My Chai Tamaasha

Haven't you all been waiting to hear from me?

I know ...I know

Waiting to hear about my story

about my art installation that I have been telling you about in the last few posts.

Ok so make yourself a nice cup of hot tea 

and while you savour each sip 

I tell you all about 

My Chai tamaasha

now if you have been a regular visitor here

you must have read all about my love for tea/ chai

and how I was inspired 

and how this delicate flimsy tiny teabag became my canvas.

So the Kala Ghoda Art Festival began In Mumbai on

the 6th of February and ended just yesterday i.e. 14th of February.

I will be sharing the magic of all these nine days in this post and some more posts to come

because there are many many moments to relive with you.

So that was my concept board!

I began with making a frame for my Chai glass!!

and this is how it turned up!

I always collect teabags for making art but this time the number required was huge.

I asked my friends to contribute and also requested some Cafes in the locality to 

give me the used teabags every evening.

Blessed I am...everyone helped!!

India’s obsession for Chai

 is rooted in the timeless tradition 

of stopping for a moment to connect with one another.

 It will not be wrong

 to say that 

the magical aroma of Chai 

is

 India’s signature fragrance.

Art is universal 

and has the power to overcome the boundaries 

and reach out to hearts in a jiffy 

and so is the case with a hot cup of tea!

 When we sip a sweet 

warm cup of chai 

we relax and let our guard down, 

the inhibitions are thrown away 

and a space is created for a conversation! 

For some people a cup of tea/ a glass of Chai

 is a moment of reflection 

where every sip whispers a thought! 

For others who are away and out,

 it serves as a warm hug from home.

 Bonds are strengthened over a cup of tea for sure!

 Both art and chai,

 in their old and new avatars, 

crossing boundaries

 and blending with unknown flavors…

 reach and satiate those who are AR-TEA-STIC.

  

The recycled teabags

 used in the installation

 symbolize a thousand and a half cups of tea

 which played their part in bringing hearts closer "without borders". 

Each little teabag here has a story in its heart…

happy moments, 

laughters, new beginnings, 

and some sad tales too…

each of them has the mighty power

 to tug at your heart strings!

And the cutting chai glass especially for my new love …“Mumbai”.

It is a treat of taste, 

aroma and memory 

which visually comes alive in this installation.

The process of making 

this installation from teabags

has just been like meditation. 

While working with these teabags,

 as always, 

I had to slow down and acknowledge 

the little yet precious moments in my life.

 I used this zen like teabag language

 to satiate the artist within 

and celebrate 

interconnectedness without borders.

Stay tuned 

because there is a lot more coming up

 about the festival 

and I will be showing you 

some more super creative installations in my next post!!