MARCH 2016 CAPTURE PUBLISHING LLP’s
PICTORIALLY SPEAKING ON PEOPLE AND
THEIR INTERACTIONS
The Stanford Prison Experiment
When in France, Do as the French do
The Unthinkable Experiment - A day without a cellphone
FOUNDER’S NOTE
Pictorially Speaking. You’ve been hearing the name for months now, thanks to the geniuses behind our aggressive marketing campaign. All our work since we first began has finally culminated into this magazine in front of you today. Through the first issue, I’d like to personally interact with you, our readers, to tell you MY story, and the magazine’s story. In the summer of 2015, I made a trip to Mexico. From Mexico City I travelled by road to a small town on the Pacific called Puerto Vallarta (pronounced Va-ya-rta). It was a quaint town with beaches, Spanish colonial-era architecture and really homely people. I glimpsed the perfect balance between nature and man there, having seen lush greenery envelop the streets, and numerous aquatic life interacting with beachgoers. While there, I also had the opportunity to travel to an island named Islas Marietas, and my fellow companions were people on the boat and the dolphins that pranced around us. The island was a hub for snorkeling and scuba diving. Everything there was simply divine. For a photographer like
me, it was as if I was in Heaven. I captured some of the best shots in my portfolio there. My travels in Mexico were unique and provided for an amazing experience. You might be wondering about the relevance of my little story. The reason behind me talking about my experience in Mexico is that this is the essence of Pictorially Speaking. Pictorially Speaking was initially conceptualized by me as a portal where photographers could not only display their images but could talk about the story behind the picture, talk about their experience behind it along with their feelings and emotions. The picture shown here is the photograph I clicked, as the gears in my mind were running and fine-tuning the concept that was merely vague idea at its inception. Coming up with the idea was the easy part, turning it into something more was the real challenge. After approaching some trusted colleagues and making numerous pitches to potential candidates and interested investors, we formed Capture Publishing LLP - a company whose first
product is in front of you today, the magazine on the screen in front of you. With almost 8 months of hard work conceptualizing the magazine and working on it, it has been a fantastic journey already. As a young entrepreneur with simply an idea, it’s heartening and motivating to have 25 people join your firm, simply because of their belief in your idea and their passion towards their talent. From the initial concept that I had in mind, the concept of Pictorially Speaking has grown into something larger. We at Pictorially Speaking write, photograph, and illustrate not only to bring to light amazing and unique experiences, but also to change pre-existing notions and perspectives on a number of topics, to discuss and dissect stereotypes, and to bring to light previously untold stories. We aim to become an Open Platform. This means that we want to see our small concept turn into a widespread collaboration platform, where we invite everyone to come and share their own unique stories and experiences. The stories shared aren’t necessarily from exotic locations, about extraordinary people or fabulous and innovative discoveries. They could be
as personal and intimate as a weekend in the hills away from civilization, the happiness gained by simply doing what you love, creating memories as you do. It’s your emotions and feelings that make a particular experience unique. We would like to collaborate with artists, photographers and writers with works spread across a variety of genres. We at Pictorially Speaking wish to showcase your work and share it with our readers, while simultaneously getting a chance to work with an incredibly talented individual such as you. The core concept has remained, but has also expanded in order to include collaborations for photographers with writers and visual artists to create holistic pieces of content that leave the reader/viewer feeling like they were actually there! This is what Pictorially Speaking is. That is what we stand for. That is what we strive to be.
EDITOR’S NOTE “Being a part of this new and upcoming venture, I’ve encountered and come to know some amazing people. However, and I say this painfully, most of these interactions initially were purely digital and lacked a particular human essence. This is a phenomenon that is quickly taking over every being on the planet. In this modern day of connectivity, we are further away from people than we ever could be. Technology may be reducing distances and connecting people with ease. A consequence of this however, is the decrease in the amount of real conversations between people around one other. So go out and explore. Leave technology behind you and sit down at a cafe with an acquaintance or a friend, or even a complete stranger and live your conversation and interactions with them.”
THE TEAM TANOY BANERJI Managing Partner
SAURAV ROY Founding Partner Director, Human Resources
AMITOJ SINGH Executive Editor
PRERNA MAHESHWARI Director, Writing & Editorial
HARSHAL DUDDALWAR Director, Technical & Design
SIDDHANT CHAWLA Director, Marketing & Sales
ISHWARI DESHPANDE Assistant Director, Human Resources
RADHIKA BHOLE Assistant Director, Marketing Sales
ROHAN RAO Co-ordinator Technical & Design
WRITING AND EDITORIAL
DESIGN
PHOTOGRAPHY
Ashwini Patankar Devika Dhumal Dhruv Singh Ojaswini Bakhshi Rohan Rao Sharanya Shivaraman Sneha Nanavati
Pooja Chaudhary Shailja Patel Sanika Deshpande Swapnil Mache
Manas Kshirsagar Shaantanu Kulkarni Amar Chandole
COVER ILLUSTRATION Harshal Duddalwar
CONTENTS 06
You Think You’re Badass?
08
Canines As Counsellors : The Role Dogs Play In Our Well Being
11
The Voices From The Background
13 17
The Stanford Prison Experiment
The Virtual Dinner Guest Project
21
When in France, Do As The French Do
25
The Unthinkable Experiment - A Day Without A Cellphone
35
29
43
Masterclass In Cuisine and Culture
31
The Joy Of Experiencing The Unknown
Portfolios Shaantanu Kulkarni - Photography Trishal Reddy - Design
Reviews The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break - Book The Man From Earth - Film
Pictorially Speaking / 5
You Think You’re Badass? by Siddhant Chawla
What is it that most of us in school and college aim for? I think I speak for us all when I say that we all would love to be ‘The Popular One’, the star who our peers are in awe of. We like highlighting our experiences and basking in the praises that follow. It makes us feel pretty badass, wouldn’t you agree? What if I told you that we could take a few lessons from our grandparents, seemingly the biggest badasses of all time? All of us have a few fixed ideas about our grandparents. For some of us, they are the sweetest beings alive who tend to our every need and tantrum, feed us the tastiest treats and shower us with love all day long. For others, they are strict, orthodox people, on whose arrival at one’s place we have to bring all our activities to a stop because our parents don’t want us to displease the elders of our families. They have fixed ideas, are technologically challenged and are always scared of the smallest of things. Whichever mentality you follow, we generally give only about so much thought to them. This said, I just want to share a few interactions I had with my grandparents that changed my perspective of them and also inspired me. This is the story that spilled out of the grandparent I had chosen as my companion one fine evening. She said, “So during the partition I was in the 3rd or 4th grade and there was this protest going on. We decided that we would join it the next day and so we bunked school, took up boards and took to the streets. Unfortunately, the police decided to end the protest that day so they came and loaded us up into trucks. Then we were taken to some jail and kept the night without food and water.” Illustration by Pooja Chaudhary
This was part of the story. Till now most of us would’ve tried Pictorially Speaking / 6
to run, scream for help, call/text a million people and perhaps even snapchat about it. So quite naturally, I asked, “So didn’t you get scared? And you must’ve been awfully hungry!” To this question of mine, my grandmother nonchalantly replied, “ No not really. We had a bit of chalk in all our pockets, so we started drawing on the walls as we were getting really bored. At some point in the night I slept off because I was tired and the next morning they released us kids and I walked back home”. So, as far as I’m concerned, said grandparent was captured and jailed at an age when we still learn division and multiplication in school. Instead of panicking, she and her friends vandalized the jail and then walked back home the next morning as if it was nothing more than a field trip. My parents would’ve torn apart the neighbourhood finding me and I would’ve bawled like a baby all night. In another such interaction I happened to hear the story of my grandfather who was part of a band of freedom fighters during partition times. His group of resistance fighters had decided to raid a local bank. He was in charge of holding up the local constabulary at gunpoint while his comrades carried out the raid. The plan was put into motion and they all moved into position. That is when he realised that he had no bullets in his gun. But it was too late. So he went in, held the entire constabulary at gunpoint without having a single bullet, and then walked out with the loot his friends had successfully gathered. This at an age when most of us have nothing but thoughts of chilling with friends or partying on our minds. So do you really think YOU’RE badass?
