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- [00:00]
Kinsta Host/Advertiser
Between client meetings, managing your business and everyday tasks, who has time to worry about website hosting? With Kinsta's managed WordPress hosting you don't have to. They handle the technical stuff, delivering lightning fast load times, enterprise grade security and 247365 human only support. Simply switching to Kinsta could make your site up to 200% faster. Kinsta's custom dashboard makes managing sites easy with powerful features designed to save you time and effortless. Plus, their free expert led migrations ensure a smooth transition. Ready to see why Kinsta is trusted by thousands of businesses? Get your first month free@kinsta.com that's K I N S T A.com Kinsta Simply Better hosting welcome to the True Fiction Project, a podcast series that explores the origins of fiction. Every week we begin with an interview nonfiction followed by a creative piece, fiction inspired by something from the interview. The idea is to demonstrate, of course, that fiction is born out of our life experiences. Now here's your host, storyteller, author, public speaker, health and wellness expert Renita Hora.
- [01:21]
Renita Hora
Welcome to this week's episode of the True Fiction Project. Today I'm featuring female Indian artists from Season six. As a female Indian artist, I feel deeply honored to share a platform that celebrates the voices and creativity of other women from my community. Writing has always been a way for me to express my identity, my culture and experiences, and being able to feature episodes with fellow female Indian artists feels both powerful and and inspiring. Each of us carries a unique story shaped by tradition, resilience and innovation, and bringing those stories together creates a beautiful tapestry of representation. For me, it's not just about showcasing talent, it's also about honoring our journeys, lifting each other up, and showing the world the strength and brilliance of Indian women in the arts. Lets begin with my dear friend, Rachana Devi Dayal. Rachana is a graphic design artist with a profound connection to her craft and the stories that she brings through her work. In our conversation, she opens up about her journey, why she chose a different path from that of her mother, and how her struggles are reflected in her art and the barriers she's had to overcome along the way. She also dives deep into the inspiration she draws from the sacred Narmada river and her ongoing artistic projects centered around rituals. The conversation focuses on creativity, resilience, and the interplay between art and spirituality. Let's take a listen.
- [03:03]
Rachana Devi Dayal
The current project I'm working on, it's to do with this river which flows in central India from East to West. It's the only river which flows in that direction. It's called the Narmada. And just to clarify here, people often, you know, think the Ganges is the sacredest, the most holiest river in the country, when actually they're mistaken. And this river is way older, way more sacred. And the saying goes that you have to take a holy dip in the Ganges to purify your sins, whereas with the Narmada, you have to merely look at it, and your sins get purified. And this river runs deep and strong, and the sacred, you know, aspects to it are just immeasurable. And it just sort of came to me one day, and I was. I've been doing projects in the region, and I just said, I have to explore the sacred aspects of this river through my art. And it's sort of tied in with the concept. I mean, it's a literal metaphor, is, you know, being in the flow and it's the river, but it really actually is that. And when I get into that thing of ideating on a particular concept for the river, it just comes. And I work from photographs, and I work from all kinds of mediums, and I'm about to actually go there for a celebration, but it's just there within me. And I don't know how else to sort of decide, describe it. There's one painting which comes to mind which is of this huge puja, this huge religious ceremony that is taking place at night, and this gigantic candle, a group of candles being lit and being swirled around by these devotees. And it's night, and it's colorful clothing on people, and there's smoke and fire. And I taken that and sort of extracted it quite graphically. And this is where my design probably comes into play. And it's from colorful and smoky, it's now a monotone, and it takes on a whole different space of just black and white and smoke. And it gets very haunting, and it goes into a different layer altogether. And in this piece, and probably across a lot of pieces, is. It's okay to say this is what I want to say, but it's more important to say this is how I want to the viewer to feel. And so you have to kind of really tap into more than just straightforward communication, which is actually what I think graphic designed to be and actually evoke an emotion in the viewer. And so this painting is haunting and started off as a colorful sort of religious ceremony at night into a very haunting kind of space. Another painting that I have done, there's a ritual which takes place in a particular town called Maheshwar. And they, they prepare this board of little mounds of clay. And it's supposed to be a grain of rice in each mound and it's supposed to symbolize, you know, praying for the welfare of each of the inhabitants of that town. So it's whatever 200 or 300 little mounds on his board and a prayer set and it's floated down the river. And so I just extracted that whole concept into one piece. Again, it has a graphical element to it from my training, but it also has this deep devotion and this deep kind of sincerity. And it's a daily ritual. It means there's so much to this group of priests who perform it every single day of the year. And then float this board of little rice and clay mounds in the river. And then I've done something completely pop, which is a walking process. There is this part of the river which has the most fantastically kitsch, colorful boats on it. And I'm taking that, working with that and just making it so pop. And it's still a walking progress. I don't know how it's going to end up. But I might just put elements of the plastic flowers around the river so I can't save it. The beginning, middle and end of that. So those are three works of art that come immediately to mind. And there are others which are always drawing in my head and will come out.
