Dasi Dance & Dravidian Arts

Jane Goodall

2011-04-13T04:56:00.003+08:00

Today I had the fortune of listening to Jane Goodall. I wanted to be in her physical presence as I suspect that she had a radiance about her. And I was indeed right. In a room packed with developmental economists and other NGO professions she spoke passionately about her mother. How her mother believed in her from the time she was 1.5 years old and took earthworms to bed with her. Instead of getting upset her mother nurtured her love for animals.

Jane she was born between the two world wars she was very poor - her family could not even afford a bicycle. But her mother bought her Tarzan and other great books about the natural world. At 11 years old Jane had a dream that she will be working with animals she said and writing about them. And when she shared this dream everyone except her mom laughed at her. Her mom told her to work hard and focus on her dreams. Finally she saved enough money to buy a ticket on a boat to Africa and set sail on a new adventure. She knew she wanted to be a naturalist in Africa. And this to her was the starting point. Getting there. Of course once she was there there were other obstacles. In particular no one would take responsibility for a young single woman to roam the forests unaccompanied. So her mother came along with her. And when Jane was starting to lose heart - feeling that she was not learning anything spectacular about chimps her mother refuted it. Her mom told her that Jane was learning alot about how they feed, what they feed on and other daily habits. And encouraged Jane to record all of it. And her breakthough finally came when she saw a chimp using a stick as a tool. Her mother also created incredibly trust and goodwill among the local Kenyan people by setting up a "clinic" in the village where they were. She used epson salts, bandages, aspirin and other simple medicine to treat the ailments of the villagers. In turn the villagers came to revere her as a white witch doctor and allowed Jane much access and shared their wisdom with her.

When she finally presented her findings to professors in Cambridge they said that she was wrong. Animals have no emotions and it was wrong of her to name her animals. They must be numbered. She said instinctively she knew her professors were wrong. From a very young age her dog had taught her that animals have many emotions and this in turn became the basis of her work. I was deeply inspired by her story and her radiant story telling. She spoke to us from her heart. No script. No slides. With vivid animal hoots and chimp like gestures she shared her intimate knowledge of her chimps with love, honesty and compassion.

Bill Cunningham

2011-04-11T09:36:00.004+08:00

Today I went to see a beautiful documentary-movie of a street fashion photographer Bill Cunninham. I was mesmerized and profoundly affected. First Bill's sense of wonder and awe had such an innocent childish quality about it. Secondly he had manners - he sought to protect his subjects that he was photographing. He was not interested in celebrities. He was interested in the ordinary person making bold and creative use of fashion. People who felt compelled to express themselves. In defending fashion he said fashion is like an armor that helps one get through the day. Without fashion life would be so dreary. And unimaginative. What a refreshing take on fashion which often has been confused with vanity and excess. As opposed to a possible avenue for beauty, inspiration and self-knowledge. I also loved the fact that he did the work he did out of love. He worked in the early days in the "establishment" - meaning a newspaper. And at night he did all his creative work up till 4am in the morning. He clearly had amazing energy or maybe it was the work that gave him the energy. But at 82 being able to look back at his life and smile the way he does. And talk with so much passion about his work is a real source of joy. His fluency in French and how he says he comes to Paris every 6 months like a student to educate his eyes. That was an amazing insight. When accepting an award from the French he almost broke down when he says He who seeks beauty shall find it.

Why Emotions Make Better Decisions

2011-04-01T00:09:00.001+08:00

2011-03-21T04:55:00.001+08:00

Respecting First Emotional Response

2011-03-18T19:30:00.003+08:00

Today I heard a wonderful interview at BBC by Francoise Barbe-Gail who says that we must respect our first emotional response to a work. She explains that we are often very shy and frightened when we look at a painting. We always have a first impression. It is important to trust this first impression. If it disgusts you, you might want to go further and explore why. She says when you do this it enables you to get in touch with the painter's instincts and it gives clues to his life. Going beyond this first impression is also important (without negating the first impression). How do you trust your own impression while also trusting the instincts of the painter? She goes onto say that in many ways seeing a painting is like meeting a new person.

To train you eye you cannot begin with academic art history. If you do so it clouds your feelings and impression. I think what se is really saying is that you need to see art from the heart. Not from the head. To formulate your own view and determine your own values. It is important to be aware of what the images are actively conveying to us.

Her views have inspired me to buy her book How to Look at a Painting.

Malavika Takes Abhinaya to New Heights

2011-03-11T10:15:00.007+08:00

For old school critics of Malavika who dismiss Malakiva's Abhinaya, they are missing the point entirely. I just finished watching Malavika's performance at the Kennedy Center in DC. I was floored. There were tears in my eyes. A standing ovation was all I could muster at the end of an intensely moving show. Last night it occurred to me that Malavika's concept of abhinaya was a contemporary one. Unlike the old school gurus her abhinaya was not merely confined to her face. It is in every mudra, every adavus, every note and most importantly in the total environment that she creates for her audience. The paintings that she used for her set design. The single note of the temple bell that punctuated and signaled the end of a piece. This is how Malavika subtly infuses her modern spirit into the rigorous classical space of Bharatanatyam. It easy to do fusion - to tinker on the edges of a classical art form. But to dissect each adavu and koraivai and modify it. And then to add another layer of sound and light to amplify her movements was a stroke of brillance. Malavika is firmly in that league of great masters who have transcended technique. Let me give you a few concrete examples. Malavika used a rectangle, a square and a circle to create distinct dark and light spaces on the stage floor. She often stood on the edge of these shapes as opposed to the center. Her ability to play with light and shadow infused her movements with a meditative aura. This transformed the mystery and beauty of the sculptural qualities she brought to the art form. She curated herself within the light/dark spaces with impecabble rhythm. Similarly, she used classical temple instruments like the temple bell and the conch to add a layer of authenticity to her piece. These pieces although often used in a temple are seldom part of the classical Bharatanatyam orchastra. Her pieces on Durga and Shiva were indeed very classical choices. Yet these characters felt raw, fresh and alive when she danced them to life at the Kennedy Center. Finally the way she punctuated her adavus was striking. Bharatanatyam dancers are often subject to rigid rules as to how to execute certain movements. Malavika followed all the rules but surprised the audience with the delivery of it. The trembling of her fingers to represent fire transformed a simple mudra into a fiery ball of fire. To decode Malavika one has to watch her really closely. On the surface she may appear very classical and almost traditional. But she is far from it. From her frequent use of back to the audience - which is traditional dance schools is frowned upon as being vulgar - to her exquisite marriage of lights, music and voice to bring the stories to live, Malavika has redefined Bharata Natyam and made it a universal language. For those seeking to copy Malaviak I say watch her dance. Malavika seldom gives interviews and I have found her interviews very disappointing. I realized that her primary vocabulary is movement. Not words. Words cannot convey the essence of what she is trying to do. Watching her might give a sense. Malavika is authentic because she owns her style and is honest about what works for her. She does not take shortcuts and I have never seen her resort to cheap tricks. Every show I have seen of hers have been original - she has a strong concept and works around it faithfully. She is disciplined too. She does not bring too many elements into her show. She is committed to evolving as an artist and that truly sets her apart from many of her peers who seem more interested in the performance dimension as opposed to the creative dimension.

David Brooks - The Social Animal

2011-03-11T04:25:00.010+08:00

In a cab ride to a lunchtime event I heard a snapshot of a great interview. The interviewee said something that deeply resonated.

"There is a gigantic bias in our (american) culture towards hard measurable things. We need that. But I am also for music, art and playtime. The real key to our wisdom is how to educate our emotions... We educate our emotions by art, literature by movie character and by surrounding ourselves with certain kinds of people and not other kinds of people. That is how our emotions get smarter. Why do kids stay in high-school? Mainly due to ABC - atheletics, band and cheerleeding. This gives them meaning and keeps them in school. The art and atheletics keeps kids emotionally connected to school

Whoever this guy was - he was summing up my life !!! It was all my dancing and creative stuff that kept me happy, fulfilled and engaged throughout my school years. I remember in Law School that in one year my grades suffered as I had cut down all my creative activities and focused only on law. The final year I went back to dancing and creating and I thrived and got the top prize for a very complex legal subject. It taught me a very important lesson - that my brain is wired in a certain way and that it functions better with a certain mix of activities.

He also gave me an insight into the psyche of American men brought up in suburbia. He said that they don't feel that they are equipped to express emotions or how to deal with it. He pointed out that there is indeed a cultural norm in America that one should be self sufficient and should not express emotions. As a result American men develop a phobia towards emotions and tend to withdraw when they are confronted with certain emotions.

Finally he spoke about how different cultures see things differently. For example, Americans he said looked at the Mona Lisa and looked mainly at her eyes and her mouth. Other cultures look at things all around the Mona Lisa. I definitely fell into the latter category - ie context mattered alot more for me in the total appreciation of the work. He cited another fascinating experiment -how when you place a tank of gold fish in front of Americans and Chinese you get very different reactions. The Americans immediately focussed on the biggest fish and the details that it presented. The Chinese looked at everything around the fish including the fish.

Finally I found it really funny that he said that Washington DC, where he lives, is the most emotionally avoidant city on Earth. When I jumped out of the cab I looked up the author and his new book - The Social Animal - The Hidden Sources of Love, Character and Achievement.

Daksha Seth

2011-03-10T00:44:00.016+08:00

Last night I got a free ticket to watch Daksha Seth's company at the Kennedy Center. I was reluctant to go. I had watched their troupe before and it was not my cup of tea. Their work always struck me as a vulgar mix of acrobatics and indian martial arts carefully packed in a design conscious manner to appeal to the western palette. For those unfamiliar with the indian dance world, Indian contemporary dance is a very recent phenomenon. Indian dancers are struggling to find a meaningful voice and identity within the larger contemporary dance world. And that is a worthy struggle and one which should be pursued with vision, courage and passion. But Indians artists should not delude themselves as to where they are in this process. Or more importantly attempt to hoodwink their audience.

Daksha always manages to use intelligent light design, set design and a zen-like aesthetics to package her dance offerings. But the movement vocabulary remained static and predictable. When you strip it down to the core - what is the defining aspects of Seth's work? Aerial acrobatics mixed in with karma sutra-like movements? Is shock factor the main thrust of Seth's work? Is her work largely a rebellious response to Indian modesty and love for ornamentation and color? Does something become indian contemporary dance merely because it is from India or performed by Indians? Or are there certain emotional, physical and spiritual markers that set indian contemporary dance apart from other contemporary dance forms? What is that singular thread that holds indian arts forms together and that merit inclusion in the Maximum Indian festival at the Kennedy Center? Or is there no such thread? Seth would probably argue that these are precisely the questions that her performance seeks to provoke. Yes, a clever answer but an evasive one.

The point is that the show did not have a conceptual underpinning. This was painfully apparent at various points and in particular when Seth twirled around in a gaudy golden outfit in the middle of the piece. If it was designed as a purely abstract piece it would have been fine. But the attempt to link the entire performance to the motif of the snake struck me as an after thought. An afterthought that diluted the virtuostic display of aerial dance and martial arts. A weak concept does not elevate the show into a higher intellectual realm. It only adds more noise. These shortcuts are dangerous not just for Seth and her company of dancers. But also in developing a meaningful response to the larger question of how indian contemporary artists are responding to India's evolving identity, politics and arts.

Chinua Achebe

2011-01-01T09:24:00.006+08:00

Recently in an interview Chinua Achebe said that it was intolerable for any man to stand up and claim that his Ibo dialect is better than another Ibo dialect. Or Achebe added to claim that his dialect is the only one. This statement transported me to a dance conference in India ten years ago when all the major dance gurus in Chennai were caught up in a debate as to which bhani or school of Bharatanatyam was superior. As Achebe says this is the wrong question to debate about. Different schools of bharatanatyam have evolved over time corresponding to the different gurus and their stylistic choices. Ultimately they are all a celebration of a beautiful classical dance form from Tamil Nadu. These various styles attest to the enduring beauty and grace of that artform. The diversity within the form enriches it and allows for customization to fit the dancer's temperament and preferences. As Achebe says this is a celebration of the people and their identity. Applying this to Bharata Natyam this is a celebration of what is happening today - there are multiple schools of dance and the dancer and the dance gurus need to celebrate this. So even though the bharatanatyam world maybe searching for new ways to grow and preserve the rigor of the classical form, dancers within the space would do well to take Achebe's advice and celebrate the present vibrant state of the art. To dance with great joy, freedom and ownership is one of the most beautiful gifts one can share with the world.

Grace and Beauty in Nepal

2010-10-11T18:36:00.020+08:00

A few days ago I returned from Nepal. Kathmandu far exceeded my expectations. Sometimes going to a new city with no expectations is a good thing. It leaves you open to embrace new perspectives, untainted by guidebooks written by foreigners. The greatest joy was the people, their history and their way of live. Yes, the city was chaotic. The roads were filled with pot holes. There were frequent power failures and blackouts. But these are easy distractions. One needs to be able to look beyond this to the essence of the place and its people.

The Nepalese were eager to ensure that as visitors I had a good time. They often enquired whether I was enjoying my stay and if I could come back to visit again. This is the essence of true hospitality. The genuine concern for a visitor's well being and happiness. The deep desire for the Nepalese to ensure that we visitors leave their country with great memories was touching.

Today international travel has become casual, impersonal and transactional. With the proliferation of internet travel sites, budget airlines and a large business travel segment, alot of the romance in travel seems to be lost. The hotel staff in many countries don't seem to have time to linger and chat with you or enquire about your well being. If they did, it would be in a highly scripted fashion and as part of their job description towards "client satisfaction." As a business traveller I often tend to be equally abrupt as I am anxious to get things "done." However, the Nepalese transported me to a time where civility and graciousness matters. They were impeccable hosts - they treated me like a revered guest in their home. And I reciprocated by slowing down and smiling from my heart.

My time in Nepal reminded me that hospitality is such an integral part of Asian culture - where Guest is God. Tips are received with gratitude not with an attitude (as in the US). At my friend's golf club we had wanted to go for a walk and I was in heels. One of the staff took off her sandals and told me to wear them on the walk. It was a spontaneous and a simple gesture of taking care of one's guest. It struck me as a reflection and extension of the Nepali's people's culture, spiritual values and inherent warmth.

Of course there were a few local Nepalese who were ashamed of their "backward" country, culture and people. They were anxious to get onto the Western bandwangon and become "modern." One of them told me how about certain barbaric temple rituals that were performed during the upcoming Navarathri. For a country teaming with NGOs and pockets of fly by night expats who prescribe all sorts of western medicine to tackle all sorts of local problems in Nepal - being caught between cultures can be a tough and very confusing thing. One could easily lose their cultural and spiritual anchor in the midst of incessant talk about economic "progress." But for me it has also reminded me to dig deeper to defend the symbolism inherent in many ancient rituals. And to look beneath the surface for truths that inform people's choices and way of life.

The Nepalese struck me as strong and proud people who had deep respect for their majestic Himalaya, their great Gurkka regiment and their beautiful stupas and temples filled with ornate handcarvings. A few of the Nepali elite I met were sophisticated, clear headed and visionary. They saw not only the potential in their country but also its problems. They were not impressed with the Westerners or their simple "upgrade" ideology. A few Sherpas who has scaled Mount Everest and were incredibly well travelled also shared some keen insights with us. They talked about the essential difference between the Western climbers and the Sherpas. And how as Sherpas he only enjoyed climbers who climbed with a heart and with a love for the mountain. As opposed to personal glory which they said often seem to inspire Western climbing expeditions.

A colleaague of mine pointed out the people here although poor had a quiet sense of dignity. They were not anxious to impress or to exploit the tourists. They wanted to share their history, culture and identity. And they did so with simple joy and a sense of ownership. It reminded me of my time in rural South India where even the taxi drivers were incredibly poetic and deeply knowledgeable about every tree, river and roadside store and its history and mythology. So this trip once again reminded me that the world is a rich and complex place. And if I traveled with the right spirit and remained alert to the nuances of a place and its people, I will be richly rewarded.

Craft, Color & Confidence

2010-09-13T01:42:00.000+08:00

Calligraphy & Apple Fonts

2010-09-09T02:03:00.003+08:00

A powerful talk by Steve Jobs on how to connect the dots in life. For example how his learning calligraphy as a school drop out informed the fonts for Apple computers. And subsequently raised the bar on all computer fonts. And this was ten years later after he picked up calligraphy. At the time he was doing calligraphy it seemed like a pointless indulgence. It did not feed him or pay his rent. He had to sleep on the floor of a friend's dorm and walk to Hare Krishna temple for one free meal a day. But yet he continued to study what inspired him. Not what was prescribed (ie formal schooling). But at that time when he was learning calligraphy he did not know how the ancient art infused with subtle beauty would inform his fonts at Apple. But it did. Ten years after when he founded he reached back to this experience. So he urges us to have faith and follow your heart. And to keep in mind that you can only connect the dots LOOKING backward. But not looking forward.

Similarly when at 30 he was fired from his job, he realized later that that freed him into one of the MOST creative periods of his life. He was after 10 years after founding Apple and then getting ousted, a beginner again. He had immense freedom and he went back to doing what he loved - computing and founded Next and Pixar. Again the firing only made sense looking backward - as it freed him into his next phase of creative growth. At that time it happened he said it was a public humiliation. And it was awful and he tried very hard to get his job back.

Mao's Last Dancer

2010-09-06T23:06:00.001+08:00

When I saw the ad for this I thought it was gonna be just another dance movie. But this interview convinced me otherwise. Maos Last Dancer is a true story of this brilliant man and his long and complex journey from a remote village in China to the glamorous world of ballet in the US. In particular his descriptions of how poor his family was that they often went to bed hungry and how his mother stoically encouraged him to leave her for a better life was particularly moving. The movie did not disappoint. It is a story that seems to have kept very close to the voice of the author. The dancing was brilliant at many parts. But it did not take away the deeper suffering, anxieties and sacrifices that a person makes when trapped between two opposing ideological masters. One who represents your past. The other who represents your future. Ultimately Li Cunxin follows his heart and stands up for what he feels is true to his craft. That dancing ballet in the US makes him feel more free.

Rediscovering Ben Okri

2010-08-06T08:34:00.004+08:00

I first stumbled onto Ben Okri when I was on vacation in Malacca. I remember I was staying at a beautiful resort built into the sea inspired by traditional Malay huts/kelongs. I remember very clearly that there was a poetry book in that resort room and a beautiful poem by Mr Okri touched me. I remember i had read it over and over again. It was so beautiful. So moving. And I remember making a mental note that I will read more of his works. Till today that had not happened. But a recent radio session on great Nigerian writers brought him back to my consciousness. And in this short reading cum interview Ben Okri speaks about his mother's stories and how his mother's stories were always hidden lessons on morality. Lessons he did not get when she told them. But stories that he kept alive in his head and whose lessons he pondered on for many years. And then finally got sometimes after 20 years. He also talks about how his mother taught him to ask questions while his father taught him to answer them. In one short anecdote he captures the yin-yang duality beautifully and how as a greater writer he was able to access and use the duality. He also talks about the stories in our collective consciousness and how in some cultures there is a belief that there is a story among the stars waiting to be told. And when a writer connects the dots and writes this story magic is born. He says some call it inspiration. But he finds that materialistic. He rather see it from a more poetic plane.

Shen Wei

2010-05-01T23:21:00.009+08:00

Last night I went to the Kennedy Center to watch Shen Wei dance theatre. It was a moving experience. Shen Wei seems to have successfully done what very few intercultural artists have achieved - a seamless fusion of the aesthetics of east and west. I tend to be somewhat skeptical of intercultural work which many times tend to be 90% western with 10% eastern accents via costumes or some adornment. Not true intergration.

