India & You - WTM 2015 by Media India

The World’s Window to India

Number 68

Sept-Oct 2015

RATH YATRA God’s Annual Sojourn Dossier

Digital India: A Deep Divide

Destination

A Regal Rendezvous in Patiala

Art

Bagru Printers: Unblocking the Way

www.india-magazine.com

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DIGITAL INDIA A Deep Divide

Editorial Team Abhishek Srivastava Alexandre Classens Mireille-Joséphine Guézennec Venkata Krishna Anil Nair Christine Nayagam Sandeep Silas Manjeet Singh Raju Kane Ramesh Tekwani Shivani Unnikrishnan John West K V Priya

DIGITAL INDIA COMING OF AGE!

Art Director Priyankar Bhargava

Graphics Hitesh Mehta,Vinay Kamboj

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One of the biggest changes in the life of an Indian in the last few years has been the digital revolution which has made life much easier by providing a number of services which earlier were time consuming and tiring as they always involved waiting in long queues at odd hours. Be it getting a train ticket, booking a film show or paying utility bills, all of these and many more tasks can now be done either through your computer or mobile. India’s internet user base grew to 354 million in the first six months, registering a growth of 17 pc over last year, thanks to the the increase in the usage of smart phones that has found its third largest market in India. The figure of 213 internet users through mobile phones is reflective of that. While the growth is giving a push to the ecommerce and social media, the service sector as well is making use of the web platforms for efficiency and ease. Added to this the Digital India programme by Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government, seeks to make governance transparent and the delivery of services ‘on demand’. With such avenues, we present to you a complete dossier on the digitisation of services such as payment platforms, healthcare and land records. While it is registering a rapid growth; illiteracy, language and the inhibition to go beyond their comfort zones among people, are a few roadblocks, specifically in the rural India. Another place where smartphones come handy are while travelling to sort tickets, hotels and places and activities of interests; and photography for fun. The hills of Himalayas, where we take you, will give you numerous opportunities to seek the pleasure of photography. The journey from Nainital to Almora is filled with nature, walks, heritage and pahari (from the mountain) experiences. Added to this, for the appetite of the discerning travellers, an overview of the local ecosystem and the art of the place tapped through NGOs act as the recipe for responsible tourism. From the hills, we take you to another delight of north India – Punjab. From food to culture to heritage to farm, we serve a comprehensive experience to your platter. To fill your appetite for art and fashion at once, we take you to a small village of Rajasthan, Bagru, popular for its block printing to get acquainted with the local artists and show the steep economic divide between them and the middle men or traders. However, the technology and internet again comes to play as the artists now directly link themselves to the clients through these platforms for maximum benefit. While these artists are adapting to sustain themselves, the same cannot be said for the professions that are being affected by the changing lifestyle and technology. Next in the series for dying profession are the ear cleaners who are threatened by the growing awareness among people to visit ENT specialists and the usage of ear buds. In the cinema section we bring to you the good news of Aishwarya’s comeback with the film Jazbaa after she took a break on becoming a mother. With the screening of the trailer at Cannes this year where it was received with an applause, the film that has created a buzz will hit the screen in October. Talking about the buzz, Hunterrr recently did so with its offbeat subject. Directed by the debutant and independent filmmaker, the film was a commercial success. With such diverse content and a few more, we hope you enjoy the issue as much as we did in bringing to you!

C O N TE N T India & You September-October 2015

40 DOSSIER

“Hunterrr” A Delicate Seduction

PHOTO FEATURE

Digital India: A Deep Divide

Rath Yatra: God’s Annual Sojourn

Medical Apps: Towards Digital Healing

40 ART

SPORTS An Auspicious Start

54 SOCIETY

Digitisation of Land Records: A Laidback Approach

Bagru Printers: Unblocking the Way

The Needled Profession

SOCIAL VIBES

DESTINATION

CINEMA

The Whistle Blower of Green Park

A Regal Rendezvous in Patiala

Aishwarya’s Second Inning

Nainital to Almora: A Pahari Journey in the Hills

Yaadhum: In Good Faith

CUISINE Spice it up with Chettinad Chicken

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Digital India

A Deep Divide

There is a concerted effort from the newly elected government to transform India into a digitally empowered knowledge economy by 2019. Underneath the many objectives of this programme is the intent to make access of public services easier for the common man. K V Priya

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

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arti Goel was an ordinary housewife until she realised she had the talent and belief to do something more. Today, she is a successful multi-platform online seller of cushions, cups and laptop skins based in Delhi. Gaurav Goel, a Kolkata-based electronics businessman, managed to crack the digital platform with some expert guidance to take his multi-branch business to greater heights. His turnover has shot up by 100 pc, he claims. There are similar success stories from the corners of India where entrepreneurs have managed to capitalise on the true potential of the digital medium and taken their businesses to new heights. The irony, however, lies in the contradiction that India presents when it comes to delivery of governance and the common manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s access to basic services.

