A Statue Inside

“Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.”
(Michelangelo – Italian sculptor, painter, architect, poet, and engineer of the High Renaissance, 1475- 1564)

Woolen throw with an aari embroidery.
(Throw style “Saawan” – Col. Ice – 150×200 – 100% Wool – Collection RED HALO)

RED HALO is a collection of household linen based in Benaras (Varanasi – India) providing work to people who were living with difficulties and education to children.

Visit and join the RED HALO page on Facebook, www.facebook.com/redhalo.in

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Vanity, Pride and Arrogance

“The truest characters of ignorance are vanity, and pride and arrogance.”
(Samuel Butler – English novelist, 1835-1902)

This is a close up of a gate of the Kashi Ram Green Eco Garden in Lucknow, the capital of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
This park reveals the misuse of public money.
It was built on 120-acre of land by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Kumari who also erected huge statues of herself in a style reminding totalitarian regimes in order to show respect towards Dalit icons as she considers herself as one.
She also settled a plan for a special police force to protect this expensive huge space as she feared that her political opponents might demolish her work.
People would have preferred houses, schools and hospitals instead of watching from an highway this monumental work which exults the vanity, pride and arrogance of someone who doesn’t care for them.

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Mayawati became the first Dalit-woman chief minister of any Indian state and therefore a symbol for millions of Dalits (or “untouchables”) who were oppressed by the Hindu upper castes for centuries.
However she is involved in many scandals and there are allegations that she has used her status to amass a large amount of personal wealth.
Her assets run into millions of dollars with several properties to her name.
The CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) had filed a case against her for owning assets disproportionate to her known sources of income however she described the CBI investigation against her as illegal.
While the source of the funds was given as voluntary donations, CBI found at least 50 sweepers, hawkers, and rickshaw-pullers who had been asked to open bank accounts and sign blank cheques from which these funds eventually originated.
Her mega birthday bashes are major media events where she appears laden with diamonds.
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That Overwhelming Existence

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“Who if I cried out, would hear me among the angel’s hierarchies?
and even if one of them pressed me suddenly against his heart:
I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence.
For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror which we are still just able to endure.
and we are so awed because it serenely disdains to annihilate us.
Every angel is terrifying.”
(From “Duino Elegies” by Rainer Maria Rilke – Austro-German lyric poet, 1875-1926)

This was shot from the main room leading to the Tomb of the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great (1555–1605) which is in Sikandra, a suburb of Agra, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Whenever my brother Manish and I drive from Delhi to Benaras we often stop there or at the Taj Mahal for a break.
The fun is to try to take pictures of those places with a new angle.
That day the heat was almost unbearable, I went inside the mausoleum hoping to find some freshness, Manish sat at the door surounded by jali screens and I took this picture…

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The Balancing Color

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“The color of the object illuminated partakes of the color of that which illuminates it.”
(Leonardo da Vinci – Italian Renaissance polymath, 1452–1519)

This blueish tone of light green is called turquoise, the name comes from the French for Turkish.
This friendly and happy color is worn by many people in India.
In color psychology, this shade controls and heals the emotions creating emotional balance and stability.
It is a combination of blue and a small amount of yellow and it fits in on the color scale between green and blue.
It radiates the peace, calm and tranquility of blue and the balance and growth of green with the uplifting energy of yellow.
Turquoise recharges our spirits during times of mental stress and tiredness, alleviating feelings of loneliness.
Focussing on the color whether on a wall or clothing allows to feel instant calm and gentle invigoration, ready to face the world again…
Being the mid color between the extremes of red and violet, it is the color of balance, for the emotions, thoughts and speech.
Turquoise is calming yet invigorating, restoring depleted energies, it enhances the ability to focus and concentrate, assisting with clear thinking and decision-making, and the development of good organizational skills.
This shade also represents open communication from and between the heart and the spoken word.
It relates to the electronic age and the world of computers, and communication on a large scale.

This picture was shot in a little workshop in Varanasi (Benaras) held by a Muslim family who manufactures several fabrics for Red Halo.
Those turquoise threads are used in order to weave a traditional silk brocade on a handloom machine.
This traditional artcraft transmitted from generation to generation contributed to the fame of the oldest living city in the world.RED HALO is a collection of household linen based in Benaras (Varanasi – India) providing work to people who were living with difficulties and education to children.

“Like” the RED HALO page on Facebook and join this amazing human adventure in Varanasi,www.facebook.com/redhalo.in

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Into Light

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“Allah is the Protector of those who have faith: from the depths of darkness He will lead them forth into light.”
(From the Holy Quran – 2.257)

Tow lamps are the only furnitures inside the mausoleum complex of the third Mughal emperor Akbar the Great (1542 – 1605).
Therefore it was easy to connect this picture with those symbolic words found in the Holy Quran…
It is located in Sikandra in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Abode of Paradise

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“Eden is that old-fashioned house we dwell in every day Without suspecting our abode, until we drive away”
(Emily Dickinson – American Poet, 1830-1886)

This is the main room leading to emperor Akbar’s burial place inside the mausoleum located in Sikandra in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
In the Akbarnāma (the official chronicle of the reign of Akbar the Great, the third Mughal emperor) this monument is mentioned as Behistan or Behistabad which literally means “Abode of Paradise”.

