The Quiet Discipline of Japanese Woodworking: A Traditional Joinery Workshop

 

Description

 

Inside a serene Japanese woodworking studio, the images reveal the slow, precise, and deeply tactile world of traditional cabinetmaking. Soft natural light filters through shoji screens, illuminating aged wooden workbenches, hand planes, chisels, saws, measuring tools, stacked timber, polished drawers, iron hardware, and carefully assembled joinery. The atmosphere is calm and contemplative, shaped by patience, repetition, and respect for material.

 

The series follows the full rhythm of artisanal creation: selecting and preparing raw boards, drawing measured plans by hand, sharpening blades on a wet stone, cutting and carving joints, planing long ribbons of wood from a board, assembling drawers and cabinets, fitting metal handles, brushing lacquer, polishing surfaces, and finally presenting finished tansu-style furniture in a quiet tatami room. Every scene emphasizes craftsmanship over speed, touch over machinery, and inherited knowledge over industrial production.

 

The visual language combines documentary realism with a refined cinematic sensibility. Warm wood tones, indigo work garments, soft diffused daylight, shallow depth of field, sawdust, wood grain, worn tools, and traditional Japanese interiors create an intimate portrait of a craft that feels timeless. The images celebrate not only furniture making, but also the philosophy behind it: restraint, precision, durability, balance, and beauty found in useful objects.

 

This collection is ideal for themes related to Japanese culture, traditional carpentry, handmade furniture, heritage crafts, sustainable design, woodworking, wabi sabi aesthetics, slow craftsmanship, interior design, and the quiet dignity of manual labor.

 

The images have been generated by Artificial Intelligence.

Last weekend I played around with some flashes, 2xYN560II and 2xSoligor42DA to be precise as well as with three sets of Lee gel samples. I will upload this week a few series of photos to illustrate what I have done.

 

All photos are SOOC, so no postprocessing except of the frame, no cropping and no photoshoping. It's just to show what you can achieve if you use the Lee gel samples together with some speedlights.

 

Enjoy! And many thanks in advance for leaving a comment or adding to your favorite.

 

The series of today's two photos is each made with only two flashes with orange gels pointing to the background (which is the floor in this case, number 1 without addintional light, number two with a third flash wearing a blue gel from the front.

The Church of St Thomas the Martyr (known as St Thomas' Newcastle) in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. It is a prominent city centre landmarks, located close to both universities, the city hall and main shopping district in the Haymarket.

 

It is a 19th-century Anglican re-foundation of a medieval chapel, traditionally said to have been created by one of the assassins of Thomas Becket. Revitalised and appointed as Resource Church for the Diocese of Newcastle in 2019, with a new minister and staff team, it has now become a popular church for students and young adults.

 

History

Dedication and foundation

The church is dedicated to St Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, who was murdered in 1170 by a group of four English knights acting – so they mistakenly believed – on the orders of Henry II. Since Becket had defended the privileges of the Church against Henry, he was regarded as a martyr and canonized in 1173. The four murderers were instructed, in order to atone for their sins, to serve a period as confreres (associate brothers) of the Knights Templar, but it is believed that one of them, Hugh de Morville, also elected to found a chapel dedicated to the saint as a private penance. It was this chapel which would eventually become the Church of St Thomas the Martyr. The precise foundation date is uncertain, but probably in the 1170s, and certainly by the early 13th century.

 

De Morville’s chapel

De Morville – if indeed he was responsible (there is no absolute proof) – set up his chapel at a riverside location, next to what is now the Swing Bridge but what was then a wooden affair and the only bridge across the Tyne at Newcastle. By 1248 both bridge and chapel were in the care of a Keeper, known only as Lawrence. In that year much of the town was destroyed by fire; the chapel escaped, but the bridge was badly damaged and Lawrence was given responsibility for raising money for rebuilding, which included the reconstruction of the bridge in stone.

 

In 1329 one William Heron founded a Chantry within St Thomas’, dedicated to St Anne and endowed with £4 17s per annum; a second Chantry, dedicated to St Mary, had £4 3s 6d a year. In 1339 the chapel bridge was once more severely damaged, this time by flood, and it remained ruinous for much of the 14th century.

 

The chapel possessed three cellars, one of which was rented out by William Spyn, the then chaplain, at 14 shillings a year in 1347. Further income was raised through a windmill below Jesmond (confirmed as the chapel's property in 1408) and more land, in Whickham, left to the chapel in the will of Roger Thornton in 1429.

 

St Mary Magdalene’s Hospital and the move to the new site

The Hospital of St Mary Magdalene was founded just outside Newcastle by Henry I to cater for those afflicted with leprosy, a disease brought to the Country by returning Crusaders. The hospital was located near what is now the northern end of Northumberland Street. Although a religious house, the hospital was overlooked in the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century English Reformation, and the Hospital continues to operate into the present day, though evolving into a charity rather than a working hospital by the early 19th century. James I incorporated the hospital and the Chapel of St Thomas the Martyr into a single institution under the government of a Master, the first of these being a Mr Jennison.

 

In 1732 the Mayor and Corporation of Newcastle, who acted as patrons of the united hospital and chapel and who were empowered to alter the statutes, beautified the chapel and made it a Chapel of ease for St Nicholas Church. At that time it seated 300 people.

 

Alterations were made to the chapel in 1770 and subsequently, but it was damaged in a great flood in 1771. Although the building was not substantially affected, by 1827 it was felt the old chapel needed replacing and it was closed in March that year, with a replacement built on the site of St Mary Magdalene's Hospital.

 

1830 new church

The Newcastle architect John Dobson was hired to design the new church, and he produced an elegant Gothic-style building at a cost of £6000. The present church was built by John Dobson, between 1827 and 1830. Galleries were added in 1837 and the seating was replaced in 1881. In 1972 the level of the High Altar was lowered, the chancel screen removed and the chancel extended into the nave, with a nave altar. The present church is a Grade II* Listed Building.

 

Exodus to Jesmond

1856 saw the untimely death of Rev Richard Clayton, Master of St Thomas's, and a local evangelical light. In his place the city authorities decided to appoint Clement Moody, vicar of Newcastle and a high churchman opposed to evangelicalism. A large number of the congregation of St Thomas's were deeply unhappy. A committee was formed with the intention of planting a new church nearby, which "will form a central point for the maintenance and promulgation of sound scriptural and evangelical truth in a large and populous town."[citation needed] A new church building, Jesmond Parish Church, was designed by the architect John Dobson and consecrated by 1861.

 

The modern church

Legal status

The modern St Thomas the Martyr has no parish, but neither is it a Peculiar (ecclesiastical enclave), making it unique in the Church of England. It is governed by the Body Corporate (comprising the senior priest and Churchwardens) and ultimately through Acts of Parliament. It lies within the Diocese of Newcastle, the Archdeaconry of Northumberland and the Deanery of Newcastle. It was formally separated from the Hospital of St Mary Magdalene in 1978, but the senior priest of the church is still referred to as the Master.

 

Services and civic function

Despite having no parish, the church maintains a normal routine of regular weekly services. Currently, these consist of 10.30am Communion service (Eucharist) and a 6.30pm communion service on Sundays and a service of Holy Communion at 12.30pm on Wednesdays.

 

However, the church is regarded as serving the whole city, the universities and various organisations and communities. Consequently, it serves as the venue for a busy programme of civic and private services. Its proximity to the City Hall and to both Newcastle and Northumbria Universities mean it acts as semi-official church to these institutions, but it also provides regular services for the Royal British Legion, various Regimental Associations and the Mothers’ Union, amongst other groups. In recent years, conductor and organist Miles Cragg has presided at the organ for a number of carol services. A choir comprising members of King's College, later Newcastle University, always sang at the University Carol Service in December and occasionally for funerals of members of staff of the University.

 

St Thomas' launched in October 2019 as the Resource Church for the Diocese of Newcastle. A new staff team were employed and a team from St Michael le Belfrey in York was sent to relaunch the church. The congregation very quickly grew and the church now attracts large numbers of young people each week.

 

Ethos

St Thomas's has a reputation for involvement in social issues, most notably trade justice, developing countries' debt and related subjects. This has been expressed through major campaigns, such as involvement in the Jubilee 2000 and Make Poverty History movements, and also on a smaller scale, such as support for Fair Trade and sale of fairly traded goods in the church's One World Shop. In addition a variety of national, international and local charitable causes are supported through a range of methods.

 

2019 building project

Starting in 2019, plans were drawn up for a major renovation and reordering of the Church building, and was completed in 2022. As part of the work, the floors were removed and rebuilt, new partitions were inserted in order to create meeting rooms and other spaces in the former aisles of the church, and the 19th century bench seating was removed and replaced with standard stackable chairs. The galleries of 1837 have been enclosed in glass, and the raked seating has been floored over in order to create additional rooms. A full-immersion font was installed in the nave of the church.

 

List of Masters

Laurence, in 1269.

William of Stanhope occurs in 1289 and 1297.

Nicholas de Stockton occurs in 1341.

William Spynn was master and keeper of Tyne Bridge in 1347 and 1352.

John Wernmouth occurs in 1411 and 1413.

John Crofte appointed by the corporation in 1426.

Thomas Scott occurs in 1498.

John Brandlyng, clerk, appointed 30 August 1538.

Cuthbert Ellison held this office before 13 March 1556.

Sir George Carr, priest, appointed 24 July 1565.

Robert Jennison 1611 - 1652

Cuthbert Sydenham 1652 - 1653

Samuel Hammond 1653 - ????

Robert Bonner 1662 - 1676

Thomas Davison 1676 - 1716

John Chilton 1716 - 1717

Robert Thomlinson 1717 - 1748

Henry Featherstonehalgh 1748 - 1779

Nathanael Clayton 1779 - 1786

Henry Ridley 1786 - 1825

John Smith 1825 - 1826

Richard Clayton 1826 - 1856

Clement Moody 1856 - 1871

Marsden Gibson 1872 - 1894

Alexander James Harrison 1894 - 1914

Jesse Hickling Ison 1914 - 1940

George Edwin Jenkins 1941 - 1947

Albert John Bennitt 1948 - 1969

John Lloyd Rochfort Crawley 1969 - 1974[3]

Ian Harker 1975 - 1983

David John Parker 1984 - 1989

Ian David Houghton 1990 - 1995

John Christopher (Kit) Widdows 1995 - 2007

Catherine Mary Lack 2009 - 2018

Ben Doolan 2019–Present

 

Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle is a cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is located on the River Tyne's northern bank, opposite Gateshead to the south. It is the most populous settlement in the Tyneside conurbation and North East England.

 

Newcastle developed around a Roman settlement called Pons Aelius, the settlement became known as Monkchester before taking on the name of a castle built in 1080 by William the Conqueror's eldest son, Robert Curthose. It was one of the world's largest ship building and repair centres during the industrial revolution. Newcastle was part of the county of Northumberland until 1400, when it separated and formed a county of itself. In 1974, Newcastle became part of Tyne and Wear. Since 2018, the city council has been part of the North of Tyne Combined Authority.

 

The history of Newcastle upon Tyne dates back almost 2,000 years, during which it has been controlled by the Romans, the Angles and the Norsemen amongst others. Newcastle upon Tyne was originally known by its Roman name Pons Aelius. The name "Newcastle" has been used since the Norman conquest of England. Due to its prime location on the River Tyne, the town developed greatly during the Middle Ages and it was to play a major role in the Industrial Revolution, being granted city status in 1882. Today, the city is a major retail, commercial and cultural centre.

 

Roman settlement

The history of Newcastle dates from AD 122, when the Romans built the first bridge to cross the River Tyne at that point. The bridge was called Pons Aelius or 'Bridge of Aelius', Aelius being the family name of Roman Emperor Hadrian, who was responsible for the Roman wall built across northern England along the Tyne–Solway gap. Hadrian's Wall ran through present-day Newcastle, with stretches of wall and turrets visible along the West Road, and at a temple in Benwell. Traces of a milecastle were found on Westgate Road, midway between Clayton Street and Grainger Street, and it is likely that the course of the wall corresponded to present-day Westgate Road. The course of the wall can be traced eastwards to the Segedunum Roman fort at Wallsend, with the fort of Arbeia down-river at the mouth of the Tyne, on the south bank in what is now South Shields. The Tyne was then a wider, shallower river at this point and it is thought that the bridge was probably about 700 feet (210 m) long, made of wood and supported on stone piers. It is probable that it was sited near the current Swing Bridge, due to the fact that Roman artefacts were found there during the building of the latter bridge. Hadrian himself probably visited the site in 122. A shrine was set up on the completed bridge in 123 by the 6th Legion, with two altars to Neptune and Oceanus respectively. The two altars were subsequently found in the river and are on display in the Great North Museum in Newcastle.

 

The Romans built a stone-walled fort in 150 to protect the river crossing which was at the foot of the Tyne Gorge, and this took the name of the bridge so that the whole settlement was known as Pons Aelius. The fort was situated on a rocky outcrop overlooking the new bridge, on the site of the present Castle Keep. Pons Aelius is last mentioned in 400, in a Roman document listing all of the Roman military outposts. It is likely that nestling in the shadow of the fort would have been a small vicus, or village. Unfortunately, no buildings have been detected; only a few pieces of flagging. It is clear that there was a Roman cemetery near Clavering Place, behind the Central station, as a number of Roman coffins and sarcophagi have been unearthed there.

 

Despite the presence of the bridge, the settlement of Pons Aelius was not particularly important among the northern Roman settlements. The most important stations were those on the highway of Dere Street running from Eboracum (York) through Corstopitum (Corbridge) and to the lands north of the Wall. Corstopitum, being a major arsenal and supply centre, was much larger and more populous than Pons Aelius.

 

Anglo-Saxon development

The Angles arrived in the North-East of England in about 500 and may have landed on the Tyne. There is no evidence of an Anglo-Saxon settlement on or near the site of Pons Aelius during the Anglo-Saxon age. The bridge probably survived and there may well have been a small village at the northern end, but no evidence survives. At that time the region was dominated by two kingdoms, Bernicia, north of the Tees and ruled from Bamburgh, and Deira, south of the Tees and ruled from York. Bernicia and Deira combined to form the kingdom of Northanhymbra (Northumbria) early in the 7th century. There were three local kings who held the title of Bretwalda – 'Lord of Britain', Edwin of Deira (627–632), Oswald of Bernicia (633–641) and Oswy of Northumbria (641–658). The 7th century became known as the 'Golden Age of Northumbria', when the area was a beacon of culture and learning in Europe. The greatness of this period was based on its generally Christian culture and resulted in the Lindisfarne Gospels amongst other treasures. The Tyne valley was dotted with monasteries, with those at Monkwearmouth, Hexham and Jarrow being the most famous. Bede, who was based at Jarrow, wrote of a royal estate, known as Ad Murum, 'at the Wall', 12 miles (19 km) from the sea. It is thought that this estate may have been in what is now Newcastle. At some unknown time, the site of Newcastle came to be known as Monkchester. The reason for this title is unknown, as we are unaware of any specific monasteries at the site, and Bede made no reference to it. In 875 Halfdan Ragnarsson, the Danish Viking conqueror of York, led an army that attacked and pillaged various monasteries in the area, and it is thought that Monkchester was also pillaged at this time. Little more was heard of it until the coming of the Normans.

 

Norman period

After the arrival of William the Conqueror in England in 1066, the whole of England was quickly subjected to Norman rule. However, in Northumbria there was great resistance to the Normans, and in 1069 the newly appointed Norman Earl of Northumbria, Robert de Comines and 700 of his men were killed by the local population at Durham. The Northumbrians then marched on York, but William was able to suppress the uprising. That same year, a second uprising occurred when a Danish fleet landed in the Humber. The Northumbrians again attacked York and destroyed the garrison there. William was again able to suppress the uprising, but this time he took revenge. He laid waste to the whole of the Midlands and the land from York to the Tees. In 1080, William Walcher, the Norman bishop of Durham and his followers were brutally murdered at Gateshead. This time Odo, bishop of Bayeux, William's half brother, devastated the land between the Tees and the Tweed. This was known as the 'Harrying of the North'. This devastation is reflected in the Domesday Book. The destruction had such an effect that the North remained poor and backward at least until Tudor times and perhaps until the Industrial Revolution. Newcastle suffered in this respect with the rest of the North.

 

In 1080 William sent his eldest son, Robert Curthose, north to defend the kingdom against the Scots. After his campaign, he moved to Monkchester and began the building of a 'New Castle'. This was of the "motte-and-bailey" type of construction, a wooden tower on top of an earthen mound (motte), surrounded by a moat and wooden stockade (bailey). It was this castle that gave Newcastle its name. In 1095 the Earl of Northumbria, Robert de Mowbray, rose up against the king, William Rufus, and Rufus sent an army north to recapture the castle. From then on the castle became crown property and was an important base from which the king could control the northern barons. The Northumbrian earldom was abolished and a Sheriff of Northumberland was appointed to administer the region. In 1091 the parish church of St Nicholas was consecrated on the site of the present Anglican cathedral, close by the bailey of the new castle. The church is believed to have been a wooden building on stone footings.

 

Not a trace of the tower or mound of the motte and bailey castle remains now. Henry II replaced it with a rectangular stone keep, which was built between 1172 and 1177 at a cost of £1,444. A stone bailey, in the form of a triangle, replaced the previous wooden one. The great outer gateway to the castle, called 'the Black Gate', was built later, between 1247 and 1250, in the reign of Henry III. There were at that time no town walls and when attacked by the Scots, the townspeople had to crowd into the bailey for safety. It is probable that the new castle acted as a magnet for local merchants because of the safety it provided. This in turn would help to expand trade in the town. At this time wool, skins and lead were being exported, whilst alum, pepper and ginger were being imported from France and Flanders.

 

Middle Ages

Throughout the Middle Ages, Newcastle was England's northern fortress, the centre for assembled armies. The Border war against Scotland lasted intermittently for several centuries – possibly the longest border war ever waged. During the civil war between Stephen and Matilda, David 1st of Scotland and his son were granted Cumbria and Northumberland respectively, so that for a period from 1139 to 1157, Newcastle was effectively in Scottish hands. It is believed that during this period, King David may have built the church of St Andrew and the Benedictine nunnery in Newcastle. However, King Stephen's successor, Henry II was strong enough to take back the Earldom of Northumbria from Malcolm IV.

 

The Scots king William the Lion was imprisoned in Newcastle, in 1174, after being captured at the Battle of Alnwick. Edward I brought the Stone of Scone and William Wallace south through the town and Newcastle was successfully defended against the Scots three times during the 14th century.

 

Around 1200, stone-faced, clay-filled jetties were starting to project into the river, an indication that trade was increasing in Newcastle. As the Roman roads continued to deteriorate, sea travel was gaining in importance. By 1275 Newcastle was the sixth largest wool exporting port in England. The principal exports at this time were wool, timber, coal, millstones, dairy produce, fish, salt and hides. Much of the developing trade was with the Baltic countries and Germany. Most of the Newcastle merchants were situated near the river, below the Castle. The earliest known charter was dated 1175 in the reign of Henry II, giving the townspeople some control over their town. In 1216 King John granted Newcastle a mayor[8] and also allowed the formation of guilds (known as Mysteries). These were cartels formed within different trades, which restricted trade to guild members. There were initially twelve guilds. Coal was being exported from Newcastle by 1250, and by 1350 the burgesses received a royal licence to export coal. This licence to export coal was jealously guarded by the Newcastle burgesses, and they tried to prevent any one else on the Tyne from exporting coal except through Newcastle. The burgesses similarly tried to prevent fish from being sold anywhere else on the Tyne except Newcastle. This led to conflicts with Gateshead and South Shields.

 

In 1265, the town was granted permission to impose a 'Wall Tax' or Murage, to pay for the construction of a fortified wall to enclose the town and protect it from Scottish invaders. The town walls were not completed until early in the 14th century. They were two miles (3 km) long, 9 feet (2.7 m) thick and 25 feet (7.6 m) high. They had six main gates, as well as some smaller gates, and had 17 towers. The land within the walls was divided almost equally by the Lort Burn, which flowed southwards and joined the Tyne to the east of the Castle. The town began to expand north of the Castle and west of the Lort Burn with various markets being set up within the walls.

 

In 1400 Henry IV granted a new charter, creating a County corporate which separated the town, but not the Castle, from the county of Northumberland and recognised it as a "county of itself" with a right to have a sheriff of its own. The burgesses were now allowed to choose six aldermen who, with the mayor would be justices of the peace. The mayor and sheriff were allowed to hold borough courts in the Guildhall.

 

Religious houses

During the Middle Ages a number of religious houses were established within the walls: the first of these was the Benedictine nunnery of St Bartholomew founded in 1086 near the present-day Nun Street. Both David I of Scotland and Henry I of England were benefactors of the religious house. Nothing of the nunnery remains now.

 

The friary of Blackfriars, Newcastle (Dominican) was established in 1239. These were also known as the Preaching Friars or Shod Friars, because they wore sandals, as opposed to other orders. The friary was situated in the present-day Friars Street. In 1280 the order was granted royal permission to make a postern in the town walls to communicate with their gardens outside the walls. On 19 June 1334, Edward Balliol, claimant to be King of Scotland, did homage to King Edward III, on behalf of the kingdom of Scotland, in the church of the friary. Much of the original buildings of the friary still exist, mainly because, after the Dissolution of the Monasteries the friary of Blackfriars was rented out by the corporation to nine of the local trade guilds.

