36th Edition of Shadow Dancing With Mind

It feels great that my book “Songs of the Mist” is finally published and this month it reached the bestseller rank of 29 at Amazon, in Self help section. This blog has been a great source of inspiration and kept me going when things seemed to stall in my writing effort. I am grateful for the support my friends, followers and readers gave me over the years. Today, after a long time, I am collating the 36^th Edition of Shadow Dancing with Mind. Hope you like it and please do check out these pages as I am working on Chennai Colors posts on IndiBlogger’s Renie Ravin, How to publish your book, The similarities between The Big Bang and the primordial sound ‘Om’ etc. in coming weeks. Please don’t forget to check out my ’10 Tips on the Art of Writing’, which is collation of my learnings while writing my first book.

1) READER: A DebutCollection of new Authors

For last few months, I have been collecting some Debut Novels by some of the new Authors, I have across through my social media interactions. Finally I have been able to read them and this post shares my thoughts on their beautiful work of passion. This is my tribute to their undying devotion towards writing and creativity. Hope you will enjoy reading my thoughts about them and their work. Please do leave a comment and if you like what I have written about their books, check them out too... Click here to read more...

2) Chennai Colors: Aseries about amazing and creative people of Chennai

Dr. Chithra Madhavan: 9 tips on writing about Temple Architecture and Heritage buildings - A Leading heritage historian and Authority on Temple Architecture & Heritage from Chennai adds to the colors of Chennai by revealing ancient sculptures and uncovering amazing stories found hidden in the sanctum sanatoriums of popular as well as lost Indian heritage sites. Click here to read more...

Dr. Anita Ratnam: Inculcate passionate-curiosity to write about art - Colour of Chennai is somewhere between red and orange - a highly respected performer, writer, speaker and arts entrepreneur and culture mentor, set the tone of this edition of Chennai Colors, as she picked the color ‘Arakk-Munjal’ – a hue somewhere between ‘Vermillion and Mango Orange’ as the color of Chennai. Click here to read more...

3) ABOUT BOOKS

10 Tips on the Art of Writing for New Authors

Writing a book is an exhaustive and lonely struggle, which becomes painful in itself if you are not passionate about words and enjoy the stories it brings forth from the depths of your heart. As I finish writing book-2 in “The Monk Key” series, I have realised that my perspectives about writing, life and living has completely changed. These upcoming three posts “About Book” is my attempt to share those learning with my friends, readers and aspiring authors in order to save their valuable time in reinventing the wheel. Click here to read more...

INTERNATIONALKOLKATA BOOK FAIR

The beauty of the languidly moving vehicles - zigzagging through numerous city jams, but also zipping across the under ground the first metro rail and an IT hub that’s humming to take over the world, from the outskirts of the city. That’s Kolkata for you in nut shell but for me it’s more than all that. And visiting the city on 30th and 31st January, 2016 for the International Kolkata Book Fair on the invitation of my first book "Songs of the Mist" publishers Notion Press, is an amazing opportunity to recharge my soul... Click here to read more...

Hindu Lit ForLife: And the winner is Easterine Keri

As usual, I could pick out the winner of the Hindu Literary Prize this year too and it was a pleasure to show the tweet to the winner Dr. Easterine Keri, (Since she does not have a twitter account) I had sent an hour earlier than the announcement. She is a very soft-spoken and highly sensitive person and interacting with her was such a pleasure. Click here to read more...

Songs of the Mist Dedication

It gave me immense pleasure that after almost two decades I could go back to the Deva Bhoomi and offer my   gratitude for the blessings and the strength to bring the book "Songs of the Mist" out and unveil at the most pious place among the vedic chant at Parmaarth Ashram, with the blessings of H H Swami Chidanand Muni ji. Click here to read more...

4) CURTAIN RAISER:Blog Now Live Forever BNLF

An international conference on Blogging, conceptualized and hosted by IndiBlogger on 31st Oct - 1st Nov, Mumbai - Influential bloggers from the global online community are gathering this weekend at The Lalit Hotel, Mumbai to interact with the thought leaders and powerful speakers from the world’s emerging change agent- Blogging. Click here to read more... 

5) STILL LIFE

Bhagwat Gita inall it's splendour

There can not be as better day than the auspicious day of Krishna's Birth - Janamashtami, to talk about the universally renowned jewel of India's Spiritual wisdom in all its splendour as an Art Edition brought out by Nightingale. As my friend T Suresh has been singing praises of this edition, displayed at Odyssey, at Chennai; I planned a visit to see, hold and feel this beautiful edition... Click here to read more... 

The OtherSide...

Whenever I am in Delhi, its become a kind of ritual to a take time out from work and visit the bird sanctuary across the Noida Highway from my house in Mayur Vihar and try to spot kingfishers, Duck bills, pond herons and Nilgais etc. On the way back from one such visit, I happen to pass along a small construction labourers settlement on the banks of Yamuna River, as the beautiful Sun prepared to 'set' on the high-rise modern Delhi. Click here to read more... 

