Khajuraho is just a small modest village with no more than 3000 residents surrounded by the forestland. As Khajuraho gets a fair number of tourists from all over the world every year, hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops have sprung up in large numbers at the entrances to the two distinctive groups of temples here. Aeroplanes are not a thing of curiosity for the villagers anymore and the emblem of a warrior fighting a lion single-handedly and with his bare hands seen frequently at the temples is said to be the depiction of the valiant warrior-king who was the head of the clan of the Chandela Rajputs who built the temples. Chandelas are believed to be the descendants of the Moon God himself. The construction of the temples is said to have started in the mid- 9th century and continued until the early 12th century and due to the lack of records of the building activity, the names of the thousands of sculptors, architects and masons, who must have contributed in their construction has been lost forever into obscurity.
Chandela dynasty had already lost its glory by the time the last temple was completed. Khajuraho was the capital of the Chandelas for a brief period but for most of the part, it was their religious center. However, there have been many theories regarding the sculptures adorning the facades and interiors of the Khajuraho temples. Some of them believe these temples to be centers of tantrik mysticism, which regards sex as an important part of human development and the attainment of the Absolute.
Others believe that they were constructed as such to lure men and women back to the family and worldly life, which play an important part in Hinduism, from the austerities preached by the Buddha that were gaining favor with people of that time. Since thick forests surrounded these temples thus shielding them from the Mughal armies. T. S. Burt, the British engineer who re-discovered the temples in the mid-19th century found the sculptures offensive. However, the local villagers and tribals have regularly used the temples ever since they were constructed, especially, the temple of Matangeshwar Mahadev for worshipping. It was General Alexander Cunningham who worked hard to gather details about them for the first time in his Survey of India reports. It was his efforts that stirred interest in people about the place. Later, the roads were constructed, facilities were provided for and luxury hotels were planned here and thus, started the resurrection of Khajuraho
The Khajuraho temples do not contain sexual or erotic art inside the temple or near the deities; however, some external carvings bear erotic art. Also, some of the temples that have two layers of walls have small erotic carvings on the outside of the inner wall. There are many interpretations of the erotic carvings.
They portray that, for seeing the deity, one must leave his or her sexual desires outside the temple. They also show that divinity, such as the deities of the temples, is pure like the atman, which is not affected by sexual desires and other characteristics of the physical body. It has been suggested that these suggest tantric sexual practices. Meanwhile, the external curvature and carvings of the temples depict humans, human bodies, and the changes that occur in human bodies, as well as facts of life.
Some 10% of the carvings contain sexual themes; those reportedly do not show deities, they show sexual activities between people. The rest depict the everyday life of the common Indian of the time when the carvings were made, and of various activities of other beings. For example, those depictions show women putting on makeup, musicians, potters, farmers, and other folk. Those mundane scenes are all at some distance from the temple deities. A common misconception is that, since the old structures with carvings in Khajuraho are temples, the carvings depict sex between deities.
Another perspective of these carvings is presented by James McConnachie. In his history of the Kamasutra, McConnachie describes the thought-provoking 10% of the Khajuraho sculpture as "the apex of erotic art": "Twisting, broad-hipped and high breasted nymphs display their generously contoured and bejewelled bodies on exquisitely worked exterior wall panels. These fleshy apsaras run riot across the surface of the stone, putting on make-up, washing their hair, playing games, dancing, and endlessly knotting and unknotting their girdles....Beside the heavenly nymphs are serried ranks of griffins, guardian deities and, most notoriously, extravagantly interlocked lovemaking couples."
