Somana Kunitha - A Folk Dance Celebrating Spirits and Village Deity

Every time we drive past DakshinaChitra on ECR, Chennai, we used to think, one day we should go there. Over a long weekend, finally we made it and the experience was very rewarding. 

Nowadays, DakshinaChitra is also becoming a prime location for wedding photo shoots! However, this is a heritage museum. Those who wish to get a glimpse on art and architecture of southern states of India, DakshinaChitra, is a must go destination. Trust me you won't be disappointed. Check their events calendar when you plan for a visit. Usually over the weekends and public holidays they have live performances. 

The museum is housed in 10 acres on ECR, facing the Bay of Bengal. We knew there was going to be a performance at 4 pm on that day. We were quite early, so we were exploring traditional houses of Kerala, which was near the performance ground. By 3.45 pm, we were exhausted and wanted to get a drink, so we were heading out of the ground and...suddenly we heard vibrant music from behind. We turned around to look. 

We were mesmerized by the huge colorful masks that were fast approaching towards the ground. That's it! We forgot about heat, thirst and just rushed back and found a perfect spot to watch the performance. At that time we didn't know about the name of that folk art. 

The musicians filed towards the stage area. The artists who carried the mask on their head slipped it on their faces with deft moves. The one who looked like the leader was carrying a whip, he came center stage and announced that they were going to perform Somana Kunitha, a folk dance native of Tumkur, Karnataka. 

As the lead was narrating in Kannada, I had to do the guess work and all i could get was that the performance had something to do with Godess Chamundesweri. Let me share the visual treat:

After the performance, we approached the group and thanked them for the wonderful performance and had a chat with the lead. We learned that the dance was to celebrate victory of good spirit over the bad one. Soma means mask and Kunitha is dance. The red mask represented good and the yellow the bad. The lead was actually the priest who invokes Godess Chamundesweri to support the good spirit! Had a chance for these close ups too. 

 

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Wish DakshinaChitra can arrange for translators for all the performances, so that non-native speakers of that particular folk art too can get a better understanding!

Pen Thoughts

It was love at first sight, for my husband, on a pen^^. The minute he set his eyes on this Alan Dlouis Pen, he had to have it.

Unlike Gen Y or nexters, ink pens were part of growing up for Gen X. We used to get a new pen, usually at the beginning of an academic year, along with other goodies like new school bag, pencil case & water bottle.

Come to think of it, besides the inconvenience of refilling ink every now and then, it does have an attraction or may be just I'm nostalgic. At times the pen would leak and there would be ink on fingers, notebooks and even on the school uniform. The best fun was trying to get few drops of ink from a friend's pen, because we have missed to fill it up. By doing that spill few drops, never had a care how to remove those stains! 

We used to exchange our pen with friends as well, and at home we had to explain why we do this! 

Our World

There is an adage often quoted in Indian movies, "Pen is mightier than the sword". Well, now "keyboard is the sword"! However, I recall ink-pens being used as swords by boys in fighting, and especially on 1st of April, they smear ink on friend's back and of course get reprimanded by teachers:) 

Come to think of it, I'd say that now pens have lost it's significance, well NOT when we are in a meeting and trying to scribble something or doodle :D

Fountain Pen - Engraving

I thought that after initial fascination, the enthusiasm on ink pens would wane. I was wrong. After 2 years, the Alan d'louis started leaking and it was time for my crazy other half VJ, to scout for another fountain pen. This time he fell for a Sheaffer. At the shop they offered to engrave the pen for FREE!.

At first, VJ thought that engraving was old fashioned, but he was excited when he realized that they were engraving with a lathe machine. And, I was given a long lecture on this process:(

Fixing the letters to be engraved

This engraving machine is table mounted and has 2 levers with pointers.

Step 1 - Fix pen and lathe plate in the mountings.

Step 2 - Assemble the characters to be engraved on the lathe plate. See the above shot.

(They have a wide range of alphabets and characters in brass lathe blocks.)

Step 3 - Switch on the machine, hold the levers firmly.

