Varansi had that sense of timeless culture that allows the traveler to reflect on profound issues pertaining to being towards whatever. In this first article I explore the notion of various modes of being in time.
Travel narrative style as well as detailed analysis on topics of interest along with artworks on the theme.
Sunday 15 April 2018
Saturday 7 April 2018
Travels' to the more remote regions of India
A highlight of my six month sojourn in the sub-continent was residing in a small hill station in Orisa. Koraput is the central town to many small villages that have their own distinctive cultural expressions. The article ( 18 pages) is a survey of religion, lively-hood practices, community development of the region that includes Jaypure, Jagdalpur and Koraput were I resided for most of the duration of my visit.
Thursday 15 March 2018
A contrast to the senses.
A comparative approach ( 11 page article of text and image) that contrasts the Himalayan region with that of Rajasthan as a form of travelography.
Sunday 11 March 2018
Reflections on Goa from a travelers point of view within a six month sojourn through the sub-continent.
Highlights from the Goa (article 14 pages) include world heritage listed churches, contemporary festivals, Arjuna markets, cafe/party culture, Portuguese cottages, beach life, street art, lifestyle.
Friday 9 March 2018
Contrasting depictions of city life through a traveler’s lens.
To Travel through cities and regional centers reveals a juxtaposition of experiences which can give a unique encounter with the very big and small in terms of lived experience.
Saturday 3 March 2018
Charminar markets, Hyderabad.
Exploring districts like Charminar (10
pages of images and text) gives a glimpse into a place steeped in its
own sense of history amidst the contemporary need for gratification,
and all that it entails.
Thursday 1 March 2018
A sojourn to Hyderabad
Street
scenes of Hyderabad (ten pages)
reveals a city of beauty and simplicity that sits amidst the roaring
traffic and the constant hum of humanity thronging narrow byways.
Thursday 15 February 2018
The stone garden. A sculpture community near Mamalapuram. 2018
There is a sculpture community situated amidst pastoral scenes in a small village West of Mamalapuram. The link explores my interactions with the sculptors and a selection of works I produced whist residing there for over a month.
A sense of place. Mamalapuram. 2018
Residing in the small beach side town for a couple of month. The prime occupation being sculpture, but also afforded some photography of scenes around the locale.
Saturday 10 February 2018
Sculpture community, travelography account
Being in Mammalapuram gave an opportunity for an extensive participation with a sculpture community some
distance from the town. I was given a space to be creative on my own
projects which gave me a unique opportunity to interact with many
long time sculptors that were generous in giving their time,
introducing me to many aspects of traditional temple sculpture (23
pages), or preview (5 pages). Also the art practice in India extends into the art practice in Australia
Monday 29 January 2018
Sculptural street art
A synopsis of sculpture in Mammalapuram
ranging from street artists who produce all kinds of forms for
popular culture to the companies that focus on religious iconography.
My first foray into the scene was with a street artist (article 10 pages). The basics of stone sculpture is simple, however it becomes complex when adding power tools to the process that began with a hammer and chisel.
Monday 22 January 2018
Sun, a little surf and the Sea shore temple.
Life on the beach (9 pages) at the historical port town of Mamallpuram that is situated in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.
Tuesday 16 January 2018
The community of Auroville. Pondicherry, India. 2017. IZG
Pondicherry has a distinctive
Indo-Franco style, and only four hours from Tiru. Upon arrival I
caught a bus out of the CBD to the Auroville community.
Its a large area to traverse both
physically and philosophically. For a complete picture there is a review of Sri Aurobindos philosophy.
Tuesday 9 January 2018
Holy city of Tiruvannamalai. Tamil Nadu. India. IZG. December 2017
It was around mid morning
that I arrived in Tiruvanmali after an overnight train from Hospit.
The previous visit had been in 2004, and upon arrival I had to
navigate through the rather large town with a busy network of
streets. Vague recollections of temples and familiar cafes near the
tourist precinct only hinted of the direction I should follow so it
was necessary to take guidance from satellite navigation.
Tiru hosts an important
south Indian temple that is one of five south Indian Shiva temples
associated with classical Indian metaphysics. The Arunachaleshwar
temple is dedicated to the element fire, and is situated within the
city, taking up 10-hectares, which is one of the largest temples in India.
