Rendezvous With Life !

Raghurajpur, an emblem of heritage arts and crafts of Odisha!!!

2022-12-09T10:17:00.001-08:00

About fifteen km from the revered city of Lord Jagannath, Puri, there is a tiny little hamlet Raghurajpur, nestled on the southern bank of river Bhargavi in the rural heartland of Odisha. Amidst the coconut, palm, and mango groves, this quiet village is a treasure trove for some of the finest heritage art forms of the state.

Raghurajpur comprises about 130 houses that also function as live workshops divided almost equally on each side, facing each other. There are temples of the local deities in the centre of the village with platforms that provide places for religious celebrations and socializing.

Raghurajpur was once known as the keepers of Odisha’s ancient Pattachitra art, mainly due to the late Sri. Jagannath Mohapatra (winner of the President of India’s award in 1965) and many artists trained under his guidance. It is fascinating how each household is exclusively involved with some traditional art form or craft, and many are skilled artists!

Most houses in the village practice the famous heritage art of Odisha, Pattachitra, Tala Pattachitra, (palm leaf engraving), wood carving, stone carving, toys from cow dung, and papier mâché and a few also make Gangifa. These ancient art forms are passed through generations and are said to have been born out of association with the rituals at the Lord Jagganath temple, Odisha's presiding deity.

Apart from keeping the traditional art forms of Pattachitra and Tala Pattachira alive, the village has also produced some of the finest classical dancers of Gotipua and Odissi, like Sri. Kelucharan Mohapatra.

The moment one enters the village, one is warmly greeted by the artists and invited to visit their homes. Their tiny homes are a visual treat for art and craft lovers! The entrances, doors, and walls of the houses of Raghurajpur are nothing less than art galleries. The entire village adorns beautiful, intricate paintings that depict stories from Hindu mythology, local deities, flora and fauna of the land, and folktales. Raghurajpur has a fascinating tradition of announcing a wedding in the family by writing the names of a bride and groom on the entrance with some traditional designs.

One needs to take a languid walk in the village to get a glimpse of the life of artists/craftspeople. The experience is enthralling, as each house has such interesting frescos and art collections that one is overwhelmed with choices. Most villagers are friendly and willing to share their experiences and artistic process, an eye-opening and a great learning experience for the uninitiated.

Raghurajpur has many National, State, and other prestigious awardees and is trying to change with time while firmly rooted in traditional ways of life and art practices.

In the year 2000, the traditional art hub of Raghurajpur village was declared a Heritage Village by Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). Since then, it became more visible on the national and international stage.

How to go :

Nearest airport/Railway station/ Road : Bhuvaneshwar , capital of Odisha, about 50 kms from Raghurajpur. Well connected to all the cities of India

Chamba rumaal; the threaded narratives from Himachal Pradesh !

2021-03-30T10:28:00.001-07:00

The expression of feelings through art is a common human trait across civilizations. It is also a complex mixture of social, cultural, aesthetic, psychological, and political spirit of the time and place. The art of adornment is associated with human beings since prehistoric times. With evolution, expression through art became inherent character of various cultures.

Primitive humankind improvised the stitches used to join animal skins together and started using them also as decoration. And thus began a journey of the art of embroidery. Clothing has been used as a statement for cultural, social, and aesthetic standing. And the art of embroidery has been an intrinsic part of it across cultures.

In India, each state enjoys the pride of having a rich heritage of unique textile styles, weaves, and embroidery. This article intends to discuss the art form of tradition of pictorial embroidery, known as "Chamba rumaal".

Origin of Chamba rumaal

This craft originated, got refined, and thrived in the erstwhile state of Chamba in the 17 – 18 century AD, around the time when the art of Pahari paintings was at its peak. The image of miniature paintings was transformed into embroidery by women artisans and with time, it became a celebrated craft tradition of Chamba.

"Rumaal" is a Persian word for the handkerchief. And as the name suggests, this visual art refers to embroidering on handkerchiefs; quintessential to the region of undivided Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and some parts of Kashmir. Unfortunately, now this art form is practiced mostly in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh.

Acclaimed for the fine, double-sided embroidery, the Chamba rumaal is used in multiple conventional ways. These traditional rumaals are made in various shapes and sizes to serve different purposes. A kerchief for men and women, covers for books, for musical instruments, fruit baskets, or gift platters to wallhangings, these rumaals were part of daily life by common people as well the aristocracy.

The craft of Chamba rumaal is a collaboration between two art forms; the Pahari painting and the fine art of embroidery. In one art form, the painter uses a brush and in another, it is replaced by a needle. In a Chamba rumaal, handmade paper is substituted by fabric and colorful threads replace the beautiful pigments of a Pahari painting. Traditionally, the drawings of the Chamba rumaals were never traced. They were done in freehand style without breaking a line by the skillful hands of the Pahari Painters. Painters invariably guided the embroidery artisans on palettes of silk threads.

History of Chamba rumaal

The fabric used for the embroidery was handwoven and handspun unbleached muslin, khaddar, or silk. This handicraft thrived due to it being a pivotal part of social customs. The Chamba rumaal was one of the "must-have" items in the dowry. No wedding ceremony would be complete without the gift of finely embroidered Chamba rumaal from the bride's side to the groom and his family. The bride was considered exceptionally meritorious if she had mastered the art of Chamba rumaal embroidery! People loved to flaunt the Chamba rumaals in some form or fashion during social/religious festivities. Usually, the elite class preferred the intricate designs and work on exquisite silk fabric and collected them for aesthetic purposes.

How the Chamba rumaal is made

Creating a Chamba rumaal involves painstaking handwork. This art form demands precision in the skill of double-sided darning (satin stitch carried forward and backward alternately), and satin stitches embroidery on a varied range of delicate cotton fabrics with natural dyed untwisted silk yarns. The primary art, characterized by intricate lines, is traditionally drawn by miniature art experts based on traditional themes. Once the drawing part is over, the embroidery work is usually carried out by accomplished women artisans. The inherent character of the Chamba rumaal embroidery is that both sides of the cloth are stitched simultaneously to fill up space making the design on both sides look uniform, impactful, and identical in content. That is why the technique is known as "do-rukha" (two-faced). The finish of the embroidery is so fine that it is impossible to spot the knots. The rumaal can be viewed from both sides and it looks almost identical.

In olden times, Pahari painters drew the outlines of the basic picture with a fine brush or charcoal. Sometimes, the embroidery artisans preferred to draw the patterns, figures, and designs themselves. This practice resulted in two uniquely different styles and aesthetics of Chamba rumaal. One elegant and refined in draughtsmanship, and another one, raw, and audacious in treatment.

Colors and motifs of the Chamba rumaal

Purple, red, pink, orange, lemon and deep yellow, dark green, parrot green, ultramarine, and Prussian blue, black, and white were the preferred colors. Silver wire known as badla is also noticed on the old Chamba rumaals. Traditionally, the motifs on the Chamba rumaal have been drawn from indigenous tales; the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the Bhagwat Puranas, Nature, and the local life of a community the artisans belonged to. The figures of Krishna along with his Gopis was a common theme.

Current status of Chamba rumaal

The art form of Chamba rumaal was practiced till about a hundred years back. With the decline in the patronage from the royal and noble class of the society, the art form slowly became extinct. There are very few artisans left who practice this art form today and despite their measures to revive this embroidery tradition, it is difficult to continue without eager buyers. The only consolation is, after being awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) in 2007, there is a surge in interest from some government bodies and NGOs in its revival. Let's just pray the Chamba rumaal can adapt to contemporary times, receives the much-needed boost, and retain its erstwhile grandeur.

***All the pictures shared here are taken from Google.

Cheriyal scroll paintings, a visual memoir of folk art from Telangana

2021-02-27T08:57:00.000-08:00

The traditional Cheriayl mask characters, part of a story

Cheriyal; an artform of painting scrolls for storytelling:

The Indian folk arts are a fascinating blend of excellence in artistry, skills, crafts, cultural and social traditions, and history. They have played a pivotal role in Indian artistic tradition and have been an inherent part of Indian social and cultural life for centuries.

One of the folk art forms of India famous world over is the scroll paintings. Many states in India have traditions of scroll paintings. In earlier times when there were no mediums for communication and entertainment like phone, television, or internet, the scroll paintings served as perfect means for communication, education, and entertainment. Phad scroll paintings from Rajasthan, Pattachitra from Orissa and West Bengal, Jadupatua scroll paintings from Jharkhand, Bihar, and Thangka scroll paintings from Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Ladakh, and Arunachal Pradesh are a few examples of this art form and are a brilliant amalgamation of tradition, culture, and social, religious, and professional ideologies of a given place.

The Cheriyal scroll paintings from Telangana have a unique character that makes them stand out from other traditional scroll paintings. These scrolls are community-based paintings that depict stories in context with caste professions, rooted in the local heroic legends of particular communities.

Each community would have its band of storytellers/bards. Depending on the profession of the community, the bards would be given titles. For example, Gauda Shettys are the bards for the Gaud community, Chakalipattamvarus are the bards for Chakali or washermen community, Padmasalis are the bards for the weaver community, and so on.

The artists of Cheriyal scroll paintings painted different stories for different communities. And the wandering minstrels/bards would pick up the scrolls relevant to the community they represented. For example, a bard from the weaver community would invariably take a scroll painting narrating tales from Bhakt Markandeya Purana, as Rishi Markandeya was known to be a seer who wove clothes for Gods. A bard from the fisherman community would pick up scrolls depicting tales from the Mahabharata as the writer of the epic, Maharshi Ved Vyasa was born into a fisherman's family.

A young artist of traditional Cheriyal scroll painting at an exhibition

History of Cheriyal scroll paintings

For centuries, the bright colors of the Cheriyal scroll paintings have brought folk tales and religious texts to life for the people of Telangana. Cheriyal, the village about a hundred kilometers from Hyderabad was a melting pot of many traditional art forms that were culturally and socially significant and provided employment to the artisans in and around the village.

The earliest known Cheriyal painting scroll is said to be from 1625 when the Qutub Shahis of Golconda ruled the region of Telangana. The earlier version of this art form was known as Nakshi paintings during that era since it involved precision with fine lines. And the artists were called "Nakshas". While the name of the art form "Nakshi" is derived from the caste of people engaged with it, the scroll paintings are now known as Cheriyal scroll paintings. Sadly, few artists from Cheriyal and those who moved to Hyderabad are the only people practicing this art form albeit, struggling to stay relevant. In 2007, the Cheriyal scroll paintings earned GI (Geographical Indication).

Traditional Cheriyal painting depicting the Dashawatara, from my personal art collection

Traditionally, the bards/minstrels would travel from one village to another, performing; singing, and dancing to every scene depicted on the scroll pinned in the background. The tales depicted in the scroll paintings would typically be from the Ramayan, Mahabharata, Krishna Leela, and Indian mythology and tales of local legends from various communities to impart moral and social lessons.

The storytellers would carry the scroll paintings with them as they were essential visual aids to go with stories and ballads. A well-constructed scroll painting would last for at least a hundred years and thus would be passed down to the generation of bards/minstrels. Unfortunately, due to some customs observed by the bards, after a certain number of years of usage, the scroll paintings were immersed in holy rivers. And this resulted in the loss of many precious Cheriyal scroll paintings. The only heritage scroll paintings we still have are the ones patronized and collected by the affluent class for aesthetic value.

The Cheriyal artists also make wooden masks and dolls for traditional stories like “The Katamaraju Katha", an epic Telugu ballad about a war between the chieftain and the king of Nellore which consists of fifty-three characters, all made in the form of human-size dolls which when assembled, narrates popular folklore. Each character also has a story of its own. The storytellers would use those dolls and masks for narrating the story or use them as puppets.

