Devdasis-God's maid servants- शिवनिर्माल्य- Vestal Virgins

A friend sent me a link to Guardian article on Devdasi of Southern India. The young girls and women are sold or given away to please men sexually, under the guise of religiosity. These women's fate is permanently sealed with either ostracism, mutilation, diseases, begging or all. When one gives them a lofty name of Devdasis (Gods' maid-servants), one need suffer no guilt.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jan/21/devadasi-india-sex-work-religion?intcmp=239

This reminds me of the similar custom of olden Gujarat province in India. During the reigns of Bhimdev I and Siddhraj Solanki, the beautiful young virgins, who were trained dancers, were donated by the parents to Shiva temples to dance exclusively for lord Shiva. They were called "Shivnirmalya" शिवनिर्माल्य. No mortal man including kings could touch or marry her. However, one such girl Chauladevi, historically, did marry king Bhimdev I. Perhaps, an act of defiance and perhaps, a life riddled with guilt.

One need not wonder why lord Shiva if one knew the idolic representation of this god.

This tradition was not very different from the system of Vestal virgins of ancient Rome.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestal_virgins


Depiction of Vestal Virgin

I wonder how strict was the adherance in either system.

Black Swan

We saw Black Swan last night. Natalie Portman clinched the well deserved Golden Globe award, again last night.

It is a movie that lets you in the dark recesses of the obssessed, possesed mind of a Ballet artist; obsessed to achieve perfection and possessed by paranoia which ultimately becomes ballerina's  undoing.

Natalie's performance as a good, sensitive unworldly ballerina is beyond reproach. She projected fear, anger, pain, care and resolve as and when appropriate. Barbara Hershey as a mother who lives through the daughter's dream has acted well. Mila Kunis as a faux rival and Vincente Cassel as the choreogrpher are less convincing; perhaps because they were parts of heroine's  "paranoia". 

First half hour and some intermittant footages seem to have been shot by hand-held cameras which made you almost dizzy. Shooting with hand-held camera, I have found to be common in many movies of last few years; it was blatant in Constant Gardner.

The costume for the Black Swan was beautiful as well as realistic; make-up of Portman throughout the movie supported the mood of the scene.

Movie is worth watching once.

Welcome-तशरीफ़ लाइए



Welcome-तशरीफ़ लाइए



Shadows- साया

Shadows  -  साया

बूज गए दिल-ओ-दरके चिराग

घबराके थाम लेते सायोंका दामन

रोशनिका  होता कहीं

जो नाम-ओ-निशान

                        

Heart and hearth are so dark 
 Even shadows would comfort
Had there been a sliver of ray