Culturama October 2016 by Rohini Manian

October 2016 Volume 7, Issue 08 Rs 40

October 2016

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October 2016

Dear Readers, When October dawns each year, Culturama has no trouble filling in the pages, as it is festivals galore in India. Dussehra, Diwali… you name it. However, this issue of October 2016 is very special because it is the 250th issue of Culturama. In its first decade it was presented to readers in the avatar of At a Glance and then the name changed to mean a panorama of Indian culture – Culturama. Truth be told, we have never been short of topics to write about India in these past 20 years of 250 issues of our monthly magazine. People have often asked us how we keep up the quality, content and design elements of a free magazine month after month, year on year. I will share the secret now: It has been a piece of CAKE. C – Clarity of intention. This is of prime importance. We have been very clear that we intend to explain India’s living culture, free to the world; curating and delivering authentic content to unveil Indian strengths and provide pan-India insights. Once the goal is clear, distractions have no power over us. And that may well be the reason we have survived as Culturama 250 times and have had no trouble with competitors who may rise and fall. A – Agility of spirit. When the need changes and disruption descends on us, it is important to see just beyond the bend and be able to take our teams along with us to the next phase. We had to turn ourselves into a full-colour edition, go online in a format easy to read across borders and even go digital. K – Knowing your audience. When we started it was an all-expat audience, but soon our Indian readership grew. So we decided to not oversimplify explanations and partnered with scholars like Devdutt Pattanaik and Eknath Easwaran who are

Editor-in-Chief Ranjini Manian Senior Editor Lakshmi Krupa Business Head Archana Iyengar Creative Head Prem Kumar VP Finance V Ramkumar Circulation S Raghu Advertising

world-renowned experts in ‘explaining India’. E – End is the journey, not the destination. We have enjoyed the monthly madness of scurrying to fill 80 pages, getting advertising support and fighting printer’s devils and then breathed a sigh of great delight when the Culturama baby was delivered. Marvelling at the various covers, we can hardly believe the good fortune we have as a team, and that we are being paid for doing this job we love. The journey has been possible because of you, the readers, and the many expat photographers who have sent in images of Beautiful India. Thank you for a scintillating journey of India’s self-discovery. Hope you enjoy the feature on the festival of lights from India and around the world, photographs from the previous edition of our Beautiful India Expatriate Photo Competition, an introduction to India’s iconic artists, and more, this month. Thank you 250 times. And the CAKE is for sharing. Ranjini Manian, Editor-in-chief globalindian@globaladjustments.com

Chennai Archana Iyengar Bengaluru Meera Roy Delhi/NCR Ruchika Srivastava Mumbai/Pune Arjun Bhat To subscribe to this magazine, e-mail info@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

Our cover image this month is a throwback to some of the finest covers of At a Glance and Culturama over the last 250 months!

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 Annelize Booysen is a business consultant and social entrepreneur. She lived in Asia for more than a decade, which included three years in India. She is currently based in the United States. Namita Jain, founder of Jaldi Fit, is a leading fitness guru and a businesswoman who helms Kishco, a world-class cutlery brand.

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. 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,

Every month Culturama is progressing by leaps and bounds. My congratulations to you and your team. The ‘Word to Know’ column in your last edition was very informative about the word Yaar. I would further like to add some more info on it. Yaar is a Persian word and came through Urdu to India, from Mughal times. The actual meaning of yaar is mashooqa (female lover/ beloved), mashooq (male lover / beloved) and also aashiq, but gradually it turned to dost (friend). Yaar has extensively been used by Persian/Urdu poets in their ghazals and shayaris. R.K. Bhuwalka, via email

Dear Editor,

What a lovely cover, the last edition of Culturama had. I enjoyed reading about the many storytelling traditions of India. Best wishes. Melissa J, Mumbai

Dear Editor,

The ‘Asian Equation’ piece on Chennai’s tryst with Asian cuisine was entertaining and informative all at once. It was fascinating to read about the vibrant Korean and Japanese communities in Chennai. Best wishes. Vidyasagar A.V., Chennai

culturama – Subscribe Now! Get your copy of Culturama as a hard copy or as an e-magazine - visit www.globaladjustments.com 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

Ten for the Road

Trivia about an Indian state – featuring West Bengal this month.

India Now

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

Look Who’s In Town

Expats share their views about life in India.

Calendar of Events

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

22 Feature

Picture Story

Even as India celebrates the festival of lights, Diwali, find out how the rest of the world lights up to celebrate various occasions.

India’s Culture 8

Short Message Service

Short, engaging snippets of Indian culture.

Festival of the Month

From Navaratri and Dussehra to Gandhi Jayanthi, Diwali and Muharram this is a very important month for the spiritually inclined Indian.

Journeys Into India 52

In Focus

Seeing India

Travel to the heart of Chettinad and visit the many palaces and palatial homes in the hometown of traditional businessmen.

A peek at some amazing photographs from last year’s Beautiful India Expatriate Photo Competition.

Holistic Living

Amrita Sher-Gil, Raja Ravi Varma and M.F. Husain are three of India’s most celebrated artists.

Relocations and Property

Learn to train your palate this festive season.

Regulars

Property listings in Bengaluru and Chennai.

India Impressions

Learn the significance of Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh.

Space and the City

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SMS 8

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by Suzanne McNeill Short cultural snippets for an easily digestible India

Art/Craft Meenakari Meenakari is the art of enamelling brilliant colourful decoration onto a metal surface by hand. It was traditionally applied to gold jewellery, but nowadays Meenakari decorates silver, copper and white metal pieces, too. It was introduced to Rajasthan in the 16th century by Raja Man Singh of Amber, who set up workshops for skilled artisans from Lahore. Jaipur remains the art’s main centre, and it has acquired a distinctive Indian flavour. The design – traditionally birds, fish or flowers – is engraved onto the surface of the piece to be decorated. This creates tiny walls and grooves that hold the colour. Powdered minerals of the select colour are then poured into the grooves and each colour stage is fired at high temperature. After the last colour has been fired, the piece is cooled and burnished with agate. Meenakari is often applied to the back of Kundan jewellery.

Food and Drink Filter Coffee

Word Maska

The morning ritual of brewing fresh filter coffee is intrinsic to South India’s culture. Coffee shops and roadside stalls cater to coffee lovers across the region, producing steaming, frothy tumblers of milky coffee. Coffee beans are grown across southern India’s hill districts. The beans are mediumroasted, finely ground and sometimes blended with chicory. The coffee is brewed in a stainless steel vessel, made of two compartments: the top vessel has a lid with tiny holes in the base and fits snugly onto the second container. Ground coffee is placed in the top vessel and boiling water is added up to the brim. The brew drips slowly into the lower container, and it is then boiled with sugar and milk.

Maska is the Hindi noun for ‘butter’, and non-Hindi speakers may well have come across the word framed in a mixed English-Hindi advertising slogan for Amul Butter, ‘A little bit of maska in your slice’. It is also used as part of an idiomatic phrase, Maska lagana, meaning to butter up or to flatter someone for selfish reasons. Maska kyon mar raha hai means ‘Why are you praising me?’, and you may hear the rebuke, Apunko maska mut maar, ‘Don’t flatter me!’ It is a colloquial word in Mumbai, and is often heard in Bollywood films and songs: ‘Don’t maska me’, literally meaning ‘Don’t butter me up!’

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Bombay Jayashri performing at Aikya 2015, a Global Adjustments event.