The art of Cheriyal scroll paintings have remained the same by and large but the unavailability of raw material has pushed the use of technology in some aspects of the craft.

Traditional Cheriyal masks

How Cheriyal scroll paintings are made:

Traditionally, the Cheriyal scroll paintings are made on khadi fabric that is glazed with tamarind seed paste, rice starch, chalk powder, and tree gum. The mix of these ingredients is boiled, filtered with a cotton cloth, and then applied to the khadi canvas. Once the canvas is dried, the priming process is repeated once. After that dries, it is ready for use and the painting process begins. Once the painting of the subject is complete, a border with motifs of leaves and flowers is added to the paintings.

The scroll paintings are created on bright red backgrounds and invariably follow a color scheme of blue, green, yellow, black, and white. Originally, the colors used in Cheriyal scroll paintings were natural. Black was extracted from lamp soot, white was obtained from river shells or zinc oxide, red and yellow were extracted from stones called Ingligum, skin color from turmeric, and blues from Indigo, and yellow from pevadi stones. These days, the unavailability of natural colors in the region has compelled the artists to procure color powders in bulk from artists from other states.

Attempt to stay relevant to modern times

With the advent of mass communication, the demand for these traditional scrolls has waned with time. From a traditional scroll that was three feet high and about fifty feet long with fifty panels, the Cheriyal scroll paintings have reduced to a single panel, suitable for urban homes. The Cheriyal artists are trying to make utility items like key chains, pen holders, wall decor, and small artifacts thus promoting art in whatever form and fashion possible.

Cheriyal scroll paintings, the carrier of a rich heritage of history and culture are on the verge of extinction. And if we don't support this art form, this artistic expression of a beautiful region will be forgotten forever!

The toy story: fading art of Channapatna toys of Karnataka

2021-01-30T05:02:00.002-08:00

Between the bustling cities of Bangalore and Mysore, in the Ramanagara district nestles a small town, "Gombegala Nagara" or "Gombegala Ooru" meaning; a land of toys. The name may not ring the bell for some, but most of us would have seen the colorful, handmade lacquer wooden toys; the reason for which the town derived its name and is famous for the world over.

This charming little town of Channapatna is the birthplace of a more than 200-year-old tradition of the environment-friendly, precious craft of Channapatna toy making. The beauty of Channapatna toys lies in being lightweight yet strong, their colors, simplicity of the form, smooth texture, curved contours, the inherent nature of "learn with fun" concepts, and exquisite craftsmanship.

The moment one enters Gombegala town, one can't help noticing charming little toy-making units confined within homes. Channapatna toy-making craft has a rich history that goes back centuries. The most alluring part of this craft is that it is a small-scale industry that involves generations of knowledge, unique skill sets, and special techniques. The Channapatana toys have made a distinct mark in international markets and enjoy protection under Geographical Indication (GI).

The process of making Channapatna toys:

The Channapatna toy-making process is time and labor-intensive work. These days the toys are made with woods like sycamore, cedar, pine, teak, and rubber albeit, the soft ivory wood remains the preferred material for the toys. This handcrafted toy-making process is elaborate and takes months from start to finish. It involves seasoning (which usually takes two or three months), cutting, carving (on a lathe, buffed with sandpaper or cactus leaf to obtain a smooth finish), and applying lacquer/color. The artisans use vegetable dyes on the toys to ensure they are safe for use by the children. Artisans of both manual and mechanical units make non-toxic, non-chemical environment-friendly colors.

The artisans and entrepreneurs associated with the Channapatna toys craft feel the need for the town to be recognized for its woodcraft and not just wooden toys. According to them, the history of Channapatna dates back to time immemorial! Channapatna was known for a range of wooden artifacts. Things for everyday use enjoyed a place of pride among the elite class. The wooden walking sticks with elegant handles and the umbrellas with curved handles were considered a symbol of prestige and royalty.

For the last few years, the Channapatna toy-making industry has suffered heavily. With the advent of technology and markets, flooding with cheap, machine-made Chinese toy options, demand for this craft went on a steady decline, affecting the artisans depending solely on this craft. There were about 20,000 artisans involved with this craft two decades back. But with the slump in demand, most artisans left the industry and took up other employment options for survival.

Another crucial aspect affecting this industry is better employment options in the nearby cities. Being situated near two major cities of the state, artisans easily find better opportunities with better earnings. They are unwilling to take any chances by sticking to the craft that can’t guarantee their safe future. Hence the young generation of craftsmen families loathes entering this industry owing to its dwindling fate.

While a few enterprising entrepreneur-manufacturers are working towards withstanding competition and reviving the export market, banking on superior quality, safe construction, and material, there is a need for greater support from the state and central government. The craftsmen are also trying to adapt to the market trends by making artifacts and jewelry catering to contemporary demands.

Many traditional crafts have suffered due to a lack of support and viability. If we don't understand the value of this beautiful craft and encourage it, there is a danger of the art form becoming extinct like so many others that we have already lost.

*The photographs in the article are taken from Google and not mine.

Good bye 2020 ! Thanks for the lessons !!

2020-12-30T07:20:00.005-08:00

Image from Google

For the last two weeks, my WhatsApp messages are buzzing with holiday pictures from friends. Facebook/Instagram are no different stories. It feels great to see those pictures indicating some semblance of "normalcy" return to life! However, I can't help thinking about the time when we finally get rid of sanitizers, masks, protocols of maintaining social distance and be able to venture out without an iota of worry or care and meet our family and loved ones.

2020 has been a complete blur! And now that it is about to end, its scars are going to be etched in our minds forever. The year has been a painfully challenging time for most of us. A year ago, the world was all set to celebrate the new year with dreams and hopes in heart and a joyous spirit!

Alas, the new year started with the news of Sars Covid-19, and it rapidly spread globally. The world has spent an entire year fighting Covid and still continues to. A tiny virus wrought disruption in our lives and how! Before one could comprehend the seriousness of the situation, there came rigorous lockdown wreaking havoc for the economy. How can one forget the inhuman crisis and exodus of migrant workers? While we still continue our crusade against the pandemic, the count of deaths caused so far has reached lakhs. Yes, this has been a painful reality to comprehend and live with. 2020 made us go through one challenge after another. From Nature's fury - the thunderstorms, floods, wildfires, locust swarms, volcanic eruptions, or political unrest, the year felt like a series of horrors! No wonder Time magazine calls the year "The worst year ever."

As we slowly limp back to the "unlocked" world with the gut-wrenching stories of the loss of loved ones deeply buried in our hearts, the world appears to be still bleeding with the disruption. There is clearly a monumental shift from the world we have known so far. As the new "normal" of work, business, travel, and life, in general, unfolds each day, the economy is slowly limping back too. There is a constant struggle in coming to terms with our new reality; the need to learn to live with the virus till the vaccine is finally accessible to one and all.

Yes, we are learning to adapt to this paradigm-bending new world, still trying to heal ourselves. And while we are learning to move on, let's not forget some important lessons this pandemic taught us:

This year has given us a rare opportunity to pause and reflect on who we are and where we are headed as a human race.

Our outlook towards life has changed; in the way we perceive, act, and respond. We may not realize it, but we are witnessing a turning point that has altered our lives forever.

The countless stories of the unsung heroes who went above and beyond the call of duty and served have been truly inspiring!

The pandemic made us test our resilience, patience, and strength. It is fascinating to observe human beings adapt to life-threatening situations and find coping mechanisms. Social media has indeed served as a boon helping people connect at different levels.

The year has highlighted the transient nature of life and compelled us to realign our life in general.

The most important lesson for the world this pandemic has imparted is the importance of human connection.

2020 has also revealed a lot about me. The work-life balance has not been easy to maintain without domestic help. It tested my strength and pushed me to achieve things that I never knew were possible. It has been a blessing spending time with my family. 2020 made me grateful for all the blessings that are usually taken for granted. The year made me realize what a privilege being alive is!

As the world gets busy with welcoming the year 2021, let's not forget the pandemic is not going to disappear at the stroke of 12 on new year's eve. We still have a long way to go before the pandemic is finally over. All we need to do to emerge safe and alive from this calamity is to pause and ask ourselves what were we chasing all this while and was it worth all the pain?

Before I close this last article for the year 2020, here is wishing all the readers of this blog a happy, healthy, meaningful, prosperous, and peaceful year 2021! Stay healthy, stay safe.

Stepping into the "new normal" !

2020-06-30T11:36:00.002-07:00

The lockdown has finally lifted. Life is slowly getting out of oblivion after almost three long months since the COVID outbreak. The initial panic has subdued, and a sense of surrender and acceptance has set in. The new "normal" of work, business, travel, and life, in general, is being written each day while the economy is slowly limping back.

Our struggle for these past few months to emerge strong has taken its toll. While we make efforts to cope with the new normal, thinking about the basic survival going forward in this changing world that looks completely different in a matter of just a few months!

Amidst these extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic, we all have changed in our outlook towards life; in the way we perceive, act, and respond. We may not realize it, but we are witnessing an epoch-making moment; a history in making, a turning point that has altered our lives forever!

Who would have thought that simple, routine tasks like venturing out to buy essentials would feel nothing less than an adventure! With the masks and gloves on, fingers crossed, and our hearts filled with trepidation, this is how we would go out henceforth in this "new" world.

One feels a bit of anxiety about maintaining a safe distance during interactions. A sense of unease is evident in the eyes of people as there is an awkwardness about not being able to extend simple courtesies like shaking hands and hugging. The pandemic has pushed these very basic human gestures into a "danger" zone, and we have no option but to adapt and change the way we interact and socialize.

The normalcy of the past is quickly fading away. As the days blur into one another, laced with all-pervading anxiety, it gives a sense of living in a time warp. Having lost a sense of continuation of the time, we are losing track of the calendar.

The streets have opened but are bereft of their soul. There are few people on the roads and the rhythm of life on the streets seems to have lost its balance. That quintessential, fascinating hum and din, that constant clamour, the strong smells that assail all the senses, all these features that serve as the background and look like neverending scrolls of life have gone blank!

While we struggle to come to terms with our new reality, there is a deep longing for our seemingly mundane, old routines and simple joys of life like;

taking a walk on the beach with bare feet,

inhaling the smell of the ocean,

visiting art galleries and museums and witness art that grows over you,

moving about freely at the public places and smiling at complete strangers,

spontaneous conversations that forge new friendships,

take a stroll around the city for street photography,

long drives with family on the weekends,

travel to different places,

visiting the spa,

meeting friends for lunch and gossip,

a warm hug from a special someone on a date,

lying on the grass, covered with fresh dew, just because

sitting on a park bench, exhausted, after a long walk and observe people passing by

being part of a crowd,

going for a movie, play or cultural event,

words that warm your heart,

lines from the books that stay with you,

music that keeps playing in your mind,

making a list of "things to do' for the day and fussing over it...

Yes, what would one not give to resume all that we love doing, just like the times before the COVID paralyzed our life?

As we adapt to the "new normal" and heal ourselves from this experience, let's not forget that life is driving this monumental shift as a sign of something bigger, much significant for us to realize. We are given this rare opportunity to pause and reflect on who we are, where we are headed, and reconnect with our inner self and life and find our true purpose.

Reflections during the Covid 19 lock down

2020-05-22T11:30:00.005-07:00

Historian of medicine, Charles Rosenberg said,

“Epidemics start at a flash in time, proceed on a stage limited in space and duration, follow a plot line of increasing revelatory tension, move to a crisis of individual and collective character, then drift toward closure.”

