Divine Dissatisfaction

Martha Graham was an American dancer. It is opined that she is to modern dance as Pablo Picasso is to modern painting. However, I know Martha Graham by a quote, which has touched my heart deeply. Here it is:

Agnes de Mille, a close associate and friend of Martha once confesses to her:

"I was bewildered and worried that my entire scale of values was untrustworthy. ... I confessed that I had a burning desire to be excellent, but no faith that I could be."

In reply to that Martha says,

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. ... No artist is pleased. [There is] no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others."

- Martha: The life and works of Martha Graham,  by Agnes de Mille (1992) 

Gundappa Uvaacha

A post after a really long time!
Continuing from where I left in the first post long back, I have started reading Mankutimmana Kagga.

I just could not resist from sharing a beautiful stanza.

ಪುಸ್ತಕದಿ ದೊರೆತರಿವು ಮಸ್ತಕದಿ ತಳೆದ ಮಣಿ |
ಚಿತ್ತದೊಳು ಬೆಳೆದರಿವು ತರು ತಳೆದ ಪುಷ್ಪ ||
ವಸ್ತು ಸಾಕ್ಷಾತ್ಕಾರ-ಅಂತರೀಕ್ಷಣೆಯಿಂದ |
ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಿತನದಿಂದಲ್ಲ - ಮಂಕುತಿಮ್ಮ || ೬೫

The above stanza not only has its own inexplicable beauty embedded in its meter but carries a profound meaning. A somewhat crude translation would be as follows:

The knowledge that is obtained from books is like a jewel adorning the head.
The knowledge that grows out of our experience is like a flower that blooms in the shrub.
The truth about any entity is revealed through deep introspection
Not by mere pedantic scholarship

Mankutimmana modala nuDi

After much trepidation, I have finally decided to start a "web log" of my own. Here is my first babble.

Of late, I have been listening to a lot of kannada music .When you are away from home you tend to develop a liking to anything native :) given the fact that it is rare in the 'alien' land. It always starts with your stomach cravings. Gone are the masala dosas, roTTi-chuTney, iDli-sambhar et al. Some of dishes which would be considered commonplace would henceforth become a rarity.

Well, in the same vein, I have rekindled my interest in kannada music and literature. Any kannadiga worth his salt, definitely would have heard of Mankutimma, the "quintessential common man". He is the sum of all traits found in all humans irrespective of region,nationality,race. He is the protagonist in the poem collection Mankutimmana Kagga (songs of Mankutimma) written by the legendary kannada poet Dr.D.V.Gundappa (DVG as he is fondly remembered). Mankutimmana Kagga is the geetha, the upanishads and the brahmasutras in a nutshell presented in an easy to remember verse form. Such is the beauty of the kagga that it is considered by many as nobel prize winning material had it been written in English. (Though I have heard some of the popular verses here and there , I regret that I have not read this work completely and I hope to do read it in the near future) .

If you are wondering as to what the subject line means , it is "first words of Mankutimma" in kannada.

So long ..

PS: For those of you who are interested in listening to the poem and its explanation in kannada, here is the link.