6) HAIKU MASTER:Yamaguchi Sodō (1642 -1716)

A series on discussing Haiku Masters and their poetry….

A friend of Bashō, Sodō wrote one of the most famous Haiku of all time. Click here to read more...

Hope you have enjoyed this edition, look forward to your comments. Please do share...

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Shashi 

ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

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35th Edition                                                                  37th Edition                      

Chennai Colors: Dr. Chithra Madhavan and 9 tips on writing about Temple Architecture and Heritage buildings

Chennai Colors V: A series about amazing and creative people of Chennai.

Dr. Chithra Madhavan - A Leading heritage historian and Authority on Temple Architecture & Heritage from Chennai adds to the colors of Chennai by revealing ancient sculptures and uncovering amazing stories found hidden in the sanctum sanatoriums of popular as well as lost Indian heritage sites.

 

Dr. Chithra Madhavan (Picture Curtsy FB)

For years, I have been attending Dr. Chithra Madhavan’s lectures due to my passion for spirituality and architecture. Recently, in the popular series ‘Writing about Arts’ curated by Apparao Gallery, Dr. Chitra Madhavan explained how to look at ancient sites and write. It was an eye opener for dozens of enthusiast like me as well as journalists and writers / bloggers, who attended the lecture. I must congratulate the Sharan Apparao of Apparao Gallery, who has conceptualised the lecture series, for consistently brining out amazing 'Chennai Outreach' programs with great speakers like Dr. Chithra Madhavan.

In this post of the series -Chennai Colors, I am featuring Dr. Chithra Madhavan, who by her sheer passion and expertise in detailing the history of temple architecture and heritage, constitutes the beautiful and rich shades of Chennai. I am happy that there are influencers like her, who have the safety and security of our ancient heritage and culture foremost in their mind. There are many online lectures of her talking about the same, so here in this post I am focusing on her capacity as a trainer/speaker, imparting essential knowledge and tools to appreciate the beauty and the rich history behind our ancient Temples. But before I take you through the number of points that she made in the learning session, here is a brief introduction about her.

Dr. Chithra Madhavan and Sharan Apparao at Hindu Lit Festival

Dr. Chithra Madhavan has a Ph.D. in Ancient History and Archaeology from the University of Mysore. She is the recipient of two Post-Doctoral Fellowships, author of seven books and several research articles. She frequently delivers public lectures on temple architecture, sculpture and inscriptions and leads heritage walks in Chennai. Chithra is guest-faculty at several institutions including Kalakshetra Foundation.

Now lets get back to her lecture on “Writing about Temple Architecture and Heritage” as Dr. Chithra Madhavan started with the basic things. 

1) In any kind of report about any specific place, art, dance or Music, the first thing is to keep audience in mind.

2) Read some background on the temple and structure etc. so that you will be able to relate to the things that you are seeing and know the historical back ground.  

3) And the last thing to remember in writing a book or an article, never write in hurry

4) If you are visiting a temple and want to write about its rich heritage and exquisite sculptures, start with the main deity as temples are essentially about God. Notice the specific deviations from the usual practice like the black mark on the forehead of Ranganatha, in Sri Ranganatha Temple, which is Kasthuri hence it is also called Kasthuri Ranganatha. A very important thing to remember is that you write what you notice immediately, preferably within the temple as you will not be able to remember everything later. Dr. Madhavan said that this important thing she learned the hard way. She remembers calling the temple priest after the visit, trying to find that one particular thing that she had noticed in the temple and it was a hard task to find that out again.

Madurai Meenakshi East Gopuram @ Shashi 2002

5) Dr. Chithra Madhavan cautioned against writing anything about a temple, architectural heritage sites etc. without visiting the place you are going to write about. Please don’t Google for information. If you need some background information on the subject you are writing, please check the libraries. She suggested that, ‘In case of Temple architecture and heritage,’ Theosophical society is the best library in Chennai.

6) Capture the flavor of the place, talk to the local people and ask them about the temple or the place. They can give you a humane story or interesting anecdotes. All sculptures are reflection of times.

7) Notice the detailing of the sculptures, structures that is the beauty of Indian Temples. While visiting Museums, read the plaque under the sculpture to know where it comes from. It will give you more understanding of its story and history.

8) Know the traditions of the temple. In every temple there’s a unique ritual. Find the same for flavor e.g. Pancha Vadya, Nalayira Divya Prabandham. Every temple has its Religious, Historical and Architectural perspective.

Finally after 2 hours of engrossing talk with beautiful pictures and lovely presentation, she went on to talk about something that has been very close to her heart i.e. upkeep of the heritage sites and its gradual destruction in name of progress and renovation.

9) She requested all of us to notice and write about the damages, shabby restoration efforts or renovations of such rich places that are treasure house of our culture and tradition.

Leaving you with a wonderful talk Dr. Chithra Madhavan gave at TEDx IIM Shilong..

Hope you have enjoyed this series of Chennai Colors...

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Shashi 

ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

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Chennai Colors: Anita Ratnam            Key to South Indian Sculpture - Vijay Kumar