While recording the television show 'lost worlds' for the history channel at Khajuraho, Alex Evans, a contemporary stonemason and sculptor gave his expert opinion and forensically examined the tool marks and construction techniques involved in creating the stunning stonework at the sites. He also recreated a stone sculpture under 4 feet that took about 60 days to carve in an attempt to develop a rough idea how much work must have been involved.Roger Hopkins and Mark Lehner also conducted experiments to quarry limestone which took 12 quarrymen 22 days to quarry about 400 tons of stone. These temples would have required hundreds of highly trained sculptors.(courtesy)
The sculpture of a laughing elephant
The moment I stopped car near by ,a group of guides surrounded me .It seems none of them know the details thoroughly . But at last I succumbed one man. His English is as old as that of Chandela dynasty though they appear in jacket and sun glass. I stopped the car and asked him to go, the moment he told me that he would charge me extra if I go even one minute beyond the three hours as agreed. The guides are more interested in the tourist visiting the shops nearby rather than explaining the life that is depicted in stone. The narration in English by the tourist authorities is good and helpful. I joined with a group from abroad and find the guide highly experienced and informative.
….don’t depend on untrained guides though they may appear with jacket ,cap and sun glasses……
The stones have got life here. The facial expression of each sculpture is mesmerizing and stunning, revealing to the situation which is depicted. Unfortunately very few look on the face of the sculpture. It wonders me that few sculptors have on modern cloths –made as a part main stone –which remind you of the apparel and costume of a city dweller.
Sculptors with beard
Over the course of history, men with facial hair ie. beard, have been credited various qualities such as wisdom, sexual virility, masculinity, or a higher status; although beards may also be alleged to be associated with a lack of general cleanliness and a loss of fine-tuning. Biologists characterize beards as secondary sexual characteristics because they are unique to one gender, yet do not play a direct role in reproduction. When one of my friends often boast of the freedom and advantage of being a man whereas the women have a lot of genetic problems, the process of shaving of beard regularly comes to my mind.
In ancient India, the beard was allowed to grow long, a symbol of dignity and of wisdom. The nations in the east generally treated their beards with great care and veneration, and the punishment for wastefulness and betrayal was to have the beard of the offending parties publicly cut off. They had such a sacred regard for the preservation of their beards that a man might pledge it for the payment of a debt.
A beard can be explained as an indicator of a male's overall condition. My father used to tell me this when I watch him shave, when I was five or six. I respected beard men those days. As time passed, I started shaving almost every day and even carry the wound of a quick shave on my face; still I didn’t learn any lesson. I like beard and hate shaving.Many things came to my mind when I saw beard sculptors at Khajaraho.Wherever, erotic life is described along with values of life, the sculptors carry beards. Depending on our education, culture or country we live, grow up or work, we may be influenced by our surrounding and even pulled away or distracted from your own goal of life and true values.
How a Sculptors can be valued.? We have our own goals and destinations, and the sculptors stay humbly out of the way. The problem with sculpture is not that people today reject the characteristic of old cults and traditions, it's that we are moving along with the unexciting, modern art.Yes,value has a value only if its value is valued.
.
National Highway 58 links Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh with Badrinath in Uttarakhand. This Highway passes through Meerut, Hardwar and Rishikesh.Recently I had a journey through this road during day time as well as night. The journey was through both villages and towns. Even though I took all possible care to select the vehicle, it developed a snag, and had to break my journey at a couple of occasions.
My cab driver seems consider it his birthright to drive and the road belongs to us! Throughout the journey, he had been using mobile phone while driving and never compromised on speed. When I asked him to stop either the vehicle or the use of mobile, he politely showed me another driver, of a passenger bus using mobile, while driving!!. He was least bothered about the speed breaker, which soon landed up us in a highway workshop.
He that is born to be hanged shall never be drowned
To drive safely, one must follow many rules and laws. To follow these rules, you must know what traffic lights and signs mean. , understand "right-of-way" laws and how to use traffic lanes. The driver must know where and when you can park. In absence of laws, use courtesy guidelines and common sense. (But common sense is not common!!)Be smart, aware and enjoy the drive rather than endure it! And never become a nuisance to the flow of traffic.
As the mechanic and driver were busy with repair, I had a coffee from nearby shop .I soon found Power theft in the cafeteria and in the work shop also. Soon I realized that my mechanic is using the light for repairing the vehicle in the unauthorized way. I had a glance of inside the workshop; a number of truck batteries are put to charge. Needless to say, pilfered energy is being used there.
