Art in the City.

Hello everyone!

A bit about Zentangle:

The Zentangle® Method is an easy to learn, fun and relaxing way to create beautiful patterns. It was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. "Zentangle" is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

Recently, I visited Ahmedabad, my native city. This was nothing new, as I have been there many times, and a lot of my family stays there. Every trip to Ahmedabad is filled with social obligations, because we forever find ourselves rushing from one relative’s house to another’s, breakfasting with one, dining with another, and sipping tea with someone else.

So caught up are we in exchanging tales, discussing the latest social events and pondering over things both important and not, that we never truly toured Ahmedabad. We never discovered its rich, glorious history, we never went to the numerous cultural extravaganzas that dot the city, we never realised that Ahmedabad is more than food and warmth and crazy roads – It is also about the bustling business of the countless pols that churn out products beyond compare, it is also about modernity hiding within tradition, and most importantly, it is also about the historical delight this city presents.

This time, we put our foot down. We would visit new places, and enjoy ourselves. We would go to some touristy places and discover the city that has our roots. We would do this, no matter how many relatives ambush us with their overwhelming love and affection.

This visit to Ahmedabad was long overdue and we had a hoard of angry relatives waiting to be socialised with. Yet, we managed to squeeze in a few hours of time to visit the one place that was on top of our bucket list. This place was Adalaj Stepwell, called Adalaj ni Vav in Gujarati.

As we learnt from a rickety old signboard outside the site, the Vav (meaning ‘well’ in Gujarati) was constructed in 1499 by the ruling king. It had four different gates, out of which only one was still functional. It is five storeys deep and has various vents for rainwater and air.

It has motifs of the everyday activities of the people under the monarchical rule at that time, and the architecture varies from pretty patterns, people churning milk, people dancing and adorning themselves with jewellery, Hindu and Jain deities, and various forms of erotica.

Image Source

I wanted to find out more about the Vav and turned to the omniscient Wikipedia. Turns out, there is a legend behind the vav’s construction. Quite an interesting one, too.

Rana Veer Singh, the king who had ordered the construction of the stepwell as part of his duties towards his kingdom, unfortunately, died in battle with Muhammad Begda, the ruler of the neighbouring kingdom who saw Rana’s kingdom as an easy conquest, before the construction of the well was completed.

Disgruntled, the citizens of his kingdom were now left without water, and without their kind, large-hearted king. They turned to the widowed Rani for help, but she was dealing with her own problems.

Rani Roopba (whose name means ‘beautiful’ according to my rudimentary translation skills) was broken-hearted. Not only was her hubby killed ruthlessly by that foreigner, but he died without impregnating her!

*gasp*

Without a husband and without a progeny, the helpless Rani was a typical damsel in distress. Seeing no purpose in her life anymore, she rushed to leap into the burning pyre of her husband and commit sati.

However, Muhammad Begda was besotted with the Rani’s beauty and asked her to marry him, instead. “Marry me, O Fair Rani! Clasp my hand in yours and let me give meaning to your life once again!”

(*cough* Padmavati *cough*)

The Rani crinkled her nose in disgust. “The nerve of the man!” she thought. “Doesn’t he realise that Hindu women marry just once in their lives! Chastity, love, the sacredness of marriage! All gone out of the window!”

However, his words did give purpose to her life. Vengeance.

The queen then said sweetly to Muhammad Begda, “O mighty king, I am prepared to be yours, and only yours for the rest of eternity! But grant me my one desire! Let me complete building the Vav that my deceased husband began! Then, I will comply with all that you wish of me!"

Smitten, Begda agreed to wait. The clever Rani oversaw the construction of the grand stepwell, adorning it with motifs portraying her late husband as the kindest, fairest, most handsome, and greatest king to have set foot on the earth.

And when the stepwell was complete, the Rani leapt into the well, joining her husband in heaven, hell, or purgatory, wherever he was. Muhammad Begda was horror-struck, but he had some sense of respect for creativity and architecture, and fortunately did not mutilate the imagery on the walls and pillars.

And that, my friends, is the legend behind the Vav.

The Vav is certainly a piece of beauty. Sand-coloured intricateness buried in the ground, the gurgling water of the well and the fresh coolness of the underground, and sprawling green lawns surrounding it, it is a picture of architectural excellence.

Image Source

I had seen the Vav before when I was little, but I remembered absolutely nothing of it. However, this visit was a very memorable one, and I actually had a lot of fun admiring the well.

Besides, only admire did I not. I absorbed the patterns on the walls, the designs and motifs on the pillars. I concentrated on the floral patterns, the grid work, the segments and sections and the beauty of repetition.

Later, on that very day, I tried to replicate some of the patterns on paper. I learnt that it was a little difficult because most of the beauty of the carvings came from the fact that they were three dimensional and protruding, something I couldn’t really do that on paper.

Secondly, most of the pretty designs were sculpted figures. The universe knows that I cannot draw figures, and I didn’t even try to ruin them for me.

Image Source 
This one is very close to the image I took.

However, my experiment wasn’t a complete failure, because I did manage some designs. I tried refining them and perfecting them a few times, and was finally happy with a few.

Fun facts:

1. These were done in a relative’s house (where else, while in Ahmedabad?) while the adults chatted and I sat in a corner doing this.

2. The paper used is this supremely awesome Khadi paper that we bought from a tiny workshop somewhere inside the city opposite the Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram. It is smooth, but toothy, and is an absolute delight to write on. Besides, this is the only paper I had with me.

3. I tried giving each pattern a name but failed miserably. The one on the bottom right was supposed to be called "Biology" because it looks like fragmented spirogyra to me.

