The River Nile flows silent and full through the deserts of Egypt. Like
a beautiful woman with full hips and rounded breasts filled with milk, the Nile is like a mother who
nurtures her people. She
is majestic and regal, she is a deep blue. A great civilization flourished
on her banks. Like a lotus
stalk, the Nile meanders for many miles of sandy landscapes, bearing witness
to many lives and
finally blooms at the ocean, unfurling her petals into the
oneness of the vast sea.
Drums roll and the terrible tragedy of brother against brother is watched
in horror by Queen
ISIS. Her husband, King Osiris is slaughtered, his body hacked into 14
pieces and scattered in
various directions. Egypt, the land of the blue lotus, is plunged into
grief and famine. The lotus
withers. A determined ISIS, queen of magic and wisdom, patiently gathers
all the parts and
wraps them in linen (the first instance of mummification). Through her
magic powers she turns
herself into a giant bird and invokes special 'mantras' to resurrect the
spirit of her dead
husband. ISIS is impregnated and secretly gives birth to her son Horus,
the future ruler of Egypt.
ISIS sanctifies her son with the waters of the Nile and lets him float
on a lotus leaf. A son is born,
the sun rises, the blue lotus blooms again. The river flows.
INDIA
Water is witness to early morning rituals of music, dance, martial arts
and yoga. The ancient
Indian tradition of learning besides and within the waters is first explored.
Then, the actual
space is sanctified in preparation for the arrival of Goddess LAKSHMI who
rises from the
churning waters of the milky ocean. As the goddesses of wealth, opulence
and wellness
contemplates, she offers her salutations to Vishnu, the lotus-eyed lord,
whose chest she
adorns.
In her avatar as Queen Rukmini, she recognizes that she has her husband's
affection but not his
passion. His ardour remains for only one woman - Radha. With
quiet dignity Rukmini, offers a
lotus floating in the waters to Krishna as a memory of the beloved he has
left behind on the
banks of the Yamuna river. The
river flows...
CHINA
KWAN-YIN, the female Avalokiteswara, is the goddess of compassion and mercy.
Dressed in
white, she guards the lotus pond where the souls reside waiting to enter
the gates of heaven.
She is watchful and wakeful. She dances in the moonlight and sees the misery
and sorrow of
many lives in the sleeping souls. Life itself is harsh and cruel to many
and souls arrive at her
pond battered by destiny, fate and the individual karmas. To these tired
souls, now embalmed
inside the white petals, KWAN YIN shares her healing message of peace and
calm and slowly
sends them on their way. The river still flows...
