Where Spirit Meets Art
Where Spirit Meets Art- Explores, comments and delves in to the intricacies of the world of art media and entertainment as a vehicle for conscious awareness, transformation and evolution.
Sunday 12 January 2014
Saturday 29 December 2012
Mirror, Mirror.....
With all that is happened in the last few weeks as we grapple with the
India we now live in. We now know, that we cannot just blindly
rely on the status quo to protect our mothers, sisters and brothers whether its
from sadistic monsters with rods who ride in buses or the ones who hide behind
uniforms and use their lathis on its unarmed citizens. It is imperative to look
at the current state of affairs and sift through carefully what the world is
mirroring back at us .
“A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.”
― Edward Murrow
It’s
a time for deep self- reflection. The easiest thing to do is to point at the
perpetrators, the incompetent lobbyists, corrupt politicians or the misogynist
cops or the impotent machinery that is OUR government today.
I’m
not denying that the fault lies with them but for every finger that points
outwards at them, there are that many that point at us.
This incident is not
the first or fifth or the ten thousandth one of violence against women in the
last so many years.It is one of millions that are happening even now all over our country, as thousands of protestors are right this minute marching to Juhu and Jantarmantar.
How did this get so far?
Who is to blame?
Politicians? Cops? Law makers?
Whether
we like it or not, these people have been put in power because someone voted
for them.
We
have tolerated and stood by while they have drafted & implemented archaic
laws that defy logic or justice.
This level of violence from rapists like these or inertia on the
part of the authorities has not risen out of nowhere.
What we are seeing today is the culmination of a mindset,
cultivated & engendered over decades that sees and treats women as the
inferior gender, as the disposable section of society that no one wants and are
considered a “bhoj” or liability.
Perpetuated by Bollywood fims, B grade advertising and Kyonki
Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi type of TV shows; that portray women as pawns &
accessories, commodities to be traded and negotiated over.
Why, in the second largest democracy in world, do women still have to fill in their father's or husband’s
name on any legal form as proof of identity? Men are not asked to put their
mother’s or wives name down first to prove their validity.
The alarming rates of female infanticide and still widening
chasm in the female to male ratio in India is proof about the value our nation
assigns to its women citizens.
The ridiculous comment about “dented and painted women“ made by the MP from Jangipur and
the subsequent PR smooshing over by
the party involved, is a frightening window into the archaic,
sexist mindset of the people who
make up our government and to whom we look to, to make our laws and protect us.
“A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he
becomes.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
So as we look at them, we must also look within and ask ourselves
What kind of cinema do you watch and support?
Are you a proponent of those Bollywood masala films where the
guy pursues the girl by teasing her on the road, grabbing her, singing her a
love song till she gives in?
What are the advertisements that have your attention?
Are they like the one where the young cool dude frightens away
the fat aunty by showing her is propensity for violent driving on his phone?
Did you find that amusing? If that was your mother needing a ride home, would
it still be funny?
When you see a woman on the road or in a club or in your office
who doesn’t conform to your idea of what a woman should be?
What do you think in your head?
How do you talk about her with your colleagues or friends?
How many families do you know off, where women are slapped
around by their husbands or in laws or asked to pray and perform special
rituals to ensure the birth of a boy?
Do you have the image or statue or Yantra of any of our Devis in
your home, car and office?
What does that really mean to worship the Goddess?
Are Lakshmi, Durga and Kali mere idols for worship or are they
facets of Divine Feminine that live inside all of us, men and women, waiting to
be excavated, arrogated and embodied!
“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”
― Gandhi
So lets march to
Jantar Mantar and boycott Republic day and show our solidarity through verbal
& written protests but let us also self reflect in to how we have all been
complicit in this discrimination against women; in the way we see, think, feel
and talk about gender issues.
For the change we are fighting for on the roads, in our buses
and in the mindset of those who run our country must first start with us, in
every area of our own lives.
From A Tryst with Destiny by Jawaharlal Nehru
“A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity.
At the dawn of history India started on her
unending quest, and trackless centuries are filled with her striving and the
grandeur of her success and her failures. Through good and ill fortune alike
she has never lost sight of that quest or forgotten the ideals which gave her
strength. We end today a period of ill fortune and India discovers herself
again. The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of
opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we
brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge
of the future?
That future is not one of ease or resting but of
incessant striving so that we may fulfil the pledges we have so often taken and
the one we shall take today. The service of India means the service of the
millions who suffer. It means the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease
and inequality of opportunity. The ambition of the greatest man of our
generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye. That may be beyond us,
but as long as there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be
over.