4. I am aware that many of these patterns are already existent elsewhere, but I got them from the walls of the well.

And when I finally reached home in Mumbai, I got out my new pens that my friend gifted me and got to work. I’d been meaning to try out the pens for a long time, and finally got an opportunity to use them.

Quite frankly, I don’t really like the green portion in the middle.

But I absolutely love the navy curves and brown squares. The black circles are minimalistic, but I like them. They’re quite okay, especially for the first time.

The rest of it is quite uninteresting, just random filler patterns. I messed up with the red bit, but the pattern by itself is very relaxing to do.

The black flowers at the bottom took up a lot of time, and I don’t think that the time was really worth it. I could do better, I feel.

Dislikes first – the green and navy. I don’t really know what I was doing there.

The red and orange bit on the outer frame is pretty, really pretty. But it isn’t my favourite because it is a bit too neat, I think. Neatness has been my forte and is a must in all that I do (well, almost. Don’t look at the unruly desk of mine.) but that bit is really clean.

The black and brown is the part I like the most. Neat, but imperfect.

On a side note, if it were really colourful, then it would look psychedelic, don’t you think?

All in all, I tried something new this time. I tried incorporating my usual favourites with the patterns on the wall of an ancient well. And the fact that it wasn't a complete failure satisfies me.

Till later, Happy Tangling!

Hands of Duality

Hello, Everyone!

A bit about Zentangle:

The Zentangle® Method is an easy to learn, fun and relaxing way to create beautiful patterns. It was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. "Zentangle" is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

You know, I am actually considering renaming this blog. The name of this blog ought not to be ZenTales, but DualityTales or YinYangTales. Because I ultimately circle back to the same concept, the same theory. At the end of the day, that is what I always write (type?) about – Yin Yang and Duality.

I really don’t know what is it with me and the Yin Yang. It is one of the most famous symbols around. Everyone already knows what it represents (fairly, at least), but, for some odd reason I cannot fathom, I am absolutely mystified by it. I am in complete awe of it every time I think about it. I love it to the point where all I tangle about, is it. This is called true love, I guess. But my love for the Yin Yang borders on the periphery of obsession. Yes, obsession – that’s what it is.

How else would you explain a random schoolgirl’s, who has never been to China, who does not follow Taoism or Confucianism, who has no remote Chinese ancestry, whose only other connection with China is her love for Chinese food (the sauces and kimchi rock!), ungodly love for a theory which originated from China?

Anyway, I digress. As a matter of fact, I always do. Digress, I mean.

My tangle is yet another representation of the Yin Yang theory.

There. I have unveiled my tangle to the world. (Unveiled to the world? Really? But it has a nice ring to it.)

The blobs of patterns are supposed to be hand-like figures, albeit mutated ones. I did not mean to make them mutated, but it happened. That is because I did not plan what I was putting on paper. I did not think about what I was going to tangle. I just wanted to de-stress. I let my heart run my hand and sent my brain off on a vacation.

This justifies my love for this theory. Even when I tell my brain to shut up and go to bed, the only thing my heart thinks of is Duality and Yin Yang.

Anyway. I digress, yet again.

The bottom mutated hand is Yang, the top one is Yin. Both of them, when clasped together, form the Yin Yang.

The Yang hand is filled with straight, rigid patterns. There is a certain order, a certain discipline about it. It portrays strength, duty, loyalty and truth. The patterns do not deviate or digress (like I always do. I am doing it right now.). They travel in a straight line, like soldiers, marching off to a parade, unmindful of any temptations. They know that they could be one amongst the surrounders, giving in to human desires, but they choose a life of rigorous practice and ultimate discipline.

On the other hand (excuse the pun), the Yin hand features flowing patterns, free patterns, curvy patterns. The unpredictability of the patterns presents a delightful chaos. It seems as though the lines have stopped to see a beautiful butterfly flittering through the woods, chased it for a while, gone off course, and decided that they didn’t want to go back to the original, pre-decided route and continued along their own path, only to be distracted by another butterfly.

But, you would say, the Yin Yang symbol features Yin in the Yang and Yang in the Ying. Where is that in the tangle?

It is there. It is always there, regardless of how much ever one tries to create perfect Yin or perfect Yang. That’s because complete Yin or complete Yang isn’t even possible. It is impossible to create chaos without order and order without chaos.

The Yin hand too has a certain order in the patterns. Look at the pattern in the top left. Do you not see order and discipline?

The Yang hand has chaos too. The top right corner. The lines are straight, yes, but the combination of vertical, horizontal, and diagonal presents chaos.

And that, my friends, is how you present a concept as old as the world (or perhaps, even older) with a different idea. ;D

But why hands?

Because they clasp. Hands are things which are so similar, you wouldn’t be able to tell the left from the right. But they compliment each other. When hands clasp, fingers interlink. Connections are formed. Two seemingly similar objects are different and as distinct as the Yin and Ying. But they join together to provide a whole. They join to provide a symbol of peace, power, friendship, and prayer. They show how duality in life always exists and is essential for life itself.

Yin and Yang. Female and Male. Creation and Destruction. Negative and Positive. Nature and Man. Liberal and Orthodox. Passion and Austerity.

One needs the other. One wants the other. One fights the other. One pacifies the other. One loves the other. One hates the other. One attracts the other. One repels the other. One longs for the other. Together, they make life.

And since I suck at ending blog posts or any creative writing piece, for that matter, I will go away now. So long, friends and fellow tanglers! Happy tangling!

The Chessboard of Life!

Hello, Everyone!

