17/05/2016
Journal_1_Ishan Fazili
The reel life in real
Ishan Fazili
Growing up in the paradise of Earth; Kashmir means growing up around woods, natural beauty and inhaling fresh air. Delhi, on the other hand, is antithetical from where I have come from. Adjusting to the smoke and pollution seems a daunting task for me. The Delhi heat is taking a toll on my body, mind and soul.
The passion for visual making is what has driven me here forgetting about the rising temperatures in Delhi.
I was just one a half years old when I first had been taken to a cinema hall. I am told that when I learnt about my early childhood life, as that age was too little to remember anything. I was here in Delhi with my parents during their vacations in the early 90's. The cinema halls in the Kashmir valley were then shut following the eruption of militancy.
Nearly two decades later, I happened to visit the national capital once again, but this time not on vacations to spend the winter chill away from Kashmir, but to be with my grandfather who was undergoing treatment for his ailment in 2012.
This trip was my first one to New Delhi on my own and independently. Taking out leisure time from the treatment schedule, I planned to watch a movie in a multiplex with a friend of mine with whom I have grown up with years in Kashmir. As I entered with my friend, I fell to the ground. It was an embarrasing moment for me, it was dark and I had failed to see the stairs which resulted in collision with the stairs. All this happened because I was not familiar with the surroundings of the cinema hall.
Nearly four years later, I visited New Delhi again with a focus on my career to pursue a course in Broadcast Journalism. This was the first time that I experienced the Delhi heat which was beyond my will power to control. But the passion and career making has let me forget the heat and continue with the daily stuff.
This time again I watched a movie in a theatre with some friends, but this time more cautiously walking towards my seat. The surroundings were a little bit familiar and felt pretty much confident.
