This is my newsletter #28: Vishal Kumaraswamy
I woke up a few weeks ago thinking about Serendipity. About the serendipitous way an off-handed reply to a tweet in 2012 has brought me here. I think about how much of it we've encountered in our lives, through the openness of friends and strangers. Rohini and I became friends this way and we've seen each other through incredibly difficult periods of our lives. Our own relationship as friends has faced the onslaught of time and geography and yet at the centre of it, we've managed to retain the faith that we will always be friends. That faith comes with love.
I often think about love. I think about the myriad ways in which love manifests itself. From Alan Badiou + Nicholas Truong's 'In Praise of Love', to family love, to Dalit love that my friend Chandramohan speaks about in his book of poetry 'Love after Babel'. I think of love as a responsibility; as a way of holding those you love accountable. In the age of cancel culture and amidst the greatest period of social, cultural and political upheaval of our lives I've realised what thousands of people across millennia understood: that love is what unites us.
But make no mistake, love is not a way to hide behind the romanticisation of gestures. To love is to recognise your privilege, your place in the world and if for whatever reason you've been placed above another human being, admitting that it's not ok is a radical act of self-love. Love is unlearning, it is the transcending of man-made boundaries of gender, caste, religion or language, it is realising you're allowed to grant yourself permission to have conflicting thoughts and opinions. This isn't intended to be a treatise on love but in this moment of great chaos, it's a gentle reminder to tread with care in the physical world and on the web.
A few years ago, I discovered Rambalac's walks through Tokyo and I've used it as a meditative guide to center myself when my anxiety is flaring up or I have to stem the desire of stepping out (during the pandemic). It is one of my favourite YT channels I have on in the background, a kind of visual white noise at times. Also, see Nomadic Ambience's channel for similar walks in New York and elsewhere -
I've been listening to a lot of podcasts in the last year or so. It started as a way to learn something on my commute but filled the gap in listening to human conversations during the multiple periods of lockdown. Jocelyn's 'Hurry Slowly' is produced with incredible care and this is one of my favourite episodes. (link in image)
If you're engaged in any sort of creative pursuit, Madeleine Dore's episode on Creativity in a pandemic really helped me put things into perspective last year.
More below:
(I use pocket casts for all podcasts)
Rebecca Solnit — Falling Together- https://pca.st/9gvfi3rb
How To Be An Anti-Casteist - https://pca.st/2z3umjdf
Mind Your Practice - https://pca.st/6sqg11pk
I'm a media artist and filmmaker and without music, I find it incredibly difficult to think or create. Moses Sumney's Græ has been the best album for me to come out last year. I'm also listening to Arlo Park's debut album Collapsed In Sunbeams.
More below:
Alpha Wann - don dada mixtape vol 1
Nicholas Britell - Soundtrack from Succession
Burna Boy - African Giant
I'm going to end with a couple of book recommendations. Suraj Yengde's Caste Matters is essential to understand the depth of social oppression and how it leads to the position we are currently in, in India. Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way is a great exercise in reclaiming your creative spirit and strength.
I hope this was helpful in some way and if you'd like to keep in touch/follow my work then here are some links.
www.vishalkswamy.com
@vishalkswamy (instagram)
With care,
Vishal Kumaraswamy