"Shakti" is Shakti)

John McLaughlin's Shakti was (and still is) a musical marvel like no other, blending Indian elements with the finest in-the-moment spontaneity of true jazz. Having been a disciple of a famous Indian yogi Shri Chinmoy and delving into Indian philosophy for years, John did what any genius would do: he mastered the classical Indian style. Along with virtuoso tabla player Zakir Hussain, gifted L. Shankar, and master ghatam player T.H. Vinyakaram, John gave life to a style of music that had basked in virtuosity and intensity secretly for centuries. All said and done the whole concept behind Shakti is Indian. If one would explore Indian classical music more it would become apparent that there is hardly any other music on the face of this earth that is so evolved in its present form. Sadly few musicians from the west have delved enough into that music form. Hats off to John Mc laughlin who has.

Simply put, Shakti is one of the most originally brilliant and technically superior groups ever assembled.

"Joy", is incredible. John McLaughlin - guitar, Zakir Hussain - tabla, L.Shankar - violin, T.H. "Vikku" Vinayakram - ghatam. Shakti, Montreux Jazz Festival, 1976, "Joy" -

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Diwali Diyas

A Diya is a small earthen lamp that is lit especially at Diwali. Diwali is considered the best festival all over India. It is called the festival of lights. It gives a message of love, brotherhood and friendship. The heart of every one should be illuminated with light. Let us enjoy Diwali in its purest form by lighting lamps, offering prayers and by making this world a better place for you and for me and for the entire universe.





Happy Diwali!

Jaba for Kali

It is popularly known as China rose, Shoe flower and Gurhal or Jaba in india.
According to the legend, when the goddess Durga assumed the form of Kali to destroy evil, the hibiscus plant gave the red colour of its flowers to the goddess’ eyes so that they would glow red with anger and strike terror in the heart of the enemies. The goddess was touched by the gesture and offered to grant the plant any boon that it asked for.

"I wish to serve you forever," said the plant, simply. Its wish was granted. The goddess promised to bless anyone who offered her Java flowers.

White for Dhanteras

Diwali is the festival, which means celebration one after another, each day with a new philosophy. Many interesting rituals and traditions have attached themselves to Diwali and one can find a little regional variation in them in different parts of India.

The first day of the festival of diwali begins with Dhan-teras. The day is marked by certain customs and rituals that are peculiar to the festivities of Dhanteras. White holds a great importance in these rituals. On the Dhanteras day the prasadam offered to the deities is in white color, the Dhanteras gifts in shiny white color are preferred and even the prayers are offered to the white idol of the deity. If we probe into the significance of the color, white in Hinduism, the image of Goddess Saraswati strikes in our mind. She is depicted as wearing a white sari, which further signifies the enlightenment of mind. Being a benefactor of knowledge and education, her white attire encourages us to adopt the traits of cleanliness, purity and peace. Enrich your celebrations of Dhanteras with the goodness of white!)

Bharani

Bharani is a festival dedicated to the female goddess Kali of the Hindu Pantheon. This is a peculiar festival of color, devotion and a statement on the caste schisms of India. Held in March of every year it is a quaint and colorful spectacle of hope, aspirations and sacrifice for the huge number of people who turn up from the rural hinterland of Kerala and Tamilnadu to offer their devotion to the female deity.



Each village or hamlet is led by their chosen Oracle who is dressed in red and gold and carries a large ominous sabre as they dance and swirl with their companions in a state of trance.The female oracles hold their sabres adorned with tinkle bells and sway to a hypnotic rhythm of their mind.
This annual festival is held at the Kodungallur temple in the Thrissur district of Kerala.

Theyyam

Theyyam is India's oldest ritual art form and is performed in the Kali temples of Kasargode and Kannur (north Kerala). There are over 400 different forms of Theyyam and the masks and head gear are truly breathtaking and each one is meticulously crafted according to the character presented. As a living cult with centuries old traditions, ritual and custom, it embraces almost all castes and classes of Hindu religion in this region. The term Theyyam is a corrupt form of daivam or God. People of these districts consider Theyyam as a God and they seek blessings from Theyyam.

It is an ancient dance form and a precursor to the more stylised and less vigorous Kathakali.Teyyam represents a glorious period of folk life in Kerala and the souls of the dead heroes of the land and the gods and goddesses are supposed to come in our midst through the medium of the possessed dancers and converse with us on matters of even contemporary significance. It is the worship of spirits by invoking them to the mortal body of the dancer who impersonates them and gives blessing to the believers.

It is a rare privilege to see this in one's lifetime. 

