A ndl SADiwali

Indian Australian Association of SA celebrates the Indian festival of lights in Adelaide!

0n thebanks of the River Torrens, proudly stands Adelaide's iconic Hotel lmerconti11ental, which was the seat of this year's Diwali celebrations hosted by Indian Australian Association of SA (IAASA).

Thevenue truly adds tO the enjoyment of any celebration, and it certainlyproved eight for this event. The luxurious interior of the hotel received an Indian makeover which was an icing on the cake! The entrance of the hall was decorated aptlywith rangoli patterns created with flowers, colourful eartl1en lamps (diyas), and lit candles all around, enhancing tl1e feel of Diwali. The presence of a colourful Gru1esha statue - a true symbol of lndian-ness, witl1 tall floor lamps and many small lighted floor candles turned the entrru1ce into a mini make-shift ternple litwith fragrance, colours and lightsin the true spirit of Diwali.

The Ballroom, with a capacity of 320, was nearlyfull to its brim, and a corridor at the entrance provided a vibrant place for people to meet and greet each otl1er. Many politicians from both sides joined the invited guests to celebrate the true multicultural event that Diwali has become here in Australia.

The "1v1inister for Multiculnrral Affairs

Zoe Bertison represented the Premier of SAJayWetherill, while the Leader of the Opposition Steven Marshall MP, President of the Legislative Council Russell Wortley, Shadow Education Minister David Pisoni, Tung Ngo tVILC, Dana WortleyMP, and = Chairof tl1e South Australian Multiculmral and Ethnic Affairs Commission (SAivlEAC) Grace Porcolesiwere among manydistinguished guests. Many of these non-Indian guests enthusiasticallyjoined tl1e dru1ce floor to Bollywood dance numbers with tl1e rest of the gathering.

Representatives of the Parliament from both parties vied for stage rime to wish tl1e audience a happyDiwali. They were invited co light the floor lamps before being formallyadmitted in the hall bywalking a red carpet while being showered with fragcru1t rose floral petals. This ruixing of Indian culnire and tradition witl1 the western created shades of a multiculniral welcome for the guests. Yotmg girls in traditional attire did a fabulous job of showering tl1e petals.

Tradition was also aptly represented tlirough classical dances such as the opening number of a prayer dance by the Young Stars. This was followed by a classical Bharatnatyam performru1ce danced with great aplomb by Dr Geetha Sadagopalan. The chumping beatwas provided, which the audience clearly enjoyed more,by many modern and fusion BoUywood style dance groups such as FusionBeats, a charming duet of semi-classical performance by Jeswin and Dilrose, an energetic Bollywood number by the young boys of CWalk group, choreographed by Adelaide's renowned dancerNavin Dakshinamurtl1y, and a graceful mix of contemporary style dance set co the melodious, music of A.R. Rahmru1 bythe girls from Mayuri group. Some Bollywood music karaoke performed by SabikaJasmine completed the evening, hitting the right notes. le was a great combination of quality performances which gave tl1e event its class and poise.

Rajni Madan was involved in creating the temple and taking up the job of being the MC of the event. The IAASA Diwali event was created by the enthusiasm of so many multicultmal souls coming together. The positive feedback recejved from the guests confirmed tint we need more shacing of culn1res and creating of common shared platforms; especially when racism and terrorism are crying to raise their ugly heads around the world.

Well done to IAASA President Adi Reddy Yara, the IA.ASA Executive Committee, and the local artists for an outstanding event tl1atnot only entertained guests but also promoted cross-culn1ral awareness and sharing of values and beliefs.

We're waiting for next Diwali already!

Winterofdepression hits Kashmiristudentsasschools remain shut

A bleak fmurestares athundreds of thousands ofyouth,with 27 schools sec ablazeintheKashmir Valley inthepast fewweeksandall educational instirutions shut for fi,7emonths,leaving themwith few options -eitherleave thestate, do homeschooUng,or worse-join ranks ofstone pelrers.

Four months of renewedunrest and violencethat hasresultedin92 deaths,the failureof effectivegovernancein tbestate and thelack ofany central government initiative to resolvethepolitical imbroglio haveleft the commoncitizens of Kashmir in Limbo.

This has panicularly affected [(ashmiri youth,manyofwhomaresaid cohavegone into depressionwith theonsetofwinter that seems tospreada cold blanketon cheir futurehopes.

