Animal Rights Activists

"ولو أنّي حُبِيتُ الخُلْدَ فَرْداً لمَا أحبَبْتُ بالخُلْدِ انفِرادا فلا هَطَلَتْ عَلَيّ ولا بأرْضي سَحائبُ ليسَ تنْتَظِمُ البِلادا"

"Fear of death pushed Seven Sleepers into a cave, Made Noah and his son build a ship; Nor did Moses and Adam think it pleasant to die Though they were promised paradise."

"However, Hindu savants worked tirelessly to remove the Christian slurs cast on this art form. Chief among them was Rukmini Devi Arundale (1904–86), who protected and revived this dance by founding the Kalakshetra Academy of Dance and Music in 1936. She made it an acceptable norm for girls (and even boys) from middle-class households to learn Bharata Natyam. Though operated like a modern institution, it functioned as a traditional gurukula , focusing on prayers to the deity Ganapati, vegetarianism, and a guru-shishya relationship. Throughout Tamil Nadu, the guru-shishya form of decentralized, one-on- one learning spread in various ways as part of this revival. Thus far from being dead as intended by missionaries, colonialists and their Indian cronies, Bharata Natyam again became well established as a spiritual art-form in South India, and started to achieve acclaim throughout India and abroad. Kalakshetra grew into a university with a large campus in Chennai... Rukmini Arundale, a guru who rescued the dance form from the era of colonial evangelism, speaks of dance as 'Sadhana which requires total devotion'... She speaks of the Ramayana and Mahabharata as the 'essential expressions of Indian dance'."

"Narayana Menon quoted in "Rukmini Devi Arundale, 1904-1986: A Visionary Architect of Indian Culture and the Performing Arts", page=17"

"A full flowering of the arts is only possible when Literature and Art, Philosophy and Science interact with one another. Kalakshetra is among the very few institutions where all such disciplines interact."

"She used to visit me and dine with me, I had a very good cook then, and we both loved good food. She had great knowledge of music," reminisces."

"Rukmini of glorious past will be guru Agastya’s messenger to the women and young ones in India taking up for a large part of the work there that I have been carrying on for years. Young in body, yet she is old in wisdom and power. Child of the indomitable will is her welcome in the higher world."

"An iconoclastic dancer, visionary institution builder, educationalist, elite woman privileged to travel the world when she was barely 25 years of age and empowered to work for global causes in Europe, Australia, England and America. Also perceived as uncompromising traditionalist, quintessential South Indian Brahmin girl, champion of animal rights, woman parliamentarian, craft revivalist, social reformer, cultural educator, and national icon."

"Why was India a world power? Because Sri Krishna had lived in this country, Sri Rama had lived here and so had Lord Buddha. It was their Teaching that made India a great world power."

"Why does the story of Kumarasambhava please me? It is because of the symbolism. Finally what Parvati wins is not passion but the devotion and sublimation of herself. Parvati wins Siva and she becomes united with Him, because she has discovered the greater, indeed the only way of discovering God. This is very beautiful symbology. Siva burnt to ashes all that is physical. So must a dancer or musician burn to ashes all thought which is dross and bring out the gold which is within."

"Some people say, 'I believe in universal religion', but when I ask them whether they know anything about Hinduism, they answer in negative. They know nothing about Christianity, nor about Buddhism or about any other religion either. In other words, universality is, knowing nothing of anything. . . . Real internationalism is truly the emergence of the best in each. . . . But, in India, when I say India, I mean the India of the sages and saints who gave the country its keynote, there arose the ideal of one life, and of the divinity that lives in all creatures; not merely in humanity."

"All the songs we dance to are of Gods and Goddesses. You may ask, why so many Gods and Goddesses? The only reply I can give is, Why not so many Gods and Goddess ?"

"Many people have said many things. I can only say I did not consciously go after dance. It found me.""

"The demand for vegetarian food will increase our production of the right kind of plant foods. We shall cease to breed pigs and other animals for food, thereby ceasing to be responsible for the horror of slaughter houses where millions of creatures cry in vain because of man's selfishness. If such concentration camps for slaughtering continue, can peace ever come to earth? Can we escape the responsibility for misery when we are practicing killing every day of our lives by consciously or unconsciously supporting this trade of slaughter? Peace cannot come where Peace is not given."

