Culturama February 2016

culturama your cultural gateway to india

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A Cultural Melange

Come with us on a pictorial journey of the Surajkund International Crafts Mela

February 2016 Volume 6, Issue 12 RsRs Rs 4040 40

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Dear Readers, When you look deeply inside yourself, you discover untold strength. Let me ask you to hold that thought while I tell you about a true-life incident from my close circle of friends and then connect the dots.

A friend called me last month. Her young son had slipped and hit his head on a kerb and instantly passed away. She had spoken to him along with her whole family the night before. They had texted and Whatsapped and connected, despite his being 10,000 miles away. ‘In one instant, he was gone,’ they said. She went from disbelief to despair. When he came home, we watched his six-foot sleeping body and peaceful face, almost as if asking visitors not to make noise as he might be disturbed. Then, he was laid to rest. Even as I comforted my friend, I marvelled at her innate reserves of inner strength.

When we were working on the plan for this issue, the idea of doing a feature on the stepwells of India was mooted. I was initially unconvinced, but further research told me that this was indeed a precious legacy to which we should pay the right attention and respect. Built underground, but with as much attention as is given to temples, these aesthetically magnificent structures functioned as reservoirs of thirst-quenching water. When working on the piece, our writer made an interesting observation: ‘Above ground (apparently), there’s often very little to be seen, and nothing to indicate what the visitor is about to stumble upon.’

The comment made a deep impression on me. Just like these wells, we also have immense reservoirs of wisdom, compassion and strength within us – all we need do is look.

I drew on this metaphor when talking to my dear friend, and reminded her that by drawing from the well of wonderful memories of her talented son, she would ensure that he always lives within her in spirit. It was also a timely reminder that whatever life may toss our way, we can step into our inner source for strength, comfort and even guidance – the stepwells are but a physical reminder of this immutable fact.

We dedicate this issue to the indomitable mix of hope and determination that makes us human.

Ranjini Manian Editor-in-Chief globalindian@globaladjustments.com

Editor-in-Chief Ranjini Manian Managing Editor Yamini Vasudevan Business Head Archana Iyengar Creative Head Prem Kumar VP Finance V Ramkumar Circulation S Raghu Advertising Chennai Archana Iyengar Bengaluru Meera Roy Delhi/NCR Neha Verma Mumbai/Pune Arjun Bhat To subscribe to this magazine, e-mail 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 E-mail culturama@globaladjustments.com Bengaluru No.: A2, SPL Habitat, No.138, Gangadhar Chetty Road, Ulsoor, Bengaluru – 560043.

Tel +91-80-41267152, E-mail culturamablr@globaladjustments.com Delhi-NCR Level 4, Augusta Point, Golf Course Road, Sector 53, Gurgaon 122002, Haryana Mobile +91 124 435 4224 E-mail del@globaladjustments.com Mumbai #1102, 11th floor, Peninsula Business Park, Tower B, SB Road, Lower Parel, Mumbai – 400013 Tel +91-22-66879366 E-mail 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.

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Cover Image

The cover image for this month was shot by Marcel van Mourik of the Netherlands during one of his visits to the Surajkund International Crafts Mela. An avid photographer, Marcel was a former Advistory Board member of Culturama. His photos from the mela have been used in the Picture Story (Page 62) as well. www.behance.net/simplyweb

Advisory Board Members N. Ram is an award-winning journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu. He is Director of Kasturi & Sons Limited, publishers of The Hindu.

Suzanne McNeill lived in India for seven years before returning to Scotland. She is a freelance writer and graphic designer.

Marina Marangos is a lawyer, and enjoys travel and writing. She lived in India for four years before moving to Australia. www.mezzemoments. blogspot.com G. Venket Ram is an acclaimed photographer and the creative mind behind many a Culturama issue. www.gvenketram.com

Contributors Susan Philip is a freelance writer based in Chennai, and the editorial coordinator of Culturama’s various coffee table books.

Eknath Easwaran (1910–1999) was a spiritual teacher, author and interpreter of Indian literature. In 1961, he founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation and Nilgiri Press in California.

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

Letters to the editor Dear Editor,

I have been regularly receiving Culturama and I spend one full hour every month enjoying it cover to cover. I commend you on the layout design and excellent content.

K.G. Krishnamurthy, Mumbai

Dear Editor,

Greetings from England. I always wait for the magazine to come out. I have been a reader for more than five years. The ‘Thought Leader’ interview with Kirthiga Reddy (October 2015) truly provided valuable insights into office culture in India. I hope to see more pieces like that!

James Smith, United Kingdom

Dear Editor,

I was thrilled to receive Culturama. Always been a fan. The reader in me loves the various sights and sounds of India that one gets to see through your magazine.

Ravindra Singh, New Delhi

Dear Editor,

The January 2016 issue of Culturama had several noteworthy features. In particular, the article on the Dalai Lama’s teachings (Thought Leaders) was thought provoking, and an expat’s reaction to the Chennai floods (India Diaries) was very touching.

I enjoyed every page and look forward to forthcoming issues.

Marianne Lee, United States of America

culturama – Subscribe Now! Get your copy of Culturama as a hard copy or as an e-magazine - visit www.culturama.in to subscribe For other enquiries, e-mail us at culturama@globaladjustments.com or call us on +91-44-2461 7902

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Contents 20

India Now

A recap of the events and people that made news in the last month.

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Look Who’s In Town

Expats in India share their views about life in India.

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In Focus

Aikya 2016 will see two child prodigies from different genres of Indian classical music share the stage for the first time – we speak to Sanjeev Abhyankar and Abhishek Raghuram.

24 Feature Elements of practical physics and aesthetic architecture come together in India’s stepwells.

India’s Culture 08

Short Message Service

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On the Right Note

We give you a handy guide to the different musical instruments used in music concerts, festivals and ceremonies in India.

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Calendar of Events

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

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Picture Story

Short, engaging snippets of Indian culture.

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Festival of the Month

Welcome spring with Vasant Panchami.

Journeys Into India 36

Seeing India

Ever wished you could fly like a bird? Fulfil that wish in part by flying over Agra, Goa or Jaipur in a hot air balloon!

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Holistic Living

Many of us expect a spiritual person to have some special aura.

However, they are just like us – their aura is the kindness they emit.

Regulars 12

Thought Leaders

Be prepared for a heavy dose of colour, art and culture – we take you on a virtual tour of the Surajkund International Crafts Mela.

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Myth and Mythology

We pay a lot of attention to ‘saving the world’, but very little to ‘saving’ or ‘creating’ livelihoods.

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Give to India

Featuring worthy NGOs and charitable organisations across the country

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At Global Adjustments

Poornashakti, a monthly forum for seniors organised by the India Immersion Centre (NGO arm of Global Adjusments) celebrated its first anniversary.

Relocations and Property Kate Sweetman, former editor of the Harvard Business Review, talks about the key traits every leader should inculcate.

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Ten for the Road

Trivia about an Indian state – featuring Rajasthan this month.

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Space and the City

Property listings in Chennai.

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Advertisers Feature

Crafting the best

Gehna, a jewelry boutique in Chennai, was started by Mr.Sunith Samdaria in 1996, who has over 30 years of experience in the jewelry business.

Mr. Sunith’s hospitality and warmth can be felt by every client even if they just step in a for a cup of coffee. The moment a client sets foot in the shop the focus is on the client. Some of Gehna's trademark design are Marquee petal & Filigree Jhumki!

The Gehna team, with its highly qualified and designers who have years of experience, goes out of its way to hear your ideas, focus on your style preferences and then begin making that piece of jewelry that you desire. Mr.Sunith, sees to it the finest gemstones are picked and personally develops the ornament.

Gehna, a jewelry boutique, leaves no stone unturned to give its customers the best.

In his own words, "It's no accident that I have spent thirty years in the jewelery trade, working my way through the most intense learning experiences, from grading, cutting, and polishing diamonds to eventually overseeing the designing, crafting and finishing of jewelry, to the most exacting standards of perfection.�

Gehna has steadily been growing over the past decade. They were recently nominated for Luxury Lifestyle Awards - Jewelery Category (Asia). Gehna is among the top 5 jewelers from India to be chosen for the awards to take place in Singapore in February 2016.

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by Suzanne McNeill Short cultural snippets for an easily digestible India

Art/Craft/Textile Ragamala Paintings Miniature ragamala paintings flourished across India during the 16th and 17th centuries. Using rich, vibrant colours, ragamala paintings depicted scenes of courtly life and the stories of the gods. They drew inspiration from the sacred essence of the raaga, the Indian classical music mode of five to seven notes upon which melody is played, for a raaga is more than a sound. It means to tinge, to colour, and in the paintings each raaga is personified by colour and mood. The painting evokes the season and time of day at which the raaga should be sung, as well as the specific deity associated with the raaga.

Photo: Lucie MELOT, France

Word of the Month Accha

Food and Drink Pitha

Accha is a very useful word for visitors to India to learn as it has many applications and meanings. Although its root is in Sanskrit, accha is understood in both Hindi and Urdu.

The literal meaning of accha is ‘good’ or ‘excellent’, but it’s also used as an acknowledgement, meaning ‘I see’ (‘I need to discuss this with you’ will receive a response in ‘Accha!’); as an agreement as in ‘okay’ (‘Accha, I will come over tomorrow’); as a request to listen (‘Accha, tell me what time!’); to express surprise (‘That early? Accha?’); and as an exclamation (‘Accha, you’ll be up, surely?’). As both an adjective and an interjection, accha is a brilliant, all-purpose word! Accha!

Pitha is a type of steamed rice cake that is a breakfast snack in India’s north-eastern states and in Assam is particularly associated with the harvest festival called Bihu. Pithas are made from a batter of rice flour mixed with sugar and milk, which is kneaded into a smooth dough and then cut into balls. These are filled with sweet or savoury fillings – vegetable pithas include cauliflower, cabbage or potato, and sweet pithas are filled with coconut, fruit and nuts. Pithas can be fried in ghee, but in Assam they are often steamed in a vegetable steamer. Pithas should be enjoyed with a cup of Assam tea!

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E, France

ielle DELORM

Photo: Gabr

Name to Know Naseeruddin Shah

Interpretations Bangles and Henna

Naseeruddin Shah is a highly versatile film and stage actor and director. He is the winner of numerous awards for his contribution to Indian cinema, but is seen as something of an outsider, too, a critic of imitative film making and a fan of multilingual scripts. Born into a Muslim family in Uttar Pradesh in 1950, Shah honed his craft in the 1970s and early 1980s in India’s ‘Parallel Cinema’, the moniker given to films that steered clear of song-and-dance extravaganzas.

Shah enjoyed experimenting with roles in movies that straddle India’s regional film industries. By the end of the 1980s, however, he moved into mainstream Bollywood and television work. A role in the international hit Monsoon Wedding brought Shah to the attention of Hollywood, and in 2003 he starred in The League of Extraordinary Gentleman (as Captain Nemo). He was most recently seen in the quirky road movie Finding Fanny, playing Ferdie, the lovelorn postman.