From Shen Wei's work it was not clear where the ballet movements ended and where the eastern meditative elements began. The dancers were predominantly westerners and all have a certain aura/energy to them - individually and collectively. They were not your traditional ballerinas - neither were they your karma sprouting western spiritualists. They like the performance defied classification. They all seem to have like Shen Wei the choreographer lived in multiple cultures and have used that experience to inform their dance and movement work.

Shen Wei used his travels through Cambodia and the Silk Route to inform and inspire his work. Its funny - how I never saw the transformation of identify pre-travel and post-travel. The person you after you had visited a country with a rich history or a complex past is not the same person who started the trip. The way he used his photography as background projections to the choreography was harmonious and true to the energies and moods he was seeking to capture and convey. I felt transported and mesmerized. I was not looking at the dancers per se - it was such an integrated experience - where music, lights, design, costume and movement came together in a beautiful whole while comingling eastern and western energies. The piece that really moved me was the final piece with the topless dancers - the dancers were so unselfconscious. They exuded a sense of purity. And through their very slow movements eventually seem to evolve in sculptures. At a certain point I felt like I was looking at a painting from the classical period. I felt like I was in a museum studying a huge painting in front of me which was slowly drying into deep stillness. After I went home I kept thinking about it. And today I realized that I had experienced something deeply resonant. An artist who had so deeply integrated two cultures within himself and then is able to reach into this point of integration to create his works of art. I feel like I was at the cusp of a new movement. In thinking. In analyzing. A new paradigm that has managed through art to recaliberate a new equilibrium and a new paradigm on what it is to be global.

Crafting An American Beauty

2010-04-26T09:01:00.007+08:00

The Smithsonian Craft Show was on this weekend. I caught it today - the last day of the show. And my was I glad I went. I have great respect for craftsmen and artisans who can produce amazing works of art with their hands inspired by unique visions in their head. With the arrival of machines and artificial means of production I always wondered how little one man artisans like jewelers, furniture makers and dress makers survived. How do they market their amazing work? How do they retain creative control and a sense of ownership in how their work is marketed and to whom it is sold? After today's show I still don't have answers to these questions. But I was deeply inspired by the crafts that I saw and the artists who I had met. The first stop was at a hatter's display. It was full of beautiful handmade straw hats in very unique shapes. They were exquisitely designed and had an integrity and originality to their form that I had seldom encountered. It was wonderful to touch, feel and wear some of these hats and chat with the artist who made them. I also met two jewelers who were working with very interesting materials and finding ways to create wearable art. I bought three pairs of earrings after having a great chat with each of these jewelers. Attending the crafts exhibition also showed the depth of American crafts tradition in its diversity. And how many of these artists seem to be inspired by the rugged Americna landscapes that they inhabit. One of the artist told me that the lake near his home was a constant source of inspiration for his design. It struck me that these were original thinkers who were not pandering to mainstream media or magazines on fashion, design or architecture as a way to build their clientele. Many of them seem intent of finding their market through more innovative outlets like the crafts show. The Crafts show was also curated like an intimate private party in someone's house - someone who had amassed great artists and then invited his friends over for tea to celebrate their work. For those who ask if Americas have any culture - don't be fooled by the mainstream media. Shows like this are proof that the pioneering spirit and unique vision of American artists is alive and very well.

Early Morning Spring Walk

2010-04-18T00:36:00.007+08:00

Today I woke up feeling I had to go out for a walk. Nature was beckoning. Indoor exercising has never been my thing. But I was forced to do it during winter. But running or walking outdoors has always refreshed my spirit and my body in a profound way. I responded to this call before my lazy mind crept in with excuses - its a bit chilly outside, its a bit too early (630am), you might not make it back in time for your breakfast meeting etc. I resolutely bounded down the steps and ran outside before the list of excuses grew any longer and trapped me inside my home. And God - it was a beautiful spring morning. I felt indeed like I had run out into a temple of God's best creation. The sun had just risen and it was still low and mellow in the sky. The birds were chirping. I had missed the birdsong terribly during winter. I walked briskly up to my favorite area filled with old row houses all immaculately conserved and cared for. All the owners had planted beautiful flowers and plants outside their homes. The treelined street had a quiet beauty and integrity. As I walked I could almost feel myself blossoming alongside the flowers and birds. I had missed the green of the trees, the green of the grass, the green of lush vines creeping up the brickstone. And I did not realize how bleak the winter had been and what a surge of relief I had felt when the trees turned emerald green and vast stretches of brown earth came alive with grass. This was something I had taken completely for granted having lived in a very green Singapore a big part of my life.

My best friend had given me a beautiful pink Ishuffle sometime ago and I had downloaded the most moving and spiritually infused music into it from my vast and rather chaotic music collection. And walking thru the quiet streets of georgetown with this music felt like taking a walk with my special friend. Another good friend of mine - Sita Jameson - a powerful chanter/singer had also given me her music. And listening to it while walking also brought me closer to her energy - her strong Shiva voice in her little lithe feminine frame. It also invoked in me the mountain energy of Santa Fe. In one short crisp Spring morning walk the different threads of my past came together. A harmonious convergence of the energy of true friends, sacred mountains, lush foliage and angelic chanting via a nifty pink device. I think I just experienced the most perfect Saturday morning in Georgetown.

A Tree Looking for A Home Meets a Artist Looking for A Tree

2010-02-21T04:47:00.005+08:00

From the first time I saw my new apartment, its high loft like ceilings with strong angular ceilings inspired me. It felt like a cross between a church and a modern museum. I felt inspired to reach up to the sky in this space. But I also realized having such a space was quite alien to me and to a degree that intimidated me. To do justice to a beautiful interior space with high ceilings I knew needed something majestic. The image of a tree kept appearing in my mind. Its strong brown branches - like powerful tentacles seemed to call out to me. But I did not know where to shop for this tree/branch structure. Or how to transport it into my home. But practicality has never really stopped me from pursuing something. So I kept the vision firmly in my head. And a corner in my house empty for this sculptural beauty.

Today morning I went for a walk in my neighborhood. It was a beautiful morning - at the perfect temperature of 7 degrees celcius. A bright sunshine, birdsong and a crisp clear blue sky greeted me. Just a week ago it has been too cold and the side walks filled with snow and ice. Walking or driving had become quite dangerous. But much of the snow had since melted and I could stroll around and inspect my neighborhood. The snow blizzard had wrecked havoc among the trees. Many tree branches had fallen. These fallen branches had been swept to the side and were waiting to be cleared away by the city's trash removal company. When I looked at these discarded trees I felt sorry for them. Like victims of the snow storm - separated from their mother tree with whom they had until recently been a proud family. Maybe I could offer them a home? Along the canal near my home I caught sight of what I thought would be the perfect fallen tree branch. A sizable chunk of branches from a tree had broken off.

I got hold of a workman and got him to haul the huge structure to my home. This piece of beauty was over 3 meters high with beautiful tentacles all spread out. I did not want to break or saw off any of the branches. I worked with two guys to orientate it up a few flights of stairs and into the narrow door of my house. It was such an energizing act of creation. I loved every minute of it. Eventually we had to saw two of its branches so that it could balance on its own without being nailed or tied with strings to the wall. The whole energy of the space in my house has changed since its arrival this morning. I am curious to see how this tree evolves into a element of controlled wilderness in my home.

Writing in a Single Breadth

2010-02-11T20:36:00.018+08:00

Yesterday marked three months since I moved to DC. It also happened to be the first birthday I was celebrating in snowy DC. DC was experiencing its worst snow blizzard in many decades. There was a snow storm warning from morning till 10pm last night. I had woken up with mixed feelings - the idea of staying indoors and watching the snow pile up for another day in a row was not exactly my cup of tea. The city had shut down for the past three days and I was beginning to feel restless.

In some ways the snow storm brought back childhood fears of thunder storms which would make me run to my mom's room and snuggle up to her. This memory helped me handle my irritation at myself - related to this gnawing feeling of anxiety. An anxiety that pervaded my day and made me unproductive.

Before the storm I had planned birthday drinks with a group of friends. But the weather Gods unilaterally cancelled it. However, throughout the day I was inundated with calls, emails, facebook wishes and skype conferences. From London, Singapore, Australia, Santa Fe and New York the wishes flowed in ceaselessly. It was sheer joy to see my friends on skype and to hear the energy in their voice. My birthday became a time to celebrate all my friendships and recollect my global adventures.

The day also presented a beautiful opportunity for reconciliation and reconnection with friends I had drifted away from. Friends who used this day to reach out. It was wonderful to reconnect and refresh a bond that once had meant so much to both of us. And to remind oneself that life is short and differences, petty or otherwise, should be treated with a generous spirit. In the course of speaking with one such friend I had mentioned how I always committed to writing a blog entry quickly - typically under 2 min. Not overthink it. Not overdraft it. I felt that when you redo things the essence of the first instinct is lost. So until and unless I feel ready I don't write a blog. My friend on hearing this said this is the zen way. My method was similar to the calligraphy masters who did their piece of calligraphy in a single breath and single sitting. No matter how big a canvas they were working on.

My neighbor realizing I was "stuck" at home assured me we can still have drinks. Just that it would be at my place. He came over with a bottle of wine, got the fire in the fireplace going and handed me an envelop. His calm gestures were strangely comforting. The envelop contained a jigsaw puzzle of alphabets. The alphabets once arranged coherently will reveal my birthday present he said. How imaginative !!! I struggled to put the words in some order - my mind was all foggy from being cooped up at home. The words after much help from him eventually read The New York Review of Books. He had gotten me a one year subscription to this beautiful literary supplement. I was THRILLED !!! And touched. My birthday turned out exactly how I had hoped for - the warmth of great friendships, love and laughter in the midst of a raging snow storm.

Snow White

2010-02-08T03:20:00.013+08:00

There have been many changes in my life since I last wrote. Some on the physical plane while others were on an intellectual and spiritual plane. But the most profound change was experiencing snow. Not as a tourist would. Not as an outsider looking in would. But as a resident who sees how the rhythm and tension of city changes when it snows. DC has been experiencing historic amounts of snow this winter. We had 22 inches during Christmas and a blizzard yesterday which dumped over 27inches in various parts. Traffic came to a standstill and the airport shut down. The media whipped up a frenzy with snow warnings. This led to empty shelves in grocery stores as people stocked up on food.

The few times it had snowed in DC I had waited for it eagerly - like a woman waiting to be reunited with a lover. And I had always planned an early morning walk so that I and the snow filled city could share an intimate moment. Before the city stirred. Before the shops opened. Before the powdery white snow turned to slush. Seeing everything covered in snow and breathing in the crisp clear winter air always left me invigorated. Inspired. And in some strange way I always felt courageous - for walking out in the snow on an early morning before any of the snow has been shoveled away. Today morning I sat in the only cafe that was open in Georgetown looking out the large windows. A stranger came up and asked me whether I was enjoying the view. I was surprised by his question. I was so engrossed looking out of the window that I hardly realized the intense expression I worn on my face. I was mesmerized by the sight of folks running in the snow. Every time it snows extreme sports enthusiasts seem inspired to run outdoors. This time a pack of 7 runners almost identically attired - in blue and black lycra - were running in the middle of the empty road on a thin layer of snow. I saw the exhilaration in their faces. I admired their firm long strides on a harsh terrain. I felt the joy of their run. It was like a beautifully choreographed dance by a pack of elegant long limbed men. Putting up a joyous performance for us ordinary mortals. Mortals who could only manage to nurse their steaming lattes in the arms of a beautiful french cafe. While silently cheering the runners on.

Sacred Art on Sacred Grounds

2009-10-25T10:30:00.007+08:00

23rd October was a magical morning. Two days ago my friend had responded to a random musing of mine - that I wanted someone to take photos of me in my favorite temple. The Kali Temple in Serangoon. Marcel, a very creative and intuitive soul from Holland jumped at the opportunity. Little India is a magical oasis in the early morning - before the crowds flood in and the shops open. It is deeply quiet and if you are able to get there for the morning puja - quite magical. We managed to get there early. Something about the light that morning (not too harsh sunlight) and the energy of the temple blew both of us away. The moment we stepped over into the temple from the street - we felt enfolded in the arms of the divine. I could see Marcel felt what I felt. He knew how to photograph without asking questions. He knew there were things that lie beyond words. Feelings and energetic vibrations that need to be felt and maybe captured in a creative work of art. One of the photos captured the essence of our experience. Among the priests and a small handful of devotees it felt natural to be dancing for the divine. As opposed to posing for a photographer.

Half Man- Half Woman

2009-10-24T10:48:00.004+08:00

Yin Yang. Masculine-Feminine. Thandava-Lasya. Active-Passive. Many ways to describe the concept of duality. To me the most profound and intense manifestation of this is in the figure of the Ardanariswara. I first fell in love with this image in the great Chola temple of Gangaikondacholapuram. The inherent beauty in the half-male and half female form struck me. It was truly harmonious. Unlike the split personality or half-man/half woman mime artists that you see. I acquired a beautiful chola bronze sculpture of the Ardanariswara a few weeks ago. However, I still did not know the mythology behind the figure. And how it came about. Rama, one of elders in my family and a deeply spiritual being had come to visit me. He took one look at my sculpture and said that it is a very profound piece. It encapsulates a deep and important philosophy in Hinduism. But he was unable to break it down for me beyond affirming my choice.

A few days after that I was in the Ceylon Road temple in Singapore. It was a few days before Deepavali. While buying my archana I saw a little write up about the Kethara-Gowery Nonbu. A fast that Goddess Parvathi had observed for 21 days for her Lord Shiva. According to the poorana, the Goddess did not want to be separated from her husband. Ever. He approached a great saint who advised her to fast for 21 days. At the end of the 21st day, Lord Siva shown his grand appearance and accepted her prayers. He gave her half portion of his appearance and that was the birth of the Artha Nareeiswarer. The temple had organized for its female devotees to fast for 21 days before Deepavali and to break the fast on Deepavali at the temple with a Linga Puja. Beautiful !!! Although I did not partake in the fast I went to the temple on Deepavali to partake in the linga puja and to see Lord Shiva and Parvathi take a procession around the temple decked out in the finest.

The story also explains the power of fasting. Fasting is a central feature of Hinduism. My mom is vegetarian (a form of fasting from meat) on two days of the week - Fridays and Sat. This has been consistently doing this for over 50 years. Nothing drastic like turning vegetarian over night. But something steady - like giving up meat and rich foods twice a week in honor of the divine. Many of my other relatives fast regularly for various Hindu festivals and events - like Navarathri, Kanda Shasti and Karthigai - special occasions on the Tamil calender. I never understood why.

It seems that the glory of fasting is splendid. Prayer combined with fasting brings long life to husband and wife. Family bonding will be enhanced. It brings good wealth and health too. I suspect that fasting helps one focus on the reasons why one is fasting. The wish that one had placed before God. The constant reminder throughout the day reinforces the positive intent and affirms the goals you are seeking to accomplish. Today these are called positive thinking and the "Secret."

The Power of Time Off

2009-10-22T10:21:00.003+08:00

I have taken a few sabbaticals in my life. One was a one year sabbatical where I went to India to train and to reach the next level in my dance under the revered KJ Sarasa. The next one I spent it in the mountains in Santa Fe. For me these sabbaticals have been invaluable source of insight, inspiration and experimentation. I felt and sensed tremendous growth during these sabbaticals. But never could quite articulate the value of taking time off. Hence, I was delighted when I heard this talk - it affirmed my choices and articulated alot of the benefits one receives from a sabbatical. Issues like how do you structure a sabbatical? Where do you go for a sabbatical? How do you not get trapped in some retreat where someone else's agenda (as opposed to yours) prevails? These are some critical questions to ask before you start your sabbatical. Otherwise a sabbatical becomes more of an escape. An escape from the "real" world. A chance to recover from a corporate burnout. Not that these are not legitimate reasons for a time off. But I am not sure if that translates into a sabbatical. A sabbatical for me has been about getting to the next level. About reclaiming one's deeper connection and love for one's passion. Sometimes when you do that it does not translate so well into real world profits. But it gives you a sense of clarity and renewed energy. And that in turn may help you make some gradual changes in your "real" life so that you make better choices.

What I really liked about this talk was that Stefan took time off to play and be creative. This creativity was apart from his commercial work but ultimately he knew how to channel his sabbatical findings into his work post-sabbatical. This is the true beauty of a sabbatical - to create a bridge between your passion and your vocation.

The Danger of a Single Story

2009-10-19T10:29:00.004+08:00

An amazing discussion on the power of the Western media and the challenges of claiming one's authentic voice outside the Western media. The author chronicles her artistic journey and shifts in mental attitude. How she overcame and fought African bias that was perpetuated by the Western media. For example her first interaction with an American student was laden with patronizing assumptions. How the American students were sorry for her even before they met her. An outgrowth of the limited range of stories being told about Africans in the Western media. No possibility of a connection as human equals. No possibility of any complex emotion beyond pity.

She traces the popular images to stories told by white literature. There is a tradition of telling African stories in the West which is equated with darkness, barbarism, poverty and senseless wars. How African "authenticity" was equated to these negatives. This is the danger of a single story. Not that these negatives are untrue No, but these negatives per se do not define a country and its people.

Because of America's economic power there were many stories of America and American landscape. As such there is lesser risk of one stereotype becoming associated with America. That is not the case with Africa. One way to disempower a culture is to tell a single story as the definitive story. The problem with steoreotypes is not that it is untrue but that it is too narrow. It robs people of dignity. It makes people (both within and outside Africa) focus on the negatives without the benefit of the positives. The beauty of the African landscape, its art and poetry.

The same dangerous trend seems to be happening with popular Indian culture. Increasingly Bollywood is becoming synonymous with India, Indians and Indian culture. Mumbai is but one state in India. Hindi is but one of the 20 Indian languages recognized in India. Bollywood like Hollywood is a machine with a certain aesthetic and commercial pressures. There are many people outside this machinery who tell wonderful stories and showcase artistic brilliance and diversity.

Stories can break people but can also repair a broken people. When you reject the temptations of a single story you regain a sense of power. Freedom to tell new stories which can heal and empower people. And preserve their dignity and heritage.

2009-10-19T09:58:00.002+08:00

On 22 Sept I did an abhishegam for Goddess Durga. My favorite goddess who resides in the Kali temple at Serangoon Road. It so happened that the day I chose also coincided with Navarathri. And for Navarathri the temple was doing a "special puja" for the Goddess of Courage. Navarathri always has a special place in my heart. My first dance performance as a little girl of 4 was at an Amman temple during Navarathri. Also as dancers we always honored our gurus on the 10th day of Navarathri.

The "special puja" turned out to be a massive yagna (a fire sacrifice) as well as a Maha Mehru puja. It seems the Srichakra in three dimension form is inspired by the mythical Mount Mehru - a sacred mountain. And Durga resides at the apex of this great mountain. Hence, there were many senior priests all chanting with intense devotion at the time I arrived at the puja. The vibration at the puja was intense as the yagna had been lit and stoked with ghee and had already received many sacrifices. Many devotees were also sitting with their scriptures and chanting the verses for the puja. The head priest has observed serious austerities in preparation of this puja. He was on a silent fast and ate only one meal a day without salt or any sauces. The goal is to cleanse yourself and deepen one's focus on the divine.

I bought a tray of sari and offerings for the Goddess which was then thrown into the yagna. The abhisegham was also conducted in my family name at the end of the Maha Mehru puja. It was a moving event to observe and participate it. I had always felt a strong affinity to Mountains. And this event married the Mountain with the Goddess who resides at the apex. Mountains have such strong spiritual energies and have always moved me. The first time I felt the amazing power of mountains was on the ancient tribal Navaho lands in the American Southwest. At that time I did not know about the Hindu connection to the mountain and how it is regarded as a focal point of cosmic powers. Another time when the power of mountains inspired me was in 2007 when I spent a few months in Santa Fe. This time I not only found the mountains inspiring but also deeply healing and restorative to my tired soul. Sitting at the Maha Mehru puja that day helped me recall and meditate on the power of these mountains.