After navigating a maize
of streets eventually I found the foreign tourist accommodation hub.
Its just one street near the Ramana ashram. I found a small room in a
house that's run by a couple of retired government employees.
My first days were spent
checking out the scene around the sacred mount Arunachala. There is a
plethora of Sadhus (professional religious folk) that throng the area
along with householder pilgrims who come to circumnavigate the
mountain.
Upon visiting the Ramana ashram each day I found a basic routine that involved cycling around
Tiru by day and visiting the bookshop in the afternoon where there are readers of the philosophical works of Ramana Maharshi's message. By late afternoon there is the opportunity to observe
priests offer food and chant in the main precinct of the ashram.
Saturday 6 January 2018
Tales of Hampi
Hampi is located in the state of Karnatika which is not too far from Goa. It was about late afternoon when I began to cycle for Hampi which is around 15 km from the Hospit rail junction. As I passed the last shops at the edge of town, street lights made way for an unlit road. I stopped along the road side, scrambling around, trying to find a head light in one of the bike paniers. Then after a minute or so, a group of inquisitive onlookers appeared from nowhere.
The
number of people speaking all at once made the encounter a blend of
nice-to-meet exclamations and nonsense questions. Closing the
pannier, I headed for the a near by lit up tea stall. However even
this did not deter, as they followed me and continued with a melody
of interrogatives and exclamations. Eventually, they went their way,
and I was left to search for the light.
It
was either head for Hampi or turn back to Hospit. I decided to press
on because finding hotel accommodation is a challenge at the best of
times, and particularly in areas not set up for the foreign tourist
phenomenon. This is due to the requirement that hotels must have a
special license to host non-Indian citizen tourists. So I checked for
the turn-off, and then by coincidence a passer-by confirmed the
directions. Though he ended up indicated that getting to Hampi is
'no'. So on reflection with my recent encounter I decided to turn
back to Hospit and brave the accommodation scene.
There
was a shelter next to a temple where Indian pilgrims and the homeless
had set up to take rest. In emergency situations, train stations, and
even bus depots can be rough but safe enough to stay if valuables are
secured and no deep sleep, so keeping a high stress level in such
areas is a basic requirement. The caretaker agreed that cycling to
Hampi should best be done in day light.
The
next morning I set off early into fresh air and pastoral scenes of
plantation cane, bananas and livestock followed by their
keepers. About 4 km into the ride the scene suddenly suddenly broke
into a series of large boulders strewn across the field. As I
proceeded to ascend the small hill, a series of monolithic rock
temples appeared, then hordes of tourists, street stalls, and upon
descent a river with lots of circular paddle boats, and a couple of
ferries with one packed but the other nearly empty. The oddity was
that both were heading for the same side of the river, leaving lots
still to catch a ride.
I
was told on the Hampi world heritage side of the river that the ferry
ride across the river is frequented by travelers', so I decided to
take the ferry and check it out. This short boat trip turned out to
be a lesson in political economy. Only two licensed boats operate
(each by different company) and although at times one side of the
river has a large crowd needing transport only one boat will pick-up
whist the other boat will return empty and only pick up from the
other side.
This
is due to an agreement each company has struck up the other. Its
based on some economic principle so to avoid the downward slide where
competition would make it worse for both groups if they competed for
market dominance. The duopoly is not so good for consumers because
there's an extended wait for a ride, and a relatively high price for
a short ride across a narrow river.
It took a day to settle in with all the usual demands of tourist life (article with 10 pages, scroll to view all). Where to eat, what to do, how to find stuff, when to catch the ferry. This side of the river offers a host of side adventures like boulder climbing, themed cafes, musical instrument playing, therapies, street art.
It took a day to settle in with all the usual demands of tourist life (article with 10 pages, scroll to view all). Where to eat, what to do, how to find stuff, when to catch the ferry. This side of the river offers a host of side adventures like boulder climbing, themed cafes, musical instrument playing, therapies, street art.
The
first days world heritage sojourn was on foot. I roamed around
aimlessly, with a vague intent of being anachronistic, in a
social/cultural historical sense, but most likely was just a need to
take rest in nostalgic spaces.
