I
happened to watch the ‘Chakravyuh’ scene of B. R Chopra’s ‘Mahabharata’ today
on Epic channel and the first thing that struck me was its uncanny similarity
with a certain thing. The young, confident and cheerful Abhimanyu entered the Chakravyuh
formation when his uncles and other family members promised to help him but
later they were barred from entering the formation by the enemy soldiers.
Inside, Abhimanyu was attacked by his elders in the Kaurava army all at a time:
an unethical attack. He died bravely defending himself and crying for this
father. Gurus Dronachrya and Kripacharya were genuinely sad about this but could
not do anything. A brave young life was lost due to unethical fighting.
‘Chakravyuh’
exist in modern context too and are known by the name of the ‘Arranged Indian
Marriages’ that don’t turn out to be as expected. A young and confident girl
enters the alliance but ends up catering to everyone’s demands and fighting for
her freedom and rights. Her family members are not allowed to interfere and
thus they become helpless as well. She ‘dies’ fighting, not literally always,
and even though her downfall and deterioration is mourned by a few members,
they are too dependent to take a stand. An arranged marriage in India is an
unethical combat that swallows young lives where they not only battle for their
freedom every day; they are attacked by many societal malpractices all at once
as well. There is no way out from such formations, they are one way streets
that lead only to frustration and rapid decline.
Sunday is funday and
today I did some craft activity using a waste sanitary tile piece, a black
marker pen and sketch pens!
On this tile piece, I first sketched something I liked!
Then, filled in the colors with sketch pens. It took some time for the ink to dry up. I baked the piece for 50 seconds in a microwave too and it really helped to seal the ink.
I tried pasting a magnet but the piece was a hit heavy for it so using a good adhesive, I pasted it on a wooden shelf.
I have a certain
liking for such kids! This child, oblivious of all the frivolities and
distractions around, is busy playing her little violin. Art not only
channelizes the energy of a child but also keeps him/her away from useless
things like video-games, chatting and girlfriends/boyfriends.
I
could not stop myself from expressing my thoughts when I came across an article
that justified tracing, in a famous art magazine. Yes, the same tracing our Drawing
and Biology teachers would frown upon and promptly give a ‘redo’ for. Tracing
is basically copying a picture from its original source. As the name suggests,
you just ‘trace’ the whole image without taking the pains of drawing it with
hand along with all the aspects, measurements, shadow & light and of course,
perspectives, a very important thing most people just do not care about. When
we trace an image, we let our drawing skills take a backseat by cheating deliberately.
All the skill then is required is that of coloring. In a way it is ‘manual
photocopying’!
Advocates
of tracing call it an absolute necessity for creating ‘hyper-realistic’ art. They
state that many great painters traced too and also that end result matters and
not the means, a point with which I absolutely refuse to concur. Art lies in
the skill of the person, in his practice and dexterity to handle sketch and colors.
Tracing is like writing an exam with guidebook open and then celebrating full
scores. Yes, I consider it nothing more than plain stupidity and cheating the
person appreciating and buying your art. It is said that the beauty of art lies
in imperfection, there is no art sans it and I find no reason to disagree. In
long run, tracing destroys an artist’s talent for the ability to recreate a
photograph or a live thing or person accurately on paper which is used to gauge
an artist.
To
get to this final sketch of Daniel Craig as James Bond took me around nine or
ten drafts. I never faced this much difficulty with any portrait but when after
more than a week or so I got my base sketch correctly, I felt happy and proud
of myself. This work may not be realistic or perfect but it is honest and has
helped me brush up my art a bit more. Looking at my works give me inner peace
and happiness, precisely for which I am into- fine-art.
Those
masters who trace will surely lose their art in a few years while those novices
who do so, unfortunately, will never get to develop the same in the first
place. So, in my personal view, tracing is nothing more than suicide for an
artist. Our Drawing and Biology teachers were indeed right.
By
the way, I wonder if tracing is not cheating then what is?
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accessible in an un-altered state for a minimum of one year.
Dr. Shashi Tharoor (born 9 March 1956) is an Indian politician and a former diplomat
who is currently serving as Member of
Parliament, Lok Sabha from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala since 2009.
He was born in London to a Malayali family from Palakkad, Kerala. His paternal uncle was the founder of Readers Digest in India.
The
dictionary defines the verb ‘Travel’ not
only as ‘to move or to go from one place
to another’ but also as ‘to proceed
or advance in anyway’. I believe that the latter resonates more closely
with the verb these days. Even in this era of technology where everything is
available on one touch or click, physical travelling remains unmatched in the
kind of expansion it can bring to one’s life. Travel fills you up not only with
memories but dreams and hopes too; it teaches you much about life, people, exploration
and most importantly, surviving. It makes you see what a huge universe lies beyond
you little plush room or cabin. Travel is nothing short of a panacea for it can
make one creative, cure depression to a good extent, makes you independent, wiser
and can break old attitudes and notions like it did in my case.
