We aren’t creatively bankrupt. There’s a constant restlessness and unstoppable bravura to break out of our comfort zones, to dip our toes into the unknown
I pulled the blanket off of my friend Srishti’s head. It was 4pm last Sunday, and the entire hostel was entranced in a heavy sleep.
“Listen, I just got a brilliant idea”, I told her. “It involves glittery eyeshadow, me messing up your freshly shampooed hair, and you bathing yourself in the glow of a winter afternoon. And the light will start dying in half an hour, so we need to hurry. Are you up for it?”
I took a step back, lest she throw her pillow at me in disgust. To dare interrupt the afternoon nap of someone who has lived in Kolkata, is more blasphemous than trying to imitate their accent. But Srishti mumbled something incoherently, and without any complaints, dragged herself out of bed. In ten minutes, I was knee deep in my first fashion photoshoot, armed with a 50mm, and a white dupatta acting as a diffuser – something I had previously been uncomfortable to explore.
And I think this is the best part about life at SCMC. Everyone seems to have participated in an unspoken agreement to work together for art’s sake. We’re all eventually entering a field where mutual interdependence shall be the key to survival, and an early understanding of that has fostered creative co-operation. Not to say that there isn’t conflict – we’re all competing for scant positions, after all. But rather than focusing on a rat-race, a conflict of ideas is seen more often, like an Opposition that keeps the ruling party on edge. And why wouldn’t this happen? It’s one roof under which rests an abundance of beauty and talent – models, animators, musicians, poets, visual storytellers, artists, actors, dancers and so much more I am yet to encounter! We are teaming with hyperactive, unbounded energy. It might be 3a.m. and we might have college the next day, but no one’s afraid of following their heart and drawing the satirical cartoon their hands are itching to scribble – a sign of integrity and sincerity to come and stay in the future.
And the best part?! We aren’t creatively bankrupt. There’s a constant restlessness and unstoppable bravura to break out of our comfort zones, to dip our toes into the unknown. Collaborators from our batch have often not exchanged more than two words inside of their classrooms, but are seen smoothly working together, painting verse onto forgotten walls, and simultaneously breaking the ones between themselves.
Why and how is it that we’re like this? We are not the inhabitants of an anthill, passively collecting food for the winter. We are the gazelle that strays from the herd, which is given chase by the lioness, and yet dances away, emerging unscathed and victorious. We are the stars light years away from each other, which join up to make exquisite constellations. In short, we aren’t afraid to dream, and are secure enough to take others along the way with us.
With a wild mind and a disciplined eye, this institute has a rare atmosphere that seems to say – we are here, and we have no fear. I had read somewhere, that once we initiate change, even if on a minute scale, we can better manage the change that is inevitable. Near the end of my first semester, this seems to be the collective sentiment, and I am all for it.
Article by: Nayanika Mukherjee (Batch of 2019)
Photograph by: Nayanika Mukherjee (Batch of 2019)
