Here's how my part of the Yoga demonstration went:
Good Evening Friends!
The subject of Yoga is as vast as the sky and cannot be bound by time. But, sadly, we all are. So let's take a short journey into the world of Yoga.
On the blackboard:
--------------------------------------YOGA------------------------------------------
Before going deeper into the subject we have to come to an understanding as to what Yoga means. The Sanskrit word 'yoga' has many meanings but is derived from the word 'YUJ' which means to control or to unite.
Control? How? Unite? With what?
To find answers to these questions we will have to travel back in history to about 4000-5000 BCE, to the Vedic period. Vedas are ancient scriptures of India, which formed the basis for philosophical thought, science and arts of India. They are considered to contain all the knowledge that man can attain. There are four Vedas which were transferred by the oral tradition of teaching from generation to generation. The Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and the Atharva Veda.
Six schools of philosophy developed based on these Vedas. There are also philosophical schools which reject Vedic supremacy, like Buddhism and Jainism. These are vast subjects in themselves so we will limit ourselves to the traditional six.
The first of these schools is the Nyaya Darshana (Darshana means vision or philosophy) developed by sage Gautama. Nyaya believes that there is a reason beyond the obvious behind everything in this world.
The Vaisheshika Darshana of sage Kanaada furthers this theory and says that a combination of atoms is the cause of everything in this world, that atoms are the underlying reason behind everything. Atoms! You must remember that this was more than 5000 years ago!
Sage Jaimini in his Meemamsa Darshana studies and develops rituals and sacrifices.
The fourth philosophical school is considered the most important one, the Vedanta Darshana. Sage Vyasa puts forward the simple vision, Aham Brahmasmi, meaning I am the absolute. This signifies the oneness and equality of everything in this world, that all are part of the supreme energy.
The fifth school of philosophy, Saankhya Darshana enquires beyond the physical world. Sage Kapila studies the human consciousness analytically and divides it into four - mind, intelligence, memory and ego.
The sixth school is our subject, Yoga Darshana. This was developed by sage Patanjali whose time can be safely said to be about 200 BCE. He is considered to be the incarnation of Adishesha, the thousand-headed divine serpent on whom Mahavishnu reclines. The story of his birth says that once a very pious childless Brahmin lady was praying to the gods with folded hands and a little snake fell into her hands which later turned into a baby and was called Patanjali. 'Pata' means fallen and 'Anjali' means folded hands. So, he literally fell into folded hands!
Patanjali's Yoga Sutras (A Sutra is an aphorism) form the base of Yoga Darshana. A treatise on Sanskrit Grammar and another on Ayurveda are also attributed to Patanjali.
Now let's take a little peep into Patanjali's ashram almost 2000 years ago. Patanjali is sitting under a huge shady tree and addresses his students with the words, "Atha Yogaanushaasanam", literally, "Now we may study Yoga". After the student has given years of service at the master's home, one day the master judging the student's readiness says, "Now we may study Yoga". This is Patanjali's first Sutra.
As is expected of him, the student asks the Master, "Master, what is Yoga?"
In his second Sutra, Patanjali explains, "Yoga chitta vrittih nirodhah".
Meaning, Yoga is the control over the modifications of the mind or the individual soul.
Our mind is said to be occupying five different states at different times. Moodham, which is the state of foolishness expressed as inactivity in a person. Kshiptham or scattered, is the state where the mind jumps from one subject to another without any control. Expressed as high agitation, inability to listen or keep quiet. The third state is Vikshiptham or zealous where the mind acquires knowledge and goes out to one particular subject but still without any control. Next state is Ekagram or concentrated, where the person is focussed. The fifth state of mind is Niruddham, controlled, where the mind is not distracted by random thoughts but is fully absorbed in the object of focus.
To summarize this long story we can say that Yoga is the control over the modifications of our mind to unite with the supreme energy and attain super-consciousness, enlightenment, realization or ultimate bliss.
So Yoga is the way to Vedanta, the way to attaining oneness with the absolute.
To understand how yoga helps to control our minds we have to have an understanding of ourselves. Valerie will help us do that.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conclusion
We have now seen that the ancient Indian culture of Yoga presented to us by the sages is based on essential human requirements, not only to gain physical health but also for the achievement of higher aims of life. The World Health Organization defines health as physical, mental, intellectual, social and spiritual health. Yoga is the only way to achieve such holistic health. Practice of a Yogic lifestyle and doing our duties without expecting benefit, will easily help us towards this. Yoga just as the name says is the union or harmony of our dimensions and keeps mentally and physically stable. We need this to keep ourselves free from stress in this fast-paced life.
