The Paternal Granny; Madam K.....

..... has been reduced from the iron lady having raised 6 children, to a feeble, senile, incontinent old lady who seems to be spending her days waiting for Yama (I hate to say it but it's true).

She can hardly walk up a flight of stairs.

She can control neither her bladder nor her bowels.

She has become so weak that she moves around only twice a day (to the dining area, once for lunch and once for dinner; breakfast is usually sent to her room).

Her sense of direction and her sense of movement have grossly deteriorated.

Saddest of it all is the lack of interest my dad's siblings have about her status quo except the one she lives with at the moment (Aunt #4). I guess The High Priest and Aunt #3 are the other two exceptions because The High Priest is probably the only sibling closely involved in her welfare whilst Aunt #3 is not only living in a different state but is also ailing herself (besides, she sends money from time to time for her mother).

Of course Aunt #4 is doing a pretty decent job of taking care of her mother. But The High Priestess begs to differ, divulging to me that Aunt #4 should be doing a better job at taking care of Madam K, who is after all Aunt #4's own mother. I guess that speaks volumes of The High Priestess as she feels so badly for her Madam K although Madam K has been very difficult to her in the past (think Tamil soap drama mother-in-law vs daughter-in-law drama).

I am praying that God either restores her to a walking and talking state or, the very least, makes her 'transition' a smooth, painless and peaceful one.

She has suffered enough.

Aum Shanthi.

The Bad Guy from Mahabaratham

Nope this post isn't so much about the Hindu epic story.

It is more about the actor that plays Duryodhana a.k.a The Bad Guy in the latest re-telling of the Hindu epic via a TV-series.

The series itself has managed to stay true to story-telling but has pushed beyond lavishness with the sets, costumes and casting.

Everyone in it is freaking "cantik". I mean every actor!!!

For example;

Saurabh Raj Jain as Krishna
Courtesy of Times of India and India Forums

Shaheer Sheikh as Arjunan
Courtesy of Bolega India and India Forums

EVEN THE ACTRESSES!!! 

Pooja Sharma as Draupadi
Courtesy of Santa Banta and Sulekha.com 

That is one gorgeous woman!
Isn't she?


But the one whom stole my heart?
Arpit Ranka as Duryodhana
The antagonist.
I like the bad guy; big surprise *eye roll*.

Courtesy of Chennai Online

Courtesy of India Forums

*meltsssssssssss*

Isn't he pretty??????

*long deep breathing sighs*

Crippled!

Literally!
Sustained a knee injury!

Fell into the drain a week prior to the actual incident.
Must have damaged the knee to some degree then.

Was forced to dance during a relative's wedding function.

Just on the open dance floor, not a performance.

2 minutes in, I landed my leg the wrong way.

Felt like my knees were gonna fall apart.

I knew something went horribly wrong.
I prayed that it was not a dislocation of the joint.

Was scared more than I was in pain.

Odissi flashed before my eyes and how training would be affected.

This happened about two months ago.

Recovery period for meniscus injury is longer.

As opposed to bone injury where keeping in motion is encouraged.

Meniscus injury require complete rest during its initial stages.

No strenuous activity until it fully recovers.

Which could take months.

Have put on some weight.

And now am in a quest to loose it.

Wish me both luck and a speedy recovery.

Odissi Dancers from....

Russia!

Yes, RUSSIA!!!

They are Elena Knyazava and Irina Komissarova

And here they perform an abhinaya piece.

A piece depicting Ardhaniswara; a form of Lord Shiva.

Half the God Shiva (the male aspect) and the other half the Goddess Shakti (the female energy).

This as good as any of the best odissi dancers in the world!

PS: This is the LINK to the video on Youtube. Another thing is that the entire piece actually lasts much longer; around 15 minutes. The dancers have apparently shortened it for the performance.

It's Done!

And it's my thesis!

It's done!

I am so relieved!

I Need...

Someone/something to drag me out of this!!!

Image courtesy of DV

This my absolute downfall!

I Miss My Former Alma Mater

Drove dad down to the capital of the country yesterday.

And realised how much of my life happened there.

The large mall so close to the former alma mater.

The public transportation I so often boarded.

