Tea Museum - Munnar

Mom makes a new friend Lisa from New York at the tea museum

That's tea not coffee

Mom makes more friends

Kalaripayattu

Mom and I venture out to the theater to see some fighting

Candles are lit to mark the beginning of the performance

One performor shows his super flexibility.  He is in full lotus yall!!!!

Kalaripayattu is an India Martial art from the southern state of Kerala. One of the oldest fighting systems in existence,^[1] it is practiced in Kerala and contiguous parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka^[2] as well as northeastern Sri Lanka and among the Malayali community of Malaysia. It was practiced primarily by groups among Keralite castes such as the Nairs and Thiyyas,^[3][4] and was taught by a special caste named Kalari Panicker

Kalaripayattu includes strikes, kicks, grappling, preset forms, weaponry and healing methods.^[2] Regional variants are classified according to geographical position in Kerala; these are the northern style of the Malayalis, the southern style of the Tamils and the central style from inner Kerala. The northern style was practiced primarily by the Nairs, the martial caste of Kerala,^[5] and Thiyyas,^[6] as well as some Mappilas and Saint Thomas Christians. The southern style, called adi murai, was practiced largely by the Nadars and has features distinguishing it from its other regional counterparts.^[7][3][4] Northern kalaripayattu is based on the principle of hard technique, while the southern style primarily follows the soft techniques, even though both systems make use of internal and external concepts.
Some of the choreographed sparring in kalaripayattu can be applied to dance^[2] and kathakalⁱ dancers who knew martial arts were believed to be markedly better than the other performers. Some traditional Indian dance schools still incorporate kalaripayattu as part of their exercise regimen.

The scenery around Munnar

Mom at Kaivalyam

Munnar

Views from Kaivalyam

Beautiful Yoga Studio at Kaivalyam

This is the studio where we did our morning yoga at 7am

Here is another view of the beautiful studio outside of Munnar

Mom rests before class

Harish gives instructions at his studio

Harish, Mom and I on the last day.

Happy Pongol - Munnar, Kerala, India

 Our first days in India, the Harvest Festival of Pongol was being celebrated.

Films I've watched to get ready for India

I am leaving for India on Friday.  One of the things I did to get ready to go was to watch some films.  Here are the films I have watched so far:

Jodhaa Akbar (good)
Monsoon Wedding (great)
Water (good)
The Story of India
Gandhi (great)
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (great)
Salaam Bombay (great)
Born into Brothels (great)
Dor (good)
Ankur (very sad)
The Warrior (good)
Himalaya (great)
Phantom India

Bookwise (I read or listened to on audible.com)

Shantaram
Hungry Tide
Holy Holy
My Life in Orange
Empire of the Soul: Some Journeys in India
A Fine Balance (ever so depressing)

More small value studies

Here are a few more value studies.  Images on left are Sargeants.  Images on the right in black and white are mine.