Mosaic Monday - beauty of Rajasthan

For today's mosaic - hosted by Mary - I am going to use photos that are not my own! My dear friend Param, an excellent photographer, artist and architect, has let me use his photos!

Rajasthan is a desert state in northern India.....once known as the 'Land of the Kings', the state still retains the glory and richness of those times with its marvelous monuments, colourful traditions and customs. It covers most of the area of the Great Indian desert (Thar Desert) with one edge paralleling the Sutlej - Indus river valley along with its border with Pakistan. The cities of Jaipur, Udaipur, Sanganer and Jodhpur are tourist meccas in Rajasthan, known for their fabulous block printed textiles, handmade paper, blue pottery, silver jewelry, old palaces, forts and fortresses. Music and dance thrive in these cities...here is a mosaic of a dancing girl and 2 forts in the city of Udaipur.

To read my artist profile on Param, go here!

Memories of Morocco

Every now and then, I nostalgically sort through all my travel photographs, in an effort to recapture the fun of a trip I have taken to some exotic destination, or maybe just in an effort to organize my travel album. The pleasure of sifting through photographs in your hand is now lost, thanks to the digital age......now that everything is stored in the memory of a computer! In spite of the ease and convenience of digital pictures - where you can delete a picture cos you look terrible in it, where you can touch up something to make it look brighter and better, where you can accentuate one color more than the other - in spite of all this, I am convinced that old fashioned film photography, is the best kind. Anyway, I am rambling.....while sorting thru some pics yesterday, I came across these taken in the spring of 2008, on our European vacation to Spain, Lisbon and Morocco. Today I will share the pics of Tangiers, Morocco.

Tangiers is the gateway to Morocco and the country's summer capital. It is where Africa meets Europe and and was until 1950, occupied by neighboring Spain, separated by a mere 20 mile stretch of the Straits of Gibralter. We took the ferry from Algeciras, the southern most point in Spain, across the Straits. Tangiers is colorful, warm, bustling, exotic, old, mysterious and vibrant. Spain and France, the early colonizers of Tangiers have left their legacies on the city, producing an interesting hybrid culture. The bazaars are jostling with people and vendors selling fragrant spices, warm, fat, juicy fresh dates, nuts, honey, sweets, flat breads and wonderful fruits like cherimoyas and mangoes 

For those planning to go there, this will give you a taste of Tangiers and what to expect, and for those who have already been there, hopefully it will bring back wonderful memories!

Lovely blue pottery, I wanted to buy the entire shop

Brassware - lanterns, urns, plates....

Earthenware - pots, tagines and lanterns

Wonderful old buildings on the way to the Casbah

Meandering through the labyrinth like streets

More meandering......

Self appointed guide Mohammed with his cute son

Lovely colorful homes along the way

The allure of a doorway

Another doorway.......

Sweet, sticky, gooey, syrupy, street food...heaven!

Tagines, tagines and more tagines......picked up one for myself too

Jovial, old wizened women in the marketplace

Fabulous tabbouleh.....the best I have tasted!

If you want to read about our entire trip, go here! This is the start of the trip, you will have to keep clicking on "older post" below to read about the entire trip!

Gulmohar - The Flame tree

Come summer, and in India a common sight is the Gulmohur tree. I had all along thought it was called the Flame of the Forest, but much to my surprise, some googling revealed I was wrong. Its botanical name is Delonix Regia and it is the Flame Tree! (On a side note, the Flame of the Forest also had red flowers, but they are shaped quite differently). Every summer the dry landscape of India is brightened by the appearance of the gorgeous red flowers that cover the trees exuberantly. Often grown as an ornamental tree and known for its fern like leaves and flamboyant display of flowers, the tree is also called Flamboyant. The species was previously placed in a genus Poinciana, named for Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy who is credited with introducing the plant to the Americas.

The street I live on is lined with these beautiful trees and sadly I do not have one in my garden. We had plenty of these in our yard and on the street we played on when I was growing up, and every time I smell the flower, the fragrance takes me back to my childhood days. We do now have a tree right outside our house, and very often after a windstorm or heavy rain, our front yard is littered with the seed pods, which our dogs love, for the rattly sound they make as well as for their heavenly chewy texture! Yesterday some people came by to cut many branches off the trees because they were interfering with the power lines, so I quickly ran outside, and gathered up as many branches with flowers as I could. So now my home is full of these lovely flowers.

Here is some interesting trivia on this tree:

In Vietnam, this tree is called "Phượng vỹ", or phoenix's tail, and is a popular urban tree. Its flowering season is April - May, which coincides with the end of the school year in Vietnam. Because of this timing, the flower of Poinciana is sometimes called the "flower of pupil", and often generates strong emotions among graduating high school pupils, as the Poinciana bloom when they are about to leave their school and their childhood behind.

The seed pods of the Royal Poincianas are used in the Caribbean as a percussion instrument known as the shak-shak or maraca.

The Poinciana is also the national flower of St. Kitts and Nevis

Enjoy these lovely pictures of the Gulmohar tree.

Sufi music....music for the soul!

I am a huge fan of Sufi music as I am sure many of you are. Sufi music is derived from Sufism which is the mystical dimension of Islam that preaches peace, tolerance and pluralism, while encouraging music as a way of deepening one’s relationship with God. A practitioner of this tradition is known as a Sufi. Another name used for the Sufi seeker is "dervish". The Sufi movement has spanned several continents and cultures over a millennium, at first expressed through Arabic, then through Persian, Turkish and a dozen other languages.

