In these times of collective grief and despair, surrounded by death, suffering and loss, world over, we are forced to grapple for hope. We contemplate the meaning of love in our lives as we witness the death of friends, comrades, and people at large, many of them dying young and unexpectedly, leaving behind a void. Can love heal us in this time? Or will this time cause us to close ourselves to love for each other?
“The quest for love continues even in the face of great odds”, bell hooks recounts a graffiti that had a profound influence on her during a period of heavy grief. This graffiti was painted over by authorities, as is the tradition with graffitis, but the letters remained faintly and proudly legible underneath the layer of paint.
This week’s episode is part 2 of a dialogue on “Poetry about Love”, written by Badal Saroj in response to Brijesh’s poem featured last week. Badal Saroj is a leader of the Kisan movement in Madhya Pradesh, and an avid supporter of culture and arts in politics.
With visual art by Smruthi Gargi Eswar from her series The Logue, theatre practitioner and researcher, Komita Dhanda reads these words that reaffirm that now, more than ever, in times of alienation, apathy, distress and death- we need love to guide us into a better future with a force.