In the past few weeks, Shah has been receiving fine reviews for his directing and acting performances in a two-part play Gadd-ha aur Gadh-ha at Kolkata’s National Theatre Festival.

Adorning the hands with henna is a symbolic event in the preparation of North Indian brides. The groom’s sisters decorate her hands and feet in a pre-wedding ceremony called the mehendi ceremony, and the belief is that the deeper the final colour, the more she will be loved by her husband. Bangles, called chura, are presented to the bride by her maternal uncle in sets of 7, 9 or 21 in another ceremony.

In Punjabi weddings, the chura are dipped in milk and water before the bride wears them to signify that she will blend into her new family as milk blends into water. The red bangles signify prosperity, the white new beginnings, and green bangles may be added to symbolise fertility. Traditionally made of ivory or glass, they are now usually made from plastic. In some families, they are worn for 40 days after the wedding to show the bride may refrain from housework in her new marital home during that time. Women will be offered bangles during festivals, which are a sign of good luck and marital harmony.

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Thought Leaders

by Ranjini Manian

Rules to Live By If you had to create the most important qualities that a leader should inculcate, what would you pick? What if we asked you to modify that to ‘women leaders’?

Kate Sweetman, former editor of the Harvard Business Review, and one of the world’s 50 best business thinkers, shares her views on these crucial questions

Kate Sweetman and I go back many years. Despite living in different continents, our paths have crossed several times – she launched Upwordly Mobile, my first book, in Mumbai; we took a tour of the Akshardham in Delhi; I was asked for a quote that would appear on the jacket of her new book.

Kate (pictured on left) exemplifies the leadership qualities that she writes about in her book The Leadership Code: Five Rules to Lead By which I was introduced to by her. I have given a quote that will appear on the jacket of her new book.

What’s special about Kate is that she can take the leadership style that the culture or the background requires and help mould the person’s personality along with the specific values she imparts. She is a powerhouse of knowledge, yet she is extremely humble. She is a busy mom, entrepreneur, writer and editor of the world’s best known business journal but she always has time for people.

She stands tall, and is an unmistakable American, yet she is pretty unique because she embraces diversity and thrives in any kind of diversity you place her in. She had a successful stint in Asia and the Americas, and now she is helping to build bridges between both continents again. In today’s

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“Women are more likely to integrate, make cross-connections and consider more inputs when making a decision.” Photo: Naomi Hattaway, USA

‘global village’, she is an example of the true global citizen who can successfully form strong links with people from around the world.

companies on the path to greatness. They knew that profit today would lead to profit tomorrow if they invested in both business and people.

As I have said in my quote for her book, she is not a ‘sage on the stage’ but a ‘guide by your side’. You never feel overwhelmed in Kate’s presence. When we met in Boston towards the end of last year, I chatted with her about her latest book. Despite the fact that it was a conversation about a vast topic, I felt as if I was having a regular catch-up with an old friend – she explained her views in simple and clear language, without once putting on any airs or adding in complex jargon. Here, I hope you enjoy the snippets from our conversation, as much as I did.

What has changed over the years is that the level of leadership skill required in most organisations has risen dramatically, due to an increasingly intense and complex business environment combined with a growing reliance on knowledge work – the kind of work whose outcomes depend on the enthusiasm and engagement of people more than machines. As a business moves up the value chain, the leader must orchestrate rather than direct, and motivate rather than dictate actions. This challenge requires alertness, not just to the business but also to the people.

You have co-authored a book called Leadership Code – 5 Rules to Lead By. Can you share what goes to make a good leader?

Take Xerox for instance. When Ann Mulcahy took over the leadership role in 2001, she became responsible for redefining the way Xerox did business. Under her, innovation became the key driver, which necessitated a shift to working as a collaborative, networked organisation that systematically harnessed the strengths of a diverse workforce. Her leadership enabled Xerox’s recovery.

Excellent leadership – the kind that inspires long-lasting enthusiasm and loyalty – has always had at its core the ability to balance both results and people. Excellent leaders build strong, enduring organisations that deliver outcomes while also honouring and developing people. Consider Thomas Watson of IBM or Robert Wood Johnson of Johnson & Johnson. Both of them, generations ago, famously combined a strong desire to make money with a strong concern for their people as they created the leadership cultures that set their

How important is it to have women leaders and what are the different leadership qualities that men and women bring to the table?

The business case for including women at the top in sufficient numbers has been proved conclusively. Studies

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have shown that organisations that open their senior ranks to women and allow them to lead along with men get better business results – full stop. When men and women work together as equals in more or less balanced numbers, organisations are innovative and profitable.

Know yourself. The more you understand who you are and your own predispositions and reactions to the world, especially the male world, the better prepared you will be to keep your emotions and behaviour in check – a particular trap for many women.

Here’s the bottom line: According to current hard science, women typically take in larger amounts of information, using more of their senses. Women are more likely to integrate, make crossconnections and consider more inputs when making a decision. They are more likely to attach emotion to information. Men tend to be more focused, action-oriented and inclined to simplify. They are less concerned with the subtleties. For the inclusion of women to have an effect on the business results, they need to show up in at least 25 to 30 percent of the senior-level seats – they cannot be isolated tokens. When women are in the extreme minority, their contributions are often dismissed; ‘She brings up irrelevant topics’ or ‘She brings in emotion when we need facts’. When she is represented in sufficient numbers, however, she can bring her more nuanced perspectives to bear and be taken seriously.

Prepare for a stressful journey.

Getting to the top is not easy for anyone, and is especially anxietycausing for those who don’t fit in.

Accept that this is the case, and you will understand your own reactions better. You will also find that your stress level decreases.

What can women do to be resilient and break the barrier to reach the top?

I have met extraordinarily successful women leaders from whom we can take away the following lessons: Keep your goals front and centre.

You can endure a lot when you know your purpose. Take yourself seriously and you will make the preparations to succeed: Education, career path, continuous learning.

Engage with the men – don’t reject them. If you really want to enter the C-suite, you will have to meet the men more than halfway. Find out what their issues are. Where do your concerns overlap? How can you support their success? Who are the stakeholders in your success, and what do they need from you?

Find a trusted male advisor who can give you guidance, and ask for feedback about how you are showing up. Nothing succeeds like having a powerful male sponsor.

Tend to your own character and integrity. Learning and being willing to change is one thing, but do not give up who you truly are – but be willing to grow.

Take care of yourself. Health and wellness, spending time with family and friends, leaning on your network of supportive women, are important.

The more stress you are under, the more you need to take care of yourself in ways that are restorative to you.

Kate Sweetman’s latest book, co-authored with Shane Cragun, Reinvention: Accelerating Results in the Age of Disruption, acts as a wake-up call for those hoping to thrive in today’s competitive world. Key strategies are couched in metaphors to create visual maps that will help you implement their new learnings at the moment of need. Reinvention includes chapter insights written by six experts from different geographical business regions.

‘This is the go-to leadership book of the decade. Sweetman and Cragun have played the role not so much of a sage on the stage but rather of your guide by the side, providing immediate business applications of their practical models.’

– Ranjini Manian, Author of Make it In India, Founder and CEO, Global Adjustments.

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Ten for the Road

by Susan Philip

Rajasthan

29 Indias: One Nation, published by Global Adjustments, has 10 handpicked snippets about each of the Indian states.

Read the book for free at www.globaladjustments. com. Global Adjustments has created an animated video that captures the cultural markers of all 29 states: http://tinyurl.com/ m734xsm

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 Rajasthan 1.

How the Land Lies: Area-wise, Rajasthan is India’s largest state. It shares a border with Pakistan, apart from being bounded by other northern Indian states. The Thar Desert is a part of Rajasthan. The capital is Jaipur.

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Political Pressures: The Rajput warrior dynasty dominated this region in ages past, and their lineage is where the name ‘Rajasthan’ comes from.

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Past Glories: This is Indus Valley Civilisation country.

Present-day Kalibangan was once a major provincial capital of this ancient culture.

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Ethnic Fingerprint: The bow-and-arrow-wielding Bhils in Rajasthan are among the oldest tribes to inhabit the subcontinent. The state is home to a variety of other tribes too, ranging from the nomadic Gadia Lohar, Banjara and Kathodi, to the cattle-breeding Rabaris. Among the distinct ethnic groups in the region is the Bohra community, a group of Shiite Muslims.

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Culture Quotient: Being a land of warrior kings, valour is a given as a theme of folk songs here. So are love and piety. As for dance, the kalbelia is one which has gained international recognition.

Personality Plus: Precocious little Meera asked her mother who her bridegroom would be, and legend has it that her mother pointed to an idol of Lord Krishna. The child immediately gave her heart to Krishna. Though the 16thcentury Rajput princess was married off to the ruler of a principality, Meera’s mind remained wedded to Krishna. From her devotion, overlaid with the strain of pressure to conform to temporal norms, sprang some of the most passionate spiritual hymns in the Hindu repertoire.

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Sights to See: Forts, palaces, wildlife sanctuaries, festivals galore! Ranthambore and Sariska Sanctuaries offer the best chance of spotting India’s national animal, the majestic tiger.

The Camel Fair and the Pushkar Fair are not-to-be-missed events of ethnic colour and culture. The Hava Mahal (wind palace), the Lake Palace and the Amber Fort are just three of many former royal residences that have been turned into museums.

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Tasty Treats: The cuisine is traditionally largely vegetarian, although the warrior clans enjoyed hunting and the game was cooked in a variety of mouthwatering ways by the khansamas (royal cooks). Sweets are highly popular and are, interestingly, customarily served before a meal and not as dessert.

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Crafted with Care: Bandhini (tie-and-die) designs embellish a majority of its textiles and cloth-based products. Semiprecious stones, enameled jewellery and block prints are other prominent ways of adding splashes of brightness to the background of desert sands. The unique blue pottery from Jaipur makes a lovely souvenir.

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Worshipfully Yours: The Bishnois follow a religion exclusively based on nature. The founder, Lord Jhambheshwar, was born into a Rajput family, but eschewed hunting and violence and instead developed an affinity with all things living. He dictated a 29-point belief system from which the community takes its name (bees is 20, noi, 9). The basis is compassion for life in all forms. The votaries of the religion that took root over 500 years ago are ready to give their lives to protect nature. Some Bishnoi temples double up as sanctuaries for injured animals.

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India now

by Susan Philip

The month that was

As we enter a new month, we quickly recap the events, people and places that made news in the past month

that will ensure completion of the formalities within one day.

He also announced various sops for start-ups, including selfcertification-based compliance and tax concessions. ‘There will be no compromise on quality but the idea is to give the new enterprises opportunities,’ he clarified.

For details, visit http://tinyurl.com/hs7lt69

The most generous Indian For the third year in succession, Wipro Chairman Azim Premji has emerged as the most generous Indian. His contribution of Rs. 27,514 crore (Rs. 275.14 billion) for education placed him on top of the Harun Research Institute’s Philanthropy List 2015. At second place are Nandan Nilekani (who headed India’s Technology Committee) and his wife Rohini, while Narayana Murthy, former Infosys Chairman, was placed third.

