Recently I flew from Mumbai to Madurai on Kingfisher airlines. It is a relatively new company on the international market, but for sure it got my thumbs up. My flight from Mumbai to my connection in Bangalore was delayed due to some heavy rains that Mumbai has been having, and it so happened that my flight to Madurai was bumped up the day before, so when I landed I had fifteen minutes to exit my plane, go back through security, only to find the gate closed. But, the incredibly helpful and friendly Kingfisher staff got me on a staff vehicle and drove me out to the plane on the tarmac (it was a prop plane, so had to be boarded by stairs) and got me on in time. Moreover, when I got to Madurai, my baggage was there. I was pretty impressed.
But, what I really got from this trip was more exposure to Indian music on the in-flight entertainment. After watching Family Guy, which I was very surprised was part of the programming, Coke Studio came on with several clips featuring the Wadali brothers and various guest artists.
Walking through the darkened back streets of Madurai to get to the Internet Cafe as it gets dark around 6 pm here and sun rises at 6 am as we are nearly at the Equator and many streets don't have lights, I was "accosted" by a group of young children who live on the street I am staying at. There were probably all between ages of 7 and 10 or so, playing barefoot in the trash-littered streets with no abandon.
First one of them came up, then within minutes, I was surrounded by little dark faces with smiling eyes, asking me "where from?" "Countries?" "What occupation?" and whether I was going to the Gandhi museum in Madurai and numerous other things, all at once. Luckily I have taught Italians in Italy who also all talk at once, so I was semi-prepared for the onslaught of questions. They kept this up for ten minutes or so, but I assured them that I would be here for a while, so they left me to go back to their playing, laughing and speaking again in Tamil with each other, surely about the strange, white guy walking in the dark.
It reminded me of this scene from Bernardo Bertolucci's Little Buddha in which the young American boy, Jessie, has just arrived in Katmandu and has an unexpected "tour" of its backstreets, similar to my trip to the slums of Mumbai (though watching this again, the slums were much, much, poorer than this). Later, he and his dad try to phone home, with limited success as has been my experience so far with coodinating emails. However, I was speaking with Pradeep, my host, about how strange all of this world traveling must have been when you could only send letters that would take weeks or months to receive, and you would never know if they actually had been received. One of the modern conveniences of the Internet and mobile phones (which I have yet to get, much to the chagrin of a few people, but I will!) that we so readily take for granted.
Like Jessie, and Dorothy, I know that I am not in Kansas any more, however, and will make do with what I can in the meantime. As well as serve for the evening entertainment of my new, curious little friends.
Yesterday I was reminded of an extraordinary memory that I have from my time here living in Antwerp, Belgium.
Last year on this weekend, there was a weekend-long street theater performance by the Nantes-based French company Royal De Luxe, whose specialty is enormous marionettes, most notably The Sultan's Elephant, The Little Giant, and the Diver. These three characters have been used in a couple of RdL's performances, and last summer, as part of Antwerp's city summer programming, RdL put together "De Duiker, Zijn Hand en de Kleine Reuzin" (The Diver, His Hand and the Little Giant(ess). The story was a nod to the legend of Brabo and Antigoon, a type of David and Goliath feel-good story and the folk etymological origin of Antwerpen's name.
The basic premise was that the Little Giant is shipwrecked in Antwerp and she is in search of her uncle, The Diver, who has been raised out of Antwerp Harbor and is likewise searching the city for his lost niece. The city took an incredibly proactive stance on this performance in collaboration with the newspapers and city branding program, making it a true "Antwerp" event. It is reported that nearly a million people took part in the various acts throughout the weekend, the largest street performance ever.
We followed the Little Giant and the Diver for the entire weekend, seeing them in various venues ranging from the St. Jansplein, the Quays, the newly-created green space of Park Spoor Nord, (where there was a huge citywide picnic while the giants "rested" in the Park), and finally when they departed in the Little Giant's boat from London Bridge at the base of Antwerp's dominating harbor leading out to the Scheldt and to the North Sea.
What struck me the most was how incredibly attached to these characters I became in a matter of hours. By the second day I was really torn up inside that they had not found each other and felt bad that they were wandering around the city in vain. Now, that is serious performance! To make the audience care about puppets the size of four-story townhouse and weighing several tons of wood, steel, and cables and to actually become emotional about them. There was nary a dry eye when the two actually did meet in the St. Jansplein at twilight and gave each other a hug.
