Sunday 25 December 2016

A realization

the evening of realization (concert evening)





The first day at hampi had not only filled me with excitement but also left me with some questions. The spot from where auto dropped us , started the hippi village which was filled with tourists and foreigners. For a moment I felt I was not in hampi. Further, entering the hampi city one can see more of foreigners than the indian crowd. It made me wonder what drove them to hampi and further on talking with a couple of tourists I learnt that they have been regularly visiting hampi and some of them have been staying here from couple of months. I guess this question bothered me a lot for the reason that all the temples here didn’t have idol except a few, which was the reason why I couldn’t feel the connectivity with this city and thus started questioning other’s choice of visiting and staying in hampi.

As days passed and roads, landmarks, shops and people there became familiar, a sense of belonging developed for me. I didn’t realize that until the last day but a comfort level with the place had begun to develop. Then came the night where the concert was organized in hampi. We all were sitting on the platforms which would have been market stalls ages back. There I met a lady who had come here to see the performance where her boyfriend was going to perform. Further asking her about what does she feel about hampi and is this her first visit, she told me that she has been visiting hampi every year and that this place gives her peace. She likes the architecture and history of the place but at the same time she also feels homely here. That was when it triggered me that sense of belonging is what plays a major role in driving tourist from all over the world to hampi.

With the couple of days that passed I realized that memories, connectivity, cultural and spirituality of a place is what helps transforming a space into a place, a place that becomes as close to someone as their home. Idols in temples and worshipping of these idols is not always the reason why one can connect with a temple town but it is the vibes of spirituality that creates a sense of belonging and a genuine liking towards the temple towns.

This was by far the biggest lesson that I learnt in practical life, since we had discussed about space and places in college in cycle 2 but the actual realization happened here in hampi when the solution to my question was found by the personal experience. This is also important for the fact that we all have that connectivity with some place in this world which becomes like a home, like a divine land for us from the very first visit. This experience of learning also taught me to experience things and events around you before coming to a conclusion or a final statement about anyone or anything.

So I’d like to conclude by saying that this shall be the greatest story from all, which I am carrying back with me from hampi and that shall always be there with me. Because today I have found a “place” in the beautiful but also destructed, empty and ruin “spaces” of hampi which shall matter more than the history of this city to me.

patterns: creation & destruction

                                                                       ढाँचे है कई 
                                                                     रंग रूप  है कई 
                                                               इन सारी कलाओ के बीच ,
                                                           कुछ बर्बादिया की दास्तान भी है....  

                                                                 उल्जन में है मनन अभी 
                                                                 तबाहियां है या बनावटें ,
                                                           है क्या जो  दिल को लुभा  रही है? 
                                                                तो बस कैद किया सब को 
                                                              अब तस्वीरे जवाब देंगी मुझे !



carvings on a rock

a different pattern of slab arrangement on ceiling 

patterns on pillars


hope/ life





destruction



incomplete




burnt


creation





hierarchy 

reflection

flow



detailed carvings






pattern

window with different frames of perspective


existence


story


time


shades of light


guide

symbolizing destruction

burnt pattern


strong and tall

picture perfect








These are a few pictures that turned out to be metaphors for many things related to creation , destruction and patterns.