The news of the outbreak of pandemic had started at the end of February when our gallery was getting ready to open a seminal exhibition on printmaking. As the virus spread more and more, I concluded the show early and told my team to start taking requisite back up of all the projects. I was deeply concerned about their health as some of them use metro and buses and live far from office and thus, gave them a voluntary leave from March 14.
I religiously maintain a strict hygiene and have tried to ensure the same in the gallery. My gallery is disinfected regularly, and I ensure the supply of hand sanitisers, masks, soaps and basic hygiene items for everyone. I also support fundraising initiatives for those affected by the crisis, including daily wagers and artists.
Our participation with a two-person exhibit in Art Dubai was cancelled, and so was an all-women show scheduled to open on March 30 at Nehru Centre, London. This was a hard decision as we had already shipped a consignment of works, but it was a wise decision at the time. The teams at Latitude 28 and TAKE on Art, have been editing, writing and working on the next issue of TAKE that will be an online edition. We are also busy compiling our archive as we complete 10 years this year. We have a plethora of information and are experimenting with new formats to make it accessible to a larger audience free of cost.
The unprecedented Covid-19 outbreak has also holed up a huge chunk of the global population in their homes and it’s no surprise that people are consuming vast amounts of media. There is chaos online, influencers and institutions alike, sharing content on a regular basis with an intent to connect with their audiences. Virtual viewing rooms, zoom meets, workshops, live streaming, webinars prophesying the future of food, fashion, art, design, music, architecture; nothing need-based but everything agenda-based.
While everyone is trying to adapt to this crisis in their own way, I feel it is the time to step back and embrace silence and discomfort, to mitigate the ensuing chaos. For everyone desperate to be seen as doing something, it maybe not a bad idea to do nothing for a change and see how the world emerges.
For now, I am just taking one day at a time. With my two ventures, Latitude 28 and TAKE on Art, I was barely home. However, after a long time I had got an opportunity to reflect and focus on my personal well-being. Now, I have been digging up old recipes and cooking a lot, checking up on friends. I never have had the time to meditate or chant, because I always get distracted, always had to go somewhere and procrastinated things to next time, next day, next year. My parents practice yoga, I join them sometimes and have also gone back to doing something I started earlier last year but gave up because of lack of time – jal neti.
After the lockdown gets over, I want to contribute more to the household activities. There are a few things I never bothered with as I always have had the necessary help to get by. Now in the lockdown, I have become more conscious of it and try to be organised and do things on my own.