MANNERS FROM THE PAST


If you were to travel back in time in India before coming of Islam you would possibly be shocked . You were likely to see women walking around with breasts completely exposed . You might see a few women using veils , but those were more as a dressing item than to cover their faces . Do not expect them to shy away or cover their faces seeing you , an unknown man . That is a post islamic trait . What might really amaze you is the wonderful hairdos of women , especially those belonging to nobility . Each of them must have taken hours to finish and adorn !  Expect to see stunning artworks done with sandalwood paste and saffron over the exposed breasts of  the ladies and on foreheads of both the sexes . 
Widespread use of garlands would have been extremely common, both as an ornament to the body and a perfumery . If you at all come across a girl wearing a stiched tunic or upper garment , understand that she is from a lower strata in society , either a public women , dancing girl or servants . Women of repute would never do something as low as to cover their breasts ! 
And how do you possibly identify a girl of noble birth ? By colour of the skin ofcourse . The darker and more tanned she is , expect her to be of a higher birth . You would possibly see men ogling at dark women while fair skinned ones would turn out to be mostly servants and slaves.

The dark princess ... at Ajanta

Common men was likely to be found in short lower clothings and bare bodied .  But both the sexes generously covered in gold jewelry and precious stones , testifying to the immense richness and prosperity of the land . Almost everyone's mouth stained red with chewing of Paan leaves and unabashed spitting everywhere ( as testifed by a persian traveller ) . A rather loud application of kohl 'Kajal' on their eyes might remind you of a parallel culture - Egypt . 

 

A dancer wearing a stiched upper garment with suprisingly

modern looks .. sleeves in different colour !

Balinese women

Balinese women

The buildings would be very different from what you can imagine with modern sensibilities . Small but neat brick houses for commoners . Palaces for the royality would be spread out over a large area with gardens . Gardens would be full of fruiting trees and creepers and flowering plants . They are more likely to resemble a natural forest than organised landscaping what we see today . Organised landscaping , arrangement of plants and fountains was an Islamic import . The construction would have been done largely in wood .. carved with exceptional skills and gilted or painted . Use of stones would be reserved for temples usually . 

If you are walking past big metropolises like Mathura , Pataliputra or Tanjore , it likely that you will spot a cosmopolitan ethnicity . Greeks and Romans in their traditional dress chatting away in street corners . Do not be surprised if you see a white european worshipping Vishnu and speaking in chaste vernacular tongues ! They have had stayed in this land for over three generations now , much like your marwari neighbour . 
African slaves working in streets . Persian traders Bargaining for a good price ...so on and so forth . 
And those who think 'english liquor' is new to India , think again . India traded spices and fabric with the west in return of Roman wines ! So , expect to see finest Mediterranean wines being served out to Indian men and women in banquets !

Surprising ? Not a bit ....

Although we Indians continually sing the glories of continuity of culture in our civilization , we tend to overlook how much we have changed in the last thousand years . So when you piece together a complete image of what ancient Indian society might have been like , you might think it to be rather alien !
The oldest debate was if women kept their breasts uncovered . There have been numerous societies where breasts have been kept uncovered . The numerous paintings and sculptures , flattering descriptions of bosoms , tales of 'shringaar' on them .. all point to exposure of breasts . More solid proof can be gathered from the practices in Kerala and south east Asian countries like Bali and Thailand in the recent past . We know that S.E.Asia was Indian colony and that the culture of the land is still predominantly Indian . Until coming of the British , when it had to be stopped with legislation , the ladies of these places kept their breasts uncovered . In a country of tropics , where temperatures reach upto 45 degrees , it is quite natural that the need or necessity to cover body was not felt . Stiched garments like overcoat was not unknown , but not popular amongst people . They were viewed as a foreign culture and respectable families never resorted to adopting such 'degrading' foreign practices .
The most shocking of all changes must be the perceptions beauty . In ancient India , black was beautiful . We can still see this mentality in the depictions of our beloved gods and goddesses . Krishna is dark .... many of the goddesses are dark . In the ancient murals at Ajanta , the ladies of nobility and beauty are all dark skinned . Fair skin was frowned upon . The modern way of perceiving fair as beautiful is post Islamic and more specifically a product of British rule .