INDIA & YOU September-October 2015

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Under the Digital India programme, 250,000 villages will be connected in the next four years

Be it securing an electricity or gas connection or payment of bills; registering as a voter or getting a ration card or a passport, the framework under which a common man can ‘get things done’ is quite discouraging. Not only is the process long, complicated and cumbersome, initiatives to make the required procedural information available have also been very limited and ineffective. In such absence of transparency and monitoring of the delivery of public services to all citizens, corruption – arguably the biggest social evil to have plagued India – has set in deep and wide. The scenario has led to a sense of disillusionment with the prevailing system that, unfortunately, has existed through generations. Points out Pratyush Sinha, India’s former Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC), the country’s corruption star, “The delivery of public service is critical for any successful form of governance. However, the government-citizen interface has been a problem area. To my mind, the form of this interface also decides the extent of corruption in these procedures. So, the solution to my mind is that the interface needs to be streamlined. This can be done through simplifying structures and cutting down on extent of public contact through optimum use of technology.” Digital India Armed with a vision to correct this anomaly, that newly elected government

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

under Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Digital India campaign, an umbrella programme that seeks “to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy”. Keeping technology central to its objective of enabling change, Digital India envisions digital infrastructure as a utility to every citizen. It seeks to make governance transparent and the delivery of services ‘on demand’. Broadly, the intent is to ensure what the campaign documents term as “the digital empowerment of citizens”. If implemented timely and in the manner promised, it could well make governance not just transparent, but also responsive. Transparency that will come with digitisation will not only help reduce corruption, but also help getting things done quickly and effortlessly. There are crucial, well-meaning and ambitious initiatives envisaged under this programme. For instance, the programme aims to connect 250,000 villages with broadband and phone connectivity, achieve net zero imports and set up 400,000 public internet access points by 2019. Also mentioned under the government’s list of achievables in the coming four years is creating a 17 million-strong trained manpower base for IT, Telecom and Electronics and making India the leader in use of IT in health, education and banking services. The programme also includes projects that aim to ensure that government services are available to citizens

electronically and people get benefit of the latest information and communication technology. The Digital Locker facility under the programme, for instance, will help citizens digitally store important documents like Permanent Account Number card for income tax, passports, examination mark sheets and degree certificates. A total of 700,000 kilometers of optical fibre is to be laid to connect 250,000 villages in three years under the National Optical Fibre Network. Among other measures, the programme hopes to enable broadband highways, boost electronics manufacturing and mark a complete shift to e-governance across all government departments by 2019. “I dream of a digital India where highspeed digital highways unite the nation; 1.2 billion connected Indians drive innovation; technology ensures the citizen-government interface is incorruptible,” Modi said at the inaugural event of the Digital India Week. The government initiative also aims at bringing in large investments in technology manufacturing. Indian companies have already pledged INR 4.5 trillion ($70 billion) with key investors including the Ambani brothers, Tata Group chief Cyrus Mistry and Wipro head Azim Premji. Miles to Go The transformation that this programme promises to bring into the lives of Indians is phenomenal. However, it is not the India’s first attempt to use its IT prowess for the benefit of the common Indian. In

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Some Significant Initiatives by States

State Capital

Services like education need digital attention in the villages

2006, the then Congress party government had approved the launch of the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), which comprised 27 Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) and 10 components. The vision of the then government in implementing this plan was to, “Make all public services accessible to the common man in his locality, through common service delivery outlets and ensure efficiency, transparency and reliability of such services at affordable costs to realise the basic needs of the common man.” Blame the dependence of the delivery hardware on legacy systems of the bureaucratic mindset wherein digitisation was limited to creation of websites, the programme failed to have the desired impact. This was followed by schemes by various state governments over the past years. While some have been successful, others have been unable to have the desired impact. The central government also attempted to make public internet access possible through Common Service Centres which were used for the delivery of e-services. However, larger issues like unavailability of power acted as a dampener. Poor supply of electricity has rendered these centres practically useless in many parts of the country. While the intent of ‘Digital India’ may take off from where earlier attempts by previous governments left it, the push from the Prime Minister does appear to have accorded priority to the programme on a larger level. Nevertheless, the success of

