Shubhra - A Tale of Two Cities

A little boy ran and played barefoot and joyfully in his village in India. A bright little youngster, eager to learn, he diligently applied himself to his studies. His name was Shubhra, a name which had its origin in Sanskrit and was used in Hindi speaking countries for both boys and girls. It meant radiant, pure, pure white.

His best friend at school was a Muslim, and throughout the years they maintained their friendship. After completing a Bachelor of Commerce, an undergraduate degree, they both went on to study for a Master of Commerce. At this point, Shubhra said goodbye to his friend who emigrated to Kuwait, and went to live in Bombay.

Earning 400 rupees per month, Shubhra was able to live comfortably and still save.

Time passed and his friend returned. Shubhra was immediately struck by his fine clothes and his jewelry. They had grown up together, studied together and had the same qualifications, yet their lifestyles were at this point clearly very different.

Shubhra immediately began to make inquiries around Bombay. He too would be bold and move further afield. At last he found someone who could organize for him to move to Dubai.

It was 1968, a year before a boeing 707 belonging to Air India would make its first flight from Bombay to Dubai.

A flight from Bombay to Dubai today, only lasts 3 hours. Shubhra did not have this luxury. Instead he bravely boarded a ship for a journey which lasted 3 nights. Dubai, at this point in time, was still a British protectorate and there were only small settlements on either side of the creek.

Fast forward to 2011.

Yesterday, Shubhra and I chatted. We had met before but had never shared personal stories.

He told me that he only knew of one person in those days who had air-conditioning.

With a smile on his face, he recalled a picnic in Jebel Ali. The return journey to Sharjah, a trip which today would take 30 to 45 mins by car, had lasted a day as he and a friend had a vehicle which kept getting stuck in the desert sand.

As he was about to leave, I asked Shubhra about his home village. The look on his face changed. He tried to return there every year but things were never the same. Where once he had run through the rice paddies there are now roads. Family relationships have become strained over time because of distance and lack of communication. People in the village no longer recognize him and ask him who he is. He should never have left.

I am reminded of the passage in “A Tale of Two Cities” where Mr Carton reflects on his life after he leaves the home of Mr Stryver. The two of them had chatted earlier about the divergent paths their lives had taken despite the fact that they had attended the same schools and university.

"Waste forces within him, and a desert all around, this man stood still on his way across a silent terrace, and saw for a moment, lying in the wilderness before him, a mirage of honorable ambition, self-denial, and perseverance. In the fair city of this vision, there were airy galleries from which the loves and graces looked upon him, gardens in which the fruits of life hung ripening, waters of Hope that sparkled in his sight. A moment, and it was gone. Climbing to a high chamber in a well of houses, he threw himself down in his clothes on a neglected bed, and its pillow was wet with wasted tears."

- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, Book 2, Chapter 5

As Shubhra shared with me how he had come from here2here I suggested to him that he write his story. He simply nodded his head from side to side.

I share fragments of his story here. In the telling we are all brought closer together. In this here2here space, we realize that although we may be different in many ways, at our core, we are all the same. We all have dreams, some fulfilled, some shattered.

Today, thanks to technology we can all travel, if only virtually, to far away places and converse with each other. I live in Dubai and can instant chat, Skype or Facetime with family and friends far and wide.

How different would Shubhra’s life have been if he had had access to such facilities at the time of his move?

As we honor people like Shubhra, who even though he might not realize it, remains radiant to this day, let us at the same time be mindful of all the benefits of modern communication.

"There is a great crowd coming one day into our lives, if that be so."

- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, Book 2, Chapter 6

These words, spoken again by Mr Carton, were prophetic of the French Revolution. Today they take on yet another meaning as we recognize in them the “we” generation which is currently being born.

Bombay Dub Orchestra - Amina

Mindfulness and The Flâneur

Having blogged about The Green Turtles of Ras Al Jinz last week, it is with amazement this week that I note the following:

"Around 1840 it was briefly fashionable to take turtles for a walk in the arcades. The flâneurs liked to have the turtles set the pace for them." Walter Benjamin in “Arcades Project”, a study of 19th century Parisian life.

The Flâneur: A Radical-Chic Icon by sketchbloom 

Viewed through a 21st century filter this might at first appear horrific, but understanding the accompanying vocabulary, background and concepts, and seeing with a 19th century perspective, our focus alters. 

Referring to a person who walks the city in order to experience it, Charles Baudelaire is said to have coined the term “flâneur” from the verb ‘flâner’, which means “to stroll” in French. 

In the 19th century, industrialization had brought with it many social and economic changes.  Many children of upper middle class families were given an income without having to work. They had no reason to hurry and so dawdling was in a sense encouraged. While many of these young people might have become cynical in their observations of urban living, others participated in it in order to fully observe. The flâneur was born.

