Monday, June 24, 2013

Kaagazi hai pairahan

My friend, Aasheesh Pittie, has many interests, and books have been a consuming passion with him for many years now. He sent me a link to a fascinating story the other day – where a sculpture had ‘appeared’ at the Edinburgh’s Leith Library, the latest in a series of ‘gifts’ that the mysterious artist was making to various bodies of her(?) choice: the Scottish Poetry Library,  the National Library of Scotland, the Filmhouse among others.

The works are intricate, inspired and incredibly beautiful. Someone has been crafting them out of printed paper, choosing scraps with delicate interest and creating these wonderful installations that pay tribute to words, books, movies and other forms of “magic”. And then s(he) has been giving them away, leaving them to be found in obscure shelves and ledges to be found by their recipients.
Many of them refer to Ian Rankin, but the artist has diversified of late. The latest one bears a quote from AA Milne: “It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like “What about lunch?”” What fun this is!

My favourite must be this scene of ‘books-turned-movies’ where horses and armoured warriors leap out of the screen, surround their audience in an utterly immersive experience.

 
 

But this one is funny too:


The whole story up to a year ago is here and detailed pictures of the sculptures are here.
And for more, LOTS more on book culture, http://www.bookpatrol.net/ Hat tip, again, to Aasheesh.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Cheentis!

Ant populations crawling out of my keyboard. What on earth is happening here?

Monday, June 17, 2013

Pulling it together

बदल रही है आज ज़िन्दगी की चाल ज़रा
इसी बहाने क्यूँ ना मै भी दिल का हाल ज़रा
सवांर लूं
... सवांर लूं...
 
badal rahi hai aaj zindagi ki chaal zara
isi bahane kyun na main bhi dil ka haal zara
sawaar loon... sawaar loon...

When the summer heat has abated, at a time when cooling winds blow, bearing rain, and tales of other places... bringing with them tokens of a larger world... it is perhaps the right time to set your internal world right as well.

Sunday, June 09, 2013

Sar jo mera chakraye

I've exposed my mind to such an array of impressions this last week that it is jangling like wind chimes caught in a blizzard. So wanting to blog, but the coherent words won't come. So this, to hold till they do.