Sailing, sailing & sailing…. We the mariners keep sailing through various sea routes. We keep sailing, fighting the violent sea waves and adverse climates. We have the latest equipments machineries and devices. I wonder if one day these equipments and devices fail to work what will we do? I will be a like a kid who is marooned. We keep sailing through those sea routes which have been already discovered by our ancestors. I wonder how these ancient sailors could make it with out any kind of technical advancements.

The very thought of this take me back to the pages of history where we can find the great sailors who have explored the sea routes. Even sea trading and globalization wasn’t possible if these mariners might have not taken the pains to discover the main lands. I wonder how these mariners could make it possible. All they had was a little courage which took them to varied lands and marked the greatest explorations and discoveries of the age which indeed named this age as The Age of Exploration.

The Age of Exploration marked its beginning by the early 15th century when Europeans began exploring the world by sea in search of trading partners, new goods, and trade routes. Some of the explorers sailed to learn more about the world. Though the desire to simply explore the unknown and discover new knowledge is a typical human trait. The greatest disadvantage that they had during those days was these explorers often lacked the funds for a ship, supplies and a crew to get underway on their journeys. As a result, many turned to their respective governments which had their own desires for the exploration of new areas. The biggest reason for the age of exploration was to find the new sea routes for spice and silk trade. But whatever was the reason behind their sail it has helped in the advancement of geographic knowledge.

The Age of Exploration has served as a stepping stone for geographical knowledge. It has also allowed more people to see and study various areas around the world which helped in giving us the basis for much of the knowledge we have today. These explorations often brought various new species and new cultures of people to light. The traditional Portolan charts used by the navigators were improvised and the new nautical chart was introduced by Prince Henry the Navigator during this age which was later refined by explorers like Vasco De Gama, Columbus, and Cabral. One of the greatest discoveries during this stage was of Christopher Columbus who discovered America in his attempt to find a trade route to Asia by sailing west.

Every journey begins with a single small step. The small step taken by the ancient sailors has made it possible to develop and grow to the level that we are today. Hats off to them….

Oceans make our planet unique. The deepest oceans have many untold mysteries, legends and stories. The beauty of the ocean has been well described by many great poets and writers. The water in these oceans has made our life on earth possible. Water gives life but the same water leads to destruction.

As a mariner my life is always tied with these oceans which make my life incredible. I am emotionally bound to them. The thing that I have realized about these deep oceans is that they too have emotions as we have. The sea depicts the Navarasas, the nine rasas. Navarasa is an emotional theme; the movement of the waves can be associated with the nine rasas of emotions.

If we carefully observe the waves we can realize that they too portray all the Navarasas. The waves remind me of Hasya when they shatter like the white pearls on striking the shore as if they are giggling. They portray ‘Shringara’ when it tickles us with the gentle waves in the beaches of Miami. The ocean shows its ‘Karuna’ compassion by been the home for thousands of species which thrive in it and also to the human beings who depend on it for their livelihood.

I have been through many sea routes but the one which has astonished me is the ‘Dead Sea’ where everything floats on the surface, thus it depicts Adbhuta. The deep treasure hidden in the base of the ocean is also a wonder to me. Antarctica surrounded by the Southern Ocean; in the southern hemisphere is completely silent place where even the ocean is frozen as if it is trying to maintain the calmness of the place. The ocean portrays the Shanta Rasa by showing its tranquility.

Tsunami, even the thought of the word fills us with fear of the black day. The ocean showed it’s most terrorizing face when it struck the shore as the violent tsunami waves taking away the lives of thousands, where it portrayed ‘Bhayanaka’.

Sometimes due to some internal pressures or disturbances in the ocean bed the marine life gets destructed. It’s very disgusting when we see the same ocean taking the life of the creatures which are thriving on it. Here the ocean portrays Bibhathsa. The ocean portrays Raudra when it shows its anger through the violent storms in the ocean. I myself have witnessed quite a few storms like this where it seems the ocean is avenging.

The waves of the ocean always stand for strength and courage. Though they get shattered when they strike the huge rocks they never give up but they show the courage to strike back as much stronger waves.