Water Spirits in the Smithsonian Museums

2009-06-27T11:54:00.006+08:00

Today I visited an exhibition on African water spirits at the National African Museum, part of the Smithosonian family of museums. I loved both the architecture of the museum, the ornamental outdoor gardens as well as the quality of the exhibition and the docents leading those exhibitions. It was a truly and deeply immersive four hours in the museums. Save of the museums in Paris like the Louve and the Rodin museum, for some reason museums never really moved me. I prefer performing arts to static visual arts. But at the Smithsonian today architecture, design, scale, color and harmony all came together in a beautiful way that stimulated as well as calmed the senses simultaneously. It reminded me alot of the Parisian museums where art is a holistic offering - where there are beautiful chairs in nooks and corners for one to sit and contemplate the art. There is a deep tranquility in the gardens and the many wooden benches and sculptures under the big shaded trees. I also visited the Arthur Sackler Museum and the Freerr Museum. What I really appreciated were the high ceilings, the beautiful lighting of the exhibitions and the supremely enthusiastic staff of the Smithosonian. They loved their museum and their enthusiasm was infectious.

Creativity & Sanity

2009-06-20T11:45:00.006+08:00

The speaker is the author of a NY TImes best seller Eat, Pray, Love. I have not read her book. It sounds too simplistic - how a woman post-divorce goes on a sabbatical and finds herself, God and the love of her life. Yes, I do believe in transformation and transcendence but it seemed too much of a New Age Western woman falling in love with Eastern mystics in India and Bali. But her compelling and authentic talk at Ted about the creative process made me rethink - maybe I should grab a copy of the book.

Anyways here she talks about how she has post success been bombarded by fear-based questions by people. Whether she is afraid that she will never have another best seller. Whether she is afraid that her best work is behind her. Whether she fears that spending all the remaining time writing and pursuing her craft would not yield another major success. She admits that she is afraid. But she says that it would be VERY dangerous way to think. It is very dangerous for her to entertain all these fears and become crippled. She says that she is very young - at 40 she has another 4 decades of work left in her. How does she continue doing the work that she loves without succumbing to such fears and anxiety that the popular media propagates?

How do you protect yourself from such fears and anxiety? How does one keep doing the work that they love? How does one delink one's worth from the results of your work? How do you create a safe distance between your work and your audience? A safety zone helps one stay focussed on our work, free from crippling anxiety. Or fear of failure. How do you manage the inherent emotional risks? She looks to the Romans and Greeks for guidance.

Romans believed that genius is a magical divine persona that comes out and helps a person or an artist. Greeks believed that creativity is a divine attendant spirit that came from far away. So creativity was mystery - it did not come entirely from the individual or self. The ancient artists were protected from extreme judgment of their creative work - if the work was bad the divine spirits were not assisting. If the work was good - alot of credit was shared with a divine source. So it distanced the artist from the work. It keeps the ego in check and protects the fragile psyche from the whims of success. So artists were not held up as the divine source of all great work/mystery. This pressure is what stifles many artists and true creative folks.

Why not think of great art as something that is not available on demand. That does not work according to rational timelines? How about reintroducing the ancient Roman idea of a genuis of creative fairy who comes to aid the artist at their own time and pace? How about recognizing that this fairy is not something within but something without? And to learn to have the patience and perspective to wait and watch for this fairy to show up? While as an artist you keep a schedule and work and work hard daily. And at all the time staying open to this creative fairy and being open to her showing up. And when she does to grab it and ride on that creative wave.

As she gets older she becomes calmer. She accepts that inspiration is elusive and tantalizing. She recognizes that one can take away the heavy anxiety from the creative process. What happens when you are deep into a project and then you get into this dark pit of despair? When thoughts like this is going to bomb. This is going to be a terrible failure. This is going to ruin me etc etc. How do you control these dangerous thought patterns? Commit to show up. Your part is to show up with commitment and total enthusiasm. The rest you cannot and more importantly should NOT control. Running disaster scenarios in your head although very common is something to be firmly resisted. I could not agree more.

She also talks about coming to terms with the post artistic highs. How all artists at certain moments become a vehicle for the divine. How God appears unbidden through artists and when the audience sees this they glimpse the divine in a mortal. But the next day the artist has to wake up and do laundry and face the mundane realities of life. How does one reconcile this she asks? By plodding along with faith and determination and doing the work everyday WITHOUT expecting genius work. If you brush up against genius - great. Be open to it. But understand that maybe the moment of artistic high is a rare treat. Not an entitlement. And one should continue doing what one loves for the sheer love of it. Even if no one is watching or applauding.

Passing Down Stories

2009-06-15T09:11:00.005+08:00

As a little boy my nephew always wanted me to tell him stories before his bedtime. He was very specific. Ghost stories please. And it must be long he said. At first I was lost. I did not know any children's ghost stories. So I asked my mom (his grandma) as to what kind of stories she told him to put him to bed. She said make it up. Make up the stories with a beginning, a middle and an ending and he will be happy with that. Wow. Why didn't I think of that?

Anyways I started tentatively on this storytelling road. I decided early on that since my nephew had never been to India and since he never got to hear his grandfather regale him with stories of his village in India, I would tell those stories. My stories were often set in the little villages of South India. And I would recall all the details from my travel and weave it into the story. Soon my stories were set in Los Angeles, Hong Kong, London and many of the other places that I had visited. The stories ranged from Native American tales and stories of lawyers and corporate titans fighting in haunted offices in Wall Street. I was enjoying this very much.

I realized that my stories not only become a great opportunity for me to transport him into an entirely different world that is linked directly to his ancestors, it also helped me celebrate some of my best travel stories. Children and people are so imaginative. If you tell a story well with good details and mood, their imagination supplies the rest.

Telling good stories with a sound moral theme was actually a wonderful way to keep culture and history alive. It also made me actively recall rich details and the insights I had while traveling in different parts of the world. Telling these stories not only delighted my nephew, it also served and strengthened me. Maybe that is why so much of the ancient cultures were oral traditions. Things were not written down as the ritual of storytelling made communities come together to listen, share and applaud. Oral traditions also meant that memory recall and alertness were key. Elders who were the repository of these stories and old practices kept their minds alert by recalling details for their grandchildren. This kept their brains active and their hearts engaged. As wisdom keepers they knew they had an important role to transmit the knowledge with accuracy and respect.

Today my nephew tells me back some of the stories that I had told him. And he ranks them according to his favorites. Maybe one day he will be doing the same with his children. I realized that what started as somewhat of a chore to get him to sleep has been transformed into a beautiful and creative ritual for both of us.

Michelle Obama on Humble Beginnings and Success

2009-06-13T17:43:00.002+08:00

Although the media is obsessed with her toned arms and fashion sense, Michelle Obama's story is deeply inspirational at many other levels. In this talk - her first official state visit as First Lady to a London school, she gives a moving tribute to all the men and women in her life who had given her confidence and love and who had made it possible for her to get a solid education. She talks about being born poor without resources and no social standing. And how nothing in her background made it remotely possible that today she is the First Lady. And mind you the first ever African-American First Lady. Armed with a Harvard law degree she fondly recalls how her fist date with her husband was a community organizing event. Unromantic maybe but deeply inspirational as she saw a man dedicated to help the poor and bring as much resources to those who could not navigate an increasingly complex system. She speaks from the heart and like her husband weaves in her personal stories with a large theme about education and empowerment of woman. How it is important to work hard and how it is cool to be a smart woman.

Tamil Translations for Venice Biennale

2009-06-12T14:12:00.003+08:00

Sometime back a friend of mine, Fu Kuen, called me asking me to translate a few phrases in Tamil for him. He was the curator for Singapore's installation in the Venice Biennale. In particular he wanted me to translate the phrase a Life of Imitation. He explained that Singapore's best asset could be doing things better - copying things really well. And maybe that is what we need to celebrate in our art. Not try to present something "original" but celebrate the fact that we as nation have thrived on picking ideas, buildings and concepts from other countries and implementing and operating them with the extreme Singapore efficiency. I thought that was a brilliant approach. As opposed to straining to come up with something uniquely Singaporean we instead celebrate our melting pot of borrowed cultures in a intelligent, self-mocking way.

I was really happy that his work was going to be in all four official languages including Tamil. That is what makes tiny Singapore so unique - that we have such a long history with different languages and cultures. I did a series of translations for him and it was not easy as alot of the phrases did not quite lend themselves to Tamil translations. Like "Are you happy here honey?" But I managed to get him some decent translations after consulting some Tamil experts. I also felt that like me Fu Kuan is a product of a bilingual era and a child of the 70s where we truly sit at the intersection of contemporary and tradition. So alot of what he was saying deeply resonated with me. And how we could position ourselves in the international art world.

Just this week I was delighted to see that Singapore's entry to the Venice Biennale has won a special award for Expanding Worlds. This is truly a major honor for Singapore and it is thrilling to be associated with this win in a small way.

Loving the Desert

2009-05-31T11:49:00.009+08:00

The first time I encountered the desert was in 1997 - just after graduating from Harvard. I did a road trip with a galfriend to Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. This trip was a defining moment in my life. For a gal brought up in a tiny city-state-country like Singapore, the vast plains and desert landscapes were deeply inspiring and invigorating. We drove for hours on end on empty stretches of long straight desert roads singing along to American radio. It felt like we owned the world. The desert mountains and wide big big sky was inspiring, empowering and ancient. Monument Valley, Mezza Verde, Havasupai, Sedonna and Antelope Canyon blew my mind away. There was something raw, true and powerful in the history, size and silent landscapes of these intense desert terrain. I felt closer to God and the soul of the World. I did not know at that time that many ancient religious traditions and scriptures had stories about fasting in the desert and its impact on the soul. How Christ has fasted for 40 days in the desert.

As Cameite monk Father William McNamara comments without the silence, utter simplicity and emptiness of the desert, one cannot differentiate the essentials from the non-essentials. The distinction between trivial and profound is rediscovered. Mediocrity becomes impossible in the desert where everything is reduced to life and death. Man than rises up and out of his sluggish culture and regains his authenticity and sensitivity. Without the desert experience according to Father McNamara a a man cannot achieve his destiny or fulfill his vocation. I was called again to the desert in January 2007 when I spent a significant amount of time in Santa Fe - reconnecting with the Native Americans and my art. Again it was a profoundly moving experience. This time I also went to visit spiritual communities and places of worship in the desert. The Christ Desert Monastery was a moving tribute to the power of faith in the desert. I was very moved by the Gregorian chants and the stark simple church that could only be reached via a 30min very bumpy ride along a dirt road. The whole place was charged - it was living proof of the intense power of God in nature and deepening one's faith within the deep silence of the desert.

The Fasting Path

2009-05-31T10:40:00.004+08:00

"What the eyes are for the outer world, fasts are for the inner" Gandhi

Among my family members and the wider Indian-HIndu spiritual community that I have grown up in, fasting is a common practice. Fasting does not connote food-free days. Fasting days are days when you give up your favorite food or you eat more simple/spartan food. My mom is vegetarian twice a week - on Fridays and Saturdays. These days are dedicated to God. She stays away from meat and eats simply to honor the divine. Nothing extreme but done consistently over more than 45 years of her life. I have other friends who eat only milk and fruits on certain important days on the Hindu religious calendar. Yet others who eat only one meal in the evening and do not drink even water from 5am (start of fast) to 8pm (breaking fast). Both the start of the fast and the breaking of fast is done with God as witness. By offering the fast to the Lord via prayer. I have never done a full fast. I am sure I will one day when I feel ready. But a few years ago I started to be vegetarian on Tuesdays (for Durga) and Fridays. I feel that it has been very good for me. It has taught me discipline, self-control and to be more mindful of what I eat. I also have learnt to enjoy vegetarian food. When I abstain from meat on these days I am reminded of the divine, both within as well as the higher power above.

Recently I picked up "Stephen Buhner's The Fasting Path." This book discusses how fasting makes one more spiritually attuned. He discusses the spiritual, emotional and physiological aspects of fasting. In particular it increases one's sensitivity to the sacred world and allowed the fasting person to regain a sense of orientation and purpose. During deep fasting the rational mind is left behind and a different intelligence, located in the heart, is activated. The heart is a deeper organ of perception and it allows one to develop a new sight - that enables us to see the divine in many things. Solo retreat into the wilderness and fasting is common in many ancient cultures including Buddhist, HIndus, Christians and Native Americans. This allows the souls to detoxify and strip the inessentials away, making the essential more luminous. Our path and purpose if life become clearer.

Buhner also discusses how to open up the heart as an organ of perception during the fast. First he says set your intention for the fast. Carry this intention at the forefront of your mind while you fast. This focus is important otherwise one gets nothing out of this fast except hunger and thirst. There is no new insight, no deeper acceptance of your victories and failures, no great clarity on the path ahead. So marrying intention with fasting is critical for self renewal and an increased maturity and strength of character. I feel it is best to do fasts incrementally but consistently so that they become a pleasant and valuable opportunities for self-growth and reflection.

White Celebrities as Face of Africa

2009-05-24T10:51:00.008+08:00

Dambisa Moyo, a Zambian Goldman Sacs economist, puts forth a brilliant case as to why white celebrities cannot and should not be the face of Africa. Why international aid does not work - how it gives negative incentives to African government in terms of being accountable. More importantly her point harps back to the issue of dignity and self-reliance. How it is better to teach Africans to fish rather than give them fish. Her underlying message also points, and rightly so, to disturbing notions of cultural supremacy. As long as the Western aid agencies continue to pour aid monies into Africa, Africa will always be a beggar. As long as Western economists and celebrities frame issues and priorities for Africa, Africa would never have any incentive to step up and take responsibility and engage both domestic and global voices.

In my previous blog I was unable to articulate my deep discomfort with western celebrity yoga teachers being the face of ashtanga. Moyo has helped me do so. It is important for a country and culture to represent itself and to be accountable for where its classical traditional practices are going. The locals have a particular knowledge, history, sensitivity and cultural understanding which foreigners lack. Bono cannot as she says be a compelling face for Africa. Firstly he was not elected by the African people and secondly he is NOT qualified to comment on a very complex problem. The oversimplification of issues within Africa may lead to short term "solutions" which could aggravate the problem and undermine the true empowerment of Africa. The celebrity culture will continue to reinforce this negative image in the global stage by emphasizing the poverty and other problems within Africa. Yes, Bono may have a role and he may be able to marshall alot of monies and media for African issues. But in the long term as Moyo says Africa must be independent and must address its own problems. We need to hear from the African people - not a white proxy. She is the first African woman to venture into this space which have until today been dominated by white men like Jeffrey Sacs and Bono. Brilliant. We are our own saviors. Look within for solutions. Not outside for handouts.

Prathabi Jois - Path to Internal Cleansing & Self Knowledge

2009-05-21T19:22:00.010+08:00

A few days ago Prathabi Jois passed away. I had mixed feelings. I had never known him personally and had no desire to meet him. I had practiced Ashtanga quite a bit in the past few years but it was a secondary discipline for me. Dance was always my primary spiritual and physical discipline. It helped me connect with music, movement, mudras in a far more integrated and graceful way. I found ashtanga way too masculine and competitive. There was an acrobatic quality about it that did not resonate with my aesthetic sensibilities. More importantly Jois who came across as a rigid Brahmin man did not resonate with me. But I respected and agreed with some of his statements which converged with what my own dance gurus have instilled deeply within me - Practice and All is Coming.

Many of his students who gone onto carve out lucrative careers teaching yoga in the West. My time studying with them was very informative - not on yoga but about the human psychology. As my yoga teacher friend said most people don't come to yoga from a happy place. Most come there to feel better about themselves - as refuge from deep unhappiness in their lives. Similarly, many teachers I met had were calling themselves MASTER yoga teachers after spending less than 5 years teaching or learning yoga. The lack of humility was stunning and culturally offensive. In India if you must have at least 50 years and a string of award winning students before you will be called a master. This is a collective recognition from the community - not a label you put on yourself.

I remember going to Mysore to spend sometime with my friend, a disciple of Prahtabi Jois. What struck me most was how separate and unintegrated the white ashtanga practioners were from the local Mysore folks. This really surprised me and bothered me. The ashtanga group also had a cult-like feel to it. With invisible boundaries marking insiders and outsiders. And I found it really strange how all the insiders seem to be non-Indian white folks. Many of these practitioners were serious and dedicated yogis who had truly helped promote Jois and his system of yoga. For that I think India and Indians must be eternally grateful. It is through use and distribution of wisdom and knowledge that we keep traditions and systems alive. Ashtanga due to Jois' charisma and dedication has became an important cultural and spiritual phenomena and has inspired renewed interest in India and all things Indian.

Sharath, Jois grandson, is poised to take over from Jois. Even from a distance I resonate more with Sharath and his challenges. Unlike Jois he was born in a different era with significant exposure to the West. It is a heavy responsibility for someone in his mid 30s to helm a rigorous and sacred discipline like Ashtanga. But he has been trained by the master himself and has lived the traditional life while touring and promoting Ashtanga in the West. He is a product of my generation. To me he exudes a more open, humble and radiant energy that I can relate to. I understand the tension that arises from keeping a tradition "pure" while evolving it to meet current demands and world challenges. I am curious to see how he shapes the next generation of ashtanga yoga practitioners and builds on Jois' foundation. The world today is a fundamentally different place from the one Jois inhabited at the height of his fame. Today the world is far more integrated and far more troubled - both economically and environmentally. How the yoga community responds to these challenges while staying rooted in an ancient tradition is a true challenge for a new leader. One could retreat into "tradition" and shut out worldly troubles or one could use the tradition to navigate and transcend the chaos. It remains to be seen.

40th Wedding Anniversary

2009-05-18T10:08:00.012+08:00

Today my parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. In a world littered with broken promises and half-hearted commitments, this is a major achievement. Especially because it was not a mere passage of years. But a true celebration of a deep and abiding love. And the ability to rise about petty grievances and forgive slights. The tenderness and love they still demonstrate towards each other after 40 years together has been a major source of inspiration to me.

Early morning we went to the temple where my parents got married 40 years ago. My mom's favorite deity is Perumal - in fact she always talks about how after she visited Him in Tirupati all things in her life fell into place - her career and her marriage. In the temple I gave my mom a gift and a beautiful card which so aptly expressed my feelings. In Indian culture we have a very important saying - Matha, Pitha, Guru, Deivam - which translates into Mother, Father, Guru and God. This elegant phrase captures the holy trinity of sacred love encompassing one's parents, one's teachers and one's God. Parents have an exalted and near-divine status within a person's universe. They are a child's first guardians, teachers and embodiment of divine love.

The card read:

Mom & Dad,

Children seldom understand
the trials their parents face
the dreams deferred, or sacrifices made
until one day when they are grown
with grown up choices, too
and realize the debt they can't repay

Only you two know
all that's gone into your marriage
or how many challenges you've faced
But I know how much I love you
for all that you've done to stay together.

t couldn't hvae been easy
to keep your patience
your sense of humor,
but you have always pulled through.

And in the process you have taught me a lot about
the power of commitment,
the importance of family
and how to get by
in a less-than-perfect world,

I'm very proud of you for that
Happy Anniversary

A Guru Calls his Disciple

2009-05-10T22:36:00.006+08:00

Yesterday a friend of mine from LA was in town enroute to Mysore. It was a sudden trip for him. His beloved yoga guru was in critical condition in Mysore and he was on his way there to visit him. This gesture touched me deeply. Only the very dedicated and sincere students will fly half way across the world for over 24hrs to visit with their guru. Many students fawn over a guru who is in good health and who could grant them an extra tip or insight. But only the true students feel a bond with their gurus and love them deeply and want to be there to comfort their guru at hard times. And times are also hard with the economy in turmoil. It would be an easy excuse for many ashtanga yoga practitioners to say that they just couldn't afford the trip. But my friend was quite steadfast and he knew what was important to him. It also made me think of my guru in Chennai who was in her 80s and whose health was not in such a great condition either. And how deeply she had inspired me too.

