Culture

For decades, Hollywood has portrayed African American men in a negative light. From pimps, and drug dealers to thugs and womanizers, the portrayal of Black men in the media have led to numerous stereotypes that have ultimately determined how many view an entire group of people.

Moreover, the stereotypical portrayals of Black men, have even led young African American Americans to view themselves in a negative light also. For many young African American males, the negative stereotypes perpetuated by the mainstream media, only reinforces, negative opinions of them, because Black men who fit a negative stereotype surround many.

Seeing Black men as drug dealers and deadbeat fathers leads some to believe that they are not real Black men unless they live a life of negativity. The portrayal of African American men in films such as Waiting to Exhale and Diary of a Mad Black Woman have led many Black women to believe that there are not any good Black men around, and that those no go good men are the reason for the turmoil that sometimes exist in Black relationships.

However, two upcoming films, The Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith and his son Jaden, and Diary of a Tired Black Man by first time filmmaker Tim Alexander attempt to change stereotypes by portraying Black men from a brother’s perspective.

Will Smith’s role in The Pursuit of Happyness is based on the true story of Chris Gardner, a single father who transforms his life from homeless to a multi-millionaire.

Raised by a single mother, Gardner knew at an early age that he wanted to be a constant presence in his son’s life. Although he lacked a lot of material possessions and wealth, his mother, Bettye Jean Gardner, preached to her children that they could one day be a millionaire.

After a stint in the military, Gardner moved to San Francisco to pursue a career as medical supplies salesperson. Barely making enough to support his girlfriend and son, Gardner’s life changed drastically when he met a Ferrari driving stocker broker who earned $80,000 a month.

Influenced by his conversation with the stockbroker he quit his job to pursue a career on Wall Street. Despite being a high school dropout, he convinced a company to give him a chance, even though he did not have the required education.

Unfortunately, when he arrived for his first day at work, he realized the man that had hired him no longer worked there, and his opportunity had left with him.

Gardener managed to get a job with a stockbroker, but was unable to live at his boarding house because they did not allow children, and therefore they ended up without a roof over their head.

Sleeping in such places as public parks with his young son on his back, Gardner remembered the lessons taught by his mother, and with a lot of prayer and dedication, Gardner was eventually able to take his son from public parks to the penthouse.

Tim Alexander’s first feature film, Diary of a Tired Black Man began as a three-minute clip he made simply to display some young Black actors he had been working with.

Frustrated by failed relationships, involving what he calls “angry sisters,” Alexander attempted to write a short script that would be the Black man’s answer to recent male-bashing films.

Although he is well aware that many African American women face challenges dealing with insensitive Black men, Alexander wanted to present the fact that there are many good brothers out there. Many would love to hook up with their ideal sisters, but because of such things as negative attitudes, find themselves at a crossroad in their dealing with Black women.

The clip centers on James who visits his ex-wife’s house to pick up his daughter, accompanied by a female companion who happens to be White. His ex-wife and her friends bombard him with insults for dating a White woman, saying he went that route because he could not handle a strong Black woman. James blames the Black women for their inability to keep a man on their anger and penchant for drama.

Although Alexander’s clip has generated much controversy in the African American community, he said that his film is not focusing on all Black women, just those who bring anger from previous relationships into new situations, and eventually drive good men away.

The filmmaker believes that many of the issues the Black women have with their male counterparts directly reflects an entire life of hearing negative stereotypes of Black men. Whether they hear it from their mothers or the media, many African American women have preconceived notions of Black men, and when they finally do meet a good Black man, they think something is wrong with them because they are not accustomed to positive relationships between Black men and women.

Unfortunately, many are accustomed to the infidelity and abuse that they witnessed their mothers and loved ones endure at the hands of Black men, and when there is not any drama in their relationships, they try to invent it, which leads many Black men to search for love in other places.

Have you heard about ‘medieval’ words? Medieval days are organizations and events that regularly celebrate the wonder of the middle ages. Maybe you can not live an original medieval life but there are some good ideas you can use the medieval styles as fun and hobby.

