Kathputli Colony Loss and Hope

I feel at a loss. Yesterday, I read the news that residents of Kathputli Colony in Delhi, India were bulldozed out of their homes. This is a colony of artists that migrated to this unwanted space about 50 years ago. Traditional puppeteers, magicians, acrobats, fire breathers and other performers and artists have made their home, in difficult conditions, without the benefits of government services and utilities.Hesitantly, I just called Puran Bhatt. I hesitated, because I don't know what I can offer and can only imagine how many people he has spoken to already. So I called him, and his response was suprising. He spoke to me, his voice hoarse and the connection unstable over the phone. He told me that what was, was as it had to be. They did not need any funds. He has moved into the transit colony. His hopes and the hopes of his community are just that their children will be given ownership of their own homes as promised. Any support in ensuring that happens is all that he asks. Besides that, he hopes that his children and those of his community can receive modern skills training in computers, so that they can both build upon their traditions and survive in the future.These artists have weathered the changing economies that have erased much of their already modest incomes. Yet they have continued to perform, and even innovate in the art forms handed down through generations in their families. Though these same artists are paraded out to showcase Indian culture at large events and for visiting dignitaries, they have not seen the financial rewards that should accompany the rich representation of culture that is readily being foresaken for short term financial gain.So, before speaking to Puran, I was at a loss for what to do. As usual, it is the artists themselves who have provided those answers. They inspire me with their resiliance in the face of challenges that I can't fully imagine. They inspire me to continue the uphill battle of raising funds for 'Risalo', my puppetry film in collaboration with Puran Bhatt and his team.Despite not being able to get a visa to India, I worked with Puran Bhatt, from the Kathputli to create the puppets for the film over phone and email while working directly with musicians and other artists in Pakistan. My wife was in India, and she visited him and picked up the custom puppets he created along with premade puppets from Rajesh Gurjargour in Udaipur.I worked with scores of artists to put together the music, puppets and backgrounds for the film. I brought these back to Los Angeles, pieced together work, built more skills, struggled to find full time work to replenish or at least stay afloat, while writing proposals, applying for grants and seeking support to bring a small group of puppeteers from Delhi to Los Angeles to shoot the film despite political, geographical and financial barriers that keep us apart.So how can you help? Hire these traditional artists and create new opportunities. Support projects that include these artists. Share skills that could be relevant to their future. For my part, I am working to raise funds to complete 'Risalo'. In addition, I have been creating youtube videos with lessons on animation techniques in Urdu/Hindi and English.Here is a documentary on the Kathputli Colony called Tomorrow We Disappear.

SANA Conference 2016

In order to raise awareness and try to garner support for my puppetry film; "Risalo", I went to the annual SANA conference for the first time. This year, it was held in Detroit. So after work on friday, I came home, grabbed my bag, got a ride to the airport from my wife. I flew out over night. I must have managed about 3 hours of sleep by the time I got to Detroit. From there, I made my way past the long line of hotel and rental car buses, before I came to a lonely spot where the public bus arrived hourly. Eventually the bus came and I was on my way. Then I was at the stop for the next bus and well, you get the idea. It took a while to get to the convention center, but that's how you do it low budget, grass roots artist style.

I had created some t-shirts, inviting people to ask me about "Risalo" with some information about the poet as that was particularly relevant to this conference. I purchased a ticket and told them about my project. They introduced me to the president of the organization (SANA) Jamil sahib, who graciously agreed to give me a spot to speak on a panel on sunday. Throughout the day, I attended panels, learned about efforts by Sindhis abroad, doing work to help Sindhis in Sindh. I spoke to a few people, briefly about my project. People were surprised that such a project was being worked on.The next day I was given some time on a panel to share a brief introduction and a 3 minute video on my efforts to create a film based on the poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, the great Sindhi poet. The audience was gracious and throughout the night, a few people came up to me to encourage and connect regarding the film. There is a big divide, between those who grew up in Sindh who are still deeply attached versus the younger generation that was raised in the US. The younger generation is bright and caring, but through no fault of their own, is not connected to Sindh. What does that mean for the future of an organization that was started in the face of persecution of Sindhis and threats to the people and culture's future? Based on my own experiences teaching in Sindh, I know how important education funding and quality is to a young population, eager to learn, despite the corruption and lack of resources. There are serious environmental and political issues.All of these are issues that different people are trying to work on and still there is plenty of room for more efforts. At the same time, that very thing that guides a group of people, to strive for better things, the intelligence and beauty of their culture is in danger of disappearing. This is where I feel "Risalo" can be of benefit in not only supporting traditional artists, but in bringing that wisdom and pride in something truly positive in the culture to those in Sindh, as well as all people around the world.I have already done so much work on this project, recording music in Sindh for more than just this 1hr and 15min film. So much of the work has been completed on that initial shoe string budget, raised via Kickstarter and my own meager funds. Now I need help to raise the funds needed to shoot the film. I know of no other project that is working with this culture in this way. I work day and night before and after going to my job daily to piece this film together, but I can't do it without financial help. I hope that the conference will lead to some funding support from the Sindhi community, though nothing has materialized as of yet.Each night, at the conference, I enjoyed delicious food and live music at night after a day of panels. Some friends of my mother's from college were in attendance, so it was sweet to spend some time with them as well. I really appreciated that there were real Sindhi folk musicians like Allan Faqir Jr, Deba Sahar. On the final day, I met one of my backers on Kickstarter. I did not know him, but his name was on a panel, so I made a point to meet him and express my thanks. I was really glad to know that he is following the updates I send out and appreciates my efforts in bringing this film to life.After the panel, I spent some time with Mohammad Punhal, who is a photographer and aspiring filmmaker from Hyderabad, studying in Green Bay on a state department scholarship, learning filmmaking. We were joined by Soh Suzuki, my new friend and host in Detroit thanks to a connection from my friend Preeti Sharma. Soh was incredibly kind to give a traveling artist like myself a comfortable place to sleep while in the Detroit/Dearborn area. I was so glad to meet this fellow artist and activist. He was working an early morning shift at a bakery, yet despite that he made time to help me.I can't thank him enough. It's hard to convey to people how challenging it is to be an artist, working freelance, constantly looking for work, trying to support a growing family and struggling to do meaningful cultural work on the side. A few thousand dollars may not be much to some, but for people like myself and so many others, we just don't have the extra funds. So when people like Soh open their doors, it makes a huge difference in my ability to do this work. I met a fellow Adnan as I was walking out the convention to catch a bus home when it was still daylight. Detroit is in a horrible situation, and waiting for buses at night is just a terrible idea. During the day it is a bit sketch, but I wasn't going to risk it at night. That's why I was leaving to go back to Soh's place that evening. Adnan Siddiqui had heard me share my project and gave me some appreciation and encouragement. Then he offered to drop me back later so I could stay for dinner that night and talk to more people about my project. For me that was a huge help. My point is that I feel humbled and grateful for every bit of help on this journey. The need is very real.After the conference, Soh took Mohammad Punhal and I out around Detroit for the day. It was nice to just talk and walk around. I am so glad that I got to meet these new friends on this trip. I also met a lawyer named Charles, based out of Chicago, who invited me to lunch with him when I got there, as I was flying out from his city. He was very interested in folk music and the efforts I am making to support it.