The Duties of an Emperor

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“Emperor Akbar: Though I am a beloved father to a kind son, I can’t ignore the duties of an emperor.
I cannot change the destiny of India for my son’s love. ”
(From the Indian movie “Mughal-e-azam “, 1960)

This Akbar the Great’s cenotaph inside the mausoleum which is located in Sikandra in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Per traditions the true tomb lies below this Mughal architectural masterpiece.

The Emperor’s New Clothes

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“MANY, many years ago lived an emperor, who thought so much of new clothes that he spent all his money in order to obtain them; his only ambition was to be always well dressed.
He did not care for his soldiers, and the theatre did not amuse him; the only thing, in fact, he thought anything of was to drive out and show a new suit of clothes.
He had a coat for every hour of the day; and as one would say of a king “He is in his cabinet,” so one could say of him, “The emperor is in his dressing-room…”
(From “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Anderson)

Those rich fabrics with heavy embroideries are men’s traditional garments in North India used for ceremonies and parties.
This picture was shot at my tailor in Varanasi (Benaras).

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“Les Habits Neufs de l’Empereur”

“Il y a de longues années vivait un empereur qui aimait par-dessus tout les beaux habits neufs ; il dépensait tout son argent pour être bien habillé.
Il ne s’intéressait nullement à ses soldats, ni à la comédie, ni à ses promenades en voiture dans les bois, si ce n’était pour faire parade de ses habits neufs.
Il en avait un pour chaque heure du jour et, comme on dit d’un roi : “Il est au conseil”, on disait de lui : “L’empereur est dans sa garde-robe…”
(“Les Habits neufs de l’Empereur” de Hans Christian Andersen)

Ces tissus opulents richement brodés sont des vêtements masculins portés lors de soirées et cérémonies dans le nord de l’Inde.
Cette photo a été prise à Varanasi (Benares) chez mon tailleur.

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What Makes It So Fine

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“…Then the Emperor himself came with his noblest noblemen, and the swindlers each raised an arm as if they were holding something.
They said, “These are the trousers, here’s the coat, and this is the mantle,” naming each garment.
“All of them are as light as a spider web.
One would almost think he had nothing on, but that’s what makes them so fine…”
(From “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Anderson)

 

This picture was shot at my tailor in Varanasi (Benaras) during the last fitting of my brother’s sherwani.
The fabric is a traditional brocade with a Jamawar pattern made of silk and wool from one of our workshops in the city.
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“Toute la Beauté de la Chose”

 

“…Tous les gens pouvaient se rendre compte du mal qu’ils se donnaient pour terminer les habits de l’empereur.
Les tisserands firent semblant d’enlever l’étoffe de sur le métier, coupèrent dans l’air avec de gros ciseaux, cousirent avec des aiguilles sans fils et dirent finalement:
“Voyez, les habits neufs de l’empereur sont à présent terminés !”
“Voyez, Majesté, voici le pantalon, voilà la veste, voilà le manteau!” et ainsi de suite.
“C’est aussi léger qu’une toile d’araignée; on croirait presque qu’on n’a rien sur le corps, mais c’est là toute la beauté de la chose!”…”
(“Les Habits neufs de l’Empereur” de Hans Christian Andersen)

 

Cette photo a été prise à Varanasi (Benares) chez mon tailleur pendant le dernier essayage de la sherwani de mon frère.
Le tissus est un brocard traditionnel avec un motif Jamawar en laine et soie provenant de l’un de nos ateliers de la ville.

 

 

A New Extraordinary Suit

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“…Besides being invisible, your Highness, this cloth will be woven in colors and patterns created especially for you.”
The emperor gave the two men a bag of gold coins in exchange for their promise to begin working on the fabric immediately.
“Just tell us what you need to get started and we’ll give it to you.”
The two scoundrels asked for a loom, silk, gold thread and then pretended to begin working.
The Emperor thought he had spent his money quite well: in addition to getting a new extraordinary suit, he would discover which of his subjects were ignorant and incompetent…”
(From “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Anderson)

This is a picture of the Badshah of Benaras (in other words my brother Manish) trying a new sherwani at our tailor in Varanasi…;))
This fascinating place allows to dream with eyes wide opened.
The fabric is a traditional brocade with a Jamawar pattern made of silk and wool from one of our workshops in the city.
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“…Non seulement les couleurs et le motif seraint exceptionnellement beaux, mais les vêtements qui en seraient confectionnés posséderaient l’étonnante propriété d’être invisibles aux yeux de ceux qui ne convenaient pas à leurs fonctions ou qui étaient simplement idiots.
“Ce serait des vêtements précieux”, se dit l’empereur. “Si j’en avais de pareils, je pourrais découvrir qui, de mes sujets, ne sied pas à ses fonctions et départager les intelligents des imbéciles !
Je dois sur le champ me faire tisser cette étoffe!…”
(“Les Habits neufs de l’Empereur” de Hans Christian Andersen)

Voici une photo du Prince de Benares (c’est ainsi que l’on appelle mon frère Manish avec une pointe d’ironie) essayant une nouvelle sherwani dans les salons de notre tailleur à Varanasi.
cet endroit fascinant permet de rêver les yeux grands ouverts.
Le tissus est un brocard traditionnel avec un motif Jamawar en laine et soie provenant de l’un de nos ateliers de la ville.

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