Culturama September 2014 by Rohini Manian

culturama your cultural gateway to india

September 2014 Volume 5, Issue 7 Rs 40

Ni hao to Namaste Lessons learnt from a month spent with a Shaolin monk â&#x20AC;&#x201C; meditation, exercise and love

Epic Celebrations

The effigy makers of Delhi are making huge images of the demon Ravan for Dussera â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we pay them a visit in Picture Story

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Dear Readers, “You must tweet at least twice a day. What do you mean you don’t have time? You do find time to speak to share ideas, right?” This was a question raised by one of my newest team members. And after Twitter, I was introduced to the world of Instagram – an amazing pictorial message one can tweet. Truly, pictures do speak a thousand words! I realised that the collection of pictures used to illustrate and highlight the articles within the magazine is what makes Culturama unique. Offbeat, colourful, eyeopening – these amazing photos were taken by expatriates and sent to our annual Beautiful India Photo Competition over the past 17 years. By using these images in Culturama, we ‘re-tweet’ their impressions of this wonderful land,

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whose beauty we Indians sometimes take for granted. Take, for example, our Picture Story (Pg 50) on the effigy makers of Delhi, who make giant images of the demon king Ravan for the Dussera celebrations. India may be celebrating almost seven decades of independence, but the civilisation that has flourished within its boundaries is 3,000 years old. An equally ancient culture flourished in China, our neighbour. And the countries share a common thread – thanks to a monk named Bodhidharma, who travelled from Kanchipuram in South India to the Henan province in China. He was instrumental in introducing Chan Buddhism to China,which is the guiding religion of the Shaolin Temple. In a beautiful turn of events, I was able to meet and spend a whole month with a Shaolin monk! In Focus (Pg 16) captures the best parts of this experience. As the season of festivals commences – read more about Onam and Dussera in Festivals of the Month (Pg 69) – we will see a riot of colour and celebration across the country. This is the perfect time to take out your camera and capture these moments – after all, our 17th Beautiful India Expatriate Photo Competition is just around the corner! Turn to the back cover for more details, and spread the word to your expatriate friends. We look forward to honouring the best at our Awards event in November. Wish you a wonderful month ahead! Ranjini Manian Editor-in-Chief globalindian@globaladjustments.com P.S. And yes, I do tweet on a regular basis now. “Follow me” @RanjiniManian.

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Letters to the editor

Credits Young Shaolin monk Shifu Shiyanping from China demonstrates powerful kung fu moves. Turn to In Focus (pg 16) to read about his India experience.

Cover picture by Prem Kumar Editor-in-Chief Ranjini Manian Associate Editor Yamini Vasudevan

Dear Editor,

“'Congratulations on an excellent August 2014 issue of Culturama. What a lot of thought has gone into your feature about Madras! The articles are interesting, the photos excellent, and even the advertisement layouts were good. If you can, do add snippets on each page corner on what culture is and how it is not to be mixed up with religion.” - M. Murali, Founder of Sri Krishna Sweets, Chennai

Business Head Sheeba Radhamohan Sub Editor Shefali Ganesh

Dear Editor,

Senior Designer Prem Kumar

“' I enjoyed reading the August issue of Culturama. The magazine has grown remarkably since I last saw it 10 years ago. Good job!”

Finance Controller V Ramkumar Circulation S Raghu Advertising Bengaluru Meera Roy Chennai Amritha Suresh Delhi/NCR Neha Verma Mumbai/Pune Deepa Navani To subscribe to this magazine, write to circulation@globaladjustments.com or access it online at www.culturama.in Chennai (Headquarters) 5, 3rd Main Road, R A Puram, Chennai – 600028 Telefax +91-44-24617902 Email culturama@globaladjustments.com Bengaluru 17/16, Ali Asker Road, Off. Cunningham Road, Bengaluru – 560 052 Mobile +91 99869 60316 Email culturamablr@globaladjustments.com Delhi-NCR 1414, DLF Galleria Tower, DLF Phase IV, Gurgaon, Haryana – 122009 Mobile +91 98712 89488 Email del@globaladjustments.com Mumbai Rustom Court, 2nd Floor, Dr. Annie Besant Road, Worli, Mumbai – 400030 Tel +91-22-66104191/92 Email mum@globaladjustments.com Published and owned by Ranjini Manian at #5, 3rd Main Road, Raja Annamalai Puram, Chennai – 600028, and printed by K Srinivasan of Srikals Graphics Pvt Ltd at #5, Balaji Nagar, 1st Street, Ekkattuthangal, Chennai – 600032 Editor-in-Chief Ranjini Manian Disclaimer Views and opinions expressed by writers do not necessarily reflect the publisher’s or the magazine’s.

- Vijaysekar Subramaniam, Founder of Kumaran Systems, San Francisco

Dear Editor,

“I have admired the wonderful progress Culturama has made through the years under your leadership. Your interview with Dr. Prathap Reddy in the July issue was of great interest to me. He is truly a great thinker and a healer. Wish you all the very best for the success of Culturama!” - Deepak Banker, India

Dear Editor,

“I came across Culturama's August issue at a friend’s place. The magazine was so attractive that I had to pick it up! The cover page was beautiful, and each article was interesting as well.” - K. Sairam, India

Look out for icons On our website and in our magazine we are now using the five icons below to help guide you through the contents. They are based on the five areas where Culturama can really help — giving you an insight into India, its life and culture; finding you great places to shop and fun things to do to enrich your Indian experience; helping you find a home; and connecting you to new friends.

1 Read 4 Locate

2 Shop 5 Connect

3 Do

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Culturama’s contributors

07 Dr. Chitra Madhavan is an author and eminent scholar in the fields of history and archaeology. Apart from several research papers, she has also written a series of three books on the ‘Vishnu temples of South India’. She is also a sought-after speaker for talks on history and heritage walks.

05 Devdutt Pattanaik is the Chief Belief Officer of the Future Group, and a writer and illustrator of several books on Indian mythology. Visit www.devdutt.com 06 Preeti Verma Lal is a New Delhi-based freelance writer/ photographer. If God had asked her what she wanted, she’d tell Him to turn her into a farmer who also writes lyrically; her fingers stained with wet clay and deep blue ink. www.deepblueink.com

03 Helen Taylor is a freelance writer and photographer. She is British and has been living in Chennai for a year and a half. 04 Chungmee Kim is the wife of Kyungsoo Kim, the South Korean Consul General for India. After having lived in several countries, she moved with her husband to Chennai in South India eight months ago.

01 Susan Philip is a freelance writer based in Chennai, and the editorial coordinator of Culturama’s various coffee table books. 02 Harini Sankaranarayanan is an ardent foodie and a professional chocolatier. She has a degree in Hotel Management, English Literature and Theatre.

Advisory Board members 08 N. Ram is an award-winning journalist and former Editorin-Chief of The Hindu. He is Director of Kasturi & Sons Limited, publishers of The Hindu. 09 Suzanne McNeill lived in India for seven years, first in Chennai and then in Delhi. She has now returned to Scotland, where she works as a freelance writer and graphic designer.

10 Babette Verbeek is a correspondent for BNR Nieuwsradio who previously worked in Amsterdam and Milan. Now she joyfully explores the beauty of South Indian culture. 11 Marina Marangos is a lawyer by profession but enjoys travel and writing. She lived in India for four years before moving to Australia. She blogs at www.mezzemoments.blogspot.com

12 G. Venket Ram is an acclaimed photographer and the creative mind behind many a Culturama issue. To know more about his work, log on to www.gvenketram.com 13 Beth Chapman is an American business management consultant living in Bengaluru. Former President of the city’s Overseas Women’s Club, Beth is an Indian culture aficionado.

14 Marcel Van Mourik is a Dutch photographer living in New Delhi for the past three years. Together with his cameras, he is passionate about discovering Indian culture. 15 Kathelijne van Eldik, from Holland, has been in Mumbai since 2004. Her employment with an airline is not a surprise, considering she has been raised in different countries and has it in her DNA to travel.

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Contents Regulars 16

In Focus

What does a Shaolin monk share with a South Indian family? A historic connection and a bond forged from love.

India Now

A recap of events, people and places that made news in the past month.

34 Feature

Trees hold a special place in Indian mythology – and most of them are said to be blessed with divine or healing powers.

India’s Culture 12

Short Message Service

Short, engaging snippets of Indian culture.

In your Kitchen

Celebrate with a feast on the day of Onam, Kerala’s harvest festival.

Festival of the Month

India Writes

A space for discussing the best from India’s world of literature.

Ten for the Road

Trivia about an Indian state – featuring Gujarat this month.

The Lighter Side

An expat family employs an Indian cook – what results is a medley of hilarious culinary and cultural experiences.

Look Who’s In Town

Expats in India share their stories on a practical theme for everyday survival in this country.

Join in the festivities for Onam and Dussera.

Myth & Mythology

Stories from India’s mythology, reinterpreted for practical living.

Journeys Into India 44

India Impressions

A Korean shares her experience of visiting the town of Kanchipuram.

Seeing India

Explore the city of Kolkata and the mangroves of the Sunderbans, or take a train to the beautiful town of Kurseong.

Picture Story

We visit the effigy makers of New Delhi to see how they make giant models of the demon king Ravan for the festival of Dussera.

Calendar of Events

See what’s going on in the main metros and suburbs.

Give to India

Featuring worthy causes across the country.

Relocations and Property 76

Space and the City

Property listings across the metros.

Holistic Living

Middle age and the silver years are the time when an individual can advance spiritually and better understand the meaning of life.

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SMS 12

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by Suzanne McNeill Short cultural snippets for an easily digestible India

Words

Makhan (butter) vs Makaan (house) Makhan is butter made from whole-milk yoghurt. Punjabi cuisine includes several dishes whose names indicate they are made with butter – such as dal makhani and murgh makhani. As a child, Lord Krishna loved eating (and stealing!) butter, and he is sometimes called makhan chor. Makaan is an Urdu word of Arabic origin that means ‘house’. A famous Bollywood film from 1974 called Roti, Kapda Aur Makaan, meaning ‘food, clothing and shelter’, follows a family struggling with the bare essentials of life, and the phrase was coined as a political slogan. ‘Dhoop ke makaan’ meaning ‘a house of sunshine’ is a song from a more recent Bollywood film, Break ke Baad. Listen to the song at: http://tinyurl.com/makaan-song.

Food and Drink

Art, Textile and Craft

Undhiyu is a delicious combination of winter vegetables including green beans, unripe banana, aubergine and yam in a peanut-sesame-coconut gravy. It contains the combination of sweet, sharp and herby flavours that is characteristic of Gujarati cuisine. Traditionally it is made in a clay pot, which gives the curry a unique flavour, but modern cooks make undhiyu in a pressure cooker. It is served with chapattis or parathas, and is often the central dish served during Uttarayan, Gujarat’s international kite festival that marks the end of winter. Watch noted Indian food writer Tarla Dalal, who specialised in Gujarati food, make undhiyu at: http://tinyurl.com/undhiyu-recipe.

