RE: Postcard from God's Own Country (Kerala)!
ORIGINAL: sunanda
1. The instruments do look exactly like your photo but I checked this morning with one of the musicians and he said it's not a shehnai but a nadasuram. (The spelling is my own - that's what it sounded like anyway.)
2. the music is extremely wail- y and somewhat discordant to western ears.
3. (I love it but some of the tourists were looking a little pained!) There are about ten musicians in all - two sets: one lot have two of these nadasurams and three sets of horizontal drums, two sets of which consist of two drums each.
4. The others have three vertical drums - chenda. (Now I know that should be spelled cenda with a little dot under the 'c' but chenda is what it sounds like.)
5. some of the older women ululate at the highspots of the ceremonies and it was with some astonishment that I found myself doing the same at one of the pujas on the beach.
6. It may not be totally hygienic but I've never had a problem so far, and it is absolutely delicious. Kali takes care of her children like the Divine Mother she is!!!!
Hi Sunanda and all,
Just a little bit of info, if you do not mind.
1. The Shehnai is the most developed form of the Double reeded wind instrument. It's supposed to have quadruple reeds. I do not know as I have never handled it myself. It is mainly used in North Indian classical Music. The south Indian Classical Music called Karnataki Music uses a simpler form of the instrument. Only a simple double reed, not so advanced. It's name is Nadaswaram etc. Some details here:
[link= http://www.chandrakantha.com/articles/indian_music/nadaswaram.html ]http://www.chandrakantha.com/articles/indian_music/nadaswaram.html[/link]
and here:
[link= http://www.jas-musicals.com/sectrad/45/ShahnaiNathaswaramConchMoorsung.asp ]http://www.jas-musicals.com/sectrad/45/ShahnaiNathaswaramConchMoorsung.asp[/link]
This is what it looks like :
Some info on the Chenda here:
[link= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenda ]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenda[/link]
3. I imagine that this is the kind of group playing that you saw:
4. Here is a picture of chenda:
This page should havemost if not all the drums used in South India. This should help you identify them, Sunanda:
[link= http://www.jas-musicals.com/sectrad/South-Indian-Instruments.asp ]http://www.jas-musicals.com/sectrad/South-Indian-Instruments.asp[/link]
5. I AM impressed. I am very familiar with the sound of the ulu although I am not very fond of it myself. Nor can I do it. But very well done; most impressive.
6. Traditional South Indian cooking should have a lot of tamarind; extremely acid and quite effective in killing bacteria. You would be alright.
Just be careful with water. I drink a lot of the water from inside the GReen Coconut. That should be plentiful in Kerala. Make the most of it. Absolutely safe and heavenly in taste.
Once again, all the best.
Prashna
RE: Postcard from God's Own Country (Kerala)!
ORIGINAL: sunanda
Yesterday morning I grabbed a couple of hours and sped into the city (Trivandrum) where I treated myself to my first ever silk chiffon sari. Rather an extravagant purchase at 20 pounds sterling; but it's to wear on the last day when I will have apuja done for me and my son in the temple before the festival finishes.
Hi Sunanda,
I hope you won't mind a suggestion re: Sari purchase. £20 is not really extravagant as Silk sarees go. When I was getting Silk Sari's for my dear wife in Kolkata in 1999, I paid between £40 and £60. Of course, shops in cities are usually more expensive. It's worth getting a good one as it would last you the rest of your life and they are far more expensive and difficult to get in UK.
You could consider the Kanchipuram Silks . You would get some info on it here:
[link= http://www.sarisafari.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=S&Category_Code=ks ]http://www.sarisafari.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=S&Category_Code=ks[/link]
They look like this:
I am afraid this one might set you back about £60 even in India.
The other famous silk sari from South India is Bangalore Silk (quite expensive). Murshidabad silk with batik prints are much less so. Some examples here:
[link= http://sarisafari.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=S&Category_Code=murshi ]http://sarisafari.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=S&Category_Code=murshi[/link]
Alternatively you could try the Narayanpet Sari's also in handwoven silk, Some details here:
[link= http://www.exoticindiaart.com/product/YQ86/ ]http://www.exoticindiaart.com/product/YQ86/[/link]
It looks like this:
All the best. If I have caused offence to you or anyone else with my suggestions, I hope you will forgive me.
