A Journey Through The Five Stages of Grief at The Third Edition of The Memory Project

When you lose a loved one, grief takes over your life in a tumultuous flow of pain. But despite the chaotic emotions that accompany bereavement, grief tends to follow a pattern that eventually ends in acceptance. In an ode to those we’ve loved and lost, the third edition of HDFC Life’s The Memory Project, crafted and produced by OML - follows the ebb and flow of grief with performance, poetry, dance and music in five thoughtfully curated acts. By lending artistic expression to shock, denial, anger, depression and acceptance the event attempted to mould grief into a form that pays homage to cherished memories of the ones we loved and lost. The evening saw emotions laid out through 5 thoughtfully crafted & conceptualised acts across 5 stages to create an experiential rendition of what follows a loss. Sahil Vasudeva, celebrated composer & pianist lent his art to the emotion of shock with a truly transcendent performance, done in tandem with a light installation that showcased the lives lost. Aerial silkist Dasha Fogel denied gravity and portrayed the emotion of denial with a breathtaking performance to John Mayer’s Gravity. Anger was represented by the power of percussion in a drum solo filled with fury by Sambit Chaterjee (drummer for bands such as aswekeepsearching & Tajdar Junaid). To depict depression, Amandeep Singh (Storyteller - Tape a tale) shared a moving personal experience through and invited others to share their journey towards acceptance. The Memory project created a safe space through this portrayal of emotions that saw unique memories being shared by the audience of the loved ones that they have lost. The evening ended with a beautiful depiction of acceptance through song by Khalid Ahamed (lead vocalist= Parvaaz) & Tipriti Kharbangar and Rudy Wallang (of Soulmate). The Memory Project has been an initiative by HDFC Life to build a community where people can share their memories and cope during this difficult time. The Memory Project aims to help people go beyond sorrow and cherish the lives of their loved ones lost. And through this year’s edition, they saw that in spades. “The previous two seasons of The Memory Project set the tone for the third edition, which centres on 'The Little Things' that people hold on to from their loved ones. Our honest commitment to the objective of setting up a support structure for people experiencing a loss has created a community of believers. Our intent has always been to allow acceptance and a spirit of openness towards individuals who are experiencing a loss. After all, each journey through the stages of grief is as unique as the person going through it, and the memory project bears testament to this.” said Mr Vishal Subharwal, Executive Vice President, Ecommerce & Digital Marketing, HDFC Life “Some projects go beyond being simply ‘work’ and become a labour of love. Each of us has someone whose memory we want to cherish and honour, and this project was for each of them. The Memory Project is unique - a way to celebrate life while introspecting on those who are no longer with us. HDFC Life’s clarity on the project and the emotions they wanted to elicit made this a challenging, emotional and satisfying endeavour, we are proud to partner in this property that is so close to their heart" said Tarun Tripathi, Chief Strategy Officer, OML The Memory Project also saw artists like Yash Pradhan creating custom artwork to showcase the 5 stages of grief & poet Karuna Ezara Parikh lending her poems as a memorabilia for the attendees. Other installations depicting memory through smell, and a grand display of a thousand paper origami cranes (done by Origami with Bob) depicting the Japanese legend that anyone who folds a thousand cranes will be granted a wish by the gods made this event one that left the attendees thoughtful, about the fragility of life, and everything it leaves in its wake.