Seagull Cafe??

Hello…..I have never done this before…well …iv been a choice intern at Seagull for four months now. I actually have been mulling over an idea that I want to throw out there and get feedback on. Shamoni would know all about this…I feel like I have been chasing my own tail so Bishan suggested that I talk bout it here and then I have all your ideas and contributions.

Ok so as I said I have been interning at seagull and I find that the events are attended pretty sparsely. At first I couldn’t figure out why this is. Then I went to Prithvi to perform and it gave me an idea. I feel that while Seagull has some fabulous events and a lot of resources to offer in terms of its collection of art, film, etc it isn’t exactly a ‘hangout’. People who are interested in a particular event attend it and leave. As a result there isn’t a group of regulars who remember what events are on and attend most of them. I thought if we could open a café here at the recourse center. Using the outdoor patio and some of the ground floor. We have quite a large space downstairs in which to hold events in the café at least twice a week. I was thinking film screenings, live music performances (although we will not have the budget to pay musicians) so maybe young musicians who need a place to showcase there talents. Also theater, dramatic monologues, poetry, discussions, if anyone has made a really good student film maybe set up a screening of it. As and when any of the Seagull contacts artists, writers, filmmakers etc are in town have a session with them.

These are my basic ideas so far. The most important thing I need to figure out is food!!....I thought it should be different from what you can get if you walk into any c.c.d. or barista.I was thinking maybe really good chaat made with like clean, hygienic water, which is slightly harder to find…I dunno…this is where you come in…please I need lots of feedback…about food events how viable do you think this idea is??????....ok….bye.

Sappho

"Frankly I wish I were dead
When she left, she wept
a great deal; she said to me,
This parting must be
endured, Sappho. I go unwillingly.
while no voices chanted
choruses without ours,
no woodlot bloomed in spring without song..."
~Sappho~

The above poem is by Sappho the legendary poet from the isle of Lesbos. One of the first documented lesbian women in literary history. Taking cue from her name, we have the Kolkata based organisation Sappho for Equality where i have recently begun my second internship. Sappho primarily works with lesbian women while its other wing which is called SFE (where i am working) allows people irrespective of their gender and sexual preference to join and help in creating the Queer space and identity without the voice being isolated. Its a great space for opening up Queer dialogues with the general heteronormative crowd.

The issue of marginalised sexualities has been plaguing the South Asian diaspora especially India with recurring incidents of homophobia related atrocities in the recent times. Research and study in this field has started a synergistic relationship with the intellectual community. Taking this idea forward Sappho has organised an All India Queer Conference called 'Queer Thoughts'

Queer Thoughts is envisaged as a two-day conference divided into four sessions. Each session would have a distinct key theme and 2/3 papers on each theme will be presented in the sessions.

The four key themes are:

1. Defining queer (how to define the term queer, who is a queer, socio-political and gender-sexual understanding of queer)
2. Living queer (living as a queer in this country, queer experiences, triumph and turbulence of queer existence)
3. Expressing queer (queer as a theme expressed though literature, film, theater, painting, sculpture or any other art form)
4. Politicizing queer (emergence of queer politics, queer as a political identity, queer rights movement and its politics)

My first assignment with Sappho will helping them in the organisation of this Conference. At the moment we are looking at abstracts and scouting for venues. After attending so many conferences this will be the first time i will be behind the scenes and the work looks grueling and interesting. I will post more later. But for now if you are interested to submit an abstract for this seminar do mail it to sappho1999@rediffmail.com or sapphoqueerconference@gmail.com

Kala Ghoda Arts Festival

The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is one event that most people in Bombay look forward to. The festival was on from the 7th to the 15th of February. The festival had gallery and pavement exhibitions, workshops, Dance performances, literary events, theatre shows, film screenings, music concerts and much more. There were artists from all over the country who contributed to the talent that was showcased. It drew a huge crowd everyday with people from all over the city and also the world. It was a major attraction for the tourists as well. There were people of all ages and some even brought along their canine family members. It was one big party where everyone was shuttling from one place to another and trying to pack in as much as possible into their schedule.

