Enamoured by Spring morning !

These days, I have become bit lazy and I truly love it! I love to stay a little longer in bed absolutely chilled out in mornings, before embracing frenzied cadence of the day.  I spend languid moments inhaling piece of heaven that wafts through windows - fragrance of fresh Spring blossoms. 

Blame it on the cuckoo that visits us very early in morning and sings its heart out so loud that it is impossible to ignore her beautiful renditions! It feels great to resume my early morning, "time with Nature" regeneration sessions, witnessing every bush and bower spring to life with blooms and burst of colour and fragrance in the garden.

Each morning, I am completely enthralled by the divine solitude. Everything around me is serenely calm exuding ethereal vibes. During those few moments of my poignant journey within, I get to discover myself anew. 

Witnessing ebbing of starlight across the sky, being enticed with cool breeze and just when I am engulfed with its soothing touch, single cadence of tender rays slowly announce arrival of a new morning! Watching the very first few rays of Sun split into light is divine experience! Tender rays of morning, very gently awaken world from the luscious texture of night. The trees that stand like silent sentinels come to life. Mist is lifted subtly. Renewal of life glimmers and oscillates to every single cell, creating lovely energy. Flowers and leaves glisten with myriad hues and forms.

The new tender leaves and buds erupting from the trees remind me it is time to part with what no more serves purpose in my life and focus on new beginnings. The experience is sublime and in those blissful moments when I experience my being in stillness, being aware of Nature, feeling it, interacting with it without uttering a single word, with open mind and receptive heart, I feel in sync with the Universe!!!  

You are NOT welcome!

It has been a whirlwind of fortnight! With two weddings in the family, many celebrations and great many guests arriving to stay with us, past few days have been really crazy! The last batch of guests just left few minutes back and I was about to post the article scheduled for this week. Instead, am writing about an experience that has left my spirit withered. 

I have been very fortunate to be born and raised in the family whose hospitality was considered benchmark for perfect Indian hospitality. I ensured that in 23 years of my marriage that tradition of hospitality continued and our home has always been open to friends, family and relatives to visit us and be house guests whenever they wish to, despite our overwhelming schedules. I take immense pride in being a great host as I personally feel that it is an honour to have guests. This age old tradition has provided us wonderfully rich experiences and some of the finest treasured memories that can last lifetime. 

However, there have been instances when we had bizarre experiences when the guests have transgressed the line of hospitality extended and become inquisitive, intruding, unreasonably demanding, judgmental and sometimes even rude, conveniently forgetting the fact that the hospitality extended was barely  not earned or deserved by them  but extended as part of our family tradition and values.

During last week, in one such transgression by one of our guests; a distant relative, we as family were challenged to deliberate provocation and misbehaviour. It was shocking for us to believe that it was not enough for the guest to subject our immediate family to crass inquisitiveness, our domestic helps and other guests who routinely drop by were also subjected to it. Try explaining boundaries that you wish to be respected without losing your dignity and letting your personal etiquettes falter in such cases and you can't imagine what extent sometimes people feel entitled to such behavior!

It is a privilege that people wish to visit your home and want to stay with you. But often one's patience is sorely tried and it is such moments when one wonders whether the true spirit of hospitality received, is completely understood and respected by the recipient. The art of receiving love and generosity with the appropriate comprehension of its true value requires maturity, understanding and gratitude that comes with open mind.  The casual sense of entitlement with which hosts' efforts are sometimes viewed and the ability to take for granted the thoughtfulness of gestures received indicates how selfish and insular people can be when attention, care and love is showered on them.  

I feel very blessed to have family, friends and relatives who are always keen to be with us because they feel welcomed, respected and pampered. And when they arrive, my spirit within my home is on call 24/7 and I love it that way despite it being very exhaustive! I have my hair tearing moments too; but in the moments when I see nurtured energies translate into life changing spaces, it becomes greatest reward to have found a space for contemplation that holds great potential for deeper bonds. 

I have some wonderful tributes of love which are not off the shelf but have been made or found and delivered with exquisite tenderness which are result of frequent rendezvous with loved ones. There is absolutely no joy like sharing and I truly thank God to have given me such a privileged life but when my sharing, reaching out to others' needs as host and placing guests before myself or family is not understood or respected, I feel violated and my energy feels squandered. 

I wish, some people understood and respected the fact that receiving is as much an art as giving! 

The dress code is "Jodha Akbar"!!!

I was at a sangeet party, surrounded with ensemble of flashily attired people gyrating to loud Bollywood songs. I managed to grab a seat in a corner, gawking at the crazy, glittering extravaganza. The boisterous crowd seemed absolutely in sync with every beat the weird looking DJs were playing.

At such occasions, I always feel bit awkward and wait for an excuse to avoid such torture. I was hoping the hosts would arrive at the party on time so that once my presence was noted, I could leave. Just then, a distant relative in her bejeweled best, approached me, "Simi, which colour you are wearing for the party tomorrow? My Jodha Akbar dress is ready. But hey, does one cover head with dupatta in that attire?" While I expressed my complete ignorance on the subject and was on verge of getting lecture from her, mercifully, she was distracted by entourage of wedding zealots.

The dress code for the wedding party next day was "Jodha Akbar"! Oh, how could I forget that? Soon after the invitation had arrived, out of curiosity, I had relied on Google for some help but despite its 2, 38, 000 pages that promptly opened in 0.52 seconds, I was left utterly confused, exasperated and damn angry at the host for having such bizarre dress codes. Wearing dresses of kings and queens, seriously, in today’s times? What is wrong with the world (or me if I don’t get it)?  