Education was the field most preferred by these generous Indians, with social development and healthcare coming in as the second and third most popular choices.

Politics and Polity

Arty Happenings

Pathankot under attack

Songs of love

A heavily armed group of terrorists made an audacious attack on the Pathankot air base, part of the Indian Air Force’s Western Air command, in the early days of the new year. Seven Indian security personnel lost their lives before all six infiltrators could be neutralised. The attack has been condemned by world powers. With evidence recovered from the site leading to Pakistan, fresh hopes of lasting friendship and cooperation between India and its neighbour, fanned after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent impromptu visit to Lahore, have received a setback.

The reverberations of the Pathankot attack could not mar the melody of the ghazals (a genre of poetry of Persian origin set to music) with which Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali enthralled a capacity crowd at Kolkata.

Ali, whose earlier concerts had to be cancelled because of protests from certain quarters, later made a maiden visit to the southern Indian state of Kerala, where he received the first Swaralaya Global Legendary Award, and also staged two performances.

Business Matters A leg up for startups Taking forward his minimum government, maximum governance axiom, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an app-based registration process for companies

To watch Ghulam Ali sing one of his most popular ghazals, visit http://tinyurl.com/j68usbf

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Awards and Accolades Designs on wool Suket Dhir has walked away with the prestigious International Woolmark Prize for menswear. The Delhibased designer said, ‘My collection explores the trans-seasonal aspects of wool and the alchemic transformation of the fibrous wool into smooth, silk-like yarn, which renders the fabric light, airy, fluid yet full and supple.’ His work combines Western tailoring and traditional Indian weaving, dyeing and embroidery. Dhir beat five other international designers to claim the prize, which was announced in Florence.

Q. Can you name another Indian who won this prize in 2014?

A: Rahul Mishra, also a Delhi-based designer.

Filmfare Awards Bajirao on a roll Bajirao Mastani swept up nine of the much-sought-after Filmfare awards for Bollywood movies this time, including

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of Capricorn, is celebrated in many parts of the subcontinent as a harvest festival and the onset of spring. In Tamil Nadu, the season is known as Pongal. The sweetness of sugarcane, the overflowing of milk boiled in an earthen pot, and the richness of rice cooked with jaggery and ghee are intrinsic to the festival. So are games like vazhukku maram – climbing up a greased pole to take the prize at the top – kabbadi and tug-of-war. The sport most closely associated with Pongal is jallikattu or taming of the bull. It has been embroiled in a controversy, involving the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, the Union and State Governments and the Supreme Court of India, besides animal rights activists and aficionados of the ancient sport. The name comes from salli (coin) and kattu (tied up) and the sport is about getting hold of a bag of coins tied to the horn of a volatile bull. It was a sport popular even in the Indus Valley Civilisation, going by seals from that era, and much lauded in ancient Tamil poetry.

End of an Era Two stalwarts bid adieu

for Best Film and Best Actor (Ranveer Singh). Priyanka Chopra cornered the prize for the Best Actress in a Supporting Role. This is third highest number of Filmfare awards garnered by a film, after Black with 11 and Devadas with 10.

The lifetime achievement award for this edition of the awards went to the eternally charming Moushumi Chatterjee.

Q. The female lead in Bajirao Mastani was adjudged the Best Actress, but for her role in another film. Can you name the actress and the film?

A: Deepika Padukone, for the title role in Piku.

Sports Spots Taking the bull by the hump Makar Shankaranti, the transition of the sun into the house

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed passed away after a brief illness. He was 79. A Congressman initially, he founded the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (JKPDP) in 1999. His party holds power in Jammu and Kashmir in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He took the oath in March last year, in what was his second stint in the post. He had earlier been Chief Minister from 2002 to 2005. One of his daughters, Mehbooba Sayeed, is considered his political heir.

Another distinguished life that came to an end in January was that of Lt. Gen. J.F.R. Jacob. He played an important role as Chief of Staff of the Indian Army’s Eastern Command during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, and later rendered distinguished service as Governor of Punjab and Goa. With his ancestral roots in Bhagdad, Jacob was a Jew. He had enlisted in the British Indian Army during World War II, moved by reports of the holocaust.

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Advertisers Feature

Rhythm of the Soul The annual International Dance Festival held in Mamallapuram will see over 100 performances from varied Indian classical and folk dance forms

Tamil Nadu is well-known for its rich cultural heritage – music, dance, and drama are an integral part of people’s lives and several cultural fairs and festivals are organised throughout the year.

Among these is the popular Indian Dance Festival, organised

by Tamil Nadu Tourism, held at the beautiful seashore of Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram).

An event held to celebrate the spirit of local art forms since 1992, it is well known worldwide and draws tourists and locals alike. The festival includes performances by artistes from various schools of Indian dance, and is usually held in the months of December and January. The Indian Dance Festival not only promotes cultural tourism but also helps in reviving interest in folk arts.

The 25th Indian Dance Festival was inaugurated on January 5, 2016 and will go till February 5, 2016. More than 100 performances are planned, and the line-up includes folk dance forms such as Karagam, Kavadi, Kokkalikattai Attam, Bommalatam (Puppet Show), Therukoothu, Thappattam, Oyilattam, as well as classical dance forms such as Bharathanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Rajasthani, Mohini Attam and Kuchipudi.

In the previous edition of the festival in 2015, around 35,000 tourists attended the Indian Dance Festival, with nearly 15,000 tourists from Netherlands, Ukraine, Suriname, South Africa and Dubai.

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Of Stone and Water Rani-ki-Vav in Gujarat. Photo: Bipin Khimasia, Canada

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Feature

by Suzanne McNeill A form of architecture that is said to date back to the Indus Valley Civilisation, stepwells present a marvellous blend of practical watersaving technology and aesthetically appealing architecture Stepwells are described as India’s forgotten architecture. Thousands of these magnificent water buildings were built across India from medieval times onwards but they are particularly associated with the arid, north-western states of Gujarat and Rajasthan, where there is a profound shortage of fresh water and the seasonal monsoon rains quickly disappear into the ground. Sunk into the earth to the level of the water table, stepwells transformed into huge cisterns during the rainy season, and were designed to give access to the receding water levels during the rest of the year. Created with the ornamentation that adorns so many of India’s more famous buildings, stepwells represent a synthesis of technology, architecture and art that is unique to the Indian subcontinent.

Repository of Resources There is a long inscription on the 16th-century Dada Harir Stepwell, part of which reads: “… In the Gurjara country, in the glorious city of Ahmedabad, in the victorious reign of the Padshah, the thrice glorious Mahmud, the general superintendent at the door of the king’s harem, Bai Sri Harir by name, caused a well to be built in order to please God, in Harirpur, situated to the north-east of the glorious city, for the use of the eighty-four lakhs of the various living beings, men, beasts, birds, trees, etc. who may have come from the four quarters, and are tormented with thirst … As long as the moon and the sun [endure], may [the water of] this sweet well be drunk by men! …

[The lady] Bai Sri Harir by name built this well at great expense, in order to benefit the world.”

This extract reflects the different motivations – religious, practical and public-minded – that inspired benefactors, a significant number of whom were women, to commission stepwells. Since ancient times, India has found ways to develop and manage water resources.

During the 3rd century BCE, traditional systems of knowledge enabled farming communities in what is now Gujarat to build dams of stone, mud and brick that impounded rainwater to use for

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An inside view of Rani-ki-Vav. Photo: Nagarajun Kandukuru, Creative Commons

irrigation. The engineers of the urban Harappan civilisation created large-scale hydraulic works such as the ‘Great Bath’ at Mohenjo-daro, a huge lined pool within a larger complex of wells and drains, and a great brick basin at Lothal on the Gulf of Khambhat, which may have been an artificial dock for shipping.

Rock-cut cisterns, embankments and irrigation canals were all part of India’s vast range of water-related constructions, as well as the ghats, the stepped embankments alongside rivers that stabilised the banks and provided access to the water. Tanks and stepped ponds were integral to the architecture of temples.

Rudimentary stepwells have been constructed since the 3rd millennium BCE and evolved from basic pits in sandy soil to elaborate and complicated multi-storey structures sunk deep into the ground. The earliest existing stepwell may be the Jhilani Stepwell, which appeared in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region around 550 CE. It was built of stone blocks that were laid without mortar, an innovation in stone construction that made stepwells possible. Over time, three major elements came to define the stepwell: water fed into it through cylindrical well shafts sunk through the rock, from which water could be drawn in buckets; a stepped corridor or staircase that led down several storeys into the vast excavated and stone-lined trench, ending at the water level of the well; and subterranean passageways and ornately carved open chambers and galleries that offered cool retreats.

From the 11th to 16th century CE, stepwells evolved not only into complex feats of engineering but also beautiful works of art. Photo: Ronit Bhattacharjee, Creative Commons

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Rock-cut cisterns, embankments and irrigation canals were all part of India’s water-related constructions. Photo: Cassia Reis, Brazil

From the 11th to 16th century CE, the construction of stepwells – called Vav in Gujarati and Baoli in Hindi – hit their peak, evolving not only into astonishingly complex feats of engineering but also as beautiful works of art. As with the temple and palace construction of the medieval period, the architecture provided a framework for ornamentation. The importance of water in ritualistic practice and the patronage of royal and aristocratic families – the inscription on the Dada Harir Stepwell explicitly says that by founding “pools of water by hundreds” and other good deeds “the wealthy earn merit” – ensured they developed as art forms under successive Hindu and Muslim rulers.

Hindu artists carved sculptures and friezes that depicted gods and goddesses, celestial dancers and musicians, and heroes from Hindu epics alongside scenes from daily life such as milkmaids churning butter, women combing their hair and royal figures attended by their bearers. There were scenes of battle, fighting horses and elephants, and the columns, brackets and beams were alive with floral, geometrical and animal motifs. Islam’s more austere traditions contributed filigree-like scrolls and leafy branches, motifs of flowers and leaf-vines. The two styles were to synthesise and interact in many of the stepwells of this period.

As Bai Sri Harir’s inscription declared, stepwells provided systems for the storage of precious water supplies to locals as well as travellers and pilgrims. The stepwells became places where people, particularly women, gathered and socialised – they came to drink and bathe in the water of the well, to wash clothes, water their livestock and perhaps take advantage of them as a place of cool retreat as the air was usually several degrees cooler as they descended towards the cistern.

Spectacular Stepwells Listed amongst India’s most spectacular stepwells are the following: Rani-ki-Vav, Patan, Gujarat: The Rani-ki-Vav, the ‘Queen’s Stepwell’, was designed as an inverted temple. When it was rediscovered in the 1950s it had, over many centuries, filled with silt and consequently the structure is very well preserved. Built on the now disappeared Saraswati River between 1022 and 1063 CE, it was commissioned by Queen Udayamati in memory of her husband, Bhimdeva I. The Rani-ki-Vav descends 23 metres through a stepped and tapering corridor to a tank measuring 9.5*9.4 metres and is divided into seven terraced levels. Each terrace is decorated with multiple, pillared pavilions adorned with sculptures of

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A stepwell at Modhera sun temple in Gujarat. Photo: Nagarjun Kandukuru, Creative Commons

the deities and their consorts. Smaller bands of sculpture show dancing and musical scenes, and girls applying cosmetics.

