Photo by Savvy Raj
@ Louvre Museum Paris.
Oh beautiful piece of sky!
Lighting our heart with liberty!
Forage in us the spirit of freedom.
Let us breath in the beauty of openness.
Let us witness the ethereal light across the horizon.
Let us rejoice in your dance of abundance.
May you bless us every day
Painting our hearts with hope.
And let us live in love.
In gratitude and good energies.
Savvy
The above clip is my dedication to my dear mother. They are a compilation from her own set of artworks dated around 55 years back in time or more.
The reason I share this is to encourage people to see possibilities in creativity and how it can soulfully connect us all, through creative enrichments.
To give you the background…my mother had and still has a fine sense of design and her drawings always had an artistic flow. But unfortunately the daily grind of life and living took its toll and art and creativity was pushed into the background perhaps not realizing the innate talents. But the truth is, a lot happens in appreciation than in indifference.
So her skills were lying untapped and unrecognized. In time as I grew up and while on a visit to my maternal grandparents home in the village, I chanced upon her collection of drawings and paintings stacked in the attic gathering dust in complete ignorance.
The moment I saw them I knew they have to be brought out to see the light of the day… although sadly it was personally disheartening, to see many of the beautiful pieces made on paper, crackling and crumbling in time.
I brought them back with me to the city and took pictures of what was left of it and tried to salvage it piecing them together.
By then I was encouraged by friends and relatives who saw and deeply appreciated them too.
I hit upon the idea of creating a video clip using technology to enhance her original design sense. Yes, they are not as good as her original artworks, for technology is way too perfect to bring out the joy of uniqueness in the human hand.
Yet it is my humble attempt to value the time spent in creating by her own hand with the limitations of the resources available to her in those times.
There are far too many paintings, so I pieced them like a kaleidoscope of sorts to get a sense of her artistic endeavours.
Many times we fail to see the hidden talents in our loved ones. We relate with them for years and hardly know the depth of who they truly are.
Art has a way of bringing out the brilliance of the light within us by bridging gaps in our understandings but also opening new perspectives of thinking.
Today is the day I was born, and one of the ways I choose to celebrate it, is by dedicating this post to my dear mother Anjana.
Thank you, mom, for the beauty you create, being who you are! God bless.
Savvy
Have share this beautiful song earlier in another context.
But here the song emotes to me…
In these curated clips of tangos shown to time with this beautiful song I share my reflections…on the dance form Tango.
Born in the dark alleys of Argentina
The stark truth emerges of murky beginnings in the 18th century
Frequented mostly by slaves,immigrants in the ports of Buneos Aires and even Uruguay.
There were even bans on many of these tango musical gatherings.
The dance form began with countless influences of European and native culture.
Argentine Tango is both energetic and enigmatic
It has the strength and soul to show.
Equally exotic and evocative
Intriguing and beguiling
The lead and follow is beyond genders
For connection is beyond the physicality
For beside the passion play plain to see,
There is something quite alluring & attractive in the movements.
Two people apparently moving as one
The footwork entices and enthralls
The feet move with a mind all their own
But articulating a drama through the feet.
Slow, steady or sharp and staccato movements
Each pair of feet, teasing the other
Challenging into a seemingly deadly duel of the feet.
Hitting all the right notes
Never missing a beat
Never stepping unto another
Except for a flip a dip or a show stopping lift thrown in.
If you want to see the drama of life and living,
Watch the synergy of energy playing
In a soulful yet spirited tango of two dancers.
There is rivetting romance,
Yet strikingly serious and sombre in notion.
Depths of emotion & unbridled passion
Emanating in an artistry of motion.
Today there are so many versions of the Tango
Off shoots and diverse cultural interpretations.
That created new interpretations of the way the dance is danced.
In hold, in form, in stance and in steps. That it’s almost untraceable.
Tango today is alluring as ever with dark days remaining just a history.
Yet retaining the mystery and appeal, Captivating with its intensity.
The connects so rooted in the embrace and hold, that makes the fancy footwork so effortless.
Tango truly speaks eloquently more than ever before…
Savvy
Today I complete my 500 days of writing consecutively here on WordPress, with my 500th post. Special and heartfelt thanks to all my readers and followers who have supported me in this journey of writing.
I would like to mark this day by writing about one of my favorite topics Creativity.
Creativity is fueled by the fire of passion. Often instinctual and deeply captivating, it is an expression of your innate potential. With it you are in touch with your deepest core. You are consciously awakening to the infinite abundance within, in every channelling.
Creativity spurts in the most unexpected ways.
It surges forth a river of possibilities
It amplifies the potential within
It leads you to rethink and challenge the norms.
It dares to question the accepted and projects perspectives.
It explores and creates paths for evolution.
It defies conventions to envision out of the box ideas.