The ultimate spiritual benefit of Yoga is the realization that we and everything else in the universe are part of the same energy. The world sorely needs this because than there would be no more wars based on differences of caste, race, sex or wealth. I wish.
Thank You.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Flashback: A thirteen year old struggling with numbers and symbols, prayed thus.
गणित तो है इक बला
मैंने गणित पढ़ा
लेकिन वह तो मुश्किल बड़ा
सो कुछ भी मेरे सर में न चढा
बेचारा पेन भी बोर हो पड़ा
काश जा सकती उड दूर
दूर इस गणित को पीछे छोड़
लेकिन है मेरे पैर जड़े
ये धरती से कभी न लडे
गणित तो मुश्किलों से भरा
ले जा प्रभु मुझे इक ऐसी दुनिया में
जहाँ हो न गणित जैसी बला
अनुराधा शिवदास
She was desperate.
But later came to love maths dearly.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Yoga!
Dear World,
In your meditation today...
May your body be still and comfortable...
May your head, neck and trunk be aligned...
May your breath be smooth, slow serene and with no pauses...
May the flow of thoughts in your mind not disturb you...
May your meditation today bring you,
Peace, happiness and bliss...
I pray thus for myself and also my fellow students of yoga at the centre. But...my feet don't pay any heed to my fervent prayer...they sleep everyday, during pranayama and meditation... my head swims with thoughts...joints and muscles which I had no clue existed in my body, ache...But I am keeping on...Remembering the only lesson in Sanskrit from school days that I can recall, "Udyamena Hi Sidhdhyanti Kaaryani, Na Manorathe, Na Hi Supthasya Singhasya Mukhe Pravishyanthi Mrigah" which means, All can be attained only through hard work, the deer doesn't walk into a sleeping lion's mouth. And Swami says things will improve with time and continuous practice...
I hope so...
Swami also said one more thing: All the fat from the human body if taken out will only be enough to make one bar of washing soap!
So, trying not to be proud of only the fat on my body...
Your's loving
Anu
Thursday, April 2, 2009
One with the Flame!
Read this on a website...
“Once upon a time there were moths who had heard about the flame. They wanted to see what it was like. The first moth came near the flame. The second flew over it. The third skimmed with its wing. The fourth threw itself into the flame and burned. The others watched as the body disappeared as it became one with the flame. The fourth moth realized what a flame was really like but could no longer talk about it”.
I think this rings true for everything from religion to arts & love.
“Once upon a time there were moths who had heard about the flame. They wanted to see what it was like. The first moth came near the flame. The second flew over it. The third skimmed with its wing. The fourth threw itself into the flame and burned. The others watched as the body disappeared as it became one with the flame. The fourth moth realized what a flame was really like but could no longer talk about it”.
I think this rings true for everything from religion to arts & love.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Spanish Lessons: Pequena Historia!
Jannet, from Mexico is teaching us spanish. It's so much fun. Right now we have only studied the present tense so I cannot make big stories but can try a small one."Yo tengo un gato pequeno y blanco. Mi gato se llamo poocha. Poocha es muy limpio. A veces yo le hablo a mi gato. Poocha es mi amigo. Yo amo mi lindo gato. Gautham esta tan celoso porque yo no escribo su historio."
(I have a cat who is small and white. My cat is called poocha. Poocha is very clean. Sometimes I talk to my cat. Poocha is my friend. I love my cute cat. Gautham is so jealous because I have not written his story.)
I haven't shown this to mi maestra yet, so if there are any mistakes I'll come back and correct it... :)
Yo soy tan feliz porque yo soy una estudiante de espanol.
(I am so happy because I am a student of spanish.)
:)
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Large Dams: Boon or Bane!
Look what I found, a synopsis I wrote for a presentation at a techfest at college...
LARGE DAMS: BOON OR BANE?
Large dams have been regarded as icons of progress for long now. For many they symbolize the victory of man’s genius over nature. But isn’t it time to assess whether all that dams promise have been realized?