Adalaj-ni-Vav, Ahmedabad, Gujarat: The medieval fusion of Hindu and Islamic architecture is seen to great effect in the Adalaj-ni-Vav. According to legend, the stepwell was started by the Hindu chieftain, King Rana Veer Singh, but he died in 1499 during the war with his neighbouring ruler, the Muslim king Mehmud Begada. Begada fell in love with Veer Singh’s bereaved queen, who promised to marry him only if he completed her husband’s stepwell. Building resumed, and on completion of the well Begada presented his work to the queen who, it is said, walked around it, said a prayer and then threw herself into its depths. To this day, the Islamic influences can be seen in the upper storeys, whilst the carvings and idols of the Hindu gods on the lower levels remain.

Adalaj-ni-Vav is a spectacular monument, over 75 metres in length, alive with exquisite sculptures on the building’s walls, pillars, cornices and niches. Each of the five octagonal landings has a pavilion with multiple platforms held aloft by thick columns, and the stairs descend towards the pool of water at the far end, which sits directly below the ornate, cylindrical shaft. Early morning visits are recommended, when the light is soft and filters down to the structure (visitors to other stepwells recommend visiting them at noon, when sunlight penetrates to the bottom of the structures).

Chand Baori, Abhaneri, Rajasthan: Chand (meaning ‘moonlight’ or ‘silver’) Baori is among the largest and most spectacular inverted pyramid stepwells in northern India.

Built by King Chanda during the 9th century CE, it is a deep four-sided structure with an immense palace (built later by the Mughals) on one face and 3,500 terraced steps that march down the other three sides in a precise geometrical pattern, appearing to form a never-ending path. It is approximately 30 metres deep.

Rani-ki-Ji Baori, Bundi, Rajasthan: Called the ‘city of stepwells’, Bundi has more than 50 tanks and wells in and around the city. Part well, part temple, the Rani-ki-Ji, another queen’s stepwell, is the most famous. It was built in 1699 by Rani Nathavati, the second wife of the king, who was cast aside after she bore him an heir. The Rani devoted herself to serving her subjects. She turned her energies to public projects, building nearly 20 wells including the 46-metredeep Rani-ki-Ji. Two hundred steps descend to the water below, passing under a high, slender gate, archways decorated with S-shaped brackets and exquisite elephant carvings. There are places of worship on each floor.

Agrasen-ki-Baoli, Delhi: A deep, austerely rectangular well, the 14th-century Agrasen-ki-Baoli was built during Delhi’s Tughlaq period. It is 60 metres long and 15 metres wide, with a single flight of 103 steps and three levels lined with arched niches. The Agrasen-ki-Baoli has little of the adornment of other examples, and its stern, fortress-like appearance and

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Info-bytes One of India’s most important stepwells, the Rani-ki-Vav was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2014.

To this day, visitors to these extraordinary monuments describe them as places lost in time, neglected and with few visitors Photo: Selmer van Alten, Creative Commons

the aura of eerie silence that engulfs visitors as they descend the stairs has led to rumours that it is haunted. It is said that it used to be filled with black water that fatally attracted the disheartened and hypnotised them into jumping in to their deaths.

Mata Bhavani Vav and Dada Hari-ni-Vav, Ahmedabad, Gujarat: The Mata Bhavani Vav was constructed in the 11th century before the city of Ahmedabad was founded. Profoundly Hindu in character, the Vav is dedicated to an aspect of Lord Shiva’s consort Parvati. It is simple and unpretentious, of moderate size with little sculptural ornamentation or relief work yet has a double system of stairs and a large square pool. The Mata Bhavani Vav, however, is alive with painted deities and offerings to the gods, and filled with green, potted plants. The neighbouring Dada Hari-ni-Vav was built 500 years later by Mehmud Begada in style similar to the Adalaj-ni-Vav, with many storeys filled with Islamic-style intricately carved walls and columns.

Lost in Time Stepwells went into decline around the time of the colonial rule. The British deplored what they saw as unhygienic breeding grounds for disease and parasites and forced many stepwells to close, installing pipe and pump systems as replacements. Most wells fell into disuse and became dumps or were pillaged for their stone. In recent times, the abstraction of groundwater for farming using pumps means that the water table levels are now well below that of the cisterns, causing them to dry out. To this day, visitors to these extraordinary monuments describe them as places lost in time, neglected and with few visitors. However, UNESCO recognition – and that of the filmmakers – has revived interest in the stepwells as places of tourism and cultural interest, whilst the growing urgency for water conservation has led to a new appreciation of these ancient systems of water storage.

Stepwells have been used in different capacities in Indian and international movies – Chand Baori was used as the location for the prison in the Hollywood film The Dark Knight Rises, and features in Paheli, a Hindi movie starring Shah Rukh Khan. The Agrasenki-Baoli was cleared of centuries-worth of accumulated silt and rubbish in 2002 and recently featured as a location in Aamir Khan’s sci-fi Hindi film, PK. If you want to know more about the stepwells of India, read Steps to Water: The Ancient Stepwells of India by Morna Livingston. The books traces the fascinating history of these structures, and reflects on their current use, preservation, and place in Indian communities.

With stunning photographs, the book reveals the depth of the stepwells’ intricate details.

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Look Who’s In Town Mumbai

Indian Delights For Scott Wilson, who is originally from Liverpool in the United Kingdom, India turned out to be as exciting as he envisioned it to be

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Best Indian friend: I have too many to choose Favourite Indian food: Puri (Indian bread) Favourite hang-out spot in India: Bars and restaurants in Bandra, Mumbai Intolerable India: The traffic Loveable India: The people and the beautiful temples

I have lived in different cities across America, Australia and Asia – and I make it a point to read up on the place I am going to, especially to find out more about the local culture.

Before coming to India, I read up on the Internet about India, about a variety of topics, including the cuisine and places to visit. I also happened to watch a television series about a guy who travelled across India on a bike, and it gave me so much insight.

When I got out of the airport, the hustle and bustle was similar to what I had seen on TV. There were like a thousand people outside the airport, and so much noise and movement all round! Interestingly, when I got into a car and left the airport, I saw a cow walking along the road, right through the traffic!

All that apart, I have to say that the people here are amazing! They are so friendly and sociable – I am often asked

by Indian colleagues and friends to visit their home. They are also very happy – even if all they are doing is sitting at the beach, they seem content and cheerful.

India on a plate I am used to the chicken korma and chicken tikka masala that I get at the local Indian takeaway at home. Here, the food is very spicy and there are many different dishes across the North and South. I tried a lot of breads when I travelled in the North, and I really like puri (a type of fried bread).

Wanderlust I have travelled around many parts of India. Delhi, Agra, Mumbai and also Chennai, where I got to do some charity work at a local school which was cool.

What I would like in India The traffic to improve. It’s chaos, no rules apply, it’s just ‘go’.

I am taking home...

I would like to take all of my work colleagues. Each and every one of them is amazing! Apart from that I would really like a tuk tuk (an autorickshaw) in the back of my garden.

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Look Who’s In Town Chennai

Living in peace Vittorio Greco, from Italy, is all praise for India, especially upon seeing how people of different faiths live together peacefully

During my stay in Australia, I had some Indian friends and they helped me understand India. I must admit that there was a huge gap in the way I thought of India before and now.

I always imagined India as a poor country with so many problems…Now I know India is not just that. People here are incredible – the way they approach life is great…Never have I seen people of so many religions living together peacefully as they do here.

India on a plate Indian food is quite spicy, but there is a lot of variety as well. North Indian cuisine, which is more bread-based, is very different from South Indian fare, which features more rice varieties. I also like the wide variety of vegetables in India and the fact that they are available according to the different seasons. They are fresh and also taste good.

Wanderlust I have visited several places. I love travelling and, because of my job, I have had a chance to visit many cities. Some of the Indian cities I have visited include Goa, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Mysore and Jaipur.

What I would like in India For stray dogs to be treated differently (read better). In this regard, educating children about respecting animals will help.

I am taking home...

My friends, first of all. And a little stray dog who lives near my house; I call him Pippo.

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Best Indian friend: Can’t say. Too many to decide!

Favourite Indian food: Dum biryani, palak paneer, naan and tandoori items….all of it!

Favourite hang-out spot in India: Bengaluru, Goa, Kolkata Intolerable India: Chaotic traffic!

Loveable India: The way people approach life

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Seeing India

by Preeti Verma Lal

cities and a hot air balloon How would a city look from up above? With hot air balloons becoming a popular mode of ‘travel’ in many Indian cities, there is always more than one way to answer that question

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It is not often that I have Icarus-like aspirations, to grow wings and to fly. To soar with gay abandon. Over hills and dales. With the glow of the morning sun. And the calm of a crescent moon. But I am no Icarus, the Greek mythological character with wings of feather and wax. The haughty Icarus who defied his father’s warning and flew close to the sun. His wings melted. Icarus fell into the sea.

He died. I am no Icarus but I wanted to fly. Not buckled inside an aircraft but floating mid-air with the whistle of the morning breeze. All this for a bird’s view of cities. To look at cities top-down. Instead of wings of feather and wax, I chose to stand in a wicker gondola topped with a 6,500-metre nylon envelope and propelled by fire from an LPG cylinder. For that top-down view of three cities, I chose a hot air balloon.

Agra It was the first Taj Ballooning Festival in Agra and the crowd was milling at Hathighat, the take-off point. Balloonists from 12 countries were pumping heated air into the nylon envelope and within minutes 14 hot air balloons rose against the morning sun. Hot air balloons were man’s first attempt to fly. I stood by Balloon No. 1 to re-enact an old feat. My only reason: to see the Taj Mahal in its morning glow. Rules came in the way, first. One cannot fly over the Taj Mahal; the closest one can get is 500 metres from the periphery. But I was so enamoured by the thought of what the monument of love would look like in the early morning that I was ready to forgive all no-fly regulations.

First, I had to get my feet into the wicker basket. ‘Left foot first. Then, right. Then, sit on the edge.

Then, jump in.’ Steve Trieber, a US-based pilot, was spewing instructions and instilling fear. ‘There’s no steering wheel. The wind could take us anywhere. We’ll land somewhere…’ That November morning, the Agra sky was lost in a hazy sheath. I defied any hint of fear and squinted my eyes for a view of the Taj Mahal. The higher the balloon rose, the tinier the city of Agra became. All I looked for was the contours of the Taj Mahal. If I could I would have torn the haze. I could see nothing. ‘There’s the Taj. Can you see it?’ Trieber pointed a finger into

Photos: All photos by the author

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the smoggy sky. I could see nothing.

