The campaigning of Brickfields

 The Malaysian 13th General Election has come to an end , with the campaigning period concluding on the voting day itself , with the political parties still hoping to change the minds of the legal citizens in the voting stations.

 The campaigning period begins from the nomination day and ends on the 5th of May which is the voting date. During the campaigning period as is per the norm , flags and banners from each political party is strewn across the country , some even trying to top the other in some banal sense of importance.

Complete mess of flags along the road 

 My area of  Brickfields for one has seen it's far share of political explosion with the emblems of both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat plastered all over. The exception to this were schools , many basing them to be neutral grounds that breed young minds left not to biasedness. 

Surrounding the entire area of Brickfields are culturally diverse holistic institutes such as the St.Fatima Church , the Buddhist Mahavihara and the Temple of Fine Arts that were left untainted by flags with the exclusion of a Shiva temple whose entrance was coated in political activity.

A largely Indian based community is situated in Brickfields , and there were not any rallies or outright demonstrations beside the childish pulling of the opposition flag , while uprooting their own. There were however clumps and groups of men during the whole election period whom would stand around and discuss the political outcome but which area did not have such worriers ? 

Simple gathering of protestors

The other side of the peace in Brickfields came with the rumours spread that police were out looking for yellow stickers , which were presumably the meeting place of rally seekers to convene. There were also rumours going around on the voting day itself that whichever party won,  the opposition would rally against. But as previously mentioned , these are only rumours of which none could be proven. 

" They always say these things , but better to be safe ! ," Mrs.Vasantha  , an elderly citizen at the voting station , who gave her conclusion on the rumours.

Despite there being smoke , there were many parents whom I had interviewed whose general consensus was to not send their children to school or college the day after election , May 6th , regardless of who won , my mother was amidst one of the concerned parents. 

" No need to go. If something happens to you , then how ? ," A direct quote from my mother , Mrs.Nair on the day of the election. 

As such , the election campaign in comparison to many other states and areas was calm and peaceful , with merely the talking of the people to fully churn it into campaign mode. As a long time resident of Brickfields , I am proud in saying that no such calamities were noticed , despite the warnings floating around , and that all in all it was a motivating election campaign for the year 2013. 

Tattoos or stains ?

  That new inking you got wasn't much of a hit at your grandaunt's tea party was it ? Nor those cartilage piercings on your ear that they claimed made you look like a villain from a mafia movie . For a society so bent on accelerating civilisation into a future of technology and unity , our moral values and social judgement are ones that would leave  Charles Darwin wondering if his theory of evolution was a false.

The traditional art of tattooing heralds from the time of spiritual realisation as well as cultural purposes. Tribes from ancient Africa to the Celtic clans in Europe , all claim a "marking" to symbolise strength , unity or loyalty to the clan or tribe.  They were looked upon with regard and honour and was a privilege to achieve .

 Times are a changing , and even though the tattoos that people get today may not link back to the cultural nobility of the past , does not mean that allowance for discrimination is given.

" Every tattoo is a link to a memory ," said Danial Lau , an ex tattoo artist who used to work in the Dragonfly parlour in Midvalley Megamall.  His vast array of tattoo designs and requests have gone way past the borderline of sane and into the territory of silent revulsion.
" I don't question them. Unless they look like they are confused about the design. Then only I ask. A tattoo is a personal connection to their life and I have no stand to question it."

There are many cases that can be seen both on the television and in tattoo shops in which a person who had battled or overcome an obstacle in their life , decides to get an inauguration ink of their struggle and eventual conquer. Danial calls them ' battle scars' , and claims that it is one of the best parts of being a tattoo artist. You get to learn about what that person has come for and get to feel his or her emotion to put a sense of them into the tattoo.

The Dragonfly Malaysia , Midvalley Megamall

 As staunch as I am in my belief that a person need not be deliberated on their choice of inks , I interviewed a business man and an elderly lady respectively on their perspectives.

