These words by Rumi, which informs the title, capture the dilemma of our times when malady has become a part of our daily existence, pointing us towards wisdom and magnificence instead of receding into our pain. Perhaps such suffering is where we are able to rebuild, and find the way forward. The artists whose works are presented here embrace the rhythm and beauty behind the scars that they carry. Khushbu Patel dives into dermascopic views of the scars on her body, almost as if they are splendorous organisms to be nurtured and embraced, despite frequently being shunned, for they are one with her being. Patel’s microscopic visions acquire macroscopic realization in Samanta Batra Mehta’s drawings that imagine human existence in symbiosis with botanical forms embodying nature that both hurts and heals through a wondrous cyclical relationship. Neerja Kothari borrows from repetition in physiotherapy that she underwent for years while regaining movement in her body, and also the Pomodoro technique, which builds restorative care into everyday work, cognizant that endurance and recovery are overlapping concepts. These healing processes inform her mark making, orchestrated at fixed times, with regular intervals, almost as if advised by a doctor’s prescription.

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