As in lfe, things just seem to fall into place of their own accord here... sometimes. Like a Karmic sequence, like the convergence of rivers, my previous post about the River Ganges led to my unplanned viewing of 'Short Cut to Nirvana', a LINK TV Documentary film. This phenomenal award-winning film somehow got linked thereafter to my receipt of an evite toGlenn Losack's upcoming show Sept 2009 at Salon Ciel in New York featuring his Kumbh Mela picture. (Unfortunately this show will be yet another chapter in the days of my vicarious* lifestyle. ) The Bathing Ghatsof Dr. Glenn Losack's fabulous capture above depict one of those unimaginable moments that for centuries have left so many in a stupor of disbelief. No less a person than 1894 attendee and famous writer Mark Twain wrote,... "No matter what the impulse is, the act born of it is beyond imagination, marvelous to our kind of people, the cold whites.[21]
Based on attendance alone, there just isn't any event in the world that comes close to the Kumbh Mela, the World's largest, oldest, longest-running Fair of its kind. While it is still primarily a Hindu Pilgrimage it is now a world-renowned Travel Event that follows the revolving path of the different venues at Allahabad (Prayag) at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna and mythical Saraswati river, Haridwar along the Ganga river, Ujjain along the Kshipra river and Nashik along the Godavari river. Think Burning Man, Woodstock, Altamont, Carnival, Rave and Trance parties all rolled into one. But don't think in hundreds of thousands like they do : The 2007 Kumbh Mela attracted 70 million folks, and even more are expected for the 2010 Fair. There's music food, drink and Pot. Lots of Pot being freely shared. There are Spiritual seekers from far continents with no knowledge of what they will find here, who intermingle with those who do nothing but meditate, surviving on receiving alms, which they never ask for. Hordes of naked Sadhus ** run through the chilly river in a bathing scene that mildly evokes the Polar Bear Club's annual icy dips. Yogis display amazing feats of strength even as Massages, mind-expanding discourses and lectures are being given. Even the Dalai Lama beamed all the way as he joined the superstars of Spiritual Thinking in the colorful parade of floats. It's all just too much to share with you here. Go visit the wiki page if you can. Or go buy the movie at the Official site.
** In Hinduism, sadhu is a common term for a mystic, an ascetic, practitioner of yoga (yogi) and/or wandering monks. The sadhu is solely dedicated to achieving the fourth and final Hindu goal of life, moksha (liberation), through meditation and contemplation of Brahman.
Could Texting be the last thing you ever do in your final moments here on Earth ? Wouldn't you rather be doing something else ?
Just because you now have your new Cellphone enabled with all the Facebook, MySpace, Twitter or Friendster apps is no reason to endanger the lives of your kids in the back seat, your friends riding next to you and multiple other drivers who will be involved in head-on, rear-end and side-impact collisions. All thanks to your irresponsible, stupid act of Texting while driving.
''research clearly shows that a motorist who is texting is significantly more impaired than a motorist at the legal limit for alcohol. No responsible motorist would drink and drive," ~ CBC.ca
Below is a Public Service Announcement from Wales that I really hope you will take to heart. Be warned, it gets bloody gory, not as in a Slasher flick, but more like in real-life, when fatal crashes occur.
Atomic Forest at Snehayatra Youth Festival in Malavli, India Celebrating the Indian version of Woodstock at 40....
As far away as India, the after-effects of Woodstock were evident, thanks mainly to the later film of the concert, and while it was an eye-opener for its Widescreen, Split-screen, Psychedelic format for most viewers, for many Indians stuck in the Bollywood mindset it came off as a paean to the Drug Culture that theyfelt was invading their youth. Even as Indians acknowledged theirplace in the world as the 'Gurus' to the less-enlightened inWestern societies. The brief but memorable onscreen momentsof Swami Satchidananda who called music ''the celestial soundthat controls the whole universe" gave the whole event a sortof blessing and validation to many Indians who were thenceforthmore benign in their gaze at all the crazy Hippie-types.
Well, it all affected my friends and myself as well, since I was a budding guitaristplaying Blues-Rock around Pune. I also ran a screen- printing business on the side at the time the Woodstock film came about, and it was in the studio pictured below that we conjured up the various schemes to raise money for our party lifestyle. Fueled by the vibes from the whole Woodstock thing, we obtained the blessing and approval of a local Catholic Priest, Father De Leury, a Belgian by origin. He was the only one who shared our vision of re-creating Woodstock in India, calling it 'Snehayatra' ( translated from Hindi, Sneh=Love, Yatra=Journey ). Volunteers and Bandsfrom all over the country put their heads and hands and heartstogether and organized Food supplies, dug sanitation ditches, ran fund drives, smoked, pleaded with sponsors, drank, partied and acquired generous donations. Weeks of careful planning to make sure the omissions of the original Woodstock would not occur resulted in a memorable event that we were all plain crazy about. With good reason, we were making history in India !
