In October of 2004 I took my first of five excursions to India. Finally on this my fifth trip, I was granted THE Bollywood experience I had fervently wished for.
There is a vast difference between Hollywood and Bollywood and not just the production process. Hollywood is a destination; the gargantuan 45-foot-high, 350-feet-long sign nesting in the Santa Monica Mountains, (near Los Angeles, California,) trumpets the film world (actually is referencing Hollywood Hills,Ca.) a Universal studio tour, etc. Bollywood, based out of Mumbai is amorphous and ubiquitous; it is everywhere and nowhere; its illusiveness is difficult to categorize or contain.
Approximately six months of planning went into this “production”; working with Beyond Bombay, my tour guide and countless Indian American friends, I was able to interview the best Directors that Bollywood has to offer; the Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Nancy Myers of the India film industry. A plethora of writers, editors and technicians graciously consented to my probing and inquisitive questions. (I think they thought I was Barbara Walters)!
It has taken six years , approximately 200 films and a myriad of books to grasp the Bollywood aesthetic; with this knowledge, my love India and its film making prowess has increased a thousand fold.
My first interview was with Indu Mirani, the senior film critic for the Mumbai Mirror; also in the process of launching her own company! She not only had the ‘scoop” on who was doing what to whom in the star circuit but was a brilliant satirist who captivated my imagination and ignited my sense of humor! She took me to the set of the upcoming Madhur Bhandarker (“Page 3”, “Chandi Bar”) flick. Madhur, young, handsome, intelligent, with enough charm to fill the new airport in Delhi gives his female protagonists a level of depth that is revolutionary in Bollywood. An added bonus was being introduced to the dark, sensual and extremely “hot’ Ajay Devgan whose latest “Once Upon a Time in Mumbai” is a box office sensation; his wife Kajol whose flame is still intense can be seen in “We Are Family”, now on India and and world wide screens, (will review eventually)!
Later that day I spent a fascinating and edifying hour with one of Bollywood’s sensational and sought after film editors, Kuldeep Mehan. Editing can make or destroy a movie; Kuldeep for 22 years has worked with the scintillating, demanding and most precocious directors; his creation process takes place in a tiny 5X5 room. Hours lived in front of a average size computer; proving genius does not need space to thrive.
Make up! An entertaining light-hearted visit with Virginia Holmes, an English woman whose quest to make it in India, as an outsider, excluded from the main stream, is gaining notoriety and acceptance along with her partner Natasha Nischol. If you can magically make an actor look better on screen than off, your destiny is carved in granite . Her 10 years of diligence has been worth the fray, both as a woman, and artist.
My interview with Aditya Sorap, a sound engineer was certainly educational; never giving much thought to “sound” except for decibel, his lesson in the dubbing process was enlightening. Also was reminded of the expression, “behind every great man, there is a greater woman”; his mother (Rajani) is his manager and at his side at all times!
Aarti Bagdi, a 32 year old female director with Rajshri Films shared her challenges in the industry; she was half way through a film being made in Japan (she learned the language) when it was shelved. Lessons learned early in one’s career are invaluable. Her star is just commencing its ascent.
Another young, beguiling director and writer Mahesh Nair spent time over a leisurely breakfast explaining the difficulties of getting an interview with recognized and established producers and the ultimate problem that all in the business face, the financial backing, the millions of rupees needed for the conception and birth of a film. Also, unlike Hollywood, Bollywood needs the star, not the story to generate a monetary interest in the project.
The major state of the art film studio, Whistling Woods International; a teaching studio studded with ambitious neophytes and stratospheric technology was massively impressive; Sudeep Menor our guide whose encyclopedic knowledge astounded us; wanted to record his every sentence. It was here that I met and interviewed the iconic screenplay writer Sachin Bhowmick (affectionally called Dada) whose career has spanned fifty years with films “Lajwanti "(1958), “Love in Tokoyo” “An Evening in Paris”; he regaled us with tales of times and stars of the past. He is an institution and has richly earned the approbation and idolatry heaped upon him.