Many
years back till I visited the happening and beautiful Goa, I had very different
notions about the place. If I were asked to define Goa in few words then, I would
have said ‘drugs’, ‘dates’, ‘foreigners’ and ‘nudity’ but after one visit everything
changed. Let me share this unforgettable experience of mine in short-
I
visited Goa many years back on a college trip, long enough to travel and
explore the place. Initially we were wary and were asked by the more cautious
classmates who did not join us on the trip to keep a ‘safe distance’ from ‘that sorts’ and drugs. Many boys
regarded Goan girls as ‘free’ and ‘available’ and Goan locals something as
sloshed country idiots living a dull life. I will be honest here that when we
reached that place, our perceptions were colored by these notions to a large
extent; but that is what travel always does- it makes you unlearn and relearn
the facts, breaks old molds and fills new colors into your lives. We noticed a
different air. Coming from plains, I was usually not dexterous in enjoying
beaches and beach parties. Women roaming around in skimpy clothing were observed
with raised eyebrows. However, few days into this smallest Indian state, the
only one to have two official languages- Konkani and Marathi, made me shed my
old attitudes. By the way, I did not know Konkani was an altogether different
language! Beaches can be enjoyed far more in swimming costumes and the humid
climate of the place can discourage anyone from putting on too many clothes or
heavy garments like sarees and salwar suits. The Portuguese (Goa was ruled by
the Portuguese for more than four centuries and gained independence only in
1961), the aboriginal Konkani and the colonial catholic influence have led to a
potpourri of cultures that is also quite charming. The dresses and skirts people
wear in Goa suit the place, culture and the climate. The people are fond of liquor,
particularly a local one made from cashew called ‘Feni’.
The churches provide a cool and serene quietness, no less
soothing than what I feel in temples. We visited many churches and found the
love of Jesus pronounced in the very air of the place. Smiling locals, happy in
their little lives closer to nature, merry and helpful foreigners giving you
tips on swimming on beaches, old couples enjoying their sunset years and girls
celebrating their freedom far from the peering eyes and filthy tongues of those
around (unlike in Northern India), the multicultural cuisines and wonderful baked
food items and a vibrant nightlife that could give wild Delhi a good complex,
opened my mind and gave me a different perspective on life. If someone is different
or has lesser inhibitions from you, then it does not make him or her cheap and
degraded. Goa tells us precisely this thing. This place teaches us in its own subtle
blithely way to coexist and enjoy life before it slips. As I said before,
travel is indeed a panacea; it helped me to form some friendships that have
stood the test of rough times.
I
am happy that I stepped out of my little room, traveled and became more open-minded
and tolerant of many things.
I
am so happy to have said yes to the world!
You
too can say Yes To The World with Lufthansa, the largest German airline and with its
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Check out this beautiful video-
Images from Pixabay.com
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post remains accessible in an un-altered state for a minimum of one year.
What
do we have in mind when we think of hills and hill stations? I am sure around 7
in 10 people will say something on the lines of ‘serenity’, ‘calmness’, ‘joy’
and the like. However, reality can be shattering sometimes and can wash away
all the notions we often have of distant places. Most of the times, movies,
literature and stories make up our notions but travel can bring real knowledge
into our lives. I mean to say travel is not only uplifting but can be immensely
educative at times like it happened in my case.
Many
years back, I went to a famous hill station named Manali. It is a small hill
station in Himachal Pradesh and is located in the Beas river valley. All
through the way we were looking forward to exploration,
greenery and freshness. I also traveled to Rohtang Pass but came upon some
shocking truths
The
place is green and breezy indeed but there are many things that demand urgent
attention like the issue of plastic waste. Numerous hotels and mini resorts
have mushroomed in the place churning out plastic waste at an accelerated pace.
The amount of waste generated is worrisome can be seen prominently in a small place
like Manali. The snow at Rohtang pass was dirty and semi-melted as well, much to
my disappointment.
The
second issue is of lack of good schools and colleges. There were no good
government schools and most children aided their parents in shops around the city.
Many times I notice school kids trying to sell local fruits to passing tourists
instead of being in classrooms. Illiteracy is prominent and worrisome.
Most
of the roads are unpaved and some are very steep, too steep for the safety of
lives. The huge number of Israeli tourists enjoying their small stay on their Military
stipend had led to too many Israeli food joints to open up. The factories and
the poor waste disposal systems were already polluting the place. Isolated clusters
of habitation and poor electricity supply and connectivity make it tough to
manage during times of flood and emergency.
I
am not focusing and ranting upon the negatives only. After all Manali is place
to visit and enjoy but I mean to say that it was only after travel that I came
to know that hills demand attention and care. Things we read in books and watch
in movies and TV many not be all rosy. Only one thing can make us see the both
sides of the coin and that is travel.
The
locals were cheerful and hospitable, the waterfalls are breath taking, and the
Hidimba Temple was lovely. Overall I must say that the place has its own slow
pace that cannot be rushed and its own rustic beauty that is charming despite
being wrinkled by swelling population and uncared for natural resources.
This
visit is etched in my memory because I said Yes
To The World!
You
too can explore, observe the real picture, become open
minded and discern both sides of the coin! Just connect with Lufthansa by #SayYesToTheWorld.
Lufthansa is the largest German airline and with its
subsidiaries, also the largest airline in Europe!
Check this out
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