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CANINES AS COUNSELLORS: THE ROLE DOGS PLAY IN OUR WELL BEING By Rohan Rao
Between forty and twenty thousand years ago, humans lived off the land as hunter gatherers. It is around this period in time that historical and scientific evidence suggests that dogs became a part of our lives. Wolf puppies may have been adopted and raised as hunting animals, or as some other hypothesize, the friendlier, less violent members of the pack befriended humans for food. All this is speculation. What we do know is that Canis Lupus Familiaris became an integral part of our lives from the time they diverged as a species from wolves. And their journey from the wilderness into our homes has affected both human and dog greatly. By playing a proactive role in the development of our canine companions, we’ve created a species that’s anatomically and psychologically different from the wolves they were. The docile Labrador retriever or the snub nosed pug are nothing like the wolf today. We have raised them to aid hunters, herd livestock and even rescue humans in disaster situations. With their quick learning abilities, natural intelligence and friendly attitude dogs are perfect for the job. These qualities along with their phenomenal sense of smell have made them the best companion animal, worthy of the title man’s best friend. (I had all but promised myself not to use the phrase. It’s quite overused and clichéd. But clichés exist for a reason. And it is the truth.) Other than their traditional domestic roles, dogs are increasingly being used as service animals, where they perform tasks that the disabled cannot.
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This not only helps individuals lead independent fulfilling lives, it is also the companionship that provides emotional and mental support to the handlers.
proof of this. Research suggests that people who live with dogs have a better sense of well being and a reduced sense of loneliness of depression. Even our growth and development are affected by them. Children who grow up with dogs are more confident, secure and popular than their peers.
With the decreased use of fingers, hands or legs, simple things like grasping objects or moving around beWe often don’t realize come frustrat- Our relationship with dogs is as simple as how attuned dogs are to ing. Assistance human behavior. They’re they are complicated with other people. dogs perform a constantly observing us and variety of tasks their ability to read our geslike switching on and off light switches, opening tures is actually quite astounding. We can point at doors, dropping things in waste baskets, fetching an object and they run off to fetch it. They can even items from shelves and cupboards and many more sense changes in the tone of our voices. Even chimtasks. panzees, our closest relatives cannot interpret our behavioural signs as readily as dogs can. The bond Canines Can Care is an organisation working between a human and dog can develop to the exin Mumbai since the past twelve years. They’re in- tent that they often communicate through subtle volved in training assistance dogs for the physically cues like changes in eye direction. handicapped. Shirin Merchant, from the organization, says that a major hurdle in introducing assisThis extraordinary level of communication we tance dogs in India is a lack of awareness and sup- share with them, has led to the development of anport. This is also one of the reasons guide dogs for other avenue through which dogs help humans . the blind aren’t found in India, since they have to work in public spaces and are not easily accepted. However the organization has trained quite a few animals to be assistance dogs, currently living with their handlers and helping them lead better lives. But the relationship we share with dogs goes beyond their ability to perform tasks and make life easier for us. We share a deep psychological bond with them. Think about it. After a long day, just sitting down curled up with your canine companion is the best stress buster. And we have
During World War II, a terrier was found by a British soldier on the battlefield. Smoky, as the dog was named, accompanied the soldier to the hospital when he was wounded and was a source of cheer and comfort for all the injured soldiers in the wards. The systematic use of dogs for therapy is attributed to Elaine Smith, a nurse who noticed the positive effect of a golden retriever that the chaplain used to bring with him to the hospital. Now, world over, therapy dogs are accepted as a proven method for helping patients suffering from a wide range of diseases. Therapy dogs work with humans who live with a variety of disorders. Autism and other disorders in the autism spectrum, depression and learning and speech disorders are just some of the diseases where animal assisted therapy helps patients.
ment test, to see if they can handle crowded situations and stay calm around children, the dogs are trained rigorously for around one year. The training uses positive reinforcement and aims to use the natural personality of the dog to help patients on an emotional and mental level. Throughout our history with these animals, both species have benefitted. Dogs received a source of food and shelter, but in the end, just as anyone who’s had the privilege of living with a dog will tell you, it is humans who have gained the most from their canine companions.
