Accounting information system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Accounting information system - Essay Example n cases where they have accepted to donate, the organization simply collects the cheque or cash from the donors and issues an acknowledgement for receipt of the funds. Some of the donors are government agencies, corporate sector, trust and foundations. Additionally, the organization gets its finances from program fees and consultation fees. Therefore, the revenue cycle has limited actors and the processes are simple and few as well. For instance the process of obtaining revenue is through donations and fees charged for consultations and program fees. There are no products or services to be sold in exchange for money. Therefore processes such as order processing, billing, invoicing and deliveries are not there. The revenue cycle is initiated by developing a set of programs and projects that can be funded by the donors. The organization writes a proposal to the donors who will in turn give a feedback on whether they will support the proposal or not. The following are some of the processes inherent in the revenue cycle: i) Request Proposal: This is done by the projects and program development department. The proposal for the various projects and programs is developed and submitted to the various donors. The donors will go through the proposals and determine whether they will support the project or not. Proposal development is an intensive process that requires a team of experts. The final proposal is submitted by a projects coordinator who is in charge of all project activities in the organization. ii) Approval of program Proposal: Once the donors receive the proposal, they will scrutinize the contents of the program proposed and decide whether to fund it or not. They will then approve the program and pledge their support for the organization. The program proposal always has the estimated budget, the duration of the program and the expected start and end date. It also has additional details that include the financial and technical proposal. It must have the

Ex-Basketball Player Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Ex-Basketball Player - Essay Example The poem explores the other side of fame and the downside of losing tracks of a big shot career. The protagonist’s failure and mediocrity as he experienced the pinnacle of his life at far too young an age is portrayed by strong characterization, use of symbolism and imagery to raise the theme about the harsh reality of what real fame can be in terms of sustaining it. The poem sends out a message that if one is sidetracked by the fame and does not work on his goals, it is not possible to reach his dreams. â€Å"The ball loved Flick† (Updike) and â€Å"he was the best† (Updike) this clearly mentions that Flick used to be a local hero and that the entire town looks upon his past with a sort of admiration as well as pride. Flick did not exactly make it big but he did make it big enough to be remembered by his peers. There is a sense of sorrow in the eyes of the townspeople, as if they are mourning the lost talent. Flick’s talent was realized but was never purs ued. ... It straightforwardly tells us that Flick now works at â€Å"Berth’s Garage† (Updike) and that he does not have a â€Å"chance to go two blocks† from his former high school. From the first stanza we can concluded that Flick is a failure who ended up working in a garage. His attachment to his old school is also very strong as he does not want to be very far from his old school where he had been celebrated as a hero. The description of his job indicates that Flick is doing a job which is less suited for him with no potential to move up in life. The poem does not have any rhyming scheme or a consistent meter. Throughout the poem, the author uses a free verse. This is effective in conveying the message and reminders amongst the young readers. The author uses simple language to express himself and to convey the message about the importance of learning a trade and honing your skills to make it out in the real world. High school may be the place where we are a star, but there is life outside high school where one needs to survive. Without real skills it is tough to survive in the real world and this is what the poem tries to convey. One needs to work hard to achieve his goals as there is no place in this word for the lazy people. Even though we may be gifted with a special talent, we cannot expect the gift to nurture itself, it is our responsibility to hone our skills. The author tries to convince us using a simple language and a simple example about the fact of life and how it is our responsibility to make use of our talent by not wasting it. Flick wasted his talents by not learning the trade and therefore he ended up doing a minimal monotonous job without any prospect of moving forward in life. In an interview, the

Economic History Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Economic History - Research Paper Example Most of his works were drafted in the late eighteenth century, when economics was not even properly regarded as a separate subject. Astonishingly enough, Adam Smith’s works are still very useful and many of the modern researches in economics are based on the theories and principals proposed by him. Thesis Statement: Adam Smith’s economic theories and principals have drawn and remained at the focus for more than two hundred years. The basic framework of contemporary economy can be considerably attributed to his works and philosophy. Discussion on the Different Economic Principals and Theories of Adam Smith The two most important works of Adam Smith are â€Å"The Wealth of Nations† and â€Å"The Theory of Moral Sentiments†. The Wealth of Nations can be considered as a precursor to today’s academic discipline of the subject economics. There are certain principals and theories that can be spotted in The Wealth of Nations. It attributes to the basis of r esource-allocation theory, which states that in competitive environment, resource owners would utilize them to maximize profits. This would result into equal rates of returns in equilibrium related to all utilizations, suited for the apparent diversities arising from the factors like unemployment, hardship, trust, and training (Smith, A., 1776). The General Equilibrium Modeling derived by Walras almost a century later is also based on Smith’s resource-allocation theory. Moreover, Smith’s labor theories provide the basis of the modern industrial relations. Labor theory of value further elucidates the relation between labor and the cost of the product produced, which affects the allocation of outputs and the distribution of earnings. Further, in his work The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Adam Smith finds out relationship between the ethical behavior of an individual and the economic structure of the society. His concept of â€Å"homo economicus† (economic man) defin es that how a sensible citizen can make economic contributions to the well being of our society (Klein, D.B., 2009). Why Adam Smith