Dams, besides the creation of storage and head to generate electricity, are meant to supply water for agriculture, industries and households, to control flooding, to assist river navigation and to provide recreational facilities.
The works of many researchers show that dams while unable to fulfill these minimal functions cause extensive damage to ecosystems and humans. Construction of large dams causes the submergence of large tracts of land displacing millions of people and destroying acres of forestland. Yes, they do eliminate normal annual floods but they also increase the severity of flash floods. River navigation is almost made impossible by dams because most have been constructed without locks, which are rather expensive in construction. Traditional river-users are at a loss because their vessels are not suitable to be used over dangerous reservoirs containing drowned trees and other obstacles. Water for the purpose of irrigation in most of the cases lost on its way due to improper distribution systems and heavy losses in them. Drinking water is yet another thing. Dams often affect water quality adversely due to algal blooms and other parasitic beings like snails, mosquitoes, which flourish in the reservoir waters. Also faulty systems drink up most of the ‘better’ water available for supply. Recreation is rendered dangerous because downstream recreation activities may be flooded on release of the reservoir waters. Construction of dams fragments riverine ecosystems by isolating species living upstream and downstream. Estuaries are also at a loss as dams curtail the amount of nutrients dumped in it. Overall, Major dams can be regarded as a huge, long-term and largely irreversible environmental experiment without a control.
The need of opposing large dam construction is strengthened by the knowledge that most of the functions supposed to be fulfilled by dams can be met in other ways. Some of the sensible alternatives to building large dams are: Proper water shed management, rain water harvesting, traditional uses of irrigation, uses of other renewable sources of energy like wind, geothermal, tidal & solar energy, using check dams, harvesting the floods, water harvesting by storing water under ground to prevent surface evaporation and replenishing watersheds, and last but not least by encouraging small hydro, for a small trickle of water and a scope of hills are all it needs.
Since these alternatives have been found to be sustainable and efficient at many places we can employ them to reduce if not to complete nullify the harm the Mega dams have already caused on our fragile ecosystem and lives.
It was in 2003 and I was deeply influenced by the excellent book 'Silenced Rivers' by Patrick McCully. As for the presentation, I was immature, lacked preparation, had only big spirit, so the presentation went well but on the question answer session I was poorly prepared, our geotechnical engineering teacher asked me what kind of dam Idukki dam was, I didn't know...
But I did the same at a Friday student's meeting of WWF once and it was great! :)
Well, guess it depended on good preparation and the right audience!
LARGE DAMS: BOON OR BANE?
Large dams have been regarded as icons of progress for long now. For many they symbolize the victory of man’s genius over nature. But isn’t it time to assess whether all that dams promise have been realized?
Dams, besides the creation of storage and head to generate electricity, are meant to supply water for agriculture, industries and households, to control flooding, to assist river navigation and to provide recreational facilities.
The works of many researchers show that dams while unable to fulfill these minimal functions cause extensive damage to ecosystems and humans. Construction of large dams causes the submergence of large tracts of land displacing millions of people and destroying acres of forestland. Yes, they do eliminate normal annual floods but they also increase the severity of flash floods. River navigation is almost made impossible by dams because most have been constructed without locks, which are rather expensive in construction. Traditional river-users are at a loss because their vessels are not suitable to be used over dangerous reservoirs containing drowned trees and other obstacles. Water for the purpose of irrigation in most of the cases lost on its way due to improper distribution systems and heavy losses in them. Drinking water is yet another thing. Dams often affect water quality adversely due to algal blooms and other parasitic beings like snails, mosquitoes, which flourish in the reservoir waters. Also faulty systems drink up most of the ‘better’ water available for supply. Recreation is rendered dangerous because downstream recreation activities may be flooded on release of the reservoir waters. Construction of dams fragments riverine ecosystems by isolating species living upstream and downstream. Estuaries are also at a loss as dams curtail the amount of nutrients dumped in it. Overall, Major dams can be regarded as a huge, long-term and largely irreversible environmental experiment without a control.
The need of opposing large dam construction is strengthened by the knowledge that most of the functions supposed to be fulfilled by dams can be met in other ways. Some of the sensible alternatives to building large dams are: Proper water shed management, rain water harvesting, traditional uses of irrigation, uses of other renewable sources of energy like wind, geothermal, tidal & solar energy, using check dams, harvesting the floods, water harvesting by storing water under ground to prevent surface evaporation and replenishing watersheds, and last but not least by encouraging small hydro, for a small trickle of water and a scope of hills are all it needs.
