Day 97 - Jaipur, Rajasthan: the lotos-eaters

“COURAGE!” he said, and pointed toward the land,
“This mounting wave will roll us shoreward soon.”
In the afternoon they came unto a land
In which it seemed always afternoon.
All round the coast the languid air did swoon,
Breathing like one that hath a weary dream.
Full-faced above the valley stood the moon;
And, like a downward smoke, the slender stream
Along the cliff to fall and pause and fall did seem.

- Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) The Lotos-Eaters

Jaipur - Things have moved very quickly since I arrive just 10 days ago. Upon my arrival, I had a short tour of Studio Sukriti, where I am having my first professional artist residency. India has shown me many things. It is such an inspiring and beautiful place and yet, I didn't know what I would make or where I would begin. So I decided that my first day would be spent going into the city to see what Jaipur is all about. I began with a visit to the City Palace, where I made fast friends with the gypsy musicians who play classical Indian music and have a puppet show for visitors. They had a long row of puppets that they had made and were selling. I sat and listened to their music, had tea with them and talked with Kishan and his cousin for some time before they played their show for me with the puppets. Kishan told me about his family and invited me to come over for dinner one night...any night, it was my choice - any time I could come I was welcome. He gave me his brother, Ravi's telephone number and told me to call when I could come. I wanted to buy a puppet from them but instead, they gave me one as a gift, refusing to take my money. He said that we were now friends and it was his honor to give a gift to me. 

Ravi and his family are very poor. They live in the colony behind the Nepali Market. His house is a series of concrete rooms that are connected with a few other rooms where his brother and their families all live. The roof is made of pieces of sheet metal and a blue plastic tarp. He has no door and the walkway to his home is a stone path that barely covers a dug out channel of sewage from the showers and toilets. Many other families live here as well, but many have do not have a roof and I have seen some sleeping on the dirt.  Having grown up in St. Louis, Missouri, if it were America I do not think I would have the courage to come into this neighborhood. Trust has been my action plan here in India. I have continued to be myself here, looking people in the eyes, talking to anyone and everyone, and following my heart and instincts.
            When I arrived at Ravi's house, the children were waiting for their nightly music lesson. There were 10 children, ranging from 4 to 12 years old. Many do not go to school. They help their parents make the puppets and work the streets of Jaipur playing music and selling the puppets. Many kids from this area collect plastic and other items that can be sold for money. Many sell items outside the nearby markets. This is the gypsy colony and most of these kids are learning to play the tablas and harmonium, singing the songs and dancing the traditional dances so that they can continue their traditions in the arts as their parents have for generations. Many times their lives are filled with beauty and music, yet it is also a very difficult life. At this time of year, Jaipur is cool and has many visitors who pay them to do events or give tips for the shows they hold around the city. The summer months are very hot, dry, unbearable, and money is scarce. Their homes have no fans much less air conditioning. Being a former resident of Phoenix, Arizona, I cannot imagine being outside in the heat for an hour much less living in it.  We began the evening with some chai tea and the kids sat on the floor around us, filling the 8 x 8 foot room to capacity.

We began the evening with some chai tea and the kids sat on the floor around us, filling the 8 x 8 foot room to capacity. Ravi gave his tablas to his 7 year old son, Ajwaden, who played and led the other children to sing along and clap - there was so much joy in such a small room!  After the lesson, the children were eager to begin their art lesson. I had prepared small cardboard 'tables' for them to use as a surface to draw and paint on. Since we were short of space, we had to skip the mess of paint and instead use crayons, pencils, markers and pastels. The walls were also utilized as a drawing surface. Ravi played a song on tablas that the children were familiar with and learning, while he sang the rhythm to the kids who were instructed to draw what that sound felt and sounded like, using color, line, and space. I was surprised at how easily they shared the materials and space, and how eager they were to help each other. At the end of the class there was no question of keeping the drawings - they each assumed that they were for me to keep. They replaced the caps for the markers and put the materials away in less than 5 minutes time. There was no battle like I had experienced as a mother of two boys, or a classroom parent teachers assistant - yet this was a group of 17 children who do not go to school. While I collected the drawings and explained what qualities were good about each one, I decided that their work should exhibited along with mine at the end of my residency. After all, the energy and joy they share with me is fuel and inspiration or my work and my life right now.  My work is about my perspective and experience in here in India. I have traveled from the north to the south visiting farms, textile companies, NGO's, people’s homes, and meeting weavers, artists, and families. Indian people waste no time with superficial small talk. In the span of one hour the conversation will cover personal details about life, spirituality, philosophy and even politics - there is no distance or difference that creates barrier between us. When one is open and trusting, courage is not needed.   

On January 2nd through the 6th, 2012, I will have my first solo exhibition, the lotos-eaters, at Jawahar Kala Kendra Arts Center in Jaipur. At this show, I'll exhibit the work of my students along with mine. I'll be posting images of the kids and my artistic process as I go...allowing for technological limitations and obstacles such as my hard-drive which no longer communicates with my computer. Such is life…