The Three Gorges dam, the most spectacular section of the Yangtze River, is filled with breathtaking sceneries. But who ever can predict the tears behind the picturesque dam. The dam filled with the tears of emotions….. Dams are built with promises of providing benefits to the local inhabitants, but in reality does it happen??? Never….. The fruits of someone’s sacrifice are enjoyed by the some others.

Most of the time, the decisions are made according to the interests of the powerful people and is imposed on the powerless and the helpless. The powerless and the helpless people thriving on the deltas of these valleys tend to be the scapegoat of these developments. In the name of development the local inhabitants are forced to migrate to mitigate the environmental issues. Though strategies are developed for resettlement, the problem arises with where to relocate them and how will they survive.

The Three Georges Dam was build with a purpose to provide cheap energy and to prevent draught and flood but now it has already relocated 1.24 million people as their homes were flooded with the water from dam. Now it is yet another 300,000 people is to be relocated to escape land hazards. Relocation due to development is historically associated with the construction of dams for hydroelectric power and irrigation purposes and it is a social problem affecting all levels of human organization.

The Dam is negatively affecting the wildlife of the area by altering habitats. A large amount of animal habitat will also be destroyed which include the endangered species like Siberian Crane, the Yangtze river dolphin and Yangtze sturgeon. The fresh water fish in the area has also affected due to the change in temperature in the area. About one billion tons of dirty water flow into the Yangtze River each year. The dam would stop this dirty water from being washed away, and lead to serious pollution problems.

This region has long been known for its rich biodiversity. It is home to 6,388 species of plants, which belong to 238 families and 1508 genera. Of these plant species, 57 percent are endangered. These rare species are also used as ingredients in traditional Chinese medicines are also affected by this project.

Future dam projects must be evaluated more thoroughly, and the capacity of the Ministry of Environmental Protection to do so must be strengthened. Most of the issues concerning the environment have roused due to the lack of study done before implementing the project. While evaluating these projects the advantages and disadvantages should be looked in properly to avoid these kinds of concerns. A proper and impartial study can avoid such environmental issues in future. It’s like the two sides of coin which has to be identified and evaluated properly.

The sun was rising up sharing its light, driving away the dark night. I was standing in the deck and I could see a tropical paradise. This time my destination is Costa Rica. I was getting closer to the Costa Rica Island. Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica. is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east and south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south and the Caribbean Sea to the east.

Costa Rica, which translates literally as “Rich Coast”, constitutionally abolished its army permanently in 1949. Costa Rica is composed of seven provinces, which in turn are divided into 81 cantons each of which is directed by a mayor.

It is an ideal tropical paradise for your vacation. Tourists can enjoy the pristine beaches and see whales and dolphins play. For Nature lovers there is a great variety of exotic wildlife and tropical plants. Butterflies and orchids, crocodiles and sharks, turtles and Toucans´ are everywhere. The rainforest covering the mountains are a paradise for eco tourism. Life is good in Costa Rica, a friendly, democratic and peaceful country.

Its varied landscapes and mild climate make this small country the perfect getaway for a spectacular vacation, medical or health tourism, a memorable business meeting or convention.

For action vacation you can surf, hike, do rafting, canopying, diving, deepwater fishing and snorkeling. You can go with a low budget or seek the more exclusive resorts. For relaxation there are beautiful unique golf courses and luxury spas. The hotels have all the modern comforts in the most private and secluded environments.

Exuberant nature, pristine beaches, active volcanoes, contrasting landscapes, impressive places of scenic beauty, biological diversity…

… this is Costa Rica …

Human life is a rich fabric which gains color and feel amidst the series of happenings that shape it. These dull actions that characterize every day as well as the extraordinary happenings make life further interesting while evoking feelings in human being. These feelings are the emotions or rasas, which indeed offers life colors and pattern. Rasas thus define the unedited realities of life amidst their vibrancies of emotion.

The theory of Indian art is housed within the rasas as expounded by Bharata Muni in Natyasastra and Nandikeswaran in Abhinayadarpana. A rasa is the essence or a dominant mental state evoked in the audience by the performer.