Roof top of Cafeteria
Top of Workshop
To my surprise, pilferage of electricity is found at as many as nine locations just between three electric posts, in a township. As I ‘m venturing into that place for the first time and it being odd time, I stopped my investigation there. Many of the shops are outlets of nationally and internationally famous Brands. With much care, I took the snap of a Power theft, and verified whether I’m under surveillance or not .People are busy with their jobs. This gives me an impression that stealing electricity is a way of life and right of a person of this locality.
Soon I contacted my colleagues with whom I detected a lot of power theft. It surprised them also that nobody is caring a stranger taking snaps of power theft. During our mission of detecting power theft at another part of the country, people either make trouble or try to remove the evidence of power theft, once they realize that they are under the surveillance of an inspection team.
It is wrong to say that nobody is watching me!
The return journey was during day time .I made a stock of the situation. The vehicle moved slowly for one kilometer distance so that I could count the number of Power theft. Since it was a 6 way- road, I could count it only on one side. I found as many as 121 odd power thefts along the road side only and that itself on one side!!!.There was no technical skill involved, and all the works have been done in a dangerous manner.
The duty of obeying the laws of one 's country arises from the duty of gratitude for the benefits one has received from it and the laws are potent instruments for the general good.
Obeying the law is the greatest good for the greatest number of people and is a general moral obligation. Let revolution begin in our minds to obey rules.
Engineer does a James Bond Act
It was a James Bond-like impersonation that helped Kerala State Electricity Board engineer, Mr G. Srinivasan, to bust the secrets of a major power theft gang in 2004.
Encouraged by the then power minister, Mr Aryadan Mohammed, Mr Sreenivasan, a member of the KSEB’s power theft squad, pretended to be the CEO of a private firm and met the kingpin of the gang secretly seeking help to ‘steal’ power.
“We only had his mobile number and so we had to undertake this impersonation. I even worked in the private firm’s office for a few days to give it a real feel,” Mr Sreenivasan told Deccan Chronicle.
“It was a dangerous exercise as he was a hardcore criminal. But we drove together and he told me the modus operandi.”
With the tips inadvertently given by the gang, the KSEB squad took out raids and detected power theft worth `150 crore across the state.
These and similar adventures pepper the book ‘Power Theft’ penned by Mr Srinivasan, now resident engineer of the KSEB in New Delhi. According to Mr Srinivasan, power theft causes a loss of thousands of crores of rupees in the country every year. (Deccan Chroicle)
“Of the 800 billion units of power we produce, 10 per cent is thieved in various ways,” he said. In his well-researched book brought out by Prentice Hall, Mr Sreenivasan details around 54 ways of stealing power.
Naturally, the state electricity minister, Mr A.K. Balan, had some trepidation while releasing the book here on Friday. “I hope it does not turn out to be an inspiration for amateur power thieves as all the methods are described in detail,” said Mr Balan.
Jaipur is the first planned city of India located in the desert of Rajastan. In 1853, when the Prince of Wales visited Jaipur; the whole city was painted Pink and hence giving the nickname “Pink City”. The city is clean compared to many other north Indian cities.
I hired a car and by mistake give driver a tip of Rs.100.Taken by surprise of this, he thought myself as a rich man and carried me to only posh Hotels, which drained my pocket quickly. Because of his compulsion only, I made a journey to Pushkar. This is a small village near Jaipur. Lord Brahma the creator of the universe, brought forth Pushkar Lake, so goes the Hindu Mythology. This is the only place for Lord Brahma in the world. Ever since then, Pushkar trade is celebrated annually, devotees think that on the day of Karthik Poornima,all Hindu deities come to the lake and therefore taking a dip is divine. Originally the trade fair was started in a simply way, where villagers traded only donkeys etc, now the scope of business increased largely. The livestock traders decorate the animals very creatively especially the camels. The camel‘s hair is beautifully designed and further embroidered with vibrant paints and Rangolli colors.