The town of Udayagiri in Andhra Pradesh is particularly known for finely handcrafted wooden spoons, forks and knives that have intricate patterns carved into the handles. The craft originated during the 16th century at the time of the Golconda Qutb Shahi dynasty, and the traditional motifs have a Persian style. Most of the cutlery is carved from nardi wood collected from the Durgampalli Hills, as it is soft and easy to handle. The wood is cut to length and chiselled into the approximate form. Grooves are cut into the wood and holes drilled according to the design, which is then fully carved by hand. Finally, the pieces are sanded and finished, often with tamarind paste.

Undhiyu, Gujarat

Udayagiri Wooden Cutlery, Andhra Pradesh

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Photo: Julie Chitty

Urban Adventure

Interpretations

Laad Bazaar, located near the magnificent Charminar, literally shimmers, particularly at night when light reflects off the glass and semi-precious stone bangles – after which the market takes its name. The bazaar is one of the enduring legacies of the time of the Nizams and is a treasure house of gorgeously decorated jewellery, pearls, fabrics and accessories. Most famous are the Hyderabadi lacquer bangles, moulded out of pure laad and studded with glittering pieces of glass and crystal in appealing colours and ethnic patterns. Business is often done seated on a soft cotton mattress on the floor. Try and see the bangles being made, and be prepared for prices that have been exaggerated in anticipation of a tough negotiation!

These proud-looking gentlemen are Nihang Sikhs, the descendants of an order of warriors formed by the tenth Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh, during his wars with the Mughals. They were honoured for their bravery and ruthlessness on the field of battle. The Nihang Sikhs traditionally wear electric blue robes, and carry the kirpan, the sword carried by all Sikhs, and a katar or dagger. They wear bracelets of iron, and an iron chain around the body. The Nihang are held in great respect by the Sikh community. The order is primarily ceremonial nowadays, but the Nihang gather in their thousands at Anandpur during the spring festival of Hola Mohalla. There, they display the Indian martial art of gatka, in which wooden staves are used to simulate swords in sparring matches.

Laad Bazaar, Hyderabad

Nihang Sikhs

He Lives On J.R.D. Tata

J.R.D. Tata, an aviation pioneer and businessman, was born in 1904 into India’s most prominent business family. His mother was French, and he spent much of his childhood in France where he developed his lifelong passion for flying. He joined the family business, one of India’s largest business conglomerates, as a director in 1925 and established Tata Air Mail, a courier service that eventually became Air India, India’s national airline. Succeeding to chairman of the Tata Group, J.R.D. Tata strengthened the existing businesses in steel, power and hotels, and drove diversification into chemicals, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, financial services and IT. He was the guiding influence behind the establishment of many of India’s institutions for science, medicine and the arts, and was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour. He died in 1993.

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In Focus by Ranjini Manian

o a h i N to e t s a Nam 1 Several centuries back, a monk named Bodhidharma travelled from South India to the Henan province in China to spread Buddhism. Recently, a Shaolin monk visited Chennai and spent a month with the author’s family – completing the circle of sharing that began long ago

When I was young, with questions on health and well-being, I asked my partner, “What shall I do? Should I try exercise? Or a special diet?” And this is what he said to me: “Que sera sera sera... whatever will be, will be. But to answer your question, look to the Shaolin monks.” The years passed, but his words remained in my mind. Recently, I set out to fulfil a longheld dream to interact with the learned and talented monks of the famed Shaolin Temple in the Henan province of China, who are known for their brilliant martial arts skills. In this region, there are many schools of martial arts, but the one that is head and shoulders above all is the Shaolin Temple. There are 300 male monks in the temple (women are not allowed to live in the temple). The monks are celibate and spend their time practicing kung fu and meditation in the tradition of Chan Buddhism. The trees that line the drive of the Shaolin Temple have deep

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holes ringed by finger marks – these marks were made in the hard trunks by the monks during their practice sessions. This is a reflection of the extreme nature of their training and the sheer grit and physical endurance that is needed to pass through these portals. My interest in Shaolin practices was also derived from my own personal leaning towards understanding cross-cultural interaction, and the way in which people from different countries can harmoniously co-exist. I learnt that the Hum and Haw deities in Chinese temples stand as guardians at the entrance – much like the dwarapalakas we see in Indian temples. This is a reflection of their spiritual side, which some say was greatly influenced by India. Buddhist records say that Bodhidharma, the founder of Chan Buddhism, was from Kanchipuram in South India. Bodhidharma, a monk who lived during the 5th or 6th century BCE, is also believed to have begun the tradition of physical training for Shaolin monks. He is said to have travelled from South India to China to spread Buddhism

1 Shifu’s visit reiterated a personal belief that I hold dear: No matter what the differences – language, religion, culture – we can overcome them if we are able to build a bridge and cross over to their side – where his practice of dyan (meditation in Sanskrit) was pronounced as ‘chan’. Seeing the similarities between our cultures and wanting to fulfil my dream of learning the art of physical wellness the Shaolin way, I wrote an e-mail to the Shifu (master) of the Shaolin temple. No reply came. Then, I got the e-mail translated into Mandarin and reached out again. This time, a communicator who knew English replied. After a few e-mails went back and forth, the Abbot of the temple, Shi Yongxin, agreed to allow a young monk to travel to Chennai and live with us for a month to teach us baduanjin qigong exercises,

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The illustration depicts Bodhidharmaʼs journey from India to China and the spread of Chan Buddism. It was painted specially for the Shaolin Temple by award-winning artist Maniam Selvan

which are known to promote longevity and good health. Prominent personalities like Russian President Vladimir Putin and former Singapore President S.R. Nathan have visited the temple to learn these techniques. This was the first time a Shaolin monk had visited India to teach someone. Young Shifu Shiyanping arrived one Sunday at Chennai airport. He was only 21, and had lived in the Shaolin Temple since he was 10 years old. He was a brilliant exponent of the martial arts and practice of Buddhism, but what impressed us more was the perpetual calm on his face, which was a reflection of his inner beauty and warmth. Shifu Shiyanping didn’t speak a word of English – and we didn’t speak a word of Mandarin. Yet, he lived with us as our special guest for a whole month. Thanks to the brilliant ‘Say Hi’ app we discovered, which translates sentences into both languages, we were able to speak to each other through our phones. Technology had bridged a gap that culture and language had created. Together, we explored the city of Kanchipuram, where someone pointed out a small monument

to Bodhidharma. Shifu was overjoyed at discovering the link between our countries, but saddened that there was no magnificent temple in memory of the saint. Shifu’s vegetarian habits were stricter than our own, as he does not eat even onion or garlic. We took him to our favourite Chinese restaurant, where he relished noodles with a mix of vegetables and a touch of Indian spices. And before we knew it, a month was up, and it was time for him to go home. My husband and I had come to love him as part of our own family, as close as a son, and were really sorry to see him go. Shifu’s visit reiterated a personal belief that I hold dear: No matter what the differences – language, religion, culture – we can overcome them if we are able to build a bridge and cross over to their side. My husband and I are both entrepreneurs, but we were enriched by Shifu’s spiritual practices and beliefs as much as we were by the qigong exercises he taught us. What bound us – Chinese and Indian, monk and merchants – was the thread of love. Who says love can’t make the world go around?

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In Conversation with

Shifu Shiyanping 1 TWENTY-ONE-YEAR-OLD Shifu Shiyanping has been in the shaolin monastery since he was 10. He talks about the routines and rules that govern life in the temple What do Chinese people think of the Shaolin monks? There is an old saying in China: “All the kung fu techniques originated from the Shaolin Temple. All the heroes are from the Shaolin Temple”.

Do monks have any rules about maintaining relationships with outsiders – such as visiting their family of birth, marriage and so on? Monks have to be celibate during the period of their monkhood. They can visit their birth family with permission from the temple’s Abbot.

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PhotoS: Courtesy the Shaolin Temple

What is the daily routine of the monks who live in the Shaolin Temple? (There were 300 monks living in the Temple at the time of writing this article.) 5.30 a.m. 6:15 a.m. 7–11 a.m. 11.30 a.m. 2–4.30 p.m. 4.30 p.m. 6.30 p.m. 8–9 p.m. 9.30 p.m.

Morning prayer for 45 minutes Breakfast Meditation and kung fu practice Lunch Meditation and kung fu practice Evening prayer Dinner Meditation and kung fu practice Go to bed

Are there any simple meditation steps we can follow? Something not too rigorous! Find a peaceful place, and sit straight with your back erect, legs crossed, hands on your knees, eyes half-closed, and the tongue tip pressed to the palate. Relax your body and mind. Breathe regularly (after a few minutes, try and hold your breath as long as possible). Focus your mind on a particular object – a favourite deity or a point of light. About 10 minutes of this meditation can relieve the stress of daily living.

Buddhist Temples in India’s major metros Delhi:

Cambodian Buddhist Monastery at Mehrauli, Chhatarpur, New Delhi, is a charming Buddhist place of worship in a corner of the capital city. Mumbai: The Global Vipassana Pagoda at Gorai Creek in Mumbai is a monument of peace and harmony. It is a copy of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar. Bengaluru: The Golden temple at the Tibetian village of Bylakuppe, near Bengaluru, is a must-visit for followers of Buddhism. Chennai: The Sri Lankan Mahabodhi Centre in Egmore, Chennai, serves as a monument of friendship between Sri Lanka and India. It is run by the Sri Lanka Mahabodhi Society.

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Clockwise from top left: Abbot Shi Yongxin with Britain's Queen Elizabeth, U.S. diplomat Henry Kissinger, Russian President Vladimir Putin and former Singapore President S.R. Nathan.

You say Bodhidharma, the founder of Chan Buddhism, came from a temple town in southern India. How do you know this? Budhist records gave us this note .

What values do you wish to spread around the world? Health and peace in the mind and body.

What are your impressions about Indians? They are warm people, with a very rich spiritual heritage.

Martial arts make the body strong – which is the first step to a strong mind. But how do you avoid injuries while practising? Spend time doing warm-up exercises for your body’s joints and muscles. Be sure to do exercises under the master’s watchful eyes and be sure to follow his instructions.

You are so strong and fit. What food do you eat? All vegetarian food – and we can’t add garlic, onion or mustard to our food.

You are able to balance on a thin ledge above 1,000 ft, climb rocks and do cartwheels in the air. All this demonstrates your incredible sense of balance. How can we improve our balance? From the punch to kick, there are basic forms to improve the co-ordination of your body and mind. We have three principles for internal and external harmony: externally, synchronise the hand with the foot; elbow with the knee; shoulder with the hip. Internally, harmonise the heart with the mind; mind with the breath; and breath with strength. 1 We thank Shifu Wang Yumin for translating these responses into English.