Rasa is created by bhavas. Bhava is the permanent mood and rasa is an expression of it. So as an example, when bhaya (fear) is the bhava, the rasa created is bhayanaka

Indian masters have identified nine rasas or Navarasas and we see that man lives his life through these nine basic expressions. A study of the Navarasas helps us understand basic human emotions and human psyche.

The Navarasa, in the Indian scriptures refer to the nine expressions that humans often show. These are shringara (love), hasya (laughter ), karuna (kind-heartedness or compassion), roudra (anger), veera (courage), bhayanaka(terror), bheebhatsya (disgust), wonder or adbhutha (surprise) and shantha (peace or tranquility). In addition to the nine Rasas, two more appeared later Vatsalya and Bhakti.

The Nine moods or the rasas are associated with colors. The nine colors of Navarasa speak the emotions that they depict. Shringara (green), hasya (white ), karuna (grey), roudra (red), veera (orange), bhayanaka (black), bheebhatsya (Blue), wonder or adbhutha (yellow) and shantha (white).

Rasa is best described as the interplay of moods expressed by various characters in a work of art. The theory of rasas still forms the aesthetic underpinning of all Indian classical dance and theatre, such as Bharatanatyam,kathak,Kuchipudi, Odissi, Manipuri, Kudiyattam, Kathakali and others.

Time runs like winged chariot, leaving behind a lot of cherishing memories. Time is like sand, it slips from our hand when we try to hold it tight. We can never hold time and tide as it waits for none. We keep flowing accordingly. We all keep going…
The year 2009 has ended and we have welcomed the New Year 2010 with great expectations. Before we totally move into the New Year lets have a look at some of the major events and happenings that took place across the globe in 2009. 2009, like most years, has been eventful.
The Year began with the swear in ceremony of Barack Obama, the first African American, who became the 44th President of United States of America. Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America on 20.1.09. Not only is he the first ‘black’ president but he is also of Muslim descent. It would not be incorrect then to say that in a country that was once actively discriminatory towards the blacks and is today fighting wars to end Islamic jihad, Obama managed to break quite a few stereotypes.
Then a few gunmen gave great shock to the cricket lover in March by attacking the Srilankan team during their Pakistan Cricket Tour. The consequence is now no country is ready to play cricket in Pakistan. When gunmen attacked a bus full of Sri Lankan cricketers in Pakistan on 3.3.09; it was another nail in the coffin of Pakistani cricket. Now no one is willing to play in Pakistan. Without tournaments, there will be no money to improve cricketing infrastructure. Without which their standard of cricket will fall. Poor cricket means low entertainment and lesser money. It was a HUGE nail in the coffin of Pakistani cricket
The G-20 London Summit on 20.4.09 saw the state leaders and not financial heads gather to discuss the continuing financial crisis. They decided to provide 1 trillion USD to various programs designed to improve international finance, credit and trade. More importantly, there was a shift in the power nexus at the summit. While America finally seemed to be loosing some of its stronghold, China was very influential.
The death of Michael Jackson on 25.6.09 shocked all the music lovers. The media circus around his death was appalling with conjecture over cause of death, custody of his children, evaluation of his estate and who would get their hands on all that money. In the middle of all of this, there were many tributes to Jackson and his contribution to music. It was only then that we remembered how great he really was. MJ you were a genius.
We witnessed the longest total solar eclipse of the century on 22.7.09. In fact, it is not to be surpassed until June 2132. Southeast Asians were especially lucky as it was best visible in China, Japan, India and Nepal. In India, thousands of pilgrims gathered on the banks of the Ganga to experience the eclipse from a religious or spiritual perspective. This event of astronomical reminded us once again, how small our role is in this humungous universe.
Though the WHO had declared the H1N1 or swine flu outbreak a epidemic in June, the panic did not hit India till 8.8.09 with the death of a 14 year old girl. The government failed in handling the crisis as they restricted availability of treatment to government run facilities which we all know are inefficient. The need for a better health care system and faster dissemination of information became undeniable.
The G-20 Pittsburg Summit on 24.9.09 resulted in the announcement that the G-20, replacing the G-8, will now become the permanent council for international economic cooperation. This was a much needed step towards dissemination of power in international politics. Developing nations like India, China and Brazil will now have a bigger role in decision making.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was awarded the responsibility of hosting 2016 Summer Olympics on 2.10.09. Rio thus became the first South American country to host the Olympics games. Winning such a bid is sure shot way of ensuring a boost to a city’s infrastructure – sports, hospitality, transport, security et al. As we have seen for Delhi with Commonwealth Games, the responsibility can be overwhelming and let’s hope that Rio handles it better!
The economy of Dubai was valued at 46 billion USD in 2006. Following the recent economic slump and therefore a halt in its massive renovation and development projects, the city requested a debt deferment on 27.11.09. The announcement caused a sharp downturn in global stock markets reminding us that the recession is not over yet.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference is one of the biggest events in December 09. On 18.12.09, it was announced that a meaningful agreement had been reached between the United States, China, India, South Africa and Brazil pledging 30 billion USD to the developing world over the next three years and sets a target to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius.
Thus went the year 2009 leaving behind both good and murky events. Though some ghastly events kept us smacked but it did not stopped us from moving. We all kept going and welcomed the New Year with a whole heart.