is Important? Adam Smith is important because this Scottish economist worked during the days when the very subject â€Å"economical science† or economics was in a nascent state. Adam Smith, to some extent, decided the course of the evolution of economics as a separate subject. He deeply analyzed the concepts of taxation, market, labor, training, unemployment, infrastructure, etc., which are critical in today’s economic environment and related public administration. It is due to Adam Smith that we are sometimes compelled to think about capitalism as a moral system, where profits are not the only pursuit. Hence, his legacy deserves special importance today (Brown, V. et al, 1993). Further, in Smith’s works, we get the glimpses of the emerging industrial society in the late eighteenth century Britain, wherefrom the modern industrial re volution actually began. Why are his Theories Important? Critics of Adam Smith try to find out limitations of his economic philosophy. According to J. Schumpeter (1994), â€Å"Had he (Adam Smith) dug more deeply, had he unearthed more recondite truth, had he used more difficult and ingenious methods, he would not have been understood.† However, this criticism still testifies that Adam Smith’s theories have a simplistic approach, which make them understandable in the context of common people, and hence, are important. His theories

Ex-Basketball Player Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Ex-Basketball Player - Essay Example The poem explores the other side of fame and the downside of losing tracks of a big shot career. The protagonist’s failure and mediocrity as he experienced the pinnacle of his life at far too young an age is portrayed by strong characterization, use of symbolism and imagery to raise the theme about the harsh reality of what real fame can be in terms of sustaining it. The poem sends out a message that if one is sidetracked by the fame and does not work on his goals, it is not possible to reach his dreams. â€Å"The ball loved Flick† (Updike) and â€Å"he was the best† (Updike) this clearly mentions that Flick used to be a local hero and that the entire town looks upon his past with a sort of admiration as well as pride. Flick did not exactly make it big but he did make it big enough to be remembered by his peers. There is a sense of sorrow in the eyes of the townspeople, as if they are mourning the lost talent. Flick’s talent was realized but was never purs ued. ... It straightforwardly tells us that Flick now works at â€Å"Berth’s Garage† (Updike) and that he does not have a â€Å"chance to go two blocks† from his former high school. From the first stanza we can concluded that Flick is a failure who ended up working in a garage. His attachment to his old school is also very strong as he does not want to be very far from his old school where he had been celebrated as a hero. The description of his job indicates that Flick is doing a job which is less suited for him with no potential to move up in life. The poem does not have any rhyming scheme or a consistent meter. Throughout the poem, the author uses a free verse. This is effective in conveying the message and reminders amongst the young readers. The author uses simple language to express himself and to convey the message about the importance of learning a trade and honing your skills to make it out in the real world. High school may be the place where we are a star, but there is life outside high school where one needs to survive. Without real skills it is tough to survive in the real world and this is what the poem tries to convey. One needs to work hard to achieve his goals as there is no place in this word for the lazy people. Even though we may be gifted with a special talent, we cannot expect the gift to nurture itself, it is our responsibility to hone our skills. The author tries to convince us using a simple language and a simple example about the fact of life and how it is our responsibility to make use of our talent by not wasting it. Flick wasted his talents by not learning the trade and therefore he ended up doing a minimal monotonous job without any prospect of moving forward in life. In an interview, the

Final Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Final Reflection - Essay Example The summary of â€Å"Is Facebook making us Lonely† helped us a lot in understanding audience awareness. The article helped us how to write keeping the dispositions of audience towards the writer. The authors discussed the topic in an excellent way keeping their audience in mind. The summary of the article also informed us about the details involved in responding to audience. The article itself served as a role model for us as to how to communicate with audience using facts and rhetoric together. The subject of the article was very interesting and authors were successful in keeping the interests of the readers at all times. The summary of the article also helped us to learn about summarizing and paraphrasing. It helped us understand how to read and summarize a particular work without ignoring every small detail. I personally learned how to concisely summarize a long article in a few pages. This course has also helped me recognize the importance of rhetorical stance especially through the class discussions. In the class discussions we learnt how to maintain a clear stance throughout the discussion without changing sides. It was more about building a whole case around a central thesis. This helped my writing a lot because previously there was less coherence in my work. I used to discuss many things in a single paper and did not focus too much on a central theme or purpose. Class discussion made me understand how important it is to think about a purpose when writing about a topic. Research paper probably helped me the most as it made my research skills better. I learned how to use search engines and other sources to get the relevant information in a less amount of time. There is loads of information now at our disposal but it is very difficult to extract the right kind of information in a short time. I believe that research paper writing helped me research in a better way. When I was doing the paper I had to analyze other people’s work and

Should Gays Be Allowed to Marry Essay Example for Free

