[Reader-list] images from Kashmir

[inder salim]

Dear Pawan

without mincing words, please feel free to call me an idiot. I am.
This is what i feel as a human being in this animal world. In parts i
feel that this animal thing is within too,  and that is what i want to
confront. Of course, there are given norms ( usually aesthetic ) for a
an artist to follow and realize her/his true being, but as on date i
doubt everything, may be it is my problem,  but this gives me strength
to sabatoge everything, everything.

 I believe, I am dancing with the sacred and the profane
simultaneously As Ghalib suggests  that ' let us merge Heaven and Hell
for a new space for a morning walk or so'.  You are free to  dance
with what you want to but i create a space for myself and for those
who want to do things differently. We are obsessed to read political
in everything, if the image cleverly  suggests so. But i guess every
blade of grass in Kashmir is not bereft of politics. Please read the
foliage around the emtpy grave stone of Maqbool Bhat. or not even, how
does it matter, he is not there even. But this empty grave has created
a content within the form of Kashmir conflict. You will agree there, i
guess.

If there is some ' artist' inside me then i must have also played the
role of an observer in the  valley. I remember, the role of Barbareek
in Mahabharata. He was beheaded, not only because he hurt the foot of
dear Lord Krishna with his sharp dancing magical arrow, but he
believed that his skills are always at the service of the weak, the
opressed. In short he was unable to celebrate a war winner. Now for
the real players of the war this is most unusal. So he agreed to play
the role of a witness to the war. Imagine the pain of a head which is
living withiout the body. Imagine such a set of eyes which can not
move to action and decide.  It is a quite paradoxical, that is what
charms me, spiritually also.

Was Barbareek an artist?  Just before the legendary Virath Sarup, I
guess, Arjuna also wanted to be an artist , but the Lord denied him a
chance to be. In this sense there is nothing celebratory to be an
artist as conventionally we know, but to be an artist, means to outwit
the Lord even. Barbareek indeed outwitted the Lord.

Artists as on date are trying to play some role in the on going issues
of the world, but deep down we all know that art is a very small force
in the world now. It is run by big things, the market, the religion,
the war, and the politics which emerges from the dynamics of all this.

I am really surprised when i hear that the cartoons, or a book, or a
demonstration is taking a centre stage in the politics or media, But
believe me, the real players of the game are hardly worried abuot
these things. Again what is really intersting that the people in
general react to the such things, and that is what works as opium for
artists.

I am happy that u reacted to the images, May be that would give me
some more inspiration to do more.  i am usually so lonely. My audience
is my 'muse'

lot of love
is

On 10/22/07, Pawan Durani <pawan.durani at gmail.com> wrote:
> Inder ,
>
> Isnt this Maqbool Butt the one who had looted a bank and later killed the
> Bank Manager. Does he deserve to e called a Saheed - E-Azam ?
>
> Disappointed with your ideas and thoughts !!!
>
>
>
>
> On 10/20/07, inder salim <indersalim at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > 1. Idd Gah, Srinagar, text: Mustaq Ahmad PANDIT  s/o Abdul Gaffar Pandit
> >
> > 2. Idd Gah, Srinagar, Text: Saheed-e-Azam, Mohd. Maqbool Bhat, Date of
> > Martydom, 11th of Feb. 1982.   The  People of Kashmir are still
> > waiting for his mortal remains to be buried here which are still with
> > Govt of India. ( practically the grave is empty or.. )
> >
> > 3. Self Portrait in Al-e-Hachi ( dried vegetable bottle gourd, Gia )
> > used by Kashmiris during winter
> >
> > 4. Amirakadal Srinagar, a view
> > 5. Security man upon the shiva temple roof in Verinag.
> > 6. Routine checking in down town srinagar
> > 7. Abandoned hosue opposite CRPF post.
> >
> > please click
> >
> >
> > http://indersalim.livejournal.com
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