The Digital Canvas: Social Media Influence on Santali House Decoration and Wall Painting

Introduction

This essay explores the transformative impact of social media on the traditional Santali practice of house decoration and wall painting, employing visual anthropology as a methodological lens. Traditionally, Santali art forms have been deeply rooted in nature, with motifs reflecting the flora and fauna of their surroundings. However, the advent of social media has introduced a new visual lexicon, with emoticons and emojis increasingly replacing traditional nature-inspired motifs. This essay examines this shift, analyzing the socio-cultural factors driving this change and its implications for the preservation and evolution of Santali artistic traditions.

The Santal, one of India's largest tribal groups, possess a rich cultural heritage expressed through various art forms, including house decoration and wall painting. These practices, traditionally passed down through generations, serve not only as aesthetic expressions but also as symbolic representations of their worldview, beliefs, and connection to nature. However, the advent of social media has introduced new forms of visual communication, impacting traditional art forms and raising questions about cultural preservation and adaptation. This essay delves into this dynamic, examining how social media has influenced Santali house decoration and wall painting, with a particular focus on the replacement of nature-inspired motifs with social media emoticons and emojis.

Visual Anthropology: A Methodological Framework:

Visual anthropology, as a research methodology, provides a powerful tool for understanding the intersection of culture and visual representation. It involves the study of visual materials, such as photographs, films, and art objects, to gain insights into cultural practices, beliefs, and social structures. In this context, visual anthropology allows us to analyze Santali house decorations and wall paintings as visual texts that communicate cultural meanings and reflect social change. By examining the visual elements, motifs, and symbols used in these art forms, we can decipher the cultural narratives embedded within them and understand how they are being transformed by the influence of social media.

Traditional Santali House Decoration and Wall Painting:

Traditionally, Santali house decoration and wall painting have been integral to their cultural identity. The walls of their homes serve as canvases for artistic expression, with women, in particular, playing a central role in creating these visual narratives. The motifs used in these paintings are deeply rooted in nature, reflecting the Santali's close relationship with their environment. Flowers, leaves, trees, animals, and birds are common themes, symbolizing fertility, abundance, and the interconnectedness of all living beings. These motifs are not merely decorative; they carry symbolic meanings and often narrate stories from Santali folklore, mythology, and daily life.

Traditional motiefs in Santali village (photograph taken by Author in February 2025)

The colors used in traditional Santali wall paintings are also significant. Natural pigments, derived from plants, minerals, and earth, are used to create vibrant hues that reflect the Santali's connection to their natural surroundings. The process of creating these paintings is often a communal activity, with women gathering to share knowledge, skills, and stories. This collective engagement reinforces social bonds and strengthens cultural identity.

The Influence of Social Media:

The advent of social media has introduced new forms of visual communication, transforming the way people interact and express themselves. Emoticons and emojis, originally designed to convey emotions in digital communication, have now permeated various aspects of popular culture, including art and design. For the Santali, social media has opened up new avenues for communication and access to information. However, it has also led to the introduction of new visual elements into their traditional art forms.

Santali kids are growing up with smartphones in their villages. With increasing network connectivity, villagers are having smartphones and are exposed to social media.

 

The Shift in Motifs: From Nature to Emojis:

The replacement of nature-inspired motifs with social media emoticons and emojis in Santali wall paintings reflects a significant shift in cultural values and visual communication. Traditionally, Santali art served as a medium for expressing their connection to nature, their beliefs, and their cultural identity. The motifs used in their paintings were deeply symbolic, carrying rich cultural meanings and reflecting their worldview. However, the increasing influence of social media has led to the adoption of new visual symbols that are not rooted in their traditional culture.

Emoticons and emojis, while visually appealing and easily recognizable, lack the depth and cultural significance of traditional Santali motifs. They are often generic and lack the specific cultural context that made traditional Santali art so meaningful. The shift from nature-inspired motifs to emoticons and emojis reflects a broader trend of cultural homogenization, where globalized visual symbols are replacing local and culturally specific forms of expression.