Subhash Ghai (“Taal, “Yaadein”) and Ravi Gupta also part of the Whistling Woods conglomerate, shared their perceptions on the viewing and attendance tactics of the Indian American audience; they hypothesized that this group prefers to see films in the privacy of their homes, with family and friends, a social event. I disagreed feeling that there is nothing that can replace the cocoon like quality that a darkened theatre sheds upon the viewer; the exclusion of reality, cast aside; replaced temporarily, by the delectable, delusional domain of fantasy! But the size of the theatre attendees is shrinking, their hypothesis could be correct and tragic.
Rakeysh Mehra. The reclusive genius, the award winning director of “Rang De Basanti”; one of the most catastrophically successful films of all time starring heartthrob, Aamir Khan ; the second viewing more powerfully potent than the initial screening. Rakeysh is a unique, mystical man, an archaic esthetic in a contemporary milieu. He is a visionary who views the world with the wisdom of the past and the prescience of the future; his philosophy so pristine, so applicable it borders on the sublime. For two hours he shared his life, his dreams of a universe devoid of strife and pestilence; of all he held dear. I left knowing that I had been in the presence of not only greatness, but goodness.
Mahesh Bhatt. (“Saaranch”) The quintessential showman; an award winning director, writer, actor. He has directed 50 films, written 24, produced 13 and acted in 5. I encouraged him to increase the number in the last category; for 45 minutes he was a whirling dervish, speaking, gesticulating, expounding with passion and fervor on a myriad of topics. He is brilliant, iconoclastic, shocking and delivers his one liners with perfect pitch. His influences range from the ordinary soul to the extraordinary heart. He feels that film makers are in essence prostitutes, selling their wares at accessible rates; movies are a cure for the “cancer” that eats society, an antibiotic that can have positive short term results. At 62 he is in his prime and turns to gold all that he touches.
Soni Razdan. Actress. Director (“Nazar”). Soni is beautiful, charismatic, graciously delightful; she invited my guide and me for tea in her stunning home. She is a woman of substance, insight, and exudes confidence and professionalism in all she endeavors. She has succeeded in a male dominated arena but still struggles with acceptance and financial support for her future projects. Her talent and energy, channeled for success, inevitably will prevail. Soni is the wife and muse of Mahesh Bhatt. He dedicated his book “A Taste of Life” to Soni, “who helped me put into words those feelings that only the heart can hear.”
My taste of Bollywood, gleaned and flavored by the kindness of these spirited and gifted individuals, will linger forever on the taste buds of my mind, heart, soul and pen. My lasting gratitude to all of you bewitching, enthralling, spellbinding people, and to those who placed them in my sphere.
Penelope Steiner
Friday, September 10, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
CAIRO TIME; SWITCH: THE CONCERT
In the theatres also On Demand!
Sweet, lovely film involving two decent, good and interesting people accidently thrown together in the exotic, confines of Cairo, Egypt. Patricia Clarkson, with her magnetic charm plays Juliette, the stranded wife of a U.N. official. She is escorted and introduced to the mysteries and religious practices of Cairo by Tareq (Alexander Siddig, who smolders in the role).
This is a film about temptation and how one reacts to it. Are we destined for all our needs to be satiated or satisfied by one or several individuals? Are there different kinds of love and do we have a choice in whom we love?
This movie addresses those choices and succeeds in leaving the audience in a retrospective mood; not judging but questioning.
TWO & 1/2 STARS!!
SWITCH
Normally, I would have skipped this soft, cuddly movie but was persuaded to attend, by a not-so-soft but cuddly nonetheless, individual; I smiled, laughed and was vastly entertained throughout this entire joyful film. Jennifer Aniston (if only she would change her hairstyle, or part it on the side) plays the 40 year old Kassie whose biological alarm has sounded and she shares with her best friend Wally (played by the ever so adorable Jason Bateman) that she plans on having a child; the “donor” Roland ( the dynamically disarming if somewhat annoying, Patrick Wilson).
