The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
The year began on a festive note with the much awaited Kala Ghoda Fest. When I clicked this photo of one of the installations, little did I know how important a part cycles and the city would play in the coming year!
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To begin with, the Fest was fun! As usual, I took Samhith along, and he enjoyed it so much, he actually wrote about it! And then, I went by myself, a second time, and had a blast with some blog friends! It truly set the tone for the year - me taking Samhith along first, and then going by myself to enjoy it in peace... something which I did through the year!
However, coming back to the pic, we loved the installation, simple as it was. Little did we know that stuck in the city, we would explore it more than we had for the past few years, or that Samhith would rekindle his love for cycles, and discover that he enjoyed cycling for long distances! Yes, he not only participated in a Cyclothon this year, riding 5 Kms to the finish line, he also cycled all the way from Chembur to Thane, a distance of at least 15 Km, accompanied by his dad! Is it any wonder that I can not stop bragging about it?
Then, there were so many fests through the year - the Tata Lit Live, which I dropped into, for a while, the Junior Writers Bug, which I sadly missed, and the Earth Mela, where my photos were exhibited for the very first time!
There were events we enjoyed ourselves at, such as the Lego Train Building event, the National Book Trust's Book Fair, Sandcastle for a Cause, the Google Plus Photography Day event, and of course, all my sister's performances!
And then, there were the traditional festivals, which we couldn't celebrate, but made the most of, by attending others' celebrations!!! The most memorable among these was certainly the awesome Golu kept by Mr. P.E.P.Swamy, and the Ramlila finale!
The best thing about all the festivals and events this year, was that they kept us busy and occupied throughout the year, and helped us cope with the fact that we were stuck at home, and unable to travel! While I hope the new year brings me more travel, I would also like to be a little bit selfish, and also hope I am able to attend as many fests and such more such interesting events in the coming years!!
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| A small part of Mr. Swamy's Navaratri Golu |
Then, there were so many fests through the year - the Tata Lit Live, which I dropped into, for a while, the Junior Writers Bug, which I sadly missed, and the Earth Mela, where my photos were exhibited for the very first time!
There were events we enjoyed ourselves at, such as the Lego Train Building event, the National Book Trust's Book Fair, Sandcastle for a Cause, the Google Plus Photography Day event, and of course, all my sister's performances!
And then, there were the traditional festivals, which we couldn't celebrate, but made the most of, by attending others' celebrations!!! The most memorable among these was certainly the awesome Golu kept by Mr. P.E.P.Swamy, and the Ramlila finale!
The best thing about all the festivals and events this year, was that they kept us busy and occupied throughout the year, and helped us cope with the fact that we were stuck at home, and unable to travel! While I hope the new year brings me more travel, I would also like to be a little bit selfish, and also hope I am able to attend as many fests and such more such interesting events in the coming years!!
Related Posts:
- Kala Ghoda 2013 : Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, A kid's perspective
- Lego Train Building Event
- Sandcastle for a Cause
- Navaratri 2013
- Ramlila at Chembur
Thanks for your post .....Nice sharing this..
ReplyDeleteThe most anticipated of the year is welcoming events and festivities all over the world. Traveler, bloggers, and photographers love such events and thanks for encouraging us Anuradha for these memories of yours. Visiting Mumbai soon!
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