Name to know Bombay Jayashri

Interpretations Golu

Bombay Jayashri is a critically acclaimed singer and composer of classical Carnatic music, and a globally respected teacher of world music. She was born in Kolkata into a family with a rich lineage of musicians, studying first in Mumbai, then moving to Chennai. She was taught by two musical legends, the Carnatic violinist and vocalist Shri Lalgudi G Jayaraman and the renowned vocal teacher Smt T R Balamani. Jayashri’s voice is described as silken and mellifluous with a sweet and contemplative quality. Jayashri’s first concert was in 1982, and she has since performed at festivals and venues across India and in the United States, Australia and Europe. Her path has been an unusual one: her musical tastes are eclectic and she has assimilated a varied range of styles and ideas, both within India’s classical music traditions and beyond. She has recorded as a playback singer, working with film composers such as AR Rahman, and has collaborated with eminent artistes from around the world, including performers in Egypt, Senegal and Finland, experimenting with different forms of music. She has also moved beyond the concert format and composed an operatic ballet based on the Tamil epic Silapathikaaram. Jayashri is committed to supporting young musicians and nurturing their knowledge of the history and traditions of Carnatic music, exploring the therapeutic and healing value generated by music. Jayashri wrote the lyrics and performed ‘Pi’s Lullaby’ for the international film Life of Pi, which was nominated for the 2012 Oscars in the Best Original Song category: https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=6fr1trE54oU

The Doll Festival takes place across southern India in October this year. It comes as part of Navaratri (nava means ‘nine’ and ratri ‘nights’), a period of religious and social festivities held across the country. Like Diwali, it is a home-based celebration. Visitors to South India may be invited to view the golu or doll display that, like a Christmas tree in the West, is central to the social celebrations. The display is mounted on a tier of steps (always an odd number of three, five, seven or even nine for good luck) and is made up of the family’s treasured figurines of gods and mythological characters, humans and animals. The dolls depict Hindu mythological stories as well as everyday street scenes, and represent the Hindu belief that the gods live among us. Indians believe the guest is god, and visitors receive a gracious reception. You may be greeted at the door with a traditional badam (almond) milk drink and a vermillion dot will be placed on your forehead. After viewing the golu and mingling with guests, you will be given a gift to take away – symbols of long life and prosperity such as betel leaves and nuts, turmeric, coconuts and a sweet delicacy. The way Navratri is celebrated varies in the rest of India, although the common theme of this festival of nine nights is dedicated to the power and energy, or shakti, of the goddess known as Durga or Saraswati.

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In Focus by Team Culturama

Artists of India

A peek at the life and work of some of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s iconic artists...

October 2016

Amrita Sher-Gil

Culturama has gone from a four-page newsletter to an 80-page award-winning magazine over 250 months, promoting Indian culture.

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Often referred to as India’s Frida Kahlo for her stunning self-portraits, Amrita Sher-Gil was an iconic and pioneering woman artist of modern India. Born to a Punjabi Sikh father and a Hungarian-Jewish mother, Sher-Gil's art has influenced generations of Indian artists. The Indo-Hungarian artist made news recently when one of her self-portraits sold for Rs. 18.2 crore ($2.9 million) at an auction at Sotheby’s – the highest price commanded by a painting by an Indian woman. The oil on canvas, done in 1933, was bought by a private collector in the United States. Amrita died at the young age of 28. Her works are classified as national treasures and those that are in India cannot be taken out. They seldom come up for auction, so the piece that was sold was a rarity. The auction was conducted by Priyanka Mathew, the first Indian auctioneer at Sotheby’s. According to the NGMA (National Gallery of

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Modern Art) in Delhi, which houses almost all of her works in the public domain, “In 1929, she joined the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Her painting skills were recognised and acclaimed; she loved the bohemian life of artists in Paris. Sher-Gil’s painting style at this time reflected the European idiom with its naturalism and textured application of paint. Many of her paintings done in the early 1930s are in the European style and include a number of selfportraits. There are also many paintings of life in Paris, nude studies, still life studies, as well as portraits of friends and fellow students. Her style underwent a radical change by the mid-1930s; she yearned for India, and by 1934, her family returned. This time, she looked at India with the eyes of an artist. The colours, the textures, the vibrancy and the earthiness of the people had a deep impact on the young artist. In India, she appropriated the language of miniatures. The complexities of her life – she was of mixed parentage and her art school background in Paris made her both an insider and outsider.”

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Raja Ravi Varma

Former President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam sent us a letter of appreciation in January 2005 that we still cherish: ‘I appreciate your service to the nation through the freemailer cultural newsletter! My best wishes to you and your team members for all your endeavours.’

Reproductions of Raja Ravi Varma’s sensuous paintings of sari-clad Hindu goddesses and heroines from the epics adorn India’s homes, shops and offices. Varma was born in the Princely State of Travancore (part of modern-day Kerala) in 1848 into an aristocratic family of poets and artists. His uncle taught him to paint devotional Tanjore paintings, but exposure to the works of European masters at the court of the Maharajah of Travancore brought about the meeting of East and West in his work. Varma learnt the Western academic techniques of oil painting, of perspective and Realism. His success as an artist was almost immediate as he accepted commissions from wealthy patrons, both Indian and Western, who delighted in his meticulous artistry. To this day, his paintings are taken to portray the vision of Hindu India’s classical Golden Age.

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Editor-in-Chief Ranjini Manian with M.F. Husain.

Looking for affordable Indian art? http://www.emergingartists.in/ – The site is a platform for emerging talents and their diverse works that are sometimes experimental, rare, unconventional, non-conformist, while being fresh and visually and aesthetically appealing. For

MF Husain

private collectors and buyers, the site will serve as an online gallery offering art at affordable prices. www.cupick.com – A website that sells original art

He is perhaps India’s bestselling and best-known painter. Maqbool Fida Husain, the grand old man of Indian art, breathed his last in 2011. Ranjini Manian, Editor-in-Chief, Culturama, caught up with him at an exhibition of prints dedicated to the late classical music singer, M. S. Subbulakshmi, a giant in the classical music scene, in March 2005. Husain’s painting of her stood six feet tall, glowing in red, black and gold. As visitors streamed past, Husain shared his thoughts with Ranjini. “What does it take to become an artiste?” “Start early. Let children go outside the box. When you ask a child in India to draw a house, he puts down a square first, then an inverted V as a roof and finally a chimney with smoke coming out. Where in India do we have homes with chimneys?” Husain asked. “Many a child, when asked to draw a tree, draws a Christmas tree,” he added. “Do encourage them to observe their own culture. In our country, right from school, creative thinking is destroyed. If a child colours the sky red, he should be allowed to do so and not be told it should be blue. Please don’t kill independent thinking. Aspiration, philosophy, music, dance, painting – the essence of all this in our country is spirituality,” he continued. “Spirituality needs to be taught young. Ask children to observe a leaf — the texture, shape, uniform edges, symmetry and patterns. Observing nature is spirituality. Let not the Western world know us as jugglers, rope trick experts or for paintings of Indian miniatures alone. Creating an awareness of the totality and richness of Indian art is the need.”

in fun, new ways – canvas, coasters, notebooks, t-shirts and more. www.eikowa.com – An online art gallery created by art enthusiasts, Eikowa has a carefully curated, diverse collection of art. Of course, always be on the lookout for affordable art exhibitions in galleries in your city, where you can buy miniature versions of a famous artist’s work for a lesser price. Distress sales at auction houses are also viable alternatives to find affordable art!

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29 Indias: One Nation, published by Global Adjustments, has 10 hand-picked 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

Ten for the Road by Susan Philip

West Bengal

Explore the 29 states of our subcontinent. This segment will set out a collection of interesting, bite-size facts from each state – this month, we look at West Bengal, which may be renamed as bengal soon 1.

