e-web learning

While online music and art lessons are convenient, they cannot replace the process of one-on-one learning, says Anita Iyer.

In a world where investment advice and even medical opinions are being given on-line, can music or art lessons be far behind?
The proliferation of the Internet, enhanced band widths and falling costs of recording and uploading large files have opened up a whole new way of learning music or art on-line. In a sense this e-learning is putting the traditional Gurukul system of learning on its head.

As Neyveli Santana Gopalan, a prominent vocalist based in Chennai says, “Internet has changed the way music was perceived in older times. Due to the advent of Internet and its influence on our lives, the Gurukul system (Students coming to the Gurus) is replaced by Shishyakul (Gurus going to Shishya)”.

Today, the web world is over flowing with websites offering Carnatic music lessons by renowned vocalists and instrumentalists at nominal prices. Learning music lessons online comes as an advantage for both the learner and teacher as they can access music suiting their busy schedules.

It is mainly the increased interest of westerners and distant learners which has boosted the concept of online music lessons, proclaims Mr. Suresh Vaidyanathan, a Ghatam maestro and a vocal artist who has 25 students varying from USA to Japan learning under him. Elucidating the concept of e- music learning, he says, “I record video clippings of 10 MB each and attach an Excel sheet with notations mentioned in it and mail it to my disciples throughout the world. As music needs to confirm with Taal and Sur, I specify the counts and beats of music in the rows and columns in the excel sheet”. “Normally, all my lessons are recorded with home video camera and are send via mail. But sometimes, the lessons are too big and breaking the continuity is meaningless so in such cases, I send across a CD or a DVD of my recordings via post”.

Talking about the profile of learners, Mr. Suresh says, “It is mainly the westerns who get influenced and fascinated by seeing the Indian classical performances abroad and develop a keen interest to learn the art form. As not many Indian artists are available abroad, they seek online music lessons as a mode to learn our music. Many NRIs learn Indian music because they want to establish themselves and want to prove that they are capable enough to hold a concert abroad”.

The period of learning music via Internet depends on the receptivity, capacity, the time spent by each student for practices and sincerity in his approach while learning.

Anant Padmanaban, a NRI based in United States who takes online lessons for Mandolin instrument says, “It was about four years ago that I got inclined towards the musical instrument Mandolin on my visit to Chennai. I took some basic lessons in mandolin for a week from Guru Gopalakrishnan based in Chennai and on my return to United States, I continued to learn music by taking online lessons”. “The only problem that amateurs face while learning music lessons online is understanding the basics. So if you are clear with the basics, learning further lessons via mail is like distant learning and is not that tedious a job”.

There are many online websites providing lyrics and video clips of bhajans, geetams, Swarajatis, Varnams of Carnatic music, one of them being http://www.karnatik.com/, http://www.indiamusicinfo.com/ and many musical videos are also uploaded on http://www.youtube.com/

Bharat Subramanium, Director, http://www.indiamusicinfo.com/ says, “Here at indiamusicinfo.com, we aim to impart knowledge and to make the learners understand the true values of music and to bring them up to the level of performing”. “Music cannot be learnt by reading the musical notes from website and to achieve excellence, there has to be a backing from a learned Guru. So, on our website we have added video clips by renowned vocalist Neyveli Santana Gopalan and also mentioned the lyrics for the classical songs for easy learning”.

“At the moment, we only have vocal Carnatic music listed up but have not thought about musical instrumental lessons as there are many constraints attached to it. One of it being the bandwidth and the fingering moves involved in playing the instruments”, reasons Mr. Bharat.

Neyveli Santana Gopalan whose videos are uploaded on http://www.indiamusicinfo.com/ says, “My music classes are recorded by the website people and later uploaded on their website -http://www.indiamusicinfo.com/ from where these video clips can be downloaded at nominal prices. One advantage that comes along with online lessons is the learner can listen to it at his own convenience”.

Chandresh Kudwa, one of India’s best rock and blue guitarist recently launched India’s first interactive guitar lessons website- http://www.theguitarthing.com/. Talking about his website he says, “In my website I have taken care of basics like how to hold a guitar, anatomy of a guitar etc. The website has a series of lessons varying from beginner’s guide to advanced levels to attain higher proficiency levels”. In www.theguitarthing.com, the guitar lessons are prerecorded in a video clips focusing on the moment of the fingers on the strings for amateurs to learn. These video clips can be downloaded via credit cards at nominal prices of Rs. 10 and Rs. 20 per lesson.

“Learners often clear their concept by mailing me down their queries and I respond in my best possible way. So, there is a one to one interaction between me and subscribers of video in my website”, he says.

http://www.playpianotoday.com/ is an online piano learning website which teaches people to play keyboard by the technique of Rhythmic patterns without the need of a written music sheet. Music is learnt by hearing to the beats and seeing the moments of the fingers on the keyboard in the video available on the website.

Learning online can be a challenging task for freshers, believes Mr. Suresh. Recollecting one such incident, he says, “I remember once a student based in Europe who was interested in taking online lessons in Ghatam. I provided him with all the required materials and also video conferencing but after a span of three months he still insisted that he was not very comfortable with playing Ghatam. I later discovered that he was holding the Ghatam in a wrong position and so I ended up rendering him a half an hour clip on how to hold the clay pot! Any one who has a fair idea of music and have witnessed the concept of music can learn the lessons online”.

In spite of the conveniences offered, one of the grave problems with online teaching is the connectivity. While learning art, any form of distortion is disturbing and many a times connectivity poses a problem while learning online. The second problem is rectification of errors as there is no direct interaction between the learner and the Guru. “I keep sending lessons via mail and rectify their queries and mistakes through chats but to make sure the disciple is moving the right way, I insist that they mail me video or audio file of them performing and give a feedback”, says Mr. Santana Gopalan.

