Krishna for a day - Part 2

Continued from my previous blog post

As we were about to enter the main gallery, I knew what was in store. Thanks to a recent Instagram live organized by Hindustan Trading Company. A grand work of Vamana Avataram greeted us and this was exactly the same order I had seen during the online session. However, seeing the work right in front of my eyes was a totally different experience!

"When Vamana started manifesting as Trivikrama, the galaxy of starts appeared like they are a part of his umbrella. The same appeared to be his necklace, his girdle and finally his anklet as he was growing bigger and bigger" Keshav sir was pointing to the finer details of the painting.

 

We then proceeded to the show stopper - SRIMAD   BHAGAVATHAM - a grand canvas about 12 feet in length with the whole of Bhagavatham in pictorial form - it was a complete stunner. I remember spending about 20 minutes right there pestering him to explain the minutiae. My eyes were going around the painting with so much excitement trying to recollect stories I knew.

   

 

The conversation caught up and Keshav sir was talking about the influence of renaissance work in his art- "Had you seen my renaissance work of Rama Pattabishekam, the stance of Bharata was inspired from Michelangelo's David".

He then brought in another painting which was covered tightly in bubble wrap. "I usually do not open this as the base is white" he says as he unwraps it for me. I could feel an instant rush of feel-good hormones. "If you see closely, this pose is based on the Pieta again by Michelangelo". He then goes on to explain the philosophy as to why Krishna kills Bhishma fiercely and embraces him once he is fallen. 

The conversation went on, paintings after paintings and that is when I realised Keshav sir almost forgot about the Thiruppavai work that he said he needed to complete. We then got back to the reception hall where I was showing him my works. "See, whatever inspires you, an artwork is an artwork at the end of the day. You need to get the technique spot on" He was mentioning how Rajam sir's works were a great inspiration for him "My idea of painting the palms and toes pink was inspired by Rajam's works in fact. The number of layers he uses to bring out the colours is just amazing".

"There were times when I felt that there is layam in artwork. I used to sketch for live carnatic concerts and during one such day, I happened to start a sketch of Venkateshwara during a Ragam Thanam Pallavi. As I was completing the strokes of the jewels I realised that I was painting to the rhythm of the percussionist". I was trying to imbibe the conversation word by word to be processed later as my brain had a already been saturated that day.

All the while, there was something that constantly caught my attention. It was a large work in the corridor covered again with layers of bubble wrap. However, I could see the eyes of  Vishnu through it. I could not convince myself to leave that place without seeing that work and I finally asked out. "Ah, this has not been opened in years, he blames that my cooking would spoil the canvas" Maami spurts out. However, Keshav sir springs up and starts unwrapping it. I started helping him uncover the dusty wrapper, feeling really priviledged.

It was two paintings joined together and I could see sanskrit verses written all over the background. "Its Sri Suktham and Purusha Suktham" Maami says. I understand that they are exonerating verses of Vishnu and Mahalakshmi. I was just gazing at the painting in awe. "Sir I could see that the face is very different from your previous works" I asked him. "Yes, I used the Nepali style to depict the face. "They use ground turmeric and curd to smear on the forehead and it is considered auspicous"

"If you note, on Mahalakshmi's forehead I would have depicted the rice grains as well". He also explained how he used a different technique of scrapping off the colour off the canvas to get a different effect for the backdrop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I felt like I had come out of a swim in the 'ocean of art' and we bid good bye to both of them. Our conversation still continued about archiving the artworks and so on, till he bid us goodbye at the gate. Completely awestruck, I left the place with his catalogues and a book he gifted me.

 

P.S. I would love to thank his son Ram Keshav for arranging the meet and of course Keshav sir and Maami for being such an amazing host.

Krishna for a day - Part 1

 Prologue

Keshav is a Chennai based Illustrator who was also a columnist for 'The Hindu' for nearly a decade. His name strikes a bell if you think about the cartoons featured in the newspaper. His series called 'Krishna for today' has hit a wave amongst youngsters and the older generation alike. His style of interpreting the vedic texts and fusion of concepts from world art are his USP.

The Slaying of Vaali - Lets brew this again !

