Design Rocks in Denmark

By Prabesh Gurung

I just could not believe my eyes! I was shocked to see the airport in Copenhagen! How can an international airport in a capital city of such a rich country be... so simple? I was expecting big buildings with glittering glasses, elements of richness oozing out of expensive marble floors and pillars, with some form of art, crystal and chandeliers, water fountains and maybe even river flowing inside the airport...well you know what I mean, things that are probably prerequisites to show prosperity of a country.

The first thing that I noticed was, the starkness of the arrival area and a big piece of art, which looked, like a blue fish, hanging on the ceiling of the airport. By the time I came out of the airport, boarded another plane to Aalborg where I was to stay for three months, took a walk in the city, and finally went off to bed, I felt I was in an art exhibition, something simple, yet awesome, and almost surreal.

The colors and design in the waiting lounges of the airports, streets, houses, the kollegium (hostel) that I lived in, my room, the class rooms, furniture, parks, you name it and everything was simple, beautiful and was there for a purpose. The first word that came in my mind to define it was a "no nonsense" design. {Since I was a pakhe, traveling "abroad" for the first time, I did not know it was called "minimalist" design.}

After my initial split seconds of disappointment, I fell for the "art and design" of Denmark. It was so strong that I could not but admire the design of the toilet paper holder in the toilet or the hangers in the wardrobe!

We were 19 participants from Asia and Africa for the same programme under the Danida Fellowship Programme. The course organizers used to take us around in different places in Denmark. Whether it was a tour of Copenhagen or outing in a small town, each places had its own peculiarities. However, there was one thing in common, everything looked plan and always had a touch of art and design

An interesting and integral part of Danish cities were the main city market, like New Road in Kathmandu, but would be off limits to vehicles during the day and everyone had to walk. These areas had all the best shops and there would be squares where people would just sit and enjoy the day. These streets had space for the shoppers, tourists, and for budding artists who either sang, played music, pantomimed or painted, for "voluntary contribution in appreciation of their talents." I was told this, by one of the performing artists in Copenhagen. I also gave him a voluntary contribution of Kr. 20, not to feel fluffy that I contributed to his talent, but to get the greatest thrill in my life that I actually gave money to a Danish (after being pampered courtesy them for quite sometime).

Another specialty of Denmark was the police. Except for surfacing out on Friday nights on Jomfru Ana Gade, a street in Aalborg where there were pubs and discos, I hardly saw these "endangered species" or their habitat in the cities that I traveled. However, walking around in Aalborg, I stopped to admire a beautiful building, which I thought was an office of some big organization till I saw a small signboard with "Politi" written on it. As expected, there was not a single cop around in the police station!

The landscape of Denmark was dotted with white windmills that generated electricity. I was told that the windmills have been generating debates because there were some that thought it spoilt the landscape and looked ugly. However, to me, these looked quite intriguing. The best landscape of the windmills was that on the seacoast of Copenhagen. It was interesting not only because I could not figure out how on earth did they build those windmills in the sea, but also because of the design and artistry that had been invested in it.

Another trivial thing that really caught my eyes were tents that were used for different occasions. Whether it was the big tents of Riverboat Jazz Festival in Silkeborg, the Orange tent of Roskilde Festival or tent for a jazz band in a city centre, all of them were so unique, simple and again designed with a touch of art!

Many things have been written about famous places of Denmark, the little mermaid, Tivoli, the colorful houses of Nyhavn, the Roskilde Domkirke and many more. These places were indeed very special and worth a visit. However, what impressed me were those small and little things that were never mentioned in the guidebooks. Every time I walked around, I always used to feel happy seeing beauties in those small and inconsequential things. What really made me fall absolutely in love with Denmark was a brand of bicycle called "Katmandu". I was finally convinced that Danish people had taste and appreciated one of the origins of inspirations of art!

Worshipping Saraswati The Goddess of Lore

By Ram Sharan Sedhai

Basanta Panchami otherwise known as Shree Panchami, the fifth day of the waxing moon during late January or early February, is the harbinger of warm days, as the name Basanta means spring in Nepali.

