'subarnarekha' again - darukhana ,kelvan, 'wings of desire' , dinner parties , caa exhibition

in the middle of the madness preparing for the caa inspections, i thought i might as well take my mind off it and type an update for the blog. after all it seemed like a lot has been going on, and i will completely forget it if i delay any longer. whats the point in living a life, if you never knew it happened later on?

saturday, i think is where i will begin. subarnarekha is a beautiful film. though i did not sob uncontrollably as i did in the ftii screening room, the images still were able to completely stun me. the kids in my elective seemed interested- but don’t know how much it affected them. i don’t know how such a media savvy audience will be able to put aside its misgivings and revel in the melodrama of the movie. i think i shall talk to them abut it later.

ranjit came over to college and him, mukul and me drove to the eastern waterfronts. ranjit was very curious about them and i had told him that i knew the way. started all the way in the south near vt and drove up to darukhana. the ship breaking yard was as dramatic as ever- though there were no ships there this time. the scarred and burnt out metal landscape is frightening. across the bays on the fingers that reach into the water the shanties reached out over the water on forests of thin wooden posts. the landscape was perhaps too brutal for the photography expedition that was the purported reason for the trip. this was not so regarding the empty warehouses to the north where we photographed ourselves glamorously against the rust of the goods trains.

on the way back we discovered this new road. the mumbai port trust has opened up a connector to mahul past mangroves and salt pans. it is a beautiful ride- a completely different world- the city lies just beyond a clearing of skies reflected in the pools of the salt pans. the city on one side and the towering refineries on the other.

dinner was a kelvan for gautam- my cousin held at usha maushis house in powai. the sion bhats were present in full form. arun mama is adorable. and as an aside - the hiranandani complex mall is much nicer in the evening than it is in the day. chiclets and dudes, motorcycles and mni skirts.

‘wings of desire’ is supposed to be wim wenders masterpiece about longing and love, nationhood and the urge for corporeality. two angels drift in a colourlsess berlin soothing troubled minds and listening to the innermost thoughts of the spirit, until one of them falls in love with a circus performer and craves to feel. simultaneously in the background complex poetry is recited. for me though the mood of the film was hypnotic and some scenes amazing visually the predictable narrative and the simplistic b/w= angel world; color = real associations were a disappointment. i had perhaps expected a more complex film. maybe it was and i just did not get it. i felt like that all the time.

what can i say about the past few days. its been a complete whirlwind of meetings and conversations- one leading into another, preparing the exhibition getting paperwork organized in college. the kids have been working their asses off. its great to see the energy. also on monday went light fixture shopping with muksi at lohar chawl and then for dinner with rumy and his friend peter seidel at the bombay gym. i love that building- the long verandah overlooking the lawns of azad maidan.

meanwhile babu was here from chennai looking slimmer than i expected. john and me met him at the orchid for a few drinks. it was absolutely lovely to meet him after such a long time.