Stone Spouts

Pragya RAJOURIA

Making stone spouts or dhungedhara in Nepali as charitable deed is out of vogue today. But there was a time when people tried to outdo one another in making grander, bigger dhunge dharas. Thanks to these people today we have so many of them in all three cities of the Kathmandu valley. In almost all spouts, water gushes forth the mouth of stone crocodile. This is not due to a lack of imagination on the stone artists’ part but because the crocodile holds religious significance to the Hindus. Crocodile is the mount of Ganga, the river goddess. Water that flows from the taps with crocodile motifs represent the holy Ganga which is believed to purify the bathers.

Above each stone spout are small statues of Gods and Goddesses in pair and sometimes a single deity stands above the spout. Small stautes of Shiva-Parbati, Bishnu-Laxmi and solitary icon of Surya, the sun god are commonly seen. Empty coffers above some spouts suggest that the images might have been stolen. A small image of crocodile perching atop the tap is a compulsory part of each stone spout and in some stone spouts, even this image is missing. Images of demigods adorn the lower parts of spouts. In Nepali such images are called pote deuta.

Of the dhunge dharas that abound the different localities in the valley, Patan’s Sundhara, a dhunge dhara near Jaibageshowri temple at Deupatan and the one near Patan durbar are remarkable in their grandeur and beauty. Sundhara of Patan is famous for its golden spouts. Of the four spouts in Patan’s Sundhara, three have gold-plated metal covering the crocodile shaped mouth of the spout. The fourth spout is unique. Here the mouth of the tap is shaped like a cow’s head and water comes from the cow’s mouth or ‘gomukh’. A frog perches atop the spout and there is an image of shiva linga next to it.

The dhunge dhara at Deupatan (one of the world heritage sites) though most beautiful from artistic point of view is the most neglected and unnoticed of the three. It has a single spout. This dhunge dhara has two small temples at its entrance with shikhar shile roofs. Both the miniature temples are beautifully built. One of the temples is empty and the second one has a finely carved icon inside it. A big water tank feeds the stone spout and a pool of water stagnates on the floor of dhunge dhara.

Patan durbar has a huge public dhunge dhara next to it. It is one of the biggest dharas in the valley. It has three big water spouts with the most ornately carved crocodile taps. Its size and grandness shows that it was built by a rich patron. In the middle is different from the other two. Here, inside the mouth of the crocodile lies the fish shaped projection from which water flows.

Today, these dhunge dharas are significant from historical point of view and are no longer the center of community life. Government supplied water taps have greatly reduced their utilities but there are numerous locals for whom these spouts are still indispensable.

Heal yourself the ayurvedic way

Hyatt Regency Kathmandu, brings the magic of Kerala to Nepal with their exclusive ayurvedic treatments.

Ayurveda, meaning the science of life, is a philosophy unique to India. Ayurvedic hospitals and treatment centres are especially prominent in the South Indian state of Kerala. This medical tradition taken from the Hindu culture is said to date back over 5000 years. Its aim is to ascertain peak health – spiritually, mentally and physically – in every living being. According to ayurveda it is important to maintain the balance between the three bodily essences, or ‘doshas’: pitta (bile), vatta (wind) and kapha (phlegm). Kapha, potential energy, is linked with lymph and mucus. Vatta, kinetic energy, is associated with the nervous system and movement. Pitta mediates between these two forces and is connected with digestive and metabolic processes.

The Fitness Centre, Club Oasis at Hyatt Regency Kathmandu offers rejuvenation and body purification remedies. The famous sirodhara or sirasseka – unique to Kerala is a great new attraction at the Hyatt Regency.

Sirasseka or Sirodhara: This is the process of pouring medicated oils, slightly warmed up to the body temperature, on the head, especially on the forefront portion, in a special manner. While having hot oil poured onto your forehead might not sound enticing it is actually a very relaxing experience. The process known as Sirodhara – in Sanskrit ‘sira’ means head, ‘dhara’ is the continuous follow of liquid is the most renowned of ayurvedic treatments. According to Ayurveda, Sirodhara is the best treatment for diseases of the nervous system and for emotional problems.  It is also recommended for chronic headaches, as well as ear, nose and throat problems, and is especially useful for pain management.