Prashna.
RE: Postcard from God's Own Country (Kerala)!
S,
I love your post here as I am sure anyone does. The fact is that you span the psychology or whatever (!) between East and West. What I mean is, that you know so much that people in the West need to know, but Indians would take for granted. So to me, you are exceptional. 🙂
I have to be honest. I would TRY to partake of these rituals ... ouch ... but I think there is superstition involved? I would find it very hard - actually I could not - be really involved 100 % . But I love the fact that you can, it is amazing.
So forgive me for that, LOL, I am maybe a jnani yogi (and that is also a joke).
But I can't get my head around how to fully partake in rites or rituals that seem to have no overall or informed wisdom to them? I am so sorry! I simply love your knowledge. But to me it is is a kind of supertition. Ouch! I said it!
Mind you, I am experienced in taking part in such things and giving them my own meaning, so maybe this is what you do?
V xxxxxx
RE: Postcard from God's Own Country (Kerala)!
Sunanda, Is it easy for vegans in India to find food?. I should think it is somehow.
I'd love a sari, they are so beautiful. A friend has one and she wears it at parties.
The country scenery looks divine. I would love to go there and see the wildlife. Oh well I can dream!
RE: Postcard from God's Own Country (Kerala)!
Hi all
Prashna, you said:
I imagine that this is the kind of group playing that you saw:
And indeed it is but this is what I call 'massed cenda', whereas 'my' group is very small. I have seen 'formation' drumming performed by one group at the festival of Sri Mookambika in Kollur and it is wonderful. Most impressive.
Thank you so much for the links and info about the musical instruments; when I write my book:Dit will come in very handy!
Actually I do know about the more expensive silk saris and have been to Kanchipuram. Also Benares silk is very well known but it is far too heavy for me here (not to mention too costly). What I love about the silk chiffon is that it's so light in weight - but to be honest, I'm very happy with my usual light 100% cotton saris.
David, why 'try' to take part in rituals if they're not your cup of tea? What point? I don't even have to think about whether I 'believe' in them or whether it's superstition - for me it's a visceral thing; I don't have a choice, I just do it - and LOVE it. But then I'm a bhakta, you're a jnani - two paths leading up the same mountain.
Jackie, vegetarian food is the norm here. People consume some milk - in tea mainly - and cook with yogurt. Actually the Hindus here are happy (some but not all of them) to eat fish and chicken but can't always afford it. During the festival they're supposed to eat pure vegetarian and imbibe no alcohol! After the last puja - which will be after midnight tomorrow and not open to the public - they're always quite keen to get rid of me, which used to upset me until I realised that all the men except the priests go off and have a good feast with fish and whisky. Although I'm accorded honorary male status for the duration of the festival, I don't expect them to invited me along for this - and I wouldn't want to go even if they did as they're all quite full of themselves by then and probably tell dirty jokes etc. The sacred turns into the profane!
You know, one thing that I have been thinking about is how all the work at the temple gets done pretty organically - local people turn up and pitch in as needed, without being asked to do so. I've mentioned the women de-petalling flowers, well, the men do their fair share too. This morning a couple of them were washing the outer walls of the shrines and two twenty-year olds (one of which belongs to the little guesthouse where I stay) offered to put up new decorations (these are made from some kind of leaf which is sort of twisted into a bird shape - I keep meaning to investigate further to find out how they do it) across the whole 'auditorium'. It's so lovely to see the youngsters - always boys - working together and having fun, rather than being sullen and uncommunicative like a lot of our teenagers. They seem to develop much later than ours do, so a 20 year old is still a kid and those who come to the temple are really sweet. I remember a few years back when about ten of them had the afternoon off towards the end of the festival and were frolicking in the sea. I offered to buy them a Pepsi each and this to them was the highspot of the day; they couldn't usually afford to drink Pepsi!
There's a lovely feeling amongst the women and girls too: a few years back they mostly spent the puja times chatting and gossiping but now I notice they come to sit and focus in silence and it's very powerful.
This morning's main puja was a kumkum abhishekham, when the main Goddess was bathed in red powder. I nearly caught the end of my sari in an oil lamp and went up in flames - but she saved me!!:D
Much love
Sunanda xxx