Rosenberg's argument stresses how epidemics put pressure on the societies they strike. The sudden strain makes visible fault lines in latent structures in societies/nations that might not be evident otherwise. As a result, epidemics end up serving as sampling devices for social analysis. They reveal what matters to society and whom it values.

What is happening around the world since COVID 19 epidemic has struck, has caught us all off guard, exposing lacunae in the way we live and function with painfully misplaced priorities as society/nation. It has been more than two months and the ugly truth of repercussions on the economy and human costs of the epidemic and the lockdown have started to emerge with gut-wrenching stories of migrant workers, starvation, death, appalling neglect of right to basic sanitation facilities, public healthcare policies, unemployment and complete loss of income taking an increasingly serious turn disrupting life with scary uncertainty.

The world outside is nothing like we have experienced before being engulfed by covid and as we continue our secluded lives from homes, the coronavirus continues to play havoc with the world.

These are frustrating times we are living and working under varying degrees of social restrictions. We do not know when and how the Covid-19 pandemic will end and all that is left at present is to speculate about the seismic shift in geopolitical power and its long-term economic impact the epidemic will enforce globally.

We're in the midst of paradigm-bending times and whether we like it or not, we are making history. We are all redefining the way we live; by force, design, or by choice, and the way we instill significant changes and transform as a society will have a great impact on the kind of world we will experience after this epidemic is finally over!

What kind of world that would be I wonder!

Our routinely fast-paced modern lives are stressful. We have plenty of options and diversity than ever before yet we go on with life as if running after some insatiable chase; moving like addicts into an unheard, unseen rhythm of uncontrolled chaos! At home or work, we are constantly working and multitasking.

These last two months have suddenly granted us that "alone time" we seem to always yearn for. Ever since the lockdown was declared, social networking sites have been buzzing with various challenges. It is fascinating to observe how human beings adapt even in the toughest situations and find coping mechanism; be it posing in front of the camera in fineries, posting travel pictures, sharing recipes of homemade exotic food, post pictures of pets or write poems/stories or create videos and interact with the world, social media has served as a boon for many.

One of the greatest inspirations has been from seemingly ordinary people, many unsung heroes who have gone out of their way and beyond their means and capacity to reach out to people in need.

My mailbox is flooded with invitations to join webinars, talks, lectures on every possible topic under the Sun. People have been acquiring new skills, joining new courses and there has been constant bombarding of "productive things to do" and turn "struggle into greatness" as the cliche goes on various platforms. I have ended up doing none of it simply because I didn't feel the need.

While juggling work, household chores, and other things I have stayed withdrawn in my shell; silently observing the world, each day as it goes by, admiring the bluer skies, cleaner air, empty, greener streets, listening to the chirping of birds, and connect with myself and family, making the most of the time together. This blog has been in a stupor of a sort since the last two months as the circumstances demanded my priorities change too.

We have a long way to go before the new "normal" sets in and we are back to our routines, free to go out and socialize the way we used to. But let's not forget, as a race we have reached this tragic stage because while chasing our dreams, somewhere we completely forgot to take care of ourselves, our society, our nations, and above all, our beautiful blue planet! We became callous about our natural resources and environment. Blinded with ambitions, we simply forgot that Nature always finds a way when its balance is threatened.

All we can do to come out of this calamity safe and alive is to pause and ask ourselves, "what were we chasing all this while? Was it worth all the pain?" If we answer these questions truthfully and mend our ways, we can hope for a rainbow at the end of a distant horizon.

Chanderi, the historic town of warp and weft!

2020-03-26T10:59:00.002-07:00

During my heritage tour to Madhya Pradesh last month, I visited the weaver cluster of Chanderi; a small town near the banks of the Betwa river in Ashok Nagar district, and my dream of meeting weavers of saree finally came true! There is something alluring about witnessing a weaver immersed at the loom, transforming cotton/silk pods/threads into one of the most celebrated traditional garments; a handwoven saree! Visiting the Chanderi weaver cluster was an eye-opener for a passionate saree lover and handwoven saree collector like me.

The echoes of sound made by looms from every house of the "bunkar moholla" (weavers' colony) makes one realize that Chanderi is a town of weavers and livelihood of majority of the population is dependent on the centuries-old traditional business of textile weaving. The artisans of Chanderi weaving are predominantly Muslims from Julaha community, Kohlis and a few are from other backward class communities. There are groups within the various weaver clusters of Chanderi that continue to preserve exclusive traditional knowledge of art of weaving passed down upon them through generations. These weavers have great lineage of craft, skill, creativity and experience which is unique and difficult to recreate in power loom versions of Chanderi.

A Weaver of Chanderi working on his pit loom

We live in times when the markets are flooded with cheap power loom/machine-made reproductions of almost all the traditional handwoven sarees and textiles, a hazard that has put the survival of traditional hand loom industry on the brink.

That's me flaunting my Chanderi saree

Traditionally, Chanderi cloth was woven using hand-spun cotton thread that was brought from other parts of the country. The practice of using hand-spun cotton thread was discontinued when mill spun threads became commercially more viable. The mill spun silk threads were used to keep the sheen of the sarees, its inherent characteristic intact. It is a visual delight to watch a weaver create "butti/butta" manually inserting the motif in the body of the saree, using extra yarn, that reminds one of embroidery.

Chanderi as a town has played a pivotal role in history of Indian handwoven textiles since centuries. Its geographical advantage of being located between the trade route that connected the town to ports of Western India from Gujarat, Mewar, Malwa, central India and many regions from Deccan, opened up great opportunities for the textile weavers to thrive. Chanderi came under rule of various dynasties like Bundela Rajputs, Malwa Sultan, Mughals and Marathas who patronized hand woven textiles of the region. Chanderi thus started being considered an important economic zone flourishing with business, a conglomeration of weaver communities adapting with time, producing one of the finest handwoven textiles of India known world over for its super fine, soft, sheer fabric with gold and silver threads, the world-famous "Chanderi saree".

History of Chanderi weaving:

Madhya Pradesh was one of the most significant places for hand woven textiles from 7th century and 2nd century BC.Thanks to different rulers; their influence, patronage and promotion from royal families of Baroda, Indore, Gwalior, Kolhapur, Nagpur, and beyond and the boom in finest quality raw cotton, (Gossypium arboreum - Cotton native to Northwest India and Pakistan. It is said this variety of cotton was used by the Harappan civilization of the Indus valley in the production of cotton textiles*) exquisite hand-woven Chanderi reached its zenith earning its due place in world of Indian handwoven textiles. The lustrous weave became renowned outside India and was exported to many parts of the world winning hearts of textile aficionados. Chanderi became part of celebrations and festivities and important mark of nobility.

Chanderi sarees, fabric and Geographical Indication

Protected under Geographical Indication of Goods (registration and protection), Chanderi sarees and fabric (its unique design and fine silk yarn used for the weaving) cannot be copied.

Current status of Chanderi weaving

Unlike a few handwoven sarees/textiles in India, demand of Chanderi has been on decline. There have been instances when due to lack of demand, many weavers were forced to take up other employment options. The high cost of handwoven products and exploitation by the middlemen ruined life of many traditional craftsmen and artisans.

The central government, the state government of India along with a few NGOs have joined hands and started initiatives to promote this heritage weave. "Bunkar Vikas sangh", "Tana Bana", "Mission Chanderiyaan" not only train the weavers on various aspects like demand estimation, design intervention, marketing, order generation and distribution of finished products but also aim to bring digital literacy in lives of weaver community to enhance their skills and reach to the wider markets.

Every time a loom is shut out of desperation of a weaver, significant part of our heritage disappears forever. That one piece of fabric/saree that we admire is a result of decades of practice of special techniques, evolution of design, cultural history and refined aesthetics. If Chanderi weavers don't get our support, it will be one more precious weave fading away with time. Should we allow Chanderi weave to meet such sacrilegious consequence? Let's wake up before it is too late.

* Information source: Wikipedia

Bhojpur Shiva temple, an incomplete marvel etched in stone

2020-02-29T10:03:00.000-08:00

Perched on a small hillock on the bank of river Betwa about 30 kms from Bhopal city of Madhya Pradesh, stands an incomplete yet majestic Shiva temple; Bhojeshwara Mahadeva. Surrounded by acres of lush green fields, this unique edifice is a testimony to the era gone by and accords peek into cultural significance, techniques of temple architecture, heritage, construction style and practice from 11th century A.D. The Bhojpur Shiva temple is attributed to the legendary King Bhoj Deva of Parmara Dynasty who was not only a great scholar but also patron of arts, renowned author and an avid learner. He reigned the province and the surrounding region from 1010 A.D. to 1055 A.D.

On the rocky platform near the entrance of the Bhojpur Mahadev temple

At the very first glimpse of the structure of Bhojpur temple, one feels awestruck! The 106 feet long, 17 feet wide and 17 feet high platform on which the temple is raised, takes one's breath away with its towering size! I was pleasantly surprised by the Braille information kiosk at the entrance of the temple for visually challenged people. (It surely did win some brownie points!)

View from the slope of serpentine entrance to the temple

As one walks in from the serpentine entrance towards the temple, the resemblance to the Greek style of temple design immediately comes to mind. There are three levels on which the temple is built; the wide, huge steps leading to a higher level, an open place of worship outside the temple and the main temple. Interestingly unlike the typical Hindu temples where the proportion of sanctum sanctorum is invariably small compared to the space around and at point of complete harmony with over all structure as embodiment of a microcosm of the Universe, at Bhojeshwara temple, the huge Shivalinga contains majority of the Garbhgriha, leaving barely much space around.

Entrance of the Bhojeshwara temple

The original ceiling of the Garbhgriha of the temple was broken and has been covered with fiber glass sheet in shape of inverted lotus flower just like the original design. The roof is supported by four enormous pillars and twelve piers. The pillars portray intricately carved sculptures of Uma-Maheshwar, Lakshmi-Narayana, Brahma-Savitri, and Sita and Rama. The door-jambs are adorned with figures of river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna on either sides and Kuber.
A finely polished Shivalinga (the abstract personification of the deity Shiva), 2.35 meters high with a circumference of nearly 7 meters enshrines the square sanctum. Around the linga there are carved columns and above it ornately carved sculpted ceiling. The entire temple is said to be carved out from locally available solid sandstone, a reflection of un-parallel artistry of the time! One can't help wondering how the artisans who built the temple must have raised huge stones of that size and scale.

The sanctum sanctorum

Sculptures of River Goddessed Ganga, Yamuna and Kuber

The fascinating aspect of the Bhojeshwara temple is the that the Shivlinga along with the beautiful Yoni Patta (the biggest I have ever seen) rises to the height of almost 20 feet, making it amongst the tallest Shivalingas in the world! The original architectural designs carved in stone show that the temple complex was aimed on much larger scale and engraved on stone before the construction. In the compound of the temple, one finds engraved stencils on the rocks that explain detailed plans of architectural design for entire temple complex.

Engraving of the temple construction and design plan

My heart skipped a beat when I spotted many beautifully carved sculptures; some half-carved statues, unfinished materials and decorative designs with the masons' marks strewn all around, completely neglected in the area of temple complex.

Engraving on the rocks of temple plans

There is no clarity on why this temple was left incomplete. However, there are some theories that suggest different versions. One theory says the temple was supposed to be constructed in one night and since the herculean task could not be finished, it remained the way it was. Another school of thought says Bhoja Deva had to rush to Gujarat as the Somanath temple was attacked by Mohammad Gazni and his support was needed. He diverted all the resources thus Bhojeshwar temple remained abandoned.

