After about a year into the pandemic, Eureka held its first event, a book launch of WOUNDS, a study in the life and art of Somnath Hore. The stage was set, the people were seated, the host was ready and the book was launched.

What made the event a real success, was the presence of people of all ages; from six-year-old, Sehr, who stood up and talked about the book and sung a song, to a teenager, Ahaana who read the book and had found it to be a significant representation of the inner turmoil of an artist, all the way to Kabir, an 18-year-old boy who thought that the book did a really important job in breaking down the process of dealing with emotional concepts.             

Our Special guest, Roobina, allowed some non-artists, like me, in understanding why Somnath Hore’s art is one of the most brilliant art pieces of the country, why he focused on the deprived humans of the world, and why was the art, that this book talked about, so important to acknowledge. 

The theme of the event, ‘WHAT ARE THE WOUNDS THAT YOU CARRY?’ really came into action when guests were asked to express their wounds through paints. And express they did. Every child and every adult came together to paint something that spoke about their wounds. There was laughter, there was nostalgia, and with a sense of acceptance and love, the bookstore, truly, felt alive.