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9 Emperor God
During the Daoist Nine Emperor Gods Festival or Kow Ong Yah that falls on the 9th day of the 9th moon in the Chinese lunar calendar, mediums goes into deep trance and perform unbelievable feats including immersing themselves in hot oil, piercing themselves with sharp, long spears and swords, in addition to walking through fire unscathed.
Celestial Misalignment
Indian astrology is a branch of Vedic science that has been widely believed and commonly to the point of being funded by the State for research, is now wanning in popularity. Nonetheless the negative effects of marrying a Mangal Dosha, or ‘manglik’, remains a concern and movies have been resorted to to downplay this superstition.
Sculptured Dough
Dough sculpturing dates back to the Han Dynasty as sacrifices for the dead. A dying folk art and tradition, little of it is known outside China and its importance as a study in history and folk lore has eroded. Struggling to remain relevant, dough scultures now takes form of popular pop culture genre and modern fictional characters.
Hayya ‘ala-Salāt at Lal Qila
At the call of the Azan (Arabic: أَذَان), Muslims around the world make haste towards prayer – Hayya ‘ala-Salāt. Salāt (Arabic: صلاة) is obligatory for all adult Muslims, and its supreme importance is indicated by its status as one of the Five Pillars of Sunni Islam. Ritualistic in nature, it is to be performed in prescribed conditions, procedure, and times; hence the use of Azan as a summon.
Theravada Buddhism Forest Monk
Buddha: Born in the forest. Enlightened in the forest. Taught in the forest. Died in the forest. 2,500 years later, the Theravada forest monks continues the practice, teachings and codes of monastic conduct expounded by Buddha in more than 200 forest monasteries throughout Thailand and the West – Europe, Australasia and North America.
Dāna – Bodhisattva and the Art of Giving
Dāna (donation) is one of the central practices in early Buddhism that is said to have the effect of purifying and transforming the mind of the giver where generosity arising for the act of giving leads to being reborn in happy states. Built on interdependence between donors and renunciants, the act of dana has enabled Buddhism to survive, flourish and expand.
Visiting Luang Phor Khoon
Wat Ban Rai shot to fame for its ‘notoriety’ for 2 reasons: Luang Phor Khoon’s willingness to embrace commercialisation, and its open door policy that recruits novice monks with colourful past, spoting body art and nicotine fixes. Known for his magical powers, Luang Phor has a large following and impressive monastery.
Buddha’s Apprentice
The custom of sending the second male child to the monastery prevails in Tibetan influenced parts of India. These children generally fell into 3 categories: pious believers, children of poor serfs and those sent to temples to meet a quota. Although life in the monastery is difficult and dull to many young children, modern day comforts have made their presence.
Tibetan Refugees: Tibetan Rug Revival
Traditional Tibetan rug weaving industry dates back thousands of years to satisfy monastic institutions and the aristocrats’ need for khaden, but today Nepal and India are the largest producers and exporters of both Tibetan rugs and Tibetan-styled rugs. Traditional methods have given way for more cost effective and time efficient ways. Styles have evolved to suit the Western-styled homes.
Stitches of Tibet
In Tibet, tailoring is a fine art made proud by the fine pieces of silk thangkas ranging from the standard two feet to the 16-storeys kyigus, hand sewn laboriously by appliqué artists for months end. However at the TRSHC, the stitches of Tibet are applied to daily practical consumption items like clothing and shoes, with some toys for sale.
Mojari Jootis Kolhapuris
These flats – Mojaris, Jootis and Kolhapuris – ‘floods’ Rajasthan, Delhi and Punjab with production dating back to the period of Kings and Queens. Unlike those produced in the heydays with real gold and silver threads and gems, these cow hide shoes are now embellished with artificial materials to suit everyone’s budget.
