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. 

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.

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

Abstract art

  Beauty and meaning is in the eye of the beholder  

In the late Nineteenth century, artists wished to break away from traditional representation of physical objects in its real shape. They started to explore the relationships of forms and colours instead of representing the world through recognisable images. In this genre of art, the artistic content depends on internal form rather than pictorial representation. Various types of Abstract art includes Cubism, Neoplasticism, and Abstract Expressionism.

"We are all hungry and thirsty for concrete images. Abstract art will have been good for one thing: to restore its exact virginity to figurative art" 

-- Salvador Dali

"Painting, like music, has nothing to do with reproduction of nature, nor interpretation of intellectual meanings. Whoever is able to feel the beauty of colors and forms has understood non-objective [abstract] painting."

-- Hilla Rebay , The beauty of Non Objectivity

Everything is art, because there is an aesthetic component to everything one does.The feeling concieved by connoisseur is significant in enjoying Abstract art. Often our perspective reflects what we are and some times others don't see what seems plain to us. Along with the Artist, the viewer too can use his imagination in enjoying the piece of Art. This vivid scope for interpretation at  an individual level is the beauty of Abstract art.

 I was not fond of Abstract art until I bought some acrylic paint and started trying out the possibilities of experimenting with textures and shades. The overwhelming joy of playing with colours and textures. Just letting the hands move stirring the mind and pleasing the eyes. ....eternal bliss...!!!!

Though I wrote big words about my experience while playing with colours, I am not sure if my attempt to create abstract paintings reached the mark. But then, as someone told,

'Miles to go before I sleep'  I have time to paint more and refine myself............. 

Threshold 

Starting point of an experience.

 

Threshold