Amrita Sher-Gil's Woman on Charpai and Kedarnath Singh's Vigyan Aur Neend

A new year inevitably brings a strange compulsion to reinvent. So, here we are trying out a new format for the Daak weekly newsletter with the goal of bringing you a visual and literary slice of South Asian culture every week. Please tell us what you think!

This week:

1. Woman on Charpai by Amrita Sher-Gil

2. Vigyan aur Neend / Science and Sleep by Kedarnath Singh

3. Want a Daak postcard in your mail?

4. Want something lovely to drink tea or coffee in?

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1. Woman on Charpai by Amrita Sher-Gil, ca. 1940, National Gallery of Modern Art

In her short but prolific career as an artist, Amrita Sher-Gil produced stunning observational paintings that captured intimate details of quotidian life. In this painting, she captures a languid domestic scene of a woman on a charpai. While her posture and positioning of legs have been interpreted as sexual and provocative, they also resemble the tired repose of countless Indian women. The dozing attendant with a fan further creates a sense of calm idleness.

2. Vigyan aur Neend / Science and Sleep by Kedarnath Singh

jab train chadhta hoon
toh vigyan ko dhanyavaad deta hoon
aur vaigyanik ko bhi

jab utarta hoon vaayuyaan se
toh dheron dhanyavaad deta hoon vigyan ko
aur ishwar ko bhi

par jab bistar par jaata hoon
aur roshni me nahi aati neend
toh batti bujhata hoon
aur so jaata hoon

vigyan ke andhere me
acchi neend aati hai

//

When I board a train
I thank science
And the scientist too

When I get off an airplane
I give many thanks to science
And a little bit to God too

But when I get into bed 
And can't fall asleep in the light
I turn off the lights 
And fall sleep

In the darkness of science
I sleep soundly.

As always, Kedarnath Singh packs a powerful message with a childlike simplicity which has come to be the hallmark of his poetry. So, here’s a little reminder to turn off your hungry devices and lay down into a gentle, uninterrupted sleep.

3. Want a Daak postcard in your mail?

Reply to this email and send us your postal address. We’ll send you a Daak postcard by snail mail which will hopefully find you on a day that you need it.

4. Want something lovely to drink tea or coffee in?

Winter is the time for basking in the steaming warmth of tea and coffee. If you’re looking for an artistic mug to drink from, check out our mugs collection which will take you back to the cities you adore and miss.