The third great change is in use of jewelry . India traded with west in exchange of Gold and silver . The hunger of Gold was as great as it is now . In a rich nation like India both men and women wore gold . Anklets , waist , heads , ears .... no part of the body was spared ! But in changing times , men seems to have done away with it completely , thanks to british morals . The last of the Indian men to generously don gold was the fabled maharajahs of colonial times . Today it is all a woman's game .

Each invasion and time has left its tell tale mark on our old land . But a thread of continuity has run unbroken all along . So inspite of these changes , we are still the oldest surviving civilization on earth !

They arent greaco roman art . They are Indian ! Gandhara art flourished under a east west synthesis after Alexander's invasion

When the black goddess becomes the black cowherd boy !

Blood and Vraj --- A unity of paradoxes 


In the forest of Vrindavana the small cowherd community of Yadavas were peacefully residing with their much loved leader and friend , Sri Krishna .  Every night , hearing the flute of Krishna , Srimati Radharani would quietly slip out from her home to secretly meet with her lover in the deep forests .
However this did not go unnoticed . Soon Radha's sister and Mother in law , Jatila and Kutila  informed her husband Ayan of his wife’s  ‘adultery’ . Infuriated Ayan set off to punish the miscreant , into the deep woods . However the lord of all beings , Sri Govinda ,  already knew what was in the air . He quickly asked Radha to collect all the wild fruits and flowers that she can and sit down at his feet in an worshipful gesture . Radha , though perplexed , obeyed to his commands and soon Krishna had himself transformed to Kali — the ishta or chosen deity of Ayan .
One instance when all the differences between chandan smeared body of  Madhava and blood smeared  body of Kali become one . Shyam becomes Shyamaa !
 When Ayan arrived on the spot , he found his wife doing puja of their family deity . Thus Srimati Radharani was saved .

In the last 500 years,  mystics of eastern India personally felt the unity of these two important forms of Hindu pantheon . Many songs and poems were composed in honour of this united form . Poetically it was named KRISHNA-KALI .  In many such song the Sadhak poses himself as a little child requesting his loved mother to drop her ghastly look to assume the more pleasing form of Krishna with kadamba garlands , yellow robes and enchanting crown of flowers and peacock feathers .
A fact lesser known , this day is also commemorated in Bengal as Phalaharini Kalika Puja , which takes place in the amavasya(new moon might) of jyestha(april-may) month .....at a time when India is abound with scented flowers and sweetest of fruits like mango . The seeker surrenders himself by offering the fruits of his love at that blue tinged lotus feet ...

” My mother has become Krishna on seeing the enchanting night of  full moon in the season of spring .
my black moon(Kali) has now started the divine play of holi .
ah ! behold the mesmeric beauty on her body , which is now covered with coloured holi powders and blood .
Dakini , Sakini , Yogini , Hakini and all her other companions have become mad with divine love and thus have turned to gopinis (cowherd damsels)" ----- Premik Maharaj

EARTH WITNESS !!!

In ancient India a sage was meditating under a tree . His was a process of self realization .... or rather self actualization , as modern psychologists would call it . After years of introspection , questioning and silent contemplation when he was almost on the verge of getting all his answers , he faced his strongest opponent -- Demon Mara . The demon who is none other than personification of our own base instincts and desires , manifested in front of the sage , accompanied by his men , and armed with all that is necessary to lure him away from reaching that moment of truth!

" How can you reach the truth just by spending a few days in isolation . Dedicate at least a couple of lives to search of truth and then shall you know . You do not have the right to be seated in contemplation here . That seat goes to me . I have so many witness who would testify to my worthiness of being seated here . What witnesses do you have ? " ---  roared Mara .

The sage was awakened but not angered . He did not argue , he did not defend himself . He just reached out his right hand and touched the earth on which he was sitting with the tip of his fingers  . And mother Earth herself thundered back in a thousand voice .... all echoing as one ---- " I stand witness to the worthiness of this man's spiritual pursuit ! There isnt a place on this planet where this man , in some past lifetime , have not given himself up totally in pursuit of spiritual truth ! "

Mara disapeared . The gates to the eternal world of wisdom opened for the sage .
Enlightenment !
The sage whose 'bodha' or sense has been awakened is Buddha .
And that moment when mother earth herself protected her child has been solidified in art through 'bhumi-sparsha mudra' , where Buddha's left arm rests on his lap and right hand reaches down to touch the earth !

