Minakshi De
STATEMENT
"I woke up on the bank of Roop-Naran,
I knew for sure, this world’s no dream.
I saw spelt out in blood
My own self
I came to know myself through suffered blows,
Through anguish and pain,
For truth is tough;
And I learnt to love this harshness
It never betrays.
This life is a meditation on sorrow till death
To realize the terrible value of truth and settle all debts with death."
“Roop-NaranerKuule” from “SeshLekha” by “Rabindranath Tagore”
Translation by Kaiser Haq
A woman’s life goes through innumerable twists and turns, ups and downs. I refined at the end of every battle, colored auburn like a terra-cotta pot after burning. Every time, I reads this poem, I feels as if, the great bard had talked of my life.
The master craftsman, novel prize winner famous Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore had markedly detoured from his usual platonic idealism and accepted the harshness of life, in this composition of his. He has accepted the harsh realities of life and reconciled with the world he lives in. In his pursuit of truth and the meaning of his true self, he had to go through sufferings and afflictions.
My series, Captive, talks of the intermingling of truth and beauty. As a woman, born and raised in India, my thoughts embrace the familiar sights and touches of my country, but presented on a world canvas.
Has women achieved liberation? Can I fully spread my wings and fly? These are the questions I keeps asking myself time and again. With everything’s that’s going on around the world, my mind is in a constant state of turmoil. I picks up my brushes and paints, my way towards tranquility. My canvas turns into my notebook, as Iscribbles down all the pent up anger, frustrations, unspoken pains, and despair.
A woman, free or not, is always captive. In my responsibilities, my conscience, in my emotional drawbacks, in my lack of courage, in the inadequacy of confidence. Having been enamored with the architectural marvels of India, I tries to portray a woman’s captivity, imprisoned and held down, by my emotional shackles, through the details of the architecture of the historical treasures of India. Over the ages, India has seen innumerable rulers and invaders, Hindus and Muslims, and their influences can be seen etched in every stones of such historical architectures.
A woman’s body is an intricate machinery, bound together with love, passion, compassion and happiness. Ihas been used as a merchandise for pleasure and commercialism. Ihas tried binding a woman’s sensuality with the enchanting architectural motifs of historical India.
In all the confusion of the 21st century, where it seems, patriarchal society is trying to reverse the forward movement of a woman’s journey towards liberation, in her pursuit of truth and discovering myself, I gave birth to my new series, CAPTIVE”.
I knew for sure, this world’s no dream.
I saw spelt out in blood
My own self
I came to know myself through suffered blows,
Through anguish and pain,
For truth is tough;
And I learnt to love this harshness
It never betrays.
This life is a meditation on sorrow till death
To realize the terrible value of truth and settle all debts with death."
“Roop-NaranerKuule” from “SeshLekha” by “Rabindranath Tagore”
Translation by Kaiser Haq
A woman’s life goes through innumerable twists and turns, ups and downs. I refined at the end of every battle, colored auburn like a terra-cotta pot after burning. Every time, I reads this poem, I feels as if, the great bard had talked of my life.
The master craftsman, novel prize winner famous Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore had markedly detoured from his usual platonic idealism and accepted the harshness of life, in this composition of his. He has accepted the harsh realities of life and reconciled with the world he lives in. In his pursuit of truth and the meaning of his true self, he had to go through sufferings and afflictions.
My series, Captive, talks of the intermingling of truth and beauty. As a woman, born and raised in India, my thoughts embrace the familiar sights and touches of my country, but presented on a world canvas.
Has women achieved liberation? Can I fully spread my wings and fly? These are the questions I keeps asking myself time and again. With everything’s that’s going on around the world, my mind is in a constant state of turmoil. I picks up my brushes and paints, my way towards tranquility. My canvas turns into my notebook, as Iscribbles down all the pent up anger, frustrations, unspoken pains, and despair.
A woman, free or not, is always captive. In my responsibilities, my conscience, in my emotional drawbacks, in my lack of courage, in the inadequacy of confidence. Having been enamored with the architectural marvels of India, I tries to portray a woman’s captivity, imprisoned and held down, by my emotional shackles, through the details of the architecture of the historical treasures of India. Over the ages, India has seen innumerable rulers and invaders, Hindus and Muslims, and their influences can be seen etched in every stones of such historical architectures.
A woman’s body is an intricate machinery, bound together with love, passion, compassion and happiness. Ihas been used as a merchandise for pleasure and commercialism. Ihas tried binding a woman’s sensuality with the enchanting architectural motifs of historical India.
In all the confusion of the 21st century, where it seems, patriarchal society is trying to reverse the forward movement of a woman’s journey towards liberation, in her pursuit of truth and discovering myself, I gave birth to my new series, CAPTIVE”.