Thosewho couldafford it havealready movedtheir childrentoJammuor Delhi andgotthem temporai:ily admittedin schools orprivate tuicion centres.

And chosewhocouldn't are Living in despair,suffering the mental trauma caused by thedaily shutdown and violence.

Shazia Ashraf,a Class 12sciencesmdent, likehundreds of thousands of ocher Kashmiri srudents, has notattendedschool in thepastnearly five months. This includes the inicial twoweeks ofsummer,the Eid vacations andthen four months oftutmoil.

Sbazia was early this week hospitalised after a panic attack. Doctors,according to her family, havediagnosed bet:with depression.

Herpare.nts saidshehas beenselfscudyingathomeallthesemonths. Bue remaining confined insideche four walls of thehousestarted taking a collon her physical as well as mental health.

"Sheused to study for 3-4hours dailyinitially.Buewith time, shelost concentration and finally gotdepressed," her mother, wbo didnor wish tobe named, told I.ANS.

"It is but natural for any studenttofeel depressed.Thesituationissuch. Wedonot know whether sbe will ever beabletofocus on smdies again."

Accordingcoofficial estimates,some

1.2million boys andgirls arecurrencly enrolledin classes up to che12th standard. Theexamseasoninthevalley traditionally begins in October forthenew academic session cobeginin late November.

So far,barring DPSin Budgamand Srinagar, noschoolin the Kashmir Valley has been abletoconduceexaminations. The issueof reopening chescboolsbas become politica

Thegovernmentis accusing separatist leaders, whohavebeen spearheading theunrestand daily protests, of risking tbefunueofKashmir'schildren by not allowingschools and colleges coopen.The separatist say informally thatif they exempt schools fromtheirprotest calendar, cl1e governmencwill highlightit asa sign of political normalcy in thevalley.

WaheedParra of theruling Peoples Democratic Parry (PDP) said tbeissue needed robeseenas one thatisabove politics.

"Peoplethink that re-openingschools would be against their agitation.Thishas to be told cothosewhoask cl1em coshut down thatskipping educationwouldonlyleaveus (with a generationof)illiterates,"Parra said. Headmittedthatthegovernmenthad failedroreopeneducational inscicuces. "Definitely,thestatehas lessrolein facilitating theeducation chis timebut allyou haveis buildings andnostudents. Thosewhoare against educationare shutting theschools."

Shahnaz Bashir,an academician and author, SRid theburning ofschools "is connectedtoa certainpolicies"direccly or indireccly.

"I believe thathowsoever resistant and criticalof cl1escare,nowell-meaning studentcanbesornuveas cobelieve that it wouldbe in any resistancemovement's interest coburn academicinstitutions," Bashir said.

But thegovernmentcleacly blames the burning of schools on theseparatists. State chief minister Mehbooba Mufti also blamed chem for putting stones in the hands of .school-going ch.ildren rather than helping tbemgetgoodeducation.

TheUnion Home i'vfinisrer Rajnarh Singh has asked thestate cohelp theschools andtheJammu and Kashmir High Court hasorderedprotection for themand for unmasking the"mysterious enemies of education."

RSsecretariat contradicts ministeron statusof Whistle Blowers Bill

A junior minister andtbeRajya Sabha secreca.riat areatvarianceon the starus of anamendmenctoa billtoprotect whistle blm.vers,a measurethatmanysay dilutes the lawandshould thusbereferred coa select committeeof the Rajya Sabha.

fareply toa questionin Parliament on April 28, 2016, i\'1iniscer ofState (Independent Charge) in thePlv[O,Jitendra Singh,stated that die Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill had been sent toa selectcommittee.

However,in response roan RTI application filedby social activist Anjali Bhardwaj,theRajya SabhaSecretariat scared that chebillis not pending \vicl1any parliamentary committee.

"The WhistleBlowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015,as passed by Lok Sabha,is pendinginthe Rajya Sabha.This bill is not pending with any patliamentary committeeat present," the reply said.

RTI activists haverenewedcalls for a stronglaw toprotect whiscleblowersafter rights campaignerBhupendraVirawas shot deadin Mumbai.last mond1.

TheWhistle Blowers Protection Ace, which was passed by Parliament,received presidential assent on May 9, 2014,buthas notbeen operationalised till date.

