Blind to Bounds

Crafts of South Asia- RUNG Festival at ROM

Like the languages spoken and the faiths that exist, South Asia is a treasure of countless arts and crafts both ancient and modern.
RUNG at ROM presents some of these crafts in their original forms, but also attempts to make them interactive to enable the art lovers attending the festival get a hands on experience on it.

Arabic Calligraphy
Arabic Calligraphy is a much revered art form, which is extremely well developed for the script that Urdu, Persian and Arabic languages use. Despite a developed curriculum for the art of Calligraphy by a Turkish calligrapher almost 550 years ago, Calligraphy does not find its place in the curriculum of major institutions of the world, and manages to survive by the love of individuals who take it as a personal mission.
Arabic Calligraphy is envied by other scripts for being so fluid and flexible that one can create images through its writings.
We will have calligraphers demonstrate the art at ROM, write book marks and names for the visitors, and also let those interested to try their skill of writing in the calligraphic fonts like Naskhi, Kufic etc.

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Block Printing

Hand block printing is a centuries-old tradition in India, and is alien to none
Every region from Sindhi Ajrak  to animal motifs block printed in Jharkhand and Bihar, from Rajasthani Sanganeri print to Kalamkari in South India, each style has their own unique designs and themes. 

Originating from Sanganer in Rajasthan, block printing reached great heights during the 16th and 17th century in European countries and became one of the major exports of the East India Company. Almost 500 years old, it can be rightly categorized as a heritage craft.

The craft has traditionally been practiced by local  artisan community, none of whom have ever received formal training. They watch and learn as a matter of daily routine. The whole process, from printing to dyeing, is executed manually at home involving family members in most places. The dyes used in almost all types are traditionally organic dyes.

RUNG at ROM shall have  stall with collection of wooden blocks and ink for the visitors to experience block printing and take away their printed designs on cards.

Hala Tiles

Hala is a small town 35 miles north of Hyderabad in Sindh known for its master craftsmen of  colorful wooden furniture and blue ceramics.

The craft of blue ceramic making known as Kashikari originates came from Iran almost 300 years ago, but was given a local touch by varying the designs.

The craft of making blue tiles, called Kashi Kari dates back to 300 years ago when women made the clay dough at home, turned them into shapes, dried them, painted and then glazed them. Many such tiles were used to adorn the shrines and mosques built in those times. Like the shrine of Shah Abdul Lateef Bhitai at Bhit Shah.

Kashikari is spread across the Thar desert  from Thatta, Hala in Sindh to  Multan in South Punjab to  Rajasthan in India.

Henry Cousens in his book ‘”The Antiquities of Sind’ of 1929, he wrote:
“The brickwork…is very superior, the bricks, or, at least, those on the surface, being made of the best pottery clay, perfectly formed and dense, having cleanly-cut sharp edges, and of a rich dark red. The enameled bricks are glazed, upon their outer surfaces, in light and dark blue and white…The colored dadoes are an especially fine feature…A single design, without duplication, will sometimes cover several square yards of surface…Then, again, some tiles are as small as half an inch square, and over a hundred are used in a square foot, of mixed sizes, forming a perfect mosaic…”

Sadly the art has not seen much improvisation over the years, and are unable to compete the durability of ‘imported’ tiles. 😦

RUNG Festival will indeed showcase a few beautiful mosaic of tiles brought from the tile makers from Hala.

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Kites

Kite flying originated in China as early as 5 C BC. As it came to India in the medieval times, it took over as a sport, with Patang baazi as a fight between kite flyers to cut the string of the opponent. Festivals like Makar Sankranti and Basant are traditional occaisions for kite flying and holding Kite-fighting. Kites with specific  designs curiously bear names like Kup, Patang, Guda, Nakhlaoo, Pan, Tukal, Muchal, Farfarata etc. Lahore is known as the Kite Capital of South Asia, with a full fledged kite industry existent there.

How could Rung Festival  miss an ensemble of kites?

These were just a sampler of the crafts at Rung Festival. There shall be a lot more pleasant surprises awaitngthe visitors at Rung Festival on May 31 and June 1 at Royal Ontario Museum.

Desi wedding galore in RUNG at ROM

South Asian wedding is an elaborate institution where incredible amount of money, time and imaginations are invested.

Through the multiple cultures across  South Asia, the wedding traditions vary, but their elaborate and expensive styles remain common.

In most subcultures, wedding ceremonies last several days, with rich flow of elaborate dresses, decorations and food accompanying each event.

RUNG shall display some select ceremonies in a typical South Asian wedding with visitors to be able to experience them through interactive spots.

The  main wedding is  preceded a day or two with the ceremony where the girl is applied henna in preparation for the wedding day. The event is peculiarly decorate in green and yellow with flowers, lamps and henna.
The visitors at RUNG shall be offered to apply mehndi( henna) the South Asian way.

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Just before the groom leaves his home to get the bride, an elaborate ceremony takes place  around the turban tying, performed by the parents and the near relatives. RUNG shall have a fascinating spot of turbon tying for the visitors, and a photo op.

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The typical Hindu wedding ceremony called Mandap includes an elaborate arrangement with pillars, and decorated with floral backdrop, and a fire in the center, around which the bride and the groom take seven rounds,

Each round symbolizes seven wedding vows where the couple invoke different prayers to God in each round:

1.Plenty of nourishing and pure food.
2. A healthy and prosperous life. They ask for the physical, spiritual and mental health from God.
3. Wealth.
4. Increase in love and respect for each other and their respective families.
5. Noble children.
6. Peaceful long life with each other.
7. Companionship, togetherness, loyalty and understanding between themselves.

