A Wedding is at its purest a celebration of two individuals falling in love and deciding to spend their lives together, choosing one another over the rest of the 7 Billion population on Planet Earth. Its about the intangibles like family – love – support – care and nurturing, as well as the ever growing tangibles of home and hearth. These collectively … Continue reading Let me Introduce you to the Indian Baraat
Last night was filled with an intense discussion between two architects and myself about the authority of attributing value to any art-form. Though the discussion was centered around the visual arts and the complex opinions that are polarised into “art for art’s sake” on one side and the idea of “form follows function” on the other, my take-away viz. a vis 45 Days … Continue reading Hands – The Power of Two
The first time I saw Lois Greenfield’s photography was at a dance studio where someone had pasted a downloaded grainy image of a visual that burned itself in all its reproduced beauty onto my retina. It was a of Sam Mosher – the man in motion is synonymous for modern dance and his collaboration with Lois Greenfield and the camera lens is a synonym for … Continue reading Lois Greenfield and Dance Photography
Over the next few days I want to celebrate the work and talent that was Ruth St. Denis, as part of the 45 Days of Dance Stories. Ruth St. Denis was not only applauded for her progressive choreography and the legacy of work she has left dancers world over, but for me it was her unique talent and insight that enabled her to bridge classical … Continue reading Incense by Ruth St. Denis
Considered by many as one of the finest and most influential artists of the 20th century. This choreographer, writer, dancer and revolutionary contributed, in no small part, to the shaping of and trajectory of – modern dance. Through her work and ethos she carved and continues to influence the psyche of the dancer and the manifestation of his soul through chosen-precise-movement. For me, Martha Graham … Continue reading Words and Movements of Martha Graham
Last year around this time I did 45 Days Art Stories for The Nirula Family Company. This year I thought I’d take inspiration from a field of personal practice where music, beat, song, rhythm, movement, expression and emotion all are incorporated to create a performance that all of us know as “Dance”. So these 45 days will be a Dance Countdown, grooving us over to … Continue reading RASA in the 21st Century
One of my many favourite lines from this part philosophical, part prophecy, part exploration of cultures, religions and “then” contemporary society has to be “We think of the key, each in his prison thinking of the key, each confirms a prison.” As the poem meanders like a giant pregnant river, the knowledge explored and encased in its five sections : I. The Burial of the … Continue reading The Waste Land by T.S. Elliot
This poem connects to every human, heart-beat and soul who has suffered prejudice, judgment and oppression. Here is the poem: You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise. Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom? ‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells … Continue reading And I Still Rise by Maya Angelou
The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe was the first poem I memorised by heart. I was 11 years old and found a well worn and loved copy on my Grandfathers Desk. The golden embossed copy had me spell bound and I would curl up and read and reread this poem, fascinated by the swells and swirls, and most importantly the powerful imagery it created. The Raven continues … Continue reading The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe
VRATHA – a Sanskrit word that is often used across India in various dialects and languages to signify ‘fasting’, means a ‘sacred vow’ in its truest translation. The Hindu in contemporary times, very much like their brothers and sisters from antiquity, offer a range of prayers, mantras, gifts and sacrifices to their Hindu Pantheon. With each day of the week ascribed to a specific God, … Continue reading Karva-Chauth
D's Art Takes 