In the video below, you can see that meeting, but realize that there was months of build-up before this and then a day and a half of teasers of them meeting. But, when it actually happened, well, I just got goosebumps writing this, it was magical. Then, as you see, the Little Giant was so happy to find her uncle that she does an amazing little jig. So amazing that you nearly forget that there are over a dozen Lilliputian workers helping her to do this! The supporting cast was huge, but it was truly stunning how easy it was to become completely absorbed by the Diver and the Little Giant and actually believe that these helpers were really helping living creatures.
If you ever get a chance to see one of Royal De Luxe's street performances, do it. Don't even hesitate. But, they only choose about seven cities around the world, and apparently Antwerp is one of their favorites because of the enormous support that they get from the people who live here. I know that I will make sure that I have absolutely nothing planned the next time the Giants come to town.
Here they are at the citywide picnic at Park Spoor Noord and then leaving from London Bridge out to the Scheldt.
These videos appeared on TV during my childhood as mini infomercials, and I can honestly say that this was one of the fondest memories I have with regards to my informal education. Catchy tunes, spiffy graphics, politically conscious and culturally aware (for the most part, at least), these three-minute clips literally changed my life.
I re-discovered the availability of SHR when I had a child of my own and I searched via Youtube to find them on-line. For the most part, you can find all of them. However, when I broke down to get an iPad (not just so that my daughter and I can play Angry Birds, well, sort of), I downloaded the thirty-volume set for my daughter and she now knows most of them by heart as well.
I seem to have an aphasia of sorts when it comes to remembering song lyrics, ask anyone who knows me well, I can tell you the name of the artist, record company, album, what the album (yes, I still harken back to the Dark Ages of vinyl in my speech) cover looked like, the band's history, the band's dog's name, their first cousin's name, the dog's first cousin's name, and so on, but I can't usually re-produce lyrics to save my life. I can name that tune in 2 notes, but asked to finish the lyric, I draw a blank. Don't know why, but it is cross that I have to bear because I love music.
HOWEVER, I can remember most of SHR lyrics after 30 years!! Go Figure. They are genius, writ large.
I used SHR when I was teaching adults ESL in Antwerp last year, and I cannot begin to explain the mirth I felt when I came in and heard a Colombian, South Korean, and Maldavian humming "Unpack Your Adjectives." If that doesn't make a teacher smile, I don't know what will.
Well, thinking about my upcoming journey to India, and as a nod to Indian mathematicians who brought us our numbering system and integrated (yes, pun very much intended) the zero into our consciousness, here is one of my favorites on the importance of being no-thing:
Sitting in the coffee shop this morning, again...I heard a re-make of the classic A-ha song, "Take on Me," and of course anyone my age will immediately think of the unforgettable video for that song. It was a true harbinger of the future of MTV, at least for the better part of the 1980's. Being back in Amarillo it is not uncommon to hear references to the likes of Rick Springfield or the Human League on a regular basis. So, hearing this cover (a very bad one) this morning made me smile.
However, this adaptation of the original Alice in Wonderland-esque through the storyboard version will make you laugh out loud...(ie, before LOL). I am glad that I had just gone to the bathroom or I might have PIMP'ed (figure it out).
Speaking with a good friend last evening, the topic of John Denver came up, an oft-maligned figure, quirky at best, but also a deeply troubled soul.
I love John Denver.
There it is, out to the cosmos.
I have my dad's old records in my apartment back in Antwerp, and a couple of years ago, for a gift, I received a turntable that can play LP's through the computer.
First thing I played was ol' JD. I have about a dozen of his old records, and it was amazing to hear his voice again on the cracklin' bacon sound of an LP.
I have a feeling that something akin to his own song, "Looking for Space" was going through his mind in the last moments that he lived on this Earth. Deeply melancholic at times and brilliantly playful with his Muppet appearances, and one of my favorite usages of song on a TV show, on Magnum P.I., John Denver was a bit of a "Twinkie" as my dad would say, but he was also a visionary.
"Poems, Prayers and Promises," a song that true lovers of Mr. Deutschendorf would agree, sums up the man and his music.
However, for now, Looking for Space, serves that purpose quite well for me.
I remember hearing this Linkin Park song last time I was in Santa Fe. I had just left a lecture at St. John's College on Leibniz's concept of the "best of all possible worlds" and had many thoughts going through my head.
I was in a major transition point in my life for a variety of factors and thoughts and I was fully realizing that many things were in motion in my life that I wasn't even aware of, but that were shaping my future.
Sitting under the incredible Santa Fe sky that evening, the thought of the "best of all possible worlds" truly began to make sense in life.
