Showing posts with label Ahmedabad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ahmedabad. Show all posts

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Natrani

It was for the first time that I was visiting Natrani, Darpana Academy of Performing Arts. Was visiting the place to see the photo exhibition "PEACE" held by Nazariya. It was a good experience being there, seeing the exhibition and feeling the place located on the banks of Sabarmati. The calmness and the cold breeze of the winters made it more perfect. As PEACE was the theme, a group of students from Australia were performing a mime on Garba dance which is seen during the festival of Navratri in Gujarat. It was good to see the Australians performing here in India and the best part was the audience applauding them through out their performance by clapping and hooting and whistling. It was a good initiative to bridge the gap in this cross culture tradition.I wish the same, Indian students get to feel in Australia. Below is the small video of the performance:


A documentary movie "SHED NO MORE BLOOD" was followed by the mime act, which is based on the various uncertainty that the people of Nagaland have seen. After watching the movie one would certainly feel how safe and sound we're in Gujarat, whereas our brothers in the North-East are the victims of some factional groups. The case does not rest only with the Naga tribes, the same goes with the people of Jammu & Kashmir, Bihar, Orissa and other states were Naxalism is helping to disrupt the communal harmony and the LTTE in the South. Are we becoming the victims of being the biggest democracy in the world?

The next performance was again a mime performed by a group of students from St. Xaviers college and was directed by Gaurang Raval. The act was beautifully presented on the current scenario of the traffic hindrances, cell phone obsession while riding/driving and other typical things that you get to witness while you hit the road. It was quite a good example depicted in the form of "અધીર અમદાવાદી" (Impatient Amdavadi)


P.S. Video's have been converted from HD to low-res.



Monday, September 27, 2010

Shah-E-Alam Roza

Shah-E-Alam roza is some 550-600 years old and one of the famous roza's of Ahmedabad. I was visiting the place for photography. Shah-E-Alam roza has a Mosque, Dargah and Mehndi Roshan ki Haqiqat. Mehndi Roshan ki Haqiqat is also said to be Narsinh Mehta's Chatri (Umbrella) While talking to some people in the roza, they declined about the name which was published recently in one of the articles in a daily newspaper. I had visited the place during the evening and found some interesting things happening at the place. One of them was Lobaan, devotees offer prayer and people who are suffering from illness and who believed that they have deceased soul in them used to roll on the floor. Devotees used to lit up incense sticks, diya's and apply oil on their face and hands to stay away from illness and other bad things.



This was first time that I had experienced some dicey situations while visiting a mosque. Some people were quite apprehensive of us while we were doing photography. I was bombarded with so many questions which eventually were leading to a communal touch. Though there point was not wrong, I couldn't disagree with them. All I hope is let the PEACE prevail.








Saturday, July 3, 2010

કે ચોમાસુ આવ્યુ

Had a late night call with a client, by the time it was finished and we were about to move out from the office, we just heard some kind of noise. As we opened the window it was the downpour of the first monsoon rains. Just noticed quite a few moments on the way back to home while enjoying the happy good moments of the first monsoon rains. Here are some lines in Gujarati.

આભ રડયું ને આપણું અમદાવાદ ભીંજાયું
વીજળી ત્રાટકી ને આંખો ચમકી
મન ને તન ના ઉશ્કેરાટ ને ટાઢે પાળ્યું
ને જોયુ તો ચોમાસુ આવ્યુ

ચાલી નીકળી સૌની ગાડી
મન મા ઉભરાયો અંતર્નાદ
ને લોકો એ પોકાર્યો જયનાદ
ને જોયુ તો ચોમાસુ આવ્યુ

આનંદનગર રોડ એ છલકાયા લોકો
સવ એ માણ્યો વરસાદ નો મોકો
પાણી ભરાયા રસ્તે રસ્તે
હાલી ચાર પૈડા વાડી ગાડી બળદ ગાડે
ને હાલતા હાલતા પછડાઈ તે ખાડે
ને જોયુ તો ચોમાસુ આવ્યુ

શ્યામલ ચાર રસ્તા એ સામ સામે આવી ગાડી
આવી ગયો એ તાન મા ને ગયો એ અડી
માણેકબાગ એ છલક્યા પાણી
ને બંધ પડી લોકો ની ગાડી
આપી એક્સેલેટર કરતો ભક ભક ગયો હું નીકળી
ને જોયુ તો ચોમાસુ આવ્યુ

અંજલી ચાર રસ્તે દોડી ૧૦૮ ની વાન
આડી ઉભી આઈઓસી ના બંબા ની વાન
ચઢ્યો બધામા એક તાન
ને જોયુ તો ચોમાસુ આવ્યુ

દાણીલીમડા એ લાગી ટ્રક ની લાઈન
પણ હતું ત્યાં બધું એકદમ ફાઈન
જોઈ એક ટોળુ થયો હું ધીમો
જોયુ રૈન કોટ પેહરી ભીંજાવા ઉભો તો એક નંગ
ને જોયુ તો ચોમાસુ આવ્યુ

શાહ-એ-આલમ હતું સાવ શાંત
કાંકરિયા ના પાણી અથડાઈ પાડે
સાંભળી ને અવાજ પડ્યું મન ટાઢે
ને જોયુ તો ચોમાસુ આવ્યુ

પુષ્પકુંજ એ ચાઇનીસ, ઓમલેટ ની લારી એ થઇ ભીડ
પુનીત આશ્રમ ની ગલી મા હતો હું એકલો
નોતા કોઈ શ્વાન આજે પાછળ દોડવા
વરસતો તો વરસાદ ટીપે ટીપે
ને જોયુ તો ચોમાસુ આવ્યુ

પોહ્ચ્યો ઘર ની ગલી મા
ના હતા કોઈ બાળકો રમતા ફૂલ રેકેટ
ઘરના આંગણે આવીને રહ્યો ઉભો
માથું કર્યું નીચે ને નાકે મારી છીંક
ને જોયુ તો ચોમાસુ આવ્યુ

Thursday, June 17, 2010

First post in Gujarati

Have been away from this for a while, just coming up with my first post in Gujarati. It's just a thought which came to mind while enjoying sleeping on the terrace during the summers (what most of the Amdavadi's love to do.)

ઉનાળા ની રાત ને ઊંઘવાને ધાબુ
મધમધતો પવન ને આભ નું ઓઢણું
થાક ની હઠ ને ઊંઘ ની વાટ
મન નો ઉશ્કેરાટ ને નિશા ની નિરાંત
વિચારો ના વમળ ને અર્ધજાગ્રત આભાસ
એકલવાયું તન ને મન ને મસ્તી
સ્વપ્નો નું સર્જન ને આશાઓનું નું ઉન્માદ
એમનું આવું ને મન ને છનછેડવું
પક્ષીઓ નો કલરવ ને પરોઢ નું આગમન
ફરી એજ સવાર ને કામ ની ઝાકળ ઝંઝટ......