Varadha uncle at Birmigham was having a heated conversation with me about religion and mass conversion. Somewhere he mentioned this “Do you know how beautifully Mohammed Rela talks about Ramayana? In fact he talks just about a single episode called 'VAALI VADHAM' for about an hour”. I was shocked as I knew Mohammed Rela only as the renowned hepatic surgeon till then. I almost forgot this until another boring weekend where I checked this video out (link below). I never intended to see the full video as I thought a discussion on Rama killing Vaali and its ethicalities is so last century. But with the way it went, I was glued to my seat till the very end.

Both the orators featured in the video were very accomplished surgeons in their field. One is a world leader in hepatic transplant and the other is a senior pediatric surgeon in one of Chennai’s busiest child hospitals. To see that both of them can quote all those verses from Kamba Ramayanam out of memory is simply amazing!

A couple of days later when I watched the Rajini starrer PETTA – oh man! There is suddenly 'Vaali Vadham' everywhere around me. If you did not notice, the main spine of the storyline is based on 'Vaali Vadham' and Rajini mentions it at the climax.

Thought I would strongly suggest all those who are reading this to check that video, I am also tempted to give a brief capsule of this. So why so much fuss about 'Vaali Vadham'? Vaali confiscated Sugreeva’s kingdom his wife unlawfully. Rama killed Vaali for the sake of Sugreeva but from behind which is against the battle dharma. He was kind of forced into it as Vaali also has this special boon where everytime he battles, the opponent loses half of his strength to Vaali.

On the death bed Vaali asks Rama as to why he did this unworthy act. Rama argues saying that the rules of battlefield applies only to humans and not apes. Vaali puts his end of the argument saying in that case, apes don’t have to comply by any dharma of marriage and fidelity. The very reason why Rama killed Vaali becomes nullified. Rama argues back saying that if a monkey can analyse things so well, his intellect is equal if not better than humans. In that case, Manu dharma still applies to him. Vaali goes back to the same question again as to why he attacked him from behind if Rama places Vaali on the same scale as humans. Rama was perplexed and doesn’t have an answer to this.  Kamban does though, through the voice of Lakshmana. What a philosophical intellect! 

 To save the surprise for the last - That's my sketch based on the sculpture at Darasuram Temple. Despite taking ages to complete, I could hardly bring out that finesse that unnamed sculptor brought into a small stone slab.

Credits:

The debate between Prof Rela and Dr Priya Ramachandran on Vaali Vadham at Kamban Kazhagam - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9bSuFoX1Ts&t=952s

For those who would prefer a brief English version - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC8bAQdQZEI

Christianity and Carnatic Music - The Flip Side !

Disclaimer : Multiple mentions of caste names but unfortunately I have to.

Anand has discussed with me multiple times about his experience in one of the Carnatic music reality shows and how his talent was sidelined but he was still kept in the show to portray a false inclusivity. Anand was apparently the only non-brahmin, not-so-posh contestant. Not one of the pleasant experiences I would say, but he gets so excited every time he talks about it. “Its all about the Brahmin community bro, that’s where all the judges were from, they wanted to promote only their candidates”.

My Madurai days, in terms of Carnatic music was quite an eye opener. I understood a lot on how the entire mainstream Carnatic music is controlled by a single community. My guru was a Isai Vellalar and we have had extensive chats regarding this. “Okay Ashwin, now tell me one mainstream Carnatic singer who is a non-brahmin”. I tried a few names, just to realize that they are not tamil brahmins but phalgats, still from the same community. “Okay, tell me any accompanist who is a non- brahmin”. I failed but he came up with a couple of them.  And here we are – the stark reality is that none of the mainstream Carnatic musicians or their accompanists is outside the community. “Does it mean that others don’t learn Carnatic music?” I was quite shocked. “What happens to the others that pursue Carnatic music degrees in colleges?” The answer is simple; they end up applying for professor cadre jobs in the same colleges and hardly ever make it to the stage. That’s exactly what Anand ended up doing, but for a change joined a Christian Missionary College!

The other day he was comically mentioning to us that how all the nuns and fathers struggle with pronunciation. “mohana kara muthu kumara will be sung as muttu kumara. All they want is to learn the song, muthu and muttu makes no difference to them” he chuckles. Honestly, this took a while for me to digest. “Do they actually wear their robes and other paraphernalia and sing songs on rama and muruga?” I was getting curious. “Oh yeah bro, they don’t mind” It did not matter much to him but I was so sure something dramatic is going to happen in years to come. Just that I did not realize it would happen so soon.