Happy New Year 2010…

Koodiyaatam a traditional art form of Kerala. Koodiyaatam means combined acting which signifies Sanskrit drama presented in the traditional style in temple theatres of Kerala and is the only surviving specimen of the ancient Sanskrit theatre. This time my visit to the God’s own country gave me the opportunity to see this marvelous act of Koodiyaatom. The act turned me wordless. Koodiyaatam has an attested history of a thousand years in Kerala, but its origin and evolution are shrouded in mystery. It seems that Kutiyattam is an amalgam of the classical Sanskrit theatre of ancient India and the regional theatre of Kerala. It is believed that Kulasekhara Varman Cheraman Perumal, an ancient king of Kerala, who ruled from Mahodayapuram eformed Koodiyattam, introducing the local language for Vidusaka and structuring presentation of the play to well defined units. He himself wrote two plays, Subhadraharana and Tapatisamvarana and made arrangements for their presentation on stage with the help of a Brahmin friend of him called Tolan. These plays are still presented on stage. Apart from these, the plays traditionally presented include Ascaryacudamani of Saktibhadra, Kalyanasaugandhika of Nilakantha, Bhagavadajjuka of Bodhayana, Nagananda of Harsa, and many plays ascribed to Bhasa including Abhiseka and Pratima. The Kutiyattam performance was confined to the temple precincts of Kerala in specially constructed theatres called Kutampalams. The 2,000 year old Sanskrit drama tradition Kutiyattam, performed in Kerala, southern India, strictly follows the Natya Shastra

Natya Shastra is an ancient Indian treatise on the performing arts, encompassing theatre, dance and music. It was written at an uncertain date in classical India and is traditionally attributed to the Sage Bharata. The Natya Shastra is incredibly wide in its scope. While it primarily deals with stagecraft, it has come to influence music, classical Indian dance, and literature as well. It covers stage design, music, dance, makeup, and virtually every other aspect of stagecraft. It is very important to the history of Indian classical music because it is the only text which gives such detail about the music and instruments of the period. Thus, an argument can be made that the Natya Shastra is the foundation of the fine arts in India. The most authoritative commentary on the Natya Shastra is Abhinavabharati by Abhinava Gupta.

The Natya Shastra delineates a detailed theory of drama comparable to the Poetics of Aristotle. Bharata refers to bhavas, the imitations of emotions that the actors perform, and the rasas (emotional responses) that they inspire in the audience. He argues that there are eight principal rasas: love, pity, anger, disgust, heroism, awe, terror and comedy, and that plays should mix different rasas but be dominated by one.

Each rasa experienced by the audience is associated with a specific bhava portrayed on stage. For example, in order for the audience to experience sringara, the playwright, actors and musician work together to portray the bhava called rati.

