Fractals - Order and Chaos

I have been fortunate to be given the space in a local gallery for a period of three weeks during which I will exhibit a set of images which are collectively known as Fractals. If you scroll to the bottom of this page you will see an example of the kind of images that will be on show. Fractals are often referred to as 'Geometry of Nature' because they seem to remind us of complex geometry of many structures in nature such as the coastline of an island or the cracks in weathered rock formations. Images such as these were popular in the 80s and the 90s, and many books with wonderful images were published.

For the exhibition it is necessary to write a short explanation of what these images represent and it is hard to find the words to explain the process without drowning the reader in complex mathematics and iterative equation manipulation programming techniques. In an attempt to make a start in assembling this write-up, here is what I have come up with...

The geometry of nature - Fractals - Order and Chaos

The images which makeup this exhibition have been generated by a computer program which follows the behavior of some mathematical equations that represent complex dynamics using complex variables. The behavior of these equations is represented by the images where the black regions are zones of stability and order and the brightly coloured areas are zones of chaos.

While mathematicians have known for hundreds of years that these equations behave chaotically, it is only in the last thirty years with the invention of computers and high resolution plotters that we are able to enjoy the chaotic behavior in glorious and beautiful images. The complex planes show self repeating patterns which seem to extend to specific boundaries which take us to the edge of the ordered zones.

When we view the images it is as if we are in the presence of something cosmic and familiar, and this is because many of the structures in nature and in our surroundings behave in a similar way. The coastline, the structures in biology and botany, the behavior of populations and economies, the meteorology, cosmology and the study of turbulence in air and fluids all have elements of chaos which is essentially what we can see in the images in this exhibition.

Langar and the Olympics

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of this post allow me to apologize for my absence from this blog for the last couple of months. Its not as if I had little to say but various projects have kept me busy and although I am still busy with them, I have to get back into the habit of writing so that I don't forget the Queen's language, in which I am most able to express myself.

Langar is a word used by the Sikh's to describe the blessed meal that follows most religious events at the Sikh's temples. All comers are treated to a decent meal without regard to their faith or appearance without any cost of any kind. Now you may be entitled to ask what this has in common with the recent Olympics extravaganza that took place in London. Let me elaborate..

What came as a very pleasant surprise at the start of the games was that one of the relays of the Olympic torch as it made its way to the Olympic stadium in East London, was entrusted to the 101 years old Fauja Singh, a Sikh gentleman who has lately been on the news for running marathons in London, New York and other locations. As if it was not enough to compete with David Beckham for advertisement space, and to receive a letter of congratulations from the Queen on reaching the 100 years miilestone, he must have been thrilled indeed to receive this honour.. Not to be left behind at this opportunity a team of Sikh volunteers declared that to coincide with FS's torch relay run, they would provide 'Langar' along the route, that is to say free food to anyone who wants to enjoy some basic but good Indian cooking.

More about the Langar thing at the end, but let me say that I really enjoyed the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the Olympic games. The choice of using the themes of the Industrial Revolution and the National Health service were strange to say the least, however the conservative party in power would not have missed the obvious digs for the cost pressure on hospitals in England currently. Sir Paul McCartney could also have stayed at home and watched the ceremony from his couch instead of the pathetic outing milking the success of the great music.

The closing ceremony of the Olympics was much more to my liking, with much of the music from my favourites and outstanding performances from Brian May (Queen) and The Who, who should have trashed their instruments at the end of 'My Generation', in the spirit of Woodstock. Ray Davis (of the Kinks who I once saw perform in London at my college in the early seventies) should have stayed at home and George should have quit after his first song, but you cant get everything right all of the time.

Getting back to the Langar, Jasvinder, my elder sister and her husband Birinder donated the Langar the same Sunday of the closing ceremony at their local temple (or gurdwara as its called in Punjabi) in New Jersey, no doubt with the tension from the news of the recent altercation at a similar place of worship in not too distant Wisconsin fresh in the mind of the congregation. After all that has been said on the subject, it is truely exasperating to feel the pathetic helplessness in the face of the US laws relating to the use of firearms. While my thoughts are with the families of those who needlessly lost their lives, I have the warmth of the deed of my family which inspires admiration and brings much spiritual energy to all of us.

Sat sri akal.