How the Land Lies: West Bengal encompasses part of the Himalayas, the Ganga runs through it, and it borders the Bay of Bengal. It also abuts three other countries – Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Although counted among the smaller states size-wise, it is up there with the big ones in terms of population. Kolkata, its capital, is India’s third largest metropolitan city.

Political Pressures: The Portuguese, Dutch and French all came calling for trade in the 16th and 17th centuries. But it was the British who exerted the maximum influence. They rang the curtain down on the Mughal Empire. Kolkata, then Calcutta, was the capital of their empire till 1911, and in 1905 they partitioned the region along religious lines.

Past Glories: The ancient kingdom of Vanga (sometimes called Banga) mentioned in Sanskrit literature, is believed to be the root of the name Bengal or Bangla. Also, around the 6th century BC, the area was a part of the powerful Magadha Kingdom.

Ethnic Fingerprint: The peace-loving Mru Tribe is found mostly in the Jalpaiguri area of West Bengal. There is a fair bit of democracy in their social setup. The ploong is a type of mouth organ that Mru men play. The more elaborate ones are something like bagpipes.

Culture Quotient: Bengal is the cultural heartland of India. Art, literature, theatre, cinema and music are integral to life, especially in Kolkata. Rabindranath Tagore, author of not only India’s national anthem but of Bangladesh’s too, is a Nobel Laureate. Rabindra sangeet, the genre of music he pioneered, has a strong fan following. So do the wandering Baul minstrels. Film-maker Satyajit Ray, a creative genius on more than one front, was awarded an Honorary Oscar. There are many more Bengalis with high artistic quotients. Personality Plus: Subhasini Mistry was married off at a young age, and widowed at 23 simply because her village lacked

medical facilities to treat her husband. Although she had four children to bring up, Subhasini had a dream – to build a good hospital. Being uneducated, she worked as manual labourer and housemaid, scrimped and saved, and made her dream come true. The two-storied Humanity Hospital at Hanspukur village, which serves the poor free of cost, is testimony to what the human spirit can achieve. 7.

Sights to See: The Howrah Bridge, Victoria Memorial, Belur Math and Mother House, headquarters of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, are popular tourist spots. Do not miss a chance to visit the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest, natural habitat of the famous Bengal Tiger and home to many endangered species, including Olive Ridley turtles, estuarine crocodiles, river terrapins and Irrawaddy dolphins.

Tasty Treats: Try mishit doi or sweetened curd, and ilish macherjol, a fish gravy – they are typical Bengali fare. Spend a lazy afternoon snacking on jhal muri – spicy puffed rice and raw vegetables with a mustard oil dressing – washed down with tea served in eco-friendly disposable earthenware cups. Mustard oil, by the way, is the traditionally preferred medium of cooking.

Crafted with Care: The bankura horse and kantha embroidery are two famous handicraft items of West Bengal. The former, distinctively stylised horses, are made usually with terracotta and are considered auspicious. Kantha work is done on either cotton or silk and looks good on both apparel and furnishings.

10.

Worshipfully Yours: Brahmoism, based on the principle of monotheism or one Supreme God, is a movement that started in Bengal and was committed to religious reform on various fronts. The Brahmo Samaj, the community which follows Brahmoism, was founded in 1828 by Raja Ram Mohan Roy. It embarked on social reform, trying to do away with practices such as sati (burning of widows on their husband’s funeral pyre) and child marriage. It greatly influenced the making of modern India.

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Feature Team Culturama

Celebrating with lights since time immemorial, mankind has used ‘light’ as a way of showing and spreading happiness during festivities. Here is a quick round up of the ‘festival of lights’ from around the world

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Diwali

For the first time ever, Culturama featured a Switzerland-based Indian artsit, Dithi Chakraborty's art on the cover, October 2011

The festival of Diwali is also a celebration of the triumph of good over evil. People in North India celebrate it as the day when Lord Ram came back to Ayodhya after a 14-year exile. During his exile, spent in the forests with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, Ram fought with and defeated the demon king Ravan. In the South , the legend goes that this was the night when Narakasura was killed by Satyabhama, who had joined her husband Lord Krishna in the battle against the demon. In some parts of India, the festival also honours Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and people perform pujas to her. Across the country, Diwali is marked by the lighting of lamps, bursting of firecrackers and sharing of sweets.

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Hanukkah This eight-day Jewish festival of lights celebrates the triumph of light over darkness. Also known as the Festival of Lights and the Festival of Dedication, it has historical significance. Eight lamps are lit to signify the eight lamps lit with the oil sufficient for one lamp in the temple that was reclaimed by the Jews from the Greek invaders. This festival is observed by lighting the candelabrum, which is a nine-branched Hanukkah or menorah.

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Lantern festival

Culturama featured the supercopturned-Governor, Kiran Bedi on the cover along with an inspiring interview in August 2015.

The Lantern Festival is observed during February in China. With its origins in Buddhism, it is celebrated in honour of Gautama Buddha. On the first moon of the lunar year, emperors of the Han dynasty ordered that lanterns must be lit inside the royal palace. Soon all of China was celebrating this amazing festival with delicate lanterns that lit up the night sky. A traditional lion dance and a dish called Yuanxiao, a rice ball with fillings, are all part of the festivities.

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Saint Lucyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day Saint Lucyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day, also referred to as the Feast of Saint Lucy, is celebrated on December 13, to commemorate Saint Lucy, who brought food and help to Christians hiding in the catacombs in Rome using a candle-lit wreath to light her way and leave her hands free to carry as much food as possible. The day is celebrated mostly in Scandinavia, where it is a major feast day, and in Italy, with each emphasising a different aspect of the story.

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Kobe Luminarie

Culturama making waves with a story on the maharaja of Jodhpur, April 2012.

Kobe Luminarie is a festival of lights in Kobe, Japan, every December and held since 1995 to mark the Great Hanshin earthquake. Over 200,000 hand-painted lights are lit every year with biomass electricity, to keep the festival eco-friendly. The lights are kept up for two weeks and turned on for a few hours each evening. It is viewed by about three to five million people each year.

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Lux Helsinki The Light Festival Lux Helsinki offers inspiring light artworks and a festival atmosphere at the darkest time of the year. To be held between January 5 and 9, 2017, it will bring the most exciting artists from Finland and all around the world, who will create artworks in Helsinki city centre. During this event, all light artworks will be on display each day from 5 to 10 p.m.

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Loi Krathong

Mike Eliseou of England, our former Advisory Board Member, met and married Roselli from Brazil, after reading about her in Culturama!

Loi Krathong is a festival celebrated annually throughout Southwestern cultures (Thailand, Laos, Shan, Tanintharyi, Kelantan, Kedah and Xishuangbanna). Loi Krathong means â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;to float a basketâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The festival derives its name from the custom of crafting krathong baskets that are floated on a river. Loi Krathong usually occurs on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month of the traditional Thai lunar calendar. In 2016, it will be held on November 14. A traditional krathong is made from the trunk of a banana tree or a spider lily plant. A krathong is decorated with ornately folded banana leaves, incense sticks and a candle.

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At Global Adjustments by Team Culturama

Empowering young women our flagship programme ‘Aspiration to Achievement’ was held at Sathyabama University

Culturama March 2016 features unique cover girls – Fifty-five of them looking at their future with confidence after completing a life skills and self-empowerment programme at Global Adjustments.