Although, there are many takers to online music, there are some who think otherwise. Anandi Rajan, a Tanjore painter says, “Online lessons shelves to bridge the distance between the Guru and the disciple, but there is nothing like direct learning. Through my online site there are many IT professionals who can learn crafts work. But for traditional art forms like Tanjore paintings it is advisable to learn the fundamentals of the art form to understand the intricacies involved in it. By learning online, it is not always possible to rectify mistakes and provide suggestions. Any traditional art form be it Carnatic music, learning musical instruments or paintings has a set of predetermined rules which cannot be taught online and direct learning is essential. Although, online learning is a boon for people who want to excel any art form after knowing the fundamentals ground rules of it”.

Echoing similar thoughts is Lalgudi Vijaylakshmi, a prominent violinist and a vocalist based in Chennai who says, “Learning lessons online helps only to a certain extent because you cannot learn the nuances properly. It is not possible to learn the finer aspects of music especially instruments and the learner cannot attain a proficiency level by learning online”

“Even I give online music lessons but I believe that it is better that the discipline is familiar with the Guru’s language and communication skills, the medium of knowledge becomes easy. Though studying online is the only tool for many to learn Indian music, it is essential that the learner clears his basics and meets the Guru once in a while for better communication”, she says.

Knowledge can be transferred by any means but there should be a spiritual connection between the disciple and the Guru, believes Santana Gopalan. “Even though, learning online is a convenient way, nothing is comparable to direct interaction between the learner and the Guru. There are secret techniques to enhance any art form, which the Guru may not be willing to share online”, concludes Mr. Santana Gopalan.

It can be undoubtedly said that online music lessons have definitely drawn more music lovers towards Indian music and works as a bridge for Carnatic music admirers abroad. However, it cannot be argued that it is impossible to learn music simply by reading notations, there has to be an understanding of lyrics and nuances can be imbibed only by personal learning. Online learning is a tool of convenience but cannot replace the process of one to one learning

Sudharshan Patnaik, winner of several international awards, who has left his footprints on the sand globally with gigantic sand sculptures, shares a moment with Anita Iyer.

1. Tell us something about your childhood. Did you visit the beach often?
I was born in the coastal town of Puri in Orissa. It was a part of my routine to visit the Puri beach almost every day and I loved to play with the sand on the shore. Like every child I used to like making sand castles and later I began making small idols of gods and goddess using my imagination. I soon realised I could do something better than this and popularise the vanishing art of sand art. This form of art has its root in the Orrisan myths and I wanted to revive sand art.

2. Could you throw some light on the Orrisan myth you are referring to?

Although it is not historically proved, it is believed that the origin of sand structures goes back to the time when poet Balaram Das, the author of Dandi Ramayan, was not allowed to climb the annual rath yatra chariot of Lord Jagannath. He was a great devotee of Lord Jagannath and as he wasn’t allowed to offer his prayers to the idol on the chariot, to release his frustration, he made a sand sculpture of the Lord on the beach. Lord Jagannath was so pleased with his devotion that the original statue from the chariot disappeared and the sand structure was transformed into a real idol. So, it is since then that sand statues are made in Puri beach in Orrisa. The period that we are referring here was the 14th century A.D., so the origin of sand art can be traced a few centuries back.

3. How did you develop this art form?

Whenever I used to go to the beach during my teenage days, I would end up making sand statues from the golden sand. There was no limit for my imagination and I loved making structures on the huge sand canvas. There was a constant urge within me to give this diminishing art an international exposure.

4. Could you explain the process of making sand sculptors?

To make any sand sculpture, the basic raw materials required are fine sand and water. The sand sculptures are made on the shores of the beach where there is flow of water. A sketch is drawn beforehand and at least 15-20 people are required to make a huge statue. Often, a few adjustments need to be made in the original sketch, as sand cannot always be moulded the way we want. In case of coloured statues like Santa Claus made for Christmas, sand is mixed with colours and it is a tedious process, which takes about a month.

5. Tell us about the Golden Sand Art Institute at Puri beach.

Golden Sand Art Institute is an open-air institute on Puri Beach started by me in 1994-95. I started this institute with the aim of developing sand art as a professional art form. There are about 70 students now learning the art of sand sculpture under me in this institute. It is also due to the boom in tourism that this art form has received international exposure and many tourists who travel to India also desire to learn the art of making sand statues.

6. How different is it to create sand sculptures on the beaches of India and abroad?

Internationally, people are more curious to know the technique of making sand statues. Initially, they were amazed by the concept but now that they are aware of it they come forward to learn the art. In our country, there are many people who are involved in making sand sculptures now so the curiosity is fading but hundreds of people do flock to have a look at the art.

7. All the themes you pick up are sensitive. What is your message to the world?

I do believe that sand art can be a powerful medium to convey any message. I have worked on themes like wildlife, terrorism, creating awareness about HIV AIDS, and world peace. As a part of our sand institute, we make a new statue each day with themes on current affairs. Just recently, following the racism controversy in cricket, we made an innovative piece on it.

8. You have won many international awards...

It feels great to have represented India in all these international competitions. Receiving all this fame makes me think that I have finally achieved what I wanted - to popularise this art form. About a decade back, there weren’t many sand artists, but today I can proudly say that there are more than 1,000 artists in India who are taking up this art form as a serious profession.

9. What do you aim to do further now?

My aim is to create awareness and enthusiasm among the people. Whenever, I travel abroad, I hold workshops and demonstrations to educate the people there. I wish to include sand art as a regular curriculum in the schools of art and culture.

Power of Yoga

As our lives get more stressful, yoga is helping to restore the balance between the mind and body, says Anita Iyer.

