Houses from a bygone era

Dakshinachitra - the famous heritage centre in Chennai showcases the traditions of Southern India - including performing arts, crafts, architecture and visual arts. Set up by the Madras Crafts Foundation on a ten acre piece of land, Dakshinachitra opened to the public in 1996. It's a  popular place for people wanting to get a quick dekko into the traditions of the South. 

To properly tour the centre, that is if you're really interested in traditional architecture and arts, it will take at least 4-5 hours. I spent around 2 hrs there and managed to see just a fraction of the displays. 

The place is large and rambling with prominent signage which tells you the state you are visiting. Dakshinachitra has managed to relocate numerous traditional houses from their original locations and restored and reconstructed them within their premises. Among the ones I saw were houses from Thirunelveli, Chettinad, a muslim house from Chikmagalur and a Syrian Christian house from Kerala. But there are more, many more for which a repeat visit is a must (note to myself!)

Columns in the house from Chettinad

Intricate doorway of the house from Chettinad

Antique wooden chest inside the Chettinad-style house

Door latch in the Syrian Christian house. As intricate as they come.

All-wooden hinge of the main door in the Syrian Christian house

A sculpture of Kamadhenu - the cow of plenty, (circa 1900AD). 
You can get a glimpse of another life-size sculpture in the background.

Sculpture of Saint Theresa, first half of the 20th century

Chikmagalur house (slightly warped panorama shot)

The insides of these houses are preserved either in the same fashion as the traditional houses would have been or they have been turned into museums with artefacts from that particular area. Infact, the house from Chikmagalur had been restored and thrown open to the public only a few days before I visited Dakshinachitra. 

There's also a small area designated as the marketplace where artists sell their finished products. You get to see some of the artisans bringing their creations to life here. The marketplace is a dynamic one with changes regularly. If you ever make a repeat visit you might a different set of artists and art forms next time. Besides the marketplace, the centre also has a shop just inside their reception area where it retails traditional products from across India. 

Hand-painted scroll - Pattachitra from Odisha

A closer look at the intricacy of the Pattachitra scroll

Prakash, the creator of these Pattachitra scrolls at his stall

A corner of Dakshinachitra also houses a large art gallery displaying works by contemporary artists. I can't imagine why I didn't get the names of the artists of the paintings I photographed. 

Paintings on display at the art gallery

A closer look at one of the paintings that caught my eye

Yet another close-up of a painting on display

Dakshinachitra is easily accessible from the city by road and MRTS. It is approx 10 kms from the Chennai Central Railway Station and around 13 kms from the airport. Tuesday is their weekly off and they shut by 6 PM.

For more photographs and events' details, check out their Facebook page.  

Large figurines that form a part of the village temple inside Dakshinachitra

Serenity is a place

A short winding lane off the East Coast Road takes you to Serenity Beach. A stretch of clean sand, few people, a few cafes and fishing boats are all you'll see here. 

On that winding lane, if you walk or drive slowly, you'll notice some interesting wall art and graffiti. Many seem to have been created using stencils but they are undoubtedly eye catching and colourful. 

A few photographs from that little lane:

I stopped off at Serenity beach looking for something else altogether. Instead I found this quaint little lane with all its wall art. I hope Serenity beach continues to stay true to its name and remains as peaceful and pleasant as it was when I saw it. 

Serenity beach is around 9 kms outside of Pondicherry (or Puducherry as it's known today) on the ECR towards Chennai in Tamil Nadu. 

Bangkok - to see & to taste

I didn't get to see as much of Bangkok as I would have liked or even the rest of Thailand, but there were some interesting sights that made this trip worthwhile. Here are some of the highlights from my trip. 

ART INSTALLATIONS 

In public places and huge malls that Bangkok is famous for, there were larger than life art installations which were eye-catching and beautiful in a very serene and peaceful way. Or maybe I was just influenced by the Thai way of life - ever pleasant and smiling :)

Inside a mall

In the open, on a street corner

FLORISTS AND FLOWER SHOPS

The city had some beautiful flowers, especially orchids, on display and for sale. 

Orchids (left) & other bright blooms at a flowers/plants market.

The heart of a cabbage(?) is the centre of 
attraction in this pretty floral arrangement.

STREET FOOD 

At the outset, I must declare I am not a foodie and I am not great at cooking, infact I am not even interested in it. But I do love to try different cuisines especially if I am travelling. I do make it a point, as far as possible, to try the local dishes wherever I go. I probably won't be able to tell you what went into a particular dish but I can certainly tell you how good or bad it tasted. Important, no? ;)

Most of these images must be familiar to you from various corners of South East Asia, but I felt that any post on Bangkok would be incomplete without its street food. Here are some photographs from China Town and from the ubiquitous food carts on the streets.