Since these alternatives have been found to be sustainable and efficient at many places we can employ them to reduce if not to complete nullify the harm the Mega dams have already caused on our fragile ecosystem and lives.
It was in 2003 and I was deeply influenced by the excellent book 'Silenced Rivers' by Patrick McCully. As for the presentation, I was immature, lacked preparation, had only big spirit, so the presentation went well but on the question answer session I was poorly prepared, our geotechnical engineering teacher asked me what kind of dam Idukki dam was, I didn't know...
But I did the same at a Friday student's meeting of WWF once and it was great! :)
Well, guess it depended on good preparation and the right audience!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The Dancing Foot
Yesterday, opening an old cardboard box full of books at office, I found 'The Dancing Foot', a book about folk dances of India by Mulk Raj Anand, first published in January 1957 and reprinted in 1969. The book priced at Rs 2.50 was badly damaged by fungus and it was difficult to read. But the line drawings were great, the language, beautiful and quaint, the spirit, exalted . So, I want to share the first chapter with you, the introduction.
Here goes :
Out of the depths of the night comes the drum beat. It glows into three simple beats. And then into variations of these three beats, accompanied by the emphasis, here and there, of certain phrases of the theme song by dithyrambic (means wildly enthusiastic) human voices. And, from all sides of the village, people become aware of the flowering of a dance in their midst. They move towards the arena and keep time with claps of hands or with the feet. And, the ensemble grows, involving almost the whole community.
This is the atmosphere from which spring the folk dances of India.
From Kashmir in the North to Cape Comorin in the South, from Saurashtra and Maharashtra in the West to Manipur in the East, the village life throbs with the natural gaiety which expresses itself in these popular dances.
Originating in the harvest festivals of our ancient ancestors, when the Gods were invoked or appeased through magical verses and the dancing foot, the folk dances retain the spontaneity and vitality of much of their primary impulse; the quick of the primitive soul. For, as in the earlier times, man bridged the distance between this world and the other world through the dance, by assuming the role of Gods and demons, so, now, he celebrates these intensest moments by his varying steps, taking colour from nature which he conquers, and with which he allies himself. Thus he casts a spell on himself and on the elements which surround him.
This ambivalent relation between man and nature must be emphasised, if we are to appreciate the folk dances of India.
Apparently lush and beautiful, our land yields with difficulty. The peasant tills the soil patiently. If the rains do not come, the hot sun cracks the earth into millions of fissures, and peasant's ordeal is hard, indeed. So, we find that he fights against nature, and yet loves it dearly. The spirits of the past ages, which symbolise natural calamities, like drought, famine, flood, and pestilence, persist. And he exorcises the fears of these dread forces in the permanent, yet ever alive, forms of movement, of his limbs and lineaments.
Again when the clouds pour down, the heart of the farmer is full. It is full of sunshine and God, full of the freedom of the wind and the songs of his land. And the inner life bubbles up in his soul. The deeper rhythms move his feet to dance, even as the magic of rhythm moves little children to dance. Thus, if the Gods give the blessings of plenty as the reward for work, man offers his gratitude through the one art which is nearest to prayer - dance.
That is why man unconsciously simulates the movements of birds, beasts and flowers in his rhythmic stances. Like the swaying of the branches, sway the legs and arms; like the waving grosses waves the body; like the ear of corn are the heads cocked.
And, in this way, the folk dances of India show, in the most obvious manner, the basic connection between outside movements and inner rhythms.
Starting from the early morning chime of temple bells, the people's life revolves round the rhythmic acts of fetching water, milking the cows, churning the butter, pounding the rice, the honking of cattle behind the plough, the scattering of seeds and the ultimate reaping . Certain movements have been abstracted from all those movements, from those operations, and they have been reduced to the simplest forms or cadences. The repetitions of these cadences in the essential rhythms, find expression in the the dance-like eddies of life, purified from everything else, except music and passion for movement, to lift man's ordinary life from the daily drudgeries to the splendour of the highest moments.
The folk dances of India reveal not only the individual talents of our people, but the collective traditions of each part of our countryside, the characteristics of the community, and a love for rhythm almost as though it were the eternal life.