Global Adjustments Foundation conducted its flagship free workshop ‘Aspiration to Achievement’ (A2A, a women’s empowerment life skills workshop) at Sathyabama University. In this workshop, girls who are currently studying engineering were enabled and enriched with training in various aspects including goal-setting, self-defense and how to arm themselves against sexual harassment, for 20 hours over a period of three days. On the day of the valedictory, Dr. Ranjini Manian, CEO and Founder of Global Adjustments, spoke to the girls about meditation and emotional intelligence and awarded them certificates. Ankita Bhadani, a participant, said, “I learnt a lot from this workshop about ‘how to communicate’, ‘how to overcome stage fear’, ‘say YES to important aspects and NO to others’, ‘how to handle relationships successfully’ and numerous other facets of life.” Nithya M. said, “I was inspired by the speeches given by Mrs. Usha Ramakrishnan and Dr. Ranjini Manian. I am sure I will apply all my learning from this class and work for the welfare of my family, friends and the nation.”

GA Foundation imparts life skills to school and college students. Volunteers who wish to commit part-time in participating in changing society could write to foundation@globaladjustments.com.

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Look Who’s In Town Chennai

Incredible India Brazilian Melissa Freitas, who now lives in Chennai with her husband David Dudley of Ford Motor Company, on life in the country and more… I have a very good friend who lives in the United States, but was born and raised in India. He was my first contact with India and he shared many interesting stories of growing up here. I was very excited when my husband asked if I would like to move here, because I knew it would be a great opportunity to experience the culture. In addition, I am passionate about photography and I knew I would take great delight in capturing ‘Incredible India’ in photos. Then & Now I was expecting a different environment before moving to India. Based on stories that I heard from others prior to my arrival, I was thinking it would be dirtier. Although I think there are still opportunities for improvement, I can see that things are getting better each day. India on a platter Indian food is too spicy for me. In Brazil, we usually do not use many spices for cooking – we use more herbs. But I still think Indian food is exotic and I enjoy experimenting. Sightseeing I went to see the Kumbh Mela in Nasik last year. It was

an amazing experience! I have never seen so many people together, in one place. I was impressed by the organisation of the event and how people shared a common spiritual purpose. I try to see as many Indian festivals as possible, but I also enjoy witnessing daily life in order to better understand the culture. I have been to Agra four times, and also to Nasik, Delhi, Salem, and Puducherry. I love visiting the Taj Mahal. Whenever I have visitors, of course, they all want to travel to Agra. Going there never gets old or mundane for me. I find that I learn something new each time – it is still as incredible to me as the first time I visited the place. Clean India India is an amazing country and I hope the ‘Clean India’ initiative ensures that the environment is preserved for future generations to enjoy. What I love… I like the attitude of the people in Chennai. For example, for an expat, traffic here seems crazy and that ‘anything goes’. Nevertheless, people understand each other and they do not seem to take offense. This calm and accepting manner is something that we all have to learn from.

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Look Who’s In Town Mumbai

Maximum Mumbai For Indian-American Sanjoy Duttaroy, the financial capital of India is not just a former hometown but also a place that always springs new surprises I was born and brought up in Mumbai. I left in 1981 to pursue higher studies and have been in the United States ever since. In 2006, our company began manufacturing operations in India. I have been involved with the business development portion and as a result I have been coming to India frequently. I enjoy the culture and cuisine of Mumbai very much. India on a plate Food in India is diverse because of its broad cultural span. In the United States, Udupi and Punjabi joints are popular. Indian food has a lot of colour and spices, which is what makes it different from Italian, Chinese or Mexican cuisines. Wanderlust I travel all over India, and am always amazed by how there is something different in every place that I visit. It

might be a very minuscule thing but it is unique to that locality. Like I say, ‘Expect the unexpected In India’! What I would like in India Better roads, improvement in the infrastructure and lesser bureaucracy. These will lead to more growth, and running a business will become easier. Like the saying from the movie Field of Dreams, ‘Build it and they will come’. I am taking home... A collection of different chefs from all parts of India under one roof offering all the best delicacies from the various regions.

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October 2016

culturama

October Calendar of events

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

Art & Exhibitions

Exhibition NCR

Pottery Bengaluru

‘Alice from Switzerland: A Visionary Artist and Scholar across Continents’ – This exhibition introduces the Swiss artist Alice Boner (1889–1981) who became a true cultural ambassador. Even though her life and work is most fascinating she remained little-known. Her encounter with Uday Shankar, their common travel to India and her commitment to his dance troupe gave her life the crucial twist. Being an artist herself she became a patron who supported other artists. She settled in Varanasi and thereafter contributed significantly to a worldwide sensitisation and understanding of India’s art.

Clay Station, a Bengaluru-based creative clay studio for the experienced, aspiring and recreational potters, presents Little Hands Big Feat, a fun activity for kids aged 6-plus to acquaint them with hand building techniques.

Date: Until October 30 Time: 1000 hrs–1700 hrs Venue: Special Exhibition Hall, First Floor, National Museum, Janpath

Date: Until October 29 Time: 1100 hrs Venue: Clay Station Art Studios, 1-C, 2nd Floor, 1st D Main Road, 14th B Cross HSR Layout, Sector 6, Bengaluru

Art Chennai Introspective Revelations is the underlying theme of the amalgamation of an eclectic medley of paintings, sculptures, assemblages and art installations by various well-known artists from all over the country. This contemporary explosion is essentially a collection with depth that definitely does not meet the eye, a probe that the viewer has to make to face those revelations that appeal to his inner turmoil. Date: Until October 5 Time: 1200 hrs–1800 hrs Venue: 4/22, Rutland Gate, 5th Street, 1st Floor, Nungambakkam

October 2016

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Former Minister for Cultural Affairs Kumari Selja graced the cover of Culturama in May 2013.

Events

Chennai Stand-up comedy

Play NCR

The Unbelievable Tour is an exclusive show written and performed by Vir Das. Unlike most of Das' specials, this show features personal stories from his life, revealing a very intimate side of India's highest selling stand-up comedian.

A Dollâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s House â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The play traces the awakening of Nora Helmer from her previously unexamined life of domestic, wifely comfort. Having been ruled her whole life by either her father or her husband Torvald, Nora finally comes to question the foundation of everything she has believed in once her marriage is put to the test.

Date: October 2 Time: 1900 hrs Venue: Sir Mutha Venkata Subba Rao Concert Hall, Lady Andal Premises, Shenstone Park, # 13/1, 7, Harrington Rd, Chetpet

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

Musical Mumbai Bombay Jazz is a semi-autobiographical musical about Goan and Anglo Indian musicians who brought Jazz influences into Hindi film music between the 1950s and 1970s. Date: October 11 Time: 1730 hrs and 1930 hrs Venue: Experimental Theatre, Nariman Point, NCPA Marg

October 2016

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Ace photgrapher G. Venket Ram clicked world chess champion Viswanathan Anand, who guest edited our January 2014 edition.

Film Festival Mumbai

Concert Bengaluru

The Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star is India's premiere film festival. It showcases the latest cutting-edge, independent cinema and art house fare alongside genre movies from Bollywood, Hollywood and cult international movies.

Lalgudi Jayaraman is a legend like no other. He was a prolific performer who took Carnatic music to dizzy heights in India and internationally. In this tribute, some extraordinary musicians come together in an attempt to bring out the essence of the man and his music. The show will have compositions that had a special place in the legend's heart, songs that he composed, ragas that enthralled him and more.

