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The Moods of the Ganga, is a short lyrical film that interprets
the flow of the river Ganga as captured musically through
a ghatam performance by the legendary Vikku Vinayakram. The
ghatam is essentially an earthern pot, that is used as a percussion
instrument in South India.The musical piece has been specially
composed by Vinayakram, to reflect the various moods of the
river. Ganga is not only a river to the Hindus, she is The
River Goddess who is worshipped by millions all over India.
The film takes one on a rhythmic and musical journey without
ever showing a single image of the physical river. The rhythm
captures the various moods of the river from the first melting
crystal drop of an ancient glacier high up in the Himalayas,
that grows into a single sparkling trickle, that scrambles
over ancient pebbles and rocks, tumbling down icy slopes,
gushing through forests, tearing muddily through the dense
mountainside, fiery and bursting, till the green plains arrest
her tempestuous gait. Then she meanders gracefully, sweeping
magnificently past ancient cities, that welcome her everywhere
she goes. There people touch her sacred waters so they may
be blessed, bathe in her cool waters chanting praises in her
name, and dissolve ashes of their dead in her liberating depths.
Ganga flows on, nourishing the earth as she glides along deep
and reflective. As she sees the clear horizon, she begins
to accelerate into a polyphony of streams that rush forward
to be one with the sea. These rhythms are brought to life
by a five Ghatam orchestra that produces an astonishing range
of tones from a simple clay pot. The film imagery highlights
the movements, the geometry and the textures of the performance.
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