The main musical instruments used in Koodiyattam are Mizhavu, Kuzhitalam, Etakka, Kurumkuzhal and Sankhu. Mizhavu, the most prominent of these, is a percussion instrument which is played by a person of the Ambalavas Nambiar caste, accompanied by Nangyaramma playing the kuzhithalam. Koodiyattam has been performed by Chakyars and by Nangyaramma. The name Koodiyattam suggests a combined performance of Chakyar and Nangyar. The main actor is a Chakyar who performs the ritualistic Koothu and Koodiyattam inside the temple or in the Koothambalam. Chakyar women, Illotammas, are not allowed to participate. Instead, the female roles are played by Nangyaramma.

In the modern world, the late Natyacharya Vidushakaratnam Padma Shree Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar has been the best-known face of Koodiyattam. He was known for mastery of Rasa Abhinaya with special reference to Netrābhinaya. He has been a major force in popularizing Koodiyattam by taking it out of the Hindu temples, performing across India with his troupe, and teaching it to non-Chakyar caste members. He has also adapted, choreographed and directed well-known plays such as Kalidasa’s The Recognition of Sakuntala, Vikramorvaśīya and Mālavikāgnimitra; Bhasa’s Swapnavāsadatta and Pancharātra for performance in the Koodiyattam style.

Mani Madhava Chakkiar’s disciple and nephew Mani Damodara Chakyar is also a renowned Koodiyattam performer of traditional devotional Koodiyattams, such as Anguliyanka, Mattavilasa, Mantranka, Ezhamanka.

Raziya always loved to gaze at the star lit sky from the deck. Once I told her that we are looking at the light omitted from them many light years back. “How unromantic!” she said. Reaction as usual.

But I always wondered how the stars affect and control our lives. I’m talking out of our own experiences. As I understand it, everything in this universe is connected and sometimes it goes beyond our understanding. I remember writing a post about Indian astrology and the concept of Navagrahas in Sailorsdiary.

This time it’s about Cancer and Pisces, right after hearing Raziya reading out the daily horoscope from a website. As a matter of fact I’m a Cancerian and Raziya, a Piscean woman. Look how we are connected to water!

Cancer is ruled by the moon and yes, I’ve the mood swings in times like the moon. My element is water. As the news paper said, and it’s true, the strength lies in the ability to nurture others, in being compassionate, caring and fiercely loyal. Like a Crab- hard outside, soft inside. And we are clannish towards my family and group (read Mariners). Cancerians are good with memory, emotional impressions to be precise, we even recollect dreams. We easily come up innovative solutions, have wonderful imagination and makes decisions based on logic (I love this website).

And then, we could be jealous (who is not!), sometimes feels insecure (of course not when Raziya is around) and lazy (always when Raziya is around) and becomes unorganized and hate discipline (not when I’m Captain Brown). Cancerians are the most compatible with Pisces and Taurus.

Pisces… Raziya is reading about her sign now. The compatibility first…
“Pisces and Cancer will have an instant rapport with each other that will run deep. Both have a compassionate attitude towards others in distress and will be ready to help. Both are blessed with artistic talent and they will share a love for admiring beauty. While Pisces tends to be an imaginative dreamer, Cancer is an imaginative worker. They may have minor quarrels but these will end amicably in bed. Their extraordinary sexual chemistry will send up sparks. They will enjoy the sensual pleasures of sex especially in a luxurious, romantic setting, – flowers, candles, silk cushions – the works.”

“They can almost read each other’s minds and just one glance is enough to communicate a lot. Both will be extremely affectionate and express their affections quite openly. Both suffer from mood swings and are extremely creative. They live in a world of their own, a world that packs in a great deal more emotion than the average sign. Their sex life will sizzle as they try experiments in bed. Their chemistry will be intense and exciting.”

Pisces, again, is a water sign. They are gentle, soft and accept their surroundings and easily adopts. They rarely get angry. Religion and mysticism attract them. They are great dreamers and sometimes have trouble distinguishing dreams from reality (Wow!).

“They are incurable foodies and love to indulge in a wide range of cuisine from all over the globe. Their dreamy nature makes them fond of things like poetry, sunsets, waterfalls, candles and other romantic things. They love to travel to exotic places and immerse themselves in new, exciting experiences.”

