Monthly Archives: April 2009

The Taj Mahal, a Visual Love Poem

Posted on by
Reply

The creation of the Taj Mahal, in Agra, India was an act of love and devotion. Shah Jahan, a Mughal Emperor had this designed to honor his beloved and deceased wife. His creation was fulfilling her final wish to her. She asked him to build her a tomb, one that was so grand that the people of the world have never seen anything like it. More than 20,000 workers, artists and artisans worked on the Taj Mahal for twenty-two years. The story of the building reads like a fairytale, a poetic tale. And if the story is a poem, the artistry is a poem as well. Jahan was known to be a beloved ruler, and those who worked for him partook in this labor of his, for his true love. He accomplished this in 1631 A.D. and in that moment his promise was delivered. The walls are inscribed with calligraphy and the on tombstone of Arjumand Banu, a poem by Ghyasuddin is carved into the stone.

Building materials were transported from all over India with the help of more than a thousand elephants. Jewels and precious gems, to be inlaid into the red sandstone and white marble, were imported from China, Sri Lanka, Arabia, and Punjab. The stones are rare and precious. Many historians have concluded that this is a beauty, and architectural wonder which has yet to be surpassed. Quite often the historians, and architects of other structures such as the luxury hotels Agra, find themselves at a loss for words when attempting to describe it. The architect for the Taj Mahal was Ustad Isa. He was very well known at the time, and had a team of respected Muslim artists from Shiraz and Baghdad. The building was designed with geometrical symmetry, with many aspects of the structure standing of the own strength. The world has yet to see another so grand, so wondrous. The queen would perhaps smile as her beloved emperor did succeed in fulfilling her last wish.

The Never Ending Celebration, Singapore Tourist Board, Chinese New Year, Orchard Road

Posted on by
Reply

Singapore’s cultural diversity gives natives and of course, visitors, the excuse to celebrate plenty of festivals. December and January are pretty busy with a variety of holidays. Hari Raya Puasa marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting for Muslims and is a traditional celebration. Once the new moon of Syawal, the tenth Islamic month is confirmed, Muslims dress in traditional garments and spend the day praying in the mosques. Afterward they visit with families and friends. Because the moon falls at different times of the tenth month of the Islamic calendar, the holiday date changes from year to year. Christmas is a widely observed holiday whether or not you’re a Christian. Church choirs are out in droves and it’s a big time for shopping. Along Orchard Road, a major shopping area, the lights and decorations are a spectacle. Shopping Centers and Hotels compete to have the most unique and extravagant displays of Christmas decorations. January 1, New Years day is considered a public holiday in Singapore. Naturally, New Years Eve is a bit of a party, and it is celebrated at the top Singapore hotels and in homes, but is more of an Anglo celebration. Because the Chinese New Year is held toward the end of January or the beginning of February (once again, dependent upon the lunar cycle), Singaporeans sometimes combine the decorations for Christmas with the icons and symbols for the Chinese New Year. Each year an animal name form the Chinese horoscope is assigned to the year. For example, the year of the dragon or the year of the rat, each has their own attributes and so will the year that’s named for them. This five day festival is marked by the consumption of traditional foods and in the evenings, an obscene amount of pyrotechnics. The Singapore Tourist Board can give you a brochure that lists the exact dates and locations of the celebrations.

Nottage Wins Pulitzer

Posted on by
Reply

Lynn Nottage won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for drama, with her play Ruined. In 2007 she won the MacArthur Genius Grant and in 2005 was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. She is an American playwright whose work often deals with issues facing women and African Americans. Ruined explores the circumstances faced by Congolese women who are survivors of civil war. One can only wonder about and eagerly anticipate the future works of this acclaimed writer.

Nottage was born in 1964, in Brooklyn, New York. She wrote her first play at the age of eight, the inspiration for which came from the women in her family who were primarily nurses and teachers, all of whom were political activists. This early orientation would dominate the themes of much of her adult work. After graduation from New York’s High School of Music and Art she attended Brown University, where she received her BA. From there she went on to study at the Yale School of Drama where she has also served as a guest lecturer on playwrighting. She worked as the National Press Officer for Amnesty International before deciding to pursue playwrighting full-time. Her short play Poof! won the Heideman Award after its premiere at the Actors Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky.

Ruined is currently playing at Manhattan Theatre Club’s New York City Center Stage 1. The play explores the chaos, trauma and strength displayed by the Congolese women and has been compared to German playwright Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children. It was popular prior to the award but now it is certainly going to be sold out for every performance through its run. New York is usually packed with out of town visitors who are interested in seeing a play. Many stay at the best Manhattan hotel available during their visit and hope to catch something as exciting as the latest Pulitzer Prize winning play.

