In big events we tend to forget small contributors. Do you remember
the pandal decorator in the movie, Monsoon Wedding? Played by Vijay Raaz, an
accomplished actor who is on a coming back trail with his Bollywood directorial
debut after a long hiatus imposed upon by a narcotics case registered against
him while travelling abroad a few years back, this character in Monsoon Wedding
eats marigold flowers to show his anger and swallow up his angst. When the
larger scenes take place, these people retire to the background. I should draw
parallel between the backstage contributors of any event with the wedding
bands. These people come from very poor backgrounds, often rehearsing their
music under some bridge or tree, and they wear ill-fitting decorative clothes.
Holding the brass band pieces in their hands, they lead the wedding processions
to the marriage halls. One good thing about their lives is that they get to see
beautiful and rich girls dancing to their tunes, from close quarters, who
otherwise are inaccessible to them except in their wild and weird dreams. Once
the procession enters the marriage hall and electronic music and well dressed
and cool DJs take the baton from their poor cousins, the wedding party almost forget
these poor souls. They squat out there waiting for their payment to come; their
presence is felt in the darkness by the shining clothes and the light
reflecting brass bugles. Artist Krishen Khanna has painted their lives in
details during the initial years of his career. I have always felt that
curatorial team members are like these band musicians. They lead a great
procession and the moment procession reaches a certain point, they are left
behind, often unacknowledged and payment denied or delayed.
I do not want to treat my curatorial colleagues in United
Art Fair 2012 the way the band players are treated by the wedding organizers. I
want to acknowledge them because had it not been their support and selfless
work I would not have been able to mount a wonderful art fair, which was United
Art Fair 2012. I do not believe so much in chance and luck as I am believer in
hard work. Those people who have seen my hands (they pretend that they could
predict my future and I am naturally interested like any other human being who
just wants to have a peek into the unknown future. I do it for fun mainly
because, from my experience, I have learnt that hard work and preparation only
helps to a cultural and social migrant like me in a strange city) tell me that
my hand is not artistic; they belong to a hard worker. Their observation has
never been wrong. However, immediately after joining the United Art Fair 2012,
when I got a call from Yanam Takam, a young art professional from Meghalaya, I
was a bit surprised. Yanam has been a friend since 2008. After her post
graduation from the Arts and Aesthetics Department from the Jawaharlal Nehru
University, Delhi, while preparing for further studies, she joined Gallery
Ragini. My association with Gallery Ragini runs back to its inception and I
have a good working relationship with the gallery. Later Yanam shifted jobs but
remained in Delhi doing art consultancy works for individuals and
organizations.
(Shilpi Shankar)
When I got a call from Yanam I was surprised because it was
almost on the second day of me joining the UAF organization. She told me that
she was looking for a placement and if something came across I should consider
her name. I mentioned that I was with the UAF but still I was not sure whether
the UAF really wanted more people to join. I assured her that I would keep her
in my mind if any chance came on my way. I should say here that I had already decided
that I would take Yanam as my first assistant whether Annurag wanted her or
not. There was an incident that led to my decision on her. One day while going
back from Lado Sarai, Yanam asked me whether I could drop her on the way. I
asked her to get in my car and I dropped her near Saket Metro station from
where she told me that her house was in walking distance. It was winter and the
road was looking deserted. I was a bit apprehensive about leaving her alone at
the road side at that hour; though it was hardly eight in the night. I asked
her whether I need to walk her to home. She said she was fine and she fished
out something from her handbag and showed it to me. It was something that
looked like a Pepsi or Coca Cola can. I asked her what it was and she told me
that it was a can of pepper spray. If somebody came near to her she was
prepared to spray it at him. Once again I made sure that she was confident
enough to go alone and drove off. All the way I was thinking about the plight
of a girl (I was not thinking that she was from the North-East and it was an
added qualification to be attacked in Delhi) in a big bad city. I thought of
that girl who was prepared to take on her attackers with a pepper spray can. My
mind was heavy and once I reached home I called her to know whether she was home
safe. (It was my over protective nature for a girl who in fact spent late
evenings in partying. Yanam has always been a very courageous girl).
I spoke to Annurag and he was ready to meet Yanam. It took
no time for her to become one of the strong presences in the office. She did
her work diligently and meticulously, more importantly, without any complaint.