The Aceprovides a mechanismto investigatealleged corruptionand misuseof power by publicservants and alsoprotect anyonewhoexposes allegedwrongdotngin government bodies, projectsandoffices.

"Insteadof promulgatingrules ro operationalisethelaw,thegovernmenthas movedanamendmentbi.U in Patliarnent which seeks toseverely dilute cl1eAct," said Bhardwaj,"vhois part of theNational Campaign for People's RighttoInformation (NCPRI).

"Theamendmentwas broughtro the Lok Sabha wicl1outany publicdebateonirs contents. RTI reguesrs seekinginformation on thenature ofamendments weredenied to citizens. The texr of theamendment was only madepubliconMay 11, 2015, once itwas introducedin tl1eLok Sabha,"she

AmemberofIndia'sethnicMarwari communityhelpshissontolighta candleto expresstheirgratitudeto Indianarmysoldiersduringan eventas partofDiwalicelebrationsin Bangalore onTuesday,1Nov,2016.IndianPrime MinisterNarendraModilauncheda publiccampaignurgingpeopleto expresstheirgratitudetosoldiers guardingthe bordersbysending thempersonalisedmessages onthe occasion ofDiwali. Photo: AP pointedout.

Despitedemands fromparliamentarians torefer theamendment bill coa standing committee, die Lok Sabhapassedit on May 13, 2015.

"They arenot only dilutingbut also dilly-dallying wid1 tl1elegislation,which is supposed cobringtransparency in our system.Weargued for morestringent measures. During theUP.A(United ProgressiveAlliance)regime, morestringent measures wereinserted.

"Whenthebill was re-introduced,we foundoutthat many oftl1osemeasures that wereproposed during the UPAregime wereabsent fromthepresent bill. Thar is why weproposed thatitshould besent coa standing commiccee for scrutiny and discussion,"said Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a Congress MP from \'(lest Bengal.

The bill was taken up for discussionin the Rajya Sabha onDecember 7,2015. Severa.IJvfPs moved arnendmencs and demanded that cl1ebill bereferred toa selectcommittee. Thediscussion could nor be concludeddue topaucity of time.

"TheWhistleBlowers Protection (Amendment) Bill ,vasnor referred coa selectcommittee.Infact,wehadsuggested thatit should bereferredtotheselect committee. As of now ithas notbeen sent," saidRajya Sabha memberD.Raja oftl1e Communist Partyof India.

According co RTI activists,Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015,dilutes the original Act by removing safeguards availabletowhiscleblowers fromprosecution under theOfficial Secrets Actand alsoby introducing wide-ranging exemptions.

"Thean1endmentbill states diat no disclosures should contain information which wouldprejudicially affect d1e sovereignty,integrity, securicy,strategic, scientificor economicinterests of tbe state,"said Bhardwaj.

Commonwealth HumanRights Initiative (CHRI) findings show thatsince theRTI Act cameintobeing,at least 56individuals have paid cbeprjcewith theirlives for demanding transparency and accountability in cbegovernment.

Maharashtra cops the Lisewith 10 alleged murders andatleasttwo suicides (12 deaths) foUowed by Gujarat with eight alleged murders and onesuicide (nine deaths),Utear Pradesh with sixalleged murders and onesuicide(sevendeaths).

Maoistsreceive big blow in attemptto regainfoothold

Thekilling of30 Maoists ina series of allegedgun battles with policeinthedense forests on theAndhra Pradesh-Odisha borderlaseweek has dealt the biggestblow tothe extremistmovement in theregionin recentyears.

The jointoperationby Andhra's elireantiMaoistforceGreyhounds andthe Special

AKashmirifarmerpickingsaffron flowersfrom afield inPampore, 25 kilometressouth ofSrinagar,the summercapital. Pampore isfamous foritshighqualitysaffronandKashmir isthe onlyplaceinIndia,and one of thefewplacesintheworld,wherethe world'smostexpensivespicegrows. Thesaffrongrowersclaimthatthis year,theyieldhasbeenlowdueto less rainfall. Photo: AP

Operations Group of OdishaPolice in Malkangiridistrict ofOdishaeljminatedtop cadres, dealinga huge blowtotheeffortsby the Communist Partyof India-!vfaoist (CPIMaoist)coregaina footholdin itserstwhile strongholdAnclhra Pradesh.

The ]Vlaoist outfit lostmanyof itsleaders, includingstatecom.t11jttee members B. Venkatararnna a]jas Ganeshand Krishnaial1 alias Daya.Manyofthe top slain leaders were from Andhra Pradeshand Telangana.