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Advertiser's Feature

Learning the

Kiwi Way

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child grows and develops as a confident, motivated and enthusiastic learner. Many assume that preschools need to be structured in order for children to achieve these important learning outcomes. Current research about early teaching and learning affirms that structure isn’t the answer – structure leads to a ‘one size fits all’ teaching approach that can leave many children behind. What is necessary in preschools are teachers who have the ability to follow the children’s lead, who know when to contribute, to challenge, to explain, to facilitate, or to introduce new learning. The second most important thing is for parents to know about their child’s achievements and challenges so they can encourage, support and celebrate learning with their child. Each child at KiwiLearners has his or her very own private online portfolio where teachers write Learning Stories to share directly with parents and other family members. The portfolio provides evidence over time of each child’s progress in learning. 1 Visit us at www.kiwilearners.com or www.facebook.com/kiwilearners or call +91 9444309203 or +91 9444609203 between 8.45 a.m. to 5 p.m. We are at KiwiLearners, Door 3, Ayshika House, Stillwater Court, 2nd Cross St, Off Sunrise Ave. Neelankarai

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India now by Susan Philip

The month that was 1 A quick recap of events, people and places that made news in the past month

Business Matters Liberating food

Scientifically Speaking

The Tihar Food Court serves vegetarian North Indian fare. The 50-seater restaurant is scrupulously clean, and the staff unfailingly polite. Nothing to write home about – except that it is run entirely by convicted prisoners! A rehabilitation effort by authorities of the Tihar Jail in Delhi, it is now being run on an experimental basis. The staff has been trained by a prestigious hotel management school. “Those who come once to have our food come back again,” says Mohammad Asim, Restaurant Manager, who has spent 14½ years in prison on a murder charge. Revenue from the non-profit restaurant is earmarked for prisoner welfare and vocational training.

A new ship in the flotilla

The Tihar Jail was once infamous for indiscipline and disorder. It took one intrepid woman to turn things around – Kiran Bedi, the first woman officer to be inducted into the Indian Police Service. During her tenure as Inspector General of Prisons, she instituted many reform measures.

Though India is known to be non-aggressive as a nation, Indians fought, in the two World Wars, mainly on the side of the Allied powers. The country is also an important supporter of the United Nations-led Peace Keeping Operations (UNPKOs).

The INS Kolkata, the country’s largest indigenously built warship to date, has been commissioned into the Indian Navy. “INS Kolkata, entirely built in India, is a symbol of our self-reliance in the field of defence. It is a worthy example of the country’s technical abilities and will send a strong message around the world,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who did the honours. The warship is the first in a series which will include other vessels, to be christened INS Kochi and INS Chennai.

Politics and Polity Messages sent and received On August 15, Narendra Modi made his first address to the nation as Prime Minister, against the backdrop of the historic Red Fort in Delhi. Though the venue was the traditional one, he broke with convention on several counts. He used neither notes nor a bullet-proof screen. He refrained from throwing out challenges to neighbouring countries (specifically Pakistan), and, instead, concentrated on urging Indians to turn over a new leaf. He spoke openly of ‘unsavoury’ topics such as rape and the need for more toilets. In another first, the new government sent ‘personal’ text messages from the Prime Minister to people across the country, urging them to be good citizens. Earlier, high net-worth individuals got similar text messages asking them to voluntarily give up their right to subsidised cooking gas. In India, piped LPG is still a rarity. The Government subsidy on bottled gas is a huge drain on the exchequer.

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Awards and Accolades Bridging centuries through mathematics Manjul Bhargava is the latest in the long list of PIOs (people of Indian origin) who have done the country proud. A professor at Princeton University, USA, he has been awarded the Fields Medal, an honour often considered on par with the Nobel for mathematics. Among Bhargava’s many achievements is the simplification of a number theory propounded by German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss two centuries ago. To achieve this feat, he drew inspiration partly from the work of Brahmagupta, a sixth century Indian mathematician. Bhargava, whose grandfather was a professor of Sanskrit in India, said he had seen a generalisation of the 18th century theory in ancient Sanskrit manuscripts.

Arty Happenings

Sports Spots

End of a story

On the victory stand

Daroji Eramma breathed her last on August 12. She was 84. With her passing, the future of an ancient folk art slipped into uncertainty. Eramma was one of the last exponents of burrakatha – a form of storytelling practised in the region that now comprises the states of Telengana and Andhra Pradesh. The art form includes dance, song and prayers, apart from the story or katha, which is narrated by the chief artiste to the accompaniment of a drum known as the burra. The stories have mythological or social themes. Eramma had won several awards during her lifetime.

India finished fifth in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Glasgow, Scotland, with an overall medal tally of 64, including 15 golds. Indian shooters won 17 medals in total, while the wrestlers topped the gold haul with five medals. Most heartening was the gold won by squash stars Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa – the first time India is winning top honours in this game in the CWG.

India is replete with folk arts that are used as mediums for storytelling – each region has its own version. The villupattu of Tamil Nadu, and pandvani – a North Indian tradition – are just two examples. Ask around for such art forms in your region, and do attend at least one performance.

Unity in Diversity A special birthday Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna, one of the most beloved Gods in the Hindu pantheon, was celebrated in August. It wasn’t Hindus alone who commemorated the occasion though. A Muslim dargah near Jaipur wore a festive look, with Hindus joining their Muslim brethren to offer the traditional chaddar as well as coconuts and sweets in worship. The dargah’s secretary, Usman Ali Pathan, says this tradition reaches back 300 to 400 years, and is a

manifestation of Hindu-Muslim amity and national unity. There are other shining examples of religious solidarity. The Vavar Mosque, en route to the famous Sabarimala Temple in Kerala, is a traditional stopover for the devotees going to the temple. They worship ‘Vavarswami’, the Muslim Saint believed to be an associate of Lord Ayyappan, the deity of the Sabarimala hill temple.

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India writes

iREAD

The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh

Reviewed by Babette Verbeek In The Shadow Lines, the unnamed narrator weaves together his memories, set in alternating times, guiding the reader to a chilling climax. The stories resonate the echo and inescapability of this horrendous event. The narrator is part of an Indian family from Kolkata who, for three generations, has shared close ties with a British family. The reader enters his world through vividly described memories of events that took place in the life of the members of both families. The Second World War in London, the Partition, communal violence, clashes between Bangladesh and India, all these and many other events in Indian and British history make part of the personal experiences of these two families. The effects of the Second World War in London are illustrated by a photograph depicting a group of close friends and the terrifying aspects of the 1964 Kolkata Chuna riots come alive through a ride on the school bus. The importance of storytelling using detail and imagination forms the legacy the narrator unknowingly received by his uncle, Tridib. When visiting London for the first time, he recognises and knows details of the city through the stories that Tridib, the tragic hero of this novel, told him years before. As the climax is about to unfold, the narrator explains that he is not capable of describing the event to which the stories have taken us. It is the only time the perspective shifts and is given twice, once by Tridibâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brother and one time by his British girlfriend â&#x20AC;&#x201C; thus creating a silence, leaving the reader with an awareness of immense tragedy. Who is it by? Amitav Ghosh (1956) is a Bengali author who mainly publishes in English. The Shadow Lines is the second novel in his enormous and often lauded oeuvre. Visit his website at: www.amitavghosh.com 1

culturama

September 2014

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Ten for the Road by Susan Philip

Gujarat

1 Explore the 29 states of this fascinating subcontinent. This segment will set out a collection of interesting, bite-size facts from each state – this month, we look at Gujarat 1.

How the land lies: This state in the west of India is the home state of the country’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. It shares part of its land border with Pakistan, and the Arabian Sea laps its coast. It gets its name from the ancient Gujjar clan that once inhabited this region.

Political Pressures: Gujarat’s port city of Surat was where the British

Past Glories: Archeological finds of settlements as old as the Indus Valley

colonisation of India started. Vessels of the British East India Company used it as a trading and transit point till the Company won the right to set up a factory there after defeating the Portuguese, who had control of the sea trade from this region. Civilization along the banks of the Sabarmati and Mahi rivers prove that this region was important from the earliest days.

4. Ethnic Fingerprint: At first glance, Jambur looks like any other Indian

village, but your eyes will belie your ears – the features of the villagers are distinctly African. They belong to the Siddi tribe, which originated in Africa. One story goes that a long-ago Nawab visited Africa and fell in love with a woman there. He married her and brought her home, along with an entourage of slaves, ancestors of the Siddi. The pull of their roots remains strong in them. By night, the Siddi entertain tourists by dancing to African beats.

Culture Quotient: Navaratri, when Durga, the Mother Goddess, is worshiped for nine nights, is celebrated with special fervour in Gujarat. Traditional dance forms, like the Ras and Garba, as well as the region’s vibrant ethnic music and costumes, are on display during the festival.

Personality Plus: Gujarat is home to many stalwarts – Sardar Vallabhbhai

Sights to See: For the history-seeker, the Naulakha Palace; for the wildlife

Tasty Treats: The State abounds in so many culinary delights – try the

Crafted with Care: Rich, hand-woven patola silks vie with bright tie-dyed

Patel, one of the founding fathers of the Republic of India, former Prime Minister Morarji Desai, and K.M. Munshi, educationist and litterateur, to name a few. The best-known is Mohandas Gandhi, the man who gave the world the concept of non-violent non-cooperation as a ‘weapon’. The capital, Gandhinagar, is named after him. enthusiast, the famous Gir Sanctuary, home to the Asiatic lion; for the religiously inclined, the many Jain temples in the Shatrunjaya hills; for the culture vulture, the Bhadra Purnima, the Shamlaji Melo and Mahadev Fairs; and for sports lover, the International Kite Festival. dhokla, khandvi, thepla and the handvo.

and block-printed cotton and made-ups embellished with beads, embroidery and mirror work.

10. Worshipfully Yours: The Swaminarayana Akshardham Complex,

spread over 23 acres, is one of the biggest Hindu temples in the State. The Sat-Chit-Anand water show – a unique presentation of the way to inner peace– is a big attraction. Actors perform against the background of a huge water screen, and the show includes fireballs and lasers.

culturama

September 2014

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In your Kitchen by Harini Sankaranarayanan

Royal Treat

Photo: www.rakskitchen.net

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Aviyal Ingredients 4 cups of mixed vegetables, cut into even-size batons (carrots, French beans, raw plantain, yam, drumstick, pumpkin, cluster beans; green mango and potato are optional) ½ coconut, grated 4–5 green chillies ½ tsp cumin seeds 1 cup yoghurt (slightly sour) 1 tbsp coconut oil Salt to taste Curry leaves to garnish Mustard seed to garnish Directions Boil all the vegetables partly, until they are just about cooked. Make sure that you do not overcook the vegetables – otherwise they will turn into a mush. Grind the coconut, cumin seeds and green chillies into a fine paste. Mix this paste with the yogurt. Add this yoghurt-paste mixture to the cooked vegetables and simmer it gently until it all comes together. Remove from heat. Heat the coconut oil gently, and toss the curry leaves and mustard seeds in it. When the mustard seeds pop, pour the oil with the curry leaves and mustard over the aviyal. Serve hot with rice.

