Martial arts and folk music

Lorenz, my German friend, told me of a fair taking place on the Auroville campus. I took an auto there. It was filled with stalls selling locally made handicrafts. There was food too. I hadn’t had breakfast. So, I bought a basic meal.

Then someone said the martial arts display was starting! Everyone moved to an adjacent area where chairs had been arranged.

The martial arts performances were similar to what I’d seen at Kalarigram. Seeing them close-up made it a completely different experience.

Watching people wielding dangerous weapons in front of you was frightening. At one point, they got very close to a woman in the audience. She was flinching until the action moved away from her.

They were using real metal swords and whips. I spoke to them afterwards. They said some of the skills required years of training.

Afterwards, Lorenz and I helped put the chairs and tables away. Then we went to his apartment block. He was staying in a ground floor shared apartment with four rooms (one per person) and a kitchen. Whilst he showered, I spoke to one of his flatmates, an Austrian who’d been coming to Auroville for a few years.

Our day was not over! Lorenz and I went to a folk concert. I rode on the back of his motorbike. At first, I found this a bit scary. But I’m getting used to it. Most people move around the campus on bikes/scooters. If you need a ride, you can hitch a ride. People are friendly. They are more than happy to give you a lift if they’re going in your direction. If not, they’ll drop you off somewhere close.

The concert room was packed. The folk music was performed by a woman with a beautiful voice, possibly soprano. The guitarist played beautifully and also, at times, sounded like Tom Yorke of Radiohead.

They played two songs from my favourites playlist.

It was such a serene, beautiful concert. I loved it. And so did the audience. We asked for an encore. The guitarist, who was very sweet, said, “I’ve never been asked to do an encore before!”.

I spoke to both musicians afterwards to tell them how much I enjoyed the concert. They were both so lovely.

On the way back, The Right Path Cafe was closed. So I went to this restaurant opposite my guest house, The Madras Cafe. I ordered a thali, some parathas, and a lemon mint drink. When the meal came it was a feast! And incredibly inexpensive even by Indian standards. I was stuffed by the end. The food was delicious.

I learnt from the owner that my favourite dish was called vatha kulambu. The magic ingredient, which is abundant in the region, is sun-dried black nightshade berries.