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Jiddu Krishnamurti was a renowned writer and speaker on philosophical and spiritual subjects. His subject matter included: psychological revolution, the nature of the mind, meditation, human relationships, and bringing about positive change in society. He constantly stressed the need for a revolution in the psyche of every human being and emphasized that such revolution cannot be brought about by any external entity, be it religious, political, or social.
~ Wikipedia
"Is there an arriving? To arrive is to be in sorrow and within the shadow of fear. Is there an arriving inwardly, a goal to be reached, an end to be gained? Thought has fixed an end, God, bliss, success, virtue and so on. But thought is only a reaction, a response of memory and thought breeds time to cover the space between what is and what should be. The what should be, the ideal, is verbal, theoretical; it has no reality. The actual has no time; it has no end to achieve, no distance to travel. The fact is and everything else is not."
"Belief is so unnecessary, as are ideals. Both dissipate energy which is needed to follow the unfolding of the fact, the what is. Beliefs like ideals are escapes from the fact and in escapes there is no end to sorrow. The ending of sorrow is the understanding of the fact from moment to moment. There is no system or method which will give understanding but only a choiceless awareness of a fact. Meditation according to a system is the avoidance of fact of what you are; it is far more important to understand yourself, the constant changing of the facts about yourself, than to meditate in order to find god, have visions, sensations and other forms of entertainment."
"All existence is choice; only in aloneness there is no choice. Choice, in every form, is conflict. Contradiction is inevitable in choice; this contradiction, inner and outer breeds confusion and misery. To escape from this misery, gods, beliefs, nationalism, commitment to various patterns of activities become compulsive necessities. Having escaped, they become all important and escape is the way of illusion; then fear and anxiety set in."
I guess his writing has surprised me....and I know many people who would disagree with elements of these excerpts.
They were taken from "Krishnamurti's Notebook" by J Krishnamurti, KFI 2004
Koodiyattam or Kutiyattam is a form of Sanskrit theatretraditionally performed in the state of Kerala, India. Performed in the Sanskrit language in Hindu temples, it is believed to be 2000 years old. It is officially recognised byUNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
Koodiyattam [kutiyattam], meaning "combined acting," signifies Sanskrit drama presented in the traditional style in temple theatres of Kerala and is the only surviving specimen of the ancient Sanskrit theatre. It has an attested history of a thousand years in Kerala, but its origin and evolution are shrouded in mystery. It seems that Kutiyattam is an amalgam of the classical Sanskrit theatre of ancient India and the regional theatre of Kerala. It is believed that Kulasekhara Varman Cheraman Perumal, an ancient king of Kerala, who ruled from Mahodayapuram (modern Kodungallur) reformed Koodiyattam, introducing the local language for Vidusaka and structuring presentation of the play to well defined units. He himself wrote two plays, Subhadraharana and Tapatisamvarana and made arrangements for their presentation on stage with the help of a Brahmin friend of him called Tolan. These plays are still presented on stage. Apart from these, the plays traditionally presented include Ascaryacudamani of Saktibhadra, Kalyanasaugandhika of Nilakantha, Bhagavadajjuka of Bodhayana, Nagananda of Harsa, and many plays ascribed to Bhasa including Abhiseka and Pratima. The Kutiyattam performance was confined to the temple precincts of Kerala in specially constructed theatres called Kutampalams.(Source Wikipedia)
Ms Kapila Nangiar and her group presented “Sita Parityagam” (Abondning of Sita) at IIT Delhi.Here are some of photos I want to share.
Kali Puja is performed on a new moon night. As Kali is associated with dark rites and demon worship, the rituals performed are austere and offered with great devotion and thousands of lights are illuminated across the nation to eliminate the dark rituals.A shot from Kolkata, West Bengal.
A late night game of Carrom - the light is taken from the battery of the Ambassador. A street shot from Kolkata, West Bengal.
1984 anti-sikh riot victims- With parents portrait, New Delhi
Davinder Singh was a Major in the Army and on 31 October he was riding his scooter in central delhi when he was chased by an anti-sikh mob. He managed to reach the army cantonment. From here he sent an army truck to fetch his mother, his wife and two daughters and few other sikhs seeking shelter from the murderous mob.
1984 anti-sikh riot victims- Three generations in the family, New Delhi
1984 anti-sikh riot victims- Three generations in the family, New Delhi, originally uploaded by sanjayausta.
