In our pre-India life, this was the title of my blog... a place where I recorded the funny things Hannah and Matthew said. I haven't touched it since we left. Since the blog you're reading encompasses "our life in India", I'm going to post it all here.
+ Recently our neighbors (from SPAIN!) arrived in India and were walking outside our house. They have twin 2-year-old girls, one of whom wears an eye patch sometimes to correct a lazy eye. When Matthew saw her, he shouted, "Look, Daddy, she's a pirate!" Shae quietly assured him that she just had an owie on her eye. "I know, Daddy. But she's a pirate!"
+ As we passed a dog on the street yesterday, Matthew exclaimed, "Look, he's eating his butt!" (Sorry, Mom, he learned 'butt' from a movie (and my friend Leah). We really try to use 'bottom' at our house."
+ And speaking of butts, Hannah suggested today that we could call our bottoms "cushions" because "they are kind of comfy."
+ Hannah to Daddy, "You really like TV." Pater familias took note.
+ Hannah is response to "What do you like about India?": "Everything but the bad smells and the bad food."
More to come... there's lots I've missed.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
Mohiniyattam: Traditional Keralan Dance
Performed live at the resort where we were staying... see video below.
A description from Wikipedia:
Mohiniyattam (Malayalam: മോഹിനിയാട്ടം) is a traditional South Indian dance from Kerala, one of the eight Indian classical dance forms. It is a very graceful dance meant to be performed as a solo recital by women. The term Mohiniyattam comes from the words "Mohini" meaning a woman who enchants onlookers and "aattam" meaning graceful and sensuous body movements. The word "Mohiniyattam" literally means "dance of the enchantress". There are two stories of the Lord Vishnu disguised as a Mohini. In one, he appears as Mohini to lure the asuras (demons) away from the amrita (nectar of immortality) obtained during the churning of the palazhi or Ocean of Milk.
In the second story Vishnu appears as Mohini to save Lord Shiva from the demon Bhasmasura. The name Mohiniyattam may have been coined after Lord Vishnu, and the main theme of the dance is love and devotion to God, with usually Vishnu or Krishna being the hero. Devadasis used to perform this in temples. But it also has elements of Koothu and Kottiyattom in it. Mohiniyattam is a drama in dance and verse.
This dance which has influences and elements from two South Indian dance forms, the Bharatanatyam and Kathakali, was formulated in the court of king Swati Tirunal by Vadivelu, one of the Thanjavur Quartet. The dance involves the swaying of broad hips and the gentle movements of erect posture from side to side. This is reminiscent of the swinging of the palm leaves and the gently flowing rivers which abound Kerala, the land of Mohiniyattam. There are approximately 40 different basic movements, known as 'atavukal', in Mohiniyattam.
The costume includes white sari embroidered with bright golden brocade (known as kasavu at the edges. The dance follows the classical text of Hastha Lakshanadeepika, which has elaborate description of Mudras (gestural expressions by the hand palm and fingers).
The vocal music of Mohiniyattam involves variations in rhythmic structure known as chollu. The lyrics are in Manipravalam, a mixture of Sanskrit and Malayalam. The Mohiniyattam dance is performed to this accompaniment by the subtle gestures and footwork of the danseuse. The performer uses the eyes in a very coy yet sensual manner, the purpose being to enchant the mind without enticing the senses.
A description from Wikipedia:
Mohiniyattam (Malayalam: മോഹിനിയാട്ടം) is a traditional South Indian dance from Kerala, one of the eight Indian classical dance forms. It is a very graceful dance meant to be performed as a solo recital by women. The term Mohiniyattam comes from the words "Mohini" meaning a woman who enchants onlookers and "aattam" meaning graceful and sensuous body movements. The word "Mohiniyattam" literally means "dance of the enchantress". There are two stories of the Lord Vishnu disguised as a Mohini. In one, he appears as Mohini to lure the asuras (demons) away from the amrita (nectar of immortality) obtained during the churning of the palazhi or Ocean of Milk.
In the second story Vishnu appears as Mohini to save Lord Shiva from the demon Bhasmasura. The name Mohiniyattam may have been coined after Lord Vishnu, and the main theme of the dance is love and devotion to God, with usually Vishnu or Krishna being the hero. Devadasis used to perform this in temples. But it also has elements of Koothu and Kottiyattom in it. Mohiniyattam is a drama in dance and verse.