Kannan Peruvannaan,the grand master of Theyyam:

Paithani tale

The Paithani is more than just a silk saree. It speaks of art, of culture. It is a legacy, an heirloom!
The Paithani saree tell a tale. A tale that is laid deep in history. A tale of silk, of zari. A tale of beauty, elegance and grandeur. A tale of tradition.

Beautifully crafted, with an exquisite zari border, this saree is truly a poem in silk. The Paithani saree is chosen by brides to wear on their special day, especially in Gujarati and Maharashtrian families.

So what is it about the Paithani that is so enticing? Is it the silk, the colours, the designs, the zari? Perhaps its just the sheer richness of it as a whole. Its fabric is woven entirely on handlooms. It is a confluence of gorgeous colours and intricate designs. A simple tabby weave brings together two different coloured threads to achieve a dhoop-chhav effect. The otherwise plain Paithani is given its grandeur by its ornamental zari border and pallav.



From the traditional plain saree with a heavy zari border today's Paithani's are embellished with ethnic motifs like tota-maina (parrot), bangdi-mor (peacock with a round design), asavali (flower and vine), narli (coconut), keri (mango) - all these making the Paithani a perfect blend of the aesthetic and the symbolic.

Dhrupad

Dhruvatara - the evening star, the star that never trembles, and Pada - poetry, merge to give name to this music, Dhrupad. Dhrupad, the name does what it should, it makes luminous the nature of that which is named.

This is a music which depends very little on virtuosity. Here, whatever becomes music is what has been contemplated upon. The musician is alone with nothing but the vastness of the self as anchor, the very musicality lying in the contemplation.
There is little here that can impress, that has a narrative, events or arrival. What there is instead is a movement, born out of the musical search that takes the self from wherever it is standing to a new, unknown place.

"When I close my eyes and begin to sing, there is only darkness... slowly, light comes, then the beginnings of colour."Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar

An introduction to a Dhrupad Performance by Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar:

Many faces of the bahurupi

The term bahurupi is derived from the sanskrit bahu ( many ) and rupa ( form ) . bahurupis in india are a group of folk performers who portray several hundred characters. One day, he is dressed up like a mythological god or goddess. The next day, he shifts his disguise to become a village housewife. The third day, he wears the get-up of a tiger or lion.This is his way of living. He accepts money, clothes and food, anything that a willing viewer is able to shell out. But he does not beg. It is a strange way of living by masquerade as a necessity. It is also the only way of perpetuating the lost art of performance of the bahurupis.

Photos by Bijoy Choudhury:

"Miles From India"

In the ’70s, Miles Davis took jazz into uncharted territory, mixing rock, jazz and world rhythms with an all-star band. That same collaborative spirit reigns in Miles from India, an acclaimed CD and singular concert experience featuring Miles Davis veterans (Roy, Cosey), Indian classical musicians, and contemporary jazz trail-blazers (Mahanthappa)— plus many more artists to be announced soon. Called “a boldly expansive” show by The New York Times, this Bob Belden– produced celebration of Miles Davis' music and influence returns to S.F. on the heels of a sold out Spring Season performance.This show features some of the jazz world's greatest musicians from the US and India, including, Sridhar Parthasarathy (mridangam/kanjira), Kala Ramnath (violin), Ravi Chary (sitar), Gino Banks (percussion), Bob Belden (conductor/arranger) - and the previously announced Ron Carter (bassist), Lenny White (drummer), Wallace Roney (trumpet), Pete Cosey (saxophone), Badal Roy (tabla), Rudresh Mahanthappa (saxophone), Benny Reitveld (electric bass) and Louiz Banks (keyboards).

"Ife"



"Spanish Key"


"In A Silent Way/It's About That Time" (Zawinul-Davis)

Jazz from India - Banks

Louiz Banks (DAMBAR BAHADUR BUDAPRITHI) is a composer, improviser, pianist and keyboard player who specializes in live acoustic and electronic performances covering all genres of music from popular to mainstream / modern progressive / contemporary jazz and Indo Jazz Fusion.
Louiz is India's premier Jazz pianist since the last two decades as well as aprolific composer of music sound tracks for theater, stage and feature films. Despite his tremendous commercial success, his first love remains Jazz.

Live Jazz Gig at the Blue Frog 2008

Zakir Hussain

Ustad Zakir Hussain, born March 9, 1951, son of tabla player Ustad Alla Rakha, is the most famous classical tabla player in India today. He is appreciated both in the field of percussion and in the music world at large. Zakir has won many awards and recognitions for his contribution to the world of music. A classical tabla virtuoso, his performances have gained him worldwide fame. 
 