Sculptures strewn all around, neglected in the temple complex

Small temple outside sanctum for people to perform pujas

One may not find the Bhojeshwar Temple in list of popular tourist trails but for lovers of history and archeology, this temple provides perfect material to study examples of medieval, Indian temple architecture. It is designated as "Monument of National Importance" by the ASI (Archeological Survey of India).

Intricately carved culptures lying in the temple complex

Temple plans etched on rocks

Damaged sculpture of Goddess Parvati

Gond painting; the art of visual storytelling through lines, dots and colours!

2020-02-13T09:30:00.001-08:00

Some travels linger on our mind long after coming back home. I have just returned from a heritage tour to Madhya Pradesh and am still soaked in overwhelming experience of studying some of the finest architectural expression of Buddhist and Hindu temple art and philosophy, ancient cave paintings and my rendezvous with weavers and tribal artists during the visit to their homes has left me spellbound!

India, with its diverse customs and traditions from different states is one melting pot that assimilates rich cultural practices. As one goes into interior parts of the country, interesting narratives unfold layer by layer and one can't help but deeply bow to the immense treasure of folk/tribal art forms that are carried forward for centuries through rituals and oral traditions without any documentation. These ancient customs, traditions and art practices are meant to celebrate life in all its hues and are seamless part of everyday life of the artisans.

Traditional Indian folk/tribal arts are the testimony of rich Indian heritage of centuries. Unfortunately, they are yet to get their due. These art forms rarely get toasted at high profile art events that are reserved for crème de la crème or get the attention, respect and remuneration like contemporary art. There is lot to learn from tribal people. While we often use terms like "sustainable living", "environment conscious" or "mindful living" as fashion statements, the indigenous people have been walking the talk since centuries and it is high time we take some lessons from them not only about life but art and culture too. There is beauty in their rawness, spontaneity, rough lines and vibrant colors and forms that are born out of continuous dialogue with Nature. But to understand that, one has to be in touch with Nature and have sense of reverence the tribal people practice in their everyday life.

This article is about tribal art form of painting from Madhya Pradesh, known as Gond. I was fortunate to meet some celebrated, traditional Gond artists at their homes and get a glimpse of their work, life and fascinating stories from their indigenous culture.

The Gond painting: Magic of lines, dots and colours!

Gonds are one of the major tribal communities in India predominantly from Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgadh, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and are immensely gifted people carrying on legacy of extraordinary art and crafts. The Gond tribe is closely connected with Nature and their art is as pristine as the lush green land they hail from.

The history of Gond tribe tells how over period of time, with Mughals conquering their lands and later with Britishers plundering their source of income, support for the tribe’s oral traditions started dwindling. Forced to live life of penury, the Gonds were compelled to take labour work but the stories that were passed down through generations remained in their hearts and found voice in visual medium through auspicious designs on their huts, entrances, walls and floors. Like most indigenous tribes, Gonds are blessed with great sense of aesthetics and strongly believe that perceiving/viewing a good image brings in great luck.

The Gond paintings were originally made with help of natural colours obtained from coloured soil, minerals, charcoal, cow dung, plants and flowers. With the change in surface on which painting is done and natural colours becoming bit difficult to procure, the Gond tribe has changed the medium to acrylic colours, paper and canvas. However, their themes still remain the same; folklore, daily life, creation myths, festivals, celebrations, major events of life, harvesting, legends and Gods, Goddesses and demons. The narrative is beautifully rendered using dots, lines, dashes, curves and spectacular colours with perfect harmony and balance. It is amazing how the style changes with each artist displaying inherent signature genre with her/his own vocabulary. Once the subject is decided, the outline is drawn and then filled with dots, strokes and vivid colours adding interesting perspective to the imagery.

Presenting here some of the artists I had honour to meet during my recent heritage tour to Madhya Pradesh.

Award winning Gond artist, Durgabai Vyam. at her residence in Bhopal

Durgbai Vyam, sister of legendry Gond artist Jangarhsing Shyam has a distinct “mahura” style of her own, which is inspired by jewelry. Her paintings are about simple, rural daily life while her husband likes to draw “dhigna” which is traditionally geometrical in nature and drawn on all four sides of the painting. Their immensely gifted daughter is a force to reckon with in contemporary art world. A graduate from NIFT Banglore, Roshni has a very refreshing perspective on importance of indigenous visual traditions and has unique colour palette that can cater to contemporary as well as traditional art lovers.

Gond painting by late Gond artist, Jangarhsingh Shyam's daughter Japani

Like her celebrated late father, the legendry Gond artist Jangarhsing Shyam, Japani works with bold colours that delve in themes like trees; significance of Nature, creation myths, flora and fauna, Bara Dev, animals and birds and abstract concepts like dreams. Her imagery and rendition of the concepts is simply mind blowing!

Family members of legendary artist Jangarhsingh Shyam

Mayank Shyam, son of pioneering artist Jangarhsingh Shyam has created his own beautiful style of Gond painting. His forms are comparatively very different (androgynous) and large, his strokes bold yet fluid, colours tweaked and one can almost see the context evolved with his visual grammar that is result of exposure to the contemporary art world and a shift in socio-economic dynamics.

The best thing of meeting all members of Jangarhsingh Shyam’s family together was understanding how each artist is uniquely different when it comes to interpretation, ideation and rendition despite using the same traditional techniques of the art form!

A playful work, depicting what happens to people after consumption of liquor, by Sukhnandi Shyam

Sukhnandi Vyam’s Gond paintings have fascinating fluidity. His themes are playful, his colours and strokes have lyrical quality to them. Sukhnandi also sculpts and works extensively with multiple mediums like clay, canvas, metal and wood. His wooden sculptures won him great recognition with Madhya Pradesh State Government award in 2002.

Venkatraman Singh Shyam with his wife and son

Venkat Raman singh Shyam’s work is vibrant and mystical. There are interesting stylistic influences and one can see how he is finding his space in world of modern Indian art. Awarded the Rajya Hasta Shilpa Puraskar by the government of Madhya Pradesh in 2002, his paintings are about legendary fables associated with Gods and demons, beasts and reptiles, recurrent themes from everyday social life. Venkat Singh Shyam’s colours are bold, imagery fascinating and language both traditional and contemporary. He bemoans lack of respect for environment and his concern is evidently visible in his themes and talks.

Gond work by Venkatraman Singh Shyam

Depiction of the tales from the folklore being explained by Sukhnandi Shyam

A scene from village, work by Sukhnandi Shyam

Gond painting by Nankusia Shyam, wife of Jangarhsing Shyam

Work by Sukhnandi Shyam

Painting by Gond artist Mayank Shyam

Gond painting by Nankusia Shyam, wife of Jangarhsing Shyam

Gond paintings by artist Sukhnandi Shyam

Gond painting by Nankusia Shyam, wife of Jangarhsing Shyam

Gond painting in ink by Nankusia Shyam, wife of Jangarhsing Shyam

Gond work by Mayank Shyam

Gond painting in ink by Nankusia Shyam, wife of Jangarhsing Shyam

Gond painting by Nankusia Shyam, wife of Jangarhsing Shyam

Gond artist Mayank Shyam showing work at his Bhopal residence

With Gond artist Sukhanandi Shyam

Gond work by Mayank Shyam

Gond paintings by artist Mayank Shyam

The dying art of Ganjifa cards painting !

2020-01-14T04:50:00.001-08:00

Every time I visit Bhau Daji lad Museum or Prince of Wales museum in Bombay, I am invariably drawn to the section where intricately painted Ganjifa cards are displayed!

Card games have been popular all over the world since ancient times. Each country had its own cards, designed and styled that reflected its local art and culture. In India, the artistic creations of Ganjifa were supported by erstwhile princely states that patronized the art and the artists. The etymology and origins of word "ganjifa" remain obscure. Some scholars believe it derives its name from the Persian word "Ganjifeh" which means playing cards. In India, these cards were known as "Kreeda Patra" (“kreeda” meaning game or sport and “patra” meaning leaf or page in Sanskrit).

Traditionally, Gangifas are handmade, circular playing cards with miniature style of paintings on various materials like ivory enamelled in gold and silver, sandalwood, lac wafers, tortoise shell, mother of pearls, textile fabric, palm leaves and waste paper. Although there were some Ganjifa cards that were found in rectangle shape too. The cards are painted by natural dyes derived from rich minerals and vegetable dyes with wide range and saturations. The artists have to mix and grind these natural colours to get suitable outcome for his work and use squirrel hair brush for achieving finer lines and intricate techniques of the art form. The process of Ganjifa card making is very lengthy and needs immense patience and specialized skills. Each card is an intricate visual portrayal of a story narrated in specific colours and symbols from the place of its origin.

The ancient game of Ganjifa is believed to be as old as human existence. The origin of cards is traced to Persia, China and Arabian countries. In India, the game of Ganjifa was introduced through Moghul Emperors/Sufi saints during Mughal period in sixteenth century. With the advent of handmade paper, the indoor game of Ganjifa that involved playing for stakes converted into a great recreational escape for the Mughal Badshas, nobles and aristocrats alike.

As Ganjifa evolved with time becoming a brilliant exercise for brain, interesting entertainment tool and an awe-inspiring art and artefact, it gradually spread across different regions and reached common people on the street. After the game was established everywhere in its original form known as Mughal Ganjifa, many variations started emerging.

The first variation started with Hindu form of Ganjifa cards; ten suits of twelve cards each, known as Dashavatara Ganjifa. Soon, each region of the country innovated and developed its own style of Ganjifa keeping in mind specific cultural and stylistic art/craft practices of the place, adding immense cultural and social value and interesting perspectives to the game of Ganjifa cards. Some popular Ganjifa card styles prevalent till about a few decades back were known as Sawantwadi Ganjifa from Maharashtra, Navadurga Ganjifa from Orrisa, Rajasthan and Gujrat Ganjifa, Kashmir Ganjifa, Nepal Ganjifa and the Mysooru Ganjifa that enjoyed great patronage from the Wodeyars from Mysore Royal family during their reign.

The colour and iconography changed with each province developing its own unique version of the game. The Moghul Ganjifa cards usually portrayed animals, birds, wrestlers, acrobats, swordsmen, soldiers, hunters, musicians. As it spread to other regions, the colour and iconography changed to devotional themes. The main aim of Ganjifa shifted from mere recreation to teach and tell the stories from the ancient scriptures and holy books that were thus far following only oral traditions. The expression also changed depending on variety of themes creating great range in novelty. Different styles were created for telling stories/meaning of shlokas from the Hindu Puranas, Ramayana, the chapters from Mahabharata and many more scriptures.

With changing times, like many old traditional art forms, the Ganjifa is dying out and is on the brink; both as old game and folk art/craft form. There are some traditional, national awardees and their artisan families from Mysore, Bishnupur and Orissa trying to revive this art. It is gratifying to see them making efforts but for the technology obsessed times like today very few have time, interest or inclination to explore this pure art. Hardly anybody knows how to play complex game of Ganjifa and since it takes time to learn the craft there aren't very many takers for this game that entails exorbitant cost. The popular, easy to play 52- cards deck from western countries has ensured Ganjifa is pushed to history forever!

There are many Indian art forms that are on the verge of extinction as they are no more commercially viable due to complete lack of patronage. What we don't realize is that with each dying art form, we lose significantly important part of our cultural identity, a big piece of our heritage that defines who we are as country/people and our journey so far. We need to think deeply and ask ourselves can we afford this loss?

Reference:

Pageant of Indian art, Festival of India in Great Britain by Dr.

Saryu Doshi, Marg Publications

http://ignac.nic.in/n1002701htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/gajifa

http://www.gounesco.com

My toughest lesson from 2019 !

