I had the great pleasure of being in Abu Dhabi on the opening day of the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Nouvel’s work was the reason I could not wait to be in that space. I was overwhelmed by the beauty he had created in his design of the roof and the spatial connection with the desert and the feelings that are desired when you come in from the hot and sandy desert. It is mind boggling how a French man can create a space in the middle of the Arabian desert that houses art and yet creates this feeling of an oasis. There are a few buildings in the world that touch the soul and spirit of the people who walk in them. Mastery in architecture is when you create spaces that meet their function and comfort the user while achieving the highest form of beauty.
Holi festival Mauritius I put on my painting clothes just in case I would get attacked by people with bags of color that I had seen in the market in Port Louis. I had no idea what I should expect or how it is done. A taxi driver had told that I should go to the temple in the afternoon when people come back from work. So I got ready and headed to the big temple in Grand Baie. To my surprise there was nothing going on there, the usual quiet peaceful temple with the scent of sandalwood . A few flowers and offerings in different places next to the sculptures. The three other temples I searched at were just as quiet. Finally someone led me to the back alleys where people were celebrating. I could hear music and singing and laughter down the alley. The closer I got the more colors and smells appeared. Young teenagers running with all colors of the rainbow on their faces and on their clothes throwing water and colors at each other. I got to the garden where the musicians were sitting on the floor with instruments I had never seen in […]
Recently after a long discussion on the virtues of knowledge, and validity of inspiration behind opinions about art and music with a friend, I thought maybe they’ll come a day that we would all be grateful to NSA (National Security Agency), for having have kept a record of our very ephemeral discussions online. In a way what revealed so much of the history of discourse among intellectuals of various epochs was their epistolary communications. In our time the only place where there is a record of any communication is in the hands of NSA. Many of our young aspiring intellectual who might change the world with their views and inspiration, may be having some incredible conversations online with some equally wise unknown thinker right this minute. We will sadly, never be able to read those exchanged thoughts. Or is it that thoughts, like luxury brands have lost their luster. In a world where every question can be googled and every thought can be put down immediately on facebook, does curiosity have any value in deepening thoughts and do thoughts themselves have any value. The moral question in this ephemeral times of thought and knowledge should be is there any value […]
Through the different cities of the Gray Zones… A train ride through Germany in December, from the north to the south. The sky changes various shades of gray, from dark to silver gray. The forest has hues of brown gray, to deep dark green gray. At times when the mulch of the fallen leaves is still yellow and brown the gray has a golden hue to it. I know I am in Germany when I am surrounded with gray. Gray in every aspect, in ambivalence and uncertainty caused by events that promise warmth and deliver an unpleasant chill. Everything that is hope becomes a struggle and everything that is a challenge clarifies itself into a new spectacle of light. The gray zones, I have always disliked the gray zones and here I have learned that black and white are seldom part of reality. Everything that is real has a gray tone, because it holds in itself its ambiguity. It hold both sides within, like a seed that holds all the leaves of the tree it will someday become and the darkness of the earth it needs to grow from to reach the sky. Is accepting gray a part of growing […]
I decided to leave the caption” Hallo welt” in German. Since I am starting my blog in Germany and would like to write about Germany on my first few blogs. Writing with the knowledge that others will be reading it and it is posted for the audience is a very new experience for me. This is a journey in a world unknown to me. Although as I write, I often think about the idea of someone else reading what I am writing. But it is a passing thought as I hide in the comfort of my silence. The melodic sound of the keyboard that flows in a rhythm. I suppose like dancing on your own knowing no one is watching, and dancing in a hall with everyone around. I hope that it is an irrepressible dance, where the words flow exuberantly in their rhythm to create images that would thrill the imagination, and provoke thoughts that would be worth spreading. Here we go to new heights, to new depths.