The killedMaoistsalsoincludel\fonna (23),son of Ramakrishna or RK,one of the top Maoist leadersand secretaryof the state committee of CPI-Maoist

Reelingunder the lossof several top leadersover thelast decade,the outfit hadalreadyretreatedfromits former strongholdsinunclivided Andhra Pradesh.

In theresidual state of Andhra Pradesh, theyweremore or lessconfinedtothe Andhra Pradesh-Odisba Border (AOB)area whilejnthe newstate of Telangana,their presencewaslimitedtoareasbordering Chhartisgarh andMaharashtra.

AOB,withits cLifficulc terrain,was consideredthe safest zonefor Maoists. However,the Greyhounds and Oclisha Police not onlyenteredthe cut-off area but alsodealt ahuge blowtothe Maoists.

Byeliminatinga large number ofcadres, the Greyhounds,which isknown forits expertise in fighting Maoists,hasavenged the killing of itsmen inthe same region. Maoistshadgunneddown 38Greyhounds after surroundjng themin Balimela reservoir in 2008. Ir was the single largest blowtothe specially-trainedforce, raisedin 1989.

Andhra Pradesh Police officers say the presence of the Maoisttop brassin Malkangiri for ameetingindicatestheywere planning a strategytoregroupin the region.

Civil libertiesleaders,however, arenot ready tobuythe police theorythat there wasan exchange of fire whenthe Maoists refusedrosurrender,forcingthepolice to retaliate.Theyclaim that police surrounded themeetingvenue,arrested the Maoists andgunnedthem down under a covertand planned operation.

"Thekillingsin one-sided firinge."posed the fascist tendenciesof the Chandrababu Naidu-ledgovernment in Andhra Pradesh," srudcivil ljbertiesleader G. Haragopal.

The CPI-Maoist has alsoclaimed chat a Greyhoundcommandodiedafter accidentaUyfallingintothe water but police usedit tocook up the storyofan exchange of fire.

"Ifit'sreallyan exchange of fire,why wasno Maoist injured,"askedMaoist sympathiser and revolutionarywriter Varavara Rao,whobelievespolicepickedup the Maoistsandkilledthem onebyone. Police,however,haverubbished the claims."These allegationsagainst policea.re notnew. In fact,theyhave been levelfu1g such allegarions for the last severalyears," srud a senior police officerin Andhra Pradesh.

The CPI-Maoist,which claimstobe fightingagainst theexploitation of poor andlandlessfarmers,istrying to regainits footholdinnorthcoastalAndhra Pradesh byexploiting theresentment amonglocal cribals against aproposed bauxitemining project and the construction ofthe Polavaran1multi-putpose irrigation project that would submerge several tribal viUages.

Analysts point out that the CPI-Maoist hadlost groundin recent yearsas they werenot getting fresh recrwts, especiallyin Andhra Pradesh andTelangana.

Thoughmanyofthe topleaders of tbe outfithail frornthetwoTelugu states,it hasnot been able to drawnewrecruitsor geenewarms. Theexpertsattribute this topeople losing faithin the ideologyof violence and benefits ofthe government schemesreachjng themasses.

The apprehensionsin some quarters that the CPI-Maoist willresutfacein Telangana also provedunfoundedasthe outfit had failed toregroup over the last twoyears

The Maoist group wasalmosteliminated from former strongholdsof north Telanganaand Nallamalla forestsin present Andhra Pradesh, followinga seriesof successesbythe police and Greyhoundsin undjvidedAndhra Pradesh.

The CPI-Maoist had emerged as the biggest andmost powerful Maoist outfit in Indiain September 2004 foUowing the merger of then CPI-MLPeople'sWar Group (PWG) with the Maoist Com1mmist Centre (MCC).

Followingthe failure oftalksbetween the Maoist.5andthen Andhra Pradesh government,the state wasrocl{edbya series ofviolent incidentsfoUowed bythe killings of Maoists.

Evolve mechanismfrom within tocurbtripletalaq:Muslim scholars

There shouldbe aninternal mechanism to curb triple talaq,likenamingandshaming themanwhoarbitrarilydjyorceshiswife, Muslim scholarshavesaid,emphasising that the government must scayout ofthe community'spersonal laws.

