I stood before a Qin terracotta warrior

Ever since I can remember I've always had an affinity for all things oriental, arts, culture, landscape ... I cannot explain it, maybe its a past-life thing, which was one of the many reasons why I could not miss the oppurtunity to see Emperor Qin's famed terracotta warriors face to face:-> Two of these exquisite warriors were exhibited at Mumbai's Prince of Wales Museum (now known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sangrahaliya) as part of the exhibiton, 'Treasures of Ancient China’.

The exhibiton has since ended and I myself went to see it only the very last day. These exquisite, life-size warriors, a whole army of them, were discovered buried near Emperor's Qin's mausoleum, making it this century's most sensational find. The terracotta army, has also been declared as the eight wonder of the world!

Before coming in to see the exhibition, as eager as I was, I had paid for the use of my camera, only to find a symbol pasted on the entrance-door which made clear, photography was not allowed in this particular exhibition !!:( So I said to myself, never mind, I'll take pictures of the other regular exhibits that I enjoy and have been meaning to photograph :-)

I was happy to find other than myself, the notable playwright Meher Pestonjee, accompanied by two children. It made me smile to hear her describe the artifacts to them. Sometimes its nice to be an observer and know there are others who love and appreciate art as much as you, there is a certain kind of warmth in this:-)

As I walked through the exhibition, enjoying the intricately-detailed metal objects and ceramic-ware from the different ages, I took time to read the texts on display which explained their history and chronology. Incidentally I'd recently read, Chinese Myths by Anne Birell as a result of which not all the names of the different ethnic groups that came to form the Chinese nation seemed absolutely unfamiliar.

The exhibition was spread across three rooms, and the two warriors were displayed in a small room to themselves. Seeing the terracotta figures within the confines of a small space, could not have conveyed the feeling of witnessing them in the burial pit as part of entire army which had tood silently for centuries until their discovery, but even the opportunity to see a piece of history was good enough... :-)

Being a student of Buddhism, I'm intrigued by the way Buddhism evolved along with the previously existing Confucianism and Taoism in China. This is is one area I would love to learn more about. Apart from the warriors and the various other impressive artefacts that were displayed, one artefact that stood out in my mind was a stone stupa, (shaped like a small dome) maybe 3 ft high and under 3 feet in diameter. (Unfortunately I have no picture to support this description with due to the reason I mentioned above) On its sides were niches, within each of the niches (two I think) was a seated image of the Buddha in high relief. Foliage of trees, in low relief ornamented the plain surface of the dome. The stupa also bore a chinese inscription which I could not read of course, but still this stupa intrigued me...you see, one does see stupas and other Buddhist monuments in India, but the inscriptions here are in the native scripts, ( Brahmi, kharoshti), seeing the stupa with an inscription in chinese said to me, more than what books can convey that, look! how how far Buddhism had travelled! :-)


I leave you with a few pictures from the Tibetan Arts section to enjoy...
one more thing, the exhibits being encased in glass, have some amount of caused reflection.

Tara, Nepal, 18th century A.d.



Prajnaparamita, Nepal, 17th century A.D, Prajnaparamita is the personification of 'transcendental knowledge' embodied in the Prajnaparamita-sutra (Mahayana scriptures)



Matrika (Mother Goddess) From set of Ashtamatrika (eight goddesses), Nepal, 14th century A.D



Bodhisattva Manjushri with his shakti, Nepal, 18th century A.D (Manjushri is the Bodhisattav of Wisdom, that which he holds aloft in one of his arms, is an adamantine sword which cuts through ignorance)






Terracotta Buddhas, Mirpur Khas, Sindh, Pakistan, 5th century A.D. this is one of my favourite exhibits, I love the beautific smile :-)

love + light!

Lotuses of the Floating World

An installation of hundreds of paper lotuses made in origami style.

Kalaghoda Arts Festival 2010,
Horniman Circle Garden
6-14 February
10.00 a.m – 10.00 p.m

At last this Saturday I will be able to see a wish fulfilled, hundreds of lotuses planted in the earth. This will be my first time showing in Bombay and I'm happy to begin this way, in the open, in a garden (I'm a complete nature person). So if you are anywhere near Horniman Circle Garden between the 6th and the 14th do drop by anytime between 10.00 a.m and 10.00 p.m. I plan to teach how to fold these beautiful lotuses. There will be plenty of other events too.

About the installation.
The lotus is a leitmotif in my work, for what it symbolizes and its metaphysical associations. My art-practise runs parallel to my own journey on the path of dharma. It is an earnest effort where I not only read but have a practise to support it (Vipassana mainly). This installation is a three dimensional extension of being on the path.

About the choice of medium.

I am attracted to the organic and fragile nature of paper and yet it can be quite durable. I like the idea of sculpting something out of it, origami is one way to explore this.

About the core message.

When I first learned to make to these lotuses I was filled with an urge to see them in an undulating mass, over a lawn, maybe. Through this installation I want to say to people, look, you don't have to go to some far away village to witness a pond or a lake filled with beautiful lotuses, to witness a lotus all you need to do is take a square piece of paper, sit quietly and fold. Opening its petals to full bloom is like awakening to the Buddha nature inside.

I compare this act to creating an island of refuge within ourselves where you can return to from time to time. We all live in a densely populated city and there are no lotus ponds near us, but still there is hope, human imagination can transform a mere piece of paper into a lotus flower, an absolute symbol of enlightenment. That is my message, no matter how bad the situation, one can find ways to find a balance, to create beauty and true peace in our lives.

Gratitude
Lastly, one post is not enough to thank my family and friends for their love and support. Yogeeta, Sanhdya, Harsheet you have really been there for me. Yogs thanks for all the help and designing my card. Sandhya for listening to me with all my updates on the progress I was making, Harsheet, I know you don't like thank you's but here it is, I appreciate it all. Behzad for being there while I installed and dismantled and largely for just being you, Nyela thanks dear for the lovely mornings at the garden, Himanshu for suggesting the venue, and my dear friend Sarita too. This project has been like waiting for a empty stretch of land to collect rain and then burst in lotus bloom.

Love + light!

P.S: there is a place where white lotuses bloom in the rains :) and where there are humans there is plastic! and yet the lotus grows above it all :))

The way of the artist

In a few days from today, I will be putting up an art installation as part of the annual Kalaghoda Arts Festival, the details of which I will post next.

Being a vipassana meditator my on-going project made me think very much of the attitude and intention of an artist. While reflecting I remembered Gurji Geonkaji's words,

" A balanced mind is very necessary. But a stage where you are totally free from ego, where the ego is totally dissolved, takes a long time. When one has reached the stage of anagami, then at the depth of the mind the ego has significantly melted away and at the stage of arahant there is no ego at all.

But for ordinary Vipassana meditators, at least they have to make sure that they have started dissolving their egos. Any artist who is pratcising Vipassana properly will see a big change in her field of art whatever it may be. The art shold be pure in the sense that it will never be used to arouse passion in the minds of others, anger or hatred. With the practise of Vipassana she will become a better artist wit the effect that through the medium of art one will be able to give people a sense of peace and harmony. One has to judge wether this wholesome direction is developing or not."
Guruji S.N.Goenkaji.

From time to time I find myself returning to these words of Guruji and often I have not been sure if I understood at the experiential level, neither did I know if my art could in someway convey a feeling of peace and harmony to people. I have never consciously tried to alter or filter my work ever but if my upcoming installation does bring delight to people then I think I came a hair-breadth of a hair-breadth closer to what Guruji is talking about.

May more and more people get a glimpse of pure dharma :)
love + light!