A cartoon character taking a place in the walls of a Santal village (photo taken by the author in February 2025)

Use of trending social media cartoon imoji "Chin Tapak Dum Dum" in a Santali village wall (photo taken by the author in February 2025)

Socio-Cultural Factors Driving the Change:

Several socio-cultural factors contribute to the increasing popularity of emoticons and emojis in Santali wall paintings. Firstly, the younger generation of Santali, who have grown up with social media, are more familiar with these digital symbols than with traditional motifs. They find emoticons and emojis to be a more accessible and relatable form of visual communication. Secondly, social media has exposed the Santali to a wider range of visual styles and trends, including the use of emoticons and emojis in popular culture. This exposure has led to the adoption of these symbols in their own artistic expressions.

A Santali house wall with imojis as wall painting in Galudihi (photo taken by Pratyush Roy, a student of the author)

Thirdly, the use of emoticons and emojis can be seen as a way for the Santali to express their modernity and connect with the globalized world. By incorporating these digital symbols into their traditional art forms, they are signaling their participation in contemporary visual culture. Finally, the ease with which emoticons and emojis can be created and reproduced may also contribute to their popularity. Unlike traditional motifs, which require skill and knowledge to create, emoticons and emojis can be easily replicated, making them a convenient and accessible form of visual expression.

Implications for Santali Artistic Traditions:

The increasing use of emoticons and emojis in Santali wall paintings raises concerns about the preservation and evolution of their artistic traditions. While it is important for cultures to adapt and evolve, there is a risk that the adoption of globalized visual symbols may lead to the erosion of local and culturally specific forms of expression. The replacement of nature-inspired motifs with emoticons and emojis may result in the loss of valuable cultural knowledge and symbolic meanings embedded in traditional Santali art.

However, it is also important to recognize that cultures are dynamic and constantly evolving. The Santali have always adapted and incorporated new influences into their art forms. The use of emoticons and emojis can be seen as a continuation of this process, albeit in a new and digital context. It is possible that these new visual symbols may eventually become integrated into Santali artistic traditions, adding new layers of meaning and expression.

Conclusion:

The influence of social media on Santali house decoration and wall painting is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. The increasing use of emoticons and emojis in these traditional art forms reflects a shift in cultural values, visual communication, and the relationship between the Santali and the globalized world. While there are concerns about the preservation of traditional motifs and cultural meanings, it is also important to recognize the dynamic nature of culture and the potential for new forms of artistic expression to emerge.

Visual anthropology provides a valuable framework for understanding these changes, allowing us to analyze Santali house decorations and wall paintings as visual texts that communicate cultural narratives and reflect social change. By examining the visual elements, motifs, and symbols used in these art forms, we can gain insights into the Santali's evolving relationship with their cultural heritage and the impact of social media on their artistic traditions.

Further research is needed to fully understand the long-term implications of social media on Santali art and culture. It is important to document and preserve traditional Santali motifs and cultural knowledge, while also recognizing the creativity and adaptability of the Santali people. By engaging in open dialogue and collaboration with Santali communities, we can ensure that their artistic traditions continue to thrive and evolve in a way that respects their cultural heritage and embraces new forms of expression.

1. Visual Communication & How it has Impacted Today's Society | IIAD

www.iiad.edu.in

2. The Evolution of Emojis: From Texting to App Design - Universal Stream Solution

www.universalstreamsolution.com

Are we there yet? Bengal Doctors’ protest in the broad spectrum

Symbolic use of spine in the protest march (Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/doctors-gift-a-spine-to-kolkata-police-commissioner-demand-his-resignation/article68601747.ece)

The junior doctors’ protest which rocked West Bengal since August 09 2024, as a junior lady doctor's body was recovered from within the premises of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, one of the most famous medical colleges in the country, demands a broad spectrum analysis.  The incident of rape and murder sparked huge protests with a call to 'reclaim the night’ directive which addressed a spatio-temporal dimensions of vulnerabilities of women in the state, perhaps in the country. It was followed by a series of protests at different places in the state, including some of the villages. Eventually, it engulfed an entire spectrum of people ranging from singers to painters, IT sector employees to students, working women to housewives. The protest ran for months, with a hunger strike by junior doctors and it created a massive upheaval of common people's participation, innovative sloganeering, and songs by famous singers such as Arijit Sing and Shreya Ghoshal. People expected that this protest could end much of the malpractices designed and implemented by the ruling Trinamool Congress (henceforth TMC). One of the most significant anthropological features that came out of the protest is the coexistence of radical self-contradictions, such as, while the protest is political, the Joint Platform of Doctors consciously avoided any party affiliation. The protest is against the administration and existing political regime, but their carefully orchestrated slogans do not talk much of the administration or of the political clout that controls it. While the protest has called for and got people's participation at a large scale, it demanded people forego their political identities and affiliations before coming and participating in the rallies or at the protest sites. This conscious attempt of keeping the movement ‘apolitical’ was replicated at a microscopic level and people chose to participate in rallies which did not carry any party banner.

