sunno!

The Indian art market, and the creative output of Indians both at home and abroad, is experiencing a meteoric rise; however, any quick Google search will reveal a serious lack of comprehensive information regarding current topics, trends, and histories apparent to contemporary Indian visual culture.

I am a man obsessed with everything Indian, and I have been back in the United States for 7 months and cannot wait wait wait to return.  But as I sit in the library and type this I am reminded by the relative dearth of information.  I think the output, and creative innovation, from India is truly amazing, but it has received little scholarly attention (when put in comparison to Chinese contemporary visual culture) and I am hoping to start filling in those holes.

I am no scholar (far the fuck from that) but I am so excited about things being done in India.  This blog is more of a journal of sorts organizing my own thoughts regarding art in general and hopefully I will stick with it yaar.  This, I guess, will document my own process of discovery as I sort through all the things I see and read.  And who knows maybe other people will start doing the same thing

Here are some people doing some cool stuff

http://wearabout.wordpress.com/
http://indianbydesign.wordpress.com/
http://pardonmyhindi.com/

Okay I just did a search on "contemporary indian art blogs" and there are several-- so looks like I am just adding myself to the shuffle

WHY I LOVE THE SOUTH- Heaven

It is clean- Trivandrum is the cleanest city I have been to in India.  It has wonderful boulevards (that may be a stretch), there are no cows or dogs.  There are, however, cats.  The buildings are well maintained.  The neighborhoods are in picturesque winding lanes.  The architecture is unobtrusive.  Religions (Islam, Hinduism, Christianity) all live in peace (Jesus is right next to Ganesh on people's dashboards).

It is friendly- people love to smile, they are helpful, they are not menacing as those in Delhi can be.

Women work- in shops, in offices, at bus conductors.  They smile and you smile back.  There are thousands of woman on the streets

The Heat- is luxurious and not at all oppressing.

THE FOOD IS DELICIOUS-- vada, idli, dosa, BEEF CURRY EVERYWHERE, cashes, th most beautiful red bananas on earth, coconuts, fruits, cashews, and the most flaky parathas ever.

The landscape is heavenly- rocky and verdant. flat and expansive.  huge blue blue blue ocean.  palm trees. backwaters of stunning beauty.  cities truly integrated with nature.

I stayed there for 10 days- not counting 5 days spent on trains.  I ended up in the hospital for 2 hours- an experience I would not like to relive ( I hit my head on a door built for someone 6 inches shorter then me).
I met wonderful people.  14 of us rented a house in Kovalam. People from all over the world and partied and relaxed.  We cooked at and ate and drank and lounged on the beach under the equatorial sun.  Every night we ate the freshest fish imaginable.  Emma is one of my best friends and I am happy she invited me to come with her and all of her friends to the Kovalam house.

And now I am home!  And I am so so so so so happy-- I am so in love with Banaras, and while I LOVED the south, I would only want to live in the North- why?  I have no clue.

And today off to Delhi for the India Arts Summit

Meri Dadiji ke liye

To my Granny, who is always emailing me about my absence from the blogosphere

Home and Away again.
I have been back in Banaras for 3 weeks, after a wonderful wonderful whirlwind vacation.  A vacation that took me first to a the River Ashram in Varanasi, the most beautiful and kind and peaceful place in the world.  A Christian ashram run by the kindest, hippie Australian couple and their 6 year old.  I stayed there for a week- helping them start a spiral garden (a form of contemplative meditative gardening?) (I do not recommend Indian tools of labor- they are back breaking and highly inefficient and terribly imprecise)  An ashram that every Sunday opens its doors to the most loving community lunch-- where a vegetarian meal and the BEST CAKES/BAKED GOODS IN ALL OF BANARAS are served, by a German woman who has lived here for 10 years.

After my time at the ashram- after my cloth buying spree, my 2 trips to McDonalds, my reading, my mosaic making, my relaxing, my hot showering taking I went to Lucknow where I stayed 4 days with one of my best friends Eamon.

