Roughness to smoothness – Yoga in the business district

As part of the Urban Yoga in Paris project that I have been doing with Claire for a few weeks, we had the opportunity to take some pictures on “La Défense” located on the west side of Paris. We settled in the business district on a holiday in November 2017.

I had previously published some photos of Yoga on the side of “Le Moretti” , as well as others on the side of the esplanade taken the same day. I voluntarily left these serie of pictures obecause Claire and I had chosen to come to the defense for the big arch. So I decided to leave for a unic post.

The choice was made in order to bring some warmth to the coldness of the marble. Bring grace to these rigid walls, curves at these right angles, a little bit of life and colors.

In a setting that symbolizes a society that keeps pressing us, to format us, to try to get us into molds designed to get the maximum performance from everyone, Claire and I have tried to take it from roughness to smoothness.

Balade sur le canal de l’Ourcq

Paris photographies de rue, en ce mois de novembre 2017 j’ai capturé quelques scènes de vie ordinaires dans les rues de Paris. En passant par le canal de l’Ourcq dans le 19ème, un endroit qui deviens de plus en plus familier pour moi. En effet j’explore les rues du quartier de Crimée et de Riquet en passant par d’un coté à l’autre du canal par un de mes ponts parisien favoris, le pont craqueur de son surnom. Les craquements qu’il faisait lors des passages des trains sur ces voies désaffectés de la petite couronne (anciennes lignes de métro parisien) lui ont valu ce nom. D’ailleurs je n’arrive pas à trouver le nom officiel de ce pont si il en a toujours un ! J’avais fais une série de portrait d’un acteur algérien cet été sur ce même pont. Sur la photo du dessus c’est le pont de la rue de l’Ourcq que l’on voit a droite de la photo d’ailleurs je ne trouve pas le nom de ce pont non plus. Décidément les noms des ponts qui relient le quai de la Marne au quai de l’Oise sont introuvables.

Un regard depuis la fenêtre

Au niveau de la rue Curial en sortant du 104, j’ai vu cette scène où une dame d’un certain age observée depuis sa fenêtre du 1^er étage les passants dont des enfants qui se dirigeaient vers le centre culturelle. J’ai trouvé ce tableau intéressant. Ces scènes de vies ordinaires que je capture font parties de mes séries de photographies de rue Parisienne.

Le repos des guerriers

Comme je l’avais raconté dans l’article “Quadrimetrie“, je garde toujours mes deux yeux ouvert pour prendre mes photos. Durant une de mes séances photos avec Claire sur le thème du Yoga urbain dans le quartier de la défense. J’ai vu cette scène où des ouvriers dans leurs bleu de travail étaient en train de se reposer après une matinée de travail. Assis sur le socle de cette statut de “Louis-Ernest BARRIAS” représentant la défense de Paris. Cette statut remplace celle qui représente Napoléon 1^er. Cette dernière fut démontée en 1870 pour éviter que l’armée prussienne ne s’en empare. Ce qui m’a fait prendre cette photo, c’est ce parallèle entre de ces ouvriers en bas de la stèle et ces guerriers représentés plus haut.

Paris street photography – Le Marais

Ganesh festival – Ganesh chaturthi | Paris 2017

The Ganesh festival takes place in Paris. The temple of Sri Manicka Vinayakar Alayam organizes since 1996 the feast of Ganesh. It is reflected in a large procession in the Chapelle district, also called “Little Jaffna”. Composed of thousands of Hindu faithful and two decorated and flowered chariots, one of which is to welcome the golden bronze statue of Ganesh. The faithful are responsible for making offerings for the protection of the god. These offerings are presented in the form of small baskets of fruit, especially coconut, and they have a special meaning at this festival.

Participants in the Ganesh Day parade are dressed in colorful Indian-style clothing. The most important thing is that they have to walk barefoot. In this respect, all participants parade barefoot on the bitumen. The procession takes place in music and incantations. The faithful recite mantras, little sacred phrases destined for God. Also traditional instruments accompany these invocations, notably the nagaswaram, wind instrument as well as the tavil, percussion instrument. [Source Wikipedia]

Pictures of the Ganesh festival

On this Sunday, August 27th, it was my first Ganesh festival, in 2016 I missed it. I said to myself: next year will have to go! I attended this 22nd edition of the Ganesh festival. Of course equipped you guessed it from my camera. On a warm day in August, the faithful; Women, men and children parades dressed in their beautiful colored clothes. Paradise on songs accompanying tanks where there are replicas of Ganesh. The child God at the head of elephant. Followed by singers and musicians.

