27 October 2014

Hangout - 26th October 2014


Today's Hangout (see banner) was only with Nadeem S - from about 2:12 - 2:42 pm Sunday afternoon. As he said, we seem to easily find plenty to talk about, any session. So we discusssed Weather, tulsi leaves and neem sticks, Simone Porter's debut at the Nashville symphony this weekend, books (Kansas), medicines (malarone), fruits, and Nainsukh Pahari painter.

(Skip these crazy photos and see the post below) Goofing off while waiting for others to join - https://picasaweb.google.com/104313877083935493139/20141030#6075984071233906050









Still dry in southern Calif - and a mild fall here, with no freezes yet, with lots of people putting up great fall leave color photos. Talk of ginko trees who shed all their leaves in one evening each year, as different from other trees.  Which led Nadeem to mention another very ancient plant (Ginko) / animal, the 'silver fish' which eat books and paper.  Which led me to mention that some donated books from a Bihar Legislator had tulsi leaves to keep out silver fish. So, Nadeem asked if I had ever brushed my teeth with neem twigs, which all his friends in India insisted he try at least once - he said it was very bitter (like Tulsi leaves).  But I never have yet tried it, though people are seen brushing their teeth in the morning at Indian railway stations, and the sticks are always sold at the stations.

Nadeem said he was scheduled to go to a concert in the afternoon there, which led me to mention that

Simone Porter had a great review of her debut with the Nashville symphony, Friday and Saturday. Uncharacteristic of classical concerts, one fan yelled out "Yeah" in the middle of Simone's performance. See http://artsnash.com/classicalmusic/violinist-simone-porter/

I again told Nadeem I had not read the "Deer Hunter's" book. and he asked me to look into the book "What's the matter with Kansas" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003J4VEM2?btkr=1

This last week Deej and I went for our medical review - what we need to do to prepare for the Semester at Sea round the world voyage Spring 2015 - typhoid, Japanese encepilitis, polio, malaria pills, rabies, etc. I said I was taking Malarone, and am presently taking the 4 oral typoid pills which will protect me for 5 years.

Nadeen asked if I could see the tree over his left shoulder which is in his neighbor's yard, which is a sita phul or custard apple tree (Annona squamosa) - which I could see. He says the fruiting season is in late November or such and his neighbor shares the fruit. He also mentioned a purple berry which he loves and is Syzygium cuminic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syzygium_cumini), and whose Indian name is jaman as is gulab jaman. I mentioned that I love ber in India, but have never seen it outside of India - he says it is Bair, but that looks round compared to my memories of oblong fruit, but maybe there are different versions.  http://www.urdumania.net/health-tips/fruits-and-vegetables/bair-fruit-jujube-fruit-health-benefits.php
This last Thursday John Seyller (U of Vermont) gave a lecture on Indian art, titled the "Mughal Influence in the early works of Nainsukh" which was very interesting.  I could not locate the lecture but it should be findable with Google using "nainsukh UVa"  Nadeem found this site http://vinaaef.mihanblog.com/extrapage/articleioro And I append a description at the very bottom of this post of this painting from the lecture

And other things - but it was getting late (2:40) and Nadeem needed to get ready for his concert; and Deej wanted me to climb up the ladder and clear off the leaves of the south roof and gutters; similar to how we had climbed up the ladder and sprayed the moss clumps all over the north roof yesterday in order to kill it all.








19th Oct. 2014 Hangout (generic banner above) from Madison, Wi. I have made efforts to keep these "chai at the e-Quad" Hangouts going weekly at 2 pm (eastern), and I even succeeded in hosting it and getting it going under difficult circumstances last week (19 Oct 2014) though I was in Madison, Wi at the South Asia Conference, and had to reserve a special room at the Hotel.  It was  a very private small room with a little bathroom on the 3rd floor and called Mother's room.  Gil and Nadeem joined me at 1 pm (mid-west time) and we talk of hiking, accidents, deaths at Woodstock, But also of several other things.  So the Hangouts continue.








Description of the Nainsukh painting desplayed above:
"Rani on a Terrace is Presented with Falcons. Attributed to Nainsukh, Guler, ca. 1746-48. Courtesy of the Jagdish and Kamla Mittal Museum of Indian Art Hyderabad, India.

Falcons as a painting subject were introduced into Indian painting by the Mughal tribe. Nainsukh of Guler was the son of the renowned Pahari painter Pandit Seu, and himself a central figure in the development of Pahari painting in the middle of the 18th century. New readings of previously undeciphered inscriptions on a series of paintings of individual falcons now attribute them to Pandit Seu and his sons, Manaku and Nainsukh. In this talk, Seyller will discuss how this series of falcon paintings—now established to be among the earliest works in Nainsukh's long and illustrious career—set the stage for his profound absorption of Mughal compositions, figure types, and surface effects in the 1740s."

Here's the banner for the 12th Oct 2014 Hangout (hang gliding at the hangout - don't get stuck in the world wide web!)