Our relationship with dogs is as simple as they are complicated with other people. They’re always waiting, tails wagging and eyes alight, teaching us humans The Animal Angels Founda- lessons in humanity. tion is an organization working in the field of animal assisted therapy since the past thirteen years. Working in Mumbai and Pune, they provide animal assisted therapy to hospitals and special schools thereby working with children living with autism and learning and speech disorders, and patients suffering from diseases like AIDS and cancer. The foundation also works with old age homes and helps combat loneliness and depression among the aged. We spoke with Minal Kavishwar, founder and president of the foundation, a clinical psychologist who has conducted research and published papers on the psychological benefits of animal assisted therapy. The foundation also trains dogs to be therapy animals. After passing a temperaPictorially Speaking / 10
The Voices from the Background At first glance, the traffic policeman at the signal corner will only instil a feeling of wariness in us. When we run into a nurse in a hospital, our first words are those requesting help of some sort. Rarely is the first thought that runs through our mind “What is this person’s story?” These are the people who are essential cogs in the grand machinery, and they work silently and tirelessly in the background to ensure that the system runs smoothly. There are other perceptions as well. Medical students, for example, have many continuous interactions with nurses. Ask any medical student about nurses and all that they will tell you is that they are scared of “those condescending stares”. Initially, I was scared too. Quite the contrary now. Humble and dutiful were the first two words that that came to my mind when I actually intimately interacted with a nurse for the first time. Pictorially Speaking / 11
Prerna Maheshwari
A senior nurse, sister Sulbha Shinde has been in the healthcare service for 39 years. She doesn’t have a single complaint against anybody, but just kind words for all. Talking about the students she interacts with on a daily basis, she says, “You are all like my children. If a student does something wrong, which is not good for the patient, I must correct them.” Playfully smiling, she adds, “I give three warnings first of course!” Her job involves sensitive interactions with those patients in the worst condition. She counsels patients who have attempted suicide and consoles relatives on the loss of their loved ones. “It is my duty to be there with someone through their suffering. The way I see it, I must work as hard to contribute as much my job is worth.” This involves going out of the way and helping someone too. “when an unknown person is admitted to the hospital, we all bring clothes from home for them.” With her fellow nurses she says, “We learn to be
empathetic but firm. As a senior nurse, I must understand other nurses’ family problems and connect, helping them manage any stress. Everyone must be adjusted to work to their optimum so that we can give the best result for the patients.” When I asked how her hospital life was different from home, it was enlightening to hear, “People are the same. We work and live together in both places.” Small gestures do go a long way in the lives of those who manage us in our worst and also in our hurry! A traffic policeman with whom I casually stopped to have a chat highlighted this fact as well, when I asked him for a memorable moment. “Sometimes, people have stopped their vehicles and given us water. This makes a difference just because it shows that someone thought about us.” When asked about the difficulties he faces in the line of work, one would think he would mention the long hours of duty or the temper of unruly drivers. What he replied stunned me. “As a person of service, I am here to solve problems and not add my own.” We all know that sometimes some of us behave rudely with traffic policemen. So what do they think of the public? “There’s both good and bad on the roads, some abide by the rules and some don’t. We feel bad when accidents happen. If something could change, we wish people would let us help them more.
We understand how annoyed they are with us. See, this is what happens. Normally, we are used to controlling our tempers with unruly drivers. We understand that their behaviour is out of tension and frustration. But sometimes, to a human fault, we might lose our cool too. This is not an excuse. But, that gets highlighted and stays as an impression. It would all just be smoother if the people understood that we are here for the traffic to flow. There is a need for a coordination between the policeman and the public.” With that parting statement, he waved me off and simultaneously waved traffic on from the oncoming direction. Like all of us, the nurse, the policeman and other civil workers also interact with a number of people everyday. But what is it that makes them stand out? I think it is the fact that they are not trying to stand out in the first place. In both the interactions, we can see how ingrained it is in them to not think for themselves. This contrast comes from their behaviour to streamline emotions to logic for the better outcome of their interactions. They respond to situations, not react. Moreover, they are so involved in their roles that their duty is their perspective and the bigger picture their reality.
Illustration by Sanika Deshpande
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THE
STANFORD STANFORD STANFORD STANFORD STANFORD
PRISON EXPERIMENT PRISON EXPERIMENT PRISON EXPERIMENT PRISON EXPERIMENT PRISON EXPERIMENT PRISON EXPERIMENT
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by Vatsala Misra Sharma
The Stanford Prison Experiment of 1971 is undoubtedly one of the most notorious psychological experiments ever conducted. It’s right up there among various other shocking experiments including, John Watson’s ‘Little Albert Experiment’, Harlow’s ‘Studies on Dependencies in Monkeys’ and Stanley Milgram’s ‘Obedience to Authority Experiments’. While the motivation behind it might have been simple psychological curiosity, it quickly turned into a disaster, ethically speaking of course. So what happened, you may ask? Philip Zombardo, a tenured psychology professor at Stanford University decided that he needed to study whether or not an individual’s externals surroundings control their intrinsic behaviours, and whether or not humans can rise above the pressure of their external surroundings. So, he designed an experiment wherein he converted the basement of the psychology department at Stanford into a sub terranean prison. 24 clinically stable people were chosen, and randomly assigned either as prisoners or as guards. It was all very authentic. The ‘prisoners’ were even picked up by real policemen, read their rights and then dropped off at the experimental prison. All procedure was followed as it is in the real world,they were stripped and given numbers as identities, all a smart part of a degradation process. The guards were given a legitimate uniform, complete with mirrored sunglasses to hide their eyes, to reduce any and every level of humanity. The prisoners weren’t given any instructions as such but the guards were briefed by their superintendent, a role played by Zombardo himself. They were strictly forbidden from the use of any physical violence but were instructed to maintain law and order by creating an atmosphere of fear and control. It is key to understand that this experiment was being conducted against the backdrop of civil rights activism. A time when protesting against oppressive regimes was gaining popularity. The first day of the experiment was “inconceivably Pictorially Speaking / 14
boring” and Zombardo was afraid that the elaborate experiment might not draw any conclusive results. However, on the second day, things took such a drastic turn that the experiment which was originally scheduled for 14 days was shut down within a matter of 6 days. With the prisoners using beds to barricade their prison cells from the inside as a sign of rebellion against the anonymous status to the guards covering the prisoner’s heads with bags, the animosity began to rise steadily. The prisoners later reported feeling no sense of comfort or what to expect. They were woken in the middle of the night by the guards and were experiencing excessive amounts of disturbances. Clay Ramsay, a prisoner, reported later that the experiment “was a prison run by the psychology department instead of the State”. After 6 days of tyranny, distortions and blurred ethical lines the experiment was shut down. Pictorially Speaking / 15
Here’s what was interesting though, it was noticed that only one guard was unbearably cruel to the prisoners while the others were deemed as ‘good’ guards. Why didn’t they intervene and stop the atrocious actions of that one guard? To what extent can conformity work? When all the participants of the experiment met after it was shut down, the guards reported feelings of guilt, regret. So is it possible to say that the environment they were put in affected their behaviour to such an extent that they carry out actions they thought they were incapable of? When you study the ABC’s of psychology, you’re taught that amongst other things a person’s behaviour is largely a product of two things. His behaviour and his surroundings. But the Stanford Prison Experiment can question this. When your environment is so overpowering, does your intrinsic behaviour even matter anymore? How do you successfully dehumanise someone for so long?
Still from Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s The Stanford Prison Experiment
After the experiment was over and the guards were questioned about the reasons of their actions, they all claimed that they were playing an instructed role and nothing else. Maybe there’s the whole issue of how power corrupts the soul but that’s a discussion for another time. You put 24 people in a confined space and they’ll probably converse and talk and that’s all. But suddenly you give them different clothes and different basic rules and it completely changes human solidarity. Is that even a meaningful phrase? “Human solidarity”.