 

The friary of Whitefriars (Carmelite) was established in 1262. The order was originally housed on the Wall Knoll in Pandon, but in 1307 it took over the buildings of another order, which went out of existence, the Friars of the Sac. The land, which had originally been given by Robert the Bruce, was situated in the present-day Hanover Square, behind the Central station. Nothing of the friary remains now.

 

The friary of Austinfriars (Augustinian) was established in 1290. The friary was on the site where the Holy Jesus Hospital was built in 1682. The friary was traditionally the lodging place of English kings whenever they visited or passed through Newcastle. In 1503 Princess Margaret, eldest daughter of Henry VII of England, stayed two days at the friary on her way to join her new husband James IV of Scotland.

 

The friary of Greyfriars (Franciscans) was established in 1274. The friary was in the present-day area between Pilgrim Street, Grey Street, Market Street and High Chare. Nothing of the original buildings remains.

 

The friary of the Order of the Holy Trinity, also known as the Trinitarians, was established in 1360. The order devoted a third of its income to buying back captives of the Saracens, during the Crusades. Their house was on the Wall Knoll, in Pandon, to the east of the city, but within the walls. Wall Knoll had previously been occupied by the White Friars until they moved to new premises in 1307.

 

All of the above religious houses were closed in about 1540, when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries.

 

An important street running through Newcastle at the time was Pilgrim Street, running northwards inside the walls and leading to the Pilgrim Gate on the north wall. The street still exists today as arguably Newcastle's main shopping street.

 

Tudor period

The Scottish border wars continued for much of the 16th century, so that during that time, Newcastle was often threatened with invasion by the Scots, but also remained important as a border stronghold against them.

 

During the Reformation begun by Henry VIII in 1536, the five Newcastle friaries and the single nunnery were dissolved and the land was sold to the Corporation and to rich merchants. At this time there were fewer than 60 inmates of the religious houses in Newcastle. The convent of Blackfriars was leased to nine craft guilds to be used as their headquarters. This probably explains why it is the only one of the religious houses whose building survives to the present day. The priories at Tynemouth and Durham were also dissolved, thus ending the long-running rivalry between Newcastle and the church for control of trade on the Tyne. A little later, the property of the nunnery of St Bartholomew and of Grey Friars were bought by Robert Anderson, who had the buildings demolished to build his grand Newe House (also known as Anderson Place).

 

With the gradual decline of the Scottish border wars the town walls were allowed to decline as well as the castle. By 1547, about 10,000 people were living in Newcastle. At the beginning of the 16th century exports of wool from Newcastle were more than twice the value of exports of coal, but during the century coal exports continued to increase.

 

Under Edward VI, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, sponsored an act allowing Newcastle to annexe Gateshead as its suburb. The main reason for this was to allow the Newcastle Hostmen, who controlled the export of Tyne coal, to get their hands on the Gateshead coal mines, previously controlled by the Bishop of Durham. However, when Mary I came to power, Dudley met his downfall and the decision was reversed. The Reformation allowed private access to coal mines previously owned by Tynemouth and Durham priories and as a result coal exports increase dramatically, from 15,000 tons in 1500 to 35,000 tons in 1565, and to 400,000 tons in 1625.

 

The plague visited Newcastle four times during the 16th century, in 1579 when 2,000 people died, in 1589 when 1700 died, in 1595 and finally in 1597.

 

In 1600 Elizabeth I granted Newcastle a charter for an exclusive body of electors, the right to elect the mayor and burgesses. The charter also gave the Hostmen exclusive rights to load coal at any point on the Tyne. The Hostmen developed as an exclusive group within the Merchant Adventurers who had been incorporated by a charter in 1547.

 

Stuart period

In 1636 there was a serious outbreak of bubonic plague in Newcastle. There had been several previous outbreaks of the disease over the years, but this was the most serious. It is thought to have arrived from the Netherlands via ships that were trading between the Tyne and that country. It first appeared in the lower part of the town near the docks but gradually spread to all parts of the town. As the disease gained hold the authorities took measures to control it by boarding up any properties that contained infected persons, meaning that whole families were locked up together with the infected family members. Other infected persons were put in huts outside the town walls and left to die. Plague pits were dug next to the town's four churches and outside the town walls to receive the bodies in mass burials. Over the course of the outbreak 5,631 deaths were recorded out of an estimated population of 12,000, a death rate of 47%.

 

In 1637 Charles I tried to raise money by doubling the 'voluntary' tax on coal in return for allowing the Newcastle Hostmen to regulate production and fix prices. This caused outrage amongst the London importers and the East Anglian shippers. Both groups decided to boycott Tyne coal and as a result forced Charles to reverse his decision in 1638.

 

In 1640 during the Second Bishops' War, the Scots successfully invaded Newcastle. The occupying army demanded £850 per day from the Corporation to billet the Scottish troops. Trade from the Tyne ground to a halt during the occupation. The Scots left in 1641 after receiving a Parliamentary pardon and a £4,000,000 loan from the town.

 

In 1642 the English Civil War began. King Charles realised the value of the Tyne coal trade and therefore garrisoned Newcastle. A Royalist was appointed as governor. At that time, Newcastle and King's Lynn were the only important seaports to support the crown. In 1644 Parliament blockaded the Tyne to prevent the king from receiving revenue from the Tyne coal trade. Coal exports fell from 450,000 to 3,000 tons and London suffered a hard winter without fuel. Parliament encouraged the coal trade from the Wear to try to replace that lost from Newcastle but that was not enough to make up for the lost Tyneside tonnage.

 

In 1644 the Scots crossed the border. Newcastle strengthened its defences in preparation. The Scottish army, with 40,000 troops, besieged Newcastle for three months until the garrison of 1,500 surrendered. During the siege, the Scots bombarded the walls with their artillery, situated in Gateshead and Castle Leazes. The Scottish commander threatened to destroy the steeple of St Nicholas's Church by gunfire if the mayor, Sir John Marley, did not surrender the town. The mayor responded by placing Scottish prisoners that they had captured in the steeple, so saving it from destruction. The town walls were finally breached by a combination of artillery and sapping. In gratitude for this defence, Charles gave Newcastle the motto 'Fortiter Defendit Triumphans' to be added to its coat of arms. The Scottish army occupied Northumberland and Durham for two years. The coal taxes had to pay for the Scottish occupation. In 1645 Charles surrendered to the Scots and was imprisoned in Newcastle for nine months. After the Civil War the coal trade on the Tyne soon picked up and exceeded its pre-war levels.

 

A new Guildhall was completed on the Sandhill next to the river in 1655, replacing an earlier facility damaged by fire in 1639, and became the meeting place of Newcastle Town Council. In 1681 the Hospital of the Holy Jesus was built partly on the site of the Austin Friars. The Guildhall and Holy Jesus Hospital still exist.

 

Charles II tried to impose a charter on Newcastle to give the king the right to appoint the mayor, sheriff, recorder and town clerk. Charles died before the charter came into effect. In 1685, James II tried to replace Corporation members with named Catholics. However, James' mandate was suspended in 1689 after the Glorious Revolution welcoming William of Orange. In 1689, after the fall of James II, the people of Newcastle tore down his bronze equestrian statue in Sandhill and tossed it into the Tyne. The bronze was later used to make bells for All Saints Church.

 

In 1689 the Lort Burn was covered over. At this time it was an open sewer. The channel followed by the Lort Burn became the present day Dean Street. At that time, the centre of Newcastle was still the Sandhill area, with many merchants living along the Close or on the Side. The path of the main road through Newcastle ran from the single Tyne bridge, through Sandhill to the Side, a narrow street which climbed steeply on the north-east side of the castle hill until it reached the higher ground alongside St Nicholas' Church. As Newcastle developed, the Side became lined with buildings with projecting upper stories, so that the main street through Newcastle was a narrow, congested, steep thoroughfare.

 

In 1701 the Keelmen's Hospital was built in the Sandgate area of the city, using funds provided by the keelmen. The building still stands today.

 

Eighteenth century

In the 18th century, Newcastle was the country's largest print centre after London, Oxford and Cambridge, and the Literary and Philosophical Society of 1793, with its erudite debates and large stock of books in several languages predated the London Library by half a century.

 

In 1715, during the Jacobite rising in favour of the Old Pretender, an army of Jacobite supporters marched on Newcastle. Many of the Northumbrian gentry joined the rebels. The citizens prepared for its arrival by arresting Jacobite supporters and accepting 700 extra recruits into the local militia. The gates of the city were closed against the rebels. This proved enough to delay an attack until reinforcements arrived forcing the rebel army to move across to the west coast. The rebels finally surrendered at Preston.

 

In 1745, during a second Jacobite rising in favour of the Young Pretender, a Scottish army crossed the border led by Bonnie Prince Charlie. Once again Newcastle prepared by arresting Jacobite supporters and inducting 800 volunteers into the local militia. The town walls were strengthened, most of the gates were blocked up and some 200 cannon were deployed. 20,000 regulars were billeted on the Town Moor. These preparations were enough to force the rebel army to travel south via the west coast. They were eventually defeated at Culloden in 1746.

 

Newcastle's actions during the 1715 rising in resisting the rebels and declaring for George I, in contrast to the rest of the region, is the most likely source of the nickname 'Geordie', applied to people from Tyneside, or more accurately Newcastle. Another theory, however, is that the name 'Geordie' came from the inventor of the Geordie lamp, George Stephenson. It was a type of safety lamp used in mining, but was not invented until 1815. Apparently the term 'German Geordie' was in common use during the 18th century.

 

The city's first hospital, Newcastle Infirmary opened in 1753; it was funded by public subscription. A lying-in hospital was established in Newcastle in 1760. The city's first public hospital for mentally ill patients, Wardens Close Lunatic Hospital was opened in October 1767.

 

In 1771 a flood swept away much of the bridge at Newcastle. The bridge had been built in 1250 and repaired after a flood in 1339. The bridge supported various houses and three towers and an old chapel. A blue stone was placed in the middle of the bridge to mark the boundary between Newcastle and the Palatinate of Durham. A temporary wooden bridge had to be built, and this remained in use until 1781, when a new stone bridge was completed. The new bridge consisted of nine arches. In 1801, because of the pressure of traffic, the bridge had to be widened.

 

A permanent military presence was established in the city with the completion of Fenham Barracks in 1806. The facilities at the Castle for holding assizes, which had been condemned for their inconvenience and unhealthiness, were replaced when the Moot Hall opened in August 1812.

 

Victorian period

Present-day Newcastle owes much of its architecture to the work of the builder Richard Grainger, aided by architects John Dobson, Thomas Oliver, John and Benjamin Green and others. In 1834 Grainger won a competition to produce a new plan for central Newcastle. He put this plan into effect using the above architects as well as architects employed in his own office. Grainger and Oliver had already built Leazes Terrace, Leazes Crescent and Leazes Place between 1829 and 1834. Grainger and Dobson had also built the Royal Arcade at the foot of Pilgrim Street between 1830 and 1832. The most ambitious project covered 12 acres 12 acres (49,000 m2) in central Newcastle, on the site of Newe House (also called Anderson Place). Grainger built three new thoroughfares, Grey Street, Grainger Street and Clayton Street with many connecting streets, as well as the Central Exchange and the Grainger Market. John Wardle and George Walker, working in Grainger's office, designed Clayton Street, Grainger Street and most of Grey Street. Dobson designed the Grainger Market and much of the east side of Grey Street. John and Benjamin Green designed the Theatre Royal at the top of Grey Street, where Grainger placed the column of Grey's Monument as a focus for the whole scheme. Grey Street is considered to be one of the finest streets in the country, with its elegant curve. Unfortunately most of old Eldon Square was demolished in the 1960s in the name of progress. The Royal Arcade met a similar fate.

 

In 1849 a new bridge was built across the river at Newcastle. This was the High Level Bridge, designed by Robert Stephenson, and slightly up river from the existing bridge. The bridge was designed to carry road and rail traffic across the Tyne Gorge on two decks with rail traffic on the upper deck and road traffic on the lower. The new bridge meant that traffic could pass through Newcastle without having to negotiate the steep, narrow Side, as had been necessary for centuries. The bridge was opened by Queen Victoria, who one year later opened the new Central Station, designed by John Dobson. Trains were now able to cross the river, directly into the centre of Newcastle and carry on up to Scotland. The Army Riding School was also completed in 1849.

 

In 1854 a large fire started on the Gateshead quayside and an explosion caused it to spread across the river to the Newcastle quayside. A huge conflagration amongst the narrow alleys, or 'chares', destroyed the homes of 800 families as well as many business premises. The narrow alleys that had been destroyed were replaced by streets containing blocks of modern offices.

 

In 1863 the Town Hall in St Nicholas Square replaced the Guildhall as the meeting place of Newcastle Town Council.

 

In 1876 the low level bridge was replaced by a new bridge known as the Swing Bridge, so called because the bridge was able to swing horizontally on a central axis and allow ships to pass on either side. This meant that for the first time sizeable ships could pass up-river beyond Newcastle. The bridge was built and paid for by William Armstrong, a local arms manufacturer, who needed to have warships access his Elswick arms factory to fit armaments to them. The Swing Bridge's rotating mechanism is adapted from the cannon mounts developed in Armstrong's arms works. In 1882 the Elswick works began to build ships as well as to arm them. The Barrack Road drill hall was completed in 1890.

 

Industrialisation

In the 19th century, shipbuilding and heavy engineering were central to the city's prosperity; and the city was a powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution. Newcastle's development as a major city owed most to its central role in the production and export of coal. The phrase "taking coals to Newcastle" was first recorded in 1538; it proverbially denotes bringing a particular commodity to a place that has more than enough of it already.

 

Innovation in Newcastle and surrounding areas included the following:

 

George Stephenson developed a miner's safety lamp at the same time that Humphry Davy developed a rival design. The lamp made possible the opening up of ever deeper mines to provide the coal that powered the industrial revolution.

George and his son Robert Stephenson were hugely influential figures in the development of the early railways. George developed Blücher, a locomotive working at Killingworth colliery in 1814, whilst Robert was instrumental in the design of Rocket, a revolutionary design that was the forerunner of modern locomotives. Both men were involved in planning and building railway lines, all over this country and abroad.

 

Joseph Swan demonstrated a working electric light bulb about a year before Thomas Edison did the same in the USA. This led to a dispute as to who had actually invented the light bulb. Eventually the two rivals agreed to form a mutual company between them, the Edison and Swan Electric Light Company, known as Ediswan.

 

Charles Algernon Parsons invented the steam turbine, for marine use and for power generation. He used Turbinia, a small, turbine-powered ship, to demonstrate the speed that a steam turbine could generate. Turbinia literally ran rings around the British Fleet at a review at Spithead in 1897.

 

William Armstrong invented a hydraulic crane that was installed in dockyards up and down the country. He then began to design light, accurate field guns for the British army. These were a vast improvement on the existing guns that were then in use.

 

The following major industries developed in Newcastle or its surrounding area:

 

Glassmaking

A small glass industry existed in Newcastle from the mid-15th century. In 1615 restrictions were put on the use of wood for manufacturing glass. It was found that glass could be manufactured using the local coal, and so a glassmaking industry grew up on Tyneside. Huguenot glassmakers came over from France as refugees from persecution and set up glasshouses in the Skinnerburn area of Newcastle. Eventually, glass production moved to the Ouseburn area of Newcastle. In 1684 the Dagnia family, Sephardic Jewish emigrants from Altare, arrived in Newcastle from Stourbridge and established glasshouses along the Close, to manufacture high quality flint glass. The glass manufacturers used sand ballast from the boats arriving in the river as the main raw material. The glassware was then exported in collier brigs. The period from 1730 to 1785 was the highpoint of Newcastle glass manufacture, when the local glassmakers produced the 'Newcastle Light Baluster'. The glassmaking industry still exists in the west end of the city with local Artist and Glassmaker Jane Charles carrying on over four hundred years of hot glass blowing in Newcastle upon Tyne.

 

Locomotive manufacture

In 1823 George Stephenson and his son Robert established the world's first locomotive factory near Forth Street in Newcastle. Here they built locomotives for the Stockton and Darlington Railway and the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, as well as many others. It was here that the famous locomotive Rocket was designed and manufactured in preparation for the Rainhill Trials. Apart from building locomotives for the British market, the Newcastle works also produced locomotives for Europe and America. The Forth Street works continued to build locomotives until 1960.

 

Shipbuilding

In 1296 a wooden, 135 ft (41 m) long galley was constructed at the mouth of the Lort Burn in Newcastle, as part of a twenty-ship order from the king. The ship cost £205, and is the earliest record of shipbuilding in Newcastle. However the rise of the Tyne as a shipbuilding area was due to the need for collier brigs for the coal export trade. These wooden sailing ships were usually built locally, establishing local expertise in building ships. As ships changed from wood to steel, and from sail to steam, the local shipbuilding industry changed to build the new ships. Although shipbuilding was carried out up and down both sides of the river, the two main areas for building ships in Newcastle were Elswick, to the west, and Walker, to the east. By 1800 Tyneside was the third largest producer of ships in Britain. Unfortunately, after the Second World War, lack of modernisation and competition from abroad gradually caused the local industry to decline and die.

 

Armaments

In 1847 William Armstrong established a huge factory in Elswick, west of Newcastle. This was initially used to produce hydraulic cranes but subsequently began also to produce guns for both the army and the navy. After the Swing Bridge was built in 1876 allowing ships to pass up river, warships could have their armaments fitted alongside the Elswick works. Armstrong's company took over its industrial rival, Joseph Whitworth of Manchester in 1897.

 

Steam turbines

Charles Algernon Parsons invented the steam turbine and, in 1889, founded his own company C. A. Parsons and Company in Heaton, Newcastle to make steam turbines. Shortly after this, he realised that steam turbines could be used to propel ships and, in 1897, he founded a second company, Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company in Wallsend. It is there that he designed and manufactured Turbinia. Parsons turbines were initially used in warships but soon came to be used in merchant and passenger vessels, including the liner Mauretania which held the blue riband for the Atlantic crossing until 1929. Parsons' company in Heaton began to make turbo-generators for power stations and supplied power stations all over the world. The Heaton works, reduced in size, remains as part of the Siemens AG industrial giant.

 

Pottery

In 1762 the Maling pottery was founded in Sunderland by French Huguenots, but transferred to Newcastle in 1817. A factory was built in the Ouseburn area of the city. The factory was rebuilt twice, finally occupying a 14-acre (57,000 m2) site that was claimed to be the biggest pottery in the world and which had its own railway station. The pottery pioneered use of machines in making potteries as opposed to hand production. In the 1890s the company went up-market and employed in-house designers. The period up to the Second World War was the most profitable with a constant stream of new designs being introduced. However, after the war, production gradually declined and the company closed in 1963.

 

Expansion of the city

Newcastle was one of the boroughs reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835: the reformed municipal borough included the parishes of Byker, Elswick, Heaton, Jesmond, Newcastle All Saints, Newcastle St Andrew, Newcastle St John, Newcastle St Nicholas, and Westgate. The urban districts of Benwell and Fenham and Walker were added in 1904. In 1935, Newcastle gained Kenton and parts of the parishes of West Brunton, East Denton, Fawdon, Longbenton. The most recent expansion in Newcastle's boundaries took place under the Local Government Act 1972 on 1 April 1974, when Newcastle became a metropolitan borough, also including the urban districts of Gosforth and Newburn, and the parishes of Brunswick, Dinnington, Hazlerigg, North Gosforth and Woolsington from the Castle Ward Rural District, and the village of Westerhope.

 

Meanwhile Northumberland County Council was formed under the Local Government Act 1888 and benefited from a dedicated meeting place when County Hall was completed in the Castle Garth area of Newcastle in 1910. Following the Local Government Act 1972 County Hall relocated to Morpeth in April 1981.

 

Twentieth century

In 1925 work began on a new high-level road bridge to span the Tyne Gorge between Newcastle and Gateshead. The capacity of the existing High-Level Bridge and Swing Bridge were being strained to the limit, and an additional bridge had been discussed for a long time. The contract was awarded to the Dorman Long Company and the bridge was finally opened by King George V in 1928. The road deck was 84 feet (26 m) above the river and was supported by a 531 feet (162 m) steel arch. The new Tyne Bridge quickly became a symbol for Newcastle and Tyneside, and remains so today.

 

During the Second World War, Newcastle was largely spared the horrors inflicted upon other British cities bombed during the Blitz. Although the armaments factories and shipyards along the River Tyne were targeted by the Luftwaffe, they largely escaped unscathed. Manors goods yard and railway terminal, to the east of the city centre, and the suburbs of Jesmond and Heaton suffered bombing during 1941. There were 141 deaths and 587 injuries, a relatively small figure compared to the casualties in other industrial centres of Britain.

 

In 1963 the city gained its own university, the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, by act of parliament. A School of Medicine and Surgery had been established in Newcastle in 1834. This eventually developed into a college of medicine attached to Durham University. A college of physical science was also founded and became Armstrong College in 1904. In 1934 the two colleges merged to become King's College, Durham. This remained as part of Durham University until the new university was created in 1963. In 1992 the city gained its second university when Newcastle Polytechnic was granted university status as Northumbria University.