How to explain this paradox? What does it tell about the political spectrum of the state at large? As we will see, a careful political anthropological analysis would speak a lot about how politics has been constructed in TMC regime, and in what ways this has influenced and won over such an unprecedented protest.

 

TMC's creation of new politics of corruption and violence:

 

TMC came to power with a promise to end the party rule - famously theorised by Dwaipayan Bhattacharyya (2009) as the party society. The Left Front, led by the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPIM) created a detailed and sustained party architecture to rule the state for more than three decades. Party, over the years, with the help of a dedicated cadre base, and a section of educated white-collar professionals such the school teachers installed a system of social mediation which could supersede all other channels of public transactions like the caste and religion. Nath (2018) shows that this created a multilayered mechanism of public transactions. Hence, anyone willing to avail of certain public services had to go through the party, thereby, blurring the boundaries between the party and the government at large. TMC promised to change it. While Ms. Mamata Banerjee ensured that there was no post-election violence at large by asking her followers to play Rabindrasangeet (Tagor's song) as a mark of celebration of Left's defeat in 2011, the immediate fallout was area demarcation and capturing of party offices of the left by the TMC. This was followed by a massive exodus of people from the Left to TMC. Eventually, we have witnessed a breakdown of trade unions and government employees’ associations and pressure groups. Soon, the TMC-run government banned participating in strikes by government employees by making their attendance on such days mandatory.

This was a hint towards the future of the democratic functioning of the state as, during its first term, TMC successfully made prominent societal divisions along the line of occupation. A section of TMC supporters were 'encouraged' to heckle government employees ranging from doctors and professors to clerks and officers. This must be seen as the beginning of what was termed as the 'threat culture.'

While, TMC successfully dismantled the Left's party machinery, the leadership swiftly transferred to a handful of local influential leaders. In my several ethnographic works, I have interacted with these people and found several similarities among them:

a) Most of them have an erstwhile Indian National Congress background

b) They are generally well off in terms of economic status 

c) They have strong networking even during the Left era through local organisations such as the Clubs and Puja Committees

 

Instead of a party organisation, these new players successfully attracted local youths and formed several close-knit grid of 'networks' and 'syndicates.' They started to appropriate not only the public service delivery mechanisms such as the imposition of levy, popularly the ‘cut money’ on development works undertaken by the Panchayat and Municipalities, but also extort on the private players. Over the years, their accumulated wealth enabled some of them to become entrepreneurs. Their entrepreneurial endeavours are heavily dependent on the continuation of TMC rule so that they continue to get 'cut money' in different financial exchanges and 'sanctions' from the local administration. Their capital is crony but the nature of their capital is non-formal as suggested by Dwaipayan Bhattacharyya in his argument of franchisee politics in West Bengal.

 

What happened to the public sphere?

 

It is important to recall that during the 2011 election, a major call for political change was by the civil society representatives ranging from writers to film directors, and actors to painters. As West Bengal has a rich legacy of valuing cultural and academic attainments, TMC used this cultural capital to translate the sentiment into gaining a popular mandate. TMC included key civil society representatives in different government committees to make them what was popularly termed as "Trinamool Panthi Buddhijibi" or TMC-aligned civil society representatives. This seriously affected their public image and reduced their legitimacy and mass appeal. Common people either complied with the corrupt medium of public transactions by paying small amounts of bribes to the local leaders to get public services or become rather aloof. Such petty corruption was legitimised to a great extent and I have shown that the opposition couldn't capitalise on corruption charges brought against the TMC (Nath 2017).

Dutta and Ray (2018) show that for the delivery of public services, TMC started to depend more on the administrative wing of the Local Government. This seriously affected the spirit of local governance and decentralisation. Eventually, West Bengal experienced a disappearance of the active and politically engaged public sphere. Such an over-dependence on individual local leaders, and lack of concrete steps to build up organisations, instead, tapping existing cultural fronts such the clubs and puja committees, Masjid boards, TMC brought something theorised by Nath (2018, 2023) as cultural misrecognition. Here TMC used cultural fronts to legitimise their decisions and reinvent their legitimacy. At about the same time, Mr. Narendra Modi led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power at the centre and there was a proliferation of Hindutva sentiments followed by a series of low-intense riots in Bengal (Nath, 2022). The public sphere has undergone a serious transformation from being partisan to being partisan and sectarian. In places where riots took place, the Hindu/Muslim divide became extremely prominent.

