Wishing you all a very happy new year!
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About Me
- Dithu
- West Des Moines, Iowa, United States
- A confused soul, trying to seek answers to questions and puzzles (albeit stupid and silly) life poses. Living life a little, amidst the perplexity!! :)
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Monday, December 22, 2008
"Just scale"
Key in that harmonic note
It is chromatic, or do u doubt?
There is a constant frequency
That sometimes seems frenzy
It multiples between the notes
Perhaps, ensembles rumbling gloats.
Just tuning fines the scale
Splendorous though is the laic tale
Such is the pity and irony of gaiety
Thank thy mind, for anonymity!!
Why make sense and feel so pale?
Pretend, pray and play. Just scale.
It is chromatic, or do u doubt?
There is a constant frequency
That sometimes seems frenzy
It multiples between the notes
Perhaps, ensembles rumbling gloats.
Just tuning fines the scale
Splendorous though is the laic tale
Such is the pity and irony of gaiety
Thank thy mind, for anonymity!!
Why make sense and feel so pale?
Pretend, pray and play. Just scale.
Friday, December 12, 2008
The Lotus effect
The lotus that had beautifully bloomed in my aunt's garden pond had captivated my eyes, when I had last visited her. It was still very tender and young. Then, she was also considering about the landscaping. I had always wanted to bring the beauty of
lotus flowers on my canvas. And I had shared this thought with my aunt. So she called me up this weekend to inform that the pond was full of lotus blooms and that it's a delight to see them! This was pretty much what I wanted. We were getting our house painted and hence had to mine and dig out my priced possessions from the carton box. It was a sad scene, looking at the paint brushes, the pastels and the pallets that had caught dust. Poor them! I decided to liberate them and give them salvation! I asked myself, "How long has it been that you have touched your brushes and paints?". “Ages!”, I mumbled. Drawing and painting is sheer fun! I have always wanted to and i still want to spend enough time on this but blame it on the schedule. Traveling eats away most of the time! I couldn't wait and drove off to her place. With my papers and pastels this time of course.
I reached the place and what do I see? The pond was full of "Momo Botans" and "Empresses", names of the lotus flowers (Empresses are whitish blooms with gentle strokes of pinkish colors on the edges of the petals. The lotus flower called "Momo Botan" is a truly elegant water blossom with a deep, brilliant pink double blooms). The blooms were impressive and they had flourished in her personal outdoor sanctuary. It simply created an even more beautiful place to relax and unwind at home. They were simply gorgeous! My aunt always said that the perennial plants such as lotus flowers are a great idea for any garden pond. They had reached their full, flourishing, healthy, and most beautiful size and conditions of the blossom. Beautiful round olive and forest green leaves covered the pond like a blanket, providing a restful and a delightful retreat for anyone to enjoy. The fragrance of the pond in general was very cheering. The blossoms looked like lovely ladies dressed in pink and white, swaying everytime the wind blew. These charming ladies had grown as tall as 5 to 7 feet. To add to this, the garden landscaping was done wonderfully. I learnt that gardening truly is an art. And gardening is the only thing that's worth getting dirty for!!
After a chit-o-chat with my aunt about the lotus flowers, floriculture, gardening, landscaping and hell a lot of other things, I walked outside with my instruments. I had taken my pastels. I loooove pastels. They are extremely portable, easy to clean up, and can give you a wide range of looks. Oil pastels give you the look and feel of oil paint and with the freedom of pastels. There's no water to worry about, no special brushes, no messy clean-up. Best of all, though, it lets the artist who mainly draws get the look of a painting while still getting to draw. The heat is what will make your oil pastels look like paint. I let them sit in the sun for a few minutes. I like to use canvases with a pre-treatment of gouache or paint for extra texture. Sand paper which has a raised grain to it, is perfect for holding layers of oil pastel which makes it the best choice for a canvas. It is well teethed to grab hold of all that creamy pigment, else the painting will end up muddy. I chose an angle and put my board. I made myself comfortable. The weather was quite soothing and complimenting. Every season has something wonderful about it and colors found in nature are often less saturated and more pleasing to the eye than their artificial counterparts. This time of year can bring some amazing weather that just has to be documented creatively. There is inspiration everywhere. Your eyes just have to find that perfect spark of inspiration. Finding an idea about what to write about can sometimes be harder than actually writing it. And it is the same case with drawing and painting. Much depends on who you are as a person at that moment! Plain psychology!A frame of mind for any artist is imperative and especially when it comes to painting. The mind has to be tranquil and devout. And absolutely devoid of any other thought but for the subject matter.
