until you become this city

Poem by Shiva Sankar

I hear you’re a newcomer.
Let me introduce you to this city; the city.
A boiling cauldron, burnt to ashes; muddy and reborn
each time into something bigger, brighter and muddier.
I’d say leave your footwear behind,
here we go barefoot, with knees exposed.
Fold your garments up a foot,
or remove them all,
out here naked ones are celebrated,
not laughed upon, here is that city; the city.
The only one you should hear about.

This is a wrestling arena in the dirt
Everyone you’ll meet is a fighter –
priest, policeman, tailor,
cobbler, chaiwallah, taxi driver
Everyone drenched and dipped in dust
grappling a new beast.
You’re a newcomer, they won’t have time for you,
mostly, you’ll be overlooked with an easy neglect
right now, you’re a passer-by.
Don’t look so surprised.

Quick! Here, grab my tail and step lightly,
look around you,
Here, a crew subdues a Loch Ness monster caught out of the depths
there, others feast on a hydra;
if they offer you a portion, take it – and there is your initiation
and welcome.
Here, a few gladiators are tussling with a Titan,
there, a madman jumps out of a burning car.
Everywhere, for as far as the eye can see
we’ll see only mud, and fighters grappling with
monsters untold;
Here, we find a violent spar between husband and wife
there, we find lovers in furious embrace,
their sensuous screams drowned by
wars around, and moans mingled with splashes of mud
here and there.
Isn’t it beautiful?
Even lovemaking is a contention here.
Everywhere and everything is a battle,
in this burning city.
You’ll find no peace, no rest,
only fire.

But you’re a newcomer,
if you say you belong, we’d like to see you prove it.
Not by gifts or thanks,
not by coaxing or honeyed words
but by only this:
Show us you’re a fighter too.
Take on a beast here, now
amidst the muck and soil
and stop not till you pin it down.
Hoist your own flag to begin with,
carve your island,
amid this monstrous sea-city,
show us what you’re made of;
what you can stomach,
without a flinch or yelp,
and then,
only then,
we’ll count you amongst us.
Find your fight, and claim your place,
and this shall be your home
as it is mine.
And even then,
do not expect any warm welcome here.
We’re each an island and kingdom
distant yet intimate,
loud and boisterous, yet generous,
quick to anger, but even quicker to song
amidst trains roaring, gurgling underwater;
a boom song of our own, rolling underneath.
And we won’t meet, from across our islands
unless there be a fight,
and you’ll be called upon for many.
Answer them, if you dare.

But, come now, you’re yet a newcomer,
there is still time.
Here we open the gates,
enter as you please.
No need to introduce yourself,
birth-names have no place here,
Forge and exhale a great deed,
if you can,
and on that day we shall name you,
this city will name you,
and crown you
and crucify you
and stab you
and tickle you
and flirt with you
and taunt you
and challenge you
and rouse you,
until you’re reborn
as her hunter
and crusader;
until you become Mumbai herself.

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editor's note

Volume 10

contact | shadow | fringe

I’ve been reflecting on the theme for our tenth volume, a lovely milestone that coincides serendipitously with the warehouse’s tenth year, and how it feels apt for the moment we find ourselves in currently. The theme straddles a threshold. The movement from this side to the far side. It isn’t inherently accompanied by an emotion. And yet, I feel it suggests a sense of hopefulness. 

This isn’t in a vacuum but is influenced by two events that concern themselves with a tremendous threshold: our atmosphere and the expanse beyond it. I am referring to the successful flyby mission around the moon by the Artemis II and the release of the film “Project Hail Mary” (adapted from Andy Weir’s novel of the same name). These two events, coinciding in this manner, serve less as random happenstance and more as a reminder, as Carl Sagan said, “The Cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff.” A reminder that everything out there, is also everything in here. It serves as a reminder for hope that as we resume our exploration of the darkest depths of the universe, we must take that strength to step forward from our own personal shadows.

Shadows can be freeing. There is comfort in creating, expressing, and working without scrutiny or pressure or expectation. It has potential for great freedom, movement, and discovery. However, when the driving force isn’t exploration then it can be crippling and lead to paralysis. In those moments, “coincidental” events like these can be arresting and provide a sense of hope that the next step is all that matters. One step at a time soon becomes many past an imposing threshold. As we gather momentum, pressure is bound to build. It is here, with changed circumstances, that the intention must persevere. Learning the rules, allows the impact of breaking them to feel that much sweeter, but that isn’t necessary. Acting from pure instinct allows for an innate expression to present itself. It is balancing this, instinct versus experience, that proves vital to take experience into one’s stride with child-like instinct and intention.

Our focus, at imprint and G5A, on independent stories allows this freedom. It is something we work to preserve so that the experience of ten volumes and ten years, respectively, does not weigh us down but lifts us up through the shadows and into the expanse. This is not easy but it is simple. When you default to curiosity and wonder, it isn’t a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’.

We’re excited for Volume 10 and everything it will hold.