This moment of transformation completes a full circle from party to identity, from party society to sectarian society, where grassroots organisations became identity-based. BJP became the main opposition party replacing the erstwhile Left and Congress, which essentially gave birth to sectarian organisations under a variety of names affiliated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

West Bengal opened up new possibilities of political economy where TMC local leaders constructing franchisee politics, indulging in the black economy became the major players and their opposition force worked solely on identity dynamics with narratives like West Bengal is becoming East Pakistan.

 

Doctor's protest - a fresh air?

 

Within this sectarian, violence-infested political atmosphere R.G.Kar incident opened up Pandora's box. While the movement started against the rape and murder of the lady junior doctor, it soon tapped several unaddressed but burning issues like a) widespread corrupt networks operating both inside and outside of the medical educational institutions, b) corrupt people and their affiliation with ruling TMC, c) the extent of alleged malpractice and unconditional support extended allegedly by the party and administration, to name a few. This movement brought out a hidden grudge against the ruling regime. Thus, thousands of people participated in rallies, did social media campaigning and made their presence felt in different parts of the Capital city Kolkata also at different suburbs and also in villages. However, even the slightest intrusion of any political party in the movement was violently rejected by the protesters. The Joint platform of doctors ensured no party involvement in their movement to maintain its ‘apolitical’ character. However, technically, it remained a non-party, but essentially a political protest. It was clear that the intrusion of existing party forces would make it partisan and TMC would label it as a political conspiracy against their regime. The public sphere, which wholeheartedly supported them would turn away.

This apolitical nature of protest and the way by which it ended shows a peculiar nature of West Bengal public sphere. The protest ended with a rather credible escape route provided by the Chief Minister. This needs to be seen as a political win of Ms. Banerjee by creating a public sphere which is apathetic towards the existing parties, be it the ruling regime or the opposition. People are placed in between a party which indulges corruption and malpractices, installed a culture of violence and created a welfare dependent beneficiary survivor and a party which is sectarian and carries an ideology which is alien to Bengal culture. The large-scale support for the doctors’ protest also reflective of the fact that West Bengal is in a condition of liminality, where there are enough reasons and evidence that the existing system is not working like it should be, yet, the new system is yet to be born. Perhaps, the unprecedented support to the doctors’ movement shows that people are desperately looking for a fresh start in politics led by educated youths. The question remains, are we there yet? 

From Violence to Silence: The Curious Case of Bhatpara, West Bengal by Suman Nath

 

West Bengal has developed several communally charged hotspots since 2015. Aggressive Ram Navami rallies are the primary mechanisms for the Hindutva organisations to cultivate the Hindutva sentiments in these regions. Kankinara-Bhatpara region of North 24 parganas district is one of such places. While the conflict started as early as 2017 when the collective of Hindutva organisations under RSS brought out a Ram Navami rally. The communal ambiance was quickly handled because of prompt police action. In 2018 there was a large-scale riot between the Hindus and Muslims that resulted in death of several civilians and the sub-urban railway network was interrupted for weeks. The local Member of Assembly Mr. Arjun Singh's change of political affiliation from Trinamool Congress to Bharatiya Janta Party added further vibrance to the ethno-political landscape of the region. Hurling of bombs, sound of gunshot and regular conflicts kept Bengali newspapers busy reporting Bhatpara. Aamra ek sachetan Prayas forum, an organisation which studies conflict and peace in India, did a comprehensive study on the nature of conflicts and published a ground report (https://aamrabharatbarsha.com/welcome/singlepost/bhatpara-violence-fact-finding-report) which shows a mix of local politics and declining jute industries to be the prime mover of Bhatpara becoming a communal hotbed. Aamra has formed a peace centre among the riot victims in Bhatpara to bring about positive changes there, especially among the children. Because of several communal incidents, Bhatpara has been a focus of attention during the Ram temple inauguration on January 22, 2024. Contrary to what Bhatpara has experience since 2018, it was rather peaceful. It is important to understand the factors that brought back peace in an otherwise hotbed of communally charged landscape.