Shreya Vijayakumar may be working in a multinational bank in Chennai but her thoughts and heart are all back home in Kerala. “Especially now,” adds Shreya “when it is time for Onam, our harvest festival. I cannot help but feel nostalgic.” There were times when the entire extended family would travel to their ancestral home in Kerala to celebrate the festival together, like families should. Onam is a celebration of a visit by the legendary king Mahabali to Kerala. The people welcome the beloved king by decorating their courtyards with flowers picked from their garden and, of course, by cooking up a scrumptious feast. “The 10-day festival is so much fun,” Shreya reminisces. “Early in the morning, we girls would go out and pick flowers for the pookalam. A circular pattern is made with the flowers – one circle for every day of the festival. On Onam, we create a beautiful round pattern with 10 concentric circles”. Lunch was always served in the main house. Happy children would gather round, enjoying what their mothers and aunts had whipped up using the freshest of produce from the kitchen garden. If you speak to any Keralite, the talk will be about about the Onam sadya or feast. Almost completely vegetarian, the sadya has a mindboggling variety of dishes. Served on a banana leaf that is cut straight from the plant (usually one that grows in the backyard), one dish follows another – colour upon texture, each more delicious than the next. Almost all of them are either garnished with coconut, have some coconut paste, coconut milk or are at least

September 2014

1 A highlight of the harvest festival of Onam in Kerala is the ‘sadya’ or feast – an 18-dish meal that brings together varied colours, textures and flavours in a feast that is fit for a king cooked in coconut oil. Every meal begins with the puliinji – a spicy and tangy concoction of ginger and tamarind believed to aid digestion. After all, a meal that has at least 18 dishes needs some help in the digestion department! Slivers of winter melon or white pumpkin are cooked in coconut milk and garnished with curry leaves. Yellow pumpkin bursting with sweetness is cooked down with sour yogurt; raw plantains and yam are cooked gently before being garnished with coconut; assorted fresh vegetables are simmered in yogurt and coconut to produce the famous aviyal. Two varieties of chips – sweet and salty – and crunchy, puffed-up pappadams are perfect accompaniments to the rice. Wash it all down with buttermilk, sit back and await two different kinds of sweet payasams or pradhaman. Truly a feast fit for the kings. The aviyal is said to have been prepared by a royal cook who put together batons of vegetables and flavoured it gently with cumin, yogurt and coconut – a must-have speciality for any festive meal. As far as Shreya is concerned, no festive meal in Kerala is complete without this delicacy. 1

Feature by Chithra Madhavan

rooted infaith

1 Indian culture strongly emphasises the principle of harmony, especially between nature and man â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a principle highlighted by the importance given to different trees in mythology and religious traditions

Photo: Diana

Grieger, Germany

Trees have been considered sacred in many cultures and religions the world over, across many millennia. One of the most popular episodes in Hindu religion is detailed in the Bhagavata Purana, an ancient text written in Sanskrit, which mentions the churning of the ocean of milk by the gods and the demons for the sake of amrita or ambrosia, which would grant immortality to those who drank it. During the process of churning, many objects arose from the ocean â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one of which was the kalpa vriksha (also called kalpa taru and kalpa druma), the celestial wish-yielding tree. The tree was taken by Indra, the leader of the gods, to his celestial garden. Representations of this tree are often depicted in stone sculptures of ancient India. Other ancient works, including the Ramayana and Mahabharata, contain numerous references to various trees in different regions of India. Ancient Indian art depicts tree goddesses called vriksha devatas or sala bhanjikas in stone. These deities are shown entwining their bodies around the branches of a tree or holding a branch with their hand. Their mere touch was enough to make a tree bloom. They are usually shown grasping the branch of a sal or ashoka tree. These vriksha devatas represent fertility and prosperity and hence their repeated representation in temple sculptures. Incidentally, Queen Maya is said to have given birth to Gautama Buddha in Lumbini garden (Nepal) under an ashoka tree (or sal, according to some sources), grasping its branch. It is interesting to see that in many parts of this country, especially Tamil Nadu in the South, temples have a sacred tree within their precincts. In Hinduism, some trees and flowers have been associated with particular deities. For example, the vilva or bilva (Aegle marmelos) treeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trifoliate leaves are very special to Shiva, while the leaf of the tulasi (holy basil) is one of the important ingredients for the

Photo: Carles

worship of Vishnu. These sacred trees, seen inside temples today, are many times lone specimens of sacred groves in which the temples were situated. For example, the temple for Kapaleeshwara (another name for Shiva) in Mylapore, the culturally effervescent locality in Chennai, has the punnai (Alexandrian laurel) as the sacred tree found inside the temple compound. According to tradition, this entire area was once a forest of punnai trees. Almost all these sacred trees have various medicinal properties, which was probably why they were assigned the ‘sacred’ tag in the past to keep them from being destroyed, in addition to their being of religious importance. Ayurveda or the ancient system of medicine in India uses the leaves, bark, roots and flowers of such trees for curing various diseases. Mangroves are found in various regions of India, especially in the states of Bengal, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Goa. These are all coastal areas and the thick mangrove forests that have grown here offered, and continue to offer, effective protection from tsunamis and tidal waves. The mangroves shield the coastal communities from the onslaught of the waves – nature’s way of guarding the coastal areas. One of the most important temple towns of India is Chidambaram, which is situated near the coast. This temple, dedicated to Shiva in the form of Nataraja, the Cosmic Dancer, was, according to tradition, located in a dense forest of thillai (mangrove) trees where two saints prayed to see Nataraja dance. It is this realisation of the tree being the protector that prompted the ancients to name the thillai as the sacred tree of this temple. Even today, Pichavaram, near Chidambaram is one of the most famous mangrove forests in the world. The vilva or bilva is an important sacred tree for Lord Siva. It is common to see the worship of this deity done with the trifoliate leaves of the vilva in many temples across India. An interesting story connected with one of the Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu goes like this. A monkey was perched on a vilva tree beneath which was a lingam (embodiment of Siva) on the night of shivarathri (an all-night prayer session sacred to Shiva). Unaware of both the linga and that it was a special night, the monkey moved about on the tree and dropped many vilva leaves on the lingam, thus earning a lot of merit. In his next birth, he was born as a great king and, from the actions of his previous birth, became an ardent devotee of Shiva. The banyan tree (vata vriksha in Sanskrit) is revered in most parts of India. Krishna, one of the incarnations of Vishnu, is said to have rested on the leaf of this tree as a baby. Several ancient stone sculptures depict Krishna as sucking

Berruezo

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Vanherpe, Belgium

September 2014

Photo: Douglas

Trees are regarded to have special spiritual powers. Some poeple say a prayer and then tie threads around the trees to leave behind a memory of their wish.

culturama

September 2014

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his toe, lying on the vata leaf. Dakshina Murti, the God of Wisdom, worshipped in Shiva temples, is always shown seated under the spreading canopy of the banyan. The Ramayana mentions how its hero, Rama (one of the incarnations of Vishnu) spent some time during his exile in a place called Panchavati where grew five huge banyan trees. There is still a place named Panchavati near Nasik in North India, which is traditionally believed to be the one where Rama stayed. The vakul tree, which has thick and narrow pointed leaves, has flowers that produce a heady scent. Indian mythology associates this tree with Krishna, who played his flute next to

them being the peepal tree, which goes to show that it was much revered that many millennia ago in India. In many a temple, the peepal is the sacred tree. It is also common to find an image of a deity consecrated under the wide-spreading branches of the peepal in villages or near a pond or river. Traditionally, pregnant women have been advised in India to circumambulate the peepal – scientific investigations in modern times have proved that this tree emits a lot of oxygen by day. Circumambulation in a clockwise direction (called pradakshina in Sanskrit) of sacred trees is an ancient practice

Clockwise from top left: The Jal tree, under which Guru Nanak, the Sikh guru, meditated; the fig tree, whose roots are considered to be Lord Brahma, bark to be Lord Vishnu, and branches to be Lord Shiva; the Neem, a fount of medicinal benefits; the Amla tree, in which Lord Vishnu is said to reside. ILLUSTRATIONS: Ms. Vishwajyoti Pande Mohrhoff; Images Courtesy L&T

River Yamuna, surrounded by the gopis or cowherd girls who were enchanted with Krishna. He also wore a garland made of the flowers of this tree. Incidentally, this tree, replete with medicinal properties, is also the sacred tree of many Shiva temples. Another tree associated with the dance of Krishna is the kadamba. One of the most sacred trees in India is the peepal (ashvatta in Sanskrit). Many sacred objects have been depicted on the artefacts such as the seals found in the sites of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization (3300 BCE - 1300 BCE), one of

that is still in vogue in India. It is a common sight to see devotees going around peepal trees in temples for fulfilment of various desires. Women, in particular, do a pradakshina of the peepal in order to be blessed with children. The peepal is considered to be the embodiment of God Vishnu who is the protector of the world. The symbolic ‘marriage’ of the neem and peepal trees, growing in close proximity to each other, is common in the villages of India. The Buddhists consider the peepal to be their most sacred tree since Gautama Buddha (6th century AD), the founder of

culturama

September 2014

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Hindu mythology says that the neem's medicinal properties are derived from the ambrosia that emerged from the ‘ocean of milk’. Lord Dhanavantri, the God of Medicine, walked away with the pot of nectar. A few drops fell on earth – from these drops sprouted the neem tree. ILLUSTRATION: Maniam Selvan; Image Courtesy L&T

Buddhism attained enlightenment under the bodhi (peepal) tree in a place now known as Bodh Gaya (located in the state of Bihar). The bodhi tree, which is now worshipped in the world-famous Maha Bodhi temple in Bodh Gaya, is believed to be a direct descendant of the original tree under which Buddha sat in meditation. It is said that Emperor Ashoka, one of the most famous rulers of India who was an ardent Buddhist, sent his daughter Sanghamitra to Sri Lanka to spread the message of Buddhism. She carried with her a sapling of the bodhi tree from Bodh Gaya and planted it in Anuradhapura (one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka). It is believed that the bodhi tree worshipped in Sri Lanka today is a descendent of the one Princess Sanghamitra brought to this island and is called Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi. The Sri Maha Bodhi in Bodh Gaya in India and the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Sri Lanka are venerated by thousands of Buddhists even today. The Anandha Bodhi tree in Sravasti (in the state of Uttar Pradesh; this place was one of the six largest cities of India in Buddha’s time and is still an important place for Buddhists) is also believed to have been propagated from the original bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya. It is said to have been planted there as a symbol of worship when Buddha travelled away from Sravasti. Sculptures of the Buddha made in India various parts of ancient India show him seated under the bodhi tree lost in meditation.

