
07: LOVE
08: EPILOGUE
Run parallel, meet at intersections, skip a few lines, the line of thought has journeyed across a few latitudes and longitudes. To more miles before the big sleep. Cheers, Atheena
Its been a journey from being a young soul where I have felt only love but unaware of its importance in my life I searched for love all over and only felt pain, scars and reality but never true love I still keep searching.
If there’s anything that I have stolen from my grandmother’s shelf of knick-knacks is a spoonful of pickle and some sweet and sour sarcasm. And yes, thanks to that I landed a job as a writer in a magazine.
You wear a saree only when you become a woman.” It sounds like a sentimentally wise thing to say, but let me break it down to you. In other words, it also meant, “When you’re ripe enough for the marriage market.”
Chilean poet and featuring artist at the Kochi Muziris Biennale 2016 on the possibility of an artistic response to the human crises of our time, including the refugee crisis surrounding the conflict in Syria. The sea, which became a grave for hundreds of people, including children.
Theyyam is a vibrant and colourful form of ritualistic worship that is deeply rooted in the culture and traditions of Kerala, India. This living tradition involves elaborate rituals, music, dance, and vibrant costumes that bring to life the divine spirits being invoked.
A new beginning is always infused with hope. Life is full of moments that we believe to be beginnings only because of the presence of hope. A physical symbol of these moments of hope is the flower. The films attempts to capture the emotion of these beginnings.
Dravidian Catharsis is the fruit of this deep immersion in the culture, the theatre, the traditions, and the soul of this mythological universe of the Tamil people. The powerful presences of spirits and living gods are embodied under masks.
Legend says that somewhere deep in the forest of the Himalayas is a strange bird that lays psychedelic eggs. Eating them will give you highly vivid hallucinations. The indigenous shamans believe that these visions are from your past life.
Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away this year on 28th March leaving behind a legacy of innumerable musical compositions that'll keep him alive in countless hearts across the world. However, I'll always be haunted by the fact that I couldn't let him know that I'm still alive because of his music along with many more.
Search for the questions to the answers written on the skin...and i asked. am i connected to the deep inside you? with the invisible roots from the layered skin of you? all the energy you transfer to the heart of your thoughts?i asked again am i still connected?
01: Ayurveda in Travancore Kingdom
If you expect stories which starts: Once upon a time, there was a princess... stop reading. Her Highness Princess Gouri Parvathi Bayi of the Travancore Royal Family will introduce us very modern and open minded view on today's Kerala society and ayurveda.
Stories of communities about origin, spread and apocalypse being presented through episodic memories, narrative and visual texts, travel writings, murals, divine objects, church paintings, and songs provide a dense and myriad repository of historical and artistic imagination.
IN OUR VEINS FLOW INK AND FIRE
This edition of the KMB 2022 embodies the joy of experiencing practices of divergent sensibilities, under conditions both joyful and grim. There is optimism even in the darkest absurdity, and this is what leavens the direness of our time.
KR Sunil goes beyond his frames to explore and discover soulful human stories. In this journey, he pursues a long forgotten life, that of a Tamil boy who endured the worst in a journey to Kerala. As the World Cup fever peaks, here is a story.
Presenting to you the most exciting project that we have worked on this year! A short film shot entirely on phone, this project has been a dream & after a lot of anticipation & hard work from all of us here, we are super duper excited to finally bring this to you!
Nitesh Noor Mohanty is a visual artist who works at the fluid intersection of arts, culture, communication, media and self-reflection. His theoretical interests are also wide, often inquiring about the roots and fundamentals of art history, storytelling, and philosophy.
Life & Times of Amrita Sher-Gil
Amrita Sher-Gil, considered the mother of Indian modern painting, became known as the Indian Frida Kahlo. With her paintbrush she explored the sadness felt by people, especially women, in 1930s India, giving voice and validity to their experiences.
