India Feature Series : Kathakali - A traditional Indian dance form

Make up in all different forms!!  

 

Kathakali is one of the ancient classical dance forms of India. It originates from the South Indian state, Kerala. Kathakali finds its origins in Ramananattam and Krishnanattam of the 16th and 17th centuries. These dance forms were theatrical productions that depicted stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The word Kathakali literally means, story-play, and uses a combination of literature, music, painting, acting, and dance in its theatrical productions. The dance form was really established in the 17th and 18th century Travancore palaces.

The art form combines Nritta (pure dance), Nritya (use of hand gestures), and Natya (acting). There are 24 basic hand gestures or mudras in Kathakali. With the combination of hand gestures, body movements, and expressions, performers communicate with over 600-700 intricate gestures. Performers are also taught to communicate with their eyes and various facial muscles, skills that can take years to perfect.

There are 101 Kathakali plays currently in existence.

Photo courtesy : Kathakali mosaic - Rahul Sadagopan

The dance performer in the picture is Sadanam Harikumaran.He is an established performer, playwright and choreographer of kathakali dance and the principal of Gandhi Seva Sadan.

Its interesting that each color used here is naturally made from minerals and the white mask is a rice  paste mask! Talk about sustainability at its best !!
More videos to come  in this series for the facial expressions and the eye expressions!

American Festive Feature : Halloween

HALLOWEEN is just around the corner! For all of you who havn;t carved their pumpkins yet nows actually the best time--just a few days before THE day!

Halloween may be approaching, but that doesn't mean your pumpkins have to put on scary faces. This year, try taking your creative cues from more sophisticated fare : Borrow inspiration from patterns in your home, favorite clothing, and, naturally, the outdoors, for a decorative and somewhat unexpected approach to pumpkin carving.

Here, Country Living contributing editor Christina Lane adapted patterns from china, furniture, and more to create works of art that use a pumpkin as a canvas. Employing linoleum-cutting tools to scrape the surface, rather than cutting all the way through with a knife, is not only easier to do, but when the pumpkin is illuminated, a subtle glow adds to the elegant artistry.

And then because its already fall, these ones are good for any fall decor too!!!

and here's one which can be used for filling up ice or any beverage of your choice.
Keep looking for more design ideas for the festive season. This is just the beginning @ TGE !!!
I would love to see how you have decorated yours--share a picture!!!

 

Recycled Ideas: Sanchali;s Varanasi

For our recycled product venture i came across Dakshayini Gowda's collections.And what I have here is just a thread from the ingenuous fabric she’s weaving for society. Her efforts come together in ‘Sanchali’ which she set up to work towards two ends; to create avenues for financial dependence for rural women, and to demystify history for children by creating musuems they could touch, interact with, even help set up, in their own schools. One of the works that came out of her organisation Sanchali’s work with women in Karnataka was ‘Varanasi’ – a collection of jewelry recycled from scrap Banarasi material. The result is so beautiful and elegant that it makes me want to own an entire jewelry box of them.Varanasi.Kashi.Banaras.

 

"The old, oldest, the legendary city, the eternal city at the banks of the mighty Ganga River, the carotid of India’s vast northern plains. For ages this place has been radiating a powerful image both within India as in the west, marveled at for its never-resting life around Mother Ganga, Religion melting into Magic as well as for local products like the traditional Banarasi Hand-woven Silks.

This Collection aims at bringing to you along with a small piece of this precious material, designed and hand-made in the city also a small piece of the age-old magic of this holy and worldly place, a genuine piece of Varanasi." is what she says!

 

Check out her work @ http://dakshayinigowda.blogspot.com