Theytermedthe government'srakjng up the issueat thistime asanelection girruruck, andpointedout that there were several 1nisconceptio11s about triple talaq, ortalaqe-bidat.

Notwithstanding their dogmatic cLifferences,the Muslim scholars IA S spoketo- from HanafistoAhle Haclith and fromDeobandis to Barelvis andeven Shias - categoricallydecried anyinterference bythe government inmatters "whjcl,are purelyreligious",calling anysuch attempt "unconstimtional".

However,d1eyagreedthat theremust be a mechanism to protect women against the arbitrarybehavioutofmen whoare prone topro110LU1ce calaq "without validreasons".

"Such men must be punished,andthe commurutyshouldevolve amechanism, including boycottingd1em socially. Nobody shouldget hisdaughter married tothat man everagain,"N[au1'lnaAbdul Hameed Naumani ofthe Jamiat Ulema Hind,said.

He said d1at although triple talaq,or pronouncing theequivalent of "I divorce thee" thrke in one sitting,isharaam (prohibitedandsinful)d1e divorce isanyway effected.

AccorcLing to Muslim Personal Law,if a husband utters onlytwotalaqs, hiswife can continue to staywith him,but after the third talaqthe cLivorce comes intoeffect immediately The husbandcan neither stay wid1hiswife nor remarryher until the nikah-e-halalais done.

A njkah-e-halala is one where d1ewoman isrequiredtOmarryanother man (asand when thathappens) andif d1e second husbandcLivorcesher willingly(notLU1der coercion or as an understanding)after consummation ofmarriage,onlythen can the first husbandremarrythe woman.

"Thjscondition wasset as apunishment forthose men whowouldpronounce talaq arbitrarily," Naumani explained.

A Barelvi cleric,Maulana AnsarRaza,too, agreed d1ere shouldbe some checksagainst men cLivorcing theirwiveswid1out legitimate reasons."But triple calaqcannot bewished away.You cannot alter d1e lawof Allah,"he added.

Milli Council General SecretaryManzoor Alam,however,spokein favour of triple talaq. "\Vhat if a man findshjswife in a compromising position with anod1er man, orgetsevidence of her extramal"ital affair?

GeneraUy,apersonwouldbe enragedin sucha situation andmaycake d1eextreme step. So,instead ofkilJjngthewomanor killing oneself, there istheeasywayout of marriage through triple talaq,"Alamargued.

Kamal Farooqui,a vocal Muslin1 and member of d1e All India Muslim Personal LawBoard,saidthat he isnot surprisedat the arendra MocLigovernmenttrying to politicise theissue of talaqin the garb of social reform.

"It ispart of their communal agenda. Theyare tryingtOcreate all sorts of misconceptions," Farooqui said,adding chat clivorce isamost unpleasant wordfor Allah.

Hesuggested that tocurb triplecalaq, concLitionscan be setin thenikahnama,or the contract of nikah. "ln Islam,marriage isa social contract.The womanandher guardianshaveeveryright andLibertyto setthe conclitions of the nikal1 as pertheir convenience,"he said.

Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe SacLiqechoed Farooqui's stand. "In Shia jurisprudence, there isnoconcept of triple talaq.But in sections of Muslim societywhere this practice isprevalent,theulema should sit together and decide what theycan doto curbit,"KalbeSadiq said.

However,he added,there is "no scope for the government'sinterference"in the matter.

Ahle Haclith cleric MaulanaAsghar Ali Salafi, coo,agreedwid1 KalbeSadiq. "Thereisnoconcept of triple talaqin our jurisprudence. But thosepractising it are doing soaccorcLing totheir belief system andtheir interpretation of the Islamic fiqh Gurisprudence).

" obody,including the government, hasanybusinessinterferingwithit, most certainlynotfor votes,"Salafi said.

Muslim scholarsalsorejectedthe contention that triple talaqbe bannedasit isin several Muslimcountries.

"Suppose it is bannedin 22 countries. But there are 52 Muslimcountries,which means .itis stillinpracticein the rnajorityof 11"uslim countries," saidJ\,fanzoor Alam.

"\'ile live in Inclia,not in Saudi or Pakjstan. We are bound by Indian laws,not of anyod1er country,andthe Constitution of Indiaguaranteesus freedom toprofess and practise ourreligion,"Raza said.