 

Newcastle City Council moved to the new Newcastle Civic Centre in 1968.

 

As heavy industries declined in the second half of the 20th century, large sections of the city centre were demolished along with many areas of slum housing. The leading political figure in the city during the 1960s was T. Dan Smith who oversaw a massive building programme of highrise housing estates and authorised the demolition of a quarter of the Georgian Grainger Town to make way for Eldon Square Shopping Centre. Smith's control in Newcastle collapsed when it was exposed that he had used public contracts to advantage himself and his business associates and for a time Newcastle became a byword for civic corruption as depicted in the films Get Carter and Stormy Monday and in the television series Our Friends in the North. However, much of the historic Grainger Town area survived and was, for the most part, fully restored in the late 1990s. Northumberland Street, initially the A1, was gradually closed to traffic from the 1970s and completely pedestrianised by 1998.

 

In 1978 a new rapid transport system, the Metro, was built, linking the Tyneside area. The system opened in August 1980. A new bridge was built to carry the Metro across the river between Gateshead and Newcastle. This was the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, commonly known as the Metro Bridge. Eventually the Metro system was extended to reach Newcastle Airport in 1991, and in 2002 the Metro system was extended to the nearby city of Sunderland.

 

As the 20th century progressed, trade on the Newcastle and Gateshead quaysides gradually declined, until by the 1980s both sides of the river were looking rather derelict. Shipping company offices had closed along with offices of firms related to shipping. There were also derelict warehouses lining the riverbank. Local government produced a master plan to re-develop the Newcastle quayside and this was begun in the 1990s. New offices, restaurants, bars and residential accommodation were built and the area has changed in the space of a few years into a vibrant area, partially returning the focus of Newcastle to the riverside, where it was in medieval times.

 

The Gateshead Millennium Bridge, a foot and cycle bridge, 26 feet (7.9 m) wide and 413 feet (126 m) long, was completed in 2001. The road deck is in the form of a curve and is supported by a steel arch. To allow ships to pass, the whole structure, both arch and road-deck, rotates on huge bearings at either end so that the road deck is lifted. The bridge can be said to open and shut like a human eye. It is an important addition to the re-developed quayside area, providing a vital link between the Newcastle and Gateshead quaysides.

 

Recent developments

Today the city is a vibrant centre for office and retail employment, but just a short distance away there are impoverished inner-city housing estates, in areas originally built to provide affordable housing for employees of the shipyards and other heavy industries that lined the River Tyne. In the 2010s Newcastle City Council began implementing plans to regenerate these depressed areas, such as those along the Ouseburn Valley.

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Kathakali (Malayalam: കഥകളി, kathakaḷi; Sanskrit: कथाकळिः, kathākaḷiḥ) is a stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion. It originated in the country's present day state of Kerala during the 17th century and has developed over the years with improved looks, refined gestures and added themes besides more ornate singing and precise drumming.

 

HISTORY

Popular belief is that kathakali is emerged from "Krishnanattam", the dance drama on the life and activities of Lord Krishna created by Sri Manavedan Raja, the Zamorin of Calicut (1585-1658 AD). Once Kottarakkara Thampuran, the Raja of Kottarakkara who was attracted by Krishnanattam requested the Zamorin for the loan of a troupe of performers. Due to the political rivalry between the two, Zamorin did not allow this. So Kottarakkara Thampuran created another art form called Ramanattam which was later transformed into Aattakatha. Krishnanaattam was written in Sanskrit, and Ramanattam was in Malayalam. By the end of 17th century, Attakatha was presented to the world with the title 'Kathakali'.

 

Kathakali also shares a lot of similarities with Krishnanattam, Koodiyattam (a classical Sanskrit drama existing in Kerala) and Ashtapadiyattam (an adaptation of 12th-century musical called Gitagovindam). It also incorporates several other elements from traditional and ritualistic art forms like Mudiyettu, Thiyyattu, Theyyam and Padayani besides a minor share of folk arts like Porattunatakam. All along, the martial art of Kalarippayattu has influenced the body language of Kathakali. The use of Malayalam, the local language (albeit as a mix of Sanskrit and Malayalam, called 'Manipravaalam'), has also helped the literature of Kathakali sound more transparent for the average audience.

 

As a part of modernising, propagating, promoting and popularizing Kathakali, the International Centre for Kathakali at New Delhi has taken up a continuing project since 1980 of producing new plays based on not only traditional and mythological stories, but also historical stories, European classics and Shakespeare's plays. Recently they produced Kathakali plays based on Shakespeare's Othello and Greek-Roman mythology of Psyche and Cupid.

 

Even though the lyrics/literature would qualify as another independent element called Sahithyam, it is considered as a component of Geetha or music, as it plays only a supplementary role to Nritham, Nrithyam and Natyam.

 

KATHAKALI PLAYS

Traditionally there are 101 classical Kathakali stories, though the commonly staged among them these days total less than one-third that number. Almost all of them were initially composed to last a whole night. Nowadays, there is increasing popularity for concise, or oftener select, versions of stories so as the performance lasts not more than three to four hours from evening. Thus, many stories find stage presentation in parts rather than totality. And the selection is based on criteria like choreographical beauty, thematic relevance/popularity or their melodramatic elements. Kathakali is a classical art form, but it can be appreciated also by novices—all contributed by the elegant looks of its character, their abstract movement and its synchronisation with the musical notes and rhythmic beats. And, in any case, the folk elements too continue to exist. For better appreciation, perhaps, it is still good to have an idea of the story being enacted.

 

The most popular stories enacted are Nalacharitham (a story from the Mahabharata), Duryodhana Vadham (focusing on the Mahabharata war after profiling the build-up to it), Kalyanasougandhikam, (the story of Bhima going to get flowers for his wife Panchali), Keechakavadham (another story of Bhima and Panchali, but this time during their stint in disguise), Kiratham (Arjuna and Lord Shiva's fight, from the Mahabharata), Karnashapatham (another story from the Mahabharata), Nizhalkuthu and Bhadrakalivijayam authored by Pannisseri Nanu Pillai. Also staged frequently include stories like Kuchelavrittam, Santanagopalam, Balivijayam, Dakshayagam, Rugminiswayamvaram, Kalakeyavadham, Kirmeeravadham, Bakavadham, Poothanamoksham, Subhadraharanam, Balivadham, Rugmangadacharitam, Ravanolbhavam, Narakasuravadham, Uttaraswayamvaram, Harishchandracharitam, Kacha-Devayani and Kamsavadham.

 

Recently, as part of attempts to further popularise the art, stories from other cultures and mythologies, such as those of Mary Magdalene from the Bible, Homer's Iliad, and William Shakespeare's King Lear and Julius Caesar besides Goethe's Faust too have been adapted into Kathakali scripts and on to its stage. Synopsis of 37 kathakali stories are available in kathakalinews.com.

 

MUSIC

The language of the songs used for Kathakali is Manipravalam. Though most of the songs are set in ragas based on the microtone-heavy Carnatic music, there is a distinct style of plain-note rendition, which is known as the Sopanam style. This typically Kerala style of rendition takes its roots from the temple songs which used to be sung (continues even now at several temples) at the time when Kathakali was born.

 

As with the acting style, Kathakali music also has singers from the northern and southern schools. The northern style has largely been groomed by Kerala Kalamandalam in the 20th century. Kalamandalam Neelakantan Nambisan, an overarching Kathakali musician of those times, was a product of the institute. His prominent disciples include Kalamandalam Unnikrishna Kurup, Kalamandalam Gangadharan, Kalamandalam P.G. Radhakrishnan, Rama Varrier, Madambi Subramanian Namboodiri, Tirur Nambissan, Kalamandalam Sankaran Embranthiri, Kalamandalam Hyderali, Kalamandalam Haridas, Subramanian, Kalanilayam Unnikrishnan and Kalamandalam Bhavadasan. The other prominent musicians of the north feature Kottakkal Vasu Nedungadi, Kottakkal Parameswaran Namboodiri, Kottakkal P.D. Narayanan Namboodiri, Kottakkal Narayanan, Kalamandalam Anantha NarayananKalamandalam Sreekumar Palanad Divakaran, Kalanilayam Rajendran, Kolathappilli Narayanan Namboodiri, Kalamandalam Narayanan Embranthiri, Kottakkal Madhu, Kalamandalam Babu Namboodiri, Kalamandalam Harish and Kalamandalam Vinod. In the south, some of whom are equally popular in the north these days, include Pathiyur Sankarankutty. Southerner musicians of the older generation include Cherthala Thankappa Panikker, Thakazhi Kuttan Pillai, Cherthala Kuttappa Kurup, Thanneermukkam Viswambharan and Mudakkal Gopinathan.

 

PERFORMANCE

Traditionally, a Kathakali performance is usually conducted at night and ends in early morning. Nowadays it isn't difficult to see performances as short as three hours or fewer. Kathakali is usually performed in front of the huge Kalivilakku (kali meaning dance; vilakku meaning lamp) with its thick wick sunk till the neck in coconut oil. Traditionally, this lamp used to provide sole light when the plays used to be performed inside temples, palaces or abodes houses of nobles and aristocrats. Enactment of a play by actors takes place to the accompaniment of music (geetha) and instruments (vadya). The percussion instruments used are chenda, maddalam (both of which underwent revolutionary changes in their aesthetics with the contributions of Kalamandalam Krishnankutty Poduval and Kalamandalam Appukutty Poduval) and, at times, edakka. In addition, the singers (the lead singer is called “ponnani” and his follower is called “singidi”) use chengila (gong made of bell metal, which can be struck with a wooden stick) and ilathalam (a pair of cymbals). The lead singer in some sense uses the Chengala to conduct the Vadyam and Geetha components, just as a conductor uses his wand in western classical music. A distinguishing characteristic of this art form is that the actors never speak but use hand gestures, expressions and rhythmic dancing instead of dialogue (but for a couple of rare characters).

 

ACTING

A Kathakali actor uses immense concentration, skill and physical stamina, gained from regimented training based on Kalaripayattu, the ancient martial art of Kerala, to prepare for his demanding role. The training can often last for 8–10 years, and is intensive. In Kathakali, the story is enacted purely by the movements of the hands (called mudras or hand gestures) and by facial expressions (rasas) and bodily movements. The expressions are derived from Natyashastra (the tome that deals with the science of expressions) and are classified into nine as in most Indian classical art forms. Dancers also undergo special practice sessions to learn control of their eye movements.

 

There are 24 basic mudras—the permutation and combination of which would add up a chunk of the hand gestures in vogue today. Each can again can be classified into 'Samaana-mudras'(one mudra symbolising two entities) or misra-mudras (both the hands are used to show these mudras). The mudras are a form of sign language used to tell the story.

 

The main facial expressions of a Kathakali artist are the 'navarasams' (Navarasas in anglicised form) (literal translation: Nine Tastes, but more loosely translated as nine feelings or expressions) which are Sringaram (amour), Hasyam (ridicule, humour), Bhayanakam (fear), Karunam (pathos), Roudram (anger, wrath), Veeram (valour), Beebhatsam (disgust), Adbhutam (wonder, amazement), Shantam (tranquility, peace). The link at the end of the page gives more details on Navarasas.

 

One of the most interesting aspects of Kathakali is its elaborate make-up code. Most often, the make-up can be classified into five basic sets namely Pachcha, Kathi, Kari, Thaadi, and Minukku. The differences between these sets lie in the predominant colours that are applied on the face. Pachcha (meaning green) has green as the dominant colour and is used to portray noble male characters who are said to have a mixture of "Satvik" (pious) and "Rajasik" (dark; Rajas = darkness) nature. Rajasik characters having an evil streak ("tamasic"= evil) -- all the same they are anti-heroes in the play (such as the demon king Ravana) -- and portrayed with streaks of red in a green-painted face. Excessively evil characters such as demons (totally tamasic) have a predominantly red make-up and a red beard. They are called Red Beard (Red Beard). Tamasic characters such as uncivilised hunters and woodsmen are represented with a predominantly black make-up base and a black beard and are called black beard (meaning black beard). Women and ascetics have lustrous, yellowish faces and this semi-realistic category forms the fifth class. In addition, there are modifications of the five basic sets described above such as Vella Thadi (white beard) used to depict Hanuman (the Monkey-God) and Pazhuppu, which is majorly used for Lord Shiva and Balabhadra.

 

NOTABLE TRAINING CENTRES & MASTERS

Kathakali artistes need assiduous grooming for almost a decade's time, and most masters are products of accomplished institutions that give a minimum training course of half-a-dozen years. The leading Kathakali schools (some of them started during the pre-Independent era India) are Kerala Kalamandalam (located in Cheruthuruthy near Shoranur), PSV Natya Sangham (located in Kottakal near Kozhikode), Sadanam Kathakali and Classical Arts Academy (or Gandhi Seva Sadan located in Perur near Ottappalam in Palakkad), Unnayi Varier Smaraka Kalanilayam (located in Irinjalakuda south of Thrissur), Margi in Thiruvananthapuram, Muthappan Kaliyogam at Parassinikkadavu in Kannur district and RLV School at Tripunithura off Kochi and Kalabharathi at Pakalkkuri near Kottarakkara in Kollam district, Sandarshan Kathakali Kendram in Ambalapuzha and Vellinazhi Nanu Nair Smaraka Kalakendra in Kuruvattor. Outside Kerala, Kathakali is being taught at the International Centre for Kathakali in New Delhi, Santiniketan at Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal, Kalakshetra in Chennai and Darpana Academy in Ahmedabad among others. PadmaSree Guru Chengannur Raman Pillai mostly known as 'Guru Chengannur'was running a traditional Gurukula Style approach to propagate Kathakali.

 

‘Guru Chengannur” is ever renowned as the Sovereign Guru of Kathakali. His precision in using symbols, gestures and steps were highest in the field of Kathakali. Guru Chegannur's kaththi vesham, especially the portrayal of Duryodhana enthralled the audience every time he performed. A master of the art, he found immense happiness and satisfaction in the success and recognition of his disciples.

 

Senior Kathakali exponents of today include Padma Bhushan Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair, Padma Shri Kalamandalam Gopi, Madavoor Vasudevan Nair, Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair, Kottakkal Krishnankutty Nair, Mankompu Sivasankara Pillai, Sadanam Krishnankutty, Nelliyode Vasudevan Namboodiri, Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharody, FACT Padmanabhan, Kottakkal Chandrasekharan, Margi Vijayakumar, Kottakkal Nandakumaran Nair, Vazhenkada Vijayan, Inchakkattu Ramachandran Pillai, Kalamandalam Kuttan, Mayyanad Kesavan Namboodiri, Mathur Govindan Kutty, Narippatta Narayanan Namboodiri, Chavara Parukutty, Thonnakkal Peethambaran, Sadanam Balakrishnan, Kalanilayam Gopalakrishnan, Chirakkara Madhavankutty, Sadanam K. Harikumaran, Thalavadi Aravindan, Kalanilayam Balakrishnan, Pariyanampatta Divakaran, Kottakkal Kesavan, Kalanilayam Gopi and Kudamaloor Muralikrishnan. The late titan actor-dancers of Kathakali's modern age (say, since the 1930s) include Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon, Chenganoor Raman Pillai, Chandu Panicker, Thakazhi Guru Kunchu Kurup, Padma Shri Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair, Padma Shri Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair, Kavalappara Narayanan Nair, Kurichi Kunhan Panikkar, Thekkinkattil Ramunni Nair, Padma Shri Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair, Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair, Mankulam Vishnu Namboodiri, Oyur Kochu Govinda Pillai, Vellinezhi Nanu Nair, Padma Shri Kavungal Chathunni Panikkar, Kudamaloor Karunakaran Nair, Kottakkal Sivaraman, Kannan Pattali, Pallippuram Gopalan Nair, Haripad Ramakrishna Pillai, Champakkulam Pachu Pillai, Chennithala Chellappan Pillai, Guru Mampuzha Madhava Panicker, and Vaikkom Karunakaran.

 

Kathakali is still hugely a male domain but, since the 1970s, females too have made entry into the art form on a recognisable scale. The central Kerala temple town of Tripunithura has, in fact, a ladies troupe (with members belonging to several part of the state) that performs Kathakali, by and large in Travancore.

 

KATHAKALI STYLES

Known as Sampradäyaṃ(Malayalam: സമ്പ്രദായം); these are leading Kathakali styles that differ from each other in subtleties like choreographic profile, position of hand gestures and stress on dance than drama and vice versa. Some of the major original kathakali styles included:

 

Vettathu Sampradayam

Kalladikkodan Sampradyam

Kaplingadu Sampradayam

 

Of late, these have narrowed down to the northern (Kalluvazhi) and southern (Thekkan) styles. It was largely developed by the legendary Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon (1881-1949) that is implemented in Kerala Kalamandalam (though it has also a department that teaches the southern style), Sadanam, RLV and Kottakkal. Margi has its training largely based on the Thekkan style, known for its stress on drama and part-realistic techniques. Kalanilayam, effectively, churns out students with a mix of both styles.

 

OTHER FORMS OD DANCE & OFFSHOOTS

Kerala Natanam is a kind of dance form, partly based on Kathakali techniques and aesthetics, developed and stylised by the late dancer Guru Gopinath in the mid-20th century. Kathakali also finds portrayal in Malayalam feature films like Vanaprastham, Parinayam, Marattam, and Rangam. Besides documentary films have also been shot on Kathakali artistes like Chenganoor Raman Pillai, Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair, Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair, Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair, Kalamandalam Gopi and Kottakkal Sivaraman.

 

As for fictional literature, Kathakali finds mention in several Malayalam short stories like Karmen (by N.S. Madhavan) and novels like Keshabharam (by P.V. Sreevalsan). Even the Indo-Anglian work like Arundhati Roy's Booker prize-winning The God of Small Things has a chapter on Kathakali, while, of late, Anita Nair's novel, Mistress, is entirely wrapped in the ethos of Kathakali.

 

Similar musical theater is popular in Kasaragod and the coastal and Malenadu regions of Karnataka, viz. Yakshagana. Though Yakshagana resembles Kathakali in terms of its costume and makeup to an extent, Yakshagana is markedly different from Kathakali as it involves dialogues and method acting also the narration is in Kannada, wherein philosophical debates are also possible within framework of the character. As per records the art form of Yakshagana was already rooted and well established at the time of Sri Manavedan Raja. There is possibilities of its significant influence in formation of Kathakkali as the troupe of performers of "Krishnanattam" designed the basic costume of the art form already established in other parts of south India including Males playing the female roles (until more recently).

 

Kottayam thamburan's way of presenting kathakali was later known as Kalladikkoden sambradayam. Chathu Paniker,the introducer of Kallikkoden Sambrathayam, stayed in Kottayam for five years with Kottayam Thamburan's residence and practiced Kalladikkoden Sambrathayam. Then he returned to his home place. After a short period Chathu Paniker reached Pulapatta as instructed by Kuthiravattath nair. That was around the year ME 865. Many deciples from Kadathanadu, Kurumbra nadu, Vettathu nadu, Palakkadu and Perumpadappu studied kathakali(Kalladikkoden Sambrathayam ) By that time Chathu Paniker was an old man. Some years later he died from Pulapatta.

 

NOTED KATHAKALI VILLAGES & BELTS

There are certain pockets in Kerala that have given birth to many Kathakali artistes over the years. If they can be called Kathakali villages (or some of them, these days, towns), here are some of them: Vellinezhi, Kuruvattoor, Karalmanna, Cherpulassery, Kothachira, peringode, sreekrishnapuram Kongad and Ottapalam in Palakkad district, Vazhenkada in Malappuram district, Thichur or Tichoor, Guruvayur, Thiruvilwamala and Irinjalakuda in Thrissur district, Tripunithura, Edappally, Thekkan Chittoor in Ernakulam district and Kuttanad, Harippad belt in Alappuzha district besides places in and around Thiruvanathapuram in south Travancore and Payyannur in north Malabar.

 

AWARDS FOR KATHAKALI ARTISTS

Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardees - Kathakali (1956–2005)

Nambeesan Smaraka Awards—For artistic performances related kathakali{1992-2008}

 

KATHAKALI ATTAMS (ELAKI ATTAMS)

Attams or more specifically "elaki attams" are sequences of acting within a story acted out with the help of mudras without support from vocal music. The actor has the freedom to change the script to suit his own individual preferences. The actor will be supported ably by Chenda, Maddalam, and Elathalam (compulsory), Chengila (not very compulsory).

 

The following are only some examples. 'Kailasa Udharanam' and 'Tapas Attam' are very important attams and these are described at the end. Two of the many references are Kathakali Prakaram, pages 95 to 142 by Pannisheri Nanu Pillai and Kathakaliyile Manodharmangal by Chavara Appukuttan Pillai.

 

VANA VARNANA: BHIMA IN KALYANA SAUGANDHIKA

Modern man looks at the forest, indeed the birthplace of primates, with a certain wonder and a certain respect. Kathakali characters are no exception.