"Animals cannot speak, but can you and I not speak for them and represent them? Let us all feel their silent cry of agony and let us all help that cry to be heard in the world."

"Women have everything to do with bringing culture into everyday life, with the expression of it, with the helping and influencing of a nation, not only because they are mothers but also because they themselves are an example as individuals. The modern world needs a new force for the revitalizing of its ideals. India’s art has always been unconscious, unconscious of its own beauty, unconscious of others’ admiration, unconscious of the physical though expressed in Form. India is now beginning to be conscious and we do not know how to express ourselves consciously. A great dancer’s art must depend first on the life he or she expresses, secondly upon the beauty of technique and lastly only, upon its arrangement, costume, and presentation....Though form, technique and skill are essential, great Art must have the impetus of genius, and inspiration. Then there is permanency."

"We dance with our bodies, but we finally forget them and transform them."

"Dance was really the art of the temple and that her temple theater was built with that purpose in mind. It has many features of the temple , and we have adopted as much as possible all the ideals enshrined in Natyashastra."

"To recreate the temple atmosphere on the urban stage, and thus to facilitate a new kind of seeing that would enable the spiritual revival of the dance."

"That she learned ballet not with the idea of becoming a full-fledged dancer. It was just to train my body and more for the sheer joy of learning something beautiful."

"To be truly Indian one had to be truly international, exhorting them to honour the best in all civilizations and to live it in their daily lives."

"I was brought up on Music, and being near Tiruvaiyaru for sometime during childhood , I got several opportunities to listen to great Music."

"It is the spirit of Purusha and Prakriti, an expression of evolution of movement, a truly creative force that is handed down the ages. This embodiment of sound and rhythm creating spiritual poetry is called dance or Natya. . . . The first glimpse of the dance comes to us from Siva Himself, a Yogi of Yogis. He shows us the Cosmic Dance and portrays to us he unity of Being. . . . The Cosmic Rhythm of His dance draws around Him ensouled matter, which manifests itself into the variety of this infinite and beautiful universe."

"Actually, dance forms an intrinsic part of worship in the temples. . . . India alone has a concept of a God who dances. Siva is Nataraja, Lord of dancers, who dances in the Hall of Consciousness and weaves into it the rhythm of the Universe. Within His Cosmic Dance are included the Divine prerogatives of Creation, Preservation, Regeneration, Veiling and Benediction . . . Dance in India has been so closely linked with religion, that today it is impossible to think of it divorced from this essential background."

"When I first appeared, people couldn't figure out whether I was gay, straight, black, white or whatever, and I loved that. I loved the fact it scares people."

"One step, two steps, counting tiles on the floor; Three steps, four steps, guess this means that I'm a whore. Uh-oh, hell no, how long till I reach the door? Fuck me, my feet are sore.I'm wearing last night's dress and I look like a hot ass mess. Although my hair looks good cause I haven't slept yet!"

"True love, true love. It must be true love. Nothing else can break my heart like True love, true love. It must be true love. No one else can break my heart like you."

"Just give me a reason, Just a little bit's enough. Just a second we're not broken just bent And we can learn to love again. It's in the stars; It's been written in the scars on our hearts. We're not broken just bent, And we can learn to love again."

"Where there is desire, There is gonna be a flame. Where there is a flame, Someone’s bound to get burned. But just because it burns Doesn’t mean you’re gonna die. You’ve gotta get up and try, try, try."

"I think I've finally had enough; I think I maybe think too much. I think this might be it for us (blow me one last kiss). You think I'm just too serious; I think you're full of shit. My head is spinning so (blow me one last kiss). Just when I think it can't get worse, I've had a shit day (no!) You've had a shit day (no!) We've had a shit day (no!). I think that life's too short for this; I'll pack my ignorance and bliss. I think I've had enough of this. Blow me (one last kiss)."

"Pretty pretty please, Don't you ever ever feel Like you're less than Fuckin' perfect? Pretty pretty please, If you ever ever feel Like you're nothing, You're fuckin' perfect to me."