My band which went by the name of 'Invention of Mothers' wasthe opening act on the first night since we had to go play a contractgig later that night....a 4-hour journey by train from beautiful Malavli, a dream site with lush greenery, ancient historic caves, waterfalls and hills. Not to mention area Guest Houses which the organizers booked way in advance. So us Bands and our fans were all well-accommodated, acclimated, fed and bathed and secure to smooze with countless Groupies. The music was varied and wild and a mind-boggling time was had by all. Just one sad note to it all- IMHO- no visible documentation of it all except for a few B/W pics that I saved on Flickr. as hazy memories of something that took place about 38 years ago.
But....... nothing will ever come close to what happened 40 years ago that weekend in August in Upstate New York. Nothing.......
Woodstock's three days of Peace, Love and (mostly) free Music left an indelible mark on generations of Music lovers and thinkers from all walks of life. Though there was massive alcohol and drug usage, the overall effects of the festival left a sense of harmony and fellowship that many agree marked the beginning for all the 'We Are The World',' Band-Aid' 'Farm-Aid' and 'Jazz Yatra' sensibilities.To bring together as one without prejudice, hatred and selfishness, for the greater good of the masses - even if for a few moments - is now the standard that all Concert and Charity Events promoters should aspire to.Only some do.
So.....enjoy these two clips from CNN as they get into Woodstock weekend mode.....spread some love, and please share this piece of Indian historywherever you can.
Dedicated to the late Hugh Furtado a.k.a. Jax Carlos, and his cohorts without whose incessant ramblings and ravings this would never have happened.
Snag films' Description : ' In the 1960s and 1970s thousands of hippies journeyed East in the search for enlightenment, free drugs or a ‘pure’ life. Indian peasants assumed that a severe drought in the West was the reason for their migration. India’s holy men saw it, more accurately, as a search for spirituality. Most moved back to their home countries after a few months or years. Some stayed for good. HIPPIE MASALA shows aging flower children who, after fleeing Western civilization, found a new home in India.'
Back in April I was curiously awaiting the verdict on Roxana Saberi, the American reporter who was on Hunger Strike while imprisoned in an Iranian jail cell. The talented former N. Dakota Beauty Queen had been held in Tehran since late January, when she was arrested for buying wine, and later on more serious charges of working as a journalist without a press card, and spying for the US. It seemed to me back then that there just wasn't any hope for any U.S. diplomats to bring about her release, given the increasingly strained relations under the new Obama administration which had a plate full of post-election nightmares to deal with. Even Rev. Jesse Jackson's astonishing track record didn't seem to move the White House to ask for his intervention. Fortunately, Ms. Saberi was released from that ordeal when the Iranian courts suspended her eight-year sentence.
Yesterday I learned of the startling news that former U.S. President Bill Clinton had met with N. Korea's leader Kim Jong-ilin Pyongyang and negotiated the pardon and release of Euna Lee
who were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in prison. I was simply jubilant as I lookedat the progress of World Humanitarian efforts with renewed hope. Somehow, Justice had prevailed in Pyongyang. . Now, with the reporters back home
there will surely be controversy to follow, as shown by reporter Jaime Sommers of the Examiner.com who weighs in on the related issues such as Publicity ops, Mothering, the Female Factor, and future hostage negotiations under the Obama administration.
My only hope is that reporters everywhere will re-examine their values and the impact of their actions on their families, their countries and their own lives. Martyrdom comes at a heavy price.
UPDATED 10/21/09 to include link to photos on Flickr submitted by Raisa Sheikh from Pune
' I have come to realize more and more that the greatest disease and the greatest suffering is to be unwanted, unloved, uncared for, to be shunned by everybody, to be just nobody (to no one).' ~ Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)
The last time I visited my sister Jennifer Naidu in Pune, India she asked my opinion about a large Sign board that she was making for one of her neighbors, Preet Mandir. They are a Charitable Home for Orphans, and account for over 7 percent of Adoptions in India. Most of these tiny unfortunates are malnourished and sickly and so I was really impressed that my sister was in her own usual, small way helping out. Then I realized that she too, lived with the same memories I have of being a near-orphan if not for three Aunts who took us in ( after my Mother passed away, when I was barely five years old ) since my Father was unable to cope with the loss both mentally and financially.
The reason I brought up those sad fragments of my past is because tonightLINK TV is repeating 'A Baby Business', a program that I watched a few weeks ago.
In the program, they mentioned Preet Mandir had been part of an investigation into charges of 'wrongdoing' related to the Adoption process. They had been blacklisted by some adoption agencies in Sweden and the U.S. because the children were not looked after properly and the fees exorbitant. Several complaints had been filed against it by parents and foreign agencies.But that's just one side of the story.
Here's a Quote from the Link TV page: ' Poor families are tricked into giving their children up for adoption. One of them is an Indian father whose children were taken from him against his will. When his wife died he temporarily admitted the children to an orphanage. What he didn’t know was that soon after his children were adopted by a European family. '
If you are a DISH or DirectTV Network user in the USA, you're in luck. Others, watch the trailer and follow some of the useful related links.