 

When Pandavas were living in the forest, one day, a flower, not seen before, wafted by the wind, comes and falls at the feet of Panchali. Exhilarated by its beauty and smell, Panchali asks Bhima to bring her more such flowers. To her pleasure Bhima is ready to go at once. But Panchali asks him what he shall do for food and drink on the way. Bhima thinks and says "Food and Drink! Oh, this side glance (look) of yours. This look of longing. This look of anticipation. The very thought fills me up. I don't need any food and drink at all. Let me go." He takes his mace and off he goes. Ulsaham (enthusiasm) is his Sdhayi Bhavam (permanent feature).

 

"Let me go at once in search of this flower," says Bhima. "The scented wind is blowing from the southern side. Let me go that way." After walking some distance he sees a huge mountain called Gandhamadana and three ways. He decides to take the middle one which goes over the mountain. After going further "The forest is getting thicker. Big trees, big branches in all directions. The forest looks like a huge dark vessel into which even light can not penetrate. This is my (Bhima's) way. Nothing can hinder me." So saying he pulls down many trees. Sometimes he shatters the trees with his mace. Suddenly he sees an elephant. "Oh! Elephant." He describes it. Its trunk. Sharp ears.

 

The itching sensation in the body. It takes some mud and throws on the body. Oh good. Then it sucks water and throws on the body. Somewhat better. Slowly it starts dosing even though alert at times. A very huge python is approaching steadily. Suddenly it catches hold of the elephant's hind leg. The elephant wakes up and tries to disengage the python. The python pulls to one side. The elephant kicks and drags to the other side. This goes on for some time. Bhima looks to the other side where a hungry lion is looking for food. It comes running and strikes the elephants head and eats part of the brain and goes off. The python completes the rest. "Oh my god, how ruthless!" says Bhima and proceeds on his way.

 

UDYANA VARNANA: NALA IN NALACHARITHAM SECOND DAY

Descriptions of gardens are found in most dance forms of India and abroad. These are also common in Kathakali.

 

Newly married Nala and Damayanthi are walking in the garden. When Nala was lovingly looking at Damayanthi a flower falls on her. Nala is overjoyed and thinks that this is a kindness nature has shown on his wife. Nala says "On seeing the arrival of their queen, the trees and climbers are showing happiness by dropping flowers on you." He tells her, "See that tree. When I used to be alone the tree used to hug the climber and seemingly laugh at my condition." Then he looks at the tree and says, "Dear Tree, look at me now. See how fortunate I am with my beautiful wife."

 

Both wander about. A bumblebee flies towards Damayanthi. Immediately Nala protects her face with a kerchief. He looks at the bee and then at Damayanthi. He says, "On seeing your face the bee thought it was a flower and came to drink the nectar." Nala and Damayanthi listen to the sounds coming out of the garden. Damayanti says, "It appears that the whole garden is thrilled. The flowers are blooming and smiling. Cuckoos are singing and the bees are dancing. Gentle winds are blowing and rubbing against our bodies. How beautiful the whole garden looks." Then Nala says that the sun is going down and it is time for them to go back and takes her away.

 

SHABDA VARNANA: HANUMAN IN KALYANA SAUGANDHIKAM

While Bhima goes in search of the flower, here Hanuman is sitting doing Tapas with mind concentrated on Sri Rama.

 

When he hears the terrible noises made by Bhima in the forest he feels disturbed in doing his Tapas. He thinks "What is the reason for this?" Then the sounds become bigger. "What is this?" He thinks, "The sounds are getting bigger. Such a terrible noise. Is the sea coming up thinking that the time is ripe for the great deluge (Pralaya). Birds are flying helter-skelter. Trees look shocked. Even Kali Yuga is not here. Then what is it? Are mountains quarreling with each other? No, That can't be it. Indra had cut off the wings of mountains so that they don't quarrel. Is the sea changing its position? No it can't be. The sea has promised it will not change its position again. It can't break the promise." Hanuman starts looking for clues. "I see elephants and lions running in fear of somebody. Oh a huge man is coming this way. Oh, a hero is coming. He is pulling out trees and throwing it here and there. Okay. Let him come near, We will see."

 

THANDEDATTAM: RAVANA IN BALI VADHAM

After his theranottam Ravana is seen sitting on a stool. He says to himself "I am enjoying a lot of happiness. What is the reason for this?" Thinks. "Yes I know it. I did Tapas to Brahma and received all necessary boons. Afterwards I won all ten directions. I also defeated my elder brother Vaishravana. Then I lifted Kailas mountain when Siva and Parvathi were having a misunderstanding. Parvathi got frightened and embraced Siva in fear. Siva was so happy he gave a divine sword called Chandrahasa. Now the whole world is afraid of me. That is why I am enjoying so much happiness." He goes and sits on the stool. He looks far away. "Who is coming from a distance. he is coming fast. Oh, it is Akamba. Okay. Let me find out what news he has for me."

 

ASHRAMA VARNANA: ARJUNA IN KIRATHAM

Arjuna wants to do Tapas to Lord Siva and he is looking a suitable place in the Himalayan slopes. He comes to place where there is an ashram. Arjuna looks closely at the place. "Oh. What a beautiful place this is. A small river in which a very pure water is flowing. Some hermits are taking baths in the river. Some hermits are standing in the water and doing Tapsas. Some are facing the Sun. Some are standing in between five fires." Arjuna salutes the hermits from far. He says to himself "Look at this young one of a deer. It is looking for its mother. It seems to be hungry and thirsty. Nearby a female tiger is feeding its young ones. The little deer goes towards the tigress and pushes the young tiger cubs aside and starts drinking milk from the tigress. The tigress looks lovingly at the young deer and even licks its body as if it were its own child. How beautiful. How fulfilling."

 

Again he looks "Here on this side a mongoose and a serpent forgetting their enmity are hugging each other. This place is really strange and made divine by saints and hermits. Let me start my Tapas somewhere nearby."

 

A sloka called "Shikhini Shalabha" can be selected instead of the above if time permits.

 

AN ATTAM BASED ON A SLOKA

Sansrit slokas are sometimes shown in mudras and it has a pleasing and exhilarating effect. Different actors use slokas as per his own taste and liking. However, the slokas are taught to students during their training period. An example is given below.

 

Kusumo Kusumolpatti Shrooyathena Chathushyathe

Bale thava Mukhambuje Pashya Neelolpaladwayam

 

Meaning a flower blooming inside another flower is not known to history. But, my dear, in your lotus like face are seen two blue Neelolpala flowers (eyes).

 

A CONVERSATION BASED ON A SLOKA

Sanskrit slokas can also be used to express an intent. One such example is a sloka used by Arjuna addressed to Mathali the charioteer in Kalakeya Vadham. Sloka:

Pitha: Kushalee Mama hritha Bhujaam

Naatha Sachee Vallabha:

Maatha: kim nu Pralomacha Kushalinee

Soonurjayanthasthayo

Preethim va Kushchate Thadikshnavidhow

Cheta Samutkanuthe

Sutha: tvam Radhamashu Chodaya vayam

Dharmadivam Mathala

 

Meaning: The husband of Indrani and the lord of gods my father - Is he in good health? His son Jayantha - Is he strictly following the commands of his father? Oh, I am impatient to see all of them.

 

SWARGA VARNANA: ARJUNA IN KELAKEYA VADHAM

Arjuna goes to heaven on the invitation of his father, Indra. After taking permission from Indrani he goes out to see all the places in Swarga. First he sees a building, his father's palace. It is so huge with four entrances. It is made of materials superior to gold and jewels of the world. Then he goes ahead and sees Iravatha. Here he describes it as a huge elephant with four horns. He is afraid to touch it. Then he thinks that animals in Swarga can't be cruel like in the world and so thinking he goes and touches and salutes Iravatha. He describes the churning of the white sea by gods and demons with many details and how Iravatha also came out of the white sea due to this churning.

 

He walks on and sees his father's (Indra's) horse. It is described as being white and its mane is sizzling like the waves of the white sea from which it came. He touches and salutes the horse also. Then he goes to see the river of the sky (or milky way). He sees many birds by this river and how the birds fly and play is shown.

 

Then he sees the heavenly ladies. Some are collecting flowers, and one of them comes late and asks for some flowers for making garland. The others refuse. She goes to the Kalpa Vriksha and says "please give me some flowers." Immediately a shower of flowers occurs which she collects in her clothes and goes to make garlands chiding the others. "See... I also got flowers." After this he sees the music and dance of the heavenly ladies. First it starts with the adjustments of instruments Thamburu, Mridangam, Veena. Then the actual music starts along with the striking of cymbals. Then two or three types of dances are shown. Then comes juggling of balls. It is described by a sloka thus:

 

Ekopi Thraya Iva Bhathi Kandukoyam

 

Kanthayaa: Karathala Raktharaktha:

Abhrastho Nayanamareechi Neelaneelo

Popular belief is that kathakali is emerged from "Krishnanattam", the dance drama on the life and activities of Lord Krishna created by Sri Manavedan Raja, the Zamorin of Calicut (1585-1658 AD). Once Kottarakkara Thampuran, the Raja of Kottarakkara who was attracted by Krishnanattam requested the Zamorin for the loan of a troupe of performers. Due to the political rivalry between the two, Zamorin did not allow this. So Kottarakkara Thampuran created another art form called Ramanattam which was later transformed into Aattakatha. Krishnanaattam was written in Sanskrit, and Ramanattam was in Malayalam. By the end of 17th century, Attakatha was presented to the world with the title 'Kathakali'. Kathakali also shares a lot of similarities with Krishnanattam, Koodiyattam (a classical Sanskrit drama existing in Kerala) and Ashtapadiyattam (an adaptation of 12th-century musical called Gitagovindam). It also incorporates several other elements from traditional and ritualistic art forms like Mudiyettu, Thiyyattu, Theyyam and Padayani besides a minor share of folk arts like Porattunatakam. All along, the martial art of Kalarippayattu has influenced the body language of Kathakali. The use of Malayalam, the local language (albeit as a mix of Sanskrit and Malayalam, called ), has also helped the literature of Kathakali sound more transparent for the average audience. As a part of modernising, propagating, promoting and popularizing Kathakali, the International Centre for Kathakali at New Delhi has taken up a continuing project since 1980 of producing new plays based on not only traditional and mythological stories, but also historical stories, European classics and Shakespeare's plays. Recently they produced Kathakali plays based on Shakespeare's Othello and Greek-Roman mythology of Psyche and Cupid.

 

Even though the lyrics/literature would qualify as another independent element called Sahithyam, it is considered as a component of Geetha or music, as it plays only a supplementary role to

Bhumau Talcharana Naghamshu Gaurgaura:

 

Meaning One ball looks like three balls. When it is in the hands of the juggler, it takes the redness of the hands, when it goes up it takes the blueness of the eyes, when it strikes the ground it becomes white from the whiteness of the leg nails. Once a juggled ball falls down. Then she, the juggler, somehow manages to proceed and remarks "See.. how I can do it".

 

At one time a garment slips from a lady's body and she adjusts the cloth showing shameful shyness (Lajja). Then the ladies go in for a Kummi dance. As Arjuna was enjoying this dance, suddenly somebody calls him. Arjuna feels scared. "Oh God, where am I?" he says and beats a hasty retreat.

 

TAPAS ATTAM: RAVANA IN RAVANA ULBHAVAM

[Background: Mali, Sumali and Malyavan were three brothers ruling Sri Lanka. During a war between them and Indra, Indra requested help from Lord Vishnu and as a consequence Lord Vishnu killed Mali. Sumali and Malyavan escaped to Patala. Kaikasi was the daughter of Sumali. She wandered in the forest. She belong three boys through a great sage called Vishravassu. (Vishravassu had an earlier son called Vaishravana who became the richest among all people.) The eldest boy of Kaikasi was Ravana followed by Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana.]

 

SCENE 1

When Ravana was a young boy (Kutti Ravana vesham), one day he was sleeping on his mothers lap in a place called madhuvanam. At that time Kaikasi sees Vaishravana flying overhead in his vimana (mythical aeroplane). She thinks “Oh, that is Vaishravana, technically a brother of my son who is sleeping on my lap. He is rich and strong. My son is so poor and weak. While thinking thus a drop of tear from her eyes drops on Ravana’s face. Ravana suddenly wakes up and sees his mother crying. When he knew the reason he could not bear it. He says he is going to do tapas to Brahma to get boons so that he will be strong and rich.

 

SCENE 2

(The tapas itself is shown as a part of autobiographical narration of adult ravana)

 

Ravana (adult Ravana, not kutti Ravana) is sitting on a stool. He thinks “Why am I so happy? How did I become so rich and strong? Oh yes. It is because of the tapas I did. What made me do the tapas? When I was a young boy, one day I was sleeping on my mother’s lap in a place called Madhuvanam. A drop of tear from her eyes falls on my face. I asked her why she was crying. She said she saw Vaishravana flying overhead in his vimana (plane). She told me Vaishravan was a brother of mine now flying in a plane. He is rich and strong. I am so poor and weak. When I heard this comparison between me and my brother, I could not bear it. I am going to do tapas to Brahma to get boons so that I will be strong and rich.

 

I made five different types of fires (while doing tapas gods are approached through Agni the god of fire). Then I started my tapas. I asked my brothers to stand guard and also keep the fires burning. Then I fully concentrated on tapas. Time passed but Brahma did not appear. I looked. Why is Brahma not appearing? I doubled my concentration. Time passed. Brahma is not appearing. Still not appearing? I cut one of my heads and put it in the fire. Waited, Brahma did not come. One more head rolls. Still no Brahma comes. Heads roll and roll. No Brahma. Only one head is left. First I thought of stopping my tapas. But no! Never! That will be an insult to me and my family. It is better to die than stop. Also when I die Brahma will be judged as being partial. With great determination I swung the sword at my last neck, when, lo and behold, suddenly Brahma appeared and caught my hand. I looked at him with still un-subsided, but gradually subsiding anger. Brahma asked me what boons I wanted. I asked for a boon that I should win all the worlds and have all the wealth and fame and that I should not be killed except by man. I also asked him to give boons for my brothers.

 

In the next scene Ravana asks Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana what boons they got. Unfortunately Kumbhakarna’s tongue got twisted while asking for boon and he got ‘sleep’ instead of becoming the ‘king of gods’. Ravana laughed it off. As for Vibhishana, he being a bhaktha of Vishnu, asked for Vishnu’s blessings and got it. Ravana laughs it off and also decides to conquer all the worlds and starts preparing his grand army for the big conquest of the worlds.

 

[This method of presentation with a peculiar sequence has a tremendous dramatic affect. The main actor redoes a small part of what happened to kutti Ravana vesham, and this gives a view of the high contrast between the boy and the man Ravana. Similarly the presence of Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana in the subsequent scene offers a good smile on the face of the viewer at the end of the play.]

 

KAILASA UDDHARANAM: RAVANA IN BALI VIJAYAM

[Background and Previous scene: After receiving the boons, and widening his kingdom in all directions, Ravana lives in Sri Lanka with great pomp and splendor. One day he sees Saint Narada approaching his palace singing songs in praise of him ‘Jaya jaya Ravana, Lanka Pathe’. Happily he receives Narada and seats him next to him. After telling Narada about the victory of his son Indrajith on Indra, Ravana tells Narada “Now there is nobody on earth or other worlds who can fight with me”. To this Narada replies “ Very true indeed, but there is one huge monkey called Bali who says he can defeat you. He even said that you are just like a blade of grass to him. Well let him say what he wants. You are unbeatable.” Then Narada says ‘let us go there and see him’. Both decide to go. But Ravana takes his famous sword called “Chandrahasam”. Then Narada asks the history of this sword. Ravana’s Attam Starts.]

 

Ravana says “I received this sword from Lord Siva. It happened thus. Once when I was conquering new places and expanding my empire I happened to be going across the Kailasa mountain. The plane got stuck on the mountain unable to move forward. I got down from the plane and looked at the mountain. (Looks from one end to the other first horizontally and then vertically.) So huge it was. Then I decided to lift it with my bare hand and keep it aside and move forward. I started sticking my hands under it one by one. Then I tried to lift it. It doesn’t move. I put more force and more force. It moved just a bit. I pushed harder and harder, slowly it started moving then again and again and it moved easily. Then I lifted it up with my hands and started juggling it (exaggeration evident).

 

“At that particular time Lord Siva was quarreling with his wife Parvathi. Why did they fight? The story is as follows. Parvathi had gone for enjoying swimming and bathing in some beautiful pond. At that time Siva opened his jata (disheveled long hair) and called Ganga for some entertainment after asking Ganapathi and Subramania to go for some errands. Somehow becoming suspicious, right at that time, Parvathi came back in a hurry with wet clothes and saw Siva with Ganga. Siva was wondering what to do and it was at that time that Ravana started lifting the Kailasa. When Kailasa started shaking Parvathi got scared and ran to Siva and hugged him. So the quarrel ended and Siva was happy. “As a reward Siva called me and gave me this famous Chandrahasa sword.”

 

Then Narada and Ravana leave to meet Bali. Ravana wanted to take the sword along with him, but Narada suggested that the sword is not required for teaching a lesson to Bali who is after all an unarmed monkey.

 

WIKIPEDIA

On the pigpen roof, to be precise.

Andrew, to be precise.

I found this old pic in my ´puter!

 

it is me in Stadtpark in Vienna the more precise spot is by the flood Vienna !

 

yes there is such a flood too but it goes quite unnoticed since part of it is underground and most of the year there is hardly any water flowing in it...

 

and actually later on it ends in the Donau / Danube which is a more famous flood...

 

I am surprised to see at this pic, that my hairstyle is very ordinary, strangely ordinary, so is my clothing (ok, apart from the Joker T-shirt I am wearing underneath)

 

...and what is more I look sober too, which is kind of weird from my (first) Vienna Period since I would almost always look either drunk on pictures or extremely hungover...

 

the photographer is probably my wife (or plastic daughter) there is a possibility that I put a camera on a structure too???

 

the reflection in my glasses don´t tell who took the picture on this one, but I think you can see the flood Vienna in them :)

 

P.S. Stadtpark wasn´t really my park, far to ordered, if I lets my own feet decide I would usually en up in prater park since it felt far less ordered and cramped than stadtpark... still I did go there occasionally!

 

One park that I really like was what I called the "Turkish park" but it was so far away from HQ so I seldom went there and explored I don´t know the name of the park but it was not to far away from Schönbrunn or at the very least that part of town...

 

Sadly I never managed persuade any of my Turkish friends to journey with me to see if the people barbequeing in the park really where Turkish, it was just a working name in my head, I really got to know the real name of the park...

 

...off cause I could have asked people but most people where there with their families and I didn´t want them to get disturbed by a drunk Swede in Vienna!

 

...but actually I can remember now that some spoke arabic a language I am more familiar with than than turkish, even though I can pinpoint the turkish-language families languages better now since my Plastic daughter had a Turkish boyfriend for some time and he was also one of my closest friends in Vienna, we drunk many beers together and I accidentally puked on him once, actually I puked on the table at "Café Wien" but the beam of puke had a weird bouncing effect and reflected back up on him...

 

really great memories!

 

bir bira lütfen arkadash!

 

Peace and Noise!

 

/ MushroomBrain the urban explorer

 

( added later when I said wife I meant ex.-wife but then she was my wife, I mean the time I was married to her!)

This small vase, remarkable especially for the precise drawing and the attention to ornamental detail, is the earliest Attic black-figured alabastron, and one of the Amasis Painter's very early works.

The figured decoration continues round the vase. In the middle of one side, a winged goddess runs to right, looking around, flanked on the right and left by a youth wearing a long chiton with a himation over it and holding a spear. The goddess wears a peplos and has two pairs of wings. She may be Artemis. The lack of an attribute makes the identification difficult. Near the goddess is a group of five youths, two standing to right, three to left; some wear cloaks; some long himatia. Above the figured zone is a row of vertical zigzags, and above that on the shoulder at the junction with the neck is a tongue pattern. On the bottom, rays; round this, a narrow black band with lines above and below.

Amasis signs as potter only, whence the painter takes his name. The Amasis Painter's career spans at least four decades, beginning in the second quarter of the 6th century and lasting until ca. 520 B.C. or slightly later. Well over 130 of his vases have survived, and three vases from the Agora are attributed to him, and two others may be by him

 

Source: Moore B. M., “The Athenian Agora, Vol XXXIII, Attic Black-Figured Pottery”

 

Black-figured alabastron

Dimensions: height 9,2 cm, diam. 4,7 cm

Attributed to the Amasis Painter

Ca. 560 BC

From Athenian Agorà

Athens, Ancient Agora Museum

 

Kathakali (Malayalam: കഥകളി, kathakaḷi; Sanskrit: कथाकळिः, kathākaḷiḥ) is a stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion. It originated in the country's present day state of Kerala during the 17th century and has developed over the years with improved looks, refined gestures and added themes besides more ornate singing and precise drumming.

 

HISTORY

Popular belief is that kathakali is emerged from "Krishnanattam", the dance drama on the life and activities of Lord Krishna created by Sri Manavedan Raja, the Zamorin of Calicut (1585-1658 AD). Once Kottarakkara Thampuran, the Raja of Kottarakkara who was attracted by Krishnanattam requested the Zamorin for the loan of a troupe of performers. Due to the political rivalry between the two, Zamorin did not allow this. So Kottarakkara Thampuran created another art form called Ramanattam which was later transformed into Aattakatha. Krishnanaattam was written in Sanskrit, and Ramanattam was in Malayalam. By the end of 17th century, Attakatha was presented to the world with the title 'Kathakali'.