The popularity of Yoga is certainly picking up pace with urban India moving around with yoga mats tucked under their arms. Television channels like Sanskar, Aastha, have made yoga gurus like Baba Ramdev a household name. Although mired in many controversies, Baba Ramdev is undoubtedly the idol for many yoga amateurs. Early in the morning, innumerable viewers sit glued to television sets waiting for Yoga Gurus to free them from disorders by performing almost magical postures.

The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from Sanskrit word Yuj, which means to unite or merger. It means uniting the mind, body and soul by the process of meditation. The main objective of performing yoga is to strike a balance between the mind and body and attain self-enlightenment.

Discussing various aspects of yoga, Yoga Guru Suneel Singh, a 45-year-old Yoga practitioner says, “I have been performing yoga since I was a teenager and yoga for me is the art of living. There is certainly a rise in the number of people taking up yoga to relieve themselves from anxiety”, he confirms. Explaining how the concept of yoga works for relieving stress, Mr. Singh adds, “When a person is nervous or stressed, his breath is shallow and irregular but when he meditates, his breathing is regulated and his mental fatigue is released and he feels relaxed. Meditation can be either concentrating on any object, word, the holy letter Om or maybe chanting of a mantra”. The benefit gained differs from person to person as the degree of involvement differs. Yoga steadies the mind to a great extent, decreases anxiety, relieves depression, mental fatigue and relaxes the human mind.

There are many professionals who have experienced peace by practising the tenets of yoga. Alex Antony, a 23-year-old media professional says, “The field of media involves long hours and sometimes I end up working for about 16 hours a day which leaves me completely exhausted. I started yoga about two years ago and practicing it for at least one hour on a minimum of four days a week helps in relieving mental fatigue and attaining balance”. Yoga as an art form originated and is practiced in India since the past thousand years. Yoga finds its reference in the Upanishads, the Bhagvad Gita, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and Purans of the Vedic and post-Vedic era. There are no age limitations for performing Yoga. It can be done whenever desired as it doesn’t require any apparatus. The saturation depends on the personal capacity of the person performing the Yoga and it helps in attaining physical, mental and spiritual stability.

Yoga aasans are instrumental in providing remedies to many ailments and can be divided into static and dynamic. In static aasans, the person remains in the same position for a longer period like Padmasan. This increases the blood circulation to a particular body part thereby reducing pain in the particular area. Dynamic aasans comprises of exercises, which burn calories by stretching the body. The internal organs are massaged in this process and toxins are cleansed from the body.

Suneel Singh has integrated age-old traditional forms of yoga with newer and other forms of exercise to suit the urban practitioner. He has been conducting workshops on health care solutions for ailments like obesity, diabetes, neck pain, arthritis, stress, insomnia, heart problems, mental tension and depression etc., yet he believes that yoga has its own limitations. “Although effective for various ailments, yoga has its own restrictions. Yoga is preventive and not curative as many today claim. If practiced on a regular basis many diseases can be averted in later stages of life. Yoga means disciplining yourself and restriction from vices”, he explains.

Contradicting the above statement, Ms. Shilpa Jain, a yoga consultant says, “It was about three years back that I started learning yoga and took it seriously after I was cured of cancer. I used to practice Pranayam for at least 2-3 hours a day and I attribute at least 80% of my recovery from the disease to Yoga. Later after learning the art, I took up yoga as a profession and today I am a consultant”.

In yoga, we synchronize the breath so there is more of oxygen intake in the body and greater amounts of carbon dioxide is released, thereby making you feel rejuvenated. Yogacharya Sneh Ganotra says, “We hold workshops specifically for curing ailments like asthma, migraine, joint pains etc. Here the emphasis is mainly on controlling the breath and performing aasans. Deep breathing infuses energy in the body, reaching the lungs and works for the betterment of the individuals”.

“Due to changing food habits and lifestyle, there is a greater need for concentrating on all the powers of the body and meditating to stay in touch with the inner soul”, she adds.

There are three pillars in Yoga- Ahar which means that we must restrict the intake of food and abstain from meat, alcohol, tobacco and fermented foods etc, nidra or proper sleep as an essential element and the third factor being brahmacharya which means refraining from materialistic gains and leading a satisfied life.

Yoga possesses a great healing power for maintaining both the physical and mental well being of individuals and is a way to a healthy and balanced approach to life.

Mystical paintings

Tanjore paintings are deeply rooted in tradition and still innovative within limits, finds Anita Iyer.

Tanjore paintings can often be seen adoring our living rooms and corporate office walls and never fails to grab our attention for a minute. With their rich blend of bright colours, use of jewellery and larger-than-life figures, a Tanjore painting mesmerizes art lovers. As Ms. Indu Gupta, a Tanjore painter from Delhi says, “What makes Tanjore paintings unique is their colour combination, use of gold and precious stones and typical arcades. It is the hardwork and use of gold and stones, which raises the cost of any Tanjore paintings from Rs. 2000 to Rs. 2 lakh, but still there are takers for this art form”.

Tanjore Paintings are known for their surface richness, vivid colours and compact compositions. One amazing fact about Tanjore painting is that they were placed in dark temple shrines by the emperors. The reason for this was to enhance the presence of these bright gold paintings in the dim place.

Ms. Anandhi Rajan, a Tanjore artist from the past 15 years says, “In Tanjore paintings gaudy colours are used and much importance is given to the depiction of facial expressions and use of glittering gold foils instead of colours gives it s dramatic effect”. The subjects in Tanjore paintings are largely religious with depictions from mythological stories Ramayana or any other epic. The most common themes are the paintings that depict episodes from Lord Krishna’s life.

