Life is unpredictable. And uncertain too. But an entire lifetime isn’t enough to flower a petal of creativity to its full bloom. It falls miserably short it seems. But before the farewell hour comes knocking, can we dare to call it quits? Definitely not. Perhaps this profound philosophy has taught Trina Lahiri the biggest lesson in her life — the carpe diem theory, which says to “seize the day and live for every moment”. This in turn has further intensified her fight against cancer, her tenacity to combat the excruciating pain from a heavy dose of medication and her constant cruise with her imaginative pursuit, instead.
A paper-cutter of extraordinary talent, Trina enjoys shaping up fine filigrees in black and white silhouettes. Ask her what keeps her going, and pat comes her assertive reply: “I’m driven by my passion and self-belief.” And it is this dogged passion coupled with her utmost conviction that eggs on this 38-year-old to tick out time in a realm of fantastic monochromes other than mundane comforts.
Daughter of widely-acclaimed cartoonist Chandi Lahiri and ace batik artiste Tapati Lahiri, Trina refused to remain in the shadows of her parents’ artistic feat and bask under their glory. She rather chose to carve her own niche. She held her own when she decided to chalk out a skilled craft with an aid of scissors and knives. “My uncle Debabrata Lahiri, also an artiste, knew about my fixation for snipping, sizing, cutting and flawlessly sifting things. He then motivated me and helped me unconditionally with my work,” she recalls.
As a result, Trina happened to switch gears to a more intricately detailed, painstaking, laborious and an hour-consuming art that is being seldom recognised in India. Her excellent efforts bore fruits with her fascinating array of paper-cutting pieces, depicting the flora-and-fauna besides figurative compositions and thought-provoking themes. She invested time in perfecting her craft with her nimble fingers and further developed her own individualistic style. The uniqueness lies in cutting out a design from a single piece of paper or a page. “You see, there are different kinds of paper-cutting styles, but mine takes a form from one sheet of paper. Just as the sculptor chisels out an image from a particular slab of stone or a wood, for instance. This saves paper and prevents its undue wastage,” she explains her eco-friendly method.
Considering her craft as her sole siege against the fatal disease she battles day-in and day-out, Trina utters with a sense of poise that her art is a pep-pill to embalm her fatigued nerves. “I derive my inspiration from people and objects around me. Look at the God-gifted nature. Try and appreciate a new-born leaf, the fragrance of beautiful blossoms, the fresh morning dew and the first bout of rain showers during monsoon. Don’t they leave you rejuvenated?”
Probably we who bide time in cribbing over non-issues, must take a leaf out of her book to change our whole perspective towards life and understand its intrinsic meaning in the process.
What is well-known beyond bounds may not be the case back home. While her exhibited artworks have reaped laurels from foreign shores like France, Australia, Italy, Russia and Germany, within the national frontiers she has scarcely been able to hog the limelight. Her works have been globally appreciated and brought her to the notice of Bologna University in Italy to receive an award in 2010.
Also rewards flowed in from the Unesco in 2009, at a renowned paper-cutting show at China in 2008, from Australia in the 1990s and at the Hans Christian Andersen festival held in 2005 in Holland, Amsterdam. “The occasion marked the commemoration of the bicentenary year of this illustrious Danish author, fairy tale writer and poet. The festival had laid down a platform for all participants to blend paper-cutting with storytelling. It was undoubtedly a golden chance for me to prove my mettle in an international arena,” she gushes with excitement.
For the record, Trina’s collection of short stories Undulating Oratories was unveiled at the stalls of Kolkata Book Fair, early this year. One of her tales — Eyes That Lie is currently under collaboration with an Italian film company for its cinematic adaptation. “The shoot will begin sometime this year,” she reveals.
Also talks are on with a US-based production house called Rafael for screen-adaptation of her story titled, Python Son. “I’m yet to read the script of this movie. Besides, a docu-feature revolving around the fable of Radha-Krishna mythology with a French lady producer is on the anvil,” lists the busy girl whose hands are full.
Albeit an only child to her parents, Trina denies to be a solitary reaper. “I never feel lonely. For I have four more siblings to lend me long-lasting company at home. Guess who?” she shoots a query. “I have four pet pooches, with three male and one female dog. She too was a cancer victim and survived it with remarkable patience and resilience. Now at her ripe age of 17, she strolls around as one mature old lady. Given a dog’s life-span, she is a centurion I guess! Do I need anybody else to inspire me with such levels of incredible stamina, energy and vitality?” shares the multifaceted artiste who has diversified into other avenues as well. “Fact is, there is so much to offer under the sky. One must dig up ample opportunities scattered around to redefine and discover new things in life. For you never know. Time will just slip away like sands from your hand. So, clasp it by the collar to utilise it at its optimum,” she advises.
Notwithstanding her suffering, Trina has emerged a strong and doughty woman. Shuttling frequently from her residence to the AMRI Hospital in Kolkata for undergoing chemotherapy, Trina’s tone over the phone never gives away a hint of tiredness. She sounds as cheerful and perky as any hale-and-hearty teenager. “I returned from the hospital only a day ago. The medicines leave a slumberous effect on me and after two nights’ deep sleep, am back on my feet afresh,” she chatters nonchalantly with a child-like innocence.
Diagnosed with the ailment only two years ago, she has swallowed the bitter tablet as part and parcel of her life. “I’ve learnt to take it in my stride,” she maintains with a stoic endurance. Having been surrounded by her aesthetic world of make-believe characters, designs, handicrafts, short-story collections, chits with rhymed couplets, diaries, letters, classical music, copywriting for electronic ads, Trina has built bulwarks of her own creative space to sustain herself 24X7. Full of life and filled with optimism, she realises, that these are the real treasures of life.
Indeed she has found her true calling and never misses out a single day to either draw or plan at least one enthralling picture from her mind’s eye. “I’ve opened the window to let out my flapping wings of creativity take its first flight like a free bird. What do I need to fear from? Why should I even let a tear escape my eyes either? I mean, it’s pointless to sit and sulk in one corner of your bedroom. There’s light at the end of every tunnel, na. So let’s learn to forgive and move on. Better keep your happy memories alive. For they help wiping out the woes, anger and bitterness at ease. Why not then release the tension and depression through something prolific and constructive?” she envisions a way out with her will-force.
After having taken a master degree from the department of journalism and mass communication from University of Calcutta, Trina did a short-term stint on a private TV channel. Now running her ad agency Tree of Ads, she likes nurturing the thinking minds and whetting them as future wizards. “Fact is, more than the mantra of survival-of-the-fittest-body, it’s the ‘fittest mind’ that does the trick for me. I feel good when am at my creative best. Just as I needed a host of innovative ideas to hone my craft and not an artillery of cutters to express it, similarly, a creative mind can make all the difference if it has the zeal and hunger; grit and gumption to achieve its goals, no matter how distant they look,” she opines.
Restless yet confident, Trina always gropes for new horizons of possibilities and taste new experience in life. “So, one day you may find me river-rafting or trekking and then on another, driving while it rains. My latest obsession is, however, to learn to fly a kite and do a Latino jig, provided my doctors allow me!” she enthuses with a cackle.
Hope all your prayers are answered, Trina.