 

Kathakali also shares a lot of similarities with Krishnanattam, Koodiyattam (a classical Sanskrit drama existing in Kerala) and Ashtapadiyattam (an adaptation of 12th-century musical called Gitagovindam). It also incorporates several other elements from traditional and ritualistic art forms like Mudiyettu, Thiyyattu, Theyyam and Padayani besides a minor share of folk arts like Porattunatakam. All along, the martial art of Kalarippayattu has influenced the body language of Kathakali. The use of Malayalam, the local language (albeit as a mix of Sanskrit and Malayalam, called 'Manipravaalam'), has also helped the literature of Kathakali sound more transparent for the average audience.

 

As a part of modernising, propagating, promoting and popularizing Kathakali, the International Centre for Kathakali at New Delhi has taken up a continuing project since 1980 of producing new plays based on not only traditional and mythological stories, but also historical stories, European classics and Shakespeare's plays. Recently they produced Kathakali plays based on Shakespeare's Othello and Greek-Roman mythology of Psyche and Cupid.

 

Even though the lyrics/literature would qualify as another independent element called Sahithyam, it is considered as a component of Geetha or music, as it plays only a supplementary role to Nritham, Nrithyam and Natyam.

 

KATHAKALI PLAYS

Traditionally there are 101 classical Kathakali stories, though the commonly staged among them these days total less than one-third that number. Almost all of them were initially composed to last a whole night. Nowadays, there is increasing popularity for concise, or oftener select, versions of stories so as the performance lasts not more than three to four hours from evening. Thus, many stories find stage presentation in parts rather than totality. And the selection is based on criteria like choreographical beauty, thematic relevance/popularity or their melodramatic elements. Kathakali is a classical art form, but it can be appreciated also by novices—all contributed by the elegant looks of its character, their abstract movement and its synchronisation with the musical notes and rhythmic beats. And, in any case, the folk elements too continue to exist. For better appreciation, perhaps, it is still good to have an idea of the story being enacted.

 

The most popular stories enacted are Nalacharitham (a story from the Mahabharata), Duryodhana Vadham (focusing on the Mahabharata war after profiling the build-up to it), Kalyanasougandhikam, (the story of Bhima going to get flowers for his wife Panchali), Keechakavadham (another story of Bhima and Panchali, but this time during their stint in disguise), Kiratham (Arjuna and Lord Shiva's fight, from the Mahabharata), Karnashapatham (another story from the Mahabharata), Nizhalkuthu and Bhadrakalivijayam authored by Pannisseri Nanu Pillai. Also staged frequently include stories like Kuchelavrittam, Santanagopalam, Balivijayam, Dakshayagam, Rugminiswayamvaram, Kalakeyavadham, Kirmeeravadham, Bakavadham, Poothanamoksham, Subhadraharanam, Balivadham, Rugmangadacharitam, Ravanolbhavam, Narakasuravadham, Uttaraswayamvaram, Harishchandracharitam, Kacha-Devayani and Kamsavadham.

 

Recently, as part of attempts to further popularise the art, stories from other cultures and mythologies, such as those of Mary Magdalene from the Bible, Homer's Iliad, and William Shakespeare's King Lear and Julius Caesar besides Goethe's Faust too have been adapted into Kathakali scripts and on to its stage. Synopsis of 37 kathakali stories are available in kathakalinews.com.

 

MUSIC

The language of the songs used for Kathakali is Manipravalam. Though most of the songs are set in ragas based on the microtone-heavy Carnatic music, there is a distinct style of plain-note rendition, which is known as the Sopanam style. This typically Kerala style of rendition takes its roots from the temple songs which used to be sung (continues even now at several temples) at the time when Kathakali was born.

 

As with the acting style, Kathakali music also has singers from the northern and southern schools. The northern style has largely been groomed by Kerala Kalamandalam in the 20th century. Kalamandalam Neelakantan Nambisan, an overarching Kathakali musician of those times, was a product of the institute. His prominent disciples include Kalamandalam Unnikrishna Kurup, Kalamandalam Gangadharan, Kalamandalam P.G. Radhakrishnan, Rama Varrier, Madambi Subramanian Namboodiri, Tirur Nambissan, Kalamandalam Sankaran Embranthiri, Kalamandalam Hyderali, Kalamandalam Haridas, Subramanian, Kalanilayam Unnikrishnan and Kalamandalam Bhavadasan. The other prominent musicians of the north feature Kottakkal Vasu Nedungadi, Kottakkal Parameswaran Namboodiri, Kottakkal P.D. Narayanan Namboodiri, Kottakkal Narayanan, Kalamandalam Anantha NarayananKalamandalam Sreekumar Palanad Divakaran, Kalanilayam Rajendran, Kolathappilli Narayanan Namboodiri, Kalamandalam Narayanan Embranthiri, Kottakkal Madhu, Kalamandalam Babu Namboodiri, Kalamandalam Harish and Kalamandalam Vinod. In the south, some of whom are equally popular in the north these days, include Pathiyur Sankarankutty. Southerner musicians of the older generation include Cherthala Thankappa Panikker, Thakazhi Kuttan Pillai, Cherthala Kuttappa Kurup, Thanneermukkam Viswambharan and Mudakkal Gopinathan.

 

PERFORMANCE

Traditionally, a Kathakali performance is usually conducted at night and ends in early morning. Nowadays it isn't difficult to see performances as short as three hours or fewer. Kathakali is usually performed in front of the huge Kalivilakku (kali meaning dance; vilakku meaning lamp) with its thick wick sunk till the neck in coconut oil. Traditionally, this lamp used to provide sole light when the plays used to be performed inside temples, palaces or abodes houses of nobles and aristocrats. Enactment of a play by actors takes place to the accompaniment of music (geetha) and instruments (vadya). The percussion instruments used are chenda, maddalam (both of which underwent revolutionary changes in their aesthetics with the contributions of Kalamandalam Krishnankutty Poduval and Kalamandalam Appukutty Poduval) and, at times, edakka. In addition, the singers (the lead singer is called “ponnani” and his follower is called “singidi”) use chengila (gong made of bell metal, which can be struck with a wooden stick) and ilathalam (a pair of cymbals). The lead singer in some sense uses the Chengala to conduct the Vadyam and Geetha components, just as a conductor uses his wand in western classical music. A distinguishing characteristic of this art form is that the actors never speak but use hand gestures, expressions and rhythmic dancing instead of dialogue (but for a couple of rare characters).

 

ACTING

A Kathakali actor uses immense concentration, skill and physical stamina, gained from regimented training based on Kalaripayattu, the ancient martial art of Kerala, to prepare for his demanding role. The training can often last for 8–10 years, and is intensive. In Kathakali, the story is enacted purely by the movements of the hands (called mudras or hand gestures) and by facial expressions (rasas) and bodily movements. The expressions are derived from Natyashastra (the tome that deals with the science of expressions) and are classified into nine as in most Indian classical art forms. Dancers also undergo special practice sessions to learn control of their eye movements.

 

There are 24 basic mudras—the permutation and combination of which would add up a chunk of the hand gestures in vogue today. Each can again can be classified into 'Samaana-mudras'(one mudra symbolising two entities) or misra-mudras (both the hands are used to show these mudras). The mudras are a form of sign language used to tell the story.

 

The main facial expressions of a Kathakali artist are the 'navarasams' (Navarasas in anglicised form) (literal translation: Nine Tastes, but more loosely translated as nine feelings or expressions) which are Sringaram (amour), Hasyam (ridicule, humour), Bhayanakam (fear), Karunam (pathos), Roudram (anger, wrath), Veeram (valour), Beebhatsam (disgust), Adbhutam (wonder, amazement), Shantam (tranquility, peace). The link at the end of the page gives more details on Navarasas.

 

One of the most interesting aspects of Kathakali is its elaborate make-up code. Most often, the make-up can be classified into five basic sets namely Pachcha, Kathi, Kari, Thaadi, and Minukku. The differences between these sets lie in the predominant colours that are applied on the face. Pachcha (meaning green) has green as the dominant colour and is used to portray noble male characters who are said to have a mixture of "Satvik" (pious) and "Rajasik" (dark; Rajas = darkness) nature. Rajasik characters having an evil streak ("tamasic"= evil) -- all the same they are anti-heroes in the play (such as the demon king Ravana) -- and portrayed with streaks of red in a green-painted face. Excessively evil characters such as demons (totally tamasic) have a predominantly red make-up and a red beard. They are called Red Beard (Red Beard). Tamasic characters such as uncivilised hunters and woodsmen are represented with a predominantly black make-up base and a black beard and are called black beard (meaning black beard). Women and ascetics have lustrous, yellowish faces and this semi-realistic category forms the fifth class. In addition, there are modifications of the five basic sets described above such as Vella Thadi (white beard) used to depict Hanuman (the Monkey-God) and Pazhuppu, which is majorly used for Lord Shiva and Balabhadra.

 

NOTABLE TRAINING CENTRES & MASTERS

Kathakali artistes need assiduous grooming for almost a decade's time, and most masters are products of accomplished institutions that give a minimum training course of half-a-dozen years. The leading Kathakali schools (some of them started during the pre-Independent era India) are Kerala Kalamandalam (located in Cheruthuruthy near Shoranur), PSV Natya Sangham (located in Kottakal near Kozhikode), Sadanam Kathakali and Classical Arts Academy (or Gandhi Seva Sadan located in Perur near Ottappalam in Palakkad), Unnayi Varier Smaraka Kalanilayam (located in Irinjalakuda south of Thrissur), Margi in Thiruvananthapuram, Muthappan Kaliyogam at Parassinikkadavu in Kannur district and RLV School at Tripunithura off Kochi and Kalabharathi at Pakalkkuri near Kottarakkara in Kollam district, Sandarshan Kathakali Kendram in Ambalapuzha and Vellinazhi Nanu Nair Smaraka Kalakendra in Kuruvattor. Outside Kerala, Kathakali is being taught at the International Centre for Kathakali in New Delhi, Santiniketan at Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal, Kalakshetra in Chennai and Darpana Academy in Ahmedabad among others. PadmaSree Guru Chengannur Raman Pillai mostly known as 'Guru Chengannur'was running a traditional Gurukula Style approach to propagate Kathakali.

 

‘Guru Chengannur” is ever renowned as the Sovereign Guru of Kathakali. His precision in using symbols, gestures and steps were highest in the field of Kathakali. Guru Chegannur's kaththi vesham, especially the portrayal of Duryodhana enthralled the audience every time he performed. A master of the art, he found immense happiness and satisfaction in the success and recognition of his disciples.

 

Senior Kathakali exponents of today include Padma Bhushan Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair, Padma Shri Kalamandalam Gopi, Madavoor Vasudevan Nair, Chemancheri Kunhiraman Nair, Kottakkal Krishnankutty Nair, Mankompu Sivasankara Pillai, Sadanam Krishnankutty, Nelliyode Vasudevan Namboodiri, Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharody, FACT Padmanabhan, Kottakkal Chandrasekharan, Margi Vijayakumar, Kottakkal Nandakumaran Nair, Vazhenkada Vijayan, Inchakkattu Ramachandran Pillai, Kalamandalam Kuttan, Mayyanad Kesavan Namboodiri, Mathur Govindan Kutty, Narippatta Narayanan Namboodiri, Chavara Parukutty, Thonnakkal Peethambaran, Sadanam Balakrishnan, Kalanilayam Gopalakrishnan, Chirakkara Madhavankutty, Sadanam K. Harikumaran, Thalavadi Aravindan, Kalanilayam Balakrishnan, Pariyanampatta Divakaran, Kottakkal Kesavan, Kalanilayam Gopi and Kudamaloor Muralikrishnan. The late titan actor-dancers of Kathakali's modern age (say, since the 1930s) include Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon, Chenganoor Raman Pillai, Chandu Panicker, Thakazhi Guru Kunchu Kurup, Padma Shri Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair, Padma Shri Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair, Kavalappara Narayanan Nair, Kurichi Kunhan Panikkar, Thekkinkattil Ramunni Nair, Padma Shri Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair, Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair, Mankulam Vishnu Namboodiri, Oyur Kochu Govinda Pillai, Vellinezhi Nanu Nair, Padma Shri Kavungal Chathunni Panikkar, Kudamaloor Karunakaran Nair, Kottakkal Sivaraman, Kannan Pattali, Pallippuram Gopalan Nair, Haripad Ramakrishna Pillai, Champakkulam Pachu Pillai, Chennithala Chellappan Pillai, Guru Mampuzha Madhava Panicker, and Vaikkom Karunakaran.

 

Kathakali is still hugely a male domain but, since the 1970s, females too have made entry into the art form on a recognisable scale. The central Kerala temple town of Tripunithura has, in fact, a ladies troupe (with members belonging to several part of the state) that performs Kathakali, by and large in Travancore.

 

KATHAKALI STYLES

Known as Sampradäyaṃ(Malayalam: സമ്പ്രദായം); these are leading Kathakali styles that differ from each other in subtleties like choreographic profile, position of hand gestures and stress on dance than drama and vice versa. Some of the major original kathakali styles included:

 

Vettathu Sampradayam

Kalladikkodan Sampradyam

Kaplingadu Sampradayam

 

Of late, these have narrowed down to the northern (Kalluvazhi) and southern (Thekkan) styles. It was largely developed by the legendary Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon (1881-1949) that is implemented in Kerala Kalamandalam (though it has also a department that teaches the southern style), Sadanam, RLV and Kottakkal. Margi has its training largely based on the Thekkan style, known for its stress on drama and part-realistic techniques. Kalanilayam, effectively, churns out students with a mix of both styles.

 

OTHER FORMS OD DANCE & OFFSHOOTS

Kerala Natanam is a kind of dance form, partly based on Kathakali techniques and aesthetics, developed and stylised by the late dancer Guru Gopinath in the mid-20th century. Kathakali also finds portrayal in Malayalam feature films like Vanaprastham, Parinayam, Marattam, and Rangam. Besides documentary films have also been shot on Kathakali artistes like Chenganoor Raman Pillai, Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair, Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair, Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair, Kalamandalam Gopi and Kottakkal Sivaraman.

 

As for fictional literature, Kathakali finds mention in several Malayalam short stories like Karmen (by N.S. Madhavan) and novels like Keshabharam (by P.V. Sreevalsan). Even the Indo-Anglian work like Arundhati Roy's Booker prize-winning The God of Small Things has a chapter on Kathakali, while, of late, Anita Nair's novel, Mistress, is entirely wrapped in the ethos of Kathakali.

 

Similar musical theater is popular in Kasaragod and the coastal and Malenadu regions of Karnataka, viz. Yakshagana. Though Yakshagana resembles Kathakali in terms of its costume and makeup to an extent, Yakshagana is markedly different from Kathakali as it involves dialogues and method acting also the narration is in Kannada, wherein philosophical debates are also possible within framework of the character. As per records the art form of Yakshagana was already rooted and well established at the time of Sri Manavedan Raja. There is possibilities of its significant influence in formation of Kathakkali as the troupe of performers of "Krishnanattam" designed the basic costume of the art form already established in other parts of south India including Males playing the female roles (until more recently).

 

Kottayam thamburan's way of presenting kathakali was later known as Kalladikkoden sambradayam. Chathu Paniker,the introducer of Kallikkoden Sambrathayam, stayed in Kottayam for five years with Kottayam Thamburan's residence and practiced Kalladikkoden Sambrathayam. Then he returned to his home place. After a short period Chathu Paniker reached Pulapatta as instructed by Kuthiravattath nair. That was around the year ME 865. Many deciples from Kadathanadu, Kurumbra nadu, Vettathu nadu, Palakkadu and Perumpadappu studied kathakali(Kalladikkoden Sambrathayam ) By that time Chathu Paniker was an old man. Some years later he died from Pulapatta.

 

NOTED KATHAKALI VILLAGES & BELTS

There are certain pockets in Kerala that have given birth to many Kathakali artistes over the years. If they can be called Kathakali villages (or some of them, these days, towns), here are some of them: Vellinezhi, Kuruvattoor, Karalmanna, Cherpulassery, Kothachira, peringode, sreekrishnapuram Kongad and Ottapalam in Palakkad district, Vazhenkada in Malappuram district, Thichur or Tichoor, Guruvayur, Thiruvilwamala and Irinjalakuda in Thrissur district, Tripunithura, Edappally, Thekkan Chittoor in Ernakulam district and Kuttanad, Harippad belt in Alappuzha district besides places in and around Thiruvanathapuram in south Travancore and Payyannur in north Malabar.

 

AWARDS FOR KATHAKALI ARTISTS

Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardees - Kathakali (1956–2005)

Nambeesan Smaraka Awards—For artistic performances related kathakali{1992-2008}

 

KATHAKALI ATTAMS (ELAKI ATTAMS)

Attams or more specifically "elaki attams" are sequences of acting within a story acted out with the help of mudras without support from vocal music. The actor has the freedom to change the script to suit his own individual preferences. The actor will be supported ably by Chenda, Maddalam, and Elathalam (compulsory), Chengila (not very compulsory).

 

The following are only some examples. 'Kailasa Udharanam' and 'Tapas Attam' are very important attams and these are described at the end. Two of the many references are Kathakali Prakaram, pages 95 to 142 by Pannisheri Nanu Pillai and Kathakaliyile Manodharmangal by Chavara Appukuttan Pillai.

 

VANA VARNANA: BHIMA IN KALYANA SAUGANDHIKA

Modern man looks at the forest, indeed the birthplace of primates, with a certain wonder and a certain respect. Kathakali characters are no exception.

 

When Pandavas were living in the forest, one day, a flower, not seen before, wafted by the wind, comes and falls at the feet of Panchali. Exhilarated by its beauty and smell, Panchali asks Bhima to bring her more such flowers. To her pleasure Bhima is ready to go at once. But Panchali asks him what he shall do for food and drink on the way. Bhima thinks and says "Food and Drink! Oh, this side glance (look) of yours. This look of longing. This look of anticipation. The very thought fills me up. I don't need any food and drink at all. Let me go." He takes his mace and off he goes. Ulsaham (enthusiasm) is his Sdhayi Bhavam (permanent feature).

 

"Let me go at once in search of this flower," says Bhima. "The scented wind is blowing from the southern side. Let me go that way." After walking some distance he sees a huge mountain called Gandhamadana and three ways. He decides to take the middle one which goes over the mountain. After going further "The forest is getting thicker. Big trees, big branches in all directions. The forest looks like a huge dark vessel into which even light can not penetrate. This is my (Bhima's) way. Nothing can hinder me." So saying he pulls down many trees. Sometimes he shatters the trees with his mace. Suddenly he sees an elephant. "Oh! Elephant." He describes it. Its trunk. Sharp ears.

 

The itching sensation in the body. It takes some mud and throws on the body. Oh good. Then it sucks water and throws on the body. Somewhat better. Slowly it starts dosing even though alert at times. A very huge python is approaching steadily. Suddenly it catches hold of the elephant's hind leg. The elephant wakes up and tries to disengage the python. The python pulls to one side. The elephant kicks and drags to the other side. This goes on for some time. Bhima looks to the other side where a hungry lion is looking for food. It comes running and strikes the elephants head and eats part of the brain and goes off. The python completes the rest. "Oh my god, how ruthless!" says Bhima and proceeds on his way.

 

UDYANA VARNANA: NALA IN NALACHARITHAM SECOND DAY

Descriptions of gardens are found in most dance forms of India and abroad. These are also common in Kathakali.

 

Newly married Nala and Damayanthi are walking in the garden. When Nala was lovingly looking at Damayanthi a flower falls on her. Nala is overjoyed and thinks that this is a kindness nature has shown on his wife. Nala says "On seeing the arrival of their queen, the trees and climbers are showing happiness by dropping flowers on you." He tells her, "See that tree. When I used to be alone the tree used to hug the climber and seemingly laugh at my condition." Then he looks at the tree and says, "Dear Tree, look at me now. See how fortunate I am with my beautiful wife."

 

Both wander about. A bumblebee flies towards Damayanthi. Immediately Nala protects her face with a kerchief. He looks at the bee and then at Damayanthi. He says, "On seeing your face the bee thought it was a flower and came to drink the nectar." Nala and Damayanthi listen to the sounds coming out of the garden. Damayanti says, "It appears that the whole garden is thrilled. The flowers are blooming and smiling. Cuckoos are singing and the bees are dancing. Gentle winds are blowing and rubbing against our bodies. How beautiful the whole garden looks." Then Nala says that the sun is going down and it is time for them to go back and takes her away.

 

SHABDA VARNANA: HANUMAN IN KALYANA SAUGANDHIKAM

While Bhima goes in search of the flower, here Hanuman is sitting doing Tapas with mind concentrated on Sri Rama.

 

When he hears the terrible noises made by Bhima in the forest he feels disturbed in doing his Tapas. He thinks "What is the reason for this?" Then the sounds become bigger. "What is this?" He thinks, "The sounds are getting bigger. Such a terrible noise. Is the sea coming up thinking that the time is ripe for the great deluge (Pralaya). Birds are flying helter-skelter. Trees look shocked. Even Kali Yuga is not here. Then what is it? Are mountains quarreling with each other? No, That can't be it. Indra had cut off the wings of mountains so that they don't quarrel. Is the sea changing its position? No it can't be. The sea has promised it will not change its position again. It can't break the promise." Hanuman starts looking for clues. "I see elephants and lions running in fear of somebody. Oh a huge man is coming this way. Oh, a hero is coming. He is pulling out trees and throwing it here and there. Okay. Let him come near, We will see."

