Fly with me to tribal heaven !!!

Today am inviting you to join me on a journey that takes you into the world of the tribes of Central India, a call to catch a glimpse of the rustic world of the Gonds, Bheels, Korakus,Baigas and the Sarhaiyas, as portrayed at the Tribal Museum in Madhya Pradesh.

To let you into a secret, I am not very fond of museums. So when my parents suggested this excursion, I wasn't really turning cartwheels at the thought. But I most certainly did turn somersaults upon getting there as I realised what a beautiful, glorious, life size amalgamation the museum is, of the ways and means of the tribal communities of India. Scenes and sights of their villages, the practise of ancestor-worship, visuals of their festivities, their song and dance, the games that their children play, all of it recreated, reconstructed and available, larger than life, for you to see, feel and absorb...under one large roof known as the Tribal Museum, or the 'Aadivasi Sangrahalaya', Madhya Pradesh.

Starting off with the first section that caught my eye,where an entire hall that has been devoted to Tribal games, with life size models of the simple, innocent and pleasurable means of recreation available to their children, 'Gilli-danda' for instance...

Remember 'Poshamba' from school...see how artistically it has been depicted here ! :-)

And of-course the 'too-much-fun-Tug-of-war' :-) I was amazed at how realistically the scene has been recreated here, one can almost hear the grunts and the 'haiiiiyyya' ! ;-)

The charm of tribal aesthetics lies in the use of simple things that are available around the house for ornamentation....truly, in their world, art and life are inseparable. The use of things such as winnowing baskets, pestles, even brooms is testimony to the fact that in their world, there is no concept of life that is devoid of art.

Someday I hope to have space enough to adopt this idea for our own home, love at first sight for me, this was !

A'khatiya' used here so artistically, 'simple is beautiful' !

Dance and music play a huge role in their world. Tribal folk dances are performed to celebrate the advent of seasons, birth, marriage and festivals. The steps are simple and rhythmic. Musical instruments have great significance in their lives. The 'baana' for example is the most important instrument of the 'Gond' tribe. According to tribal mythology, the youngest Gond brother had propitiated Bada Dev, who had entered the Saja tree, by playing the instrument, who in turn was pleased with the music and blessed the tribe with happiness and prosperity.

You can find lots of inspiration here for wall art, with the beautiful folk paintings depicting different scenes from their life, that find place on the walls of their dwellings...

Gorgeous murals embellish the wooden doors and mud windows, adding colour to their huts...

Beautiful isn't it, am almost wishing our apartment had a mud window so I could try and recreate some of the stuff above ! :-)

A visit to this museum is a lovely way to experience the ways and culture of the tribes of central India, to see a beautiful platform that has been created to showcase the life of the 'aadi-vaasi'. I was truly transported to a different world when I visited this lovely place and could not wait to share it with you. Do put it on your 'to-do' list if and when you plan to visit Madhya Pradesh. I guarantee it will be a visit to remember. In the meantime, I am leaving you with a few more images and a bit of inspiration for your own home. I know I have returned with enough ammunition and an unstoppable urge to attempt a 'gond' painting :-) You go ahead and reel in the colourful and ethnic ecstasy as you feast your eyes on the earthy, homespun, ingenuous beauty that is the centre of their universe  :-) Do drop me a line to tell me what you liked the most. Until the next treat, stay happy all ! :-)

A Bit of Silk, Sentiments aplenty !

Hello from the blissful corners of my parents' home ! 

Whenever I come here, I am on a special look out for those days when my mother is in a generous mood and allows me a peek into the 'petis' that hoard treasures that she received from my grandparents. The other day I had the most amazing time rummaging through the shelves of one such cupboard, and my eye caught a glimpse of some of the most beautiful sarees that belonged to my Daadi. 