For details and registration: http://www. mumbaifilmfestival.com/ Date: October 20–27

Play Chennai/Bengaluru The award-winning, sell-out success Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense is bringing the genius of PG Wodehouse to Bangalore and Chennai! The blockbuster West End production, which wowed the Mumbai stage earlier this year, will be returning to India after a highly successful tour of Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore. For details, facebook.com/perfectnonsenseinindia Date: November 3–6 (Chennai) and November 9–13 (Bengaluru) Venue: Sir Mutha Venkata Subba Rao Concert Hall, Lady Andal Premises, Shenstone Park, # 13/1, 7, Harrington Rd, Chetpet, Chennai and St John’s Auditorium, John Nagar, Koramangala, Bengaluru

Date: October 1 Time: 1900 hrs Venue: MLR Convention Centre, Brigade Millennium, 7th Phase J.P. Nagar

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October 2016

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At Global Adjustments by Team Culturama

Modak Morning

Global Adjustments conducted a modak making workshop, in the month of the Ganesh festival, for expats at its headquarters in Chennai. Expats from various nationalities learned to make modaks (traditional Indian dumplings) from in-house experts. With good food, great company and some music too, the event was a great success. We care about the relocating expat spouse as it is in her/his happiness in India, that successful Foreign Direct investment rests. Email us (info@globaladjustments) for more ideas and oppourtunities.

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October 2016

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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

the Deputy Governor of the RBI. He will serve a threeyear term as Governor of the central bank, which is responsible for the country’s financial security. Dr. Patel, who succeeds Dr. Raghuram Rajan, has held many prestigious posts, including a stint with the International Monetary Fund. He holds a doctorate from Yale.

Scientifically Speaking Politics and Polity A State by Another Name

The State of West Bengal is being renamed – the State Government has decided to drop the ‘West’ from the name. It is to be known simply as ‘Bengal’ in English, and as ‘Bangla’ in Bengali and ‘Bangal’ in Hindi. A request has been sent to the Government of India to amend the Constitution to bring the change of name into effect. West Bengal is in the east of India, so the uninitiated can be forgiven for being puzzled by the ‘West’. But there’s history behind the adjective. Under British rule, ‘Bengal’ comprised a huge territory. It was divided into two in 1905, purportedly for administrative ease, but the division sparked violent protests and was revoked in 1912. Subsequently, prior to Independence, the predominantly Muslim portion of the Bengal Province was separated from the Hindudominated one, and the two were given the differentiating ‘East’ and ‘West’ nomenclature, respectively. East Bengal roughly corresponds to present-day Bangladesh.

Business Matters Change of Guard at the RBI India’s apex bank, known as the Reserve Bank of India, has a new Governor – Dr. Urjit R Patel. Dr. Patel was hitherto

Keeping a Weather Eye on the Sky The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has made the country proud yet again by using its heavy geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle rocket to put an advanced weather satellite into orbit. This marks an important milestone in ISRO’s mission to master the crucial cryogenic engine technology and thus save valuable foreign exchange by launching its own heavy satellites. The launch of the 2,211 kg INSAT-3DR went perfectly. Did you know, The INSAT-3DR is a weather monitoring satellite with the ability to provide night-time pictures of low clouds and fog. It has a satellite-aided search and rescue transponder that can pick up and relay distress signals from sea, air and land.

Awards and Accolades A Knight of the Arts Noted film actor Kamal Haasan has been awarded the prestigious Chevalier de L’Ordre Arts et Lettres (The Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the Government of France. Two hundred eminent artistes and writers, as well as those who have contributed to furthering the cause of the arts in France and elsewhere, are chosen to receive the award each year. Previous Indian recipients include such well-known names from the film industry

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as Satyajit Ray, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Nandita Das. Q: Kamal Haasan is the second actor from Tamil Nadu to win this honour. Who was the first? A: Thespian ‘Sivaji’ Ganesan. Watch ‘Thevar Magan’, a film in which both these excellent actors have pivotal roles.

The Saint and the City Kolkata rejoiced over events in far-away Vatican. Nineteen years after her death, the Roman Catholic Church has conferred sainthood on a tiny woman who came all the way from her native Albania, and identified herself with the poorest of the poor, the ill and the dying in this teeming city, and subsequently spread her work through India and many places in the world. Saint Teresa of Kolkata, as she is now to be called, is known to India simply as Mother Teresa. Nuns of the Missionaries of Charity which she founded in 1950 continue serving the underprivileged, dressed in their distinctive blue-striped white robes.

Sports Spots Four Cheers for India! A disability is no bar to success. India reiterated this in style at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. It sent 19 contestants for the event – its largest contingent to date – and four of them have brought back medals, including two golds. The three fourth-place finishes add to the general feeling of satisfaction. Mariyappan Thangavelu leapt 1.89 m in the T-42 Men’s High Jump event to grab the gold, while Varun Singh Bhati cleared 1.86 m to win the bronze in the same event. Devendra Jhajharia won the second gold for India with the javelin, and Deepa Malik hefted the shot-put 4.61 m at the F-53 event for women to claim the silver. Did you know that Deepa Malik is the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Paralympics. She is also the oldest medal winner ever at the Paralympics. Read the inspiring story of this gutsy mother of two here: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/rio-paralympics-2016deepa-malik-silver-shotput/1/763227.html

End of an Era Farewell to a Matriarch She founded a strong dynasty. As a matriarch, she was given a grand farewell – policemen carried her garlanded body to her funeral. And she was only 19 when she died. But 19 was a grand old age for the tigress that was perhaps the single most photographed animal in India. This majestic big cat, Queen of the Ranthambore National Park, was ironically named ‘Machli’, meaning fish in Hindi, because she had distinctive fish-shaped markings on her face. Machli contributed to India’s efforts to save the endangered tiger by giving birth to four litters, instead of the two that tigresses customarily produce. Her fecundity sent the tiger population in Ranthambore up from around 15 in 2004 to 50 in a span of 10 years. She was a protective mother and a superb hunter. She once famously overpowered and killed a 14-foot crocodile. She lived beyond the normal lifespan of tigers. Park officials said she had died of old age. In recognition of her services to both ecology and economy (she earned India millions of dollars as a tourist attraction), the Indian Government issued a stamp in her honour in 2013. Q: Talking of stamps, a Western country announced recently that it would shortly be releasing a postage stamp commemorating a major Indian festival. Can you name the festival and the country? A: The festival is Diwali, and United States the country. Read more about the upcoming event at the Consulate General of India, New York, and also about the festival itself, at https://about.usps.com/ news/national-releases/2016/pr16_066.htm

This and That A Himalayan Celebration The Naropa Festival, said to be the largest Buddhist Festival in the world, got under way at the Hemis Monastery in Ladakh in the Himalayas. This month-long celebration commemorates the visit of Yogi Naropa to the region. The festival is held once in 12 years, and this year’s edition marks the 1000th anniversary of Yogi Naropa’s visit.

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Seeing India text & photos by Ashok Viswanathan

a lifestyle lost in time

October 2016

The chettiar community that inhabits chettinad is made up of a wealthy group of businessmen who made their money in banking, trade and business.