My friend had a 10 hour stop over in Singapore. And he wondered if I was available for a cup of tea. I had met him in LA two years ago when I went to practice yoga at his studio. He was one of the best asthanga yoga teachers I had practiced under. He was quiet, focussed and gave firm adjustments. No cosmic energy new age talk in the class. Phew !!! Just quiet focussed breathing and asana work. Just like the way many classical Indian teachers taught. I loved his commitment to his craft. Unlike a lot of yoga teachers in the US who seemed to embrace yoga for its hip factor he seemed alot more into the culture, lineage and hardwork inherent in the practice. I found that deeply refreshing and consistent with the original intent of the classical discipline.

We met up at about 10am in the morning. I suggested that we go to the Kali temple in Singapore first. I felt it would be good to say a prayer for his guru before we hung out. After the temple I took him to the botanic gardens and then to my favorite reflexologist. Its always interesting to view my country through the eyes of a visitor. It is also very interesting how bits and pieces of my childhood memories - like feeding bread to the swans in the Botanic gardens creeps back into my memory.

We spoke of many things ranging from the financial crisis to the spiritual crisis facing the world. But overall our conversations centered on themes of hardwork, consistency and living within one's means while serving a higher power. Values that have
served many generations well across the cultures and continents.

Being Possessed by Arul

2009-04-29T10:43:00.006+08:00

A few days ago I went to Komala Villas for breakfast after visiting the temple early Sat morning. It was unusually crowded at 830am. I had to share a table with another lady. She was in her 60s and had a very kindly face. I sat down with a book intent on not diluting my post-temple spiritual calm. I don't like to chatter after visiting the temple or in the mornings generally. However, she had other ideas. When my food arrived she started chatting with me. I decided to oblige. She asked me whether I have ever seen God. This was a very intense opening line. Especially for a stranger. I asked her what she meant. Was she referring to God coming in my dream or in a vision? She smiled and nodded enthusiastically. She seemed encouraged by the quality of my question. She said dream - have I dreamt of God. I had to reflect for a minute and then say no. She said that recently she had a strong connection with the monkey God Hanuman. And asked me if I related to him. Yes !!! Recently I have been feeling rather close to him. She the went on to share with me her sighting and vision of divine - via a mud giant footprint in her garden and the form of a little boy coming into her home on Thaipusam. I listened intently. I felt there was some reason she felt inspired to share these stories with me.

She also talked about how she was born a Roman Catholic. And how only in her 50s and 60s she started embracing more of the Hindu Gods and Goddess. She also said that her father was a great devotee of Murugan and now at 90 years old he still goes into "Arul." Or trance when he feels Lord Murugan and especially on Thaipusam. Until then I had never heard the word arul used to refer to trance. Also until that point in the conversation she did not ask for my name.

I came home and checked with my mom on an alternative meaning for Arul (beyond the common meaning of divine grace and benevolence). Yes my mom said that Tamils use the word Arul to refer to going into trance. In fact it is one of the most classic uses of the word she said. I was delighted. Indians believe greatly in the power of one's name. In fact we have naming ceremonies for babies and the name of a child is chosen very carefully after much deliberation and consultation with family elders, spiritual teachers or astrologers. A person's name carries within it a deep vibration. And every time the name is used the vibration is imprinted in your cellular level. When God enters your body that is called Arul. So does it mean that I am always infused with the spirit of the divine in a trance like way? I know my dad took my name from an ancient sangam text where the virtues of grace or Arul are seen as one of the key ingredients in life.

Coming back to the breakfast chat. The thing that amazed me about the lady was that she was very calm when sharing all her spiritual experiences with me. I liked the fact that she spoke of spiritual things in a factual and concrete manner. Not in some elevated or holier-than-thou manner. At 63 she said that her spirituality is only deepening. And it was implicit in what she shared that she felt no tension in praying to both Jesus and Murugan. Like me she was a universalist who sought and obtained inspiration from the many rich streams of life that feed one ocean of love.

Image and Context - Tuesdays with Lady V

2009-04-26T13:20:00.007+08:00

Recently I did a scrap book of photos for my friend and spiritual guide. Lady V took me under her wings at a very difficult and uncertain period in my life. She took me to the Durga temple every Tue morning. Without her company and her consistent attention to me this ritual would have fallen away. By sustaining it without fail every Tue morning, I began to see again the power of consistent attention and discipline. And how that transforms our mundane existence and anxieties if we allow it to. Alot of time I realize we are caught up in our heads and lose touch with intuition. We are not present to the moment and the lessons within. A temple is an ideal place to switch off the mind and turn on the heart and higher self. By watching Lady V closely every Tue morning she SHOWED me love and other life's lessons. Her sincere devotion to both the Lord and to my well being was deeply moving. She NEVER spoke about lessons or things I needed to learn. Never preached even though she had every right to do so - having lived a highly successful life as an eminent lawyer. In fact alot of the time we were silently praying next to each other. She showed up with enthusiasm and commitment every Tue morning at the temple at 7am before she took off to work. What better gift can you ask of a friend? A friend who teaches you life lessons in a gentle and kind way. A friend who does not condemn or try to intrude or tell you how you can do things better. A friend who trusts that you have the power of discernment and intelligence within you to see and learn the very best lessons in a given situation. A friend who demonstrates faith in you. This is a powerful gift.

The scrap book I did for her was full of beautiful images and a few words. The images were ones I took when I was with her at Indian festivals, Hindu processions or prayer. Collected over a period of two years it all added up in quite significant way. In fact she was overwhelmed when she saw the scrap book. The words I wrote to accompany the photos were a distillation of the lessons in personal leadership that she had bestowed on me. Through her actions, not words. The images themselves were beautiful and powerful because of the context. Of what was happening in my life and our regular Tue morning trips to the temple. When the student is ready the teacher will appear.

Photos Reflect State of Mind & Heart

2009-04-26T09:58:00.002+08:00

Today morning when I went for my early morning walk I was ruminating about photography. Recently I had started taking loads of photography on things that inspire me. The goal was simple. To keep my focus on things that inspire me. Things that are beautiful. And things that I wish to celebrate in this world. This is really a mental discipline. In the midst of an economic recession and possibly depression it is critical to stay focussed on things that continue to uplift us. By taking photos and sharing them with my friends and strangers via this blog I also put beauty out there. I share with no expectation of return. I live a part of my dream as a little girl - to paint the world with beautiful colors. Photography and writing are great avenues for creativity and self-expression. But for me it also a deeply spiritual act. When I look at some of my best photos I remember the state of mind I was in when I took them. Some have a beautiful calm and poignant feeling, Others have a mechanical/rushed energy to them. The mind and heart of the photographer comes across so clearly just by looking at some of the photos I took. Its amazing. This awareness has made me remind myself NOT to take photos mindlessly. To take photos while affirming my intention to capture beauty, joy and possibilities. The more I affirm this the better my photos and writing seem to be. Setting the intention for ANY endeavor is what separates my ordinary effort from the extraordinary effort. I set the intention and detach from the results. I don't obsess about whether I take good photos or write well. Once the motivation and intention is pure the work takes care of itself. For those of who who feel stuck in life - try relaxing into an activity that used to give you joy. Try and recapture the early days of innocence. Let go of your competitive mindset and do things for the joy of doing them. And share them with a community of folks who want to be inspired. The magic formula for increasing your motivation and for renewing your passion is:

WANDER + NOTICE + SHARE

Wabi Sabi in Durga Temple with Lady D

2009-04-23T12:33:00.010+08:00

My former law firm boss, Lady D is a woman who has been a great source of inspiration to me. She was in Singapore a few days ago. She is now based in London. A creative and inspired soul our friendship and professional connection was always a very special one. She laid a strong technical foundation and showed me what it means to be a sound corporate finance and M&A lawyer. I was fortunate to have met her at a critical time in my professional life - when I had just switched from litigation to corporate lawyering.

Lady D was exacting,diligent and an intelligent attorney. Armed with a law degree from Stanford she tolerated no fools. And she inspired some of my best legal work. More importantly she had class and finesse. She dressed and conducted herself with utmost poise and elegance. In their bid to outwit and outsmart the opposing side I have witnessed many lawyers degenerate into crass and cunning human beings. She showed me that law could either bring out your best qualities or your worst. Planting this awareness within me at that time informed, moulded and guided me in a profound way. This lesson and awareness shaped my approach not just to law but to life. To treat our fellow human beings with grace and elegance while we strive to fulfill our personal goals.

But given the intense time pressures that Lady D and I often confronted in the midst of doing multi-million dollar deals our lives and our friendships were compressed. Our friendship hovered at the intellectual level and never had the time to deepen into a more spiritual one. After working with her a few years we parted and went our different ways. We continued to meet occasionally in Singapore and London when out travel schedules permitted.

Recently I took her to the Durga temple in Little India. I was not sure if that would be her kind of thing. She was a sassy Californian. I knew not what faith she practiced. But she was well traveled and widely read. I felt that she would relish being shown an intimate and holy site in Singapore, better known for its shopping malls and urban sprawl. I had taken many many foreign artists, scholars and visitors to this beautiful Kali temple and many of my visitors were deeply moved. I sensed a profound shift in their energies once they step over into the temple. Like a gentle hand had passed over their soul and given them a reprieve from their daily grind. Its a magical experience when you tap into a quiet still place within you. And a temple with its incense, music, chanting and food is an ideal place to transport you into this quiet space within. With Lady D it was no different. She had arrived a little earlier and had spent some time admiring the saris of the temple going ladies. When I arrived we walked silently into the temple and offered our prayers.

Then we sat on the quiet floor and red a beautiful book on Wabi Sabi - the ancient Japanese value system of impermanence and imperfection. The beauty of aging and the transient beauty in nature. When we left the temple Lady D made a very profound observation - how the West values the intellect above the intuition and spiritual. And as a result how many of us become enslaved by logic. In contrast the older civilizations like India respected and celebrate the whole self - the mind-body and spirit. And how that was so very evident in our temple visit today. That was music to my ears. I had managed to transmit the essence of what I saw and felt in the temple to her. So many times I see temple guides cheapening the temple visit by focusing on the non-essentials. And flooding the new comer/tourists with cultural trivia and souvenirs. I wanted to share a spiritual experience. I wanted to share something elevated and poignant that I always felt in holy spaces like temples. And to share this I stripped away alot of the temple trivia. Words got in the way. Silence allowed my guests absorb the feeling and vibrations in the place. My role is to facilitate connections, not dictate rules or my spiritual preferences.

David Marshall

2009-04-07T16:44:00.005+08:00

Today morning while at the Marine Parade library I stumbled onto a beautiful exhibition on David Marshall. David Marshall was a prominent Singapore criminal lawyer and politician. He lived a long and illustrious life in which he served as a diplomat, criminal lawyer and time in Japanese captivity as a prisoner of war. The exhibition was particularly moving as it provided an intimate insight into the man with both words and old B&W photography from the time he was a little boy and all the way up to his death. Some of the fascinating things I discovered about him was that:

1. He was considered an "Asian" by the European rulers and therefore given half the pay for work he did with the colonial powers. He stood up to them and successfully fought for equal pay.

2. He had a difficult start to his legal career. None of the English firms would hire him. Through his father's contacts he eventually landed a job with a small local firm run by one of his father's friends who was also a very influential local man.

3. He took whatever work that came his way. He did not start his career in criminal law. But whatever work he did he did it with exceptional pride and excellence. As such he won the respect of his peers in the bar. He used to go to bed at 8pm at night and wake up at 2am in the morning to prepare for the case to be heard that day at 10am. His dedication and hardwork was renowned.

4. He had various health problems throughout his life. Towards the end of his life his eyesight was very bad and he had great difficulty reading cases. But yet Drew & Napier allowed him to serve as a consultant as they felt he was a shining role model for the younger lawyers and had a depth of experience and wisdom to impart.

5. He also worked at Allen & Gledhill and at one point started his own law firm. His career was also interrupted by the war and when he was captured and made to do menial work in captivity he suffered deeply. Some of his friends died in captivity and he was reduced to a mere 53kg.

6. He married at 53 years old after spotting a beautiful woman in her graduation attire at the University.

The above tapestry of personal facts struck me. I always thought that David Marshall had a privileged life and like many white men had privileged opportunities that were denied to others. In fact it was apparent from the exhibition that this was far from the truth. David had to overcome many struggles in his life and had faced many many obstacles. Yet he fought courageously and stayed true to his ideals and his legal profession. I guess there is inspiration all around us if we care to look up and around us.

Celebrating George Hedges

2009-03-14T12:54:00.017+08:00

Today morning I woke up and wore all black. Black is something you never wear to the temple. Its inauspicious. Tight t-shirts are also not something you wore to the Indian temples. But I was celebrating my mentor and great friend George Hedges. I was celebrating Kali - the goddess of death and destruction. I was celebrating my deep ties to Los Angeles where some of my best memories reside. I was celebrating the cool and beautiful black. In all its power. So like a blank panther I slipped out of my house this morning dressed in a too-tight black T-shirt and tight black jeans. I looked like I was going clubbing. Yes, I was going to celebrate George Hedges and all that he had achieved up to the age of 57.

George died on full moon night - a few days ago. A night where celestial beings are out and about. For Indians it was pournami - an auspicious night. In Singapore 10 March 2009 was a beautiful moonlit night. George died after bravely battling melanoma for 7 months. During that 7 months I spoke to him a couple of times on the phone. He always always ended the call by thanking me. Thanking me for calling him. I was brave. It was difficult sometimes for me to talk with a smile in my voice when tears were streaming down my cheeks. But obviously George was braver. Yeah, he was bigger, faster, smarter and more insightful than any man I had come across. The LA Times paid a tribute to him calling him a celebrity lawyer and the man who discovered the lost city of Uber. He was truly a Renaissance Man.

To me he was my friend, mentor and former law firm boss. Someone who had taken a real interest in me. Someone who had taken me out for quick lunch to counsel me while he was in the middle of a high profile trial - defending LA's top agent, Ed Limato. I remember he sharing his research briefly with me - how he had managed to hunt down an obscure piece of California legislation that had a 7 year time cap on contracts with unique talents. This he explained with great enthusiasm might be all that he needed to win his case. He talked about the joy of defending artists and talents in a ruthless entertainment industry. It was wonderful to see his passion and love for the law. In his hands law was a benign tool for good.

Today when I went to the temple Durga looked super special. Like she knew I was coming to pay my tribute to George. Decked from head to toe in fresh jasmine flowers I had never seen her so resplendent. My jaw dropped. I had always been inspired by her beauty and strength. Today in her white floral attire she was quiet peace and divine beauty. Like a bride in white. Durga's priest as usual was very happy to see me. He welcomed me warmly. I did not tell him about George. I just silently lit two lamps for George and placed one lamp before Durga and one lamp before Kali. When I finished praying I told the priest how beautiful the Goddess Durga looked today. The priest looked at me matter-of-fact and said "Just like you." I was taken aback by such a personal comment. But I had just prayed that George's beauty and light continue to live in my heart and shine in my deeds. Durga & Kali seemed to have heard my prayers. Loud and clear.

Super Abled - With Prosthetics

2009-03-14T12:39:00.008+08:00

"Pam Anderson has more prosthetics in her body than I do but no one calls her disabled" Aimee Mullins

Legs as wearable sculpture. Humaness is not the only asethetic ideal in prosthetics. Using imagination, art and poetic inspirations to redefine how we look at prosthetics. Changing your height and playing with concepts of beauty with prosthetics. These are some of profound and incredibly empowering ideas that Aimee discusses. Instead of a sob story of not having legs, she talks about the joy, beauty, possibilities and imagination that has flowed in her life from wearing fake legs made of prosthetics. How it has given her an opportunity to work with makeup artists and magazines as a model to provoked the senses and ignited the imagination - whimsy matters she claims. A half woman-half cheetah created from 14 hours of prosthetic makeup for one of her photo shoots as a model was a truly beautiful and powerful story/image.

She talks about being architects of your own identity. The prosthetics wearer has the ability to change their identities from designing their bodies from a place of empowerment. By combining cutting edge robotics/technology with age old poetry. We need to celebrate our glorious "disabilities." And all the potential within it that makes us beautiful. She calls on us to relook at the concept of beauty and what is normal. And she does this without a trace of bitterness, anger or defensiveness. Now that is what you call beauty, hope and power.

Bridging the Gap between Rich & Poor

2009-03-04T09:27:00.001+08:00

This book is written by the CEO of Acumen and her journey from banking, international aid agencies to her own venture fund. The book is a deeply personally book that tracks her own evolving awareness about her role in developing countries and what kind of solutions may work for the people she is trying to assist in Africa. Most human beings she realized don't want to be saved. They want to feel empowered.

The author speaks of reflecting on your journeys and asking better questions. Two of her micro finance initiatives that she set up in Rwanda were completely destroyed after the Rwanda massacre. She wanted to understand what happened to some of the women she had helped. Women who came both victims and perpetrators in the Rwanda massacre. She wanted to tell their stories. Who holds these stories? Why so good human beings do evil things? What are the systems that encourage that? How do you build transparency and accountability into systems so that it does not happen? She also talks about taking personal responsibility. The moral leadership that we need to hone within ourselves to make positive changes in the world.

Her way to address some of these issues was not through aid agencies or charity. Instead she wanted to use market-led solutions like venture funds. She was of the view that you can use the market as listening device and treat some of these victims as customers and find solutions for their problems within the corporate model.

She talks about the inefficiencies of old language in creating new sectors. In the context of philanthropy, taking corporate accountability terms and seeking better returns. Start a more honest conversations with the customers about what does it mean to be part of a market that demands a return on investment. How social ventures wanted to use their capital more efficiently. How do you take the most flexible dollars (ie philanthropy dollars) and create scale and accountability. She is very clear that the market needs to find solutions that rest on dignity rather than charity.

Transcending Poverty with Classical Music

2009-02-19T12:56:00.002+08:00

"Music has to be recognized as an ... agent of social development in the highest sense, because it transmits the highest values -- solidarity, harmony, mutual compassion. And it has the ability to unite an entire community and to express sublime feelings." José Antonio Abreu. Jose Antonio Abreu founded El Sistema ("the system") in 1975 to help poor Venezuelan kids learn to play a musical instrument and be part of an orchestra. 30 years on, El Sistema has seeded 102 youth orchestras -- and many happy lives.

I believe this is true for all classical art forms that emphasize discipline, dedication and persistence. Classical arts integrate the mind, body and soul and is a holistic educational discipline that has often not been given the kind of stature in traditional educational curriculum that it truly deserves.

The idea is that the families join with pride and joy in the activities of the orchestras and the choirs their children belong to. The huge spiritual world that music produces in itself, which also lies within itself, ends up overcoming material poverty. From the minute a child's taught how to play an instrument, he's no longer poor. He becomes a child in progress heading for a professional level, who'll later become a full citizen. Needless to say that music is the number one prevention against prostitution, violence, bad habits, and everything degrading in the life of a child. Jose Abreu.

McKinsey Interview - Creativity vs Corporate Mindset

2009-02-18T16:13:00.000+08:00

When a car company sets out to make a new car, what do they do? First of all, the top person asks for market research to understand what the customer is thinking. So market research people go around asking the consumers, “What would you like?” And what do the customers do? They look around at the existing cars and say, “OK, I like this part of that car,” or, “I like this part of another car.” And so on. The research people put all this together in a shaker. They shake. Then they pour out the recipe for the new car design and give it to the car designers.