The obvious scenario, hilariously depicted, captures the audience and we embrace our captivity.
The movie sparkles with the introduction of Sebastian, played by the irresistible, beguiling, captivating, Thomas Robinson; a precocious, introspective 6 year old; the movie loses its luster with his absence. An older Sebastian is played by Bryce Robinson, the real life older sibling of Thomas!
Cameo performances by Jeff Goldblum and Juliette Lewis give substantial substance and richness to this light hearted comedy.
“Switch” off all your cares and woes, feel the highs, forget the lows;
Exit knowing you’ve experienced a THREE STAR!!! SHOW!
THE CONCERT
Go for the love of music, especially Tchaikovsky
For the love of a unique story: Russian/French connection
For the love of beauty, ethereal Melanie Laurent (“Inglorious Basterds”)
For the love of film; Radu Mihaileanu, has directed a pristinely polished gem
For the love, and the healing powers of escape
For the love of a movie deserving and receiving…….
FOUR STARS!!!!
For Now………..Peneflix
Sweet, lovely film involving two decent, good and interesting people accidently thrown together in the exotic, confines of Cairo, Egypt. Patricia Clarkson, with her magnetic charm plays Juliette, the stranded wife of a U.N. official. She is escorted and introduced to the mysteries and religious practices of Cairo by Tareq (Alexander Siddig, who smolders in the role).
This is a film about temptation and how one reacts to it. Are we destined for all our needs to be satiated or satisfied by one or several individuals? Are there different kinds of love and do we have a choice in whom we love?
This movie addresses those choices and succeeds in leaving the audience in a retrospective mood; not judging but questioning.
TWO & 1/2 STARS!!
SWITCH
Normally, I would have skipped this soft, cuddly movie but was persuaded to attend, by a not-so-soft but cuddly nonetheless, individual; I smiled, laughed and was vastly entertained throughout this entire joyful film. Jennifer Aniston (if only she would change her hairstyle, or part it on the side) plays the 40 year old Kassie whose biological alarm has sounded and she shares with her best friend Wally (played by the ever so adorable Jason Bateman) that she plans on having a child; the “donor” Roland ( the dynamically disarming if somewhat annoying, Patrick Wilson).
The obvious scenario, hilariously depicted, captures the audience and we embrace our captivity.
The movie sparkles with the introduction of Sebastian, played by the irresistible, beguiling, captivating, Thomas Robinson; a precocious, introspective 6 year old; the movie loses its luster with his absence. An older Sebastian is played by Bryce Robinson, the real life older sibling of Thomas!
Cameo performances by Jeff Goldblum and Juliette Lewis give substantial substance and richness to this light hearted comedy.
“Switch” off all your cares and woes, feel the highs, forget the lows;
Exit knowing you’ve experienced a THREE STAR!!! SHOW!
THE CONCERT
Go for the love of music, especially Tchaikovsky
For the love of a unique story: Russian/French connection
For the love of beauty, ethereal Melanie Laurent (“Inglorious Basterds”)
For the love of film; Radu Mihaileanu, has directed a pristinely polished gem
For the love, and the healing powers of escape
For the love of a movie deserving and receiving…….
FOUR STARS!!!!
For Now………..Peneflix
Sunday, September 5, 2010
THE AMERICAN
In the last few years whenever someone asks me if I have seen the latest Julia Roberts or in this instance George Clooney film, my negative kites take flight. Last night I saw “The American” and my kites are now another ring around Saturn. It is vying along with “Sex and the City 2” for first place as one of the worst films of 2010; on second thought, it ranks second; nothing could be worse than “Sex and the City 2”!
