"Abol Tabol"
For the child or for primitive man, no distinctions exist between the actual
and the fantastic. So if you can believe in the actual elephant, there is no
reason why you cannot believe in a creature that is half human and half
elephant. The conspicuous and abrupt changes of metamorphosis and evolution
contribute to the conception of and desire for an unstable magical world
where there is no difference between the self and other, between the
subjective world and the objective and no obstacles to the wish for the
physiognomical or characteristics of the 'other.'
In the poem "Khichuri" Sukumar Ray claims he defies the grammarian to create
his world of beasts, birds, insects and amphibians combining with each other
to create such non-actual beings. The world of grammar is the reverse of
this magical world: it is unambiguous, tautological, well-ordered and
perhaps necessary. Nidhi Jalan, as an adult Kolkatan but not a Bengali, came
to his Abol Tabol from Sukanta Chaudhuri's excellent translation, and was
instantly enchanted. It reinforced the penchant for metamorphosis and
entropy that have dominated her work for some time now.
Her multi-media installation builds on memories and nostalgia of Kolkata's
most favourite childhood reading. By combining some of Sukumar Ray's gently
satiric creations and some of her own with human forms and with the medley
of Kolkata sounds that is an integral part of the work, Nidhi Jalan's
current work adds new dimensions to the original by making intriguing and
subversive variations. The octopus at the centre, spreading its tentacles in
all directions, induces reactions that are sometimes playful, sometimes
disturbing. Does it control the creatures or does it merely guide them and
us out of preconceived notions and social and cultural taboos, out of the
past and into a new present that is darker or more illuminating, depending
on how you view it?Professor Sajni Mukherji
Calcutta, Aug. 5, 2008 |
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