Amber Fort is the capital of a clan; till Jaipur was made the official capital in 1757.The Amber Fort looks stunning, all-built in white marble and red sand stone. To add to its charm is the lake makes it foreground. Night life in Jaipur is certainly as regal as this pink city of Rajasthan .Though the guides at this place look harmless, they’ll made us purchase things we not require at all!
Choki Dhani is a village fair and restaurant. Live dance and music performance all through the evening is one of the major attractions at Choki Dhani, which was getting all but forgotten in these modern times. Royal dining is another speciality. Food is served in silverware but richly clothed staff with live performance by traditional dancers; ethnic dining with village ambience is worth seeing. The traditional Rajasthan food is served on a leaf platter of manuhaar.
Dry leaves in which food is served!!!
A Village man enjoying the traditional Food
Chokhi Dhani offers its visitors an opportunity to release all worries in the cottage dwellings that give a glimpse of the unique and splendid culture of Rajasthan. These cottages are semi rural dwelling that are small yet cozy , they represent the ethnic culture of Rajasthan as opposed to the majestic lifestyle of the Kings. The life in rural Rajasthan is all about humble living with purely traditional tastes
The display of traditional huts and workmanship will take you back to the times when splendor was unpretentious. Experience the rich warmth and rustic charm of a typical Rajasthani Village at Chokhi Dhani- the festivities never end here !!!
Live dance and music performance all through the evenings is one of the major attractions at Chokhi Dhani Village. The exposure that the local folk artistes have received has revived many of the arts and crafts that were getting all but forgotten in these modern times. Few visitors can resist the temptation to join the artistes and dance with the music.
The magic show, the puppet show, acrobatics on a bamboo without the protection of a safety net beneath, the astrologer, the fortune teller parrot all made the visitors spellbound.
The artificial forest with roar sounds of animals and tribes, boating, horse riding, camel riding, elephant riding and much more are here to rejuvenate you and your family.
Animal riders are great fun, be it camel or elephant, bullock cart or horse. The massage by the royal Masseurs is quite funny as they treat us as drum and perform art on our head and body making us feel pain, but soon released after the delicious dinner. But the way in which food is wasted cannot be accepted.
MAKING CLOTHING A MATTER OF CONCERN
I used to see an elderly woman resting near the foot path, on my way to office. There is always a dog beside her coat .She may be above 80 years old and sleeping in the winter climate of Delhi near path way. There are extravagant functions and celebrations at one end .Few students of Delhi enjoy pocket money of 6 figures a day. Another man has built a shelter for his family which is 27 storey and 4 helipads, a swimming pool etc. Another Indian spent few crores for marriage of his daughter. An IAS officer couple in Madhya Pradesh, India, thinks 3 crores liquid cash as small money to meet their daily paltry expense. Their unauthorized wealth comes to about 400 crores.A film star appeared in public without the adequate minimum clothing and boasted that she forgot it to put it in due to hectic schedule. Yes, India is incredible and a land of negations. Countless people suffer due to lack of warm clothing in winters. In some parts of India people dig a pit in the ground to make their children sleep. Women face major health hazards due to the lack of a clean piece of cloth for using during their periods and there are many who can’t even take a bath as they have nothing to change into. Clothing is therefore not just an issue at the time of disasters. You would agree that for people who ran around shivering in peak winters or die because of cold, winter s are a much bigger annual disaster than floods.
Make some effort, create awareness, and organize forums and gatherings. It will inevitably make a difference. Make clothing a matter of concern. If there is no avenue for you to donate your old but useful clothes, contact me.
