A Trio of World Heritage Sites

Our family recently reunited in India and we wasted no time in hitting the road for an adventure.  There were 3 stops on our mini-trip, and the first was Keoladeo Nation Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site worthy of the title.  The reserve is a mosaic of grasslands, woodlands, and wetland swamps that are home to 375 avian species.  On our long walk with a truly expert guide we saw 81 of them! This park is home to several migratory birds from central Asia and this is the time of the year to spot them.  My 2 favorites were the “lipstick bird”, so named for its outrageous coloring, and the black headed Ibis.  Actually everything we saw was click worthy, and I have no shortage of pictures of our day’s hike.  You can see some of them here at this FLICKR link: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjDmsXJ4

Fatehpur Sikri was our next stop. Fatehpur Sikri was built by the great Mughal emperor Akbar around 1569. [Check out the fantastic Bollywood movie Jodhaa Akbar for a great historical look at the inner dealings of the Mughal Empire, and of Akbar in particular. It’s a great film.] He built it as a tribute to a Sufi mystic in thanksgiving for his wife’s bearing a male heir after the mystic’s prophecy of the event.  [Insert huge eye roll over the male part.) This was the first planned city of the Mughal empire and the monuments in sandstone exemplify Mughal architecture at its finest.  The first time I was here for me it compared in splendor with the Taj Mahal.  This time I was a little under the weather so wasn’t able to get myself to the inner sanctums of the city where the most beautiful work was done, but what I saw was still beautiful.  Enjoy some photos at the same link as above.

Last we visited to the Taj Mahal.  It really is “poetry in marble”.  It is a marble tomb built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal.  There is nothing I could write that would compare to its beauty so enjoy the few pictures I took there. 

Our National Shame

There is nothing I can write that will lessen the trauma of the events in the elementary school in Connecticut, for the parents, for their families, for the surviving students, for the teachers, for the principal, but there is this. 

I pledge to work somehow for gun control in the United States.  I don’t know the avenue yet, but it will happen.  Indeed, we as a populace must all rise up and say NO MORE.  It is our national shame. We must not allow the all-powerful NRA and gun manufacturers to own our legislative agenda for gun control.  United we are a force that the congressman and women cannot ignore, but we must be relentless or it will be business as usual.  So, for all the beautiful young lives that were cut short last week, pledge to yourself to somehow be their voices against this mindless violence.  We can and we must make a difference.  All the children sitting in every classroom in America need us. 
UPDATE:  Here is a link to sign a White House petition for gun control.  You have to create an account, but it's very quick, 3 lines.
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/immediately-address-issue-gun-control-through-introduction-legislation-congress/2tgcXzQC#thank-you=p
On a point of hope, take a look at this video from last week.  On the same day as the tragedy, I was setting up my training space for a workshop at a women’s college when I heard a beautiful choir of young women’s voices.  I quickly climbed two flights to stairs to the music room and was greeted by this exuberant group.  The unfettered joy of their noise brought me near to tears. This is the sound every young child deserves to make.

The lyrics and their English translation of the song follow.  This is an inspirational song from the “New York” Bollywood film.  The main theme is “Have passion; have a kind heart.”  I found the melody uplifting and now I think it matches the lyrics well.

Here is the song 'Hai Junnun' from movie 'New York'.

na nannana na na na nannana na na na..........

yaaron ji bharke ji le pal

friends live the movement fully

lagata hai aajkal daur apana aayega

now a day seems like our time has to come

yaaron jo khud pe ho yakin, toh jindagi haseen

friends if you have confidence in you, then life will be beautiful

tujhe kal bulaayega

tomorrow will call you

hai junoon, hai junoon sa sine mein - (4)

have passion, have kind a passion in heart

na nannana na na na nannana na na na..........

(kahin jaise koi dhun baje

like somewhere some tune is playing

raahon mein dekho hai manjar saje saare

see the road is decorated with flowers

hami hum jahaan mein har jagah

we and only we everywhere in the world

sapane sajaane ki mili hamako wajah)-2

we got the reason to see dreams

ye agar jo sach nahi, toh sach bhala hai kya

if it's not true, ten what's the truth

yaaron apane hisaab se dil ki kitaab pe kuchh toh naya likho

friends with your own style, on your heart, write something new

yaaron anjaam ki fikar na karati yeh umar phir kyun bhala daro

friends, this age doesn't care about the result, then why to be afraid

hai junoon, hai junoon sa sine mein - (2)

have passion, have kind a passion in heart

hai junoon, hai junoon

have passion, have passion

(kabhi jo milenge raaste, pal mein hi chamkegi hansi puraani toh

if for sometime our roads will meet, then within a moment the old smile will spark on

