239. At the Sangama of Poetry & Song

lines of ink from the indian summer festival.

Note: Vancouver residents, I am selling prints in-person at Lonsdale Quay Market in North Van today from 11am until 6pm. Come say hello!

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Dear reader,

The confluence of different bodies of water is called by the Sanskrit word sangama, संगम (pronounced sung-um). At the sangama of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers in India, every ~12 years (in time with the orbit of Jupiter around the Sun) Hindus celebrate the Kumbh Mela, the largest religious gathering on Earth. The Vedas say that a dip in these waters can wash away sins. Where the dark colours of the Yamuna meet the light colours of the Ganga, the human soul may find enlightenment.

At the Indian Summer Festival on Granville Island, under a blue sky with white clouds like gentle balls of cotton, a great sangama of poetry and music occurred¹. In the role of official (sneaky) artist, I was there to bear witness. The memories of this fleeting confluence are preserved with lines of ink, and they are the subjects of today’s post.

The SneakyArt Post is a publication of secretly drawn art of the world. Every week, I share the latest pages from my sketchbooks, and thoughts from observing the beauty of this world we share.

If you like seeing my lines in your inbox, share them with someone else who might enjoy them too?

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🇮🇳 At the Indian Summer Festival

Tamil classical singer Shruti Ramani with her jazz collective Raagaverse.

📺 The jazz fusion music of Raagaverse

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Poetry and song as dusk falls late on a summer eve.

📺 The poetry of Jillian Christmas

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Faith, and folk, and electronica.

“In the beginning, god created humanity.
When humanity got too proud, god created death.
When death got too proud, god created art.”

- Arthur Flowers

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Raga Bhimpalasi under the afternoon sun.

The joy of drawing live music is unmatched. Vibe catching vibe, resonating across the spectra of sound and light and line. A giving, and a taking. An art of art.

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🍼 Meanwhile

Rohan is interacting with books.

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💻 Zoom workshops are back in the calendar, expect another email this week with dates and links!

💌 This month, take 20% off all prints in my e-store by using code [SNEAKYSALE] at checkout.

📺 Check out the ink-drawing demo from this month’s hangout with readers.

Thank you for reading. I am glad to have a space in your inbox.

1. Interestingly, Sangama is also the name for three ancient, near-legendary gatherings of Tamil poets and writers ~2000 years ago that produced some of the oldest literature of South Asia.