Happy Holi everyone. Stay colourful and vibrant always. I have just returned from a tribal tour of Madhya Pradesh and I could see the Palash trees blooming, lighting up the dry forests with the dash of red. The flame of the forest as it is called blossoms mainly during Holi and the flowers are crushed to prepare the bright red and orange colour called Kesar for Holi. Do play with floral natural colours this festival.
And on that colourful note, hello and welcome to the 26th issue of Journeys and Jottings. We have a lot of colour in this issue. I talk about Gond Art and Artists, the significance of the hues of Holi and we meet some colourful women from the Baiga tribes. In 100 Stories of India, we visit Goa to celebrate Shigmo, the spring festival. And in People Make Places we meet the vibrant artist Kirthi Shetty from Mumbai.
Legend of the Flame of the Forest
The fiery red Palash flower has inspired many poets and authors, including Rabindranath Tagore and Rudyard Kipling. While Tagore made the flower, the official mascot of Basant Panchami and described it in one of his verses as “ the flaming red magic of the Palash flower”, Kipling brings it alive in his Jungle Book and also refers to the flower as "desire" in one of his short stories.
The flower has been associated with the sacred fire and according to the legends, the tree is said to have emerged from the fallen feather of an eagle that was dipped in the divine Somaras, the nectar of the Gods. As the eagle was soaring high in the skies, it was shot by an arrow. One of the feathers, soaked in the nectar fell on earth where the tree apparently emerged.
I love the way our trees, flowers, and fruits are all connected to myths and legends and there are so many stories anywhere. Unfortunately, the British who called it the bastard tree, didn’t really care for the medicinal or the mystical properties. They apparently cut vast tracts of forests with the trees, and converted the habitat into agricultural lands. However, as you drive around , you can suddenly see the landscape painted in shades of a fiery red, especially when Holi is around the corner.
Meet the Baigas
Say hello to Choti Maa and her friends from Silpidi, a small tribal village near Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh. I am just back from the tribal trails curated by Times Passion Trails and MP Tourism and our experience architect was Dr. Vasant Nirgune, who had lived virtually with the tribes for years and was a walking encyclopedia of their traditions, customs and beliefs.
Choti Maa also became the unofficial mascot of our trail, as her photo was printed on the bus that took us into interior MP.
The Baiga women are inked from head to toe and every tattoo is a representation of their tribe and gives them their identity.
The first tattoo appears on their forehead when they are barely 12 years old and then they are inked on their arms and legs and their back. The tattoos on their chest symbolise fertility as they get them inked when they become mothers.
I did a reel recently on my Instagram on the beautiful Baigas and do click on the video and share your comments.
Bringing home a piece of Gond Art
I love souvenirs and there is nothing quite like bringing home a piece of local art and craft with you, especially when it is personalised. We were walking around the village of Karyam in Patalkot where we were interacting with Bharia tribes. I met little Kasi who took me to a house where a lovely lady was carving some fascinating artifacts from local wood. There were carvings of snakes, mongooses, and even a tortoise. I was however fascinated by these little mugs and decided to buy one of them.
Later along the trail, we interacted with Gond artists and I was completely fascinated by the colourful art. Gonds are one of the oldest tribes scattered in most parts of India, but they are known largely for their colourful art which depicts nature as they see it. As pantheists, Gond Artists draw their inspiration from the natural world they live and each painting tells a story with their traditions, beliefs, culture, and lifestyles etched into them.
The signature style of each artist lies in the detailing and the art is created around finely drawn lines. Dots, dashes, and these lines create a sense of movement to the painting, while the striking colours take you into a different realm.
I met the amazing sisters, Ms. Mala, and Dr. Sonia Dhavan, who are Founder Trustees of the NGO, A Hundred Hands on the trail, and a Gond artist, Kailash Pradhan came to see them. A Hundred Hands is an NGO that supports handmade art and artists and artisans and Kailash is an artist member. He immediately agreed to paint the little mug with traditional Gond Art. Such a priceless, beautiful treasure, especially when an artist creates something special for you. Grateful!