This dance which has influences and elements from two South Indian dance forms, the Bharatanatyam and Kathakali, was formulated in the court of king Swati Tirunal by Vadivelu, one of the Thanjavur Quartet. The dance involves the swaying of broad hips and the gentle movements of erect posture from side to side. This is reminiscent of the swinging of the palm leaves and the gently flowing rivers which abound Kerala, the land of Mohiniyattam. There are approximately 40 different basic movements, known as 'atavukal', in Mohiniyattam.
The costume includes white sari embroidered with bright golden brocade (known as kasavu at the edges. The dance follows the classical text of Hastha Lakshanadeepika, which has elaborate description of Mudras (gestural expressions by the hand palm and fingers).
The vocal music of Mohiniyattam involves variations in rhythmic structure known as chollu. The lyrics are in Manipravalam, a mixture of Sanskrit and Malayalam. The Mohiniyattam dance is performed to this accompaniment by the subtle gestures and footwork of the danseuse. The performer uses the eyes in a very coy yet sensual manner, the purpose being to enchant the mind without enticing the senses.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
More on Kerala
Thank you, friends and family for reading and your fun comments and e-mails.
Yes, we did use the outdoor bathroom. It was the only one. :)
No, the bed by the pool wasn't the only one. We slept indoors.
Yes, there were mosquitoes. Mostly at dawn and dusk, same as MN. We brought bug spray. And slept indoors. :)
YES, exotic. And YES to critters. There was a full-time spiderweb swabber on the grounds, walking around with a dustmop to clean off lamp posts, etc. Walked through lots of spider webs on the 10-minute path to the restaurant for each meal. Had to snatch my toiletries bag before a lizard jumped into it. (But I like the lizards; they eat the mosquitoes.)
Was reading outside cross legged on the outdoor "bed", heard what sounded exactly like a drop of water and looked around, feeling for a wet spot. Nothing. Then several minutes later, I felt a wiggling/tickling on my ankle... a centipede/millipede? (need to read up on the distinction). I may have jumped up in alarm and chosen another reading spot. I don't know if I am more wigged out by bugs here because they are unfamiliar or if I am just getting soft in my old age and not camping as much. Hmmmm. Exotic.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Anniversary Trip to Kerala
Here are some photos (will write more about it soon) of our trip to Kerala, neighboring coastal state. We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary for 2 days together, leaving the kids in the competent care of another expat family. My DEAR husband gave me (and thought of himself!) the gift of going 2 days early, alone, to relax, refresh and recharge. It was a wonderful retreat. But (and thus) I enjoyed the time with him even more.
I captioned some of the photos. A few still bear explanation. The first 2/3rds are from a tour we took in a small motor boat. The last third are of us--yes, we've still got it going on--and the lovely place we stayed.
To come soon: more about Kerala, birds, boats, and a short video of traditional dance
I captioned some of the photos. A few still bear explanation. The first 2/3rds are from a tour we took in a small motor boat. The last third are of us--yes, we've still got it going on--and the lovely place we stayed.
To come soon: more about Kerala, birds, boats, and a short video of traditional dance
Friday, July 17, 2009
Belated photos: Chikmagalur
This is the lovely place that we reached by the train adventures mentioned in the last post... worth it! I think it was my favorite day in India.
The resort where we stayed was absolutely breathtaking. 70 acres of coffee plantation with biking paths all around. The villas were lovely. It even had a park for the kids. Our nephew Elijah was a big hit in the kitchen. It's new, only a year old, so it's somewhat undiscovered. Props to my great husband for finding it!
Haven't managed to caption the photos, but in general:
- The lush, green mountain is Muliyangiri, the highest peak in our state, Karnataka (over 6,000ft). It was SO wonderful to hike and climb, to be out of the city and enjoy fresh air. Raju and Shae had a rock hurling contest atop one rise. You'd be surprised at who won. :) We were besieged by requests for our photos, as always. They were taken by someone who didn't know how to zoom out.
- The picture of Shae in a fetal position in an outdoor tub = killer hiding spot for hide-and-seek
The resort where we stayed was absolutely breathtaking. 70 acres of coffee plantation with biking paths all around. The villas were lovely. It even had a park for the kids. Our nephew Elijah was a big hit in the kitchen. It's new, only a year old, so it's somewhat undiscovered. Props to my great husband for finding it!
Haven't managed to caption the photos, but in general:
- The lush, green mountain is Muliyangiri, the highest peak in our state, Karnataka (over 6,000ft). It was SO wonderful to hike and climb, to be out of the city and enjoy fresh air. Raju and Shae had a rock hurling contest atop one rise. You'd be surprised at who won. :) We were besieged by requests for our photos, as always. They were taken by someone who didn't know how to zoom out.
- The picture of Shae in a fetal position in an outdoor tub = killer hiding spot for hide-and-seek
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