Step 4 - Start moving the lever on the lathe block like how you would use a stencil! Now, simultaneously the other lever on the pen plate moves and engraves the characters!

Inlaid pic is the assembled lathe block characters

Here is the end product.

SSS2

I must admit that it is beautiful!

Utensils, Vessels and Hand Engraved Plates

Even now, in most of the Indian households stainless steel utensils and vessels are used. Whenever I go to my hometown (Madurai, India), I am tempted to checkout the shops for new arrivals. Let me try to relive the experience of how it feels to visit a prominent utensil seller.

At the entrance of the shop, the distinct sound of chisel and hammer emerges above all the chaotic noise that is predominant in Indian roads. I take time to look at the silent craftsmen, laboring to beautify brass/copper/stainless utensils.

Hand Engravers - very cheap labor

This time, they were working on brass plates, which are used in pooja (Hindu religious activities).

Doing wonders with chisel and hammer

Engraved with Vinayaka

Once you enter the shop, the dazzling array of utensils from wall to wall is a sight in itself!

It's hard to decide on what to buy and what not, finally I end up buying things that I don't need as well^^.

Like teasers, vessels with handles are hung on the roof and it looks so colorful that I can't stop myself from gazing at them!

Colorful food containers

Actually, this type of carriers is eco-friendly, because locals use it to pack food instead of plastic containers and covers.

Ghost Festival

You can see this giant sized incense sticks all over Malaysia, during the month of Chinese Ghost Festival.

However, until now I haven't bothered to stop by and find out more. This time, I made it a point to drop in one of these tents and chat up. Heat waves hit me the moment I opened my car door. The aroma was so strong that I sneezed.

A volunteer was kind enough to patiently explain and answer my questions:) This festival falls in the seventh month of the lunar calendar (usually around July/August) and is celebrated thorough out the month. Each community/family selects a convenient day to celebrate it.

Yellow - dead people list, Red - live persons seeking prosperity and peace!

On that day, the monks visit this type of prayer tents and pray for the dead souls in general and specifically for those listed on the yellow posters! They also pray for the peace and prosperity of the living, and special prayers for those listed in red posters!!

Colorful idols are placed at the alter. The center one was very large.

God of Heaven

"This is the Heaven God. He guides the dead people, so we pray to him" said the volunteer.

Demigods

"These small Gods are like angles and they help us during natural disasters like earthquake...and see these are the gold and silver mountains that will be there in the Heaven"...

Golden Mountain

It was very fascinating to learn about their beliefs. And the most surprising article was this cute model.

Toilet for the DEAD!!!

The loo model was placed outside the tent and was meant for the visiting souls! It seems that the right toilet is for men and it was marked by 'red tail' like character that represents spade, which is used in farming. Whereas, the left was for ladies, which is marked by red dot, that depicts hand!

One of the Buddhist Goddess Kuan Yin - capable of taking 32 'avatars' to help the believers!

The offerings kept in front of Kuan Yin would be distributed at the end of the prayers, after midnight 12 am! I was proudly shown that the candy, dates and cereals towers were hand crafted by community members!

Vegetarian food

As it was a Buddhist community, all the offerings were vegetarian food, which had mock chicken and other soya/flour based meat. Along with a gift hamper, this food too would be distributed to the donors.

Finally, I was told that all the paper idols and articles would be burnt at the end of the prayer at midnight. Though I strongly respect the tradition and culture, I am concerned about the environmental pollution that occurs due to these burning. And I have a doubt if this could be the cause of the haze at nights during this season!

Pushpanjali - A Floral Tribute!

It's an age old custom and tradition in India to use flowers for worship, rituals, to honor someone or to welcome guests. Here is a perfect shot that depicts this tradition!

Pushpanjali - Floral Tribute in Sanskrit!

I took this shot during the photo shoot session, meant for designing the souvenir of a dance program to be held in June 2011. This program is to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Nrittasamudra dance school. In Sanskrit, 'Nritta' is body movements (as in dance) and 'samudra' is ocean. So, Nrittasamudra is Dance Ocean.

