Smile from the heart…
Help without expectations
Care without agenda
Paint with love
Sense the love!
Express yourself!
Share the love…
You do not live each day to discover what it holds for you, but to create it!
Lets start by creating some positive thoughts in and around us!
Savvy
Disclaimer The image above belongs to http://tinyurl.com/ogfboz5
A new journey you are ready to start
You have danced a countless steps to the tunes of life,
You have chosen to see beyond the strife.
Dare a new morning dear one …
Move on, as the past is over and done.
Watch the sky as a sign from above
How relentlessly and hopefully it brings forth the now.
How it regales us with a myriad hues,
What a divine brush painting those magical views.
Take cues from it as it carries on …
Constantly changing in every moment.
Across the horizon rests a whole new world.
Awaiting your arrival with joy to behold.
It seeks nothing from you, neither your past glories
Nor bothers about your many untold stories.
It asks you to simply move on from any past torment
As you step into this new moment.
Sail on dear one, with a heart filled with wonder.
A new shore awaits, just across the yonder !
Savvy
‘This is one more of my photo inspired poems, the picture above denotes the let go as you move on, for to cling to the past scenarios simply delays the visibility of the the new views in the offing …
Trust all that you are and sail on! ‘Savvy
Indian food at Maharaja Bhog
For a complete Indian thali experience.
Culturally India has seen many influences from the past to the present times. One of the fascinating things about Indian food is the variety of tastes distinctive in form and appeal from a melting pot of influences and different cultures.
A recent visit to one of the famous traditional Indian Thali eateries with my daughter in tow turned out to be quite a delightful experience…
The Plating: An experience in itself.
The Thali is a distinct offering of varied dishes served on a platter.
The thali or the round plate of food depicts the unique way food is consumed. A visual treat of an assortment of delicacies laid out a plate served in many small little cups, bowls or katoris as they are called.
The richness of the food prepared makes it food fit for a king. For the Indian kings were known to have a history of cooks or Maharaja as they were fondly called had a special place in their lives. The Maharajas thali is a reflection of the opulence of those times.
A plethora of foods prepared in copious amounts and served in unlimited ways back then formed the foundation of the thali experience in today’s times.
The taste: What can be said but the words… A privy to the pleasures of the palate. its all taken care’ of as truly every taste is blended in beautifully in the thali from sweet salty sour spicy, bitter pungent astringent and more …
Found this proudly displayed for those interested in selfies! Replete with a grand turban… A (Maharaja ) king’s chair for a king’s (Maharaja’s) meal.
Cushy and comfy seating in a neat and well-maintained arrangement.
The Service :
Very unique and almost in a meticulous and methodical precision. They have unique sign language to communicate nonverbally between themselves as to how and where what needs to be served. It is such a refined and discreet practice when you actually begin to take note of it.
The result is a smooth rollout of flavours in a flow and you are left flabbergasted at the number of items on the menu.
The typical meal ensures a heady sensory experience on your palate. The usual all-time favourites have been the Gujarati Kadi and Dal and Khichidi as well as the Bhakri and Dal Bhatti. The sweet tooth cravings get deeply satiated with the often repeated Moong Dal Halwa and Basundi which transports you a few steps to heaven and back makes eating a thali like this all a totally unforgettable experience.
To top it all up and wind up a perfectly fine traditional Indian meal, is the refreshing pan they offer as soon as you are done with the meal which works well as a digestive and as a mouth freshener.
A sumptuous feast indeed! Do visit if you want to experience the abundance and flavours of the’ Great Indian Vegetarian Thali.’
Savvy
Flight of the birds
Depicts the freedom of being
Alive to take off any place anytime.
Are you truly free as a bird in flight?
Flapping wings courting the winds
Forging ahead, head on in space
Sensing the lightness of being
Are you ready to take yourself lightly?
Birds of a feather they say flock together
Flying as one in synch with another
Flowing into perfect patterns in close formation
Are you ready for this dance in synchrony?
Savvy
Watch the beautiful murmuring of birds in the sky. And watch it till the end as it dances so enticingly that it certainly leaves one spellbound!
Green and saffron
colors of prosperity and detatchment.
One leads to attach,
One to detatch.
Both gives fulfillment
One externally while
the other internally.
Both in abundance.
No force , in free will.
Selecting the path is in our choices.
Anjana
Above is a photo I took at my home in my terrace garden which invoked an interpretation from my mother Anjana this morning.