Chettinad, the name brings to mind images of tasty, spicy South Indian food loaded with chilli and peppers guaranteed to set the insides on fire. But if you look for the name on a map, it is hard to point out the place. Chettinad does not exist. It is the name of a `group of villagesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; surrounding the town of Karaikkudi in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Villages such as Athangudi, Devakottai and Kanadukathan located in the heart of Chettinad have a large number of traditional homes. The Chettiar community that inhabits this region is made up of a wealthy group of businessmen who made their money in banking, trade and business. Starting around the late 1800s and early 1900s

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their prosperity and fame grew, and over time they moved out of Chettinad to larger cities such as Chennai and overseas to Singapore and Malaysia, with the aim of expanding their business. Having heard so much about the lifestyle and the homes of the Chettiar community, I decided it was worth a trip, to see for myself and take some photographs of a dying lifestyle. Armed with a recently acquired XPro1 and an 18~55mm Fuji f2.8 lens I set off. This was also an opportunity to see what the XPro could deliver. In Chettinad, they built family homes to accommodate large families under one roof. Some of the larger homes took as much as 10 years to complete, as the materials were imported by sea from far away countries. Some of the homes are really mansions or small palaces with over 200 rooms â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the front of the house on one street and the rear opening

out on a different street. The Chettiars loved colour and they painted their homes in multiple shades of blue, green, orange and yellow. These homes numbering about 11,000 are, today, mostly closed and have a caretaker or are gradually falling to pieces due to lack of maintenance. The Chettiar families only return to the village to celebrate special occasions such as marriages. A small tip and the caretakers of some of the homes may allow a visitor entry. A few have been turned into hotels by their resident owners and restored to their erstwhile glory, too. These homes have handmade tiles from the nearby village of Athangudi, steel from Birmingham, black granite columns from Spain and wood from Burma. Most homes comprise a ground floor, with a first floor and balcony overlooking the street. On entering the house is a huge living room, large enough to host a wedding reception, and a courtyard, open to the sky, letting in sun and rain. Rooms

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surround the courtyard, and this is where the families spend most of their time. Further in are the kitchens and the quarters for the servants required to run this establishment. These homes have beautifully carved woodwork, often with gods and goddesses in the company of elephants and other animals. Granite pillars with wooden-carved joints support the roof. The roofs have orange-coloured tiles made using local material. Inside the main hall are old teak cupboards and mirrors of Belgian glass, and in one corner there often hangs an old telephone. These homes, which are falling apart, are slowly being stripped by antique dealers who sell the valuables to customers in faraway cities. Carved door frames and doors are hot selling items, often fetching several lakhs of rupees. As also are old lamps, chandeliers, mirrors and furniture. Getting to Chettinad is best done by air to the temple

October 2016

town of Madurai and then an 80-km road journey. Some of the villages around Karaikkudi give the impression of a ghost town. Limited transportation, often as basic as a bullock cart, is the only alternative to walking. The village of Kanadukathan, about 10 km from Karaikkudi, is now a notified Heritage Village. The local Raja has his palace there overlooking the village temple and tank. The streets are at a perfect ninety degrees to each other. Also located there is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Chettinad Mansionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, home to Mr. A. Chandramouli and his family who maintain a 220-room mansion just behind the palace. Of these, 12 rooms are rented out to visitors. This ancient house is also used as sets for films by teams from the South Indian film industry who rent homes in this town for movie production. Mr. Chandramouli, who is now in his mid-eighties, personally supervises the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the mansion and enjoys meeting his guests to explain the history and

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traditions of the Chettiar community. Guests are garlanded on arrival and made to feel at home. Breakfast is traditional South Indian fare with mouthwatering items such as upma, pongal, idly, dosa and vada with coconut chutney and sambar, washed down with filter coffee. No instant mixes here. Everything is served fresh and hot. Lunch and dinner consist mainly of chicken, fish or lamb, in spicy pepper curries or stew and served with white rice and Indian

breads such as roti or naan. Much of the cooking is done in pure ghee, which adds to the taste. Desserts are a variety of halwas or Indian sweets rich in calories, and are not for the faint-hearted. For a visitor wanting to experience village life of the early 1900s, a visit to Chettinad is highly recommended.

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October 2016

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Advertiser's Feature

Photos: Vinoth Chandar via Flickr and Wikicommons

Navaratri in Tamil Nadu This nine-day festival honours three manifestations of the Mother Goddess: Durga, the warrior, Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, and Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and music. On the ninth day of navaratri is Ayudha Puja, when all implements of learning and tools of trade (including computers and cars) are venerated with special pujas. Travel south to Tamil Nadu for the unique celebration of the golu or doll display, which is central to the social celebrations.

Eat The traditional sweet, Mysore Pak, along with proteinrich, sundal, a snack made with lentils and more available at

most famous sweet and savoury shops are must-haves during this season. If you have a local friend and have luckily landed an invitation, you can even have these at their home, for almost every household that celebrates navaratri makes these during the festival.

Buy Buy clay dolls from the streets of Mylapore, an ancient neighbourhood in TNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capital, Chennai, to take home a modern cricketer doll or an ancient sage from our mythical days. Especially buy TNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own unique bobble-head doll, thalayatti bommai! Visit the Poompuhar showroom for an excellent collection of dolls made by artisans, the traditional way using a variety of materials including clay, brass and bronze.

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October 2016

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India Impressions by Devanshi Mody

in the

footsteps of the Buddha

Sarnath IN UTTAR PRADESH is a fascinating Buddhist destination

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The Buddha, having attained enlightenment, made his way to the sanctuary of Sarnath. Not many today do. Not even those who follow in the Buddha’s footsteps. Surprising, since Sarnath is where the Buddha delivered his first sermon post Buddha-hood. The Buddha himself prescribes it amongst his four pilgrimage points along with Lumbini (birth), Bodh Gaya (enlightenment) and Kushinagar (death). Yet, the benighted tourist, religious or otherwise, seems in the dark about the spiritual, philosophical, cultural and, indeed, aesthetic splendours of this historic site. Sarnath certainly delights the eye – both the mind's eye and the visual apparatus – the Buddha, after all, first preached the Dharma in a beauteous deer park. A mere 12 km north-east of Varanasi near where the Ganges and the Gomati merge, serene Sarnath is a salubrious antidote to the colour and chaos of the ancient

October 2016

Gangetic city. With its lavish green swards upon which Buddhist ruins repose as if in eternal meditation, this is a destination for not only the devout but for anyone sensitive to culture, architecture or quite simply natural beauty. What’s in a name? Well, many myths. Sarnath has been variously known through its excursive history as Mrigadava, Migadāya, Rishipattana and Isipatana. Mrigadava means ‘deer-park’. Isipatana is the Pali name meaning the place where holy men (Pali: isi, Sanskrit: rishi) landed. Legend has it that some devas descended to announce the birth of the Buddha-to-be to 500 rishis. The rishis all rose into the air and vanished, casting down to earth their relics. Another legend offers an alternative inspiration for the name Isipatana – it was where sages, airborne from the

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Himalayas, alighted or began their aerial flight (isayo ettha nipatanti uppatanti cāti-Isipatanam). There is a belief that Pacceka Buddhas (one of three types of enlightened beings according to some schools of Buddhism), having meditated seven days in the Gandhamādana (a mountain range), bathe in the Anotatta Lake (one of the seven great lakes of Himavā) and fly down to earth seeking alms and land at auspicious Isipatana. Chinaman Xuanzang further quotes the Nigrodhamiga Jātaka to explain the name Migadāya, so called because deer were allowed to roam about there, unharmed. The contemporary name Sarnath derives from the Sanskrit Sāranganātha meaning ‘Lord of the Deer’ and relates to another old Buddhist story where the Bodhisattva is a deer that offers his life to a king intending to kill a doe. The overwhelmed king therefore creates the park as a deer sanctuary. Before Gautama (the Buddha-to-be) attained enlightenment, he relinquished his austere penances and