It is silent, senseless, at times sensuous but ultimately sinks into septic of sludge!
“The American” does win first prize as my briefest review; my worthy intention to save all of you!
ONE STAR! (The cinematography is luscious.)
For Now……………Peneflix
It is silent, senseless, at times sensuous but ultimately sinks into septic of sludge!
“The American” does win first prize as my briefest review; my worthy intention to save all of you!
ONE STAR! (The cinematography is luscious.)
For Now……………Peneflix
Thursday, September 2, 2010
MAO'S LAST DANCER & STEP UP 3D
MAO’S LAST DANCER
Based on a true story, this film sheds light on Chairman Mao’s cultural revolution; a revolution that eliminated personal identity and creativity; if possible the differences in male and female would have been expunged, procreation relegated to a Petri dish.
Out of this morass of sameness rises Li Cunxin (portrayed proactively and sensuously by first timer, Chi Cao); taken as a boy by the Party to be trained as a ballet dancer; a tool, a foil to be used as propaganda; one of the most painful scenes, but telling, is the bastardazation of the true meaning of the ballet into a charade and show of force representing the warped and brain- washed Chinese culture of 1966-76. A video tape of Baryshnikov’s gravity- defying feats, banned and relegated to the status of contraband.
The dance scenes are exhilarating; Chi Cao (a principal with the Birmingham Royal Ballet) flies off the screen; his portrayal as a loyal party member, ripped from the conformity of Communist China and placed as an exchange student in the Huston Ballet is joyously believable and entertaining. The ultimate display of his amazing agility is his performance in Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” (Graeme Murphy’s stunning choreography); the glittering gem in a crown of gorgeous ballet sequences.
Secondary roles, especially Bruce Greenwood as Ben Stevenson, the director of the Houston Ballet and Kyle MacLachlan, playing Charles Foster, an immigration attorney are solid and rich performances by confident and seasoned actors.
For the love of classical dance and the triumph of an individual over a totalitarian society this film garnishes……
THREE & 1/2 STARS!!!
STEP UP 3D
From the classical to the contemporary, this movie with its street dancers is fun, fabulous, dazzling, and like a magnet pulls, surrounds and smothers the audience with its ebullience, and aerobic triumphs. The three dimensional technology is captivating and enhances the effects of dancing, literally with the stars, over the rooftops, through the streets, alleys and parks of New York City. 2010’s version of “Singing in the Rain”.
The plot is predictable and trite but it hardly matters. For two hours suspend belief, “go with the flow” let your ageless spirit join the corps and dance, fly, forego reality and bask in the Peter Pan magic of knowing that the competition and prize are yours!
THREE STARS!!!
For Now………….Peneflix
Based on a true story, this film sheds light on Chairman Mao’s cultural revolution; a revolution that eliminated personal identity and creativity; if possible the differences in male and female would have been expunged, procreation relegated to a Petri dish.
Out of this morass of sameness rises Li Cunxin (portrayed proactively and sensuously by first timer, Chi Cao); taken as a boy by the Party to be trained as a ballet dancer; a tool, a foil to be used as propaganda; one of the most painful scenes, but telling, is the bastardazation of the true meaning of the ballet into a charade and show of force representing the warped and brain- washed Chinese culture of 1966-76. A video tape of Baryshnikov’s gravity- defying feats, banned and relegated to the status of contraband.
The dance scenes are exhilarating; Chi Cao (a principal with the Birmingham Royal Ballet) flies off the screen; his portrayal as a loyal party member, ripped from the conformity of Communist China and placed as an exchange student in the Huston Ballet is joyously believable and entertaining. The ultimate display of his amazing agility is his performance in Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” (Graeme Murphy’s stunning choreography); the glittering gem in a crown of gorgeous ballet sequences.
Secondary roles, especially Bruce Greenwood as Ben Stevenson, the director of the Houston Ballet and Kyle MacLachlan, playing Charles Foster, an immigration attorney are solid and rich performances by confident and seasoned actors.
