Dark Reflections

Believe in yourself

And all that you do.

There are things you’ll create

That could come only from you.

The way you see the world

Might be your source of inspiration

But the way you interact with it

Makes you part of the creation.

-MS MOEM

     Don’t worry, I know I am writing a blog and not an essay. But I stumbled upon this poem and it is so beautiful, I thought, I might as well share. After all, isn’t this exactly what my blog is all about?

   This month I have interacted with Siddhi Shah. She started ‘Dark Reflections’ in collaboration with Guns Artwork Tattoo Studio, where you can find the best Dream catchers in India, Hippie jewelry, Hair accessories, Wind chimes and much more when she was only about 17. In addition to that she plays drums with various bands and gives private lessons for drumming. Her classes are called ‘Drum Core’.

Siddhi Shah at one of her performances

    I met her at her home, a very artistically decorated place, really. In her court yard, she has made a mural from shells and colours. The best thing about the mural is that it takes you with it. When I looked at it, I was transported to the times I have traveled with my family, it was a surreal experience. Siddhi credits her mother, who herself has an impressive Resume when it comes to artistic endeavors, for her inclination towards artistic pursuits and towards the tendency to experiment. From an early age she was attracted towards arts like painting and music. She says she was never very interested in academic achievements. Like most people in India she opted for science stream in her junior college(11^th and 12^th). During this period she got interested in Rock and Metal music, which had a significant influence on her personality. Her disinclination towards her academics got her parents very worried. She was given a choice, she either had to graduate or get married. She opted for an Bachelors in Business Administration from Smt. Kashibai Navle College of Commerce to satisfy her parents.

Dark Reflection official website

Dark Reflection Facebook page

   During this time she started Dark Reflections, where her prominent product is Dream catchers. She named it Dark reflections because, she is attracted towards dark colours and used them liberally everywhere in her creations. She made her products with the natural materials like Shells, feathers, and bones she collected during her travels. For her all her creations reflect on her journeys or her experiences there, hence the name. With the demand for bright colours in the market she has included those in her repertoire too. She is fascinated with skulls, she thinks that because most of the bands she followed as a kid had Skull logos, artifacts and stuff. She has gone as far as going to the butcher to get a goat skull and clean it to use it in her creations.

Dream Catchers on display

 

   She has learned drumming from Swarnabhoomi Academy of music in Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu. She drums with bands like Reverie, Queens and Monks Inc. She has been drumming since 2009 and has worked for various projects like Egotrip Project(alt rock/experimental rock), Orcus(Black Metal), Quasar(Artist styles like Pearl, Jam,  Skynyrd, Ozzy Osburn) and many more. She has also played solo at various venues in Pune. In fact she performed on the 21st of this month in Yashwantrao Chavan Natyagruha, Pune for ‘Dumru’, which featured seven women percussionists. She was kind enough to play a piece of her upcoming show for me when we met. I am not the best person to comment about music to put it mildly, but even I had to appreciate her enthusiasm and energy. Playing the drums is a physically challenging task as well as mentally invigorating. One needs to use both hands and a leg in sync to produce music. Listening to her drum beats created a kind of anticipation and excitement which I have rarely associated with instrumental music. One of her most memorable experience was when she had been to a trip to Singapore and Bali with her parents. She asked the local band there, if she could join them for a song and ended up playing more.

 

   She believes that we must accept that we are unique and we cannot be like anyone else, we have our own limitations and acknowledging them will help us in our journey.  She believes she had always known that she won’t be able to work in regular office environment and chose what interested her  as a means to earn money as well as enjoy her time doing it. She says sometimes the fact that after all these years she is still struggling frustrates her but she tries to not think too much about it and enjoy herself with her work. I found her willingness to try different things and unflinching self acceptance, even in the face of unconventional turn of mind, very admirable.

As always, I will be back in July with a new venture or a venturist, hope to see you too……..