Sirodhara is a titillating form of snehana treatment, whereby the oil drips along a coarse thread on to the forehead. A metal or clay vessel, the dhara patra is suspended directly above the forehead. The oil is poured into the pot then flows through a hole at the bottom of the pot and slides down a four-inch long thread that hangs underneath the hole. The drops of oil jam the thread drip directly onto the person’s third eye or centre of the forehead. It helps in awakening the third eye, invigorating the body and mind, and stimulating cognitive memories. It is important to quiet the mind and focus on the healing process about to take place. As with all healing, your mind is your most powerful tool and works together with your body to find your perfect balance away from disease. Sirodhara treatment may take between 7 to 14 days dependent on the needs of the individual. Each treatment will vary in length as the treatment progresses. Plan on an hour to an hour and a half for treatment.

Myriad 

Bikash SANGRAULA

Teenagers, the middleaged, the elders, women from all sorts of demographic backgrounds, jostling to find that elusive relationship, that abstract yet concrete feeling that could render their lives meaningful. Characters as fallible as ourselves, as beautiful as human folly, and as incomplete as life itself, relentlessly looking for a place for themselves in a world crammed with ambitions. Lives that don’t make sellable news items yet have the capacity to leave a profound and lasting impression on the audience.

This, in a nutshell, is what the French Feature Film Festival 2002, on ‘Women’, meant to many.

"Man is condemned to be free," said the remarkably influential French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre.

" But, I want to be free. And I think freedom is more of a blessing than condemnation," says Solange (Florence Vignon), the central character of Le Bleu des Villes (The Blue of the Cities). She pursues her dream, suffers the disastrous pitfalls inherent in the pursuit and finally realizes the dream.

The women characters portrayed in the movies screened during the festival are invariably fighters. Be it Emma (Karin Vlard) of Haut les Coeurs (Chin Up) or Isa (Natacha Regnier) of La Vie Revee des Anges (Dream Life of Angels), there is an inward strength in the characters that imparts a positive hue to their mostly unrewarding struggle. The movies don’t profess anything, neither do they romanticize the struggle itself. The movies merely aim to inform the audience that it is possible to survive amid emotional calamities.

" Women characters in French movies might be vulnerable. But unlike in the Bollywood or for that matter Nepalese movies, they try to deal with their problems on their own," said First Secretary of French Embassy, Dominique Plassard. And quite correctly, as the movies made precisely that point.

The additional significance of the movies screened during the festival is that most of them were directed by women. The history of women directors in France can be dated back to 1954. As Plassard pointed out early in the festival, the movies are acutely sensitive to the problems faced by women, owing this quality to their women directors.

The movies are all low-budget ones, where glamour doesn’t have a place whatsoever. The issues dealt with are universal and that is precisely the reason why they can so easily relate to Nepalese women as well. The fact that the movies are artistically excellent and did sound business as well offers a lot of insight to the art of filmmaking.

Unlike Nepalese movies that depict women as silent victims, these movies depict women as fighters. Instead of taking a fatalistic view to life, an urge to act is characteristic to each of the movies. Owing to excellent cinematography, even small gestures come out meaningful.

Comparing Nepalese movies technically to their French counterparts would be unjust as technology comes pretty late in Nepal. However, content wise, there is a lot that Nepalese movie industry can learn from the French movies. The fact that there is only one woman-director so far in Nepal is certainly a matter of concern.

A strong woman character is due in Nepalese movies. Bollywood caught up with strong women characters decades ago when they made Mother India. It is time that we had enough confidence in our audience’s sensibilities. A ‘Mother Nepal’ wouldn’t be a bad beginning.

