tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2030642563412927172024-02-20T20:39:50.973-08:00Viktor-vijay-art-contemporary Indian artistIndian contemporary modern artist Viktor Vijay on Indian art. 'Sing for me O song eternal, I waited in vales and in deserts burning, you are the fire love's yearning. Your lotus eyes bloom and the time withers. Hold my hand outside of ageing time; kiss me so that our souls coalesce. I waited for you before the beginning of time, till your fragrance I find shall incubate an unborn child.'artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-52272823518925294422012-02-23T10:51:00.000-08:002012-02-23T10:51:36.755-08:00Tamil Art--Chola Bronzes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chola Bronze 11th century Govt Museum Chennai</td></tr>
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</div>The reason for the great resurgence of creativity in Tamilakam during Chola centuries I am researching. Because of Ananda Coomaraswamy-s writings people in West became familiar with Chola Bronzes. Since during Chola period thousands and thousands of Bronzes were cast some found their way in West--legally and not-legally. The great beauty of these bronzes is that they are cast in round and hence are equally marvelous to behold from any angle--profile, front or back. As I stayed in Kumbakonam making rounds to beautiful; little village Swami Malai by the river I watched the invocation to heavens, to earth , to water to eternal Siva by the sthapati who appears more as a world-oblivious devotee. His broad forehead invested with the holy sandal paste and ashes, his eyes searching answers more inside than outside, his veshti (dhoti) wrapped around and folded to knee-lenght, his shirt hung in one corner of his stdio. In his bare torso he looks like devotee preparing to offer prayers in Chidambram Koil. I imagined the sky, the earth, the paddy fields, the river were the same more than a thousand years earlier and forefathers of the present day stapati invoked God as is done even now. The beauty of these bronzes holds you spell bound in their spirituality as also their unsurpassede sensuality. Here is a picture of the back view of a Chola bronze from the collection of Govt. Museum Chennai.</div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-29121921512852095952012-01-26T11:09:00.000-08:002012-01-26T11:13:36.520-08:00The best of Tamil art: Fragrance of Jasmine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw9H-h-cP0rpBevhkoVReH9BXSN8J_2A7ZgWwAAwJEpxhyphenhyphen7qPCQFjLOiAyHJ1Pa9BbzFzNYaYBKnx1Woes_F0WvkoQsmOmAVT8RgjMufB6zjp8uQYmoD7BuraYEuru0D1WpJ38M6j0esA/s1600/Temple+dance.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw9H-h-cP0rpBevhkoVReH9BXSN8J_2A7ZgWwAAwJEpxhyphenhyphen7qPCQFjLOiAyHJ1Pa9BbzFzNYaYBKnx1Woes_F0WvkoQsmOmAVT8RgjMufB6zjp8uQYmoD7BuraYEuru0D1WpJ38M6j0esA/s320/Temple+dance.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A dancer n Mridangam player from Darasuram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I have been working on my book on the<b> Art of Tamils: Fragrance of Jasmine</b>. I travel often and long in Tamilnadu and study the exquisite art that was created by Pallavas, Pandyas, Cholas and Cheras. cholas are more famous for their monumental temples at Thanjavur, Gangaikondcholapuram, Darasuram and Kamphareswra temples. Darasuram near Kumbakonam is regarded as sculptors paradise. Here I have added a beautiful relief of a vigorous dancer and equally vigorous mridangam player.</div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-8431179861592190642011-04-19T10:55:00.000-07:002011-04-25T11:27:11.555-07:00Mathura Museum<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> old building of Mathura Museum</span></b>. The new building is ready but still the old building is being used as Museum.When the Museum shifts there will be more space and more works on display hopefully. No countrty can become proud of itself without keeping in mind it past history, art, culture. What we are today is the result of what our forefathers created and left for us</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipD-D_jSyySDmD3e7c1-YfkFXMCuI7so9MoQ56DI1CoCP-2oom4c0sz1a_llgoFzPs8j3WtnIVJwJO1fiBod7ukHqlHBIazjrzb1yOOxe1IFCmn-SA3MslQZt0Bvi6nGgIVlMrG-RWlyI/s1600/DSC_2192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipD-D_jSyySDmD3e7c1-YfkFXMCuI7so9MoQ56DI1CoCP-2oom4c0sz1a_llgoFzPs8j3WtnIVJwJO1fiBod7ukHqlHBIazjrzb1yOOxe1IFCmn-SA3MslQZt0Bvi6nGgIVlMrG-RWlyI/s320/DSC_2192.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvO9OMDm1Ca4YannFGHTts7biElYILTx7-Oeg3AtMTr7bHeQf5_ITYg4RqKW8Gkn1_yZw0LxxSbqE_lTZ9_UKQEVPelLeC44KriNWxSwgxo-BWNwbauzoelJFqy_STEGCu-SIx_JWPq0/s1600/DSC_2205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvO9OMDm1Ca4YannFGHTts7biElYILTx7-Oeg3AtMTr7bHeQf5_ITYg4RqKW8Gkn1_yZw0LxxSbqE_lTZ9_UKQEVPelLeC44KriNWxSwgxo-BWNwbauzoelJFqy_STEGCu-SIx_JWPq0/s320/DSC_2205.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lingam Kushan period (Mathura Museum) Thnx 2 Director Mathura Museum to photograph the work for my next book on Indian art </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgGKHJK4qnTnSwXztG98HKE_GDw5GQ4mIxP3OOcTKqBTZZfl4sr4fNitiH-CL_BvLY2nHRwO4i1pPFCGhHUXuu-yzafiyo240LMAL1DCMU3wc51W-IO6-D1imViUHXBvUKQkjmq2JANM/s1600/DSC_2205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgGKHJK4qnTnSwXztG98HKE_GDw5GQ4mIxP3OOcTKqBTZZfl4sr4fNitiH-CL_BvLY2nHRwO4i1pPFCGhHUXuu-yzafiyo240LMAL1DCMU3wc51W-IO6-D1imViUHXBvUKQkjmq2JANM/s320/DSC_2205.JPG" width="73" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The great art of India in Nor</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>th</b></span>. this Yaksha was chiselled by artist with great visual n creative force 200 years before Christ was born. See the great softness and serenity conveyed (Mathura Museum) Thnx to Mathura Museum Director for permission to Photograph for my new book</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix02Ve0mfsE54umqjTXsP93rJicYkgFIAAfkcbjS7ArFsxfAyy5Z_yr6iluWc_FwSEMfEtbmndvJbJ3zDeGafF4DG6QfTYqV5GAmxik6vukTa1_rl8YkdOGKfToC64ZXVi9GLbWGRba6E/s1600/DSC_1778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix02Ve0mfsE54umqjTXsP93rJicYkgFIAAfkcbjS7ArFsxfAyy5Z_yr6iluWc_FwSEMfEtbmndvJbJ3zDeGafF4DG6QfTYqV5GAmxik6vukTa1_rl8YkdOGKfToC64ZXVi9GLbWGRba6E/s320/DSC_1778.JPG" width="315" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>If you are looking one place for the the great art of north India-ancient north including parts of China, Khotan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Mathura it is.</div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-76148896608395474892011-04-10T00:47:00.000-07:002011-04-10T00:47:28.766-07:00The phenomena of a New India—Anna Hazare and his Indians<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Some dream for themselves some dream for others <o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal">The emergence almost overnight of a star for 1.21 billion Indians in Anna Hazare as a symbol of faith, determination, hope, honesty is a miracle of sorts. It is a great example to the world of the largest democracy on earth changing its direction for the better. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is democracy confronting ill-functioning democracy. It is democracy vs. democracy. A man of 73 years who lives out of a bag and owns no land, house or assets and has 10’X10’ room to sleep has spearheaded and awakened even the most cynic of Indians and jolted a Govt. who and whose predecessors dithered from making an effective legislation against the corruption specially of rulers and high and mighty. Unfortunately India is a country where after swindling $20 billions a powerful person never sees even the portals of a jail while a poor person can stay for 20 years in prison on being falsely implicated of stealing Rs20, all this because the laws are lax and the system is dilatory.</div><div class="MsoNormal">A new icon is born and every Indian has appropriated him as his own and vision of future by saying, ‘I am Anna Hazare’ He has overtaken every other living person as a popular icon among the urban and rural youth and grown ups. He stands taller than any other Indian by miles. People see in him the most handsome Indian whose crystal heart beats for <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> and Indians. A couple of politicos called him an uneducated driver. But what a driver he is for Indians driving them out of the muck and slush of dirty dealing corrupt of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There are three kinds of people—</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 those who live for themselves, are indifferent and they are the majority in normal circumstances but are jolted out of their slumber when a leader of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>heroic dimensions appears</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 those who live for themselves at the expense of others and that include all the corrupt politicos, bureaucrats and industrialists and all the riff raff of society</div><div class="MsoNormal">3 Those who dream and turn the dreams into a beautiful reality of hope for others</div><div class="MsoNormal">Anna Hazare is from the last category. Indian regard such likes of Narayan Murthy, Azim Premji, and Metro man Sreedharan, cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar from the third category.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Unfortunately no politician at present is regarded as an icon for the country. People have reached a stage of despair with endless march of corruption, low morality among rulers. There was hopelessness for people found no way out endemic corruption till on 5<sup>th</sup> April Anna Hazare appeared at Jantar Mantar. His simple, spotless life and a straight forward readiness to die fasting to save <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> and Indians from corruption endeared him to all. He asked for peoples’ right to frame an effective legislation against corruption. People came from all walks of life they gathered all over <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place>, they sang patriotic songs, they fasted unto death, and they resolved to be with Anna Hazare. They saw a 73 year old common man like themselves in Anna Hazare who had nothing, wanted nothing rather was willing to die for them. They pledged to be with him come what may. I saw a strange light in peoples’ eyes, they talked of Gandhi, of British Colonial atrocities, of Jai Prakash Narayan’s selfless leadership, they emptied their pain, their sufferings, miseries on total strangers, but bound together by a common bond and the rope was Anna Hazare. They brought water for people and they did not mind the sun, they were polite as tender petals of a flower to each other. It was mesmerizing, and I wondered are these the same people who indulge in road rage! No the magician has worked his magic on these people and the magician par excellence was Anna Hazare. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Personal life is an important indicator of a person and we see immoral flaunting of wealth by classes. <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> despite it growth rate has also descended in stark inequalities.70% people live on Rs20 a day and they bear the burden of the corruption. What belongs to them as transfer of resources and redistributive justice has been stolen through corruption. The burden of corruption is the highest on the poor though no doubt <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s sizeable middle class suffers no less and has participated vociferously in the change spearheaded by Anna Hazare. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">People know now that power is wielded by politicians, bureaucrats, in cahoots with super rich industrialists. The public knows that <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>often after climbing its shoulders politicos blatantly use the power to amass wealth through corruption.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The corporate social responsibility has acquired a new meaning and created a high social respect for Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Azim Premji, Narayanmurthy and metro man Sreedharan The society does not view positively examples of lavish conspicuous consumption while 47% children are malnourished. A Mukesh Ambani may be the richest Indian but he stands nowhere in societal respect of the masses. The stock of industrialists generally is not very high in our country for they are seen mostly to do nothing for <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> other than building empires for themselves and their children.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Among masses of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place> the brand value of Mukesh Ambani the richest Indian who build for himself a Rs10,000 crore house is miniscule compared with Anna Hazare who lives in 10’X10’ room in a temple.</div><div class="MsoNormal">This is an emerging <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> where moral values and not your wealth is the indicator of your worth.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Quite a number of industrialist are embroiled in scams in cahoots with politicos and bureaucrats, this has further eroded the faith of the masses. Imagine Gandhi called business as trustees of society but in many cases they have emerged as immoral exploiters and manipulators. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">India and Indians were<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>bewildered and helpless till Anna arrived on national scene on 5<sup>th</sup> April 2011 and media manned by middle class journo and anchors morally felt obligated to openly take sides for the India that was almost crushed under, by the corrupt in positions of power. Yes media was partisan in favour of Anna Hazare and ordinary Indians<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and when I saw Kapil Sibbal blowing his fuse on <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>anchor Barkha Datt of NDTV accusing her of being unreasonable and partisan she merely said, “Oh You are annoyed”. It was the same story with the anchor Arnav Goswami from Times Now. Yes media was partisan but it was partisans for the suffering people who constitute the foundation and the main pillar of democracy, yes media was partisan for a nation unable to breathe under weight of obese corrupt, yes it was partisan for Indians under siege, it was partisan for the undernourished children whose morsels of food were being snatched by the corrupt, it was partisan for the poor and above it was partisan to make democracy for the people more effective. The lawyer in Kapil Sibbal wove the web of procedures and systemic labyrinths for two days but it came to naught as anchor after anchor asked why in 42 years they could not bring legislation against corruption. The ministers were mouthing ‘us’ and ‘them’ initially but by fourth day it changed to Govt. and civil society are on the same side </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People did not see Govt. and Opposition differently and did not allow political opposition to gate crash in the movement. First time people stood above the divide of caste, class, religion, regionalism and political divisionism. From media to mobile telephones, SMSs, internet, Facebook it galvanized all Indian in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> and abroad. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Media became the democratic opposition to safeguard peoples’ interest. The speechless stunned opposition and the Govt. in power appeared to be on the same side for people. For the first time the political class appeared to be on the defensive. The unceremonious ejection of Chautala and Uma Bharti was watched by all across the country. It was a different mood that Anna Hazare’s fast had created in the people. The school children came with their teachers, college students with professors, employees came in lunch hour missing their lunch and again after the office was over, women<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and man in twilight of their lives, mothers with little children in tow came from<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>far off states, they came from here and there, they came from far and near, they came from towns, villages cities and streets <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To an extent it was true, people have seen the geometric growth of the wealth of quite few of functionaries of democracy, they dithered in giving details of their assets, they were found to be in company of criminals or had criminal background, some of them were seen by people doing deals for money on the TV, they had seen hitting, slapping abusing politicos more akin to street goons. When Anna Hazare embarked on his fast unto death the stock of politicos had reached the lowest ebb. Scams after scams had just taken away any solace the political class could offer to ordinary mortals called Janta.</div><div class="MsoNormal">But remember the people have realized their power and in future they will be the ombudsmen for the correct behaviour of the servants of people. <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> turns the corner and a moral reeducation seems to be in the offing at least for the ruling classes. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div></div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-19700909780923259502011-04-08T12:12:00.000-07:002011-04-08T12:17:21.819-07:00India rewrites history via Anna Hazare<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWX9b_WHt9BACxFIkoonaDUjWNJuHl2dbkCIGdsukKOD0E3lrZ7Mk5u5LPB25gb3gRr5o1DG91J9rldYLXQzZIQhlGyIqMZzKyx60CKBhf6heOGq4QPaZo_pqzO_iyqiSljcAvDmVAcg/s1600/DSC_1338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWX9b_WHt9BACxFIkoonaDUjWNJuHl2dbkCIGdsukKOD0E3lrZ7Mk5u5LPB25gb3gRr5o1DG91J9rldYLXQzZIQhlGyIqMZzKyx60CKBhf6heOGq4QPaZo_pqzO_iyqiSljcAvDmVAcg/s320/DSC_1338.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7NO1Vha8DRemNV8Poz5-T_Kjyd4FcvxOBo8AqzPWN4caob7UtCsZYcR5gu9oYn01U2u0gle9yawsbmj7CvJBSmPme75nPCeCWQB16ihH3lF9fu2OQqixiIYiZ_zbxunmNk73Ld4i8uM/s1600/DSC_1371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7NO1Vha8DRemNV8Poz5-T_Kjyd4FcvxOBo8AqzPWN4caob7UtCsZYcR5gu9oYn01U2u0gle9yawsbmj7CvJBSmPme75nPCeCWQB16ihH3lF9fu2OQqixiIYiZ_zbxunmNk73Ld4i8uM/s320/DSC_1371.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4b5cXvzaAl_eDaB7Mgz0wdz5PYqwW-3hcA5OZCI2liT_pb1EjaQz80j6Q_qYKw2JJ5WYoEDMLkF7hT3-JIWtXRSoZ2FXGIrsHovpSxGIwsHS9-CFKxmZU25wJse_AvCV9hWfgL5KmXM/s1600/DSC_1418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4b5cXvzaAl_eDaB7Mgz0wdz5PYqwW-3hcA5OZCI2liT_pb1EjaQz80j6Q_qYKw2JJ5WYoEDMLkF7hT3-JIWtXRSoZ2FXGIrsHovpSxGIwsHS9-CFKxmZU25wJse_AvCV9hWfgL5KmXM/s320/DSC_1418.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGcsZehwaxd1AojeXgWdnMPtkkNlqTNyuDNFBSHtxoTW-FmVu2RUx2pZkO8r3ZCpi6i96ygvQC-jpfDOM_LtxRkDJN9ryT-VkQMjEAdNKFE2BkDISSGhxg0pjsvKitd43zc2YUy8Uteo/s1600/DSC_1405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGcsZehwaxd1AojeXgWdnMPtkkNlqTNyuDNFBSHtxoTW-FmVu2RUx2pZkO8r3ZCpi6i96ygvQC-jpfDOM_LtxRkDJN9ryT-VkQMjEAdNKFE2BkDISSGhxg0pjsvKitd43zc2YUy8Uteo/s320/DSC_1405.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>I have been taking part in the Revolution--being Anna Hazare's soldier fighting to make for a corruption-free India.With my camera I was at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi watching Indians of all colours and shade coming to join him. A Gandhian to the core Anna Hazare who own nothing and lives out of a small bag and sleeps in a 10'X10' room, has changed India in four days--from 5th to 8th April 2011. People come with little babies, old, small school children, doctors and lawyers, farmers and daily wagers, shop owners and Govt employees. We have a democracy but a leaking one. Anna Hazare comes to stop the leakage. 300 persons in Jantar Mantar joined him in fast unto death. Many were hospitalized but they carried on. I heard people talk of India's subjugation under British and felt that still we are not free to work and enjoy the fruits of honest labour. As did the Colonists carted away by force what belonged to India, so do the 'Brown Sahibs'. They came from Villages from Jharkhand, from Bihar, from UP, from Bangalore , they came with faith, they came with hope. I saw the same emotion, same determination in the eyes of a 8 year old child as in the silver haired 80 year old. I had not seen anything like this ever before. I suddenly saw a new India and new Indians; until now i had not know this new India existed. But it was so because this new India was created in 4 days by the diminutive, humble, simple, ordinary looking but with extraordinary determination to dream a India free from corruption. His dream was not his own it was a dream which every Indian wanted to dream but could not. He has brought back dreams in the eyes of ordinary Indians and now they are willing to fight for their right to dream. Here I share some of the dreamers I saw in the multitude of Indians. </div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-17442141287962331792011-04-06T06:04:00.000-07:002011-04-06T06:04:33.431-07:00Anna Hazare goes on hunger strike to fight corruption<iframe width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dQHIssM7SWU?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-20658535381912489942011-04-05T22:56:00.000-07:002011-04-05T22:56:21.969-07:00Chance-Consciousness Art CHANCON-Viktor Vijay's latest solo exhibition<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTyY1Yg2Aus3Fbwsp6kwT8gZYu3zfNtW5oGt7khHAXN_suU_iQfMJkQaqx6aQf5lgm2IExYDYnNiBtxqdKVdxH52TrFIiQBzJJIFGeivEMZfvOZOLz8CYEt-snhKP87n5kp0cd4GbiiqM/s1600/DSC_1284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTyY1Yg2Aus3Fbwsp6kwT8gZYu3zfNtW5oGt7khHAXN_suU_iQfMJkQaqx6aQf5lgm2IExYDYnNiBtxqdKVdxH52TrFIiQBzJJIFGeivEMZfvOZOLz8CYEt-snhKP87n5kp0cd4GbiiqM/s320/DSC_1284.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-83724817525278444142011-04-04T11:06:00.000-07:002011-04-04T11:54:50.635-07:00Sunday Guardian on Niall Ferguson<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">On Sunday the third of April the Sunday Guardian carried an analysis of the work and the mind of the Harvard Prof Niall Ferguson by <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #231f20; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18px; line-height: 23px; text-transform: uppercase;">PIERS BRENDON</span>.<br />
<a href="http://www.sunday-guardian.com/bookbeat/willful-misreading-of-impact-of-western-colonialism">http://www.sunday-guardian.com/bookbeat/willful-misreading-of-impact-of-western-</a><br />
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Also my comments in Telegraph<br />
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<a href="http://www.sunday-guardian.com/bookbeat/willful-misreading-of-impact-of-western-colonialism">colonialis</a>m<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/8371304/Civilisation-The-West-and-the-Rest-by-Niall-Ferguson-review.html">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/8371304/Civilisation-The-West-and-the-Rest-by-Niall-Ferguson-review.html</a><br />
