"Inspiration follows aspiration"
Inspiration is guided by thoughts
During a meeting in a Bengali village last March, I asked him to share his favourite Tagore poem.
It's something I've been thinking about for a long time, or it's something that just suddenly occurred to me.
We have beautiful khadi and jamdani being woven in Bengal, but somewhere in the back of my mind I was always left wondering if this was what they really wanted to weave, or if it was a design they liked.
Nirmala, usually quiet, rolled her big eyes and searched for various poems on her mobile phone and started reading them. She gave me the English translation. Then someone else read out another poem. Even Anil, who is from near Varanasi and usually tries to keep his distance from Bengali things, seemed to be a different story when it came to Tagore.
Once most of the phrases that everyone liked had been mentioned, the one that caught my attention was the opening line.
Inspiration is essential to any creative work. Inspiration means that someone new comes knocking on the door, or brings new stimulation.
Even if it's something like a faint light, or a cold breeze coming in through a door.
While working with various organizations and artisans in India, I began to feel a strong difference between those who have independent creativity and those who do not.
For weavers in many parts of India, a mindless attitude is healthy -- there's nothing to deny that, although I wish we could have some of the joy and pride that the Kutch people have in their work.
I hope that they will become interested, their eyes will light up, and we can weave together what they want to weave.
The attempt to combine Tagore's poetry, which Bengal is proud of, with Jamdani, which Bengal is proud of, seems to be an attempt to stir the emotions of the local people. At least a little.
What do people in Japan think? Do they think it has nothing to do with them?
What will happen when people who have long had their thoughts and desires sealed away finally let them bloom? It's a very exciting thought.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the homes around them have introduced mechanical looms and are now weaving cheap synthetic saris for local demand, but there must be something more than just money that keeps them continuing to weave handwoven saris.
Also, Tagore's poem at the beginning is not unrelated.
Thank you for your continued support this year.
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