this year thxgiving was followed by an interview about “a thin wall” with broadcast journalist faiz rehman, at voice of america, in DC, followed by a wonderful visit to the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden along with my gorgeous sister.
it was raining but we took the metro and had a great time in the city. finished the day off with dinner at Earls Kitchen and Bar. the people in DC are lovely. at one point we forgot to change metro lines and were looking at a subway map when a woman walked up to us and offered to help, just like that. it’s incredible when people can find the time to connect in this way, in today’s hectic world.
have some interesting thoughts about one of the exhibits at the hirshhorn museum. it was called “marvelous objects: surrealist sculpture from paris to new york.” will write more about that later.
in the studio: faiz rehman and mara ahmedon our way to the hirshhorn museumthe rain didn’t bother us too muchdan flavin’s light sculptures
sumptuous thxgiving with my in-laws in NC. for lunch we had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, cornbread souffle, sweet potato casserole with toasted marshmallows, green beans and rolls. dessert included pecan, pumpkin and apple pies. dinner was played in a slightly different key and consisted of koftas, chicken tikka, jalapenos stuffed with a sweet and sour tamarind mixture, and spicy shrimp pulao. for dessert: warm gajer ka halwa, a la mode, of course. the joys of belonging to a diverse family and combining cuisines freely 🙂
October 30, 2015: Just got back from Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39. It was v lively and all lit up. The famous carousel was there of course. Had some seafood for dinner. I took the muni metro even tho I have an awful sense of direction – I made it back to the hotel. I came to SF for the first time when my daughter was a tiny little baby and my son was 5 or 6. I remember going to the SF MoMA and falling in love with Mark Rothko. I bought a poster of his work. It still hangs in our house. I wanted to visit the museum again but it’s closed until May 2016. Oh well, next time inshallah.
October 31: One of my favorite things in SF – the Yerba Buena Gardens. I was blown away by them the first time I came to SF – we just happened upon them while looking for the SF MOMA. The Yerba Buena Center was considered an urban blight and scheduled for demolition in the 1970s, however, locals including some retired labor activists stopped the demolition, and plans for building a sports arena had to be shelved. The Gardens’ focal point is the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial. It’s a 20 feet high, 50 feet wide majestic waterfall, furnished with glass panels inscribed with Dr King’s powerful words. Reading “We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream” as one is surrounded by a thundering waterfall can be an emotional experience. The memorial speaks to Dr King’s remarkable energy, courage and vision. The strength and simplicity of the granite, the unquestionable force of the waterfall, the elegance of MLK’s words, their translation into the languages of San Francisco’s thirteen international sister cities, as well as in Arabic and African dialects, photographic images etched in glass of Dr King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and of course the overwhelming roar of the water, all combine to transport one to another world. It’s one of the most fitting memorials I’ve ever visited. Later that evening, I went to see “Beach Blanket Babylon” at Club Fugazi. It’s SF’s famous pop-culture musical revue, with spectacular costumes, gigantic hats, and a surprising dose of liberal politics. My friend Huma picked me up later that evening. We had an excellent Italian dinner at Original Joe’s in North Beach, walked around Coit Tower and then headed to her house in Menlo Park.
November 1: Wonderful screening of A Thin Wall at CineArts in Palo Alto. The film looked and sounded beautiful. That’s so important to me! It was shown in a huge theatre. A large number of people attended the screening and Q&A, which was followed by a panel discussion organized by The 1947 Partition Archive, out of Berkeley. One of the best parts was being able to connect with so many incredible women – filmmakers, academics, archivists, reporters, activists, women with their own histories of partition. Thank u Anuj Vaidya for organizing everything with such ease and brilliance and thank u Huma Dar for being such an amazing host, friend and inspiration. I’m loving the West coast!
November 2: Small but lovely screening at Berkeley today. Thx Huma and Paola for making it happen and thx Abdullah, my dear friends Umar and Arjumand’s son, who attended in spite of exams and a busy student life, and made me a v happy auntie 🙂
SF’s famous cable carssteep streetshalloween in chinatownSF’s chinatownpier 39crepe with ghirardelli chocolate fillingMLK memorialMLK memorial, yerba buena gardensSF MOMAcontemporary jewish museumbeach blanket babyloncoit towerwith a reporter for india abroadhuma dar, guneeta bhalla, mara ahmedlunch at berkeleyberkeley campushuma, abdullah, mara and paola
Oct 28: Yesterday we had a lovely screening at Langara College in Vancouver. It was organized by Indira Prahst, department of Sociology and Anthropology at Langara College, and Imtiaz Popat. Today, I started the day off by meeting the lovely Ajay Bhardwaj and discussing our work and films. I felt like I had known him forever. In the afternoon, I got on the Hop on Hop off bus and went around the city. Vancouver is caught between the North Shore Mountains and the Salish Sea. The views from Canada Place and Stanley Park are to die for. The weather was overcast all day. It was magical to see mist rising up from the sea, the smooth glassy water, and the variegated canvas of the sky where light kept painting an ever shifting seascape. I don’t like doing touristy things but I decided to try the FlyOver Canada flight simulation simply because I’ve flown so many times in my dreams. It was surprising. Not only can one feel the rush of fresh air as one flies over mountains and prairies but one can also smell pines and get soaked by the spray from Niagara Falls. I couldn’t help but think of the First Nations people of Canada whose lives and destinies have always been so intricately intertwined with this majestic land. As we drove thru Stanley Park marveling at 700 year old trees and gorgeous views of the Lions Gate bridge, the sun had just begun to set. It created glittering skyscrapers and a warm glow on the surface of the water, which seemed to hold ships and barges alike in its luminous fold. I took a million pictures. It was another day well spent.