For the love of classical dance and the triumph of an individual over a totalitarian society this film garnishes……
THREE & 1/2 STARS!!!
STEP UP 3D
From the classical to the contemporary, this movie with its street dancers is fun, fabulous, dazzling, and like a magnet pulls, surrounds and smothers the audience with its ebullience, and aerobic triumphs. The three dimensional technology is captivating and enhances the effects of dancing, literally with the stars, over the rooftops, through the streets, alleys and parks of New York City. 2010’s version of “Singing in the Rain”.
The plot is predictable and trite but it hardly matters. For two hours suspend belief, “go with the flow” let your ageless spirit join the corps and dance, fly, forego reality and bask in the Peter Pan magic of knowing that the competition and prize are yours!
THREE STARS!!!
For Now………….Peneflix
Monday, August 30, 2010
GET LOW
GET LOW
This wondrous, magical platinum finished film, with its ingenuity, elegant simplicity, creatively crafted cinematography, but primarily the wisdom and purity of its message,
spoke volumes in a whisper.
Loosely based upon a rough, tough, recluse with a linen-lined face and a laser sharp tongue, just barely existing in 1938; Felix “Bush” Breazeale residing with his constant companion, a beloved mule in rural Tennessee decides to be present at his own funeral gala; his curiosity lusting for the sermon his preacher will deliver over his decaying corpse! The idea is titillating and hilarious; everyone at times wants to know how they are spoken of when not present. Over twelve thousand showed up, greedily hoping to win the lottery; ultimately inheriting Bush’s property upon his actual death.
Aaron Schneider (2004, Academy Award for his short film “Two Soldiers”) at 40, has given birth to a masterpiece, five years in the gestation process, worth every minute of massive effort. This film does not have a false second, a moment of artifice; its’ intricately woven plot addresses the deepest, darkest, finest emotions a person can have; there is a well of passion, pain, purgatory and finally a redemption; the championing of a soul in the final round of life. Seared into memory is a man called Felix.
Felix, hypnotically played by Robert Duvall (at this point my choice for the Best Actor Award) is tortured to the point of oblivion; his pristine but sacred prison is a monument to his beloved secret; testimony to the brilliance of his performance, we do not pity his situation but have indomitable respect for his decision. Robert Duvall, with a lifetime of iconic roles has achieved a depth of such magnitude in this film, that it will be years before another “Felix” can test his or anyone else’s dramatic proficiencies.
Bill Murray, as the undertaker Frank Quinn, sinks his creative teeth into this unconventional, slyly alcoholic, wise but disillusioned man and imbues him with insurmountable dignity. Gone is the slap stick humor Mr. Murray is known for, replaced with an intellect and a quarry of knowledge that obviously years of desire and drilling went into its formation. An award winning display of his multitudinous talents.
Sissy Spacek as Maddie Darrow, is beautiful, insightful, kind and seasoned; she softens the harshness of the males, but her story is the cement that binds and holds the truth of Felix’s enforced confinement. Ms. Spacek is gifted and has always shown great discretion and astuteness in her role selections.
Lucas Black, as Buddy Robinson, Frank Quinn’s assistant is wonderful. He the perfect foil, conscience to Quinn’s acerbity and harsh realism; his youth, freshness, naivety and eventual growth added a touch of warmth, joy and humor to the evolving story.
This quiet, potent and vibrantly alive film left the audience knowing the truth and validity of the words, ‘you can’t help who you love”.
I could not help but love this film.
FOUR & 1/2 STARS!!!!
For Now…………Peneflix
This wondrous, magical platinum finished film, with its ingenuity, elegant simplicity, creatively crafted cinematography, but primarily the wisdom and purity of its message,
spoke volumes in a whisper.
