Traditions

 Lamps left out to dry at Pottery Town. Pottery town is the source of all the terracotta pots, lamps, statues etc you see on sale on Bangalores roads.Pic by Ravi Kaushik ⊕

There seems to be a little confusion as to which day JanmAshtami (the eight day of the lunar calendar, which, in this month, marks the birthday of Krishna) falls. Yesterday at my friend's home, I was told it was yesterday. Today, when I visited my friends Hema and Ganu, she had just lit the lamp and made the little "foot marks" of the baby Krishna: So I offered geetAnjali...I sat and sang "sri krishNam bhaja mAnasa sathatham" in Todi, a majestic kriti, and then "maNi nUpura dhAri" by OotthukkAdu in nIlAmbari...and she lit the karpoora Arathi: Outside her front door,her maid had…

When the festival is over, Ganesha does not always merge with the elements and reach Kailasa as he is supposed to. He is often abandoned in public places: Similarly, when the patriotic frenzy of "Pandrah August" fades, our country's flag is cast aside with disrespect: Both these photos were taken in Lalbagh. Devotion of any kind...whether to God or to country...is something that should be practised and lived, daily, not indulged in for one day in a feel-good token display.

   A man buys plantain leaves on the occasion of Ugadi - the Kannada New Year. I can only imagine the sumptuous meal he would have had on the plantain leaf.  Pic by Ravi Kaushik.

This year's Ranga Ugadi at Ranga Shankara celebrates the seven Jnanapeetha Award Winnersof Kannada, in a daylong festival on Sun, Apr 3. While Karnad and Anantamurthy read fromtheir works ("Hoovu" and "Suryana Kudure" respectively), the works of Kuvempu, Bendre,Karanth, Masti, and Gokak will be represented in the form of plays directed by well-knowndirectors, theatre songs and a film.Ranga Ugadi is a tradition at Ranga Shankara. On the Sunday before Ugadi (falls on Apr 3 thisyear), Kannada theatre, literature, folk arts and food come together for a daylong celebration.Special folk arts from various parts of Karnataka will be performing too. The…

   Usha Madhuranathan and her daughter, Deepa Vaishnavi, have a "Kolu" display with a difference at their home in Banashankari. Long ago, Usha decided that she was less interested in having just a display of dolls. She would determine a theme each year, and arrange the kolu around that. Last year, the theme was Kannadiga literateurs; this year, it was "India's contributions to the world."Here's Usha, starting the guided tour of the display: At the front door, we were greeted by an ancient Indian Rishi, with his learned text in front of him:One tableau explained the concept of the way time is…

  Happy Deepavali! Pic by Ravi Kaushik ⊕

Yesterday, because of Smt. Saraswathi, who is a long-standing devotee and visitor of avery old temple in Vasanthapura...the Vasantha Vallabha Raaya Swami Devasthana, dedicated to Vishnu and Lakshmi, I happened to visit it, and I came away deeply impressed.Here's the temple....Another view:Here are the beautiful brass Dhwajasthambha (flagpole) and the pavilion behind it:Some more views of the decorations outside the top: As one enters, one sees haldi and kumkum bowls at the feet of the Dwara Palaka (Guardian of the entrance):Here's a view of one of the Dwara Palakas:  At the entrance is the Sannidhi of Garuda, Vishnu's vehicle:By sheer chance,…

 She prays to Lord Krishna, who provides her with an unending stream of saris to protect her modesty. An exhausted Duhsasana falls to the ground, wondering at the mystery. The Pandavas and Draupadi curse the Kauravas, vowing to kill them in war. Dritharashtra, the father of the Kauravas, realizes the seriousness of the situation and tries, in vain, to beg forgiveness, saying he will return everything that the Pandavas lost, to them.A blind Dhritarashta stumbles into his own court.Bhishma the patriarch, and Vidura, both acknowledge her divine nature, and enraged at this, Duryodhana orders Duhsasana to place her on his…

From the 6th day of Navarathri, or Dashara, the festivities move into high gear. Everywhere, families have put up their "kolu" or "gombe", and women and children are busy visiting each others' homes. Here's the display at Bhuvana's home:The various dolls and scenarios symbolize the universe that we live in, which is protected by the Mother Goddess, Durga, from evil in the form of MahishAsur.Fancy rangolis decorate the doorways:Welcoming visitors into the homes. It's a festive,happy time for everyone....Happy Dashara, or Bijoya, or whatever festivity you may celebrating now! ⊕