2020-01-03T01:29:00.000-08:00

As I write this long due post, the world outside is gearing up for the New Year eve party, super excited and getting ready to look best and pose for Instagram friendly perfect pictures. There is cheer in the air and beautiful sense of hope and promise, a perfect placebo to cling on to sail through yet another brand, new year!

2019 has been an eventful year for me. It was a mixed bag actually! The year awarded important achievements, lessons, fulfillment, success, failures, disappointments, health scare and a few regrets. And the most difficult part has been learning acceptance.

Yes, I learned to accept things that are beyond control and move on without bitterness only after getting biggest jolt that scared the hell out of me. Life has a strange way of teaching lessons when we tend to ignore the signs it keeps throwing at us.

It happened with me too. About two months back, while going for lectures for the study course undertaken this year, I found myself in mini pool of blood in a cab. Horrified at the extent of torture I had inflicted upon myself by ignoring health completely, the realization of my recklessness sunk in bruising ego with reminder "I am no Super woman". And this was drilled further by total ban on multitasking zillion things after a minor surgery and confinement of rest for few weeks.

I must admit, past two years in particular have been going on with life as if I was running after some insatiable chase, moving like an addict into unseen, unheard rhythm of uncontrolled chaos. Perhaps I was trying to make up for previous three years that I lost out completely, confined to home when my mother in law was detected with Cancer and I had to be her primary caretaker. In the process, the impact of doing so started to show in every single cell of my body revolting from time to time. The fatigue finally showed up bringing along some physical health issues that needed urgent attention which translated into life coming to a standstill. The time, energy and focus had to be completely shifted to healing myself physically and emotionally.

Of course, it didn't go down well to give up things I had invested my time and energy into for so long. How does one convince someone who lives under fallacious notion that 50s are great fun? (Blame it on those articles in fancy womens' magazines going gaga over entering 50 with élan!) Oh, I was mightily chuffed to have entered 50 just few days back thinking life is all sorted and it is time to claim myself back and have that well deserved kick ass fun one reads about in magazines and web! Nobody warned me I was entering dark world of hormones acting funny, thinning of hair, aching joints, thickening waist, mood swings and unexpected tears at the most bizarre moments!

The impact was evidently visible on this blog too. Writing articles was very much on my radar but never managed to keep them regular due to pressure on time and energy. And then there were moments of self - doubt. "I have lost touch" I kept telling myself staring blankly at the screen while words jumbled in my mind teasingly! And believe me, I have often ended up writing articles in my mind while doing some random work at the oddest place and time.

For quite some time I have been withdrawn, just observing world around and listen; listening to my body and paying attention to health. And as much as I have missed doing zillion things that I am used to do all my life, it has helped me shifting focus from deadlines and crazy schedules to myself and everything I feel passionate about and that includes writing. I do intend to be regular on this blog henceforth.

It is time I write all those stories that have been brimming in my head but somehow never found a way to this blog. Yes, I plan to do just that in the New Year 2020! Stay tuned!

Wishing all the readers of this blog a very happy New Year 2020! May almighty give us strength to rejoice simplicity of life an peace!

Poetry in stone; Chennakeshava temple Belur and Hoysaleshwara temple Halebidu

2019-05-16T11:53:00.004-07:00

Temple tour Karnataka part two: Chennakeshava temple Belur and Hoysaleshwara temple Halebidu

In the field of Art history and ancient Indian architecture, the Hoysala temples of Karnataka, India; Chennakeshava temple of Belur and Hoysaleshwara temple at Halebidu are regarded among the masterpieces of South Asian Art. These temples, with their exceptionally intricate sculptural artistry, are considered the finest examples of Hoysala architecture.

The Hoysala era (1026 CE – 1343 CE) was marked by glorious achievements in art, architecture, and culture, and its contribution in the field of architecture is considered the greatest accomplishment of that age.

As the Hoysala dynasty gained power achieving immense success and growth, they built hundreds of temples across Karnataka thus making a political statement. Being distinguished patrons of the Arts, architecture, culture, and literature, the Hoysalas established themselves not only as a force to reckon with but also inclusive rulers by supporting Shaivite and Vaishnavite sects of Hinduism and also formally recognizing Jainism; a religion based on principles of non-violence and self-control for the attainment of spiritual liberation. The sacred ensemble of these religions became important means in the development of spiritual tenets through interpretations in various art forms like; temple architecture, sculpture, poetry, music, classical dance, and Kannada literature.

The ornately decorated shrines of the Chennakeshava temple of Belur and Hoysaleshwara temple of Halebidu; proposed as UNESCO world heritage site, were built after military conquests of Vishnuvardhan (1108 CE – 1152 CE) against the neighboring Chola Empire (c. 300 BCE – 1279 CE) in 1116 CE. And that turned out to be the first evolutionary step in the history of Hoysala dynasty. Subsequently, as the empire reached its prime, the capital was shifted from Belur to Dwarsamudra (Halebidu) and a massive temple was built with the very clear intention of surpassing the Western Chalukya empire by transcending architecture to a completely new level.

The Chennakeshava temple of Belur and Hoysaleshwara temple at Halebidu portrays intricately carved figure sculptures on soapstone/a soft chlorite-schist stone quarried nearby that was especially soft when first quarried and hardened on contact with air/rain (the stone renders fine detailing and clarity), ideally suited for iconographic portrayal. In temple architecture, the intricately carved sculptures were integral to the composition and integrity of the structure and not just for decorative purposes. The architecture of the Hoysala temples is a combination of styles from north India (the Nagara style) and south India (the Dravidian style).

The Hoysala-style temples were constructed on platforms, with a star-shaped plan. A Navaranga served as a place for people to gather and participate in religious/cultural/social programs. Visual elements such as curving bell-shaped Chajja and lathe stone pillars with circular carved rings were distinct stylistic elements of Hoysala architecture.

Chennakesava Temple, Belur:

(Chenna means beautiful and Keshava is one of the many names of Lord Krishna)

Chenna Keshava, an ekakuta (ek-meaning one and kuta meaning shrine), temple required 103 years to build and involved over three generations for completion. in this star-shaped temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu reside several Hindu temples and minor shrines in the complex. The architecture, sculptures, friezes, and inscriptions of this temple are marvelous! Unfortunately, one can't see the temple's shikhara since it has been ruined. The garbha griha is abode to Lord Krishna. The Chennakehsva temple is built on a general pattern of Hoysala architecture; with an east–west orientation set on a jagati.

The exterior and interior walls of the temple display intricately carved stone sculptures, with religious and cultural iconography depicting gods and goddesses, wars and triumphs, dance, music, hunting games, cavalcades, the beautiful dresses, jewelry, and daily social life of the time, and narrate scenes from the life of Vishnu and his reincarnations and from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Bhagavatam. Some of the sculptures also include representations of Shiva. The temple remains an important pilgrimage site for Vaishnavites to date.

Hoysaleshvara and Shantaleshvara temples, Halebidu

"Halebidu" in Kannada means, ruined city.

Halebidu, known as Dwarsamudra in ancient times was the capital for Hoysala rule for almost three centuries. Much ambitious and grander than Belur, the city served as the capital for the Hoysala empire for nearly three centuries. However, it was attacked and ransacked repeatedly by the invading armies of the sultanates from North India who finally succeed in plundering the city in 1310. The main temple at the center, various other smaller temples, shrines, and palace buildings were all destroyed in the process. Fortunately, despite all the destruction, some temples and structures of unparalleled beauty still remain intact.

Hoysaleshvara and Shantaleshvara the dvikuta (temple with two shrines) Shaiva temples, have two garbha grihas (sanctum sanctorum) and are connected by a mandapa (porch) forming a large open hall. One shrine is dedicated to King Vishnuvardhan and the other to his Queen Shantala, hence known as Shantaleshvara. Built in 1121 CE, this temple was constructed under the patronage of wealthy local merchants and aristocrats.

The four entrances to the twin temple have miniature vimanas flanking on either side. Two more shrines; one for Nandi and the other for Surya are also constructed on the same jagati. The exquisite friezes on temple walls articulate stories from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Bhagwata Purana. The bands of finely carved friezes and reliefs preserve some of the finest achievements of Hoysala craftsmen and are brilliant examples of Art of sculpture, symbolism, Hindu mythology, Art, spiritual aspirations, and creativity. The Hoysaleshwara temple is well-known for 240 wall sculptures that run all along the outer wall and are artistically much sophisticated than any other Hoysala style temple.

Belur and Halebidu, draw many people including devotees, scholars, and tourists in equal measure from the world over. Once a crowning glory of the Hoysala empire still tells stories of grandeur from centuries ago. Albeit there are clear signs of ravage done by time and lack of proper standard of conservation. I wish there are stricter rules for visitors who seem to have a very callous attitude towards heritage and seem blissfully unaware of the harm they cause to these priceless pieces of history.

As much as one tries, it is impossible to comprehend the sheer abundance of beauty of architectural wonder of Belur and Halebidu in words. Whether one is a tourist, devotee, scholar, raseeka (aesthete), or even an atheist, one can't leave these temples without being in complete awe and a deep sense of reverence for the sheer genius of creativity in its splendor!

Temple tour Karnataka : Bhoga Nandeeshwara

2019-05-03T10:58:00.002-07:00

About a month back, I went on a study tour visiting temples of Karnataka with my class mates. I will be writing series of two articles about the temple tour.

Part one: Bhog Nandeeshwara

In Nandi village, at the foothills of Nandi hill of Karnataka, Indian sacred history and temple architecture encode coalition of various empires, histories and synthesis among different social groups and cultural systems. At Bhoga Nandeeshwara temple, one finds assimilation of different histories beautifully entwined, each bringing fragments of architectural style that proclaim their character yet resonate with the other styles in perfect harmony.

According to the inscriptions, the temple was built in 9th century AD by the native Kannada Nolamba dynasty and many additions were made over centuries under respective ruling dynasties like Ganga, Chola, Rashtrakuta, Hoysala and Vijayanagara. Patrons from these dynasties contributed great deal adding value to the original architectural style without violating its aesthetics which was reflection of not only gesture of mutual respect but also social cultural milieu of the times. Bhoga Nandeeshwara temple is believed to be first most ornate Dravidian temple in entire Karnataka, that played pivotal role in socio-cultural activities in the village and surrounding areas.

The temple has a vast open area and as one enters the huge courtyard, one instantly gets engulfed in silence! The chirping of birds, the giant rain trees that seem to have witnessed eternity, the robust summer blooms and their divine aroma calm all the neurosis and one gets the feel of ancient times dripping with soothing serenity.

Architectural, archaeological and sculptural wonders are distinct characteristics of Bhoga Nandeeshwara temple. The intricacy of ornate carvings on countless statues depicting different deities, the geometrical patterns on the walls, the minute details on the carvings, design of the temple, inscriptions in ancient languages are sight to behold!

The main enclosure of the temple has three shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva; each representing different stages: Arunachaleswara(childhood), Bhoga Nandeeshwara(youth) and Ardhanareewara; also known as Uma Maheshwara (after marriage), along with several other shrines on the rear side of the temple. The large mantapa in front of the main shrines have brilliant art work with each pillar showcasing beautifully carved images of gods, animals, puranic characters, sages and scenes depicted from Hindu mythology.

The Uma-Maheshwara temple, known for its intricate carvings made in soap stone (as opposed to the granite used in rest of the temple) was built by the Hoysalas between the 12th and the 13th century and has Uma and Maheshwaram in the sanctum. This shrine is particularly sought after by the newlyweds to seek divine blessings.

