A luminescent firefly rests on a man’s hand, while a lamp casts a warm glow in the background
Allow me to begin this series with the first photograph I took in Chennai. It was in November 2011, the monsoon was drenching the land (but I have always loved the monsoon, I had just arrived in India, how special it felt). The image shows a desk, a computer, a lamp. The laptop’s wallpaper displays a firefly on a man’s hand (not mine). The luminescent, soft-bodied insect echoes the soft glow emitted by the lamp. I remember this atmosphere, how I needed it to be as comforting, as protecting as possible. #NoVisa — A life in India 1
Moving to India meant venturing into unknown territories. Although a seasoned traveller, I had always carefully avoided that country. No real reason, just a feeling reinforced by a night-long journey in Indonesia. I had hopped on the first train leaving Jakarta, with a 2nd class ticket (there also was a 3rd class). The sole purpose of this adventure was to witness the sunrise, sitting in silence between the stupas of the Borobudur temple. Stepping foot on the platform in Jogjakarta, I knew that India would be even more difficult and, thus, to be avoided.
Fast-forward two decades and there I was, sitting at a desk in Chennai, India. I had signed up for a 4-month contract, I had just arrived, I stayed for 5 years.
As I am scrutinizing the image, I notice that the desk is placed against the wall. Later on, I moved it 90 degrees to the left, in front of the unique window of the room. I could then write while discerning the surrounding nature through the pale curtain.
I vaguely recall the firefly being one element I used in Iktsuarpok (Chennai, 2015). This has become irrelevant now. Years later, though, the luminescent creature found its way back to me. Titled Maybah, I wrote this short story in Spanish while living in Tangier, Morocco.
The lucciola also makes an appearance in Dante’s Inferno Eighth circle. There, a specific caste of sinners is punished. They are the seducers, the hypocrites, the thieves, the treacherous counsellors, the sowers of discord and schisms, the forgers of persons, money and words.
All around, it reeks of cunning and deception.
#NoVisa — A life in India 1
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