Chhattisgarh E-delivery of citizen services assured under Lok Seva (Citizen Service) Guarantee Act; first state to notify e-governance rules. Urban bodies, urban development authorities, panchayats; rural development, social welfare, public welfare, education, health, police, etc. ministries digitised. Gujarat All 33 Collector offices and 13,000 gram panchayats connected under e-Gram project, State Wide Attention on Grievances by Application of Technology (SWAGAT) for citizens to connect directly with CM, land records are digitised, all ration cards barcoded. Karnataka Mobile One project launched in December 2014 to bundle over 600 government services into one seamless web location accessible over mobile phones Assam Citizens in two districts can apply online for permanent residence certificate, land mutation document, birth/death certificates, driving licence, vehicle registration, etc. West Bengal Overhaul of PDS through computerisation;

digitisation of ration cards, caste certificates in 55 subdivisions issued online Himachal Pradesh Nearly all citizen services online under e-Suvidha project. All proceedings in the Vidhan Sabha and High Court are digital Odisha Land registration, college admissions, monitoring of mineral transportation, applications for 7 basic certificates, driving license and vehicle registrations digitised Jammu & Kashmir Date of birth certificate, voter registration, e-tendering for development projects and execution of employment related schemes are online. Uttar Pradesh Land records are online, e-registration for commercial and other taxes, e-tendering mandatory in the Public Works Department, mining and irrigation, 26 key services online. Maharashtra Working with Microsoft to create digital identity for citizens, merging identities such as driving licences and passports. Aaple Sarkar portal to register grievances against government departments

INDIA & YOU September-October 2015

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ITC’s e-choupal initiative changes the lives of farmers

Hits • There are about 450 Apps that the government has developed for Indiacentric services, the most recent one being the mSeva service for mobile governance • Digitisation has helped access to several complex areas such as land records, education, health and banking • The market for mobile app-based solutions is huge and competition is expected to improve their range and cover • Some of the Apps that have caught the citizens’ attention include MyGov.in, NetaG, IChangeMyCity, MeriAwaaz and UnMuted • Many local politicians too are turning to these Apps to connect with the public and understand their problems better MISSES • Most apps are limited to services meant for cities. Rural population is left out most of the time • Language barrier is major factor that limits the reach of such apps. Lack of focus on regional languages an area of concern • The issue of cyber security is fast emerging as a prominent challenge area for such platforms • Many governance apps are launched but are not updated or monitored for quality.

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

any programme of such magnitude rests upon the infrastructure that is in place to support it. This is where the key challenge lies for India. For starters, the government, through the Digital India programme, intends to have 250,000 villages connected in the next four years. However, broadband connectivity in India is abysmally low even in major metropolises like Delhi or Mumbai. As per latest figures, the total number of broadband-enabled households is a little above 15 mn, which essentially means a penetration rate of 5 per cent of the population. But even the few homes that are connected with broadband have pathetic speeds of connectivity and the service faces frequent outages. India was ranked 115th globally in this area. A Telecom ministry panel said in March this year that it wants the digital push to establish affordable broadband connectivity of 2Mbps to 20Mbps “for all households” by 2017. Though much-needed, there is little that the government has divulged in terms of its delivery mechanism. How will the current penetration be ramped up to all the villages in under four years? Even if lines are laid down, how will service quality be maintained? These are questions that remain unanswered. Pranesh Prakash, Policy Director at the Bangalore-based Centre for Internet and Society points to the Electronic Delivery of Services Bill, 2011, that was drafted by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, and requires public authorities to deliver all public services electronically within a maximum period of eight years. “The bill was meant to go hand in hand with governmental delivery of services but has unfortunately been stuck with the