It justifies the necessity of freewill through the art of movements
To create resolutions in times of confusion and chaos.
To manifest simplicity in times of complexity.
To innovate and change the statuesque in times of staid compliance.
To design and redesign towards efficiency and effectivity of purpose.
When creativity dares it is in communion with infinite abundance.
It is creativity that stokes the fire
It is creativity douses the flames.
Creativity has a solution for every problem.
Savvy
Vincent” is a song by Don McLean written as a tribute to Vincent van Gogh. It is also known by its opening line, “Starry Starry Night“, a reference to Van Gogh’s 1889 painting
The Starry Night.
McLean wrote the lyrics in 1971 after reading a book about the life of van Gogh.
Strikingly poignant.
It touches me every time I hear this song.
Brilliantly picturised on Vincent’s artworks.
The song by Don McLean is poignant yet peaceful in itself.
The mood mellow and sombre.
The truth is stark of reality.
Listen to this evening song
Literally speaks to the depth of our souls
Million thoughts runneth over
Amid the arresting hues of blues.
Until sleep beckons curtains are drawn.
Life poses the questions.
And life seeks the answers.
Poignant is the wisdom that arises in the challenges.
Can never tire of hearing this beautiful song.
Savvy
The tree above signifies the connection
Of how the microscopic characteristics
Relate to the macroscopic structures.
The tree speaks for itself…
Overall ensuring a form and identity
That speaks of structure and integrity
That can withstand stress & pressure
Erosion & the aging processes.
The tree perhaps is shriveled & stark
Within its roots the winter wilts its will
Yet the tree upholds itself in tenacity
Branching out to balance itself.
Standing strong and proud
In the autumn of life
In being all it needs to be.
The tree speaks for itself.
Savvy
On black and white photography.
What is it about the black and the white
That evokes much emotion
In all its simplicity and elegance?
Monochrome has a surreal magic
That captures your attention
Strangely beguiling almost misleading
For it blurs the truths that appear
In the vividity of colour.
Yet it provides a stark definition
Devoid of any colour, yet not lifeless
It emotes through simplicity
Through the play of light and dark
Creating sensibilities and sustaining drama.
Both evocative and enigmatic in its elements
Inspite of the hidden hues.
Retaining charecter.
Reminiscent of old world charm
Of a translucent transparency.
A simplification of the complexity.
A composure of composition.
A completeness of capture.
Savvy
We all have our good and bad days.
We can seem totally confident and be raring to go one day and feel completely strained and stressed out on another day.
We are only human and its perfectly ok to feel so.
We don’t have to prove anything to anyone.
It’s our life and we have just this life and this moment with us, if we are not living with joy in our heart then perhaps we have some questions we need to answer for ourselves.
Ask yourself these questions honestly…
Do you dare to be as you are?
Do you express yourself without doubts and fears?
Do you mince words, avoid stepping forward, play too safe
That you hardly dare to live your life?
Do you wear what you like?
Feel comfortable with what you wear
Or choose to conform to fashion trends or what’s expected of you?
Do you eat with all your heart?
Do you binge or fast in guilt or insecurity?
Or do you care to nourish and nurture yourself with food?
Do you check your weight?
To be sure you are in a healthy range.
Or do you find yourself too often on the scales, almost every day?
Do you dare to speak your mind,
To voice what’s in your heart.
Or shut up in fear of ridicule, of what others will say?
Do you measure your words to talk
In fear of being judged or criticized.
Or…to be the best version of you.
Are you happy in your skin
Do you care about your appearance
To the extent that it ruins your day
Or to feel good for yourself.
Remember you are most beautiful when you wholeheartedly accept the way you are.
Do you wake up because you have to?
Or do you have the joy of waking up…
To a new dawn in the hope of possibilities.
Make this moment special the best you can as you are.
Remember every moment in every day is a challenge
It sometimes gets easier or even tougher in the ups and downs.
It’s all in your journey and the way you take.
You have the power to choose your path
The choice is with you
To groan or be grateful
To make it bitter or better
It’s all up to you now!
Choose well!
Savvy
This is a beautiful painting by my dear artistic friend Rupa from India.
Am visiting France currently, so I happened to send her a photo in the morning of a beautiful magpie on the street in Rennes. Her brushes waxed eloquent on the canvas and painted the beautiful being in my heart for eternity.
Yesterday as I was speaking to a senior faculty at a university here who also nurses a similar interest in painting and photography I was so happy to share my friend’s work with her… I believe love for art and creativity is such a beautiful way to connect with life.
Thank you, dear friend, for taking the effort… it’s such a lovely first impression.💙🤗💙
One who knows the worth of life cannot afford to waste even a single moment of life.
Every step you take towards a more meaningful life for you, makes life worth living in it.
