- ROADS–Arteries of our Collective Existence Editor’s Note
- Postcards by Anushka Basumatary
- “Roads are Long Inside Me.” In Conversation with Kenani Aydin
- Where one “walks, runs, crawls, sits, rides, flies, and falls.” In Conversation with Latvian Filmmaker Laila Pakalnina
- Along the Roads, Through the Hills: By Nishi Pulugurtha
ROADS–Arteries of our Collective Existence Editor’s Note
Ipsita Deb
When I hear the word “Road”, I visualize winding veins of bitumen cutting through various landscapes. From countrysides to urbanscapes, mountains, deserts, forests.
The arteries link cities, communities, towns – arteries of our collective existence – pulsing, throbbing, vital channels carrying lives essential movements. All these roads witnesses countless journeys, some reaching destinations, some not, some unexpected detours leading to discoveries, the return trips heavy with memories. The sinuous asphalts carry our collective circulations.
The photographers in this current issue of PARCHAM explore these vital arteries from distinctly personal vantage points, yet, each revealing how roads sustain our collective existence. We are featuring works by the Iranian photographer Kenani Aydin; Latvian filmmaker Laila Pakalnina; Nishi Pulugurtha, academic & author based in Kolkata; Anuska Basumatary, student from Shillong.
Aydin, born in Tabriz, views roads as both external and internal journeys: “Roads are not just changes in geography, sometimes they are long inside me… I don’t care about the end of the road, but about life along the road.” His hometown stands at the intersection of ancient caravan routes and modern highways—a perfect metaphor for our exploration.
While curating photographs for the current issue of Parcham themed “Roads”, I came across some of the still photographs captured by the Latvian Filmmaker Laila Pakalnina. These days, I have found myself watching her works like “Waterfall,” “Hello, Horse!,” “Spoon,” “On Rubik’s Road,” “Silence”(she was kind to allow me access) and I’m moved to find a distinct restraint in in her works that focuses on watching rather than directing, in seeing rather than telling. I was amused to find that “On Rubik’s Road” particularly resonates with our issue’s current theme. Her observational style in documenting everyday lives is strongly rooted to the Latvian documentary tradition and politics. While I can’t resist exploring her filmmaking further, my primary focus as curator of this photography section is to understand her still images—the issue features some unusually striking images that portrays roads from her everyday life. As she kindly agreed to contribute to the photography section I was glad to have a conversation with her.
Nishi Pulugurtha, an academic, author, poet and translator, based in Kolkata, brings us a meditative visual journey through the remote landscapes of Arunachal Pradesh, paired with contemplative haikus, reminding us the transience of travel — the essence of all journeys : “Clouds float in, life goes on / We move on, pausing to look / For a while.”
Anuska Basumatary offers three beautiful postcards – one from mountain, a lonely bicycle, an urban daily street – reminding us something very essential about life : “Not all roads are straight, but they all lead somewhere.”
Postcards by Anushka Basumatary
Anushka Basumatary
Department of English
NORTH EASTERN HILL UNIVERSITY,SHILLONG MEGHALAYA
Parcham Online 
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