In addition blessed offerings, sweets and cold drinks were distributed. Broken coconuts strewn on the bitumen along the way. Their shells symbolize the illusion of the world, the flesh the individual Karma and the water the human ego. Moreover, by breaking the coconuts, one offers his heart to Ganesh. Finally, the feast of Ganesh is a perfect opportunity to discover the worship and rites of the Hindus. Moreover the community is very open minded, at no time to make pictures was a problem.

Myth of Ganesh

Son of Shiva and Parvati, daughter of Himalaya, brother of Skanda or Muruga, Ganesha is a popular God in India, also has t he a rich mythology, which mainly affects his birth and his head ‘elephant.

Concerning his birth, there are essentially two versions: one that makes him born of Shiva, the other of Parvati.

When Shiva creates Ganesh, it is always at the request of the gods, who want to distinguish right from wrong to ensure the success of good enterprises, and the failure of bad ones.

The son of Shiva is in his image, that is to say very beautiful. He seduces all women, which makes him forget his primary task. Also his mother Parvati condemns him to have an elephant’s head and a big belly.

The second version of the myth

In the second version, his mother Parvati is looking for a safe guard to keep his door. She creates Ganesh from the secretassions of her skin. He ascends guard until the day when Siva returns from the field, comes to see her, unfortunately it is not visible, since she bathes. Ganesh forbade entry to Shiva.

It will follow a battle, Ganesh making use of his club, the entrance is still not possible, call Shiva with Vishnu, who uses his maya, ie illusion, to shed Confusion, and so he decapitates Ganesh with his trident. Her mother seeing this requires the rebirth of her son. Immediately Siva’s army headed north, with the mission of cutting off the head of the first living creature it encounters. It was an elephant with only one defense.

Shiva then lays the elephant’s head on the young boy, and gives him life by the power of the word. Ganesh is presented to the gods as the son of Shiva and Parcvati. The goddess, offers him a sweet cakes dish (modaka), and joy Ganesh dance, attracted by the smell a rat out of his hole, it will be the preferred vehicle of Ganesh.

Subsequently Ganesh married the daughters of Brahma, Siddhi (realization), and Buddhi (intelligence). They will each give a son to Ganesh: Kshema (well-being) and Labha (gain).

The sacrifice of the beheading, the passing from mere “gatekeeper” created from impure skin sécrétassions, that of guardian deities higher.

Ganesh the god of success

Ganesh is a God more attached to the earth than to the cosmic order as Shiva or Vishnu. This is what makes him popular, and that he is prayed for the success of a business, ie remove the obstacles. But also for his talents as guardian, in the Indies, Ganesh is very often at the entrance of temples or houses. Ganesh’s trunk is considered an arm, so it is the only God of Hindu mythology, to have an odd number of arms. The 21 is the sacred figure of Ganesh, his favorite colors are red, yellow, white, blue, and green.

In his belly Ganesh contains all the worlds, his great ears only hear good words, and reject the bad, his four arms represent the four Vedas. Finally, Paradise Ganesh is located in the sugar cane juice ocean, on which floats a thousand-petalled lotus supporting the golden throne of Ganesh. Ganesh is in the first chakra, at the base of the spine, he is the master of the Koundalini, and subtle channels. Its sole defense is the symbol of uniqueness and transcendence. And of course Ganesh loves sweet cakes.

Ganesh & Mushika

While Ganesh was still a child, a gigantic mouse began to terrorize all his entourage. Ganesh grabbed her with her lasso and made her her mount. Mushika was originally a gandharva or celestial musician. Having had the misfortune to walk inadvertently on the feet of the rishi Vamadeva he had to undergo his curse and was transformed into a mouse. However, once he had mastered his anger, the sage promised him that one day the gods themselves would bow before him. What happened when his path crossed that of Ganesha.[Source: Temple Ganesh]