May 2024

 
As we were going through our final edits to this is­sue – I was so engaged with the different genres, flowing seamlessly from one to another and what struck me the most, was the one common emo­tion that reverberated in all the talents we cele­brate in this book and that is - passion. Be it the Grammy Award winner Singer, Songwriter and Composer, Arooj Aftab, who has broken bound­aries and created a unique space for herself. With her new album Night Reign releasing this month, she shares her inspiration the thrill of collabo­ration and how the night drives her to create. Booker Prize winner Paul Lynch shares how his de­sire to work with language and need to be around words, led him to create stories that speak about our time. His award-winning book Prophet Song, an extremely complex novel, written post the covid era, turned out more personal than he imagined and the accolades surprised him further. One of the most important Art Events of the world, Art Venice Biennale opened its doors last month and curator Adriano Perdrosa breaks down his curatorial pro­cess and emphasis on the relevance of Foreigners Everywhere. Performance artist and writer Alok Vaid - Menon uses their artistry as a tool to express indi­viduality, queerness and freedom to celebrate one­self. They take us through their journey of making a difference and spreading awareness.
Our Cover Story is a trip around India, through illustrations by world renowned visual storyteller Christoph Niemann. Contributing writ­er Rymn Massand gives us a front seat access to the artist’s world, thoughts and emotions while soaking in a country as diverse as India. We also delve deep into the brilliance of Filmmaker and Producer Kiran Rao, back on the director’s seat after ten years to the stupendous success of her film Laapataa Ladies. Kiran gives us a candid in­sight into her life’s journey and choices. Two ver­satile entrepreneurs and adventurers join Wim Hof to push their limits amidst snow, ice baths and four hundred Hoffers. Audacious travellers, Shikhar Malhotra and Vikas Sagar take us on a tour de force of a journey.
And then, of course, we have a brilliant mot­ley crew of debutants and new voices, brimming with their talent and stories. With her impaired hear­ing, artist Janhavi Khemka creates art that is taken from her own reality and memory. Her works reflect her unique ways of navigating her way around the world without sound. Performance poet Megha Rao switches genres, her debut fiction, Our Bones in Your Throat, explores how stories and individu­als are shaped amidst myth, rumours, history and friendship. In the Belly of a Tiger, a poor family in rural India is looking ways to survive and goes to extreme measures of sacrificing themselves by be­ing killed by a tiger, in order to receive government compensation for a better life for their family, debu­tant filmmaker Siddartha Jatla tells a story that is inspired by true events. Musician Sheherazaad blends her cultural influences to create multisen­sory experiences for her audience. Qasr, her new album, explores themes of diaspora, migration and other experiences. Artist Nityan Unnikrishnan and bookmaker and graphic designer Rukminee Guha Thakurta’s journey in furniture making, began by crafting pieces for friends, gradually evolving into a collection of designs that paved the way for a func­tional and aesthetically sound brand Calicut Co.
The talent unique tales of even more artists and their intriguing stories are large and wide to keep you engaged for the next six months. I hope the reading is as arresting as our writing it was.
 
Shruti Kapur Malhotra,
Editor-in-Chief