Exceptional attribute of Tanjore paintings is their shelf life. As stones and gold are used, the paintings do not tarnish and have a lasting life of about 80-100 years normally. It is a known fact that a red background is the distinctive mark of Tanjore paintings, but green is also sometimes used for an added effect. There are even fixed colours for Gods like Lord Vishnu is preferably coloured blue, Lord Nataraja chalk white and Goddesses are usually Yellow. Uniqueness of Tanjore paintings lies in the fact that all the figures have round bodies and almond-shaped eyes. The traditional Tanjore artists have a flair for ornamenting the figures with jewellery and ornate dresses.

In the primitive period, the traditional pandits of Tanjore drew Tanjore paintings on the walls of the temple in the Mughal era. Though Tanjore paintings get their name from Tanjore of Thanjavoor, a place in Tamil Nadu, it is not the birthplace of this art form. Tanjore style of painting developed between the 16^th and 18^th century under the patronage of the Maratha rulers when they occupied Tanjore. The art form achieved popularity during the rule of Sarfoji Maharaj, (the last Maratha ruler in Tanjore) who was a great patron of art.

With the decline of dynastic rule in Tanjore, the Tanjore artists (Rajus) were divided into three groups- the first headed to Vuyaioor, second to Mysore, and the third stayed on at Tanjore. The emphasis for painters at Tanjore was on studded precious gemstones and gold foils, at Vuyaioor on decorative garland and in Mysore school of painting on intricate designs and paintings. Apart from these, there were many artists who migrated to Tanjore from Mysore, Andhra, Bijapur, Maharashtra and Gujarat and their style of painting was slightly different and influenced by various Gharanas they emerged from.

The Tanjore paintings were deep rooted in tradition, innovation was limited and the artists kept the technique of making these paintings as a close secret. But as years passed and the numbers of artists for Tanjore painters were limited, the artists were forced to reveal the technique and soon these paintings found a place in palaces apart from the traditional temples.

The process of making Tanjore painting requires minute detailing and involves many stages. Firstly, a preliminary sketch of the image is made on the base, consisting of a cloth pasted over a wooden plank. Then chalk powder or zinc oxide is applied evenly on the base. After the drawing is made, decoration of the jewellery and the apparels in the image is done with semi-precious stones. The dresses, archs, pillars and thrones are adorned with gold leaves and stones of different colours. Finally, dyes are used for add colours to the figures in the paintings.

Today, there are many traditional age- old paintings, which are in a dilapidated condition. Mr. V.K. Iyer, a strong advocate of Tanjore art from Chennai says, “I remember reworking on a Tanjore piece, which was about 80 years old. The work doesn’t end with merely drawing the painting, there are certain steps to be taken to preserve the master piece like using anti-fungal on the drawing board, no organic paints are be used and precautionary steps are to be taken regularly. Today the problem is the materials needed to make the original painting are not easily available so we have to look out for alternatives”.

In an attempt to revive this dying art, the artists have developed techniques where easily available materials are replacing the ones used centuries ago. In the traditional method, the base for Tanjore painting was made from jackfruit tree where as today ply-board is used. “Earlier natural vegetable colours were used to paint the pictures but today acrylic chemical paints are used, which even offer better shade contrast. Also, instead of precious stones, substitutes like Jaipur glass stones and semi-precious ones are used. The figure shapes earlier were rounded body but now- a- days it has changed a bit”, concludes Mr. Iyer.

Although Tanjore paintings represent an era of golden art in Tanjore, a fact that cannot be denied is its resemblance with Mysore paintings. “What makes Tanjore paintings special are the intricacies involved in making the paintings. Tanjore paintings resemble the Mysore style of paintings but the shapes are conical instead of plump figures in Tanjore. Also, the use of jewellery is limited in Mysore style of paintings and colours are used in place of stones in the paintings”.

Undoubtedly, Tanjore paintings have a unique charm of their own and have created a niche for themselves among other paintings. The paintings were made for rituals and worship in the traditional period and not for display. However, today they have predominantly become display items, which adorn the drawing rooms as also the corporate offices.

A bad Sunday!

It is not a wise idea to watch Sunday on any day of the week, says Anita Iyer.

The movie Sunday revolves around Sehar (Ayesha Takia), a comic dubbing artiste whose world turns upside down knowing that a particular Sunday is missing from her life. Sehar in the movie tends to forget about happenings in her life and that causes a lot of chaos and confusion. To give her respite, ACP Rajveer (Ajay Devgan), a dishonest Police official resolves to crack the case. In the way of locating the lost Sunday, Rajveer comes across a murder case which passes gestures of Sehar being the murderer. Is Sehar really a murderer or innocent as she claims is the real climax of the story.

The other star cast in the movie includes Ballu (Arshad Warsi) a taxi driver and his friend (Irfan Khan) a struggling actor who carries the roles of Ravana, Draculla, Dons and the hilarious Himesh Reshamiya. The emotional punch of Arshad Warsi suffering from Kidney disorder was redundant and doesn’t fit the story line at all.

The second half revolves around the mystery of two murders in the movie and it is disappointing rather than surprising in the end to find the murder. The whole movie seems to be shot in Delhi with beautiful historical landscapes in the background

The first half of the movie has great comic timing with marvellous performances by Arshad Warsi and Irfan Khan proves that he can shoulder comic roles too. All the songs in the movie are out of place and have no relevance to the movie what so ever, only the title track ‘Sunday’ manages to groove the audiences. Even the choreography by Ganesh Acharya is not worth talking about and fails to impress.

Known for his comic movie “Golmaal – Fun Unlimited”, Rohit Shetty doesn’t quite succeed to tickle the funny bone this time with Sunday. Although Shetty has teamed up the best actors, it fails to guarantee success at the box office.

Nothing different.