El Camino Day 7 After the finish

El Camino Day 7 After the finish

Santiago is flooded with tourists and Camino pilgrims. There is a great atmosphere of friendship and a lot of greeting for everyone who looks familiar from so many days walking and the evenings spent in hostels and hotels. I too have known a lot of people on the way, and get a lot of smiles and greetings.

We take a walk around Santiago which is full of old monumental buildings. The cathedral and its daily 'fumeiro' is not to be missed. The museum of contemporary art is also worth a visit, notably a Matta Clark installation and an exhibition titled Gravity and Disgrace. The old city is full of life with its shops, bars and restaurants.

In the cathedral area I am greeted by Ceaser, an Indian christian from Bangalore. Later someone comes to tell me that they have seen a Sikh man, and my hopes of meeting Amrit, mentioned in an earlier blog are revived. Indeed I meet the man at the foot of the stairs up to the cathedral entrance. We feel like long lost friends, exchange information, he is also with fellow walkers including a seventy year old lady from San Antonio, Texas. There is more amazement when I reveal that Manjeet lives Close to them in Austin. Amrit and I exchange contact details, Amrit is interested in doing the coastal Camino, which passes through Laredo, and we agree to stay in touch and to meet in Laredo when he comes by.

After a quick bite to eat at one of the many ordinary and disappointing eatries we run to our hotel to collect our packs in pouring rain and to get taxis for the bus station to catch our bus that will take us home.

I have been sending out positive energy everyday from the Camino de Santiago to all my family and friends, and I hope that you all have felt it coming your way..

Buen Camino for the rest of our lives..

Camino de Santiago Day 6 Pedrouzo to Santiago

Camino de Santiago Day 6 Pedrouzo to Santiago 18 kms

Breakfast was interesting. We stayed at a family home and were served in their dining room..just as well since the place was a good distance from the town and saved us time. The man of the house however became unpopular with the girls when he announced that he would suppprt introducing in Spain the old Indian custom of burning the wife in the funeral pyre of a man!

Soon we were on the Camino and evryone excited by the prospect of finishing. One of the group had discovered that when a group reaches the Monte Gozo, about 5 kms from Santiago, they had to race up to the point from which the cathedral spires can be seen. The first to arrive is declared the 'king' of the group!

Once again the camino passed through beautiful countryside, and we met many interesting people along the way, such as Martin the 'Bill Bryson' look alike American who had spent 6 weeks on the Camino, the Korean couple who had learnt Spanish at school and amazingly could converse easily, and the Australian from Cookstown who appeared happy to be approaching the end. 

I had walked quite fast for a while and was amazed to find myself miles ahead of everyone, and it occured to me that the group had conspired to let me arrive first at Mount Gozo. I was mortified and had this urge to share the honours with the group. I stopped at a nice little church and after about fifteen minutes was united with the group. We finished together flushed with happiness.  

A few kilometers later we all arrived at the cathedral, a wonderful piece of architecture, and flopped out in front of it. After a few celebratory photographs, we queued up to get our 'compostela'. When my turn came and I approached the agent at the Pilgrims Office, the young man looked up from his desk and said to me 'I know you'!! It turns out that he had seen me on the Spanish Tv program Destination Spain on which I appeared a few weeks ago. 

After a week full of so much emotion and tears this was quite a treat, needless to say that we all got our certificates and went off to give thanks and celebrate. 

This has been one of my best experiences in Spain.  

El Camino Day 5 Arzua to Pedrouzo - 20 kms

El Camino Day 5 Arzua to Pedrouzo - 20 kms

Once again we head for breakfast at 0730 and am one of the first of our group to appear with my roommate Fonsi, who is the undisputed fastest and fittest of the group. He is an ideal person to share lodgings, clean, flexible, polite and most importantly quiet! He is also experienced walker so is an important member of the group. All the group members came to India in 2008, on my birthday party and thats a bond that unites us in that we are comfortable in the company, even though there are minor irritations as in any large group. There are ten of us, two couples, four women and two men without partnrs. 

Getting back to breakfast, I notice a woman sitting in the corner of the bar, finishing her food. A little later she gets up and as she passes by she stops and says hello to me. This is not unusual, given my appearance, which attracts attention in most parts of the world. 'You are from India, right?' and when I agree she says 'I was not sure because you look so white'. Not a very good opening but it emerged that this Italian woman lived in Switzerland, had spent some time in an ashram in India, had done some pilgrimages around Dehradun and had walked all the way from her home in Switzerland. We exchanged experiences and stories, she had been walking for two months but finding it less spiritual than India. I had the opposite experience even though we have been out for only 5 days. Having lived in Dehradun myself it was a very interesting encounter.

