Archive for the ‘safari’ Category

Want to play that game of dice from The Mahabharata:  Chausar?  Check out Shakuni for the iPad.  I presume it comes with instructions (but hopefully not with Shakuni’s trick dice)!

Apparently chausar is an intelligence and skill-building game (though technically still gambling) that is mentioned in ancient texts perhaps as far back as the Vedas.

Maybe I should re-think my decision against owning an iPad and get with the times.

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Cool sounds to ring out the year and chill to:   by Guggenheim fellow and 2011 Downbeat International Critics Poll Alto Saxophonist of the Year, Rudresh Mahanthappa.  He recently released a new album (Samdhi) this past September, but Kinsmen seems to have to most audible fusion sounds – Carnatic at that.

The New Yorker had a greate piece on him awhile back.  You can listen to clips on Amazon
and MySpace and check his website for upcoming events.

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Have you seen Sanjay Patel’s new Big Poster Book of Hindu Deities?  If you like his work, now you can see it enlarged – 12 removeable 11×14 prints with explanation text on the back.

We received this awhile back – and my daughter was oh-so-happy that now she could finally hang a poster of “Princess Sita” in her room (Sita art is not easy to find…).  Then she wanted more, and couldn’t decide, so she ended up with 5 posters lining her walls and closets.  Not how I’d choose to decorate, but in the interest of education, I let it be.

My older son (as competition, no doubt) wanted a Vishnu in his room, but in a surprising turn of events, he says to me “I don’t want the Cartoon Vishnu.  I want the Real Vishnu.”

I never thought about how kids visualize “God” – but lesson learned – even at a young age, it’s a very personal relationship.

So we hopped online and this is what he picked:

It’s now framed and hangs over his bed – a sharp contrast to his modern-style room – but he sleeps happy and content staring at the blue waters of the Eternal.

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Hint, hint – we’ll be unveiling a new product at the end of the month – and these Javanese Shadow Puppets remind me of it.

I’ve never seen a shadow puppet show – but I’m dying to catch one some day.  They’re also fabulous to look at – or simply display at home – no? 

Stunning renditions of traditional Indian mythological characters – Arjuna is featured above.

Inspired to make your own Arjuna?  Follow the instructions in this tutorial for an afternoon of fun.  You can slowly build up to a whole character set – and perhaps have the kids stage a play for the grandparents?  But I am no Julie Andrews.

Top image courtesy Tim Mowrer; bottom image via The Artist Woman

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My latest craze:  ethereal resin bangles.  Think Bengali art film – not Bollywood bling.  Would look equally super paired with a trendy sari or with jeans.  I honestly have no idea whether resin is “safe” or “eco-friendly” (this would require more research), but they are gorgeous to look at.  Check out these picks by Etsy Sellers TopazTurtle, RosellaResin, CassiopiLondon and Bethtastic.

Especially for toddlers and little girls by whizzbangle – something they really can wear everyday.

Organic forms by Resign:

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That’s Padma Lakshmi with her daughter Krishna – around the town in New York City.  Now we don’t often talk about celebreties on this blog, but this picture is just too cute.

Krishna is wearing a shortened-skirt style of a traditional South Indian pattu parikini (pattu = silk), also called a pattu langa or pavada.  And note the silver anklets (we call them pattalu in Telugu).  I bet she definitely stole the show from Mom!

If you’ve shopped for Indian kidswear in the US you probably lament the dearth of stylish, quality finds.  And if you’re on the hunt for a parikini at your local Indian bazaar, you may as well save your gas and stay home (you’ll find North Indian style lehenga’s - but parikinis are different – think less belly, more top).

So what do you do if you want Krishna’s look?  Your best bet may be to take thy done-with-it-sari to your local tailor (see our Upcycled Sari post).  Or you can scour the internet for a shop who is willing to send you one.  I found these gorgeous styles at Sai Chandana Boutique.  They are custom-made in Hyderabad and ship to the US.  You can also request colour changes and cuts on certain styles.

Beautiful material:  yellow net (left) with embellished peach blouse and jute silk (right) with designer patchwork

Dreamy in blue with patchwork flowers:

Sweet and simple net langas with contrast blouses and banaras silk border:

Can we say bejeweled?  Check out the gems on this one!

Top image via Celebrity Baby Scoop

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This product has my vote for being one of the most unique and engaging (non-Gnaana of course!) teaching tool about Indian culture – and one that received a huge volume of clicks after being feautured in our July/August Newsletter.  The Vrindavan Activity Set is a stiff paper fold-out temple and courtyard featuring paper play-figures (Krishna, Gopis, animals, villagers, Garuda Stambha and a Tulsi plant).  It also comes with a few songs, prayers and guided activities.

It’s beautifully illustrated and obviously colorful and attractive for kids.  We’ve had this set for quite some time, but I only recently began using it with my 5-year-old as he is now old enough to treat the items with care.  The guided activities and prayers are a bonus for parents – though you will have to run through them several times and supplement with your own background knowledge before kids can truly play with this on their own.

A terrific way to spend time with your kids – thank you Mandala Publishing!

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Who can say no to free paper toys?  We credit this stupendous find to Savsani.

So there are 4 characters:  the Bharatanatyam Dancer, the Yogi, Shiva and the Rakshasha – as conceived by Mumbai artist Mira Malhotra (who blogs at Etniq).  She describes Cut OK Paste as a side project which provides a relief from the daily grind.  She found it “most unfortunate that downloadable, printable, paper toys were all made by foreign artists and that no one had attempted making Indian characters.”

Thank you for your amazing contribution Mira – sure to be a delight for kids and adult alike!

You can download the files here (look for the “Download File” at the upper right of the page – it’s in an RAR compressed archive format, so you’ll have to do a little research on how to open RAR files if you’re not familiar with them).  You’ll also need A4-size paper.

Image via Etniq

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Called the Bharatanatyam Dancer, this stunning piece is by Sabiha Mujtaba – a  Karachi-born and London-educated woodworker who now works and teaches out of Atlanta.

The chair is made from cherry wood, paint, gold leaf and what looks to be an actual pair of ghungroos.

Any guess on those mudras?

Image via Chrysalis Woodworks

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Take a hero with superpowers of the Gods, a beautiful princess, an army of monkeys and a demon-king with 10 heads who rules the 3 worlds – what gamer wouldn’t want part of this action?

Seriously – why has no one developed one yet?  (Apparently, 3 computer science majors in Thailand created one in 2000 which won the nation’s game software competition - Ramakien, as the Thai version is called – but it doesn’t seem that it was ever marketed).

Then we got wind of Ramayan 3392 A.D. – a comic book series published by Virgin Comics in 2007.  Both Volume 1 and Volume 2 of the comic book are available on Amazon and there was much buzz around that time about Sony’s plans to turn the comic into a super-duper online video game, but it has been silence since the initial press release.

There is also talk of a Ramayan 3392 A.D. movie – you can see a trailer here – apparently set to release sometime in 2011.

You would think such a film would be a instant success at the boxoffice – are we missing something?

Happy Ram Navami (tomorrow)!

Tags: ramayana
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