The followers of the Jain faith also hold some trees as sacred. The Jains worship their acharyas or preceptors – they are 24 in number and are called the tirthankaras. Several of the tirthankaras are associated with trees. The first of the tirthankaras and the founder of Jainism is Adinatha, also called Rishabhanatha, who is said to have received enlightenment under the banyan tree, which is called nyagrodha in Sanskrit. In Ranakpur (located between Jodhpur and Udaipur in Rajasthan), which the Jains hold sacred, is a temple that has a holy tree believed to be 600 years old. The entire temple is constructed around this tree. The importance given to the preservation of trees in ancient India can be gleaned through a number of sources. It is well known that temples have elaborately carved wooden chariots in which the deities are placed and taken out in procession during festivals. The detailed instruction given in ancient texts regarding the cutting of trees for making these chariots is mind-blowing. For example, trees which were on the banks of rivers were not to be cut down as their roots held the soil of the banks together to prevent flooding. Only certain varieties of hardy tree could be used for this purpose and it can be seen that these are the ones that grew aplenty and not the rare species. 1

culturama

September 2014

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The Lighter Side by Marina Marangos

Culinary Conundrums Almost as soon as we had received our furniture, the pressure was on to entertain my husband’s office to dinner at our house. I was quite happy to do so, except that for some reason in India the complications arising out of such an exercise are sufficient to put Nigella off her cooking, let alone me. You see, there are so many things that you have to take into account in any given group of guests – the vegetarians won’t eat meat, the vegans wont eat cheese or eggs, the Jains won’t eat anything that is killed in the process, the Muslims won’t eat pork but will eat beef and the Hindus won’t eat beef – but then again, if they are Brahmins they are unlikely to accept anything coming out of my kitchen, when they don’t know who has cooked it. So when a cook was recommended I thought this might be an easier way to deal with these cross-cultural culinary conundrums, as HE would know. What I didn’t know was that HE was an enigma in himself and it took ages before I so much as understood what he was saying let alone be able to give instructions for cooking for a varied group of guests. So let me introduce you to my wonderful Bengali cook who is called Parmeshwar, or Parmesan as he came to be known (pictured on right). For the first month I would never know if he would turn up. He came on a bike, and if it rained he wouldn’t bother. The concept of letting me know that he wasn’t coming was completely alien to him. I would try to convey to him that I really did not mind so long as he called to say he wasn’t coming.

ina Marangos,

Photo: Mar

Greece

culturama

September 2014

Photo: Ingrid de Saint-Ours, Germany

Photo: Francois Daniele, France

Photo: Carlo Sem Italy

It was like speaking ancient Greek to him in a form of Hinglish. We never really knew what might come up on the table and So I thought of other ways to improve the collaboration and were always game for surprises. While he could not read recipes decided to make his journey easier for him. We bought him a he would happily look at cookbooks and shout his delight if he scooter and I started Hindi lessons. Unbeknown to me, though he saw something that was instantly recognisable – he was proud of was a little deaf, his English was infinitesimal and my Hindi was his lasagna, but not half as proud as when I taught him to make rubbish, so we would end up talking loudly – in the hope that a mousakka. The first one he made was unforgettable and is now meal would come out of this shouting exercise. a family favourite as in the meat sauce he put a fair few chillies Sometimes I would dare to issue instructions about how I and it was HOT! thought the ingredients should be cooked. He The best was when suddenly would look at me with horror in his eyes and he realised that not only did we 1 Gastronomy takes on say: “Nehno ma’am sauce no good, this dry.” enjoy his cheery loudness and a whole new meaning It took me a long time to work this one extreme messiness in the kitchen, when you are planning out. You see there are foods in India that a dinner for an assorted we also enjoyed his dishes and are to be cooked with sauce and others that before serving he would dive into group of Indians are not and never the twain shall meet or be the fridge to see what he could use confused. So, when I would mistakenly ask for to give his dish that ‘WOW’ factor. a saucy one to be made dry or for a dry one to be made saucy, it He never failed to come up with something. They were just was like culinary blasphemy. things that we did not expect so there was a lot of merriment as After several months and lots of trial dinners, we were able well. One was a savoury rice dish. He found glace cherries in the to rely on some dishes. Chilli chicken, baby baingun, chicken fridge so he decorated the rice with them! Another time we had korma, fried fish fillets and dhal and rice in as many colours and strawberries atop. We came to expect the surreal and Parmesan’s forms as there are days in the week. So we fell into our afternoon peaches laid the foundations of cross-cultural culinary gems in shouting matches almost with some anticipatory excitement. the heart of my kitchen. 1

September 2014

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India Impressions by Chungmee Kim

Weaving Memories 1 The commonplace becomes extraordinary when seen through the eyes of an outsider – as illustrated by the experience of a Korean lady who visited the southern city of Kanchipuram I am a Presbyterian Christian and go to church every Sunday. My husband is a sincere Christian and I call myself a Sunday follower. So, when a friend invited me to go to the town of Kanchipuram, to see the place where Bodhidharma – the founder of Chan Buddhism – came from, religious purpose was far from my mind. Armed with Korean coffee and vegetarian sushi rolls, we all set out on the journey. Having lived in London and Pakistan, then Belgium, followed by New Zealand, Japan and China, I was no novice to intercultural explorations. I had heartily welcomed this new ‘India adventure’, when my husband was appointed as head of the South Korean consulate in Chennai, South India. The most impressive sight in Kanchipuram was that of an old man who has been weaving saris for over 50 years! He said it takes 15 days to finish one sari, so these garments must be really valuable! He intuitively knew where to place the little

flower prints, and when to mix the gold and pink threads. And all this was done by hand! Prior to arriving in India, I thought I would see a sad, poverty-stricken country, but I was mistaken. Everybody is happy and smiling, they are mentally very strong, and they are very generous. Buddhism started in India, and Bodhidharma was said to have come from Kanchipuram. I expected to see a shrine or monument, but all we saw was a small granite carving of the Buddha in one of the walls in the Ekambareswarar temple. It was very hard to find the monument for Bodhidharma. We asked many people, and finally found a small shrine on the road. It made me wonder – since, India is the birthplace of Buddhism, why not honour one of the most prominent sages associated with that tradition? Why not take this chance, after all these years, to undo this paradox? 1

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September 2014

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Look who’s in town Mumbai

The India

Design

1 Italian-American Andrew Galuppi, a Mumbai-based interior designer, tells us how he draws creative inspiration from the financial hub Andrew Galuppi has learnt the golden rule of India: Go with the flow. An interior designer by profession (www.agaluppidesign. com), he believes that a “successful design collaboration is the same whether it be in India or in the West”. But he also has learnt that “a right angle may become rounded or a door suddenly becomes a drawer” in India. This hasn’t prevented Andrew from making the city his home for the past seven years. In Mumbai, he is at the “centre of the world”, with varied nationalities, religions and energies converging in one place.

Best in Mumbai One-stop-shopping destinations for new expats in Mumbai are Fabindia and Good Earth – they have basic and affordable home decor with a modern yet traditional aesthetic. The more adventurous can hone their bargaining skills at the Oshiwara furniture market, where you can find antiques and less expensive reproductions. Bungalow Eight in Colaba is another great place for genuine antiques. E-tailers (such as Fab Furnish and Pepperfry) are fast becoming the go-to for busy city dwellers, with quality offerings and reliable delivery and return policies.

Tips to remember Most expats arrive in India and try to recreate the home they had back in the West. Mix up your aesthetics a bit – incorporate a wooden antique plantation chair or a traditional pillow-filled Indian diwan, natural jute rugs and side tables made of stone. Take advantage of India’s amazing craftsmanship with handmade home décor that exudes exotic charm. Resist the temptation to buy furniture items that are cheap, and not built to last. Your time in India will be an experience that you will look back upon with fond memories for many years to come and the pieces you surround yourself with will always fill you with happy memories – so invest wisely.

When in the US I think Indians moving to the West may be daunted by the choice available in the home goods market. Aside from hiring professional help, I advise starting with one big piece of furniture – such as a dresser, bed or sofa in a particular style and colour – to set the tone of the space. Take your time and enjoy the process of decorating your home. Use the Internet to save images of rooms that you like, and refer to them while shopping for your home. Finally, pick a theme that reflects who you are and stick to it. 1

culturama

September 2014

Global Wellness Series

Global Wellness Series The role of women in society has changed and taken on a more active one. It is very important to stay healthy and this information would help women deal with their many problems; Polycystic Ovaries: It is common to have polycystic ovaries which cause menstrual disturbances, obesity, sub-fertility and excess hair growth. Speak to your doctor if you have any of these problems. Cervical Cancer: All sexually active women need the Pap Smear test after the age of 25. This will detect cervical pre-cancer. Cervical Cancer is the most common cancer in women in India. Breast Cancer: Do the self breast examination and discuss with your doctor whether you need the Mammogram test. Overweight and Obesity: If you are overweight and obese it can lead to disturbances in menstrual flow, sub-fertility, diabetes and heart problems. Be physically active and make healthy food choices. Osteoporosis (bone thinning): After menopause bones become weak due to loss of bone density. Talk to your doctor regarding tests to screen for bone loss and prevent fractures.

Healthy women Staying healthy at all ages is important for women and Dr.Padma Sundaram of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Global Hospitals tells us how.

Planned pregnancy and contraception: Many pregnancies are unplanned and lead to termination of unwanted pregnancies. See your doctor and use effective contraception so you can enjoy a planned parenthood. Well-Women Check: See your gynaecologist for a well women check. There is no age bar, the doctor will screen and discuss relevant health issues for your age. 1

September 2014

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Look who’s in town Chennai

Art sans Frontiere

1 French couple Catherine and Jean-Denis Lenoir are a walking directory on the arts and crafts scene in the culture capital of the South Catherine and Jean-Denis Lenoir have very different occupations – she is an artist and he a mechanical engineer with Renault Nissan – but they found a common hobby in art. Art is very important to this French couple, who shifted to Chennai two years ago. To them, it is “a universal means of communication”, even if they don’t understand the local language. Catherine, an artist from Ecole des Beaux Arts of Versailles, brought her Atelier press all the way from France to continue making hand prints and copper etching. While Catherine explores the tradition of art in Chennai (www.catherinelenoir.com), Jean Denis captures scenes of the city through his photographs. Catherine’s work “is dedicated to unravelling the mystery of the life” while Jean-Denis tries to find “expression in human beings”. The two are actively involved in the arts scene in the city and “enjoy Chennai, where spirituality still has a great place in the everyday life”.

Arty Chennai While living in Paris and while travelling to other countries, we like going to art exhibitions and museums. Art has no border, language or nationality and living in the East Coast Road, a nice suburb of Chennai gives us a good bird’s eye view of the city. Here, it is not so easy to find central information about artistic events, but now it has improved a lot with Internet guides.

Catching Chennai at her best Art in Chennai is strongly linked to religious symbolism and events. So we try not to miss any religious festival, dance, music events or art lectures. Those who are interested in art should not miss events like the Art Chennai Biennial, and must visit galleries for a dose of local art. Indian art is alive in everyday life, such as the kolams drawn outside homes, paintings on walls, lorries, and even on the body! The saris women wear, traditional or contemporary, are art in themselves. Not to forget what we call the “seventh Art” in France – movies! Indian movies are a treat to watch! Try visiting villages near Chennai – the people are warm and welcoming. Villages have a lot to of art as well. And always have a camera handy! You never know when you will be surrounded by colour or beauty. The simple beauty of the beaches, trees and their leaves, typical faces you want to capture – all of this will be your memories to take home. 1

culturama

September 2014

Advertiser's Feature

The Chamiers Café 1 A favorite among Chennaites and expats alike, The Chamiers Café is a warm, all day café situated centrally in the city. At Chamiers Café, sit back and enjoy a cup of our signature blend of coffee or a freshly brewed iced tea, as our resident cats Henry and Henry II bask on the roof outside. Dotted with antique portraits and wrought iron bird cages filled with fairy lights, the all-day café is perfect for anything from a working lunch to a catch up with friends. A meal at Chamiers is never boring, thanks to a constantly changing specials menu that introduces fresh and seasonal ingredients each week. The menu includes some great short eats including Cheese Poppers (a Chamiers favourite) bursting with melted cheese and jalapenos; an allday breakfast selection including waffles and pancakes; and mains that range from pasta, pizza and quesadillas to Thai curry. Chamiers has also introduced tea-time specials between 4 and 6pm. For dessert, Chamiers has a range of homemade cakes available at the pastry counter, from apple and cinnamon, to carrot and chocolate chip. With plans to introduce healthier and vegan options, Chamiers Café truly has something for everyone

September 2014

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A tinge of red captures Ravana’s fury at being confronted by Rama.