People always interact with others in varied manners, but at some level we all like to believe that we share a basic level of humanity. We think of ourselves as people of values, ethics, morals and principles but I guess we’re all blissfully unaware of how quickly we ourselves may turn our backs on our own kind.
In Stanley Milgram’s Obedience experiments, citizens were told to administer shocks to whom they perceived to be other ordinary citizens (they were actors). When some citizens objected to the rising voltage, most continued on when assured that the onus was on the experimenter and not on them. Over 2/3rds of the population was ready to administer shocks to innocent citizens. Pictorially Speaking / 16
THE VIRTUAL DINNER GUEST PROJECT by Amitoj Singh Chandiok
Pictorially Speaking / 17
Imagine sitting down for dinner with your friends or family, and while you’re doing so at your table in your home, you are conversing with another group or friends or a family sitting miles away in a similar environment, in a completely different country! While the idea may be tough for you to get your head around at first, The Virtual Dinner Guest Project is just that and a lot more. Meet Eric Maddox, a man extraordinaire. Eric is the mastermind behind the Virtual Dinner Guest Project and has successfully organised over 50 dinners in various countries across the world. He has a zeal to establish global communities, and to ‘humanise’ viewers and participants and take them on a journey of discovery like never before. Although the first VDGP took place in 2011, the idea for the same had been niggling Eric’s mind for quite some time. It all started in 2008, when Eric was at the IsraelPalestine border. He was working on his graduate research project in International Conflict Resolution and was living in a refugee camp on the West Bank. As it was May 2008, the Israelis were celebrating their 61st Independence Day, gained after the war of 1948 while the Palestinians grimly mourned the same day as the day of ‘The Naqba’ (The Catastrophe). Eric began filming a documentary which had clips of Palestinians and Israelis, both talking about their experiences and views on that particular issue. This activity set some gears in motion and ultimately led to the creation of this wonderful project! The documentary Eric filmed was pivotal for quite a few reasons. For starters, it is a powerful psychological tool that shows the thought process of individuals separated by not only a physical but also a mental border. By making the documentary Eric was trying to humanise people, trying to take them on a personal journey which began for him more almost a decade ago. Eric tells me about his travels through the Middle East in 2002 “In the Middle East, I often interacted with the locals and simply spoke to them about everyday issues. Later, while I was working on the West Bank, I realised that a lot of people had inherent prejudices against particular communities or even entire nations. This thought process is what had to change.” In conversation, Eric describes the Virtual Dinner Guest Project as “a tool for creating conversations and communities around food, and promoting dialogue between individuals of different nationalities.” He says that often, governments have dialogues and/or disputes, which affect the people, who are not consulted or directly involved in high level dialogues although their destinies are tied to the decisions made by those in power. Pictorially Speaking / 18
The entire exercise doesn’t just end when the dinner and the conversation does. No, there is still one more objective left to be fulfilled. That is the creation of a small documentary or video by each of the participating teams, At the end of the dinner, each participating team poses a question relevant to the issues discussed during the course of the dinner. Armed with this question, each team has to gather responses to the question and curate them as a video. This exercise fulfils in part the larger, grander aims of the VDGP which are the discussion of real issues among people, overcoming misconceptions and stereotypes, and simply having substantive conversations in a relaxed environment. For Eric, these films “are public tools that are current, show one’s interactions with one’s own countrymen and can be shared with the world for others to see and experience vicariously.” Eric has also been working on a project called the Virtual Iftaar Project where talks will take place between Kosovo and Gaza and Germany with Pakistan and Egypt’ The goal is to trace the route the Syrian and other refugees usually enter from the area, and also to address various issues such as xenophobia and islamophobia. Discussing the main objective of the VDGP, Eric ends with a statement which I believe will force one to think deeply about the current state of mankind. He says, “I want to question certainties. I was to question the notions that truths can be easily apprehended. Arriving to a particular truth with preconceived notions is dangerous, and often has awful repercussions not only for the thinker but also the one being judged.”
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Photographs by Eric Maddox
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When in Do as
Illustration by Pooja Chaudhary
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France, the French do. by Devika Dhumal
“Do you wish to have some more cheese?”, my host mother in Paris said as she smiled benevolently, over breakfast, handing me a plate of every type of cheese possible, the fragrance wafting through my nostrils. Too tempted to try out the “degustation”, and running out of words, I frivolously nodded my head side to side in affirmation. She stared at me stunned, hesitant and confused. I reciprocated, trying to decipher the expression on her face. Dazzled and unsure, she asked, “Oui?” and again, I reciprocated “Oui.”, and then the cheese garnished my plate. This incident had become a daily ritual at the table and yet I failed to comprehend that incomprehensible expression that I got each time. However, later after some serious contemplation, I managed to join the dots and realised that I got that reaction each time I nodded. The nod was the source of all the confusion, and a probable miscommunication. One nod from my side and the entire French family stayed muddled. Unable to decode the problem with my nods, my curiosity kept augmenting to no bounds, and finally I asked them to relieve me of the suspense. That is when I came to know my nods were exactly midway
between nodding the head affirmatively (up and down), and nodding it negatively (from one side to another), and that is why all my responses were between a yes and a no for an entire fortnight! After the revelation, we all laughed whole heartedly at the failure of this silent interaction. I explained how several people in India have two ways of nodding in affirmation and the host family took pride in having learnt something interesting about the Indian culture. A few days later, we decided to go to a pleasant Indian restaurant with a peaceful ambience in the suburbs of Paris as the family wanted to try out some authentic Indian cuisine. It was going to be their first time at an Indian restaurant and that was the first time I felt at power in a foreign land as that was the first time I would probably know more than them, and I would get the opportunity to take control of all the interactions, teach them the correct pronunciations of Indian food, and conventions at the table (I was bragging, I did not remember a single table etiquette of the Indian culture), eating without a fork and a knife and so on. We ordered masala papads, tandoori rotis, palak Pictorially Speaking / 22
paneer (which I translated as spinach tofu), rice and daal. The moment the food was served onto our table, my hand involuntary went up to my forehead as I closed my eyes saying a silent prayer in grace not realising the whole family was staring at me. No sooner had I opened my eyes, than my host parents were hugging me, throwing me sympathetic glances, consoling me and saying, “We are your family too.”