As I sat down next to the lotus, I marveled about each of nature's creations. It is beautifully and perfectly fitted to its station in life and exhibits a complete propriety of form and function. Nature is wholly consistent. I reminisced at the irony of beauty in filth. I got engaged in that thought and began my work. I concentrated on bringing the wonderful play of colors and light that I was able to witness. I worked on the flats and the depths giving them equal emphasis. I was so absorbed trying to capture those shadows...beneath the layers. I was in another world, as always. Transcending to another world doesn't take much time with me! Dancing and acting feels like that quite often. The walls of the rehearsal room simply disappear. And on the stage during a performance you completely forget about the audience. It's a terrific jolt when you come back to reality. Forgetting oneself is the best thing about painting and acting and dancing for me.
I din take notice of my aunt who was standing beside me with lotus juice (Yes!Lotus juice). She said she had called my name at least thrice!!! I was buoyant and afloat. Lotus effect, really![Wink]
PS: Lotus juice is an extract of lotus roots sweetened with honey which has great healing power. It was just toooo GOOD! Divine, infact!
lotus flowers on my canvas. And I had shared this thought with my aunt. So she called me up this weekend to inform that the pond was full of lotus blooms and that it's a delight to see them! This was pretty much what I wanted. We were getting our house painted and hence had to mine and dig out my priced possessions from the carton box. It was a sad scene, looking at the paint brushes, the pastels and the pallets that had caught dust. Poor them! I decided to liberate them and give them salvation! I asked myself, "How long has it been that you have touched your brushes and paints?". “Ages!”, I mumbled. Drawing and painting is sheer fun! I have always wanted to and i still want to spend enough time on this but blame it on the schedule. Traveling eats away most of the time! I couldn't wait and drove off to her place. With my papers and pastels this time of course.
I reached the place and what do I see? The pond was full of "Momo Botans" and "Empresses", names of the lotus flowers (Empresses are whitish blooms with gentle strokes of pinkish colors on the edges of the petals. The lotus flower called "Momo Botan" is a truly elegant water blossom with a deep, brilliant pink double blooms). The blooms were impressive and they had flourished in her personal outdoor sanctuary. It simply created an even more beautiful place to relax and unwind at home. They were simply gorgeous! My aunt always said that the perennial plants such as lotus flowers are a great idea for any garden pond. They had reached their full, flourishing, healthy, and most beautiful size and conditions of the blossom. Beautiful round olive and forest green leaves covered the pond like a blanket, providing a restful and a delightful retreat for anyone to enjoy. The fragrance of the pond in general was very cheering. The blossoms looked like lovely ladies dressed in pink and white, swaying everytime the wind blew. These charming ladies had grown as tall as 5 to 7 feet. To add to this, the garden landscaping was done wonderfully. I learnt that gardening truly is an art. And gardening is the only thing that's worth getting dirty for!!
After a chit-o-chat with my aunt about the lotus flowers, floriculture, gardening, landscaping and hell a lot of other things, I walked outside with my instruments. I had taken my pastels. I loooove pastels. They are extremely portable, easy to clean up, and can give you a wide range of looks. Oil pastels give you the look and feel of oil paint and with the freedom of pastels. There's no water to worry about, no special brushes, no messy clean-up. Best of all, though, it lets the artist who mainly draws get the look of a painting while still getting to draw. The heat is what will make your oil pastels look like paint. I let them sit in the sun for a few minutes. I like to use canvases with a pre-treatment of gouache or paint for extra texture. Sand paper which has a raised grain to it, is perfect for holding layers of oil pastel which makes it the best choice for a canvas. It is well teethed to grab hold of all that creamy pigment, else the painting will end up muddy. I chose an angle and put my board. I made myself comfortable. The weather was quite soothing and complimenting. Every season has something wonderful about it and colors found in nature are often less saturated and more pleasing to the eye than their artificial counterparts. This time of year can bring some amazing weather that just has to be documented creatively. There is inspiration everywhere. Your eyes just have to find that perfect spark of inspiration. Finding an idea about what to write about can sometimes be harder than actually writing it. And it is the same case with drawing and painting. Much depends on who you are as a person at that moment! Plain psychology!A frame of mind for any artist is imperative and especially when it comes to painting. The mind has to be tranquil and devout. And absolutely devoid of any other thought but for the subject matter.