100 Stories of India - Shigmo in Goa
It is twilight in Panjim and a little boy dressed in all finery stands in the middle of the street and brandishes a sword in the air. But in a moment he is engulfed by the thunderous beats of the dhol and the high pitch of the cymbals. In Goa you do not associate pole dancers with older women, but here is a group holding poles in their hands and dancing to a frenzied rhythm. A baby Krishna strolls past while a gloomy intimidating Yama Raj strikes a pose. A shy Devi looks a bit conscious as she wields her sword, a Ravana adjusts his headgear, and a rather restless Hanuman paces up and down, grabbing attention.
All of a sudden I am lost in a sea of faces as thousands of men, women, and children throng the streets. Pulsating energy sweeps through the wave of poles and flags as they swirl and twirl to the rhythm of the Dhol. This is a Goa that is new to me. Vibrant and colourful, it treats me to a spectacle of Shigmo, a festival that is celebrated throughout the state to herald the season of spring.
Shigmo has its roots in the villages of Goa as the festival is usually celebrated in temples with the arrival of spring. Men and women dance in their fields, pray to the local deities, perform many folk dances, sing traditional songs, bring mythology alive with theatrical performances laced with trance and celebrate colour. However, the larger-than-life celebration is in the towns, where fantasy and folk form a fusion in the floats that parade through the streets.
Colours and Emotions of Holi
Manasi Thakkur, a numerologist, astrologer, and healer gives us an insight into the colours of Holi and the emotions they signify. Manasi has been a wonderful friend to me and has guided me during difficult situations in life as well.
Yellow she says is for laughter and joy, red for passion, green for growth, blue for loyalty and trust, and purple for spirituality. When you rub these colours on your friends and families, wish them these emotions too
See Manasi’s Instagram post to understand more about emotions.
People Make Places
I met Kirthi Shetty on a trip to Odisha and we spent a week together exploring some of the most fascinating placea - from Buddhist monasteries to arts and crafts villages. Kirthi is one colourful person I have met . She wears many hats and she does it rather flamboyantly too . A self taught artist, she is also a counsellot and manages a social enterprise where she works with women who recycle old sarees and fabrics. And she is the head of CSR initiatives in RBL Bank in Mumbai. Creative, always laughing and full of ideas Kirthi has never ceased to amaze and inspire me.
“With over two decades of experience in the social sector and counseling, she has collected memoirs that translate into art. Be it child education or women empowerment, through life and art, she has found her purpose in giving voices to the unvoiced.
Kirthi shares, “I love exploring experiences . When I felt an emotional high or low, I would go to the drawing board to express myself; any work with layers and complexity fascinates me as a way of life as well; I enjoy complicated textured intelligent dialogues. movies , travel, food and fashion.”
Her sketchbook is a blend of oil paints and watercolours. She has trained in calligraphy and ink. She now works in mix media, entwining her experiences into layers to create a wholesome piece of art, equipoising abstract and reality into one. “ I do have parallel themes running through my thoughts, and there are times when I'm reading a book and I can envision the paradigm of the notion in a life experience, “ she says.
Her travel expeditions have stimulated her art than any other facet of her life. “People make the places interesting , I am enthralled by the history of the place, what thought process were going on I tend to visualize and immerse myself.”
On the ocassion of Holi, she speaks about colours and what they evoke in her.
“It's well-known that poetry can make people swoon and a shocking image can enrage people into action, but the right use of colour can be equally as powerful. Colours trigger emotions and can engulf our senses . “
“Red yellow blue are the primary colours .My favourites would be yellow - I look at it as a hunger a insatiable desire to experience more . My moods determine my creative expression.”
Kirthi truly believes in one thing - self love. “Everything is much better when you don’t pay attention to anyone else but yourself, if you love something you are devoted towards it, it's not a task or a job – it is worship.”
Kirthi can be contacted on Instagram.
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