Raja Rani by MF Husain and A Sinister Rhyme by Gorakh Pandey
This week in Daak:
1. Raja Rani by MF Husain
2. A Sinister Rhyme by Gorakh Pandey
3. Our Bestselling Calendar Now on Sale
4. Elon Musk Stressing You Out?
1. Raja Rani by MF Husain
MF Husain’s modernist, abstract depictions have always made waves…both for the right and wrong reasons. Amongst his rich and varied oeuvre, we found one painting which stood out for its unique theme and comic element. Simply titled “Raja Rani”, this painting captures the shock or horror of a presumably royal couple but without any contextual clues, which gives it an absurd and comic effect. We know that art must speak for itself but for once, we wish the artists had given more thought to the title.
2. A Sinister Rhyme by Gorakh Pandey
raja bola raat hai
rani boli raat hai
mantri bola raat hai
santri bola raat hai
ye subah subah ki baat hai
//
The king said it is night
The queen said it is night
The minister said it is night
The guardsman said it is night
This happened in broad daylight It’s not often that we are able to match the artwork and poem we share in this newsletter. But this week, the stars were perfectly aligned, and we found the best poem to go along with Husain’s painting. In this deceptively simple rhyme, Pandey points to the sinister manipulation of truth and propagation of lies, so common and convenient today especially on Whatsapp and social media. All we can say is don’t trust everything you hear!
3. Our Bestselling Calendar Now on Sale
If you want a daily dose of poetic inspiration, the Daak Poetry Calendar is perfect for you! It has a new poem for each day (from several South Asian languages) and can be used year on year until the end of time! Use the discount code CALENDARDISCOUNT while checking out :)
4. Elon Musk Stressing You Out?
If Elon’s inane and sometimes downright bizarre tweets are getting to you, take a break and follow Daak on Twitter for some literary comfort and artistic delights!