“Fine arts like music, literature, painting or designing are ideal career choices for Pisceans as it helps them explore their creative and dreamy side. Pisceans make good architects, lawyers and caterers.” (I’m blown out!)They are remarkably receptive to new ideas and environment which is an advantage in these careers and can gain them fame and money. (Oh… Raziya…)

Pisces Celebrities: Rupert Murdoch, Mikail Gorbachev, Michaelangelo, Sidney Poiter and Raziya Fredrick Brown…

Courtesy- www.zodiacs4u.com

Most of the humans we call ‘great’ had spent their life in pursuit of a remedy of the eternal state of sadness and suffering of human race.

And Siddharta Gautama was one among them.

Tracing his biography is a challenge in itself as history and myth are blended in ‘his story’. He was born around 565 B.C. in Lumbini in modern day Nepal. According to the legend he lived many lives and was born again to reach the state of ‘the enlightened one’.
Gautama was born to live a life of a king- his father was the king of Kapilavastu in Magadha. He had every luxury he could imagine around him. At his birth a sage is said to have predicted “If he remains at home, the child will become the Wheel-rolling King. If he leaves home, he will become the great teacher, the Buddha.” His father wanted to groom him to a king and, out of his concern, barred him religious teachings. But his son was lost into thoughts in times, into deep and seemingly endless phases of meditation.
Later he came across the “four sights” that changed his life forever. On a journey in his chariot he saw an old crippled man, a diseased man, a decaying corpse, and finally an ascetic.
All men who are born eventually have to die. Sickness comes to everyone so is old age. Renouncing worldly possessions is the way to attaining peace and salvation.
He was depressed and started contemplating on the ways to over come the sufferings in life. It ended in what is termed as ‘the great departure’. He left his family and fortune behind and went for a hard and tiresome journey in search of truth which leading to his enlightenment.
Thus started a journey of a thousand miles…
He meditated under a papal tree, now know as the Bodhi tree, in Bodh Gaya in India. After 49 days of meditation he attained enlightenment. From then on he was known as ‘Buddha’ or the ‘Awakened One’.
In the beginning he wondered whether or not he should teach the ‘Dharma’ to human beings. Human beings are often overpowered by greed, hatred and delusion, they would not be able to see the true dharma, which was subtle, deep and hard to understand. But soon he became a teacher.

The Buddha delivered his first sermon at Sarnath. In this sermon he shared the knowledge he had gained through meditation.

He traveled vastly and taught his doctrine and discipline to diverse range of people. The community of Buddhist monks continued to spread his teachings after his death.

From what I learned from his life, he is serenity personified. His mind, just like his teachings, is like the sky without the clouds. It is beyond the clutches of emotions.

In the present world the advent of technology or the after math of industrial revolution haven’t given us more happiness or peace. Our problems and the crisis we face keep increasing. Could be because we are still overpowered by greed, hatred and delusion.

Love is always sweet in the memories, they say.

I had realized it when I joined a ship as a cadet, putting an end to my days in the campus. Thus the days of separation began.

All of a sudden I lost the presence of the girl who was close to my heart. I wanted to run back to the shade of that giant tree, share a joke with her and hear her laughing. I wanted to see her eyes. But I know I couldn’t.

My love for her just grew deeper. “The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost” I knew I won’t lose her; still a very strange and dark fear grew inside my heart. Love was biting me like hell.

I was rich with her love and I didn’t want to go bankrupt. If you have Love, you don’t need to have anything else, and if you don’t have it, it doesn’t matter much what else you have. I was paying the prize for succumbing to that irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.

When you are in love your beloved is more important to you than yourself. Your happiness depends on her. Whenever she is happy so are you. Her one smile or one comment makes your day.

The desire for money or power could be quenched easily; when you have it you are happy. But that’s not the case when you want to possess a woman. You are trying to have someone in flush and blood, she has her own likes and dislikes, she has her choices and freedom, and she is an individual. In another words, when you are in love you are demanding the impossible.

But once your love is returned you are elated to a sublime state of existence. Love sets you free. Love, when scrutinized, is also a form of slavery. Love is contradictions.

Its thorns hurt and provoke you badly, sometimes severely. It keeps you weighting. But when you are in love, all of them are trivial.

Being in love is the season of spring you will have between the cradle and the grave.

And I love being in love.