A bit about Zentangle:

The Zentangle® Method is an easy to learn, fun and relaxing way to create beautiful patterns. It was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. "Zentangle" is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

ZenCrazy is back again! And this time, I have a whole new lot of philosophy for you! This post is about a short story written by Andy Weir. It is called The Egg. And I, in typical ZenCrazy fashion have formulated this amaaaazing short story, into a theory! You can read the entire story, The Egg, by Andy Weir, over here.

Basically, the story is about how every human being, every animal, every plant, every microbe, basically, every organism to ever have lived on earth is the same. Now, I am not talking about gender equality and caste equality, but literally, every organism on earth is essentially the same. We all are incarnations of the same soul. You are me. I am you. You are Mahatma Gandhi. You are Abraham Lincoln. You are Akbar. You are Michael Jackson. You are Adolf Hitler. You are a frog. You are an ant. You are an elephant. You are your best friend. You are your worst enemy. You are your favourite actor. You are a farmer. You are the Prime Minister. Heck, you are Donald Trump! The only other person to exist in the universe apart from you is God. No, I am not talking about Jesus, or Shiva, or Krishna. They were all men. They were all you. I am talking about the power, the force, which is the source of all creation. The omnipotent, the omnipresent, the omniscient divine being. God is the only other deity in the universe other than you.

My tangle represents the same. So before, I start explaining, here, take a look at my tangle.

The black and white figures in the black and white squares represent humans. They are pawns, rather, we are pawns, mere pawns, in the divine chessboard of life. Each one of us is important in order for the game to be won. Each one of us serves a different purpose in the game, but essentially, we all are the same. Each one of us has a myriad of qualities within us, each one of us learns something different in our lifetime, and each one of us contributes something unique each time we are born, but we all are actually the same. Pawns, that is what we are.

The first pawn in the first row represents a happy, bubbly, effervescent person, who always manages to bring a smile to your face. She is ever-cheerful, and always enjoys a good, hearty laugh. She is like a chocolate cookie; always welcome to bring in the sunshine.

The first pawn in the first row represents the typically annoying person we all know – the one who manages to remain happy even after the most dismal of days, the one whose giggle is so irritating! Heck, she has a smile on her face even at a funeral!

The third pawn in the first row represents a determined person, who knows what he wants, and gets what he wants. He is clear about his goal and works hard towards it. He strives towards success and achieving all he wishes for.

The third pawn in the first row represents an ambitious person – a person perhaps too ambitious for his own good. All he ever cares about is his goal, his target. He is cold, and calculating, and will stop at nothing, absolutely nothing to fulfil his wishes.

The fifth pawn in the first row represents a dramatic person. We all know her – she is the one who adds spice to even the most mundane day ever. Listening to any anecdote that she narrates is no short of listening to the audio of a movie, with gasps, dramatic expressions, and breathtaking action that you can almost visualise!

The third pawn in the first row represents the typically melodramatic person, replete with wailing, whining and unrealistic expressions and sighs in almost each sentence. Trust this person to never give you the truth. She will tell you what you want to hear, in the most entertaining way possible, with not even an ounce of truth within it.

The first pawn in the second row represents a typically meek person, hiding in the shadows, barely visible, but always there. He won’t make his presence felt, but he will be there for you when you need him. He is interesting in his own way; the bulge of the pawn in my tangle represents his subtly interesting personality.

The first pawn in the second row represents the most dangerous person ever. He is a silent killer, hiding in the shadows, striking when he must. The bulge in my tangle represents his deceptive personality, a proof that behind his mild exterior lies a highly deadly personality.

The first pawn in the third row represents a modest person. She is a prodigy, blessed with a brilliant mind. She is talented, yes, but she covers up her talent. She blushes when she is praised, and she brushes aside all compliments, choosing to do what she always does the best – shine softly, and gently.

The first pawn in the third row represents an insecure person. She is talented, she is great, but she envelopes all her talent under layers of insecurity. Never has she ever felt satisfied with herself, with who she is, and has always yearned to be someone else, someone so different, that she has forgotten her uniqueness, the essence that makes her…. Her.

The fifth pawn in the third row represents a confident person. He has taken a lot of risks in life, experimented with a lot of things. He hasn’t been successful each time. But he wears his scars with equal pride. He doesn’t cover them up and is confident of who he is, and how he is.

The fifth pawn in the third row represents an arrogant person. He has no modesty whatsoever and flaunts everything about himself. Each general conversation turns into a story of his adventures, and he is the typical snob who everyone resents.

The second pawn in the fifth row represents an inspiring person.  She has the ability to motivate and encourage others when no one can. Her ideologies and her beliefs are so appealing, that they spread like wildfire.

The second pawn in the fifth row represents an influential person. She can make others do whatever she wants. She can make others believe any idea, any story. She has the ability to talk others into doing even the most unethical things on earth.

The colourful flame at the centre represents God (as in, the divine energy) and has six colours, each of them representing a quality essential for the survival of mankind.

Red represents love. Orange represents passion. Green represents trust. (The rectangles are the steps of a staircase. Man always trusts the almighty to provide step after step, for him to keep climbing the ladder of maturity.)  Blue represents consequence (Like the ripples in water). Indigo represents imagination and creativity to turn the impossible into the possible. Violet represents transparency.

All in all, my tangle represents the fact that each person on the earth is unique. Each person can be good, as well as bad. Each quality of a person can be viewed as a virtue, as well as a vice. Till the time the human soul matures to combine with the almighty, we will keep on judging each other, demeaning each other, praising each other and criticizing each other. Accept all humans, animals, plants, all organisms, all life forms on earth with open arms. Accept everyone; they all are forms of YOU. Till the time we mature, we must live with all the different incarnations of our self.

That is all from me about The Egg by Andy Weir! So long, my fellow friends and tanglers! Happy Tangling!

