Adalaj Vav (Stepwell)
ananthablahblah
by anantha
1y ago
Step well(Vav) is a common sight in the semi-arid regions of Western India like Gujarat and Rajasthan that are in the desert proximity. The kings and wealhty built them for villagers’ water needs during dry summer. Besides utilitarian, they come with architectural embellishments. This Adalaj Vav was built in 1498. An inscription in Sanskrit establishes the history of the stepwell,found on a marble slab positioned in a recess on the first floor. Its construction was started by a Hindu ruler Rana Veer Singh, but he was killed in a war with neighboring Islamic king Mahmud Begada before the compl ..read more
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Garba Galore……once again
ananthablahblah
by anantha
1y ago
After a gap of few years, I was once again on my way to Gujarat to take in the kaleidoscopic colors and twirls of Garba during Navrathri festival. This time around, I was able to check out a few more venues, as one can never get enough of it. The costumes, colors, lights, live music, huge arena with thousands of people in dance, diverse persona, steps and moves are simply out of the world. One could watch swaying and twirling as far as the eye can catch for as long as one wants. No wonder these 9 nights are tagged as the “largest dance party” in the world ! Gujarat is indeed the place to be d ..read more
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National Tribal Dance Festival 2019
ananthablahblah
by anantha
4y ago
India’s diverse tribal culture was on display at this festival.  This was only a fraction of rich tribal presence across the country. Over 1350  artists from 25 states participated in this 3 day festival in the city of Raipur in Chattisgarh. From the village square to an urban stage, it must have been a huge shift for the artists, but a smogasbord of colourful delight under one-roof for the atendees. I have been planning to visit these tribal communities in their villages to catch them perform in their natural settings, but for now, happy watched them under city-lights ! Slides below –   Click ..read more
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FIWA 2019 – Rhythms in the bush, the making of an African village festival
ananthablahblah
by anantha
4y ago
The story was carried in a national daily – https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/fiwa-a-blast-in-the-bush/article30036496.ece I have long been looking for a chance to visit musically and culturally rich Mali ever since my first time there over 16 years ago. That time it was primarily for the Festival au desert in the Sahara and to travel around the country covering other attractions. Having known Oumou Sangare for over 25 years, from the time she started making huge splash in the world music circuit, I have been asking her if she was planning a lavish wedding for her only son when I ca ..read more
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Sharq Taronalari on the Silk-road
ananthablahblah
by anantha
4y ago
Places like silk-road and Samarkand had always conjured up a sense of antiquity in my mind and many a time have I seen the picture of a beautiful standing structure that almost looked like Taj Mahal, not knowing it was called Registan Square. I have been wanting to travel there one day and what better time to do it than Sharq Taronalari, a music festival that I heard about only a few years ago. The 5-day biennale of traditional Asian music is being organised at the Registan Square in Samarkand since 1997. And the city of Samarkand is under the UNESCO world heritage list.         2019 fes ..read more
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On the Pallava trail in Kanchipuram
ananthablahblah
by anantha
5y ago
The following piece was written for an ancient history encyclopedia in Europe – https://member.ancient.eu/article/1336/on-the-pallava-trail-in-kanchipuram ..read more
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Mali – Encore
ananthablahblah
by anantha
5y ago
Guess the title is apt for a country that’s known more for its music than any other. Though music was indeed the reason that drew me to Mali some 30 years ago, the interest has since then stretched out to other entities such as its ethinic diversity, culture, the colours, markets and of course the people and their hospitality. In general, I don’t travel to a country more than once, but had to make an exception for Mali too among a very few other places. This time around, it was after a gap of 16 years and the living-colours and rhythms could be seen and heard below  – Click to view slideshow ..read more
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Kaziranga National Park, Assam
ananthablahblah
by anantha
5y ago
The world heritage park is a vast expanse of lush green tall elephant-grass and numerous water-bodies. There are 5 types of Rhinos occur in the world – white & black (2 horned and African), Javan, Indian (1 horned) and Sumatran( 2- horned), the last 3 being Asian. 2/3 of Asian (about 2000) occur in India and though poaching occurs for the prized ‘aphrodisiac’ horns, there’s a strong anti-poaching unit in place. Besides, Wild Buffalo, Elephants, Three types of deer, Monitor lizard, Tiger, the park is home to numerous species of migratory and endemic birds. Strokes Hog deer ..read more
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Folk arts of North Eastern India
ananthablahblah
by anantha
5y ago
The horn played above in the beginning is called Penpa The seven sister states of North-Eastern India (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura) are rich in folk and tribal traditions for centuries. Though largely converted to Christianity by the missionaries during the colonial times, one could still find native traditions alive. The state of Assam alone accounts for some 90 tribes and over 220 ethnic groups in all states. Each group has their own attire, dialect and culture. Handicrafts of bamboo and cane, wood-carving, hand loom-weaving are common. A Kar ..read more
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Nritya Parva – annual Sattriya Dance Festival
ananthablahblah
by anantha
5y ago
The following piece on the festival by yours truly was carried in a national daily – please click the link – https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/dance/sattriya-showcased-in-assam-festival/article25679532.ece?fbclid=IwAR2krg9lOzofiDewW_sIu81pzHk0K8Za99YADvzeSwHt7BZhxRrH1qOZgks Slides – Click to view slideshow.   Video clips ..read more
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