Part of my heart lies in India: Yoko

On her second visit to India, Yoko Ono says that she left one half of her heart in India when she visited it in the 70s John Lennon once described his wife Yoko Ono as “the world’s most famous unknown artist: everybody knows her name, but nobody knows what she does.” On her recent visit to Delhi, we saw Ono dressed in a beret and stylish trousers, wearing sunglasses for the press conference of her art installations in the country.She is a Japanese artist, musician, author, film director and peace activist, and her avant-garde conceptual art installations have been talked about across the world. She is all this and much more, but her name will always be associated with one thing – disbanding The Beatles, the legendary rock and roll band from the 60s. She was often criticised for having influenced Lennon’s music and for her experimental art which didn’t cater to the masses.At the press conference in the city, the 79-year-old politely answered all the questions addressed to her. And when someone asked her about India, her face lit up. “I have been here before... That was way back in the 70s. Half my heart lies here,” said the artist, adding, “India is becoming an economic power, but women power is equally, if not more, important.”Ono also spoke about the Imagine Peace Tower, a memorial for Lennon in Iceland, and a reservoir of all the hopes and wishes of individuals around the world, written on paper tags. This time, Indians will get a chance to pen down their own hopes and be part of Ono’s peace message to the world.