Bhakti

Nick Alm (detail)

Acrylic and Oil on Canvas

Kisses, pencil on paper 2014. Shanti Shea An.

Lady Reading Book Hotel Room, 1931

Day 2 — Favorite Character  | CHANDRAMUHKI from DEVDAS (2002) “I have been given heaven and earth. Will we meet again?”

TGIF

twitter/ store/ instagram

I remember watching Haré Rama Haré Krishna (1971) when I was a little over 10. And Janice played by Zeenat Aman was my most favorite character in the whole film. A young girl torn apart from her beloved brother, her only support system in a household riff with domestic violence and extra marital affairs and feuds between the elders who were her parents, Janice for me was my relatable character at a time when I was witnessing feuds in my own home and did not even have the mental capacity to understand it. I understood her, I did not even know what being a Hippie even meant, and yet I understood her. The desire to run away, not just from your torn household but also yourself still haunts me sometimes even though my situation has improved by a 180° degree these past years. She wasn't able to find her self and by the time she realized the true identity of her brother Prashant, knowing he had witnessed her rock bottom, her most shameless yet shameful self, her complete inability to empathise with the "normal world" her brother belonged to, her depression, it was late. Too late. I understood her. Even though I am now doing better now than I ever thought I would, I sometimes wonder what would I have done if I were her. Would I have been able to bear through it all? Am I strong enough? To all the Janice girls out there, it does get better, have hope. I wish you all the best.

black velvet petunias