 

THANDEDATTAM: RAVANA IN BALI VADHAM

After his theranottam Ravana is seen sitting on a stool. He says to himself "I am enjoying a lot of happiness. What is the reason for this?" Thinks. "Yes I know it. I did Tapas to Brahma and received all necessary boons. Afterwards I won all ten directions. I also defeated my elder brother Vaishravana. Then I lifted Kailas mountain when Siva and Parvathi were having a misunderstanding. Parvathi got frightened and embraced Siva in fear. Siva was so happy he gave a divine sword called Chandrahasa. Now the whole world is afraid of me. That is why I am enjoying so much happiness." He goes and sits on the stool. He looks far away. "Who is coming from a distance. he is coming fast. Oh, it is Akamba. Okay. Let me find out what news he has for me."

 

ASHRAMA VARNANA: ARJUNA IN KIRATHAM

Arjuna wants to do Tapas to Lord Siva and he is looking a suitable place in the Himalayan slopes. He comes to place where there is an ashram. Arjuna looks closely at the place. "Oh. What a beautiful place this is. A small river in which a very pure water is flowing. Some hermits are taking baths in the river. Some hermits are standing in the water and doing Tapsas. Some are facing the Sun. Some are standing in between five fires." Arjuna salutes the hermits from far. He says to himself "Look at this young one of a deer. It is looking for its mother. It seems to be hungry and thirsty. Nearby a female tiger is feeding its young ones. The little deer goes towards the tigress and pushes the young tiger cubs aside and starts drinking milk from the tigress. The tigress looks lovingly at the young deer and even licks its body as if it were its own child. How beautiful. How fulfilling."

 

Again he looks "Here on this side a mongoose and a serpent forgetting their enmity are hugging each other. This place is really strange and made divine by saints and hermits. Let me start my Tapas somewhere nearby."

 

A sloka called "Shikhini Shalabha" can be selected instead of the above if time permits.

 

AN ATTAM BASED ON A SLOKA

Sansrit slokas are sometimes shown in mudras and it has a pleasing and exhilarating effect. Different actors use slokas as per his own taste and liking. However, the slokas are taught to students during their training period. An example is given below.

 

Kusumo Kusumolpatti Shrooyathena Chathushyathe

Bale thava Mukhambuje Pashya Neelolpaladwayam

 

Meaning a flower blooming inside another flower is not known to history. But, my dear, in your lotus like face are seen two blue Neelolpala flowers (eyes).

 

A CONVERSATION BASED ON A SLOKA

Sanskrit slokas can also be used to express an intent. One such example is a sloka used by Arjuna addressed to Mathali the charioteer in Kalakeya Vadham. Sloka:

Pitha: Kushalee Mama hritha Bhujaam

Naatha Sachee Vallabha:

Maatha: kim nu Pralomacha Kushalinee

Soonurjayanthasthayo

Preethim va Kushchate Thadikshnavidhow

Cheta Samutkanuthe

Sutha: tvam Radhamashu Chodaya vayam

Dharmadivam Mathala

 

Meaning: The husband of Indrani and the lord of gods my father - Is he in good health? His son Jayantha - Is he strictly following the commands of his father? Oh, I am impatient to see all of them.

 

SWARGA VARNANA: ARJUNA IN KELAKEYA VADHAM

Arjuna goes to heaven on the invitation of his father, Indra. After taking permission from Indrani he goes out to see all the places in Swarga. First he sees a building, his father's palace. It is so huge with four entrances. It is made of materials superior to gold and jewels of the world. Then he goes ahead and sees Iravatha. Here he describes it as a huge elephant with four horns. He is afraid to touch it. Then he thinks that animals in Swarga can't be cruel like in the world and so thinking he goes and touches and salutes Iravatha. He describes the churning of the white sea by gods and demons with many details and how Iravatha also came out of the white sea due to this churning.

 

He walks on and sees his father's (Indra's) horse. It is described as being white and its mane is sizzling like the waves of the white sea from which it came. He touches and salutes the horse also. Then he goes to see the river of the sky (or milky way). He sees many birds by this river and how the birds fly and play is shown.

 

Then he sees the heavenly ladies. Some are collecting flowers, and one of them comes late and asks for some flowers for making garland. The others refuse. She goes to the Kalpa Vriksha and says "please give me some flowers." Immediately a shower of flowers occurs which she collects in her clothes and goes to make garlands chiding the others. "See... I also got flowers." After this he sees the music and dance of the heavenly ladies. First it starts with the adjustments of instruments Thamburu, Mridangam, Veena. Then the actual music starts along with the striking of cymbals. Then two or three types of dances are shown. Then comes juggling of balls. It is described by a sloka thus:

 

Ekopi Thraya Iva Bhathi Kandukoyam

 

Kanthayaa: Karathala Raktharaktha:

Abhrastho Nayanamareechi Neelaneelo

Popular belief is that kathakali is emerged from "Krishnanattam", the dance drama on the life and activities of Lord Krishna created by Sri Manavedan Raja, the Zamorin of Calicut (1585-1658 AD). Once Kottarakkara Thampuran, the Raja of Kottarakkara who was attracted by Krishnanattam requested the Zamorin for the loan of a troupe of performers. Due to the political rivalry between the two, Zamorin did not allow this. So Kottarakkara Thampuran created another art form called Ramanattam which was later transformed into Aattakatha. Krishnanaattam was written in Sanskrit, and Ramanattam was in Malayalam. By the end of 17th century, Attakatha was presented to the world with the title 'Kathakali'. Kathakali also shares a lot of similarities with Krishnanattam, Koodiyattam (a classical Sanskrit drama existing in Kerala) and Ashtapadiyattam (an adaptation of 12th-century musical called Gitagovindam). It also incorporates several other elements from traditional and ritualistic art forms like Mudiyettu, Thiyyattu, Theyyam and Padayani besides a minor share of folk arts like Porattunatakam. All along, the martial art of Kalarippayattu has influenced the body language of Kathakali. The use of Malayalam, the local language (albeit as a mix of Sanskrit and Malayalam, called ), has also helped the literature of Kathakali sound more transparent for the average audience. As a part of modernising, propagating, promoting and popularizing Kathakali, the International Centre for Kathakali at New Delhi has taken up a continuing project since 1980 of producing new plays based on not only traditional and mythological stories, but also historical stories, European classics and Shakespeare's plays. Recently they produced Kathakali plays based on Shakespeare's Othello and Greek-Roman mythology of Psyche and Cupid.

 

Even though the lyrics/literature would qualify as another independent element called Sahithyam, it is considered as a component of Geetha or music, as it plays only a supplementary role to

Bhumau Talcharana Naghamshu Gaurgaura:

 

Meaning One ball looks like three balls. When it is in the hands of the juggler, it takes the redness of the hands, when it goes up it takes the blueness of the eyes, when it strikes the ground it becomes white from the whiteness of the leg nails. Once a juggled ball falls down. Then she, the juggler, somehow manages to proceed and remarks "See.. how I can do it".

 

At one time a garment slips from a lady's body and she adjusts the cloth showing shameful shyness (Lajja). Then the ladies go in for a Kummi dance. As Arjuna was enjoying this dance, suddenly somebody calls him. Arjuna feels scared. "Oh God, where am I?" he says and beats a hasty retreat.

 

TAPAS ATTAM: RAVANA IN RAVANA ULBHAVAM

[Background: Mali, Sumali and Malyavan were three brothers ruling Sri Lanka. During a war between them and Indra, Indra requested help from Lord Vishnu and as a consequence Lord Vishnu killed Mali. Sumali and Malyavan escaped to Patala. Kaikasi was the daughter of Sumali. She wandered in the forest. She belong three boys through a great sage called Vishravassu. (Vishravassu had an earlier son called Vaishravana who became the richest among all people.) The eldest boy of Kaikasi was Ravana followed by Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana.]

 

SCENE 1

When Ravana was a young boy (Kutti Ravana vesham), one day he was sleeping on his mothers lap in a place called madhuvanam. At that time Kaikasi sees Vaishravana flying overhead in his vimana (mythical aeroplane). She thinks “Oh, that is Vaishravana, technically a brother of my son who is sleeping on my lap. He is rich and strong. My son is so poor and weak. While thinking thus a drop of tear from her eyes drops on Ravana’s face. Ravana suddenly wakes up and sees his mother crying. When he knew the reason he could not bear it. He says he is going to do tapas to Brahma to get boons so that he will be strong and rich.

 

SCENE 2

(The tapas itself is shown as a part of autobiographical narration of adult ravana)

 

Ravana (adult Ravana, not kutti Ravana) is sitting on a stool. He thinks “Why am I so happy? How did I become so rich and strong? Oh yes. It is because of the tapas I did. What made me do the tapas? When I was a young boy, one day I was sleeping on my mother’s lap in a place called Madhuvanam. A drop of tear from her eyes falls on my face. I asked her why she was crying. She said she saw Vaishravana flying overhead in his vimana (plane). She told me Vaishravan was a brother of mine now flying in a plane. He is rich and strong. I am so poor and weak. When I heard this comparison between me and my brother, I could not bear it. I am going to do tapas to Brahma to get boons so that I will be strong and rich.

 

I made five different types of fires (while doing tapas gods are approached through Agni the god of fire). Then I started my tapas. I asked my brothers to stand guard and also keep the fires burning. Then I fully concentrated on tapas. Time passed but Brahma did not appear. I looked. Why is Brahma not appearing? I doubled my concentration. Time passed. Brahma is not appearing. Still not appearing? I cut one of my heads and put it in the fire. Waited, Brahma did not come. One more head rolls. Still no Brahma comes. Heads roll and roll. No Brahma. Only one head is left. First I thought of stopping my tapas. But no! Never! That will be an insult to me and my family. It is better to die than stop. Also when I die Brahma will be judged as being partial. With great determination I swung the sword at my last neck, when, lo and behold, suddenly Brahma appeared and caught my hand. I looked at him with still un-subsided, but gradually subsiding anger. Brahma asked me what boons I wanted. I asked for a boon that I should win all the worlds and have all the wealth and fame and that I should not be killed except by man. I also asked him to give boons for my brothers.

 

In the next scene Ravana asks Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana what boons they got. Unfortunately Kumbhakarna’s tongue got twisted while asking for boon and he got ‘sleep’ instead of becoming the ‘king of gods’. Ravana laughed it off. As for Vibhishana, he being a bhaktha of Vishnu, asked for Vishnu’s blessings and got it. Ravana laughs it off and also decides to conquer all the worlds and starts preparing his grand army for the big conquest of the worlds.

 

[This method of presentation with a peculiar sequence has a tremendous dramatic affect. The main actor redoes a small part of what happened to kutti Ravana vesham, and this gives a view of the high contrast between the boy and the man Ravana. Similarly the presence of Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana in the subsequent scene offers a good smile on the face of the viewer at the end of the play.]

 

KAILASA UDDHARANAM: RAVANA IN BALI VIJAYAM

[Background and Previous scene: After receiving the boons, and widening his kingdom in all directions, Ravana lives in Sri Lanka with great pomp and splendor. One day he sees Saint Narada approaching his palace singing songs in praise of him ‘Jaya jaya Ravana, Lanka Pathe’. Happily he receives Narada and seats him next to him. After telling Narada about the victory of his son Indrajith on Indra, Ravana tells Narada “Now there is nobody on earth or other worlds who can fight with me”. To this Narada replies “ Very true indeed, but there is one huge monkey called Bali who says he can defeat you. He even said that you are just like a blade of grass to him. Well let him say what he wants. You are unbeatable.” Then Narada says ‘let us go there and see him’. Both decide to go. But Ravana takes his famous sword called “Chandrahasam”. Then Narada asks the history of this sword. Ravana’s Attam Starts.]

 

Ravana says “I received this sword from Lord Siva. It happened thus. Once when I was conquering new places and expanding my empire I happened to be going across the Kailasa mountain. The plane got stuck on the mountain unable to move forward. I got down from the plane and looked at the mountain. (Looks from one end to the other first horizontally and then vertically.) So huge it was. Then I decided to lift it with my bare hand and keep it aside and move forward. I started sticking my hands under it one by one. Then I tried to lift it. It doesn’t move. I put more force and more force. It moved just a bit. I pushed harder and harder, slowly it started moving then again and again and it moved easily. Then I lifted it up with my hands and started juggling it (exaggeration evident).

 

“At that particular time Lord Siva was quarreling with his wife Parvathi. Why did they fight? The story is as follows. Parvathi had gone for enjoying swimming and bathing in some beautiful pond. At that time Siva opened his jata (disheveled long hair) and called Ganga for some entertainment after asking Ganapathi and Subramania to go for some errands. Somehow becoming suspicious, right at that time, Parvathi came back in a hurry with wet clothes and saw Siva with Ganga. Siva was wondering what to do and it was at that time that Ravana started lifting the Kailasa. When Kailasa started shaking Parvathi got scared and ran to Siva and hugged him. So the quarrel ended and Siva was happy. “As a reward Siva called me and gave me this famous Chandrahasa sword.”

 

Then Narada and Ravana leave to meet Bali. Ravana wanted to take the sword along with him, but Narada suggested that the sword is not required for teaching a lesson to Bali who is after all an unarmed monkey.

 

WIKIPEDIA

by doyouskrwt ift.tt/1RZNoSW

San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge, Morning. San Francisco, California. January 6, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell - all rights reserved.

 

San Francisco skyline and Golden Gate Bridge at dawn as a winter storm passes

 

I have previously photographed this alignment of San Francisco icons so I know more or less the precise spot to set up in - a slice of landscape about 10 feet wide and perhaps 40 feet long. It has been a few years since I've stopped to photograph there, but the opportunity came up on this morning. I had driven up to San Francisco and across the Golden Gate Bridge to meet up with a large group of photographers who were on a so-called "photo walk" devoted to long exposure photography. I had no idea it would be as popular as it turned out to be! Although I arrived at the base of the road to this location well before sun rise, as I ascended I encountered several successive parking areas that were already full... before dawn... on a cold winter day... during a storm!

 

So I headed on up the road toward the summit, but found that access gates were closed before the top. I parked and thought a bit about what I might shoot, then grabbed my gear and started walking on up the hill. Before long I stopped at this spot - where other photographers were already set up - and set up in "my spot" that aligns the bridge tower with the building and made a few exposures. It was still quite dark - just before dawn and with thick clouds above the city - but this ended up working to my advantage. Photographing this bridge at night is very tricky because the towers are lit rather brightly and the orange color is very "hot" when photographed, making for some truly complicated exposure decisions. However, with just a bit of diffused pre-dawn light filtering in and the lights in the city not yet extinguished, it became possible to get a nice exposure on the bridge and reveal some of the details of the downtown buildings.

 

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.

Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

 

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

A quiet, precise moment along San Francisco Bay, captured in 1989 and restored with care, where steel geometry meets open sky. The frame centers on the hard-edged elegance of naval architecture: vertical masts, radial platforms, cables pulled taut, and the long, deliberate reach of a deck-mounted gun pointing toward the horizon. Everything here feels engineered for purpose, not spectacle.

 

The light does most of the storytelling. Soft coastal sun washes the painted metal in pale grays and warm highlights, while the bay beyond slips into cool blues and silvers. The sky opens wide, uncluttered, giving the machinery room to breathe. Even the distant sailboat feels less like a subject and more like a scale marker—reminding you how large and deliberate this structure really is.

 

Seen now, decades later, the image reads as both documentation and portrait. San Francisco’s waterfront has always balanced commerce, defense, industry, and leisure in close quarters. This photograph sits squarely in that lineage, when working vessels and historic ships were everyday presences along the bay, not curated experiences.

 

Restored without embellishment, the scene retains its original clarity and restraint. No nostalgia, no dramatics—just a calm, exact record of form, function, and place at the edge of the city by the bay.

  

.… the float of St. Sebastian during the procession at dusk, in a central street of Mistretta ….

  

.... la vara di San Sebastiano durante la processione al tramonto, in una strada centrale di Mistretta ....

  

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the slideshow

  

Qi Bo's photos on Fluidr

  

Qi Bo's photos on Flickriver

  

Qi Bo's photos on FlickeFlu

 

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This is a short-long report I did about the feast of St. Sebastian that was celebrated in the Sicilian town of Mistretta (Messina-Sicily) on January 20 of this year, 2015. (The feast of St. Sebastian is celebrated in the Western World on 20 January and in the Eastern World on 18 December).

On January 20 of the year 304 the young Sebastian was martyred in Rome: on January 20 of each year, the Christian people glorifies San Sebastian: He his the Patron Saint of many Italian common (and foreign). This young saint is particularly revered in Sicily since 1575 when the plague raged (St. Sebastian is the saint invoked against epidemics in general together with St. Rocco, St. Anthony Abbot and St. Christopher) and in many cities He was invoked against the terrible epidemic, but his cult seems to spread in Sicily since 1414, years in which, according to an ancient document kept in the archives of the Mother Church of Melilli, a statue of the Saint Martyr would be found at the Magnisi island, in the province of Syracuse, and always as reported herein, some sailors claimed to have been saved from a shipwreck thanks to the protection of that statue.

St. Sebastian is the patron saint of Mistretta, and in that Sicilian country He is celebrated in two periods: on January 20, the day the Church remembers His martyrdom, and on August 18 to allow emigrants present in Mistretta for the summer holidays to venerate the Saint . The religious rite is celebrated in the Church of St. Sebastian (with the participation of local authorities), here is an urn containing a relic of bone of the skull of the Saint, which is affectionately kissed by devotees, and the heavy float of the Saint, which will be carried on the shoulder from about 60 carriers who walk barefoot (almost all wearing heavy rough wool socks , someone barefoot), wearing a traditional dress with shirt, vest and trousers of black velvet, tightening around his neck a red handkerchief. The place under the float has been handed down from father to son. The day of the feast the first to leave the church is the "little float" containing both the other relics of the saint that the votive candles, the symbol of the received graces and which is transported in the shoulder by the younger boys of the country because it is less heavy of the main one with above St. Sebastian coming out soon after, it decked out with lots of little lights and at the foot of the statue a "sheet" bearing euro banknotes reflecting the devotion of the citizens towards the young martyr; both floats are decorated with carnations red. The two floats go through the streets of the country according to a precise route and stopping in places where, in the past, were located hospitals or other places of care for suffering persons. The procession goes through the streets of the country where climbs and steep descents will test the strength and endurance of the carriers that move with a rhythmic marched movement, and in some places "the Holy runs": the racing of the big and little floats are long-awaited from devotees and, characteristically run all people: the priests, the civil and military authorities, the two bands, the crowd of devotees.

A note of interest: San Sebastian is the patron saint of the Municipal Police, the Army in general, manufacturers of needles, the archers, of those who have to do with pointed objects similar to the arrows.

 

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Il 20 gennaio dell'anno 304 a Roma fu martirizzato il giovane Sebastiano, ecco quindi che in sua memoria il 20 gennaio di ogni anno il popolo cristiano glorifica San Sebastiano, divenuto il santo patrono di numerosi comuni italiani (e stranieri). Questo Santo è particolarmente venerato in Sicilia fin dal 1575, anno in cui infuriò la peste (San Sebastiano è il santo invocato contro le epidemie in generale insieme a San Rocco, a Sant’Antonio Abate e a San Cristoforo) ed in molte città fu invocato contro la terribile epidemia, ma il suo culto, sempre in Sicilia, sembra si diffuse sin dal 1414 anno in cui, secondo un antichissimo documento custodito negli archivi della Basilica in Melilli, una statua del Santo martire sarebbe stata ritrovata presso l’isola Magnisi, in provincia di Siracusa, e sempre secondo quanto veniva riportato in questo documento, alcuni marinai sostennero di essere stati salvati da un naufragio proprio in virtù della intercessione Celeste operata dalla statua.

San Sebastiano è il Santo patrono di Mistretta, e nel paese Siciliano San Sebastiano si festeggia in due periodi: il 20 gennaio, giorno in cui la Chiesa ricorda il Suo martirio, e il 18 agosto per consentire agli emigrati giunti a Mistretta per le ferie estive di venerare il Santo. Nella chiesa di S.Sebastiano si trova un'urna recante come reliquia un osso del cranio del santo, che viene baciata con affetto dai devoti, e la pesante vara di San Sebastiano, che verrà portata in spalla da circa 60 portanti che camminano a piedi scalzi (quasi tutti indossando pesanti calzettoni di lana grezza, qualcuno a piedi nudi), vestendo un tradizionale costume con camicia, gilet e pantaloni di velluto nero, stringendo attorno al collo un fazzoletto di colore rosso. Il posto sotto la vara è molto ambito e tale posto viene tramandato da padre in figlio. Il giorno della festa la prima ad uscire dalla chiesa di S.Sebastiano è la "Varetta" contenente sia le altre reliquie del Santo che i ceri votivi, simbolo delle grazie ricevute, essa viene trasportata in spalla dai più giovani del paese (poiché è meno pesante di quella principale), quella con sopra S.Sebastiano esce subito dopo, addobbata con tantissime piccole luci ed un "lenzuolo" recante le banconote ai piedi della statua, a testimonianza della devozione dei cittadini verso il giovane Martire, entrambe le vare sono addobbate con garofani rossi. Le due vare attraversano le strade del paese secondo un preciso percorso fermandosi nei posti dove, in passato, erano ubicati gli ospedali o comunque luoghi di assistenza alle persone sofferenti. La processione si snoda per le vie del paese dove brusche salite e ripide discese mettono a dura prova la forza e la resistenza dei portatori che si muovono con un movimento ritmico a passo di marcia, la cosiddetta “annacata” ed, in alcuni punti "il Santo corre": la corsa dei due fercoli è un momento molto atteso e, caratteristicamente corrono tutti: i sacerdoti, le autorità civili e militari, le due bande, la folla dei devoti.

