Letter to Babusha

Krupa Gagwani

Hello there! I come from the time period between 3500 B.C. and 3000 B.C. when Egypt was being united under the pharaonic rule another great civilization was arising in Mesopotamia, the land between two rivers (referring to the Tigiris and Euphrates river). I am a statue from the Sumerian civilization that got its name from the Sumer region. The language spoken was unknown and so were the origins.
Wood, limestone, lapis lazuli, bronze, gypsum, alabaster, mud brick, copper, etc were used to make sculptures. I am the tallest statue from the Abu Temple, Tell Asmar built c 2700-2500 B.C. We were made with a combination of limestone, alabaster and gypsum. I stand a 30ft tall.
We are a group of 11 statues, some short, some tall, wearing different garments stylistically. Art historians think that we are statues of priests and worshippers because the humble worship pose holding a glass in hand that we have is common. Although some of the scholars think I ( the tallest statue) represent Abu the God of vegetation and the other tall figure as a mother Goddess. A way of painting and sculpting which the Sumerians might have borrowed from the Egyptians. All of us stand upright except for one of us who is kneeling, he seems to be the smallest figure.
We communicate a sense of awe through our enormous eyes. Our insistent stare were emphasized by colored inlays with precious materials like precious stones. We communicated with God through our eyes, the windows of the soul. Our faces and bodies were sculpted in a simplified and schematic order to focus mainly on our eyes…so this was all about us… Baabaa-shuka-abusha!! Oh! There’s a letter (every Wednesday we the people of the Mesopotamian civilization write to each other because all of us have been shattered all over the world museums)…
…n here are letters from Naram-Sin, Hammurabi and my buddy Dugu I mean Gudea. I miss him a lot, though I have others with me. Ok so here it goes.
Bonjour Babusha, ( he calls me that, we have pet names for each other and I must tell you being in Paris he learnt a little French) I’ve been missing you lately, I keep recollecting those wonderful days when we were together at Baghdad, those late night parties were so much of fun. The disco lights that shone through your eyes were amazing. I miss playing with your long beard the most , it was so soft when it was real only an artist with great prowess could have carved it so beautifully. How are things at Bagdad? Are you still that fit?
I’m falling for a girl; she comes thrice a week in the afternoon and stays back till evening. She has the most beautiful eyes; her smile is worth a million dollar, straight hair gorgeous teeth and a tiny nose…I just can’t stop thinking about her. All day I stand alone holding a pot of life giving water and I feel as though my endless love flows for her. She sketches me and the others and sometimes pens down some notes about us. I’m just a glass away from her. How I wish I could just feel her. She’s not like the others she talks to me I’m scared to speak to her so I gaze her in silence. Once she even called me handsome and I was so thoughtful about her that day, I didn’t realize I was holding the pot upside down, it was only when the mother Goddess tell me did I realize it.
Hey buddy this time do come to Paris for a holiday. I’ll take you to the Eiffel Tower and we’ll have variety of cheese. I’ll be waiting for you. Time for her to arrive so I better stand there for her. A big hello to all our people.
I’m happy for Dugu. I’ll have to go to Paris indeed to keep a track whether my buddy is going on the right track. Hey! Abu… time to go. Next time I’ll read letters from Hammurabi, Naram-Sin and others.


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