Art and superfluity
কাঠের ডাণ্ডা লাগানো টিনের কেনেস্তারায় করে রাধু মালীর নাইবার জল আনার মধ্যে আর নন্দলাল কতৃক চিত্রবিচিত্রিত মৃৎপাত্র ভরে যোড়ণী তন্বী সুন্দরীর জল আনার মধ্যে যে সুপারফ্লুয়িটির তফাত তাই আর্ট।
..Sayed Mujtaba Ali (Deshe Bideshe, 1949)
I will not try to translate the above in English for two reasons: first, I will make a big mess of it and ultimately destroy the author's witty prose; second, I would instead explain why I chose that quote in particular for this editorial, and that will hopefully explain it enough.
This is particularly interesting in modern times because of the rise of NFT. Suddenly, many individuals have the power to market their own art, which was impossible just a few years earlier. It is very similar to self-publishing a book and listing it on Amazon Kindle. Not too long ago, it was challenging for a budding author to publish. I know several talented authors who never got published outside the little magazines. Honestly, the little magazine movement itself started due to that fact.
Art is ever more complicated. How do you value art? No, please don't take Panda's word on it and agree that the only purpose of art is money laundering. No, it's not. Art does have other purposes, and it does have value. But it is hard to value art. Here, I am mainly talking about visual art, paintings, to be even more precise. The main thing is explained by Ali Shaheb very well above. It is the superfluity. You don't need art to eat. It doesn't give you shelter. The height of art also is the height of excess. This has been true from the dawn of time. When palaeolithic people had their tummy full, only then they created the bison of Altamira. The height of Greek or Roman civilization was marked by its art. Well, please don't argue about Van Gogh being poor and eccentric! Not everyone has a brother like Theo.
Also, Ali Shaheb didn't just mean the superfluity in the excess in terms of availability. He also means in the excess in the content itself. This is the other critical part. You can always have a minimalist painting, and they can be masterpieces too, but it is lovely to have a superfluous painting, where I will hang it right over my fireplace and watch it when I feel bored, sad or tired. A good painting can immediately lift your mood, just like a good song. It can bring pure joy, no matter how many times you have looked at it. So that, to me, is the main purpose of a painting as a form of art. When we talk about NFT, one of my main problems is to have a physical copy of it. There are many beautiful NFTs I have seen, and I like to keep them. However, please don't tell me that I can 'just print it. No, because size matters. It is not cheap to print a 30 inch by 20-inch painting. Also, proper printing is an art in itself and can be very expensive. In addition, a proper oil painting on linen, watercolor paint on board, or acrylic on canvas...they are all different, and none can be replicated in a print on paper. This is the main problem I personally face currently, and there are many like me. Hopefully, we solve this soon.
- @Whileatwilthsire
ভালোবেসে, সখী, নিভৃতে যতনে
আমার নামটি লিখো
তোমার মনের মন্দিরে
ভালোবেসে, সখী, নিভৃতে যতনে
আমার নামটি লিখো
তোমার মনের মন্দিরে
আমার পরানে যে গান বাজিছে
তাহার তালটি শিখো
তোমার চরণমঞ্জীরে
ভালোবেসে, সখী, নিভৃতে যতনে
আমার নামটি লিখো
তোমার মনের মন্দিরে
ধরিয়া রাখিয়ো সোহাগে আদরে
আমার মুখর পাখি
তোমার প্রাসাদপ্রাঙ্গণে
মনে করে সখী, বাঁধিয়া রাখিয়ো
আমার হাতের রাখী
তোমার কনককঙ্কণে
ভালোবেসে, সখী, নিভৃতে যতনে
আমার নামটি লিখো
তোমার মনের মন্দিরে
আমার লতার একটি মুকুল
ভুলিয়া তুলিয়া রেখো
তোমার অলকবন্ধনে
আমার স্মরণ শুভ-সিন্দুরে
একটি বিন্দু এঁকো
তোমার ললাটচন্দনে
আমার মনের মোহের মাধুরী
মাখিয়া রাখিয়া দিয়ো
তোমার অঙ্গসৌরভে
আমার আকুল জীবনমরণ
টুটিয়া লুটিয়া নিয়ো
তোমার অতুল গৌরবে
ভালোবেসে, সখী, নিভৃতে যতনে
আমার নামটি লিখো
তোমার মনের মন্দিরে
Probably you're glancing through one of the inspirational blogs and meaningful one-liners or famous quotes about how to uplift your soul and be cheery, shoot rainbows and sprinkles everywhere, and you'd find yourself in your personal imaginary Disneyland.
I'm not writing about anything inspirational.