Picture Story by Marcel Van Mourik

Epic Celebrations Come Dussera, New Delhi’s Titarpur market witnesses an amazing sight! Giant effigies, painted in bright neon shades, stand in line. They represent the demon king Ravan, who kidnapped Lord Ram’s wife, Sita – a principal character of the Ramayan. Rama defeated Ravan after a 10-day battle. In the North, Dussera is marked by grand celebrations – scenes from the epic are re-enacted and, on the tenth day, the effigies of Ravan are set on fire. To prepare for this, the effigy makers start their work three months in advance. There are only three families that carry on the tradition of making effigies. The rest are migrants from Gujarat, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. Over 2,000 effigies of Ravan are made – the models’ height can vary from five to 50 feet, with prices ranging from Rs. 750 to Rs. 10,000.

The grandiose moustache is in place – time for a coffee break.

The effigy makers start their work three months in advance.

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Even as Dussera comes close, the streets and parks around Titarpur come to life with towering representations of the demon king Ravan.

The demon king is known for his fierce eyes, large teeth and magnificent moustache â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all of which are captured beautifully.

Bamboo sticks from Nangloi make for strong frames. They are then covered with a layer of discarded silk saris.

For the effigy makers, Ravana is not a demon â&#x20AC;&#x201C; he is their source of income. Savings from the effigy business can feed a family all year round.

The basic frames are covered with papier-mĂ˘che, then painted with bright colours.

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Seeing India by Helen Taylor

Of Mangroves and Matrimony

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The Howrah Bridge over the Hooghly River is one of the major landmarks in Kolkata. (Right) Scenes from a traditional Bengali wedding. Photos: All photos by the author

1 The colourful thread of culture and celebration binds the state of West Bengal â&#x20AC;&#x201C; be it in the bustling urban surrounds of Kolkata or the green jungles of the Sunderbans

I had never seen as many marigolds in my life! Stepping down from the mighty, metal hulk of Howrah Bridge, we were consumed by a sea of orange and yellow garlands spilling from overstuffed sacks, as a hundred busy wholesalers jostled for space and shouted to be heard above the din. We had just arrived in Kolkata, and weaved our way from the chaos of the train station, through a sea of cycle rickshaws, yellow Ambassador taxis and muscle-bound porters lugging huge sacks on their heads. The sweat was already dripping from our noses and the raw energy of the city was coursing through our veins. We were in town for the wedding of our friend Aditya, and, unbeknown to us, it was to be the first of

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two Hindu weddings we witnessed during our stay in West Bengal. Aditya had met his bride-to-be Godhuli on a matrimony website, and a series of rituals was about to commence to bind them as man and wife. As the week unfolded, the city of his birth revealed itself to us in all its splendour and squalour. It truly is a city of contrasts – from the decadence of the Victoria Memorial and the eccentric elegance of Raja Rajendra Mullick’s Marble Palace, to the hawkers spreading cheap trinkets on the pavements, and the desperate and dishevelled who beg at every corner. One morning, I watched gravely as a group of young men tugged a goat with ribbons around its neck into the bustling Kali temple at Kalighat, the sound of swishing blades emanating from within. Just half an hour later, I was sipping frothy hot chocolate and gorging on a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel, listening to soft jazz in a spotless café on trendy Park Street. Later that afternoon, we joined sadhus and pilgrims, traders and commuters on one of the rusty barges that serve as passenger ferries on the murky Hooghly. We leaned over the railings to enjoy the light breeze as we chugged along, and watched children playing on the banks and women bathing modestly in their saris. The following day, we took the metro to Shobhabazar and walked, or rather hopped, through the ornate gardens of the Parshwanath Jain temples, seeking out shady patches to save our blistering feet from the midday sun. Sheltered from the noise of the city, we marvelled at the intricately carved marble, the mirrored pillars and stained-glass windows, and the bubbling water features surrounded by beds of exotic flowers. An hour later, we were stranded on the dusty flanks

of a busy trunk road, with heavy trucks rumbling past. Our taxi driver had taken us on a wild goose chase and ditched us several miles from our intended destination. We picked our way past piles of lorry tyres and engine parts and took directions from a chai wallah, who pointed to an oncoming bus and gestured for us to get on. We pushed our way into the heaving mass of passengers heading for the sari shops of Ram Mandir, clinging to our bags and jostling for enough space to stand. It was not long until we were back out in the open, sunning ourselves in a peaceful, grassy quad at ‘Jorasanko Thakurbar’, the ancestral home of legendary poet and polymath, Rabindranath Tagore. These days, the place is home to Rabindra Bharati University, and we shared the lawn with earnest looking professors and a gaggle of Pepsi-swigging students chatting away on their Smartphones. One of the prettiest buildings, Maharishi Bhavan, belonged to Tagore’s father and a plaque outside it reads: “Rabindranath was born and breathed his last here.” Its outer walls are a vivid sandstone colour, half obscured by climbing plants. Inside, it is all light and air and we whiled away a fascinating hour or so in the museum to Tagore and his family, learning about the history of the Bengal Renaissance. That evening, we travelled to the well-to-do outer suburb of New Garia, emerging from the underground tunnels of the metro onto high, overground lines as a hazy dusk fell upon the city. Aditya’s nuptials were to start at his family home. When we arrived, the house was brimming with excited women in their finest saris, and men, cousins and friends who had flown in from right across India. A Bengali feast was laid out – cholar dal, aloo bhaja, vegetables in a ginger and mustard

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sauce, fish and chicken curries, tangy chutneys, rice and porotas. The wedding itself happened the following night, in a hall decorated with fairy lights and colourful draperies. As the guests entered, Aditya greeted them from a bed of red satin while, in another room, Godhuli sat resplendent on a golden throne, dripping with red silk and jewellery and surrounded by a rainbow of flowers. Her wrists tinkled with red and white bridal bangles. As we nibbled on canapés and made small talk with friends and strangers, Godhuli was carried into the main hall by her brothers and cousins, as elderly ladies ululated and blew conch shells. A lengthy series of Hindu rites and rituals ensued. It all culminated with the couple being lifted up to throw garlands over each other’s shoulders, and walking around an open fire to the sound of Vedic chants. On their heads were the traditional, conical topor and tiara-like mukut, crafted from the sculpted hearts of sholapith plants. Two nights later, we were back at Aditya’s house to welcome Godhuli to her new home. She arrived shyly at dusk, red vermilion smeared across her hair parting. She stepped into a bowl of blood-red milk to leave footprints on her way to the front door and, once inside, was blessed in turn by every member of the family. On our final night in Kolkata, we stumbled to our rooms after a lavish reception, hosted by Aditya’s family and grabbed a few hours’ sleep. At 6 a.m. the next day, bleary-eyed, we set off on a fivehour journey to the Sunderbans, the land of mangrove forests and Royal Bengal tigers at the mouth of the mighty Ganges. After the first two hair-raising hours on the bus, we stopped for a short break. For a contented half an hour, I rocked back and forth in a string hammock, wisps of smoke curling around my ankles from the dark corner of the roadside tea stall. The whirlwind of city life and the wedding seemed very far away. Soon we were swerving past tractor-engine trailers and ox carts again, hurtling past vast acres of waterlogged rice fields, the horizon punctuated here and there by the tall, slim chimneys of brick kilns. We passed little villages of pale grey houses built from mud, sticks and dung, and narrow bridges spanning swathes of swampy lowland. By midday we had arrived, and we decamped into a wooden ferryboat. We spent the rest of the afternoon on deck, just a few metres from the great sloping mud banks that ring the delta’s islets, scouring them for monitor lizards and tigers, and trying to hide from the relentlessly scorching sun. Before us lay hundreds of thousands of hectares of thick, low-lying mangroves, criss-crossed by wide open channels and hidden creeks of tidal water. We were served freshly cooked curries and pots of sweet tea as we savoured the stillness and listened

to insects and muted bird call, humming away from the shore. We spent our nights on Bali Island, where life continues much as it has for centuries. There is no electricity and water is drawn from rainwater ponds or hand-pumps. People live side-by-side with their livestock and the honey collectors, woodcutters and crab pickers who depend on the forests for their livelihoods put their faith in Bonbibi, the veiled Goddess. She is revered by both Muslims and Hindus as a guardian spirit, protecting them from attacks by the demon king, Dakkin Rai, who appears in the guise of a tiger. Legend has it that you should enter the forest with a pure heart and empty hands and put your faith in Bonbibi if you want to come out alive. Just a few days before we arrived, a large tiger had leapt off a bank and snatched one of their most experienced crab pickers from his canoe, ripping off his head in full view of his two terrified companions – a reminder that the mangroves are no place for the faint-hearted. We never did see a tiger, but perhaps that was for the best. As we journeyed slowly back towards the mainland on our last day, a party of revellers in a little wooden boat caught our eye. They moored up nearby and a group of them lifted a girl in a red and gold sari, with a streak of vermillion in her hair, to carry her ashore. It was a wedding party and there, behind his new wife and garlanded with marigolds, was the young groom in his kurta and conical topor. Up on the shore, somebody was blowing a conch shell. We had travelled a long way from the hectic streets of modern Kolkata to the edge of West Bengal, but here was a reminder that, at least in some ways, the city and the country are not so different after all. 1

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Seeing India by Preeti Verma Lal 1 Get close to the awe-inspiring Kanchenjunga, sip on exotic teas or take a ride on the famous toy train â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Kurseong holds many delights to satisfy the child and the connoisseur in you

Will you call me loony if I tell you I want to walk on cottony clouds? Get draped in ribbons of straight-from-the-heaven mist? From my window, I want the Kanchenjunga so close that I can stretch my arm and lop a handful of snow off its peak. I want the streets uncluttered. The breeze to hum a song. I close my eyes at hairpin bends but when I open them wide, the valley has to be lush. When I get lost, I want the glowworms to pool their iridescence and show me the path. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll carry a ladder to a mulberry tree if the butterflies promise to sneak out of the chrysalis. Pick tea leaves, hand-roll them and brew my morning cuppa.

