". and man still must overcome all the interdictions wedged in the recesses of his fervor and no race has a monopoly on beauty, on intelligence, on strength and there is room for everyone at the convocation of conquest" --Césaire

"The research project will be to study and record the decorations, costumes, objects and the carvings and construction of the chariots, called rathas or ter, used in religious festivals, as well as the sculptures of the gods and the goddesses and their vehicles called vahanas." --from my Fulbright Research Grant application

The research consisted of spending time at various temples, specifically in Chidambaram, Kanchipuram and Mylapore, all in Tamil Nadu, and observing the preparation of the chariots, the construction of palanquins and vahanas, the actual processions and the events that existed on the periphery of the festivals, along with the accompanying "props" and the rice and colored drawings (kolams) on the streets. These observations took the form of video documentation, photographs, drawings and notes. My background is in architecture, sculpture, and theatre and performance design, and my approach to the research was from this perspective, with no illusions on fully comprehending the complex nature of the societal and religious structures surrounding the festivals. I also expanded my research to include theatrical performances such as puppet performances, traditional theatre productions and contemporary dramas. I also went to other sites including Mamallapuram, various museums and urban sites.

The first festival I visited was at Chidambaram. The evening that I arrived, I walked over to the Sabhanayaka Nataraja temple where I saw five chariots waiting to be decorated for their time in action. I remember thinking, "Oh good, they are absolutely astonishing and impressive in scale and in a way beautifully absurd due to the proportion of the structure in relationship to the base." It was proof that architectural drawings and photographs can never properly portray scale of architectural and sculptural forms as their essence is about their relationship and interaction with humans.

Chidambaram. top of chariot - cloth and kumbha.

Chidambaram proved to be an extremely rewarding and interesting time: a mixture of videoing and photographing the construction of the decorations for the chariots and videoing five palanquins from inception to completion for the last day of the festival. This was due to the nature of the festival in that the chariot procession was the highlight on the ninth day along with the final day, the 11th, when the palanquins were in action. The five chariots were located for preparation on East Car Street adjoining the ratha mandapas and the chariot deck. I recorded the process of erecting the top stories made of vertical poles with interlocking crossbeams, the adding of the cloth coverings and the kumbha (top piece), and adding the cylindrical hangings.

As these actions were carried out, the lower story of the main chariot, consisting of elaborately carved panels, was being prepared by wire-brushing the surfaces and spray painting the surface with a lacquer. The axle of the huge wooden wheels were greased and the "hubs" replaced, the lower panels and wheels were painted afresh, and, closer to the actual festival, banana stalks were added and the swing on which the deity was placed was tied.

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i. Painting rings ii. Coffee iii. Planks from the ratha mandapas to the chariot iv. Top structure
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The last preparation consisted of adding the 12-inch diameter pulling rope that was strung through rings and placed around the chariot. During the circumambulatory journey of the chariots around the temple, I was fascinated by the process of maneuvering the vast fixed-wheel structure around four 90-degree turns and the choreography involved in this feat between the pullers, brakers, wedge controllers, and the general crowd.

The five palanquins were constructed from parts that had been in storage. The process started by tying together bamboo frames to form three-dimensional skeletal structures, which were then covered with paper maché with repeating three-dimensional images added on top of the skinned structure along with rectangular and square mirrored forms. Once these had been added, strings of colored lights and sculptures were added on the front planes. The whole process took approximately 26 hours, including the ironing out of various wiring problems once the generators had appeared to power the lights.

This procession occurred on the last day of the festival, which happened to land on the night of the 31st of January, so it was a strange mixture of New Year's Eve festivities, which were quite muted, and the procession, which was not. The actual deities were illuminated by fluorescent lights and powered by three belching generators, creating dense black smoke and an incredible din. I also attended the holy ablution, or Abhishekam, from 2:00a.m. to daybreak on the night of the ninth day. It was a very beautiful performance, and for me quite astounding due to the rapt attention of the devotees and the amount of substances, milk, flowers, sandalwood paste, honey and so forth given to the gods.

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v. Fixing skeletal structure of palanquins vi. Adding paper maché vii. Adding figures viii. Adding lights
For more photos please check out www.suerees.org

The observations and footage in Kanchipuram at the Kamakshi Amman temple were more concerned with the vahanas and their journey around the temple along with the accompanying elements: two bands, two to four elephants, parasol and banner carriers, firework controllers and a couple of drummers and policemen. The vahanas were elaborate and beautifully decorated, the highlight being the parrot dance in which the massive structure and five or so priests were carried on the shoulders of about forty bearers and jogged up and down, accompanied by rather swing-like music. The other vahanas were a cobra, elephant, swan, and two forms of canopies.

