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A Ramayan reader

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 01:37:00 -0500

� Designldg In the morning I was leaving the house of Romit in Allahabad and I saw this lady reading the Ramayana. You can see the yellow fabric protecting the holy book in her hands. It is not rare to see elder people reading that kind of things in India, this lady was so deeply into her thoughs that she didn't notice me at all. The Rāmāyaṇa (Devanāgarī: रामायण) is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the poet Valmiki and is an important part of the Hindu canon (smṛti). The name Rāmāyaṇa is a tatpurusa compound of Rāma and ayana "going, advancing", translating to "the travels of Rāma". The Rāmāyaṇa consists of 24,000 verses in seven cantos (kāṇḍas) and tells the story of a prince, Rama of Ayodhya, whose wife Sita is abducted by the demon (Rākshasa) king of Lanka, Rāvana. In its current form, the Valmiki Ramayana is dated variously from 500 BCE to 100 BCE, or about co-eval to early versions of the Mahābhārata. As with most traditional epics, since it has gone through a long process of interpolations and redactions, it is impossible to date it accurately. Indian tradition regards the Ramayana as part of Ithihasa, or history, with Valmiki's version as the oldest written form and the most authentic. The Rāmāyana had an important influence on later Sanskrit poetry, primarily through its establishment of the Sloka meter. But, like its epic cousin Mahābhārata, the Rāmāyana is not just an ordinary story. It contains the teachings of ancient Hindu sages and presents them through allegory in narrative and the interspersion of the philosophical and the devotional. The characters of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata, Hanumān and Rāvana (the villain of the piece) are all fundamental to the cultural consciousness of India.

NILGAI

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 01:35:13 -0500

Neelgai on the road from Varanasi (Benaras) to Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh. The Nilgai or Neelgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) is an antelope which is one of the most commonly seen wild animals of northern India and eastern Pakistan. It appears ox-like and is also known as a Blue cow. A blue bull is called a Nil gai or Nilgai in India, literally from nil meaning blue and gai meaning a bovine animal (though a female bovine such as a cow is called gabhih in formal Sanskrit). In fact the Nilgai was known as the Nilghor (nil = blue , ghor = horse) during the rule of Aurangzeb (Mughal Era). Nevertheless the local belief, that the Nilgai is a cow and hence sacred, has protected it against hunting. The main predators of the blue bulls are tigers (Panthera tigris) and lions (Panthera leo). Nilgai are diurnal and live in grasslands and woodlands where they eat grasses, leaves, buds, and fruit. In the wild, females and young males gather in herds of about fifteen individuals while older males are often solitary. Individual male or female nilgais may be encountered in cultivated or semi-urban areas. They avoid dense forest and prefer the plains and low hills with shrubs. Blue cows are usually found in their favoured areas of scrub jungle (acacia forests) grazing upon succulent kader grass. They are not averse to crossing marshlands. A neelgai can survive for days without water, but they live close to waterholes. The deserts earlier limited their range, but the extension of irrigation canals and proliferation of tube-wells in the Thar desert have helped them colonise the desert districts of Jodhpur, Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Ganganagar. The species is declared by the IUCN as being at low risk of extinction.

SUR LA ROUTE D'ALLAHABAD (en francais)

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 01:32:00 -0500

Namaste, De retour � Benares apres une s�rie de conf�rences � Allahabad. J'ai promis � certains �tudiants de mettre en ligne ici les photos de mes deux journ�s pass�es avec eux pour leur permettre de les t�l�charger. Voici un texte qui permettra � ceux qui n'�taient pas avec nous de comprendre de quoi il s'agit. Je suis parti tot mercredi matin pour Allahabad. Sur la route, j'ai rencontr� des milliers de p�lerins, de jeunes hommes essentiellement, qui marchaient pieds nus et habill�s de couleur orange en direction du Gange. C'est le mois de Saawan, le mois de Shiva o� l'on ne peut manger que strictement v�g�tarien, et en Uttar Pradesh tout jeune hindou doit faire se p�lerinage au moins une fois dans sa vie. Parcourir pieds nus sur plusieurs kilom�tres (parfois plus de 500) et venir recueillir l'eau sacr�e du fleuve est un moment important. Sur la route ils se regroupent parfois et chantent alors des chants religieux ou scandent des slogans pour se donner du courage, le plus souvent c'est "Bolbam" qui est un autre nom pour Shiva. La route a �t� r�duite pour pouvoir leur laisser plus de place, j'ai crois� des camions qui avaient �t� br�l�s parce qu'ils avaient percut� un ou plusieurs p�lerins. Plus nous avan�ons et plus ils sont nombreux, je les retrouverai � mon retour � Bernares ils auront mis un peu plus de deux jours � parcourir cette distance. Cette ann�e j'ai l'impression qu'il y a plus de ferveur, la colonne form�e que je croise sur mon chemin est impressionnante, je trouve �tonnant que tout le monde porte le m�me orange. A quelques kilom�tres de Allahabad j'ai eu la chance de croiser des Niilgai, ces vaches bleus qui ne ressemblent pas du tout � des vaches et que je ne n'ai vu qu'en Inde. Ce sont des animaux tr�s rac�s et �l�gants qui ne vivent que dans les champs. Ils ont une t�te de cheval avec des petites cornes, un corps de vache et des jambes de cheval �galement. Je n'arrivent jamais � les approcher � moins de 15 m�tres autrement ils s'enfuient. Ces animaux semblent venir d'un conte de f�es. Lorsque je suis arriv� � Allahabad il faisait une chaleur assez �touffante que j'ai pu oublier gr�ce � l'accueil tr�s touchant qui m'a �t� r�serv�. Pendant deux jours, j'ai �voqu� les tendances, les couleurs, les mati�res, j'ai aussi parl� de l'histoire de la mode, de son actualit�, de strat�gies marketing et de publicit�. Les �tudiants en style et en marketing posaient des questions int�ressantes et la conf�rence a pris rapidement une tournure assez vivante. J'�tais tr�s surpris par la soif de connaissance et par la qualit� des travaux que ces �l�ves m'ont montr�s. La presse couvrait l'�v�nement avec une chaine nationale et quelques journalistes de la presse �crite. Le lendemain je d�couvrais avec amusement dans les journaux les articles me concernant. Ces deux journ�s de conference et d'ateliers ont �t� organis�es par l'IIFT, International Insitute of Fashion Technology. Aujourd'hui dans le monde une personne sur six est indienne, il est �vident que dans un avenir proche l'Inde sera tr�s pr�sente � tous les niveaux, ces jeunes �tudiants sont le futur et je suis tr�s heureux d'avoir eu la chance de les rencontrer. Je les remercie de m'avoir invit�, de m'avoir pos� des questions et de m'avoir fait partager des �motions.