Nagesh Kukunoor disappoints desperately with his new movie Bombay to Bagkok, says Anita Iyer. The plot of the movie revolves around Shankar (Shreyas Talpade), a cook who steals money from a local don and in a way to escape the goons joins a team of doctors. He accompanies these doctors heading towards Bangkok for relief work. In the chaos, he loses the money purse and the movie is about his adventure in finding it.

In the meantime, in Bangkok his life changes when he bumps into Jasmine (Lena Christianson), who works in a Thai massage parlour. The problem is she speaks Thai and he speaks Hindi so they are not able to converse with each other, all the talks are through broken English. To add a twist to the love story, the goon reaches Bangkok in search of Shankar. How Shankar finds his lost money purse escaping from the goons and his love story with Lena is the crux of the movie.

Shreyas Talpade is yet again successful in proving his excellent acting skills and Lena, the Thai lead is also promising. The role of Chota Don played by Vijay Maurya where he raps instead of conversing is outstanding and keeps the audiences glued to the screen. The role of Punjabi Rachinder, Shreya’s closest buddy is well- written.

The movie disappoints Nagesh Kukunoor’s fans desperately. It is hard to believe that Bombay to Bangkok is a Nagesh Kukunoor’s movie who delivered wonderful movies like Iqbal, Dor, Rockford, and Hyderabad Blues in the past.

The slug – Same, same but different is incorrect because there is nothing different in this movie but only predictable comedy, there is no originality in the jokes of the movie. At the end, it can be said that Bombay to Bangkok has only few impressive moments and worth only a one time watch!

Meditative moments

Charan Sharma’s paintings on Buddha creates an illusion of his presence, says Anita Iyer

Charan Sharma, the renowned contemporary artist, recently held an exhibition at The Museum Gallery in Mumbai showcasing his current works ‘Upasthiti’ which means ‘Being there’ or ‘Presence’. The exhibition displayed magnificent paintings on Buddha, Buddhist monks and scriptures engraved on the walls.

Ask him the inspiration for his works on Buddha, he says, “I attended an 11-day Vipasana camp in Nashik refraining from even talking for 11 days and concentrated only on Buddha. It was here that I became inclined towards Buddha and to know more about the Mahapurush and his philosophy, I travelled to Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and many other places. Now the principles of Buddha flow directly on my canvas through my brush”.
Charan Sharma has been involved in portraying Buddha images since the past seven years. “Buddha symbolises contentment and I am contented,” he believes. “I have travelled a long way from my last work ‘Enlightenment’ to ‘Upasthiti’. In the previous work, images of Buddha were clearly seen in the painting but in Upasthiti the presence of the Lord is felt without even painting him through monks and Buddhist scriptures,” he adds.

Charan Sharma was born in Nathdwara Gharana - a family of traditional temple artists involved in making miniature paintings of Lord Krishna and other idols. "I was born into a family of artists in a small township in Mewar, Rajasthan. Brought up in that traditional culture, I learnt and developed the art. My father and brothers were traditional painters from Rajasthan, but they painted Krishna paintings in Marwar style. Right from the childhood, I was exposed to the Marwar style of painting. But after graduating in Fine Arts from Rajasthan, I wanted to experiment with something different from the Marwar style and Krishna paintings. So I went to the J.J School of Art in Mumbai to learn something different,” he recollects.

The surroundings we reside in shape our thoughts and actions and this is clearly seen in Charan Sharma’s earlier works with strange themes like dilapidated Havelis, a dump of pebbles, puppets and toys. On this, Charan Sharma explains, “All these themes may seem unusual to you but to me who was born and brought up in this culture, it comes naturally. My paintings are inspired by the surroundings, the jharoke, havelis and puppets in Jaipur”.

Sharma is known for his works that brought alive the lonely ruins of Navalgarh, Dhund, Basoli, and Pichwai, among others. Quizzed why he draws dilapidated havelis, he reasons, “I generally draw dilapidated buildings because they are in pathetic state toda, reduced to ruins. Also I believe, however contemporary we become, we must stick to our roots, so I enjoy drawing havelis recollecting my past days. I wish to convey message of protecting and preserving the valuable heritage through my paintings.”

Charan Sharma has explored various mediums, different materials and techniques, but this time in Upasthiti is showing 20 paintings, which he has done on canvas using Acrylic colour and gold leaf. The uniqueness in his paintings lies in his style of combining tradition with modernity and yet preserving the originality. Each of his paintings has a distinct signature, an originality that cannot be plagiarised.

The modern artist has internalised the Buddhist message and reproduced his philosophy in a new light. Every painting by Charan Sharma has a gist of Buddha’s philosophy. “From Upasthiti, I like a painting titled ‘Entrance’ conveys the message of ‘keep going for knowledge and achieve enlightenment’ and the other work – Echoes means ‘let the vibrations stay in’.

Charan Sharma’s paintings from Upasthiti on Buddha in his meditative mood, and silent monks in a peaceful march effectively communicate their message to the masses. Having a look at the paintings gives a feeling of contentment and a feeling of the presence of Buddha.

Truly a star on earth

Watching ‘Taare Zameen Par’ will make you feel nostalgic about your school days says Anita Iyer.

The story of Taare Zameen Par revolves around an eight year old kid Ishaan Awasthi (Darsheel Safary) who suffers from dyslexia. The child is always in his dream world filled with colours, fishes, space ships and drawing them on canvas but least interested in numbers and alphabets. When things don’t seem to get better, he is packed off to a boarding school but things get too worse than before. The child goes into shell, keeps to himself and leaves painting his imaginations as he did earlier.