The decorations for the vahanas included umbrellas with decorative tassels, flower garlands and silk cloth. The accompanying "players" were an integral part of the journey with the elephants leading the procession, followed by banners, a brass band and a band of musicians playing the thavil (percussion instrument) and the nadaswaram (wind instrument). Additionally, I recorded the preparation of the flower garlands, the pooja koodai, band preparations, the umbrellas (royal emblem of the lord of the temple), preparations of the vahanas and elephants having their breakfast.

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ix. Back of canopy and deity x. Snake vahana xi. Parrot vahana xii. Parrot dance
For more photos please check out www.suerees.org

In Mylapore, at the Bramotsava Festival at the Kapalishvara Temple, the setting was more urban and included a number of great "props," including six flaming donut-shaped torches and wonderful flying angels who spewed flowers on to the gods by means of pulleys and a spring-loaded projecting device. Both cases were closely related to my own work and were among the highlights at that festival. Again, flashing lights powered by generators came into play in the Arubathu Moova festival of 63 Saiva saint idols being carried and pulled around the temple. The main chariot in Mylapore for the Panguni festival was less impressive in scale than that of Chidambaram, but what it lacked in stature and scale it made up with the tied-on paper maché and wood sculptures of various mythical beasts and white stallions. Again, I recorded the preparation of the chariot, the adding of the sculptures and the various processions over the festival. Mylapore's festival included both chariots and vahanas and was a good compliment to my research.

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xiii. Arch with face of the gana xiv. Silver umbrella xv. Bull vahana xvi. Petal decoration and kolams
For more photos please check out www.suerees.org

In every festival I was fascinated by the concerted effort to prepare each element, the choreography and direction of the actual procession and the "strike." Also, I noticed that the chariots in Chidambaram were pulled by men and women, while in Mylapore it was men for Shiva, women for Parvati and boys for Ganesh. With the wheeled vahanas there seemed to be mainly men, boys and the occasional policeman to give a helping hand to the children. In Kanchipuram, men were the bearers of the vahanas with women carrying the stands. I was also fascinated with the props: the umbrellas (both cloth and silver), the fly whisks, the garlands, the arches with faces of the gana Kirtimukha, plates for camphor ash and sandal paste or red oxide, the various forms of kolams from simple to multicoloured and the flower decorations on the street. Each festival had its own tenure and tempo, and it was interesting to see three festivals that were quite different: Chidambaram was more earnest; Kanchipuram was very festive and gentle in atmosphere; Mylapore had the intensity of an urban situation-more effects and endless vendors.

"Where the world is not broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls. Let us be a little humble; let us think that the truth may not be entirely with us; let us cooperate with others; let us, even when we do not appreciate what others say, respect their views and ways of life." -- Tagore

"…. that locates the temple at the intersection of the sacred and the secular realms of experience - not only as a site associated with worship but also as a crucial node in the social, economic and political transactions of traditional India…" --Ranjit Hoskote commenting upon The Hindu Temple by R. Champakalakshmi

With regard to related research I visited Mamallpuram where I found the Pancha Pandava Rathas, Shore Temple and the bas relief of Arjuna's Penance absolutely beautiful in their grandeur and subtlety. I loved the scale of the forms, the vistas through niches and created by columns, and the gesture and movement of the figures forming the reliefs. Observing the temples at Mamallapruam was a good compliment to the festivals.

By chance I caught a performance of the Tamil Nadu Kattaikkuttu Kalai Valarchi Munnetra Sangam when I was first in Kanchipuram and then went back for four performances, which started at 9:30 p.m. and ran to 6:00 a.m. The four performances were of companies who use the Kattaikkuttu style from Tiruppattur, Timojippalli, Siruvanchippattu and Kanchipuram and were performing various parts of Krishna's life: The Birth of Krishna, The Royal Sacrifice, Dice and Disrobing, Kuravanch.

Kattaikkuttu is a combination of song, music, dance and improvisational drama. The actors wore elaborate make-up and costumes similar in style among companies but markedly different in choice of color combinations, patterns and materials. The orchestra consisted of two drums, a harmonium, and a mukavinai (a small oboe). The audiences in the overnight performances were physically and mentally present through the night, with only a few kids going to sleep on the ground towards the end. There were a good 400 people sitting on the ground on three sides of the stage and joining in at various parts, as they seemed to know the stories as well as the various political digs. It was quite a special event. Within the traditional repertoire, I also saw Karlman Natakam by Chavittunatakam (Parankikalute natakam drama of the Portuguese) from Kerala, which had great fight scenes with interesting choreography and a lot of action. Chandaini (Regional Epic) by Chandaini from Chhattisgarh with very good music and movement by the actors, and Keechakavatham by Chindu Yakshagana from Andhra Pradesh story from the Mahabharatha concerning the Pandavas.