As I sat down next to the lotus, I marveled about each of nature's creations. It is beautifully and perfectly fitted to its station in life and exhibits a complete propriety of form and function. Nature is wholly consistent. I reminisced at the irony of beauty in filth. I got engaged in that thought and began my work. I concentrated on bringing the wonderful play of colors and light that I was able to witness. I worked on the flats and the depths giving them equal emphasis. I was so absorbed trying to capture those shadows...beneath the layers. I was in another world, as always. Transcending to another world doesn't take much time with me! Dancing and acting feels like that quite often. The walls of the rehearsal room simply disappear. And on the stage during a performance you completely forget about the audience. It's a terrific jolt when you come back to reality. Forgetting oneself is the best thing about painting and acting and dancing for me.
I din take notice of my aunt who was standing beside me with lotus juice (Yes!Lotus juice). She said she had called my name at least thrice!!! I was buoyant and afloat. Lotus effect, really![Wink]
PS: Lotus juice is an extract of lotus roots sweetened with honey which has great healing power. It was just toooo GOOD! Divine, infact!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Let me be...
"I’d rather be hated for who I am and what I am than be loved for who and what I am not" -Author Unknown
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Ek shyaam... barsaath ke naam...
It was a fine Sunday evening. I had comfortably curled myself on the couch by the window side wit a book. The crisp air welcomed itself thru the windows of my room and the red blinds flew as if it were welcoming the zephyr. Suddenly I heard the thunder, roar and rumble. And the next thing I did was to run to the terrace. I saw that the dull blue sky silently made way to the thick cottony black clouds that crept in from the west. They beautifully unfurled as they sailed. I could also get a glimpse of large grey cumulous heavy cloud on the horizon. The canvas was splashed wit hues of blue and green and brown. Yet the shades of grey over shadowed the rest! The cool breeze swept my hair. My hair flew with the gentle wind. The weather had a very romantic feel to it. It was Lovely! I threw my face to the sky and flung my hands apart. I wanted to run… as if the wind was chasing me. I stood there with my eyes closed. The earthy refreshing smell of the damp mud, the smell of rain, filled up my senses. It was mint fresh. I had tiny goose bumps on my hands. Took another deeeeeeeeep breath… And made a sincere attempt to lock this scent in my mind. I realized that it’s the most captivating smell. It turned me on, more than any perfume or cologne ever could. It jus filled me up. Completely! I kinda had a strange but pleasant feeling. I felt as if all my senses were unifying with the nature. And it was indeed! It was Meditative! It reminded me of some long forgotten abstractions and everything good in the world… I was spellbound… The tiny drops fell on my eyes.. It was soothing.. The next couple of drops kissed my lips until I opened them up to let it be a part of me! My soul was now wedded to it.
I ran inside the house hurriedly. I wanted my slickers but I couldn’t find them. I took out the umbrella from the cupboard and made my way out. The rain gushed. It poured heavily.The umbrella served no purpose. It rained from every other direction possible…It cupped and I got drenched. Exactly what I wanted. Loved this! I folded the umbrella.. I wasn’t feeling good walking with my flip-flops on… I removed them and held the flip-flops in my hand, umbrella in another and started walking. Yes, barefoot!! The joy of walking barefoot either on grass or on concrete or where eva u r, is best experienced than described! My feet were enjoying the pampering. The rain water was cold and had a mystic feel that could heal! Indeed… the rain can heal all the wounds.. Trust me on this! As I walked, there was an inner voice that was talking to me about how much I could connect with solitude, freedom and peace, of higher degree! The revelation it brought with it was absolute. It was so relieving. I immediately began to think myself into a state of ethereal otherworldliness. I enjoyed and rejoiced it. I realized - the festivity rain brings along is second to none. I was singing… “enu ninna hanigala leele?” It was a glorious feeling.