The highlight of the temple is the Vasantha mantapa built in front of Ardhanareeswraa shrine. The temple has four intricately carved pillars, each depicting divine couple, richly ornate artistic roof and intricately designed and carved images of Shiva-Parvathi, Vishnu-Mahalakshmi, Brahma-Saraswathi, Surya and his consort on different corners of the mantapa.

Shrines of Bhoga Nandeeswaraand and Arunachaleswara have large mahamantapas followed by the sanctum housing Shivalingas. The large Nandi situated opposite Bhoga Nandeeswara temple is beautifully carved with a small mantapa.

The temple also has a big pond surrounded on all four sides by a walkway and a running mantapa. Legend has it that the pond was created by Nandi, plunging his horn into ground to draw out water from the divine Ganga. The Shringi Teertha is believed to be the source of the South Pinakini (South Pennar) river.

The Bhoga Nandeeshwara temple is believed to be a "rough draft", a drawing board for the chief architect of Hoyasala architecture style temples before building Belur and Halebidu and other structures.

"A concerted effort to preserve our heritage is a vital link to our cultural, educational, aesthetic, inspirational and economic legacies- all of the things that quite literally make us who we are. " - Steve Berry

My Kintsugi moment, mending the broken!

2019-04-26T10:29:00.002-07:00

I pursue many passions and pottery is one of them. Albeit, as much as I would like to follow the art form, it seems to have been jinxed! Let me spare you the tedious details.

There is something magically beautiful about pottery that has immense calming effect on me. Pinching pots, scoring, making slabs, wedging the clay, attaching coil and working at rambunctious wheel quietens my utterly chaotic mind sending an instant signal that I need to slow myself down, breathe and focus!

There is deep sense of satisfaction derived from giving a form to amorphous lump of clay. One feels sense of integration with the earth, the very source of our material. There is some strange sense of belonging.

I have a few ceramic pieces that were made when I had joined the studio some time back. Those pots hold very special place in my heart and home. I am bit possessive about those pieces as there were very few left after gifting my pots to friends and family.

Last week, one of my ceramic tiles and two pots met calamitous end leaving me sulking; blaming the Universe, the retrograde Mercury in my zodiac, bad karma, black magic, influence of all possible planets and just about everything under the Sun. Well, honestly, I don't really believe in all that but loss of my pots made me emotionally wobbly. Our new domestic help; the culprit of the tragedy tried to console me in vain.

I was struggling to hold back my tears while picking up broken pieces of my beloved pots when I remembered words of the artist who taught me pottery, "Simi, NEVER get attached to any piece you make." She had said philosophically with sage like calm. "No matter how hard you have worked in the process of making any piece, eventually, many of the pieces WILL break, get deformed in the process, disintegrated in the kiln or even after having taken a perfect permanent form might be damaged due to careless handling or some freak accident". She had added, "Mend the cracks the moment you notice them emerge so that they don't weaken rest of your creation."

Those words kept echoing in my mind and I wondered how true they stand for relationships and life in general! We live in the world engulfed with perpetual sense of brokenness: broken homes, broken relationships, broken hearts, broken faiths, broken values, broken countries obsessed with wars, broken dreams, broken trust and no matter how much we try, we can never escape the pain of being broken in some way or other in life. Sometimes we tend to be consumed by the despair losing our grip assuming things are beyond repair instead of focusing on putting the pieces together and understand there is no perfect "whole" and life is about understanding our "brokenness", analyse the pain, embrace the scars through journey of life, grant some time to heal and transform them into something meaningful and beautiful.

If you have ever tried pottery, you would know clay imparts many important life lessons; especially patience and respect. Realizing that the material can have its own mind so when unexpected cracks and breakage occur, one experiences disappointment and sadness but also learns acceptance that one is not always in control. The only choice one is left with is, take a deep breath, pick up the shards and start over yet again!

My ceramic tile has been fixed but pots are beyond repair. Perhaps, this accident was my Kintsugi* moment, a reminder for me to realize the meaninglessness of my attachments to the pots literally and metaphorically. I have started to focus on mending the cracks that are worth the efforts and decided to let go a few attachments, thank the Universe for the role they played in my life and move on without any bitterness or negativity and always remember, no matter what life holds in next moment I am never too broken for a beautiful transformation and claim myself anew!

“The world breaks everyone, then some become strong at the broken places.” ~Ernest Hemingway

*Kintsugi in Japanese means "to patch with gold or golden joining". Kintsugi is Japanese ancient art form used in repairing broken things with liquid gold, silver or lacquer dusted with gold to mend the pieces of fractured pottery and in the process enhancing its breaks and beauty. This method usually grants much more aesthetic value to the originally created piece.

Woman's era, still a distant dream ?!

2019-03-27T11:25:00.000-07:00

Rajubai Jadhav a handicraft artisan from Bijapur Karnataka at Saras exhibition; one of my favourite "Sheros"

We celebrated yet another International Womens' Day a fortnight back and once again witnessed world waking up to the realization that women are indeed God's greatest gifts to humanity! As expected, there was frenzy on social media with posts on women, many of them paying unrealistic homage that perpetuate stereotypes. The advertising world went gung ho trying to have a piece in the pie by positioning the products as "sensitive to women", playing marketing gimmicks for eye balls. My phone kept buzzing with endless invitations for talks, rallies, networking events, conferences and marches to celebrate "International Womens' Day". Some of the events/talks I attended organized by corporate companies/cultural institutes were truly meaningful albeit most lacked representation from rural women and were reserved for the select few.

For majority of working women, the day was largely about flowers, balloons decoration, roses, chocolates and cards and "special celebration parties" with free stalls for mehendi, makeup, fashion shows and talks on "women oriented" topics, more or less remaining nothing more than fun/party time. Of course, there is absolutely no harm in dedicating an entire day for fun and frolic. But is that where the day should be confined to?

Don't get me wrong. I am all for celebration, gender equality and women empowerment but am bit apprehensive about diluting purpose of the day to nothing more than sheer tokenism. It doesn't serve much purpose except granting 'feel good" factor for our collective conscience. A day that has garnered immense significance in the human history calls for critical planning, commitment and sharp focus on gender parity, addressing issues of gender politics, discrimination and danger faced by women world over. But changing reality needs changing mindsets, attitudes, behaviour and a paradigm shift in our narrative.

The awareness about Womens' Day is limited to a very small percentage of women population. For many women from rural parts or lower social/financial strata of society the concepts of women empowerment, gender parity and equality don't exist. How can the celebration of women's day be complete without participation of women whose voices are never heard? How can we expect to change our social landscape if women who matter are not part of dialogue? How do we address the real issues of women with dichotomies existing almost in all spheres of life?

There is dire need to integrate the voices that reflect our ground realities and raise the issues to local, national and global level to the extent that they become movements, helping harness influence over policy/decision makers and protect woman's rights. No doubt, celebrating International Womens' Day is a step in that direction but unless we make a conscious effort to work towards making each day count as womens' day, the dangerous disconnect will continue to erode our social fabric.

I remember having read an article recently about women from smaller towns driving change in India. Those women are participating in the work areas traditionally known as male bastion; food/parcel delivery, kirana network, mobile repairing, carpentry etc. Looking at the joyous, confident photos of those young women from lower income strata of society, I felt proud.

At one of the hand loom exhibitions I attended recently, a weaver from Benaras divulged an interesting story about how the scene of sari weaving and traditional gulabi meenakari (pink enamelling, a quintessentially Benarasi weaving technique) considered to be exclusively male bastion is being transformed by women who have slowly but certainly learnt the art form, taking center stage.

The more we read about such random tales of women entering in organized and un-organized sectors, we get an impression that all is hunky dory and women are finally claiming their rightful place in work force. Sadly, the reality is far from truth. Recently at an event, I learned about World Economic Forum's estimation that revealed a shocking observation that it will take eighty years to achieve gender parity in the world! Yes, eight long decades, just imagine!

The Organization for Economic Co-operation Development(2014) observed that the G20 countries would experience economic growth and increased citizen welfare by increasing labour force of women. While the gender differences are slowly shrinking, barrier to womens' participation rates still remain very low. While increasing representation of women in the public spheres is important and can potentially be attained through some form of affirmative action, an attitudinal shift is essential for women to be considered as equal within their homes and in broader society.

It is constant endeavour for any Indian woman to protect her freedom from being clipped by her personal or professional environment that sometimes demands blind subservience to conformity or slavish attitudes towards rigid traditions and mindsets, the real malaise where women are thought to be dispensable! Unfortunately, the reality around me sometimes shows even some privileged young urban women not having a clue, enough courage and drive to create their own destiny. And that makes me realize the change needs to be from within; from our own minds, homes, communities and society in general. And till that happens, I don't see women getting their long deserved and much awaited place.

“And though she be but little,

She is fierce.”

-William Shakespeare, A MidsummerNight’s Dream

Rest in peace Pulwama martyrs, our battle continues!

2019-02-19T09:48:00.000-08:00

Politics isn't my forte hence I avoid writing about it on this blog. But the recent fidayeen attack in Pulwama that butchered nearly 50 men, has left me numb with the sheer madness of this dastardly terrorist attack by Jaish E Mohammad, an Islamic terrorist group.

The social media is flooded with chest thumping proclamations of patriotism, urging one and all to unite and create pressure on government to attack Pakistan and "take revenge". How can I forget the "intellectual elite" and their self-proclaimed "secular" breed with their opportunistic methods trying to gain fleeting moments of glory with endless debates?

There is wave of overwhelming outrage created by utter helplessness and frustration in people who have raised questions after watching macabre scenes of this tragedy. The answers however uncomfortable need to be answered. We must also understand that national pride is remarkably beautiful sentiment albeit when used as a tool to malign other race/country/religion/culture it loses its very essence. Patriotism is not about getting a high from titillation of spewing venom.

Dealing with terrorism is not easy and looking at pictures of grieving families of our martyrs, I fail to comprehend perverse mindset behind any religion demanding people from other faiths to be killed! What kind of religion endorses killing in name of its God and honours the culprits as martyrs/heroes? It is difficult to fathom politics of hatred that encourages inhuman acts of violence not a regrettable obligation but the whole point and make people who subscribe to such ideology barbaric savages! Deeply ingrained hatred, mindless greed and filthy power games are exercised to settle personal, social or political scores. With insanely high stakes invested in terrorism it has become new industry to establish religious, political and economic power games for global domination. My real concern is deeply disturbing trend of cult of hatred becoming a global epidemic endorsed by religious extremists.

We have witnessed a paradigm shift world over post 9/11. Entire political climate changed forever, establishing terrorism as legitimate tool for politics and religious fundamentalists globally. Terrorism from Islamic fundamentalists has compelled us to live with the nightmare changing our psyche.

The Pulwama terrorist attack has united our nation in grief, pain, anger and helplessness but soon the high decibel angry, intellectual debates, candle light marches, protests, signature campaigns will start waning and the media coverage will become nothing more than just an archival data till such tragic events occur in our backyard again! And before we go back to our normal life and Pulwama terrorist attacks and its aftermath is pushed to history, let us not forget the supreme sacrifice of brave sons of India, our martyrs and their families. It is easy to demand revenge from comfort of our homes without realizing price our forces and their families pay in wars.

For any healthy democracy it is crucial to have more voices in open to question with erudite judgement as to what is wrong with the system of country. But we have to be mindful about not letting our voices espouse animosity and discord that alienates people further.

Terrorism, the unfortunate reality of current times, needs to be handled in strategic manner and let us remember, there are no quick fix solutions to it. The first step would be to concede truth. Fortunately, we have strong forces in defence capable of taking any challenge and the government that is determined to fight terrorism and has will and courage to take necessary action. Going forward, the only way I find possible is through compassion and reconciliation. But before we take that path, we must quell the disruptive forces. I know it is not a simple task but the onus is all the more on enlightened minority, the educated class to ensure we walk towards path of constructive solutions instead of useless rage and damnation devoid of humanity. If we as nation can't achieve that we can't call ourselves a proud nation.