The moment they mentioned the headache, I got all my answers. So, I had to explain my way out of another typical Indian gesture and we spent the entire evening talking about different gestures and mocking them, and had a gala time over Indian dinner. Towards the end of a truly memorable meal, the waiter served the finger bowls, and my host family being unaware of what it exactly was, commented, “Ah! What a delicious looking digestive drink, with lemon. How lovely!”, and before I glared at them wondering what I had done. I could correct them, they were sipping the boiled Completely flabbergasted, I replied, “I know!”. One water with a piece of lemon with utmost sophistiinvoluntary gesture from my side, and their eyes cation. used to pop out. “Didn’t you just get emotional and homesick because you miss having Indian food Meanwhile, I had plunged my oily hands right into with your family back in India?” Confusion piling up the bowl. Too late. I got the stare again, but this again, I replied, “No?”. “Oh, so you have a head- time it was not a stare of confusion, hesitation, or ache? Do you need an Aspirin? Are you okay?”, uncertainty. They were scandalised. “Umm... that they started bombarding me with questions, while is a finger bowl.”, I justified, thus validating my acI tried to figure out what I had done or said exactly. tions, and explained to them the entire concept of I thought that the place was going to be under my why we need a finger bowl. As I kept explaining, I reign, but then there were those confused faces could see embarrassment gradually encroaching again, AT THE TABLE! upon their faces. I did not know how to mend
“Ah! What a delicious drink, with lemon. How I could correct them, t boiled water with a pi utmost sophistication.” Pictorially Speaking / 23
the situation and so I lied my way out by saying that most Indian restaurants do offer complementary drinks at the end of the meal to balance the spicy food, but this restaurant did not (so their actions were not inappropriate). And within minutes, none of us could supress our laughter and it turned out to be a more memorable evening. A year later, they came to visit India, and I took them out for lunch. Before, I joined them at the table, I secretly tipped the manager to serve us a complementary digestive drink with lemon at the end of the meal so that would put some truth into the lie I had told them a year ago, and that would finally give them closure.
their fingers and loved the food, and the waiter came to our table and offered the drink that I had staged. I smiled, the family smiled. And again, before I could say anything, they dove their fingers into the drink, pride written all over their faces saying, “We know this is the finger bowl. We remember.” I smiled, nodded and slowly dipped my fingers into the drink and said, “Yes...that is what it is!” And it happened again, at the table, where the manager, and the supervisor, and the waiters and the bus boys glared and stared at us in shock and confusion, while we blissfully washed our fingers into expensive drinks!
We had a long conversation, and I showed them how people snapped their fingers to summon the waiters, wrote in the air indicating that they wanted the bill, clapped loudly when they heard something hilarious followed by a roaring laughter. We were sitting in a room full of gestures that this family found extremely amusing. They were licking
s looking digestive w lovely!”, and before they were sipping the iece of lemon with Pictorially Speaking / 24
THE UNTHINKABLE EXPERIMENT A DAY WITHOUT A CELLPHONE By Rohan Rao
Illustration by Harshal Duddalwar
The reason behind me willingly spending a day without a cellphone lies in a conversation I had one morning at breakfast. My phone wasn’t working very well (it ultimately died on me) and coordination with a friend whom I had to meet for a project was quite difficult. It was after I was done grumbling about the inconvenience of the lack of a mobile phone, that my father said, “So what? We didn’t have phones at all in college.”
just picture a life without one to be the same as the Stone Age. In fact, the first phone was released only in 1973 by Motorola. If that isn’t recent enough for you, the first call using mobile cellular phones was made in India in 1995.
So it was with this in mind that I decided to try a day without my phone. It’s not like I’ve never spent time without it. But never an entire day. I could’ve done this on a day when there was And that got me thinking. The nothing to do, when I would’ve mobile phone is a very recent been at home all day. But invention. We’re so accustomed where’s the fun in that? to life with a phone, that we
6.15 am
No phone equals no alarms. Luckily the advantage of being home is that parents wake you up at an early (ungodly) hour. I live in Mumbai and was home on vacation.I had to get to Pune by 10am to submit a project in college. Having being woken up at an ungodly hour, I did manage to get ready for a long journey to Pune well in time.
6.45 am
I manage to catch the bus, after being dropped off at the bus stop. In the car, not yet wholly awake, I’m faced with a barrage of questions from my mother. “How am I supposed to know where you are? And when you reach Pune?”I say that I’ll manage and get onto the bus.Now, phone or no phone, early morning bus rides involve only one activity sleep. Pictorially Speaking / 25
10.15 am
I’m in Pune, and so it begins. No cell phone. How do I tell my mother that I’ve reached?And that’s when I see the PCO. “ISD and STD calls”, the board proclaims.It’s astonishing that for the three years that I’ve travelled between the two cities, and used this very bus stop, I’ve never noticed the Public Call Office. Yes, that’s what PCO stands for. It’s a testament to the power of the mobile phone and its hold over us. Very few of us know that that’s what PCO stands for, and most of us don’t even notice their existence. After I’m done informing my mother about my whereabouts, it’s time for college and the project submission.
10.30 am
I was in Pune because we had to submit case logs and journals to the department of Ophthalmology. I’m a medical student at BJ Medical College, which is attached to Sassoon General hospital. The college and the hospital campus are sprawled over a large area, and my classmates who had my journals could be anywhere. Great.I finally managed to find them half an hour later on my way to the Ophthalmology department.
2 pm
Case logs done and submitted. Now for some lunch.At lunch I finally became aware of how dependent on mobile phones we are. It’s really exasperating when you realize you’re talking to the back of someone else’s phone. And I know I probably do that too when I have my phone. Another thing that struck me is how many conversations were about memes and forwards on Facebook and Whatsapp, with smartphones being passed around the table. It was interesting to see that not only is the virtual world inhibiting real interactions, but becoming a part of them too.
2.45 pm
My roommate had broken his spectacles (something he does very often) and he had given them to the optician to get them fixed. He had some urgent work and asked me to pick them up. Pictorially Speaking / 26
3.15 pm
Everyone who has lived in Pune knows about MG Road. What we don’t think of is that the small bylanes that branch off it are the perfect way to find yourself in the maze that Camp can be. I experienced that first hand. It dawns on me that I’m lost. Without google maps and navigation services on my smart phone I start asking for directions. Which only leads to more confusion.
3.45 pm Still lost.
4.15 pm
I finally find the place. Spectacles collected, I decide to get something to eat at an Irani café I found, Café Yezdan. One bun maska and chai later, I walk to the station, with enough time to catch the 5.55 train back to Mumbai.
7.30 pm
I’m on the train back. I thought I’d be really bored without the phone but it isn’t that bad. I end up talking to some other people around me, who’re studying engineering in Pune, and we find common friends.
10 pm
I’m back home. The phoneless day is over.
All in all, I’d say it was a good experience. We aren’t yet at that point where life without a phone is impossible; however, it is becoming increasingly difficult to lead a life without one. Being able to call someone wherever you are, makes communicating and coordinating with others really easy, and it’s something we take for granted. The utilities on smart phones also make them quite indispensable. Wandering around in the alleys and lanes off MG road, you realize how important, and how lost we are without navigation and GPS systems. Pictorially Speaking / 27
The entire experience however, was also very refreshing. Not having music, games or apps to pass your time really makes you notice your surroundings, and pushes you to interact with people around you. Losing myself also led me to discover new places to eat, like the quaint Café Yezdan. I usually never strike up conversations with strangers, and I did, and found new friends in this city that I’ve come to love.Phones are here to stay. Yes, they are useful and we need them; but what with the various apps and games and music options and YouTube shortcuts at some point, we’ve all felt like that device that’s in our pockets (more so in our hands) is taking over our lives.