I saw no signs of the rain stopping. I made my way back home. I was sopping. I changed and switched on my music system which played Pt. Shivakumar Sharma’s instrumental, santoor. One of the instruments I love. Need a better instrument to connect wit the rain? I wanted some thing to warm up my bones now. What better than a cup of thick soup or some really hot ‘menasinakayi(chilli) bajji or pakoris’. And a hot, dark, rich cup of coffee of course! Hmmm….. Heaven…. Heaven!! Nothing else can substitute this feeling. I couldn’t wait now. So I rushed into my kitchen. Between, it was still dark. I somehow was not in the mood to switch on the light. I lit up some candles. I thought the more the better. I lit up as many as I could. The feeling was jus amazing. Ineffable! In a while, I was relishing the hot pakoris wit some coffee in the candle light, santoor playing behind coupled with the pitter-patters of the rain!! Hmmm……[Smile]. Bliss! It was the most beautiful evening of my life. Safe locked in my memory chest!
I am simply fascinated wit rain. Every time it rains, I am healed. I am transcended to an enchanted world. And those of you who hate rain, hear it from me –“Its best to love
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
On Finding Nemo!
I was in no mood to wake up early today(I was crowned the Night Queen recently and hence the efforts to stay up late![Wink]). But yesterday (or rather today in the early hours), I was too keen and eager to finish a novel that was so absorbing. I jus couldn’t stop turning the pages. And before I realized it was 3:30 a.m. , I was on the last page, thankfully! I had promised dad that I would wake up early and join him for his daily walk. Blame it on my lassitude! Heights!! It needs a lot of self cajoling and coaxing to wake up in the morning, trust me. I had gone into hibernation under my quilt. It was so warm n cozy. I was sailing on some cloud in my dreams… hmmm…. My alarm buzzed. I put it on snooze, for the first time, second and the third. I finally woke up when dad came in and said (infact he screamed [Wink]) it was 9! Gosh… I woke up as if a catastrophe had struck!! I regretted for I was late and had to travel 28 kms in BMTC! The journey from home to electronic city played like a quick movie trailer in my mind and I felt dizzy. I wondered what time I would reach office. Truly, traveling tat distance is a nightmare. U know how it is in namma bengaluru. I seemed to have no go but to start as soon as it could possibly get. I jumped out of bed, got ready, grabbed a quick breakfast and set out. I cursed myself all the way to the bus stop for the slack that I have become. I came to the bus stop and alas! No buses, as usual! I stood there waiting for the bus. Looking at the passers by was the best I could do. Suddenly my eyes got fixed on somebody’s dress. A friend of mine had the same kind! And I happened to travel back in days to some conversation that took place between me n this friend (a long lost friend in fact). I jus got reminded of the days we spent together etc etc etc… I suddenly became gloomy coz I wasn’t in touch with her anymore though she lived close by home, owing to the fact that she has become busy with her shooting schedule (she is an actress in the daily soaps of a kannada TV channel)! Oh yes, u might ask y don’t u call her! Wise enough. Well, blame it on me being a careless creeper. I lost my last phone and hence lost all the contacts. We have no friend in common from whom I could fetch her number. And yes, she doesn’t check her mails! So, I had lost her and had missed her too! Elizabeth Bishop's quote ringed in my mind - "The art of losing isn't hard to master; so many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that their loss is no disaster".
Memories bubbled in my languid mind. I wished and hoped that she pass by me today so that we could start everything all over again. The chatters, the afternoons we spent cooking, practicing for dance shows, humming our favorite songs, the evenings we went shopping or to her mom’s place, playing wit her daughter, our visits to the orphanages and the old age homes, and what not. The typical girly afternoons. Hmmm…It was fun. As I was thinking this, a bus stopped by. I was about to board that bus when I still waited at the foot board for the passengers to climb down. And what do I see?? I see that you guessed it! Right, this friend about whom I was thinking about, got down. Yes!!!!! It was her!!!! Well, I jus din know what to say. I was speechless. Astonished. I was glad. I wanted to scream. I wanted to jump, dance… well.. I was going crazy within. Well I am sure you'll know how it feels when you find your long lost friend! Call it telepathy, clairvoyance, sixth sense or what ever sense. She was in front of my eyes. Both of us couldn’t believe it. It was overwhelming. A thousand expressions passed and we exchanged all that we had to in our eyes in that fraction of a second. I was delighted. I still couldn’t believe my eyes. The very next moment we were hugging each other tight. It was such a relief! We didn’t realize people around were watching us. It din matter at that moment and neither did we care. It was so nice! Words seem less to describe what I was feeling. Our eyes were moist. And I told her how I was just thinking about her. And the next few minutes we burst out into laughter. She said that she was thinking about me too. Strange! Some things are truly beyond explanation! Beyond science! Well, our chins wagged and it din seem to ache. We didn’t wanna let go of each other. Neither of us did realize the time. But then, both of us were bound to our duties and had to rush! We were late…Damn! I wanted the watch to stop ticking for a while. I hugged her again, bid her bye. We promised each other that we would meet again to eat each others' ears off. And I boarded the bus that came next. And yes, I din not forget to take her number! I called her soon after that evening and took forward the conversation from where we had left in the morning (it was close to noon in fact[wink]). It was amazing. And I was smiling all by my self in the bus. The day seemed pleasant and beautiful. Now see, everything happens for a reason. And I kind of tend to agree that most of the times, what ever happens, happens for good! :) If I hadn’t woken up late and missed my cab, I wouldn’t have met her!! Correct??[wink] Do u get what I am telling you??