Migrate, Adapt or Die
I happened to see an article in Newspaper the other day on Migration. It refers certain birds which travel more than 70000 Kms to adjust the climatic changes .Species face with climate change have got only three choices viz., Adapt, Migrate or Die. If the climate change is so fast, then the species cannot adjust to the new situation and may extinct. This is right for human being also. Just by sticking on the same location for years, migration may help one to perceive and visualize various situations in life. This is right for human being also. If you are not able to adapt, you may not survive or become unsuitable to the place or position .The title may seem a great philosophy, but a simple truth. If you don’t migrate or adapt, it will eventually show the way to death which doesn’t mean a physical extinction, but emotional. As Charles Darwin observed, all living things on the planet are compelled everyday to make one of three choices. This is not limited to animals or to plants, but even to business as well. No matter how you feel about Darwin or his theories, you have to agree with this. The world and life are constantly changing around us .Doing nothing means you are not adapting to any changes happening every day. You have to adapt to the changed environment or working place. The society, culture, language, food etc may be different in new place. I’ve seen my friends of southern part of the continent, in Delhi traveling long distance even sometimes in Metro, to have south Indian food especially Dosa and Rasam.Migration though temporarily inevitably result in loss of a sense of home and belonging, but fine-tune to the changed circumstances and realize you are who you associate with.(2/10/2010)
The Soofi-Kathak dance by Malini Chathurvedi
My knowledge of dance and music is next to nothing. That‘s why I said a firm no to my friend who invited me for a Soofi-Kathak presentation by Ms. Malini Chathurvedi. There was nothing to do in the evening and when he commended that there is nothing harm in seeing a dance and that too by a solitary performer, I agreed half heartedly.
The Kamini auditorium is closed from inside. Art lovers started coming. We too joined the flow. Sizable numbers are foreigners. We set a time frame of just 15 minutes viewing the performance. With my camera, we went inside and occupied a seat somewhere in front row expecting one or two photos .That went dry when the announcement came. Photograph is allowed, but not with flash light. I put my camera inside the bag.
The ambience is good. Even the light and stage arrangements create nostalgia. Unfortunately, the description at the beginning was in Hindi which I could not follow. This could have been in English especially when sizable numbers of foreigners are present. I looked at my friend, who in turn looked down. Since the time frame is already determined, we decided to watch the program.
The program started. Ms Malini appeared on the stage …………..The hybrid variety of music, dance, and costume all created a amazing feeling…… .She danced with her faces towards Heaven; whichever direction she turns ..............In fact she was not dancing with foot but dancing with her heart……
I just don’t know how the two hours gone…..The only thing not matching with her program was the song which carries a “roudra bhava”.The background instrument was wonderful both to watch and hear……At last, I satisfied with a photo of the display placed outside the auditorium.
Chandela dynasty had already lost its glory by the time the last temple was completed. Khajuraho was the capital of the Chandelas for a brief period but for most of the part, it was their religious center. However, there have been many theories regarding the sculptures adorning the facades and interiors of the Khajuraho temples. Some of them believe these temples to be centers of tantrik mysticism, which regards sex as an important part of human development and the attainment of the Absolute.
Others believe that they were constructed as such to lure men and women back to the family and worldly life, which play an important part in Hinduism, from the austerities preached by the Buddha that were gaining favor with people of that time. Since thick forests surrounded these temples thus shielding them from the Mughal armies. T. S. Burt, the British engineer who re-discovered the temples in the mid-19th century found the sculptures offensive. However, the local villagers and tribals have regularly used the temples ever since they were constructed, especially, the temple of Matangeshwar Mahadev for worshipping. It was General Alexander Cunningham who worked hard to gather details about them for the first time in his Survey of India reports. It was his efforts that stirred interest in people about the place. Later, the roads were constructed, facilities were provided for and luxury hotels were planned here and thus, started the resurrection of Khajuraho
The Khajuraho temples do not contain sexual or erotic art inside the temple or near the deities; however, some external carvings bear erotic art. Also, some of the temples that have two layers of walls have small erotic carvings on the outside of the inner wall. There are many interpretations of the erotic carvings.
They portray that, for seeing the deity, one must leave his or her sexual desires outside the temple. They also show that divinity, such as the deities of the temples, is pure like the atman, which is not affected by sexual desires and other characteristics of the physical body. It has been suggested that these suggest tantric sexual practices. Meanwhile, the external curvature and carvings of the temples depict humans, human bodies, and the changes that occur in human bodies, as well as facts of life.