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Train to

paradise

You think I am nutty because I dream of impossible joys? Wait. All this is not really impossible. I know a hill station that has all of this. And much more. Now, if you would kindly drop that ‘loony’ epithet, I’ll share the secret. It is Kurseong – a tiny town in West Bengal. In Lepcha language, kurseong means ‘land of white orchids’. Coordinates: 26.8800 degree North; 88.2800 degree East. Altitude: 4,864 feet above sea level. USP: Tea, toy train. And, yes, the Kanchenjunga. Skip a bit of that early exaggeration about Kanchenjunga. It is close. Not so close, though. The rest of my impossible joys live in Kurseong. Everything looks green. There’s the smell of

pine in the air. During the mulberry season, butterflies flap around and fireflies strut tipsy with their own glow. When you walk the undulating street, the mist walks along. There’s tea everywhere. Ferns are gigantic, orchids dainty. I step into Kurseong and it is the Kanchenjunga that tugs at my heart. I got to see her first. I knew that room in town with the best Kanchenjunga view. I stepped into the home of Percy Cochrane, the magistrate of Kurseong. The terraced Cochrane Place has large windows without grills. You can feel the Tibetan carpets under your feet. Not here the modern paraphernalia of an air-conditioner or a power-guzzling

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The tea bought by Queen Elizabeth comes from Kurseong. (Left) Signs are painted on giant teacups. Photos: All photos by the author

geyser – the hills provide more breeze than one would need for a stretched summer and, before you can blink, a gas geyser spouts hot water. It was once a nunnery; then, the DM’s home. Now, a hotel. Percy Cochrane is buried in the nearby cemetery but his house still bears his name. When you draw the curtains, there stands sun-bathed Kanchenjunga. Still. Mighty. Unbelievably majestic. I dropped a jaw at the God-painted landscape. I stood agape for what seemed liked eternity. My throat ran dry. I needed to wash down that sight. In a tea town, there could not have been a better option than – what else? – tea. In Kurseong, as far as your eyes can stretch, there are tea gardens. Think of it: The tea that Queen Elizabeth buys in Harrods and sips

every morning is hand-rolled in Kurseong’s Ambootia tea factory. “What kind of tea do you want? Champagne tea. Mint/ raw mango tea. Betel leaf tea. Rose tea. Passion fruit tea. Fruit blend tea. Tea made of spearmint freshly plucked off the garden.” Cochrane Place’s Rita Arora rattled off names that sounded like a menu off a witch’s cauldron. “So many?” I questioned perplexed. “That’s not all. We serve almost 100 tea blends. Like beetroot tea. Watermelon tea.” I gulped almost-white champagne tea, laced my shoes, tied my long hair into a bun, took a deep breath and got ready for a hike. I am a daft hiker but in Kurseong I was ready to lose a breath or two at St. Mary’s trail. The distance – roughly five kilometres. The time – as much as one wants. Everything about Kurseong is so serene and inconspicuous. Even the beginning of a trail. I took the first steps and gaped around. I have lived a lot in jungles but never before had I seen such magnificent ferns. A couple of metres up the hill and I started puffing. I braved it. A few more metres and I started panting. The incline is so steep that if you are not a trekker, it would completely kill you. I did not die but it wasn’t any better. But I knew that at the end of the

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Clockwise from top left: Cochrane Place; the famous toy train; St. Mary’s grotto; the house of Sarath Chandra Bose; a board explains how Subhas Chandra Bose is linked to Kurseong.

trek was St. Mary’s grotto. It was getting darker, but the candles left behind by believers were still flickering in the grotto that has a statue of St. Mary. I sat by the Saint – not so much as to seek forgiveness or blessings but to catch my breath. My lungs were already complaining. That moment, a brave man popped in my thoughts. The tiny town still reverberates with tales of Subhas Chandra Bose and his elder brother Sarat Chandra Bose who owned a home in Kurseong. A cement staircase leads into the nondescript white house where Sarat Chandra was interned from 1933 to 1935. ‘Open your shoes’ – a sign by the main door reads. Inside, there lie a rare collection of photographs of the Bose family and letters written by Netaji. It was in this house that Netaji wrote the speech that he delivered as President of Haripura Congress (1938). One can write reams about Kurseong, but the trip is never complete without a trip on that famous Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. This is no ordinary train – it is the famous blue train that hisses between Darjeeling and Siliguri on a gauge track that is barely two feet wide. The train was the brainchild of Franklyn Prestage, an agent for Eastern Bengal Railway. Work began on the loops and switchbacks cutting through the spurs of the Himalayas in 1879 and two years later the locomotive and its three coaches puffed through Darjeeling. The final cost: roughly Rs. 60,000 per kilometre. So leisurely is the train’s pace that it takes nine hours to cover a distance of 88 km. You can hurtle down the hills in a car and reach Darjeeling in an hour but the train ride is an experience you would not want to miss. In Kurseong, my impossible joys had dropped the ‘im’ and turned ‘possible’. I returned to Cochrane Place, ordered a watermelon tea, sat on the terrace to get wrapped in mist. That moment, I could roll over and pretend to be dead. 1

Getting There: You can fly to Bagdogra and then drive into Kurseong – roughly a 90-minute drive by road. You can take the train to New Jalpaiguri Station, which is connected with major cities of India. Or, you can take the famous Darjeeling Hill Railway train and steam through to Kurseong station. What to see/do: Kurseong Railway Station and its Archives, Dow Hill, St Mary’s grotto, Forest Museum, Ambootia Shiv Temple, Netaji Kothi, Salamander Lake. You can do day trips to Mirik and Darjeeling. Do tea tours and tea-tasting sessions at Cochrane Place. Where to stay: Cochrane Place (www.imperialchai.com). They also arrange pick up and drop off from the airport/railway station.

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September Calendar of events

Presenting the best of India’s events in different categories across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and nearby suburbs

Art & Exhibitions

Folk Art Exhibition Mumbai Art for Concern’s traditional and folk art show is an attempt to showcase the beautiful but little known art forms of India. Organised in aid of Concern India Foundation, the exhibition will display 29 works sourced from all over the country – such as mata ni pachedi from Gujarat, phad and pichwai from Rajasthan, Gond from Madhya Pradesh and more. Call +91-22-32501411 for more details. Date: September 23, 24 and 25 Venue: Max Mueller Bhavan, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai Time: 1100h to 1900h

Group Art Show Delhi ‘Watch Out’ is a group show featuring works of 28 young artists from across India, all of them from different backgrounds and institutions. The exhibition aims to provide a platform for young artists and features several mediums such as canvas, sculptures, scriptures and photography. The artists participating in this show include Aditi Saigal, Asish Das, Augustus Mithal, Bhaskara Rao B. and Dipti Biswal, to name a few. Call +91-12-449320000 for more details. Date: August 9 to September 10 Venue: Art Alive Gallery, Plot no.120, Institutional Area, Gurgaon Time: 1100 to 1900h

Art Exhibition Bengaluru ‘Enroute’, a collection by Mohan Vijayaraghavan, is a series of artworks created exclusively for Art Bengaluru 2014. The artist presents a series of works highlighting the creative outlook of this year’s theme – European Art History – at Art Bengaluru. The series draws inspiration from Renaissance art and architecture, in addition to the music he experienced, his worldly travels. Date: August 22 to September 21 Venue: Sublime Galleria, UB City, Vittal Mallya Road, Bengaluru Time: 1100h to 2000h

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Events

Textile Show Chennai

Dance Drama Chennai

Rare hand-woven saris and textiles created by master weavers and artisans will be on display at the Crafts Council of India's ‘Textile Show’. The sari range includes Benares, ikat, khadi, jamdani, kota, Kanchivaram silk, maheshwari and chanderi. The show features the work of some of the leading designers in the country. Call +91 44 24341456 for more details.

Classical dancer Parvathi Ravi Ghantasala will present her latest production, Chakra – a multilingual dance drama with English commentary. The production is based on the love story of a young couple and their journey of life through four seasons. The audience gets to see the festivals of India and the effects of global warming. Verses from ancient Indian texts have been translated to English and choreographed in Bharatanatyam, contemporary, folk and kalari dance styles. Tickets are available on www.eventjini.com

Date: September 12 and 13 Venue: Hotel My Fortune, Cathedral Road, Chennai

Date: September 7 Venue: The Music Academy, Alwarpet, Chennai Time: 1800h

English Theatre Bengaluru Red Theatre presents Revolution 2020, an English play based on a novel of the same name by Chetan Bhagat. The play revolves around three childhood friends and their struggle to find success, love and happiness in the holy city of Varanasi. The play is directed by Prithvi Aradhya and will go on for 100 minutes. Tickets are available on www. bookmyshow.com. Date: September 11 Venue: Ranga Shankara, 8th Cross II, Phase JP Nagar, Bengaluru Time: 1900h

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South Asian Bazaar Delhi

English Play Chennai

Dastkar’s annual event, The South Asian Bazaar, is back – with participation from countries like Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. The Bazaar brings together the diversity and cultural opulence of these South Asian countries. You can also take part in the workshops on design, marketing and development that offer a platform for sharing experiences and expertise.

Four Rooms, a cult classic comedy film written by Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, has been adapted to the stage for the first time in India. The wild and over-the-top comedy will leave the audience in splits and in disbelief at the same time. The play is the story of a solitary bellboy, who is left all by himself to look after a hotel called The Mont Signor on New Year ’s Eve, as everyone else have left to celebrate the New Year. Directed by theatre person Michael Muthu, the play runs for duration of 90 minutes.

Date: September 5 to 15 Venue: Kisan Haat, Anuvrat Marg, Chattarpur, Delhi.

Literature Festival Bengaluru The Bengaluru Literature Festival is back with its third edition. This year, participants include well known German author and journalist Tanja Dückers, writer and translator Saskya Jain, whose debut novel, Fire and Ash, will be released shortly, and dramatist Christopher Kloeble. Call 91 80 2520 5305 for more details. Date: September 26 to 28 Venue: Max Mueller Bhavan, 716, CMH Road, Indiranagar, 1st Stage, Bengaluru.

Book Launch and Storytelling Session Mumbai A book by Nina Sabnani on the kaavad storytelling traditions of India will be launched at Artisans Centre. The book, Kaavad Tradition of Rajasthan – A Portable Pilgrimage, explains the portable shrine of Rajasthan, whose multiple doors unfold to tell many a story. The storyteller takes this brightly-painted wooden box into homes, and recites the families’ genealogies and tells them stories about the deities pictured on the box. At the launch, the author will speak about this mnemonic device that traditionally binds communities. Call 91 22678040 for more details. Date: September 10 Venue: Artisans Centre, Dr.V B Gandhi Marg, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai

Date: September 6 and 7 Venue: Museum Theatre, Egmore, Chennai Time: 1915 h

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Spolight by Team Culturama

Aranmula Snake Boat Race 1 Watch the serene backwaters of Kerala come alive as the snake boats take part in the Aranmula boat race. This year, the race will be held on September 10 in the Alappuzha backwaters

Keralaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s backwaters will be abuzz with excitement during the months of July to September. The state heralds the arrival of the monsoon with the vallam kali or water play, where the snake boats or chundans of Kerala take part in exciting races. The first of the series of snake boat races is the Champakulam boat race, held in July, followed by other races in different parts of the backwaters. The last is the Aranmula race, which is held during the harvest festival of Onam. The Aranmula race is held on the Pampa River, near the Parthasarathy Temple. Unlike the other races, the Aranmula race is less of a contest and more a beloved tradition.

The boats are decorated with a flag and ornamental umbrellas. They carry a group of helmsmen, rowers and singers. Offerings to Lord Krishna, the main deity in the Parthasarathy temple, are carried by these boats. Legend says that, once, when some rogue boats attacked the boat carrying the offerings, a fleet of snake boats were sent from neighbouring areas to defend those under attack. Aranmula is also famous for handmade metal mirrors, whose unique craftsmanship is world renowned. The Aranmula kottaram or palace is a beautiful example of the traditional Kerala architecture style. 1

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Festival of the month

Onam September 7

Dussera September 25 to October 3

The traditional harvest festival of Kerala, Onam, is celebrated in the state over 10 days. It is believed that this is the time when the mythical king Mahabali pays a visit to the land. Mahabali had been so popular that the Gods in heaven became afraid of his power and banished him from his land; he was, however, given a boon that he could visit his subjects every year. People decorate the doorsteps of their homes with flower rangolis or patterns, and take part in feasts and sports to mark the return of their beloved king. The last three days of Onam are regarded as the most important.