kaho kya kahoge phir hamein, kaise chhupaaoge nami yeh palakon ki)-2

tell then what you will say to me at that time, how do you hide the tears of your eyes

yeh bata hai kya huwa, huwa yeh kyun bata

tell me what has happened, why it is happened tell me

yaaron ji bharke ji le pal

friends live the movement fully

lagata hai aajkal daur apana aayega

now a day seems like our time has to come

yaaron jo khud pe ho yakin, toh jindagi haseen

friends if you have confidence in you, then life will be beautiful

tujhe kal bulaayega

tomorrow will call you

hai junoon, hai junoon sa sine mein -4, hai junoon

have passion, have kind a passion in heart, have passion

Dave Brubeck, R.I.P.

A giant in the world of music has died, and left a legacy of some of the most joyful and rhythmic jazz I’ve heard, and some of my favorite tunes.  Dave Brubeck trained as a classical pianist, and was one of the original cross-over artists, moving easily from Mozart  motifs (BluesRondo-a-la-Turk) to Bach chorales (“Because All Men are Brothers” sung by Peter, Paul, & Mary) and swinging with the likes of Louis Armstrong in my favorite summer song of all time, aptly name “Summer Song”.   He was a great blender of styles and genres, and yet was an original.  His use of complex meters in music was both innovative yet quite accessible.   He believed strongly that jazz and classical music shared many elements.  “When you hear Bach or Mozart, you hear perfection,” Brubeck said in 2005. “Remember that Bach, Mozart and Beethoven were great improvisers. I can hear that in their music.”

Check out his biography online and you’ll see he led a rich, varied life that was reflected in his music. He was a champion of civil rights, integrating his famous Brubeck Quartet, and refusing to play in South Africa during apartheid.   Treat yourself to a listen of any of his beats and see why he was revered in many circles. Start with the most pleasing “Take Five”  in 5/4 time (Paul Desmond's beautiful tenor sax leading the melody) and don’t stop there. A couple of my favorite albums of his were Dave Brubeck: Vocal Encounters (with a varied cast of vocalists)  and the Best Hits album.  I am having an all-Brubeck day tomorrow in his honor.  What’s your favorite D Brubeck? I believe F. at 345 introduced me to his music, so gran merci for that.  If you’re not familiar with this gifted musician, don’t delay in having a listen and wondering why you’ve been a stranger.

Wedding Bells, Indian Style

Yesterday evening I flew home from a 2-week training facilitation, and dashed home to change for our first Indian wedding event.  After a mild (actually ugly and sweaty) meltdown as I tried to get my sari to fold properly, we were whisked away to a magical evening of sights and plentitude of food I don't think I've ever witnessed before.  One my colleague's nieces was the bride, so she invited me so I could begin to understand what is meant by the Indian wedding experience.  I was not disappointed.  I only wish I had had my brocaded silk sari to wear so I would fit in a bit more, but alas, I failed to bring it with me for some silly reason, and my two faithful Iowa City elves could not find it in the house either. I was dreaming about fitting in anyway; not only was the  clothing and jewelry only peripherally in my realm of imagination, we were indeed the only non-Indians there, so there were lots of curious stares, but many people who also most graciously introduced themselves and offered advice on what to eat and sometimes, how to eat it.  Judge for yourself to see that I'm not overstating the glam case.  Here's the link.
http://flic.kr/s/aHsjD7BkNM

Weekend in New Delhi

This weekend S. and I enjoyed some of the best that New Delhi has to offer, including a great Cantonese restaurant near my hotel (I’ll be eating dinner there nightly next week), the Nehru Museum, Home and Library, the Gandhi Museum, the Jama Masjid, Asia’s largest mosque, and the beautiful Lodi Gardens, replete with beautiful trees and paths and several beautiful out-buildings.  A picture essay of the places follows.

I particularly enjoyed the Nehru Museum. As one of the founding fathers of India and its first Prime Minister, he was a fascinating subject to learn more about, including some letters between he and Gandhi, and his back story and private life (some racy parts, of course!)  The photos of him as a dashing young man and as a baby with a huge, funny hat caught my eye. As my friend Alikur always tried to teach me, study photos carefully to get the inside information on a country's history.  From this limited viewing, I am concluding this country loves a good hat.

Calligraphy Detail at Lodi Garden

Statue at Nehru's House

Silly Baby Hat of Nehru's

C, S, & G

Nehru as a Dapper Young Man

View of the Red Fort

Yummy Dumplings

Busy Kitchen open to for all to see...I gawked.

Men with Interesting Hats