Seven weeks after his enlightenment the Buddha forsook Bodh Gaya seeking his companions to instruct, having intuited spiritually that they were ripe to receive the Dharma his friends, the Pañcavaggiya monks (the five monks, who accompanied Gotama when he became an ascetic), who then embarked for Isipatana. Seven weeks after his enlightenment the Buddha forsook Bodh Gaya seeking his companions to instruct, having intuited spiritually that they were ripe to receive the Dharma. The Gautama Buddha walked all the way, 18 leagues, at that. While travelling to Sarnath, he had to ford the Ganges but could not quite afford the ferryman, so he travelled through air (airfare was clearly cheaper in those halcyon times…). Learning this, King Bimbisara is said to have abolished the toll for ascetics. It has, nevertheless, apparently been the custom for all Buddhas to go through the

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air to Isipatana to preach their first sermon at the Migadāya. Fortunately, modern-day visitors can reach Sarnath by car (lest they prefer airier modes of conveyance). But I digress. The Buddha enlightened his companions with his first sermon, the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, on the Asalha full-moon day (eighth month of the Buddhist calendar). This event is referred to as ‘the turning of the wheel of the Dharma’ and also marks the founding of the Sangha, or community of enlightened ones. Thus, it was at Sarnath that the Buddha unfolded the Four Noble Truths (concerning the meaning of life) and the Noble Eightfold Path (concerning the right way to live). The Buddha subsequently spent his monsoon at Sarnath at the Mulagandhakuti, by when the Sangha had acquired 60 members or arahants whom the Buddha dispersed to disseminate the Dharma. The Buddhist significance of Isipatana is plenteous. Sarnath is further revered because preeminent Sangha members seem to have sporadically resided

October 2016

there. Imbrued in stories of great Buddhist import, it was also the place where that the Buddha prohibited talipot (palm) leaf sandals and later the use of certain flesh, including human flesh. Buddhism flourished in Sarnath partly because of the kings and wealthy merchants in Varanasi. By the third century Sarnath had become a significant centre for the arts, reaching its zenith during the Gupta dynasty (fourth to sixth century CE). Indeed, in the seventh century when Xuandzang visited from China, he found 30 monasteries and 3,000 monks living in Sarnath. Sarnath became a major centre of the early Sammitīya school of Buddhism. The Sammitīya were one of the 18 or 20 early Buddhist schools in India. Idols of Shiva and Brahma have interestingly been found at the site, and there is still a Jain temple (at Chandrapuri). Indeed, Singhpur, a village a kilometre away from the site, was the birthplace of Shreyansanath, the 11th Tirthankara of Jainism, which

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also renders Sarnath a significant Jain pilgrimage point. The Shreyansanath Temple boasts a mammoth 103-ft ashtakod stoop (octagonal pillar) apparently 2,200 years old. The temple’s moolnayak (main deity) is a blue-hued, 75-cm idol in padmasana (the lotus pose in yoga) considered greatly artistic. At the end of the 12th century, Sarnath was barbarised by the Turks and then plundered for building materials. It remained in ruins and desolate until 1836, when the British initiated excavations. Due to the concerted Turkish savaging, only stumps of stupas and other Buddhist structures remain above which pilgrims tower. Vestigial monuments stud the grass or lie around like amputated limbs. And yet, the composition of Sarnath has a strangely entrancing placidity about it. Amongst the bestrewn ruins the Dharmekh Stupa till stands, impressive at 128 feet in height, and 93 ft in diameter. Dating from around 200 BC it is held to be precisely the spot where the Buddha delivered his first sermon. Only the foundations remain, but the Dharmarajika Stupa is notable as a rare pre-Ashokan stupa. The rest of this monumental Buddhist structure was, alas, removed in the 18th century to Varanasi to be used as construction material. Relics discovered at the time in the Dharmarajika Stupa were flung with little reverence into the Ganges… The Chaukhandi Stupa, dating back to the fifth century or earlier, commemorates the spot where the Buddha met his first disciples. It was later enhanced by the addition of an octagonal tower of Islamic origin. The derelict ‘Mulagandhakuti Vihara’ marks the place where the Buddha

spent the monsoon in meditation after enlightenment. In the seventh century, a writer described it as 200 feet high and containing 100 niches enshrining a Buddha carving along each wall. A life-sized statue shows the Buddha turning the wheel of Dharma. The modern Mulagandhakuti Vihara, a monastery built in the 1930s by the Sri Lankan Mahabodhi Society, boasts lovely murals. Behind it is the Deer Park. The Ashoka Pillar at Sarnath survived the Turkish invasion but was broken during excavations. The base still stands in its original spot and has some interesting carvings. The splendid lion capital that topped the pillar, which haply survived its 45-foot tumble to the ground, is exhibited at the superb Sarnath Archaeological Museum. It is contended that the fall of the lion capital marked its rise to capital fame, planting it on the Indian flag as the national symbol and making it the national emblem of India. The museum, amongst the few organised museums in these parts, also houses some of the greatest treasures of Indian Buddhist art, including almost 300 images besides a famous and refined Buddha-image of the Buddha in Dharmachakra posture (hand position represents Buddha’s turning of the wheel of Dharma). Buddhist countries like Thailand, Japan, Tibet, Sri Lanka and Myanmar have established temples and monasteries in Sarnath proffering pilgrims and visitors an overview of Buddhist architecture from various cultures. But Sarnath’s own architectural marvels, however desecrated, continue to amaze the unsuspecting beholder.

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Festivals of India

October 1 to 10 Navratri ‘Navratri’, which means ‘nine nights’ in Hindi, is a nine-day festival that honours three female manifestations in the Hindu pantheon – Durga, the Goddess of primal energy, Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth, and Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge. An interesting aspect of this festival is that its celebrations are solely dedicated to showcasing and celebrating the feminine aspect of the universe. The first three days are said to be dedicated to Goddess Durga, the next three to Goddess Lakshmi and the last three days to Goddess Saraswati. Celebrations vary from state to state. In Tamil Nadu in the South, Navratri is marked by the custom of Kolu – a display of dolls ranging from that of deities to scenes from village life. The Mysore Dasara, celebrated in Karnataka, another southern state, is a grand 10-day affair. The city of Mysore has a long tradition of celebrating the Dasara festival and the festivities attract a large audience including foreigners. In the eastern regions, particularly in West Bengal, Durga Puja is a key part of the celebrations. Colourful idols of the goddess slaying the demon Mahishasura add to the gaiety of the occasion. In keeping with the festivities, aarti, a form of

homage, is performed to the beat of the dhak (a drum) while some followers perform a dance called dhunuchi naach. In Gujarat in the western part of the country, the garba raas and dandiya raas play a huge role in the celebrations. Another festival that comes under the banner of Navratri is Dussehra, which is especially popular in the North. Celebrated after the nine days of Navratri, it is supposed to mark the triumph of Lord Rama (an avatar of Lord Vishnu, the Creator of the Universe) over the ten-headed demon ruler Ravana, who had abducted Sita, Rama’s wife. In North India, celebrations are held in the form of parades known as Ram Lila, where the viewer sees passages enacted from the epic Ramayana (which details the life of Lord Rama). A much-awaited part of the celebrations is the burning of giant effigies of Ravana, which involves a significant exhibition of pyrotechnics. The day after Navratri, called Vijaya Dashami, is a time when people begin new ventures or begin their first class in art forms such as music and dance.

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October 2

Gandhi Jayanti On October 2, India observes Gandhi Jayanti – the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Known primarily for his non-violent form of protest, Gandhi is regarded as one of the primary leaders who helped India achieve independence from colonial rule. The honorific ‘Mahatma’ (great soul), first given to him in 1914 in South Africa, is now used worldwide. Reading suggestion: Gandhi the Man by Eknath Easwaran and My Experiments with Truth by M.K. Gandhi.