The Shiva Trilogy Finale (Part II)

Hello, Everyone!

A bit about Zentangle:

The Zentangle® Method is an easy to learn, fun and relaxing way to create beautiful patterns. It was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. "Zentangle" is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

In my last post (which was long, long, long ago) I had unveiled (unveiled? More like force-shown!) my collage which I had so very tediously put together. I had even written about three of the image in the collage, the three ones which I had already written a thesis about in the previous posts! But there was one new addition in the collage: A new tangle! And I had left the explanation for next time. Now that the next time is finally here, let’s dive into the tangle! And in case you haven't read the previous post, Go Read It. Now. Bye.

In case you do have, feel free to scroll down and stroll through the post.... (That is me acting all nonchalant, when actually my insides are churning up into buttermilk! A lot of philosophy is going to be sprouting up, after all!)

That tangle there,  my friends, is the Artist’s rendition of the Pashupati Astra, the near-Daivi Astra which destroyed the “perfect” land of Meluha by blowing up its heart, brain and soul, its Capital, Devagiri.

Seven arrows, representing the Seven Sages worthy of the Somras. Somras was the cause of Meluha’s creation, and Somras was the cause of its destruction. Had the Saptarishis held on to the Somras, maybe this disaster could have been averted. So yes, the seven fire-arrows destroyed Meluha. For good.

Love. Isn’t that what life is all about? Love for the Creator, love for the earth, love for all organisms, love for one another, love for yourself. Love makes things easier, love solves problems. Love leads to desire, which causes a whole lot of problems. Love is the question, love is the answer. Shiva’s love for Sati, Parvateshwar’s love for his duty, Anandmayi’s love for Parvateshwar, Dilipa’s love for the Somras, Daksha’s love for Sati… That is what it is all about! Daksha’s love for Sati causes a change in Swuth, Sati’s love for Shiva overcome her Suryavanshi tendencies, Anandmayi’s love for Parvateshwar cause her to perish along with him, Dilipa’s love for the Somras makes him blindly follow Bhrighu…. Love is the power and love is the fuel. (Allow me to digress a bit: In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry’s life gets saved by the shield of his mother’s love. One of the most famous quotes in the Bible is Mark 12:31 - Love thy neighbour as yourself. The 3 magical words are always, “I Love You”. Notice something? Love is everywhere!) The heart in my tangle represents this very important element of life: Love. Disaster may strike, you may stand on a floor of fire, surrounded by enemies, the sky full of arrows. But if you have the power of love inside you, you will always stand strong. (Allow me to digress again, please!: There is an extremely quotable quote in The Shiva Trilogy. It says that the opposite of love isn’t hate. It is apathy, not caring about the other at all. Hate is just love gone bad.)

And all this is enclosed within an eye, a very special eye. It is the third eye of the Mahadev, the eye that sees all while it is shut and causes destruction while it is open. It is dormant while shut, active while open. As long as it is shut, peace prevails. If it opens, nobody can stop the wrath of the Mahadev. The same object can have two radically different characters! The same goes for people. Everyone is active and passive at the same time. Everyone can be destructive and peaceful, childish and mature, good and bad, Yin and Yang. (There. I’ve done it. Why do I connect everything in the world to the Divine theory of Duality? Wait. It is because everything in the world IS about the Divine Theory of Duality!)

So there. That was my last tangle dedicated to The Shiva Trilogy.

You cannot imagine what I am feeling right now. The perfect closure. A feeling, so sweet, it is worth starting a new series, or a new single tangle just to gain the same satisfaction again. So yeah. Be prepared. ZenCrazy is in form, and will be back soon, with a whole lot of tangles and philosophy again! And then again! And then again!

Till then, Happy Tangling!

The Shiva Trilogy Finale

Hello, everyone!

A bit about Zentangle:

The Zentangle® Method is an easy to learn, fun and relaxing way to create beautiful patterns. It was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. "Zentangle" is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

So! That's it! My second series is over! You know, right now, I feel like a true artist, who has laboured away at her pen, paper and laptop for hours together, looking back at her masterpiece with utmost satisfaction! And yes, that's what it is, my self-conjured artistic and literary masterpiece (if you allow me, that is), looking back at me from the screen of my laptop. But before I officially announce this series to be completed, I will let YOU take a teeny, meeny, tiny, miny glimpse of my creations over the past few weeks, inspired by the all-awesome, brainy genius, conjurer of spellbinding masterpieces, the one and only, AMISH TRIPATHI! Once again, all my dearest friends, if you haven't read the surreal, enchanting, rapturing, captivating, praise-seeking (and praise-deserving, obviously), tantalising-in-its-enthralling folds Shiva Trilogy, I pity you, my friend! You haven't have had the chance to be blessed by the divine philosophy of life that makes one introspect deep into the heart, looking for answers, only to blessed by the magical power generated by the union of man and God, to be enthralled by the beguiling dance of the Mahadev that you can almost visualize by the literary prowess of a certain fantastic individual, and to witness the eternal struggle that everyone faces amongst themselves, raging like an infinite storm in the innermost depths of the soul, forcing us to ask ourselves questions about our purpose on Earth. So yes, the bottom line is: GO READ IT!! NOW!

So coming back to the point (something that I always keep losing for some reason), I have made a super duper collage with all my tangles about the Shiva Trilogy, and I HAVE put it in this post! So friends, and fellow readers/appreciaters (appreciaters? I know that such a word doesn't exist, but you know, one needs to make up non-existent words to get across her raging emotions for such an awesome piece of literature) /fans of The Shiva Trilogy, behold the first (and preferably the last; I hate making collages. I had to delete my work a million times before I could actually make something that looked faintly like what you are about to witness) collage made by me, ZenCrazy! Here we go!