Una nota di curiosità: San Sebastiano è il Santo Patrono della Polizia Municipale, dei Militari in genere, dei fabbricanti di aghi, degli arcieri, di quanti hanno a che fare con oggetti a punta simili alle frecce.

 

Taken 06/12/20 in Westover Road:

 

Precising from the Wikipedia entry the Volvo B7TL is a low-floor double-decker bus which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of the Volvo Olympian. It was initially built in Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. In 2000, production was gradually transferred to Sweden. In mid-2004, production of the MkII version of the B7TL was started. Like the Olympian, the B7TL features a transversely-mounted rear engine and a shorter rear overhang, but the radiator was mounted on the right side of the engine compartment. It was equipped with Volvo D7C engine and ZF or Voith gearbox. The B7TL was initially available with Alexander ALX400 and Plaxton President bodywork, later followed by East Lancs Vyking (as seen here), Myllennium Vyking bodies and Wright Eclipse Gemini.

Note; More is a brand name used for services around Poole and Bournemouth by Wilts & Dorset who are part of Go South Coast, a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group

 

البعض يعتقد فوق هالـورقه نوع من انواع الخرز او الجليتر

لكن هذه عباره عن فطريات فوق ورقة

شجره في حديقة الالومبيا بارك في ميونخ

عقب المطر شفت شكلها عجيب وصورتها بس حاولت اصور اكثر من وحده

الجو كان مطر ومايسمح اوقف تحت الشجره لأنه تبللت xD~!

 

Strobist Info:

- Canon T1i;

- 580 EX II bounced off on a green paper behind the subject;

- 430EXII on a softbox at product up-left;

- White foam board on the right for fill;

- Sekonic 758-DR for precise exposure;

- Triggered with Impact.

The precise moment of the Winter Solstice for 2013 was at 17.11pm on the 21.12.13. This was a little bit before the actual time, but you could tell it was a short day, Damian and I took Reuben on a walk in an attempt to avoid the manic of last minute Christmas shoppers, and it worked! We chilled right out wandering around Delamere Forest, however when we realised that the light was fading fast and we still had to get back around the lake to get back to the car we did pick up the pace a bit. Big thanks to Damian for being an excellent location scout and guardian of the camera.

 

I got dreadlocks for Christmas, massive thanks to Hanni Yasities for making and installing them for me!

 

The precise moment this boar broke off his romance with this sow, she was crowding him, affectionately as sows often do, and he let her have it with a deafening roar(literally)...Its interesting, you'll hear from biologists how bears mate and breed, almost robotically seeking each other out and then going their separate ways after a few weeks, or a month.

 

Such is not nearly accurate in my experience, yes the boars grow tired of the intimacy, its plainly obvious that they do. Yet the sows are a different story altogether, they clearly stay "sweet" on their guys much much longer then that, sometimes seemingly for years.

 

I have observed sows making friendly overtures toward the boar they mated with even into the autumn months. Its also been my observation that the same sow and boar will mate together repeatedly, over the course of the years, divided up between three year cycles wherein the sow gives birth and then raises her family between years one and three...

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Please download and use these open source images for your own purposes. If you do, please reference Macroscopic Solutions.

 

Photography information: All of the images in this database were captured with the Macropod.

 

The Macropod is a rigid, portable photomacrography system, which allows the user to make razor sharp, fully focused photographs of small sized specimens at 18 to 26-megapixel resolution. It overcomes the extreme Depth of Field (DOF) limitations inherent in optics designed to image smaller specimens. Normally, lenses designed for macro will only render a very small fraction of the depth of targeted specimen in sharp focus at any one exposure. The Macropod allows the user to select and make multiple exposures in precise increments along the Z-axis (depth) such that each exposure’s area of sharp focus overlaps with the previous and next exposure. These source images are then transferred to a computer and merged by an image-stacking program. Zerene Stacker is used to find and stitch together only the focused pixels from each exposure into one image. The Macropod integrates industry-leading components in a novel and elegant way to achieve these results.

 

Contact information:

Dan Saftner

daniel@macroscopicsolutions.com

724 825 9426

 

Mark Smith

mark@macroscopicsolutions.com

410 258 6144

 

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BALOURS :

  

Les Balours sont de minuscules ursitacés.

  

Le terme balours vient du latin ballaenŭrsus,. Il est très important de préciser que ce mot latin est à rapprocher du grec ancien [phalainŭrsus] signifiant « phallus », quelque chose qui « se gonfle.

Malgré leur faible corpulence et une nage maladroite, ils peuvent se déplacer rapidement (jusqu'à 150 km/h

Les balours sont des semi hibernants. L'hivernation, contrairement à l'hibernation, n’entraîne pas une interruption de toutes les activités physiologiques. La température de leur corps montent relativement haut, ainsi ils se gonflent tel des montgolfières et Pendant cette période, ils flottent … ils flottent tous …. [Réf. : ça]

Mais ils peuvent se réveiller facilement pour réagir en cas de danger et à ce moment précis la température de leur corps revenant à la normale, ils se dégonflent tel des ballons de baudruches que l’on lâche soudainement dans l’air, entraînant une réaction en chaîne entre tous les balours surpris dans leur hivernation.

Pendant cette période d’hivernation ils sont donc en suspension dans le ciel de Zorg, donnant lieu à des rencontres Zorgaunautiennes afin de l’ y chasser au filet. De là est né l’expression :

« Ils ne faut pas vendre la peau du balours avant de l’avoir dégonflé ! «

WHALEAR :

  

The whalear are tiny ursitacés.

  

The term whalear comes from the Latin ballaenŭrsus,. It is very important to note that the Latin word similarities to the ancient Greek [phalainŭrsus] meaning "phallus", something that "swells.

Despite their small body size and an awkward swim, they can move quickly up to 150 km / h

The whalear are semi hibernating. Overwintering, unlike hibernation, does not cause an interruption of all physiological activities. The body temperature rise relatively high, and they swell like balloons and during this period they float ... they all float .... [Ref. : It]

But they can easily wake up to respond in an emergency and at this point the body temperature returned to normal, they deflate like balloons we suddenly loose in the air, causing a reaction chain between all whalear surprised in their overwintering.

During this period of hibernation so they are suspended in the Zorg sky, resulting in Zorgaunauts meetings to the hunt with nets. From this came the expression:

" do not sell the skin before whalear deflated! "

 

To be more precise, a tale about …Yellow tail (Shiraz)

A most respected and dear-to-the-heart friend on the other side of the world, referred to this as ‘Sunshine in a bottle’ and although I love this label, I have never ever thought of it, that way. It is simply an honest red, that would leave many French pretenders, in it’s wake. An honest and extremely affordable drop that surpasses most others. No ‘over the top’ price for crap that the French think they have and ask in cost, accordingly. I know this, for I have sampled their wares and I found them wanting.

  

So! Here we are and I have an empty glass awaiting. A glass to be filled with Sunshine, for now thinking about it, my gorgeous friend is so correct. Sunshine mixed with smooth subtlety.

P.S. I do not want nor solicit any comment that says 'drink in moderation' or 'a glass of wine now and again is okay' I have yet to see any other girl, with a glass in her hand or a bottle close by, in the confines of her home. Obviously no one, apart from myself and two others, partake of such. So perhaps, I will be left with a full bottle to share, with just one or two and therefore, that will require another bottle. One is not enough to go three ways. I tell it like it is and in so doing, I am becoming an 'open book' which is so bloody scares here. All I ever see, or read, is about the photo I can see with my own eyes and absolutely nothing .... beyond. Obviously too many shallow lives that thrive and multiply on flickr.

You will also obviously notice that I do not give myself a 'cyber makeover' nor Photoshop myself. I show me .... exactly as I am and I don't care.

High Precise Automatic Hot Stamping Machines on Pen Rods

Early Morning

A-Ha

 

Composição: Paul Waaktaar-Savoy/Magne Furuholmen

 

Early morning

Eight o’clock precise

I see the lonely August sun arise

 

Say you know

You will

Move me like you do

 

Out on the fields...

I’m waiting the whole night through

Early morning, early morning, yeah

 

Ran the whole way

Down to the tracks

Through the doorway

then a last look back

 

Say you know

You will

Move me like you do

 

Out on the fields...

I’m waiting the whole night through

Early morning, early morning, yeah

 

I climbed all the stairways

To find the rooftop clear

Got the shotgun lying with me here

Say you know

You will

Move me like you do

 

Out on the fields...

I’m waiting the whole night through

Early morning, early morning, yeah

 

Early morning

Eight o’clock precise

  

Ps: A música se refere o mês de agosto, mas está valendo porque é verão aqui também, ainda que bem diferente do norueguês.

Its precise name is Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Aus B, but can also be found referred to as SdKfz 182, VK45.03 Panzerkampfwagen VI Aus B, Tiger II, Konigstiger. Tiger II was the second German heavy tank to see production. Like the Tiger I, it had its roots in a development programme that started in 1937. The Henschel company was contracted to design what became the Tiger I. It entered service in the late summer of 1942 and in November Henschel was instructed to design an upgraded tank as quickly as possible. This was frustrated by technical changes (still the bane of those building for the military). The new tank was officially named the Tiger II in March 1943. Later in the war it was unofficially called the Konigstiger (King Tiger); the British and Americans sometimes translated this as ‘Royal Tiger’. The first prototype was tested in November 1943 and the first tanks were issued to operational units in June 1944, soon seeing action on both the Eastern Front and in France.

 

The armour was well sloped to resist shot and was welded. The hull front armour was 150mm thick and impervious to all contemporary Allied tank and anti-tank guns; on the later version of the turret it was 180mm thick. The hull side armour was 80mm thick. The hull was carried by nine pairs of wheels on each side, joined by torsion bars. The wheels ran on wide tracks to spread the weight. The tank used the same rear-mounted Maybach petrol engine as the Tiger I. Both were originally designed to power a 40-ton tank, were over-stretched by the 70-ton weight of the Tiger II and proved to be unreliable. With a power:weight ratio of about 11hp/ton the tank had relatively poor agility and mobility and a cross-country speed of no more than 20kph.

 

The formidable 71-calibre 88mm KwK43 fired a 10.2 kg projectile at a muzzle velocity of 1,000m/s. It was very accurate and could penetrate 165mm of steel armour sloped at 30° at 1,000m range. Every Allied tank was vulnerable to this gun. The first 50 Tiger II tanks were fitted with the Krupp turret designed for the Porsche VK45.02 (P) and are sometimes (inaccurately) called ‘Porsche’ turrets. A total of 1,500 Tiger II tanks were ordered but Henschel only managed to produce 489 gun tanks by March 1945. Some 600-700 tanks were not produced because of the effects of heavy air raids on the Henschel plant in Kassel. Two variants, a command tank and the Jagdtiger tank destroyer were produced.

 

The Tank Museum’s Tiger II is the second of the three trial vehicles that were produced late in 1943. It is fitted with the original design of turret and was used only for tests at the Sennelager proving ground. It was captured at the end of the War and extensively evaluated at the School of Tank Technology. The Tiger II was issued to the independent heavy tank battalions (schwerepanzerabteilung) of the Army and Waffen SS and in small numbers to the Panzer Lehr trials unit and the Feldherrnhalle division. The design emphasised firepower and protection at the expense of mobility. It was well suited to the defensive fighting in which the Wehrmacht was engaged in during the last months of WWII; despite its relatively poor reliability it was an effective weapon and much feared by Allied tank crews.

A Jim Carter photo. No precise date available

Precise moment study

“A Little Tale”…

 

He was not of this earthly plane. To be precise, he was trapped here…unable to find the portal or open it, on those occasions when it became visible to him, between this earthly plane and his home on the Other side deep down in the fiery dark hot smelly bowels of hell.

 

He had been trapped on this side for so long, at least 250-300 earthly years, which to him was far too long. He hungered for his dark hot smelly cesspool of a home. Each new day he didn’t think he could endure even for one more second the singing of those creatures called birds, the bright colors of the flowers, the intensity of the sun, and oh, all that horrible lush green foliage, as well as the sound of human laughter, especially the young ones.

 

So, to avoid all that horror, he slept during the time of the light and was awake when darkness fell and that hot bright sun set. He was a denizen of the night. A creature of darkness.

 

He kept completely to himself, for the most part, when it came to interacting with those “in body” beings called humans. Although he was forced on occasion to interact with these humans, he found them repulsive. Well, truth be told, not all were repulsive to him. Being a creature from the Other side, he possessed many abilities that these repulsive humans did not. Their bodies and minds limited them and they, unaware or uncaring, didn’t know or attempt to find out that they could have at least some of the same abilities he possessed if they just opened their minds. But, they were content to be thick blocks of cement going through their pathetic daily rituals as if they were something of importance.

 

One of his abilities, and the one that alerted him to the humans that were not repulsive to him, was that he could see inside of each and every one of them… right to their very souls. He could weed through them and find the ones with the black evil hearts. Now, those were his kind of beings for he knew when they left their clumsy earthly bodies and passed through that elusive portal, separating this world from the next, they would reside in the bowels of hell, where he belonged and should be, and be like him.

 

Now, with these humans, he developed a false relationship with them. Evil as he was, he wanted no relationships, attachments or the like. No, he did this because he needed them and wanted to use them or rather their souls, when their human hearts stopped beating, indicating the body had died and their souls were released, as a means to either push their souls aside and leave them stranded and earthbound and slip through the portal to reach his home or to attach himself to their black souls as they passed through the portal to hell.

 

For two years he tried to “tag along” on the black hearts souls’ passage from his world through the portal to hell, but each time his efforts failed. When he was with them when they died, their death being a result of his actions, he saw the portal, which appeared at each black hearted human’s death, but he could not pass through it with them. Their souls, screaming in horror and terror, passed through the portal and left this world for their new residence in hell, and he remained behind.

 

When he first got trapped on this side 250-300 human years ago due to a stupid mistake on his part, he spent the first 50-100 of these human earth rotation years looking for the portal to home, but to no avail. Then, he became aware of these humans and realized he could see into them and find those with black hearts. That is when the idea came to him to either tag along or push their dark souls aside after their human hearts stopped beating and pass through the portal to home, leaving them behind.

 

But, waiting years for them to die was excruciating on top of the fact that when they did die, he was still left behind. He had to wait for their death and then he remained here…still trapped. So, he became obsessed to find a quicker way to get back to his hell. Using all his black magic and spells, as well as any tool or instrument at hand, he began to kill black hearted humans…one after another. He would go to prisons where the crop of evil hearts was more than plentiful and kill and kill and kill, tagging along or trying to push their screaming horror filled black souls aside. But, he failed each and every time. He could not understand why.

 

When he saw the portal to hell, he would get a glimpse of his home… all fiery, hot, dank, and dark and he could hear the screams of those damned to live there for eternity. His hunger to get there increased even more.

 

He held back some black hearted souls, who were grateful not to be damned and allowed to remain on this earthly plane, as his slaves to do his bidding. He would command them to kill human after human along with him and help him try to use any way possible as a means to get through that portal, but he could not. For….The Angel of Death would not let him pass through and return home to hell. He was trapped here. Trapped.

 

Each day when he slept, his mind relived the day he made that stupid blunder which caused him to remain on this side. He tried to figure out how to reverse what he had done. Day after day, earth rotation after earth rotation, he thought while he slept, but nothing came to him. No idea, no discovery, no answer, no sign…nothing.

 

But, what did come to him was the realization that because he enjoyed, no reveled, in his damnation and loved the smelly fiery bowels of hell with all the screaming and crying black hearted souls, it was deemed that was not punishment for his evil. The punishment of damnation meant he should suffer, not enjoy his fate. So, he was tricked into making that stupid error and lost access to the portal to hell, thus preventing him from going home forever. He was now, truly damned and punished.”

~ Marsha J West, Author*

 

* The “A Little Tale” is my original idea and story. I am the author of that story and it is my property. Thus, it cannot be copied, reproduced, reprinted or used in any way or any medium. Also, this hutch is my original idea, creation and design. It is also my creative property. It is not to be copied, resold or reproduced.

   

Hervey Bay Homes

Taken 14/05/22 and a very précised history of ‘Eddystone’:

 

1946 Built at Brighton Works as No. 21C 28, an air smoothed Bulleid Light Pacific, by the Southern Railway.

1948 Renumbered No. 34028 by British Railways on the nationalisation of the railways

1958 Rebuilt by BR, including the removal of the air smoothed casing.

1964 Withdrawn and sent to Barry Scrapyard where it languished for 22 years.

1986 After purchase by the Southern Pacific Rescue Group the loco moved to Sellinge in Kent to be restored.

2003 Cutting a very long story short, the loco now based in Dorset returned to steam on the Swanage railway.

2014 The loco was withdrawn for overhaul

2021 After a fast track overhaul No. 34028 returned to action on the Swanage Railway

Time flies from 1932 to 2018.

 

“Time flies like an arrow.

Fruit flies like a banana.”

 

On the left side:

Masculine elegance and superior functionality characterise the Montblanc 4810 collection timepieces for the modern traveller. Combining performance and artisanal prowess, this wristwatch encloses its precise, self-winding Calibre MB 25.07 with a bi-pusher chronograph in a large, bold case featuring a dial of functional composition and harmonious proportions. Adorned with an exploding Montblanc star pattern guilloché, the black dial bears applied, rhodium-plated Roman numerals and indexes. A red triangle at 6 o’clock indicates the date. For better readability at night, the central hour and minute regate hands feature a Super-LumiNova coating for full visibility in the dark. To facilitate accurate chronometry, the precise minuterie along the dial’s edge features red markings at 30 and 60 seconds. Featuring straight horns and a thin bezel with a satin-finished border, the 43 mm stainless steel case complements a black alligator-skin strap.

 

Ident Number: 115123

Calibre: MB 25.07

Movement Type: Automatic chronograph

Material: Stainless steel

Diameter: 43 mm. CDN$4,100.00 plus 13% tax in 2017/8.

 

youtu.be/cxR6_ugl3wg

 

On the right side:

In 2018 my jeweller brought it back into good working condition.

1932 mass produced clock designed by Isama Noguchi.

 

Average run tine 28 hours. It is in working condition but it ticks loudly and the alarm would wake even the deepest sleepers.

 

youtu.be/V6Lh5YoLGkU

 

After purchasing this clock I took it in for a service estimate. I’m still waiting for their response.

 

1932 mass produced clock designed by Isama Noguchi.

Average run tine 28 hours.

 

youtu.be/V6Lh5YoLGkU

 

Isamu Noguchi (Japanese/American, 1904-1988) who spent a good portion of his life living in Japan.

Measured Time (Clock and Kitchen Timer), circa 1932, Hawkeye by the Stevenson, Mfg. Co.

Bakelite, glass, printed paper.

6-1/8 x 5-3/8 x 3-1/2 inches (15.6 x 13.7 x 8.9 cm)

Printed manufacturer's mark to face and applied plaque to reverse.

 

Measured Time has been recently noted as Nogochi's first mass produced design.

 

Measured Time "Hawkeye" Timer/Clock

 

SEE ebay Listing at link below started on 9/21/2015

www.ebay.com/itm/HAWKEYE-MEASU...

 

The Hawkeye timer/clock has a two-hour timer above, set with the large knob at center, and a clock below. While Measured Time, Inc., La Porte, Indiana is inscribed on the dial, the ID tag on the back identifies it as Model L, made by the Stevenson Mfg. Co. of La Porte. It was available in black or white Bakelite, and with either a wind-up or electric movement. Patents for both movements were held by Chester R. Gains and date to 1931 and 1934.

The Hawkeye's curvaceous and very Modern looking case design has only recently been identified as the work of acclaimed artist, landscape architect, and industrial designer, Isamu Noguchi. According to the Noguchi Foundation, this timer was Noguchi's first mass-produced design, completed ca. 1932. It predates his design for the "Radio Nurse" baby monitor by about five years. More info available here: www.phillips.com/detail/ISAMU-...