And so we have to labour and to work, and work
hard, to give reality to our dreams.”
Sunday 21 October 2012
Monday 24 September 2012
Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi- Soaps and the Craft of Manipulation
One of the pre- dominant leitmotifs of my childhood was my
father’s dictum on the kind of television and cinema we were exposed to. My
mother on the other hand encouraged us to sample everything, exercising the
power of choice and discretion.
Both parents were remarkably liberal in other ways; I don’t
remember them being strict about all the usual prosaic tedium like bedtime or
report cards. They were however extremely hands on about our education beyond
the school curriculum.
We travelled 3 times a year; they took us everywhere be it by
boat, bus, car or plane. The focus was always on seeing & experiencing all
aspects of the real world. I also remember that there was an unspoken consensus
to be honest, to think for yourself and to be your own person beyond the
frivolities of superficiality.
I was encouraged to read everything from Munshi Prem Chand,
Jane Austen, Asterix & Obelix comic books to Bertrand Russell, the Bhagwat
Gita to Ayn Rand and everything in between. There was no censorship, I remember
spending most of my after school hours up on the terrace with books from dad’s
library.
But when it came to TV and Films my father was a totalitarian;
he believed there was a difference between films that entertained yet inspired and
the mindless rubbish that was being churned out by the Indian industry at the
time.
We could watch movies like Devdas, Mughal-e-azam, Pyassa,
Kagas ke phool, Sound of Music, Gone with the Wind etc but anything post the
60s was strictly forbidden.
I watched my first commercial Bollywood movie when I was 17,
years after dad passed away, I enjoyed it but I could also see what my father had been alluding to.
This has been a defining influence in who I have become and
what I’ve chosen to do; the ability to decide what I expose myself to, what influences
and inspires me, it’s been an invaluable gift, this power of choice.
“You educate a man; you educate a
man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation.”
For those of you not familiar with the ‘Kyonki Saas Bhi
Kabhi Bahu Thi’ serials ( read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_soap_opera)
https://www.facebook.com/BooGio11Productions |
The title had a catch phrase that hooked us,
the ( Saas) mother in
law was once a
( Bahu ) daughter in law too and what it presents itself as, is a
vehicle through which the daily struggles of the ‘Bharartiye naari’ will be
addressed. It was pitched in a way that indicated that this story will hold the
answers; to how a woman can better cope with the most challenging relationship
in the Indian family dynamic, the one she has with her mother in law.
The sub
plot and the characterization, follow the old formula of creating drama around conflict
and intrigue. The scenes are then peppered with elaborate costumes, sensational
dialogue delivery and over the top sound effects.
It is however a con, what women don’t get is, that they are
being manipulated and subtly brain washed; being made experts in the old ways
of being and doing by control, fear, shame and manipulation.
https://www.facebook.com/BooGio11Productions |
“I hope she'll be a fool -- that's
the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”
It worries me, exposing my sisters and daughters to this
kind of archaic garbage. There is really no other word for it but GARBAGE.
I believe these soaps have regressed our Indian society back
in to the dark ages; instead of focusing on the opportunities that this century
has brought us; they focus on the petty aspects of human baseness, moral
repugnancy and ratings motivated melodrama.
There are of
course some that are exceptions to the rule, but unfortunately most serials
that are being mass produced; are like fast food - taste good but offer little content
and even lesser or no nutritional value.
According to the last census of 2011 there are 58,64,69,174 women in India.
It is frightening to see the hidden messages in the
characterization and sub plots of these soaps that are being sent out to young
women today.
If viewed unconsciously the underlying messages are:-
1.
Power can only come from position and hierarchy
and through plotting and manipulation.
2.
Women have to fight amongst themselves to
establish their worth and position in the family.
3.
That manipulation, back biting and game playing
are the tools for succession.
4.
That there are 2 kinds of women the vamp or the
victim; women have to be segregated in to stereotypes and treated accordingly.
5.
Everyone around you determines your worth; you
are what people think of you, so as long you pretend to be virtuous on the
outside, it doesn’t matter who you really are when no one is looking.
6.
Respect is bought by virtue of position and
doesn’t need to be earned through intent or conduct.
7.
Do anything to make everyone else happy even if
it goes against your own beliefs or happiness
8.
