A week after returning from India and Christmas has come and gone in a bit of a blur. Earlier this week I got the worst fever I've had in a while - I literally thought that I'd caught a contagious disease! But, the doctor put my mind at rest and reassured me that it was just a nasty virus and so far my body has managed to fight it off pretty successfully.
On to more interesting matters... let me share my inspirational moments from India, England and the internet with you all...
1. India is different every time I visit. The more I try to make sense of it, the more it ceases to make sense to me at all. Oh dear, do I sound like a white traveller? Well, I guess it becomes apparent how British I really am when I'm caught in the middle of a bustling bazaar.
First stop was Mumbai where we performed Yerma at the NCPA and got to stay at the Taj hotel! It was a tough show but the auditorium was almost full and most of the audience seemed to be moved in some way.
Sorry no pics of the show so there's a creepy shot of me posing for you.
Next up was dusty, delightful Delhi. Yep, I had a week to shop my heart out for wedding clothes. Most people would jump for joy if they were told to shop for new things but I tend to think really hard and don't like spending too much. Overall and it was a tiring but successful trip I guess!
Oh, and we managed to squeeze in a day trip to Mathura, Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal too!
2. The 'white hip-hop' debate has been raging online this week and it's an interesting discussion that is causing Iggy Azalea to lose a certain amount of validity. People like me who love hip-hop for it's history, soul, political message and artistic expertise understand the arguments put forward by rappers like Azalea Banks and Q-Tip. Although I believe that hip-hop has a universal message that speaks to anyone from a marginalised background, if you decide to try and take up and art form, you should respect and study the context it originated in. Oh, and you should feel goddamn honoured that a hip-hop legend like Q-Tip tweeted you!
3. Last but not least in this long post, I was asked to be a stylist (for the first time, eek!) for a conceptual photo-shoot exploring aspects of Sita's desires. Sita's story in the Ramayana is saturated with notions of honour, purity and her role as Rama's wife. We decided to shake-up these themes and focus on what Sita might have really wanted instead.
Yeah I look like a total hobo, but it was cold, okay?! Big thanks to the team for inviting me and to model Erim Kaur for being such a great sport!
There's my INSPO for this week folks! Hope you're having a wonderful festive break and gearing up for 2015.
Aaminah and I certainly am ;)