- [07:33]
Renita Hora
Next is my interview with Laila Khan. Furniture Wallah. Laila comes from a renowned and multi talented family led by her father, the legendary Indian filmmaker, actor and writer Firoz Khan. While her roots are in film, Laila has carved her path in mixed media, drawing inspiration from Ganesh, the beloved elephant God honored across and revered amongst various cultures. Listen as she recounts memories of her father and his dedication to perfecting his craft. And as a special treat, we'll hear that song dedicated to her by her father, Lela Olela from Firoz Khan's film Khurbani.
- [08:21]
Laila Khan
My father's words in regard to that song came true. So here it where it started around eight or nine. And I came home one day and he was involved in making Qurbani. And he was so passionate about this movie. He had his last shirt in it and he named me, he loved the name Leila. And he came home and he said, I think around my birthday and in his own swag, you know, he goes, hey baby, I've got something for you, a gift. And I was, you know, he was my hero. So I was so excited, I remember and wondering what this was. I knew he was involved with making his music at that time composing and writing. And so he had come back from the studio actually. But he said I have a rough track of a song I'd like you to hear and it was Leila Olela. And he said this song is after you and it's been inspired by my love for you. I loved it and it was so even at that time, even in, you know, that's what he said. He said even if you hear a song in a rough version and even if you hear it soft and if you lark it, that means the song is going to be something. And he said, mark my words, this song is going to be a hit. He said, a hit? He said, how big a hit? Time will tell. And the film released in 1980 and so we are 44 years down that road and it plays today everywhere. People other makers have remixed it. There are many remixed versions, but I would like to proudly say that none of them can touch what he did. As far as this song goes.
- [10:12]
Renita Hora
Sam.
- [10:39]
Laila Khan
Harm Sam.
- [13:10]
Kinsta Host/Advertiser
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- [14:59]
Renita Hora
Last but not least, here's a look back featuring my novel Vermilion Harvest Playtime at the Bog, you'll hear Tracy defiorge, CEO and founder of Produce youe Podcast, interviewing my publishers, Lynn Moon and Shannon Pearson of Indignor House. Lynn and Shannon share about the type of authors they typically work with and how they became connected to me. Lin talks about the history in India featured in the book and the impact it can have on future generations. Finally, you'll hear a wonderful audio excerpt from Vermilion Harvest Playtime at the Bagh, written and read by me about the forbidden love between Aruna, an Anglo Indian schoolteacher, and Ayaz, a Muslim student activist, and how they got caught in a bloody scene fighting against General Dyer's horrendous act which led to everlasting tragedy.
- [15:57]
Rachana Devi Dayal
This The Vermilion Harvest, Playtime at the Bog that Renita wrote is a historical fiction novel. Is this. Do you work often with historical fiction novels, or was this a new type of project for you?
- [16:13]
Lynn Moon
This was the first historical fiction that we have done. We work with all types of authors. We don't have any one genre. Someone told me one, that I could only write in one genre. Well, I've proven that wrong. I write adult books, middle grade, young adult children, picture books. I write in all genres. Science fiction, love. So that's not exactly an accurate statement, but when Renita first gave me her manuscript, I read the first couple of chapters, and I honestly thought it was just a young adult love story. That's what I really thought. It was centered in India. So that was kind of interesting. And then as I'm working in it, I was floored. I was flabbergasted. I called her, I said, renita, is this true? What I'm reading? Is this true? I mean, it still makes me cry to this day to think about it. And she said, yes, Lynne, it's totally true. It's something we never was taught here in America. But as I'm working on her novel, I'm thinking back to an old Shirley Temple movie that started off with Shirley Temple being in India and a couple other movies came to mind. And I'm sitting there thinking, omg, it started. All the. All the dots started to connect, and I was just. I was horrified, Absolutely horrified. And then I couldn't get enough history on it. I searched the Internet. I read, I dug, I made phone calls. I have a friend who is from India, and I just captured him and basically tied him to a chair. And I'm okay, give me, give me history. Give me history. I couldn't get enough out of him. And to learn that this actually happened and thousands and thousands of people were just butchered, it blew me away. I'm like, oh, my God, this is Hitler all over again. And then as we were talking and the stuff that's happening worldwide, I said, history just tends to repeat itself over and over, over again. We have got to get this book.
- [18:52]
Renita Hora
Gurkhaz, right. 59th left.