1. Decorating a home or a bedroom with the medieval tapestries

You can decorate your home or your room with medieval themes. The themes can help you turn your home into a classic castle. By using medieval tapestries, your rooms will be seem as the middle ages. Before to starting the designs, you need to select medieval themes first. You can design the scheme to match some rooms. This way can be easier and better than trying to do the designs without the scheme. For example, you can set themes of the wine harvest of the middle age to a dining room. These themes show peasants harvesting the grapes in agricultural field. You can design a home as Victorian style of the middle age. Make the home become as the older classic homes with higher ceilings and larger spaces are perfect for the middle ages. By using faux finishes, you make many rooms look older and more luxurious. For the last 1,000 years the medieval tapestries are admired as the most beautiful palaces and homes in the world. This way makes your home seems as a king palace.

2. Stay in the castles

The tourist industry has big influences to the medieval for many years. And has creative travels in that many real castles of Europe. The castles’s management allow bed and breakfast facilities for their tourists. These facilities are very fancy and expensive. And you can get the facilities as a king for many days. People hold a good fascination of the lifestyle of the medieval. By using this way, you can have fabulous experience in the modern world because the middle ages were unusual periods in our history. England, Scotland and Italy have many well-known travel destinations for the medieval. You can choose one of them. You will find a relaxed way of these lifestyles.

3. ‘Medieval’ party

In the middle ages, people’s clothing styles are depended on that their role in society. Each class had unique clothing styles. For example, the kings, the queens, the princes and the princesses had the most expensive and extravagant types of clothing. They used damask fabrics dyed, silk an diamonds in their clothing.

For the medieval events or Halloween day or other events, medieval clothings are popular choices for many lovers of the middle ages. No matter which medieval clothing you choose, prince, king, knight, princess or queen fashions are definitely be closely following your wish. These clothings come with a cowl, gloves, tunic, belt and boot. You will be fun with the medieval clothing in the party event.

4. Join To an organization

You can join to a SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) organization. SCA is an international organization established for researching and recreating the European arts of the middle ages. It always sponsors big events of the middle ages. For example, Renaissance Faires.

When it comes to getting the best in cuisine, we often look to good, old fashioned favorites we grew up with. For me, that would mean taking a look at authentic Mexican recipes that bring a piece of Mexico into my home. This is a delicious cuisine that is surprisingly healthy, but I have to admit, I have a soft spot for Tex-Mex cuisine as well. Too often I get asked, “What is the difference?” The difference is actually quite profound, but both cuisines are definitely popular today, and knowing how to tell the difference can save a lot of embarrassment as well as a lot of calories.

Authentic Mexican recipes. That is a term you will see all over the internet, and quite frankly, the term is used loosely. This leads to a lot of people believing Tex-Mex cuisine is the real deal. Let us take a look at what both cuisines are, and what the difference actually is when comparing these two delicacies.

Authentic Mexican recipes are going to be filled with a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. Real Mexican food is a bright coalition of healthy, fresh ingredients generally baked to perfection. The food is inherently healthy with little cheese or sour cream. In fact, salsa is one of the healthiest foods on the planet! Salsa is made without added sugars or vinegars, and this makes a real salsa a wonderfully healthy addition to any meal or snack. Add in freshly baked tortilla chips and you have a snack or addition to any meal that will tantalize the taste buds while offering vitamins and nutrients you need during your day.

Tex-Mex cuisine is generally going to be filled with a lot of the same ingredients, but you will find a lot of fatty cheeses are used. In addition, a lot of the foods will be deep fried which makes a healthy dish not so healthy. The fact is that it is not the foods or ingredients that are unhealthy; it is how the foods are prepared. Baked foods are always healthier than fried foods due to the lack of being fried in grease. While Tex-Mex cuisine is delicious and preferred by most, authentic Mexican recipes are healthy by default.

Not only are these foods delicious, but they are also brilliant in color and presentation. With vibrant greens, yellows, and reds, any meal is going to start feeding your senses as soon as it is presented. That is the beautiful of authentic Mexican recipes – they bring that vibrancy into your home for easy preparation. When you need healthy and delicious, the best foods in all of Mexico will surely be a crowd pleaser!