Well there are two sides to this issue now. For ages, the Brahmin community has been sabotaging the Carnatic stage and all the limelight when so many others like the Isai Vellalars and the Devadasis have not been given credit. In fact, there would not have been a temple for Thyagaraja at Thiruvaiyaru today if not for his Devadasi disciple. Also, as TM Krishna mentions, even an enormously talented MS Subbulakshmi had to shed off her communal identity and present herself as a Brahmin to get their approval. It is high time that Carnatic music becomes truly global, and not limited just to the global Brahmin community. It has to happen and it’s happening right now with fire and smoke.

When I read TMK’s tweet that he will compose a song on Jesus or Allah every month, I felt like making whistles and claps and giving him a hi-five! But unfortunately I have seen, rather heard the bitter truth myself. Thyagaraja’s and Dhikshatar’s krithis being plagiarized with the names of the hindu gods being replaced with others. This is something I strongly condemn and I feel the whole Carnatic music community should rise against. Though the sarcastic me would actually challenge them to spot all the Hindu references correctly.

Christianity in south India is being constantly captivated by all the Hindu practices and customs. Is it because they miss all these complex rituals in Christianity proper? Or is it just a means to attract more people into their religion? From kodimarams to kamatchi vilakku and even kalasa kumbam, they have imitated everything and now the timeless Carnatic compositions! I wish we could stop them, but we are just so powerless in front of the fierce drive with which these religions operate, aren’t we?

Coming back to the topic of the day, as long as they stick on to original compositions on Jesus or Allah, I would be one of them who would buy a ticket for a multi-religious Music Academy concert. The rational me only begs to differ as the motive behind this christian carnatic drive is not benign as it might seem.

The Unsung Heroes

Facebook has become my Hindu and Times of India as I just fly through the pics and hardly read anything useful. Half sleepy after a 36-hour duty drill, doing my pre-sleep facebook yoga, a post suddenly rang a bell. It made me sit up with my MacBook writing down.

Few years back, five to be precise, I was the duty intern of the ICU and at 3 o’clock in the morning when I was mumbling about a sleepless night I saw something that I could never forget. The nurses who were having their dinner few hours back, just sprang up to go on a full round washing all the patients up, powdering their backs and specially plaiting their hair to perfection! And none of them seemed to bother about their sleep or food. Many a time these women in white have made me wonder “Why do they have to do all these?”

Another day recently, here at Madurai, I had to attend a patient who collapsed and to complete the death paperwork. While we were waiting for my professor, the nurse started a conversation, lamenting that she is overburdened and it went to her experience at a corporate ICU. “Did you actually leave a corporate work set up and joined here? ” “Oh sir, don’t ask about it. It used to be cruel, delayed salaries… high expectations… it used to be a total pain…for every unclean plaster, one day- off will be cut, and the same for every bedsore, unclean mouth after feeding…I used to stand by the side of patients buttock holding the oxygen hose in my hand after spraying insulin over a bedsore”

As a profession, comparing to a doctor, the demand for integrity, dedication to work and most importantly patience is significantly higher for a nurse. Let's take a hundred doctors and nurses, say junior doctors and student and young staff, with similar tough work drill, the proportion of nurses who show it in their face is far less than the proportion of doctors – that is exactly the beauty of it! Day and night, whatever you ask, there is hardly a wry face or a disinterested reply. Toggling between hectic work schedules, family commitments, the sacrifices they make are hardly bothered about and we have been just taking them for granted.

What it takes to be a nurse is almost similar to what it takes to be a doctor – from the study period, professional ragging, harassment by seniors and long-haul duties. But at the end of the journey, the position a nurse gets is definitely less than what she deserves. These women are always are the unsung heroes of medicine! On International Nurses Day, Take a bow, people!

Margazhi musings - 1

Margazhi, the chosen month, by none other than Krishna himself, definitely has the charm. Climate that makes even places like Chennai desirable and why beat around the bush, the ‘MUSIC SEASON’. This charm has definitely extended till Pondicherry and over the years I have always tried to squeeze in few December concerts into my schedule.