Parliament Standing Committee. That bill would have been a landmark similar to the Right to Information Act that would have essentially committed the government for time bound delivery of service wherever possible,” he says. The Mobile Delivery India’s story in terms of digital delivery of services is different from its other global counterparts. Unlike developed countries, the adoption of mobile phones in India far exceeds computers, which takes the focus of delivery of services to the mobile platform. According to a report by MAIT, India’s apex body representing IT hardware, training and R&D services, the sale of personal computers saw a decline of 10 per cent during the 2014-15 fiscal. In contrast, the sale of smartphones came in at 69.67 million units registering an increase of 33 per cent over the previous year. “With increase in smartphone sales, more and more users are accessing Internet through mobile devices,” claims a new IAMAI-KPMG report. As per its findings, India has over 350 million internet users as of June 2015 and the number is expected to increase to 500 million internet users by 2017. Notably, this Internet user base will constitute 236 million mobile Internet users by 2016 and 314 million by 2017. It is perhaps for this reason that all major initiatives with regard to making public services accessible to the people have been launched on mobile platforms. “Gramseva: Kisan”, a mobile-based application primarily aimed at helping farmers keep track of the commodity market prices of their farm produce

Dossier

are more absent than present would be a challenge even for a magician!

Digital programmes to impart training at village level is at nascent stage

through data sourced directly from government servers. Similar mobile apps have also been launched by several state governments to ensure that the farmer knows the true worth of his produce and is not short-changed due to lack of information. Apps related to governance, such as the ‘Narendra Modi’ application and MyGov.in have also been launched on the mobile platform. The police have also been quick to jump on to this trend and have launched Android Apps and WhatsApp numbers for better monitoring of law and order. From traffic updates to passport services and weather forecasts – all are available on smartphones. Not surprising then that the government appears to be keen to leverage the popularity of mobile phones to its advantage. Not just the government, even media organisations are betting on delivery of services through mobile in a big way. In fact, the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), the new rating system for television channels, will count digital footprints also. From traditional businesses to start-ups, increasing their digital presence forms a crucial part of their strategy. For sectors like e-commerce, this is absolutely critical as their entire operations depend on the user’s access to the Internet. Banking is another area that has seen a significant push for digital delivery of services. However, mobile connectivity also has its shortcomings. One, it is expensive. More importantly, over 42,000 villages exist without a mobile network – something that will cost the government around INR 160 bn to fix. But a bigger challenge is to ensure

Over the last two years, the mobile telecommunication in India has taken a leap backwards, pushing the quality levels to as low as they were in 2000 mobile delivery to even the current smartphone-equipped consumers. Over the last two years, the mobile telecommunication in India has taken a leap backwards, pushing the service quality levels to perhaps as low as they were in the year 2000. The Indian telecom companies are faced with huge debts, partly due to extremely aggressive pricing and partly due to the $10 bn paid by telecom companies in the auction for fresh spectrum carried out in February 2014. Large debts have made companies scale back investments in the backbone infrastructure – cell towers being a crucial one. This has led to a severe crisis in terms of call drops and difficulty in call connectivity. The situation has become so severe and so embarrassing for the government that it is now talking of punitive action against telecom companies unless the situation improves rapidly. Rolling out Digital India at a time when a voice call drops suddenly and networks

The Road Ahead Besides larger problems, there are specific issues that also need attention. “The problem is that the overall focus of the government has been on the physical infrastructure needed for digitisation, like laying out the fibre optic network at the ground level etc. On the other hand, the technology has leapfrogged many times, leaving us on the back foot as far as services are concerned,” observes Vijay Pratap Singh Aditya, founder of Ekgaon Technologies. Perhaps the biggest issue that needs attention is that the services actually required by the people – financial inclusion, health, education, farming or public services – have remained practically non-existent. What is predominantly available is entertainment, which is hardly of any use to the rural population. Convenience to cater to the urban population dominates the digital space. Service providers often cite the absence of an ecosystem in terms of space, revenue support or IPR as one of the major reasons behind this anomaly. “Most IT entrepreneurs are so disillusioned of the poor IPR and legal system that they do not innovate new services or scale them,” says Vijay. Technology has made critical inroads into our daily lives. Today, technology is not just a tool of convenience but part of our daily grind. At the core of our increasing dependence on technology is the ease that it brings into our lives through digital delivery of services. This understanding, however, is largely limited to the country’s urban areas. Rural India, where the impact needs to be felt the most, is yet to understand and reap the benefits of technology. India is a land of several contradictions and the digital divide between its cities and villages is a prominent one among them. Bridging this divide to ensure that well- meaning services rolled out by the government manage to reach the intended beneficiaries will perhaps be its biggest victory. The extent of the problems in achieving India’s digital ambitions is vast. Nevertheless, the government’s attempt to bridge the digital divide is praiseworthy. The government’s participation will definitely act as a big boost in overcoming the challenges that mass digitisation faces in India. While the intent is right, one only hopes that the roadblocks are dealt with the same efficiency that the government has shown in promoting this campaign so far.