Eamon, who studied Urdu this summer in the city of Nawabs, of Kathak, of Mutton, and Chikan, is someone I would never have been friends with in the US.  He is a military Irish boy, currently contracted to the UW ROTC.  We come from very different worlds, that are also very similar and we became the best of friends-- India will do that.  We stayed 4 days in Lucknow.  There we ate egregious amounts of meat.  Smelled renowned ittar (perfumes-- some can imitate the smell of rain falling on dust), watched as men broke florescent bulbs on their heads and beat their flesh to to mourn the death of Hussain at the Battle of Karbala (Lucknow is the seat of Shia'a Islam in South Asia).

Lucknow, a city ruled by the most corrupt woman in the world- a toad and a egocentric, megalomanic philistine- is wonderful.  It is a big city, entirely un-navigable , but wonderful.  Its main thoroughfare is lined with gentrified colonial buildings.  On every corner is stand selling delicious mutton.  The city is refined, or was refined- but the memory of its glory remains and dazzles us through its mosques, its gates, its palaces, and schools, and gardens.

After Lucknow Eamon and I went on a SHOPPING SPREE, with Emma (an America Delhiwalli from Madison) in Delhi.  We spent the entire day shopping at the most wonderful of places- Khadi (homespun cotton) handicrafts, arts, etc-- nothing was taboo.  I never knew shopping could be so fulfilling- it really made it feel like Christmas (45 degrees, and shining lights-- no ice skaters or frozen breath)

After that we went to the fanciest mall I have ever been to- a mall that gave me anxiety, but also was highly seductive.  There we ate AMAZING Italian food- the Delhi upper middle class lives in the malls of the city- and watched the new (terrible) Woody Allen movie.

Eamon's flight to US was cancelled, due to the British snow storms and he stayed more days, while I took the 3 day train down to the South!

A wonderful experience!  the South is beautiful- beyond beautiful-- green beyond belief, verdant verdant verdant.  Edenic.  and HOT.

Banaras: Forest of Bliss

I have to remind myself how much and why I love living in this city.  My trips to Delhi and Goa, while fun, are deceptive and they make me distrust and dislike my "home town."  But when I come back home I fall in love again with the place.  There is just so much to love.


The other day we took a boat ride down the Ganga- seeing the sunrise, passing by villages, and heading past the ghats.  A former program participant was with us, he now lives in Delhi and is in charge of Fullbright in India, and it was through him that again saw this place as amazing.  I needed to be told why people love Varanasi, what brings them back and back and back.  On the boat I was able to see the city in a far more relaxed and peaceful way.  The sun hitting the buildings, the people all bathing, the cows meandering, and our boat slowly passing it all by made for an very touching pictures.  I now walk the ghat twice a week, and each time in the silence of the night, I am reminded about how lucky I am to live here, how fast this is all going, and how I want to cath and grab every second that passes through my fingers.  Varanasi is opening up to me in the most wonderful of ways, and I know I need/will come back.  I have meet some people from Europe that have been living here for over 20 years-- I wonder if I could hack that one


Lately I have been searching and really thinking about what I want to do when I get back home, and everyday the list grows longer.  I am happy I have my mom there to give me my needed dose of reality.  I would like to stay in India over the summer, but I just don't know if I could hack the heat- 120 degrees daily.  I would like to come back home to Rockford and hang with my family (anybody have a job for me?).  I would like to move back to Madison.  And now the newest in the string of outrageous ideas: San Francisco, my friend just signed on an apartment for the summer in the Mission.  But as my mom told me: one of the most expensive cities in the US and also in the state with 3rd highest in unemployment. Blah Blah Blah- but she is right.... sigh :)


The semester is ending and I have a bit of work to do: but enjoyable work: finishing some silk weaving, going around town and collecting samples of different silks, brocade styles, and regional textile designs. I have an outline to write and small five pager to do to.  But after those things I have my break and then the real work begins when I come back home: PROJECT, COLLECTING DATA FOR MY PROJECT, miniature painting, wrestling, and learning learning Hindi!  This is really a great way to learn

Beard Bustin'

Say Hello to My Little Friend
2 months ago I made a bet with Craig, after receiving the best shave of my life in Mussorie, to not shave my beard until November 18th.  Well 2 months are almost complete (WOW time flies and both languishes in India-- I'll be home before I even know it) and soon this animal will be shorn off my face.  I can't even remember what my chin looks like.  I am also told daily that I look like I am from Iran or Afghanistan, and actually real life Afghanis thought I was one of them (oh the irony).  Soon I will be 1000 rupees richer (20 dollars holla!) , as compliments of Craig's wallet.

