Rodevra Republic

Today’s story is of a nut, not the edible type, but a person one would call a nutcase. Some would also call him an idiot. He lived in a world of his own, believing, perhaps too fondly, in the brilliance of his talents. He thought he was well read, urbane, and knowledgeable  and took it upon himself to ‘educate’ the world with his long, preachy treatises, which were mostly nonsense. He even assumed a patronizing sort of attitude. He was daft and equated his own limited intelligence with that of others and felt it necessary to go on explaining in an unending and meandering flow of words, where just a few would have sufficed. Naturally all this made him quite unpopular. After all, there is a limit to the nonsense one can endure. He was told so many times, sometimes with some suggestive hints, sometimes directly, just short of saying, ‘Shut up!’ However the nut he was, he carried on with his essays, convinced he was offering profound reflections, epic commentaries in his mind. Little...

This week’s edition features the translated biography of Mr. Dilip Kapadia, father of Deepak Kapadia. The original article appeared in the Diwali 2001 issue of the Marathi magazine, Sahitya Jaagar.   About a year ago, Deepak approached me with a request to translate the piece into English. It was a long article, around ten pages, and I started earnestly, translating the first couple of pages for approval. His father liked it and encouraged me to continue. But, as life would have it, the project languished, and I eventually forgot about it. It was only after I heard the sad news of his father’s passing last month that I was struck by a deep sense of regret. I realized that completing the translation would have meant so much to him. The feeling was all the more acute when I attended his prayer meeting. To make amends, and as a tribute to his life, I decided to complete the translation. Working line by line, I absorbed every nuance of his personality. Through this first-person ...

The inspiration for this edition of Saturday Art is a friend's visit to Hampstead Heath yesterday and the lovely pictures he took there. They reminded me of John Keats, who as we know lived in Hamstead, and who himself was inspired by the nightingale’s song when he wrote his famous poem, Ode to a Nightingale . The poem captures that deep, universal longing to escape suffering for a while, to dissolve into something greater: art, nature, love. And yet, there’s that bittersweet recognition that such transcendence is always fleeting. Fade far away, dissolve, and quite forget What thou among the leaves hast never known, The weariness, the fever, and the fret. Keats envies the nightingale—so free of human pain. Words like fade, dissolve,  and forget  express a yearning for release.   The fever and the fret  may reflect his own suffering and declining health. The contrast between the bird’s eternal song and Keats’ own brief, fragile life makes the poem deeply melancho...

Swarovski Crystal Worlds, Wattens, Austria At 64, Vivek was a 'wonder boy' in the world of espionage. Time had etched faint lines on his face, but his sharp mind and unwavering agility remained untouched. Years of experience had only refined his instincts, making him a force to be reckoned with. Tonight he was on a special mission. A sophisticated heist was underway, one that only he could stop. He adjusted the cuff of his impeccably tailored Burton suit as he strolled through the dazzling halls of Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens, Austria. The shimmering displays of light and artistry drew in countless visitors, but tonight, they masked a more sinister plot.  The encrypted message he had decoded earlier led him here, to the Silent Light installation. Beneath the play of glittering reflections, he spotted his mark, a woman in an elegant black dress, her eyes scanning the room with calculated precision. Vivek had spent decades in the intelligence world, and he recognized a t...

Compassion is one of the defining qualities of our humanity and along with love, it is essential for our survival. The story is about Nelson Mandela. Not sure if it is a repeat, but taking the benefit of doubt to make it the weekend story only because the story is so compelling. The lesson learnt from it is eternal and the need of the hour. Mandela's one quality that stood out was his infinite capacity to forgive and we get a glimpse of it in the video below. We realise the only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive. In one famous incident, when he was taken to the Robben Island prison, knowing his background and popularity, the Afrikaner prison officials singled him out for punishment and humiliation. Other prisoners would later describe how, a few years into his incarceration, prison guards ordered him to dig and then climb into a grave-shaped trench in the prison yard. Mandela must have wondered whether this was the end. Then, as he lay in the dirt, they unzipped t...

In a composition like this, one would first look for how the body is framed within the picture. Then we see the use of light, shadow and the balance of elements. In this respect the picture we see is stark and spartan, direct with a nondescript background that makes us focus on the subject and nothing else. The light is direct with no shadow effects to enhance  or subdue any aspect. Pictures like this are never static and the intention is always to emphasize angles, curves and movement. With the left hand raised and left leg taken forward, beautiful angles are created and this accentuates the curves on the opposite side. A semblance of movement is also created.  The pose contributes in a major way to the mood. With one hand raised up and the other partially behind her, it suggests giving up defenses and in effect showing a welcoming, seductive stance.  The partly opened lips also enhance the alluring look. Just an observation, that women with partly opened lips appear sed...

Two Nudes on a Tahitian Beach, Paul Gauguin, 1892 Two Women, Paul Gauguin, 1902 What happens when a dream turns out to be an illusion? Today’s 'Saturday  Art' is a study in the artistic journey of the artist, Paul Gauguin who left everything behind in pursuit of paradise, only to find himself more lost than ever. I have used two of his paintings, Two Nudes on a Tahitian Beach  (Tahiti, 1892) and Two Women  (Marquesas Islands, 1902) and through them wish to show this slow unraveling, a journey from bold idealism to quiet resignation. They reveal a striking reflection of the psychological, artistic, and emotional transformation that he went through over this decade.  I will first briefly discuss the key aspects of these two paintings. In his earlier, Two Nudes on a Tahitian Beach,  Gauguin employs his signature use of flat, bold colors and strong outlines, rejecting naturalistic shading in favour of expressive abstraction. The warm, sunlit hues of the sand and the...