Did you see it! Of course, you did, I just put a super-gigantic poster-size image of it just above! (Please do forgive me, I know that I am behaving like an exuberantly excited 3-year-old who has just received the biggest present in the world, and not like my usually sane, 13-year-old self that I am supposed to be, but I can't help it, considering the fact that I am much more than the plain old boring adjectives of excited and eager at the current moment!) :-)

So, to keep the explanations short (and philosophy long) let's get started!

The bottom most picture in the collage is quite evidently (evident to the lucky lot who has read my two previous posts, The Divine Theory of Duality and Somras: Good or Evil?) a drop of the drink of the Gods, the Somras!

The picture to the left of it is of the symbol of the passionate, beautiful and free Chandravanshis, who live life by probabilities: a crescent moon. Their motto, Shringar, Saundarya, Swatantrata is freely floating on top of the moon.

The one on the other side of it it is the symbol of the truthful, dutiful and honourable Suryavanshis, a blazing sun. The motto of the Suryavanshi way of life is sensibly lying at the bottom: Satya, Dharma, Maan.

To know more about these, I request you to go read The Divine Theory of Duality here, and Somras: Good or Evil? over here.

Coming to the only picture left, I take it that this one needs a much longer explanation. But as I also take it, it is humanly impossible for a single person to properly read, contemplate and cogitate upon, and completely understand these three tangles in one sitting! You know what, I feel like my SS Teacher, The One and Only, Dipti Ma'am, (I hope for extra marks in SS now!) who divides the chapter into parts so that we, her "babies" as she calls us, (Babies in Grade 9!) do not muddle up the cruel Marie Antoinette, the legendary Napolean Bonaparte, the pitiless Robert Clive, the revolutionary Raja Ram Mohan Roy (I don't mean any offense, but honestly! Who has such a long name?), the bold Jean Paul Marat and God alone knows how many other vivid characters history has supplied us with!!

So, anyway, the point here is (See what I mean? I had almost lost it again!) that I will certainly give a full-fledged, detailed lecture on the fourth picture next time, so be prepared, store all the philosophy in your brain in a USB device, and keep the (D:) Drive empty! Till then, Happy Tangling!

Somras: Good or Evil?

Hello, everyone!

A bit about Zentangle:

The Zentangle® Method is an easy to learn, fun and relaxing way to create beautiful patterns. It was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. "Zentangle" is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

FIRST OFF, SPOILER ALERT:

All the humans who haven’t read the Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi, DO NOT READ THIS POST!!! IT CONTAINS THE SECRETS AND MYSTERIES OF THIS AWESOME TRILOGY, AND YOU MAY NOT APPRECIATE ME BABBLING OFF ALL THE SECRETS ONE BY ONE. You may want to minimize this window, get off that lazy-couch-potato sofa, put on your shoes and rush to the nearest bookstore and buy the whole trilogy. Right Now. And read it, of course. Or maybe you want to save the effort for later and order them online…. I leave the choice to you. And I am not preventing you from reading this post just because of the suspense-loss, but also, because you won’t understand a bit of the content that is on its way next. Sorry, but you will have to deal with it. So, getting back to the point, the awesome Shiva Trilogy has inspired my post for today. And all the non-enlightened people (come on, non-enlightened clearly means ‘the people who haven’t read the Shiva Trilogy’) who will have to endure the misfortune of turning back at this point, GO READ IT! GO NOW! BYEEE!!

So, here I am, back again after exploring the Divine Theory of Duality! If you haven't read it, go read it NOW! Off you go! Goodbye! 

And for the lucky few who have had the good fortune of reading it, you probably remember, (Of course, you do! I don't think anyone can forget my 'drooping with philosophy, introspection inducing' post!)that I had not explained the top part of the drop in the divine ocean of eternal bliss. Well, you need to wait no longer, because that is exactly what I am going to do today! So here we go, off to Meluha!

The top part of the Somras, above the Yin-Yang symbol, is a tribute to the very origin of the Somras, Mount Mandar! (Drumroll, please!)

Yes, my dear friends, it is the same Mount Mandar that bore in its womb the very core of the greatest good, that gradually turned into the greatest evil, like a cancer that slowly eats up the mortal body from the inside, bit by bit, little by little, a slow but steady killer, silently bringing in the worst. "Good and evil are sides of the same coin," so said Lord Manu, a most revered and respectable gentleman, no doubt. The Somras, which was the secret key to the theoretical success of Meluha, turned into the very cause of the destruction of not only Meluha, but Ayodhya and Branga as well. It led to the formation of highly mutated and agonisingly deformed beings who were considered a blotch on the supposedly "pure" lineage of the Meluhans, the Nagas. Not only were they ruthlessly banished from the dream-like society of Meluha, but they also had to bear the torturous excruciating pain (pain would probably be an understatement for it) of cancerous deformities and in Brahaspati's polite words, "outgrowths" while they were but mere toddlers. Not to mention the Branga plague, which bereaved helpless parents of the apple of their eyes, their very flesh, blood and bones, a part of their heart and soul, their joy and hope, forcing them to live empty, meaningless lives.

