Diary

Diana Rigg

Thursday, 10th January 2008

Years ago my divorce liberated me from many things, not least of which was a wife’s burden of organising the traditional family Christmas.

Years ago my divorce liberated me from many things, not least of which was a wife’s burden of organising the traditional family Christmas. Inevitably, come Boxing Day, I was whey-faced with fatigue and singularly lacking in ‘ho-ho-ho’. Subsequent Christmases have been spent in far-flung places and this year I have just returned from visiting Tamil Nadu and its myriad temples. Getting to grips with Indian gods is not easy. There are over 3,000 of them. But on this visit I came across a particularly fascinating one — Ardhanareshwara. It seems the god Siva in one of his earliest incarnations declared man and woman were equal, so Ardhanareshwara was given the human form of half man, half woman. Grotesque as it may sound, the figure is really very beautiful. Siva the perfect male form on the left, Parvati his wife, gloriously sensual on the right. This tentative attempt at equality was, however, swept aside by the Mughals when they invaded India and their legacy is all too sadly evident in the plight of women working in the villages, fields and roadsides today. I brought a small bronze of Ardhanareshwara home with me, not because I’m much of a feminist but simply because it represents the perfect union.

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B Clarke

January 12th, 2008 4:43pm Report this comment

Very amusing article Dame Diana and unfortunately I have one of those websites you loathe but we as admirers love! Sorry!

Anne

January 12th, 2008 5:23pm Report this comment

Très dr�le ! Merci Dame Diana ! Au fait, je fais partie de ceux qui éprouvent le besoin de "faire passer l'information" en ce qui vous concerne. Mon but n'est pas de provoquer des commentaires irraisonnés sur votre personne, mais de faire en sorte que les gens disent moins de conneries à votre sujet. C'est tout. Anne

John

January 13th, 2008 8:58pm Report this comment

Very interesting, amusing and frank article from this well loved and respected lady. Referring to B Clarke's comment I don't think Diana is commenting on fans' websites but on those (actors etc,) who promote themselves by posting on their own or their fans' websites. Ironically, this article is now part of a website and presumably adds to the 1,150,000 figure Diana refers to. Diana has also pulled back the curtain a little, in this article, for the ever curious fan (?).

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