After a late night out with my classmates the other weekend (I'm a little behind on blogs....), I dragged myself out of bed at 8 AM to begin a day of sightseeing. I didn't take any pictures that night, but hopefully will get some from others. Accompanied by a Mumbaiker who works with our professor, we went to a bar named WTF where they played American hip hop. Yes, please. I learned a few things: (1) a bunch of gori walking into a bar will cause a minor event; (2) being a gori does not get you a drink any faster; (3) I can withstand 168° without fainting; and (4) if it starts monsoon-ing right after last call and the crowd tries to get back inside, management will lock the gates (the downpour actually felt pretty amazing after dancing our faces off). Afterwards, we took autorickshaws to the Novotel hotel on Juhu Beach, where we relaxed on couches in an outdoor lounge on the beach. The Arabian Sea is not particularly beautiful, but we couldn't see it anyway and the breeze was gorgeous.
Remarkably, I got up on time the next morning to board the bus to see a Bharata Natyam performance at the Bharat College of Fine Arts & Culture. The dancing by gurus and their students was stunning.
The dance is phenomenal - marrying narrative from ancient texts, story telling, spirituality and movement. I can't possibly do it justice here, so I found some videos that I thought were pretty good:
- An 80s style educational video (http://vimeo.com/4545464). Learning and nostalgia!
- A collection of five videos showing various dances: http://www.indiavideo.org/bharatanatyam/
After the performance, we filed onto the bus towards the Gateway of India in Colaba to get a boat to Gharapuri Island, the site of the Elephanta Caves. Here are some shots as we pulled way from shore into Mumbai Harbor:
The caves are home to high relief carvings of various deities, created sometime between the 5th and 8th centuries. So, you know - old. After a 30 minute ride across the harbor we were ready to see some old rocks! On the downside, the price of entrance for foreigners was 25 times that for Indians. At least in this case, there was a sign to let us know exactly how much we were getting screwed. With street vendors, one is never quite sure by what percentage one is getting fleeced.
I can also personally attest to the warning about monkeys. Spotting the Mazza in my hand (my new favorite Coca Cola brand mango juice), a monkey growled at me. Did you know that monkeys growl? I didn't. This little guy (not the growler) looks so innocent, doesn't he? - gazing into the distance with hipster-like ennui.
The island residents make much of their living from the tourism centered around the caves. The 200 steps leading up to the caves are lined by tchotchke vendors selling their wares. Island residents serve as guides. Tiny old ladies carrying water jars on their heads invite you to take a photo with them with a water jar on your head. Capitalism is alive and well on Gharapuri Island, my friends!
Our guide led us through the caves, explaining which deities were which and the significance of the scenes depicted. I will probably get some of this wrong, so kids, I emphasize that this blog is not a scholarly source.
Lord Shiva depicted as a trinity (sound familiar?):
A lingam, a representation of Shiva and male energy (uh-doy)
Shiva depicted as Natarja, the lord of the dance - for fun next to a photo from the Bharata Natyam performance with the male dancer striking a sort of similar pose.
Also for fun, me as a dilettante yogi, ohm-ing in an ancient meditation room where real yogis practiced thousands of years ago. Now that I'm at one with the divine, feel free to pass along any of your cosmic petitions. I'll talk to the big guy(s).
1 comment:
love the yogi pose!
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