True to its name, Nrittasamudra's founder and eminent classical dancer Mrs. Sandhya is an ocean of expression and I have seen her expressive gestures when she teaches Bharatanatyam to her students. My daughter is one of her students.

Pushpanjali dance is a way of honoring Lord Nataraja - the patron God of Bharatanatyam, Guru - the dance teacher and Sabhaa - the audience! And, my daughter is one of the dancers to perform Pushpanjali dance, at the start of the program.

Diwali Bazar

After 10 years, I'm in my hometown, Madurai, India. Usually Diwali is synonymous with home made sweets, new dress and fire crackers (this order varies depending on the age).  Last few days before Diwali people get frenzied with shopping. Moreover, vendors create hype by advertising attractive offers, where you happen to get great deals for all kinds of stuff. However, the rush is unbelievable and you could say as "people people everywhere".

As it has been a decade since I've been in this crowd, it was quite difficult for me to walk in it. Instead, I just opted to gaze and take pictures from my aunt's house.

A typical roadside vendor selling fancy frocks - target customer is usually 18 patti grama makkal (this directly means rural folks from near by 18 villages)! This time, most of the shop assistants were yelling as "masakali", which is the name of a salwar suite! Then as for as sarees, I heard about "Ravaana" & "Enthiran" (supposed to be names of new hit movies) sarees! I dunno how they end up with giving such names, as you could never see such sarees worn by any of the characters in those movies^^

Brisk sale of inner-wares...

Sweets and chaat variety...

Poor lambs, they don't know that they are going to be butchered by tomorrow...For Diwali some of the locals eat non-veg and heard that most of the meat sold during this period is not checked or approved by concerned authorities...

Without fire crackers Diwali is incomplete. But, until now I haven't had a chance to take picture of these shops as I dare not to shop in the crowd.

Crystal Place Museum

Actually, Crystal Palace was a massive exhibition cum amusement park in the 19th and early 20th century. Originally, it was located in Hyde Park, London, for about 6 months and attracted around 6 million visitors and was relocated to Sydenham Hill in South West London. The Crystal Palace building was a mammoth glass and iron structure with two majestic towers on either side of the building.  In 1936, the entire structure was razed out by fire. Now, the Crystal Palace Museum holds the remnants of the glorious past.

Camera was allowed only in the entrance room and luckily, there were some interesting pictures and information, including this structural outline of the Crystal Palace.

Railway promotional material...

There were some interesting comments by the elite on this exhibition and here is a few that captured my interest:

• The park is desecrated by the greatest trash, the greatest fraud, the greatest imposition ever attempted to be palmed upon the people of this country. Col.Sibthorp. MP. 4th June 1850
• Whether the show will ever be of any use to anybody may be questioned, but of this I am certain nothing can be more successful. The Duke of Wellington May 7th 1851
• I find I am 'used up' by the exhibition, I don't say there's nothing in it, there's too much. I have only been twice, so many things bewilder one. Charles Dickens, 17th August 1851

Looks like there has been mixed reaction on the entertainment and show business right from those days.

The exhibition displayed the courts of various countries and here is a depiction of a grand Indian Court:

Well, there were some paintings and photographs that captured the fun and entertainment of those days. The first "flying machine" concept was depicted there and it was merely a children's merry go round that we find in any parks. But, the picture had beautifully captured the excitement of the people who were flying on it, as it was their first true off the ground experience.

Above all, what attracted me the most was the passion for preserving the past glories. Now, I understand why only caucasians visit the forlorn museums and archeological sites in India. How often do we try to do this kind of things at home, in India? We too have a very rich heritage, but it is sad that we do not consider spending or learning about our past, which helps us to understand our roots and also appreciate the present day conveniences.

Wandering Alone

For quite some time, I wanted to go to the Crystal Palace Museum, which was a nearby attraction from Croydon. As usual, I tried to read up online, but there was little information on that. So, I decided to go there and see it for myself. Even in Malaysia I have never dared to venture out on my own, but now in UK since am all by myself I decided to explore alone. Well, every time I can't expect my friends to tag along where ever I wish to go.