I AM BACK

I am back.  It has been quite a while since I even signed into my blog, but I have just been so busy lately.  And time is passing so so quickly.

I had a wonderful time in Goa!  It was relaxing and it was definitely a welcome diversion from my studies (which I am continuing diligently!)  I would recommend Goa to anybody: it is beautiful, the people are friendly and laid back, the sun is bright and hot, the beaches are beautiful, there is no hassle, they take a siesta from 12.00 to 3 pm, they eat meat!  Everyday we would eat fresh coconuts and there was one night we were able to escape the 100 GIRLS and go to the beach for a party!  Goa is wonderful—it is like being in Brazil or Costa Rica.  I would like to go back—but I have other places to jaunt off too! But the joys of Goa faded fast when I got on the bus to return home from Delhi- 24 hours of sitting on a bus (3 to be exact) is far from enjoyable— hours and hours and hours of hot dusty fields really can make your mind go very numb (but I had a good book- The Baron in Trees—about a boy who leaves his family and lives in a tree for the rest of his life and  NEVER comes back down)

In December we begin our winter vacation—and I have finally finalized, made final my plans.  We will all be given a the entire month of to do as we please.  One girl is going to Turkey another to Nepal.  I am sticking a little more close to home.  I will be in Varanasi for two weeks again learning and exploring the city (and saving a little money) and then leave to Lucknow over the 15^th with my friend Eamon (who is in LOVE with Lucknow- he lived there over the summer)  Lucknow is the capital of Shi’a Islam in India and over that weekend is Muharrem, the festival commemorating the death of Ali’s son Hussein.  It is supposed to be amazing, beyond amazing there.  People mob the streets, renting their hair and mourning the death 2000 years ago of Hussein.  A white horse walks down the street as people throng it, attempting to touch it and commune with the saint (as represented by this horse- the white horse he rode into battle).  There will be Qawwali performances (devotional song) and lots of gooooood food!  Leaving Lucknow I will arrive in Delhi hang out there for a while—hopefully finally going to see the National Gallery of Modern Art and various other galleries around town.  I then will board a 48 hour train to Kerala- God’s Green Thumb and the setting for my favorite favorite book in all the Land- The God of Small Things.

I am heading down to Kerala with a group of 10 others—friends of my really good friend Emma.  While in Delhi a month ago they were planning their trip to Kerala and I was invited along.  I will be sharing a beach house between Christmas and New Years in Kovalam.  There will be Brazilians, Frenchies, Amis, Brits, Dutchies, Germans all sharing this house together and hopefully making real merry!  I hope to also make some solo adevntures to see some very famous murals (The Mattancherry Murals that really inspired my favorite artist Amrita Sher-gil) see an all night long Kathakali dance performance, and head out into the hills and view tea plantations.  OH so so so much to do.

ajsbg;alksvbn:A

I know, I know… it has been a long time since I last wrote a blogpost---- so here goes.

I just back from maybe one of the best weekends of my life and I am off again today!  This past weekend, our program gave us a small holiday ( a three day weekend- I took 4), and I quickly quickly bought tickets so as to leave Banaras.  Where?  DELHI.

Many people in our program find little interest in Delhi, they see it as a corrupt, dusty,  sprawling, mess.  Which it is, but on my first visit I knew I would and needed to return.  Something about cities just really draws me in—the energy, the vibrancy, the amount of people, the feeling of great potential.  Banaras at 2 million people, is definitely not a city—it has the problems of an India cities, but in many ways is a large town.  Delhi is a city- and while it may not be Mexico City, Mumbai, or New York there is a lot to do!

SOoooOoOoOO-  I was invited to a wedding by my friend Emma, her Punjabi coworker was getting married.  Emma currently is doing an internship with EdTerra (more later)  living in South Delhi with a group of interns at various companies from various countries (Brasil, Italy, Moldova, Britan, Holland etc)  currently 8 people live in her apartment! 

The wedding was amazing, well amazing may not be the word—but the food was surely amazing.  I wore my finest silk kurta and pajam (newly tailored and looking fresh, aside from the saag paneer stain it received during the course of the evening)

Biryani, Naaan, Shai Paneer, Kulfi, Jalebis, soups, naans, chole—and while these may not mean anything to, and while it may all have been veg., it was hands down amazing.  I stuffed myself beyond stuffing, I felt like I was going to explode, die, vomit—but all well worth it.

