Dajo

Thank you all my backers for pitching in your support so soon,we're 3 % funded at Kickstarter !

I'm super excited to let you know that we just got a confirmation from a master shadow artist, Radha Kumud Sharma (fondly called Dajo by people who know him), belonging to Bolpur near Vishwabharati Santiniketan, West Bengal. Priyanka Chhabra,one of the core members of our film collective had shot a documentary with him awhile ago,and his story is humbling.

So,Dajo says he'd love to be a part of our explorations through the region.:):) And if all goes well with the funding, we'll have some super magic coming your way as soon as we get started on our recce!

Dajo, has been touring for the last 40 years through Jammu and Kashmir across Himachal to Gujarat by foot, in India teaching science and narrating stories to the school students in villages and towns across the country. He uses the play of light and his finger movements to create different animals, birds and human beings.
 
In basic science, he covers subjects such as Geography, Biology, Chemistry; some favorite topics being the solar and lunar eclipse and cell division in plants and animal. And the kids love him :)
Have a look ...

Jaya, you will absolutely love his narrative on the 'Life of Buddha', shadow art with hand cut stencils, waiting for him to come into town so we can start working with him :)

Posted via email from Milann's posterous

Hello world :):)

Come,come be part of the idea.
I pitched it to these guys at Kickstarter.com in the US and they loved it.
Tag.

Project Edza for Ladakh

just taking you along my visual journey...
digging for the common thread..this will be a series..

I'm writing, and it feels like I'm onto nitro mode already :):)
thank you everybody who's jumped onto the same ship with me,it's only going to happen if these energies are fused.
looking out for more people in the water who'd like to jump on
feel free to share a thread you pick.

Below,The Namgyal Tsemo Gompa above the town of Leh, Ladakh.

Below, a lama puts on a mask before performing at the
Hemis Festival at Hemis Monastery, also called the 'Roof of the world'.


Below,A cow grazes along the shore at Pangong Lake,near Spangmik,
Ladakh.

Posted via email from Milann's posterous

immersion in Ladakh soon :):)

  
Download now or listen on posterous

02 Nomads Of The Tibetian High Plateau.mp3 (8561 KB)

Posted via email from Milann's posterous

how to stitch a boat

in Kerala..

sometimes your mother's point-and-shoot can make you miss the view finder.

any.all.a.

:):)

Posted via email from Milann's posterous

LADAKH

We're going to Ladakh. :)
Preparations are underway..

Here's what a bunch of us animators, sculptors, textile designers, analysts and film makers plan to do about exploring Ladakh, a part of the Tibetan plateau at the northern tip of India, 3500 metres above sea level. We're talking about a place opened to the general public by the Indian Govt only as recently as 1974,and since then has been documented only by explorers as an object of fascination,an ancient future. In the process the Ladakhi people have started making strong efforts to save their craft,save their tradition from ideas of modernization, save it from well, matchbox living spaces.

So we're going in with an animator who's worked on the content and art direction of Virgin Comics dealing with Indian mythology to come in and interact with the thangka artists of Ladakh, to explore with them and understand where they come from.You can see some of his work here: Abhishek.
.
.

We're going in with a textile designer to figure the original methods adopted by the Ladakhi people in weaving,and the unique design methods of this culture which was on one of the oldest trade routes connecting Central Asia to China centuries ago.
.
We're also going to try and capture the completely oral narrative forms and music in Ladakh with a group of film makers and a sound engineer.
And we're going in with analysts to study the sustainable means the Ladakhi people adopt to survive in such climes considering their only natural source of water is glacial meltings!
More on this one in a bit!
People who've been reading this blog,might remember me talking about this part of our country earlier. Well we're going there now :)
If you're interested on staying posted on this project mail me or leave a thought in the comment box.we need all the support we can get!!!

Today I got a brown paper package tied up with string.
I must be in the only profession where one can still get these regularly:):):)
I think packages from the Indian Postal Service are the most brilliant ever,and the postmen working inside those beaten buildings are the most genuinely good tempered people.They work in a maze of shelves and cupboards surrounded by indigo blue Indian Post bags in the midst of wooden furniture so weathered,the edges were shining..sigh..
..I met a bunch of 5 really old men there,who fussed around my package and asked for all forms of identity proofs before they let me even see anything. I completely enjoyed the bullying,it sounded like my grandfather cribbing about how irresponsible everyone was getting about their belongings(I was 6 days late in collecting the pack),only there were five grandpas here.After fifteen minutes of talking,a cool drink in hand, I was given the package without any legitimate address proof whatsoever, chatting with one of them about how names of people in the south of India work..my name is milann tress john,my brother is jitin abraham john,my father is john abraham,yes he was in the Army,yes ..in the Para regiment,no I've never jumped from a plane..
.
.
which DHL employee would you like to have a conversation like that with ,huh?:)