Some 10% of the carvings contain sexual themes; those reportedly do not show deities, they show sexual activities between people. The rest depict the everyday life of the common Indian of the time when the carvings were made, and of various activities of other beings. For example, those depictions show women putting on makeup, musicians, potters, farmers, and other folk. Those mundane scenes are all at some distance from the temple deities. A common misconception is that, since the old structures with carvings in Khajuraho are temples, the carvings depict sex between deities.
Another perspective of these carvings is presented by James McConnachie. In his history of the Kamasutra, McConnachie describes the thought-provoking 10% of the Khajuraho sculpture as "the apex of erotic art": "Twisting, broad-hipped and high breasted nymphs display their generously contoured and bejewelled bodies on exquisitely worked exterior wall panels. These fleshy apsaras run riot across the surface of the stone, putting on make-up, washing their hair, playing games, dancing, and endlessly knotting and unknotting their girdles....Beside the heavenly nymphs are serried ranks of griffins, guardian deities and, most notoriously, extravagantly interlocked lovemaking couples."
While recording the television show 'lost worlds' for the history channel at Khajuraho, Alex Evans, a contemporary stonemason and sculptor gave his expert opinion and forensically examined the tool marks and construction techniques involved in creating the stunning stonework at the sites. He also recreated a stone sculpture under 4 feet that took about 60 days to carve in an attempt to develop a rough idea how much work must have been involved.Roger Hopkins and Mark Lehner also conducted experiments to quarry limestone which took 12 quarrymen 22 days to quarry about 400 tons of stone. These temples would have required hundreds of highly trained sculptors.(courtesy)
The sculpture of a laughing elephant
The moment I stopped car near by ,a group of guides surrounded me .It seems none of them know the details thoroughly . But at last I succumbed one man. His English is as old as that of Chandela dynasty though they appear in jacket and sun glass. I stopped the car and asked him to go, the moment he told me that he would charge me extra if I go even one minute beyond the three hours as agreed. The guides are more interested in the tourist visiting the shops nearby rather than explaining the life that is depicted in stone. The narration in English by the tourist authorities is good and helpful. I joined with a group from abroad and find the guide highly experienced and informative.
….don’t depend on untrained guides though they may appear with jacket ,cap and sun glasses……
The stones have got life here. The facial expression of each sculpture is mesmerizing and stunning, revealing to the situation which is depicted. Unfortunately very few look on the face of the sculpture. It wonders me that few sculptors have on modern cloths –made as a part main stone –which remind you of the apparel and costume of a city dweller.
Sculptors with beard
Over the course of history, men with facial hair ie. beard, have been credited various qualities such as wisdom, sexual virility, masculinity, or a higher status; although beards may also be alleged to be associated with a lack of general cleanliness and a loss of fine-tuning. Biologists characterize beards as secondary sexual characteristics because they are unique to one gender, yet do not play a direct role in reproduction. When one of my friends often boast of the freedom and advantage of being a man whereas the women have a lot of genetic problems, the process of shaving of beard regularly comes to my mind.
In ancient India, the beard was allowed to grow long, a symbol of dignity and of wisdom. The nations in the east generally treated their beards with great care and veneration, and the punishment for wastefulness and betrayal was to have the beard of the offending parties publicly cut off. They had such a sacred regard for the preservation of their beards that a man might pledge it for the payment of a debt.
A beard can be explained as an indicator of a male's overall condition. My father used to tell me this when I watch him shave, when I was five or six. I respected beard men those days. As time passed, I started shaving almost every day and even carry the wound of a quick shave on my face; still I didn’t learn any lesson. I like beard and hate shaving.Many things came to my mind when I saw beard sculptors at Khajaraho.Wherever, erotic life is described along with values of life, the sculptors carry beards. Depending on our education, culture or country we live, grow up or work, we may be influenced by our surrounding and even pulled away or distracted from your own goal of life and true values.
How a Sculptors can be valued.? We have our own goals and destinations, and the sculptors stay humbly out of the way. The problem with sculpture is not that people today reject the characteristic of old cults and traditions, it's that we are moving along with the unexciting, modern art.Yes,value has a value only if its value is valued.
.