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</div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-42237412309643762972011-04-02T14:25:00.001-07:002011-04-03T09:43:24.700-07:00When did I realize that a Xerox British Colonial Empire is impregnated to rule not India but the world<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">'As a painter and artist I was just busy to study Indian art from ancient and middle ages and discovered on the way the story of Portuguese and British colonial decimation of the persona, the culture, the religions, the identity of India and of Indians. My concerns were the so called Renaissance art and 'Humanism' of Colonial Europe and I found it was one of the most anti-humanity period of Europe. At the base of this was a new Europe of greed, avarice, Racism, religious bigotry, Royalty, nobility and a Church who saw nothing immoral in enslaving and colonizing humanity out side the pale of Western Europe and Church. For me was perplexing to find beautiful paintings soft sensual shiny rose tinted white flesh of the nude women in the paintings like Titian's Sacred and Profane or sweet Mona Lisa smiling in her own reverie by Lionardo da Vinci, or the perfect realistic portrayal of handsome muscular men by Michelangelo appeared dichotomous and sham. The images of slaves with wooden shafts locked around their necks, beautiful white women with flowers in bonnet and flounced skirts sitting in carriages pulled by barefoot loin cloth clad Indians or flesh-bereft starving dying children, men and women. I realised the presence of the white Colonist and slave trader behind both type of images--beautiful Eden of Europe and Hell of all other continents. One was the cause of the other!! It was not Humanism it was a simple case of hunting humans like animals, and ruthlessly gunning down to have access to the gold and silver mines. Brought as booty from the sweat and tears of slaves and colonized to Europe it would finance the aristocratic lives of kings nobility and the Church. Oh not to forget, the gentry would commission best of the artists to paint beautiful pictures of 'Humanism'. What magic the Colonists and slave traders had--they transformed the blood and tears of the subjugated, enslaved, colonized into such happy 'Humane' art.<br />
From this was born my book <b>'Mona Lisa does not smile anymore' </b>and was published in Delhi in February 2011. But just as entered the month of March 2011, I was drowned in a media blitz about a book published--<b>Civilization: West and the Rest. </b>Indian media-print and electronic had gone dizzy to rewrite the history of Colonialism as dictated by the blessed laureate Professor at Harvard and in many more glorious institutions. He has put forward a grand new thesis that it were 'six killer applications' that put West on the godly pedestal and the Rest well the word Rest itself means those who have no identity just lingered. I wondered how such a big professor be so innocent of the the slave trading, indentured labour, colonization, engineered famines, destruction and decimation of many races from Africa, Asia, Americas and Oceania. But I was wrong it was not innocence.As I read more of his ideas I realized he is advocating the 'return of the Prodigal' the Colonial master to take over the world in twenty first century with a little change in the script. The USA should become the Colonial grandfather of the erstwhile British Colonists. They say USA is home to democracy and here is big Harvard tag professor just suggesting the creation of two worlds that I talked above--a Renaissance for homeland West and slave collar for the Rest.<br />
<b>I also realized it is not important what you say but what position you have and the glorious media relations or connections you can muster. </b><br />
How little has changed in the world, the desire to paint well nourished pink opulent images of Renaissance 'Humanism' and the black Indian coolie pulling the 'noble' lady in bonnet still persists at least in Niall Ferguson's thoughts.<br />
But I wonder what happened to Indian media?? They review and interview him and parade his intelligence, positions in universities, his cleverness but not a word on his justification of British Colonialism.<br />
Mohan das Karamchand Gandhi who is India's icon for many things from non-violence to his fight to throw out British Colonists must be turning in his Samadhi, finding how many in Indian media are feting a person who wants the return of the Raj!!! Another example of media spending a lot of ink on 'sensational as news' is about a book on Mahatma by Joseph Lelyveld about his sexuality. For India and the world more important are the ideals Gandhi stood for and nothing more.<br />
Note-- Among the Indian media that I read and saw about his book only Times of India had a review of his book by Minhaz Merchant who raised vehemently the question of colonial atrocities. My rebuttal of Colonial philosophy of Prof. Ferguson every newspaper or journal in West that I emailed published. Alas my own country's media would not invite me for a rebuttal of colonialism thesis for to share with you I am an Associate Prof in Delhi University which is in the Rest and not in West.<br />
While how IBN 18 online treated my rebuttal of the great thesis of 'killer applications' I have already posted.<br />
But who says I have lost. If our Mahatma Gandhi when thrown out by white colonists from a First class train compartment could throw out the British Colonists. I can fight for my India and for those who gave their lives for the freedom of our great Bharat Mata--Mother India.<br />
Have I not the internet and the blog to tell you that some desire the 'return of the Prodigal Colonist' to India and the Rest!<br />
Please do read the <b>link below</b> about what British Colonial masters did to us. it is by a very talented and truth searching Prof in USA Vivek Chibber.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlZWmyaXL11wsMS3xFdmZ0vRXe00vrAb73c48wyu2Rs7e1_TOnroZZOXoI5TUYoImEDiwUNjnbXBd2bsFnCmkzFdQAL3-1hwDWZGW7J9HifB_7y9br6kCam_HzrmCqRvuoTHuPVUvuYbv/s1600/Indian+Art--Black+is+beautiful.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlZWmyaXL11wsMS3xFdmZ0vRXe00vrAb73c48wyu2Rs7e1_TOnroZZOXoI5TUYoImEDiwUNjnbXBd2bsFnCmkzFdQAL3-1hwDWZGW7J9HifB_7y9br6kCam_HzrmCqRvuoTHuPVUvuYbv/s320/Indian+Art--Black+is+beautiful.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="http://bostonreview.net/BR30.1/chibber.php#c5t_form">http://bostonreview.net/BR30.1/chibber.php#c5t_form</a><br />
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</div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-42440761134577769842011-04-02T13:41:00.000-07:002011-04-02T13:41:04.553-07:00Link to Niall Ferguson's justification of British Colonial Chain around India's neck<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://www.johannhari.com/2006/06/23/niall-ferguson-the-row-continues">http://www.johannhari.com/2006/06/23/niall-ferguson-the-row-continues</a></div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-10770984928848049762011-04-02T00:08:00.000-07:002011-04-02T00:10:51.250-07:00An Indian can not say that British colonialism was bad through an Indian media chanel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Niall Ferguson justifies British colonialism in India in his book West and the Rest.I Sent a rebuttal of this to IBN18 online but they decided not to publish it. I give below what I wrote quoting from my book <b>Mona Lisa does not smile any more. My lurking worry is, is India media more Western than the West in thinking about India.</b><br />
<div><b>Incidentally I sent rebuttal of colonial OCCUPATION justification of Ferguson to The Guardian UK, The Independent etc, and they published it wIthin 1 hour. But IBN18 ONLINE AFTER THREE DAYS STILL THINKS THAT IT MAY BE WRONG TO REFUTE COLONIZATION OF INDIA BY BRITISH.</b></div><div>My email to IBN when my rejoinder was not published and the material that rebuts West and the Rest.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; display: table; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><tbody style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">
<tr style="display: table-row; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; vertical-align: inherit;"><td style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; display: table-cell; font: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;" valign="top"><span class="yiv402350878Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">Hello <span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">Meenakshi</span>,</span><br />
<div style="font-family: arial; line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Thanks for taking my call and being helpful.</span></div><div style="font-family: arial; line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As per the telephonic talk I am putting in attachment the rejoinder to the review of Niall Ferguson's thesis justifying and supporting colonialism in general and in India in particular.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="yiv402350878Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">In keeping with the fair tradition of freedom to express you would publish my rejoinder. Incidentally almost similar rejoinders by me have been published by The </span><span class="yiv402350878Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="yiv402350878Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">Guardian</span></span><span class="yiv402350878Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"> UK, Independent, and the Telegraph. </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="yiv402350878Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">I also resent your reviewer for putting down the receiver when I called to enquire about the rejoinder. It will really be uncomfortable to think my own country's media deny me the right to counter a theory that justfies Brtish Colonialism on India, while the West has published my opinion on the subject.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="yiv402350878Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">Thank You,</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="yiv402350878Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">Viktor Vijay Kumar </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="yiv402350878Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">Associate Professor Delhi University</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="yiv402350878Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="yiv402350878Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="yiv402350878Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="yiv402350878Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">The Rebuttal</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="yiv402350878Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="yiv402350878Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana;">In rebuttal of the racial-superiority and Colonial justification arguments of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ferguson</st1:place></st1:city> I quote from my book 'MONA LISA DOES NOT SMILE ANYMORE' (ISBN 978-81-8465-512-4)</span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana;"><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">" No human or animal desire to live in cage or chains. Would the British have swapped development at the expense of slavery under Nazis? It is the primary motive that counts, incidental outcomes there from are of no consequence. British subjugated <st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region> and sent Indians as virtual slaves to different islands—from <st1:country-region w:st="on">Fiji</st1:country-region> to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Mauritius</st1:country-region>, to West Indies to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">South Africa</st1:place></st1:country-region>—to work as indentured plantation labour, they occupied an independent country and used its resources and humans in a bland exploitative manner over nearly two centuries. It is not stupid but cunning to justify robbing of freedom of other nations. No religion should make a business of distributing moral righteousness by way of force and temptation to convert. No religion should have had legions of missionary priests disembarking from colonial ships, whose life mission was to convert as many as possible. I think that the introduction of ‘missionary’ priests to convert has close links with the colonialism. Colonialism and religion worked together as a synergy to show the dominant power of the ruler. I ask why the colonizers were all Christians and not Jews, Muslims, Chinese or Indians. The justification came from the material power of the king and the Church. Christianity transformed from a religion of the poor and suffering humanity to that of rich and powerful and Colonialism was a manifestation of it."