Siva...Siva!!

The Kapaleeswarar temple in Chennai is just awesome.Specially during sunset when the sky hangs low and casts its shadow on the towering pillars.A pretty musical sight though, to hear and see koels and crows, croon into the blue venom throated Siva's ears.As HE is seated with his family and friends, the ganas, aghoris and the rich natural grandeur painted into sculpted silence, the spiritual canvas, just gets brighter and better! A tapestry of stories running in its own levels of pattern, the essence of all nature echos in the chants from the walls of the temple within.Still unaware of its historical significance, but overwhelmed by its sheer spiritual space, the visit does establish a stirring of a quest that matches to its depth of quantum of solace.

Losing English, The Artistic Way

'I lost my English': (17th Feb, Pettachi Auditorium,Luz Church Road) A fusion of West African dance forms in line with the Indian, “I lost my English” is a non-narrative stream of consciousness adapted in dance form. A mixture of dual voices belonging to varied cultures, finding one single language that consummates themes like alienation, frustration and loneliness is its core of creation. The artistes Tim Winse, a multi-instrumentalist from Burkina Faso plays the Kora, a 21-stringed West-African Harp and the Lolo, with Choreography and Dance credits from Serge Aime Coulibaly (Burkina Faso) and Kalpana Raghuraman (The Netherlands/India), the trio blends to arrive at a new paradigm of freedom of expression, albeit parallel nativities. An exploratory art work in the form of communication and the many voices lost in it is experienced through a common music and dance in the “Duniya”- A word meaning the “World” that paradoxically connects the West African and Indian (Hindi) language culture. While the West African dance in creative collaboration with the Indian Bharatanatyam, goes beyond the structure and grammar of the art form, the transformation of the ancient through the contemporary reaches out as an intensive quest.

Naan Kadavul

Iam not a regular movie buff, but the stunned acceptance of the factual documentary that "Naan Kadavul", the movie can actually do to the audience is proof enough.And being one of those laidback viewers who has been cynical and creatively compassionate of the regular run of the mill, the essence (or the lack of it?) did manage to churn things down my own set of life theories... Used to identifying with clinical acceptance of existence and closing in from the inside, the rawness that attacks those lying low (In forced contentment, thanks to meltdowns caving in) with sheer openess found in the movie's naked truth(s), makes it worth a watch. Its like going into the darkest of hours (The last show for the day,an add on extra effect:)) in motion picture platform that travels from darkness to light. The ugly face of our country, in remote villages specially, where poverty vandalism with beggers being bought for a sum and sold off, umnimdful of their family connections and roots, forms the core. While beggers by themselves are not "supposed" to buy material happiness, by way of their karmic existence, what they manage to do is render those giving them alms debtless and make individual accountability possible, as per the religious beliefs ruling India. Whether the aggressively detached and self proclaiming God, Rudra (Aarya), an Aghori, gets back to his family that abandons him in his early childhood days, (owing to astrological reasons that predict impending doom to his family), reclaiming him from programmed tenets "Aham Brahmasmi", forms the rest of tne story. And caught in the vagaries of the nomadic poor and their day to day lives is another such begger Hamsavalli (Pooja), who is bought to this part of the village where her visually challenged world becomes more darker and disfigured and begs for release from life in itself.Rudra's reason to be,to do just that and move on to higher realms of his calling for life is a befitting ending.

Don't Quit!

Powerful words of Edgar A.Guest: Don’t Quit: When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you are trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and debts are high, And you want to smile but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest, if you must-but don’t you quit! Life is queer with its twists and turns, As every one of us sometime learns, And many a failure turns about When he might have won had he stuck it out; Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow- You might succeed with another blow… Success is failure turned inside out- The silver tint of the clouds of doubt- And you can never tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems afar; So stick to the fight when you are hardest hit- It’s when things get worse that you mustn’t quit!

Tied up...

Marriage is an over hyped institution.Too much of the other and little of the self.Though gratifying for all external reasons, its a deep well, full of halves and have knots.A semi circle that concurs with text book material traditions and rituals and never quite finds completion, leave alone settling points within the confines. The wall keeps getting chipped off and the more you cement, the more are the loopholes that ooze out staringly.Its a merger between two broken, yet sturdy walls that learn to balaance each others weight.Bearing it lovingly makes all the difference and letting go off the very same rules that bind, is a learning unto this institution.

A Doll Order

Dolls and more of it...a rich display of variety across the states, India is prettily dressed up and showcased.Crafts that bring out the GOD out of artists, as layers of hardwork is etched in its every curve.Marapaachi, mythology, mannu bommai...flavour of finery in the cultural capital, a visual delight in every step.As soups, sweets and spicy incidents hover in the neighbourhood, lifelessness seems a silent pacifier, in presence of countless lives lost, in deafening volumes. Now in light and then in dark, dolls make their presence felt through seasons of time.For the ten days up ahead that worship divinity and diversity, GODS, animals, parks and people standing by their moulded virtues do their jobs quietly-peace and prosperity is a deaperate plea in asking, of humans who remain silent dolls, goodness and evil battling within.Make a difference, not indiffernce they say...as our nation is "prettily" dressed up and showcased.

Planted in loose soil

"It takes time to grow," winced the baby plant - "To raise to meet expectations tall and find strength in storms and silence."

"Do not feel watered down, the towering trees in the neighbourhood advised"."Give this some time as you will need to provide sun and shade as you reach heights of happiness and pains alternatively", the oldest among the lot swayed while breathing in deep felt sighs.

"But how do I grow when elements are not supportive?" the sapling asked. It added, "Soiled the lands are and already tilled the trails of experience.Seeds half sown and premature shoots struggling to get planted has made way for me, another entry in the nursery.A long journey this...."-

The fog gets cleared as the fittest of the strong survivors wipes clean the clouds of doubt with its leaves swaying bringing with it dew drops of heavenly rain.

The sapling though loosely held, grasped one thing though: Be down to earth and the rest will fall in its place.It's time to grow.