‘There. There.’ He insisted. I squinted harder. Then, there appeared a smoky apparition. The outlines of the white marble mausoleum and its minarets daring to break the haze hegemony. I could not see the Taj. My co-passengers were mourning the ‘unseen Taj’. I wasn’t. I had never seen the Taj veiled in a diaphanous mist. It looked pretty even then. Soon, the balloon glided away from the monument and flew over the city; a crowded city that is bursting at its seams. That day, the city woke up to 14 balloons floating in the sky and 1,000 ft above the ground in Agra, I felt like Icarus.

Goa:

Flying Options • Goa: There’s now a better way to see India’s tiniest state. Tiger Balloon Safaris started balloon rides in south Goa in November 2015.

• Lonavala: The ride in Lonavala offers a stunning view of the Western Ghats and the Sahyadri mountain range.

• Jaipur: Skywaltz started hot air ballooning operations in Jaipur. Hot air balloons ride are available. regularly between September/October and March.

• Pushkar: Only available during the Pushkar Fair in November.

The country’s tiniest state is the new kid on the ballooning block. Hot air ballooning has just been introduced; and one night, while the stars were still sequinned in the dark sky, I drove through Goa’s verdant landscape for the first ride. As the car screeched to a halt in south Goa’s Assolda village, I found an upturned LPG cylinder spitting fire into the balloon. Minutes later, the balloon stood upright against the Sahyadri mountain range.

The ground crew in black held on to the tethers and the rust/blue balloon rose above the ground. One inch higher.

Another inch. Then, another. Soon, the balloon was cruising nearly 2,000 ft in the sky. The long Kushwati River that cuts through Assolda and Chandor turned into a blue scratch, the church became a miniature of itself. Green, however, refused to fade from the canvas. Miles and miles of coconut plantation and mangroves interspersed with turmeric yellow houses with sapphire blue roofs. The wind was kind and the balloon was sailing smoothly at nearly 70 kmph. Nearly 45

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minutes in the sky, I had travelled 6 km away from the take-off point. Now, it was descent time and Colonel Mukesh Yadav, the pilot, looked for a safe landing ground. Not a pond. Not a crowded plantation. Not next to someone’s door. Faraway, he noticed a flat grass field and soon the gigantic balloon tried to find its feet on the ground. GS Rathore of Tiger Balloon Safaris was leading the chase vehicle. We had found the land – to land. The crew in black held on to the tethers, I recapped my knee-bend landing trick and within a blink the balloon landed safely on a grass field.

Jaipur: Call it the birthplace of hot air ballooning in India, for it was in the Pink City that the first commercial balloon flights were launched by Skywaltz in 2008. Since then regular balloon flights are held here between September/ October and March/April (depending on the weather). As is wont, a balloon ride in Jaipur also starts at the crack of dawn, and from the balloon one gets a spectacular view of the city which was founded in 1727 by Jai Singh, the Raja of Amer. From the sky one can see its architectural dexterity, with neat grids dividing the city into nine blocks with huge ramparts pierced by seven beefy fortified gates. It is only from the sky that one can laud the genius of Jai Singh’s architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya who adhered to the tenets of Vaastu and Shilpa Shastra to plan Jaipur. The city is more chaotic now, but the wide streets, palaces, state buildings and the pink facades still remain the highlight of the hot air balloon ride.

Did you know?

• In September 1783, the first hot air balloon passengers were a sheep, a duck and a rooster.

• A seamstress takes five weeks to turn 6,500 metres of nylon fabric into one balloon.

• The lower portion of the balloon is made of Nomex, the anti-flammable material that is used to make suits for car race drivers.

• The wicker basket is made of willow and canes – the largest basket maker is Somerset Willows in Somerset, England.

• Worldwide, propane is the hot air used in the balloon; in India, LPG is used.

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Bornto Sing In Focus

by Yamini Vasudevan

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Aikya 2016 will see two maestros from different music traditions come together on stage for the first time – we talk to Sanjeev Abhyankar and Abhishek Raghuram ‘Child prodigy is a curse because you’ve got all thoseterrible possibilities.’ – Itzhak Perlman, Israeli-American violinist, conductor and pedagogue Itzhak’s quote may come as a jolt to some, as a terrible judgement to others and maybe even as a reflection of experiences (felt or heard) for a select few. However, Sanjeev Abhyankar and Abhishek Raghuram, two child prodigies

who decided to make music their lives’ calling, would probably disagree with the statement. Aikya, a series of annual music concerts presented by Global Adjustments, will see both singers share the stage for the first time. The concert will be designed by Sai Shravanam, the sound designer famed for his work in the Oscar-winning track for Life of Pi.

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the Kumar Gandharva National Award from the Government of Madhya Pradesh in 2008.

At the age of seven, Abhishek was awarded the ‘Gold Medal for Mridangam’ in the Mazhalai Medhai Contest (an all-India contest organised by Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan). In 1996, he also won the first place in the Pallavi singing competition organised by the S. Balachander Trust, Chennai. In 2013, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar.

Sai Shravanam

No turning back Sanjeev, a vocalist trained in Hindustani music (which originated in North India), rendered his first stage performance at the age of 11 in Mumbai (in 1981). Abhishek Raghuram, a Carnatic (music which originated in South India) vocalist, gave his debut stage performance when he was 9, in Bengaluru (in 1994). Interestingly, both their families have a strong musical lineage. Sanjeev’s mother, Shobha Abhyankar, completed her PhD in music and trained under legendary Hindustani musician Pandit Pimpalkhare. Abhishek is the grandson of mridangam legend Sri Palghat R. Raghu, on his father’s side; his grand uncle (mother’s uncle) is violin maestro Lalgudi Sri G. Jayaraman, while his aunt (mother’s sister) is veena artiste Jayanthi Kumaresh.

Their strong standing in the music scene is supported by the fact that their concerts see packed halls and eager audiences – not to mention the numerous awards they have received.

Sanjeev’s list of laurels include the President’s award from All India Radio in 1990, the Pandit Jasraj Gaurav Puraskar in 1991, the F.I.E. Foundation National Award and the title of ‘Sur Ratna’ in 1996, the National Award in 1998 for being the best male playback singer for the Hindi film Godmother, and

Given their status as child prodigies, the decision to become a full-time musician may have been an oft-discussed choice for both. In Sanjeev’s case, when he was 14 years old, his parents (especially his mother) took the advice of famed Hindustani musicians and directed their son towards a career in music – a decision made despite the fact that Sanjeev was good in studies and sports. He became a ‘full-time’ pupil of Pandit Jasraj, one of the biggest names in Hindustani music; Sanjeev was also picked to accompany his guru for concerts in India and overseas. ‘In the performing arts, there is no middle ground – you are either accepted by the people or not.

As I had not pursued any other career options, I had to work as hard as I could to shine. There was no turning back,’ says Sanjeev. He picked up his studies again and completed his bachelor’s degree in commerce – ‘my friends would pass me notes and tell me what chapters I should study.’

Abhishek, who graduated in mathematics from Vivekananda College in Chennai, joined the reputed Anna University, Chennai, to do his master’s degree in computer science. However, he quit midway as he found it tough to juggle his growing commitment to music and his studies. He made the decision when he was in his early 20s. ‘The decision of pursuing music full-time was based on the passion that I had for music and not due to any expectations. I wanted to dedicate all the time I have to singing and thinking about music,’ he says.

Music sans Borders In today’s ‘global village’, artistes from all countries are virtually ‘crossing’ borders by uploading their performances on Web-based channels. So, how does one sustain his/her unique appeal in such a competitive environment? ‘While the Internet has opened up new options for artistes, competition per se is not a new concept,’ says Sanjeev. ‘Even in the time when radio stations were a big thing, people had to prove themselves to be accepted by the audience.’ He adds that it is imperative for artistes to develop their own unique style and work hard towards creating a niche for themselves.

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Sai Shravanam elaborates, ‘Instead of calling it a competitive environment, I would say there are a lot of opportunities that have sprouted up for this generation of musicians and artistes – not only on stage but also in the virtual world such as Facebook and YouTube. This was not available for the previous generation of artistes, and they had to work their way up for popularity and familiarity. True talent and efforts played a huge role. The current trend is like fast food – many people sprout up and have quick recognition and fame for a limited period of time and are then, like a water bubble, lost in the population.’

‘I think the true stature of an artist is based on what he/ she has to offer back to the music system and the sustenance of that stature happens by itself when the music is being practised as a penance,’ Abhishek adds.

Sanjeev and Abhishek have performed on several stages – both in India and overseas, and before myriad audiences with varied expectations. When speaking about Indian and Western audiences, ‘The main difference is the significance given to language and lyrics, which is not so when we perform for Westerners,’ says Abhishek. Sanjeev elaborates that that Indians place great value on the lyrics of the song and their meaning – and view the song as a holistic experience that is brought about by the combination of the right words, notes and expression. ‘However,’ he adds, ‘Westerners show their appreciation for the music quite obviously through their body language – once, when I performed in Germany, I felt as if I was in Chennai as the audience was so involved and smiled and moved in tune with the music.’

Their comments give rise to a question: Words and meanings apart, does a deeper understanding of the ‘technicalities’ of classical music help a person to better

appreciate a composition or its rendering? ‘No. Technical knowledge is not necessary. That is required only for the people who wish to learn the music and not those who want to enjoy it. All that is required is an unconditioned ear,’ Abhishek states clearly. ‘Not at all...The purpose of music is only to create that moment of silence within. Technical knowledge will make a rasika (admirer or fan) look at music from the brain and not from the heart,’ says Sai Shravanam.

Sanjeev differs slightly – he says that music can be appreciated by everyone, but a deeper understanding of the arrangement of notes, rendition of raagas or a singer’s special touches to a popular song can enrich the experience.

He draws a parallel to a cricket match: ‘Most people clap and cheer when a batsman hits a four or a six. However, a person who understands batting techniques will truly appreciate the game when he sees that the ball hit the outside edge of the bat, or that the batsman had tackled a particularly tricky ball.

Everyone enjoys the match, but in different ways, that’s all.’

On a Lighter Note While talking to Sanjeev, Abhishek and Sai Shravanam, it is clear that music is their life’s calling, not just a career.

However, given that they have also been in the regular academic system, have they wondered about the possibility of a different career? ‘Mathematician,’ is Abhishek’s pick.

Sanjeev says he would have been a successful chartered accountant. ‘I never chose anything in my life! It's all God's grace that I’m in music. Today my life is all about music and sound! What can I say? We are not the doers or choice makers!’ Sai Shravanam exclaims.

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Aikya 2016 Since its inception in 2010, Aikya has become an integral part of Chennai’s cultural landscape. Through this event, artistes such as Padma Shri Aruna Sairam, Sudha Raghunathan, T.M. Krishna, Bombay Jayashri, singer-sisters Ranjini and Gayatri and violin maestro-duo Ganesh and Kumaresh have enthralled their audiences with a newer format of their soul-stirring music. The funds raised will go towards retired accompanying artistes and supporting the education of girls from underprivileged economic backgrounds. This year will see two maestros from the Carnatic and Hindustani classical Indian music genres, Sanjeev Abhyankar and Abhishek Raghuram share the stage for the first time – a treat for the senses and soul.