So take control. Leave it at home, go out into the world, and change the way you interact with the people around us and the places we live in. It’s a liberating experience.
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A MASTERCLASS IN CUISINE AND CULTURE By Sharanya Shivaraman Tradition is an exquisite palette of experiences which is developed and relished by all generations alike. However, it is always fascinating to know the ways in which people lived their lives and nurtured their young and beloved ones. Food has been a major proponent for tracing the cultural progress of society.
The socio physical needs, climatic conditions and cultural orientation can be understood by understanding traditional food. I have often wondered what it would be to learn about an entire generation’s memories and experiences just by learning to cook their favourite dish!
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Rohan Rao, one of the members of our team decided to learn from his grandmother, a key element in the South Indian cuisine, the aromatic and flavourful dish ‘Sambar’. Recounting his experience, he says, “Growing up in Mumbai, I have always been aware of the diversity of India’s different states. And amidst that pluralism, I take pride in identifying myself as a Kannadiga. But when it comes down to it, I don’t know much about my culture. I speak Kannada haltingly and I barely know about the various festivals and rituals my parents follow. Food however, is a part of my heritage that I am familiar with. Every festival, every event has a special dish attached with it. For me, my grandmother’s Sambar is something I have always been blissfully fond of. There is no one better to learn the recipe from than her. Amidst the spices and vegetable and coconut, I felt like I was part of a long standing tradition and the outcome as always was delicious! Let’s hope that when I make the dish on my own, it’s still as tasty.
Indeed, food and culture are inseparable and incomplete without the essence of each other. Learning about a dish gives tremendous perspective on what infused the desire in people to create such a cuisine, traditions and an interesting insight into the past!
Devika Dhumal, another team member, also had a similar experience when she learnt how to master the art of making ‘Thalipeeth’ (a maharashtrian flat bread). She says that thalipeeth, which is a traditional Maharashtrian delicacy, is a dish her mother loves to cook. It is also a dish that has been transformed into many variants, yet explains a lot about the roots it stems from. A simple dish made from a mixture of 23 kinds of flour, it is staple in the rural areas and is often eaten by farmers as it provides a good deal of nutrients and energy. Devika’s mother has further improved the delicate combination of taste coupled with nutrition, rendering it into a traditional dish with familial secrets. The procedure is complicated and equally amusing. What made this apprenticeship wonderful and memorable was how her mother added a bucket full of love to the secret ingredients!
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ETHIOPIA
REUNION ISLAND
KENYA
DJIBOUTI
THE JOY OF EXPERIENCING THE UNKNOWN By Ishwari Deshpande
Up until very recently, I did not know that a country by the name of Djibouti existed. And never had I thought that I’d ever visit Ethiopia or Reunion Island. All these countries were unknown and completely foreign to me. As luck would have it though, I was part of my mother’s i.e. my Guru’s dance troupe which was to accompany her to Africa on a three week dance tour that had been organized by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. While my friends and I were dreaming of Cape Town beaches and safaris at Masai Mara, ICCR finally gave us our list of countries – South Africa, Reunion Island (sounds pretty till here), and then Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti. I can’t say I was disappointed, because I’d never really thought about these countries before. Nevertheless, I was enthusiastic and keen on doing this.
Illustration by Shailja Patel
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Yellow fever and malaria are the usual diseases one may worry about for a visit to Africa; we had to take extra precautions because of the Ebola epidemic that was spreading across the continent at that time. Some people told us about the high crime rates. A lot of questions were raised What kind of people might we find there? What would the hygiene and sanitation be like? There were many questions in our mind as we set off for the countries we had been allotted.
showed us how the residential areas happened to be separate for the different communities there, but he didn’t seem agitated. It was normal.
cited for everything Ethiopia had in store for us. Pretty places were everywhere, but we were getting Reunion Island, a French ter- to experience the life in counritory was an absolute delight for tries we never thought we’d see. the eyes. Right from humid beach Turns out, Ebola was not even weather to mountainous cold close to being a danger there. On and misty weather we saw and the contrary, there were other As the day of departure ap- experienced it all in one tiny na- pleasant things which caught our proached, my excitement grew tion! An unexpected surprise was attention, like the venue of our exponentially. Although everybody a meeting with the officers of the concert there, in Addis Ababa. around me only considered apparent Western fleet of the Indian Navy. They had a history of performing “negatives” of visiting these countries, The locals told us that the Indian arts there too, and their National I was not worried. I was going there to navy helped patrol and maintain Theatre was the oldest and most represent the culture of my nation and peace and order near the violent prestigious auditorium there. It spread the positivity, creativity, regions of Africa. I was overcome wouldn’t be an exaggeration to and beauty that this art of danc- with immense pride. This rein- say that that theatre gave some forced the importance of us being serious competition to the biging has taught us. gest and best theatres in I was not worried. I was going The entire trip was our country too! a pleasantly surpristhere to represent the culture of ing experience. All the In addition to this, my nation and spread the positivity, places we visited were we learnt some small countries like any oth- creativity, and beauty that this art details about the Ethier. The natives there opian food and culture, of dancing has taught us. were people like those like the fact that it was a you would find in any certain leafy vegetable, Indians in a foreign land as repreother part of the world. They had similar to spinach that gave their their own history, their culture, sentatives of our nation. food a distinct taste. We also vistheir food, their lifestyle. Our inited a university there, and found As we continued on with our the student life to be very similar teractions with the locals taught me a lot about the life there. In tour and headed towards the to any regular university. Not that South Africa, it was surprising for region where Ebola was wide- we should’ve expected anything me to see that there still existed spread, we were on our guard different, but it suddenly made some sort of distinction between at all times. Undergoing vari- me feel at home. The girls there the two kinds of populations liv- ous scans and constant health were very hppy to see us and ing there. Where on one side we checkups at the airports further show us around their hostel and believed in equal status to all, reinforced the gravity of the situ- how they studied there. We had a certain African native called ation. At times like this, one could conversations about their subhimself “black”! This man was in feel nothing but absolute pity for jects, their schedule, hostel life, charge of driving us to and from the locals, who were in mortal and of course, the little boredom the venue of the performance. danger at all times. that comes as a part and parcel of He started explaining the lifestyle studying. In an unknown country Despite this, we forgot the that I knew nothing of, I felt at there and how the distinction still existed in an indirect manner. He problem and decided to be exPictorially Speaking / 32
home. The people were welcoming, at least the ones we got to meet – right from the native authority figure at the theatre who made sure every light, sound and stage requirement was fulfilled, to the waiter in our hotel who would smile and serve us tea exactly the way we had asked. However, it was heart wrenching to hear from the natives themselves that the malnourishment dilemma and poverty that we have heard of and seen on television, was very much a reality not very from where we were. The next country we visited was Djibouti. As I mentioned before, the country didn’t exist for me before this tour. Only on going there did I find out that it was one of the largest ports in Africa, responsible for a great majority of the overseas trade. It seemed quite barren and wasn’t a pretty sight for the eyes, but yet, an immensely important little country for the entire continent. Somalia was right next to it, and we all know about the issues there. While our managers told us about the killings and violence near the Somalian border, they didn’t think it wise to omit the fact that we were only 17 km away from it at one point. That should’ve definitely calmed us down, right? On the bright side, the theatre here was brilliant too, and all the officials and ambassadors of various countries who were present there were very impressed on seeing our performance. The French woman who was to intro-
duce our troupe before the performance was very excited on seeing our costumes and jewellery. What more, she was over the moon when I spoke to her in French. She hadn’t at all expected any of us Indian dancers to know the French tongue! Lastly, Kenya gave us a very Indian experience. Right from the weather to the food, everything was similar. Well, actually, the food was similar because the significantly large population of Indians there had made sure that there were more Indian restaurants than expected, which, by the way, were extremely delicious; and just like that, our craving for Indian food was satisfied. The natives who accompanied us also enjoyed the Indian food there as much as we did. They were very appreciative of the new culture, the art, the food, all of it. Even our concert venue in Nairobi was actually a vastly spread religious centre. Yet, there were just as many natives in our audience as there were Indians. After all, everyone loves art, no matter where they’re from.
