Culture

[caption id=“attachment_173” align=“aligncenter” width=“584” caption="- Friends the Mitra"][/caption] The picture “Friends the Mitra” caught my attention at an Art Exhibition that I attended two weeks ago. I love the picture and also the name because my youngest brother’s name is Mitra. The artist is Shital Christy whose country of origin is India. I asked to take this photo and for an explanation of the reason for the name. She said that when the idea for the painting came to her, she was thinking of friends and their life-long bonding. The village ladies are fetching water from the well but they share their thoughts, problems, happiness, and their daily routines with each other as they fetch water. This daily routine creates a bond between them. She also told me that the name Mitra in Sanskrit means “friend.” ...

[caption id=“attachment_158” align=“alignleft” width=“300” caption="- Tea and China"][/caption] Legend has it that I was a great tea drinker since I was a little girl. An older cousin told me that my grandfather had a little cup and saucer for me and whenever I went to visit, he would make tea for me. To this day, I love tea. My friends recently came back from China after a visit to show off their new Canadian born baby to parents and grandparents. I received a call on Tuesday asking if they could drop by as they brought something from China for me. In this pretty gift bag was a beautiful red and gold container with tea. They told me that this was one of the finest teas and it was a red variety. ...

[caption id=“attachment_96” align=“aligncenter” width=“584”] Everyone irregardless of age loves surprises. Last Sunday night I received the most wonderful surprise - a carved watermelon. This lovely lady had done some beautiful fruit carvings for my 60th Birthday. She acquired this special skill in Thailand where she attended a month-long course.[/caption] We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~Thornton Wilder ...

[caption id=“attachment_65” align=“alignleft” width=“300”] Nirvana[/caption] This collage is called Nirvana because if you look carefully, you can see a little Buddha head there. After a visit to Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Thailand three years ago, my interest in Buddhism was peaked. Although I had visited Hong Kong and Thailand before, I hadn’t witnessed so many images and statues of the Buddha, as on this visit. In these cultures, there are many followers of Buddha. In addition, Buddhism is very popular now in all parts of the world. ...

I took the photos for this collage in Little India, Toronto. My friend and I go there to have a thali and to look around from time to time. There are fascinating finds in the stores there. One of my favorite stores is the one with a variety of artifacts and pictures. I liked this picture and didn’t know who the two lovely people were. I mentioned to my friend what a lovely picture this was and she said: “Krishna and Radha.” I decided to find out more about this couple and discovered that this is one of the epic stories within the Indian culture. I made each photo look different and the effects are pleasing to me. Enjoy! The great exponent of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna is one of the most powerful incarnations of Vishnu, the Godhead of the Hindu Trinity of deities. Of all the Vishnu avataras he is the most popular, and perhaps of all Hindu gods the one closest to the heart of the masses. Krishna was dark and extremely handsome. The word Krishna literally means ‘black’, and black also connotes mysteriousness. Although I haven’t read the Bhagavad Gita, this reference to the Hindu Trinity brought to mind the Holy Trinity in Christianity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It makes me think that all wisdom traditions have similar stories and we can learn from each other. ...