Should Gays Be Allowed to Marry Essay Marriage: a legally recognized relationship, established by civil or religious ceremony, between two people who intend to live together as sexual and domestic partners. Typically this is between a man and a woman, in love, as they come before their families, to pledge to spend the rest of their lives together. As times continue to evolve around the world so has the idea and laws concerning marriage. Marriage is no longer just about a man and a woman committing themselves to each other for life, it now encompasses, gay and lesbians as well, as they pledge to love, honor, and trust each other all the days of their lives. This argumentative essay will explore logically both sides of the debate on whether gays and lesbians should be extended the same rights of marriage as heterosexuals have. Marriage and Heterosexuals The purpose of marriage has always been to join a man and a woman in matrimony so they can start and raise a family naturally. Marriage has occurred since the beginning of time in every culture. You meet, fall in love, get married and have babies. This belief of the 1950’s style marriage is how many young people see and view how they are supposed to live their adult lives. Marriage is a sacred act that a man and woman shares in front of their families, pledging their unending love for each other promising to cherish and keep only unto them as long as they both shall live. The Catholic Church teaches that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman. Catholism teaches us that â€Å"Marriage is a union of male and female that expresses the sexually complementarily willed belief of God for their marriage,† and see the natural structure of human sexuality between a man and a woman saying that they complement each other in expressing conjugal love and transmitting human life. This unique complement is what makes the bond of marriage the core of unity. The concept of marriage as a â€Å"sacred institution† is a modern fallacy. Because marriage is constantly evolving and changing the modern concept of marriage is evolving as well. Marriage is becoming more about commitment and less about creating families. In today’s society more and more married couples are chosing not to start families and are using their union as a committed state as a platform to evolve their career. Marriage and Homosexuals The issues of whether or not one should believe that gays should marry, is a hot controversy across the United States today in political and religious forums. 100 years ago as the human race started drastically changing everything about what we thought that we knew, started to evolve into new territories as well. No longer are we the human species of traditional hunter- gatherers we have evolved into a species of high tech industrialist who want to be able to decide everything.. These changes are not the only one’s taking place. We now find ourselves on the turntable of marriage as well. What actually defines a marriage? Does it have to only be about a male and a female? No longer do we have to stay in marriages when we were miserable, or our spouse is being unfaithful. We have separation and divorce. With all these changes we are now starting to look at accepting same sex marriages, or domestic partnerships, in the same piece of mind. So let’s take a look at what makes up these marriages and partnerships and then you can decide if you really can’t support something that you once didn’t really think you could. Domestic Partnerships Domestic Partnership has been around for years. While some think of domestic partnerships as a man and a woman, others think of domestic partnerships as a homosexual couple, (man and man or woman and woman) living together raising families. The idea that people can co habitat a space, without having a piece of paper from the state saying they are â€Å"MARRIED†, has become popular especially amongst the homosexual community. Once something that was thought to be shamed upon is now considered the norm. With marriage come legal obligations and rights that Domestic Partnership does not offer. In marriage if you decide you no longer want be with your spouse you can separate, and or divorce. When this happens, a judge decides how he or she will divide your property, assets, and they set up custody arrangements. In domestic partnerships there are no legal rights that automatically come when you move in together. Because of legal loop hole, many domestic partners are chosing to draw up legal contracts. These legal contracts say who gets what when it comes to assets, property, children, and in some cases names who gets to say what happens to them in emergencies. These legal contracts are saving millions of domestic partners when their domestic partnership falls apart. Same Sex Marriage Same sex marriage, marriage amongst two people from the same biological sex or gender identity. Same sex marriages can be performed in a secular civil ceremony or in a religious setting are endorsed and practiced by various religious groups around the world. In the United States same-sex couples living in Massachusetts, California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington state can now legally decide if they believe that marriage is what they want to enter into. Before consenting into marriage as a same sex couple one must first think about a few issues about how they want to structure they’re union. Having children, jointly owning property, splitting up property, formalities such as taxes or divorce, government benefits, and immigration are things that any couple should think of when they decide to marry. For gays and lesbians these questions require more thought that they would if you are heterosexual. One topic more than others is children. If one partner in the same sex marriage is the parent does the other partner automatically get custody if that partner dies? Some would think yes but not in all cases. For most if one partner has a child they have no legal rights to the child. They therefore must go to court and legally adopt the child. Should homosexuals be allowed to marry? Yes. I believe that with all the changes that our country has went through over the past one hundred years I believe that giving everyone the same rights should include giving homosexuals the right to get married. I do not see why that if you love someone that you should not be allowed to get married. Ethical Issues and Ethical Problems The ethical issues and ethical problems of gays being allowed to marry are principally related to religion and the media. Legally whether or not homosexuals are allowed to marry or not is more of an issue that ethical. In the United States laws concerning whether or not gays should marry has come under ramification recently as Constitutional laws are changing. As homosexuals continue to fight for the same rights as heterosexuals I believe that constitutional laws will continue to overshadow ethical issues. Conclusion With every scrutanty that homosexuals face why do they want the continue to risk everything to get married? Marriage: a legally recognized relationship, established by civil or religious ceremony, between two people who intend to live together as sexual and domestic partners. In this argumentative essay I explored logically both sides of the debate on whether gays and lesbians, and domestic partners, should be extended the same rights of marriage as heterosexuals have. Marriage by definition does not state that it has to be between a man and a woman. It does state that they must live together sexually and domestically. I believe that in this paper I have shown that same sex couples domestically and sexually qualify for this union. I believe that no matter what someone’s gender is they should be allowed to stand in front of God and their families and announce to the world that they love each other and are committing each other for live.