The people you meet affect your life. Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there…to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or help figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be but you lock eyes with them, you know that very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way. Everyone does indeed come in your life for a reason, a season and a lifetime! Every movement in this universe is calculated. And everything is balanced and perfect! It's meant to happen and so will it happen. You believe it or not is unto you.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
You be the judge!
As kids, we were all moralized by our parents, teachers and elders to be truthful and
honest. Never was untruth encouraged. If caught lying, we have been punished! And severely at that. Now as grownups too, a trait that is most sought after is how reliable and trust worthy we are. We are always urged to speak actuality, by being ingenuous and candid. Tell the right things at the right time. AS IT IS!! Without manipulating the content.
Many a times we have all faced some situation where it has been very difficult to both speak the truth and accept the truth! Isn’t it? But check this - If you think something, say another thing and do something entirely different, it causes an inner conflict. Your body, mind and intellect are not in sync. There is disintegration. And hence you suffer disturbance and inner turbulence. Give it a thought. You must have experienced this sometime!
But, sometimes what is equally important is to leave unsaid the wrong at the tempting moment. Our regrets are usually about what we have spoken, rarely about not having spoken. Think. In samskrita, “satya” means to speak the truth. Yet another meaning for the same is ultimate reality. And the ultimate reality is beautifully stated in the manu smriti of the sanatana dharma:
"satyam bruyat priyam bruyat na bruyat satyam apriyam
priyam cha nanrutam bruyat esha dharmah sanatanah"
This means, speak truth. But truth, that is pleasant to others. Never speak truth, which is unpleasant on somebody's ears. Yet, never speak untruth, which might be pleasant! Care should be taken not to hurt others' sentiments. So the value of truthfulness is relative to a situation.
Words once spilled cannot be picked. The safest and the most peaceful way to live life is to do nothing against one’s conscience. It is only then that we can lead a peaceful life and be free from fear and worries. If not, we go through life with our conscience pricking at our being. Guilt haunting us! Righto? Just give this a thought. Listen to what your voice within has to say.
honest. Never was untruth encouraged. If caught lying, we have been punished! And severely at that. Now as grownups too, a trait that is most sought after is how reliable and trust worthy we are. We are always urged to speak actuality, by being ingenuous and candid. Tell the right things at the right time. AS IT IS!! Without manipulating the content.
Many a times we have all faced some situation where it has been very difficult to both speak the truth and accept the truth! Isn’t it? But check this - If you think something, say another thing and do something entirely different, it causes an inner conflict. Your body, mind and intellect are not in sync. There is disintegration. And hence you suffer disturbance and inner turbulence. Give it a thought. You must have experienced this sometime!
But, sometimes what is equally important is to leave unsaid the wrong at the tempting moment. Our regrets are usually about what we have spoken, rarely about not having spoken. Think. In samskrita, “satya” means to speak the truth. Yet another meaning for the same is ultimate reality. And the ultimate reality is beautifully stated in the manu smriti of the sanatana dharma:
"satyam bruyat priyam bruyat na bruyat satyam apriyam
priyam cha nanrutam bruyat esha dharmah sanatanah"
This means, speak truth. But truth, that is pleasant to others. Never speak truth, which is unpleasant on somebody's ears. Yet, never speak untruth, which might be pleasant! Care should be taken not to hurt others' sentiments. So the value of truthfulness is relative to a situation.
Words once spilled cannot be picked. The safest and the most peaceful way to live life is to do nothing against one’s conscience. It is only then that we can lead a peaceful life and be free from fear and worries. If not, we go through life with our conscience pricking at our being. Guilt haunting us! Righto? Just give this a thought. Listen to what your voice within has to say.
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