ideally,
the Biryani
that brings us all together
Note
From me, the Author, to you, the Reader
dear reader, i often think about my philosophy on and about life, and after some years of failing and rising, and then failing and rising better and stronger, but still jumping into unknown abysses with the same thrill, i have understood that my philosophy on life is that i am a rat on a treadmill, a monkey in a lab experiment, a rabbit in a room, a frog on a roof, and no i am none of the above, but what i mean is that life is an experiment, and it is truly and entirely meant to be a stage for the dreamers, an experiment for dissecting, testing, mending, probing and shooting into space and through it all creating, and the creation can be anything and everything, but to me, the Author, it is the creation of the Greatest Biryani, dear reader, an epitome of connection of its myriad parts and the humanity that it seeks a connection with, and as the Author, i stand on the shoulders of the culinary giants of big kitchens and kiosks alongside narrow street
Note on the Exposition
From the Author as the Artistic Researcher
This Exposition is a brief ironic comment on the ongoing degradation, commodification, and colonisation of food and its various dimensions – recipes, ingredients, context – and a reflection on the territorial definitions that establish an identity, in this case of the South Asians and Global South, that was once upon a time together as a people, and still come together in this brieftopian world of the Authors Greatest Biryani – an amalgamative dish of many political and perpetual cultural reproductions, drenched in time, and an ongoing identity contest for the old and the new.
The narrative fabric mirrors the thematic depth of the exposition as an active communal space where shared humanity and complex identities can intertwine – an invitation to cross the solitary threshold to reveal the self and society, resonance and dialogue, past and present. The choice to stage the exposition as a conversation is not merely a narrative technique but a deliberate artistic decision, by which the Author aims to transcend the role of the isolated narrator and invites you, the Reader, to collectively observe, participate, and partake with your interpretations upon this multilayered communal reflection on belonging.
The visuals within this exposition run parallel as active participants in the dialogue, standing as both reflections and extensions of my artistic research practice, and probes that delve into the unseen currents of my internal environment, connecting my introspections with the world beyond. Each visual piece is a collage created by the Author — whether an archival photograph, family image, or sourced (and accredited) — and serves as an artistic artefact connecting memory and reality, self and cultural identity, continuity and dislocation, and a sensory experience that can layer the visual and verbal.
corners, seeking to shine a light on the whimsical folly of all that is so readily available today that we sometimes fail to realise how much effort and how many hands a thing, an ingredient, a dish as exciting, indispensable and incalculable as my Greatest Biryani has passed down to come to us and bring back to life the wonder of diverse flavours coming together into its glory, and as i say this i reflect upon the biryani as an aesthetic, social and political space, created for and shaped by the contextual specifics of karachi, and also a sharpened awareness for the aspects of the past and the future as a means to help me track down its existence in the present, and dear reader, these words aren't merely words, come together, let us together listen, read, and eat!