October 30 Diwali Diwali or Deepavali is one of the biggest festivals in India. All across the country it is celebrated with great pomp and splendour. It is also known as the ‘festival of lights’ because people decorate their houses and shops with diyas (tiny clay lamps that are filled with oil, with a cotton wick inserted and lit). In recent years, tea lights are commonly used. On Diwali, people wear their best clothes, light diyas and place them around the house and offer prayers to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Another common way of celebrating the event is by bursting crackers and fireworks and exchanging gifts.

Photo: Leann Canty, USA

October 1 – 31

Muharram Month

This is the first month of the Islamic calendar and is one of the sacred months. The tenth day is known as ‘the day of grief’ or ‘Ashura’. It is on this day that Muslims mourn the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.

John Parker, former President of Ford India, congratulated Culturama’s Editor-in-Chief, Ranjini Manian in March 2011: ‘Every month I read Culturama and I mean to e-mail you to say hello and tell you how I enjoy catching up with things Indian and how professional it always strikes me.’

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Eyes only . Photo: Paul MARSHALL, UK

Riding an auto . Photo: Sophie FONTANT, France

Picture Story by Team Culturama

Fisherman. Photo: Melissa FREITAS, Brazil

Lights, camera, prizes The Annual Beautiful India Expatriate Photo Competition, to be held this year in November, brings us unique perspectives on Indian culture through the expatriate eyes. Here, we present some photographs that were awarded and commended in the last edition of the competition.

October 2016

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Lord Shiva in B&W. Photo: Michael STROBAND, Germany

Lady saying her morning prayers Photo: Michael STROBAND, Germany

Photowalk in Tirusulam. Photo: Stuart KINKADE, USA

You looking at me? Photo: Shawna DAVIS, USA

Chennai from the sky. Photo: Melissa FREITAS, Brazil

October 2016

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Holistic living by Eknath Easwaran Be firm but gentle We are trying to make our senses faithful servants, not abject slaves. We need to understand them and be firm but gentle: expect a little more from them than they have been used to, but not make unreasonable demands. We need to know when to issue strict orders, when to persuade and negotiate, and when to let them frisk a bit. Develop a taste for nutritious food Just as we have developed a taste for wrong food, so with a little effort we can develop a taste for food that is nutritious. We may not be mad about whole-grain bread or green salads, but by cultivating a taste for food that is healthy and learning to prepare it with a creative flair, we can soon become as enthusiastic about fresh garden vegetables as we are about chocolate éclairs. Don’t snack To train our sense of taste, we need to stop eating mechanically and become aware of what we eat. Eating only at mealtime helps, because we can focus our attention on the food more fully when we sit at the table.

Training the Palate This festive season, twenty tips on training your palate

Eat only when hungry When we misinterpret a sense craving as a hunger signal, we often overload a stomach that is already full. To control such cravings, eat only when hungry and eat temperately. Eat only what you need… Most of us do not need as much food as we may think we do. One of the finer points of the art of eating is to stop just when you are about to ask for another helping: when your hand is outstretched, you should be able to get up and turn your back on the table. …but don’t go to extremes Fasting may not be as easy as feasting, but after a while it

is not too different. Both are extremes. It is not hard to go the extreme way, but what is really difficult is neither to fast nor to feast but to be moderate in everything we do. It requires great artistry and vigilance. Strengthen the will In order to strengthen the will, start early morning when you want a third piece of toast. Just push it away, and you have increased your willpower. From breakfast onwards this goes on, and every time you can say no to the craving of the palate you have added to the will just a little. Plan how to cope with feasts If I know an elaborate meal is on the way, I go lightly

culturama

October 2016

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

nutritious substitute like raisins or fresh fruit. They will probably accept. ...or wait an hour When a sensory desire arises, you might try saying, “Well, if you still want that in an hour, I’ll give it to you.” Very likely the desire will have subsided by that time, since it is the nature of desires to come and go. Use the mantram The mantram can also be a ready ally in training the senses, especially when some negative emotion gets the better of us and we feel obliged to take it out on the refrigerator. When we go out for a brisk walk repeating the mantram, we not only give our body a healthy workout but we also transform negative emotions into their positive counterparts. Meditate sincerely… Meditation, of course, is our most powerful tool for rechanneling our mind, for reconditioning ourselves. Sincere and regular practice can lead to complete transformation of the contents of consciousness. on or even skip the meal that comes before. Then, at the feast, I participate in everything without overdoing it. Eaten too much? Skip the next meal If you do find that you have eaten more than you should at a particular meal – which is likely to happen to most of us occasionally – I have a simple suggestion for restoring the balance: skip the next meal. Instead of going about saying, “Why did I do it? Why did I do it?” and working yourself up to such a state that you head back to the refrigerator, just resolve to sail past the meal coming up. With cravings, try substituting… If you crave candy, for example, you can offer your taste buds some

…and make wise choices during the day But even if we sit for meditation in the morning and then again in the evening, that will not of itself change our eating habits. We have to make wise choices during the day. Help children train their tastes I don’t object to children having sweets within reason now and then, so long as they get plenty of good-tasting, nutritious food at meals and so long as taste is not presented as an end in itself. As far as I can remember, I

October 2016

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enjoyed my food as a child primarily because it was prepared by people I loved deeply. Tastes are learnt, and there is no motivation like love. Make time to eat together Eating together with those we love, eating nutritious food that has been prepared with love – this can nourish our inner needs as well as our bodies. We need to slow down, take the time to prepare nutritious meals and rearrange our schedules so that we can be together. Enjoy others’ enjoyment My mother was an excellent cook. She used to prepare delicacies for me and then sit by my side in the Indian manner while I ate them, and I could never understand why she didn’t feel any desire for them at all. What she enjoyed was my enjoyment. Today, after long years of practice in detachment, I don’t have any palate cravings, which means I can enjoy good food much more than any gourmet. Even when I take teenage friends out for ice cream or chocolate cake, I enjoy it more than they do; my enjoyment is multiplied by theirs, which I literally share. Don’t dwell on food It is not good to dwell on food. After we have taken reasonable care to see that we get the right food, served with love, we should then forget about it and leave it to the

digestive system to do the rest. Skip a meal to control the mind Occasionally, when there is a first-rate conflict – when you see a wave of resentment, anxiety or frustration welling up – it is helpful to skip a meal. When this is done with discrimination, taking particular care that the body is not deprived of its energy, you will find that not only is the mind easier to control but the body benefits too. Live for others and then don’t worry Merely remembering that the body is the house of the Lord should help us to refrain from addictions, get regular exercise, eat good food in moderate quantities, and do everything we can to keep the body at its best. Even here, however, we cannot forget the mind. It too is part of the temple, and if it is not kept calm and kind, no amount of physical care will keep the body free from disease. Take care of yourself, live for others and then do not worry. Your security and resistance will be high. Reprinted with permission from ‘Twenty Tips from Easwaran for Training the Palate’, 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/2015/2015Summer.pdf)

culturama

October 2016

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October 2016

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culturama

October 2016

Learn a yoga pose by Namita Jain

The bridge

Lift your hips and back off the floor into a bridge position. This position strengthens and stretches the torso simultaneously. 1. Lie on your back with your knees bent. 2. Lift your hips and back off the floor like a bridge position. Benefits: Strengths the back, stretches the torso and improves stability.

October 2016

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culturama

October 2016