“The world is a small place.” No. It’s still very large.
The most unexpected places gave us some very rich knowledge since every place has its culture. In theory, we all know it, but it’s undoubtedly different to go to an uncommonly visited place and experience it firsthand. No matter how small a place, it always makes a difference. Humans are the same everywhere; they are people just like us. “The world is a small place.” No. It’s still very large. There are so many different aspects – the language, the terrain, the culture, the history, the significance. What we need to do, is discover it while remembering that it’s the people that are one.
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PHOTOGRAPHY PORTFOLIO : SHAANTANU KULKARNI
Photography is, in his opinion, the truest expression of human emotions. Meet Shaantanu Kulkarni, the man with many identities. Explorer, Traveller, Storyteller these are all tags he proudly associates himself with. An undergraduate student studying at Fergusson College, Pune Shaantanu lives, eats and breathes photography. His work prominently features landscapes of the urban jungle, and portraits of people simply going about their lives. On The Reason Behind Photography Being His Chosen Medium Of Expression Photography for Shaantanu is a diverse enriching way of expressing himself, as well as the the way he sees the world by framing well timed and meaningful pictures. It is through these pictures that he can bring to life certain moments all once again. Shaantanu says, “It is an art that leaves me increasingly fascinated every time I chase it as I wish to keep on documenting cultures, celebrations and nature’s varied beauty with my eyes and a camera.” “I don’t always need my camera though. Everyday, I take thousands of photos with my eyes. and deposit the image in an album in my brain,” grinning as he says so.
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On How He Got Involved With Photography As a child, Shaantanu used to click pictures of anything and everything with an old Kodak film camera.In particular, he enjoyed taking pictures of landscapes and people. Sometimes, he’d just sit with the camera in hand, looking through the viewfinder. It is only in the last 5 years that this enthusiasm towards photography has developed gradually into a wonderful passion. On His Inspirations His inspiration for photography stems from his childhood. When in school, he discovered National Geographic Magazines, and was mesmerised by the stories and accounts about human survival, inventions, and that of exploration into remote and rugged lands. The people who inspired him to pursue his passion in photography are his Grandfather and Uncle, both veterans of the Kannada movie industry. “Staring at a world map that has adorned a wall in my room since my childhood, I have developed an innate curiosity and thirst to know more and more everyday about at least one country I spot on it. This has also inspired me, and fuelled my passion for exploring the unknown.” On His Work “There is nothing but sheer enjoyment & satisfaction for me in photography,” says Shaantanu. A very curious fellow, his love for exploring the lives of people, and different cultures often takes him places. He says that he strives to take photographs that are not only well timed and aptly framed, but also evoke particular emotions in the people viewing his work. From his featured work, one particular image that is his personal favourite is that of the Naga Sadhu with his locks tied in a bun on his head. “I clicked this picture while the Sadhu was waiting with other men in a group, for his turn to smoke Marijuana from the pipe. While waiting, he was smiling and
teasing everybody around him who could not do the same. That is the reason for the expression on his face smug contentedness” says Shaantanu, recounting an anecdote of his travel to Nashik, where he attended the Kumbh Mela. Pictorially Speaking / 36
On His Goals, And On Photography “Just getting lost in this urban jungle and photographing until either I’m exhausted or my camera runs out of battery” is what Shaantanu says is his current goal. “The recent trip that I made to Nashik has been incredible for me in many ways. It was special because it was my first solo impromptu trip in my life I just decided to go, packed my bags and hopped on a bus! The Kumbh is a rich experience, and having experienced it for myself, I hope that through my Photographs, people can vicariously experience the same.” He doesn’t think that his work is an end in itself. For him, photography is a very long journey with no apparent end. Within him is a strong desire to document nature, and the diverse ways of life across the world. Thus, each album is merely a checkpoint for all the memories he has gathered till date.
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DESIGN PORTFOLIO: TRISHAL REDDY Trishal Reddy isn’t just an Artist. She’s an Artist with a mission.
On The Reason Behind Design Being Her Chosen Medium Of Expression
Currently studying at Christ University, Bangalore, Trishal remembers being artsy since she was a child. Back then, it was mindless scribbling on blank sheets with wax crayons. Now, her work is inspiring, and essays positive social messages that stem from her interactions with people and society. On social media platforms, she goes by the tag of ‘Design Freak’ (with a Facebook page having the same name).
Design, Trishal feels, is the only medium that can keep up with her imagination. Her art, quite like her imagination, simply ‘flows’. “I daydream often, and conjure up images of fluid shapes in my head. When working, I incorporate whatever I have seen in my head into my art. My art, in essence, is the best representation of what’s going on inside this head of mine.” Simply staring at blank paper, and slowly watching her mind come alive with her art is one of the most beautiful emotions she feels.
Though relatively new to the field of design and art, Trishal has evolved as an artist with a few major works of design to her credit already.