I saw three contemporary dramas directed by women under the title Voicing Silence Kulavai 2002 including Medea by theatrebabel, directed by Graham McLaren, adapted by Liz Lochhead after Euripides, and Dance Like a Man by Mahesh Dattani, directed by Lillete Dubey. In the Voicing Silence Festival, I enjoyed best Kitchen Katha directed by Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry, which was performed in Punjabi. The sound effects came from jilebis sizzling in hot oil, spices being pounded and vegetables being chopped; smells and aromas drifted over the audience and the set included all the ingredients for cooking: strings of chilies, piles of vegetables, stoves, water carriers, and so forth. The performance related to my time sitting around on the streets when videoing or observing.

Another piece was Ganapati, directed by Veenapani Chawla from Adishakti, with four performers on a range of percussion instruments, the most predominate being the mizhavu, telling the legends of Ganesha and Marthanda. It used minimum language, telling stories through sounds and gestures. The only absolutely incomprehensible element was the introduction of a French saxophonist playing lead, accompanied by the percussionists.

Finally, there was Manimekalai, by Mangai in Tamil, telling the story of Manimekalai turning her back on material wealth, tradition and societal approval to find her freedom in the precepts of Buddhism and service to humanity. This play used actresses from the isai natakam tradition. I got in contact with Mangai and had a very nice meeting with her, and we discovered that the theatre people she knew and worked with in New York City when there on a Fulbright are people I have worked with and know.

The possibility of working or collaborating with Indian artists on a project was impossible given the time scale. I feel that I scraped the surface a little and have good contacts and information for further study and work and that a number of questions were raised, unanswered still. I feel that it is the start of a longer adventure and relationship with both the temple festivals, theatre directors and artists.

I am in the process of working on a project to include a workshop and exhibition with Mr. Ghosh of the Lalit Kala Akademi in Chennai and in Kolkata with theatre director Vinay Sharma, as well as beginning a dialogue with Sujatha Goel of Brahadwa dance/theatre group in Chennai. I made contacts for future work at a number of places in M.S. University, Baroda, Kolkata, and in Chidambaram, Kanchipuram, and Mylapore, and am trying to initiate an exchange program with M.S. University in Baroda. However, given the present situation, I am not sure how feasible this will be in the foreseeable future.

Some of these contacts arose out of giving a talks, presentations and occasional critiques at the Government College of Art and Design, the Padatik Dance Centre, the Rabinda Bharati University, Mrs. Khaitan all in Kolkata, M.S. University in Baroda, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath in Bangalore, Loyolla College and Lalit Kala Akademi in Chennai.

I also attended a very interesting symposium on Indian miniature paintings, "Ways of Seeing," presented by Professor B.N. Goswamy that looked at Indian painting and miniatures from the point of view of the painter. His view on time and space and means to tell a narrative helped my research in regards to my way of looking at the festivals.

"One, that our approach to painting is often indolent, inadequate: we take too little from works of art, not brining enough energy, utsaha in the classical Indian tradition, to the act of viewing." -- Professor Goswamy

Another high point was meeting dancer and choreographer Chandralekha:

" The story of the body can be understood by taking a closer look at the origins and sources of our classical dance forms which have been nourished and nurtured over two millennia. The tradition of physical expression in India is long and unbroken and even a cursory look reveals the integral relationship between principals of work, ritual, performing, eating, and healing practices. Placed side by side, they reveal the tight unity of their dynamic structures and common origins - evident, for example, in the concept of mandala, the common principle of squaring or circularizing the body to 'hold' the earth, in all our physical disciplines."
--Chandralekha

On a more personal level, being in India for four months and getting to know, albeit superficially, the coffee shop workers, the printers for the booklet and transparencies, the newspaper guy, the waiter at restaurant, etc., was wonderful, along with the USEFI and US Consulate staff. I got roped into opening Mrs. Krishnamurty's exhibition (my land lady): ribbon cutting and lighting the lamp although I fluffed this aspect slightly. It was a slightly surreal experience for me and at the same time, I felt quite honored to have been asked.

Another personal highlight was going to Eden Gardens in Kolkata and the MAC Stadium in Chennai to see the one-day international cricket matches between India and England. At Eden Gardens I was with 110,000 fanatical and knowledgeable cricket fans and I will not forget the experience. I also enjoyed checking cricket scores with people on the streets and coffee shops.

By the end of my time in India I had taken about 32 hours of video footage, 25 rolls of film and 10 8mm films, with, on average, about 8 hours of footage at each of the festival sites. I edited the footage down to about 30 minutes from each place and sent copies to my various contacts and people I met at the three temple sites and elsewhere.

Please contact us if you would like to submit your own story and/or photographs.

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