Alert: This is a prelude, a teaser to my next post on this
blog.
Not every person we meet, is capable of making us feel
positive. Not every conversation, we strike with someone, possesses the power
to rethink our own stance in life. But when we do meet some extraordinary human
beings; life changes.
One such life changing experience came my way in the month
of November 2014. Almost starry eyed, I landed at Kala Bhavan (in Thane) to
witness a unique event. Branded ‘Kalanubhuti’, this event was the brainchild of
seven artist minds. All the seven artists were women. ‘Kalanubhuti’ reflected
their courage, their passion and their zest to create a niche for themselves.
So who are these seven artists? Let me list their names in an alphabetical
order:
Asmita Randive Patil
Madhurie D Pandit
Malabika Bose
Parita Chauhan Rathor
Reeta Thakur
Rekha Singh
Tripti Khandelwal
All of them, housewives, stepped out of their comfort zones
to pursue, what they are truly passionate about. It was a conscious decision. Determined
to showcase their creations of art, they decided to put up an exhibition, which
later came to be known as ‘Kalanubhuti’.
On an honest note, ‘Kalanubhuti’ and its exhibitors had a
huge impact on me. What I imbibed from them culminated into the creation of the
blog http://passionfollowers.blogspot.in/
(initially known as The Safari Surprise blog). Witnessing the enthusiasm of
these seven women, I decided to volunteer for people with extraordinary talent
who continue being the unsung heroes of our cultural fabric.
To honor this new movement, put forward by these seven
women, I dedicated the first ever post of this blog with the title ‘THE SEVEN
FOLDS OF KALANUBHUTI’ to them. I was thrilled by the response. The fame that
came my way made me decide and adopt a vision for future.
But I was not fully content with it. I was eager to take the
next step. I wanted to know each of them personally. This is where my good
friend Madhurie aka Maddie/Mads (favorite iPhone-O-Grapher) stepped in. She not
only organized for me to meet each and every one, but also never for once
expressed her desire to be meted out any kind of special treatment. And thus, I
spent 2-3 weeks interviewing them. I mailed them a questionnaire to present
them with a brief idea about the kind of replies, I was expecting from them.
But during the actual interview, I chose to shun the questionnaire and converse
with them casually.
Out of the highly talented lot, my dear friend Maddie
devotedly filled in the questionnaire and kept it mailed. But she also spoke at
length (at the speed of a Royal Enfield Thunderbird) about her likes, dislikes,
inspiration and motivation. Rekha spoke like a friend, I had never met for
years. Asmita spelt magic with every thought she shared across; I chose not to
disturb her. Malabika recited a poetry, which reflected her indulgence with
creativity. I chose to listen intently. Tripti kept smiling throughout the
conversation, never for once allowing the tempo to hit a low. Reeta was like a gentle
breeze, who took long pauses, so that her replies remained short but always to
the point. Parita’s thought process was like a silent river; but she continued
creating ripples through punctuations from her past, present and future.
The interviews were interesting. But I had to rise up to the
next challenge. The task was to create a post, which will justify their
passion. I am really lucky to have got this opportunity. Developing the post has
been a wonderful experience. Never before have I experimented with my writing.
I developed four drafts before settling down for the fifth and the semi final
draft. The final draft is in its finishing stages. In the coming week, I shall
make it run live. This post of mine is a prelude to the final product, which
possesses a distinct luster. Equally eager am I to share it, as eager the
artists themselves are to read and start talking about.
I hope this phenomenon of a creative exchange, which
commenced with ‘Kalanubhuti’ continues uninterrupted. Signing off by mentioning
the first line of the interview centric blog, to follow soon –
I knew I was making a new beginning. I knew I was going
to celebrate this moment. But I also knew that one part of every milestone, I
conquer, belongs to these seven lovely souls. This article of mine is an ode to their
talent, their aura and of course their significance in my life, and in the life
of others.
Coming Soon… The
interviews with a special tadka of my passion for writing!
-vociferous