The upper part of the tangle is my impression of Mount Mandar. It is shaped like a mountain peak, signifying the mountain where the Somras powder was manufactured. The bottom left corner has gears and cogwheels of all shapes, sizes, and designs, depicting the complex machinery that was used to manufacture the drink of the Gods, to analyze the cause of the biological rotting of cells, to form the theory of oxidants and antioxidants. To its opposite side, there are free-flowing, rapidly escalating and dropping waves of the mother of all rivers, the holy Saraswati. [Allow me some philosophy, my friends! So here goes: Don't you think that this again goes back to the Yin-Yang? On one side, we have the immaculately perfect technology (Purusha), while on the other, we have the flowy waves of a river (Prakriti). A classic example of the theory of duality! :-)]

Above the gears and cogwheels and machinery, there are bubbles of the gas, oxygen. This gas is reputed to be the gas that is essential for life, but the dark reality is that it is essential for death as well. The very same life-giving gas that fills our lungs with revitalising, fresh energy and our blood with nutrients is responsible for the gradual decay of the only sign of our mortality: our bodies,

To its other side, there is a grove of the legendary Sanjeevani trees, essential for the production of Somras. You see, the Sanjeevani trees are an integral part of the story in the Shiva Trilogy. They help save the unborn Kartik's life, they awaken Parvateshwar from his deep coma. They lead the Neelkanth towards the Brangas and finally the Nagas. They cause the battle of Dandak, and liberate Parshuram from the unspeakable horror he had committed. So, quite obviously, they have earnt their place in the tangle!

And last, but not the least, there are the auras separating each of the elements of the Mount Mandar tangle from each other. They give the effect of each of these elements being in clouds, clouds that combine to create a sky full of Somras! A place where Somras exists, but is not accessible to mankind. We can see, it, but we can't reach it. People long for it, strive for it, try to touch the sky and get it, steal it, earn it, even be willing to die for it. But nobody ever gets it! Nobody is ever satisfied with it, nobody understands that success is not a destination, but a journey!

And with that, my friends, I complete my quota of ranting about how awesome the Shiva Trilogy is! Goodbye, and Happy Tangling!

P. S. Stay tuned for a super-duper collage of all the different tangles related to the Shiva Trilogy I have been working on lately!

The Divine Theory of Duality!

Hello, everyone!

A bit about Zentangle:

The Zentangle® Method is an easy to learn, fun and relaxing way to create beautiful patterns. It was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. "Zentangle" is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

FIRST OFF, SPOILER ALERT:

All the humans who haven’t read the Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi, DO NOT READ THIS POST!!! IT CONTAINS THE SECRETS AND MYSTERIES OF THIS AWESOME TRILOGY, AND YOU MAY NOT APPRECIATE ME BABBLING OFF ALL THE SECRETS ONE BY ONE. You may want to minimize this window, get off that lazy-couch-potato sofa, put on your shoes and rush to the nearest bookstore and buy the whole trilogy. Right Now. And read it, of course. Or maybe you want to save the effort for later and order them online…. I leave the choice to you. And I am not preventing you from reading this post just because of the suspense-loss, but also, because you won’t understand a bit of the content that is on its way next. Sorry, but you will have to deal with it. So, getting back to the point, the awesome Shiva Trilogy has inspired my post for today. And all the non-enlightened people (come on, non-enlightened clearly means ‘the people who haven’t read the Shiva Trilogy’) who will have to endure the misfortune of turning back at this point, GO READ IT! GO NOW! BYEEE!!

Aaaannd, the people who HAVE read the trilogy, you may safely continue to read this post. It contains a drop of blissful powers, a drop of the celestial energies. It is a drop of the divine, a part of the ocean of miracles. Well, I am certainly not boasting about my tangle, I am telling you about my post! No, seriously, it is heavenly!! Don’t believe me? Take a look:

Yes, my dear friends, that drop that you saw above is a drop of the drink of the Gods!! The Somras!

But hold your horses, people. There is more to it than what meets the eye. There is always something more. There has to be! There has to be a story behind everything because this is ZenTales, where each stroke has got a story! (That was to be said in the stereotypical marketing professional’s voice.)

As I was saying, the Somras that you see on the piece of paper right above has got a deeper meaning than what it seems like. The bottom half of the drop is actually the Yin-Yang symbol! Philosophical, I know, but I loooovvveee it! The idea of opposing but related forces is sooooo captivating and inspiring, that I, a school girl with absolutely no interest or experience in Chinese mythology and Taoism and Confucianism, can go on to give a lecture about this symbol!

Anyway, the bottom half represents the Suryavanshis and Chandravanshis, the equality between them, and the contrasting nature between them. The whole of the bottom half represents a normal human being who is a bit of both: Suryavanshi and Chandravanshi, Masculine and Feminine, Mahadev and Vishnu, Right and Wrong, Good and Evil, Accepting and Rejecting, Offensive and Defensive, This and That, Black and White, Yin and Yang. After reading and rereading and rereading and analysing and reanalysing and reanalysing the trilogy, I discovered that the book is kind of about this theory! For instance, the scene in Shiva’s dream, when the Vasudev Pandit shows him the network of white lines and black lines, if it is not Yin and Yang, what is it?

Getting on with our tangle, the white, left half represents the Suryavanshis, while the dark, right half represents Chandravanshis. It makes a lot of sense, because Yang, the lighter side, is said to be the masculine side. Suryavanshis are the ultimate masculine, resisting change, following and abiding by rules always. Yin, on the other hand, is the dark feminine side, which in my tangle represents the Chandravanshis; the change embracing Chandravanshis. The light side is totally made of straight, neat lines (JUST like Meluha) while the dark side is made of curves and spiralling, complex patterns (again, JUST like Swadweep). In fact, the ingenious brick making technique of the Suryavanshis is also incorporated into the Yang half! The Chandravanshi side has much more flowy and free patterns, in high contrast with its antithesis; the rigid, stiff and defined Suryavanshi patterns. One more thing that I have kept in mind while tangling my emotions for the trilogy out on paper is the motto of the two warring kingdoms, the Suryavanshi one being, “Satya, Dharma, Maan. (Truth, Duty, Honour.)” and the Chandravanshi one being, “Shringar, Saundarya, Swatantrata. (Passion, Beauty, Freedom)”

Another explanation of the Yin Yang symbol is in Hindu mythology: the theory of Samkhya. To the unfamiliar, Samkhya is simply the theory of Purusha and Prakriti. Purusha symbolises the soul, the change resisting, masculine, conscious soul. Prakriti symbolises nature, the change inducing and change embracing, feminine, life giving nature. Purusha is conscious, Prakriti is subconscious. Purusha is living, Prakriti is giving.