BOLBAM

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 01:23:56 -0500

On the road to Allahabad I met thousands of pilgrims, mostly young men, walking barefoot and wearing orange color. They were going to Varanasi (Benaras) in order to worship river Ganga. It is the month of Saawan, the month of Shiva where we have to eat strictly vegetarian only, and any Indian from Uttar Pradesh has to do this pilgrimage at least once in its life. We can hear them singing or shouting "Bolbam" which is another name for Lord Shiva in order to feel the strength to carry on. This year I feel that there are more people than usual and the long orange line there are making on the roads is really impressive.

Ganga aarti

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 01:21:42 -0500

This was shot last evening while Ganga aarti on the bank of the Ganges in Varanasi (Benaras). The aarti is a ritual of worshipping the Ganga where the audience is singing Bhajans. It starts everyday after the sunset, young priests are chanting and holding the lamps in a kind of choreography in ordr to thank the Ganga (and therefore Shiva ) for what happened duringthe day. The aarti ceremony provides a spectacular visual sight, a sublime spiritual experience and a purgative journey for the pious. At the time of twilight, considered in Indian philosophy as the most auspicious moment of the day, thousands of earthern 'diyas' (lamps) are set afloat on the Ganges; an act of reverence to the legendary river. With the scent of sandalwood incense and the melodious chants of the holy priests, the Ganga Aarti is undoubtedly the most soul-stirring act of reverence and prayer - an invocation to the essential elements. For once there is no PP work on this image.

Laali

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 01:18:19 -0500

Laal means red in hindi and Laali is therefore redish. This is the name of this beautiful young woman who is like the colour red, very funny and full of energy. We made this portrait at the entrance of the tibetan temple in Sarnath that she was visiting for the first time. I met Laali two years ago at BHU university and she is a cousin of the family.

New bride's happiness

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 14:04:39 -0500

Last Sunday we went to Sarnath, one of the holiest place for Buddhists. At the tibetan temple a ceremony was going on and we were almost alone there. At the gate of the beautiful temple I took this picture of Preeteesha who came to Benaras in order to meet me and to spend this happy day with me after her wedding. You can see the fresh henna on her fingers.

Ashoka's temple

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 10:42:16 -0500

Sarnath is the deer park where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma, and where the Buddhist Sangha came into existence through the enlightenment of Kondanna. Sarnath is located 13 kilometres north-east of Varanasi (Benaras), in Uttar Pradesh, India. I took this picture in front of the place where Ashoka's Pillar was standing and which became the national symbol on the Indian flag. Emperor Ashoka (third century BC) was the first king to become buddhist, this is the entrance of one of the temple where he used to worship Lord Buddha and here those pilgrims are women coming from Sri Lanka.

Turner's Ganges

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 10:38:55 -0500

I was thinking that if Joseph Mallord William Turner came to Varanasi (Benaras) with a camera maybe he would have done shots like this... I was standing on the ghats of river Ganga two days ago and I took this image just before sunset, suddenly this impressionist painter came to my mind. Je pensais que si William Turner etait venu a Benares avec un appareil photo il aurait pu prendre des cliches comme celui-ci... Je me trouvais sur les ghats au bord du Gange il y a deux jours et j'ai pris ette image juste avant le coucher du soleil, soudain j'ai pense au peintre impressioniste.

In memorum

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 10:37:30 -0500

Last night I went to river Ganga in Benaras (Varanasi) and left this candle in memory of my parents on the waters as it was the week of their death anniversary. The cup made of dried leaves sunk very fast but my prayers on a sheet of paper melted with roses' petals kept burning for a long moment and went away in the stream... This picture is exactly the way it came on my camera and for once there is no editing nor pp work, however the reflection on the water seems to be unreal.