Savvy
When wisdom flows
It sees no borders that bound
Humanity speaks for itself
Beyond the east or west
To let go of the trivial niggles
In the unity of understanding.
Of the bigger picture…
There is much wisdom in integration, in finding meaning in the divergences.
What a poet relates to the truth in humanity.
What a scientist relates with theories of relativity
Are all drawn from the same well,
Of cosmic vibrations,
Of conscious awareness,
Of the eternal truths of life.
Where wisdom flows
There is Universal consciousness
Savvy
Here is a beautiful conversation I came across between the great minds, of Albert Einstein and Rabindranath Tagore…..when the two met and spoke at length.
Do take time to read this interesting dialogue between them in this article link below.
A photograph by Savvy Raj @France
Umpteen number of years gone by
Though I lost the count,
Nature got it etched on my trunk.
I can’t remember when I was a seed or sapling.
Today I stand tall being a witness to the passing seasons.
I wither and flourish,
With each passing year
My branches multiply tall and wide.
Though my hands try to reach the passing clouds…
My roots stand firmly grounded on the earth.
My secret of longevity
I adapt to Nature
Withering in Autumn
Clad in the snow in Winter
Rising to be alive with Rains
Flourishing in Spring.
Though I may look barren at times
My creeper friends cloth me in green
Till my canopy is filled with greens.
To nurture and nourish withstanding Time.
Anjana
I am truly happy to share the above verses for this is one of my mother’s impromptu poems written in a flow, just a while ago, after I shared the above photo of a tree that I was drawn to capture with her.
Tall trees that seem to touch the sky …
devoid of leaves and blue skies with silver puffs of clouds floating by…
I am currently in France and while sitting in a bus stand admiring a tree at a distance, I decided to take this photo as I found myself drawn to capturing the vision of the sky from the ground below through the branches as a canopy of sorts.
Every manifestation of life is beautiful and significant in its own way. We often assume that a tree devoid of leaves is barren and ignore it. Yet there is so much to see and learn, respect & reflect from it.
I loved the above poem by her for many reasons one of which is because, it reflects the wisdom of nature, that flows through us all maintaining balance and sustaining us in life and living.
Savvy
A gift of gentleness
Could never go wrong
Such is the strength of sublimity.
When wrapped in the warmth of kindness
When sent as a gift in goodwill
And sealed with heartfelt love and gratitude.
Soft is the way of the gentle at hearts.
Soft is the strength of the soul within.
How gentle are you?
Savvy
AN ARTIST’S RELATION TO SOLITUDE
An artist must make time for the long periods of solitude
Solitude is extremely important
Away from home
Away from the studio
Away from family
Away from friends
An artist should stay for long periods of time at waterfalls
An artist should stay for long periods of time at exploding volcanoes
An artist should stay for long periods of time looking at fast-running rivers
An artist should stay for long periods of time looking at the horizon where the ocean and sky meet
An artist should stay for long periods of time looking at the stars in the night sky
Marina Abramovic
I loved the poem enough to share it, yet felt there is something much deeper to reflect there.
Is solitude the road to stillness … afterall there is often stillness in the movements and movement in the stillness as well.
So I would like to ask an artist…
Do you really want solitude or stillness ?
Sometimes in deep solitude there is no stillness.
And that is perhaps the reason for the need of staying away from it all.
Staying away is not the answer but just a change to alter and arrange thoughts.
For thoughts run amuck sometimes and have a speed all their own
Perhaps the need of the moment is being still
To witness the tides as they rise and recede.
Stillness is amidst it all in your hearts
Not in some far away place.
Then anytime you are free to…
Walk in to your own special place.
Art happens out of nowhere
It has no specific time to arrive
In the busiest of moments
Arises an insight
To write to paint and draw
It tugs on your heart to create itself.
It sees no day or night
No reason to appear or disappear
In fact art is living in every moment
Waiting for us to manifest it.
Savvy
Why learn to dance?
Because it eases you out of yourself.
Sometimes in the throes of life and living
A tough hand is dealt with
And as you fumble through
You realize how constricted you are
Your sense of being is somewhat lost
Your funny bone misplaced
You forget to live life
And your moments start to matter less
Life feels drab
Your body feels dense
Your movements drag
And your thoughts feel dull.
In these moments where life is truly trying …
It’s great to give dance a try.
Consider trying to move from where you are
Step up a little and rock a bit
Feel the swing in your heartbeats
And sense your spirits soar
Dance on and step to the tunes of life
And who knows?
You find you love life all over again.
Savvy
We are vulnerable beings
And yet in that vulnerability is strength
That resurrects us while unnerving us.
Beyond conflicts is the emergence
All transitions in time to the transcendence…
In spirit and soul.
Savvy
Contd from
Savvy Raj 
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