On the streets of Mumbai you will see different things
Fake bangles, heaps of slippers, hanging amulets,
Piles of water coolers, rows of kites
Spindles of kite string
Dresses for the Gods
Tramping through the markets of Mumbai, I’ve come across some interesting wares. I thought I’d share these images which I’ve used before in different blogs over time.
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Rama has grown up and is now a young married man. Taking off from where the story ends in Book 1, Shubha Vilas continues to weave the magic of the Ramayana in yet another collection of little known stories of the epic that we are all so familiar with.
King Dasaratha has a restless night , tossing and turning between battles that he faces in his dreams fighting demons both real and imaginary. He has a premonition of something untoward happening but doesn’t know exactly what it is and how he is going to deal with it. Finally he wakes up to the realisation that he is old and it is time for him to give up his throne and make way for his son and heir. So he puts his decision to his people for a vote and was overjoyed when he heard that they agreed with his decision to abdicate. But before the young prince wakes up to the day of his coronation, the book leaves Ayodhya and takes us to the story of Ravana or Dasagriva, the King of Lanka who is on the rampage to subdue the universe and conquer all the worlds. In his quest to do so he performs many penances, fights many battles and ultimately overcomes several obstacles that come between him and his goals.
Since I have not read the Ramayana in its original form, I find this retelling quite fascinating. For instance, I was amazed to read about the sophisticated weaponry that existed in those ancient times. If the descriptions are to be believed, the Pushpak Viman is none other than an unmanned flying vehicle or the Drone. Similarly the Pasupatastra which could release hundreds of flame tipped arrows simultaneously is none other than a multiwarhead missile launcher
With these weapons of mass destruction at the command of Dasagriva ( now known as Ravana) who has already captured the three worlds and the nine controllers it is no wonder then that he needs to be subdued to save the world from complete annihilation. And since it is only the king of Ayodhya who can stop him, the world is looking to Dasaratha. But Dasaratha is old and tired and feels it only right to hand over the kingdom to his son, which is why he announces Lord Rama as his heir.
But if Rama becomes king, who will save the world? Thus it is that Manthara, the hunchbacked maid, steps in with a Machiavellian scheme to poison her mistress’ (and Rama’s step mother) mind and poisons Kaikeyi’s mind and prevents Rama from becoming the king. Thus exiled, he has no option but to take on the task of saving the world.
The book is engaging because it tells stories that are little known to most of us along with the little nuggets of wisdom that are imparted along the way such as how to accept difficulty with dignity, when boons can become curses or how power can make you powerless.
Like the previous book, the language can get a bit pedantic and tedious but if you persist, you will definitely come out the wiser with new tips on how to cope with every day life.
I am linking this to Write Tribe ProBlogger Challenge
I started out my modest art collection with an oil on canvas of Venice in sombre yellows by a little known Indian painter. Somehow, trite as the images are of Venice with its bridges and boats and narrow canals, I have always been fascinated by the romance it holds and was keen on buying a painting from Venice itself when I visited it briefly last year. However, my visit was far too brief and too hectic to even look around leave alone search for a painting that caught my fancy, so whenI was invited to the Sunday brunch and preview of Surya Prakash’s paintings of Venice by Maninder Dawer of INDIA FINE ART GALLERY, Tardeo, I was quite
looking forward to it.
Our Sunday began with another brunch event in another part of town and even though we were stuffed to the gills with our vegetarian Gujarati food that we’d pigged out on, we made a quick visit to the gallery.
The paintings were magical – the black and white oils were particularly dramatic and one could spend hours just looking at them and absorbing the mood of Venice which retains a freshness time after time.
The turnout was really good despite it being a lazy Sunday and several well-known artists mingled with Mani’s friends and clients. Even though the works were large, there were already some sold out – not surprising really since Surya Prakash is a senior Hyderabad based artist known for his impressionistic works of nature.
This new series of acrylic on canvas and paper, in vibrant colours as well as black and white is definitely simply stunning so go have a look .
Paintings will be on display from
A piece of trivia – it was Surya Prakash who first introduced Mumbai to Vaikuntham.
While I have no space large enough to display these gorgeous works, I will be happy to display the mug that Mani gave me and recall the magic of Surya Prakash’s Venice.
Thanks Mani for this delightful gift!
p.s. What really thrilled me was that Mani told me that he’d found my blog post about the Vaikuntham coasters he’d sent along as a Diwali gift on Google and I could hardly believe that I could be found on the internet so randomly !
I’m linking this to Write Tribe Pro Blogger Challenge