</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">About the 'globalization' Ferguson talks of look up the role of Church in destroying India's culture and religion and I quote from Henry James Coleridge, ed., The Life and Letters of St. Francis Xavier, 2d Ed., 2 Vols., (London: Burns & Oates, 1890), </span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">"These children, I trust heartily, by the grace of God, will be much better than their fathers. They show an ardent love for the Divine law, and an extraordinary zeal for learning our holy religion and imparting it to others. Their hatred for idolatry is marvellous. They get into feuds with the heathen about it, and whenever their own parents practise it, they reproach them and come off to tell me at once. Whenever I hear of any act of idolatrous worship, I go to the place with a large band of these children, who very soon load the devil with a greater amount of insult and abuse than he has lately received of honor and worship from their parents, relations, and acquaintances. The children run at the idols, upset them, dash them down, break them to pieces, spit on them, trample on them, kick them about, and in short heap on them every possible outrage."</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">Naill Ferguson dreams of replicating such a world. His thoughts will come to grief. No East or West should try to be the fascistic moral godfather of humanity and this applies to all--to emerging <st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region>, or West or <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">USA</st1:place></st1:country-region>.</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">For has not the West killed 70 million in II World War and this alone should be the reason enough for West or any among the Rest to not talk of civilizational superiority. One has to be wary, for Hitler was not a person but was an idea that was sold to millions of innate superiority of some in relation to the Rest.</span></span></span></div></div><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="yiv402350878Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><br />
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</b></div></div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-16453390715752183562011-03-31T12:40:00.000-07:002011-03-31T12:40:57.614-07:00'Mona Lisa does not smile anymore' and India n colonialism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://www.carnegiecouncil.org/resources/transcripts/1033.html">http://www.carnegiecouncil.org/resources/transcripts/1033.html</a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><ul id="dsq-comments" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; font-style: normal; list-style-image: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; width: auto;"><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">
<li class="dsq-comment dsq-odd" id="dsq-comment-175766313" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; font-style: normal; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: none; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; width: auto;"><div class="dsq-full-comment" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;"><div class="dsq-comment-body" id="dsq-comment-body-175766313" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; font-style: normal; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;"><div class="dsq-comment-message" id="dsq-comment-message-175766313" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; font-style: normal; line-height: 1.42; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;"><div class="dsq-comment-text" id="dsq-comment-text-175766313" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">In rebuttal of the racial-superiority and Colonial justification arguments of Ferguson I quote from my book 'MONA LISA DOES NOT SMILE ANYMORE' (ISBN 978-81-8465-512-4)<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />" No human or animal desire to live in cage or chains. Would the British have swapped development at the expense of slavery under Nazis? It is the primary motive that counts, incidental outcomes there from are of no consequence. British subjugated India and sent Indians as virtual slaves to different islands—from Fiji to Mauritius, to West Indies to South Africa—to work as indentured plantation labour, they occupied an independent country and used its resources and humans in a bland exploitative manner over nearly two centuries. It is not stupid but cunning to justify robbing of freedom of other nations. No religion should make a business of distributing moral righteousness by way of force and temptation to convert. No religion should have had legions of missionary priests disembarking from colonial ships, whose life mission was to convert as many as possible. I think that the introduction of ‘missionary’ priests to convert has close links with the colonialism. Colonialism and religion worked together as a synergy to show the dominant power of the ruler. I ask why the colonizers were all Christians and not Jews, Muslims, Chinese or Indians. The justification came from the material power of the king and the Church. Christianity transformed from a religion of the poor and suffering humanity to that of rich and powerful and Colonialism was a manifestation of it."<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />About the 'globalization' Ferguson talks of look up the role of Church in destroying India's culture and religion and I quote from Henry James Coleridge, ed., The Life and Letters of St. Francis Xavier, 2d Ed., 2 Vols., (London: Burns & Oates, 1890), <br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />"These children, I trust heartily, by the grace of God, will be much better than their fathers. They show an ardent love for the Divine law, and an extraordinary zeal for learning our holy religion and imparting it to others. Their hatred for idolatry is marvellous. They get into feuds with the heathen about it, and whenever their own parents practise it, they reproach them and come off to tell me at once. Whenever I hear of any act of idolatrous worship, I go to the place with a large band of these children, who very soon load the devil with a greater amount of insult and abuse than he has lately received of honor and worship from their parents, relations, and acquaintances. The children run at the idols, upset them, dash them down, break them to pieces, spit on them, trample on them, kick them about, and in short heap on them every possible outrage."<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />Naill Ferguson dreams of replicating such a world. His thoughts will come to grief. No East or West should try to be the fascistic moral godfather of humanity and this applies to all--to emerging China and India, or West or USA.<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />For has not the West killed 70 million in II World War and this alone should be the reason enough for West or any among the Rest to not talk of civilizational superiority. One has to be wary, for Hitler was not a person but was an idea that was sold to millions of innate superiority of some in relation to the Rest.</div></div></div></div></li>
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</div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-54840676432362701442011-03-31T05:21:00.000-07:002011-03-31T05:31:24.388-07:00India and Colonial yoke<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.rlsbb.com/civilization-is-the-west-history-s01e01-ws-pdtv-xvid-ftp/">http://</a><a href="http://www.rlsbb.com/civilization-is-the-west-history-s01e01-ws-pdtv-xvid-ftp/">http://www.rlsbb.com/civilization-is-the-west-history-s01e01-ws-pdtv-xvid-ftp/</a>www.rlsbb.com/civilization-is-the-west-history-s01e01-ws-pdtv-xvid-ftp/<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, 'BitStream vera Sans', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold;"><a class="url" href="http://victor-vijay.blogspot.com/" id="commentauthor-206600" rel="external nofollow" style="color: #2970a6; text-decoration: none;">or vijay</a></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, 'BitStream vera Sans', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="info" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #edeff0; background-image: url(http://www.rlsbb.com/wp-content/themes/inove/img/comment.gif); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; float: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; padding-top: 10px; width: 494px;"><div class="date" style="float: left; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, 'BitStream vera Sans', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif;">March 30th, 2011 at 13:28 | <a href="http://www.rlsbb.com/civilization-is-the-west-history-s01e01-ws-pdtv-xvid-ftp/#comment-206600" style="color: #2970a6; text-decoration: none;">#11</a></span></div><div class="act" style="float: right; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, 'BitStream vera Sans', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.rlsbb.com/civilization-is-the-west-history-s01e01-ws-pdtv-xvid-ftp/" style="color: #2970a6; text-decoration: none;">Reply</a> | <a href="http://www.rlsbb.com/civilization-is-the-west-history-s01e01-ws-pdtv-xvid-ftp/" style="color: #2970a6; text-decoration: none;">Quote</a></span></div><div class="fixed" style="clear: both; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div class="content" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://www.rlsbb.com/wp-content/themes/inove/img/comment.gif); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: -15px; margin-right: -15px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; padding-top: 0px;"><div id="commentbody-206600" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, 'BitStream vera Sans', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When words copulate with words they produce more words and a ‘factual’ but non-fecund history. But the history so encamped often leaves out the moral questions of righteousness and the ‘historian’ assumes that material winner is morally right for it is said ‘victory itself is its own legitimacy.’ I rebut lock stock and barrel Niall Ferguson’s book for presenting a fabric of fabrication. I quote but little from my book ‘Mona Lisa does not smile anymore’(ISBN 978-81-8465-512-4)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, 'BitStream vera Sans', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“The voyages of exploration were the dawn of Racialism and Colonialism. In the year 1600, the Indian economy amounted to 22.54 per cent of the world GDP, while Britain and Western Europe’s combined economies amounted to 21.82 per cent. By 1870, India’s share was down to 12.25 per cent, while in Western Europe it increased to 32.71%. At its prosperous best Mughal Empire produced 24.5% of world GDP in the year 1700. By the time British colonists occupied India and other nations their GDP rose to 23.8% of the world in 1870.” (page 137)</span></div><div style="font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, 'BitStream vera Sans', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“If I had to choose between an erudite Aristotle and an unknown ‘soulless’ black slave I would choose the latter. The ascendancy of the West was on a heap of bodies of slaves and trampled humanity through colonization.” (page 135). what I wrote in my book Mona Lisa does not smile anymore (ISBN 978-81-8465-512-4) on the “ascendancy of the West on the bodies of the Rest” would never have the kind of audience, the media, Harvard tagged Professor can muster. I am from the ‘Rest’, I am an Associate Professor in Delhi university and to get newspapers and media to just read and review what I write in the book is akin to a beggar seeking the attention of an Emperor.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, 'BitStream vera Sans', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I do not have access to big media houses, no media would have time to meet me while my own county’s journalists are talking and writing gloriously about the ‘West and the Rest’ as a great work of history. Though it is another matter the facts mapped on our psyche and on the bodies of our forefathers altogether offer different reasons for the rise of the West.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, 'BitStream vera Sans', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The complete lack of moral unease of subjugating so many and killing so many through slave shipping, indentured labour, Colonization and a Church that helped in these grand ventures of the West is what Ferguson’s book tries to white wash. The writings of likes of Ferguson are unabashed neocolonial drivel in the garb of (partisan) academics of the West. His arguments smack of blatant superiority of the West and in a subtle whisper of ‘Christianity’ and by implication inferiority of the Rest. But so much is historically dark and gory under the white loaded brush of West that Ferguson can not whitewash it, even with the biggest brush.</span></div><div style="font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, 'BitStream vera Sans', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My book is about the morals of the West when Portuguese put Indians on stake under Inquisition in Goa, it is about the Colonial Jizya tax imposed by the British on Hindus, it is about 30 million Indians who perished under British Colonialism engineered famines and above all my book is about Humanism of India against the atrocities of the West of the time on the Rest. I am the blood and gene of the Rest. My maternal grandmother Subhadra Devi valiantly fought against the Colonial Portuguese seeking their eviction from Goa. (Charles Dellon in his book Inquisition of Goa (1687) has this to say about Indian prisoners of Inquisition “Some of these poor wretches …were so pressed by hunger as to be compelled to devour their own excrements” (page 28) quoted by me in my book at page 113.</span></div><div style="font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, 'BitStream vera Sans', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The question is not of the West or the East it is of respecting the truth of the suffering of millions across continents. I end this honest though frail of glory missive with the last sentence of my book, “The wealth of Europe was founded on colonization, slavery, pain and suffering and this is no good a reason for Mona Lisa to smile.”</span></div><div style="font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, 'BitStream vera Sans', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prof. Viktor Vijay Kumar</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, 'BitStream vera Sans', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, 'BitStream vera Sans', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Truth is humble like Ga</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: Verdana, 'BitStream vera Sans', Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ndhi but lofty in ideal</b></span></span></div></div></div></div><br />
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</div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-47818308950345117992011-03-30T13:22:00.000-07:002011-03-31T10:43:07.269-07:00'Mona Lisa does not smile anymore' vs 'The West and the Rest'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">http://www.guardian.co.uk/discussion/comment-<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">permalink/10159147<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/discussion/comment-permalink/10159147">http://www.guardian.co.uk/discussion/comment-permalink/10159147</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 15px;">When </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 15px;">words copulate with words they produce more words and a 'factual' but non-fecund history. But the history so encamped often leaves out the moral questions of righteousness and the 'historian' assumes that material winner is morally right for it is said 'victory itself is its own legitimacy.'</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 15px;">I rebut Niall Ferguson's book for presenting a fabric of fabrication. I quote but little from my book 'Mona Lisa does not smile anymore'(ISBN 978-81-8465-512-4) <br style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />"The voyages of exploration were the dawn of Racialism and Colonialism. In the year 1600, the Indian economy amounted to 22.54 per cent of the world GDP, while Britain and Western Europe's combined economies amounted to 21.82 per cent. By 1870, India's share was down to 12.25 per cent, while in Western Europe it increased to 32.71%. At its prosperous best Mughal Empire produced 24.5% of world GDP in the year 1700. By the time British colonists occupied India and other nations their GDP rose to 23.8% of the world in 1870." (page 13 7)I</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">t is not essential to pick and choose examples that fit a prefixed thought structure. More important is do you see the 'other' humanity with same eyes as you wish to be seen.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 15px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 15px;"><br style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />"If I had to choose between an erudite Aristotle and an unknown ‘soulless’ black slave I would choose the latter. The ascendancy of the West was on a heap of bodies of slaves and trampled humanity through colonization." (page 135)<br style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />It is not essential to pick and choose examples that fit a . </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 15px;">important is do youSEEthe 'other' humanity with same eyes as you wish to be seen.<br style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />In Dresden as I stood in front of Otto Dix Triptych War, I could see the futility of the great ascent of the West in the hanging flesh from dead putrefied soldiers. Do not forget the ascent of the West culminated in 70 million dead. No Mr. Ferguson we do not desire such ascent either for West or East for that matter to humanity in general.<br style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />Viktor Vijay Kumar</span><br />
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</div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-32916118173184538052011-03-29T13:58:00.000-07:002011-03-29T13:58:09.633-07:00'Mona Lisa does not smile anymore' replies to Niall Ferguson in Guardian Newspaper<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">http://www.guardian.co.uk/discussion/comment-permalink/10159147<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/discussion/comment-permalink/10159278">http://www.guardian.co.uk/discussion/comment-permalink/10159278</a></div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-48256848976294006042011-03-29T03:58:00.000-07:002011-03-29T04:01:57.240-07:00How West butchered the Rest--'Mona Lisa does not smile' replies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 11px;"></span><br />
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="font: normal normal normal 22px/normal 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.75em; position: relative;"><a href="http://artreveal.blogspot.com/2011/03/question-to-niall-ferguson-did-slavery.html" style="color: #2288bb; text-decoration: none;">A question to Niall Ferguson-- did slavery and Colonialism of 'Christian' West not devavour the Rest?</a></h3><div class="post-header" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="post-header-line-1"></div></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-370513897724210908" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 468px;"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">India has the oldest surviving religion of the world and a billion plus population being moved by it in search of the material and spiritual. The 'Reniassance' led by Papal authorities encouraging and actively canvassing slave trading, and Colonialism of all non-European cultures was the bane of humanity and Humanism.<br />
Later the onslaught of proselytizing 'Christianity' subsumed under Rome the singular right to be 'Christian Church'. Even now the Christianity is projected as a Western religion, which is not true--neither Jesus nor the earliest practioners were Western. It was the Byzantium and the Eastern Church as also the Syrian Christians and other Eastern strains that propagated Christianity as non-racist. But the dominance of Roman Church (and later Anglican Church in Colonies like India) brought about a racial stranglehold of Christianity and it did not dither in making Western White 'Christian' Man as a model of the 'Humanity' while helping to decimate other cultures in Americas, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Africa.<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16pt;">I rebut Niall Ferguson's</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #282828; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 10px;"></span><br />