Since last fortnight, I have attended three weddings and there are two more wedding functions to attend to next week. Don't get me wrong! Like any true Indian, I love weddings. I will be a hypocrite not to admit that I absolutely love dressing up in my finest clothes and jewelry. But I have serious issues with dressing up in a dozen different bizarre dress codes that pose genuine challenge for my sanity and aesthetic sense. 

Blame it on new money or on Indian obsession with Bollywood but the good old traditions and celebrations around weddings are becoming far too filmy and glamorous with vulgar display of wealth and insatiable Bollywood aspirations evidently visible in every part of celebrations. Sadly, in all that, the very ethos of wedding appears to be diluting.

There is a subtle transformation post liberalization which seeks recreation of fetishized version of culture and tradition, a chimerical terrain in which there are ample opportunities to explore “iconography of abundance”.

Why is there a crying need for people to ensure that everything they do needs to be rabidly screamed off the rooftop? I have absolutely no problem with unabashed indulgence and sensory overload when it comes to weddings but can't one of the most special moments like wedding be also most authentic moments, without having borrowed ideas on how they should be lived? Why can't something as intimate and poignant as two people coming together forever, be an affair where only those who truly matter, matter? 

Call of the sand dunes

Kesariya baalam aao ni padharo mhare des...

Nimbuda nimbuda nimbuda...

Pallo latke re mharo pallo latke... 

Damadam mast kalandar... 

Alija mharo gorband nakhralo...

I am humming these songs since last few days. These evocative folk songs from the land of sand dunes instantly transports one to the vibrant hues and culture of Rajasthan. Last Friday, I listened to electrifying performance of Merasi folk singers from Rajasthan at India culture lab, Vikhroli. 

The Merasi singers enthralled the audience with their sonorous, melodic and robust folk songs accompanied by enchanting yet simple musical instruments giving a beat or drone effect to their mesmerizing lyrics and compositions.   

It was amazing to find children  as young as seven/eight being part of the performance and thus being introduced to their rich heritage of music, running in their families through generations, a world class extraordinary legacy of about 38 generations to be precise! The children in the group were enthusiastic singers, dancers and played array of instruments with such finesse that their renditions completely spellbound the listeners.

Merasis, also known as manganiyar are the keepers of art of storytelling through their invigorating mosaic of sacred Hindu, Sufi and traditional music of varied flavours, rhythms and enlightenment. Merasis have been creating magic by composing, performing, narrating different tales and in the process maintaining their vibrant distinctive legacy. The folk music of Merasis is a unique blend of folk, lyrical, melodic, full bodied, intense and vigourous. Their performance is a distinct collage of amazing songs along with percussion and string instruments, like nagara, dhol, khartal, morchang and harmonium. My favourite part of the entire performance was the jugalbandi between morchang and dholak which I heard for the first time in life! 

The Merasi, traditionally have made living by singing paeans at Hindu temples performing at weddings, child naming ceremonies and other social events. These days, one finds them at many cultural events which is very encouraging as such unique folk music traditions need to be kept alive for they narrate tales from our rich cultural, historical and social  traditions.

India has such rich heritage of folk music having its deep roots in Indian classical music! And being a student of Indian classical music myself, I can never have enough of it ! 

The Merasi singers group  performing 

A percussion instruments player from Merasi group

Artists playing jugalbandi between string and percussion instruments

Merasi artists playing morchang and dholak

Childrean from the Merasi group performing enthusiastically

Merasi artists, in their vibrant costumes and musical instruments

Hues of Kala Ghoda Art Festival 2014

The much awaited  art and culture festival of Mumbai, the Kala Ghoda Art Festival ended yesterday. This year, I have not been able to pay frequent visits to the festival like I do every year due to prior commitments. Over the years, I have seen the KGAF grow, evolve and transform into very popular and iconic event that defines the core character of this beautiful city of Mumbai, through its various hues.


Each year, the KGAF, packs immensely creative activities for all the age groups, be it music, dance, visual arts, literature, theatre, food, films, pottery, photography, street art, heritage walks or  a number of workshops on several topics. No matter how hard one tries, it is difficult to participate in all activities as so much happens there every single day! This quintessentially Mumbai cultural event provides space for everybody; the elites, the kitschy, the eccentrics, the commoners and the unconventional ones...all feel absolutely welcome and at home here as there is something for everyone and therein lies its appeal!

This year though, I was utterly disappointed with restrictions on playing loud music and live performances near the stalls at Kala Ghoda. The open air performance by the artist has always been one of my favourite activities at KGAF area as those performances add to the scintillating energy of the festival!

The quality of visitors at KGAF is interesting mix and not necessarily only art loving folks. I was shocked to find many people abusing art installations by climbing/sitting on them or holding some part of the installations and getting too close for sake of getting a good shot! When reminded, that they were not supposed to cross the line drawn around the art installations, many people were found shockingly rude and I was told to "mind my own business". I cringed to see so many beautiful art installations broken due to mishandling of visitors. 

I believe that for art to meet its purpose, it should reach out to every person on the street and not be restricted to only elites. In India, unfortunately, we fail to understand that sense of responsibility expected from viewers to respect art and the artists. Most of the times, in my observation, people don't even bother to read about the work of art at display to understand its nuances or interact with the artists present at KGAF. They are more interested to get that "perfect shot" even if that means shoving and pushing others! I hope the KGFA organizers take a serious note of this and address these issues from next year.

Art is an important part of our core identity. It is our moral obligation as viewers to respect our heritage and culture.