Ajjincya Goshti 2004
(Grandmothers’ tales)
Three channel video, colour, sound, loop, duration 48 minutes
Stories are in Marathi with English subtitles
I met a group of 10 to 12 women between 65 and 86 yrs of age, from comfortable, middle class, Brahmin families, living in Saraswat colony, Mahim. They hailed from north Karnataka and Goa and have been living in Mumbai for the last 40/50 years since their marriage. They meet regularly once a month for Bhishi. It is a day for drawing the chit for the lottery, eating together and sharing with each other. What I found interesting was their stories. These simple narrations essentially anecdotal in nature were personal, intimate and revealed subtle nuances of their life. They were some times humorous, some times full of despair and frustration but extremely compelling and prompted me to probe into their world of the past and the present Thus the project Ajjinchya goshti was evolved..
Ajjinchya Goshti is a video installation consisting of video films seen in a documentary format, within the ambiance of an intimate space which could complement the themes of the films and could be seen as one composite amalgamated art form. Size of the installation is variable.
In this project I have continued my exploration of the concept of time and space through the medium of film. The three channel work has allowed me to weave and play with narrations and the visuals creating a certain rhythm and flow in time and space.
The protagonists of the video films are “the grand mothers”. They share the anecdotes of their childhood adolescence and school days, their life--before and after marriage, their role as wife, daughter-in-law, mother, mother-in law and grand mother. They narrate the experience of joys and sorrows. They share the despair, frustration, fear etc… they experienced due to the restrictions they confronted operating within their families and society at large and their struggle to cope with it.
Story telling is a powerful way of sharing and communicating about a way of life. A profound relationship develops between the storyteller and the listener. These stories, though personal and intimate, reveal subtle nuances in the life of the story teller. As a visual artist I wanted to recreate this intimacy, this profound relationship through the medium of video films by using the format of the grand mother’s stories.
These stories also help to create a possibility of understanding of the social and cultural history, and traditions of their times. I have treated the stories as the archival work of the women’s lives of that particular era .Today, within the urban society many women are educated, career oriented, economically more independent and no longer home bound. Some of the earlier restrictions and taboos are no longer relevant. These women today are much more empowered than a few decades ago. Yet in some areas they still operate within spaces which are severely restricted. Some of the stories give us an opportunity to look into the restricted areas of today.
The live narrations in the video films are in a simple, almost “insignificant” for many of us. By projecting these films in the public space, I intend to highlight the significance to these simple personal narratives which unfold the experiences of women in an objective way. These stories are their voices and I want them to be heard.
This project thus becomes an enquiry into lives of women, their different spaces, and an understanding of their individual struggle to cope with the situations within their social structure.
Shakuntala Kulkarni
March 2004