"So raise your glass if you are wrong in all the right ways, All my underdogs. We will never be, never be anything but loud And "Nitty-Gritty", Dirty little freaks. Won't you come and come and Raise your glass! Just come on and come on and Raise your glass."

"Have you ever fed a lover With just your hands? Close your eyes and trust it, just trust it. Have you ever thrown A fist full of glitter in the air? Have you ever looked fear in the face, And said I just don't care?"

"This used to be a funhouse, But now it's full of evil clowns. It's time to start the countdown. I'm gonna burn it down down down; I'm gonna burn it down."

"Alright sir, Sure I'll have another one, it's early. Three olives, shake it up, I like it dirty (dirty). Tequila for my friend it makes her flirty (flirty). Trust me. I'm the instigator of underwear, Showing up here and there uh oh (oh no). I'm always on a mission from the get go. So what if it's only 1 o'clock in the afternoon? It's never too soon to send out all the invitations to the last night (of your life)."

"How did I become so obnoxious? What is it with you that makes me act like this? I've never been this nasty. Can't you tell that this is just a contest?,br>The one that wins will be the one that hits the hardest. But baby I don't mean it. I mean it, I promise."

"No I don't believe you When you say don't come around here no more. I want to remind you, You said we wouldn't be apart. No, I don't believe you When you say you don't need me anymore. So don't pretend To not love me at all."

"I don't wanna be the girl who has to fill the silence; The quiet scares me 'cause it screams the truth."

"I'm safe, Up high. Nothing can touch me. But why do I feel this party's over? No pain, Inside. You're like protection. How do I feel this good sober?"

"So, so what? I'm still a rock star, I got my rock moves, And I don't need you. And guess what, I'm having more fun. And now that were done, I'm gonna show you tonight I'm alright, I'm just fine. And you're a tool. So, so what? I am a rock star, I got my rock moves. And I don't want you tonight."

"I'm not here for your entertainment. You don't really want to mess with me tonight. Just stop and take a second. I was fine before you walked into my life. 'Cause you know it's over Before it began. Keep your drink, just give me the money. It's just you and your hand tonight."

"Go away, Give me a chance to miss you. Say goodbye, It'll make me want to kiss you. I love you so Much more when you're not here, Watchin all the bad shows, Drinking all of my beer.I don't believe Adam and Eve Spent every goddamn day together. If you give me some room, there will be room enough for two."

"Dear Mr. President, Come take a walk with me. Let's pretend we're just two people And you're not better than me. I'd like to ask you some questions If we can speak honestly.What do you feel when you see All the homeless on the street? Who do you pray for at night Before you go to sleep? What do you feel When you look in the mirror? Are you proud?"

"Baby, Oh the secret's safe with me. There's nowhere else in the world that I could ever be. And baby don't it feel like I'm all alone? Who's gonna be there after the last angel has flown And I've lost my way back home? I think nobody knows, no. I said nobody knows. Nobody cares.It's win or lose, not how you play the game. And the road to darkness has a way Of always knowing my name. But I think nobody knows, No no. Nobody knows, no no no no."

"If someone said three years from now You'd be long gone, I'd stand up and punch them up, Cause they're all wrong. I know better, 'Cause you said forever, And ever. Who knew."

"Maybe if I act like that, that guy will call me back. What a Paparazzi girl, I don't wanna be a stupid girl. Baby if I act like that, flipping my blond hair back, Push up my bra like that. I don't wanna be a stupid girl."

"How many times have you sat across from me? And how many times have you told me you were leaving? I'm not trying to listen cuz it's all the same. And why, why are you constantly believing That I, I could ever give you what you needed? Baby, baby please don't put your faith in me."

"Why was I the last to know That you weren't coming to my show? You coulda called me up to say good luck, You coulda called me back, you stupid fuck."

"I've been the girl with her skirt pulled high, Been the outcast never running with mascara eyes. I see the world as a candy store With a cigarette smile saying things you can't ignore."

"No attorneys To plead my case. No orbits To send me into outta space. And my fingers Are bejeweled With diamonds and gold. But that ain't gonna help me now."