Sufi songs have a unique appeal about them. They are mystical, passionate and soothe the soul. Whether it is a romantic song or sad sufi song, you cannot help but notice them and get totally lost in them. As far as origin is concerned the word ‘Sufi’ is derived from the Arabic word ’suf’ which means wool. Initially, Sufi songs were sung to celebrate love for God. This was a path of devotion and it did not have serious religious connotations. Sufi songs were said to be sung in order to commune with God. In many ways the mournful tunes and lyrics reminded me of the "fado" music we heard in Lisbon. It is the music of longing and yearning. The whirling movement of the singers is also very similar to the dervishes we saw in Istanbul.

Here are a couple of my favorite sufi songs. Click on the link to just  listen to it, if you want to see the videos click on the youtube links.

Maula mere maula mere from the film "Anwar"


Or watch it on youtube if you want to see the video

Khwaja mere khwaja from the film "Jodhaa Akbar"


Watch on youtube to see the video

Sun De(signs)

Sun sign forecasts are based on the position of the sun in your zodiac sign, at your birth. They reveal your personality and temperament vividly and accurately, as the sun is the king of the planets. However other planets also play a vital role in shaping your destiny, which is why many of you feel your personality traits do not match your sign characteristics. This makes predictions exciting and not always perfect. But then neither is life, and astrology reflects life in all its complexity and variety. So based on your sun sign, here is what the experts have come up with to guide you in your decor choices for the year 2010...OK, so I realize 2010 is almost halfway done, but hey there's still 7 months to go!

ARIES: Active, excitable and impulsive, optimistic and open to change and new ideas. Your magical birthstones are coral and diamond; red, scarlet and carmine are your colors; geranium is your flower. Iron and steel are your metals and your incense associations are honeysuckle and musk! The direction most beneficial to you is east.

A dramatic bedroom

TAURUS: Affectionate, patient, stable, determined and practical, stubborn and resistant to change. Turquoise and emerald will protect you; pale blue, pink, yellow and pale green are your colors; the violet is your flower. Copper is your metal, and seeds and stones are your natural symbols. The direction most beneficial to you is south, your incense association is frankincense!

An earthy corner

GEMINI: Lively, energetic, versatile and intellectual, lives primarily in the mind rather then the emotions, and is extremely adaptable to new situations. Emerald and agate are your magical birthstones which will protect you. Yellow, slate grey and spotted mixtures are your colors, your flower is the lavender. Your natural symbol is feathers and mercury is your metal. The direction most beneficial to you is the west and your incense is jasmine.

A dynamic study

CANCER: Receptive, sensitive and imaginative, sympathetic, kind, emotional and active, shrewd with an intuitive mind. Pearl will change bad fortune into good; your colors are soothing white, opal, iridescent silvery hues, smoky grey, sea green and blue; your metal is silver. Shells are your natural symbol, your flower is lily; your incense is patchouli; and the direction most beneficial to you is north.

A homely dining area

LEO: Enthusiastic, powerful, expansive and creative, generous and extravagant. Not surprisingly, gold is your metal, flame is your natural symbol; sunflower is your flower and your colors are orange, gold, rich shades of yellow and brown. Rubies will protect you; rose incense will benefit you and your direction is east.

An opulent setting

VIRGO: Practical. modest, loving, helpful, discriminating and industrious. Emerald and sapphire bring you tranquility of mind; shades of green, dark brown, slate and spotted patterns work best for you, as does the metal mercury. Pansies are your flower and your incense is myrrh. The south is most beneficial to you and grains and seeds your natural symbols.

A tranquil retreat

LIBRA: Active, artistic, easygoing, peaceable, diplomatic, polished and very socially inclined, and prizes beauty and harmony. Opal, your magical birthstone brings you success; surround yourself with roses and gladioli. Your colors are blue and white, copper is your metal; your most beneficial direction is west. Frangipani is your incense.

A hamonious bedroom

SCORPIO: Imaginative, passionate and emotional, subtle, persistent, intense, obstinate and unyielding. Coral and topaz are your magical birthstones which will release your occult powers. Plutonium is you metal; dark red, maroon, crimson and colors of smoky cloud formations are your colors; the rhododendron is your flower. Sandalwood is your incense association and the direction most beneficial to you is north.

A sensual vanity

SAGITTARIUS: Energetic, ambitious, generous, freedom loving, and a seeker of challenge, open to new ideas and exploration. Topaz and turquoise your magical birthstones attract love and protect you from harm. Your colors are rich purple, violet and indigo, the dandelion is your flower. Tin is your metal and the sword, your magical tool. Your most beneficial direction is east and pine is your incense of choice.

An explorer's study

CAPRICORN: Sure footed, resered, acquisitive, cautious, disciplined and determined, and seeks security. Your colors are dark grey, dark green, black, dark brown,  and indigo; magical birthstone is the garnet that attracts popularity. Lead is your metal and your magical tool is the spade. Your flower is ivy though your incense association is the lotus. Your most beneficial direction is the south.

An old-fashioned den

AQUARIUS: Assertive, independent, progressive, analytical, original and inventive, with strong likes and firm opinions. Your magical birthstone is the amethyst and aquamarine, turquoise and marine blue are your colors. Uranium is your metal, the orchid is your flower; your incense association is vanilla. Your most favorable direction is west and chimes are your magical tool.

An eclectic corner

PISCES:Receptive, intuitive, emotional, imaginative, romantic and impressionable, mystical, adaptable and very changeable. Cats eye and aquamarine are your magical birthstones, mauve, purple, violet, sea green and silver are your colors. Platinum

is your metal, your magic tool is the mirror, your beneficial direction is north. White poppies are your flower while your incense association is copal.

A romantic sit-out

                                                                                                           

So are the experts right? I am definitely an Aries, but I think I have a little bit of Leo and Scorpio in me too!

Images courtesy Good Homes January 2010