Live clips from 2004 Masters of Percussion Tour featuring the maestro with Ustad Sultan Khan:

Women in ...eggman

The art of morphing has come a long way since the day of screensavers on our families’ first computers. Undoubtedly you saw Women in Art, the previous animation or video art by Philip Scott Johnson(eggman913).

The discussion sparked by Johnson’s work continues even 10 months later. The videos are posted on countless blogs and web sites. New occasion - it's new video by this artist. It is devoted female beauty. The first video features 90 paintings; the second runs the gambit of 75 women in 80 years of film, from Mary Pickford to Halle Berry. The two videos show us there is something more to beauty than the eye of the beholder. Certainly they shed new light on studies which link attractiveness to symmetry in the face -–but  we can’t escape that Johnson captures in fewer than six minutes.

Women in Art



Women In Film

Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, Gloria Swanson, Marlene Dietrich, Norma Shearer, Ruth Chatterton, Jean Harlow, Katharine Hepburn, Carole Lombard, Bette Davis, Greta Garbo, Barbara Stanwyck, Vivien Leigh, Greer Garson, Hedy Lamarr, Rita Hayworth, Gene Tierney, Olivia de Havilland, Ingrid Bergman, Joan Crawford, Ginger Rogers, Loretta Young, Deborah Kerr, Judy Garland, Anne Baxter, Lauren Bacall, Susan Hayward, Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Lana Turner, Elizabeth Taylor, Kim Novak, Audrey Hepburn, Dorothy Dandridge, Shirley MacLaine, Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno, Janet Leigh, Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren, Ann Margret, Julie Andrews, Raquel Welch, Tuesday Weld, Jane Fonda, Julie Christie, Faye Dunaway, Catherine Deneuve, Jacqueline Bisset, Candice Bergen, Isabella Rossellini, Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon, Jessica Lange, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sigourney Weaver, Kathleen Turner, Holly Hunter, Jodie Foster, Angela Bassett, Demi Moore, Sharon Stone, Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts, Salma Hayek, Sandra Bullock, Julianne Moore, Diane Lane, Nicole Kidman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, Reese Witherspoon, Halle Berry.

Palitana

The Palitana temples are considered the most sacred pilgrimage place (tirtha) by the Jain community. There are more than 1300 temples located on the Shatrunjaya hills, exquisitely carved in marble. The main temple on top of the hill, is dedicated to 1st tirthankar lord Adinath (Rishabdeva). The path winds through 3950 steps for a trying 3.5 km up the scrub-covered Shetrunjaya Hills. The descent must begin before it is evening, for no soul can remain atop the sacred mountain during the night and Gods are to be left alone. Such is the mystique of Palitana, the summit of Shatrunjaya.

Stepwell

A number of distinct names, sometimes local, exist for stepwells. In Hindi speaking regions, they include names based on baudi (including bawdi, bawri, baoli, bavadi). In Gujarati and Marwari language, they are usually called vav.
It's true wow!)


Built back in the 10th century, the incredible well of Chand Baori, India was a practical solution to the water problem in the area. The arid climate forced the locals to dig deep for a dependable water source, one that would last throughout an entire year. Chand Baori well is 30 meters deep, it has 13 floors and 3,500 steps. Legends say that ghosts build it in one night and that it has so many steps to make it impossible for someone tor etrieve a coin once it's been dropped in the well.The Chand Baori, a vast well with flights of steps on three sides, is a 10th century monument situated in Abhaneri. It is a fine example of the architectural excellence prevalent in the past.

Pandal time - 2

The Pandal – this is the temporary abode of Goddess.
Once upon a time they were made of simple bamboo scaffolding with metres of cloth draped around, but today this cannot be more different. The Pandal is built is all conceivable forms and structures…replicas of famous temples, parliament houses, mansions, forts…you name it and it’s there. The materials used in construction of these pandals are no longer the simple bamboo and cloth, but plywood, plaster, dried leaves, thermocol (packing materials) just to name a few. So intricate and elaborate are these structures that it is indeed sometimes difficult to figure out the Pandals and the real things.
Kolkata(Calcutta)temporary! pandals pictures 2008:

Pandal time

Durga puja is pandal time in Calcutta. A pandal is a large, temporaryan enclosure that contains an altar or stage to hold one or more dieities, usually in the forms of statues. Durga puja and Kali puja are two biggest festivals, with the most elaborate statues and celebrations. Each statue as inderstood to show the goddess in a different mood, with variations of clouthing and background. The faces of the goddess statues do not tend to be emotional, however but rather detached and subtly smiled.