Whilst the differences of landscape and atmosphere have brought about a great variety of rhythms, of musical compositions, of costumes and dance styles, the underlying religious feelings, which were bound up with the nature-cults of ancient and medieval India, have become part of a unique national tradition for the whole country, with an interior oneness of purpose and aspiration.
The vast variety of folk dances of India may be grouped under three heads :
1. Community dances held on the main religious festivals and social occasions;
2. Tribal dances, rooted in aboriginal cults and expressive of their magical philosophies of life;
3. Folk dances preserved by hereditary professional families and troupes, who perform at birth, betrothal, and marriage in the villages.
Of all these dances, it can be said that, as they came to our people, at work, not at the expense of life, but as exaltations of life itself, they belong to the whole people and express the imaginative life. It is true that they face the challenge of modern industrial civilization, and have tended to lapse here and there, through their inertia. But it is also certain that the present rehearsals all over the country of these old dance cultures can be kept alive, not as eddies of momentary impulse but as the fountains from which all flow again.
In this little book we will not divide the dances according to whether they are community, tribal or professional dances, but we shall describe them as the urges of pastoral man of the different parts of our country dedicated to the spirit of rhythm, which is worshiped in the peasant's prayer :
"The dancing foot, the tinkling bells,
The songs that are sung,
And the varying steps,
Find these within yourself,
Then shall your fetters fall away."
Here goes :
Out of the depths of the night comes the drum beat. It glows into three simple beats. And then into variations of these three beats, accompanied by the emphasis, here and there, of certain phrases of the theme song by dithyrambic (means wildly enthusiastic) human voices. And, from all sides of the village, people become aware of the flowering of a dance in their midst. They move towards the arena and keep time with claps of hands or with the feet. And, the ensemble grows, involving almost the whole community.
This is the atmosphere from which spring the folk dances of India.
From Kashmir in the North to Cape Comorin in the South, from Saurashtra and Maharashtra in the West to Manipur in the East, the village life throbs with the natural gaiety which expresses itself in these popular dances.
Originating in the harvest festivals of our ancient ancestors, when the Gods were invoked or appeased through magical verses and the dancing foot, the folk dances retain the spontaneity and vitality of much of their primary impulse; the quick of the primitive soul. For, as in the earlier times, man bridged the distance between this world and the other world through the dance, by assuming the role of Gods and demons, so, now, he celebrates these intensest moments by his varying steps, taking colour from nature which he conquers, and with which he allies himself. Thus he casts a spell on himself and on the elements which surround him.
This ambivalent relation between man and nature must be emphasised, if we are to appreciate the folk dances of India.
Apparently lush and beautiful, our land yields with difficulty. The peasant tills the soil patiently. If the rains do not come, the hot sun cracks the earth into millions of fissures, and peasant's ordeal is hard, indeed. So, we find that he fights against nature, and yet loves it dearly. The spirits of the past ages, which symbolise natural calamities, like drought, famine, flood, and pestilence, persist. And he exorcises the fears of these dread forces in the permanent, yet ever alive, forms of movement, of his limbs and lineaments.
Again when the clouds pour down, the heart of the farmer is full. It is full of sunshine and God, full of the freedom of the wind and the songs of his land. And the inner life bubbles up in his soul. The deeper rhythms move his feet to dance, even as the magic of rhythm moves little children to dance. Thus, if the Gods give the blessings of plenty as the reward for work, man offers his gratitude through the one art which is nearest to prayer - dance.
That is why man unconsciously simulates the movements of birds, beasts and flowers in his rhythmic stances. Like the swaying of the branches, sway the legs and arms; like the waving grosses waves the body; like the ear of corn are the heads cocked.
And, in this way, the folk dances of India show, in the most obvious manner, the basic connection between outside movements and inner rhythms.
Starting from the early morning chime of temple bells, the people's life revolves round the rhythmic acts of fetching water, milking the cows, churning the butter, pounding the rice, the honking of cattle behind the plough, the scattering of seeds and the ultimate reaping . Certain movements have been abstracted from all those movements, from those operations, and they have been reduced to the simplest forms or cadences. The repetitions of these cadences in the essential rhythms, find expression in the the dance-like eddies of life, purified from everything else, except music and passion for movement, to lift man's ordinary life from the daily drudgeries to the splendour of the highest moments.