Loosely based upon a rough, tough, recluse with a linen-lined face and a laser sharp tongue, just barely existing in 1938; Felix “Bush” Breazeale residing with his constant companion, a beloved mule in rural Tennessee decides to be present at his own funeral gala; his curiosity lusting for the sermon his preacher will deliver over his decaying corpse! The idea is titillating and hilarious; everyone at times wants to know how they are spoken of when not present. Over twelve thousand showed up, greedily hoping to win the lottery; ultimately inheriting Bush’s property upon his actual death.
Aaron Schneider (2004, Academy Award for his short film “Two Soldiers”) at 40, has given birth to a masterpiece, five years in the gestation process, worth every minute of massive effort. This film does not have a false second, a moment of artifice; its’ intricately woven plot addresses the deepest, darkest, finest emotions a person can have; there is a well of passion, pain, purgatory and finally a redemption; the championing of a soul in the final round of life. Seared into memory is a man called Felix.
Felix, hypnotically played by Robert Duvall (at this point my choice for the Best Actor Award) is tortured to the point of oblivion; his pristine but sacred prison is a monument to his beloved secret; testimony to the brilliance of his performance, we do not pity his situation but have indomitable respect for his decision. Robert Duvall, with a lifetime of iconic roles has achieved a depth of such magnitude in this film, that it will be years before another “Felix” can test his or anyone else’s dramatic proficiencies.
Bill Murray, as the undertaker Frank Quinn, sinks his creative teeth into this unconventional, slyly alcoholic, wise but disillusioned man and imbues him with insurmountable dignity. Gone is the slap stick humor Mr. Murray is known for, replaced with an intellect and a quarry of knowledge that obviously years of desire and drilling went into its formation. An award winning display of his multitudinous talents.
Sissy Spacek as Maddie Darrow, is beautiful, insightful, kind and seasoned; she softens the harshness of the males, but her story is the cement that binds and holds the truth of Felix’s enforced confinement. Ms. Spacek is gifted and has always shown great discretion and astuteness in her role selections.
Lucas Black, as Buddy Robinson, Frank Quinn’s assistant is wonderful. He the perfect foil, conscience to Quinn’s acerbity and harsh realism; his youth, freshness, naivety and eventual growth added a touch of warmth, joy and humor to the evolving story.
This quiet, potent and vibrantly alive film left the audience knowing the truth and validity of the words, ‘you can’t help who you love”.
I could not help but love this film.
FOUR & 1/2 STARS!!!!
For Now…………Peneflix
Sunday, August 29, 2010
EAT PRAY LOVE
EAT PRAY LOVE
(Enervating Painful Lifeless)
Being a firm advocate of capitalism I applauded the success of Elizabeth Gilbert’s novel, Eat Pray Love, a dull, narcissistic, rambling journey through the splendors of Rome, India and Bali; a quest for emotional enlightenment; a healing after a doomed marriage. This film reduces the viewer to paralyzing ennui; packed with useless drivel, thirty year old jokes, stale clichés, the ultimate boring display of “finding oneself”. Even the glories of the locations could not salvage the movie.
Julia Roberts, talented and beautiful, has reached the point where her persona is obfuscating and transcending her characters.
Special mention in the credits should be given to her dentist!
Only the male roles kept me from succumbing to jet lag and the tantalizing tug of the exit sign.
Billy Crudup, Stephen, the dumped husband; has an enchanting dance sequence, sadly far too brief.
James Franco, David, the gorgeous young actor, striving to tame the glum Liz.
Hadi Subiyanto, Ketut, a guru who could convert the most blackened spirits and obstinate souls.
Richard Jenkins (“The Visitor”) Richard, with tough love, is the catalyst for Liz’s spiritual catharsis.
Javier Bardem, Felipe, with insouciant charm, breaks the vitrine encapsulating her heart.
The performances of these men are the sole reason to bequeath this film……..
TWO STARS!!