‘Experiences like these give a meaningful purpose to what we, as musicians, pursue. I am grateful to Global Adjustments’ Aikya for this opportunity,’ says Abhishek Raghuram. ‘I am very happy to be part of Aikya 2016. People have told me in the past that I should do a concert with Abhishek Raghuram but it has not happened until now. Life has now brought us together on the Aikya stage. Also, I truly appreciate the cause of supporting retired musicians,’ says Sanjeev Abhyankar.

Sai Shravanam adds, ‘Aikya is very special. It is excellence with taste. It has always been a pleasure for me to work for Global Adjustments’ Aikya programmes. When there is artistic freedom, the best always comes out. Aikya always gives way to it boundlessly.’

Aikya 2016 will be held on March 11 at Music Academy at 7.30 p.m. Visit www.aikyaindia.com for more details.

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On the right note When you attend any Indian music concert, you might have seen a variety of instruments being played. We present A list of commonly used musical instruments from across India that are used not only in concerts, but also in street performances, folk theatre, religious celebrations and weddings. The information is presented in an 'a to z' format for easy reading

Chimta It is one of a group of small percussive instruments.

It is a long folded steel strip that often has seven pairs of small metal jingles attached to it.

Daffali The daf is a tambourine. It is quite large, about two feet across, with a conspicuous absence of jingles. It is commonly used in folk music but is rarely heard in other styles. It is also called dapphu, daffali or a number of other names.

Chenda A chenda is a wooden drum that has a cylindrical shape. It is a percussion instrument and is popular in Kerala and some parts of Karnataka. It is called chende in Karnataka.

Flute Indian flutes are made of bamboo and depending on the variety of bamboo, the sound differs. The melody of a flute adds a romantic feel to any concert.

Krishna, an avtaar of Lord Vishnu, is associated with the flute.

Ghatam Ghatam in Sanskrit means pot, and it is a pot made of red clay. The making of the ghatam utilises all five elements: earth, water, fire, air and space. Clay is earth; water is used to moisten the clay; fire hardens the clay; air dries it; finally, space is present in the cavity. Different tones can be produced by hitting different areas of the pot with different parts of the hand. The ghatam usually accompanies the mridangam.

Harmonium The harmonium is a small, tabletop-sized organ with bellows pumped with one hand while the other hand plays the keyboard. The British introduced harmoniums to North India. Today it is widely used in all forms of Indian music, whether classical, Hindustani, devotional or film music.

Kanjira The kanjira, or ganjira, a South Indian frame drum, is an instrument belonging to the tambourine family.

It is used primarily in Carnatic music concerts as a supporting instrument for the mridangam. Similar to the Western tambourine, it consists of a circular frame made from the wood of the jackfruit tree.

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Khol Originally from Bengal, the khol is a variant of the mridangam and is commonly used in Bengali folk and light classical music.

Manjira

Mridangam The word mridangam is derived from two Sanskrit words: Mrid (clay or earth) and Ang (body). In Hindu mythology, it is depicted as the instrument of choice for several deities, including Ganesh (the remover of obstacles) and Nandi, Lord Shiva’s vehicle and companion. It is thus also known as ‘Deva Vaadyam’, or ‘Instrument of the Gods.’

The talam (also called the manjira) is simply a pair of small hand cymbals. It commonly accompanies the singing of bhajans or Hindu devotional songs.

Maadal Tabla Maadal is a popular folk musical instrument which originated in Nepal, where it is the most popular and widely used hand drum. Both heads are played, while being held horizontally. It is made of leather, with a wooden body.

Pakhawaj The pakhawaj, also called mardal, pakhavaj, pakuaj, pakhvaj, pakavaj or mardala, is a barrel-shaped, two-headed drum, the North Indian equivalent to the southern mridangam. It is widely used as an accompaniment for various forms of music and dance performances. The pakhavaj has a low, mellow tone, very rich in harmonics.

The tabla is an Indian percussion instrument used in classical, popular and devotional music. The term tabla is derived from an Arabic word, tabl, which means ‘drum’.

The tabla is actually two drums, a higher-pitched wooden one and a bass one made of metal. The tabla is popular throughout the Indian subcontinent in all kinds of musical genres.

Tanpura Tanpura is a long necked plucked lute, a fourstringed unfretted instrument. The name is probably derived from tana, referring to a musical phrase, and pura which means complete.

The characteristic droning sound, created by the tanpura (also known as the tampura), provides a constant reminder of the base pitch of the music.

Violin The word violin is derived from the Middle Latin word ‘vitula’, meaning stringed instrument. It is believed to have been introduced to the South Indian tradition by Baluswami Dikshitar, brother of the legendary composer Muthuswamy Dikshitar.

Global Adjustments will present all Aikya attendees with a special souvenir – a full-colour coffee table book that will present the different elements of Indian life, tradition and culture. If you would like to be part of this book, please contact Anupama Arvind at +91-98416 54816 or anupama@globaladjustments.com

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February Calendar of events

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

Art & Exhibitions

Art Exhibition Chennai

Photography Exhibition Delhi

DakshinaChitra is hosting ‘From Pain to Paint Paintings’, an exhibition of paintings

by Bindu Art School. The school uses art to change the lives of people affected by leprosy – by selling their paintings, the students are helped to attain the goal of financial independence. The Bindu Art School was founded in 2005 by Austrian artist Werner Dornik and Indian social activist Padma Venkataraman (daughter of R. Venkataraman, the former Indian president).

Call +91-98410 22477 for more details.

Shown for the first time in India, with three entirely new museums and others expanded, Conversation Chambers: Museum Bhavan at KNMA will present photographer Dayanita Singh’s perspective on museums as selfsufficient structures that function as sites of display, preservation, circulation and storage. This exhibition brings together ‘Museum Bhavan’, a collection of nine mobile museums that include the File, Little Ladies, Chance, Furniture, Machines, Photography, Vitrines and Printing Press Museums.

Date: Until Feb 5 Time: All day Venue: Apparao Galleries @ The Leela Palace, Adyar Seaface, MRC Nagar

Date: Until Feb 14 Time: All day Venue: Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, 145, DLF South Court Mall, Saket

Art exhibition Bengaluru In the sixth exhibition of the 2015 series, Alliance Francaise will exhibit artworks of Simon Lamouret. A young French graphic novelist living in Bengaluru, he is the first French candidate of the Youth Talent Program. Simon draws inspiration mostly from ‘real life’ and tries to turn it into art.

He is currently teaching graphic design in a reputed Design School in Bengaluru. The artist also tells us his experience of the city

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through comic strips and illustrations.

and the ordinary made extraordinary.

Date: Until February 10 Time: All day Venue: Alliance Francaise, No. 108, Thimmaiah Road, Vasanthnagar

Date: Until March 11 Time: All day Venue: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, 159-161, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kala Ghoda, Fort

Art Exhibition Mumbai Medicine Corner’s centerpiece, an exhibition titled Tabiyat: Medicine and Healing in India, examines the history and contemporary practice of sustaining human health in India. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya hosts dazzling antiquities and contemporary material culture assembled

by Wellcome Collection, one of London’s exciting new cultural spaces. Exhibits include the only known historical illustration of the interior of the human body as understood in ayurveda. None of the antiquities have been exhibited before in their land of origin. The exhibition also features modern vernacular art in an aesthetically seductive, intellectually rich mix of art, science, history

Events

Play Delhi/Chandigarh/ Mumbai Unfaithfully Yours is the story of a happy couple – who are married, but not to each other. Love blossoms in the strangest of places – and, for Akash and Preet, it means a 26-year-long relationship packed with passion, romance, comedy and drama, that is as wrong as it is perfectly right. The play stars Rohit Roy (an Indian television and film actor) and Mona Singh (a model, and Indian television and film actor). Visit www.bookmyshow.com for more details and to buy tickets.

Dates: February 12 (Delhi), February 14 (Chandigarh) and February 28 (Mumbai) Time: 2000 hrs Venue: Delhi: Sirifort Auditorium: Delhi, August Kranti Marg, Asian Games Village Complex, Gautam Nagar. Chandigarh: Tagore Theatre: Chandigarh, Sector 18, Sarovar Path, Near Hockey Stadium. Mumbai: Jamshed Bhabha Theatre: NCPA, NCPA Marg, Nariman Point

Comedy Mumbai The Vagina Monologues is a global phenomenon that has become a brand name in India since its debut in 2003.

This powerful play is an unusual blend of outrageous comedy and heartbreaking drama. It tells the story of a woman like you have never heard before. The Indian production of The Vagina Monologues is produced and directed by Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal and Kaizaad Kotwal. The cast includes Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal, Dolly Thakore, Jayati Bhatia, Sonali Sachdev and

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Avantika Akerkar. Shivani Tanksale and Varshaa Agnihotri have filled in for certain performances. Get ready for a laugh riot, while you reflect! Visit www.bookmyshow.com for more details and to buy tickets.

Date: January 30 to February 28 (on weekends) Time: 1800 hrs Venues: Canvas Laugh Club, 3rd Floor, Palladium Mall, High Street Phoenix, Tulsi Pipe Road, Lower Parel

Concert Bengaluru The first edition of the Udupa Music Festival, organised by Udupa Foundation, will feature some of the top names in the music industry, including Ustad Zakir Hussain, Niladri Kumar, Pt. Anindo Chatterjee, Sivamani, Pandit Ronu Majumdar and Stephen Devassy. The proceeds of the concerts will be used to augment the Udupa Foundation’s commitment to the performing arts. Visit www.bookmyshow.com for more details and to buy tickets – each ticket is a Season Pass and is valid for all three days of the festival.

Date: February 17 to 19 Time: 1900 hrs Venue: Chowdiah Memorial Hall, 16th Cross, G.D. Park Extension, 2nd Main Road, Malleswaram

Concert Chennai Actor Farhan Akhtar, who is fondly remembered for his role as a rockstar in Rock On! now takes the stage in a live performance with his band, Farhan Live! The actor/singer says that “performing live is enjoyable and there’s an energy about it”, thus promising a treat for all music lovers and Farhan fans!

Visit www.bookmyshow.com for more details and to buy tickets.

Date: February 6 Time: 1900 hrs Venue: Amir Mahal: Chennai, Bharathi Salai, Royapettah

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Puppetry Delhi Paul Mesner Puppets presents the tale of Little Red Riding Hood accompanied by a collection of American folk and traditional rhymes. Performed with beautifully crafted glove, rod and hand puppets, this show uses humorous wordplay to explore the playful quality of the English language. Join Georgette, the First Lady of the Paul Mesner Puppets, as she introduces Little Red, Miss Suzy and her Baby, Little Bunny Foo Foo, Little Miss Muffet, Old McDonald, Barnaby the Dog, On Top of Spaghetti, and Mary Had a Little Lamb. Suitable for all age groups. Visit www.bookmyshow.com for more details.

Date: February 11 Time: 1930 hrs Venue: Epicentre at Apparel House: Gurgaon, Sector 44, Opp. Power Grid Residential Complex, Gurgaon

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PRESENTING MAMA LIVE As always, it’s our version of Asia.

