So excited! Our residency to Ireland is in a month! As Jeane and I get ready to travel, I am writing my musings down. Ireland is a foreign land, unknown to me. The journey will unearth the mystery and the experience, I hope will produce new work. Why do we tell stories? What are the rituals that create culture? These are some of the questions I am exploring with this residency.
I am a storyteller. I have grown up surrounded by my mother and father who told innumerable stories. I fell asleep in my Dad’s arms listening to his voice recount the stories of the Indian Gods and Goddesses. No ritual was complete, food prepared without my Mom rooting it in ancient stories. Why do women wear the bindi? Why did the goddess have a hundred hands? What is the metaphor and how can it be practiced in daily life?
Rituals that I grew up around involve all the five senses- colorful images, incense sticks, new clothes, delicious food and chanting mantras. Each culture is tied in its own rituals. Ritual touches every part of the human experience. What are your family’s rituals? If you would like to share, please leave them, in the comments below. Include some modern ones!
Here is a video of my current work….
Symbols & Stories 
All the best in your residency program in Ireland. Looking forward to your blogs. Story telling passes on meaningful narratives from one generation to another.
Rituals give meaning to why we do what we do! The same thought resulted in my book, “Hindu wedding rituals- symbolism and significance”
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Thank you Shubha! I would love to learn more the Hindu wedding rituals!
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Looking forward to be part of your residency. Enjoyed your video and stories about you Hair ritual. My memory is not great but straight away as I am one of 12 children I remember on a Saturday nigh you waited your turn to have a bath and wash you hair.You were luck if you got in first as the water was hot and clean. We shared the bath water .I also recalled doing the opposite to what we were trying to do .We would get out Hair permed to make it curly. Another ritual that everyone does to this day is save some of the the first hair cut (or curl)of your children. The redhead is also known as ” irish colleen”
Talk soon
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Thank you for sharing your story! Its is so interesting to hear about sharing the bath water! I did not know about “Irish Colleen” Learnt something new!
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