I love sarees. No outfit in the world compares to the beauty of those six yards. A saree can be feminine, it can strong, it can be smart, it can be festive, it can be bold, it can be shy, it can be flirtatious, it can be no-nonsense, it can be...whatever you want it to be...beautiful in all forms. It is fluid, malleable, ready to mould itself to whatever mood you are in. I now live in a country where a saree is so rare, that it is literally a traffic stopper, yet I make it a point to wear one whenever possible and love the appreciative smiles I get from the locals, at the sight of this fascinating attire :-) 

My Daadi (whom we fondly called 'Mummum') was an immensely strong and independent lady, with a magnificent personality. I remember she would carry herself with such grace and drape her sarees with a confidence and elegance that was synonymous with her identity. Her sarees were 'a part of her',  the impeccable pleats, the casually slung aanchal, a beautiful vision, mostly in pristine shades of cream, off-white and beige.

When I touched these beautiful vintage fabrics that belong to her, most of them now nearly a hundred years old, the true meaning of the phrase 'poetry on the loom' came to life...

Starting with a beautiful weave from Bengal that just took my breath away, the intricate 'jaal-work' in grey-green, woven all over a neutral cream background with a lovely four inch cream border and the gold 'bootis' adding just the right amount of shimmer. This made me think of the 1940s, of a strand of pearls and of leisurely lunches at the grand old clubs of Calcutta...

I will be honest and share here, that like most other women, I have a weakness for pink, and thus far I thought I had seen all the pinks the world had to offer, until I saw this...

..and it took my breath away...infinite layers of the prettiest pink tissue I had ever seen with threads of pure silver 'zari' running through the swathes...

This was given to my mother during her wedding, as one of the 'saas-ki-sarees', part of the gifts that are given from the mother-in-law's own trunk as she welcomes the daughter-in-law home.  

Speaking of tissues, I fell in love with this one in cream where gold and silver 'zari' come together in the beautiful border, with just a hint of indigo in contrast. How gorgeous this one would look, the hair coiled on top,paired with a classic brocade blouse and gold jhumkas...an image that could very well be an artist's inspiration !

Here's another one with an exquisite border, so striking against the modest grey background...

...understated elegance...simple yet so beautiful...

And this one is for the love for sarees in the summers...a lovely mauve  'Dhaakai' with motifs in cream and yellow all over it and a blue edge which I love !

This made me think of an afternoon spent in tiled verandahs, of low slung arm chairs, of the 'hata-pakha' and the keybunch tied to the pallu...

And while there are more I would love to share with you, I will sign off here with this stunning vintage 'banarsi' silk...resplendent in pinks and greens, interspersed with 'zari' all over the aanchal that left me swooning.

A timeless classic, perfect for a wedding or a festival...this one.

Kudos to my mother for preserving these beautiful heirlooms so well, who would say looking at them, that they are nearly a century old ! Thank you Ma for letting me take these precious pieces out of the cupboard and for allowing me to photograph them :-)

This treasure trove has a zillion sentiments and emotions woven amidst the 'resham' and the'zari'. I hope you enjoyed it. I am looking forward to the day I can wear them and envelope myself in my grandmother's love as I imagine how beautifully and gracefully she would have carried them on herself :-)

A beautiful start to the New Year !

It is the time again for new beginnings, new resolutions, new diaries and calendars and for me to wish you every happiness and joy in the year that has just started...2015 is here and I hope it has begun with a bang for all who stop by here!May it be the stuff that dreams are made of !

For us it has been a 'wild start'. I have just returned from a short 'digital detox' in the jungles, a few days with no technology, no 'phablet-tablets', no television and where the only 'twitter' you have access to is that of the birds !

I am thus starting 2015 here, on a slightly different note, by sharing a treasure trove with you today that is really close to my heart, a snapshot of my recent experience at a place that I have loved visiting as a child, and which remains as dear to me today as it was back then, Kanha National Park. If there is one place that I can truly identify as a treasure trove, it is these beautiful jungles in the heart of Central India, a place that defines the words 'serene' and 'pristine'. I grew up in Central India and have spent many wonderful days with my family in the forests of Madhya Pradesh. To me, the idea of a perfect getaway is a wildlife safari over any other form of vacation. I think I get my love for the forests from my father who is nothing short of an encyclopaedia when it comes to this subject and he planned this wonderful vacation for us to send off the year that was, and to welcome the new year that is.