INDIA & YOU September-October 2015

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Towards Digital Healing With the growing use of smartphones, mobile healthcare apps have been gaining momentum, which can benefit patients and doctors as well as hospitals by providing efficient health monitoring at reduced costs and time. Jasleen Kaur

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wo years ago, most patients visiting New Delhi’s Medanta Institute of Digestive & Hepatobiliary Sciences, headed by Dr Randhir Sud, perhaps would have heard about him by word of mouth. Now they are booking appointments after seeing his profile on Practo, a website for healthcare providers. “It was just a matter of time before our industry went online,” Dr Sud says, adding, “People still come through word of mouth but when someone is searching online, it is good to have a profile where you can get reviews and have people talking about you. That is the direction everything is going.” Practo Technologies is among many startups getting private-sector funding to help patients connect to healthcare providers in India. Qikwell, Ziffi.com, Lybrate, HelpingDoc and Healthians all emerged over the last six years, as more people go online. Their aim is to help Indians navigate the country’s troubled health system. India has a chronic shortage of doctors at just 0.6 doctor per 1,000 people in a country of 1.25 billion. As per the PwC estimates, during the last decade roughly 100,000 hospital beds have been added annually. If India continues to maintain this rate, it will still be short of 1.6 million beds by 2034. Abhishek P Singh, Associate Director for Healthcare, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), a consultancy, says healthcare organisations will have to make massive investment for getting the required manpower and infrastructure in place. One such innovative step is taken by Dr Lal PathLabs, which is a chain of diagnostic labs with a network of over 150 labs and over 2,000 centers and catering to over 12 million customers annually. Munender Soperna, Head IT at Dr Lal PathLabs, says, “Dr Lal PathLabs Test Report software programme allows patients to access reports on their mobile devices. It provides wireless and mobile access to reports and using encrypted transfer over the wireless and mobile networks with features such as quick view of the report; offline access of the report through records offline; one click call to customer care; and, secure, encrypted data transfer to the device,” adding, “To enhance the apps and hardware services, we have revenue of INR 100 mn and capital of INR 80 mn.” Apps for managing a variety of healthcare tasks are already available in the market. There are apps for electrocardiogram (ECG), monitoring blood pressure, monitoring

blood glucose, and much else. “The use of healthcare apps has the potential of bringing efficiency in the healthcare system. The apps can lead to reduction in the frequency and cost of the direct interactions between healthcare professionals and the patients. A patient’s vitals can be recorded remotely and shared in real time with healthcare professionals. The patients are able to consult the pharmacists and physicians without having to physically meet them,” states Singh from PwC. Nandita Pahwa, a resident of Janak Puri in west Delhi, who works as a HR manager in a Gurgaon-based consulting firm, says, “Mobile apps for checking medical reports has really made our life easier. Being in the working life, it becomes difficult to go for test once and then for collecting reports, especially when my office is in Gurgaon and I have to see doctor in Gurgaon too.” Recently, Mobydoctor app was launched which provides doctors easy access to patient information, prescriptions, lab reports, clinical information and more. The doctor can register a patient and the patient can access his own records through an automatically generated login pin number. It can also be accessed by lab technicians and pharmacists, creating a digital ecosystem for the transfer and storage of medical information. Not only apps for checking medical reports, but for health issues have become popular among Indians like Healthifyme, which is a weight-loss app. It gives calorie count based on the food intake and tells that how many calories one must should consume and how many have been consumed. Atul Verma, who has been using the app for the last six months, says regular monitoring on 5 UNDER-EXPLORED MEDICAL APPS A recent report of IBEF (India Brand Equity Foundation) on Indian healthcare industry listed five under-explored medical apps, which have been rated above 4 on Google Play based on their performance, yet lack in the number of downloads.