Our way is closer to the way of Pablo Picasso. Imagine Picasso waking up in the 1920s on a nice, sunny morning in a village on the Côte d’Azur and feeling strongly the wish—the need—to start painting. So he starts painting. But he’s not asking himself, “To what target customer will I address my new painting?” Picasso shows us a completely different approach: starting from yourself, as a creator, and using your sensibility and your intuition in order to touch other people’s hearts or sensibility or intuition. And by the way, he also built an interesting business.

I’m not saying that we are like Picasso. Not at all. We are simple, humble mediators. But what I want to say is that all the designers working with us are like little Picassos: their creation process starts from intuition, not from market research Alberto Alessi in a McKinsey Interview.

Moral Will & Moral Skill - Janitor's Practical Wisdom

2009-02-17T10:23:00.005+08:00

Barry Schwartz talks about virtue and morality in a fresh and current way. He weaves Obama's call for virtue in the midst of the current market crisis. In particular he talks about how the rigid adherence to rules by professionals and other workers breeds mediocrity. He says that the way to NOT teach morality is to make it an ethics course. Ethics course are often at the margins of the core curriculum or corporate mandate. Instead he stresses at individual responsibility and application of practical wisdom in our daily lives.

He uses the example of an inspiring hospital janitor - Mike who stopped mopping the floor had stopped when one of the patients had gotten out of his bed to exercise and stretch. And how another janitor Luke washed a patient's room twice as his relative was sleeping over and he wanted to make him comfortable. He broke a rule but he did it in service of hospital care. These examples improves the quality of patient care and improves the lives of people. Kindness, care and empathy according to these janitors is an integral part of the job. Even though the job description does not in any way refer to these qualities. Wise person is like a jazz musician who always knows how to improvise and serve his audience.

Practical Wisdom = Moral Skill + Moral Will. A wise person knows when and how to make an exception to the rule. Real world problems are always ill defined and vague. No one rule will work. Context is always changing. A wise person use know how to use his moral skills to serve other people not to manipulate them. Wisdom depends on experience. And this does not refer to technical experience but contextual experience. You need (a) time to get to know the people u serve; (b) permission to improvise and try new things and fail; and (c) to be mentored by wise teachers.

We are always teaching. Someone is always watching. So be mindful to what you are saying or doing. You can be a source of inspiration and moral exemplar to someone else. Even if that someone else does not explicitly acknowledge you or thank you for being a role model. Obama appealed to virtue and hope. Most people want to do the right thing, in the right way for the right reasons. So if we start paying attention to what we do and how we do it. Develop wisdom rather than suppressing it. A wise person is made not born.

3 Roses for Trisula Goddess

2009-02-14T20:44:00.007+08:00

Photo by Jenni Michelson
Today it so happened that my mom picked three beautiful roses from her garden for me to take to Durga. As I left with the roses I realized how the number three is so very significant in Hinduism. Our holy trinity - Brahma (creator), Vishnu (preserver) and Shiva (destroyer) comprises of three major Gods. The three goddess who represent the Shakti or feminine energy - Lakshimi, Saraswati and Durga. The Trisula, the weapon that Durga holds has three prongs. The Saiva symbol consists of three horizontal srtipes on the forehead of the deity. There are many other examples of three in temple iconography and Hindu worship.

Even numbers are generally considered inauspicious in Indian culture. Odd numbers are considered auspicious. So in many Hindu rites I see 5 lamps being lit. 9 vegetables being used to prepare food etc etc. So today it was three roses for my Goddess.

Brain & The Body

2009-02-14T17:31:00.003+08:00

Recently I have been exploring the topic of neuroscience and dance. This is partly inspired by my dad's Parkinson's and my dance background. Partly also with the support and enthusiasm of my dear friend Olie, director of the Brooklyn Parkinson's Institute. She together with the Mark Morris Center in Brooklyn have developed a dance for PD program. And that has gotten me thinking of the subject of dance and PD seriously.

Another person thinking along these lines and who has done choreography on this area is English artist Wayne McGregor
In the clip Wayne McGregor a neuroscientist and an English dancer/choreographer addresses or more accurately explores this issue. He is also a fellow at Cambridge's Department of Experimental Psychology.

The Discipline of Love: Reflection by Eknath Eswaran

2009-02-14T13:45:00.003+08:00

Who has not found the heaven below
Will fail of it above.
God's residence is next to mine,
His furniture is love.
-Emily Dickinson

Love is not physical; it is a state of consciousness. That is why I consider loving a skill, a great skill that can be learned. It calls for great effort and enthusiasm, but it can be mastered. And when it is mastered, every loving relationship grows richer and more romantic with the passage of time. You can be more romantic, more tender in love during the second part of your life than you were in your twenties.

Very, very few of us are born with this skill. We have to learn it, mostly by making mistakes. In my early days I too made many silly mistakes. Every one of us has made mistakes in our relationships and gone through difficulties which led us to move away from people who were dear to us.

A spiritual perspective on life is meant not to torment us with the past, but to comfort and console us. An untrained mind cannot be in love very long, while a trained mind can never fall out of love.

Roses for Durga

2009-02-14T12:01:00.009+08:00

Today is Valentine's Day. And I decided to pay the Goddess Durga a visit. To me She embodies love, beauty and divinity. She is multi-layered and multi-faceted. With her 18 arms you can see a face that radiates fearless courage, beauty, peace, erotic love, tender-hearted mother-love, the peaceful warrior and the supreme Goddess. How is that possible? Seeing her you will feel it. Instantly. As a devotee your spiritual attunement and maturity would also dictate how many of these multiple personalities you are able to connect with. It took me a long time to come to Durga. I found her too complex and inaccessible when I was younger. She was filled with contradictions and stories. But now I feel she resonates so strongly with so many parts of me.

There are many Durgas in many temples in Singapore. However, this Durga at the Veerama Kaliamman temple is my favorite Goddess in Singapore. She is super tall and stands on a bull and has a fierce lion behind her. Both these animals also radiate a certain magnetism and realism. If you stand in front of the altar long enough and connect with them - you can almost feel them come alive. And that adds to the vibration of the deity.

Today I took three beautiful red roses from my mother's garden for her. There is something deeply special about growing your own flowers in your house for the Goddess. I feel like a part of me is in that fragile rose. And offering that home grown rose to her is an act of my creation and devotion. The rose is a culmination of many weeks of disciplined watering and tending to the rose bush. Durga was also wearing a beautiful heart -shaped jasmine garland on her chest. HA !!! HA !! I am not sure if the priest knew if this was Saint Valentine's Day too -but it was nice to see Durga with a heart-shaped garland.

Today I also decided to do an archana for a couple - an old friend of my father's - who symbolize deep love and devotion for each other. And who been with each other through thick and thin for over 35 years of marriage. This couple to me represents divine love. Love in action. Not flashy glamor love. Not extreme declarations of love. Not passionate hot steamy love. Not youthful good time love. But love that is grounded in daily service and commitment. Love that has seen them overcome many trials and tribulations. And share much beauty and joy in their journey of life. When I wished the lady Happy Valentine's Day she said with a smile and in a rather matter of fact way that everyday is Valentine's Day for her and her husband.

And when I took Durga's archana to them this morning the husband told me a beautiful story about love and devotion. He said that alot of Western literature urges one to follow your passion and follow your desire. Indulge. Live and be happy. But he said that this kind of thinking is dangerous. This kind of advice is the root of much unhappiness in marriage and why marriages break down. If a man cannot learn to grow and love his wife in new ways as the wife grows and ages, then he is trapped in a cycle of novelty. He will constantly try to recreate the first flush of love that he had during the honeymoon with his wife via extra-marital affairs. However, if a man learns to look within himself and deepen his love for his wife as she goes through motherhood and middle age he has managed to conquer his lower self and open himself up to a deeper and more profound love. And thereby lay a path to greater maturity, depth and nobility in his life. Beautiful. The essence of true love.

Extreme Divinity - Thaipusam 2009

2009-02-08T19:55:00.004+08:00

Today Thaipusam was a beautiful and spiritually charged event. I arrived at the Tank Road Temple at 830am. It was perfect timing both in terms of the volume of kavadis and devotees. It was not too crowded or too empty. The atmosphere was vibrating with the chanting of "Vel, Vel." We accompanied some of the kavadis up the main steps of the temple and were fortunate enough to witness one of the kavadi bearers doing a little dance on the steps of the temple. He was paying his respects to the gopuram before stepping into the house of the Lord. Once inside the sanctum santorium we were also fortunate to have a great audience with the Lord. No one hurried us. The traffic controllers were patient and ensured that the devotees had priority. Not the tourists or the camera trotting outsiders. But the devotees who had come to pray to the Lord. I stood at the sanctum and said my prayers and then I stood by one side to watch some of the other kavadi bearers go down on their knees before Lord Murugan. It was deeply moving to witness this at such close quarters. I was also very fortunate to meet one of my family friends whose son was taking the Kavadi. So we then went to have the divine food - panchamirtham with him as his son removed his piercings and kavadi.

What struck me the most was the power of singing and chanting the traditional Tamil hymns dedicated to Lord Murgan. And the drumming that accompanied it. The drumming and singing has this amazing ability to get the devotees in the right frame of mind and block out all distractions. It has this amazing ability to connect you with the primordial energy of the divine. Hence it was not surprising to see many of the devotees go into a trance. After fasting for 30 days and observing various austerities and then walking 4km with a 45kg kavadi load is an amazing feat. Mind over matter. And is definitely an extreme sport that ranks along with ice climbing and deep sea diving.

Chetti Pusam - Thaipusam Eve

2009-02-08T19:29:00.003+08:00

On 7 Feb I went for two events. The first was an early morning procession of a silver chariot from the Chettiar temple in Tank Road to the Laya Sidhi Vinayagar Temple In Chinatown. En route the procession carrying Lord Murugan on a silver chariot stopped outside the Sri Mariamman Temple to pay respects to the Goddess Mariamman. The Goddess is Murugan's mother according to the Hindu pantheon and the one who gave Murugan the Vel with which he defeated the demon. Thaipusam is the day on which Murugan got this powerful vel from his mother. The procession stopped at the Sri Mariamman temple at 630am for half an hour. It was a gorgeous opportunity to get up close to Lord Murugan and to do an abhisegam for him. I did that and felt deeply rewarded. Praying to the Lord in the wee hours of the morning when it is still dark and while he in a glowing silver chariot is a magical and mystical experience. Unlike on Thaipusam day it is also not too congested - so you are not jostling with others to get a sight of the Lord. In fact you are encouraged to stand right in front of the chariot and to take your time. It was beautiful. After the ratham left the Mariamman temple it went to the Ganesha temple. Lord Ganesha is Lord Murugan's elder brother. So Lord Murgan then pays his respect to him.

In the evening the 2nd event was another procession. This time Lord Murugan leaves his brother Ganesha (who went to pay respects in the morning) and returns to his own temple at Tank Road. This procession back to his temple is called the Chetti Pusam. Here about 40 men took a Chakra Kavadi. There was no piercing involved. They all were bare chested and wore simple dhotis and carried shoulder kavadis with peacock feathers. And they all sang beautiful Tamil devotional hymns dedicated to Lord Murugan. And all the devotees came dressed in silks and their temple best. It was a joy to work with such a devout group of devotees who were there to share their love for their Lord.

Days with My Father - M1 Festival

2009-02-06T18:38:00.009+08:00

"Art comes from inside of us. My family has made me who I am. A bundle of insight and neurosis." Philip Toledano.

Last month at the Esplanade Tunnel I caught a very moving exhibition entitled "Days with My Father." The M1 Festival catalogue described Toledano's exhibition as "a poignant series of photos of his father after his mother's death." It essentially deals with aging, death and loss of memory of a loved one. In this case it was the photographer's father. I had mixed emotions - how can someone utilize/commercialize his own father's suffering and have the world pry into his failing mental health in this way? Isn't it deeply disrespectful to your father? On the other hand I felt that maybe it is a way to celebrate beauty and fragility and love of humankind and the father-son bond. Maybe he really wanted to share with the world the reality and fragility of human ending. And he had the courage to share with the world a very private aspect of himself. After looking at the exhibition and the text that accompanied it I was convinced that Toledano's motivation was quite pure. And in some way I very much identified with the exhibition. And what he as a son was going through since my dad also suffers from a degenerative mental condition - Parkinsons. And it is heartbreaking to have him repeat the same question over and over again and to confuse the past, present and future. In some ways Toledano's exhibition showed me how one can capture love and beauty in the midst of aging in a sensitive and humane way. And that is so deeply affirming. Elderly people are often hidden away from the youth saturated media. There are so few ways to honor and celebrate our elders and tap into their collective wisdom and memory. This exhibition showed me a way to do this with dignity.

Chant, Trance & Thaipusam Dance

2009-02-04T09:10:00.021+08:00

Starting at the stroke of midnight on 7 Feb, Hindus in Singapore will start the Thaipusam procession. Thaipusam one of the most revered celebrations among Singapore Hindus is celebrated with guts and glory by Hindus from all walks of life. Thaipusam celebrates the birthday of Tamil God - Lord Murugan. Thaipusam is steeped in mythology and symbolism and is a festival with much depth, discipline, grace and beauty.

This year's Thaipusam falls on Sunday - so you can expect huge crowds. The Chetti Pusam - a smaller and more intimate version of the Thaipusam is celebrated on the day before Thaipusam - on the evening of 7 Feb. This is a beautiful way to pay homage to Lord Murugan too. One of my most memorable Thaipusams is carrying a pot of milk and walking the 4km route from Perumal Temple to Murugan Temple at midnight with other devotees. It was a peaceful and a magical night. Many of those who walked with me were chanting the name of the Lord and saying mantras quietly under their breadth. This is in sharp contrast to the carnival like atmosphere during the day and as the night progresses. Thaipusam is a 24 hour event starting on 8 Feb 2008 - at midnight of 7 Feb and ending at the stroke of midnight of 8 Feb. To experience the spectrum of emotions and spiritual import track the event over the 24 hour period. It changes drastically from intense devotion to a circus/party atmosphere as the day unfolds. There seems to be an inverse co-relation between the type of devotee and the time of the day. As a general rule of thumb the most devout seem to prefer the wee hours of 8 Feb - at the stroke of midnight.

In Singapore Thaipusam has become a massive celebration and some what of a media circus with many non-Hindus and tourists gawking at the Kavadi pierced devotees. There is MUCH misunderstanding surrounding Thaipusam. The divine and sacred ritual that it is often lost. Part of this could be because for a small handful of Indians, Thaipusam has become a macho endeavor. Think hip hop Hindu ritual style - where the event becomes one grand testosterone charged event for repressed and rebellious young Indian men and women. Where each guy competes with another guy on the size and weight of his kavadi and the number of spikes that he can pierce. And how many gals he can draw to his kavadi to pay homage to him. Many of these kavadi parties bring their own Indian rap music. Unfortunately they tend to attract the most attention from the onlookers and many walk away thinking that the event is entirely divorced from its spiritual significance.

However for many other HIndus Thaipusam is a deeply sacred religious observation. Many Hindus fast for months before the event, sleep on the floor and are strictly celibate during this period. I have seen some of the most intense faces of devotion and deep acts of bhakti during Thaipusum. Thaipusam is not just physically demanding. One truly has to confront one's fears where one is being pierced with 108 spikes and then has to walk barefoot on hot tar road under the hot sun in Singapore for 4km. It is also spiritually demanding in one's ability to trust that the divine will protect and take you over your limitations and transcend your physical and mental limitations. I have seen young men take a vow to Lord Murugan praying for miraculous cures for their parents (sometimes afflicted with illness) and older men (in their 60s) take the kavadi as a life-long commitment to the divine. This demands a tremendous amount of faith and discipline and stamina.

Many of the devotees also go into trance especially at the end of the 4km route where the vibration in the temple at the main sanctum is incredibly charged. This can be rather intimidating and scary as the kavadis are huge and the dancing can be intense. But it is also beautiful to experience as I have seen amazing dances by kavadi bearers in trance. And you can see that they are entirely lost to this world and have been transported to another powerful place. Its also an opportunity for the onlooker to release his/her fear and surrender to the divine energies swirling in the temple grounds.

As a documenter or a cultural observer I urge you to look deeper and look for the beautiful stories of the triumph of the human spirit and the acts of divine grace during Thaipusam. And if possible get close and personal - follow a kavadi bearer from the time of piercing and accompany the kavadi bearer on his 4km route. Say positive things to keep his spirit up and support him. Be part of the event - not merely capturing it. And most importantly keep him in the Divine Zone - don't bother him with intellectual or theoretical questions or ask about his motivations. Don't do your homework at the event. Do it at home or after the event by getting his contact particulars from him!! Soak up the atmosphere and capture the faces radiating with love for the divine. And as an act of reciprocity for having shared the event with you do send the kavadi bearer whatever photos or video footage you took. That would be deeply appreciated and would open up the door for many other conversations.

Robert Wilson's Black Panther

2009-02-03T10:30:00.010+08:00

Recently I went to the National Museum of Singapore to check out a photographic installation by Robert Wilson. Robert Wilson's work always intrigued me. His set design for theatrical productions and the way he works across disciplines always opens up my mind. I also love going to the National Museum - as the architecture of the National Museum never fails to inspire and move me. So seeing a interesting artist in such a space was a treat indeed. The exhibition by Robert Wilson was powerful. I loved the way Wilson extended the boundaries of what portraits and video/photography is about. Yes, there were images of Brat Pitt etc but the one image that really drew me in was that of a black panther. It was so still, so powerful and so deeply moving. Its intense green eyes and its shining black coat were mesmerizing. The fact that the image was in a dark room by itself made it almost come alive. As I stood there watching the panther I felt danger. I felt that any moment he might spring out at me. But beyond danger I sensed beauty. A fierce beauty. A beauty that was rooted in strength, speed and agility. Not makeup and man made design. Pure unadulterated work of nature beautifully captured and presented by Robert Wilson. God's work in all its pure magnificence. It also reminded me of all the divine animals in the temples and how HIndus see animals as God's companions and vahana (transportation). The link between the divine and the Lord was powerfully reinforced in this image.

Home is where the Heart Is

2009-01-31T21:46:00.004+08:00

"The continuing collapse in property prices might be able to achieve one thing of worth. It should obliterate the tendency to treat a home as if it were merely an asset, a thing to be bought, improved and sold at an unlikely profit. This has been a trend that has fundamentally altered and, I think, diminished one of the few things we have left which root us to place, to history and to the meaning of dwelling. Our everyday existence, so much of it spent in soulless offices, airports, restaurant and retail chains, cars, and in the ether of cyberspace is increasingly deracinated. We could be anywhere. The home is one of the last repositories of a language of symbol and collective memory that ties us to our ancestors, to profound and ancient threads of meaning. We may not know where these symbols come from, what they mean or how they came to look the way they do but their presence enriches the landscape of our lives and, as I hope to show in this column over the next few months, they remain fundamental to our idea of a home. Dwelling is both place and process. The idea, that our lives can be “read” through our homes, through their decoration, their design and their contents, infiltrates popular culture."Edwin Heathcote

The Financial Times weekend edition is starting a new column on the meaning of homes. Given that many of us move and live, work, study and play in multiple countries during our lives, the concept of homes has always intrigued me. Is our home always where we were born? Or is it somewhere else where we feel connected and more alive and in flow? In many parts of the world homes have also become just a financial asset as opposed to a sacred space that marries history, identity and heritage. I have very much looking forward to Edith's new column.