In a world full of luxurious resorts, we stayed at a wonderfully rustic forest rest house that is inside the gates of the park.

This is right in the middle of the jungle, with meadows full of elephant grass in front of it and the forests  in the distance. There are no barriers or barbed wires and the staff says they have witnessed wild animals, even the big cat, come and do the rounds of the verandahs many a times. All that really stops you from walking right into the meadow beyond the rest house is a strong instinct of self preservation and a small signage that suggests it might not be prudent to venture outside the wooden stumps.

After dusk, you can enjoy the moonlit silhouette of the forests in the distance, and stay up all night, counting the twinkling  dots in the star-spangled sky. It is the perfect getaway for nature lovers like my husband and me.

We soaked in the relaxed, laid-back feel of the place, enjoyed the 'dal-sabzi' made by the cook and relished many rounds of 'adrak chai' through the day ! It took me back in time as I recalled some memorable trips with family on other occasions in the early nineties, the bonfire, the guitar, the anecdotes, the laughter that accompanied all the fun ! It felt as though nothing had changed, when so much really had !

Safaris in Kanha start as early as six a.m. during the morning and resume again after lunch. We would be up everyday at the crack of dawn, donning our woollens, getting ready for the hunt ahead...every safari brings with it a new excitement, a renewed anticipation, of all that lies in the dense forests, the thought of the flora and fauna that we may chance upon...of the adventure that awaited us.
The jungles that cover an area of 940 square kilometres are divided into 5 zones and specific points within them have some delightful names such as 'Jamun Tola', 'Sal Ghat', 'Bamhni-Dadar', 'Bandri-Chaapar' and the like, each name with its own interesting story behind it. About 55 jeeps are allowed inside the gates every day with a specific route and they bifurcate into the different trails from the entrance of the park.

Kanha is home to about 96 tigers, and the jungles provide their king a befitting abode to reside in. The tall 'sal' trees, the yellow elephant grass and green bamboo thickets make the most majestic home for the Royal Bengal Tiger as they do for the other animals and birds that live there. During winters it is difficult to look beyond 10 metres into the sides of the narrow muddy trails that run through the jungle, the dense foliage providing the perfect camouflage for its residents.

In forests as dense as these, especially during winters when the foliage is really thick, the chance of spotting wildlife is limited and it is rare that you will get to see the big cat. But Kanha did not disappoint us and we had some lovely encounters in the wild. We were lucky to see herds of 'cheetal' or the spotted deer, the endangered 'Barasingha', the 'Gaur' or the Indian Bison, a brief glimpse of the leopard and believe it or not, we had three unexpected dates with the king of the jungle himself :-)

The spotted deer treads carefully as it crosses a pool of water to get to the other side...

...while another herd stared at us inquisitively as they saw our jeep approaching them in the open grassland...

The Indian bison (thankfully) ignored us as we went by...content to enjoy his meal and handpick the choicest greens for his grub..

A mother-son 'sambar' duo darted across the trail, startled by our jeep...

...while the king of the jungle strode the meadows in regal splendour, indifferent to our presence or that of any one else...there is no sight more humbling than this, a glimpse of the Royal Bengal Tiger in his kingdom...

The jungles of Kanha are truly majestic. I have had the good fortune of seeing other wildlife parks, including the great Kruger in South Africa, but Kanha is in a class by itself. Even if you fail to spot the tiger, which is of course what every visitor hopes for, the forests are mesmerising enough to transport you into a different world. The sounds of the jungle, the knock of the wood pecker, the call of the barking deer, the scent of the flowering trees, the sight of the the low lying mist over the marshy grounds, the fluttering of the green wings of the alexander parakeet in the sky, it is mother nature's soul-stirring embrace, beautiful and mystic. I am no wildlife photographer, yet many a times I would stand up in the jeep to take a picture and be unable to click, because I found myself struggling to do justice to the beauty of the landscape and the expanse of the lush forest through my lens. I would then sit back in the jeep and be content savouring the sight, capturing it through my eyes and carrying back beautiful memories of this treasure trove in my heart.