Hope always remains that through tales of decadence magical realities will rise to give life and art another chance…
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1982/marquez-lecture.html
Umberto Eco revisits Middle Ages
It is intriguing how Umberto Eco went back in Time to visit an era which enriched human civilization. Read his excellent interview here…
Paris Review – The Art of Fiction No. 197, Umberto Eco
http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/5856/the-art-of-fiction-no-197-umberto-eco
City Records
New names are added to city records every week
Properties change hands
Belonging to none
Land gets title
Gets owned and disowned
Dusty city records
Become testimonials
Of passage of Time and People
A Musical Take on Decadence
There is a nice reference to the idea of being ‘decadent’ in Marianne Faithfull’s interview here . Its something to ponder upon…are we psychologically tuned to be decadent? But Marianne Faithfull has such a creative musical force within her that she has shown the world how not to let it destroy the mind and body, how to rise to be a witness to the universal decadence and heal the wounds that real decadent society inflicts upon our land and souls…
An Old Haunted House
Isn’t this compelling? Once upon a time an Englishman lived here, probably with his family. Present caretakers told us everything inside has been stolen. This colonial heritage awaits renovation…
Another Tale of Our Decadence
Fox News Latino: Doomsday Disaster! The so-called Mayan Apocalypse didn’t occur, but an ancient temple nearly met its end. Tourists in Guatemala for “end of the world” parties last week have damaged an ancient stone pyramid at Tikal, noted as the largest archeological site of the ancient Mayan civilization. “Sadly, many tourists climbed Temple II and caused damaged,” said Osvaldo Gomez, a technical adviser at the site to local media, to The New York Daily News. “We are fine with the celebration, but (the tourists) should be more aware because this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.” FULL STORY: http://fxn.ws/10jeE7i Original Facebook Status: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=104628022923934&v=wall&story_fbid=441065195946880 Sent via TweetDeck (www.tweetdeck.com)
Shaniwar Wada – Historical Palace Fort
Pune is an important historical city in India. Here too, within city limits there are many protected monuments. Shaniwar Wada is one of them. It was built in 1746, destroyed by fire in 1828. In spite of destruction what remains is a strong big fortress, a reminder of the historical era of rise of Maratha empire and its fight with reigning Mughal empire. Sadly, its not well-maintained due to the cultural decadence of our mindset.
Old Synagogue Hidden in the Bylanes of Calcutta
It was so difficult to find this one. This protected monument is hidden admist chaotic old market lanes and bylanes. There are only handful of jews in Calcutta so its locked and opened rarely. Beautiful structure lost in the decadence of mad chaotic city.
Walking around an Old City
I like walking around on old city roads. One never knows what relic from past is hiding behind modern buildings. There are protected monuments in every city of the world which bear testimony of time that has gone by.
These archaeological relics tell us about the art and architectural changes the city has witnessed through ages. Ironically, these decaying relics of the past seem more glorious than new glass facades of the modern buildings. Is past undergoing decadence or the present itself has become symbolic of decadence of human mind and art?
Mad Decadence 