Adding to this is the trauma of being away from his family. The bonding between the son and his mother (Tisca Chopra) leaves you moist-eyed at several moments. Then, to help the child, a new arts teacher enters the boarding school, Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Aamir Khan). He provides wings to Ishaan’s imagination and helps him break out from his shell.

It is a movie that doesn’t merely entertain but also educates the audience about the learning disorder dyslexia. As Aamir discovers patterns in Ishaan’s book like mirror image writings, confusion between same sounding words, the viewers are also able to learn and connect with him.

The child, Ishaan is capable to hold on the audiences in the first half without the entry of Aamir Khan and also excels in the second half. At many places, the small kid leaves you spell bound with his natural acting skills and you can actually feel how the kid might be struggling every day. The child’s emotions are captured in beautiful way leaving tears in your eyes throughout.

At the end, Aamir Khan emerges as a true story-teller and deserves a merit to make the child perform in an impeccable manner. The compositions by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and soothing to your ears and accentuate the scenes. The lyric of the song Maa by Prasoon Joshi rightly explains the bond between the son and the mother. Also special note has to made of the visual effects and animations in the movie.

Watching the movie makes you feel nostalgic about our own school days. The movie has a message for all saying parents also pressurize their children to excel academically but parents should enhance the hidden potentials in their child.

Looking at the promos gives an impression that it is a kiddie movie but in the movie a grave problem is discussed in a spectacular manner. It is a movie to be watched along with your kids and it surely change the way you look at them!

Believe in yourself

Raghav Sachar, an up-coming music director and a self-taught master of 30 musical instruments shares a moment with, Anita Iyer

• Tell us something about your background? Do you come from musical lineage?

I do not have a musical lineage but my father’s natural interest in music developed a musical talent in me too. I remember my father who was a Police DG and he had gifted me the first ever-musical instrument ‘Harmonica’ on my fourth birthday and since then he gifted me a new instrument on every birthdays.

• Did you have a craze to learn to play so many instruments from the childhood itself?

I had a fetish for musical instruments right from the beginning. On every birthday I received an instrument and today I play 30 musical instruments including saxophone, harmonica, flute etc. Looking at the instrument, I knew I could play it. As a child, when I used to play the instrument people used to appreciate my talent, this was a motivating factor for me to perform well.

• What are the instruments you play?

The harmonica, flute, three kinds of saxophones, the keyboard, the clarinet, the recorder, the blues harp, the guitar and the didgeridoo (a long wooden flute) are some of them.

• Where did you perform during your initial years?

My father admitted me in a music school in Delhi when I was eight and that further brushed my musical talent. I used to love playing the guitar during my school days and was a part of the rock band - “Canzona”. Along with this band, I traveled all over India and played at IIT Institutions, BITS Pilani etc.

• As a budding artist, who were your inspirations?

I was fond of R D Burman and Mohammed Rafi in my initial years. I used to love Kenny G and his music.

• How did you get started with your career in music?

I used to perform with Canzona rock band and others too. In the meantime, I was involved in making jingles with Shantanu Moitra and Daniel B George. Later in 2001, I went to Monash University in Australia to study Music & Composition and I also specialized in Jazz. When in Australia, I was called by Shantanu Moitra for playing in albums for Shubha Mudgal and Viva. Later, when I came to India I worked on Bollywood flicks like Kal Ho Na Ho, Hum Tum, Kyon Ho Gaya Na, Parineeta and Dhoom, Parineeta and a few more.

• How did you land up being a music composer of ‘Kabul Express’?

I was called for by Yashraj clan for instrumentation of old Yashraj songs. While the proposal was in process, one person saw my composition and they asked if I would like to pitch music for their movie Kabul Express. I readily agreed and the rest is history. Kabul Express was a hit but the instrumentation album never took off!

• Your songs have a lot of western influence complete with jazz to Arabic tones?

While I went for my education abroad, I travelled extensively in South East Asia performing at places like Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia etc. So, when I compose there is a blend of music inspired from different countries, so you can hear diverse genres and fusions in my music. Also, my soul and essence is Indian but education is western so there is again a blend.

• You have worked for Bollywood songs and also albums. So, what do you love doing the most?

I enjoy doing my albums, as my albums are mirror images of events that have happened in my life. The visuals in the video are triggered by personal experiences and my feelings are penned as lyrics in the songs. Whereas, when you compose for movies, there are restrictions. At a point your freedom ends and you have to follow what the director says so your creativity gets restricted.

• How lucrative or challenging is it to perform shows in India and abroad?

Internationally, the audience has a better understanding of the western instruments I play. Also, in India, more importance is given to the singers than the musicians.

• What are you currently working on?

‘Play it loud’ is my recent album, besides that I am composing tracks for movies by Kumar Mangat like Sunday, Halle Dil etc and also some prominent banners.

• Did you even guess that you would achieve so much so early in life?

I think I was lucky as I started off with my career at an early age and also had my bachelors in music. What further came as a boon was that I got noticed and my music was liked by people.

• Now that you have tasted success what is the mantra of your success for aspiring talents?

My advice would be remain focused and be determined to the field. Always believe in yourself and no obstacles can pull you down.

Magic with lasers

Known for his animated series on Panchatantra, Manick Sorcar converses with Anita Iyer about his magical animation journey.

• Being son of legendary magician P.C. Sorcar how did laser excite you rather than magic?
  

I am excited more about doing magic with laser than doing traditional magic. Love for art and science is something, I inherited from my father, late P.C. Sorcar. As a youngster, I helped in painting the backdrops and the lightning design for the various magic items, which inspired me to become an electrical engineer and artist. I still remember, my father taught us that anything can be 'magic' when it is 'extraordinary'. So, I create magic through Laser animations!

• How did you get introduced to laser lighting?