For the more scientific person, the theory of duality holds true as well, in the form of the much hyped ‘Half-Brains’. The left brain is Suryavanshi, or Yang, or masculine, or Purusha: Methodical, logical and accurate. The right brain shows the Chandravanshis, or the Yin, or the feminine or Prakriti: Creative, free and beautiful.

Just as Yin has a bit of Yang in it, and Yang has a bit of Yin in it, everybody has a bit of Chandravanshi and Suryavanshi in them. Everyone is right brained and left brained. Everyone is Purusha and Prakriti. Nobody can be the ultimate of either sides, not even God. This is in high contrast with the TamBrahm theory: a theory which says that God was righteousness personified. But as the trilogy rightly says, “Lord Rama was the Maryada Purshottam, the ideal man. He was both; Chandravanshi and Suryavanshi. His full ceremonial name was Lord Rama Chandra, Suryavanshi Kshatriya of the Ikshvaku clan. Even though he was born a Suryavanshi, his name literally meant, ‘Face of the Moon’. He was both a Suryavanshi and a Chandravanshi, and THAT is what made him an ideal man!” In the same way, nobody, not a single creature, mortal or immortal, humane or divine can be the ultimate “Good” or ultimate “Bad”.

And that my friends, was my philosophy for the day! Wait!!!! The top half still remains a mystery! And I am sorry to say, it will remain a mystery till the next post! Not that it is some state secret or anything, but I guess the theory of duality is enough of philosophy for a day! Good bye, and Happy Tangling!

The Five Elementangles of Nature: Enigmatic Earth

Hi, Everyone!

So, as usual, before I start, I would recommend you to download the image and zoom in to understand what I am exactly talking about.

A bit about Zentangle:

The Zentangle® Method is an easy to learn, fun and relaxing way to create beautiful patterns. It was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. "Zentangle" is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

I am back with the fifth and last elementangle, Enigmatic Earth. This Elementangle is my personal favourite. The main message brought out by Enigmatic Earth is LIFE. EVERYTHING, NO matter SMALL or BIG, has LIFE in it. Each tiny insect, bug, plant, flower and organism on Earth has life. So let us dive into the enigmatic world of Enigmatic Earth in….

5!

4!

3!

2!

1!

ENIGMATIC EARTH!

The Earth is spherical in shape, as proved by the world famous Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan. Quite obviously, I couldn’t procure a sphere on my flat piece of paper. So in a stroke of genius, I concluded that I could make a circle at least! So, dear friends, the entire left side of the Elementangle is covered with circles of all shapes and sizes.

Each circle contains a pattern that defines Earth. For instance, we have the Creepy Crawly Circle which is covered in bugs and critters of different kinds. Then there is the circle which looks like a fossil. (Did I mention that it is my favourite thing ever?) There is also a mini earth next to the fossil! The topmost circle has a chrysanthemum type flower with an eye. The eye signifies that everything has life, including plants. (As proved by Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose.)

The right side, on the other hand, has a black and white chequered background, which I personally find extremely attractive. There is a branch with a couple of leaves randomly thrown over this background. I can’t really express much about this Elementangle and leave the rest to your, my beloved reader’s imagination! Go observe Enigmatic Earth, and let the strokes of my pen do all the talking!

Sadly, my series has come to an end…. A condolence Letter to my dead series:

It is with deep personal grief that I announce the tragic death of my beloved series, The Five Elementangles of Nature. All the people who knew about it greatly respected it, and I shall always keep the memory of my writings with it. Accept my most sincere condolences and expressions of wholehearted sympathy with grievous bereavement. May my series rest in peace forever. It will forever be alive in my heart.

Yours Sincerely,

ZenCrazy

I will soon be back with some more exciting stuff! Happy Tangling!

The Five Elementangles of Nature: Wondrous Water

Hi, Everyone!

So, as usual, before I start, I would recommend you to download the image and zoom in to understand what I am exactly talking about.

A bit about Zentangle:

The Zentangle® Method is an easy to learn, fun and relaxing way to create beautiful patterns. It was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. "Zentangle" is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

Here I am again, back with the fourth elementangle of Nature, Wondrous Water! Frankly, I had absolutely no idea as to what I was doing when I started tangling Wondrous Water. I just wanted it to focus on the importance of water in our lives. So I was totally clueless after I completed the focal area of elementangle, the weird red and blue thing to the left. Coming to the topic of that red and blue shape, please do not imagine stuff. Let me clarify. My friends, it is not the alien from Surreal Space (The First Elementangle). Nor is it a mutant which was disfigured by the nuclear radiations of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Attack. It is, in fact, half a heart combined with half a water droplet. (Oh, hey! It’s a mutant heart!) Well, there is a long story behind that mutant heart…. Are you ready to listen to it? Right, so here we go!