The construction of the Paris Arcades in the early 19th century, encouraged this movement. Passageways through neighbourhoods were covered with glass roofs, creating an interior-exterior experience. Precursors of modern day malls, these arcades offered not only an escape from the hustle and bustle of street crowds and markets, but were also ideal environments for flâneurs.

The flâneur would stroll through these arcades, at home in these interior-exterior worlds.  Part of the crowd, but at the same time totally aloof from it, the flâneur would take in the sights and so experience the surrounding culture. Determined looking required a slow place and a turtle on a leash would enforce this!

Words always contain layers of potential meaning, and the flâneur offers us a new way of seeing the world.

“Flâneur is not limited to someone committing the physical act of peripatetic stroll in the Baudelairian sense, but can also include a ‘complete philosophical way of living and thinking’”.  Wikipedia 

As mindfulness gains in popularity, so too I believe, will the word “flâneur” make a 21st century comeback; this time with added connotations.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, often defines mindfulness as “moment by moment, non-judgmental awareness”. Whether the 19th century flaneur was non-judgmental or not is debatable, but when our “dilly-dallying” becomes conscious, we are certainly practicing mindfulness.

Are we able to sit or walk somewhere and merely observe without judging?

Are we able to be mall flâneurs? George Davis, @virtualDavis, encourages us to consider becoming a metro flâneur!

Are we able to watch our own inner landscapes with detached observation?

To what extent are we able to view our surroundings with the boundaries between interior and exterior dismantled?

When we access the virtual highways, where access to information is rapid, do we ever stop to recollect that there are many others present online at any given moment, simply looking? 

Are we willing to slow down and not retweet without reading the linked content first?

Speed, whether online or offline, is a characteristic of the modern world. The flâneur reminds us to set the pace of our own lives.

Cast as a character in the 21st century drama of life, the flâneur thus begins to play the role of consciousness.

We hopefully won’t leash a turtle, but we can remember that found in the mythology of most cultures, the turtle is often linked to creation and thereby creativity. A creature of both land and sea, the turtle encourages an attitude of adapting and flourishing regardless of environment. 

Mindfulness offers us a key.

The Green Turtles of Ras Al Jinz

Situated on the coast of Oman, at the eastern most tip of the Arabian peninsula, is a remote spot called Ras Al Jinz. With nothing more than a tiny ecotourist resort at a reasonable distance from its beaches, Ras Al Jinz is one of the birthplaces of the endangered Green Sea Turtle. 

Every year, about 10 000 awe inspiring female green turtles come onto these beaches to nest.  They do this three times in one season with a two week interval between each return. This results in approximately 30 000 nests being built on these beaches each year.

After the nesting season is over, the female turtle, who can weigh up to 150kg, swims away to far away oceans for three years, only to return again in the fourth year when the whole process repeats itself. The males frequent the breeding grounds but never leave the ocean.

Studies of their migration patterns reveal that these turtles, once exploited without restriction but now globally protected, cover most of the world on their travels. Some travel up to 65 000 km in a lifetime which normally lasts for about 80 years.

This past weekend, I was privileged to witness the nesting and hatching process. After a journey by car which lasted almost nine and a half hours, we arrived weary but excited at the resort. Tours to the beach were offered at 04h00 and 21h00 each day.

On the evening tour, the moon played the role of our tour guide’s assistant and helped to light the way, but in the early morning we held onto each other at times as we quietly approached the nests on the beach in torchlight and at times in pitch darkness.  The milky way sparkled above us, a reminder of how far away we were from light pollution of any kind. 

The female turtle digs out a nest 1/4 metre deep. Within this she digs another smaller hole also 1/4 metre deep, into which she lays approximately 100 eggs, golf ball like in size. Using her back flippers she slowly covers these eggs with sand, compressing it as she proceeds. Using her front flippers she then scoops up sand and scatters it behind her, leaving a camouflage nest by the time she heaves herself onto the flat of the beach and slowly makes her way back to the ocean. 

The eggs remain under the sand for 55 days, the temperature of the sand determining the sex of the hatchling. After it hatches, the baby turtle instinctively begins its journey into the ocean, its tiny flippers spinning like propellers. This is no easy task as predators such as foxes and seagulls have to be avoided. Inland lights, if there, can lure the baby in the wrong direction. Once in the sea, the baby turtles are often eaten by fish or caught in nets. There is no parental care. Only 1 in every 1000 babies makes it to maturity. 

Most amazing is the fact that once the female turtle reaches maturity she returns to lay her eggs on the very beach on which she was born!

Ras Al Jinz is a special place.

Despite the fact that sea turtles spend almost all of their lives submerged, they must breathe air to obtain the oxygen required for the demands of different activities. The breath is very important to the sea turtle. I too, wish to pay more attention to mine.

The speed of everyday physical and virtual life exists. There is however, also a need for periods of slow pace. Each has its time and place.