The
next day I cycled around the vast area of restored and crumbling relics (article with 10 pages). There were electric vehicles that zoom around, though a bike
gives lots more independence. Around five pm its a dash for the last
ferry ride.
I have created a website of the photographs from this period as well as a site that relates to the artworks generated from this encounter.
Monday 11 December 2017
Travelling south from Omkareshwar it was on to the caves of Ajanta, and Ellora then off to cosmopolitanism Pune, then further south to Goa.
The world heritage site of Ajunta is a
testament to early Buddhist thought and devotion where celestial
beings are depicted both in stone and painting.
Ellora is also a world heritage site that includes Buddhist, Hindu
and Jain iconography. The distinct traditions worked in close
proximity to each other and shows evidence of religious tolerance of
that early period. Photographic detailed analysis is followed through with syncretic art.
The city of Pune boasts rapid
modernization along side classic British Raj architecture. However its draw for many foreign tourists' are the renowned
Hindu reformers' that popularized their meditation techniques on the
international stage.
There is a distinct sense of Indian
Internationalism in Porchagese influenced Goa
with its vibrant beach scene,
contemporary secular festivals like
India bike week and
international beach culture (short film on beach party)
and heritage churches of Old Goa, and
Madgam
The next section of the travel is a train from Goa to Hempi, then to Tiru, then Pondi, and then to Mamalapuram.
Sunday 19 November 2017
A sample of two sacred river centers in the state of MP, India. November 2017.
Ujjain and Omkareshwar have both river
systems that are sacred to Hinduism. Ujjain is a major modern urban center as well as having a river
that's a pilgrimage site for Hindus.
Sacred river at Ujjain where pilgrims bath at the Ghats.
Omkareshwar in contrast is an island village surrounded by water. A short film depicts
sacred/secular activity.
Sacred river at Ujjain where pilgrims bath at the Ghats.
Omkareshwar in contrast is an island village surrounded by water. A short film depicts
sacred/secular activity.
I visited many temples in Ujjain, this one has two black stone towers with dazzling lamps.
Ujjain city
However, in contrast, its the road side shrines that place Omkareshwar in another category, and one that demonstrates how broad Hinduism can be through modes of expressions and activity.
Ujjain city
However, in contrast, its the road side shrines that place Omkareshwar in another category, and one that demonstrates how broad Hinduism can be through modes of expressions and activity.
Impressions of two medieval fort towns
set in Rajahstan. november 2017.
View of Old Bundi from across the lake with Palace above, and fort above the Palace
Chittor and Bundi are the general
hustle and bustle urban centers replete with satellite towers and
ATM’s. Cittor attracts traditional pilgrims and the constant flow
of Indian nationals. Bundi's appeal was more in the what's known as
Old Bundi that's reminiscent of a Rajput era implied in the murals on
Havelis.
Both cities are set within a nostalgic
backdrop of hills with forts and palaces. Bundi's fort ( rambling tour through fort on u tube) and palacegive a sense of the workings of another society that is not so easily
grasped when surveying Chittor's fort that covers a larger expanse of
territory.
There's a lake on the edge of Old Bandi
where locationally a long narrow boat appears from behind some cement
outcrop, also there's the main temple, and busy CBD that present
perspectives on lived spaces. Bundi'sannual festival brings in an influx of people from the region and
abroad that seem to be a mix of civil advocacy on issues that morphs
into quirky completions, like the moustache contest.
Pushkar and the Camel fair. October 2017.
Arrival at the Pushkar Camel festival
time from an austere Himalayan tranquillity is a jolt to the senses.
The population rapidly increases in
this small lake side town when thronging pilgrims converge with the annual influx of camels that are bought
and sold. The reasons for pilgrimage varies,
though for Pushkar its the holy lake and Brahma temple.
Itinerant traders set up stalls along the urban periphery selling Camel accessories as well as other trinkets, garments.
Itinerant traders set up stalls along the urban periphery selling Camel accessories as well as other trinkets, garments.
There's devotional singing and
chanting, camel fair festivities, and popular music. However its the
Rajasthan desert folk and their camels' that captures the imaginary
of foreign visitors'.
The short film gives an impression of the sense of place.
The short film gives an impression of the sense of place.
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