Thoughts inspired by Atheena Wilson's booty shaking anti-bachelorette tea party with wine. The journey of womankind from being ripe for the marriage market to become the goddess. All in Frida Kahlo style.
When Atheena Wilson invited me for her wedding, I was amused and thinking about her series of articles 79 IN TIME, where she asked her grandmother: “When will I wear a saree?”
Grandmother answered: “You wear a saree only when you become a woman.” Atheena have sarcastically commented on it: “It sounds like a sentimentally wise thing to say, but let me break it down to you. In other words, it also meant, “When you’re ripe enough for the marriage market.”
Here she is! God gave her imperfect irresistible beauty, which graduates every time you meet her. Plus, as she admitted, she had stolen from her grandmother’s shelf of knick-knacks a spoonful of pickle and some sweet and sour sarcasm to become a writer. Not only “ripe for marriage market”, but also ready to break the strict south Indian social rules and marry the man, she loves. Rolling with her big intense eyes, which could belong to kathakali actress, telling me, we are going to have a fun and her “anti-bachelorette tea party with wine” will be in Frida Kahlo style.
Invitation stated:
I accepted the challenge with the Frida’s words in my mind and slowly painted my own reality. I desperately needed to add some colours in my own life. All happened very fast and within few hours I was standing at URU art harbour in front of Anand Rakesh camera.
And yet, again, I remembered Athena’s words about the beauty, which she wrote about her grandmother:
“Growing up with someone brutally honest, I knew she always wanted to teach us beauty lay in how content we were with ourselves not the one that thrived in compliments. In the end, another person’s opinion of how you look never mattered if you don’t know how you look. So then I, with a naked face, began to look into the camera, unafraid.”
Next day in St. George Church, George and Atheena, invited us to be part of wondrous chapter of their life and have officially let the universe conspire and gift them the indelible story. The Gods of Small Things blessed them and watched how she wore flowers in her hair and carried magic secrets in her eyes.
I spoke to no one, but this time I heard the royal words of Her Highness Princess Gouri Parvathi Bayi, which she told me almost one year ago: “But, Zuzana, female and male, they are complimentary. There is no life without the male and the female. We have a tendency to see it as sort of competition. It is not a competition. They have to melt, they have to go together to be of use to the society.”
And she continued: "There are a lot of talks about 'Woman Empowerment'. What exactly is this 'Woman Empowerment'? We are what we are! There is 'Shakti' in us. I do not think we need any extra empowerment. We have to be aware of the 'Shakti' that is within us. We should bring it out and use it in the sensible way."
“We, humans, we are not much evolved. In our scriptures, we say, that the power of God is everywhere. There is a saying: "The God exists in the pillar, in the piece of rust, in the stones, in the thorns and in me and in you." The God is only one and we were given the freedom to worship the power, which is God, in any form you like. So that freedom to choose, that the God has no gender."
Founder & Director of Ayurveda Trails, healing collection of (extra)ordinary people and their stories, whose experiences are transferred into various trails shared by travelers.
Run parallel, meet at intersections, skip a few lines, the line of thought has journeyed across a few latitudes and longitudes. To more miles before the big sleep. Cheers, Atheena
The Travancore Kingdom Royalty are considered the descendants of the Gods and ancient Cheras, Venad, Pandya and Chola dynasties, who brought the philosophy of ayurveda to the world.
He calls himself The Lone-traveller. In section about him is written: Don’t have a clue yet. He silently stalks Kochi Muziris Biennale artists and transform their visions into photographs.
While he is searching for the right frame, he believes, that art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time. Perhaps he is lost in Pondicherry or found in Cochin.
VISHU FESTIVAL
NEW YEAR IN KERALA
The Malayalam word kani literally means that which is seen first. The traditional belief is that one's future is a function of what one experiences, that the New Year will be better if one views auspicious joyful things as the first thing on Vishu.
What is ayurveda? How is this ancient medical system connected with yoga, meditation, healthy food, relaxation in nature and modern life style? Ayurveda Trails is dedicated to everyone, who would like to travel and search answers to these questions.
Avani is a brilliant photo shoot by Arjun Kamath, that convey the story of a woman in a patriarchal society. Avani’s story can be the story of you and me as the struggles and setbacks that she faces are the common problems of India, a country which is still deep rooted in patriarchy.
My uncanny taste for flamboyant textiles hailed from a land of curious glances. Markets always stir these peckish desires in you to experiment, it’s the one place where you can tailor your dreams. But that’s not what I loved about markets.
Eating with History by Tanya Abraham
Tanya was born and raised in Fort Kochi, a town of multicultural flavour and antiquity, where her family has been living for the past eight generations. The differences in traditions and religious influences based on history always fascinated her.
Traveling from EU to India for Ayurveda
Foreign nationals as individual tourist will be able to travel to India from 15 November 2021. India has created air bubble arrangement for EU (Schengen area) with Germany, France and Netherland. Let us help you to find a way back to India.
LOKAME THARAVADU:
MUST SEEN 30+1
The Kochi Biennale Foundation, with the support of the Government of Kerala presents a large-scale contemporary art survey exhibition titled Lokame Tharavad. The show will feature the works of 267 artists who trace their roots back to Kerala.
Dibin Thilakan is an young emerging voice in the contemporary art scene of Kerala, based in Thrissur. His work featuring strong narrative aspects exploring the human condition, have received national level recognitions.
Let's play Chaiwalla game and prepare our own Masala Chai. Historically, Indians viewed tea as an herbal medicine rather than as a recreational beverage. Some of the chai masala spice mixtures, or kashayam, are derived from ancient Ayurvedic texts.
The Mudras are used to affect the energy flow within the body. They appear to be merely physical gestures, but we can experience mudras as attitudes of energy flow intended to link the individual pranic force with the universal or cosmic force.
HARIVIHAR HERITAGE
Dr. Sri Kumar
Harivihar, abode of the divine, is a 170 year old painstakingly restored royal heritage homestead located in Calicut. It offers unparalleled experience of staying in a heritage ambience and benefit from the goodness of Ayurveda and Yoga, two great contributions of India to mankind.
THE TALK 01:
What is Ayurveda for you?
Ayurveda is the science of helping a common individual to understand how to live comfortably throughout his life. Using what is available in this universe. I call it as a universe because Ayurveda is universal. Ayurveda is me and I am Ayurveda.
At some point, everyone must encounter life, what we in India call ‘ayus’. My first experience with real life came from meeting with various spiritual teachers. After many years, I found out that the best piece of wisdom I had learnt was; “Do not hurt yourself…”
Narendranath is the guardian of a dying heritage. At his tiny shop in Fort Cochin, shrunken in the course of time, he reigns as the devoted practitioner of an age-old system of medicine, a rich and valuable legacy left with him by his forefathers.
Diwali is the festival of lights, it spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair. It is is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs and some Buddhists.
Cliff View Ayurveda Retreat is built in the Bauhaus style, which aims to reunite fine art and functional design, creating practical objects with the soul of artworks. The resort embrace the philosophy of traditional Ayurveda in modern style.
