Theyyam

- a colloquial word for 'Daivam' or God - it is a ritual performed in temples of north Malabar districts of  Kasargod, Kannur, Wayanad and Kozhikkode from october to may every year. It is a living slice of the ancient culture of malabar, thet has been practices for more than 2000 years. It embraces almost all the strata of the hindu society of the region.

Every village of Malabarwas bound to the 'sacred gardens' (kavu) with a sacred tree and a presiding diety.Theyyams are performed before these Kavus. The sacred dance performed amidst an enthusiastic crowd is believed to bring prosperity for the village. For the people of Malabar, Theyyams are visible Gods. 

Theyyam

Costumes of the Theyyam performers are designed by cutting and painting coconut sheaths in Red, Black, and White patterns. The Hood, headdress, face paint, bracelets, garlands, attire are unique for each theyyam and is crafted using coconut & palm leaves, dyes, twigs, threads, mirrors and embroidery, over long hours prior to the performance. 

Theyyam

There are almost 400 types of  theyyam, which includes female deities too. Some of the popular deities are Mutthappan, Pottan, Vishnumoorthy, Pulikandan, Thee Chamundi, Chembilot Bhagawathy, Muchilottu Bhagawathy, Gulikan, Bhadrakali etc. 

das Dorf

Das Dorf

'Tis fine to see the Old World, and travel up and down
Among the famous palaces and cities of renown,
To admire the crumbly castles and the statues of the kings, --
But now I think I've had enough of antiquated things.

So it's home again, and home again, America for me!
My heart is turning home again, and there I long to be,
In the land of youth and freedom beyond the ocean bars,
Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars.

Oh, London is a man's town, there's power in the air;
And Paris is a woman's town, with flowers in her hair;
And it's sweet to dream in Venice, and it's great to study Rome;
But when it comes to living there is no place like home.

I like the German fir-woods, in green battalions drilled;
I like the gardens of Versailles with flashing fountains filled;
But, oh, to take your hand, my dear, and ramble for a day
In the friendly western woodland where Nature has her way!

I know that Europe's wonderful, yet something seems to lack:
The Past is too much with her, and the people looking back.
But the glory of the Present is to make the Future free, --
We love our land for what she is and what she is to be.

So it's home again, and home again, America for me!
I want a ship that's westward bound to plough the rolling sea,
To the blessed Land of Room Enough beyond the ocean bars,
Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars. 

An American in Europe -- Henry Van Dyke 

Women

“every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter. The sitter is merely the accident, the occasion. It is not he who is revealed by the painter; it is rather the painter who, on the coloured canvas, reveals himself.” 

Oscar Wilde

portrait

“When you lose reasoning you forget humanity,When you forget laughter you lose Divinity. Munindra Misra” 

Devi

And now I see with eye serene, The very pulse of the machine; A being breathing thoughtful breath, A traveller between life and death: The reason firm, the temperate will, Endurance, foresight, strength, and skill; A perfect Woman, nobly plann'd To warn, to comfort, and command; And yet a Spirit still, and brightWith something of an angel light. 

-- William Wordsworth 

Krishna

Your body is my prison, Krishna,
I cannot see beyond it.
Your darkness blinds me,
Your love words shut out the wise world's din.

Kamala Das - Only The Soul Knows How To Sing 

Poppies - Mohn blumen

“Summer set lip to earth's bosom bare, and left the flushed print in a poppy there.” 

Francis Thompson

Mohn 

From the poppies blumed in the spring of 1915, on the battlefields of Belgium, France, and Gallipolli this vivid red flower became the symbol of great loss of life in war. 

Canadian surgeon  John Mccrae in his poem 'In Flanders fields', realised Poppy as a lasting memorial symbol to the fallen.

“But pleasures are like poppies spread,
You seize the flower, it's bloom is shed;
Or, like the snow-fall in the river,
A moment white, then melts forever.” 
Robert Burns

Chemparathipoovu - Hibiscus flower

Red Hibiscus plants - the walls between to neighbourhood in Kerala villages. The flowers are part of childhood memories of every malayali who enjoyed the good old childhood days.

Chemparathipoovu

The red hibiscus is the flower of the Hindu goddess Kali, and appears frequently in depictions of her in the art of Bengal. This flower is also used as an offering to goddess Kali and Lord Ganesha in Hindu worship.

The Pharoahs used hibiscus tea, and today it's still common as a toast in Egyptian weddings

Red Hibiscus flower is the national flower of Malyasia. 

Hibiscus Flowers where ever I look,
Reds and blues and the pretty white,
Freshly taken from a picture book,
They fill me with great delight.
Indoor Hibiscus Flowers delicate yellow,
Potted plants in my snug flat,
Great beauty that turns me mellow,
To all Gardeners I take off my hat.
The hibiscus is a flower to please,
Grown in a warm and temperate clime.
Reds, blues and whites do tease,
With glowing colours so sublime. 
 -- Bernard Shaw 

Song of the Village

 

VILLAGE SONG by Sarojini Naidu

Full are my pitchers and far to carry,

Lone is the way and long,

Why, O why was I tempted to tarry

Lured by the boatmen’s song?

Swiftly the shadows of night are falling,

Hear, O hear, is the white crane calling,

Is it the wild owl’s cry?

There are no tender moonbeams to light me,

If in the darkness a serpent should bite me,

Or if an evil spirit should smite me,

Ram Re Ram! I shall die.

My brother will murmur, ‘Why doth she linger?’

My mother will wait and weep,

Saying, ‘O safe may the great gods bring her,

The Jamuna’s waters are deep…’

The Jamuna’s waters rush by so quickly,

The shadows of evening gather so thickly,

Like black birds in the sky…

O! if the storm breaks, what will betide me?

Safe from the lightning where shall I hide me?

Unless Thou succor my footsteps and guide me,

Ram Re Ram! I shall die.

in to the Blue....

Blue is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. Blue gives a feeling of distance. Artists use it to to show perspective. The earliest known blue dyes were made from plants – woad in Europe, indigo in Asia and Africa, while blue pigments were made from minerals, usually either lapis lazuli or azurite.

“I don't want a rainbow... Rainbows have too many colors and none of them receive the appreciation they deserve... I'd prefer a fading red or a striking golden, a shimmery silver or a sober blue... Ruling the sunset sky alone!” -- Debalina Haldar

“It's the colors that will make you stray. They sing to you, the not-blue and the searing light, and no matter how tightly you tie yourself to the inbetween, eventually you will break free.No one swims only in the shallow water.” -- Betsy Cornwell

“The sky grew darker, painted blue on blue, one stroke at a time, into deeper and deeper shades of night.”    -- Haruki Murakami 

Pink Turns Blue

Pink Turns Blue

If Two Worlds Kiss
Lost somewhere in paradise
A lonesome king feels cold at night
A dreamy shadow memory
A wild desire I'm loving you
The hate I felt was never true
Impulses I can't understand
Lighted by your true blue eyes
I always knew I's telling lies
Waiting always everywhere
Love is changing all my life
Destined to make me laugh and cry
Despair has settled over me
If two worlds kiss
A kind of change is going on
The Gods have fallen, my safety's gone
Who gains the world I lost my soul
Restless eyes some pleasant smiles
I'm burdened for the rest of life
Enough to tell the definite truth
If two worlds kiss

© 1987 Fun Factory! Musikverlag
Music & Words: Mic Jogwer