July 2011

Almost Island feels a profound loss at the death of Mani Kaul, one of India's most inventive and courageous film directors. The loss is more sharp as Kaul was on the board of Almost Island, was a great supporter, and had also participated in several of the Dialogues. His support came not only directly, but also through the way he had always lived his artistic life, never bending to the market, and continuing to engage at the deepest place with his own medium, and with the music he had mastered enough to teach, dhrupad.

For those who had been close to Mani Kaul, it is difficult to make him the subject - of a newspaper article, an obituary, a talk. His visions, for they are overwhelmingly various, have infused our work as writers, cinematographers, directors, musicians, actors, they have infused our ways of seeing. I worked with Kaul on his feature film “Nazar”, (The Gaze, 1989), for which I wrote the screenplay. Perhaps it was chance that this was the film through which my friendship and learning with him began, because it is above all his gaze that was profound. Read this tribute by Sharmistha Mohanty at The Caravan.