Tuesday, May 01, 2012

My Life 365 - The Whirling Dervishes of Istanbul

It is half past two in the morning- thirty seven minutes past two to be precise. I can't sleep and I can't dub it as jet lag. Travelling back from a holiday in a country that is only two and a half hours behind India cannot give you a jet lag. I sense it is a sort of restlessness, a sense of needed to do something that I haven't before. As with many things in life, I'd rather start today than postpone it till tomorrow and there is no better time like now. I'm definitely not getting much sleep for sure. 


So here is what I now propose to do - My Life 365 - As of the first day of May, I aim to start a chronicle. Most days, the posts might be better dubbed as post-lets, tiny vignettes. I shall endeavour to post a photograph along with the post as well. 


Some thoughts will be borrowed, others blue, some old and others new - and no, I'm not on a wedding chronicle mode either... I guess it will shape itself as I proceed. This is a series I aim to complete in 365 days - no more, no less. If there are days when I have a longer story to tell you, I shall continue with my other posts as well. Compulsions are compulsions and this blog is my whipping horse. Some days to soar with the wind wild in my hair, on others to canter. 


Now wouldn't it be really lazy if my first post of My Life 365 was just a statement of intent? So here goes - 


The Whirling Dervishes of Istanbul 

My mind still whirls as I think of that chilly night in Istanbul - when I sat in semi-darkness in a large room along with a few other 'patrons', patiently waiting for the men to arrive. They did shortly after, in their Mevlevi fez caps and sombre black robes, arms crossed as if hiding a secret within. The anticipation by the time they arrived was at a fever pitch, for by then the musicians had struck a rather melancholic note, almost plaintive. You wonder at how much depth of feeling three rather unfamiliar instruments can invoke within you when accompanied by sonorous chants of Sufi poetry in Persian that you may not even comprehend.

I caught the dance of the Dervishes or the Sama ceremony at a hotel in Istanbul. The purists might call it an assault, just the way we Indians often think that Bharatanatyam or Kathak performed at a club as a deliberate degradation of  the respect that the classical dance forms deserve. However, for me, the whirling dervishes were a revelation - an expression of abandonment as the soul and spirit merge with the elevated sense of being - call it God or the Divine Power.



For those, who haven't heard of the Whirling Dervishes- here is some trivia- facts I have gathered and therefore I shall try to be as factually correct as I can. The Mevlevi order is a Sufi sect that originated in Konya in Turkey. Lovers of Sufism flock there to date, to understand the essence and soul of Islam as preached by the Sufis (though the conservative reading of Islam is hardly tolerant of the Sufi inclination towards dance and music), in particular the 13th century poet Rumi. Those that sink into the sea of devotion that Sufism preaches emerge from it as dervishes - at least that's how I imagine it. If you love to know more about these times and ages, I recommend Orhan Pamuk's My Name is Red. Pamuk's protagonists are illustrators not dervishes. However, his word sketches of the Istanbul of the bygone era are so evocative that you emerge at the other side wanting to meet his characters - the illustrators and the mystics, the Sufis and their dervishes. I went to watch the dervishes seeking a momentary glimpse into their union with the force that not only enriches them spiritually but also dissolves them into tame submission.

Through the whirling dervishes, I peeked into the rich past of Islamic history that Constantinople, the Istanbul of yore lived out as present. The white skirts of the Dervishes swept me away too on a psychedelic journey. At the end of the performance, when they bowed their heads with their arms crossed in submission, I realised that I was just a humble speck in the massive tapestry of human civilisation - its culture and chronicles.



16 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing the delights of psychedelic journey in Turkey!

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    1. :) Thanks Rahul..what do you think of the Life 365 idea?? :)

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    2. Will wait for your stories:)

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    3. Superb!!! :) I'm just hoping I don't run out of steam after a grand start..:)

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  2. Turkey is such an exciting country - resting on Europe and Asia, with it's Roman,Byzantine and Ottoman heritage.

    How did it feel to watch the dervishes perform?

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    1. It is an awesome experience...I am not much of a religious person, but I felt linked spiritually. It is easy to see how you can lose yourself in that trance-like mode. Much recommended! In fact, over the days, I have more stories to share from the Roman, Byzantine and the Ottoman eras...:)

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  3. Life 365 is an interesting concept Journomuse...and thanks for sharing something so interesting. I have never travelled to Europe so I'm pretty clueless about the culture there but looking forward to reading your chronicles!

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    1. Psych Babbler, I haven't been to Australia either..is very high on my visit list now..:) Have seen a teeny-tiny bit of Europe, let's see, the travel list grows longer, but I want to see how Life 365 shapes up. I just wanted to have a disciplined stab at putting on record things that have intrigued me during my travels! :) Do keep coming back, it is always wonderful to read your comments...:)

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  4. I have always wanted to see the whirling dervishes. I can imagine what an uplifting experience it would have been!

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    1. We have to talk sooon...I did all the things I wanted to do after reading voraciously about the Byzantine, Ottoman and Roman influences on Constantinople and later Istanbul..:) The Dervishes were awesome...You know, there I met a set of Indian girls, my age ( single and footloose like me too) who had spent two weeks doing a course on Sufism and the lives of the dervishes..:) How cool is that?? :)

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  5. Do you mean to say you are going to write for the next 365 days?? *confused* if the answer is an yes, yipeeeeeeeee!! *does a little virtual jig*

    Those pictures are superb eh?

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    1. Yes, R's Mom, that's the uphill task I'm setting for myself..which is why I call the posts as post-lets, doing full-fledged posts every day might be difficult. But every post will have atleast one photograph clicked by me that made me want to post about it..:) There are so many places to talk about, so much trivia to share, so I came up with this idea... And I must must confess publicly, your prolific posting has been an inspiration to attempt this...Keep me company so that I don't flag in this mission..:)

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  6. Best wishes, my dear Deepthy, for ur "Life 365" project.

    When I was posting on my blog once a week,
    the trick was to prepare many pieces or drafts,
    esp when the juices were flowing,
    so that I had a reserve supply, when I fell dry.

    I look fwd to ur passion. The least is u will learn discipline.
    Lots of love. Take care.

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    1. That's wonderful advice as always Joe. Will just follow it.

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  7. The picture is just awesome. And the whirling dervishes, the first time I saw that was in Jodha Akbar. Wonderful description Deepthy!

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    1. :) Thanks Jenny...this is the best photograph I captured from the evening I think. You know the only difference from what we saw in Jodha Akbar is the music. We can relate to the Indian Sufi kind of songs..the Konya kind is more like chants with instruments that are alien. So it makes the whole experience more foreign than Sufi singing and dances would have us believe..:) Do keep reading the series..would love to hear from you! :)

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