For Now…………Peneflix
(Enervating Painful Lifeless)
Being a firm advocate of capitalism I applauded the success of Elizabeth Gilbert’s novel, Eat Pray Love, a dull, narcissistic, rambling journey through the splendors of Rome, India and Bali; a quest for emotional enlightenment; a healing after a doomed marriage. This film reduces the viewer to paralyzing ennui; packed with useless drivel, thirty year old jokes, stale clichés, the ultimate boring display of “finding oneself”. Even the glories of the locations could not salvage the movie.
Julia Roberts, talented and beautiful, has reached the point where her persona is obfuscating and transcending her characters.
Special mention in the credits should be given to her dentist!
Only the male roles kept me from succumbing to jet lag and the tantalizing tug of the exit sign.
Billy Crudup, Stephen, the dumped husband; has an enchanting dance sequence, sadly far too brief.
James Franco, David, the gorgeous young actor, striving to tame the glum Liz.
Hadi Subiyanto, Ketut, a guru who could convert the most blackened spirits and obstinate souls.
Richard Jenkins (“The Visitor”) Richard, with tough love, is the catalyst for Liz’s spiritual catharsis.
Javier Bardem, Felipe, with insouciant charm, breaks the vitrine encapsulating her heart.
The performances of these men are the sole reason to bequeath this film……..
TWO STARS!!
For Now…………Peneflix
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
A TOWN CALLED LEH: THE AFTERMATH OF THE APACALYPSE
A TOWN CALLED LEH: THE AFTERMATH OF THE APOCALYPSE
Imprisoned in the glorious splendor of the Himalayan Mountains, rests Leh, the capital of Ladakh, India. Its astounding beauty and tradition traces it roots to the third century BC; a hub of Buddhism and eventually a commercial Mecca of the Silk Route.
On Thursday, the 5th of August my guide and I arrived in what can only be described as awe inspiring; this ancient, historical and magnificent paradise, a symbol of the archaic and present; ubiquitous chortens (memorials) to the past Kings and Queens of Ladakh dotting the landscape, ranging from the sophistication and skill of master craftsmen to the modest talents of the unschooled; bazaars with sinuous, dark, scented corridors, snake for blocks through a labyrinth of wares: jewelry stores joined with butcher shops, spice venues married to shoemakers, working with tools long abandoned, replaced by modern technology, but proficient in attaining its goals. Those questing for the foreign, will be divinely saturated.
In the small hours of Friday, August 6th , disaster with Olympian magnitude struck this unsuspecting town; in seconds Zeus claimed the lives of hundreds, snuffed from existence, never to have another thought, never again to feel the ferocity of the summer’s sun, the frigidity of a winter’s moon, sentenced to oblivion, beyond knowing, beyond pain, beyond platitudes.
Homes, constructed of mud washed from their mountainous foundations, not a trace of their prior life left visible; claimed by the Indus River, destined to a watery grave; gone forever, praying not to be forgotten.
I believe that there is a karmic power, a reason why one is placed, at a determined moment in time in a preordained situation. My guide, Muneer Suri, rose to the challenge of the catastrophe and helped his friend Odpal George, save the bewildered and shocked survivors; mending bridges and gifted moral support so sorely craved.
My experience with the devastation of nature’s power over mankind has been softened by the media; the tsunami, Katrina, even the BP oil debacle, viewed in the protective custody and privacy of my home, rendered the horrors palatable; I could switch off the television, close the newspaper, turn a deaf ear to the radio and tackle the day as intended; never having to adjust my routine. In Leh, a cloud burst, altered my life; I left the confines of my electricity and internet deprived hotel and walked through the aftermath of the nightmare, without blinders I witnessed what the gods, especially Thor could accomplish at whim: homes topped with ruined cars, buses crushed to a fraction of their original size, bodies being pulled from dilapidated and unrecognizable structures. People with staggering dignity, scavenging through the detritus, for anything worthy of salvation. Wading knee deep in mud to photograph a child clutching a withered toy; that toy, more precious than any gemstone; a symbol of hope and life, the image crystallized in my consciousness, until the day I cease to be.