 
The setting:

 

Bhatpara is located on the eastern bank of river hooghly, it belongs to one of the places where jute industries were established during the British period which flourished enough to attract workers from different corners of the country (https://www.jstor.org/stable/20078659). They were then settled in the prosperous labour colonies and officers quarters (https://www.jstor.org/stable/141708). With the steady decline of Jute industry once prosperous colonies have become shanties (https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315098975-9/mill-sirens-rang-danger-anna-sailer). A journey through the river touching places like Kankinara-Bhatpara, Telinipara, Naihati would show series of jute mills and related labour colonies. The labour colony settlers have been here for three to five generations. Although, they have settled down in West Bengal, forming shanty campuses, these places have never assimilated with dominant Bengali language and customs. They speak Hindi or Urdu and are able to cling to their traditional customs and rituals. Their interface with Bengali speaking people has been of peaceful and tolerant.

 

In my ethnographic research at post-riot Bhatpara, I have found out rather natural co-existence between Hindus and Muslims. While the labour colonies have become ghettoised, as the next generation settlers have constructed shanties beside the existing labour quarters, there is hardly any option to avoid everyday physical contact between Hindus and Muslims. The adjacent makeshift shanties inhabited by Hindus and Muslims have co-operated each others in their everyday life ranging from food sharing to handling a nagging kid. The community latrines and common bathing place have added to such interdependence. I found that a small open space in Tina-gudam area was being used by both Hindus and Muslims everyday. While there was a large cut-out of lord Ram, Muslims were preparing for the celebration of Eid at the same ground. Yet, 2018 onwards a deep division between the Hindus and Muslims characterised this place (https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/mono/10.4324/9781003273516-6/fundamentalists-meet-suman-nath). There were even reports of kids of different faiths sitting separately in local schools. In 2020, just opposite side of Hooghly, another riot broke in Telinipara-Chandannagar which made this region even more prominent locale for the cultivation of communal sentiments (https://aamrabharatbarsha.com/welcome/singlepost/%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A7%9C%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%A5%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A7%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A8-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AC%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%A6%E0%A6%A8-%E0%A7%A8%E0%A7%A6%E0%A7%A8%E0%A7%A6)

 

The political economy:

 

While in my book I wrote extensively on the political economic equation which existed in Bhatpara during Arjun Sing's switch over and the Mafia culture which predominated the area (https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781003273516/democracy-social-cleavage-india-suman-nath?refId=8d19e283-3cba-4c4c-a6e1-f1de36cc8840&context=ubx), the situation has changed over the years. For now, controlling the labours, making more contractual labourers than the permanent ones is aided with land related business which involves promoting and buying and selling of lands for profits. Mr Sing's political adventure with BJP in 2019 when he won the Barrackpore Parliamentary constituency as a BJP candidate was not viable in local political economic equations. First of all, his Muslim support base was gone, Hindutva sentiment could only earn him a popular mandate against ruling TMC, but, such popular support was already with him since 2001. He won for four times in Bhatpara Assembly Constituency, hence, aggressive Hindutva didnt earn him any extra milege; secondly, his political-economic machinery couldn't operate like it used to be. The local police administration gone out of his control. Even his house was attacked more than once and even being a Member of Parliament he couldn't save his home from party goons (https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/bjp-mp-arjun-singhs-house-in-west-bengal-attacked-with-crude-bombs-7495935/).

 

As Arjun Singh rejoined TMC in May 2022 (https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/arjun-singh-joins-trinamool-congress-7930470/) thereby restoring the local political-economic equations once again. Meanwhile, some of his followers who were allegedly directly involved in the riots and have allegedly worked actively in dismantling some of the Muslim predominated labour colonies were also not in a position to work freely until the local political equation was settled down. Since 2022, slowly the tension between the two communities have reduced to a significant extent, which is directly connected to the political stability.

 

The deafening silence of the aggressive Hindutva:

 

Does this mean that the Hindutva brigade have gone to the backfoot? There has been a continuation and further proliferation of RSS run fitness camps, mock sword fight and not to forget the grand Ram Navami celebrations (https://www.ijcv.org/index.php/ijcv/article/view/3119). RSS has been successful to set the template for the politics in Bhatpara and its adjacent regions.