Looking At The Storys Behind Indian Art Cultural Studies Essay

Looking At The Storys Behind Indian Art Cultural Studies Essay I intend to do research on the Indian folk art forms, their styles, different symbols and forms as well as the context and cultural backgrounds. I will focus on MDAHUBANI PAINTINGS, a folk art originated from North India. This research will help me understand the characteristics of these art forms, which will inspire my animation story and visual style. The story of Indian art is also the story of one of the oldest and most resilient cultures on earth. Throughout its history, Indian art has combined local tradition with outside influences, and has evolved along with a civilization, which has been remarkably innovative in all areas. As in every culture, art has been a mirror of Indias fascinating history from the beginning, reflecting religious beliefs, political events, and social customs. Especially in folk arts we find a compelling and beautiful record of centuries of Indian culture. Introduction to Indian Folk Arts The somewhat lesser-known traditions of Indian painting are the so-called folk paintings dating back to a period that may be referred to as timeless. These are living traditions, intrinsically linked with the regional historic-cultural settings from which they arise. It has an age-old heritage that can be traced back to the beginning of civilization on this subcontinent [1]. It began with cave paintings, with the natural dyes so strong that they can still be seen today on the walls of the caves after centuries. The folk and tribal painting come from the remote rural and tribal regions. Sometimes the artists of these rustic works are not even educated. They lack the basic means to attend schools, and as they are gifted with such beautiful mean of expression by nature. The various painting forms coming from these regions began not just as a painting but also as a religious and social ritual performed daily. It began with painting the walls and floor of mud houses. They hide the belief that this purified the ambience and pleased the deities. Various religious and symbols were therefore seen within the painting. The term folk paintings here encompasses pictures made in Indian villages by both men and women, for ornamentation of their abodes, portrayals of their gods and for their various rituals; and, by local professional painters or artisans for use of the local people. All these paintings were produced in a variety of styles and themes. History, sociology and geography infused the painting of each region with local flavor. Their style and quality depended on the materials available in the place in which they were executed, these very factors that helps to identify the region. Folk art may be defined as the art created among groups that exist within the framework of existing society, but, for geographical and cultural reasons, are largely separated from the sophisticated and cultural reasons, and the developments of their time. As a result, they produce distinctive styles and objects for local needs and tastes. In folk tradition, art is nourishment to the daily life of the people. Whether he is a TAMILNADU (an Indian state) [2] potter who creates a massive terracotta AIYANAR (example in Appendix. Pic.1) or a MADHYA PRADESH (an Indian state) [2] tribal who creates PITHORA painting (example in Appendix. Pic.2), at the moment of creation, the poverty-stricken, illiterate folk, becomes a master-crafts-man who can create marvelous plastic and visual forms with a creative genius handed over to him by generations. Topography and geography too have control over the medium of art. In the case of UTTAR PRADESH (an Indian state) [2], we can find folk paintings on the walls of the houses. Whereas in ASSAM (an Indian state) [2], one cannot find wall paintings because most of the walls of the house are built with cane or bamboo. The folk and tribal traditions, consider all materials available in day-to-day life are worthy of serving as a medium of expression. In this regard, artist-writer, HAKU SHAH writ es, When a tribal touches a blade of grass, gourd or bead, fiber, twig, grain, pin, plastic button, conch shell, feather, leaf of flower, he sees through it, smells it, hears it, and therein starts the ritual of being with it [3]. Each part of the country with its own trees and plants, birds and animals, hills and dales has inspired Indian folk artists to have multiple metaphors, series of symbols and innumerable images to build a rich treasure-house of art. The following are the common stylistic characters in folk-art: Preference for simple outline and choice of typically representational lines; A simplification of colors and volumes so that shading is eliminated; Stylization of motifs to create decorative elements; and Repetition of lines, of entire figures, of dots for intensive or rhythmical purposes. Following is the list of some of the main folk arts from different parts of India Madhubani Painting Folk art of Madhubani from the Mithila region [2] of north India. There are different styles developed by different castes of the region. (Examples in Appendix Pic.16a 16h) Thanka Painting Combining the magnificent beauty with spiritual vision, Tankha is painting solely dedicated to Buddha and his teachings. These represent how the Buddhists see the universe. It is generally in eight layers with the upper most layers or part depicting a deity. The rest seven are the various elements of the universe like, fire, earth, space, water and air. Colorful and geometrical, these are many a time seen as the basis of temple architecture. These paintings are done with dedication, concentration, and passion and also with the deep religious feeling of doing something directly related with the supreme power. (Example in Appendix Pic.3a, 3b) Patachitra Painting Indian art Patachitra is a pre-Islamic form of religious art. It comes from the eastern Indian state Orissa [2]. Hindu gods and goddesses and other mythological scenes are painted on a leather-like surface made of several layers of old cotton glued