If we are truly angry about the loss of our brave hearts at Pulwama, let us at least assure we become a nation worthy of their sacrifices.

Rest in peace Pulwama martyrs. Our battle with terrorism continues to ensure no other precious life is lost.

Jai Hind!

Snippets from "A Hundred Hands exhibition"

2019-01-28T09:33:00.002-08:00

Bombay is known for its exuberant art scene and come winter, a passionate art and handicrafts lover like me is overwhelmed with the sheer number and range of exhibitions of art and craft the city hosts! One of the distinct exhibitions I never miss around this season is organized by an NGO, "A Hundred Hands, a Handmade Initiative". This year, the third edition of exhibition was showcased at Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum a fortnight back and as expected, it brought an interesting menagerie of artists and artisans from various parts of the country.

There was a time when art and crafts blossomed under royal patronage and were highly regarded and duly rewarded until the outbreak of 19th century industrialization. Unfortunately, with time stigma of inferiority and backwardness was attached to handicrafts, diluting its true value. The handicrafts industry still continues to be viewed as decorative, peripheral and sometimes even elitist despite being the second largest source of employment!

Millions of Indians still depend on indigenous modes of production, traditional skills and techniques to make a living based on handmade products. Most of the times, artists and artisans from smaller villages and towns suffer at hands of middlemen. Typically, due to lack of exposure and proper education beyond their art form, they aren't equipped to handle urban markets and lack confidence to match up to the prerequisite skill sets and compete in larger markets. This trend leads to exodus of artisans to urban cities in search of livelihood.

The founders of A Hundred Hands initiative, Mala Dhawan and her sister Dr. Sonia Dhawan discovered the lacunae in Indian handicrafts industry and decided to find a way to sustain revival of arts and handicrafts by providing a platform. Their NGO plays great role in reaching out hundreds of artists and artisans by creating a huge network, empowering and encouraging them with guidance on different concepts, design aesthetics, communication and presentation skills and enhancing their product/craft with providing knowledge on contemporary styles and thus equip them to compete with global products without losing ethos of their art form or craft.

It is need of the hour as nation to have more initiatives like A Hundred Hands to sustain and carry forward legacy of our rich and diverse country and its culture, myths and religions in our art practices. Traditional arts and handicrafts are unique expression of a culture or community and define a civilization hence they must be protected and promoted to keep our identity alive and relevant. I must say, A Hundred Hands initiative is doing a fine job at doing their bit considering how crucial the concept of "handmade" is in today's times and how it helps bringing together such wonderful creativity from gifted artists and artisans!

Here are some snippets from the exhibition that showcased amazing art with its complex, colourful and simple yet captivating raw charm and immensely gifted artists who were such delight to meet with!

Artisan Abdul Kalam and his group of weavers from Mirzapur are reviving old tradition of fine craftsmanship and intricate designs of Kilm and carpet weaving

Ironsmith Hanuman Lohar and his community's ironware making skills date back to Rajput era in Rajasthan from

Bio degradable bags made from banana fiber by artisans at Gramya, a social enterprise

Traditional Patwa thread work accessories made by artisan Vishnu Patwa

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Chemical free earthern cookware by artisan Bhansing

Chanderi sarees from artisan Afzal Ansari

Art of Metal sculptures carried forward from the Gupta period, artisan M.Raju

Revival of natural, traditional remedies by Sonia Dhawan

Kawad artist Dwarika Prasad Jangid

Shibori by Umoya designs

Fascinating work from Siyahi studio

Traditional work from Rajasthan with interesting social message

A traditional work from Rajasthan

Tales of change from Mann Deshi Mahotsav

2019-01-15T09:30:00.000-08:00

सुंदर माझे जाते ग फिरते बहुत

ओव्या गाऊ कौतुक तु येरे बा विठ्ठला

जीव शीव दोन्ही सुंडे ग प्रपंचाच्या नेटे ग

लावूनी पाची बोटे तु येरे बा विठ्ठला....

It was a pleasant surprise to be greeted by these melodious lines from ovees (songs sung by rural women while performing arduous tasks like using grinding stone, mortar and pestle or rahat; a manual wooden wheel used for fetching water from well), as I entered Mann Deshi Mahotsav, at Ravindra Natya Mandir last week.

Mann Deshi foundation, an initiative where women are at helm, provides a dynamic platform for rural women and their communities from lower strata of society (women who work as homemakers, goatherds, vegetable sellers, roadside tea stall owners, domestic helps and farm labourers), empowering them to be entrepreneurs; helping them equip with knowledge, capital, access to markets and social support nurturing financial and digital literacy.

One has to really meet women working at grass root level at small and medium enterprises and listen to their stories to understand what terms like "inclusive growth" and "women empowerment" really mean and how it impacts their life and society in general.

For most of us from financially affluent and educated class, it is impossible to imagine plight of an uneducated, hard working woman with saving potential of barely five rupees a day!

A latest International Finance Corp, (IFC) study shows that nearly 75% of women-owned small and medium enterprises have an unmet financial need leaving huge gap that usually ends up being met with help of family members or money lenders who charge exorbitant rates of interest, forcing women into a debt trap. The critical challenge of lack of credit compels most of these small entrepreneurs to wind up their businesses or stunt growth of their startups.

At Man Deshi Mahotsav, I met many successful micro-entrepreneurs who once faced lack of access to institutional banking services, opportunities for skill building and access to support networks due to complete lack of education and skill sets. Listening to their experiences of starting their ventures from scratch was great learning and quite an eye opener for me!

A micro enterprise movement in a small village of Mhaswad, in Satara district that was started about two decades back has spread into a strong platform for myriad community initiatives like organizing cattle camps, building check dams, running a local radio station and sports talent hunts, helping millions of rural women pulling them out of dire conditions and give them wings. When one meets these gritty, confident rural women with dreams in their eyes, one agrees with the visionary founder of Mann Deshi Foundation, Chetna Gala Sinha's words,"Literacy is not just about reading and writing."

A warm welcome at the entrance by women singing ovees

A woman singing ovees while grinding grains

Display of organic produce at Mann Deshi Mahotsav

Gaji dance performers in their traditional white attires and hand embroidered red scarves

A woman selling Masalas and chutneys

Farm fresh fruits at Mann Deshi Mahotsav

Beaming with pride and confidence, these women explained how they make medicinal oils using more than a dozen plants and tress

One of the stars of Mann Deshi Mahotsav, Kerabai Sargar a radio jocky, who launched her CD at exhibition

Woolen blankets made with organic wool

A couple from Karnataka, selling sarees and handicrafts

member of Eklavya Foundation, answering queries from curious minds

Farm fresh vegetable stalls

From Ravi Varma calenders to New Year diaries...

2019-01-04T11:18:00.001-08:00

We are barely a week in the new year and the euphoria of last few days is fading. Predictably, those chest thumping proclamations of new year resolutions are also losing the steam. Life is slowly getting back to normalcy and I love it!

At breakfast table this morning, while discussing our respective schedules to check feasibility of attending a social function, we all opened our apps on mobile phones and got busy for few minutes. It struck me how one ritual that most of us have witnessed growing up, is also on verge of dying its natural death. I am talking about acquiring the new year calendars/panchang (almanac) that one would eagerly await (post Diwali) and the corporate diaries.

If you are born in seventies or eighties, you will remember all the fuss about new year calendars and corporate diaries. The sheer anticipation and curiosity about the touch and feel of new pages and that enticing golden sheen of the tail, top edge and fore edge of the diary was the ultimate kick! Owning a new diary till one had reached a certain age was "unnecessary". Usually, diaries were hand me down "gifts" containing scribbled notes and despite the charm of newness missing, they were still cherished as prized possessions! Once in a blue moon if by some divine intervention and testimony of good karma, parents felt too generous and passed on new, spare diary, the thrill of carefully and neatly writing one's name and other details on first page with the best ink pen available (usually borrowed from older sibling or parent) was beyond words!

With high tech world and fancy apps for just about anything under the sun we all are privileged to have, there is paradigm shift in our life bringing great convenience. Gone are the days of writing things down anchoring events in one's muscle memory, silencing the mental rambling for those fleeting moments and crossing the tasks off once completed!

The new year calendars...

The new year wall/desk calendar, once the most sought after commodity seems to be disappearing quickly from our everyday life.

Do you remember seeing beautifully bright calendars; prints of Ravi Varma's paintings on walls, framed paintings of our favourite Gods and Goddesses in puja rooms/corners of almost every Indian home while growing up? With Ravi Varma's three-dimensional form and radically transformed religious iconography with very human depiction of divinity, Gods and art became accessible to everyone! And those images were so vividly ingrained in us that while praying, one could visualize and as if knew how Gods looked like. Those Puranic stories of Nala Damayanti, Vishwamitra, Shakuntala, Satyavan-Savitri and so many other tales from the Mahabharata and Ramayana that granny told us at night had great context as one could instantly identify the characters through Ravi Varma calendars and decorative illustrations. In a way, those calendars awakened national and cultural identity.

With passage of time calendar art changed and paintings of Gods were replaced with pictures of Nature followed by Bollywood brigade that ruled the world of calendars for some time. With corporate gifting becoming a growing industry, diaries and calendars evolved and became more personalized and hyper functional catering individual needs, profession and aesthetic sense.

With our fast-paced existence and constantly changing needs, high tech devices are becoming pivotal in ensuring we sail through everyday routine smoothly and life without them feels almost impossible!

Calendar art today is a thing of bygone era. Once in a while I do get a peek of this important piece of cultural history at some art exhibition, or at auction house. Diaries have vanished completely from the scene too. With our high-tech devices that keep us connected to the world 24/7, catering our every possible need at just one click, there is barely any room for the good old diary.

The new digital versions of the diary give no reasons for any complain, albeit I do miss the romance of seeing a dry peepal leaf or a flower from between musty pages of a diary, reading a hurriedly written recipe, unfinished poems and notes pregnant with tales and possibilities, poignant quotes and beautifully drawn sketches that were witness to the times less hurried.

Call me old school if you wish but the more time I spend disconnected to gadgets and digital world, the more Zen like life feels! And oddly enough, those are the times when I really understand meaning of what my son often tells me, "to take a chill pill" in its true essence!

New beginnings

2018-12-28T10:03:00.002-08:00

It is late at night as I write this post. I am past two cups of coffee after tossing and struggling endlessly to get some sleep. The quiet breeze, aroma of flowers from the potted plants and random, fleeting music of rustling of leaves from the garden keep me company. A distant sound of a plane flying high is very comforting noise; a raucous sound that strangely holds its own rhythm and breaks the silence and stillness of my house that has comfortably slipped into quiet of night.

From across the room wafts remnant of magical fragrance of Amber incense that has long been burnt. I see the calendar next to it and realize, the year is coming to end. The world seems to be going bonkers as if in hurry to be done with last few days, eagerly awaiting the fresh start. It may sound bizarre but I like the way this sense of anticipation fills our hearts with hope!

2018 has passed in a jiffy and as it hurtles to close, I look back and realize this year has been truly amazing and I feel immensely blessed and grateful. The best thing to happen for me was joining post graduate P.G. Diploma course in Indian Aesthetics that has opened up new vistas of learning for me.