Raw oysters, China Town - my first time & it was good.
But, definitely an acquired taste.

An assortment of dishes at China Town.
Not an area for the squeamish. :)

A typical street cart setting up for business.

Octopus/ Squid variety - A closer look at the food cart

Mushrooms wrapped in bacon - my absolute favourite.
I just couldn't get enough of these.

The local brand of beer

China Town is an amazing food area. At night, the normal looking streets turn into one huge open air food court. Traffic is restricted on this particular street during the nights. But, proceed with caution as you will see many things that aren't very appealing and as I said before, not for the squeamish.

I leave you with a photo of a money tree, borrowed from Feng Shui (I think) that I saw at a 7-11 store in Bangkok. A city with an interesting mix of faiths and superstitions. :)

For wealth & prosperity, I assumed.

If you would like to read more about Bangkok: In previous posts, I had described my fascination with spirit houses, briefly touched upon my visit to the Grand Palace, an awe inspiring complex in every which way (and my not-so-happy experience among my fellow countrymen in the city).

Bangkok - where spirits reside among the living

Bangkok, the pulsating, vibrant city in South East Asia, conjures up images of shopping, food, night markets, foot massages, shopping, food, gigantic malls, Buddhism, shopping, food... it's an endless list! 

One of my first impressions of the city -
A Man U building wrap.

Over a year ago, I had travelled to Bangkok for a few days. I had hoped to share more details of my trip here. For some reason or the other I had not got around to it. 

One of the most highlights of my trip were the spirit houses.  

Sukhumvit Road, where I stayed, is one of the main streets of Bangkok. It has hotels and malls in abundance. Since I walked to many of the shopping areas on that street, it was an interesting way to really notice the buildings, street stalls, parks etc. 

One of the curiosities that puzzled me were miniature structures in the compound of every building. They seemed to follow traditional architecture but were made of the most fantastic material or had stunning imagery around it. I assumed these were akin to the 'prayer' corners we have inside every home and building in India, but I didn't know what exactly they were. I saw many Thais bowing before the structures or making offerings while passing by. 

Later, when I looked up on the internet, I found out these were 'spirit houses'. Thais are mainly Buddhists, but they believe strongly in the spirit world. According to their belief, every time a new building is constructed, the resident spirits in the old building/ plot of land tend to lose their home. To appease the spirits and provide a new home for them, the miniature structures are built. Failure to do so can cause all sorts of misfortune. 

Different types of structures indicate they are meant to appease different types of spirits. Almost all spirit houses had miniature dancers, elephants, horses etc. around them. All these represent the good-stuff that will keep the spirits happy. Some of the figurines inside the mini-homes resembled Gods and Goddesses from the Hindu pantheon, but I can't say for sure.Thailand is very heavily influenced by Hinduism - history and all - so it's very possible. 

A spirit house with numerous
figurines around its base.

A closer look at the spirit house.

Fully adorned with glass pieces - a stunning reflective effect. 

I have no idea why there were zebras here. Maybe
they are meant to be 'exotic' versions of horses.

Twin houses in a flower market, caught against an evening sky.

A more humble looking spirit house somewhere
in the outskirts of the city.

I am glad that I got more information about the spirit houses and these did not get overshadowed by the more visible and popular attractions of Bangkok. If you ever visit, do take the time to look around you to notice these little houses. 

P.S. I have written about various other sights of Bangkok in separate posts here & here.

Introversion

Having been an introvert all my life, it's been an uphill task trying to convince people I am OK being this way. It's not an affliction or a disease or something that I want to change about myself. How many times have I had to hear - "take your nose out of that book"; "go play with the kids (neighbourhood) outside"; "why are you so silent, are you unwell?".... Aarghhhhhh!!!

I don't think that I am the shy, wallflower types either. I know I can hold my own when I want to and can fight for something that I truly, deeply believe in. Somehow, I doubt anyone who has known me all these years wants to accept the fact, they have just resigned themselves to the fact that I am like this only.

I happened to come across the comic series titled 'Introversion' by Luchie (an artist, comic lover/ creator) based in Belgium via Leaping Windows (a library-cum-café that stocks only comics in Mumbai/ Bangalore).

Anyway, the comic so spectacularly illustrates exactly what I have been telling friends and family for years. When I first read it, the series resonated with me... totally!  

OK, so I get it that you get it...so without much further ado, here's the entire set. (Incase, you're unable to read the print here, please read it at Luchie's blog)



Page 1

Page 2



Page 3



Page 4



Page 5



Page 6

Thank you, Luchie, for reading my mind (& life) like this :)