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CREDITHEALTH An online healthcare marketplace that offers end-to-end services, including information on various medical ailments, doctors, hospitals, treatments and their implications and post treatment care. TWEET2HEALTH A healthcare app especially made for patients, where they can see the reviews and ratings of doctors and clinics in their locality, before planning their next medical decision.

the calorie intake has made him cautious and also allowed him to lose five kg so far. Despite the growth of the digital era in healthcare, challenges are too prevalent. A report in a business daily, Economic Times, stated that Indian Medical Association is drawing up a digital code of conduct for doctors to help them maintain the code of ethics as a growing number of portals connect them with patients. While some portals say their goal is to empower patients, the association says many are programmed to divert patients from one doctor to another and some charge a fee from doctors - acts that are unethical and illegal. The outlook The myriad apps in the market, corresponding to a wide array of ailments, leave consumers today spoilt for choice. According to a Health Information Management Systems Society webinar, titled, ‘The new consumer nirvana: Digital Health’, there are 31,000 health and medical related apps in the market today and 142 million expected to be downloaded in 2016. “The mammoth population of the country and the brain drain of doctors to foreign countries like Europe and USA might be the root causes for the current dismal state of affairs. While stringent government norms might delay this process; the solution that can be implemented in the near future is a disruptive innovation called mHealth. This is usually done with the aid of cloud adoption, deploying cloud solutions ensures longer shelf life for electronic health records and easier accessibility of information,” concludes Singh, from PwC.

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MEDICEXPRESS The app helps the user to order the medicines online by uploading the prescription and placing the order.

HEALTHONPHONE An online cloud service where users can upload, manage and analyze their medical records like medical prescriptions, diagnostic reports, daily measurements like Blood sugar and Blood pressure for themselves and their family members. CUROFY A medical networking app exclusively designed for enabling communication between doctors. With Curofy, doctors can easily find other doctors, call them with a single tap, and connect to collaborate on patient cases.

INDIA & YOU September-October 2015

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Digitisation of Land Records

A Laidback Approach While land is one of the biggest assets for Indians, it continues to be marred with ownership disputes, corruption and lack of transparency. Digitisation of records is a possible solution. Shweta Keshri

n 2006, Rajesh Mohan, an Indian resident of Ontario, Canada, filed a complaint against police inaction in the dispute over his property back home in India. The case, reported by an online media, was about a piece of land bought by Mohan in Phullanwalan village of Punjab in 1986 for a dairy business. The business, however, failed and he shut it down to fly back to Ontario, keeping the land vacant. Some locals immediately encroached upon his land and built a building. When Mohan tried to go to the police to file a complaint,

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

it turned out to be futile. It was then that he went to the most senior police officer in the district with his complaint. In the desert state of Rajasthan, Rohit Jain, a farmer, turned to the local patwari (village accountant) for help when two other farmers lay claim over it. Jain, 28, who purchased the land in Udaipur 2010 from a local broker, managed to get his land back. However, he was one of the few lucky ones. More recently, a school coordinator Devendra Singh Negi in Dehradun, Uttarakhand was arrested for forgery

in land. Negi showed his clients land in different parts of the city and took part payments. However, as he did not own these lands, he would prolong the deals for as long as possible only to withdraw and issue fake cheques. In Dehradun alone over 150 such cases of land fraud have been reported in the last four months. Such cases are not new to India. Indian courts continue to be flooded by disputes relating to property and these arise mainly due to the poor state of land records, which are still mainly maintained by hand. Such

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management of records is inefficient, lacks transparency and leads to corruption. To overcome these problems and to better organise land records, in 2008, the government launched National Land Records Modernization Programme (NLRMP). Introduced to minimise the scope of land/property disputes, enhance transparency in the land records maintenance system and facilitate guaranteed conclusive titles to immovable properties; a few of the key components of the NLRMP are computerisation, mutations, digitisation of maps and integration of textual and spatial data and capacity building. “The biggest benefit of bringing land records online is to impart transparency in the land revenue management. Now people do not come to our office for getting record, needed for bank loans, address proof, purchase-sale of land, electricity connection and application for caste certificates. Earlier, if someone needed a copy of these records, it used to take seven to ten days for us to search the records and provide the copy. Now, it is instantaneous,” says Himanshu Gupta, the official incharge of Indraprasth Bhu-Lekh, the agency that is digitising South-West Delhi’s records. The success stories Through project Bhoomi, Karnataka became one of the first few states to digitise the land record by computerising 20 million records of land ownership of 6.7 million farmers in the state. Like other states in India, Karnataka earlier maintained the traditional manual land record system, involving over 9000 patwaris or village accountants until 2001 when Bhoomi was introduced. Bhoomi went beyond computerisation with its integration with registration software, Kaveri, in 2010. To overcome the disputes over land acquisition and updation of Record of Rights (RoR), Bhoomi additionally integrated with Bhooswadeena software in 2011. Several banks have since then integrated Bhoomi on their systems to facilitate farmers who avail farm credit. Bhoomi allows thousands of government officers to work efficiently on the system based on clear-cut roles. One of the keys in the Bhoomi solution is the updation of land records that has built-in workflow automation, which moves transactions from one officer to another electronically and has been developed in