This time Mama gives you her take on the Japanese Teppanyaki Grill.

The tastes are subtle and for the discerning diner!

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Spotlight

by Team Culturama

Surajkund International Crafts Mela February 1 to 15

Photo: Marcel van Mourik, The Netherlands

The 30th edition of the annual Surajkund International Crafts Mela is set to present a vibrant mix of the handicrafts, handlooms and cultural fabric of India. More than a million visitors attend the mela, including thousands of foreign tourists. The mela is organised by the Surajkund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism in collaboration with Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture and External Affairs.

This year, Telangana has been chosen as the ‘Theme State’.

All Indian states and at least 20 countries will participate in the mela. Highlights of the event include performances by renowned national and international folk artistes and cultural groups, the display and sale of heritage crafts that showcase traditional skills and competitions for school and college students.

Info-bytes: • Dates/time: The mela will be open from 10.30 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. from February 1 to 15.

• Getting there: Surajkund is well-connected to Delhi, Gurgaon and Faridabad by road. Delhi is the nearest railway station; Faridabad and Gurgaon are both linked to Delhi via train – one can travel to Surajkund by car/cab from these stations. Surajkund is a 35-minute drive from the Indira Gandhi International Airport and 25 km away from Palam Airport (both in Delhi).

• Tickets: Entry tickets to the mela can be bought from www.bookmyshow.com or from Delhi Metro Stations.

E-tickets can be bought from the Haryana Tourism website (www.haryanatourism.gov.in); an app can be downloaded from the site and used to buy tickets as well.

• Eco-friendly measures: Keeping in line with environment concerns, a complete ban on plastic/polythene bags has been instituted within the mela premises. Environment friendly e-toilets have been set up, in addition to the traditional toilets, and RO system kiosks have been installed to provide safe drinking water to the visitors.

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Advertisers Feature

The SCRATCH principle Look out for insect bites in children and treat them early

Children may react to bites of mosquitoes, fleas, bedbugs and other insects, resulting in a condition called papular urticaria. Children often outgrow this disease but some children between the ages of 2 and 10 may suffer from hypersensitivity. This condition, known as ‘Insect Bite Induced Hypersensitivity’ (IBIH), can be detected by using the following guide: S: SYMMETRICAL eruptions found on exposed parts of the body including the scalp C: The lesions are found in CLUSTERS R: Lack of a pet or ROVER in the home should not eliminate the possibility of hypersensitivity A: The condition usually happens in children between the AGES of 2 and 10.

T: Lesions look like TARGETS with a central punctum and a red flare around it C: Parents are often CONFUSED that an insect bite or sting can hurt their child so much H: HOUSEHOLD members are not usually affected To prevent IBIH, wear protective clothing and use appropriate insect repellents. Pest control measures should be instituted in the home. Flea collars, flea medication and regular visits to the vet should be put in place for pets. Early diagnosis and treatment can also help in avoiding expensive, invasive investigations.

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Picture Story

by Marcel van Mourik

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A mela or fair is not only a platform for selling things – it is also seen as a ‛day out’ with friends and family.

A Cultural Melange The Surajkund International Crafts Mela is paradise on earth for art and craft lovers, artistes and artisans and photographers.

There are photo-worthy moments everywhere you turn – a flash of colourful shawl as it is being unfurled, a glimpse of an intricate carving or the lines of a painting or the smile of a performer as he/she prepares to enthral the crowd. Here are some such moments from a previous edition of the mela, as a teaser for the treats in store.

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The tribal and folk dances provide visitors with an opportunity to experience varied facets of India’s different communities.

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How about a set of handmade colourful bells to liven up the living room?

The performances apart, the unique clothing and jewellery worn by the artistes are a visual treat in their own right.

These light-weight wall hangings are an excellent pick for those looking to take home a vivid reminder of their time at the mela.

For those who have had their fill of the sights all around, there is a bioscope show to keep them occupied.

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Festivals Of India

by Team Culturama

Photo: John Weir, Canada

Vasant Panchami February 12

Vasant (or Basant) Panchami derives its name from two words – vasant or ‘spring’ and panchami or ‘fifth day’. As the name indicates, this festival falls on the fifth day of spring. The festival is observed primarily in North India due to the sharper contrast between the winter and the spring there than in the South. Yellow and orange are closely associated with the festival and people mark the day by wearing yellow or orange clothes, eating sweet dishes flavoured with saffron and display flowers of those hues in their homes. In Rajasthan, it is customary for people to wear jasmine garlands.

Going by Indian literature and mythology, Vasant Panchami is associated with Kamadeva (the god of love) and his wife Rati. The 40-day period between Vasant Panchami and Holi corresponds with the 40 days of Rati’s penance after Kamadeva was reduced to ashes for shooting Lord Shiva with his love arrows and disturbing the latter’s penance.

In parts of North and East India, the day is associated with Saraswati, the goddess of learning and the arts. Prayers are offered to Goddess Saraswati and religious verses are sung in celebration. (In South India, prayers are offered to Saraswati in the later part of the year.) In the Punjab region, the Basant Festival of Kites, introduced by a famed king called Maharaja Ranjit Singh over two hundred years ago, continues till date.

To do: If you are in Punjab, participate in the kite flying that occurs. If you are in West Bengal, visit a pandal (a public place where people worship deities) to savour the sweets and fruits distributed after prayers are offered to goddess Saraswati.

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Sneak Peek culturama YOUR CULTURAL GATEWAY TO INDIA

Culturama's March 2016 issue brings you a pick of some special articles. Here are some of the key features of our next issue: A Man, A Sage, A God: Shiva takes on many (contradictory) forms in Indian mythology and spiritual tradition – he is the householder and the hermit; the benevolent giver and the cosmic destroyer; the dancer and a mystic. In line with Maha Shivaratri on March 7, we explore the many forms of Shiva and see the many reasons why he is venerated.

Ten for the Road: Sikkim may be one of India’s smallest states, but this land-locked Himalayan state rubs shoulders

March 2016

with Nepal, Bhutan and China’s Tibet Autonomous Region – and is home to the Kanchenjunga – the world’s third tallest peak (on its border with Nepal).

The Warp and Weft of Traditions: You have surely heard of silk. What about balkal? That is yarn spun out of tasar cocoon peduncles, after boiling in alkaline solution and opened up.

Woody in colour, it is rare textile made in Jharkhand. What about spider silk? Saris made of banana yarn? Read about India’s priceless textile heritage and the efforts made by modern designers to revive it.

There is much more to look forward to – keep a lookout for the March issue of Culturama. Write to culturama@globaladjustments.com to subscribe for your copy.

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Compendium of Culture In what promises to be a first of its kind festival in Chennai, ‘Utsavam’ is designed as a four-day immersion into Tamil Nadu’s classical and folk performing arts. The symposium will present an unparalleled feast of dance, theatre, music, multimedia and outdoor events. It will also feature interactive sessions with experts in each field, followed by expository music, dance and theatre performances by some of the finest exponents in the respective spheres. For example, the audience will ‘see’ the journey of Carnatic music – first words penned by Purandaradasa (15th century AD), considered the founding father or grandsire of the art, to the substantial contribution of the 19th century composers such

as Tyagaraja, Muttuswamy Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri to present-day composers and practitioners; from courtly patronage to temples to the present day sabha and stage culture.

Another highlight is a temple procession, complete with oduvars (ritualistic singers in Shiva temples dating back to a 1,000 years), musicians and dancers accompanying the procession along with folk forms like poi kaalkudirai and kolattam to add to the gaiety. Famed Bharatanatyam exponent Lakshmi Viswanathan will recreate the aura of the traditional devadasi in the enchanting ambience of a traditional home from the 1800s, and the Dhananjayans

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A symposium of music, dance and theatre, ‘Utsavam’ is designed as a four-day immersion into Tamil Nadu’s classical and folk performing arts, with interactive sessions with experts in each field

will showcase the guru-shishyaparampara, so central to the learning of Indian classical arts.

Utsavam offers a glimpse into the lives of artistes – what motivates them to dedicate an entire lifetime to an art form, the journey that they undertake, from learning, mastering and performing the art, from self-enjoyment to a sublimated expression that gets conveyed to an involved audience. It speaks of the relevance of these art forms in today’s world, with youngsters from all over the world taking to them on a scope almost never seen before.

At the end of the four days, participants can hope to understand and appreciate the different threads that weave together the rich culture of the region and their enduring and unifying character. With this first initiative, Utsavam hopes to become a permanent part of the future cultural strategy of Chennai.

Utsavam will be held at different spaces within Dakshinchitra, the famous heritage centre and living museum by the Bay of Bengal in Chennai. Besides being a cultural hub hosting various art and craft events, it also has a strong visual image reinforced by historic houses, perhaps the finest concentrated collection of heritage structures in the city. Such a phenomenal ensemble of functions within one concentrated zone makes Dakshinchitra the ideal venue for such an immersion.

The festival will run from February 13 to 15. Register now at http://dakshinachitra.net/main/checkot/2.

For more details, call +91-98410 24149/ +91-44-4551 1508/ +91-44-2446 2435, or email programsmcf1@gmail.com

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Myth & Mythology

by Devdutt Pattanaik

Felling the Great Tree In a world where a lot of attention is being paid to macroeconomics and to ‘saving the world’, very little attention is being given to the microeconomics of ‘saving livelihoods’ or ‘creating livelihoods’

There was once a gigantic 100-year-old tree in the middle of the great forest. When woodcutters came to chop it down, the tree said, ‘If you can be patient, wait for the spring to pass, so that my flowers can feed the bees and butterflies, and maybe for the summer to pass, so that my fruits can feed the bats and squirrels. When you do cut, cut me branch by branch, for there are birds that live on these branches, and monkeys too, and snakes. Make sure I do not fall where there are saplings germinating so that they do not die before they have a chance to live. Yes, take my wood, but with least problems to all those who depend on me.’ The woodcutters were impressed by the tree’s wisdom. They realised it was the Bodhisattva, the compassionate one, whose stories are compiled in the Jatakas.

Often regulators, as well as corporations, take seemingly small policy decisions that have a huge impact on the market. The one taking the decision focuses on his job and his rules, without taking into consideration the vast network of dependencies that his ruling will impact. Their decision is like felling the great tree in the Jataka story, and when that tree falls a whole ecosystem is destroyed with it. In the world of business, it means the end of livelihoods for many, especially in a country like ours. And we are not talking simply of the directors here; we are also speaking of the doorman, the chaiwallah, the driver and the housekeeping

staff, who need those organisations to exist to earn their daily wage.

So, a seemingly ethical ban on a food item by a respected government agency has a huge consequence. And it is not just about the multinational company, which markets the product, or the millions of consumers who will be denied their favourite food. On the production side, raw materials will not be used. In a country where distribution of food is always a problem, the grains and cereals will not make it to the market. They will stay in warehouses and rot. On the logistics side, huge number of transporters will no longer be distributing that product. Retailers will not display the product. Distributors and wholesalers will have return stocks.