Neither East Nor West

2009-01-30T14:49:00.005+08:00

Two days ago I went to a beautiful exhibition at the Asian Civilization Museum called "Neither East Nor West." It was a beautiful B&W photographic exhibition of portraits of Asian dignitaries, diplomats and socialites taken at the turn of the 20th century. Some were taken in London when Asians were visiting the city. While others were taken in one of Singapore's oldest studios - the GR Lambert & Co which shut down in 1919. The photos together with the accompanying text talked about Asians who embraced western fashion and sensibilities while retaining their ethnic identity. One of the more interesting portraits was a picture of an Indian general who had three distinct uniforms depending on the occasion - one for Indian events, one in his military costume and another in a Western suit and hat. This showed the ease in which Asians moved between the different world and how they adorned different "costumes" to facilitate their entry and acceptance into the different communities within which they operated. What I loved about the exhibition was that it did not seek to polarize identities into either East OR West. Instead it recognized that we all borrow ideas, sensibilities and fashion from other cultures and evolve our personalities and identities freely without allowing labels like East or West to constrain us. How liberating !!!

Cross Cultural Collaborations - Silk Road Project

2009-01-30T09:51:00.004+08:00

Many artists all over the world try to collaborate across cultures, genres and artistic disciplines. Throwing eastern art forms and mixing in with western art forms, classical with hip-hop and ballet with break dance are some of the outcome of these collaborations and/or crossovers. It is really taking the energy in one space and bringing it into another space like classical crossover artists like Vanessa Mae who made classical violin playing "hip." The main difficulty with such collaborations is first finding an artist who has mastered his own instrument AND is willing to push the envelop by collaborating with another artist. Typically when you put two accomplished artists in a room the EGO blows them apart. They each want to dominate - they each hog the limelight and want their instrument to prevail. So often you see this become more a test of character and the friendship/bond between the two collaborating artists than mere music making or cross-cultural offering. In the worst case both artists produce something that they feel dilutes their voice and dishonors their craft. In the best case the artist finds it a transformative experience and one that not only allows him to gain a deeper and surer understanding of his own instrument but also opens up his mind and heart to new possibilities as to where he can take his artistry via collaborations. The Silk Road project, the brainchild of Yo-Yo-Ma seeks to provide a safe and meaningful forum where artists can collaborate, grow and contribute. This tabla player who is part of the Silk Road ensemble talks about the far reaching effect that the collaboration had on his life and world view.

Arts - Instruments of Knowledge

2009-01-29T16:23:00.002+08:00

To allow innovation and imagination to thrive on our campus, to educate and empower creative minds across all disciplines, to help shape the twenty-first century, Harvard must make the arts an integral part of the cognitive life of the university: for along with the sciences and the humanities, the arts—as they are both experienced and practiced—are irreplaceable instruments of knowledge. Harvard's Task Force Report on the Arts, Dec 2008.

The 60 page report is eloquently written and makes a compelling case for a shift in the current thinking of arts at Harvard. The report is divided into 4 main parts.

1. The Vision of Arts at Harvard.

2. Enhanced Presence of Arts in the Curriculum and On Campus.

3. Areas of Debate and Consideration.

4. Appendices.

Harvard Report on the Arts - Dec 2008

2009-01-23T22:35:00.002+08:00

This report calls for far-reaching changes in the undergraduate curriculum, for the creation of new graduate programs, and for the construction of major new facilities to give the arts a greater presence at Harvard. Our recommendations are the fruits of a year-long effort by the members and staff of the Task Force on the Arts in response to President Drew Faust’s request for “an ambitious rethinking of the place of arts practice at Harvard.” The vision we have is serious, time-consuming, and, in some cases, costly— and we are well aware that this report emerges at a time of grave economic hardship in our own community and throughout the world—but the measures we propose are, in our view, necessary. To allow innovation and imagination to thrive on our campus, to educate and empower creative minds across all disciplines, to help shape the twenty-first century, Harvard must make the arts an integral part of the cognitive life of the university: for along with the sciences and the humanities, the arts—as they are both experienced and practiced—are irreplaceable instruments of knowledge.

When I was studying at Harvard Law School, I wanted to continue creating art. Dance in particular. But there were very very few avenues for this within the campus. I remember going to a super boring jazz dance class. And never went again. I managed to do a nice classical indian dance for the campus wide Arts First event but it all felt like arts did not have a serious and integral role in the intellectual lives of Harvard. This shocked me to the core. I guess I expected a more enlightened approach to arts and the pursuit of creativity within a community like Harvard which seemed progressive and cutting-edge at many other fronts. But that was clearly not the case. Mira Nair, a Harvard graduate, also spoke of this and how she had to run away to New York on weekends for some serious artistic pursuits. This report recently issued by Harvard squarely addresses this issue. How arts has suffered benign neglect within Harvard and how it is high time that this be changed. Very exciting.

Obama's Inauguration Speech

2009-01-21T19:10:00.004+08:00

MTV's Be The Change: Live From The Inaugural - Celebrity News

On a warm summer night in Singapore I sat at the comfort of my home and participated in an historic event - the election of the first black president of the US. America has always had a very soft spot in my heart. I discovered much of my strength, beauty and potential while I was studying in the US. I loved many of the American people who embraced me so warmly when I first went to live, work and study in the US. Many of these Americans continue to be my best friends and beacons of a light in my world. Their sense of hope, optimism, originality and fearless clarity is what has always touched me. More recently during the Bush era I returned many times to US for visits. With each visit I felt the American people become more tired and more disillusioned. The America that I experienced in 1997 with an air of confidence and energy had slowly eroded away. I was shocked and saddened. A close galfriend of mine and a former colleague at my US law firm told me that she was taking a year off to help her friend run his presidential campaign. I did not really understand what she meant two years ago when she was telling me about her classmate Obama and his quest for the US presidency. Now watching Obama and his electrifying speeches I share the sense of energy and hope that I saw in her eyes over dinner in Pasadena, LA.

The ability for one man to galvanize thousands and millions of people across class, states and countries is awe inspiring and deeply affirming. When he speaks it comes from a deep place within - a place of deep conviction and hope. It is not just the message but his mode and style of delivery which is deeply compelling. Public speaking is an art and just like all other arts it acquires a magical quality in the hands of a true artist. Obama to me is the ultimate artist. His innate ability to marry personal stories, divinity, strategy and values into one beautiful speech and infuse it with energy and power is a gift. A gift that has immense power to heal, uplift and transcend barriers and unite people.

Elegant Eroticism - Bill Brauer

2009-01-20T11:35:00.004+08:00

Bill Brauer is an American artist who worked for many years as an illustrator and print maker. About 30 years ago, he changed his focus radically and began to work with oil paints. Almost all of the works for which he is famous are depictions of women, and mythological themes and dancing often figure prominently as well. Warm colors, sensuality, and an elegant eroticism characterize Brauer's portraits. Many viewers call them sexy, though Brauer himself says the point is not to be sexy as much as it is to capture the aura of mystery that a beautiful woman exudes. says my favorite website that sells reprints and posters.

The above description is in my opinion the closest description of what Indian dance like Bhratanatyam seeks to do. Not objectify women dancers but celebrate this elusive and mystique that beautiful women exude . Women grounded in true confidence, beauty, talent and sophistication seem to be hard to find these days. The loss of sensuality in a media saturated with botox and boob jobs makes it more imperative to look for and find more inspiring images of feminine beauty and grace.

Shobana Pushing Classical Boundaries

2009-01-18T18:16:00.003+08:00

My guru KJ Sarasa has a string of award winning artists as her former students. In fact KJ Sarasa is known as the guru to the stars. Shobaba was one of her students. Sarasa often admired Shobana's intelligence and ability to push classical boundaries and take risks. This is what I admire about Sararsa. She is not afraid of intelligent experiments designed to make bharatanatyam more reflective of contemporary culture and fashion. This little video clip demonstrates Shobana's elegant costuming and black which is often considered an inauspicious color looks radiant on Shobana.

Hussein Chalayan - Artist vs Artisan

2009-01-17T14:22:00.007+08:00

Last night I read a great interview by FT on Hussain Chalayan. Hussain Chalayan is a brilliant and inspiring fashion designer. However he has not met with the level commercial success comensurate with his talent. His clothes are not as saleable as some of his less brilliant but more commercially successful peers. This is a hard place to be. A pure artist who takes risks and creates intellectually and technologically inspired clothes and pushes the frontiers - but yet struggles to achieve mainstream success. As Hussain himself said in the interview - I don't want people to come to my show for inspiration. I want them to BUY !!!! Oh what a pity !!! Maybe the key is not to stop being inspiring and inspired - but to find a way to bottle and sell that inspiration. Maybe that is exactly what the world needs in these gloomy times - not more products but more passion !!! Hussain starting thinking along the lines of Motivational Gurus and hitting the speaking circuit. That could be a real lucrative parallel career.

The inability to fit a creative genius within a corporate production cycle and quarterly revenue numbers has often made fashion stocks unpredictable and unsuitable for public listings. But designers just like all artists often want commercial success - not just praise and lavish museum sponsored exhibitions about their work. How does one strike the balance - keeping the fun of doing what you love within the discipline imposed by a corporate model which really was not designed to accommodate niche talents?

Healing Power of Music

2009-01-15T17:54:00.004+08:00

"I have been listening to Sita’s CD in my car and this morning I was driving to the airport for a 6:15am breakfast meeting with a gentleman who was flying through. I was listening to her songs in the quietness of the morning and it completely filled me with peace. The Shambo piece brought me back to the evening of your performance at Mariamman temple (more than her chanting of the same at Sivan temple). Truly a good mix!" Harish Narayanan.

Ganesha Chant - Chanting for the Divine

2009-01-14T08:22:00.007+08:00

"What an amazing fusion of celtic vocals and chants, with a superb Singaporean Chinese drummer in a Hindu temple. A true melting of cultures that reached the sublime" Kal Almkhlaafy. Kal was documenting the event on video and is a professor at a local college.

Sita's concert, produced by Studio Arul, was designed to pay homage to all the major deities in the venue of her performance - the Shiva temple in Singapore. The customary practice was to start with a Ganesha chant. And Sita faithfully followed this tradition after a brief invocatory offering to her guru. We also designed the concert to pay tribute to a great Indian poet - Tagore who had written beautiful poetry to the divine. Tagore was the first Indian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.

This kirtan is dedicated to Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. This first piece set the tone and vibration for the rest of the evening as Sita floated above the crowd like an angel with a powerful voice and presence. The audience slowly started to lose their inhibitions and towards the end of the evening were chanting in full swing with Sita. All inhibitions lost. Shiva's energy took over and any artificial divide between the artist, audience and the divine dissolved in a sea of chanting.

I was particularly touched to see that Sita placed the picture of her guru Neem Karoli Baba on the stage facing her in a small makeshift altar with some flowers and candle. She later shared with me that her spirit of her guru guided her throughout the concert and she always felt his presence with her. Beautiful. I think keeping a visual reminder of your guru not only inspires you but also reminds you of your sacred duty to carry forth the lineage with great respect.

Sita J in Concert - Chanting for the Divine

2009-01-13T17:37:00.017+08:00

I have always wanted to see more enlightening programming in temples. Temples have typically been deeply conservative catering solely to the tastes of their Indian congregation. And this often translates into inviting singers and artists from India to perform. This insular approach to programming is deeply problematic at two levels. Firstly it alienates newcomers to Hinduism who are yearning to partake in performances and rituals. Secondly it marginalizes local Indian classical artists many of whom do not have the luxury of pursuing a full time artistic career in Singapore.

I believe that it is also critical to have temple events that more accurately reflects an evolving global identity and the cross-pollination of cultures. Singapore is one of the greatest melting pots in the world with a strong local population of Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians. Today it is also filled with many foreigners who are here on short term basis. Many of them wish to partake of our local culture, heritage and sacred spaces in a more immersive and authentic ways. To respond to this need I recently brought in an artist from the US who is an accomplished chanter in the Hindu tradition. I also invited a Chinese Singapore tabla player, Govin Tan, to accompany her. And my guest list included many folks who had never stepped into a temple to experience some of our sacred arts. And many of them were tremendously excited and grateful for this opportunity.

Sita Jameison and Govin Tan broke new grounds when they led a night of chants at a Singapore temple on Sunday, 11 Jan. A woman of Irish descent who has been chanting for over 20 years Sita was bhakti in action. Her deep devotion to Shiva and the spiritually infused performance at the Shiva temple in Singapore was superbly received. Her uninhibited chanting and her infectious energy got the entire crowd chanting along. It was a powerful powerful night.

The audience was an interesting mix of graduate art students from the local university, foreign construction workers, non-Indian Singaporeans/expats and local temple devotees. Any notion that Indians have a monopoly on Indian arts was firmly shattered by both Sita and Govin. In fact these artists brought a fresh interpretation to sacred arts - with their passionate showmanship and mastery over their respective crafts. More importantly both Sita and Govin had great chemistry and a prayerful attitude towards each other stripped of any trace of vanity or insecurity. It was a beautiful combination where both exhibited great reverence to each other and their instruments.

The show also challenged current conventions on "suitable" programming in the temples. Hopefully there will be more such events in the temples that are designed to make the temple more accessible to non-Indian artists, spiritualists as well as anthropologists and the culturally curious. People feel inspired and energized when they see someone from another race or faith achieve this level of mastery in an adopted culture. It gives hope and opens up all sorts of possibility in people's mind. This is also powerful way to share ancient cultures and spiritual wisdom and promote interfaith dialogue.

Opening the Eyes of the Divine

2009-01-07T21:06:00.004+08:00

Recently my cousin from Perth told me about his daily abhishagam to his Devi statute. A beautiful annalakshmi. He told me how he bathed her, dressed her with flowers and silk sari and how he finally drew her eyes in liquid eyeliner. He said that drawing the eyes was the most significant and important part. It was opening the eyes of the divine. The Goddess will hear you, see you and grant your wishes if you open her eyes with eyeliner. This activates the statute and imbues it with life and thereby inspires the devotee and aids in intensifying one's prayer. The more one can feel the divine in his or her heart the stronger and deeper her faith. He also explained how doing this daily abhishagam has become an excellent discipline for him. It had helped him focus and direct his energies in the world much better. It had brought him closer to God through prayer. A ritual that has personal meaning and resonance can become a powerful tool for growth and transformation. When you discover and connect with a higher vibration through rituals you are more attuned to recognizing the sacred in other areas of your life. Blindly performing rituals on the other hand has exactly the opposite effect. Going thru the motions in any area of your life without connecting to it can ultimately strip any act of its meaning - no matter how profound and pure the initial intentions were. Rituals are essentially pathways into discipline in all areas of your life. They demonstrate the power of repetition and the subtle but profound changes that can arise from repeating something. Rituals if integrated intelligently in our lives can give us strength, hope and a meditative tranquility to our lives.

Powerful Homes & Inspired Living

2009-01-07T20:08:00.004+08:00

The physical space which we call home can be a great source of inspiration, beauty and joy for many. In contrast to those who decorate for vanity and to keep up with the Jones - there are those who decorate their homes to better reflect their inner worlds and celebrate who they are. A home can be a beautiful canvas for self-expression and divine artistry. This is one of my favorite designers who talks about designing homes to fit your lifestyle - no hard and fast rules - just an overriding guiding principle that a well designed home must serve your deepest needs and desires.

Power of Great Parents

2008-12-23T16:59:00.001+08:00

A statement made by the parents of Alan Johnston while he was held hostage. This statement was critical - it gave Alan the courage and the power to go on and to stay alive. The power of spoken words. The power of legacy. The power of holding your emotions in check and being selfless. I bet it was incredibly difficult for Alan's parents to sit there in front of the media and read a deeply emotive letter to their son - not knowing if he was dead or alive. Powerful stuff. For those of us who take our parents for granted and get into the dangerous habit of blaming them as opposed to celebrating them - this is food for some serious thought.

See also prior entry on how the voice of the parents also saved Ingrid Bentacourt.

Alan Johnston Meets Ingrid Bentancourt

2008-12-23T10:13:00.005+08:00

When I was in Paris in July this year Ingrid Bentacourt was rescued. Her face was all over the local newspapers and France and President Sarkozy were celebrating. Until then I have never heard of Bentacourt. I had no history or context to the rescue. But her time in captivity for 6 years spoke of the triumph of the human spirit. In particular the fact that her father died when she was in captivity and how this led her to turn away from God for a year and then make peace with God later are deeply instructive of character building in times of crisis. BBC's Alan Johnston recently did a beautiful interview with her that truly touched my soul. Alan was captured and held captive for four months while he was a journalist in Gaza. He was interviewing Ingrid for the BBC Interview. The empathy and love between two souls that shared a horrific time in captivity which included being chained and humiliated was deeply touching. Ingrid said that she was suicidal during the time in captivity - only the memory of her mother kept her alive. Alan said something similar - the dignified statement that his father made to the media which he watched with his kidnappers on TV was what gave him the strength to pull through.

The other thing that really touched me was that the interview unlike most interviews we see today was unvarnished. The journalist was not out to corner the interviewee and the interviewee was not heavily prepped and preened by PR professionals. There was this implicit trust and mutual respect, almost admiration, between Alan and Ingrid. And it was beautiful to watch and brought home the power of journalism and media to be truly a force for good.

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/interview/interview_20081219-2332b.mp3

Friends, Freedom & Play

2008-12-09T11:53:00.002+08:00

How working with your best friends in a relaxed environment fosters creative solutions. Sounds like a simple proposition. But has profound implications for our work-life balance and the choices we make in these two very important spheres in our life.

The Coming Neurological Epidemic

2008-12-09T11:43:00.004+08:00

A fascinating talk that links an aging global population with increased incidence of neurological disease like Parkinson's and Alzhimer's disease. It also provides insight on simple steps that one can take to reduce incidence of neurological disease. For me this area is incredibly interesting as I am now working on Dance & PD - how simple dance movements can help those suffering from Parkinson's disease. I have seen first hand (see earlier entry) of the positive impact of music and dance on patients suffering from neurological disease. And this talk has inspired me to be part of the solution.

A Visceral Connection & Authentic Quests

2008-11-27T10:34:00.007+08:00

How does one live an authentic life and connect to their authentic truth? This question has plagued and inspired me all my life. In hindsight I suspect that my career moves, love choices and artistic pursuits have been attempts to answer this grand question. I am always looking for people and opportunities that resonate. This resonance will help me reveal another layer of my authenticity. And own my authentic voice. I recognize that here the question is more important than the answer. The answer to this question is likely to evolve as I enter different phases and cycles in my life. But the key for me is to stay alert and tuned into visceral connections. The older I grow the more I recognize the power of visceral/instant connections. People and places that I seem to recognize and connect with immediately. Not just intellectually. But at a visceral and almost primitive level. This connection to me feels authentic and if followed usually leads to much joy and meaning.

In contrast whenever I tried to intellectualize my choices and choose "safe" people and options and become overly goal oriented I tended to pave the way for anxiety, misery and deep unhappiness. Whereas whenever I followed my deeper voice and went towards things that made my curious, inspired or alive I became connected to a deeper authentic place within me. And by carving out space in my life and regularly dedicating myself to things that inspired/moved me I feel I am slowly inching towards a more authentic and soulful place. Yes, the journey may take longer and a more convoluted path but the results I feel will be more enduring. So I am learning to trust my gut instincts more and to loosen the grip of the mind from everyday choices.