together. (Example in Appendix Pic.4a, 4b) Kalamkari Painting Kalamkari Literally meaning pen-work, it is the religious painting on cloth with blocks and wax resist, from the temple town of KALAHASTHI in southeast ANDHRA PRADESH [2]. (Example in Appendix Pic.5a, 5b) Warli Painting Warli is a tribal community from MAHARASHTRA, India [2]. They have made a significant contribution to the heritage of Indian tribal art. Done by both men and women, these art works show their dedication to the nature and the superpower. (Example in Appendix Pic.6a, 6b) Gond Painting Tribal painting, Gond is a freehand expression of the Gond tribes of MADHYA PRADESH, India [2]. Painted freehand, these two dimensional paintings reflect their perception of life. The third dimension, the depth is always lacking in these paintings reflecting the simplicity of the artist. Sometimes these paintings also tell how colorful their imagination can be. They put colors to the blandest creations of the nature at times. (Example in Appendix Pic.7a, 7b) Batik Painting Batik, wax resist painting from WEST BENGAL, India [2]. Meaning wax-painting in Javanese, it originated in Indonesia and later revived in WEST BENGAL, India. The creativity of the talented dyers has given it a fresh new definition. The principle of batik is a simple one, wax or a similarly resistant substance such as rice paste is used to create patterns or motifs on cloth before it is dyed or colored in some way. When the wax is finally ready to be removed, the untouched cloth beneath it stands out as the original color of the cloth. (Example in Appendix Pic.8a, 8b) Miniature Painting Folk art miniature paintings inspired by the graceful romantic life style of the Mughals [4]. These paintings show one moment at a time and in minute details. The love scenes, the court scenes, various solitary women, animals, flowers all were closely observed and reproduced simultaneously. (Example in Appendix Pic.9a, 9b) Santhal Art The Santhal tribe, one of the famous tribes belonging to the Bihar state of India [2], has a typical style of painting, known as Santhal paintings. The bodies of the various forms that they paint are seldom or perhaps never in one shade, they are always striped, dotted or filled with any other geometrical pattern. They are done on a handmade paper with poster colors. The topics are selected from the natural surroundings or just from the happenings of their day-to-day lives. (Example in Appendix Pic.10a, 10b) Phad Art RAJASHTAN, an Indian state [2], the land of colors is known for Phad painting, which is done on cloth. This type of painting is mainly found in the BHILWARA district. The main theme of these paintings is the depiction of local deities and their stories, and legends of erstwhile local rulers. Phad is a type of scroll painting. These paintings are created while using bright and subtle colors. (Example in Appendix Pic.11a, 11b) Yantra Tantra art or yantra is used as an instrument or medium of focus on a deity while meditating. It is used while performing religious ceremonies. It is a graphical representation of geometrical or abstract images such as triangles, squares, pentagons, hexagons or circles. (Example in Appendix Pic.12a, 12b) Chittara Chittara, meaning picture is an expression of the village artists of KARNATAKA India [2]. Chittara is done on handmade paper. This paper is coated with mud first and then the desired color of the background is given to it by various colors extracted from the natural objects. The color red is procured by grinding a special red stone, the color black is procured by grinding burnt rice and soaking it in water for few days, mud and rice paste gives white. (Example in Appendix Pic.13a, 13b) Introduction to MADHUBANI Paintings Painting is generally done by folk artists or classical artists in three ways: wall-painting (BHITTI-CITRA), canvas-painting (PATA-CHITRA) and floor-painting (ARIPANA). Of these the wall-painting and the floor-painting are very popular in MITHILA region [2]. The Wall-painting or mural paintings, popularly known as MITHILA painting or MADHUBANI painting. MADHUBANI, literally meaning from the forest of honey is the name of the village from where comes the MADHUBANI paintings. Situated in the interior of northern India, this art is the expression of creativity in the day-to-day life of the local people. Done mainly by the females of the family, this art is regarded as a part of daily ritual. Initially all vegetable dyes were used for the paintings but today they have access to the variety of poster colors to cater to their needs and to enable them for more experiments with colors. The estimated date cant be traced back to the actual era that brought MADHUBANI art in to existence. It is however centuries old art that is associated with the normal lives of the villagers. In that region it is believed that every morning the worshipped deity comes invisibly to the household to bless the members of the family and also to bring more prosperity. So this art started as a welcome painting for deities. It started from the entrance floor and the exterior of the house. Passed from mothers to their daughters, the art of MADHUBANI has constantly been improving in its quality. As this tradition was initialized with a purpose of decorating the exterior of the house, the walls and the floor always served as the canvas. Floor-painting (ARIPANA) The art of ARIPANA or floor-painting has been handed down from generation to generation. There is not a single house in MITHILA in which ceremonies are held without ARIPANA. The women of MITHILA specialize in drawing circular patterns of designs with a white liquid paste made of ground rice mixed with water. Sometimes vermilion is also applied, besides white, red, green, yellow and black colors. In various ARIPANA designs, they have the images of gods and goddess painted on different shapes and forms with multiple colors, reflecting the artists originality and imagination. ARIPANA is an indigenous word, which means the art of drawing embankment or wall. The word is derived from ALIMPANA or ALEPANA (of