The “Measured Time” clocks have appeared previously on the market without attribution, identified only by the clockface “Hawkeye” label or the Stevenson Manufacturing Company label on the reverse. In his autobiography, Isamu Noguchi mentions that his first industrial design was a series of cake molds (which are believed to never have been put into production), followed by the case covering for a clock/kitchen timer called “Measured Time,” and then the baby monitor “Radio Nurse” and accompanying “Guardian Ear.” Because an image of “Measured Time” was never published, “Radio Nurse” had been noted as Noguchi’s first documented mass-produced design. Based on similarities in style, as well as correspondence and relationships in Indiana connecting Noguchi with the Stevenson Manufacturing Company, The Noguchi Foundation has recently confirmed the “Measured Time” case design to be the work of Isamu Noguchi. A discovery over eighty years in the making, Phillips considers it a privilege to introduce this model to the auction market with its rightful attribution.

 

The present model clock/kitchen timer is included in the current exhibition Isamu Noguchi, Patent Holder: Designing the World of Tomorrow, June 4, 2014–January 4, 2015 at The Noguchi Museum, and will be on view January 15, 2015–March 19, 2015 at the Dr. M.T. Geoffrey Yeh Art Gallery at St. John’s University in Queens, New York.

Past Auction results

________________________________________

• 231

ISAMU NOGUCHI

“Measured Time” clock and kitchen timer , circa 1932

Bakelite, metal, enameled metal, printed paper.

6 1/8 x 5 1/4 x 3 1/2 in. (15.6 x 13.3 x 8.9 cm)

Manufactured by Stevenson Manufacturing Company, La Porte, Indiana. Clock face printed with HAWKEYE/MEASURED TIME and MEASURED TIME INC. LA PORTE, INDIANA, reverse with metal label printed with STEVENSON MFG. CO/MODEL L PATENTS 1371781/1424092 1620455 1821628/1821629 OTHER PATENTS PENDING.

Estimate $3,500 - 4,500

SOLD FOR $11,250

 

Measured Time clock and kitchen timer

Stevenson Mfg. Co.

USA, c. 1932

Bakelite, glass, printed paper

5.5 w x 3.5 d x 6.25 h inches

result: $7,500

________________________________________

estimate: $3,500–4,500

This early work marks Noguchi's first design to go into mass production.

Signed with printed manufacturer's mark to face: [Hawkeye Measured Time]. Signed with metal manufacturer's label to reverse: [Measured Time La Porte, Ind. Model-L].

Isamu Noguchi

________________________________________

Measured Time clock and kitchen timer

Stevenson Mfg. Co.

USA, c. 1932

Bakelite, glass, printed paper

5.5 w x 3.5 d x 6.25 h inches

result: $7,500

________________________________________

estimate: $3,500–4,500

This early work marks Noguchi's first design to go into mass production.

Signed with printed manufacturer's mark to face: [Hawkeye Measured Time]. Signed with metal manufacturer's label to reverse: [Measured Time La Porte, Ind. Model-L].

 

Link to Radio Nurse by the same famous designer:

www.slate.com/blogs/the_vault/2013/02/07/zenith_s_radio_n...

 

His playground design:

kvadratinterwoven.com/isamu-noguchis-playgrounds

 

Google his image to see the incredible variety of his work.

 

There are many YouTube videos of his life and various designs if you search his name.

youtu.be/CTdPoSfSc7I

The Cat Industries CRK-27 is an assault rifle made for precise and effective fire. The CRK-27 is chambered in the 7.62x51mm NATO round. The main feature of the CRK-27 is the custom forged receiver set. This receiver set is custom forged from 7075 aircraft grade aluminum to reduce the weight of the weapon, as well as give it a very sleek and modern look. The CRK-27 also features an ergonomic stock and grip set, 20 round magazine, monolithic top rail segment, and sleek quad rail as well as a folding stock. The CRK-27 is designed and built in house by Cat Industries.

Incredibly precise panorama image is found in the mirrorball.

Attention, évènement ! Le Download Festival débarque en France et donne rendez-vous à tous les amateurs de rock à Paris en 2016. Le festival compte en effet envahir l’Hippodrome de Longchamp ces vendredi 10, samedi 11 et dimanche 12 juin prochains pour 3 jours exceptionnels. La preuve, Iron Maiden, Rammstein, Deftones, Korn ou encore Ghost et Gojira seront de la partie ! En plus, on a des places à vous offrir les amis.

 

Inutile de vous préciser que cette annonce risque de donner le sourire à de nombreux franciliens…

 

Créé en 2003 sur le circuit de Donington Park dans le Leicestershire en Angleterre, le Download Festival débarque enfin en France.

 

Misant sur une programmation rock, cette toute première édition française investira l’Hippodrome de Longchamp, à Paris, ces vendredi 10, samedi 11 et dimanche 12 juin 2016.

 

Du côté de la programmation, Iron Maiden a déjà confirmé sa venue pour la journée du vendredi 10 juin, alors que Rammstein sera présent pour la clôture de l'évènement, le dimanche 12 juin.

 

Pour le reste, vous retrouverez Korn, Deftones, Megadeth, Ghost, Volbeat, Biffy Clyro, Amon Amarth, Gojira, Sabaton, Anthrax, Rival Sons ou encore Trivium.

 

Mass Hysteria, Last Train, One Ok Rock mais aussi Lofofora ou encore Children of Bodom rejoignent la programmation.

 

Line-up :

 

VENDREDI 10 JUIN 2016 - MAIN STAGE

15h15 - 15h45 : We Came As Romans

16h30 - 17h30 : Gojira

18h30 - 19h30 : Deftones

20h35 - 22h35 : Iron Maiden

 

VENDREDI 10 JUIN 2016 - STAGE 2

15h45 - 16h30 : Beartooth

17h30 - 18h30 : Avatar

19h30 - 20h20 : Anthrax

22h30 - 23h30 : Ghost

 

VENDREDI 10 JUIN 2016 - STAGE 3

15h45 - 16h30 : The Wild Lies

17h30 - 18h15 : The Raven Age

19h30 - 20h20 : Blackrain

22h30 - 23h30 : Tremonti

  

SAMEDI 11 JUIN 2016 - MAIN STAGE

14h30- 15h15 : Apocalyptica

16h00 - 17h00 : Saxon

18h00 - 19h00 : Baby Metal

20h00 - 21h00 : Biffy Clyro

22h00 - 23h30 : Korn

 

SAMEDI 11 JUIN 2016 - STAGE 2

15h00 - 16h00 : Mass Hysteria

17h00 - 18h00 : One Ok Rock

19h00 - 20h00 : Amon Amarth

21h00 - 22h00 : Jane's Addiction

 

SAMEDI 11 JUIN 2016 - STAGE 3

14h00 - 14h30 : Shinedown

15h15 - 16h00 : Arcane Roots

17h00 - 17h45 : The Struts

19h00 - 19h45 : Twin Atlantic

21h00 - 21h45 : The Inspector Cluzo

  

DIMANCHE 12 JUIN 2016 - MAIN STAGE

14h30 - 15h15 : Skillet

16h00 - 17h00 : Trivium

18h00 - 19h00 : Sabaton

19h50 - 21h05 : Volbeat

22h00 - 23h30 : Rammstein

 

DIMANCHE 12 JUIN 2016 - STAGE 2

15h00 - 16h00 : Lofofora

17h00 - 18h00 : Children Of Bodom

19h00 - 20h00 : Rival Sons

21h00 - 22h00 : Megadeth

 

DIMANCHE 12 JUIN 2016 - STAGE 3

14h00 - 14h30 : The Shrine

15h15 - 16h00 : Strange Bones

17h00 - 17h45 : New Year's Day

19h00 - 19h45 : Skindred

21h00 - 21h45 : Last Train

ICESat's precise elevation change measurements, combined with information from other technologies, are producing a comprehensive look at the behavior of Earth’s ice sheets -- critical for quantifying forecasts of sea level rise. Scientists used ICESat data to show changes in elevation over the Greenland ice sheet between 2003 and 2006. White regions indicate a slight thickening, while the blue shades indicate a thinning of the ice sheet. Gray indicates areas where no change in elevation was measured.

 

Credit: NASA Goddard's Scientific Visualization Studio

The Miranda S shooting test

 

Miranda S + Komura 105mm f2.8

Fujichrome Provia 400X (expired in the '90s)

K1ii + smc Pentax-FA 50mm f2.8 Macro + Pentax Film Duplicator

  

Some of the images from the Miranda S camera that came with its Miranda 5cm f2.8 set lens and the Komura 105mm f2.8 I was after on auction some time ago.

 

Regrettably I did not notice during my cleaning and testing of the camera that the curtain was damaged, so I had the unpleasant surprise of finding all the 36 test exposures doomed by a serious light leak from the tear it appeared during the usage, which remained contained only in those few frames I took almost sequentially, because the film was almost immediately winded up for se subsequent shot.

 

For the details on the camera, you can refer to my previous posts. Here I can only add that despite the accident and the impossibility to evaluate properly the lens rendering, it was a fun experience. Not easy; but educational.

 

Handling focusing properly (on a inverted and not really bright waist-level viewfinder), calculating the time, remembering to re-close the preset aperture, etc. is not such an intuitive and easy routine to master in one roll of film. More than anything - I can say - I have truly understood the necessity and function of the preset aperture: beyond f4 on these sort of cameras, even in the brightest hour of the day, you can hardly distinguish anything with precision in almost any circumstance.

 

In general, the Miranda 5cm f2.8 and its heliar design gave me the feeling of an original and relatively reliable lens. It seems quite sharp where it should be, with a background blurr that is yes aged, but intriguing. It even displays a nice swirl far in the back. It seems to best perform with a subject not too far beyond 5-8 meters.

 

The rendering of the Komura - which survives here only in a few shots - is clearly different: more precise and with a smoother and beautiful bokeh and richer color/contrast.

   

visible sur CPA date non précisée, gens aux fenêtres "Hôtel Métropole"

autre CPA www.vosgescpa.fr/Plombieres-les-Bains/slides/Plombi%C3%A8...

 

Voir toute la série d'une quinzaine de photos, avec les villas voisines, du même architecte lorrain, Charles Hindenayer (quelquefois écrit Hindermeyer), inspiré par l'Art Nouveau allemand

Modern torqueing

 

Audi and the quattro all-wheel drive system are synonymous with power and precise control

 

By Tushal Bhadang

 

Do you recall how your spine tingles when you’re about to lay your hands onto that new 3000 Watt home theatre system blaring out music that could wake up neighbours two blocks away? The Q7 SUV Audi comes with the same spine tingling Vorsprung durch Technik – as standard. It’s no small goat though, at 5086mm from bumper to bumper the Q7 is long by a stretch, consolidating 2177mm of width and you don’t want to get into a tight spot. But she is beautiful like no other. Smooth flowing lines with nothing added as an after-thought give her a robust appearance.

Audi’s radiator grille is the most distinctive, the four rings logo dominate the vents and large goatee-shaped chin is sure to scare motorists up front. It’s stance is muscular and aggressive and though appearing bulky, she scampers like a scalded cat if given some stick. We received two variants of the Q7 the full blown 4.2 litre V8, 350hp monster in goat’s disguise and the tame but equally brilliant cheetah all of 3.6 litre V6 pawing out 280 ponies which snarl with fierce intent.

 

Despite varying power outputs the basic character of both cars is similar. They both growl from anything above 2500 RPM but the V8 thumps out a humongous 440 Nm of torque @3500 RPM pushing you back in your seat. While the V6 does the same a little less aggressively at 360 Nm of torque ranging from 2500 to 5000 RPM giving it immense mid-range thrust. The V8 provided a phenomenal driving experience, mostly due to the quattro all-wheel-drive system which is a remarkable piece of engineering in itself but also in part due to the adaptive air suspension package. It electronically controls the adaptive damping system on all four wheels, i.e. raising the vehicle height up to 60mm (lift mode) for off road action and lowers height by 28mm for high speed highway cruising (dynamic mode). All vehicle dynamics are managed by the Audi MMI (multi media interface) system mounted on the dash. Also included is an ‘automatic’ setting where the vehicle analyses the road dynamics and adjust the suspension damping and level accordingly. The V6 powered Q7 comes without these and other bells and whistles.

 

Both variants come with a standard 6-speed automatic tiptronic transmission with near perfect gear ratios and an “S” mode that more than judicially keeps her revving close to the red line in every cog. The Q7 in both variants is equally comfortable and does exactly what Audi claim, be a big, comfortable and very very fast SUV. Off the black, the Q7 is not the most capable of vehicles, partly due to the tyres (low profile Bridgestone 275/45R20 designed for wet performance and road comfort). It can handle some mini sand dunes but that’s about it. It takes corners with aplomb and feels like its on rails. It is the nature of large SUV’s to understeer heavily, but the Quattro system prevents this to a large extent by controlling power to all four wheels. The V6 though provided a better driving experience as it was noticeably lighter and took tighter turns with ease.

 

There is so much to talk about the interiors. Audi bathe you with luxury from the best cows a.k.a leather seats. The big daddy V8 also gets additional safety features as standard, with blind-spot alerts in the wing mirrors and active glare protection from auto dimming rear view mirror. The baby Q7 gets the Audi open sky system which lets in the sun when retracted and also has a tint and fine mesh sun protection cover that rolls in/out at the flick of a switch. The MMI system comes with a host of goodies which include mobile phone bluetooth, in-dash 6-disc Bose audio CD changer, active GPS navigation system, vehicle settings and also self system check amongst many others. You can go to the extent of specifying how long you want the headlights to be on after you leave the car and even set the speed limit warning to beep at a speed you choose! Boot space (min. 775 lit., max. 2035 lit.), rear legroom and overall storage space is exemplary. Road noise too is extremely low.

 

Like other models in its product range, the Q7 comes with a host of airbags and active safety measures and enjoys a 4-star EuroNcap safety rating. Large-diameter (ventilated 350mm front, solid 330mm rear) provide the most reassuring stopping power under any condition. Dual-circuit brake system with diagonal split ABS with EBD, electronic differential lock, traction control system (ASR – what’s that?) and ESP are standard on all variants.

 

Last word

The Q7 is a phenomenon but it is in a way over-engineered to perfection. All the technology is a little distracting and the silky smooth ride is missed as you keep playing with all the toys. But you do reach your destination very quickly. She is capable of carrying five or seven passengers in cool comfort (multi-zone climatronic air con). Nudging 2.3 tons of kerb weight she feels solid and planted. For practical reasons, we would vouch for the 3.6 litre V6 Q7, it is nimble, relatively simple and has most of the gadgets with many options and moreover more efficient than the V8. Though if you are looking for more power, the V8 is the one for you.

 

Rating 4 stars

 

Car supplied by Behbehani Brothers, Kingdom of Bahrain.

 

PIC TUSHAL BHADANG

 

Riverside Cemetery, Kalamazoo, Michigan

 

Argus Anastigmat 50mm f/4.5 on Sony A7RM2.

 

Argus-Ilex-Precise I.R.C. f/4.5 Anastigmat (from the early Argus A camera series) on Sony A7RM2.

 

Converted to black-and-white in Lightroom CC; distortion, vignette and edge softness come with the lens.

Vivienne and Mirelle Part 7: The Fall of Seraine

Power borrowed is never power kept.

 

It began with whispers in the port scaffolds.

A cargo reroute. A contract dropped.

A name removed from a protection list.

 

Seraine had expanded—too far.

 

The Pale Hour wasn’t quiet anymore. It was efficient. Clean. Elegant.

 

It attracted people who used to owe their silence to Vivienne.

People who should have known better.

 

Freelancers started bypassing the Ravenwood.

Mid-tier operators checked in with Seraine’s people before they checked in with Vivienne’s.

Even one of Omalley’s girls defected. Quietly. Permanently.

 

Vivienne said nothing.

 

Not when she heard about the meeting with the out-of-system broker.

 

Not when someone tagged her surveillance node in the Drift with Pale Hour credentials.

 

Not even when two Ravenwood-aligned clients turned up dead—information compromised.

 

She waited.

Because Vivienne Ravenwood doesn’t make threats.

She makes examples.

 

They called it The Quiet Hour afterward.

 

Six names struck from the Ravenwood’s register. Six who would never be seen again.

Six bodies found in Old Port—clean kills, knives still sheathed.

Bodies left - not as a warning, but as a promise.

 

A data broker pulled from a tram before reaching the docks.

 

A Crimson Alcove girl who rerouted her loyalty was found seated in a chair inside the Ravenwood, head bowed, untouched, but with her ledger account emptied and her status revoked.

 

Each one had stepped away from Vivienne.

Each one thought she hadn’t noticed.

She had.

 

Vivienne didn’t watch the purges.

She orchestrated them.

She left the executions to people who had once been forgotten, favored, or fed by her.

 

No bounty posted. No credits exchanged.

Just quiet orders.

And names.

And one exception.

 

Seraine.

She wasn’t killed.

She was dismantled.

 

It happened that night when she tried to hold court.

Her version of it: a high-back chair, private security, clients who thought they’d found a new center of gravity.

 

Vivienne walked in alone.

No guards. No fanfare. Just a crimson coat and gloves she didn’t remove.

 

Seraine stood. Smiled.

Vivienne didn’t.

 

She crossed the room like the floor belonged to her—because it did.

 

Two guards went down before anyone registered motion. No blood. No resistance worth mentioning.

 

Seraine’s hand flashed toward her blade, but Vivienne was already there.

 

The disarm was fluid, the counter precise. Vivienne’s knife found its mark: through the center of Seraine’s right hand.

 

The hand that signed deals, that left silk messages, that dared to build a shadow in Vivienne’s wake.

 

Vivienne leaned in. Close enough to be memory.

 

“You know what the others never did.

How to leave with a wound instead of a grave.

Don’t make me reconsider the distinction.”

 

Then she turned and left.

And no one followed.

 

Aftermath

The Pale Hour was shut down before sunrise.

 

Seraine vanished.

 

The traitors were already gone. No one filled their places.

 

And inside the Ravenwood, the lights ran brighter for a few nights—just enough for people to remember who cast the longest shadow.

 

Addendum to Part 7

After fire, there are always those who crawl out of the ash—not to rebuild, but to ask permission to breathe.

 

It was late.

Not late for the port. Late for the Ravenwood.

 

The casino floor had gone still. Music faded. Lights dimmed to gold and steel. The kind of hour that didn’t tolerate unannounced visitors.

 

But one came anyway.

She waited outside the security line. Said her name once, quiet. Gave no credentials. No threats.

 

Just a name:

“Marin.”

 

Vivienne knew it.

A minor Pale Hour facilitator. Data movement. Quiet loyalty. Never crossed Vivienne directly, but never stood apart either.

 

She was watched during the purge. Flagged. But not marked for removal.

 

Now she stood just inside the bar. Not shaking. Not armed. But very, very careful.

 

Vivienne didn’t stand.

She didn’t speak, at first.

She let the silence test the girl’s spine.

 

“I wasn’t loyal,” Marin said, finally. “But I wasn’t stupid, either.”

“I knew who you were.”

 

Vivienne looked at her. Nothing sharp. Just the kind of stillness that made every heartbeat feel overheard.

 

“She’s gone,” Marin continued. “And I’m still here. I could disappear. I should. But I’d rather stay.”

 

Vivienne raised one brow.

“Why?”

 

“Because at least with you,” Marin said, “I know the rules.”

 

That got the first reaction. Not a smile. But something shifted around Vivienne’s mouth. Like memory. Or amusement.

 

She stood. Slowly.

Walked to the bar. Poured one drink. Just one.

Set it on the edge of the counter. Didn’t invite her to take it. Didn’t claim it either.

 

“You’re still breathing,” Vivienne said.

“That’s permission enough. Don’t ask for more.”

 

Vivienne turned and walked away.

 

Vivienne and Mirelle Part 1

Vivienne and Mirelle Part 2

Vivienne and Mirelle Part 3

Vivienne and Mirelle Part 4

Vivienne and Mirelle Part 5

Vivienne and Mirelle Part 6

Vivienne and Mirelle Part 7

Vivienne and Mirelle Part 8

mapping not precise

The James Webb Space Telescope's science instruments were installed in a surgically precise operation. Read more: go.nasa.gov/1Wg8FNN #JWST

 

This image shows a rare view of the instruments being lowered into the telescope.

 

Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn

 

Image description: Webb’s instrument module is integrated onto the back of the telescope, right behind the mirrors. The telescope is facedown on a white stand, with the golden mirrors facing down. The secondary mirror support structure is folded over the mirrors, with the round back of the secondary mirrors facing the camera. Behind it is a black radiator panel. The instrument module is being lowered by a crane. The 4 science instruments are visible through the module structure. In the background is a wall of HEPA filters that help keep the NASA Goddard cleanroom clean.

 

The precise moment when the universe becomes aware of itself through a human form. The central feminine figure appears suspended between the density of the real — evoked by the dark clouds at her feet — and the blinding lightness of abstraction unraveling around her.

 

The central light source in her chest acts as a vital core, a fusion-heart, an encrypted beacon. It seems to both receive and emit an unknown energy, as if she were the vessel of universal information or a priestess of luminous code. The white, smoke-like curves that coil around her body are streams, vectors, invitations — fluid architectures defying gravity.

 

Her gaze is lowered, not in submission, but in meditative absorption. She contemplates her own internal mutation — an organic ascension toward a form of knowledge that requires no language. Her body, partly transparent, is a sanctuary traversed by technopoetic structures: stellar circuitry, network filaments, veins of light.

 

She is an apparition. A messenger.

A body turned into a network. A consciousness opened to the vertigo of cosmos.

A bridge stretched between the memory of the living and total abstraction.