Geetika's mother Sunila Singh did not in her wildest dreams imagine the mob could think of harming anyone least of all their family. Theirs was a secular family, not very religious- Sunila had short hair- but for the first time they were forced to think they were not Indians but Sikhs. Till the last moment she did not believe the mob was capable of plunder and murder. She along with her mother -in-law and two daughters including Geetika sought refuge in her neighbors house.
It is amazing how many of these older folks perceive death. They come from far away places just live their last years here and die here. While they are here they manage to live with whatever little they have and wait for their turn to join the abode of Lord. Sad or Philosophical its in the eyes of beholder.
Happy Diwali to all.
Diwali or Deepavali (Hindi: दीपावली, दिवाली; Kannada: ದೀಪಾವಳಿ; Urdu: دیوالی; Tamil: தீபாவளி; Telugu: దీపావళి; Marathi and Konkani:दिवाळी) is a significant festival in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and an official holiday in India.
Adherents of these religions celebrate Diwali as the Festival of Lights. They light diyas—cotton string wicks inserted in small clay pots filled with oil—to signify victory of good over the evil within an individual.
Firecrackers and fireworks are popular on the eve of Diwali.
source; wikipedia
The monks of the monastery Lingshed are preparing the visit of the Dalai Lama.
The helicopter has bring some useful food for the reception. A joy, almost childlike, reads on their faces ... Throughout our journey and village to village, we met this joy and calm excitement that preceded the arrival of the Dalai Lama.
They are extracting rice from dry plants and after that basmati will be taken out it with machines. A shot from zirakpur , Panjab.
What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to sit and stare....
What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to sit and stare...., originally uploaded by Fountain_Head (On vacation!!!).
I was shooting the sunrise when this person slowly came into the frame and sat in the boat near the shore. He was so oblivious to his surroundings and was not even aware of me clicking photos there. He did not seem lost but was surely not enjoying the beautiful sunrise as well. It seemed to me that he just wanted to get away from it all: his worries, his thoughts, his pains, his happiness.
One of main attraction of annual Dussehra festival here in my home town are these actors who play role of Hindu God-HANUMAN from the most famous Indian epic of Ramayana.
Actors dress up like this and wear heavily decorated mask which they have to support while dancing their way through streets and roads. Also their body is painted with saffron color(which is fav color of Lord Hanuman). For playing role of Hanuman these actors follow tough religious rules and regulations such as -fasting, sleeping on the rough ground,to remain barefoot, praying 3 times a day, eating food which mostly consist of fruits and milk only). These actors start following these rules and regulations a month before start of Dussehra.
Years ago there used to be only 3 or 4 actors who were playing role of Hanuman in Dussehra here but with change in time many more actors started playing this role and this year we had 150 actors playing role of Hanuman in the Dussehra festival.
Those who are familiar with Hinduism and epic Ramayana know Hanuman very well. He is considered to be the greatest devotee ever born on earth as per Ramayana. He is one of the main characters of the epic Ramayana, who played a crucial role in the liberation of Sita(wife of Lord Rama),by leading an army of monkeys to fight the demon king Ravana.
The holy Golden Temple (a.k.a Harmandir Sahib) is an a m a z i n g place. The glamorous and captivating atmosphere inside is something every one should experience at least 'once' in a life time.
Anyone who wants to enter the Harmandir Sahib may do so, irrespective of religion, color, creed or sex. The only restrictions are that the person must not drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes in the shrine. Visitors are, as well, expected to dress appropriately and everyone must cover their heads as a sign of respect, leave their shoes and socks in the cloak-room outside and enter the temple 'barefooted'. Visitors must wash their feet in the small pool of water as they enter the Harmandir Sahib premises.
Shot in Golden Temple, Amritsar (Majha region of Punjab, India.)
avjivan (or new life) camp in govindpuri, south delhi. 500 families without any regular supply of water or sanitation facilities. the delhi jal board sends one or two water tankers of 15,000 litres each every day. on sundays and national holidays the water tanker doesn't come. residents use the water for drinking, bathing, washing clothes and utensils. life in this small colony revolves around water, or the paucity of it: in the 10 by 12 feet rooms that an average family stays, buckets occupy a quarter of the space; morning onwards people prepare themselves for the tanker which empties in no more than 6 minutes... kids barely 7 or 8 years old move around draped in colorful containers and winding pipes ready for the water express; water spilling out of the tanker makes for a quick bath with clothes on, peace descends once the tanker leaves all and sundry soaked ... a near surreal experience.
the kid in the foreground has on a mask of the invincible monkey god who according to myth, once moved mountains !!!