Addressing India’s School Dropouts
Spending just 3.5% of GDP on education, of India’s 1 million schools, most are state-run and sub-standards. Set against this backdrop, a physically handicapped man funds a private school that dishes out scholarship and subsidised fees for the deserving with hope to provide skills to the improvished and dropouts.
The Homeless, Rural India and COP15
While buzz is on the leaked draft, disarray climate talks that threatens international unity and speculations on India and China’s move at COP 15, there is a stark difference on the ground: playing catch-up, re-thinking energy development strategy and focusing on key drivers for transition right through the grass root levels.
Spastic Children’s Association
Established in February, 1960 in a garage of the Red Cross to address the shortfall in the education system that does not cater to children suffering from cerebral palsy (CP), the Spastic Children Association caters for 300 students to date providing inclusive education aimed at creating self-reliant individuals.
The Tibetan Diaspora – 50 years on
The first exodus into India took place in 1959 in the wake of the failure of the Lhasa Uprising. Today, approximately 220,000 Tibetans are dispersed globally and Tibetan Buddhism has a following of more than the population of Tibet despite accusations of charlatanism, commercialism, power-politicking, immoral behaviour and radically different teaching across the four schools.
Hashish Children of Kullu
Raking in Rs900 crore p.a., locals alongside a nexus of expats and international smugglers have cashed in on the charas resulting in stronger enforcements from the Indian police and the Narcotics Control Bureau. Those that face the greatest lost are the children in this valley; forced into the cartels’ trap, removed from the officials’ radar.
14th Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama is 572 years old by the Gelugpa Buddhist reckoning of reincarnation of his predecessors. An inspiration for 6 million Tibetans, and 100,000 impoverished Tibetan refugees in India and Nepal who followed his lead into exile, photos and newspaper cutting of him are found around the TRSHC.
Chaam Atsaras
Atsaras (jokers) plays an important part in Chaams as with other religious theatrical performances in the world. Aimed at entertaining spectators at intervals, more importantly the persona of Atsaras acts as a counteract to the sinister, oppressing, impressions created by the wrathful, threatening deities.
Kagyed Mahakala Chaam
Performed by monks on the same days across a few Kagyupa monasteries in Sikkim, Ladakh and Nepal in honour of the Mahakala (the Great Protector), this dance has been hosted by monasteries for more than 275 years with choreography from the 1st Karmapa based on his ability to see deities.
Chaam Masks
The big, colourful masks with grotesque expressions worn by the Dancing Lamas portrays the Lord of Death, Padmasambhava, the God of Wealth, and the protector of horses and other animals. Hand crafted by the Lamas themselves, the masks are generally made of wood and papier-mâché with a thin coat of plaster.
Chaam: Dorjee Lopon
Often mistaken as the most important element of any Chaam, the Dorjee Lopon, or Single Black Hat Dance is performed solo by a dancing lama who adorns the heavy but miraculous and magical black hat that transports the wearer to a particular state of manifestation. Legend has it that the Black Hat was made from the hair of female angels and offered to the 1st Karmapa.
Dancing Lamas: RolChaam
The Rol Chaam is unique to Sikkim; having been introduced by Chogyal Chgdor Namgyal in Tsuklakhang Monastery. The Rol Chaam which signifies a musical offering to the presiding deities of the locality, as well as the monastery it is performed in, is performed by 12 dancers after the recital of a one-page prayer book.
Chinese Opera Facial Makeup
Dating back to Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) Dynasties Chinese Opera face makeup plays a symbolic artistic function of expressing commendatory and derogatory connotations and that of differentiating benevolence and malevolence. Spending hours to depict the stereotypical characters they play, opera actresses and actors applies the face paint with horse-hair Chinese brushes themselves.
Malaysian Chinese Opera
Chinese Opera is now an incidental ‘performance’ limited to temple celebrations and festivals associated with the need to appease and honour deities. Stylised language, symbolism and feudal stories performed are irrelevant in today’s context, but the poliferation of gloablisation has brought new entertaintment.