Green for prosperity (green earth full of hidden treasures), saffron is for detatchment (color code for sanyasam or renunciation).
Sharing this as it speaks so simply of the juxtaposition of balance in nature that abounds. In colour, form, shape etc in all perspectives of life and living.
Savvy
Stay centered
Knowing the wisdom of equanimity
Developing a balance of the being
And sensing it the evolving.
Savvy
On Peace
Stay calm and contained
Your purpose is in the larger picture
Flow with thoughts lightly
Dwell not in fear and favour.
Life is beautiful when you see it so!
Savvy
Jennifer Aniston, Actress, former Waldorf student:
“I was always fascinated by acting, but my experience at Rudolf Steiner [school] encouraged me to pursue it as a career.” “Steiner was a free-spirited school that encouraged creativity and individualism.”
As a dance educator myself I have always felt schooling at conventional schools can be rather stifling for it focuses more on procedure and protocol than allowing freedom to explore. The root of our individuality and personal expression is often stubbed in the process of conforming to the norms and practices unless it is balanced out when there is a gateway to open communication and positive support on the homefront.
” A space that’s open yet bounded with a focus can be conducive to learning as when the process of exploration begins it is helped by a structured approach. But while boundaries may be reminding of a journey having a destination, it is the openness that reflects the never-ending source of creative possibilities.”
Savvy
An excerpt from my reflections on Learning spaces…. (read more )
The Mystique of the Middle East
The mystique and majesty of Abu Dhabi is well enshrined in the beautiful exquisite and holy mosque Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Mosque in Al Mushrif, a district in Abu Dhabi the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, and is considered to be the key site for worship in the country. The design of the mosque was done by a Syrian architect named Yousef Abdelky.
Breathtaking architechture combined with amazing royal blue lighting from the ornate chandliers in the evening hours gives out the feeling of heady opulence and extravagance throughout the beautiful structure as much as the keen sense of subtlety of approach in maintaining uniformity of designs and colour.
It is amazing to see the well maintained courtyard with exquiste inlay work and the beautiful waterbody along the pathway.
The magnificent splendour of intricate carvings the majestic coloumns resplendent with matching motifs continues in the gigantic green carpet splayed across the entire inner sanctum.
A visual treat no doubt but the sense of symmetry is almost meditative.. Walking along through the gilded coloumns corridors is a beautiful and zen like experience in itself.
The magnanimity of the silence space is almost alluring as much as the effects of the beautiful lighting throughout the interiors as much as the exteriors of the mosque .
What distinguishes these motifs of Islamic architecture are the use of coloumns, piers and arches organized and interwoven with alternating sequences and use of fractal patterns and repetitive radiating structures.
Standing there at dusk witnessing the beautiful moonlit sky and our dancing reflections in the azure blue waters of the pool of water in this magnanimous shrine one could feel totally inspired in even simply visiting it once for this mosque is certainly a masterpiece of Islamic architechture.
Much gratitude to my dear brother in law and family in Dubai who offered to drive us from Dubai to visit to this grand mosque. Certainly a trip to Abu Dhabi would be incomplete without visiting this beautiful Shrine!
Every shrine is filled with a vibration that is unique to the place be it a mosque synagogue a church or a temple … for the convergence of countless positive intentions energizes the space filling us with a deep sense of peace and serenity.
Savvy Raj
Express to sense
Express to let go
Express to heal
Express to feel
Express to move
Express to balance
Express to live
For expression is to share
The gifts of being alive to life.
Express in this now!
Because you can.
Savvy
Video link Watch this
An artist’s vision…
Savvy Raj
Desert Trails :
The call of the dunes.
The desert has a way with you.
Just sun and sand across and around you.
As much as your eyes can see in the yonder
The red tinged sands bears the patterns of movement.
Of many who walked in there in sheer amazement.
Of the eerie silence of nothingness around
Except the tunes, that the howling winds may sound.
The charm of the desert springs on at night
At the camp with carpets spread out
Surrounded by the bedouins tents
And a sheesha to indulge if you wish
Traditional Arabic hospitality peeks
And the swaying hips of the belly dancer speaks
Flowing and swivelling like the swirls on the dunes
Mesmerizing you in the alluring moves to the mystical tunes.
Bring it on you may yourself say…
You must at least for once pass this way!
Savvy
When I shared this beautiful picture of the Jacaranda Trees on the social media yesterday this post got a lot of responses… and continues to pour in still. Perhaps it touches the chord of connectedness somewhere amidst the roots.