When it comes to comparing Tex-Mex cuisines and the best of authentic Mexican recipes, you will find that preparation is everything. You will get the real taste of Mexico in vibrantly colored dishes that will surely be a favorite for years to come. Whichever one you choose, you can rest assured you are making a decision that is best for you and your family. Whether you are appreciating the delicious of fried or baked, you are getting a delicious meal best suited to you.

Maine, a northeastern state in the United States of America, is home to a number of famous and remarkable people. Among these famous people are writer Stephen King, actress Liv Tyler and songwriter Dan Fogelberg.

Dan Fogelberg

The late Daniel Fogelberg was born in Peoria, Illinois, but lived in Deer Isle in Maine until his death on December 15, 2007. Dan Fogelberg is known for his classic songs like Leader of the Band, whose lyrics talk about a son’s appreciation of his father’s training him both in the family and in music.

Dan Fogelberg was born on August 31, 1951 to parents of musical backgrounds. His father, Lawrence Peter Fogelberg, was a high school band director for Peoria Woodruff and Perkin High Schools. His mother, Margaret Young Fogelberg, was a classic pianist.

As a child, Dan Fogelberg was a self-taught pianist and slide guitarist. When he reached the age of 14, he joined a Beatles cover band called The Clan. 2 years later, he would join another cover band, The Coachmen. As part of The Coachmen, Fogelberg released two singles entitled “Maybe Time Will Let Me Forget” and “Don’t Want to Lose Her.” By the 1980s, he was part of Frankie and the Aliens, who occasionally covered songs by Cream and Muddy Waters.

Fogelberg’s solo effort was not without failures, despite the success of later releases. His 1971 debut album was not received warmly, but in 1974 he bounced back with his second album “Souvenirs” which helped make him an instant hit. After Souvenirs, he released several other successful albums up until the 1980s.

In 2002, Fogelberg was one of 10 people inducted into the Performers Hall of Fame at the Red Rocks Ampitheatre in Morrison, Colorado.

Fogelberg found out he was afflicted with prostrate cancer at an advanced stage after an examination in May 2004. Although it was too late to eliminate the cancer, it was stopped from spreading through therapy. After three years, he died of prostrate cancer with his wife by his side.

Stephen King

A successful writer of horror fiction novels, Stephen King is a man born and continuing to live in Maine. He was born on September 21, 1947 in Portland, Maine, just after World War 2. King was raised by his mother after his father Donald Edwin King left them in 1949.

People thought King’s apparent witnessing of a friend’s death under the tracks of a train was the catalyst for the dark nature of his novels. However, King dismisses this - he doesn’t remember the event - and says the cover art of an H.P. Lovecraft short story collection (a monster within a cavern found under a tombstone) sparked the light bulb in his head for the type of stories he wanted to write.

King’s first successful novel was Carrie, which was released on Mother’s Day in 1973. Published by Double Day, Carrie is the story of a girl with psychic powers. It earned King US$400,000, with US$200,000 of the figure going to Double Day.

The success of Carrie earned King a positive reputation. All his other novels were commercial successes and were adapted into films. Two of these novels were Pet Sematary and The Green Mile, with the latter made into a film starring award-winning actor Tom Hanks.

Designer clothing has been around for decades and it is likely that we will see further developments in the future in terms of designer clothing.

The fashion industry is constantly changing, and with even the current trends at the moment changing, it is hard to predict exactly what we may see in the future. There are many directions that the current trend could take over the coming weeks, and then after that it will break off into further directions. What we do know is that the shape of the fashion industry is in the hands of those who choose new fashions. Fashion designers are always looking for new ways to improve and expand the current trends and designs, and as a result we are starting to see a huge range of ideas entering the field.

If we look at the past, fashion did not used to be a huge factor in our everyday lives, we did not see clothes as something to show off, there was simply a fine line between the rich and the poor. Over the years it changed and it developed and fashion started to become a significant factor when it came to clothing and accessories. The sixties was a notable decade for fashion; with so much going on it showed promise for the future of fashion. Of course, there were good years, and there were bad years, but they were the essential building blocks to what we see today.

