I awoke later that morning (March 1) after a long slumber to the sound of voices and people working outdoors. I threw back the cotton canvas curtains – the sky was overcast, the grounds spread out before me. Men were moving dirt and raking in orange pants and tunics. One was standing on a ladder trimming the thatch off a neighboring unit. A woman dressed in similar clothing but with a sari-like sash across her shoulder was sweeping with a long bristled broom. Each greeted me with a smile.
I showered, dressed and walked along a path and a man-made ornamental pool to the first of the larger stand-alone buildings and peered into a large hall with a wood floor and floor-to-ceiling windows. It had a special vibe. I voice behind me said, “That is the meditation hall. Come.” Sibash is a dark skinned Indian with handsome features and dark eyes. He oversees the housekeeping staff. I followed him to the tallest building in sight. We removed our shoes and entered a space called The Heart. On the upper level a long maple table stands 1.5 feet high on a rug with large pillows all around. A longer similar table is set up on a lower level below and a beautiful hand-painted stone fireplace is set into one of the walls. Sibash disappeared and soon a taller man with equally handsome features named Dheeru arrived and introduced himself. He is head of facilities and grounds. Simar, the associate director, was close behind. A beauty with long hair and large dark eyes, I had spoken with her from home.
Simar sat with me and we had a welcome chat. An attendant brought chai tea with cane sugar as a sweetener and some almond cookies. I discovered I am the only artist-in-residence at this time. Throughout the month there will be visitors for 3 and 4-day workshops and I am invited to attend any of the upcoming special workshops: Self-Empowerment through NLP; The Divine Touch - Ayurvedic Yoga Massage; and The Alexander Technique. Simar expressed the center's desire that I conduct a workshop of my own while I am here. After we part, I explored the rest of the grounds. I met Ashwin, the founder and director, and Mark the architect. These two and Dheeru started the Global Arts Village some 13 years ago. It has recently been renamed Zorba the Buddha.
At 1:30, lunch was spread out on a knoll with chairs arranged in a circle. Everyone I met so far is there, some 7 of us, dining on a vegetarian meal of rice, lentils, curried cauliflower and fried ochra. We talked about art and architecture, and the weekly Tuesday movie night which draws folks form the community for the films and for the food. After lunch I met Lalit who arranged my Internet hook-up. Everyone was very kind.
I managed to stretch my first day to evening. I came upon Sibash and another of the staff preparing for dinner in The Heart. Here they are meticulously decorating the table with red and yellow rose petals.
I showered, dressed and walked along a path and a man-made ornamental pool to the first of the larger stand-alone buildings and peered into a large hall with a wood floor and floor-to-ceiling windows. It had a special vibe. I voice behind me said, “That is the meditation hall. Come.” Sibash is a dark skinned Indian with handsome features and dark eyes. He oversees the housekeeping staff. I followed him to the tallest building in sight. We removed our shoes and entered a space called The Heart. On the upper level a long maple table stands 1.5 feet high on a rug with large pillows all around. A longer similar table is set up on a lower level below and a beautiful hand-painted stone fireplace is set into one of the walls. Sibash disappeared and soon a taller man with equally handsome features named Dheeru arrived and introduced himself. He is head of facilities and grounds. Simar, the associate director, was close behind. A beauty with long hair and large dark eyes, I had spoken with her from home.
Simar sat with me and we had a welcome chat. An attendant brought chai tea with cane sugar as a sweetener and some almond cookies. I discovered I am the only artist-in-residence at this time. Throughout the month there will be visitors for 3 and 4-day workshops and I am invited to attend any of the upcoming special workshops: Self-Empowerment through NLP; The Divine Touch - Ayurvedic Yoga Massage; and The Alexander Technique. Simar expressed the center's desire that I conduct a workshop of my own while I am here. After we part, I explored the rest of the grounds. I met Ashwin, the founder and director, and Mark the architect. These two and Dheeru started the Global Arts Village some 13 years ago. It has recently been renamed Zorba the Buddha.
At 1:30, lunch was spread out on a knoll with chairs arranged in a circle. Everyone I met so far is there, some 7 of us, dining on a vegetarian meal of rice, lentils, curried cauliflower and fried ochra. We talked about art and architecture, and the weekly Tuesday movie night which draws folks form the community for the films and for the food. After lunch I met Lalit who arranged my Internet hook-up. Everyone was very kind.
I managed to stretch my first day to evening. I came upon Sibash and another of the staff preparing for dinner in The Heart. Here they are meticulously decorating the table with red and yellow rose petals.
I am happy here.
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