indira prahst and mara ahmedmara ahmed and ajay bhardwajview of vancouver on a rainy daycanada placethe olympic cauldronharry winston jerome’s sculpture along stanley park’s seawalllions gate bridgesun setting on vancouver
Oct 26: Spent lots of time at Pike Place Market this morning. Fresh fruits and vegetables, florists, chocolate shops, soaps and incense, pashminas, Bavarian meats, a Middle Eastern souk, tiny little restaurants, and of course, lots of coffee places, including the first Starbucks (dating back to 1971). I had a chocolate croissant (with the largest bits of sumptuous chocolate ever) and a tarte aux marions at Le Panier. After roaming around a lot more, I had some oeufs en meurette at Cafe Campagne – delish. Visited the Lisa Harris gallery and left with an original etching by intaglio printmaker Thomas Wood. Took the monorail to the Space Needle and walked along Broad street all the way to the waterfront. Loved the Olympic Sculpture Park, which is right by the water. There weren’t that many people there. A man was reading a book whilst enjoying a view of the waterfront. There were a few more people walking their dogs or running. The air was crisp and it was beginning to get dark. I could see lights coming on inside buildings opposite the waterfront. There are ships and warehouses and traffic lights and then the park, which is lovely. It replicates several ecosystems found in the Northwest. Not only that, it is filled with sculptures that mesh with the park’s natural beauty, sometimes in spectacular ways, other times much more subtly. We are talking about Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder and Richard Serra! This mix of sculpture, fall foliage, piers and ferries, ship terminals and skyscrapers, vast open public spaces in the midst of an urban landscape, create a wonderful sense of adventure. I was thrilled. I owe thanks to Smeeta for sharing her personal list of must-dos in Seattle, and to Nabeeha for teaching me how to navigate public transportation, for creating awesome dinners and for hosting me with such warmth and generosity. I am sold on Seattle 🙂
pike place marketfruit at pike place marketoeufs en meurette at cafe campagneon the monorailseattle centerEMP museumolympic sculpture parkolympic sculpture parkolympic sculpture parkolympic sculpture parkolympic sculpture park
Oct 25: Went to Volunteer Park along with my wonderful hosts. It’s a beautiful park with a water tower, a conservatory, the Seattle Asian Art Museum and the “Doughnut.” It’s located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Lots of coffee houses, beards, flannel shirts, hoodies, and bikes. Very counterculture. No wonder this was the epicenter of the grunge scene. An ad for yogurt at the Westlake station, en route to the Transit Tunnel: “If your dad was this smooth, you’d have more siblings.”
water tower, volunteer parkvolunteer park, seattlebakery nouveau, capitol hill
v early tomorrow morning off to seattle, vancouver, san francisco, palo alto and berkeley. 10 days, 5 cities, 3 flights, 3 hotels, one train ride across the border to canada, 4 screenings of A Thin Wall, and lots of friends to connect with. yay!
Feb 17, 2015: The Ayo and Casibari rock formations here in Aruba are stunning, monolithic boulders and rocks which time and the elements have molded into smooth unusual shapes. However, what fascinated me most were 1500 year old native Arawak rock paintings. The Caquetio people of the Arawak tribe from the South American mainland were Aruba’s first inhabitants. Later we drove uphill to see the Alto Vista Chapel. The chapel was built in 1952, designed by Dutch engineer J.A. Hille, on the site of the first Catholic church built in Aruba in 1750 by a Spanish missionary, Domingo Antonio Silvestre. The chapel is beautifully simple and its location, on top of a hill, perfect for quiet contemplation. Yet i could not help but think of how the business of conversion took place here, a long time ago. I’ve just finished reading Laila Lalami’s “The Moor’s Account” a gem of a book for it tells the story of the Spanish colonization of the Americas but from the intriguing perspective of a conquistador’s Moroccan slave. One of the book’s tremendous achievements is a vivid description of and familiarization with the Americas’ native populations, in all their glorious diversity and complexity. I know that Aruba is a Dutch colony. How does that happen…
travel expands our horizons and does much to restore our faith in humanity. here is a wonderful, interfaith tour of turkey led by omid safi, professor of asian and middle eastern studies at duke university and the director of duke’s islamic studies center. i’ve always wanted to go but the timing will not work out for me this year. it might for u. check it out here.
