Aradhna - Sau Guna

Published Tuesday 30th August 2011
Aradhna - Sau Guna
Aradhna - Sau Guna
DVD

STYLE: World
RATING 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 117019-DVD708
LABEL: Independent
FORMAT: DVD Music video
ITEMS: 1

Reviewed by Clive McLaren

Floating candles, sitar, crowds, raining petals, street games, devotional bicycles, guitars, kite flying, gifts of blessing, symbolic writing, Jesus, rice, the Lord's Prayer, sacred river, cooking on the move, a painted box - this unique DVD directed by Ben Stamper films Chris Hale and Pete Hicks (otherwise known as Aradhna) coupled with numerous extraordinary images. These six short form videos took their time to make their full impact. I wasn't sure what to make of it on my first viewing; but on my second, I succumbed to the video's graceful merging of East and West. 'Sau Guna' is a visual feast mixed with musical garum massala; combining richness of colour with subtle spices of Jesus invited into Eastern spirituality; gracefully bonding the mystical with the mundane, of noisy chaos and gentle friendship. "Asato Ma" ("From Delusion") shows Pete and Chris riding a puja (worship) bicycle around Varanasi placing little clay oil lamps in various places. Bizarre but beautiful. I particularly enjoyed "Yeshu Bhajan" ("The Song Of Jesus") the last episode with kite flying as the visual focus, but the heart of the story is deep friendship between Aradhna having a wonderful time playing together. The whole concept gives us a delightful and intriguing glimpse of unobtrusive Christian kindness and devotion to Jesus Indian style.

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