I am not yet able to fully verbalize what I was privileged to experience. I am reminded, however, that the shadows of my being are often poorly lit and that I need others on my life’s journey. Hiding in these shadows are mysteries and scenes of creativity. Some occur unattended, but every now and again awareness allows us to participate fully. 

The hatchlings of my experiences are precious.

What I saw requires time to fully impact me. There is no haste. I am in no hurry; neither was she. Each step had its moment for those who cared to see. 

New York in Dubai - here2here

On my way from one appointment to another this morning, I am suddenly confronted with an amazing sight in the middle of the Dubai Mall. Bloomingdales is sporting a New York theme and has built actual street scenes to support this. Earlier this week, I put up a post and a blurb mobile about skyscrapers. Synchronicity?

 

A whole floor above the setting, I pause, and as I stop, break dancers enter the scene. My hand flies into my handbag to grab my camera and capture some of the activities.

I have visited New York, love New York, have friends and tweeps in New York, but I live in Dubai. Or do I? 

We are closer to each other than we always imagine. We are interconnected in so many ways. What I am watching so fits in with the theme of this blog site. English and Arabic grace the same advert. Locals and visitors from all over the world mix and share the scene. 

My “here” can be brought to your “here” in so many different ways. Technology allows me to share my “here” with you both visually and audibly, in the time that it takes to press a button and hit “send”. 

The spinning figure I am watching epitomizes the speed at which this is all taking place. I marvel at it, I am in awe of it, I appreciate it.

The dance ends, the moment is over, and I move on, closer to you all.

Trend Skyscrapers

A shoe is so much more than the sum of its parts.

Originally looking more like a foot bag used for protection and warmth, the design of the shoe has evolved over time. Functionality soon made room for adornment and this in turn was dependent upon materials available and the culture in which the shoe found itself. 

Color became important as accessories on other parts of the body called for matching shoes. Status in society enabled some to wear shoes that made a statement.  

Today, your choice when buying a pair of shoes is obviously influenced by the shape and size of your feet which are part of your external attributes.  Personal taste, part of your interior being, plays a role. 

But let us not forget that each individual is also part of a collective “we” with its own interior and exterior.  There are habits that are preferred in a particular group, as well as external systems supporting that culture. What this means is that the shoes popular in the culture you find yourself in, and what is on offer because of the manufacturing possibilities of this era, also influence your choice. 

Popular trend, otherwise called fashion, is an interesting phenomenon. 

That there are trend setters of a particular fashion, I comprehend. That advertising agents assist in spreading the popularity of an item, makes sense. That we now have communication technologies offering exponential possibilities for an item to either gain or lose popularity amongst buyers in a very short period of time, is exciting. That this adds a whole new dimension which needs consideration when fashion is designed, is challenging. 

At the same time, users of products are beginning to take an interest in how a particular product influences the environment. Social issues, such as the unfair treatment of the laborers involved in the manufacture of a product can no longer be ignored. That both these factors must be addressed in fashion design, is becoming crucial.   

That there are designers who give direction as to what the fashion of a particular season will be, I understand. What intrigues me, however, is what these designers are inspired by. What for instance has led to skyscrapers dominating the autumn fashions now to be seen in window displays in the northern hemisphere? 

Skyscrapers? 

A look at the history of skyscrapers sheds light on the question at hand. 

In 1922 the discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamen and the treasures which had been undisturbed for more than 3000 years captured the imagination of the world. The decorative art movement which began in the 1920s and which was later called Art Deco, was greatly influenced by the discovery. The fascination for ancient Egypt was expressed in the design of jewelry, furniture, clothing and architecture. 

Stories were told by ancient Egyptian art and so it became popular to put symbolic images on buildings. The Chrysler Building in New York, which for a short time was the word’s tallest building after its completion in 1930, is adorned with hubcaps and images of cars.

Art Deco skyscrapers also suggested Egyptian pyramids in their design. The Empire State Building in New York is one example of stepped design.

When we consider that the 10th anniversary of the collapse of the Twin Towers is still fresh in the memory of the collective, and that the world is still buzzing with the news of the Arab Spring which gained great momentum in Egypt, it is perhaps more understandable now why skyscrapers are influencing fashion.

Giorgio Armani, a leading designer giving direction in fashion, has a hotel in the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building at the moment. Could this be influencing fashion design choices?

When the world experiences a crisis it is not uncommon for creative people to find opportunity. Skyscraper fashion encourages individuals to stand tall despite the current economic crisis. Super-high heels were also in vogue during the Depression that followed the 1929 Wall Street Crash. Could designers be cashing in on our insecurities? Can we blame them for this? 

Would it not be better to be mindful of all these influences?

These are my perspectives, influenced perhaps by the fact that I live close to the foot of the Burj Khalifa. 

The shoe depicted at the start of this blog has skyscraper heels and sequin adornment. 

 Hopefully, you will now view it with slightly different eyes.