The folk dances of India reveal not only the individual talents of our people, but the collective traditions of each part of our countryside, the characteristics of the community, and a love for rhythm almost as though it were the eternal life.
Whilst the differences of landscape and atmosphere have brought about a great variety of rhythms, of musical compositions, of costumes and dance styles, the underlying religious feelings, which were bound up with the nature-cults of ancient and medieval India, have become part of a unique national tradition for the whole country, with an interior oneness of purpose and aspiration.
The vast variety of folk dances of India may be grouped under three heads :
1. Community dances held on the main religious festivals and social occasions;
2. Tribal dances, rooted in aboriginal cults and expressive of their magical philosophies of life;
3. Folk dances preserved by hereditary professional families and troupes, who perform at birth, betrothal, and marriage in the villages.
Of all these dances, it can be said that, as they came to our people, at work, not at the expense of life, but as exaltations of life itself, they belong to the whole people and express the imaginative life. It is true that they face the challenge of modern industrial civilization, and have tended to lapse here and there, through their inertia. But it is also certain that the present rehearsals all over the country of these old dance cultures can be kept alive, not as eddies of momentary impulse but as the fountains from which all flow again.
In this little book we will not divide the dances according to whether they are community, tribal or professional dances, but we shall describe them as the urges of pastoral man of the different parts of our country dedicated to the spirit of rhythm, which is worshiped in the peasant's prayer :
"The dancing foot, the tinkling bells,
The songs that are sung,
And the varying steps,
Find these within yourself,
Then shall your fetters fall away."
Caroling Pics
Here's some pics of the caroling... :)
First Rehearsal : : Everyone was shy... :)
Oh what fun it is to...
Shirt is too small, or Santa's too big...;)
Alexandra, sewing caps for Santa...
The German carolers (Silent Night was best in German!)
Trying Hard to Learn the Lyrics...
The Malayalee Team...
Santa on Drums!
A French Young Lady/Indian Dress/Mexican Hat : : Alexandra
The Santa Caps are Ready...
Santa Beard on the Make
Playing Santa with the Treasure Bag...
One Drummer Coming Up!
The Angels... :)
Make-up Artists at Work...
Cutest Angels on Earth...
Jannet, the coolest organizer with Santa...
On the Move...
Singing!
Drumming...
Santa's here...
Merry X'mas...
So Tender & Mild...
More Singing...
Tutti Pranav with Ravi, Our Fearsome Security Guard!
The Core Team!
It was great fun!
:)
First Rehearsal : : Everyone was shy... :)
Oh what fun it is to...
Shirt is too small, or Santa's too big...;)
Alexandra, sewing caps for Santa...
The German carolers (Silent Night was best in German!)
Trying Hard to Learn the Lyrics...
The Malayalee Team...
Santa on Drums!
A French Young Lady/Indian Dress/Mexican Hat : : Alexandra
The Santa Caps are Ready...
Santa Beard on the Make
Playing Santa with the Treasure Bag...
One Drummer Coming Up!
The Angels... :)
Make-up Artists at Work...
Cutest Angels on Earth...
Jannet, the coolest organizer with Santa...
On the Move...
Singing!
Drumming...
Santa's here...
Merry X'mas...
So Tender & Mild...
More Singing...
Tutti Pranav with Ravi, Our Fearsome Security Guard!
The Core Team!
It was great fun!
:)
Saturday, February 21, 2009
December...Lovely December...
December; the end of the year... Sometimes I have thought, the ending and beginning of a year is not so significant, since a 'year' is just another way of keeping time.
I have always believed that traditional calenders which mark the agricultural and astronomical patterns are much more realistic than some emperor guys changing the calender to suit their tastes! (But this calls for a complete blog, so more later...)
This December was made wonderful by the joy and love that a bunch of trans-cultural explorers, infused in all of us.
Zoom to : Dinner time : I'm whispering to G, "Can we go Xmas caroling 'round the village?"
With Jannet, the organizer as the driving force, that whisper grew to downloading carols from the internet, practice sessions with pathetic efforts at singing 'Silent Night' (Except for Tara, who sings like a sweet lil birdie, shy and so beautiful), Gautham's funny histrionics with the 'Rudolf' song, German carols by Marsilia & Frank, everyone singing 'Yahoodiyayile' in their wonderful Malayalam and dressing up Rajeesh as the Santa, thoughtful Jannet making toffee-filled stars for kids, the two angels-in-white, Alexandra & Soumya, the drummers, and kids joining in the carol group... It grew into a lovely night singing under the stars (though the singing was a bit off-key and the drumming was maddening at times).
