June 2011
Dearest Friends and Family,
The second stop on my trip in Asia was in Kolkata, India. For those that don’t know, Kolkata has a population of about 18 million. It is a city that just seems to never end. However, if you know where you’re going and who you’re trying to see, the size isn’t so unbearable. On our first morning there Silas (my boss) and I were trying to find a man named Tuna.
Tuna is a beloved friend to many WMF staff past and present. He lives on the streets in an area of Kolkata that encompasses the art school that he once attended. Silas and I were staying in this area and I asked Silas if he thought that we would see him, and then low and behold about two minutes later we saw him. He recognized Silas right away and off we went to Khalsa’s, the restaurant that many different people have contributed money to a running tab so that Tuna can eat there daily.
From what different people have put together from the fragments of stories that Tuna has told, his story is that he was a very talented student at the art college when something extremely traumatic happened in his life. It was at that time that he had a mental break and started living on the streets. He has been in that area ever since.
Even though I’m sure there is a lot going on in Tuna’s mind, when we were sitting with him, I felt at peace and at ease. He is often drawing and almost everyone that sits down to a meal with Tuna will come away with a one of a kind portrait of themselves. I was no exception to that rule and you can see the portrait of me below. I paid nothing for it, but it’s the best piece of artwork that I own. I loved spending even that small amount of time with Tuna and I hope I can see him again one day.
Please read more about Tuna’s story on the WMF website here: https://wordmadeflesh.org/updates/tuna/
We also have t-shirts we are selling that have a few of Tuna’s drawings on them and part of the proceeds go to his tab at Khalsa’s restaurant. You can find the shirt in our online store.
https://wordmadeflesh.org/support/buy/
Also, in case you weren’t aware I have a blog that has some posts about my recent travels with WMF and also many posts from my days in Mali. www.parasharon.wordpress.com
Love and peace, Sharon Lane