Ians

BYAPARNA ANANTHUNI

In conversation with Peter Maddison and Naomi JvWgrom,Bijoy Jain,leading exponentof sustainable and ethical architecture anddesign,anddesigner of Melbourne's third MPavilion,points our that a bundredyearsago,themodem concept of 'architect'didn'texist.

In London,after heleft the US,where in 1990he had received his M.Arch from Washington University in St Louis, USA, andworked forsome time in LosAngdes onthe Getty Centre,he thought more aboutthis.

"I'dremembermakingthis wholeseries of big, thick dockets of drawings.And I remember being at the construction site andwhere Iwasbuilding,they were unable toreadthe drawings."

He nowsees d1e capacitytomake things as "quite visceral";at his award-winning firm Studiol'vhunbai,whichhe founded in Mumbai in 1995,he has carpentersand masons that claimlineages of 10 or 20 generations. He cakes that "with apinch of salt'',but reflects, "that's thesense of continuity thatexists,soit'sintheir DNA orblood."Their knowledge isnot somuch technicalas knowledge "embeddedin stories,and observations thateach of d1em specifical.lyexperienced".

In India,he highlights,more drnn 50% of the built landscape is notcreatedby architects.

"Sothere's a greatsense of sdf-rdiance because there'sanimmediacy,and also d1e technologydoesn't exist,and for thatmatter electricity."

In his work he uses local matet:ials,labour and expertise, anddrawsfromtraditional skills andbuilding techniques.

Naomi Milgrom,f0tinder of JvfPavilion - a uniqueyearlyarchitecturalanddesignproject d1at commissions aleading imernational architect tobuild atemporarypavilion in QueenVictoria Gardens - foundJain's approach d1eright fit for d1eproject. "Particu.larly in d1e collaborativeway thathe does everything,l minkthatre.-illy resonated wid1whatweare doingwiththe JvfPavilion."

She started lvJPa,1ilion,vim support from the City of Melbourne and the State Government after being inspired bythe Serpentine Pavilion in Kensington Gardens, London andwantingto implement the idea in Mdbourne.

"We like tothink of Melbourne as d1e culturalcapital, me fashion capital, the sport capital soI thought therewas a waytomake Melbourne the designand architecture capital of Australia. Because every good ciryneeds ro be differentiated."

What alsodrewher toJain'sworkwas the emotional connectivityhe brought to his ideas about thebuilding,the landscape aroundit,and d1epeople using it. lndeed, the idea behind JvfPavilion is invitation.Each year,from Octoberto Fehruary,it becomes a "cultural meeting place", a space embracing diverse events, performancesandtalks, al.Ifree to the public.

"Myfirst brief toan architect is 'please don't giveme a building,give rnean emotion';thathasalways beenextremely important tome."

Jain's design for the MPavilion is based on the Hindu 111011dapa,a liminal structure that leads to d1e main temple.

''What it doesis serve tocontain somethingthat is sacred the structure is morea containerandashelter [that] enables people tocome and visit andparticipate."

1nhis design,Jain hasalsoincorporated a tazia,a replica of the tomb of Hussein, carried inprocession during the mond1of Muharram (the first month of the Islamic calendar).

A square-and-domestructure,Jain sees it asrepresenting the earth andsky,and thus "something that'suniversal." Inhis design it becomes a ceremonial gateway,an invitation.

Jain has alsodescribedthe site of 1'1Pavilion as a "non-place",reAecting on how it embodiesthe disconnect between d1epresent andthe past.

'0In time,whathas occurredwith dusparticularpieceof land, [isd1at)a displacementthattakesplace economic growth, colonisation, gold rush [al.Ibecome) part of thepark,but alsoin somesense isolated fromthepark. What if one connects back,justphysically,tothat origin?"

In keepingwith d1e idea of origins and universality, the structure of Jain's j\.fPavilion - assembled in Mumbai - uses bamboo.

Rudimentary and tmiversal,affordable and ubiquicous, bambooisused everywhere in India: in enclosures forfestivals, for te.mporary movietheatres,and alsoby the indigenouspeople of the forest fortheir homes.

Jain comparesthe bamboostructure of me Pavilionro rhe bones of me human body: "a skeleton or scaffolding on whichyou d1enenable otherd1ings robe activated."

Thisyear'sMPavilionfeatm-esa400-event programoverthenext4months, with upto300participants.Entryandall programmedeventsatMPavilionaref,-ee. Visitmpavilion.org