To overcome the problems in land records, the government launched NLRMP in 2008 the local language, Kannada, for the ease of use. It also takes care of security aspects through authentication system instead of traditional password that allows documents such as Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops (RTC) and mutation to be digitally signed. Land record, which comes under the accountability of the state government, is funded by the NLRMP for modernisation and digitisation. E-Dhara (Gujarat), Bhu-Lekh (Uttar Pradesh), Devbhoomi (Uttarakhand), Land Records Management System (Punjab), Gyandoot (Madhya Pradesh) and Comprehensive Modernization of Land Records (Andhra Pradesh) are a few of the state initiatives like Bhoomi. E-Dhara in Gujarat is another example of digitisation. In an effort to go beyond this, the government has made the database of computerised land records available to villages where e- Gram centre is working by the state wide GSWAN (Gujarat State Wide Area Network). Nearly 65 pc villages of total 18,560 villages of the state are covered under this initiative. Impediments at grassroot level With a relatively low literacy rate of about 74 pc, rural India suffers a handicap in using this service. The handicap becomes even more severe as most rural Indians either do not have ready access to the internet or are not at ease with it, even if it is accessible. Hence, for rural India to catch up and use such technology is still a challenge, even though the NLRMP was basically meant to cater to the rural population. Mehboob Modi Patel from Bijapur in Karnataka, for instance, complained, “We spend INR 10 (USD 0.2) as bus fare to reach the town from our villages and pay INR 15 (USD0.3) for an RTC. Sometimes it takes two days because the queue is so long.” Another farmer, Amsidda Irrappa

Karnal pointed that he was illiterate and required help for filling up the application form for RTC. However, there are also cases when people refuse to go beyond their comfort zones. “It is easier to approach the patwari as he has all the records and map of the village and people trust him more. It is much painful to register online and make the other party understand and network is always challenged in these regions,” says Rohit Jain who has a degree in MCA and yet turned to the patwari for his land dispute case. Laggards catch up Not all states have been as proactive as Karnataka and Gujarat. Many had not even begun the implementation of this scheme. But now many seem to be waking up. In May this year, Maharashtra began the digitisation with trial runs in 17 of the 358 blocks in the state. In Chandigarh, according to official figures, around 1,00,000 records of commercial, residential, institutional and religious properties are to be digitised, by a Delhi-based company that has been assigned the task. Marred by delays due to failure in attracting the bidders in the past few years, the project has picked up pace now. Additionally the centre, as part of the NLRMP, asked the revenue authorities of the Telangana to carry out a re-survey of its lands and digitise all records thereafter and sanctioned INR 839 mn for the financial year 2015-16. The state government pitched in INR 1.66 bn of its own. Also, in a first of its kind initiative in the capital, the land records of SouthWest Delhi have been digitised and made available on public domain, enabling the citizens to download digitally signed copies of their land documents from the internet. “In Delhi where roughly 25 pc of the land is still agricultural, it holds a lot of value. We have basically digitised rural villages record of District South-West Delhi,” says Gupta. Recently, North Delhi too has decided to digitise all tax-related records to bring in transparency and help the municipal body in identifying tax defaulters. In addition states such as Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh are taking initiatives to catch up on delayed implementation and bring in transparency to the disorganised land scene in the respective regions. INDIA & YOU September-October 2015

Digital brief

SBI launches mobile wallet app ‘Buddy’ State Bank of India has launched a mobile wallet app, SBI Buddy, in collaboration with Accenture and Mastercard. The service will be available to existing as well as non-SBI customers. “This is one more step in our ambition of becoming the providerof-choice for customers’ everyday needs, both financial and non-financial. Mobile is going to be at the centre of this transformation and this application will help us strengthen our proposition through this medium,” said SBI Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya. The mobile wallet app can be used to send money to new and registered customers, book tickets for movies, flights, hotels as well as for shopping. It also has features like reminders to settle dues, recharge and pay bills instantly. The app is available on Google Play Store, at present, and soon will be launched on Apple App Store.