Sanskrit origin) and though grammatically correct, it falsifies the real origin of the word [5]. (Example of ARIPANA art in Appendix. Pic.14a, 14b) The land and people North of the river Ganges, in the state of BIHAR [2] lies a land called MITHILA, shaded by old mango groves and watered by melt water rivers of NEPAL [2] (Indian neighbor country) and the Himalayas. MITHILA has played a noteworthy part in the political and cultural life of ancient India. It is a land full of the beauty of landscape in sharp contrast to the ugliness of poverty in which its people, most of whom are talented painters, live, who accept their fate, good or bad, and paint for painting sake. It is said that altogether MITHILA was the home where the enlightened and the learned might always find a generous patron, peace and safety, where courts were devoted to learning and culture and where poets and philosophers lived in honor and affluence. Even though women in the villages around MADHUBANI have been practicing their folk art for centuries, the world at large has come to know about these women and to consider them to be artists only in the last forty years. Even now, most of their work remains anonymous. The women, most of them illiterate, are reluctant to consider themselves individual producers of works of art and only a few of them mark the paintings with their own name. Among the first modern outsiders to document the tradition of MADHUBANI painting were William and Mildred Archer. Mr. Archer was a British civil servant assigned to the district during the colonial era (till 1947). The Archers obtained some drawings on paper that the women painters were using as aids to memory. Works that the Archers collected went to the India Records Office in London (now part of the British Library) where a small number of specialists could study them as creative instances of Indias folk art [6]. The women painters in MADHUBANI lived in a closed society and were unwilling to paint openly. Eventually due to a drought (1966-68) in the surrounding areas of MITHILA that resulted in severe economic crisis women began to commercialize their art. The All India Handicrafts Board [7] encouraged the women artists to produce their paintings on handmade paper for commercial sale. The government of India, the state government of Bihar and the regional craft guilds has all come in together to initiate the productions and marketing for these women painters. This sudden change in the form of art and its presentation has enabled the world to discover a new form of art with an enviable linkage to the lives of women [8]. The Style of painting This style of painting belongs to North Bihar. In keeping with the tradition under which it began, the style is replete with symbols of fertility like the lotus plant, the bamboo grove, birds, fish, etc. in union. The art shifted to drawing paper in the 1960s, and this brought with it a new freedom and creativity. Paper is movable and economically feasible too. Figures from nature mythology are adapted to suit this style. The themes designs widely painted are the worship of Hindu deities such as KRISHNA, RAMA, SIVA, DURGA, LAKSHMI, SARASWATI, Sun and Moon, TULSI (basil) plant, court scenes, wedding scenes, social happenings around them, etc. Floral, animal and bird motifs, geometrical designs are used to fill up all the gaps. There is hardly any empty space in this style. The skill is handed down the generations, and hence the traditional designs and patterns are widely maintained. One of the main features of MITHILA paintings is simplicity. All that is required for the artist is a suitable surface, ordinary paints, and local brushes. Preliminary sketching is hardly required in MITHILA paintings because the outlines are developed in a single sweep of the brush. Tools Used No sophisticated tools are needed in MADHUBANI paintings. Artists are still unacquainted with the modern brush. The traditional brush is made from a bamboo-twig by wrapping the twig up with a piece of cloth or by having its end frayed in such a way that the fiber looks like a bundle of hair. Color Scheme The artists prepare the colors. Black is obtained by mixing soot with cow dung; yellow from turmeric or pollen or lime and the milk of banyan leaves; blue from indigo; red from the KUSUM flower juice or red sandalwood; green from the leaves of the wood apple tree; white from rice powder; orange from PALASHA flowers. The raw materials were mixed with goats milk and juice from bean plants. Today green, blue, red and orange have been added to these colors. The colors are applied flat with no shading. There is normally a double line drawn for the outlines, with the gap between the lines filled by cross or straight tiny lines. In the linear painting, no colors are applied. Only the outlines are drawn. Some villages only produce black ink drawings. Other villages use pink, yellow, blue, red and parrot green, each paint mixed with the traditional goats milk. Impact of Hindu religion and mythology in Indian folk arts Hinduism Religion has been a definitive influence on Indian Art. Hindu Paintings featuring Hindu gods, Hindu goddesses, and the various Hindu pantheons are one of the most prominent symbols of Indian and Hindu Art. Hindu god/goddess in branding In India, manufacturers try to affect the psyche of consumer, by branding an item with the names and images of Hindu deities. They bring the premium image of a God and His virtues and associate them to their product, thus exploiting the mass recognition of well-established imagery of the God to boost product branding. The beauty of this strategy lies in the fact that the companies using Gods images do not have to be concerned about any kind of intellectual property issues like copyright, thus enjoying an immense credibility just by virtue of having connected their name to a venerated name. This kind of branding shows the popularity of god/goddess images in India and the corporate/legal freedom of their use. Manufacturers use images and names of Hindu Gods on product labels and promotion materials to attract buyers attention. Even