In conclusion, I shed tears over the myriad of shoes, all sizes, never a pair, but sculptural in their poignancy; these lovely, lonely shoes, reminiscent of the unknown feet, lost souls of their prior owners. There was a sacredness in their survival and I knew that as long as my feet tread the cosmos I had witnessed, with unprotected vision a profound and monumental tragedy, which added a depth of wisdom lacking, but now emblazoned, frozen in my heart and spirit, resting on a pedestal, never to be toppled from my mind; an ever present reminder to avoid shunning but perpetually grasp the enigmatic lessons of fate.
Penelope Steiner
Imprisoned in the glorious splendor of the Himalayan Mountains, rests Leh, the capital of Ladakh, India. Its astounding beauty and tradition traces it roots to the third century BC; a hub of Buddhism and eventually a commercial Mecca of the Silk Route.
On Thursday, the 5th of August my guide and I arrived in what can only be described as awe inspiring; this ancient, historical and magnificent paradise, a symbol of the archaic and present; ubiquitous chortens (memorials) to the past Kings and Queens of Ladakh dotting the landscape, ranging from the sophistication and skill of master craftsmen to the modest talents of the unschooled; bazaars with sinuous, dark, scented corridors, snake for blocks through a labyrinth of wares: jewelry stores joined with butcher shops, spice venues married to shoemakers, working with tools long abandoned, replaced by modern technology, but proficient in attaining its goals. Those questing for the foreign, will be divinely saturated.
In the small hours of Friday, August 6th , disaster with Olympian magnitude struck this unsuspecting town; in seconds Zeus claimed the lives of hundreds, snuffed from existence, never to have another thought, never again to feel the ferocity of the summer’s sun, the frigidity of a winter’s moon, sentenced to oblivion, beyond knowing, beyond pain, beyond platitudes.
Homes, constructed of mud washed from their mountainous foundations, not a trace of their prior life left visible; claimed by the Indus River, destined to a watery grave; gone forever, praying not to be forgotten.
I believe that there is a karmic power, a reason why one is placed, at a determined moment in time in a preordained situation. My guide, Muneer Suri, rose to the challenge of the catastrophe and helped his friend Odpal George, save the bewildered and shocked survivors; mending bridges and gifted moral support so sorely craved.
My experience with the devastation of nature’s power over mankind has been softened by the media; the tsunami, Katrina, even the BP oil debacle, viewed in the protective custody and privacy of my home, rendered the horrors palatable; I could switch off the television, close the newspaper, turn a deaf ear to the radio and tackle the day as intended; never having to adjust my routine. In Leh, a cloud burst, altered my life; I left the confines of my electricity and internet deprived hotel and walked through the aftermath of the nightmare, without blinders I witnessed what the gods, especially Thor could accomplish at whim: homes topped with ruined cars, buses crushed to a fraction of their original size, bodies being pulled from dilapidated and unrecognizable structures. People with staggering dignity, scavenging through the detritus, for anything worthy of salvation. Wading knee deep in mud to photograph a child clutching a withered toy; that toy, more precious than any gemstone; a symbol of hope and life, the image crystallized in my consciousness, until the day I cease to be.
In conclusion, I shed tears over the myriad of shoes, all sizes, never a pair, but sculptural in their poignancy; these lovely, lonely shoes, reminiscent of the unknown feet, lost souls of their prior owners. There was a sacredness in their survival and I knew that as long as my feet tread the cosmos I had witnessed, with unprotected vision a profound and monumental tragedy, which added a depth of wisdom lacking, but now emblazoned, frozen in my heart and spirit, resting on a pedestal, never to be toppled from my mind; an ever present reminder to avoid shunning but perpetually grasp the enigmatic lessons of fate.
Penelope Steiner
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