- [18:57]
Rachana Devi Dayal
Fire.
- [18:59]
Renita Hora
The order was repeated by a British subaltern, Dyer's second in command. The foot soldiers knelt, raised their rifles, took aim and fired. A volley of bullets sped into the heart of the crowd gathered near the platform. 1,650 bullets, 33 rounds per man, were released within a matter of minutes without pause. Children cried, mothers screamed, fathers shouted desperately for help. The crowd dispersed and everyone scattered as bullets exploded into the grass, the mud and the people. My mind told me to run, but my body tensed. I crouched on the ground, counting the seconds, praying that the metal shower would stop. The rat tat tat pounded through my ears. The people fell as the bullets hit. I didn't recognize anyone. Just a deluge of humanity desperately seeking an escape to safety. Those closer to the meeting stood but had no means of escape. They perished instantly. A group on the outskirts ran, desperate to flee. Three men raced to the walls to push their way through the few narrow exits. Many dashed helter skelter, according a smaller group gathered at the corners, hoisting each other up to scale the bricks. The family that had been sitting just a few feet away now flung themselves into the wall, children included, only to be hit with flying bullets. Others surged at the only entrance, the entrance where the troops stood. But they too fell and rolled as bullets. Claustrophobia rose fast and furious inside my tightened chest. Panic pounded throughout my veins as the people moved. I did too. If my feet failed to keep up, I risked being trampled. The faces that surrounded me looked gaunt and serious. There was nothing for me to do but move forward with the crowd. The stench of fear saturated the air. I could smell it, smell it all. An unholy agglomeration of coconut oil, body sweat, and over applied attar. The crowd was moving too fast and many couldn't keep up. Everyone unruly and panicking. Which way do I go? We were packed together, creating a river of human fluid. We were now a molecule, a flowing crowd moving at a collective pace. Any space created by a discordant move instantly filled with human liquid. Where's Ayaz? Amrita? Gopal? Falling rays from the incandescent sun whirled across my eyes. The walls of the bag rotated around me. The ground slammed against my ribs and my nails dug into the hardened soil. Something unfamiliar and metallic tasting filled my mouth. Blood. I had bitten my lip for real this time. I glanced up as a wave of bullets pulverized a small group clustered in the center. Loud screams and wails filled my ears before growing silent. A human wave pushed me to one side. I gasped. I was now standing on someone who was dead, feeling helpless and frustrated. A flood of panic soared. I screamed. A hard blow shoved me to the ground, and again the air escaped my lungs. My vision blurred and the dark smoke burnt my eyes. Each time I tried to see, my head was slammed onto the hard dirt as others tried to escape. The painful tread of sandals trampling across my face sizzled with daylight gone. The area felt superheated from the hysterical cries. I tried to take in a deep breath, but the pain running through my head held calm. Blood filled my eyes, my nose and dirt gritted against my teeth.
- [23:29]
Rachana Devi Dayal
Help.
- [23:32]
Renita Hora
Help me.
- [23:33]
Laila Khan
Help.
- [23:34]
Renita Hora
Voices screamed, calling for help. Death never visited me like this before. I was living as others died. I lay quiet, watching as feet darted past me, praying that no one would land on me. The guns continued to fire. The people in the bog were trapped. Bodies piled up near the entrance. Others rushed over them and in a desperate attempt to escape, many slipped before being trampled. Skulls cracked. I screamed again as the sound of bullets tore through the human flesh, only to claim another on the other side. I waited for my bullets to come. I prayed that it would be quick and painless. Blood splattered across my face and I closed my eyes. A body fell and rolled across my chest. He was heavy. So very heavy. The kneeling soldiers fired with uncanny accuracy until their ammunition ran out. A deadly silence now floated just under the white haze. Colonel Dyer ordered them to withdraw. The men stood for only a moment before marching out the way they had come in. The sound of a car engine roared. Colonel Dyer was leaving the scene and the carnage behind. These innocent people had arrived to celebrate Vaisakhi playtime at the Bog I hope you enjoyed this look back at the female Indian artists featured on Season 6 of the True Fiction Project. I am your host Rinita Hora. Here at the True Fiction Project we are always looking for great stories that make for compelling fiction. So if you have a great story or know somebody who does, or if you are a writer who would like to contribute, then please do get in touch with us@renita.com contact.
- [25:55]
Kinsta Host/Advertiser
Thank you for listening to the True Fiction Project with Renita Hora. Be sure to subscribe to the newsletter to receive more inspiring stories showing how fiction is born from our everyday experiences. For more information visit www.shopify is a.
- [26:19]
Renita Hora
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- [26:41]
Lynn Moon
No matter what stage you're in.
- [26:43]
Renita Hora
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