I remember I have written quite a few of those inspirational puff pieces - even some will say I have a knack for it. But the immeasurable amount of inspirational and motivational blogs has always made me feel like they all say the same things, just the different wordings. I don't see the point of view of someone who's going through emotional turmoil - it's more of like how-to-get-better, and that's more or less the same process. I, too, have my good days and bad; bad ones outweigh the good. Then somewhere at the back of my head, my alter ego sarcastically saying, "bad days make the good days feel like the best, eh?" and a wink. Oh, the good days, though, feel as if they're worth it. But, as mentioned previously, it's not inspirational. It'd be wrong to assume that I'm looking for something to inspire myself, but the thought is not too far off. Would it be ironic if the therapist starts getting therapy, or can he manage to restore himself on his own? The banality is that a therapist, when necessary, will search for another therapist just like everyone should (or does).
Perhaps I'm out of my element - then again, giving motivational speeches has never been one of my expertise. Even though I consider myself very unsociable, people around me don't often see it that way. Maybe I have managed to fool some people, eh? Am I making any sense? It's not Taking you down the depression lane and look around either. But like every other "normal" human being, I do not prefer to see someone upset - if it's a stranger, it feels slightly awkward, and if it's someone you know, then you obviously extend your hand to try and help them, and that is something I usually do. If you're the one who helps out, who's helping you? More importantly, do you need any help?
It's okay, you can't always cheer yourself up.
It's not seeing the flip side of the coin. I wonder about the average days. Now you see where I lead you to. Yes, I admit I have been going through my fair share of troubles, more bad days than good. I remember feeling too overwhelmed, I remember feeling absolutely empty, and then there were some mind-numbing moments. And after all the roller coaster ride, I'm utterly exhausted, in an entirely unwinding mood.
I look forward to the mundane days - they help me prepare myself. So, maybe an uneventful day is almost as satisfactory as a good day - it resembles quite like a lazy weekend where you kick back your shoes, put your feet on the table and just be. I figured average days are just as important as any other days.
Maybe you'll be able to find all the answers to how you feel and what you should be. Perhaps you won't. Or maybe you'll come up with your own answers to your unique questions.
He has just opened a grocery store. This morning he came to the shop after breakfast. Today is Friday, so the Friday prayers must be performed. As soon as he opened the shop, he noticed a dog standing in front of a bag. He was pleasantly surprised. The dog came forward, shook his head, and handed the bag to the shopkeeper. He opened the bag and saw a long list.
Everything that was needed was written there. There was also some money wrapped in paper. He put all the things in the bag as per the list. As soon as he handed the bag to the dog, he started walking with the bag. He stared at the dog in amazement. He kept thinking to himself, "Who owns this dog, and who cares for this dog?"
Thinking about all this, he started walking behind the dog with curiosity. The dog was walking towards the bus stand without stopping. As soon as the bus stopped at the bus stand, the dog got on a bus. He also got on the same bus with the dog. A piece of paper was pointed at the supervisor through the dog's neck belt. The address was given on that piece of paper. The address where the dog would get off and the bus fare were with it. Whenever the dog came in front of the house, the dog started shaking its head at the helper of the bus. When the bus stopped, the dog took the bag in his mouth and went down.
The shopkeeper also started following the dog. The dog went to the front door of his house and knocked on the door three times. The dog's owner opened the door with a loud bang. As soon as he opened it, he started hitting the dog on the head a few times. He then asked the dog owner why you hit the dog. The dog's owner said, "He could have taken the key, but it just ruined my sleep."
This story was about an adorable dog. That was constantly working according to the needs of its owner. But after all, what we saw was that the owner's needs were not being met. Hurt the dog due to his sleep deprivation.
In the same way, we humans are all strange. No matter how good we are or how happy we are, our needs do not end. On the contrary, our demand continues to grow and grow. And that is the only reason we are sick. You can be happy only if you are satisfied with what you have.
আহত পাখিদের
গানে প্রতিদিন
সকাল হয়
রংচটা শার্ট জিন্স
গদ্য হাতুড়ি জীবনের;
তবে,
কবি চায়
পাথুরে উদ্যানে
ফোটাতে শব্দের
লাল নীল মঞ্জুরী!
সারা শহর জাগিয়ে
নীল খামে সে
বিলিয়ে দিবে;
আহত পাখিদের
আর্তনাদ।
সেখানে,
সভ্যতার মোড়কের
ঝাঁ চকচকে রাজনীতি;
তোমাকে সরিয়ে দেয়
তুমি থেকে।
সময় থেমে থাকে
কিছু ভুল জমা
বন্ধুর পথখোলসের ধারে
এভাবেই বেঁচে থাকে
নীলাম্বরের দোসরেরা;
যারা,
বেঁচে থাকায়,
বেঁচে থাকা শেখায়-
কোন অবাক!
দুমড়ানো গোলাপ কাঁটায়
কবি খুঁজে বেড়ায় সুখ।
যেন,
ভাবনা বিলাস
আর আবোলতাবোল
সপ্নের কল্পলোকে;
তাড়িয়ে নিয়ে যায়
যাপিত জীবনের
গদ্যের রোনাজারি!
- @Kinab
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