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.
How shall I thank the wonderful LINK TVfor bringing not one, but a whole series of films that use my Indian home city of Poona/Pune as the backdrop ? By sharing the news wherever I can, and hoping you can catch some of it soon.
The link to the series 'Indian School' opens in this way: ' What's it like to grow up in a country with the largest child labor force in the world, an ancient caste system and a film industry bigger than Hollywood? Over 10 episodes INDIAN SCHOOL follows the highs and lows of the students and teachers at Kalmadi Shamrao High School and Rewachand Bhojwani Academy in Pune - near Mumbai, one of the world’s fastest growing cities.'
A great way of introducing the whole world to the charming city that I grew up in, where I earned a B.A. in English Literature before immigrating to America at my sister's behest. I have tried my best to survive in the USA for decades without caving in to many a corporate bigwig. I chose instead to seek alternate methods of survival other than chasing the American Dream, much to the dismay of well-wishing friends and family members. What I brought with me from Pune is the inherent Indian qualities of hard work and brotherly love, born of humble family beginnings. Things I appreciate increasingly as I continue to work while others of my age have reached their goals of a comfortable retirement and grand-children to dote on.
But enough about me.....the point that I was trying to make is that the person from Pune is as determined and focused as his counterpart from Mumbai, the home of big Bollywood stars and World Finance contenders. Mumbai's little sister might be on the fast track to big-city success but it comes from a small-town ethos that is at the heart of its residents, past and present.
'This fast-paced, observational documentary takes us, over the course of a school year, into the world of India’s ‘rising generation’. The series gets inside the skin of India’s middle classes, exploring their dreams and anxieties in a world that seems to be changing every day '~ also from the Introduction.
From the NY Times Review of 'Slumdog Millionaire' : " In the end, what gives me reluctant pause about this bright, cheery, hard-to-resist movie is that its joyfulness feels more like a filmmaker’s calculation than an honest cry from the heart about the human spirit (or, better yet, a moral tale). "
Long before the Slumdogs'Millionaire creators convinced Hollywood that Bollywood deservedgreater Hollywood treatment (since Bollywood had beengiving itself the Hollywood treatment for decades)Filmmaker Mira Nair had slowly but surely pavedthe way for this day, giving us her deep and personal insights into an alternate Indian film culture. 'Mississippi Masala', Bride and Prejudice, Salaam Bombay and The Namesake all attempted to arouse Hollywood Film Moguls to the unseen dramas of Indians abroad and at home. And now Hollywood sits up and takes notice of the still-untapped but burgeoning Bollywood market.
With lush scenery like India as the backdrop forHollywood hijinks played by a diversecast that includes Keanu Reeves, David Alan Grier, Maya Rudolph and others, this new Mini-series promises to keep all Bollywood fans enthralled and amused. Saturday Night Live'sChris Kattan is a wannabe Hollwood herowho isn't making it to stardom., Fed up with his situation, heseeks his fortune in Bollywood, figuring he has the Hollywoodinsider advantage to get his big breakthrough moment via the Mumbai film industry.
Subscribers to the wonderful Independent Film Channel are the only ones who will initially be able to enjoy this comedy starting Aug. 6, 7 and 8. The best I can do is push this trailer and hope anyone who has access to the actual show will consider sharing this with the rest of us ;-)
Mature Content Ahead ! As a favor to a Photoblogger in another country I am briefly sharing his true and woeful Cry with the world, with the simple warning :Watch who you Add as Friend on Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, WordPress, Scribd, Blogger, Twitter..........everywhere !
Firdaus Zakir (real name withheld) of Mumbai, India is a talented Muslim lensman who found his niche taking pics of Transgenders and Muslim religious occurrences in his area. Not an easy task to accomplish, since many of the subjects belong to an arm of internationally reviled 'Trannies', forbidden by society leanings to be in the mainstream workplace, who are often forced to earn a living in the sex trade where they constantly face threats, violence and harassment from Johns and local authorities. Protection is available from those authorities, but at a price in the form of weekly bribes and yes, sexual favors. Crooked cops and perverted politicians have their cake and eat it, too. That's nothing new.
Apalled by the state of affairs in the 'hood Firdaus Zakir the humanitarian decided to do something meaningful with his 50-odd years' existence, and began publishing his collection of religious Muslim rituals, Eunuchs and LGBT pics online via any website or Blog he naively assumed to be free of scandal. Many sleepless days and nights spent in scanning, uploading and posting his work yielded results with unbelievably high online posting stats. He became a Hit counter even as his websites' Hit Counters generated torrents of comments and views.
But as is usually the case with ignorant and jealous folks online, all the comments posted weren't of the kindly variety. Increasingly his Blogs and websites received harassing mail and responses and elicited repeated hacker visits. The worldwide hatred for Muslims post-9/11 didn't help his case either, and try as he might, he will not shake off that stigma, short of turning Atheist. The final insult came a few days ago when he was threatened by a Facebook 'friend' who roused his ire and forced him into an online shouting match complete with CAPS LOCK attitude. This 'friend' added Firdaus at the suggestion of the Facebook sidebar on the Home page, then experienced religious rage leading to vicious and nasty exchanges. The result was that the local police took down a formal complaint from Firdaus of Cyber death threats and violence, and Firdaus (once again, as he often did in the past) swore he would stop Adding friends, allowing Comments or posting his poems of pain. He is now a victim, he claims of Racial Harassment not only at Facebook, Flickr, Scribd and Word Press but also at Now Public and many other free sites. Facebook was kind enough to auto-reply with the standard link to the 'Help' section.
So what are the chances we've seen the last of Firdaus and his self-flagellating persona online ? Will this poetic poster boy of Pain inflict more grief on his soul ? Stay tuned....he gets verse.
It usually means a transsexual, although it could theoretically mean a transgendered person or a transvestite.*
In this case, I honestly couldn't tell you for sure which category this person might fit into, but s/he was clearly born as a man, and dressed as a woman.
Anyway, this title is a bit of a joke for people here in the US (and maybe also other English-speaking groups) because a lot of commercials used phrases like "Peanut butter and chocolate- together at last!" and it's become sort of a sarcastic expression.
*Transvestite means someone who just likes to wear the clothing of the opposite gender, while transgender means the person actually lives like someone of the opposite gender every day...and transsexual is someone who has gone a step further to have surgery, hormone treatment, etc. to modify the body. Posted 32 months ago. (permalink )
PetWerewolf says:Erm... What's a tranny?
Posted 32 months ago. ( permalink )