It was another music driven journey to Chennai and I ended up at one of the lovely places that belonged to the silk merchant. It was another busy morning with performers moving in and out, audiences flowing in a steady stream, the stalls and canteens being populated with visitors, I relished it all afresh after a year. Half an hour past the first programme, I had to come out to get tickets for the main performance that morning by the madisar clad woman and few others. I noticed one of the tickets had the seats numbered whereas this one in morning had entry on first come basis. A woman next to me earnestly asked”appo idhukkum number potu tharuvela” will you number the seats for this show too? After a long pause came a not so polite reply”oru oru programme um vera. Ticket vangitu pongo” each show is different. Just get your tickets and go. I would have only been surprised if it was anything else.

I had hardly few seconds to ponder over what happened as I already saw mamis queue up at the gates. Observing their creativity at queuing up, this time it was sitting in chairs close to the gates so that they can camouflage like rasikas attending the programme but when neared, they would unveil their identity with two words ”queue pinnala”. “This sabha charges the maximum for a ticket but waiting like this in spite of that is quite annoying” a lady said and almost everyone felt the same. Another guy told how tickets at the TTK road auditorium have to be procured as early as six in the mornings for which the queue math would suggest you to reach there by five!

 This civilized conduct transformed into stark barbarianism when the gates opened. After a hassle I entered the theatre and I was quite surprised to see the hall not even half full when the programme was about to start. A refute at one of the gates gave me the answer. There was loud blasphemy exactly at curtain raise. I saw some of the irate being pushed, gates were shut.

I have witnessed a very similar incident even last year and unfortunately I have got really immune to all this! When a group of people are so eager to attend the discourse (which also had a free entry the previous year and that was the confusion) what do you call that which prevented them from letting these people in?

The proportion of youngsters attending the festival season has dramatically increased. It is high time these organizations take steps to embrace the change. It is practically impossible for the working youth or outsiders to book the tickets in person one day prior and not to mention the early morning drill. Wouldn’t it be more welcoming if it was as easy as booking a ticket for a rock concert? All said and done, this is not going to deter me from attending any more concerts but I am keenly  looking forward for the time when the monopoly of these sabhas end and some transparency is brought into the system!

From Nolan to Narada

My immediate reaction after watching ‘Interstellar’ was nothing- plain nothing. I definitely did not like the movie for the very reason that it stirred hell a lot of questions inside me, beyond the limit I could take!

Just like a lot of us, I spent the following week googling terms like time travel, wormhole physics and so on. But the closer I got to understand some of these astrophysical concepts, I started realizing something even more surprising. It took weeks for things to slowly settle down and here is my take on the Nolan’s flick.

My penchant for Hindu mythology started with Dad’s bedtime stories. If not for one or two, I would have easily completed hearing the whole of Amar Chitra Katha series! And now I have all of them spinning inside my head. This one movie made me relate to each one of them in a totally different way. Its all there, from relativity to time travel, beautifully woven inside these stories yet so obviously starting at you!

The fact that Narada muni can transcend time and space, that he appears simultaneously in the present, past and future had been reiterated in many instances. One of the greatest of sages he is, if not for the unfortunate portrayal in many of the movies as a conflict seeker and a gossip monger.

Once when Vishnu and Narada was having a spacewalk, Narada requested him to explain Maya. "Of course my true devotee, but before that can I get some water?" Vishnu thought it was time he gave Narada a taste of samsara Narada immediately descends down to earth but as he steps into the first house he comes across, the beauty of a girl there captivates him. As he approaches to speak to her, he understands that she is interested in him too. They end up marrying to each other and soon children enter their life one by one. As this goes on for a while, one day their house gets flooded with heavy rains. Children about to drown and wife not in a position to be saved too, Narada is helpless as he cries out “Narayana”. Suddenly truth hits him like a thunderbolt. He reaches where he started only to realize that only seconds have passed since he spoke with Vishnu. “Have you got any water Narada?” Vishnu smiles.

“But this has not been proved. How can you use folklore on par with scientific evidence?” My colleague asked me as we were having a chat at the base of Azhagar hills. Whatever said and done, that profound understanding of science existed among ancient Indians is far beyond obvious. May be it might take another fifty to hundred years to prove it with what we call science. I would rather not wait all the way to accept something, which appears very implicit right now. Hinduism is not just religious philosophy but a very scientific way of life. This was my answer.

NB: Thanks Santha, bestie, for the title inspiration.