Faces of Women
La Vie Revee des Anges

Dream Life of Angels

Director: Eric Zonca, Scenario: Eric Zonca, Photography: Agnes Godard, Production: Agat films et cie, Cast: Elodie Bouchez, Natacha Regnier, Gregoire Colin, Jo Prestia, Patrick Mercado. Isa is twenty years old, with a rucksack as her only piece of luggage. Strongly optimistic Isa arrives in Lille where she meets another twenty-years-old girl Marie. Marie is unsociable, hypersensitive and in rebellion against her family. Isa moves in with Marie. While Isa starts visiting the sick child in whose flat they live, Marie falls for a rich youth. When Isa tries to warn Marie, their friendship flounders.

Venus Beaute

(Venus Beauty)

Director: Tonie Marshall, Scenario: Tonie Marshall, Photography: Gerard de Battiste, Production: Agat films et cie, Cast: Nathalie Baye, Bulle Ogier, Samuel Le Bihan, Jacques Bonnaffe, Matilde Seigneir, Robert Hossein, Audrey Tautou.

"Venus Beauty" is a pink shop in a busy part of Paris. Nadine is the boss, Angele an employee. They receive ladies, listen to them, care for and console them. They have a few male customers as well. Angele lives alone and picks up men after work without much conviction until the day she meets Antoine.

Les Bleu des Villes

The Blue of the Cities

Director: Stephane Brize, Scenario: Florence Vignon & Stephane Brize, Photography: Jean-Claude Larrieu, Production: Milena Poylo & Gilles Sacuto, Cast: Florence Vignon, Mathilde Seigner, Antoine Chappey, Philippe Duquesne.

Solange and her husband lead a quiet life in the provinces. Solange’s friend, Mylene, a TV weather forecaster, comes to town to sign copies of her autobiography at a local bookshop and devotes an evening to her friend. Once Mylene leaves, Solange realizes that she has fulfilled none of her dreams. Instead of being a singer, she is a meter maid. Her daily life is too dull, her husband too normal, her profession too humiliating. She wants to change her life.

La Dilettante

The Dilettante

Director: Pascal Thomas, Scenario: Jacques Lourcelles, Photography: Christophe Beaucarne, Production: Ah! Victoria! Films and Euripide Productions, Cast: Catherine Frot, Barbara Schulz, Marie-Christine Barrault, Sebastien Cotterot.

Almost penniless, Pierette has moved into her son’s tiny studio apartment in the suburbs. He is a trainee in a nearby factory and, at first, is more surprised than delighted to see her. Amid new encounters and activities, Pierette, who hates playing the victim and arousing sympathy of others, tries to maintain a balance with her son and daughter who have lost the habit of needing her. She also has to cope with her sudden passion for a priest very popular with the media and an affair with an antique dealer that leads to the gallows.

Haut les Coeurs

Chin Up

Director: Solveig Anspach, Scenario: Solveig Anspach & Pierre Erwan Guillaume, Photography: Isabelle Razavet, Production: Ex Nihilo, Cast: Karin Vlard, Laurent Luca, Julien Cottereau.

Expecting her first baby, Emma learns she has breast cancer. Her doctor advises an abortion, saying the necessary treatment is incompatible with pregnancy. Her lover, Simon, urges her to see another specialist, Dr. Morin, who says the treatment is possible during her pregnancy. Emma regains confidence. Now she must fight for two lives.

Rein a faire

Nothing to do

Director: Marion Vernoux, Scenario: Marion Vernoux & Santiago Arnigorena, Photography: Dominique Colin, Production: ADR Productions, Cast: Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Patrick Dell’Isola, Sergi Lopez, Florence Thornassin.

A man, a woman, married but not together. They are unemployed; he for several weeks, she for several months. They become friends, then lovers. A clandestine, insolent, carefree love, unforeseen during days of employment. One day the man finds a job.

Love Me

Director: Laeticia Masson, Scenario: Laeticia Masson, Photography: Antoine Heberle, Production: Alain Sarde, Cast: Sandrine Kiberlain, Johnny Hallyday, Jean Francois Stevenin, Aurore Clement.

The impossible story between a young girl looking for love and a singer who no longer believes in it. She meets him in Memphis and follows him. He flees. She insists. He ends up being deeply moved. It is the story of a girl who takes refuge in her dreams to flee reality and her past. Where does reality end and the imaginary begin?

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