" (I).. totally wouldn't mind a tattoo, but i'm not exactly a fan of the needle part." was what the businessman had to say  , however when questioned on whether he would ever get one , simply shook his head and said that he didn't find anything important to him that needed to be inked onto his skin.

This brings back the earlier point of symbolism by way of every tattoo comes with a story ; either one from your childhood that holds a lot of depth or just because you got sloshed with your friends and decided then and there that a  dragon eye on your ankle would be a smart thing to get done , all behold a time and story that remind us of a memory.

Surprisingly the elderly lady herself was inclined to tattoos . " If you want them then go get them. Just remember that they cannot come out. Laser also tak bagus lagi." I have yet to come across a person being openly bashed for making the choice of getting inked or for getting a tattoo that doesn't seem to suit them. Their body  , their rights.


Don't judge a person for what they do  , because only they know where they come from and for what reason the tattoo is eligible for themselves. This is my stand on tattoos and a window into the world of the unorthodox but ancient culture of tattoos.

     

The ending of one , the beginning of another

The last page of the chapter is always a sign that the new chapter is about to be written , and thus was the case with Devyoni Chandrasegaran. A student of the Temple of Fine Arts , Devyoni has been trained in the field of Odissi since she was 9 years of age , and has recently staged a show entitled ' Manch Pravesh'  that is symbolic of her graduation at the age of 19.

 The show was hosted at the Temple of Fine arts in Brickfields and was held on the 17th of February. Starting from 6.00 till 7.30 , the acclaimed show was in actuality a graduation where Devyoni is rewarded with the title of ' Nayika' or one who has accomplished the basic fundamentals of the dance.
 Starting at the age of 9  , Devyoni has been trained in this art form for 10 years under the tutelage of 3 different teachers , Mrs. Sandhya Manoj , Mrs. Gowri Chandra and Mrs. Sumathi Chandra.

The graduation performance , known as ' Arangetram' or 'Manch Pravesh' is a strenuous course that pushes both student and teacher to astonishing heights of unity and hope. The surrendering of the student who gives up her all to the teacher whom then molds it into the beauty of dance , may sound beautiful and poetic but is stressful as well. When asked about the journey up till the day of her arangetram , Devyoni said " It's been a roller coaster ride and that's an understatement. I didn't really know what to expect when I got into the training so I definitely was taken aback. Not just physically, but you put up a lot emotionally as well, which you don't necessarily realize ........ if I had chance, I would do it again because of that sense of accomplishment you feel after all those years. " 

 The determined Odissi dancer did nothing but impress the audience with her graceful and stylised moves, all symbolic to the dance form itself throughout the one and a half hours , leaving many entranced and moved by her performance." It was amazing " said Lavanya Maniam , friend of the dancer. " It was beautiful and I loved every minute of it." Many others shared the same thought , with only the added words of ' sublime', ' wowed by it all' and the stunned silence.  Her teachers who could not be brought up for a comment were gifted with bouquets of flowers and presents after the whole repertoire and stood by her beaming proudly.

The excitement of the whole performance seemed to have starved her for more , for when questioned about whether she would continue on with Odissi in Austrailia , her response was , " ...there are several opportunities here(Australia)  for me to take it up but as of now, I don't have any plans to start immediately. I do already miss it though but I'm trying to organize uni and getting used to the place but once I get a little bit more settled, I'll definitely look into it."

Her ride was not made any easier by the impending move to Austrailia to further her higher education in Monash University attending her Bachelors in Business Information Systems. To excel in her dance as was shown during ' Manch Pravesh' while simultaneously preparing for her leave is no easy feat, and yet was pulled off so gracefully with next to no hindrances in the least. 

Dancing on stage with the Jegannath altar behind her

 The blood , sweat and tears that were poured into the creation of this enchanting repertoire has left it's mark on the young blossoming dancer , who was awarded a 'Nrityanjali' certificate and the title of 'Nayika'. Devyoni has completed what many 19 year olds dream of and for that a job well done !