Without any hustle I reached the location. Once inside, I was trying to figure out the museum location from the map and started walking in the direction, which I assumed to be right.

I went towards the sprawling lawns...

After walking for a while, I saw the children playing in the fields, and I had fresh pangs of loneliness. In the distance I saw this communication tower.

The headless statue reminded me of 'Headless Nick' of Harry Potter!

Majestic Sphinx...

Still, unable to find my way, I gave up my pride and approached a family who were relaxing under a tree to ask for directions. Immediately, the gentleman told that he was heading towards the museum to kill his time and asked me to follow him. Without second thoughts I followed, but when he turned towards the thick wooded path, suddenly I was thinking what kind of madness I am doing by just following some stranger! Luckily, within moments I saw the clearing and the old museum building:) The museum was small and deserted...

As this post is lengthy, I have split the museum details in the next post.

Launching of the Debs

In most of the Indian communities, still arranged marriages are common. Usually, when a family is ready to marry off their children, they start taking the boy/girl to social events like weddings and get-togethers where they expect to find suitable bride or groom within their community.

Likewise, in the past there was similar culture in the western aristocratic societies as well. 17-year-old girls are called as debutantes, and they would be, launched into society where they could meet eligible bachelors, between March to August. This was called as The Season and the occasion would be referred as Coming out Dance.

The term debutante is pronounced as:

Often they are just called as debs for short. Unlike Indian communities, it was quite surprising to know the planning and preparation required to become a deb! For starters, the girls were sent to Finishing Schools in France, London or Switzerland, depending on the family's financial status. Here, they learnt to dance, how to behave in society and write courteous notes. In short, all aspects of etiquette would be taught in the finishing schools.

At the Kensington Palace, The Last Debutantes section presents a clear picture of this culture. Here, I came across a deb's comment, on how they managed to fake their waists to look smaller:

We always wore petticoats under our dresses to make our waists look smaller - Judy Johnson

They were using the dress to show off their riches. The narrow waist dress shown in the above picture is studded with precious stones and rich thread work. Moreover, see this clipping to get an idea of how frivolous they have been:

Yet again, a similarity with the Indian custom is that, like the Indian brides, the debs eagerly used to anticipate the guests. Here is a classic photo where the debs are waiting for guests to arrive.

Besides the formal coming out, they were very fashion conscious in selecting the dresses and accessories for the whole season. 

I guess they would have used these clothes to out with the chosen guys. Um, of course debs were always chaperoned.

Tantalizing Filter Coffee

In India, the day used to start with a cup of strong filter coffee and grazing through the headlines in the news paper...

I used to make the coffee brew from a blend of coffee and chicory powder. By the time I add the boiled milk with this coffee brew, the aroma would wake my half-sleepy daughter as well!

Filter Coffee is typically served in a stainless steel tumbler and dabara

The tantalizing flavor can cheer me up even in the wee hours of the morning.

Happy Diwali

Diwali brings fond memories and I can always connect it several things, to name a few:

• Shopping and mehandi 
• Story of naraksura the demon who is associated to the very existence of Diwali 
• Oil bath before dwan break - it is believed that MahaLakshmi Godess of wealth resides in seseame oil at that time and hence considerd as auspecious:) 
• Hearty breakfast filled with sinful goodies! 
• Firecrackers and related excitement..
  
• Visits to seek blessings from family elders and get "Diwali kaas" similar to Ampau...
  

Here in KL we miss last 2 items in the list^^

Celebrating Vinayagar Chadurthy

As per our Hindu belief, today is the birth day of the First Deity Vinay/Ganapathy. Typically we make special sweets called kolukottai, modagam, they taste like Malaysian cueys etc., This flower is used for the special prayers:


In my community, the newly weds celebrate this festival at the girls house! Usually, the girls parents buy gifts for all celebrations, except this one! Yea, this is the occassion, where the guy is supposed to present gifts to the inlaws and observe religious rites at the girl's house.