in America some of the phone card companies like MCI, which target Indian consumers, print Gods images on its international phone cards and sometimes even t he phone card itself is named after a God. In India the largest group of advertisers are the food marketers, followed by marketers of drugs and cosmetics, soaps, automobiles, tobacco, appliances, and oil products. All of these companies somehow associate their products virtues with the virtues of a God and try to sell it to the consumer, who can very well relate to the image presented. For instance, Indian jewelers use image and name of Goddess LAXMI, who is considered the ruler of all material wealth extensively. One of the most famous names among jewelry shops in India is: Maha Laxmi Jewelers. (Examples of some Ads and products in Appendix. Pic.17a 17j) Forms and symbols in MADHUBANI Paintings The motifs of the designs include conventionalized flora and fauna, circles in series, spiral or curvilinear devices, series of short lines, foot-points of fragmentary (imaginative) pictures illustrating legends and stories, giving glimpses of environmental and natural life. While the religious paintings include various gods and goddess, the secular and decorative paintings contain various symbols of prosperity and fertility such as elephant, horse, fish, lion, parrot, turtle, bamboo, lotus, flower, PURAINA leaves, PANA, creepers, SWASTIKA etc. Besides, we also come across in these paintings aspects of agricultural animal life, which plays an important role in the rural economy of MITHILA. The animal, in fact, is a duplicate representation of energy and character of God. Thus, the subject matter generally falls into two groups: (1) A series of heavenly forms. (2) A series of strictly selected vegetables and animal forms. For different occasions, they have different forms and symbols attached to these paintings. Wedding Paintings At weddings, the following objects the sun and moon, a bamboo-tree, a circle of lotuses, parrots, turtle and fish come into prominence. These paintings draw their themes mostly from the PURANAS and epics. The most prominent image looming largest on the walls are the bamboo-tree and the ring of lotus, the KAMALAVANA or PURAINA. The focus is on fertility, and the marvelously intricate diagrams of the KAMALAVANA, the PURAINA and the forest of bamboos are, as pointed out by Archer, MANDALAS and diagrams of the generative organs. The lotus circle is not only a lotus but also the symbol of the brides sex, while the bamboo-tree is a bamboo, it also represents the phallus. (Although sometimes it is said that the women artists iconize the husbands patrilineage as a stand of bamboo.) In other words, lotus is a female and bamboo is a male. According to Archer, the latent symbolism reaches its height in the many paintings in which the bamboo-tree is depicted not as aloof and apart but as driven through the center of a clinging circle [9]. There are also minor symbols of parrots, turtles, fish, sun and the moon. In Indian context, the parrots symbolize the lovebirds and they feature constantly as images of the bride and bridegroom in folk songs and poetry. Turtles also have a significant place because they associate water with all its beneficent power with marriage, their strange shape being diagrammatic of the lovers union and their head and tail emerging from the shell looks like the exact counterparts of the bamboo plunging in the lotus. Then, there are fishes which are emblems of fertility and, finally we have sun and moon who are inserted because of their life-giving qualities. (Example of marriage art known as KOHBAR in Appendix. Pic.16a 16h) About the MADHUBANI painting Artists: Baua Devi Baua Devi is one of the most respected artists in the MITHILA community, and certainly the most successful. She lives in JITWARPUR, the village where she was born. Her work has been exhibited widely throughout India as well as the Center Georges Pompidou in Paris and at the MITHILA Museum in Tokamachi, Japan [10]. Also, at the MATRIX show at UC Berkeley Art Museum, 1997 [11] included two mural-scale paintings by Baua Devi, one depicting the life of KRISHNA, the other, a festival around a pond in a Mithila village. The scope of MADHUBANI paintings, its popularity in India and in other parts of the world MADHUBANI Painting has lately received much attention and popularity. There are quite a few websites devoted to MADHUBANI painting. I simply would like to add that the credit for bringing recent and massive popularity to this art form goes, in large measure, to the Lalit Narayan Mishra. In his capacity as the Minister for Railways in Mrs. Indira Gandhis cabinet, reproductions of these paintings adorned the coaches of many fast and super-fast trains. [12] Copies of the paintings became a hot-selling item for both native and foreign travelers. The reproductions could be found in plenty, for instance, among the hawkers in the bustling street side market along the JANPATH in New Delhi, India a must for the foreign tourist! Credit is due also to Mr. Bhaskar Kulkarni, erstwhile member of the Indian Handicrafts Federation. He was the first to organize an exhibition of this school of paintings at New Delhi in 1967 [13]. This brought instant international recognition. Folk art is having a tr easure house of symbolic language to contribute as a gift to Modern art. Folk in a sense carries the connotation of anonymity, collective wisdom, spontaneity and simplicity. With the development of Anthropology a new awareness has come into understanding the primitive and folk traditions. Anthropology has proved that regionalism in art is not against internationalism. [14] Conclusion MADHUBANI paintings are popular because of their tribal motifs and use of bright earthy colors. I would like to explore how these unique features of folk art could be successfully translated into the form of Animation. Based on my research I have these findings about MADHUBANI PAINTINGS characteristics: -The figures are recognizable by a face in profile while the rest of the body faces the front. -The face has