Suffering in silence, sacrifice for the sake of
others and general martyrdom (or the appearance of it) are the mark of a true
‘Bharatiye naari.’
9.
And of course the age-old gold digger’s mantra -
marry a rich man for an immediate lifestyle upgrade, better yet make sure you
marry the eldest son for complete and total domination.
“It is impossible to build one's own happiness on the
unhappiness of others. This perspective is at the heart of Buddhist teachings.”
Whether you live in a metropolitan city or anywhere else,
one doesn’t have to look far to see how many women are not educated today. Someone
could argue that these serials are just light entertainment, not meant to be
taken seriously; but ask the women around you, your cook or your manicurist if she knows about Irom
Sharmila or Medha Patkar? She may not them know them but she will know Tulsi
from ‘KSBKBT’ !
We are the one of the few democracies in the world to have
had a woman leader.
When I think of inspiring Indian women like the Rani of
Jhansi Laxmibai or Kasturba Gandhi, who fought shoulder to shoulder with men in
the freedom struggle; come Independence Day, I often wonder what we have to
show these women who fought hard for the privileges we take so for granted. I
wonder what they would make of women squabbling over scraps in ‘KSBKBT’ serials
or the Kareena Kapoor inspired size zero obsession.
“When you know better you do better.”
We have the ability biologically, emotionally and
spiritually to create, carry and nourish a baby in our bodies for nine months. And
when we are not carrying a baby that power to create, nourish and transform
still exists within us.
These KSBKBT type soaps teach women to be less than who we
are; keeping them far away from who they are meant to be; spirit in a female
body, the embodiment of Goddess energy, harbingers of the divine feminine.
The next time you find your young daughters or sisters watching
anything that teaches that women have to be less to have more, I hope that you
will exercise the power of choice and change the channel.
Monday 17 September 2012
Weapon of Mass Destruction- SHAME
“The supreme art of war is to
subdue the enemy without fighting.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
SHAME
SHAME PUPPY SHAME…
The last I heard those words years ago
when I was a child of 7, I cannot recall when precisely or under what conditions.
It
is such a simple child’s rhyme but I couldn’t understand it then!
And
although I don’t hear the word shame much anymore, along with so many other
women living a male dominated society, I experience it every day.
Shaming
someone doesn’t really need much, it doesn’t have to be loud it’s a subtle
ploy...a smirk here, a timely laugh… a reproachful glare or a disapproving
stance.
Make
someone feel small enough and soon they will forget who they can be.
Diminishing
someone is an age-old weapon to control behavior; it’s completely bloodless, it
costs nothing and once done right, rarely needs a reload.
It’s
a quite insidious energy like a giant black snake slithering past you in the
middle of the night, it doesn’t need to bite you with its venom or show you its
fangs, just the fear it evokes by its presence and the potential danger it
presents is enough. Its been used for centuries by those who benefit by suppressing
talent, ability, power to suit their own agendas.
As
an Indian woman in particular, I see it all around me and taste aspects of it
wherever I go.
It’s
in the little things that ‘seem’ so inconsequential; must wear a duppatta,
cover your chest, so men don’t ogle at you. Don’t show too much skin when you
step out lest you get pinched, poked, mauled or raped. It’s for your own
protection.
The
first thing anyone asks of a victim of assault here in this country is
“ what was she wearing?”.
“ what was she wearing?”.
"The hardest thing to explain
is the glaringly evident which everybody has decided not to see."
— Ayn Rand
No
one ever says to your face that you are the inferior sex, but it’s implied all
the time in so many ways. There is a long list of must dos that must be ticked
off before we are respected, accepted and loved.
The
ideal Indian Nari must….
-
Must maintain yourself; but only expose for your husband don’t
be a ‘fast’ girl and show for the entire world to see… tauba tauba!!!
-
Must get good grades; but no need to think for yourself or voice
your opinion…( tch tch badey intellectual ban gayi!)
-
Must have a well paying job; but don’t make your own decisions (hmpff these modern girls I tell you, soo selfish !)
-
Must be adjusting – bend over backwards to fulfill everybody’s
needs at
the cost of your own { chi chi! “log kya kahein gay” ( what will people say)}.
the cost of your own { chi chi! “log kya kahein gay” ( what will people say)}.
“Most books on witchcraft will tell
you that witches work naked. This is because most books on witchcraft were
written by men.”
It’s
a very confusing message we send out to young girls. Our eyes are beautiful but
our breasts are not. We must work hard to be beautiful and accomplished BUT we
have to earn our right to have an opinion, a voice or any choices or make our
own decisions.