But what can we expect in the future? There are many possible outcomes that we may see. There are already many fashion trends in the space of a year, just imagine if the amount of fashion trends were to increase. This would mean that it would be changing faster than it already is, this would mean that a lot more profit would be made for fashion designers, however, this could be overruled considering the overall choice that there currently is. Do not forget that the future could hold many new potential fashion designers also, which means that for the customers there could me much more choice in terms of brand. This could in fact cause a drop in prices across competitors for the sake of more sales and profits. Unfortunately the fashion industry does seem to be very profit focused and this could develop into a problem if we do not act. Prices could soar and many of us could be non-the wiser and wasting away our money on fashions that may not last even a month. There are many potential high points and many potential low points, but as of yet we can only speculate.

Overall the fashion industry is in store for many changes in the future to come, the sheer rate of change in this industry just shows how different it could be in the years to come. We could see a huge increase in fashion trends in the space of a year. There are many possible outcomes based on the many directions the fashion industry is taking, but as of now we can only speculate, as only time will tell.

I have always loved Star Trek, from the original series beginning in 1969 to the ever present reruns on television just about any day. Admirable characters, a stern but humane Starfleet code to live by, lots of action (but no gore) and the wonder of new frontiers. Traveling in glistening starships several hundred years in the future, facing all types of dangers. Great television, but the reality we are spiraling into will be very different.

First consider the Enterprise crew; basically, they are no different than you or me. Okay, Mr. Data is the exception, but all the others are plain old biological humans, even if wearing Vulcan ears. It’s as if technology hadn’t progressed over the next centuries. Sure, the hardware is more sophisticated — phasors instead of pistols — but everything seems very familiar.

Consider Captain Picard, the leader of the Enterprise. First of all, he looks like your old high school math teacher. Medium build, medium height, hair just about gone. Nice guy, pretty smart, but no exceptional or unusual powers. Not directly linked to computer intelligence, no implants to enhance his senses, no nanobots in the bloodstream regulating biological processes. Bor-ing!

By the way, how old is Picard? I always wondered about that. With the wrinkles and the hair, he looks late forties, but it’s hard to tell. Actually, nobody in the crew seems very old. Hey, they all act age appropriate, and from their conversations, it seems everyone is in the twenty to forty range. It appears they experience about the same aging process as we do here in the first decade of the twenty-first century.

Now that’s just ridiculous. In 1900, the average lifespan was about forty-nine years, while now it’s pushing eighty. As science continues to learn more about human biological processes, we will develop cures for many of the diseases that cut our lives short. In addition, we will develop a much better understanding of the aging process, enabling us to tune up our bodies and stretch out normal lifespans. Tiny nanobots in our cells will monitor, report and regulate many of our biological processes. By the middle of this century, the average lifespan in the developed nations should be well over one hundred years.

Our bodies will change dramatically during the next few decades. Hell, it’s already happening. Look at all the mechanical replacements now available. Hip, shoulder, elbow, tooth, artery and knee replacements are commonplace. Contact lenses and hearing aids enhance our senses. Mechanical legs allow the severely injure to walk, even run, again. I’ve seen a paralyzed man control his personal computer through thoughts that interface with a network.

How much will we accomplish during the next few decades? Well, for one thing, we will be able to replace virtually any part of our skeleton system. Bone broken, joints wearing out? Replace them. Want to think faster, move with more agility? The nanobots in our cells can become a computer network that responds hundreds of times faster than our neurons. Need more and better information at your fingertips? Forget about fingertips. A wireless interface between nanobots in your brain and computer databanks will allow you pull down whatever processed information you need. How about a second heart? A mechanical heart could reduce the pumping load on your biological heart, maybe take over during a heart attack. Better yet, eliminate the need for a heart with blood cells that power their own mobility.

But that’s just the start. Artificial intelligence will eventually dominate biological intelligence. And let me cue you in, it’s a short eventually. Here’s what I mean. Your brain processes information relatively slowly. Computer hardware is already much faster and the difference is growing year by year. On a pure horsepower basis, AI beats the brain’s processing. Of course, you need much more than fast computer hardware, the software has to be in place, too.

Let’s separate AI into two classes, weak AI and strong AI. Strong AI is general purpose intelligence, the ability to handle a wide variety of tasks at the same or higher level than a human. Weak AI is designed to process a very limited number of tasks, for instance, playing chess or walking.

