Aparna shukla

Like every other outsider, it was difficult for me to "feel" home or connect to something that reminds me of my roots. Still, I'v tried to capture things that made me remember a few sweet memories.Staying so close to the Daman beach, its impossible to not have a memory on the sand. I dont know how many weekends have I spent at the Daman jetty, just gazing at the sky. This picture is taken near the Manori beach, which had a jetty just like Daman's. It made me blissfully travel back to time. 

The book store holds a very special place in my childhood memories. Every sunday morning, my father used to take me and my sister to get one archie comics ceremoniously. Sheer nostalgia!

This picture reminds me of my dad. Its a Ganpati pooja held at Dikshita's place. The way her dad's instructing everyone, the way he stands, the way the white thread (what we call, janeu in U.P) falls on his belly, the grey hair. Everything reminds me of him and the poojas held at my place.

Its an old fashioned toaster and as my father is a phenomenal cook, this picture reminds me of the time when mom used to fall sick and dad had to prepare our tiffin boxes. Beautiful memories attached to this one.

Aparna Shukla

Words fail me as I watch the people of Gaza drenched in pain and terror. To live with a hope to die more than to live is ghastly. Its heartbreaking. What would we, in the end, come to? Reasoning? Why did Israel and Hamas go on war? Why does anyone go on war? Nothing ever comes out of reasoning a war, because nobody wins. In a war, both the sides pay. All they have right now is hope. An end to this long long night is what I pray. I pray for all the mothers who've lost their little ones. This is a wall painting for everyone looking for hope. A little faith. That little something to hold on to. That warm shoulder to just get through the night. People will bring you down, tear your heart out. There will be nothing but silent screams to keep you company. At times of immense pain and darkness, we all have surprised ourselves with the unknown strength within us. Believe, that its going to be okay. Hold on a little more, the dawn is not far away.

Aparna Shukla

This picture was taken when I was two years old. I chose this photograph particularly, because it defines the relationship with my sister perfectly. She was always the sensible one,whereas I, the careless. Here in the picture, she's neatly folding my clothes and placing one on the other to make an organised pile. While I, on the other hand, am trying to throw them on the floor, for "order" irritated me from the very beginning. The peculiarity of this photograph lies in what happened after it was taken. I did something bizarre and landed up in the hospital. What happened was, my father was making 'Gol Gappas', and for some reason he had made heaps of red chili powder and turmeric powder. I was awestruck by how beautiful the red and yellow "mountains" looked. As I watched, a small piece of plastic flew from somewhere and sat right on the red chili 'mountain'. I distinctly remember how I thought that the plastic piece is ruining the beauty of the red mountain and so, I blew on the plastic piece and all the chili went inside my eyes. Rest is history. Well, so much for curiosity.

Never did I think that this flower arrangement, at the back of my high-school slam-book, would one day, define me.The flowers are dried up, the leaves are withered. The ends are broken and the petals are scarred. Still, astonishingly enough, the colors look magnificent. The beauty of the flower is somehow more than that of a fresh, unharmed flower in a protected garden. After years of lying at the back of my closet, alone and unnoticed, the beauty remains untouched. Similarly, all my life, whatever I've done, wherever I've been, I've never let anyone or anything change my core and conscience. I've let the storm pass and made the scars, the rough roads and dark tunnels to wisdom. For me, scars are the signs of struggle. I take pride and hope that someday, someone will discover me, from the back of a closet and realize what I did today.

This is how picture myself in ten years. Rich enough, single enough and independent enough to take a trip to nowhere. Take a sabbatical, go get a degree in a design school, dance with tribes, open a bakery. own a music label, launch an album of my originals, witness a miracle, save a life. Have a liberty to close my eyes and pick a country at random. Hop on a plane with no plans in mind. Eat wild food. Talk to complete strangers. Learn a  new language and just do everything that are my "first times". Yes. That probably sums it up.

Aparna Shukla