Editorial

“The monsoon winds had whispered her arrival like a coming storm. Some welcomed the rain, but others feared a raging flood…”
(King Chulalongkorn in Anna and the King)

Dear Readers,

Bordoisila is back. Swirling around the mountains, fleeting through plains and hills, she has announced her annual homecoming with a medley of rain, hail and a dip in the soaring temperatures. As the majestic prima force steps in announcing the monsoons and the near advent of spring, the world gets ready to welcome another new year. “April”, wrote Eliot, “is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain.” I often remember these lines when I mull over Bordoisila’s story. I like to envisage her as a wandering lady in desperate longing for a lost warmth and security- one that is accorded only by the knowing caresses of a loving mother. April, after all, is the season for homecoming for most wanderers in our day-to-day lives especially as students enjoy a much struggled for annual break and work-a-holics take a much deliberated upon Bihu vacation back to native lands. It is a happy season of reunions and relaxation. I wonder why then does the celebrated lady of the Winds brings with her such a heavy deluge of tears as she journeys back to the comforting world of her genesis. The force inherent do not make these seem like tears of joy and merriment. Did she feel April to be a cruel month too as she decided to run back to her maternal abode? What emotions of memory and desire accumulate in her grieving heart that she turns blind in her mad rush sparing no sign or soul that dare stand in her way? How many homes has she broken down or torn apart in her stormy urge to be back home? How many women can never go back home because Bordoisila renders them homeless? That however is just me musing as I watch the daily news about the havocs caused by the sudden burst of weather changes. For, despite all the devastation, she remains the regenerative force that stirs out the “dull roots” back into a new life . She remains a cleansing elemental spirit who ushers in the end of aridity and the impending birth of colour, gaiety and abundance. She was and still remains the source for creative impulses. After all which muse can boast of inspiring the largest collection of literature and songs on the monsoon from our region but her ?

As the lovely and energetic Bordoisila sweeps in with a gusto into our lives bringing with her the joys and fears of the monsoon, I welcome you to another issue of Fried Eye. This issue Noshin questions our conceptions of home and the slum through a eye-opening take on street children in Through the Lens. Visit the ancient city of Tezpur with Ajatashatru as he takes his wife on another vacation in SeeNew and find out Shyam Benegal’s take on the role of media in the changing face of cinema today with Noyonjyoti in our MovieDesk interview.
Last but not the least, as you browse through these pages and more, let me wish you a peace-filled Easter week and a laughter-laced April first on behalf of the entire team at Fried Eye.

Warmly,
Myra B

We welcome your comments at letters@friedeye.com