It was my first time at the festival and those few days were the most fun filled days of my time in Bombay so far. I attended a few shows as it was held mostly on weekdays. The weekend potters market was one of the many things that caught my attention. I also had the chance to see some amazing photographs by David Desouza.

There were a number of NGO stalls that were selling various items and Comet Media participated as well. We put up a stall for the last four days of the festival. Comet had a lot to offer with a wide range of fabulous books and hand made toys from around the country. The toys come from the rural areas of the country and are made by men and women in villages. The toys are not only beautifully made and a lot of fun but each one has some educational value. There are toys to develop the child's muscles, coordination and movement. Apart from the physical development there are toys related to counting and mathematics and some of the toys are just plain fun. There were a number of books as well, from story books to educational books to books related to art and craft and much more.

I had a fabulous four days. I not only got a chance to spend some time with my colleagues outside office but also got to interact with the excited customers that visited our stall. We were always busy either selling something or entertaining not only children but their parents as well. By the end of it we were all exhausted but had enough energy to share some personal jokes about some people we came across and of course treat ourselves to all the delicious food around.

In Retrospect

I completed my internship with CHOICE a little over two weeks ago. The experience is still fresh in my mind though. Writing this from a foreign land where I'm still adjusting to language, people, timings, and a new kind of liberation, its comforting to reflect on the small, intimate space of the Seagull office, and the experience I got there. Thinking back, it seems to be like a stepping-stone to the place I'm at now, because my work at Seagull too demanded some adjustments. 

You could say I was computer-illiterate when I joined Seagull. My skills were limited to facebook and e-mailing, and I was quite content nestled in my limitations. A few weeks into my internship however, I was forced out of my comfortable 'shell'. I admit I was quite terrified when told to resize images, create price-lists, scan photographs and handle software that was completely foreign to me. Although I doubt that I'll need these in the immediate future, I thank Megha sincerely for waking me up!

Working on the missing film lists was a pleasure. While browsing the web for films that were worth obtaining for the Seagull library, I took every opportunity to discover even the most trivial detail about a particular director or film. Definitely a strange activity to get a kick out of I know, but for me it was pure enjoyment. 

Reporting on the Peaceworks workshops gave me a chance to do one of the things I love, which is to write. I kept in mind of course that these were personal accounts, and that I needed to critique. An adjustment was made there too. I was also exposed to schools very different from the one I went to, and the ways in which different students in the same age group think and act. At several moments, I was also doubtful about how I should act with them. Adjustment. 

And of course my limits of patience were also tested! I couldn't have expected to avoid the hard part of being an intern- doing the 'dirty work'! Which meant adding or deleting names to the mailing database, clearing out old old files and boxes and doing tedious proof readings. For this too I am grateful, because I realized that work was work, whether small or big, and that it all contributed to the finished picture. 

My picture is complete. For now. But a word about my colleagues before I end- their personalities ensured that a day at work was never boring! And they were ever so patient with me even on days when I was extra slow! It was great working at Seagull. I'll stay posted!

The journey begins..

I am currently working at Comet Media in Bombay. Landing my second internship made me feel a lot more confident and positive about everything. I had already spent some time in Bombay during my last internship but something is different this time.

My first week at Comet Media was pretty exciting. I have a group of extremely friendly colleagues and a very excited and energetic boss. Its literally been a funny adventure from the first day of work. After discovering that my boss was in the same college as my mother and aunt, we've had a number of things to chat about during the lunch and tea breaks.

Everyone at office took time off to walk me through all the projects that they are involved in. I am currently involved in the documentation of a media workshop that is helping women in the poorer sections of society to take up film making. The workshop had started in January and will be on till the end of this month. I will be documenting the editing workshop that will be taking place in the next couple of weeks.

Comet Media will also be participating in the Kala Ghoda Festival at the end of this week. We're busy getting our products ready for the stall.

Poulomi