How an event like SALA, where the arts are celebrated, sowed the seeds of change

From my Air India spot connected a nonstop formation from San Francisco to Mumbai, I bespeak connected these words arsenic I acquisition staggering carnal symptom doing its champion to interruption maine apart. These past lines of Mhara Re Girdhar Gopal, a much-loved bhajan, are a deeply-rooted mantra that is the encomium to existent emotion and devotion, to beingness and living. I recognize done the words of the fashionable bhajans of Meera and Kabir that to find emotion we request to marque bid with immoderate heartburn, and that to gain, we indispensable larn to lose.

Mile precocious successful the sky, looking down astatine the earth, I realise however minuscule the satellite is, and however irrelevant individuals are. I americium reminded however tiny I americium and adjacent smaller the suffering I indispensable endure to scope existent connectedness and the indispensable end. I americium besides reminded that counting our blessings tin springiness america a momentary salve that brings anticipation and comfort, the astir indispensable balm of all. And truthful I combat done the symptom to callback the events of the past 4 days, of the warmth and reception afforded maine arsenic a presenter astatine the South Asian Literature and Art festival (SALA), wherever different South Asian luminaries and icons besides shared their stories.

Ferose VR – a celebrated planetary manufacture person and The New Indian Express columnist – was chosen by SALA’s Ambika Sahay, Mayuranki Almaula Sangeeta Mehra and Kiran Malhotra, to unlock the antheral down Slice of Life, my file (in The Indian Express), that they had grown to embrace. Ferose offered to supply maine with his questions beforehand, but I suggested we springiness the attendees the acquisition of a genuine, unscripted gathering betwixt 2 humans wherever a hesitation, a rolling of eyes, an look of an emotion that says a cardinal words successful their sum and total, would beryllium the bosom and psyche of our conversation. I became arsenic susceptible and earthy arsenic I could ever be, successful the anticipation that I could interaction a fewer lives to spot the satellite for what it truly is and to emergence to go amended versions of aforesaid and marque our societies much empathetic for those otherwise abled. Our league was received well, and Ferose approved.

During different presentation, I was connected a sheet with 3 singular humans Heena Patel, Keith Sarasin and Srijith Gopinath, culinarians who shared small vignettes into their lives, their inspirations, their passionateness and their struggles. While connected stage, I retrieve reasoning that thing overmuch could hap successful those precise abbreviated 45 minutes that would spark a question for bettering the lives of chefs, the foods being celebrated together, and the lives of hospitality staff. Of course, we each celebrated India and its affluent culinary heritage, we asked each different questions, and we highlighted the request to person much hyper-focused and regionalized offerings. All noteworthy activities, but thing that would alteration the look of Indian cuisine anywhere. Our sheet was a bully glimpse into the lives of america 4 chefs but it celebrated the presumption quo that I judge is keeping Indian nutrient down successful the annals of culinary history. Our discussions, celebrating and promoting our journeys, offered thing that would alteration the nutrient offerings, concern ethics, and worker acquisition successful the restaurants of tomorrow. I americium usually blessed to play Pollyanna, arsenic I genuinely judge that successful the extremity bully prevails, but tomorrow’s chefs and culinary operators ought to summation a deeper critique of our times and businesses from america truthful they tin beryllium the alteration we request for Indian nutrient to advancement into its richer and much authentic versions. By being the cantankerous aged antheral of the panel, I was capable to springiness my honorable appraisal of what Indian cuisine is today.

Then determination was that astonishing luncheon astatine Shobha Tharoor’s location successful Campbell, wherever I got to spot her hubby Raj Srinivasan and perceive her life’s communicative and wherever I was fixed further glimpses into their idiosyncratic and shared journeys. Their hospitality and generosity gave maine the champion acquisition immoderate person tin want: time. Rich moments that gave Shashi Tharoor, my aunt Aruna and me, arsenic good arsenic Ananth and Sharanya, lad and daughter-in-law of our hosts, the quality to link and further our bonds of friendship. The love, attraction and extortion that Shashi’s sisters person for their personage member ever gives maine a transportation to my sister Seema, reminding maine of the galore blessings she has bestowed upon me.

Shashi Tharoor, a existent wizard with words, was the prima of that luncheon. His kindly, genteel manner, his steadfast yet gentle musings connected the world of life, his unwavering content successful humanity – these travel live successful the easiness and candour with which helium shares and heals. Of course, yummy pizza made by Ananth successful Shobha’s “all-American kitchen” with beauteous looks, but nary thought fixed to practicality, was affirmation that adjacent successful a godforsaken an oasis tin beryllium found, erstwhile there’s a instauration and possibilities of dreams. Shobha, similar countless different immigrants, creates deliciousness contempt the likelihood presented to her by a federation disconnected to nutrient and cooking, beingness and circumstance.

Salima Hashmi was astatine SALA, and I couldn’t get capable of her, an incredibly talented and talented artist, generous successful sharing her communicative to animate others. She is simply a surviving and in-flesh transportation for maine to Faiz Ahmad Faiz, the revolutionary Pakistani writer who started giving maine words and anticipation astatine property nine, helping maine spot a satellite that mightiness beryllium amended than what I saw successful my caged brain.

Chronic pain, wherever the physicians person lone palliative attraction arsenic their offering, is simply a mode of life. It is simply a changeless downer and a drain to some EQ and IQ. Barbiturates numb the symptom but would marque maine a happily numb vegetable. I americium fortunate that the passions I have, erstwhile I indulge successful them with afloat gusto, instrumentality maine to those euphoric heights wherever creativity takes implicit and symptom is relegated to a kid spot astatine the precise backmost of the car that is connected a joyous ride.

My nights successful Palo Alto were the astir achy nights of my beingness yet, but this counting of my blessings blessed maine with 8 hours of heavy slumber connected my journey. How fortunate I americium to person household and friends who heal maine by showing maine the look of profoundly quality humans who bring our corporate together.

I convey my stars for the accidental to beryllium astatine events similar SALA wherever the arts are celebrated to service the intent of fuelling passionate creativity by humanity to amusement anticipation and agleam futures arsenic we sow the seeds of possibilities and change. I person entree and agency, I person options and choices, and, astir of all, I person an abundance of emotion from household and friends. These blessings are my barbiturate, and erstwhile I bespeak connected them, I see, oregon astatine slightest I americium distracted from, the symptom and consciousness that beingness is beautiful.