Strong AI is still some years away, maybe decades, but weak AI is available in many areas. Most of us know that IBM’s Big Blue computer can defeat the best human chess players. Robots can hit a baseball or dance (check out my videos), although not at the level of the best humans. Not yet, anyway.

However, it’s clear that we are only a few decades from seeing very intelligent computers approach and then exceed human intelligence. Humans will need to link into networked AI just to stay competitive with our computers. But that’s just delaying the inevitable. In the end, our biological brains won’t cut it. Blood and flesh is just too slow and inflexible. In the second half of this century, we will be able to download our personal intelligence into robots. Mr. Data isn’t too bad an example of what humanity will become.

But the story doesn’t end there. Mr. Data’s brain, while much faster than a human brain, is still constrained by limited size. A networked intelligence will outperform a single Mr. Data, so that’s the direction science will drive us. Maybe Star Trek has a pretty good example, after all. It’s called the Borg.

Please realize a networked intelligence need not be evil. The Borg could very easily be a beneficial superintelligence, with all units working toward a good purpose. Or many good purposes. Each individual would very likely retain his or her unique personality, rather than being stamped out of one mold. A diverse set of androids networked together would seem to have greater survival capabilities than one individual repeated over and over.

And it would be a lot more fun. Imagine how close you would become to the people you love. In addition to the physical intimacy we now enjoy with our flesh and blood bodies, think about the emotional intimacy of joining your lover’s mind through the net. Step aside, Vulcan mind-meld!

Misunderstandings would be cleared up, feelings and thoughts immediately transmitted and received. I could describe the sex, but it’s not that kind of article.

Due to the wide expanse of the world that the internet reaches, people are able to make online jewelry selections from jewelers in many locations. People expect to find superior quality fine jewelry when they shop at internet jewelry retailers and due to the honesty of those retailers, very few customers are ever disappointed. People shop jewelry selections and find great discounts online on any jewelry needs.

Some selections are found through online auction sites. Shopping icons are posted on every retail site that is a proven provider of quality jewelry items. Those certified through trade organizations that monitor internet retail sales are the most reliable and most popular places to shop for fine jewelry on the internet because those shops, which bear those prestigious emblems, have passed quality assurance tests on the various jewelry pieces that they offer.

Other jewelry retailers often trade in second-rate jewelry items that show visible signs of how they were shoddily put together and customers search further on the internet to find better quality jewelry at more affordable prices. The selections that are worth buying do not necessarily have to contain precious metals, but customers expect to get quality jewelry for the money that they spend everyday. These selections can range from fad styles that are perfect for school age children to fine jewelry selections made with the finest materials.

The jewelry pieces offered could include fine gemstones or those raw and unrefined. Online shoppers can expect to find any type of gemstone for sale on the internet and in any type of setting that they desire. These selections extend to bracelets, rings, earrings, necklaces and jewelry accessories for the toes. Every part of the body can be adorned with jewelry and people can afford to buy as much as they like because these fine selections are priced low.

Online shoppers of jewelry can find valuable resources to read when they visit jewelry stores because the jeweler wants customers to understand exactly what they are buying. Jewelry with terms attached such as filigree, solid gold and gold plated will be priced differently and some customers might not realize the differences until it is too late. Online jewelers want customers to be happy with the selections of masterpieces they make because return business is important to the success of the company.

Most online jewelry shoppers will search for great deals on jewelry and expect other bargains as well. Online jewelry shops often offer customers free shipping if the purchase total reaches a certain point. These jewelry selections can be custom order to fit any unusual needs and customers appreciate that type of versatility at the places where they shop for jewelry online.

Jewelry can be purchased and mailed anywhere in the world which makes shopping for jewelry online the perfect method for buying jewelry items as gifts during the holiday season. Any online jewelry selection can be gift wrapped and shipped the same day, which is a very convenient option that most land-based jewelry stores are not able to offer their customers. There are many advantages for opting to purchase your jewelry online over those offered at land-based stores. Variety is the key reason customers turn to the internet to shop for jewelry and people keep shopping online for more because of the low prices offered for such fashion accessories.

If you love Native American Rattles, you will definitely benefit from adding them to your drumming circles and powwows. Rattles are intriguing Native American icons representing Indigenous people and their unique customs. They are also among the most used musical instruments for playing in Indian ceremonies throughout most Indian tribes. Rattles, for hundreds of years and for the majority of American Indians, have always had a great part in the spiritual world as well as for use in social gatherings.