Dussera is the celebration of the victory of good over evil. The festival is held across India. In North India, Dussera marks the people’s felicitation of Lord Rama’s victory over the ten-headed demon king Ravan. Ram lila (episodes from the epic Ramayan) parades are held in open grounds, where the story of Rama defeating Ravana is enacted and giant effigies of Ravan are set on fire. In the South, Vijayadasami or ‘victory on the tenth day’ celebrates the defeat of the demon Mahishasura by Goddess Durga. Many houses put up an elaborate arrangement of dolls called kolu, which features statues and dolls of Gods, humans and even animals.

3 The Onam sadhya or feast is a mouth-watering collection of delicacies specially made for the festival. There are also competitions for the best pookalam or flower pattern, in which you can participate.

3 Watch a live theatrical form of Ram lila in Himachal Pradesh or visit Mysore to take part in the elaborate celebrations.

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1 The Delhi Council for Child Welfare gives a home, and loving care, to children who are abandoned or lost

Give to India by Shefali Ganesh

Cradle of Life

A large bamboo cradle sits in a sheltered nook in a wall outside a building in old Delhi. The cradle is almost as old as independent India. Over the past six decades, it has been the source of comfort for many a wailing baby, who were left behind by their parents. The cradle is the first thing people see when they enter the Delhi Council for Child Welfare (DCCW). The NGO runs many programmes for the disadvantaged sections of society, the most well known being Palna. The DCCW’s primary programme, Palna, is based on the principle of ‘giving children the childhood they deserve’. The word palna in Hindi could refer to a cradle or to the act of raising a child. Through Palna, the DCCW runs a home for children who are left in the cradle, and for those brought in by the local police. The DCCW’s beginnings date back to the partition of India in 1947, when some families took up the initiative to look after children who were separated from their families in the riots. The NGO was formally launched in 1952, and was begun as a day-care centre called ‘Palna’. It soon grew to be an established adoption centre where children were taken care of until they were adopted or reunited with their kin. The children are adopted within India and abroad – but, wherever they go, their relationship with Palna is a lifelong bond. Many of them write to the centre to keep the staff updated on their new life. Take the case of Kajal, who had been abandoned, and was suffering from ill health when she was brought to Palna. She spent nearly three years at the centre until she was healthy enough to be adopted. The

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RajastHan palaces. forts. relive the past.

The Delhi Council for Child Welfare is located in Delhi. The DCCW accepts donations, and puts up products made by the centre’s children for sale on its website. For more details, visit their website at www.dccw.org or email delhi.council@gmail.com.

girl now lives in Finland, and often sends pictures of herself and her new family to the staff. There are nearly 100 such children from all age groups at Palna, each waiting to find a new lease of life. Besides the homeless children that Palna nurtures, there were others from the poorer segments of society that were constantly seeking their help. To address the community’s needs, DCCW opened an Orthopaedic Centre to rehabilitate physically challenged children. Another notable initiative was the Bal Chetna programme, begun for children with special needs. The Bal Chetna programme trains them to do housework and develop vocational skills. Be it an amateur mehendi (henna) designer like Anwari, or a jewellery craftsman like Ankit, these disabled children are now able to earn their money and add to their families’ income. The DCCW also helps working mothers prepare their children for mainstream schools through its ‘Shishu Kendra’. Additional support is provided through sponsorships and after-school coaching sessions. Many children who benefited from DCCW’s programmes have grown to become chartered accountants, teachers and artists – a testimony to the fact that Palna has indeed lived up to its name. 1

milesworth holidays india • srilanka • maldives • and beyond

visit: www.milesworth.com Milesworth Travels & Tours Pvt. Ltd., 39 R M Towers, 108 Chamiers Road, Chennai. Tel: +91-44-24320522 / 24359554 Fax: +91-44-24342668 E-mail: holidays@milesworth.com

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Myth and Mythology by Devdutt Pattanaik

Photo: Marlon Pieris, Canada

The Nautch Girl Strikes Back 1 We want to experience the feminine and the physical, but for fear of social censure, it has to be couched in emotional, intellectual and spiritual terms

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Every time I watch a Bollywood item number, which is increasingly becoming a sought-after art form by both aspiring and waning stars, and I watch ‘empowered’ women displaying their sexuality, objectifying themselves, tantalising men with their bodies and their flirtatious gaze, challenging them to accept their invitation. I can see beyond them the faces of hundreds of smiling devadasis and nautch girls – women well versed in song and dance who were mocked and rejected by puritanical society as ‘prostitutes’. This is what happens when we deny one aspect of dance and favour another. Somewhere in the 19th century, active efforts were made to strip dance of sexuality and sensuality. It became all about spirituality and union with God. That was the only way it could be rescued from the critical gaze of social reformers who saw anything feminine and physical with suspicion. So yes, the girl could sing and dance above love and longing but the fact that the body was being used to communicate desire had to be denied by making every word, every phrase, and every action allegorical. The lover she called out was the inner divine. The beloved who tortured her was not allowed to be a physical person who made her juices flow – it had to be an abstract idea. Juices? Yes, rasa. But we want this rasa to be emotional, intellectual, spiritual, not a bodily fluid. Not the saliva, not sweat, certainly not blood or vaginal fluids or semen. In fact,

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even as I write these very vivid words that leaves no doubt in the mind of the reader, I see my conditioning rising up, and censuring me. We prefer allusions and suggestions to direct reference. But when one reads the padams – songs written in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada between the 15th and 18th centuries, even in translation – one realises such a divide did not always exist. The physical was not seen to the exclusion of the philosophical. These songs, written by men like Annamacharya and Kshetrayya, but in a feminine voice, were sung by devadasis, women who were dedicated to temple deities. In these songs, the divine was addressed as a lover, a customer, a husband, often one who has cheated on them, broken their heart, preferred someone else over them, or returned after spending days with another. Yes, at one level, these are allegorical, songs of separation, affection and longing of the devotee for the deity. But simultaneously, it expressed the real events of the devadasi’s life, her relationship with her rich patron whose wealth sustained the temple, and over whom she had no real rights, as her real husband was the deity in the temple. The physical was not seen as inferior or lesser aspect of the art; the philosophical was not seen as the purer or true expression of the art; together they created the magic of the performance. Later the dance of the devadasis, once known as sadar kacheri, became the much sanitised Bharatanatyam (a word that did not exist a century ago, I am told by dance historians) following the outcry of social reformers influenced by both Hindu monastic orders and Christian missionaries in the Madras Presidency. So the audience sought its entertainment elsewhere, where sexuality and sensuality was openly acknowledged – on the screens of cinema as the cabaret performance in the night club, the mujra of the tawaif in her kotha, then around trees in dream sequences, and finally atop tables in bars by the uber-confident item-girl. No attempt is made to equate the beloved with the divine anymore. In attempting to reject physicality, we ended up rejecting all philosophy. 1

Published on 30th June, 2013 in Mid-day. Reprinted with permission from www.devdutt.com

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Holistic living by Eknath Easwaran

The Better

half 1 The later years of life are a time when each of us is meant to grow to our full stature as a human being – they are years for profound personal discoveries

Photo: Marianne van Loo, The Netherlands

5 Join Us Every Saturday India Immersion Centre in Chennai facilitates a weekly spiritual fellowship group following Easwaran’s Eight Point Programme of Meditation. E-mail us for more information at globalindian@globaladjustments.com. If you are in other cities, visit www.easwaran.org for e-satsangs.

Western culture is essentially youth-oriented. Everyone seems to wish that he or she could be young forever. To me, there is deep sadness in the idea that when our career goals have been achieved and our family responsibilities fulfilled, we are finally free to go after whatever youthful pursuits we might have missed out on earlier. This is going backwards on the path of spiritual evolution, which rises from the physical level of life to the mental level and then to the glorious awakening of spiritual awareness. This awakening is the great opportunity that awaits us in the second half of life. In a biological sense, the processes of life and death proceed together from the moment we are conceived. Since birth we have been entered in a race with death. And sooner or later – from a strictly biological point of view, as early as age 25 – there comes a time when life begins slowly to lose ground. At that

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point, as far as biology goes, we enter the second half of life, a losing battle in which most of us hope for little more than to slow the advance of time. But there is another sense of this phrase “the second half of life” which has little to do with age. In this view, the first half merely sets the stage for the drama we are born to play. This is the time for experimentation, when we play with life’s toys – money, pleasure, power, possessions, prestige – and learn for ourselves what they are worth. Many people never go beyond this phase. Nothing in modern civilisation, with its cult of youth, encourages us to look farther. But it is only when we throw these toys away and begin to search for answers to life’s most urgent questions – Who am I? Why am I here? What is life for? – that we really begin to live. These are the years in which each of us is meant to grow to our full stature as a human being. They are the years for profound personal discoveries and great contributions that can be made only when one turns inward. For those who take up this challenge, life holds out unique promise: the fulfillment of living for a lofty goal, and of finally discovering within themselves a living presence that is beyond change and death. I don’t expect to dissuade young people from experimenting with sensory satisfactions and burning their fingers. Whatever eloquent assurances they hear about the second half of life, they are not likely to listen until they have had repeated opportunities to understand the fleeting nature of physical pleasure and personal profit. In all great mystical traditions there is a wide margin for this kind of experimentation allowed to the first half of life. But when the inevitable decline of the body becomes a living experience, we should be ready to appreciate the lesson and benefit from what life is showing us firsthand. That is why it grieves me so much to see older people in this country who seem to have no purpose beyond clinging ever more tenaciously to physical phenomena. The mystics are loving realists. They don’t say, “Let me see your angel’s wings”; they remind us that we all make

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mistakes in life, and that without making a reasonable amount of mistakes, most of us cannot learn to grow. None of us, therefore, need be depressed about our past or present. On the path of meditation, even past mistakes can be made into powerful assets if we have learned something by making them. The purpose of difficult situations is to get us to master something in ourselves, and until we do this by facing such situations squarely, they will come to confront us again and again, more complicated and more distressing each time around. The great Indian poet and dramatist Kalidasa has a beautiful verse that praises with poetry and precision those who have fulfilled each of the four stages of human life and at the end attained life’s goal. According to this verse, the first stage – say, the first twenty-five years – is for learning: not just book-learning, but the arts of life and the skills of self-mastery. After that, for another twenty-five years or so, come the responsibilities of the householder – vishaye ’sinam, the pursuit of physical satisfactions. This rough division is thousands of years old, but even in my day, the usual age of retirement for Indian professionals was 55, about the same as envisioned by our sages. Today, of course, as longevity has improved, many men and women stay active in their jobs long past their fifties. But even if we prolong retirement till we are 65 or 70, it is good to treat the age of 60 as the point at which we enter the second half of life in the biological sense. One of the beautiful reminders of this in the Indian spiritual tradition says that when your son or daughter is up to your shoulder, it’s time to start preparing for this great change. Then, to paraphrase Kalidasa, it becomes urgent to learn to live in wisdom: muni vrittinam, “to live like a sage”; that is, to start letting go of material things and personal attachments and learn to live not for ourselves and our family alone, but for all. 1 Reprinted with permission from ‘The Second Half of Life’ (http://www.easwaran.org/the-second-half-of-life.html) – an article by Eknath Easwaran from The Blue Mountain Journal. Copyright The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, P.O. Box 256, Tomales, CA 94971; www.easwaran.org.

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