RUNG shall set up a Mandap and a mock wedding ceremony with the bride and groom around the fire shall take place.

The elaborate embellished dresses and jewelry worn by the bride and groom shall be on display.

There shall be an interactive spot for tying sarees to the visItors, and a photo op.

The photo gallery shows various types of brides from different regions of South Asia:

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 RUNG 2014 is a two day exhibition of South Asian culture and art in Royal Ontario Museum(ROM) on May 31 and June 1, 2014.

Dances of South Asia #1 in RUNG 2014 at ROM

Dance is an art form perhaps as old as human civilization. Evidence of dance existing in the stone age is evident in 30,000 year old Stone shelters at Bhambetka in central India, which are now considered as Heritage by UNESCO.

Dance is not only an expression of happiness or festivities but also a means of story telling which is passed on from generation to generation.

The kaleidoscope of cultures that South Asia is, one finds innumerable dance forms, both classical and folk, as we move from one sub culture to another.

RUNG 2014 is honored to feature a few of those dance forms at ROM.

Kathakali:
A dance from Kerala a southernmost Indian state, literally means a dance-drama. ( Katha means story).
Known for its symbolic makeup that identifies them into godly, demonic or human characters, the dancers also adorn colorful, bellowing costumes and crowns. Themes are usually from Hindu Epics like Mahabharata, Ramayana are narrated through fine facial movements of eyes, eyebrows, nose, cheeks and chin along with highly intricate hand gestures. Accompanying vocalists and musicians narrate the story as songs.

Anupama Dineshkumar and Preetha Kandanchatha present Kathakali at RUNG 2014.

MohiniAttam:

This is another dance from Kerala, and literally means ‘dance by a enchantress’  ( Mohini means a seducing woman). As the name signifies, it is a dance exclusively performed by women. The theme for the dance is mostly Love, and performed through delicate expressions of hands, enchanting facial expressions and flowing steps by feet,   supported by vocal and instrumental Carnatic music. The dancer adorns a white brocaded saree, intricate gold jewelry and white jasmine flowers in the hair.

Mohiniattam shall be presented by will be presented by Preetha Kandanchatha, Vrinda  Kandanchatha, Anjeetha Raghuram and Sujatha Ganesh from SG Expressions.

Odissi:

A classical dance form from the Indian state of Odisha, the dance traces its roots from temples back in the 2nd Century  B.C. The torso movement is very important and  an unique feature of the Odissi style. With the lower half of the body remaining static, the torso moves from one side to the other along the axis passing through the centre of the upper half of the body. The dancer adorns very intricate filigiree silver jewelry  and a typical silver crown on the head called Mukoot.

Odissi dance is brought by Nrityakala by students of renowned Maneka Thakker.

Sri Lankan Dance:

Kandyan dance, a traditional Sri Lankan dance gets its name from Kandy, the central hills of Sri Lanka. The legend behind the dance is said to be a ritual exorcism performed to ward off  Black Magic which caused evil dreams to the King. After the performance fo the ritual the dreams vanished, and hence the locals adopted the dance.
The dance is now performed for its cultural value.

Rangara Dance Academy and Pratibha Dance & Music Acdemy shall bring performances from Sri Lankan Traditional Dances.

Afghan Folk Dance:

Atan is the national dance of Afghanistan, performed mostly by the Pashtuns. It is performed in festivals, weddings and other occaisions, and is known to be the oldest form of Pagan dance. A group of dancers perform in a circle, to the beats of drums going faster with each round.
Different Afghan tribes have slight differing styles of dance movements.

Attan is brought by Afghan Women’s Organizations youth group.

Brief introductions of other beautiful  dance forms to be performed at RUNG 2014 shall be continued in the next blog.

Talking to some of these accomplished dancers I realized it is impossible to separate the dance from the dancers.

Kaleidoscope of colors from South Asia: RUNG 2014 at ROM #1

Royal Ontario Museum celebrates 100 years in 2014. What could be a better occasion to celebrate it by the colors of South Asia with Second RUNG Festival at ROM brought by community partners Ethnic Marketing on May 31 and  June 1, 2014.

South Asians began arriving in Ontario from the subcontinent on May 5, 1838. Hence according to South Asian Heritage Act 2001, May has been declared as the South Asian Heritage month and May 5 as the South Asian Arrival Day each year.

South Asia is a kaleidoscope of colorful cultures, multiple ethnicities and faiths with a strong 1.6 billion population spread across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives.

After having been successful as the most attended and most colorful festivals in Toronto, this year RUNG is being held for two days.

The festival brings a series performing and visual arts from all across the stretch of South Asia.

Lined are enchanting dance performances-Rouf Dance from Kashmir to Bhangra or Kathak from North India to Bharatha Natyam, Mohini Attam and Kathakali from South India and Sri Lanka.

There shall be transcendent vocals from singers from classical  gharanas singing Amir Khusrau in Persian, Shabads in Punjabi, and Nazrul Islam from Bengal and much more.

The sounds of  classical instruments like Tabla, Dhols, Chandamellam, Sitar await to thrill the audience.

For the connoisseurs of arts and handicrafts, there shall be display of arts and crafts from each South Asian Countries.

There shall be interactive spots like block printing and calligraphy for old and young.

The wedding mandap with bridal ensemble,  intricate jewelry and turban tying shall give a taste of elaborate South Asian wedding.

Rung also brings wonderful short films and documentaries from the South Asia.

Kindly keep a close watch at this space,as we bring more blog posts  and gradually unfold the wonderful performances and displays lined up  at RUNG for  May 31 and June 1.

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