I remember one very interesting incident that showed the critical bend of Yanam’s
mind. One of the team members, who actually doubled up as the chief
co-ordinator of office affairs and a marketing person whenever such services
were needed, was very much into dieting and physical exercise. Every noon, when
we all came around the table for sharing our lunch, this young man used to
bring out his cucumber, tomato and sprouts to make a very fresh salad. He
continuously spoke about dieting and showed off how little he ate. After making
the salad he sent it around the table and everyone picked one spoonful from it
leaving almost nothing for the young man who really prepared it. He was all the
more happy to show that he was eating less. But the reality was different. He
ate from every plate and filled his stomach more than he could. One day while
he was in his usual liturgy over his dieting, Yanam asked him one simple
question: “Are you happy?” There was pin drop silence in the conference room.
Yanam, at time had faced some racial comments from some of the colleagues.
Somebody commented on her height and somebody commented on her North Eastern
identity. But she learned quickly to ignore the insults as she was more
focussed on the work than on the people.
(Manali Deyondi)
Shilpi Shankar was the next one to join. Hailing from Bihar,
Shilpi had just passed out from the Art History Department at Jamia Millia
Islamia. She was looking for an opening and she thought she could join the UAF
2012 team. Recommended by one of her teachers, she came to the office to meet
me and I directed her to Annurag Sharma. He was so lenient and immediately he
asked her to join. Shilpi was a quick learner and she was very keen to work
with the artists. She took directions from me and Annurag and executed them
immediately. In fact Shilpi became very popular amongst artists through
facebook and other mediums of communications that she was using to contact the
artists. Following Shilpi, Manali Deondi, again a Jamia Millia Art History post
graduate joined the team. She also proved to be one of the best team members.
One day, Seema Jain, yet another post graduate from Jamia Millia Art History
department walked into my office cabin. She told me that she had come to meet
Manali, her close friend. I spoke to her and was about to say that we would see
there at the United Art Fair 2012 at Pragati Maidan. But she looked into my
eyes straight and asked me when she was supposed to join the team. I could not
have said no to her. We wanted people to work for us and art history education
was an additional qualification that these people got. They were freshers in
the scene but the way picked up the nuances of the job was really amazing.
Shreya Magon was already working with the UAF 2012 before I joined. I made her
the communications chief. Kamini Sharma and Nita were also working diligently
with the team though they were in charge of the logistics part of the UAF 2012.
Mr.O was supposed to be working towards co-ordinating the North Indian artists.
But he proved to be too slow for a project like United Art Fair 2012. A few
other boys joined but they came in as unskilled workers with basic
understanding of computers. They too picked up their work fast though I was not
co-ordinating with them directly.
Yanam, Shilpi, Manali, Seema and Shreya were my core team
members. There was no office politics or bickering amongst them or the already
existing logistics team. In fact we did not have enough time to indulge in
office gossips or rumours. But there were pressures on me to take a couple of
other people into my team. I was not comfortable with the idea mainly because
the person who was seeking a job in the UAF 2012 was married to another person
in the same organization. I told Annurag that a husband-wife team working in
the same organization for the same purpose would eventually create ego clashes
amongst the other members. I knew the person who was wanting to come in but I
politely dissuaded her from joining. Annurag did not put pressure on me either.
But the girl was really offended. She could not believe that I could reject her
application. She immediately started a slandering business against me. But I
tolerated it because her husband was already in the organization and moreover
there was seriously no time to attend such small irritations. My team worked
360 degree. They were not only working towards co-ordinating with the artists
in getting works and details but also helping in creating a huge catalogue for
the UAF 2012, which Shaiju Augustine had beautifully designed.
Had it not been these young girls in my team, who were quick
in learning and executing, it would have been impossible to produce the UAF
2012 in that scale and in that flourish. If UAF is a brand today, one cannot
forget the contribution of these girls in making it. If anybody thinks that UAF
2012 was a flop, they should ask a question to themselves, if it was a flop,
why five famous curators took it on their shoulders and flopped it again? If
the brand was really a non-starter why the Indian Art Resurgence Pvt Ltd bought
it and decided to take it to a different level? There was obviously a
conspiracy to highjack the UAF brand even when myself and my team were working
towards its success. We will read about it in the succeeding chapters.
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