Weekly Notes 2023 W23
It has been approximately 2 months since I last wrote my weekly notes. Forming habits is weird with ADHD. I follow through for some time, and I really like it as well, but then life happens and I slip off. I remember that I am off track, but it gets also lost in the background noise of life.
This also makes it difficult to start new habits because I end up mourning even before things go bad and have a sense of doom that always around the corner.
For the past two weeks, I have been trying to get back to writing my weekly notes, but I also wanted to document those missing weeks. However, that didn’t happen and, in turn, which further prevented me from getting back on track. I need to remind myself that “perfect is the enemy of good.”
With ADHD, it is usually advised to have two separate routines for habits: one for when you have energy and can nail things, and another one for low-energy days/weeks/months - focusing on the bare minimum. Maybe I should do that as well.
Last Week (2023W23)
I was in Guwahati last week for work. I was wondering about places to visit, and Srinidhi told me about some Museums in Guwahati. I spent some time researching and making myself familiar with the area online and came up with an itinerary of sorts. But because of the heat (It regularly hit 38 degree C, and felt like 48 degree C due to humidity) and less time, I could only visit a few places, but it was worth it.
I landed in Guwahati at 12 pm on 4th June, Sunday. On my way, I was reading “The Man from Chinnamasta” by Indira Goswami. Set in Colonial Guwahati, the novel deals with the subject of animal sacrifice in the Kamakhya temple. The protagonist is an ascetic with matted hair, called Jatadhara, who is against animal sacrifice and wants to convince the devotees to abandon it. I read a few chapters of it in English. I could not read much further mainly because the translation felt very plain, and the whole plot felt very Brahminical.
I had my lunch at Michinga, Uzan bazar. Their Axohmiya thali was amazing. Pork was tender and juicy.
I visited the Assam State Museum, Valley View Point, Guwahati War Cemetery (which was closed), and the Brahmaputra Heritage Center that day.
I really enjoyed my visit to the state museum. I saw a few original Harappan artifacts that the Archaeological Survey of India had donated. It was fascinating standing so close to such an ancient piece of history. Those toys, animal figurines and decorated terracotta pots made me feel something because it looks like we have always cared about doing things just for the heck of it and not just for utilitarian or capitalistic reasons.
There were also a set of sculptures belonging to the 11th-13th centuries found in Guwahati. Most of these were of the same few deities but were in different stages of completion, and it looks like the artist focused on different aspects of the sculpture in each piece, carving those aspects very intricately, where as skimping over others, it was as if they were honing their techniques. I also found a few erotic sculptures dating back to the 10th century. It is always interesting to see how the sense of ‘morality’ and ‘obscenity’ has changed over the centuries.
I took a bike taxi to Valley view, and watched the sunset. I took a walk along the road.
The Brahmaputra River Heritage Center is an amazing place documenting the communities on the banks of the Brahmaputra. This used to be the DC Bungalow, and I got really envious of those Colonial Bureaucrats who stayed here because of the view they got of the Brahmaputra. This hillock was also the place from where Lachit Borphukan launched his attack during the Battle of Saraighat and eventually defeated the Mughals.
I could imagine waking up one silent morning, with some mist covering the Brahmaputra, and sitting there looking out of the window and enjoying a hot cup of tea in silence. (But it also probably came at the price of suffering of common folk outside, so do I really envy it?).
I had plans of visiting Kamakhya temple, Dighalipukhuri Lake (which was earlier a naval dock and now a lake), and a cave nearby where the ancient inscription of Assam was found - but I had to give up these two plans because of time constraints.
On Monday, Sachin reached Guwahati, and after work, I again visited the Brahmaputra River Heritage Center with Sachin.
Tuesday was mostly work. We had plans for a safari on Wednesday, but all the safari and national parks were closed due to the monsoon ahead.
On Wednesday, I slept in and woke up by mid-noon. It had rained by the time I woke up. Weather was pleasant. I stepped out to work from a cafe nearby, Olmak. It was a pretty little cafe where I worked for a few hours. Sachin joined me too later in the evening.
In the evening, Sachin and I left for Bangalore.
On Thursday, I mostly worked.
On Friday, I, along with Srinidhi, attended the Archival Day at NCBS organized by Milli. Beneathatree was one of the participating institutes. I really enjoyed the hands-on workshop on Archival box making. I also worked for some time on the NCBS campus.
I felt at home seeing the archival setups, and the jugaad that the community has come up with (mainly because of lack of resource and funding?) because it resonates with my maker ethos.
After the session, we took a tour of NCBS preservation lab as well as the archive. I was very fascinated by seeing their archives, especially the experimental equipment used and created by Obaid Siddiqi - the founding director of NCBS.
We ended our day at Watson’s nearby, along with a few other Milli attendees. Their Coorg Pork was tasty.
On Saturday, I tried working but ended up just lazing around most of the day. I wanted to spend my Sunday working on some project.
On Sunday, I woke up feeling low and gloomy. So I skipped the idea of doing anything. I watched TV for some time and tried writing up the blog, but could not get myself to do it.
Anil, Girish and I went out for dinner nearby that night.
If you have made it till here, you deserve some of the Orange cuteness.