one very large eye and a bumpy sort of nose coming out of the forehead. -The figure outlines are drawn as a double line with diagonal hatching between them. -The borders are highly decorated either geometrically or with ornate floral patterns. -Clothing also is highly decorated with geometrical, floral or even animal patterns. -The drawings of animals are easily recognized for what they are, but again tend to be very stylized. -The forms and symbols in these paintings have their own significance and different forms and symbols are used on different occasions. -There could be different interpretations of symbols and its uses. -These paintings have a limited number of colors and each color has its own meaning. Artists prepare the colors applied. -The artist uses traditional brushes (made from a bamboo-twig) for drawing. With time medium has changed. Originally these paintings were done on walls in villages. Later, the artists successfully transferred their techniques of wall painting to the medium of paper. Now most of the artists use watercolors and handmade papers. At the same time they maintain the characteristics and style of paintings although the medium has changed. In order to create a new source of non-agricultural income, different organizations encourages the artists to produce their traditional paintings on handmade paper for commercial sale. This way now it also widely spread. Even in the more recent work on paper, the themes are normally the Hindu Gods and Goddesses and stories from Hindu mythology. They exhibit their paintings throughout India as well as different parts of the world. Now with the advent of digital tools like Macromedia Flash, which can produce the similar kind of drawings using different combinations of pencil and brush strokes. Use of digital tools also makes these dr awings faster and more effectively as these paintings has lots of repetitive patterns. So we can say, transferring the techniques of wall painting to the medium of paper gained these paintings more popularity and recognition. Same way I strongly feel that when these styles and characteristics of MADHUBANI paintings will be transformed into digital medium, such as animation, it will take the paintings to the next level, where these folk art styles will be used by more and more digital artists from India and all over the world. End Notes [1] Based on the art history timeline the art produced on the Indian subcontinent from about the 3rd millennium BC . However based on the recent findings, An archaeological site off Indias western coast may be up to 9,000 years old. The revelation comes about 18 months after acoustic images from the sea-bed suggested the presence of built-up structures resembling the ancient Harappan civilization, which dates back around 4,000 years. . [2] States from India. Map of India Appendix Pic.15 [3] Thakur, Upendra, MADHUBANI Painting. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, 1982. [4] Roy, The Bratas of Bengal, The RANGOLI or ARIPANA, KOLAM or MURGGY, as it is known in Bombay (now Mumbai), TAMILNADU and ANDHRA, is a pleasing decoration of the ground. [5] The Mughals ruled in India from 1526 to 1857. The Mughal period can be called a classical age in northern India. In this cultural development, the Indian traditions were amalgamated with the Turko-Iranian culture, brought to the country by the Mughals. [6] Gene R. Thursby, University of Florida . [7] Ministry of Textiles (Govt of India) [8] Madhubani Painting Workshop Brochure. . [9] Archer, W.G., MADHUBANI Paintings. Mumbai, 1998. [10] The Mithila Museum in Tokamachi, Japan. . [The Mithila Museum is housed in a converted schoolhouse in Tokamachi, Niigata Prefecture, situated in Japans snow country. Here approximately 850 Mithila paintings, more than 300 paintings that the Mithila artists created in Japan, Warli paintings by an aboriginal group in India, and Indian teracotta statues and figurines, are exhibited on a permanent basis.] [11] Baua Devi and the Art of Mithila. . MATRIX: August 15 through October 26, 1997 at the UC Berkeley Art Museum. [This is the first United States exhibition of paintings on paper by the Indian artist Baua Devi. The exhibition also includes a selection of works by other artists from the Mithila region of northeastern India. Baua Devis paintings explore an array of personal and mythological themes. An image, which she has come to adopt as her own is the nag kanya, or snake maiden, a creature with the torso and head of a beautiful woman and the lower body of a snake. The nag kanya resembles the snake goddess Manasa, whose attributes echo those of the key Hindu god Shiva. The nag kanya also derives from the real snakes that occupy the watery region where Baua Devi lives.] [12] Railways in North Bihar. . [13] Mr. Bhaskar Kulkarni. . [14] The Art of Folk Tradition. . References Thakur, Upendra, MADHUBANI Painting. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, n.d. Thakur, Upendra, History of MITHILA. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, n.d. Jain, Jyotindra, Ganga Devi: Tradition and Expression in Mithila Painting. Ahmedabad, India: Mapin Publishing Pvt Ltd., 1997. [A fine book on a leading artist who practiced what is sometimes called the Kayastha style of MADHUBANI painting.] Vequaud, Yves, The Women Painters of Mithila. London: Thames and Hudson, 1977. [A book that contributed to and then reflected the worldwide popularity of MADHUBANI painting.] Osaki, Norio, MADHUBANI Paintings. Kyoto Shoin, 1998. Shearer, Alistair. The Hindu Vision: Forms of the Formless. Thames Hudson, 1993. Aldred, Gavin. Indian Firework Art. Trafalgar Square, 2000 Prakash, K. Authentic Folk Designs from India. New Delhi: Dover Pubns, 1995. Dawson, Barry. Street Graphics India. Thames Hudson, 2001. Archer, W.G., MADHUBANI Paintings. Mumbai, 1998. Anand, Mulk Raj, MADHUBANI Painting. New Delhi: Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, 1984. Online exhibit of MADHUBANI Paintings. . About an Artist.. The MAITHILI BRAHMANS: An Online Ethnography.. Marketing God: About religious content on Indian television.