<h1 style="color: #1e1e1e; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.16em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: relative;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #282828; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">Civilization: The West and the Rest</span></h1><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16pt;"> self-gloating Western superiority hereunder from my book <b>Mona Lisa does not smile anymore </b>(</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 13px;"><em style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;">ISBN</em> 978-81-8465-512<wbr></wbr>-4)</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16pt;">"The voyages of exploration were the dawn of Racialism and Colonialism. In<span class="apple-style-span"> the</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em><span style="font-style: normal;">year 1600</span></em><span class="apple-style-span">, the Indian economy amounted to 22.54 per cent of the world </span><em><span style="font-style: normal;">GDP</span></em><span class="apple-style-span">, while</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><em><span style="font-style: normal;">Britain</span></em></st1:country-region><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="apple-style-span">and <st1:place w:st="on">Western Europe</st1:place>'s com</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 22px;"><span class="apple-style-span">bined economies amounted to 21.82 per cent. By 1870, <st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region>'s share was down to 12.25 per cent, while in <st1:place w:st="on">Western Europe</st1:place> it increased to 32.71%.</span> At its prosperous best Mughal Empire produced 24.5% of world GDP in the year 1700. By the time British colonists occupied <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place> and other nations their GDP rose to 23.8% of the world in 1870. "</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 22px;">It is clear West climbed over the bodies of the Rest to attain material surpluses that through Cos like East India Company ushered in development of West from the loot of the Rest.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 22px;">The complete lack of moral unease of subjugating so many and killing so many through slave shipping, indentured labour, Colonization and a Church that helped in these grand venture of the West is what Ferguson's book tries to white wash. The writings of likes of Ferguson are unabashed revival of Colonialism in the garb of (partisan) academics of the West. His arguments smack of blatant racism. But so much is dark and gory under the white loaded brush of West that Ferguson can not whitewash it.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrRrOcS2emIJ9hgPWvPAexz2oEOlQ05u6z7Aqnw5JO7upfI4tUqkA6gmAl_C4H-4RXLcB9exbn7q1ecj4XUUePkmSArgWvrZRtyCdezxRUF7UGS2mWD-2HBi8MbCuSsQA44oWSLO9SXgi2/s1600/africa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #2288bb; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrRrOcS2emIJ9hgPWvPAexz2oEOlQ05u6z7Aqnw5JO7upfI4tUqkA6gmAl_C4H-4RXLcB9exbn7q1ecj4XUUePkmSArgWvrZRtyCdezxRUF7UGS2mWD-2HBi8MbCuSsQA44oWSLO9SXgi2/s320/africa.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; position: relative;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Black Mona Lisa</b> painting by Viktor Vijay</div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div></div><div class="post-footer" style="background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #666666; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: -2px; margin-right: -2px; margin-top: 20px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px;"></div></div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-20082957035540142052011-03-27T23:30:00.000-07:002011-03-28T11:16:03.394-07:00Why God is Woman in Hinduism--the art of India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Faith rightly placed is a great saviour, but housed in perverted heads it brings about hatred, destruction and mayhem. When we hate others under the canopy of religion, race, gender, caste, creed, we walk a path to hell. I wonder if woman ever fought wholesale in the name of religion. Mostly they create and nurture life--Give birth, suckle and bring up the babies. This fact was well appreciated by our fore-fathers and fore-mothers in prehistoric periods. The Mother was God for the life could be created only by her. Hinduism being an ancient religion with direct and continuing link with human prehistory has elements from the ancient world and belief that God is feminine. .<br />
As I travelled in search of the art and wisdom of India in its temples and customs strewn across the country, I found exquisite gems of a philosophy and art that can not be appreciated unless one surrenders the blinkers and regimented toxicity of thought and attitude towards the celebration the feminine in<br />
Hinduism. I tried to work out the proportion of female figures on temple walls I found they outnumber male images in some cases by 80%!!<br />
If one knows about the original Khasi inhabitants of Meghalaya, one would be familiar with the matriarchal society that flourishes there.<br />
A goddess in reclining birth giving posture found on many temples is called Lajja Gauri. I saw a 5th century example of it in Badami in Karnataka. The Face is generally covered in a round flower shape and her legs drawn up in the birth giving posture. The caves of Badami are famous for excellent art of Badami Chalukyas and painted caves with images from Hinduism and Jainism from 4-5th century. The dancing Shiva in the first cave is a sublime example of the spiritual art of India. The graceful dance postures is what in all probability encouraged the development of <b>Nataraja</b> image of Shiva. Below the caves as you enter the precincts there is ASI Museum that has this beautiful <b>Lajja Gauri</b> sculpture. there are other very good examples of Indian art and its spiritual reach.<br />
Women held in high esteem nurtured a religion with very little violence and hatred and war-mongering destruction. Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism are as such the religions of peace.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Ranakpur Jain temple Rajasthan sculpture of dancing goddess<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquf_AioA8F7iN_KiAFha8iwCXUY2M4WOnicRw_fQBcQyMcJFXqNaL8oe2JFBIAnoJ9kAxxmm1rhZhbiBdA7hVxDeRg9aR0Tm3QhaDwWOIzMfb-Y2i7ziibbiUHDiOXsgG1Y44KGmVG88/s1600/jodhpur+741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquf_AioA8F7iN_KiAFha8iwCXUY2M4WOnicRw_fQBcQyMcJFXqNaL8oe2JFBIAnoJ9kAxxmm1rhZhbiBdA7hVxDeRg9aR0Tm3QhaDwWOIzMfb-Y2i7ziibbiUHDiOXsgG1Y44KGmVG88/s1600/jodhpur+741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquf_AioA8F7iN_KiAFha8iwCXUY2M4WOnicRw_fQBcQyMcJFXqNaL8oe2JFBIAnoJ9kAxxmm1rhZhbiBdA7hVxDeRg9aR0Tm3QhaDwWOIzMfb-Y2i7ziibbiUHDiOXsgG1Y44KGmVG88/s320/jodhpur+741.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquf_AioA8F7iN_KiAFha8iwCXUY2M4WOnicRw_fQBcQyMcJFXqNaL8oe2JFBIAnoJ9kAxxmm1rhZhbiBdA7hVxDeRg9aR0Tm3QhaDwWOIzMfb-Y2i7ziibbiUHDiOXsgG1Y44KGmVG88/s1600/jodhpur+741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><br />
</span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquf_AioA8F7iN_KiAFha8iwCXUY2M4WOnicRw_fQBcQyMcJFXqNaL8oe2JFBIAnoJ9kAxxmm1rhZhbiBdA7hVxDeRg9aR0Tm3QhaDwWOIzMfb-Y2i7ziibbiUHDiOXsgG1Y44KGmVG88/s1600/jodhpur+741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">In my book </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><b>Mona Lisa does not smile anymore </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">I have used the images of goddesses that stood for God as a feminine Eternal.</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmw3QnfEoDtAVuAwRkAGQ0kGfm92zLCdE3HwWHt_UeBnFW7UyKQrDMIYZmfHszXT-N3Bs10wHaFDHRKRsS3gGWtmaV7Jqdg6Eh3uQxHWiy1itFr1v65f9H0l24WYJYNYS55e3vENwCLo/s1600/jagat+temple-mt+abu+297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmw3QnfEoDtAVuAwRkAGQ0kGfm92zLCdE3HwWHt_UeBnFW7UyKQrDMIYZmfHszXT-N3Bs10wHaFDHRKRsS3gGWtmaV7Jqdg6Eh3uQxHWiy1itFr1v65f9H0l24WYJYNYS55e3vENwCLo/s320/jagat+temple-mt+abu+297.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
</div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-6658499608483232642011-03-27T01:10:00.000-07:002011-03-27T01:10:35.728-07:00The Art of India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Hinduism has one of the longest continuing history of the faith of mankind. The practices of Hinduism so freely demonized by the Colonists and the proselytizing Christian padre were drawn from the Nature. We know that the earliest religions of humanity were Nature based. The missionaries--the militant, business trading and property owning Jesuits included-- indulged in marketing a much younger Christianity to the grand old man--Hinduism. They held the beautiful hybrid forms of gods and goddesses to be 'Monsters'. Partha Mitter in his<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> Much Maligned Monsters </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">discusses the roots of the perversion of European mind from the time of Pliny about India's culture, religion and people.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6BLToEzuVzo7UA6KMMoqx-FRoaZaOMDCMedfboni5zxQSFJu67VtwfhyphenhyphenOaCKqHlOurhdW0xbpURjM-IkEWcmEBnvT_kJ5wpTGaTzL01jHIJ_mZUFp01fmDvGsLJyMEfq-_JPqA1lB1cA/s1600/jodhpur+555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6BLToEzuVzo7UA6KMMoqx-FRoaZaOMDCMedfboni5zxQSFJu67VtwfhyphenhyphenOaCKqHlOurhdW0xbpURjM-IkEWcmEBnvT_kJ5wpTGaTzL01jHIJ_mZUFp01fmDvGsLJyMEfq-_JPqA1lB1cA/s320/jodhpur+555.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of the dominant beliefs in Hinduism comes fro</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">m the Mother worship practices common to all ancient faiths.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 13px;"><em style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;">Marija</em> <b>Gimbutas</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">did extensive research on Mother Goddess in Europe. In India Hinduism is replete with woman images of gods. Here I give you an image from the 8th century temples</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> of Ossian </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">75 km from Jodhpur in Rajasthan. She is the goddess of fertility.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> .</span></span></div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-40679148030028699462011-03-21T06:02:00.000-07:002011-03-21T06:04:53.247-07:00Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art decides to cover the art of 1.25 billion people of India---thank You Noah Becker<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"></span><br />
<div id="1785240864328_messages"><div bindpoint="root" class="GBThreadMessageRow clearfix" style="border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; display: block; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 8px; zoom: 1;"><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_Main"><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_Info" style="margin-bottom: 4px;"><span bindpoint="authorLinkWrapper" class="GBThreadMessageRow_AuthorLink_Wrapper" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;"><a class="GBThreadMessageRow_AuthorLink" href="http://www.facebook.com/victor.vijay" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Victor Vijay</a> </span><span class="GBThreadMessageRow_Date" style="color: #777777; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 4px;">21 March at 10:16</span><span bindpoint="branchLinkWrapper" class="GBThreadMessageRow_BranchLink"></span><span bindpoint="reportLinkWrapper" class="GBThreadMessageRow_ReportLink" style="color: #777777; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 4px;"></span></div><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_Body" style="color: #333333; float: left; font-size: 13px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 400px;"><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_Body_Content">Thank u Noah. But u know as well a I that two swallows do not make the summer. Change and be inclusive if u want to be really<br />
"magazine of contemporary art'. Set up infrastructure in India like you have in Europe to explore what new distances Indian art is measuring with its ancient walking feet.<br />
regards,<br />