The places I have actually walked through.

That warmth of being back home.

Yet it felt a little foreign.

Unfamiliar even...

I miss it.

All of it...

The Ghunghroos I Have Been Waiting For...

My endless optimistic babbles about Indian classical dance is mercilessly taunting my cynicism, threatening to corrode sarcasm and wit (or whatever semblance of it that I had).

After my first performance with TDS (the Indian performing arts institution I am currently affiliated with shall be named The Dance School TDS hereafter), I became obsessed with ghungroos because I knew the dancing bells presented to me were not the real deal.

Only last year we received original dance accessories, and this year news came to me that we would be getting (FINALLY) the proper odissi ghungroos. 

Image courtesy of http://odissidanceworld.com/

However even after paying for it, the ordeal of waiting for it did not end. 

Receiving news that it had arrived and I when I realised I was far from receiving them was too painful a realisation!

After months, yesterday I went back to TDS to attend the odissi performance for Navarathri this year (which I would have been part of if not for my stupid MSc thesis). 

And my teacher blessed me and finally (after MONTHS!!!!) handed me my very own GHUNGROOS!!!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Inch after inch, I admired them, to the point of inspecting each individual bell removing a few stray pieces of brass metal. 

And took many many pictures!

On my ankles.

A comparison with the bells I strung myself.

Notice the difference in size. The original ones (right) are made out of thicker brass.

A comparison to the ones I received on my maiden odissi performance with TDS.

It's like my own happy family!

And of course the star of this post!

Its arrival has given me a joy as intense as the time I first performed with TDS and the joy of receiving my very own odissi accessories.

I feel complete.

Happy Birthday to You!

Hdaran is another year older...

Happy Birthday Hdaran...

By mid-life,

Live your life!

Soon,

Get back to passions,

Find your way back to your ghungroos,

Don't let will give way to complacency,

Strive,

In the next few weeks,

Your life would be decided...

Sincerely,

Hdaran

Important Not-So-Flash News Flashes #2

Post Important Not-So-Flash News Flashes was the marriage ceremony of Pseudo Lil' Miss Sunshine. Pseudo Lil' Miss Sunshine is my cousin sister who is the daughter of one of The High Priestess's sister. We (Hdaran and Pseudo Lil' Miss Sunshine) share the same year of birth.

The following were Pseudo Lil' Miss Sunshine's request from me prior to the event;

#1 Help her with selection of accessories for both her temple wedding ceremony and wedding reception dinner.

#2 Opinions and suggestions on the outfit for her wedding reception dinner.

#3 Do her makeup for the wedding reception dinner.

#4 Choreograph a dance item with the rest of my cousins for her wedding reception dinner.

#5 Assist with anything else that may need assisting prior to and during the events (both the temple ceremony and the reception dinner).

About two weeks before the date I gathered my cousins (including 2 nephews and a niece), 10 strong and sat down to discuss dance items and choreography. And then went on to choreograph and co-ordinate costumes and styling of costumes for the dance. In the midst of that, I also went around the island with her hunting for a set of accessories that perfectly matched her outfit for her wedding reception dinner.

Now, all these mundane details culminated in the excitement that peaked during the dinner.

Pseudo Lil' Miss Sunshine looked gorgeous in her outfit, kudos to me!

About two months before the event, she actually showed me a video of her fiancee's cousins dance which was completed and undergoing perfecting when at that point not even details of ours were decided upon. I promised her of a performance that would top that of her future in-laws.
And, of course, I delivered which, I daresay, blew their minds off!

The performance was in sort of a medley of three dance pieces each lasting 2 to 3 minutes long and each suited perfectly to the age of my cousins/nephews/niece. The three pieces were strung together, one group entering the stage right after the other was done, to result in one big group number.

I always knew I could do this and have, in fact, done better. But none of my relatives have ever witnessed my capabilities because my commercial dance endeavors ended with my BSc. graduation. Back in my home-state, I only ever performed odissi.

And they were awed beyond their wildest expectations. Watching the video later, I heard screams from Pseudo Lil' Miss Sunshine, loud enough to be captured by the video camera! The applauds were tremendous and the praises were abundant!