As you study the fascinating history of American Indians and their use of Native American rattles, you will learn that they are symbolic among the Indigenous people and are essential to the tribal rituals in which they are played. It is said that they represent the animal, plant, and mineral kingdoms. The animal kingdom is exemplified in the form of the container or decorative feather of the rattle. The mineral kingdom is represented by the stones that create the sound or also by the paint used for the artwork depicted on the rattle. And, the plant kingdom is symbolized by the handle.

When researching the uses of Native American rattles and how they are played, you will find that nearly every Indigenous culture including the Navajo culture, play rattles in their ceremonial rituals. Among the many variations of Indian rattles, including the highly sought-after gourd rattles and turtle shell rattles, the simple rawhide rattle is the most used in Native American tribes. The figures, such as the Navajo bear or Navajo eagle, used in the artwork pictured on the rattles, vary with each tribe. You will find it intriguing that the various tribes including the Cherokee, Navajo, Apache, Pueblo, Zuni and Hopi, can all be recognized by the differences of the beautiful art on their hand crafts. Something these people do have in common is that they all play rattles in various ceremonial rituals and as part of music, dance, medicine and spirituality.

The Native rattles are really very exquisite and are made using a variety of natural materials such as turtle shell, leather, rawhide, bead work and Native American feathers. Fur, fringe, seeds, rocks, antlers, horns, bones and shells are used to create that unique Indian style. Clay beads, blue corn, manzanita seeds or small smooth stones such as those found near the opening of an ant hill, are also sometimes placed in the rattles to create the unique sound.

Indian culture has always used music, songs, stories and legends to express their cultural beliefs and traditions to each other and to the outside world. It is in harmony with these forms of learning that rattles have come to be a significant aspect in the ritualistic ceremonies of the Indigenous people.

That is why there is nothing more fascinating than owning authentic Indian musical instruments and hand crafts. You can easily buy Native rattles online and sometimes in stores that sell southwest decor. If you are intrigued by authentic Indian musical instruments, or are trying to find the best instrument to play in your drumming ceremonies, you will definitely enjoy the wonderful sound of Native American rattles.

I had a magic carpet once. It used to soar to a world of monsoon storms, princesses with black braids, ferocious dragons, and talking birds.

“Ek deen chilo akta choto rajkumar,” my father would begin, and the rich, round sounds of the Bangla language took me from our cramped New York City apartment to a marble palace in ancient India.

Americans made fun of my father’s lilting accent and the strange grammatical twists his sentences took in English. What do they know? I thought, perching happily beside him.

In Bangla, he added his own creative flourishes to classic tales by Rabindranath Tagore or Sukumar Roy. He embellished folktales told by generations of ancestors, making me chuckle or catch my breath. “Tell another story, Dad,” I’d beg.

But then I learned to read. Greedy for stories, I devoured books in the children’s section of the library. In those days, it was easy to conclude that any tale worth publishing originated in the so-called West, was written in English, and featured North American or European characters.

Slowly, insidiously, I began to judge my heritage through colonial eyes. I asked my mother not to wear a sari, her traditional dress, when she visited me at school.

I avoided the sun so that the chocolate hue of my skin couldn’t darken. The nuances and cadences of my father’s Bangla began to grate on my ears. “Not THAT story again, Dad,” I’d say. “I’m reading right now.”

My father didn’t give up easily. He tried teaching me to read Bangla, but I wasn’t interested. Soon, I no longer came to sit beside him, and he stopped telling stories altogether.

As an adult, I’ve struggled to learn to read Bangla. I repudiate any definition of beauty linked to a certain skin color. I’ve even lived in Bangladesh to immerse myself in the culture. These efforts help, but they can’t restore what I’ve lost. Once a child relinquishes her magic carpet, she and her descendants lose it forever.

My children, for example, understand only a word or two in Bangla. Their grandfather half-heartedly attempts to spin a tale for them in English, and they listen politely.

“Is it okay to go play?” they ask, as soon as he’s done. I sigh and nod, and they escape, their American accents sounding foreign inside my father’s house.