Practice and All is Coming

2008-11-27T10:30:00.003+08:00

Rote learning - learning via memorization and without asking questions - just following and learning the technique of something is a method followed extensively by old classical arts gurus. In fact that is how I learnt classical indian dance as a little girl. Learning by observing and by following the teacher's instructions without any ego interference. I hated it. But guess what it taught me? It taught me patience (to be patient for results), it taught me trust (to trust the process of learning) and it taught me concentration (focussing your 100% on the movements and steps). Through this method I was able to overcome the distractions and tricks of the ego. A dance class or any form of classroom is a wonderful place for taming your ego. The ego as opposed to focussing its attention on the teaching, starts questioning the value of the teacher and the teaching. The ego starts to put on its typical ego tricks like posing questions like "Are you sure?" and "That may be your experience but in my experience...." In other words the ego plants many seeds of distrust. Sometimes this may be a good thing - it serves to protect us from fake gurus and false teachings. But when you have chosen your subject and teacher well these ego tricks become deeply counterproductive. They leave you focussed on the wrong questions while compromising your presence and focus at the class that is unfolding in front of you. The ego either looks to the past or the future - but doesn't allow us to stay in the present and benefit from the teachings that are unfolding before our very eyes.

Consistent practice of anything can lead to invaluable transformation and power. My Tue morning temple visits to Durga (see below) also affirms this in a more recent and immediate way.

Repetition as a Route to Excellence

2008-11-27T10:16:00.004+08:00

My diary tells me that I have been lighting lamps for Durga since March 2008 every Tue. It has been 8 months since I started this Tue morning rituals and my how profoundly has this ritual changed me. On the superficial level the act of lighting lamps has become incredibly effortless. When I first started in March I was super irritated with the ghee melting while I lit the tray. The heat generated from a tray full of lighted lamps and the awkwardness in lighting the lamps from a single big Annapachi Lamp and carefully navigating the throng of devotees while ensuring that I don't set fire to my clothes, to myself or to my fellow worshippers. It took me extreme concentration and careful navigation to finish 9 rounds around durga while focussing on my prayer and spiritual goals. Today the situation has remarkably changed. The entire process is seamless and effortless. And I did not even aim for this state of affairs. My goal was not to be the most elegant lamp carrier in the temple. No I had more modest goals - that I can wake up early every morning and get to the temple on time before rushing off to work. But through a consistent practice I reaped so many other rewards including a great friendship with the priests as well as the friend who accompanied me to the temple every morning. Without their support my motivation would have tanked tremendously and I am not sure if I would have continued this ritual. The consistent Tue morning visits to the temple have now become the spiritual highlight of my week. They have also taught me in a very subtle and powerful ways the power of repetition. And repetition as the route to excellence. Just like dance the body, mind and spirit come together harmoniously without any concerted effort to pay homage to a higher power. And to remind you of the power of faith, practice and consistency inevitably leads you to elegant results way beyond your expectations.

Work, Love & Play - Lincoln versus Linden Johnson

2008-11-26T15:15:00.004+08:00

Doris Goodwin compares the profile of two American presidents - Lincoln and Linden Johnson. She talks about dreaming heroic dreams. Overcoming disappointments, depression and hardships. Leaving a legacy behind. How your honor and reputation can outlive you. She talks about the Integrity of character and moral fiber of Lincoln. And contrasts his character with that of Linden Johnson who had a sad and lonely retirement as years of concentration on work and fierce ambition had left him with a large hole in his heart.

Inspiration, Fashion & Boredom

2008-11-26T14:47:00.002+08:00

A very refreshing talk by Isaac Mizrahi on what interests him and how that feeds his inspiration. And ultimately translates into his work. Unlike alot of people he does not try to be intellectual and do research for his work. He says he does his own type of research. He studies movies, people in the street and color as all this he says motivates him and therefore inspires his ideas. He says that he is also motivated by astrologers and tarot card readers and often follows their advice/clues into his life.

He also talks about how he combats boredom by not committing to just one craft or discipline. This he implies is deeply liberating and good for the soul. And maybe a way to inspire oneself by constantly looking at new things and looking at life in new ways.

Music with Shining Eyes - Benjamin Zander

2008-11-26T14:34:00.003+08:00

Telling Our Stories

2008-11-25T21:15:00.003+08:00

Sometime ago I heard an interview that Mira Nair gave at Harvard. It moved me deeply. Both her candid way in which she spoke and her implicit ownership of her intelligence and originality. She demonstrated the power of great interviews - the ability to reach and inspire younger women and men all over the world.

She asked two very pertinent questions which has inspired me in much of my artistic work and in my life:

(a) If we don't tell our stories then who will?

(b) How do you create something out of nothing?

These questions were all the more important as they were asked by a non-monoculturalist - ie someone who has worked and lived in not just one country or system. This question was asked by a multiculturalist - someone who has homes in three very different countries - India, New York and Uganda and is able to draw inspirations across continents and generations. And then look for universal theme and values that connect people.

Some Bollywood types have accused her from selling the exotic India. Pot calling the kettle black. Mira is anything but exotic. She is authentic. She knows how to view universal problems and dilemmas through the eyes of an Indian culture. And tells universal tales through the Indian lens. This requires a great level of intelligence, sophistication and artistry. And the ability to truly assimilate multiple cultures and identities in a way that has broad appeal.

Reclaiming Humanity

2008-11-25T20:12:00.007+08:00

Last year (in 2007) while I was traveling in Los Angeles I heard an amazing interview on LA radio. An interview that spoke to all my issues with LA. The racial polarization within LA, how the city was an extreme contrast in the have and have-nots and how it many ways its Hollywood industry has promoted false values - these were some of my observations while in LA. However, I could not articulate my sense of disquietude with LA. Until Chris Abani came along and articulated them for me in his interview. He was talking about his book that he had just released - the Virgin of Flames

More recently I encountered him on TEd where he gave a moving speech on reclaiming humanity and the small acts of kindness from strangers which can have a profound impact in one's life.

Combating Narcissism

2008-11-24T10:27:00.007+08:00

In my lifetime as an artist I have come across many wonderful artists - wonderful until I get to know them as a person. They are great on stage and wonderful performers. But as a human being offstage they can't seem to cope with life and normal relationships. They have a sense of grandiosity and injured superiority and often even forget that there is another person in the room. This kind of extreme self-absorption is something I feel borders on unhealthy narcissism and I have been mindful of its viral quality. To combat the creeping power of such narcissism and the martyred genius syndrome follow some of these prescriptions offered by Dr Eric Maisel

1. Stop yourself when you feel like preening, being sadistic or dismissive.

2. Choose somone to love, comfort and respect. Give without a thought to taking.

3. Moderate your reactions in the interpersonal realm. When someone injures you do not retaliate with a nuclear attack.

4. Feel, rather than steel yourself. Feel empathy, compassion and all the soft feelings that lead to love and tears.

5. Manage your ego. Someone's else's success is not a personal affront.

6. Share credit and don't be greedy.

7. Reduce your sense of injury. Haunted by old injuries you may calculate every interpersonal moment as either victory or defeat. Don't - otherwise you will be isolated.

Eric Maisel "The Van Gogh Blues"

2008-11-23T13:36:00.004+08:00

An excellent book on why creative people are more prone to depression and the path out of such depressive states. The author's central premise is that creative people are more prone to asking about life's meaning and the meaning of their work. For creators loss of meaning and doubts about life's meaningfulness are persistent demons to be wrestled with. The inability to find and sustain meaning in one's life and one's work often induces anxiety, boredom and ultimately if not controlled spirals down into depression. The author suggests a few ways to "force life to mean" and how to remain engaged with life while fighting the temptation to give up and label one's efforts and therefore one's life as meaningless. His suggestions include:

1. Develop a personal creed that combines both your principles and passion. This can be made up of core principles or it can be an intuitive guidance system - one connected to your intuitive wisdom when confronted with a loss of meaning.

2. Record the answer to these three questions - (a) what it means to live a meaningful life; (b) engage in meaningful work; and (c) spend time in a meaningful way.

3. Create a LIfe Plan for a year that combines and balances the answers set out n 2. This flow from the Personal Creed but should not be too abstract. Eg. I intend to write powerfully and truthfully in my blog once a week.

4. Identify and dispute negative self-talk that mocks your hardwork and discipline by constantly checking and asking Where is All this Going? When confronted with this mocking voice be firm in refuting it and replacing it with a positive and supportive self-talk. A creator must STOP pestering himself with unanswerable questions relating to meaning of life.

5. Opt to Matter. Constantly be on the look out to activate your passion, enthusiasm and life force. Be your own power/energy generator. Take charge of the present moment and stop brooding about meaninglessness.

6. Brave Anxiety. Many artists get caught in the destructive cycle of threatening thought-anxious reaction-full retreat. Many creators don't fully understand how anxiety puts a fatal brake on their work. As a result they feel weak and unproductive and this is a short step away from powerlessness, eroded self-esteem and depression.

7. Confronting Narcissism. Unhealthy narcissism prevents creators from forging intimate loving relationships. Without such a relationship or a life void of a loving partner it is very difficult to find and sustain meaning in one's life. Every artist has a mix of healthy and unhealthy narcissism. Unhealthy narcissism has a certain extreme self-absorbed quality where relationships tend to incline towards the brief and dramatic, where intimacy brings rage rather than love and where the artist tends to fire friends or lovers. Unhealthy narcissists tend to approach people as objects to be used and discarded according to their needs. The author sets out 8 helpful ways in which you can tip the scales towards a healthy narcissism that gives you a true shot at authentic intimate relationships.

8. Nurture Self Support. As a creator you decide that the beauty in your life will reside in your painting, writings etc. But this is a dangerous thing. If you don't call and relate to yourself as the beauty in life, despair will follow as you tie your self-worth to factors entirely outside your control (commercial success of your work). You fight your fear of making mistakes or creating bad work by whispering "I am the beauty in life." By this you comfort and assure yourself whenever you meet a disappointment or failure. You rush to support and soothe yourself without throwing your hands up in despair and saying life has no meaning.

9. Release Addiction. Addiction is a meaning problem or an attempt to deal with a meaning crisis in an artist's life. Drinking, drugs etc gives a temporary high and numbs the pain arising from loss of meaning. Obsessive compulsive behaviors and rituals like tarot reading etc are other forms of addiction. As opposed to confronting the problem we distract ourselves with a whole host of other substitute behaviors. Get rid of these "happy" bondage and get back to the habit of creating and promoting your work.

Altar for the Artists

2008-11-01T13:43:00.006+08:00

Recently I went to celebrate Deepavali at a friend's house. She was throwing a Deepavali party and had invited a wonderful tabla player and her cousin an amateur singer to perform at her house. The place where this performance was to take place was marked out by a carpet. House parties and home entertainment are always a tough act to follow. It is very difficult to get the guests to sit and pay attention since they are there to "party" and socialize. Secondly it is very difficult to focus the energy on the makeshift stage as not everyone recognizes it to as a performance space. Thirdly most people don't come for a show - they come to eat and be merry. So combining the two in an Indian context and outside India can present certain challenges.

At my friend's house a shabby carpet with wires crisscrossing all over it to support the mike and related sound equipment for the tabla player and singer was the designated "stage." Needless to say this was not apparent to many folks especially when the singer and musician were not sitting and performing on it. So a little kid with shoes made the mistake of running across the carpet. And the host exploded. And the father of the little white kid was taken rather aback and so were some of the other non-Indian guests as they didn't understand why a carpet commanded such a reaction.

For Indian artists and in particular Indian classical artists the stage is holy ground - a deeply sacred space. It is like an altar. Stepping onto the stage with shoes is like stepping into the temple with shoes. Its is deeply offensive. An Indian stage is where sacred arts are showcased to please the Gods. It is not merely a functional space. This obviously is in sharp contrast to the Western notion of stage and the treatment of performance venues.

I love the way the Indian artists look at the stage and treat it with such reverence. Such an attitude enhances the experience for both the performer and the audience. The fact that the stage is a sacred space is an idea worth spreading and exploring deeper. It also could help explain why Indian classical artists are incredibly reticent about performing at certain venues like clubs and other rowdy spaces where they feel that the spirit of the sacred is missing. Hence many traditional artists feel deeply offended if alcohol, meat or drugs are consumed in the vicinity of their performance space. All these are considered major pollutants which lower the vibration of a person and the space that he inhabits. The ideal venue for many traditional indian artists is the temple and similar sacred spaces. Many artists also feel that they dishonor their lineage, their guru and their beloved art if they perform in certain venues and for certain occasions which they deem unsavory. This is a deeply personal and values-ridden matter and the views about Indian artists vary broadly with commercial pressures often dictating their choices especially for lesser-known Indian artists who are trying to break into the big league.

Drumming & Dance

2008-10-31T11:45:00.006+08:00

Last night I went to watch Zakir Hussain and his team of percussionists. They blew me away. And I am not particularly a drum or percussion fan. It was my good friend Harish who invited me to the concert. And it was not just any invite. But a deeply enthusiastic invite. I realized later how this sets the mood for the evening. When you go to a show with fellow music lovers and art lovers who lose themselves in the music, it heightens your own pleasure. Its like being in a great rock concert. An opportunity for collective catharsis. Where the music, musicians and audience all blur into one pulsing and powerful force that transcends class, race and daily dose of financial crisis news. Coming back to the concert. Here is what really moved me:

1. Zakir Hussain's generosity. He did not hog the limelight. He shared it liberally with other percussionists as well as dancers. Yes, he didn't have to hog the limelight since it really was his show and he was the star. But star quality or otherwise - I have seen many great artists and divas who never lose their petty desire to always be in the limelight regardless of how far they have come. So this is a beautiful quality in an artist. And one that should not be taken for granted.

2. Zakir Hussain's vision to heighten the visibility of "minor" instruments. In the Indian music world certain instruments like the veena and the sitar dominate. Other instruments like tabla and flute tend to be typically accompanying instruments - just like supporting actors they never become the heros of any show. Zakir changed all of that. He brought and gave center stage to various instruments like the ganjeera.

3. The use of dancers in an intelligent and relevant way. The Manipuri drummers cum dancers were lithe, atheletic and beautiful drummers. A display where dance and drumming blended seamlessly without any artifice to contribute to showcase the great percussive traditions of India.

4. The balance of male and female energies. Although the entire cast of musicians were male they were able to coax beautiful and graceful energies out of their individual instruments. At the same time the interaction between sitar and tabla also highlighted the tension between the male energy and the female energy and how this tension can produce a beautiful child when combined.

5. The controlled use of text. Zakir said a few words and sought to "explain" his music through a metaphor with the Indian traffic. It was indirect, funny and most importantly furthered understanding for even the most clueless in the audience. That to me is the beauty of greatness - the ability to say profound things in a simple way without simplifying things or dumping down to the audience.

6. The experience of flow and transcendence. Forget all those motivational seminars and self-improvement books. Hang around passionate, beautiful and talented folks. It is a balm for your soul. The faces of each musician evidenced a state of flow. Where they had all lost a sense of time and sense of ourselves. When we walked out we all also had shining eyes and singing hearts. They communicated their values to us without touch, without word but purely through their beloved craft. Yes, they may be doing 150 concerts a year all over the world but they played with passion and love. As if they were performing it for the first time for their first audience. It was fresh, polished and uplifting.

Healing Power of Dance

2008-10-26T15:49:00.006+08:00

Last year when I was in Santa Fe, a sharman told me that people feel healed when they watch me dance. That I am a healer who has the capacity to heal and uplift people through beautiful movements. I was skeptical. I know much has been written about arts therapy. But for some reason it always appeared to me to be poor artists trying to find a lucrative way to make money by repacking their art into art therapy. I was not entirely convinced of the healing power of dance. I did believe that music affects brain chemistry and has a healing dimension. Dance - I was not so sure. And this is coming from a dancer - someone who had trained rigorously and performed extensively and taught passionately for over 30 years. And yet I was not convinced of the healing power of dance. But a few things happened lately that made me change my mind. As I evolve spiritually and mature emotionally I realize that I am better able to integrate the spiritual and the vibrational power of a place into my movement. Dance is now evolving beyond its physical beauty and complex choreography. Dance is now evolving beyond experimental multidisciplinary work. Dance is now evolving beyond education and entertainment. Dance is now becoming more and more a source of divine energy and way to tap into a higher consciousness. For a long time I understood this intuitively but I did not feel it emotionally. Transcendence via movement still eluded me until recently. It was my dad's 70th birthday a few days ago. Unlike the previous birthdays which were often focussed around food and fellowship, this time my family decided to play a bongo and sing old and new songs. My dad who has severe late stage Parkinson's hardly ever opens his eyes nowadays. He hardly interacts with the world. But as we sang and played the bongo I could see him awaken, alert and energized. He was tapping into a deeper place within that only music and dance could reach into. He gave a beautiful speech on Tamil language and the need to stay united as minorities. Although not entirely coherent I could see what an amazing and positive effect that dance and music has on suffering and pain. I had a similar experience in Los Angeles when I performed at a yoga studio last year. A small crowd has come to watch me dance after a long day at work and battling LA traffic. But at the end of the one hour of performance everyone went home with a shining face. And I loved it. To be able to bring so much joy and energy into people's heart and tap directly into a higher space within is truly an honor. Maybe the sharman was right after all.

Where the Stars Align for My Temple Performance

2008-10-09T08:39:00.006+08:00

Sometimes when you put out an intention to the Universe and things start happening with effortless ease you know that you are on the right path. You know that there is a higher power that is working behind the scenes in helping you manifest your highest self. That is what I felt happen to me with this year's Navarathri show.

I made the decision to offer a gift of dance to the Goddess as I had felt spiritually and emotionally ready to perform again in Singapore's oldest temple. A big part of this readiness can be traced back to my weekly Tue morning temple visits to Durga. Praying to her with a good friend of mine had helped me really deepen and strengthen my spirituality.

As for my temple performance the stars it seems were perfectly aligned. A "random" discussion with my numerologist revealed this. I was hoping to perform at 244 South Bridge Rd where Singapore's oldest Hindu temple - the Sri Mariamman temple - stands. It is now a national monument. The temple officer called inviting me to perform on 1 Oct as the closing act. That is a real honor as the best acts get to close the show. The energy of audience and the vibration in the temple builds up from morning to the final performance at night.

My numerologist explained how my personal number (No. 1) dominated the calculations. I was due to perform on 1 Oct at 244 south bridge road. 1 Oct + 244 (temple address which makes up 1) + 10 (my birthdate) all are reduced to number 1 - I had 3 sets of No.1s working in my favor. And yes the show was a great success and managed to draw a very multi-racial crowd ranging from tourists, expats and Chinese into the temple for my show. Sometimes it is just in the stars.

9 Nights of Goddess Love

2008-10-08T10:23:00.001+08:00

Today is Saraswathi Puja. Today marks the culmination of 9 continuos nights of prayer, music and dance celebrating the Divine Feminine. The nine nights are called Navarathri and each day of the 9 nights the Goddess in the various temples in Singapore is honored with prayers. She is also dressed up according to mythological stories and is often decked with flowers, jewelry and silk sari. Alangaram or the art of dressing up the divine is a very special part of the Navarathri festival. Every Goddess in the various temples in Singapore are dressed up differently and the alangarams are listed in the local Tamil newspaper, Tamil Murasu. Alangarams are designed to inspire love, prosperity and beauty in the hearts of the devotees who come to the temple. It is also seeks to connect the average devotee with a world of possibilities in his or her own life by meditating on the Goddess energy.

In Hindu pantheon the Goddess or Sakti occupies a very central and critical role in temple worship. In fact there is a common Tamil saying that without Sakti Shiva cannot dance. In other worlds Sakti supplies the feminine energy that helps unlock and unleash the masculine energy which then manifests itself in the world as achievement and progress. The yin-yang principle and the duality within each of us is celebrated through this elaborate festival. The divine feminine of the Goddess energy is embodied in the holy trinity of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.