Our
boys and men need not be taught how to look at women nor should the laws insure
a woman’s safety but we must dim down ourselves so as to keep them from acting
on their primal impulses. Nor are they taught that we are the same as them and
don’t have to earn our right to be treated with respect or consideration.
"You are not a mistake. You
are not a problem to be solved. But you won't discover this until you are willing
to stop banging your head against the wall of shaming and caging and fearing
yourself. "
— Geneen Roth
Shame
is such a powerful weapon, it has a domino effect, maim one and the rest will
submit just from the fear of it. Shaming someone for their choices is emotional
violence at its worst.
When
a man thinks its ok to pass comments on me on the road,
Or
when am asked to cover up for my protection,
Or
when am asked to prove my worthiness, because I am born a daughter and not a son
I
am compelled to look at the energy behind it.
What
is the religious or cultural influence that makes ‘that’ ok?
Is
it from the decades of Hindi movies that show men chasing women around trees
while they sing love songs? Or from the never-ending advertisements that show
us that our self esteem sits in pot of fairness cream, toxic hair dye or in the
latest anti aging formula? Or is it from the music videos that objectify women,
by showing them little more then a collage of boobs, eyes, thighs and bums?
“Because today
we live in a society in which spurious realities are manufactured by the media,
by governments, by big corporations, by religious groups, political groups...
So I ask, in my writing, what is real? Because unceasingly we are bombarded
with pseudo-realities manufactured by very sophisticated people using very
sophisticated electronic mechanisms. I do not distrust their motives; I
distrust their power. They have a lot of it. And it is an astonishing power:
that of creating whole universes, universes of the mind. I ought to know. I do
the same thing.”
― Philip K. Dick
So
what is the solution?
How
can we turn this poison into medicine?
When
we start to live life consciously, it stops being about pointing a finger and
becomes about finding and healing that which allows the wounding to take root.
My
sister says she sees it coming from a deep place of insecurity and lack, this
need to make someone else feel small and less.
I couldn’t agree more but I also see that what makes it possible for someone else to shame us, be it a person or society as a whole, is that we are seeking their approval.
We need someone else to tell us what we wear, how we look, feel or think or do is ok. And in that approval we find our sense of safety and where we belong. But in the seeking of that outside approval we give up our own power.
I couldn’t agree more but I also see that what makes it possible for someone else to shame us, be it a person or society as a whole, is that we are seeking their approval.
We need someone else to tell us what we wear, how we look, feel or think or do is ok. And in that approval we find our sense of safety and where we belong. But in the seeking of that outside approval we give up our own power.
I think here in the sub continent
men are taught to believe that shame really is a woman’s domain, her burden to
carry, and her plight to bear. They have been taught to see us as the weaker sex,
who has to be managed and handled.
From where I’m standing, the other
side of the coin of shame, is Honor.
And like everything else in the
patriarchal society we have looked outwards to save ours. Our whole notion of
what is appropriate has been handed down to us. We are taught to follow
convention and to suppress our own inner knowing.
Wikipedia defines honor as -“ an abstract concept entailing a
perceived quality of worthiness and respectability that affects both the social
standing and the self-evaluation of an individual or corporate body such as a family, school, regiment or nation. Accordingly, individuals are assigned worth and stature based on the harmony of their
actions with a specific code of honor, and the moral code of the society at large.”
I believe that just like Love is
the antidote for Hate, Courage is for Fear then Honor is the one for Shame.
When
we understand that our rights are not given to us like some boon earned through penance and suffering but are ours
to claim.
When we learn to honor ourselves, gender bias and its associated power games become irrelevant.
When we learn to honor ourselves, gender bias and its associated power games become irrelevant.
“I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naïve or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman.”
― Anaïs Nin
Saturday 8 September 2012
Zen And The Art Of ..well just .. Being!
“Passion can transform the mind,
body and spirit...
Passion can align you with the
wisdom of nature and the power of what is in your heart.” ― JoLynne Valerie
I love all aspects of performance, but my favorite part is
when you get on the floor after the first few readings to work on the
character.
To start with you have the basic outline in the script, but
the fleshing out to make a character “ real” and believable happens when you
start working physically with your team through exercises and scene work on the
floor.
The process of bridging
the gap between the writer’s fantasy and the director’s vision is the actor’s
job.