Am highlighting a few learnings along the way for me through this post.
My friend John Rylance mentioned about how much the beautiful work ‘ Endymion’ the poem with the opening line ….
‘A thing of beauty is a joy for ever’ by John Keats applies to this picture . In his words ..
So much of this poem reflects your Jacaranda tree picture, it could so easily be an illustration to accompany the work.@John Rylance
Sharing a few curated verses from the poem Endymion-
A thing-beauty-joy-ever…
Paths there were many,
Winding through palmy fern, and rushes fenny,
And ivy banks; all leading pleasantly To a wide lawn,
whence one could only see Stems thronging all around between
the swell Of turf and slanting branches: who could tell
The freshness of the space of heaven above,
Edg’d round with dark tree tops? through which a dove
Would often beat its wings, and often too
A little cloud would move across the blue.
Endymion is a poem by John Keats first published in 1818. It begins with the line “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever”. Endymion is written in rhyming couplets in iambic pentameter. Wikipedia Originally published: 1818
I also came across the video clip about these trees there..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW61D92WV1I
In response my friends Claire Cardwell and Gert Scholtz mentioned about Pretoria and Johanesburg in South Africa having huge number of these trees still.. inspite of the opposition to these so called alien invasions …
@Savvy Raj there was a very vocal minority a few years back that wanted to chop down all the Jacaranda trees as they are not indigenous to South Africa. Fortunately the majority over-ruled them! You can’t however now buy a Jacaranda sapling at the nursery to plant in your garden. I do love them, I think the best places to see them in Joburg are in Linden, Northcliff Hill and in an office block in Rosebank – looking down all you can see is purple. Thanks for the post! Claire Cardwell
@Savvy Raj Jacaranda’s are truly beautiful. They bloom this time of year and our street plus many surrounding areas are covered with bright blue-purple flowers. Pretoria is known as the Jacaranda city, but Johannesburg where I live, actually has more of these trees lining the streets. Very nice post Savvy – thanks for the video too.
A thing of beauty is a joy forever indeed!
Thank you all for your amazing contributions.
And then as I happened to share this photograph with my family and here is what my mother comes up with…
“The twisted branches signify the conflicts in our wavering minds and the clarity of the sky of the blue in the background with the bewitching pink flowers assures us of the positive solutions at the end .” Anjana
Indeed so much learnings in the sharings …
What did you see in the picture ?
This beautiful photograph of the Jacaranda Tree is a sight to behold . I have always liked to see pictures of these purple and pink and lavender blue trees .
But this particular picture … it was pure fascination!
Could I write verses on it…. perhaps! Cos it feels like serenedipity everytime I see it. There is so much pleasantness in that picture for me … I am guessing I am simply partial to all those hues and tones right there juxtaposed so delightfully. Quite like the essence of a prolific poem understated and unassuming.
Yet poetry is not on my mind today…
In fact what I am drawn to here is the delicate draw of balance of colour and composition. The brilliant blues of the sky entices the viewer as much the hints of hues of greens and pink just about show up ever so delicately amidst the starkness of the stems from betwixst and between the branches of this bewitching tree.
And thats not all … there is so much more to that tree and this photograph is just a hint of whats in the offing….
There is certain sense of ambiguity yet an attribution of knowing there is much much more beyond the visible.
In fact when you actually see, it is the beauty of the skylight seen through the canopy of pink flowers amidst those branches all captured in that one enthralling moment.
And like nothings is ever permanent and perfect, there always comes the scope of change even in so much balance in that stillness of the movement so precariously precise in the picture.
The trick is to be aware of balance
Appreciate the now for what it is
It offers much if you choose to see.
So perfect in its imperfections
A sense of the almost ethreal…
Here are a few facts on Jacaranda Tree.
The Jacaranda flowers are known to flutter down continously from the tree.The trees are native to South and Central America and now are also seen in many tropical areas of the world.
Pretoria in South Africa is known to be The Jacaranda City for the huge number the these trees planted in parks steets and gardens.So much so that when seen from the nearby hills the city is known to appears blue/purple in colour.
The word Jacaranda means fragrant in a South American dialect and depending on their species they have blue to white to lavender pink to purple shades of flowers. They are known to grow as tall as 20 to 30 metres in height in their lifetime which can span from 50 toover 70 years or so.
And because of that one picture I choose to look up and discover these tidbits … .Do share if you find some more about this tree.
Savvy Raj
Savvy Raj 
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