“Tell another story, Dad,” I ask, pen in hand, and he obliges. My father’s tales still have the power to carry me to a faraway world. The Bangla words weave the same colorful patterns in my imagination.

My pen, however, like his own halting translation, is unable to soar with them. It scavenges in English for as evocative a phrase, as apt a metaphor, and falls short. I can understand enough Bangla to travel with my father but am not fluent enough to take English-speakers along on the journey.

My decision to leave mother tongue and culture behind might have been inevitable during the adolescent passage of rebellion and self-discovery. But I wonder if things could have turned out differently.

What if I’d stumbled across a translation of Tagore or Roy in the library, for example? “Here’s a story Dad told me!” I imagine myself thinking, leafing through the pages. “It doesn’t sound the same in English. Maybe I should try reading it in Bangla.”

Or, what if a teacher had handed me a book about a girl who ate curry with her fingers, like me? Except that this girl was in a hurry to grow up so she could wrap and tuck six yards of silk around herself, just like her mother did.

“Wear the blue sari to the parent-teacher meeting, Ma,” I might have urged.

Chocolate-colored children today have access to more stories than I did. A few tales originating in their languages have been translated, illustrated and published. Characters who look and dress and eat like them fill the pages of some award-winning books. But it’s not enough. Many continue to give up proficiency in their mother tongues and cultures.

“Here’s a story from YOUR world,” I want to tell them. “See how valuable you are? Here’s a book in YOUR language. See how precious it is?”

If we are convincing enough, a few of them might transport us someday to amazing destinations through the power of a well-woven tale.

Indian jewellery dates back 5000 years ago with the use of natural materials found in abundance all over the country. These were in the form of seeds, feathers, leaves, berries, fruits, flowers. Even animal bones, claws, and teeth were used. Today, Indian jewellery are set with precious stones and gems alike in gold, silver, and platinum.

The jewelries although are designed in its original traditional form. Antique as it may look like, but the intricate detailing of the Indian jewellery is beauty in itself. What prompted the Hindus to take pride in this art form was the desire to adorn oneself, thereby beautifying one self. Since India is a gem-bearing country, the resources were endless. Because of this too, the country was beset by invaders from all around.

Transgressing through time and history, Indian jewellery has not remained just a craft, but evolved into an art - both in design and workmanship. For the rulers, jewels were a statement of power, prosperity and prestige. But for the Indian woman, jewellery was and is, even today in many parts considered as a security, the value of which will almost always accentuate, never depreciate.

One of the precious aspect about the Indian jewellery is the temple jewelry design. This Indian jewellery is commonly associated with dancers practicing the dance form of Bharatanatyam or Kuchipudi. This is characterized by some of the finest handwork, painfully crafted by skilled craftsmen and jewelers. From earrings to necklaces to pieces for adorning the hair, feet, hip and even the plait, the temple Indian jewellery that is custom-made, according to the measurements of the customer, is surely an enviable possession.

This Indian jewellery is made with uncut rubies (pucchakallu), emeralds, uncut diamonds (param), pearls, sapphire and other precious stones with the foundation in gold. Though due to the finesse required in crafting it, the time required to deliver the Indian jewellery may sometimes even go up to a year, depending on the number of pieces required. But one sight at the final product and most of customers will forget the agony of their wait. The price range too could be anywhere between Rs. 80,000 for a pair of jhumkas (earrings) to several lakhs for necklaces and other specialized items. A set for a dancer, meeting all her requirements for the perfect adornment could be between Rs. 8,00,000 to Rs. 15,00,000.

“The reason for the expensive nature of temple Indian jewellery is obviously the making charge, which itself is almost one-third of the total cost,” says Kirtilal’s manager Gunashekar.

Other Indian jewelries include the antique Indian jewellery and the Minakari jewellery. The former, antique Indian jewellery, in contrast to its name, it actually relates to the present trend and is in reality considered more of fancy jewellery. While the Minakari jewellery, or enamelling a unique combination of gems, enamel pigments, and precious stones was born as a result of Shah Jahan’s aesthetic vision that transformed enameling into a sophisticated art.

All in all, the trend set by the Hindus for over 5,000 years never ceased the interest of the people to beautify themselves.