Who is a greater witness to our lives than earth herself ...... to whom we owe our existence ! Who is a greater protector that Earth herself ... without whose safe haven all life would perish ! Who is a greater mother that Earth herself ... on whose dust we shall all return !


Wishes to all on the hallowed full moon night of Buddha .

Peace ....

BIRDS , BABUS AND BENGALIS 



Recently I aqquired an antique brass bird stand or 'pakhir dnaarr' as it is popularly called in Bengali . Such beautiful brass hanging stands with twin 'makara' faces are reminiscent of the glorious colonial art , when victorian way of keeping parrots in stands fused with indigenous mythological motifs and manifested as an independent art form in the city of Calcutta . Forsaken by the original owners , it landed up in scrap seller's shops from where it was picked up by me not just because I have an interest in birds , but also because this little thing speaks volumes about Bengal's penchant for birdkeeping .

Indian's have kept birds as pets for centuries before any other civilization , but it was in Bengal that the passion manifested fully . Fed by the islamic birdkeeping traditions like falconry , cock fight and pigeon keeping , it grew into a full fledged industry with dealers specialising in ways to trap , tame and nurture birds .

'Chandanaa'

Alexandrine parakeet was thus named on the famous Alexander the Great , who took back number of this species to Greece after his conquest of India in 327 B.C. In Bengal the parakeet is called Chandanaa . Greater Hill mynah , or simply bengali moynaah , was prized for its talking skills .

'Pahari moynaah'

Even Australian birds like Cockatoo got its bengali name - Kakatua ! And who can forget the immortal songs - " lal juhti kakatua " or " bulbul pakhi moyna tiye " ?

'Kakatuaa'

In the days of babudom , it was a trend of the rich and affluent to keep flocks of best homing pigeons on their terraces . Fights of bulbul birds often attracted big wagers ! Rich homes competed with each other in collecting rare and exotic birds . Even today , many bonedi baris ( aristocratic homes) have a lingering collection of exotic birds .

And what else can show the craziness for birds than the fabled 'bagbazaar pokkhir dawl' ?!

Kalighat pat showing a courtesan with a peacock , giving an idea of how popular bird keeping was in colonial times

In later 18th and early 19th century , babu culture was at its prime . Rich babus squandered millions in Durga pujas and in wedding of their pets ! They burnt ten rupee notes to light a cigar and went around on zebra drawn carriages !
During this time , a group of like minded men , usually idle youngsters of well to do families formed a group . Their activities included competing with each other in opium , ganja and charas , mastering hindustani classical songs , penning songs themselves and spending time in 'adda' and debates . Depending on the prowess of a particular individual in taking drugs , he would be assigned a honorary title of a bird name . The more majestic bird names for the more majestic addicts ! After thus honored with the title , that individual would often behave in manners of that bird and speak in a codified language that resembled the calls of that bird !
Many bengali friends might have heard grandmoms and mothers speaking in a gibberish tongue , seemingly unintelligible to our ears but perfectly understandable to them who speaks in it . Such gibberish speaking originated from the talking styles of members of 'pokkhir dol' !
Apart from penning songs and singing , they also provided light comical relief to rich babus of those times by composing light satires and rhymes , for which the group was patronised by them . Roop Chand pokkhi -- a famous member , designed his horse carriage to look like a cage of a bird !

Even today it would be hard to find a Bengali home where at least a parakeet has not be kept as a pet at some point of time ! 

But things Started changing fast after Independence . Australia was first to ban export of its native species . This sharply impacted the Calcutta bird markets . Cockatoos , so prized as a cage bird was no longer to be seen . The prices sky rocketed and soon what was a common bird in many homes became a bird from songs and story telling . The second blow came when Indian government banned keeping Indian birds in India ! And the last hurdle was the collapse of joint family system . Small nuclear families living in dingy appartments , with working parents could no longer afford time or money to keep exotic birds . Extended verandahs with italian marbled flooring and hanging bird stands and victorian cages are now a thing of the past . But perhaps , all is not lost yet . The recent rise in bird shows across the city shows that people still retain some of the old passion that this city had . The changing times may have restricted its free growth , but the nostalgia and love that Bengalis once had for birds still continues .....

Sharmila tagore with pet Chandana in Satyajit Ray's film Devi