Flavor of India

Posted on by
Reply

Since the beginning of development for the city of Singapore, East Indians have contributed and been a part of it all. The East India Company administrated Singapore, even though the headquarters were located in Calcutta. Convicts and prisoners were sent to serve jail time in Singapore. Once the prisoners served their time and were set free they continued to live in Singapore. They began working on clearing swamp land and reclaiming the land for farming. Many were instrumental in the construction of most of the buildings, including temples and even the Saint Andrew’s Cathedral. The prison system at the time was highly progressive, and provided courses of study and classes for the prisoners to learn a trade of their choice during their nights in jail. So once they were released they were skilled tradesman and left their signatures on most of Singapore. Many others traveled of there own free will, to seek work and to find their fortunes. They brought with them the aspects of their country, their religions, languages, and cuisine which accounts for many a Singapore fine dining experience. The Indians in Singapore celebrate more often than those in India, creating spectacular feasts, for the eyes, as well as for the belly. The colorful parties attract many from all over Singapore, as well as for the many international travelers throughout the year.

Many carry on the traditions, as in the red dot on a woman’s forehead to indicate that she is married, or a red streak down the middle of her hair, but now days, the young have modified that tradition often color coordinating the dyes to match the color of their clothing. Some have even put away their saris in favor of the western style of dress. From time to time one will still see women with the black dot on her forehead, a traditional belief that is meant to ward off the ill intents of an evil eye. And above many doorways of the houses and the shops in Little India hang dried leaves of mangoes. This is to protect the building from the entrance of evil spirits, a wish of fortune and a blessing to all those who enter. And many visit the area for the curry. The most famous restaurants in Singapore exist within the blocks of this community.

The Artist’s Singapore

Posted on by
Reply

A report was issued 8 years ago in Singapore, regarding the objectives that would hopefully shape the country into a Renaissance culture. Money was set aside and allocated for the support of festivals and celebrations that would bring the art scene of Singapore into the international eye, and to be respected by that eye. Other cities are well known for the culture, the music of Nashville or Chicago, the cafes and poetry of Manhattan and Paris, and Singapore has longed for this. Economy, the business and the financial districts, as well as the Singapore boutique hotel and marketplace, has made this city what it is today, a mecca, a cosmopolitan power attracting visitors from around the world. The city is looking to expand the reasons for tourism and growth, and the way the government is wanting to do so is by bringing more art.

Annual festivals have been promoted for many years, and more are added to the calender each year. However, some of the artists fear that too much emphasis is being placed on the business aspect rather than the artistic and cultural aspects. However, in order to buy paint, to pay members of a symphony, some amount of business savvy and promotion is necessary. The savvy of the past, and present businessmen and women of Singapore provide a viable plan, a partnership between culture and commerce. This will serve to not only ensure that during the economic crisis facing the world’s population, tourists will still make their way to the island, but will allow the artists the opportunity to actually live off their art, to live art. Creative cultures must grow naturally, some believe that the officials in Singapore are trying to force it. However, one must do what one must, most especially during times when so many are struggling. Singapore will become further known for the art and the creative spirit of her people.

Oprah Winfrey Defends South African School

Posted on by
Reply

Famous American talk show host, actress and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey has been put into the position of defended her South African girls school in Johannesburg this week. Winfrey stated that mistakes have been made, but that the school remains extremely successful of providing the young women of this African city opportunities that were not available to them before, and perhaps would not have been for a very long time. The school, the Leadership Academy for Girls, opened two years ago in 2007. The school was intended to nurture students from deprived and depressed backgrounds and villages, and to provide them with the education necessary to be able to pursue university study and careers in the business world, the hotels Johannesburg is building, as well as those in the fields of medicine and technology. The forty million dollar institution, for which Winfrey paid for entirely, is equipped with science and computer labs, a theater and a library. As it stands the school began with just two grades, 7th and 8th, and just about 150 students, and is projected to grow into a combined middle school and high school, offering education to over 450 students, and serving those from 7th grade through to graduation from 12th grade. This will hopefully occur by the year 2011.

However, two scandals have brought the school, the teachers and the administrators and even Winfrey herself into question and under fire. One of the matrons of the dorms is currently on trial for allegedly committing acts of sexual misconduct and physical abuse. And during March of this year seven students were removed from the school, three of them suspended and the other four permanently expelled. Reports at the time stated that these girls were accused of forcing sexual contact upon their unwilling classmates. When the accused testified, they admitted to being conscious of the fact that what they had been doing was wrong, but they went ahead with it regardless. Even given the current situation, Winfrey states that many of the students are thriving and this was her own dream and also a promise she had made to Nelson Mandela, that the female children would receive the education and the opportunities that they so deserve.