I also learned an interesting tid bit- anybody can go to anybodies wedding, especially as a foreigner.  All you need is to be looking fresh and show up with a gift, no one will question you and you will be welcomed with open arms!  So put that in your back pockets.

I may be attending a Muslim Wedding in November (fingers crossed!) and at huge (1000 guests) wedding in Delhi in December!  It is nice to attend weddings and not be the catering staff there.

The next day Emma and I woke up late and just relaxed, we relaxed for a few hours eating organic porridge and listening to music.  It is really great to reconnect with her, we really have a great dynamic.  Later, after shopping, we met my friend Kash ( A real Delhi-ite) to see his friend perform in a play— Hands down the worst play EVER, ever.  I need to see a good play, I am really getting turned off by theatre.  After the play we went to a BAR, yes a BAR with Kash and his friends. We ate Mutton, yes Mutton.  We bought FISH SAUCE and CHEESE (gouda, parmesan, mozzarella), yes FISH SAUCE and CHEESE (gouda, parmesan, mozzarella).  All of this and more from one of Asia’s most expensive retail destinations: Khan Market.  A Market filled with foreign groceries, book stores, clothing stores, restaurants etc etc etc.  We had a great time and met really great people (it really felt like being back home, or better a really posh place in New York or Europue!)  After that we went to a PARTY, yes a PARTY.  We drank ALCOHOL, yes ALCOHOL.  We got home at 4 am, yes 4 am.  I was ecstatic.

BUT HANDS DOWN THE BEST PART OF THE WEEKEND:  on Sunday we went to Kash’s sister’s house in Gurgaon ( an extremely rich enclave South of Delhi—Guragoan a complex of mansions, Asia’s largest Mall, sky rises, and SUVs— it is both repulsive and decadent, but so appealing) 

This house, his sister’s second home, her Delhi home, is filled with the latest in Siemen’s appliances, glass fronted Malibu-like, decked out with a pool ( A POOL) a sauna, a stema bath, a movie theatre, and a hrassy garden terrace.  It was unbelievable.  And mind you this is her and her husband’s second home, the other in Punjab is five times bigger.  We swam, we swam, we swam.  Oh how wonderful.  It was bizarre and amazing.

But oh ho ho ho how the mighty fall. And they fall hard.  Leaving on Monday I boared the wrong train bound to Varanasi, and while I was able to get home in time for class, I had no reserved berth.  For a few hours before, arriving in Moradabad, I was contently reading in an open berth, however with an influx people, I was promptly expelled and left to fend for myself at midnight, as a ticketless passenger on a full train.  I roamed the corriders looking for empty beds, alas.  In the end, degraded and defeated, I was forced to curl up, on a sheet, outside of the bathroom, on the ground, my head on my suitcase.  It is an experience I hope to avoid at all costs.  But by Lucknow, when people left I got a berth.  It must have looked all very funny a white boy, kurta’d and pajama’d curled up outside the bathroom sleeping much like the poor Indian’s around me.

OKAY and now for the very exciting news, news which I have only known about for two days! 

At the wedding I met the owner of Emma’s company, EdTerra, and we got along famously.  While chatting he insisted I join them on one of their company trips, and while he was adamant, I was unsure how genuine the extension was. Well…. Well before that let me fill you in.

EdTerra is a company which designs educational tours for Indian students.  These tours are met to complement the curriculum offered at their home schools (Woodstock School Mussoorie International School, and other private wealthy schools)  So they offer tours from weekend excursions to Rajasthan all the way to 10- 15 package tours in Bangkok, China, Nairobi, etc. 

So I get a frantic facebook message from Emma saying I need to call her.  I do and I am greeted with, “They want to send you to Goa!”  I was floored.  Goa, the former Portuguese colony, now Indian beach paradise.  I am leaving back to Delhi (having been back in Banaras for 2 days) to fly out to Goa for 10 days to lead an educational tour for 100 11^th grade girls from the Mussoorie International School.  I am very very very excited and extremely lucky!  And all expenses are paid!  WOW