Much in our lives today polarizes our human collective into disparate tribes. The climate is such that it is easiest to sit divided, blame the other, and find flaws in the views of those we deem different. Even within family units one can find utter lack of parity when it comes to the choices that define us most viscerally. We prefer to be deafened by silence rather than risk a dialogue, because we fear that we will be torn apart by the revelations these conversations bring forth.
But when we indulge in culinary bounty at the table, listen to the notes and pitch of music—vocal or instrumental, observe the bounce that dancers flaunt when on stage, enjoy the majesty of performers acting scenes that move our souls, read heartfelt emotions shared in the ant lines on pages, or wonder at the brilliance that colors, textures and imagery bring to us, we are drawn together from our separated perches and poles. Such is the power of soul-stirring art.
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In the worst of economies, in war-torn zones, in testy times, in harrowing homes—one hears of those moments when a meal shared unites enemies. When a tune that makes one move freely and with joy brings two to tango who had forgotten they had anything in common. When a book’s words can heal wounds that have afflicted a people for generations. When a painting can express a universal heartbreak or triumph in every brushstroke.
It is this guttural, deeply eternal, and astoundingly uniting and soulfully healing power that rests in the arts, that makes them of the ages, and relevant to one and all. A society bereft of good food, music, literature and visual arts is a sad society, one doomed from the get-go. A society and nation might have great GDP, but if its citizenry have not found their artistic calling, they are a people that are incomplete, and thus make that nation a far from wholesome and welcome society.
In a time when we are busy counting money, pounds/kilos, calories and steps, it is difficult to find those rare rebels who count their blessings instead. In each of us resides talent that is waiting to be discovered and looking for inspiration. A fellowship of humans where the arts find a place of importance becomes a sodality of kindred spirits that transcend their differences, grow together, and care for each other and the especially the unknown other.
Maha Bharat, Great India
Melted Parameters, the show currently on display at Dhoomimal Art Centre, the oldest and most prestigious art gallery of India, gives one a rich sense of what it means to be a human being and also Indian. To artist Pradipta Chakraborty, “every form represents a chariot, and consciousness is the charioteer, intuition its harness, the five senses are five horses. The one, who conquers this wandering consciousness, becomes the recipient of pleasures and pains”.
Pradipta Chakraborty has the gift of taking the familiar and making it seemingly new as he colors and textures it with his peerless attention to detail and richly layered and nuanced palette. The range, quality, tones, timbres, textures and forms give one a feast for the eyes to behold and another for the mind to be tickled by and drawn back into one’s inner most sanctum, where hopefully reflection and humanity reside and acceptance of plurality in all its forms finds sacrosanct real estate.
In his 12”x12” Maha Bharat, he has cleverly shared with us the greatness that defines and separates India from the rest of the world. India lives, India breathes, India shines, India grows, India has a future when all that reside in its lap find acceptance from those others they share the nation with.
The exhibition is on display at Dhoomimal Art Centre, 8A Connaught Place, Level 1 & 1, New Delhi until December 10th, 2019.
Awakening
“My awakening happened when I moved to Delhi from Muzaffarpur, a small town in Bihar. There in plain sight, hanging on balconies, rooftops, and inside homes (that I could see from my balcony), I found clothes drying out in the sun. Plain, ordinary, and colorful. Just Hanging. Drying”, says Aamir Rabbani. These words are next to the six acrylic paintings of his that were chosen by the jury of ‘Awakening’ an LGBTQ art exhibit curated jointly by InsideOut Delhi, The Naz Foundation and the Lalit Suri Hospitality Group.
Aamir’s work speaks for itself. It also speaks for the everyday people, the middleclass lives, and the average other whom we might never notice even if neighbors. He says, “the clothes, neighborhoods, citizens walking streets, and all that is visible to the naked eye – only tell a story that they want shared. We believe what we want to. What we ought to search for in ourselves and others, are those parts that never get bared.” With that Aamir takes us to places familiar, unknown, and, some we choose not to see.
Words rich with nuance, masterfully rendered paintings, and a visual concordance between what is rather plain and that which is rich in discovery made Aamir the winner of the 2019 show in my eyes. Thus it was no surprise for me to hear as I penned this that he won the People’s Choice Award at the show.
Awakening is on display at Art Junction, 3rd Floor, The Lalit New Delhi, Barakhamba Avenue, Connaught Place, New Delhi through Saturday, December 7th.
Roasted Manchurian Cauliflower
Serves 8
From day one at my restaurant in New York City, Manchurian Cauliflower had been a huge success. It’s sweet and spicy, tender and satiny, and looks as sultry and seductive as cauliflower could ever hope to become. In the restaurant, we fry the cauliflower and then toss it with the sauce and finish it in the oven. Here, I’ve simplified and lightened the recipe by roasting the cauliflower and then tossing it with the sauce midway through baking. Healthier, easier, and more accessible, you could make a double batch of this recipe and still never have leftovers!
3 tablespoons/45 ml neutral-flavored oil (like canola or grapeseed)
3 green cardamom pods
3 dried red chiles
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns
2 1/2 to 3-pound/1.13 to 1.35 k head cauliflower, cored and broken into medium florets
1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the sauce
2 tablespoons/30 ml neutral-flavored oil (like canola or grapeseed)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorns
8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups/360 ml ketchup
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Preheat your oven to 425°F/218°C (Gas Mark 7). Grease a 9- by 11-inch/23- by 27 cm baking dish with 1 1/2 tablespoons/22 ml of oil and set aside.
Grind the cardamom, chiles, coriander, cumin and peppercorns in a coffee grinder or small food processor until fine. Mix the spices with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons/22 ml of oil in a large bowl. Add the cauliflower, sprinkle with salt, and toss to coat. Transfer the vegetables to a baking dish and roast for 20 minutes.
While the cauliflower roasts, make the sauce. Heat 2 tablespoons/30 ml of oil and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook until it is fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring often. Add the ketchup and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium and add the cayenne pepper and salt. Cook until the ketchup thickens and becomes thick and deep red in color, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes.
Once the cauliflower has roasted 20 minutes, add the sauce to the pan and stir to evenly coat the cauliflower. Continue roasting until the cauliflower is tender, another 20 to 30 minutes, stirring midway through, and serve.
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