It sort of came as a by-product of lighting in which I had hands-on experience as a child, trained as a part of my engineering degree, and still practicing it. Laser is the acronym name for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation and is a special type of lighting. At my electrical engineering firm in USA we deal with laser lighting for many purposes. Being also an animator and director of our own stage shows, one day it struck me to use the strong beam of laser for animation on stage. The challenge was how to tame the dangerous stick of light to act as a painting brush. One led to another and soon I was using laser animation to act with live actors on stage. The results were astonishing, which brought me recognition and took off like a rocket.

• Tell us something about your initial experiments using laser for animation?

My traditional animation dealt with drawing on papers with a pen, or painting directly on a computer canvas with an electronic pen for animated movements. For laser animation, the strong beam of light is manipulated to be used as a painting brush and then use it either on the screen for 2D or in the space for a 3D animation.

• How difficult was it in 1980's to make an animated character before the revolution in computer graphics?
  

Very difficult, because virtually all art work needed to be done by hand, which needed a great amount of manpower. Computer helped in doing the in-betweens and painting the background scenes, but even today, I prefer to draw some of the important movements of animated characters by hand to give the warmth in it. Computer softwares tend to give a mechanical look in the movements, which I do not like.

• What was the main motive behind making animated series based on Indian stories like ‘Panchtantra’? Was it to revive our Indian culture?

The original purpose was to attract my two US-born daughters to their roots and Indian culture. The first film “Deepa & Rupa” was based on a classic fable from Bengal where live action was uniquely weaved with animated characters. My older daughter Piya (then 12) acted in the lead role. The film bagged over half a dozen top awards from international film festivals and was telecast on TV numerous times. The cultural gap that I was trying to bridge for my daughters, soon got international exposure and was warmly welcomed by mainstream America. It was vividly clear that there was a demand for quality animation for children, which will provide more than just temporary entertainment. I made a series of animation based on fables from the Panchatantra, and other classic sources of India, which became popular at schools, and were repeatedly telecast on prestigious educational channels around the country. I am proud to say, this will be the 16^th straight year my animation films will be aired by the prestigious Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Channels of Colorado; next telecast will be on the New Years Day, January 1, 2008 when the US state will ring in the first morning with these classic Indian animations.

• Tell us something about the production of 'Deepa and Rupa' in 1990, as it was one of its kinds in India?

Deepa & Rupa was recorded as the Very First Indian animation mixed with live action. It was my first major production and the key actors were my daughter Piya (Rupa), and Deepa Reddy (Deepa). It took me almost three years to make as I could only work on it at nights, weekends, and any time I could spare from my daytime engineering profession. It was made in the late eighties when softwares on character animation and picture scanners were still unheard of. As a result, a good portion of the movements of animated characters and background scenes were hand painted and then frame-grabbed to be digitized. It was a long painstaking process, but the end results were brilliant. The media, newspapers, magazines - all gave rave reviews after watching the show on TV, which made it a household name. We got a surge of invitations from schools to make presentation of the film and take question and answer session with the aspiring students who wanted to learn about Indian culture and/or be animators.

• Your animation films have now become a subject of research for academic degrees? How does it feel?

It is most pleasing that my animation films have now become a subject of research for academic degrees. Two years ago “Manick Sorcar Animations that Teach Indian Cultures” was the topic of research work for an American student’s BFA (Bachelor in Fine Arts) degree with double major in animation and visual effects at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. It feels great as what started as an attempt to instill Indian culture in my daughters became a cultural bridge between East and West.

• How challenging was weaving the animated character with live character before the revolution of computer graphics?

It wasn’t impossible, but would take a substantial amount of trial and error effort before achieving the proper result.

• Tell us something about the technique ‘SorcarScope’?

Laser shows are fun to watch but laser can be quite dangerous if not used properly. “SorcarScope” is a technique I developed through which live actors on stage can act simultaneously with laser without any danger.

• Tell us something about your initial showcases of animation works?

After some experiments I dared making “Calcutta Forever: A Laser Fantasy”, a documentary on the 300 year old history of Calcutta that was shown at the prestigious Nandan Theater of West Bengal in 2000. This was recorded as the very first laser documentary ever to be shown inside a theater in India, and was a hit. After that, I went a step further where I mixed life-size laser animation with live performers on stage, which resulted in the creation of “Dancing with My Soul”, and later “Enlightenment of Buddha”. I was delighted when at the international contest; “Enlightenment of Buddha” won the First Place in Italy, and received the Artistic Award, from the International Laser Display Association.

• Your show ‘Laser toons’ at Nicco Park had a record of 78 shows in one month, drawing over 140,000 jubilant spectators. How was the experience?

Very, very thrilling! To be very frank, the entire show was mainly designed with children in mind. But its appeal and the magical effects of the laser became so popular that it started drawing crowd exponentially. People of all ages and demographics, ranging from ordinary people, film actors, and nuns of Mother Teresa to Buddhist Monks came to see the show – some repeatedly.

• How does it feel to be internationally acclaimed for your animation and laser works?

By Almighty’s grace, I have been showered with all kinds of awards and acclaim which indeed made me happy. But I will have to confess; none of them are as pleasing or heart contending as seeing the smile the shows bring on a child’s face.

• Coming from a magical background, didn’t you ever think of fusing animation with magic?

No! I have been busy fusing magic with animation. My award- winning laser animations are only a small sample of that.

• Are you planning something innovative on the animation side now?

Absolutely! My target is to take the technique to a level where nobody has gone before. In my next laser animation you will be able to take a physical tour inside the screen, walking around the 3-D characters!

• What would be your advice to budding animators?

Love your work with heart and have full confidence in yourself. Then follow the teaching of Swami Vivekananda: “Stop not till the goal is reached” and success is all yours.

Ideal marriage!