Homage To The Pen A tribute to the object that triggered Trishal’s creativity
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On How She Got Involved With Design
A blank sheet of paper placed before her is her domain. Starting off with doodles, and simply combining shapes as she imagined them in her head, Trishal kept on making pieces of art regardless of how good or bad she, or other people thought they
On Her Work
“I have a dream, which sounds really weird. I want to bring art out of the canvas, into our lives,” says Trishal. “Having started off by simply doodling and penning anything I imagined, I definitely feel that my art has matured since. I have not only designed
Pixels-On how climate change is affecting nature and soon all we shallremember are photographs, hence the pixels
were. To her, the concept of combining text graffiti and illustrations was exciting and fascinating. Ultimately, she developed her own style of art, which now is a mix of text graffiti, myriad shapes, and objects one spots in daily life.
On Her Inspirations
Trishal says that the idea currently in her mind, or a particular scene that she may have dreamt of, influenced by whatever she has seen or experienced is what inspires her to create a unique piece. However, Trishal does admit that she also experiences ‘phases’ wherein a particular object, or location is the central theme of all her artwork for a particular period.
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various Tshirt prints, but have also designed the logo for St. Joseph College’s Fest ‘Dhwani’. Seeing my work on people’s backs or in the newspapers and on billboards felt amazing; however, nothing compares to the feeling I get when I put up a completed piece and see the twinkle of appreciation in people’s eyes.”Of all her work featured, there is one piece she holds dear. It is one she has titled ‘Territorial’. Talking about that particular piece, she says, “I’m very satisfied with the design as it is exactly as I had imagined in my head. While a lot of the elements in the design seem random, they actually aren’t. If one glances at the eyes, and looks closely, one can see buildings. The buildings signify the manner in which mankind is slowly taking away territory from nature, and how we have taken the concept of ‘Night’ away from the creature of night.”
Territorial
Japan The country’s pop culture is slowly seeping into our lives and was a source of inspiration for Trishal
On Her Goals, And On Art
interpret, imagine and dream, and to be creative “I want to erase the thought that one has to be ex- and imaginative. The world is a much brighter and tremely creative to make art. There is no such thing better place when you connect with your innermost as being ‘Artsy’. People and their lives are all art emotions and are simply yourself.” within themselves,” says Trishal. Trishal marks all her work with a bulb and the letter “The goal is to make a more colourful and happier ‘T’. So if you spot this little insignia somewhere, you world that connects with art and remembers that know the maestro behind that piece of art. not everything is dull and sad. To push people to
Freedom and Cages
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BOOK REVIEW: THE MINOTAUR TAKES A CIGARETTE BREAK BY STEVEN SHERILL By Prerna Maheshwari
The Minotaur of Greek Mythology escaped the Labyrinth 5000 years ago and has been wandering since then, currently settled in North Carolina. The story starts with him working as a line cook in a steak house.
dreams. He also has a superb eye for details, making even the most mundane of tasks sound lovely. We read as sewing or cooking become poetry because we can feel the earnestness and honesty the Minotaur puts in his tasks. We feel the pleasure the Minotaur does, with the small joys of working with Part bull, part man, and no longer a devourer of hu- his hands. On a parallel with reality, this depicts man flesh, he is socially awkward and hopelessly how work routine, even if meaningless, is a glue clumsy. He never speaks more than a grunt. Peo- that keeps us sane. ple are startled by his horns at first glance but they quickly adjust to it. He has physical hindrances too, Mixing myth with reality, the novel is a grand metwith his eyes set so aphor for the human condition. The novel beaubroad apart that he has to cock his head to one side tifully captures the essence of loneliness and deto see anything. He is however very deft at manual tachment. These feelings become palpable as we tasks such as sewing, cooking and repairing cars. In read the novel and wonderfully so, made all the his free time, he observes his neighbours. Summing more painful when there is an occasional moment it up, he is an outsider in society. of friendship or joy for the Minotaur. Sherill shows what it is like for The plot centers around his feelings for Kelly, a those who are disconnected, and seem to just be waitress who is prone to fits. The story follows him stumbling around in life with no clear plan. It also discovering the possibility of feeling happiness subtly delivers the existing hypocrisy that perhaps and finding love in a world that views him as odd, many people are part monster, but unlike the Mia monster: “The Minotaur accepts this temporary notaur, they are allowed to keep that part of themblessing for all it is worth. There are a few things he selves hidden. knows, these among them; that it is inevitable, even necessary for a creature halfman and halfbull Intelligent, thoughtful, well written and leisurely to walk the face of the earth; that in the numbing paced, the novel is definitely worth your time! span of eternity even the most monstrous among us needs love; the minutiae of life sometimes defer to folly; that even in the most tedious and unending life there comes, occasionally, hope.” The Minotaur takes a Cigarette Break, written by Steven Sherill is the story of the eternal outsider. As the novel progresses, Sherill creates a curious character, a monster with a yearning heart and ancient Illustration by Harshal Duddalwar Pictorially Speaking / 43
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FILM REVIEW: MAN FROM EARTH DIRECTED BY JEROME BIXBY By Tanoy Banerji
What would it be like to have an interaction with a caveman. Not a man wearing animal skin, wielding a club and yelling “Yabadabadoo!”, but an actual caveman who has survived for more than fourteen thousand years? How exactly would that conversation go? That is exactly what Jerome Bixby tries to portray in this Richard Schenkman directed SciFi drama.
The Man from Earth is a dialogue based film and it keeps you engaged with a mesmerizing screenplay which includes a fascinating tale, a few thrills, a controversial idea and a twist at the very end. The movie is shot entirely in and out of the protagonists house, 90% of it being shot in his living room. The soundtrack tries to add an ominous tone to a few scenes but rarely achieves the effect. So no marks for it. But what I personally loved about this movie The Man from Earth is one of the most unusual SciFi is the fresh perspective it gives to the myth of ‘The movies ever made and possibly the most engaging. Immortal Man’. Do not watch this movie expecting fantastic special effects or action packed sequences, but I can prom- Do not watch it for its fantastic direction or expect ise you that this crisp 87 minute film will keep you stellar performances but watch it for its mind hooked till the end. numbing story. Those who enjoy Adam Sandler movies could give it a miss but those who enjoy inThe film starts with Professor John Oldman (David tellectual, intense discussions and love tales of origLee Smith) getting ready to move just after having inal and unique thoughts should definitely watch it. suddenly quit his ten year teaching job. His colleagues drop by demanding an explanation, adamant on spending the afternoon with him before he leaves. When they refuse to back down, he reluctantly reveals that he is actually a Cro-Magnon from the Neolithic era, who has secretly survived for 14000 years and relocates every ten years to prevent people from realising that he does not age. His friends and professors (each holding doctorates in different fields) listen to his tale and laugh, obviously thinking he is being hypothetical. As he continues his story, he very subtly starts replying to all their questions from a first person perspective. And thus his tale unfolds,casting a spell on the minds of not only his friends but also on the viewer. Pictorially Speaking / 46