Then there was the Xmas feast, which I sadly missed, we went home to bangalore to amma's feast... :)
(To be continued...)
I have always believed that traditional calenders which mark the agricultural and astronomical patterns are much more realistic than some emperor guys changing the calender to suit their tastes! (But this calls for a complete blog, so more later...)
This December was made wonderful by the joy and love that a bunch of trans-cultural explorers, infused in all of us.
Zoom to : Dinner time : I'm whispering to G, "Can we go Xmas caroling 'round the village?"
With Jannet, the organizer as the driving force, that whisper grew to downloading carols from the internet, practice sessions with pathetic efforts at singing 'Silent Night' (Except for Tara, who sings like a sweet lil birdie, shy and so beautiful), Gautham's funny histrionics with the 'Rudolf' song, German carols by Marsilia & Frank, everyone singing 'Yahoodiyayile' in their wonderful Malayalam and dressing up Rajeesh as the Santa, thoughtful Jannet making toffee-filled stars for kids, the two angels-in-white, Alexandra & Soumya, the drummers, and kids joining in the carol group... It grew into a lovely night singing under the stars (though the singing was a bit off-key and the drumming was maddening at times).
Then there was the Xmas feast, which I sadly missed, we went home to bangalore to amma's feast... :)
(To be continued...)
Friday, February 20, 2009
A Dream Deferred!
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or does it fester like a sore -
and then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over -
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load?
Or does it explode?
Langston Hughes
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or does it fester like a sore -
and then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over -
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load?
Or does it explode?
Langston Hughes
Sunday, February 15, 2009
I want to write about...
Some things I want to write on...When... ;)
* Gandhiji
* Thrangali aka heaven
* Paul aka the white bear
* Min Tanaka
* Indian mythology
* Stories
* Childhood
* People I love
* Memories
* Thoughts
* Dreams
* Conversations
* Children
* And maybe more..
Let's see...
I won't write about books I read & movies I see because I am hopeless in analyzing them. I either love it or am left unfeeling after reading/watching. That's not much to write about, eh? Maybe sometime I can put a list of 'I loved it' things...
Most of the time I'm sort of reluctant to write. The only time I write good stuff is when I'm inspired by something so much that I get a pen immediately and jot down whatever I feel. I cannot write on a calm mind...
Dear world
Give me
Small things
Of beauty
Deep
My heart
Will awaken
To flower
Fragrant
Dear world
Inspire me!
* Gandhiji
* Thrangali aka heaven
* Paul aka the white bear
* Min Tanaka
* Indian mythology
* Stories
* Childhood
* People I love
* Memories
* Thoughts
* Dreams
* Conversations
* Children
* And maybe more..
Let's see...
I won't write about books I read & movies I see because I am hopeless in analyzing them. I either love it or am left unfeeling after reading/watching. That's not much to write about, eh? Maybe sometime I can put a list of 'I loved it' things...
Most of the time I'm sort of reluctant to write. The only time I write good stuff is when I'm inspired by something so much that I get a pen immediately and jot down whatever I feel. I cannot write on a calm mind...
Dear world
Give me
Small things
Of beauty
Deep
My heart
Will awaken
To flower
Fragrant
Dear world
Inspire me!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
The Blue Sky
Once...
I dreamt I was an eagle...
Soaring high in a blue sky...
Waking up...
I was sad I was rooted to earth...
Yesterday...
I slept with no dreams...
Waking up...
I found myself soaring in a blue sky
Of love...
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Storytelling and an Exploration on Roots
The art of storytelling exists in every culture around the globe. Tales that teach, inspire, heal and entertain are constantly being shared by people of all ages. The oral story is one of the oldest and most diverse of all performing arts. Tellers can romance and frighten. They educate and enlighten. They can cause political excitement and children delight. They can heal the body and spirit.
Add to the oral story some of the most vibrant colours nature can provide, graceful dancing, expressions flitting over a mysteriously made-up face, the highly stylized language of gestures and unearthly (divine?) costume, enchanting music, and you have any of the myriad performing arts of Kerala.