Tulsi Vivah is considered as a very auspicious ritual in the Hindu wedding tradition, says Anita Iyer.

Tulsi or the Holy Basil is the sacred plant of the Hindus and symbolizes purity. A Hindu house is considered incomplete without the Tulsi plant in the courtyard. It is a part of tradition to water the tulsi plant, light up a diya near it and worship it daily. Tulsi leaves are used in temples for worship purposes and also a part of several customs like marriage and funerals. Tulsi is believed to bestow the inhabitants with happiness and promote longevity.

Guruji Nishikant Upadhyay, a pandit says, “The festival of Tulsi Vivah inaugurates the annual marriage season in India as it is considered lucky for the couple. The general belief is that one who performs this wedding ceremony of marrying Tulsi to Vishnu considering her as their own daughter, gets the esteem of having performed Kanyadan, which is regarded as an extremely meritorious act in Hindu religion”. Tulsi Vivah usually occurs on the 11th or 12th day of the Kartik month on the day after of Kartik Ekadashi.

The legend behind celebration of this festival goes back to the incarnation of Goddess Tulsi devi who was born as Vrinda. Tulsi was married to the demon King Jalandhar. Getting married to him, she prayed to Lord Vishnu for longevity of her demon husband. King Jalandhar received a boon that he would be free from death till his wife Vrinda was chaste. It was believed that he was immortal, unless someone broke the ‘pati vrat’ of his wife. Misusing his powers, Jalandhar declared war and becomes a cause of danger to the gods. To avert the menace, Lord Vishnu on the request of the other gods took the form of Jalandhar and stayed with Tulsi thereby breaking the ‘Pati vrat’. After Jalandhar's death, Vrinda cursed Lord Vishnu and turned him to stone (Shaligram) and collapsed on the floor and from her body emerged the tulsi plant. It is a result of this mythological story that Vishnu pooja is considered incomplete without tulsi leaves.

On the day of Tulsi Vivah, a full meal consisting of rice, moongachi gathi, puri , sweet potato kheer , red pumpkin vegetable cooked with pieces of sugarcane, amla and tamarind is offered to Tulsi Vrindavan.

In the evening, tulsi pot is coloured and the plant decorated as a bride. Sugarcane sticks and branches of tamarind and amla are planted alongside the tulsi plant. On the marriage day, a fast is observed and Tulsi vivah ceremony takes place in the late evening. An emblem, either an image of Krishna or generally the Shaligram stone is placed next to Tulsi plant.

The marriage is performed like a normal Hindu wedding by applying Turmeric and Vermilion powder on the plant, chanting of mantras and tying Mangal Sutra around the Tulsi plant. A cloth is held between the 'bridegroom' (Shaligram stone) and the 'bride' (tulsi plant). The cloth is removed after the last mantra of the marriage, ‘Mangal Ashtak’ is chanted and the word ‘Savadhan’ is pronounced and all the people shower ‘Akshat’ on the married couple. After the marriage, Panchamrit (mixture of five dailies - curd, ghee, milk. honey and sugar), and sweets are distributed as prasad among family members and friends.

Tulsi Vivah is a part of our old traditions and finds a mention in Padma Puran. Rajishri Kokate, a chartered accountant by profession says, “This ritual of "Tulsi Vivah", though an old tradition is celebrated with great devotion even today. I was introduced to the concept at my parental home and I still follow it after my marriage. This has been carried forward by our generations and I would imbibe it even in my daughter to follow the tradition in future”.

Interestingly in Goa, the festival takes a different form with sending of Goan Ojhe (sweet) to married daughters from her parental home along with jodi, threads used in oil lamps. This festival of Tulsi Vivah is celebrated in each and every household of Goa with delicious sweets.

Owing to its significance, it is believed that couples getting married on the day of Tulsi Vivah will be together for their next seven lives.

At his fingertips

Arvind Sule uses his fingernails to carve unique works of art, says Anita Iyer

Sule makes portraits, designs, themes, memory drawings and cartoons by moving his pointed thumbnail on a piece of paper. This movement gives birth to beautiful designs. “I remember when I went to Kolkatta, I was amused seeing a man-pulled rickshaw with hefty people sitting on it. I carved that on a piece of paper as a remembrance. I love to portray what I see around - people playing garba, for instance. Also, nature inspires me to draw birds and animals like the tiger.”

Involved in this art form for around 50 years now, Arvind Sule has a collection of about 200 pictures till date. Recollecting the first time he experimented with this art, he states, “Decades back, while travelling to college, I saw a man in the bus carving designs on the ticket. Out of curiosity, I asked him about this art and he showed me the method. I just saw him do it once on the ticket and learnt it after practising many times”.

The art requires a great deal of dedication and patience. Arvind says: “Learning any form of art requires dedication and even carving on paper was difficult. I tried to engrave on newspapers initially and sometimes the paper would tear or the subject would be distorted”.

The most challenging part of his art form is he carves the subject directly on the paper without drawing any prior outline or sketch with a pencil. More surprising is the fact that he never had any formal training in painting or for that reason any form of art, yet the accuracy is maintained.

Arvind explains: “I am more interested in making portraits as it is more challenging owning to the fact that expressions are of paramount importance in such pieces and eyes, lips are to be engraved beautifully”. He has made portraits of Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, P.L. Deshpande, Babasaheb Purandare and the famous Common Man cartoon, among others. Arvind Sule also carves thoughts in words and calligraphy and finds it comparatively easy because it involves curves and moves which are already etched in our minds.

The artist had recently displayed his works at Haiku Art Gallery, Thane. At the exhibition he said, “There are many artists who do something unusual and unique and go unnoticed. My message would be to hold exhibitions if you know of any art form, as only then would it create awareness and other people might consider adapting it”.