The Taj

At the end of our trip to India, we visited the Taj Mahal. I was told everyone should visit. I didn't understand why but trusted. I am glad I did. The Taj is an experience at many levels. Two thoughts stay with me - diviersity and detail. For this post, let me focus on detail.

I have always thought of the Taj as a huge white structure. That is certainly true.

First View of the Taj

 But, as you approach, you begin to realize the artistic detail of every inch of the building. Can you begin to sense that from this next photo?

Every inch of the marble is etched, inlaid. You can see that even more clearly in these photos.

 And here is some detail of the marble inlays and carvings.

This one almost looks like a quilt! It is actually the inside of a dome structure.

And, I am only sharing detail for the actual Taj. There is a mosque to one side of the Taj that was built for the workers (and a replica of that mosque on the other side simply for balance). These structures are art works in themselves - not to mention the artistry in the various 'gate' buildings through which you approach the Taj.

It is no wonder that people walk about in awe, sitting a bit to take more in. Your senses are continually bombarded by beauty - at a grand and a detail level. It is truly an inspiring site - majestic seems too small a word to describe it. 

Wonderful Memories

We had many wonderful experiences during our trip in India. My daughter created a video from different scenes that she captured during our trip. I love the sounds .... hope you enjoy it too.

Celebrating Onam 2011

We were in the Indian state of Kerala for the celebration of their holiday, Onam.

According to wikipedia, Onam  is a Hindu festival celebrated by the people of Kerala, India. The festival commemorates the Vamana avatar of Vishnu and the subsequent homecoming of the legendary Emperor Mahabali. It falls during the month of Chingam (August–September) and lasts for ten days. Intricate flower carpets, elaborate banquet lunch, snake boat races, Puli Kali (the tiger dance I had previously posted about, and the Kaikottikkali dance all play a part in the festival.

While we were in Kochi, we stayed at Sajhome. Saj and his family were celebrating Onam and I was able to help decorate their pookalam, a flower carpet,  assembled on the sidewalk outside their home.

Have a peak at its construction:

Some pookalam are quite elaborate. Here is the one in lobby of our hotel in Alleppey - that is my daughter and son-in-law in traditional dress.

A Place of Peace

The last day that we were in India, we visited a Memorial Site for Mahatma Gandhi - the home where he spent the last four months of his life before he was murdered. It was a moving experience to walk through the site - quotes capturing the essence of his philosophy line walkways. I am so glad we took the time to tour it.

The two rooms that Ghandi used  while he was living there have been preserved. The words, Simplicity is the essence of universality, are framed in one room.

Finally, the path he walked to where he met his assassin have been marked with footsteps.

India is so complex, so busy, so dense in population and activity. The site contrasts so dramatically with its environs and, in doing so, makes a powerful statement for the man whom it pays tribute to.

A Theme Emerges

My first post back from India was called Outside the Box. No surprise that my first quilt bears the same name. It begins to capture some of the creativity that abounds when we allow ourselves to explore and create. It also reminds me of how colorful India was in so many ways.

And, I already have a use for Outside the Box in mind. As many SAQA members have been mentioning, it is currently SAQA auction time - I am happy to say that my contribution for this year sold the first week. It is a nice feeling that someone else out there valued it.

I really enjoy supporting SAQA through contributing an auction piece and during my first year as a member, someone suggested getting one's contribution in early so it would be displayed on the SAQA site for an extended period. That sounded like a well thought out idea provided one has a contribution ready to donate.

So, I decided that the time of the 2011 SAQA auction is the perfect time to create a possible contribution for the 2012 auction! Of course, I can always change my mind, but Outside the Box will be put aside with the 2012 auction in mind.

Here is what it looks like at this point.  It still needs to be quilted.

Outside the Box

I am back from India. It was an amazing trip and I will undoubtedly be sharing my experiences over the next months. I was reminded over and over as I traveled that, for me, India is a grand experience in living outside the box. It pushes and pushes at your preconceptions of reality, your comfort levels, and your endurance. And, the rewards for letting go and just experiencing are immense!

Here is a photo I took near Alleppey of the traditional fishing boats that have been used for hundreds of years - they create a majestic scene. These fishermen have returned from their morning fishing and are pulling the boat up on the sand. It is as big as it looks.

Shortly after I took this photo, we were treated to an impromptu traditional tiger dance by some local kids. We were in Kerala for Onam - the equivilent of a secular Christmas there - and the dance is part of the Onam celebration.

Cast of dancers

Tiger dance

 If you can imagine, the crowd where I was standing was as dense as the crowd that you can see. Did I mention that it was 100% humidity and about 85 or 90°F out? It was a totally unexpected and memorable moment - not your average upstate NY experience!

Hope to share more in the coming days!

Please Enjoy!

For the next few weeks I will be traveling in India with my daughter and son-in-law while my dear husband holds down the fort at home. We will mainly be in the province of Kerala south of Kochi in the village of Alleppey. You can see Kochi and Kerala marked on this map - why Kerala is marked as it is a province, not a town, is not clear to me but, at least, this gives you a general idea of where we will be.

My blog will stay active while I am traveling as I have prepared a series of posts in advance but I probably won't be able to respond to any comments till I return. I hope you will understand. Promise to bring back many wonderful photos to share.

Complete at last!

Finally, after so many months, I have completed Scents of India.

In retrospect, I am glad that the embroidery module quilting did not work. I feel my 'freehand' free-motion quilting really adds to the quilt. I am finding that I really enjoy using beads to enhance a work. My final step was to glue some actual seed pods from the Star Anise into the center of the map of India.

Next step for this quilt will be an appearance in our local guild's bi-annual quilt show.

Scents of Kerala

This past weekend I traveled to CT for a board meeting of the Franciscan Family Apostolate, an organization I belong to that assists families in Alleppey, India. It is something that my family has been involved with since the 1970's. A number of the board members visited Alleppey a few weeks ago. One of them brought back gifts of spices for the rest of us. She wanted to share the scents of India as we began our meeting.

I took one look and immediately thought 'art quilt'. Take a look at these spices. Included are cardamon, caraway, fennel and star anise. They smell absolutely wonderful and totally inspire me. The star anise is particularly brilliant.

I did pay attention for the meeting but, in the back of my mind, an art quilt was forming. :)