Art, literature and a little metaphysics

"The pure present is nothing but the ungraspable advance of the past devouring the future.

Every sensation is already a memory"

- Murakami Haruki

Oh well, doors are beautiful too

A window is a thing of beauty

And a beautiful window even more so!

What I like about a window is its ability to let me look out at the world while maintaining a safe distance. Letting the inner meet the outer without a collapse in essential boundaries. Being a part while remaining apart.

Someone hung an earring on a lamp post

Location:

Barcelona, Spain

Venice, Italy

Padharo mhare des

"Kesariya Balam... Padharo Mhare Des" is a beautiful, lilting melody that immediately conjures up the image of a lone traveller traversing the sand dunes of a vast desert in Rajasthan, of a woman in bright clothing and eye catching jewellery waiting expectantly for her lover to return, of palaces, princes and proud moustaches of turbaned Rajasthani men smoking a hookah in the hot afternoon sun while drinking strong, sweet tea.

For me, that is.

The song itself, while it is described as a traditional Rajasthani welcome song, is for me more a song of longing. A plea that is sent out across the sands, carried by the dust in the hope that it shall land on the ears of the one being waited for. The melody is slow and seems deliberately prolonged, as if mimicking the lament of a lone bird, hoping that it will pull at the heart strings of the beloved 'other' who feels so painfully far away.

I had the glorious fortune of listening to a street performer play this melody at the entrance of the Jaisalmer fort. He played it on Sarangi and it was a moment of loveliness.

I wish I could recreate that experience in memory but it is partly lost to me.

Now, I find solace in listening to the song while looking out of the window, in a foreign land.

(Go here for Rajasthani performers and here for a rendition by Mehdi Hassan)

Faith Fighters- Join the movement !

The state of the world today, with all its terrorism and sickening displays of religious intolerance, demands that all of humankind stops, takes notice and wonders what the hell to do about it.

Well, some have found a potentially workable solution to at least some of the problems of religious violence.

A fantastic game called "Faith Fighter"

Recently discovered by my beloved and me, it basically involves a one on one (man vs. man, man vs. god, or man vs. alien depending on who you are pitted against at any given moment) street fight where one kicks the other's ass (And vital organs if either one is a good enough fighter!)

Invented by Molleindustria as a video game, it has recently been the subject of much outcry* etc. by los fanaticos religiosos. Clearly, they haven't been able to see the potential this fun game has to solve some of the greatest issues facing humanity today!

This is how it goes

You choose who you want to play as. The choices are among the following

- GOD (Who is shown as a rather short and squat- though muscular- man with a white beard)

- JESUS (Son of the above mentioned, shown as a lean and lanky fellow whose favourite defensive stance seems to resemble a "Namaste")

- BUDDHA (Who is blue, wears a saffron robe and looks a bit like Ram from Indian Nritya Natikas- dance dramas)

- MUHAMMAD- (Who is again a lean and lanky man, wearing a green kurta, with a knife slung low on his waist)

- GANESHA (Beloved elephant headed god, shown - obviously- as an elephant. Albeit a rather angry looking one)

- BUDAI (A fat and jovial figure, wearing nothing but a loin-cloth. One of his slick moves involves falling asleep)

- XENU (An alien, who is hardly fun to fight because his- like Mashrafe Mortaza's- favourite shot seems to be "playing defense")

Then you are meant to fight each of the other figures one after the other, each contest lasting three rounds.

Interested drones can play here - http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/421199

I personally really like street fighting type games (Mortal Kombat was a favourite). There is something about the rawness of being able to punch your enemy in the face, kick them in the shin and beat the crap out of them to emerge the winner. Of course, I already know it gives vent to my latent aggression so any reader coming to that conclusion should know that that would not qualify as a deep and insightful interpretation.

Which is why I really like this game! But its advantages for mankind at large go very much beyond that.

Imagine if people were to use this as a means to resolve religious differences. Using simulation to re create and experience difficult emotions and deal with them is a therapeutic technique. Why not apply the same to the problem of religion?

The whole my-god-kicks-your-god's-ass question is so easy to resolve- in just three rounds of let's-settle-this-once-and-for-all-by-taking-it-outside good old fashioned street fight.

Of course, some might say that people might resolve to street fights as a way to shut the other up vis a vis the above question anyway. So how is this game any better? Well, let me tell you how.

Can two ordinary men or women engaging in a street fight in the dark alleys of Ghaziabad, Mangalore, Moradabad or any other place in the world use special effects to make themselves invisible (Muhammad), or freeze the enemy into a block of ice (Xenu)? Hah! Didn't think so!

The sound effects, animation etc go a long way to make the entire fight appear comical and pointless. Plus, by using Faith Fighter, you realise that ultimately, your god or your religion is only as strong or as weak as you are.

So everyone can enjoy the game, win a couple of rounds, and go back to the ideal goal of introspection and evolving into a better person.

Better yet, try playing as a religious figure different from the one you would normally identify with. It is like learning an important lesson- That your individual skills and abilities (and other personal traits) account for more of who you are, than your alleged religious identity. Because believe me, we've (beloved and I) tried playing as each and every one of the characters, and ended up winners. Yeah, it feels great :-P

Who knows, you might even give into the urge of swearing** at your opponent, even while playing as your perceived enemy in real life.

Go on then. Give it a shot.

*I hate protests against any form of creative expression or genius. Be it writing, drawing, or inventing video games! The inventors like it, the players like it, what the hell is everyone else's problem anyway?

What happened to the good values of "I may not agree with your opinion but I shall defend to my death your right to have it?"

** I cannot tell a lie. Swearing while playing games is great fun. Sigh, what does this say about me!? Sob sob. Oh well, at least I am good at Faith Fighter :-P

Kaosu

This world of dew

This world of dew
is only a world of dew
- and yet

.....

A world of dew,
and within every dewdrop
a world of struggle

(Issa)

Multiple entendres

They escaped with their lives

managed to get married

They can, at last, change their clothes.

- Yosa Buson

Stop Female Foeticide

This is what adorns one of the walls of my room at work. I think the painting is as beautiful as it is symbolic.

Below it, the text reads-

"To all the woman who have made our country great.
And to all the little girls who will make it even greater"

*Artwork courtesy UNFPA

Melancholia

Freud, by Dali

To Sir With Love

One of my few artistic attempts. This one I am actually quite proud of!

inspiring, loving, confusing, funny, friendly, witty, musical, mystical, whimsical, infuriating, understanding, and absolutely charming!