Navarathri is also a festival of music and dance - where one channels the divine through singing and movement. This year when I was dancing at the Mariammman temple - many people in the audience reflected on how they felt like they were watching the Goddess herself dance through me. I cannot hope for a higher compliment. For temple dancers this is what we seek - to help connect our audiences to the Goddess through our song and dance. We become an instrument for the divine. Movement and song is about the glory of God. Not about personal vanity or ego. As I attain greater spiritual maturity I feel more and more connected to the Goddess energy in the temples in Singapore. And this in turn has fundamentally altered my approach to my art. I feel now more than ever that that for me dance has become prayer through movement.

Today is the last night to catch the various cultural shows in the various temples in Singapore. Saraswati Puja is celebrated with much pomp and grandeur in Singapore. You can also expect some wonderful singing and dancing in the temple tradition in Chettiar temple, Mariamman temple as well as the Durga temple in potong pasir. The last night of Navarathri or Saraswathi Puja is also when school going children and everyone who is a life-long learner prayers to Saraswati - the Goddess of wisdom, arts and spirituality. Praying to Saraswati would help the devotee enhance her learning skills and secure good results in exams. Saraswati is always shown wearing a white sari that represents purity and she carries a veena - a musical instrument that connects us to the sound of life. As an Indian woman growing up within the tradition Saraswati puja has always been incredibly important to me. This is the day we put all our books before the altar and offer special prayers to Saraswati so that she gives us wisdom and keen intellect. I love this tradition - it has helped me revere the power of education and hardwork.

As a dancer the tenth day - ie tomorrow is also very important to me. This 10th day is called Vijayadhasami and this is the day that we honor our gurus - the ones who will pass down artistic and spiritual knowledge to us. We often offer our teachers a tray of fruits, flowers and sari to show our love and respect for what she has been teaching us. I think this is again is a wonderful tradition that takes education to a higher spiritual dimension and makes us realize that education is truly a privilege, not an entitlement. And being blessed with a great guru is indeed a great privilege. I have had been blessed with many wonderful gurus in my life who have inspired some of my best performances in both the professional world as well as the dance world.

In North India which has lesser influence in Singapore given our strong Tamil communities and historic ties with Tamil Nadu, Navarathri is called Durga Puja and all nine nights are dedicated to Durga. There is also a legend surround Durga Puja relating to Durga defeating a demon. However, most Indian Singaporeans who celebrate Navarathri come from the South Indian tradition and most of the temple traditions in Singapore are centered around the interpretation of Navarathri as paying homage to the Holy Trinity in the feminine form.

Pushing Boundaries in Temple for Navarathri

2008-10-02T16:40:00.000+08:00

For Navarathri 2008 I made a very bold decision - to experiment and push the envelop on classical dance offerings in temple. Unlike theaters the Indian temples are the center of deep conservatism. Classical arts are revered and much emphasis is placed on accurate repetition and recollection of old repertoires. No marks are awarded for originality, dynamism or innovation. However the problem with this approach is that it alienates the average temple devotee - who is typically not a classicalist or traditional rashika - a knowledgeable insider of indian performing arts. In Singapore in particular there is a deep divide between the classical dance community and the more popular/Vasantham Central type dance community. There are strengths and weakness within each of this community but I think the key is to cross-pollinate. For the classicalists to look to the popular culture for new audiences and for the pop artists to look to classical artists for craft/technique.

As someone who has straddled both these worlds and who has significant western modern dance training, I felt it was time for me to showcase new and innovative works in the temple. Hence for the Mariamman temple show I chose to do a few things very differently:

1. First I abandoned the margam format with the few set classical pieces - ie Thilana, Jathiswaram, Padam etc etc. Instead I did a 20min work that had 7 distinct musical pieces and that took the audience on a range of emotions.

2. I chose a mixture of jathis, semi-classical, folk chants and devotional music that had one theme in common - sacred arts. Music that stirred the soul and awakened the spirit. I was also fortunate to have a wonderful sound engineer to mix the music for me. And one of the highlights was a music that intelligently married Michael Jackson's Jam with a classical jathi.

3. I chose to use two American kids as backup dancers. Navarathri is a wonderful opportunity to showcase young talent and that Indian dance is not something just for Indians. It was my way of sending a strong signal to the audience that Indian art forms can be taught and performed in an authentic and respectful manner by foreigners. This again was a big hit - it forced alot of people to look at the dance form very differently.

It took quite a lot of courage on my end to do this. But that is how I realize I grow as an artist. By taking intelligent risks and pushing the envelop incrementally every time.

Dancing in the Temple Again

2008-10-02T10:35:00.004+08:00

Last night I performed at the Sri Mariamman temple. It was a divine experience. I was totally in my element. It had been quite a while since I had done a full length show (7 pieces without any intermission) and I had my doubts re: stamina and energy levels. But wow - indian dancing is like wine - one really does get better with age. At 36 after 32 years of dancing I never felt better. My body felt like a superb and finely tuned engine. All the leaps and bounds came effortlessly. The abhinaya flowed authentically. There was no trying last night for me. I was in flow. Total and intense surrender to the moment and a sense of effortlessness.

Part of it was the audience. Dancing is an exchange of energy. When you have a intelligent and passionate audience that hangs onto every curve in your body or every arch of your eyebrow and responds with great appreciation, you feel it. You take that energy and then feed it back to the audience with greater depth and beauty. Dance is a dialogue. And the key is to speak to the audience with your eyes, body and most importantly your heart. But overarching this conversation is the the conversation with the Gods. Dancing in a temple where the divine vibration is intense and where one is surrounded by priests and other holy devotees, you tap into this higher energy and that allows you to channel the divine. And the audience last night could feel that. Many came up to me and told me why they were moved by my performance. They felt that the Goddess herself was dancing. Maybe she was - through me. I lent her my body voluntarily and trusted that she will take me places she needed to take me. Last night movement was truly a form of prayer. A deep and powerful act of meditation. And that is the beauty of the solo artist - if she is able to tap into this higher vibration and take her audience with her to a communal trance, then there is really no need for cheap tricks and elaborate set designs.

To all my friends and well wishers who came to the temple last night -thank you. And hope that last night was as special for you as it was for me. I am truly inspired to keep on dancing.

1 Oct 2008: Dancing for the Divine

2008-09-19T13:22:00.000+08:00

My first temple performance at 4 years old was in Singapore's oldest temple - the Sri Mariamman temple. This temple was built in 1827 in the heart of Chinatown. Today after 180 years of sacred pujas, mantras and the annual fire-walking ceremony, the vibration in the temple reverberates in every pillar and every granite stone.

It was this vibration and my personal history with the temple that inspired me to dance again for the Goddess for Navarathri 2008. This annual festival is celebrated over 9 consecutive nights nights where the Divine Goddess in the form of Durga, Lakshimi and Saraswati are invoked and honored through music, dance and puja.

For me dance has always been a mystical encounter. A powerful channel to communicate with the divine and channel the divine. Dasi dance is particularly suited for this as it originated in the temples with the priestesses performing sacred movements and singing divine hymns for their beloved deity. Dasi dance is an incredibly intimate ritual art form that engages the hands, eyes, body, heart and soul to celebrate the divine. To be able to dedicate my dances to Durga this year at the Mariamman temple is indeed an honor.

Mariamman temple is also a very special temple as it houses a Tamil village deity - Mariamman who is the Goddess of fertility and change. By dancing to her I pray that we stop stripping Mother Earth. Instead lets nurture and protect this fertile earth of ours so that She continues to flourish. In Indian dance we always pray to Mother Earth before stamping on her. We ask her to support our weight while we dance vigorously in tune with the heartbeat of life. Like the way Lord Shiva dances life into existence and out of existence.

For this upcoming show I also pray to Mariamman that we all remain fertile - in our hearts, minds and soul. And treat each other with a generosity of spirit. In times of great economic chaos and environmental degradation I pray that we come together in music and dance to inspire each other and find creative ways to redress some of the imbalances within ourselves and the planet we inhabit.

INVITATION AT www.verve.com.sg/Arul/studio-arul-invite.html

Bach - The Well Tempered Clavier

2008-04-30T17:03:00.000+08:00

Beneath the shining malls and office buildings in Singapore, there lies old Singapore. Singapore where classical traditions are kept alive in temples, churches and concert halls. Last Friday I was transported in this beautiful world via a classical Bach concert. The pianist was Angela Hewitt and she took me on a beautiful artistic journey that left me totally inspired and elated.

As a classical Indian dancer one can learn so much by watching other classical artists. There is something that is common among all great classical traditions. A respect and reverence for technique as well as a celebration of the grand spirit of the lineage. In a world of instant glamour and pop princesses, it is rare to see a total commitment to classical craft as well as an audience filled with young aspiring musicians.

Like many classical artists, memory is key to a great performance. Angela Hewitt aged 49 gave 5 hrs of piano recital (split over two days) purely from memory. No notes. Nothing. She said that she has spent the last 11 years memorizing and practicing this piece. And the ability to free oneself form the notes elevated her performance to an entirely new level. Transcending technique and muscular memory are what really separates a performer from an artist. The great artists that I have seen become one with the music, the musical instrument and the dance. There is a feeling of inseparability. There is a sense of true oneness of spirit and technique. It reminded me of many of the finest classical indian dancers in India who memorize chunks of old composition and perform it flawlessly from memory while interpreting it with their own signature touch. A rare gift and a truly remarkable one.

Gurus Honored at Davos

2008-01-30T14:48:00.000+08:00

Today I was delighted to find that two artists that I have truly admired and looked up to for a long time received the Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum at Davos. Emma Thomspon and Yo-Yo Ma were recipients of this award. The award according to the website "recognizes those who have made a real difference in the world of arts and also reached out to other cultures, supporting the Forum’s mission “to improve the state of the world”.

I also liked the Davos 2008's Theme "Collaborative Innovation" - struck me as something that is happening more intensely in the virtual world but less so in the physical world. It also is a good theme for inter-governmental dialogue and dialogue between developed and developing countries.

A Sense of Regeneration

2008-01-30T11:13:00.000+08:00

Recently at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in LA, my all time favorite actor Daniel Day Lewis, talked about other actors who have given him a sense of regeneration. He was paying a moving tribute to Ledger, an young Aussie actor and how his role acting in Brokeback Mountain had given him a sense of wonder, awe and a sense of regeneration. I felt that same sense of regeneration when I watched Navtej Johar in Singapore when he performed Meenakshi. One moment there was a bearded male dancer on stage. Next moment he had transformed into the Goddess - regal, authentic and beautiful. This is a rare and magnificent feat. An incredibly moving one too. I had watched countless number of Indian dancers enact and try to evoke the spirit of both Lord Shiva and Shakti with little success. Yes, it is easy to dress up and look pretty - Indian dancers are famous for doing that. But very veery few have the ability to take the audience on a spiritual journey and transport you into a higher place. Being a dancer for over 30 years I get tired and disappointed with the lack of quality on stage. And the absence of intelligent peer-review. The Indian dance scene is opaque and lack intelligent critics who have been dancers, gurus and who are effectively bilingual. So no compelling reviews in English. The true insiders are also in a conflict of interest role - they don't dare write honestly and suffer the retaliation when it is their turn to perform. To an artist a peer review by an informed insider is invaluable - both for his morale and the evolution of his craft. That is why Daniel Day Lewis comment is critical - his recognition of greatness in a younger actor shows not just generosity but celebration of high caliber craftsmen by an insider veteran. I am sure if Ledger had been alive he would have been deeply moved and felt inspired to climb even higher. As an artist and teacher - don't forget the human and spiritual dimension of the work you do and the industry in which you operate. Keep searching and watching and one day you may catch a gem in action. And you will be inspired. And when you are inspired - you have a duty to celebrate this person who inspired you. Generously. To share this truth in craft, beauty and artistry. And by doing that you inspire others who are searching, For me that gem in action in the Indian classical dance world was Navtej - he gave me a sense of regeneration and inspired me to keep dancing. Thank you Navtej.

www.navtejjohar.com/

Planting the Dance Princess Seed

2008-01-19T09:08:00.000+08:00

We all need someone who will fire our imagination and inspire our desire to be great dancers. As kids we need to see strong role models and concrete examples of dancers who inspire us with their beauty, technical mastery and spiritual values. As a little girl I knew that person for me was Suba - my mom's colleague's daughter. I had gone to her full solo recital or Arangetram when I was about 8 years old. By this time I had been learning Dasi Dance for about 4 years. And it was a boring and painfully uninspiring experience. Why? I had teachers who were crap. Simple. But my parents had no choice - there were no other teachers in the market. So we figured a crap teacher is better than no teacher. Just learn the vocabulary and keep searching for a outlet to express my artistry and divinity. So when I went to see Suba at her first solo show I was blown away. She transformed on stage from being an ordinary Indian gal and my "akka" (big sister) to someone who was a dance princess. I was sold. I remember going backstage to see her after the show. It was glamorous. The smell of the backstage, the sound, lights and the dressing room - wow with its huge mirrors and light bulbs around the mirror - the costumes and make up lying around. It was a major sensory experience. I felt like I was on a set of a movie star with an exclusive backstage pass. So, when my fans and especially kids come backstage to take pictures with me and ask for my autograph I always oblige. I know how critical a smile and a pat on the back can be to a little child in getting to commit to her artistic journey. No matter how tired I am after the show I try and make sure I do this for the kids.

From L-R: My mom, me (in orange), Suba (in costume) and Viji (my dance classmate and her sister).

Nacho Duato - Scatter Joy (Sydney Festival - 9 Jan 08)

2008-01-15T12:28:00.000+08:00

Went to an AMAZING talk at the Mint in the CDB area in Sydney. It was a one hour talk but I got there late - after a rather flustered attempt to locate the Mint. Interesting that the talk was held in the Mint - an old financial institution where money was minted in Sydney. An apt description of my life - housed in the financial industry but driven by an artistic/humanistic core. I also ran into the NSW library on my way to this talk to ask for directions. It was a huge impressive building and when I went thru the huge iron doors it took my breath away. It was one of the most gorgeous and light-drenched spaces I have seen. It was gorgeous and beautiful and deeply inspiring. The librarian gave me directions to the Mint and off I went.

When I arrive Duato was deep in conversation. There were some great questions asked and the facilitator knew his work well. That helped. Some very astute observations/comments that Duato made in his talk that deeply resonated with me:

1. Dancers are not just dancers. I am not just looking for people who can move. But individuals with a certain world-wide, psyche and philosophy. How they approach their dance is really a reflection of how they approach the world. Since I cannot determine this in an audition per se - I invite them to come for a few classes and I watch them. I want to work with a family of dancers who I respect.

2. American dance is a bit naive - the artist never has the chance to really explore the work deeply. It is all very much constrained by box-office considerations. In that way my company is lucky we are government sponsored/supported.

3. My company has no stars. I can afford to do that with contemporary work. But with classical work - one needs stars because the technique/training is incredibly rigorous and it takes many many years of training, performing and working on stage. And things are therefore far more expensive to stage.

4. When I pick a music for my piece I know it inside out. I research the composer and I know each subtle hint/nuance in the music. Some pieces for me evoke jasmine and orange. And I tell my dancers to dance as if they are in a space filled with jasmine and orange. I only create a dance when I LOVE the music. Otherwise I cannot create.

5. When I use text in my work - it is interwoven with movement. Dancing with voice. I use ancient Spanish of Pueblo Nehruda and I don't translate cos' I think it is just words that weave in and out of my dance. Translating it changes its feeling, energy.

6. I am a terrible teacher - I cannot imagine having to teach little kids and others. My assistant does all of that teaching. I create and choreograph. That is what I do best.

7. At some point in your artistic journey you need to stop researching. You need to say STOP. You need to look solely within for inspiration and translate that into a dance piece. Constant external stimulation and after a certain point can be counterproductive.

8. I am not religious but I use alot of religious music as I find it incredibly beautiful and deeply uplifting.

9. It is incredibly exhausting to do two NEW works every year. Finding new images and new inspiration and new materials is not that easy in your 18th year of your dance company. So I am deeply exhausted.

10. Someone asked would you consider moving to Australia and staring a new company - new ideas, new inspiration? No, I don't have the energy to start all over again in another company.

11. As far as funding is concerned I understand that dance funding is less important than say medical or other basic needs that a govt has to meet.

12. When asked if dance is anyway limited in its ability to respond to today's challenges facing the world - re: environment, poverty etc, I agree - I think sometimes I think why am I doing all this dance work. Is it frivolous? How does it address some of the deeper issues that humankind is facing. Who am I am as a human being beyond being a choreographer? I do think about these issues. But no easy answers.

Finally the talk ended with the facilitator asking him about the pendant that Nacho Duato wears. On his pendant it is inscribed "Scatter Joy" - is this his life motto? To this Duato said yes that is what he tried to achieve with his work.

Snake & Peacock Dance - Carnival on Beach

2007-12-20T16:19:00.000+08:00

Found another old photo which brought back a flood of beautiful memories. Also reminded me of what a versatile performance repertoire I had accumulated in the early years of my dance life. This photo was taken during my teens - not sure when. I am the upside down gal - pretending to be a super-flexible snake. It was a story about a battle between the beautiful peacock and the super agile snake. The dance ends with the snake being killed by the three peacocks. Well, clearly I was outnumbered there !!

But it was also a wonderful piece for me to do as my teacher had recognized my flexibility and she had created some very demanding choreography for me to do. One in particular I remember had required me to spin on my knees in a circle. This challenged me in terms of extending my movement vocabulary. It also ensured that I did not get too hung up with the classical training. Many classical dancers who are not exposed to other dance forms subsequently find it very difficult to pick up other styles.

The costume I also felt was super hip. Just a blue track suit with some Indian accessories to connect it back to the indian art form. But rather realistic in terms of the peacock feathers and the form fitting catsuit. I remember painting the scales on the blue track suit before the show. Fun, fun, fun.

Temple Performanes at 15

2007-12-20T14:08:00.000+08:00

24 Sept 1987, Navarathiri Festival, Vairaviamman Temple, Singapore. I just discovered this photo in my mom's home a few weeks ago. Thank God I had written the dates and event behind the photo. Helps jog my memory. This show was a special one. Firstly because I was dancing for the Goddess Durga as part of the Navarathiri Festival. 2nd because I was still relatively young to be doing complex solo dance pieces. I was doing the Thilana at 15years old at this temple.

This costume was my first dance costume and it was the first time I had done a solo classical item in a temple. Most of the times as younger dancers we do folk items or classical items in group/chorus. But by the time I was 15 I had already been performing for 11 years. The whole get up - the head-dresss plus false hair and all the jewelry takes about 2hours to put on. One of our greatest fears as a young dancer is that something is going to drop off during the dance. That has happened to various dancers given the dance is incredibly vigorous and the costuming is incredibly elaborate. But I remember it was a magical night - I felt like I had conquered something. Indeed the goddess was dancing through me that night when I danced at her temple. But I also felt that I overcame much internal fear/doubt etc and surrendered myself wholly to the dance.

My Creative Elders

2007-12-19T22:02:00.000+08:00

My mom used to be the wardrobe mistress for my cousin Sarojini Devi. My mom and Devi had a very close bond fostered by their love for dance and music and of course fashion. This photo taken on 13 August 1967 displays their style sensibilities. They wear coordinated hip chains, pearl necklaces and very similar saris with hand embroidery. This is one of my mom's favorite pictures too. When I was a little four year old my mom often spoke of her experience helping and coaching Devi and standing at the wings to help with costumes changes etc. My mom knew all the various types of dances Devi did -ranging from classical to folk and the different costumes that went with it. She described a beautiful and glamorous world to me and encouraged me to become a great artist. Devi who I am still very close to helped me throughout my 30 year dance career. She was and continues to be a source of great knowledge and spiritual insights and is able to always answer some of the more nuanced questions I have. Thank you ladies for such wonderful inspiration and guidance. I hope to pass it along to the next generation and I have already started doing that by teaching Indian dance to my 5 year old and 3 year old nephews.