He left for the U.S. with no security or promise of a job. The first year was hard, as he had to work as a librarian by day and as a watchman, an ordinary guard of a building, by night. That one year was a traumatic time for him and has always remained as an inspiration for 'XY' throughout her life. Her father struggled day and night to be able to accrue enough money to send air tickets for his family to join him in New York.
When 'XY' reached New York, the first thing she did was to start working as a typist, so that she could pay for her own tuition. She worked 9 to 5, and then went to night school at Hunter College in Manhattan. 'XY' was educated at the City University of New York and received her Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts at Hunter College in Manhattan.
Her father wanted her to go to Paris for further studies, but she wanted to pursue a career in Acting, something she kept a secret from her family. As a little girl in Amritsar, when she went to the movies, she intuitively knew that one day she'd be there, emoting.
Her parents weren't pleased with her decision to return to India to pursue a career in acting. They asked her to get married and then do whatever she liked, but she decided to follow her heart.
Following her heart, 'X' found success in films and is a well known name today. 'X' also happens to be a Writer, Poet, Photographer and Painter.
Her first collection of poems in Urdu and Hindi, titled "Lamha-Lamha", was published in 1983, followed by an English collection "Black Wind And Other Poems", which was published by MapinLit in 1994.
In 1996, she held her first solo exhibition of paintings titled 'One Woman Show', at Mumbai's Jehangir Art Gallery.
Two years later, she exhibited her photography of Ladakh in a show titled 'In Search Of Another Sky'.
On 30th October, 2011, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan released XY's latest book "The Mad Tibetan" - Stories from Then and Now; a collection of semi-autobiographical short stories.
"The Mad Tibetan" - Stories from Then and Now, is a collection of 11 short stories, published by Amaryllis, an imprint of Manjul Publishing House, Delhi.
'XY' has Written, Produced and Directed a feature film called "Do Paise Ki Dhoop Chaar Aane Ki Baarish". The film is set in the Mumbai monsoon and stars Manisha Koirala, Rajit Kapoor and Milind Soman. The film premiered at the market section of the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and is slated to a commercial release in 2012.
XY's third book of poems, 'River' is under publication. It will be published by Amaryllis, Delhi.
Identify 'XY'.
Additional Trivia :
XY's father, Dr. Uday C. 'Y', retired as a Professor of English from Lehman College of the City University of New York. He taught English as a foreign language to generations of immigrant students from all over the world; mostly from Latin American and Caribbean countries.
Dr. Uday C. 'Y' obtained his PhD. in Linguistics, at the age of 65, a full 45 years after completing his M.A. degree at age 20.
Earlier in India, he authored a Hindi book "Kaarya Jaanch Kyoon Aur Kaise", the first-ever Asian publication on the management technique of 'work study'. He received a letter of appreciation from Prime Minster Jawaharlal Nehru. The personal letter, dated July 10, 1962, was addressed as 'Dear Professor Y'.
Dr. Uday C. 'Y', along with Dr. Soofia K. Hussain, has authored another book titled "Striped Zebra" : The Immigrant Psyche. It's a book about immigrants and is an extensive and significant study about the migration factor all over the world. The book has been published in India by Rupa & Co., Delhi.
deepti naval
ReplyDeleteMs. Snehal Shriwastava gets it absolutely right :)
ReplyDelete'XY' is Deepti Naval.
ReplyDelete