We started walking through a haunting landscape in woods with tall sycamores in howling wind and rain. A blackbird followed me for virtually the whole walk and I began to get into a trance with the sound of the wind. Remembering the writings of Castaneda, I began to let the wind take me flying up through the trees and to my folks. I imagined being with Dad and Mom, Mamaji, Marisol, and Jito. And I would have sworn that I was hearing Beeji (Grandma) and Angel (father in law) who may have been smiling at me walking along the Camino.

Suddenly someone passed me and wished me 'buen camino', looked at me and although I was totally hidden in a rain cape, said 'are you Indian?' Once again I agreed and discovered that he was too. Vikas, a young man of about 30, from Delhi and his Korean friend were like me following a spiritual quest.    He was a bright Management type from an IIT in India headed to Stanford to continue his studies!  Comforting that others like me believe that the Camino is universal, even though all the symbology and themes relating to it are predominantly Christian.

Only 18 more kilometers left and tomorrow we will stand in front of the splendid cathedral at Santiago de Compostela.

El Camino Day 4 Melide to Arzua - 14 kms

El Camino Day 4 Melide to Arzua - 14 kms

After a good nights rest recovering from the excesses the evening before we woke up as scheduled and took stock of the injuries. Apparantly people had recovered somewhat and since we had only a small walk today, we did not to visit any medical facilties.

After a good breakfast we took to the Camino in rain with our hoods from the start. Everyone is now so used to the rain capes that its now part of our routine. This stage of the walk came as a surprise in that we walked during long periods through beautiful countryside with absolute silence. All the senses were in full function, and all the natural sounds such as birds, flowing brooks and the blood rushing through the veins were creating a deafening roar in my ears. It was as if the ears were using automatic adjustment of volume in the absence of sound.

I was listening to the sounds of silence. 

At one point I could hear a stream but could not see where it was. I followed the sound and saw a small stream flowing under a head of vegetation with a beautiful meadow and an idyllic place to meditate and forget the world. I wondered how many pilgrims had stood at the very spot and took a few deep breaths to absorb the energy of the spot.

Later we came to a small town and the smallest sounds were deafening to my ears used to the silence. A hedge trimmer was like a chain saw and a car going by was like a plane taking off. It stopped raining, more wonderful nature, a Frenchman with his bags on a donkey, and getting almost runover by a car while I listened to The Byrds' I was so much older then, I am younger than that now with tears rolling down my face...... 

This experiece is infectious and I can see how some people get hooked on doing this for long periods. By 11am we had already reached our destination, and nearly carried on as we could not believe how quickly the walk was over for today. 

We are now 38 kms from the end and two medium walks will see us in Santiago on Saturday!  

El Camino Day 3 Palas del Rey to Melide

El Camino Day 3 Palas del Rey to Melide 16 kms

Overnight I slept badly but took the opportunity to meditate. It was as if a TV had switched on in my mind! I would like to believe that in my meditative state I saw my guardian angel for the first time. Seeing her (it was a woman) a lot of things in my life begin to make sense.

My senses are now fully alive and I feel the energy of the travellers on the Camino. Its only the third day and already there are problems with legs and feet in the group. A quick trip to a local surgery resolves the urgent cases and we take to the Camino. 

Today we did only half of a long section so it was a relatively easy walk in the most amazingly gorgeous countryside. We started a bit later than usual, and by about 11am we were already half way sitting in a cafe and tucking into food and drink. Later on the outskirts of Melide we came to a very pretty little town called Furelos, where there was a Roman footbridge and a nice little church with a special display to mark the day of San Antonio. I paid my dues from numerous occasions when we have pledged a contribution to find a parking space (Mr Anthony is the patron of finding things!). Then I said a little prayer and lit some candles, got my compostela stamped before continuing.

Soon we were in Melide and relaxing with a few drinks followed by lunch, by which time the group had collectively consumed about ten bottles of local wine! The siesta naturally followed and thoughts moved to the next stage. Along the way today I came across the following written on one of the road signs that we passed

I am on my own but not alone
I truely love you
And I am doing this for the two of us

 I could not have put it better myself...