Viktor Vijay</div><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_ReferrerLink" style="color: #777777; font-size: 9px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px;"></div><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_Body_Attachment" style="font-size: 11px;"><a ajaxify="/ajax/gigaboxx/endpoint/ViewPhoto.php?pid=6789974&id=598216960&l=d055219858" class="attached_photo" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=203064256341292717&postID=4067914803002869946" rel="dialog" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; line-height: 0; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-top: 2px; text-decoration: none; zoom: 1;"><img class="img" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/196757_10150120273286961_598216960_6789974_1426070_s.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" /></a></div></div></div></div><div bindpoint="root" class="GBThreadMessageRow clearfix" style="border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; display: block; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 8px; zoom: 1;"><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_Image" style="float: left; height: 50px; margin-right: 10px; position: relative; width: 50px;"><a class="GBThreadMessageRow_Image_Link" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=685935390" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><img class="uiProfilePhoto uiProfilePhotoLarge" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/195422_685935390_6470974_q.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; height: 50px; width: 50px;" /></a></div><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_Main"><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_Info" style="margin-bottom: 4px;"><span bindpoint="authorLinkWrapper" class="GBThreadMessageRow_AuthorLink_Wrapper" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;"><a class="GBThreadMessageRow_AuthorLink" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=685935390" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Noah Becker</a> </span><span class="GBThreadMessageRow_Date" style="color: #777777; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 4px;">21 March at 10:28 </span><span bindpoint="branchLinkWrapper" class="GBThreadMessageRow_BranchLink"></span><span bindpoint="reportLinkWrapper" class="GBThreadMessageRow_ReportLink" style="color: #777777; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 4px;"><a class="action" href="http://www.facebook.com/ajax/report.php?content_type=9&cid=1785240864328&rid=685935390&cid2=4&cid3=1&h=AQC57BVQ7Rrwh233" rel="dialog" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Report</a></span></div><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_Body" style="color: #333333; float: left; font-size: 13px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 400px;"><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_Body_Content">thanks Victor we would need a few months to do that and also a bigger budget.</div><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_ReferrerLink" style="color: #777777; font-size: 9px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px;"></div><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_Body_Attachment" style="font-size: 11px;"></div></div></div></div><div bindpoint="root" class="GBThreadMessageRow clearfix" style="border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; display: block; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 8px; zoom: 1;"><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_Image" style="float: left; height: 50px; margin-right: 10px; position: relative; width: 50px;"><a class="GBThreadMessageRow_Image_Link" href="http://www.facebook.com/victor.vijay" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><img class="uiProfilePhoto uiProfilePhotoLarge" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/187033_598216960_1336409_q.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; height: 50px; width: 50px;" /></a></div><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_Main"><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_Info" style="margin-bottom: 4px;"><span bindpoint="authorLinkWrapper" class="GBThreadMessageRow_AuthorLink_Wrapper" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold;"><a class="GBThreadMessageRow_AuthorLink" href="http://www.facebook.com/victor.vijay" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Victor Vijay</a> </span><span class="GBThreadMessageRow_Date" style="color: #777777; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 4px;">21 March at 12:14</span><span bindpoint="branchLinkWrapper" class="GBThreadMessageRow_BranchLink"></span><span bindpoint="reportLinkWrapper" class="GBThreadMessageRow_ReportLink" style="color: #777777; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 4px;"></span></div><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_Body" style="color: #333333; float: left; font-size: 13px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 400px;"><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_Body_Content">Noah Becker your brief missive delights to no end, not me but India and many more!!<br />
Those who float free in ether become the universe!! I appreciate your world view on art and wish a new dawn for Whitehot Magazine.<br />
I am sure you will create an inclusive world of art, culture, socially-shared-spaces. In doing so your Whitehot Magazine will be first in the world to do it, others may emulate you in creating a United Nation of Art n Culture<br />
Black Mona Lisa thanks U ,<br />
regards and kudos for ur project,<br />
<br />
Viktor Vijay</div><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_ReferrerLink" style="color: #777777; font-size: 9px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px;"></div><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_Body_Attachment" style="font-size: 11px;"><a ajaxify="/ajax/gigaboxx/endpoint/ViewPhoto.php?pid=6790419&id=598216960&l=4dbfa0d75f" class="attached_photo" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=203064256341292717&postID=4067914803002869946" rel="dialog" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; line-height: 0; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-top: 2px; text-decoration: none; zoom: 1;"><img class="img" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/198016_10150120317596961_598216960_6790419_2709513_s.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" /></a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="gigaboxx_composer" id="gigaboxx_composer"><div class="MessageComposer UIComposer clearfix UIComposer_STATE_PIC_NONE" id="c4d874b7c15cf36492606414" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 10px; padding-top: 8px; position: relative; zoom: 1;"><div class="gigaboxx_composer_fieldset"></div><div class="gigaboxx_composer_message_label gigaboxx_composer_reply_label" style="color: #777777; float: left; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 3px; min-width: 50px; text-align: right; width: auto;">Reply:</div><div class="UIComposer_Content" style="float: left; margin-left: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 420px;"><div class="UIComposer_InputArea_Base UIComposer_InputArea" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(132, 150, 186); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(132, 150, 186); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(132, 150, 186); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(132, 150, 186); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; display: block; position: relative; zoom: 1;"><div class="UIComposer_InputShadow" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(232, 232, 232); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 2px;"><textarea class="UIComposer_TextArea DOMControl_placeholder" id="c4d874b7c15cf36492606414_input" name="status" style="-webkit-appearance: none; border-bottom-color: rgb(189, 199, 216); border-bottom-left-radius: 0px 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px 0px; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(189, 199, 216); border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(189, 199, 216); border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(189, 199, 216); border-top-left-radius: 0px 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; color: #777777; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: 50px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-height: 200px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; resize: none; vertical-align: bottom; width: 408px;"></textarea></div></div></div></div></div></div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-1780807815058578512011-03-20T04:05:00.000-07:002011-03-20T04:05:25.740-07:00Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">A message to Editor,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;"></span></span><br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; display: table; font-size: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><tbody style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">
<tr style="display: table-row; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; vertical-align: inherit;"><td style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; display: table-cell; font: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;" valign="top"><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="yiv1507362765Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">Noah Becker</span></div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Visual Artist | Musician | Writer| Editor,</div><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="yiv1507362765Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="yiv1507362765Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">Hello,</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="yiv1507362765Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="yiv1507362765Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">I am impressed by your extensive and multifarious talent in creative arts--words, images and music. Your White Hot Magazine is I may say a bit dusty though with colourful plumage.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="yiv1507362765Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="yiv1507362765Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">You have such wide ranging coverage on West but another part of earth and India with 1.25 billion people has been in the forefront of art, culture and civilizations. Unfortunately the Western canon of art and aesthetics applied to India regarded the arts and culture of this ancient land as accolyte and subsidiary to West, which in any case is not true. Indian aesthetics is based on different foundation than that of West. To totally ignore the arts and culture of this great land is I think a glaring omission and than not to have an Indian or Eastern point of view on arts would as it has, make your otherwise good magazine, incomplete and lopsidedly West dominated and focussed.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="yiv1507362765Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="yiv1507362765Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">regards,</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="yiv1507362765Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="yiv1507362765Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">Viktor Vijay</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="yiv1507362765Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="yiv1507362765Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">Artist</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoV6ib9nCBwXJtsIhzLDTTdWynPlhtj36zlWV-5DDFpRpMjjnCdmZvjG48sN18B5fFLTK6v5FLm66p0P_AdHu5Hq_DUJV4tKSlcYh_Okw4-OGmVNvMOED87C1Na8G9pbP8J5Uzuj-m7_A/s1600/menal-bijolia--Goddess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoV6ib9nCBwXJtsIhzLDTTdWynPlhtj36zlWV-5DDFpRpMjjnCdmZvjG48sN18B5fFLTK6v5FLm66p0P_AdHu5Hq_DUJV4tKSlcYh_Okw4-OGmVNvMOED87C1Na8G9pbP8J5Uzuj-m7_A/s320/menal-bijolia--Goddess.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ9NxN8PDZS2BDVdHW0Pk_FrjgV6fJWw5wsaPinXq4nRq5qFacCYKsKda9xEi_sjF8LgBYHyHhI-B5iBhut_s6OjRIJxwQ489BFBXpLEIS54VnQV6y07EkgAETwei7AfW681gFu_nd7MY/s1600/menal-bijolia+368.jpg---.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ9NxN8PDZS2BDVdHW0Pk_FrjgV6fJWw5wsaPinXq4nRq5qFacCYKsKda9xEi_sjF8LgBYHyHhI-B5iBhut_s6OjRIJxwQ489BFBXpLEIS54VnQV6y07EkgAETwei7AfW681gFu_nd7MY/s320/menal-bijolia+368.jpg---.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><span class="yiv1507362765Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><span class="yiv1507362765Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><br />