Performing arts in Kerala may be of three types:
1. Ritual arts, like Theyyam, where the performer is transformed into the divine, is possessed by the spirit. Here costuming, mask-like paint, masks and headgear are predominant features.
2. Dramatic arts, like Kathakali & Kudiyattam, where the performer enacts the roles of mythological and divine characters. Here sung narrative and gesticulation are fundamental and costuming is important but subsidiary.
3. Solo temple arts, like Mohiniyattam, where the performer offers himself/herself to the gods through music and dance. It is musical melody and dance in a single costume.
Do not ask me which is the greater form of devotion, I am just a child discovering with wonder all that's tremendously inspiring in our traditional arts.
To sit on the cool floor, before the 'arangu'(stage), dimly lit with an oil lamp (unfortunately with modern lights in most places!)is in itself a magical experience. When the play begins, with it's mesmerizing music, and the larger-than-life characters dance their story,you become one with the dancer.
Yes, on the stage there are no performers,they have slowly transformed after hours in the sacred 'green-room'.Putting on the crown with utmost piety, they become the character!
I have been vain and shy with Simhika, the demoness adorning herself, I have felt deceived with Baali,the dying monkey king, I have felt maternal love flowing from me with Devaki, Krishna's mother separated from him (Oh, the beautiful Vijayan as Devaki!), I have felt anguish and ecstasy of Poothana, whose life Krishna sucks out.
The music enriches the experiences, the music lives in you, fills you, and sometimes if you closes your eyes you can see the music.
Living in this multi-hued global village with a most marvelous group of professional and aspiring artists, I am feeling like the proverbial stone dusted with fragrant jasmine. All through my life I have felt rootless, now I am finding my way, I find that my roots are one with the many explorers of life and beauty, people who try to make a difference, creating beauty wherever they are, in the slums of calcutta, awakening disappearing art forms, exploring new ways of expression and education and many more who are trying to keep creativity alive in a dying world.
I am a tiny leaf on the great tree of unending life. My roots run strong and deep just as yours...
Add to the oral story some of the most vibrant colours nature can provide, graceful dancing, expressions flitting over a mysteriously made-up face, the highly stylized language of gestures and unearthly (divine?) costume, enchanting music, and you have any of the myriad performing arts of Kerala.
Performing arts in Kerala may be of three types:
1. Ritual arts, like Theyyam, where the performer is transformed into the divine, is possessed by the spirit. Here costuming, mask-like paint, masks and headgear are predominant features.
2. Dramatic arts, like Kathakali & Kudiyattam, where the performer enacts the roles of mythological and divine characters. Here sung narrative and gesticulation are fundamental and costuming is important but subsidiary.
3. Solo temple arts, like Mohiniyattam, where the performer offers himself/herself to the gods through music and dance. It is musical melody and dance in a single costume.
Do not ask me which is the greater form of devotion, I am just a child discovering with wonder all that's tremendously inspiring in our traditional arts.
To sit on the cool floor, before the 'arangu'(stage), dimly lit with an oil lamp (unfortunately with modern lights in most places!)is in itself a magical experience. When the play begins, with it's mesmerizing music, and the larger-than-life characters dance their story,you become one with the dancer.
Yes, on the stage there are no performers,they have slowly transformed after hours in the sacred 'green-room'.Putting on the crown with utmost piety, they become the character!
I have been vain and shy with Simhika, the demoness adorning herself, I have felt deceived with Baali,the dying monkey king, I have felt maternal love flowing from me with Devaki, Krishna's mother separated from him (Oh, the beautiful Vijayan as Devaki!), I have felt anguish and ecstasy of Poothana, whose life Krishna sucks out.
The music enriches the experiences, the music lives in you, fills you, and sometimes if you closes your eyes you can see the music.
Living in this multi-hued global village with a most marvelous group of professional and aspiring artists, I am feeling like the proverbial stone dusted with fragrant jasmine. All through my life I have felt rootless, now I am finding my way, I find that my roots are one with the many explorers of life and beauty, people who try to make a difference, creating beauty wherever they are, in the slums of calcutta, awakening disappearing art forms, exploring new ways of expression and education and many more who are trying to keep creativity alive in a dying world.
I am a tiny leaf on the great tree of unending life. My roots run strong and deep just as yours...
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