Though changes are not so visible in nature and weather instantly, the way people dress themselves shows the change in their mood brought about by the advent of spring. This year the occasion takes place today, February 17, 2002 or Falgun 5, 2058, according to Nepalese calendar.

For devout followers of Hinduism, the day is an occasion for taking a holy bath early morning and observing a fast. Scriptures have it that those women, who observe fast on this day for six straight years, will be adored by their husbands and will remain happy throughout their lives.

Basanta Panchami is popularly known as Saraswati Day, a day for worshipping the Goddess of Learning. This is an unparalleled festival for those engaged in scholarly activities. Students, teachers, scholars, writers, poets, artists, musicians, and even spinners and weavers celebrate the day with great fervor.

With ever-increasing number of students, the festival is predominantly becoming an occasion for propitiating the Goddess of Lore. Worshippers chant a Sanskrit hymn while adoring her asking to grant knowledge or learning to them. Saraswati, the consort of Lord Brahma and divine source of knowledge, is said to be born on Basanta Panchami. This is one of the reasons that she is propitiated on this day.

Worshippers including small school children take an early morning bath braving chilly waters and according to their convenience visit nearby temples of Saraswati and adore her images with sweets, fruits, flowers and even food items so that she may break her fast. It is believed that Saraswati, like her worshippers abstains from food on this day.

Worshippers chant a Sanskrit hymn while adoring her asking to grant knowledge or learning to them. Saraswati, the consort of Lord Brahma and divine source of knowledge, is said to be born on Basanta Panchami. This is one of the reasons that she is propitiated on this day. It is believed that Saraswati visits the Kathmandu Valley on this day being it her birthday.

The Saraswati temples in Deupatan, Kamalakshi, Thimi, Bhadrakali and Swyambhu among others in the Kathmandu valley are crowded with knowledge-hungry kids to octogenarians who throng the places right from early morning to late afternoon. A large number of people, be they scholars or illiterate, throng the Saraswati temple close to the idol of Manjushree, the Buddhist God who made the Kathmandu Valley suitable to human settlement, draining the waters of a huge lake, in Swyambhu on this day.

Those who are unable to visit Saraswati temples on this day, worship the image of the goddess at their homes. Seated on full-blown white lotus with snow-white robes holding a book on one hand and a harp, Vina, on the other hand, she mounts on white swan.

As Saraswati rules over the domain of speech, letters, arts and sciences, all her tools are worshipped accordingly. In earlier days people used to worship basically books, pens, ink, pencils and painting brush to spinning wheels. Those school children in the remote village of the kingdom who cannot even avail printed images of Saraswati simply worship their books. However, with the change in time and emergence of new technologies, new tools of learning like computers, which are the prime source of global information acquired through the Internet, writing tools like PDAs are worshipped on this day nowadays.

As many things being prefixed with e, the mode of worshipping the goddess of lore has also changed. The hardware of the past is being gradually replaced with software. Recently, a local information technology (IT) company has developed new software that enables you to perform religious rites through Internet. So Nepalis living abroad can worship the divine source of knowledge through Internet, as her images may not be available there.

One may argue that this write-up has overshadowed the importance of Basanta Panchami in other respects, but this scribe being a student himself could not help speaking good of his divine source of learning, Goddess Saraswati.

Many educational institutions like schools and colleges make special arrangements on this day with a view to helping the learners to beseech more knowledge from the Goddess in an organized way.

This has another significance. It is believed that those who begin learning on this day would turn out to be successful learners. Therefore, parents wait for this occasion to get their children enrolled on schools and even the grownups who want to venture in new realm of learning believe this day to be an auspicious day for beginning. On this day a special ceremony is held at the Basantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu, the first Royal Palace of the Shah dynasty, as the palace was inaugurated on this day in 1768. A chanting of religious scriptures Basanta Sharavan is organized on this day and His Majesty the King accompanied with high-ranking government officials visit the Palace today.

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