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2025, Illuminated Storytelling
GULSHAN-E-ARMAAN
Gulshan-e-Armaan is the story of the Sufi saint, Shah Inayat Shaheed, of Thatta, Pakistan, who was a farmer, a dreamer, and a revolutionary who emboldened farmers with the phrase 'Jo khede so khae' (He who sows shall eat). We brought it to life for the Ajab Gajab Bazaar in 2025 with seven large panels lit up bit by bit, following a wonderfully narrated audio story. To call it a light and sound show feels like an injustice, hence the term - illuminated storytelling.
It is a tale that encourages us to imagine different, beautiful worlds, or gardens that we cultivate with love. Even if these gardens are destroyed, the effort to cultivate a dream is victory enough for those who love. The team of Shabad Shaala certainly tended to this garden with great love and toil.
We are still devising ways to tell this story outside of the Bazaar. In the meanwhile, here are some glimpses:
Team: Shabnam Virmani (Concept, Writing, Narration), Kartikay Khetarpal (Writing, Narration), Shreeparna Mitra (Research), Shubhangi Bansal (Sound Design), Alafiya Hasan (Art)
storyboards
rang de - cyanotype printing
As part of the Bazaar, we organized a Cyanotype printing workshop for children to make certificates to remember the Bazaar by. Children would learn how to make their prints and then prepare a certificate that would be given to another child. At the end of the Bazaar, each of the ~600 children participating made their own certificates and received one in return.
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