It was a year of potpourri of experiences; fulfilled dreams, achievements, great learning, contentment, pursuit of my passions, forming deeper bonds, creating beautiful memories, friendships, soulful conversations, some travel, frayed nerves, unspoken aspirations, dormant desires, things to do list; part of which still remains incomplete and so many other things that made me whiz around in zillion directions with its cadence. No,I am not complaining as I have learnt great deal about myself and have become more accepting of my limitations and vulnerabilities and life in general.

The midyear saw me undergo a surgery that left me almost inactive for few months. Some health issues still continue to threaten to take wind out of my sails but the midyear sulk months almost seem a good distance away now. And as I write this post, I am in happy space, all charged up to welcome what 2019 has in store for me.

I have been in stupor of sorts for past few months, enchanted by life and the road it took me on. But contrary to what is evident on this blog, I have been writing regularly and intend to share all that and more on this blog henceforth.

Here is wishing you all a happy New Year 2019 in advance! Let the party begin! :)

Taking a step back

2018-05-23T07:03:00.004-07:00

As I write this article sitting near my window occasionally looking out at the sky and outside world, the day looks neither bright nor gloomy but is soaked in a blue grey tint. My mind wavers at the thought of mango pickle kept in balcony for sun bath. The light is not ideal. I run and bring back the pickle in the house. Just when I try to start writing again, the bell rings. Courier has arrived. I am about to close the door when the neighbour catches me and seems keen to update me with gossip. I silently pray the Universe for rescue and like always, it obliges. My cell phone rings. I make a sorry face and excuse myself. On the phone is my aunt in law who demands to know why I have disappeared from the social scene completely!

You get the drift.

Life has been harried on personal and professional front with zillion things demanding my time, attention and energy. Past few months have been like running life on "auto pilot" mode, mechanically as if running after some insatiable chase moving like an addict into unheard, unseen rhythm of uncontrolled chaos! The impact shows in the way every single cell of my body protests for the torture I inflict upon it time to time. The fatigue is not only physical but emotional and psychological too.

I realize, it is time to cut off completely from frazzled routine and grasp at something real, spend time with myself or perhaps do nothing! Maybe just enjoy the incorrigible, idle inertia and be present in the moment. Maybe it is time to have a quiet dialogue with life with help of my camera and go for shoots. Or maybe write all those stories brimming in my head but somehow never find a way to this blog.

Being a person who thrives in urban, metropolitan chaos it is a great reward to find time just for myself. I love to shut myself from outside world and be happy with my cave like world; a womb of complete peace, a sacred space deep inside my cerebrum.

Sometimes I wonder if there must have been times when we human beings were mightily happy to just sit and be! How many moments during the day do we really feel the stillness to focus on the moment passing by, the present and deeply enjoy it? Exploring alchemy of stillness and its intricacy in otherwise chaotic and often claustrophobic spaces is an art not many of us have mastered and that is certainly what I strive to achieve.

The frenetic cadence of life rarely allows us to see beyond our softly padded walls. But we often find our truth in least expected spaces, in the least imagined ways.

Maybe, I am going through a strange phase these days. I feel irresolute, conflicted, discordant, unmoved, uninspired and sometimes completely overwhelmed by incessant challenges life keeps throwing at me.

There are times when something within compels us to be silent and stay still. Times when we naturally remain withdrawn and just witness the world around us and listen. I believe, when our heart leads us somewhere, it is always for a reason and when the inner core revolts for serious attention, we need to follow and find out the reason behind it. I intend to do just that. It is time I claim myself back!

Finding instant Nirvana by the beach

2018-05-02T23:46:00.001-07:00

Sunset hues at Gholwad beach

Treasure trove by the beach at Dahanu beach

Waterlilies at a pond

Mesmerizing patterns created by sand at Gholwad beach

Construction of sand castle in progress

Colourful boats by the shore at Gholwad fishing village

Sunset at Bordi beach

As I write this article, evening is approaching languidly. The view from my window displays gorgeous Sunset that has started changing palette of summer sky. The day is about to glide into night subtly while the birds return to their nests, singing in gay abandon. From the distance wafts aroma of wet earth mixed with tender mango flowers and all the fatigue after a really long, tiring day vanishes in thin air! I am surprised how I have missed stealing these beautiful moments witnessing this everyday miracle since past few days.

I remember having experienced a sense of relief after the dreaded month of March was over. With naive assumption I expected life to be much smoother with everybody’s schedules much lighter April on-wards. But hubby and son got unusually occupied in their work creating havoc in my schedule and I whirled like dervish in different directions, struggling to manage zillion more things than I usually do to keep the home running, trying to find balance.

There was this clamouring scream from within to break out from our crazy routines and grasp at semblance of sanity before we all got into stifling “life REALLY sucks” mode.

Often, the eternal nomad in me emerges very strongly creating revolt when I don’t get to travel due to personal or professional compulsions. I sulk and withdraw completely from world. Fortunately, before I reached that stage, we somehow managed to get an escape from all the chaos.

We drove to Dahanu, Gholwad and Bordi; beautiful, sleepy coastal towns ideal for few days if you love doing absolutely nothing except unwinding and walking by the beach, feel the sand in your bare feet, gathering sea shells, gaze at sky on a starlit night or last loaf of evening Sun creating magical abstracts! After really long time it was lovely to experience silence. It is amazing what all silence can make us listen! We never truly comprehend but there is a beautiful rhythm in silence. And in solitude. It is so important to step back from our frazzled routines and reconnect with our own selves at regular intervals.

Sea, like rain is an addiction for me. I simply love having a quiet dialogue with the waves while entire world is fast asleep, watching myriad colours and moods of morning /evening and realize in those tranquil moments what a divine luxury doing absolutely nothing and being immersed in Nature is!

Sand with dunes, soft peaks or patterns, creating abstract of different dimensions with every passing moment is always mesmerizing. There is something pious about seemingly lifeless sand, whether it is abundant desert sand or at beach. Listening to waves crashing on the shore, watching children building sand castles at the beach with their tiny hands, witnessing sky changing its hues with fading sunlight is sublimely fulfilling!

In those few sacred moments I am invariably always transfixed, misty eyed with mellow opulence, contemplating, witnessing calming of my nerves and invariably always nourished in my body, mind and soul.

Till the justice is served, few points to ponder ...

2018-04-17T07:19:00.000-07:00

I received a message from a facebook friend asking me to change my profile picture and instead leave the display picture box with complete black out as mark of a "movement" to show what world might be without women and protest against abuse and violence women go through. I immediately obliged bit apprehensively though, wondering if it was just tokenism. No problem with that either I thought as long as women show solidarity considering latest gruesome rape and murder cases Indian media has brought light to recently. A few minutes later I received misogynistic forwards that reflected women in very poor taste from the same friend!

We are all more fallible than we admit and increasingly in this world of social media where we portray different personas; one that shows our socially caring side, which protests social injustice with unusual vehemence and the other more real one when we slip into easy familiarity of slothful behaviour, we are increasingly being torn apart by these dichotomies within ourselves in conflict and in variance with each other. That deserting bravado one speaks of is when one tries to actually be what one portrays publicly and find that it is tougher than one thinks. (My friend who forwarded those message isn't perhaps aware of contradiction in her behaviour!)

Past few days have been one of those rare times when most of Indians feel united. United in grief, shock, anguish, frustration and sheer helplessness. The tragic events of gang rape and murder have yet again awakened perpetually neglected issue of crime against women in India. The chilling details of Asifa Bano and Unnao rape and murder cases are painfully shocking and while they might brew our blood, it is important to check if we are teaching our children right values. Rapist are the kind of breed that is product of environment that treats women as commodity; to be used, abused and treat inhumanly without iota of guilt or shame. Such mindsets get nurtured from formative years that deeply ingrain message that women are inferior to men.

My inbox is full with invitations for candle light marches, signature campaigns and a few talks on the subject. Is it enough? With the way crimes against women are growing, I feel the culture of mass protests doesn't serve much purpose except serving as mere 'feel good factor" in appeasement of our collective conscience. Any means of protest has to be used appropriately to hold potency to provoke discourse and bring the necessary change.

Gender politics and the comprehension of equality and humanism needs to be addressed urgently today. But, changing reality needs changing mindsets, attitudes and behaviour.

There is dire need to integrate the voices that reflect our ground realities and raise the issues to local, national and global level, to the extent that they become movements, helping harness influence over policy/decision makers and protect womens' rights. Unless we make a conscious effort to work towards making each day count in working towards bringing necessary change, the dangerous disconnect will continue to erode our social fabric. Can we afford it as society? If not, what are we doing about it?

Why the mindless charade !?

2018-03-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

"Phenomenal woman" by Maya Angelou, picture courtesy, google

Last week was that time of the year when world once again woke up to the realization that women are indeed God's greatest gifts to humanity! A week prior to the International Womens' day and my phone started buzzing with calls and messages with "special offers", invitations for Arts performances, talks, rallies, networking events, conferences and marches for the "special day". As the day neared, the intensity and number of "woman empowerment", "proud to be woman" messages began to swell driving me absolutely nuts with irony of the whole charade! So many of those messages were from people who keep forwarding regressive, misogynistic, sexist, offensive, distasteful messages masquerading as jokes.

The work places were not far behind! The flowers and balloons decoration, the roses, chocolates and cards and "special celebration parties" for women employees with free stalls for mehendi, makeup, fashion shows and talks on "women oriented" topics is how Womens' day summed up for most working women. Of course, a few, truly meaningful workshops/talks were organized too by many corporate companies/cultural institutes but those were restricted to the elite/select few. By large, the "Women's day" celebrations remained more like fun/party time. And that made me wonder what the hallabaloo was about really! What is the point of celebrating a day without participation of women whose voices need to be heard? How can we expect to change our social landscape unless women who matter are not part of dialogue?

I happened to be at a movie theatre at the mall on 8th March and when I greeted security women for the "Womens' day", their response was surprisingly indifferent. I am sure for many women like them the day was just like any other. How do we address the real issues of women with such dichotomies existing almost in all spheres of life?

Don't get me wrong. I am all for celebration, gender equality and women empowerment. My problem is diluting purpose of the day to nothing more than sheer tokenism. It doesn't serve much purpose except granting 'feel good factor" for our collective conscience. A day that has garnered immense significance in the human history calls for critical planning, commitment and sharp focus on gender parity, addressing issues of gender politics, discrimination and danger faced by women world over.

Every single day we read about inhuman acts of sexual perversion, abuse, kidnapping, rape, incest, burning, acid attacks, dowry deaths, and so many gruesome acts of oppression of women, across all categories and class that such news sound very routine.

We don't like to admit openly but the truth of our social reality is in female infanticides being devoured by sewage from rural as well as global metro cities. Our reality is in charred bodies in dowry and tandoor deaths. Our reality is, painfully disturbing rotting stench of female foetus and the hanged bodies of "honour killings". Of course, gender politics and the comprehension of equality and humanism needs to be addressed urgently today. But, changing reality needs changing mindsets, attitudes and behaviour.

One doesn't need to explore in to the interiors of the country to realize that caveman's mentality is still intact and the balance of power is off in our regressive, patriarchal society, even in the urban cities amidst our homes and work places. We need to ask tough questions about what are we doing to educate and change deeply ingrained conditioning that leads to discrimination and gender bias?

There is dire need to integrate the voices that reflect our ground realities and raise the issues to local, national and global level, to the extent that they become movements, helping harness influence over policy/decision makers and protect womens' rights. Unless we make a conscious effort to work towards making each day count as womens' day, the dangerous disconnect will continue to erode our social fabric.

There is no point in making chest thumping proclamations about women empowerment. Let it reflect in our actions in our homes, immediate social circles and work places. Let those efforts build each other and if that truly happens, each day will be a celebration!