 

One recent example is the creation of 108 ft long ram portrait by the TMC leader Priyangu Pandey and his wife Jyoti Pandey (https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/politics-religious-beliefs-different-things-tmc-man-who-made-108-ft-ram-portrait-9124780/). While Priyangu was internally scapegoated for 2018 Kankinara riot as he was involved in managing the TMC organised Ram Navami rally where Muslims were supposed to serve sharbat portraying Hindu-Muslim unity, post May 2022 he has emerged as a promising TMC leader with an ability to cater the rising demands of Hindutva. Another local TMC leader Gopal Raut, who was also allegedly involved in the riots have made a come back with popularity among both the Hindus and Muslims. On January 22, Both Priyangu and Gopal have organised camps for mass distribution of blankets to the poor. People belonging to both Hindu and Muslm communities have queued together when Grand Hindutva was celebrated by the BJP with firecrackers and lamps. Bhatpara region has seen several houses placing earthen lamps on the one hand and such queues were conspicuous on the other.

VHP organised programmes which were both less loud and smaller in scale; there was no use of DJ boxes with provocative aggressive Hindutva songs, which they played in 2018 both in Bhatpara and Asansol. The local police were also on high alert, shops were closed after 11:00 pm and local administration ensured that no crowed is formed in the night during the entire month of January 2024.

The relatively peaceful Bhatpara, shows the economic triumph over religious identity sentiments for the time being. It also indicates a strategic shift in approach of the Hindutva organisations at places like Bhatpara which has seen enough communal disturbances for more than five years now.

 

Suman Nath teaches anthropology at Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Government College and is the author of the book “Democracy and Social Cleavage in India Ethnography of Riots, Everyday Politics and Communalism in West Bengal c. 2012–2021”

 

Capitalising the Socialist appeal - consuming the pizza hut and rearing up a consumer

Kaleidoscope had a day off and since it was possible for a quick visit to eye doctor the family decided to go together. To their surprise the checkup was done amazingly fast and as it always happens before the puja they needed to spend their hard earned money. Yes it was time to spend so that they can beg for the rest of the month. 

What is the better way to consume the world than to start with a pizza. Pizzahut, was opening and the complaint was on the relative hotness of the shop! Bodies could determine easily if they are going to consume well, in sync with what they plan to consume. 

Sir, ACa are working at full strength, just give it some time! - a sales girl said and they concentrated on the garlic bread and a fantastic pizza. 

The kid is happy in consuming the pizza. And then, bang, the shop is selling socialist appeal as they pledge to provide equal piece to all. 



So it was a happy ending after all as they could spend much more for the consumer's spree before the Durgapuja. 

The kid returned and see what he did. 

Are we really upbringing a consumerist self? Long live revolution Kaleido thought! 

... rain, love story and the absent trace

When does it rain as it rains? Does it rain exactly when a lovers look for an engulfing moment? Does it rain when souls cry out their thirsts? Does it rain when the world becomes a bit carefree for what goes around always comes around? 

The biography no matter how short lived, first makes the light disappear and then shower with the blessings of water. Water is equalising, water is ecstatic, it flows, as life goes through modern times into the liquidity. 

Like the river flows through emptiness, the air suddenly becomes a bit more drunk that it usually is, lovers meet, touch, feel and become one. Momentarily and then the absent trace runs through the body that bridges the carefully kept secret. 

Let ther be mor rains, more gaps get bridged, more moments born like the lover's youth and mountains oldage and like the return of seasons! 

Did you transcend?

It was late, it was around 2-00 in the night. Or was it really late for the endless succession of depthless weekens? perhaps not. The night was still young with music, dance floor and the young bodies. Bodies of lie, bodies of denial. 

A perfect moment to begin a crime story. A murder, or perhaps the death of an idea of a better tomorrow. 

With some alcohol running through the vein it doesn't matter, whether you kill a person or an idea! 

Killing a person is concrete and might pull more attention of the readers, much better than end of an idea! 

So be it Kaleidoscope withdraws and pours another glass of cheap whiskey! 

sleep? what is that for!

Did you get enough sleep last night? 

Did you get enough sleep every night? 

Do you earn enough to have a proper sleep in the night? 

How much do you think is enough to get a proper sleep every night? 

These are not easy questions. Kaleidoscope travels with fellow sleef deficit bodies. Usually busy in their mobiles in the morning that shows that they did get just enough sleep to browse to select the favourite play station. 

Usually then the sleep engulfs them and on his return the bodies are usually unconscious in their deep workaholic sleep. 

Isn't it time that we should seriously think about work - sleep balance?