I see the Writer
is the architect who has designed the house, his vision is the foundation of
the house, he lays out the basic plan of action, he answers the where, who,
what and when of the story. The Director is like the manager on site; making
sure that the plan fits and the building comes up on schedule, encouraging
everyone to their best and ensuring everyone is kept happy doing the work. The
performers make up the house; the walls, windows, doors, floor etc are the
blanks that you the Actor fill in; finding the character through your body, your voice,
from your memories and in your emotions.
It’s like this fabulously complex jigsaw puzzle and the
clues can be found from the landscape of your life, your experiences, your
perceptions or from the way you choose to experience yourself and the world
around you.
For me this is the most exciting part…the excavation!
The journey of discovery is not about the end result but the
process you open yourself up to, which holds the opportunity for transformation
and growth.
“The body is wiser than its
inhabitants. The body is the soul. The body is god’s messenger.” ― Erica Jong
We usually do this through theatre exercises, which also
include breathing techniques, movement, dance, voice exercises, guided
visualizations, improvisations and group games.
As simple and fun as they sound and indeed are, it’s also a
rigorous and exacting process, not just physically and psychologically but also
emotionally.
To get to the core of your character’s essence and to be
able to embody that truthfully, one has to strip away any and all conditioning
that interferes with.
For e.g. If you are playing the role of a prostitute that then
requires you as the actor to get extremely comfortable in your body. It’s not
just a physical thing; one also has to come to terms with any of your
prejudices and judgments about the profession or the character’s choices and
motivations. The body doesn’t lie, if you are squeamish about sex or sensuality
it will shine through and the audience wont believe you.
"Standing here
The old man said to me,
"Long before these crowded streets
Here stood my dreaming tree."
Below it he would sit
For hours at a time
Now progress takes away
What forever took to find
And now he's falling hard
He feels the falling dark
How he longs to be
Beneath his dreaming tree
Conquered fear to climb
A moment froze in time"- The Dreaming Tree - Dave Matthews
I think one of the greatest diseases in our times is
loneliness. The dictionary defines it as “ being without companions”; I don’t
mean loneliness in the conventional way.
I see it in the world around me, as this very quite dull ache,
an insidious energy that is the motivating force for a lot of people’s
ambitions to “Be Somebody” and
“Get somewhere”
to somehow “Be More” by buying and owning more.
It shows up in so many different ways, the endless search
for a soul mate, fame, and money, success or even notoriety; in addictions be
it for food, drugs, sex, shopping or alcohol.
When I look at loneliness as energy, I see it as disconnect;
being disconnected from the fundamental truth of who are, from spirit or
source, from the power that connects us to everything, to the earth, ocean, sun
and sky.
Its what keeps us feeling empty & isolated, an
incomplete fraction looking for that elusive thing that will make us whole.
One of the ways
that I find can fill the gap, the missing piece and the connection is through
the arts.
“To be yourself in a world that is
constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
What I love about theatre and (I think this is the reason
that in spite of TV, Film and the Internet it has survived) that its real;
whatever happens on the stage between you and the audience, you cant fake it, either
the piece works or it doesn’t, there is no editing or ‘Photo-shopping’, dubbing,
or ‘special effects’.
In the end it’s you (the team that puts up the play) and the
exchange of information and energy with the audience in that moment. No re-
runs or out takes. Its all about the here and now.
To be able to generate and deliver that experience all performers
have to develop a certain level awareness, transparency and presence.
The key word being – presence, the ability to be fully
present in the moment. To be fully who you are, accepting and owning the traits
you deem good or bad, in the body that you have; tall or short, fat or thin,
using all of your talents and abilities. When I look at some of the actors most
admired say Marlon Brando, Meryl Streep or Amitabh Bachan, Ive found that they
all have this in common; a certain indefinable quality called charisma, I see
this as presence. It’s a level of self-acceptance, mastery in the way of just
BEING!
One of the key attributes we work on through group exercises
is to remain centered, fully present in your body in the moment. Using age old
yogic breathing techniques help you develop the ability to be alert yet calm, connected
to your body yet also responsive to what is going on in your environment.
During workshops & rehearsals, irrespective of whether
the participants are performers or not, all exercises that focus on learning to
be fully present are the ones that I’ve found to have the most long lasting
effect for them even after they are done with the workshop.
If there were one thing I could add to the curriculum of
every learning institution would be this subject and these exercises. You
couldn’t score them on a report card but they would be an invaluable tool for
the school of life.
“To live is the rarest thing in the
world. Most people exist, that is all.”
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