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</tbody></table></div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-79757141351544819612011-03-20T01:09:00.000-07:002011-03-22T23:08:12.660-07:00India crest of civilizations and leading economic superpower<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Today like other days I woke up late and I ran through newspapers with my mandatory two cups of tea. Being Sunday there are more serious writings to go through. As I shuffled pages of <b>The Times of India</b> to main Sunday articles I saw <b>Minhaz Merchant</b>'s four-book review. The first book deals with West and its professed self-delusion of grandeur and superiority vis-a-vis the rest of the world. The book written by Niall Ferguason is appropriately arrogantly called <b>'Civilization: The West and the Rest'.</b> I will juxtapose Merchant's unbiased analysis in a while, but let me give you what I have to say on West in a single but similar sentence "Renaissance West butchered the Rest"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">(Page 93 <b>Mona Lisa does not smile anymore -the story of fake Humanism of 'Reanaissance' Europe in relation to arts of India). </b>Merchant counters (Page 19 Title: <b>What's the Big Idea </b>Sunday Times of India 20th March 2011) Ferguason's Western superiority through "science,medicine,consumerism, competition, property rights and work ethics" with the real causes known to all of us as the profits of blood and tears of "The Rest" from slavery, colonization, indentured labour, bringing diseases and deceipt from Europe to decimate the body and the spirit, art and culture, society and civilizations, intellect and wisdom, philosophy and spirituality. How people suffer from the racial grandeur of West is still beyond understanding. More than 30 millions killed by British-manufactured famines in India do not make for the glory of 'medicine' as the cause of West's upstart upstaging the Rest. About competition, British factory cloth was forced on Indians and killed millions of weavers through unemployment, the colonists forced the farmers in Malwa central India with very fertile grains and cotton growing black soil to cultivate poppy and forced at the point of barrel of gun the Chinese to legalize the opium imports from British colony India. What colonialism did to art and culture of India I have discussed in great detail in my book. "<b><span style="color: black;">The Mughals rejuvenated arts and culture of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place> while Portuguese excelled in conversions, Inquisition and atrocities on Hindu, Muslim and Jew populace</span></b><span style="color: black;">." </span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">(</span></b>page 159 from <b>Mona Lisa ...)</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQgU9mOv-Up2fwGCciqZwxPx0jhJ3adn-t0ylA3eX3b5CexNQr4mw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQgU9mOv-Up2fwGCciqZwxPx0jhJ3adn-t0ylA3eX3b5CexNQr4mw" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">It is not very surprising the kind of propagandist writings keep emerging from accolytes of West, but I have predicted in my book the new emerging horizons under a fresh sun and it is <b>The Rest and not the West that will shine the brightest. </b></span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Thank You Minhaz Merchant for removing the wool from the eyes of those who put wool on their own eyes in the first place.</span></b><br />
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</b></div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-45707073042208371232011-03-18T10:15:00.000-07:002011-03-18T10:19:31.803-07:00Creative Dilemma of artist<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: 16pt;"><s style="background-color: black;">What I see is not what is<o:p></o:p></s></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><s><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Then what shall I create with my paint brush?</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></s></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: 16pt;"><s style="background-color: black;">A form, a feeling, a presence, a negation, time, or its annihilation?<o:p></o:p></s></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><s><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br />
</span></s></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: 16pt;"><s style="background-color: black;">A form limits, a feeling is transient, a presence and its negation is but an illusion,<o:p></o:p></s></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: 16pt;"><s style="background-color: black;">Time they say is circular so I catch not its strands<o:p></o:p></s></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: 21px;"><i><s style="background-color: black;">excerpts from <b>MONA LISA DOES NOT SMILE ANYMORE</b></s></i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyATjEnsVlf0sBfyvVzFYUshjgCOo70Vpy6eQCyeZx_MukjjXoH1M3EQg-qyBwFsYcKygtFKPuqlWMn2t6z2yCuj0sVb7cxVDcea0guXUDrZ9RQctYJn6w_-g9y-0YBUOKjchOTwnm4zI/s1600/Viktor+Vijay+CHANCON+art_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: white;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyATjEnsVlf0sBfyvVzFYUshjgCOo70Vpy6eQCyeZx_MukjjXoH1M3EQg-qyBwFsYcKygtFKPuqlWMn2t6z2yCuj0sVb7cxVDcea0guXUDrZ9RQctYJn6w_-g9y-0YBUOKjchOTwnm4zI/s320/Viktor+Vijay+CHANCON+art_.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 21px;">(page 14)</span></span></div></div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-9232855433417077412011-03-14T12:35:00.000-07:002011-03-14T12:58:05.651-07:00Contemporary Art<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1l77Uh-cRy-OPDyt03q_k2qvlFa20mzI3mJpqalercyT-odNYGsynv7KviVReSY0HQ7wvoYFECSvqlYYN0D5n12bgZEKhB-d77-pWkTMlGfgANnKUdM23McG63q2dV7_Act5WTKRHB5E/s1600/Steps+to+white+pure+Joy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1l77Uh-cRy-OPDyt03q_k2qvlFa20mzI3mJpqalercyT-odNYGsynv7KviVReSY0HQ7wvoYFECSvqlYYN0D5n12bgZEKhB-d77-pWkTMlGfgANnKUdM23McG63q2dV7_Act5WTKRHB5E/s400/Steps+to+white+pure+Joy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584023909497762418" /></a><br />excerpts book <b>Mona Lisa does not smile anymore</b><div><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">" </span>No Indian artist with professed influence of Indian philosophical thought has caused a stir in the world. Many migrated to West or studied and stayed there but none could touch the pinnacle; is it the hegemony of the West or the quality of art that is in question? Rather I have a question namely is the art market able to separate wheat from chaff? Whether the high prices created by the market a touch stone of the real worth of art works? Is in a society so full of scams and manipulations a ‘price’ is really a price at which transactions take place and whether the ‘experts’ really able to gauge the artistic worth of a work of art. Have we been able to create a holistic, universal expression drawing on Indian philosophy, religion and thought? May be the heritage is too heavy with past and the artists are not able to wrench themselves away or be free from its overpowering impact. The weight of so much of knowledge from the past, the imagery, iconography, the narratives, the philosophy and above all the inability to look at all this from today’s vintage point could probably be possible reasons of Indian contemporary art and artists denied to make a grand entry on world podium. The art that is being created is cocooned and in the absence of good institutional infrastructure is difficult to screen for its true artistic worth. Quite a few are dealing in pleasing decorative figures that have vanished almost half a century earlier from world art. Both in form based and abstraction some remarkable art is being created often and include works of artists who do not know to use marketing instruments. Collectors are no longer impressed by the poverty of an artist; to be good, the artists must have plush studios and designer clothes, and only then the art is rated ‘collectible’. Like <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Bombay</st1:city></st1:place> masala movies people at the lower rung of art appreciation want works to decorate their houses, villas, factories, ranches, offices. They want not creative works of art, they want pleasing pictures—pictures that don’t raise uncomfortable question about life, existence, humanity and future. Others want paintings to satisfy their need for religious images of gods and goddesses"</span></b></div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-80045329296833314032011-03-11T12:35:00.000-08:002011-03-11T23:06:33.057-08:00Mona Lisa does not smile anymore--book on Indian art<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbKFGhjaMYN_tSItxYbX1qKaXZpbikROMuDz2aHQlwyU3A4Q5Rt5ap-Xk7RKxwcn-me4Bgg7DOONaoHmJ4LBnt_pfQpUSmKE8a8Awr2u8a2W_SSETy1AoS4azLM-MR2vZ7zR6Ixl0W3I/s1600/Viktor+Vijay+CHANCON+art+134.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 328px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbKFGhjaMYN_tSItxYbX1qKaXZpbikROMuDz2aHQlwyU3A4Q5Rt5ap-Xk7RKxwcn-me4Bgg7DOONaoHmJ4LBnt_pfQpUSmKE8a8Awr2u8a2W_SSETy1AoS4azLM-MR2vZ7zR6Ixl0W3I/s400/Viktor+Vijay+CHANCON+art+134.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582925345211757010" /></a><div>excerpts from the book, "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16pt; ">To paint </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px; ">appearances</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16pt; "> is to miss out on inner kernel of the world. Increasingly the commercial industrial thought and technologies have spilled over into art domain ; replication of apparent with digital manipulation and, camera use has taken over from the inner creative well of humanity. The technologies are not the blood and marrow of humanity, instead the direction, freedom, the vision from within are the structure of human enterprise. To abnegate the</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 16pt; "> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16pt; ">world of stock</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 16pt; color: black; ">appearances</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; color: black; "> we need to have<span> </span>inner spiritual cues. Not the knowledge of the external but the saturating unitary experience of the inner. In my art I work with <b>chance</b> and attempted negation of conscious, well planned, control of the artistic expression. I surrender so the Light will shine on creativity. The joining of Chance as a higher order of things with a consciousness that comes from within and transforms our ‘seeing’ is what my art is about. I call </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 16pt; color: black; ">it</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 16pt; color: black; "> </span><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; color: black; ">Chance-Consciousness Art or Chancon.</span></b><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16pt; "><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p></div><div><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; color: black; "><br /></span></b></div>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203064256341292717.post-87678937778287219732011-03-10T12:05:00.000-08:002011-03-10T12:06:17.482-08:00<a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=81536&id=598216960">http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=81536&id=598216960</a>artbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03930803792148586625noreply@blogger.com0