Finished goods, that cannot be sold legally, will be sold illegally, or destroyed.

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Photo: Stuart Kinkade, USA

And then there will be financial repercussions. Payments will be stopped. Loans will be pulled back. Cash flow will be affected. Businesses will shut down as their cycle of payment will grind to a halt. Who will be affected most? The many at the bottom of the pyramid, not the few on the top. Everyone will suffer, but the pain will be most intense with the least power and privilege.

And then there will be the social implications. The status associated with being a distributor of a popular brand is a matter of status. It is an indicator of success in trading communities. It guarantees credit worthiness, even marriage proposals. For the multinational company, it becomes a huge brand setback, and an insult at international levels, as reputations are questioned. The stock market wonders negatively. Market capital is affected.

Policies are passed on religious and moral grounds without consideration to the eating habits of other communities, or the economic repercussions of such actions on the producers and distributors. Animal rights activists save animals from poor people who have no other choice but to exploit animals to earn a living. Environmental activists stop mining activities to save the ecosystem. Nongovernmental agencies are being shut down for being anti-national, without

realising that they also employ large number of people.

Where will those people go to earn a wage? In the moral high ground that comes from saving animals, ecosystems and the nation, there comes the moral price of depriving people, usually the poorest of the poor, from livelihoods. The rich simply shift focus elsewhere.

In a world where a lot of attention is being paid to macroeconomics and to ‘saving the world’, very little attention is being given to the microeconomics of ‘saving livelihoods’ or ‘creating livelihoods’. Every business, profitmaking or non-profit making, creates an ecosystem of vendors and partners and contract labourers. In a world that is becoming increasingly moralistic, we need to question the morality of stripping people of livelihoods. In a world where ethics is valued, we must ask questions if it is ethical to deny people a source of income. Yes, we want to save the consumer and the planet and the nation, but surely, we first want to make sure everyone has some food first.

Published on August 14, 2015, in the Economic Times. Reprinted with permission from www.devdutt.com

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Holistic Living

by Eknath Easwaran

Setting One’s Self Apart Photo: Stasa Mlekuz, Slovenia

The Gita would say the purpose of work is the attainment of wisdom. Modern civilisation hasn’t caught up with this idea, which turns economics upside down. It doesn’t deny the need to support ourselves and our families, to have a sense of personal fulfilment, and even to provide the goods and services on which society depends. But there is a higher purpose for work, and that is self-purification – to expand our consciousness to include the whole of life by removing the obstacles to self-realisation. And there is no way to do this except in our relationships at work and at home – by being patient, being

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Many of us expect a spiritual person to have some kind of insignia, some special aura.

However, the spiritual person is just like us – the only aura is the kindness the spiritual person emits kind, working in harmony, never failing to respect others and never seeking personal aggrandizement.

There is a simple distinction we can make between knowledge and wisdom: Knowledge is about things; wisdom is about living. There is no necessary connection. An astronomer may know all about black holes but not know how to be patient at home. And the mystics of all religions ask, which is more important? After all, it is possible to get along in life without knowing about black holes. But if we do not know how to be patient or loving, life is a miserable affair – not only for us but for those around us.

Our lives have become so physically oriented that we expect the spiritual person to have some kind of insignia, some special aura. The only aura that the spiritual person emits is kindness. One Western mystic sums up the spiritual life in one short phrase: ‘Be kind, be kind, be kind’. Kind to those who are kind to you, kind to those who are not kind to you. It is one of the surest tests of wisdom. A ship is not tested in the harbour, where the water is quiet; it is tested on the open seas. The greatest scientist, the bravest soldier, the most brilliant artist can go to pieces in times of personal trial – the loss of something they valued, a sudden reversal of fortune, a tragedy in the family. The mystics ask, What use is a ship that is seaworthy only in good weather? And for most of us, the best test is not the big storms but the innumerable little squalls of daily living.

If you want to apply this to yourself, it’s very simple: look at your home when everything is at sixes and sevens.

The children have to go to school and Jackie has just got up; her hair hasn’t been combed yet, breakfast is cold, and Ira has hidden her homework. Then the car won’t start, and when you go back into the house to call the garage, there is the gasman at the front door wanting to settle last month’s bill. Everything is hemming you in; what do you do?

There are people who freeze over when something like this happens; they go around under a little storm cloud for the rest of the day, chilling everybody they meet. But look at the mystics – the harder things get, the kinder they become. It’s not that they like to suffer; they just aren’t thinking about

ans, Belgium

Sysm Photo: Tineke

"if we do not know how to be patient or loving, life is a miserable affair – not only for us, but for those around us." themselves: they don’t want to pass the storm on to us. They attend to each little problem with complete attention: staying calm, skilful, unhurried but efficient, without getting rattled or losing their tenderness or respect.

When you go to work, it should be the same. Wisdom is not simply for the home; if it is genuine, it will show everywhere. It’s easy to smile when Ebenezer remembers your birthday with a card, but that is no test; your ship is still in harbour. What do you do when he takes an early vacation and leaves all his old files in your box of things to do? How do you respond when Rosie asks you to watch her desk for fifteen minutes and comes back an hour later with a big shopping bag on her arm? What do you do when your boss calls you in at five minutes to five and wants to rake you over the coals? The person who is established in wisdom won’t become defensive; he or she will slowly try to calm the storm.

He knows he gives his best to his work, so he is secure; he can remain courteous and listen objectively while his boss rants and raves. Afterwards, instead of the coals, such people often get the red carpet. They are an asset everywhere: because they cannot be agitated, they help everybody around them to stay calm too.

Reprinted with permission from ‘The Art of Detachment’, 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.

(Extract from http://bmcmwebsite.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/ bm-journal/2012/2012Summer.pdf)

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Give to India

by Team Culturama

Rising Above it All This Delhi-based NGO empowers women through education and encouragement, helping them better their skills and earn a livelihood The lovely lotus rises above the slush, reminding us to rise above our circumstances in life. Kamalini (which derives its name from the Sanskrit word for ‘lotus flowers’), a Delhi-based NGO, does just that. It helps women rise up the social ladder and build a future for themselves. Begun as a small vocational training centre in 2007, this pet project of a group of wellmeaning women now provides survival skills to hundreds of migrant women, domestic workers and school dropouts.

Kamalini’s mission is to “boost skills and confidence in women” and thereby help increase their earning power and take better care of their families.

At Kamalini’s centres, such as the ones in Shahpur Jat (near Siri Fort) and Kishangarh (Vasant Kunj) in Delhi, women are taught tailoring, international and Indian cooking, handicrafts, basic computer skills and language skills. The NGO follows the open-schooling format and tuitions are also given through outreach programmes at the centre, and outside too. Volunteers, along with teachers from the centre, go on door-to-door campaigns around Delhi and

its suburban areas to promote the NGO’s activities in training and education.

Being a vehicle of change is not an easy task, as Barbara Spencer, Project Manager at Kamalini, says. “It’s difficult to manage the big gap that exists that in the system. We have done extensive surveys with the help of corporate and student volunteers in the rural areas around Delhi. What we found was that girls don’t have the opportunity for basic education and hence lack survival skills,” she says. Taking this into consideration, Kamalini ensures that the support of the family is there for the women who enroll in their programmes. There is also no age bar, as, at times, both mother and daughter in the family are eager to join.

The NGO doesn’t stop at just training the women in life skills; it also helps them get placed in an occupation of their choice. With recognition from the Government of Delhi, Kamalini provides training to women to undergo the

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‘Technical Education and Community Outreach Scheme’ (TECOS). The number of students who have been TECOScertified runs into a couple of hundreds.

Kamalini’s students have greatly benefited by the soft skills training in areas such as discipline and hygiene and have had good employer feedback, despite being first-time employees. Asmabano, a tailoring student at the NGO, was able to help contribute to her family by working at a boutique.

When asked about what she liked best about her experience at Kamalini, she said, “Today, I study, work and earn! The easy and comfortable relationship between teachers and students makes us feel involved.”

By strengthening the families of a few hundred women, Kamalini stands as an example of how socially responsible individuals can empower women through education and encouragement.

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Kamalini’s head office is located at 33, Shahpur Jat, Ground Floor, New Delhi – 110049. Visit their website at http://kamalini.org.

To reach them, call +91-11-2649 8556 or +91-98991 13697 or e-mail at info@kamalini.org An earlier version of this article, written by Shefali Ganesh, appeared in the July 2013 issue of this magazine. In this article, we have updated some of the relevant information from the organisation’s website. 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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The Global Adjustments Foundation team with Raadhika Sarathkumar; (left) Raadhika presents special sashes to Poornashakti members.

At Global Adjustments

by Team Culturama

‘One’ and Only

Poornashakti (a forum for senior citizens at the India Immersion Centre, Global Adjustments) celebrated its first anniversary with a joie de vivre – and adding a touch of glamour to the occasion was the presence of popular Tamil actress Raadhika Sarathkumar On January 8, members of Poornashakti, a monthly forum for senior citizens, formed by the Global Adjustments Foundation, the NGO wing of Global Adjustments, celebrated its first anniversary.

To celebrate the milestone, S.N Pai, a 101-year-old gentleman staying in RA Puram in Chennai, was felicitated in a special celebration. The special guest for the event was actress, producer and entrepreneur Raadhika Sarathkumar. Members of Poornashakti were given special sashes that bore a word of praise about them by Raadhika.

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(Clockwise from top right) S.N. Pai, the 101-year-old gentleman; clapping to strenthen nerve endings in the hands; Raadhika talks about life lessons; all smiles for the group photo.

The words on the sashes, which included ‘Miss Generous’, ‘King of Fine Arts’ and ‘Miss Kind’ were meant to illustrate a key quality of the member receiving it.

A highlight of the event was Raadhika’s open and friendly interaction with Poornashakti members – many of whom were her staunch fans.

Raadhika began by wishing everybody a ‘Happy New Year’ and praised the initiative that allowed for senior citizens to come together for various events. She was also full of admiration for the Poornashatki members, and commended them on remaining active. Thereafter, she reflected on her youth and recalled how she had been a giddy-headed youngster when she was just starting out on her film career. With time, she learnt that it was important to not ever give up on life – and that was a quality she saw in the audience members.

The fact that she had come straight from the sets of popular Tamil tele soap opera Vani Rani – in her ‘Rani’ avatar (the name of a character in the soap) – was an added source of delight for members. When a member asked her which one was more challenging, acting in a movie or in a teleserial, Raadhika replied that acting for TV was more of a challenge, as there were severe time constraints. At the end of the interaction, Raadhika was presented with coffee table books produced by the Global Adjustments team.

What They Said “It was very refreshing to see that so many senior citizens still have a positive outlook towards life. Listening to some of their experiences was great.”

Raadhika Sarathkumar, Actress, Producer and Entrepreneur “A very interesting event. Raadhika is a popular actress and she is also down to earth.

I felt rejuvenated after the event.”

Kala Murthy, Poornashakti member “Her [Raadhika's] speech was very very good. She drew the people to her throughout the interaction.”

Ajitha Nair, Poornashakti member

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