From where I left

Its high time I reflect on my activities in the past few months.
I arrived in Wayland on 22nd June 2016. There is some magic about this place. Is it the sound of silence and being surrounded by nature or something more than that? Whatever it is, I am happy to feel the urge to write again. I will start from the point where I left.

The month of October was so beautiful! It was such a pleasure for the eyes!
"Do all beautiful things appear to be more beautiful if they are short-lived?"

November went too fast because our stay with our children and grand daughter was coming to an end. 

Halloween costume for my grand daughter

Diwali celebration

We returned to Kolkata on 1st December and before I knew it, I was drawn into a series of social and other kinds of commitments. In the midst of all that, visit to Bulu Imam's home in Hazaribagh was indeed a memorable experience. This was my first exposure to Khovar and Sohrai art.

             

Bulu Imam and his Son, Justin

Rukmani Devi and her art work

The home of Bulu Imam, the Sanskriti Centre, which he created in 1993 along with the museum of tribal art and culture, and the Tribal Women Artists Cooperative is worth a visit for anyone interested in the tribal art of that part of India. I was immediately reminded of the aboriginal art I saw in Australia but I had no idea how these were linked. Below left- Australian aboriginal art, right- Tribal art of Hazaribagh.

          

I got my answer when I met Bulu Imam's son Justin. Please click here to watch the video about these art forms narrated by Justin Imam. Reconnecting with rural art of India continued through December 2015. Nomadic mystic singers of Bengal, known as Bauls performed for us at Dilruba, our house in Santiniketan.

Year 2015 ended with Rabi Baul singing 'moner moto pagol pelam naa'.