Once upon a time, in a long lost land, there lived a kingdom of water nymphs. They were in charge of the world’s oceans and seas and rivers. (Not the lakes or ponds or streams or brooks or creeks or any other landlocked water body because those were in control of their arch enemies, the ground goblins.) The leader of all the nymphs was named Ductora. Ductora was extremely beautiful, ambitious, and determined to pay any sacrifice to protect the oceans, seas and rivers of the world from the land goblins. Once, it happened that the leader of the goblins, Rexanno, got it into his feathery pea sized brain that he wanted to wage war against the nymphs and gain control over the oceans, seas and rivers of the world. He formed powerful alliances and developed nuclear weapons that could cause mass homicide. The nymphs fought with all their might but were defeated. Ductora couldn’t bear the humiliation of defeat and jumped into her beloved ocean. But Rexanno was determined to kill his enemy of years with his own hands. He followed her into the ocean and shot her with a blaster gun loaded with nuclear material. In the process, Ductora perished immediately, but the radioactive material destroyed the marine life and wrecked havoc with the chemical composition of the water. In an attempt to capture the oceans, seas and rivers of the world, Rexanno destroyed all he longed for. Ductora’s followers couldn’t see their friend and leader die such a cruel death and leapt into the ocean after her. Most of them died because of the radiations, but some of them managed to retrieve Ductora’s heart. They discovered that Ductora’s heart had turned to the very heart in the elementangle, the mutant heart. Rexanno finally realized his horrible mistake and grieved over it. But the damage was done. Rexanno decided to end himself and his race by jumping into the very ocean in which his sin had been committed. Mother Nature decided to forgive him and washed away his sins with Her holy water.

The mutant heart signifies how important water is for human survival on the face of this planet. This heart appears to be floating on the waves of water. These waves of water are the same holy waves that washed away Rexanno’s sins.

The background boasts of a ‘portholes on a ship’ pattern that I created myself. WONDROUS WATER has bounteous patterns of bubbles, waves and droplets.

So, that was Wondrous Water, and I hope you liked it! I will soon be back with the fifth, and last elementangle, and till then, Happy Tangling!

The Five Elementangles of Nature: Fabulous Fire

Hi Everyone!

So, as usual, before I start, I would recommend you to download the image and zoom in to understand what I am exactly talking about.

A bit about Zentangle:

The Zentangle® Method is an easy to learn, fun and relaxing way to create beautiful patterns. It was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. "Zentangle" is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

Here I am, back with my third and most striking elementangle, FABULOUS FIRE! This elementangle is like an attention grabber, the bright orange and striking black combine to create a work of art that demands undivided attention to understand and appreciate.

FABULOUS FIRE!

When I hear the word fire, I think of some matter that overpowers even the best, consuming as greedily as a ravenous caveman who has not seen food since ages and lapping up everything in its way. To me, fire signifies destructive strength and unmeasurable energy. Therefore, to project this awesomeness with enough justice, it made sense to feature an actual fire. The fire had to revel in its grandiose like a majestic king flaunting his new luxurious 24 carats uncut diamond ring. It had to be the very definition of resplendence. This fire is burning away to glory at the bottom of the artwork, done alternatively with orange and black. The sharp and bold tangles define this glorious fire on paper.

The top has three words that define FABULOUS FIRE: Heat, Light and Fire. I have shown them going up in smoke, the very smoke of my awesome fire. There are varied explanations of this, the best one being that words simply cannot describe the bravura of fire.

I wanted this to be the grandest, boldest and the most baronial of all my elementangles,  considering the fact that the magnificence of fire is simply too great.

So, that was my FABULOUS FIRE and I hope you liked it! Coming up is my next elementangle, WONDROUS WATER, and till then, Happy Tangling!

The Five Elementangles of Nature: Alluring Air

Hi, Everyone!

As usual, before I start, I would recommend you to download the image and zoom in to understand what I am exactly talking about.

A bit about Zentangle:

The Zentangle® Method is an easy to learn, fun and relaxing way to create beautiful patterns. It was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. "Zentangle" is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

I am back with the second elementangle of nature, ALLURING AIR! It is the simplest of all the elementangles, and so complex at the same time. ALLURING AIR signifies freedom and beauty in simplicity.

ALLURING AIR

The first thing that comes to my mind when the word “AIR” is mentioned is FREE. ALLURING AIR is simple and free-flowing. Twirls and curls and whirls and swirls and all the other urls and irls adorn the upper-left corner. Simplicity oozes out of the black and white segments, as the only ornaments for that portion of the elementangle are the occasional navy blue stripes.

Another thing that I am reminded of when I hear someone speak about air is that AIR IS A MIXTURE OF GASES (thanks to all my science teachers that I have ever had in my life, this statement is hammered in my head) and so, to the right, there are little clouds filled with the gases that are commonly found in the air. My Zentangles are very much related to my daily life, and because I still go to school, I have exams, and exams mean studying, and surprisingly (not) I was studying for my science exam just before getting bored and shutting the book and deciding that science isn’t really for me and sitting down with my beloved pens and tangling my emotions out! While tangling, I suddenly cogitated about air pollution. You see, thousands of advertisements sensitising the viewers about the dangers of air pollution suddenly flooding the television screens leads to some consequence. That is the reason, the harmful, poisonous gases that supposedly have the potential to choke a fully grown adult human being to death (at least according to one of the advertisements) is highlighted, in bold, screaming out, ”Do not pollute my air, selfish vehicle drivers!”

The other day, I was reading an article about the Vimana Parva, an ancient flying chariot with wheels in the Mahabharata. I was quite intrigued by this ancient aviation technological wonder and desperately wanted to include that in my artwork. Sensing that my emotions for science and my perception on the simplicity of air had taken over my desire to tangle the Vimana Parva, I found really little space to make this awesome chariot, and I ended up drawing only the wheels, and that too in a small narrow strip of paper right at the bottom!

Well readers, thats quite it for now, as I still need to go give my science exam! I will soon be back with my new elementangle and a whole lot of new stories! Happy Tangling!