MobiKwik, StoreKing bring financial inclusion to rural India

MobiKwik, an independent mobile payments network, has partnered with StoreKing that expands MobiKwik’s cash-less and card-less payment management to 10,000 retail stores in 600 small towns and 5,000 villages across the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Goa. This partnership will benefit 10 million rural users, who will now be able to make payments via the MobiKwik mobile wallet in these 10,000 retail stores as well as make payments for online purchases on the StoreKing, an assisted e-commerce platform that partners with a network of Kirana stores located in rural areas to establish a tablet-based wireless internet connected point-of-sale terminal. This partnership aims to bring the convenience and success of e-commerce model to rural India and is significant in enabling financial inclusion. MobiKwik and StoreKing will also provide free Wi-Fi connections at the stores to enable users to download the MobiKwik app on their phone.

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

ICICI Bank launches digital locker ICICI Bank has launched the firstof-its-kind fully automated digital locker, which would be available to customers even on weekends and post banking hours. Named ‘Smart Vault’, the locker is equipped with multi-layer security system, including biometric and PIN authentication and debit cards, among others. Customers can access it without any intervention by the branch staff. “Through the Smart Vault, we bring a very different, much more convenient, state-of-the-art branch experience to the customers,” ICICI Bank MD and CEO Chanda Kochhar said. The ‘Smart Vault’ is an example of ‘Make In India’ programme as it has been designed and manufactured by Indian partners, she said. “The vault uses robotic technology to access the lockers from the safe vault and enables customers to access their lockers at any time of their preference,” the statement issued by ICICI Bank.

A first digital literacy bus in Pune Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) commissioner Kunal Kumar flagged of the city’s first digital literacy bus, in an association with Zensar Foundation and with the support of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) Foundation. The bus, which is equipped with 16 computers, is designed to function as a digital literacy centre and is part of the civic body’s initiative under the National Digital Literacy Mission (NDLM). The bus will have two trainers, internet connectivity, wi-fi facility along with printers and scanners installed. The bus will travel around the city, especially pre-identified slum communities. Registered candidates will be taught topics like how internet works, how to use Skype, Google, browsers and e-mail among others. Later, an online exam will be conducted by NASSCOM and the department of electronics and information technology. Around 1,500 people are expected to benefit in a year from the bus initiative.

Digital brief

MPEDA launches mobile-based apps The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), nodal agency for promotion of marine exports from India, has launched two mobile based applications, which would help farmers get prices on shrimp and capture data on aquaculture through mobile. MPEDA is providing price related market information of Vannamei and Black Tiger shrimp to farmers. The farmers have to give a missed call to a predetermined number and they will get the prices of various grades of these two shrimp varieties in major markets such as Japan, the US and EU through an SMS. The service is free of cost to farmers all over India and would enable them to make an informed decision on harvest of their produce and get better price realisation. The agency has launched an Android-based mobile app called mKrishi, which will enable farmers to get expert guidance on all operations, besides helping with book keeping and weather information.

Blue Bird Logistics launches e2ecargo.com Blue Bird Logistics, a freight forwarding company has launched e-platform “e2ecargo. com” for the exporting community. The initial service offering for the small shipment market is focussed largely on small and medium enterprises. Presently, the platform allows exporters to book their General Cargo air export shipments, to over 40 top global destinations. e2ecargo.com is designed around the users requirement and is simple in terms of access and usage. A standard price requisition, comparison, decision making and booking process, which would normally take between 4 to 6 hours, can now be completed in less than five minutes. It facilitates instant bookings for a maximum weight of 480 kg per shipment and dimensions, as permitted on standard wide body aircrafts. e2ecargo.com will take bookings from Delhi NCR Region initially and will cover cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai by end of year 2016. While launching the e-portal, Sanjay Aiyer, director, Blue Bird Logistics, said “Blue Bird Logistics has taken the first step towards bringing in much needed simplicity and transparency in the freight forwarding business in the country. e2ecargo.com will provide an opportunity for the SME segment to reduce cargo costs by 30-40 per cent and expand their business exponentially. With this we target to capture minimum 10 per cent market share within the next two years.” In addition, for shipments that exceed set booking parameters, e2ecargo.com provides users the option to e-mail a rate request. The offline mode will continue to offer solutions for shipments that cannot be currently booked via e2ecargo.com. This includes dangerous goods, pharmaceuticals, shipments requiring temperature control, odd dimensional shipments as well as complete charter requirements.

Delhi airport launches new flyDEL mobile app

Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has launched a new app named flyDEL that aims to augment the passenger experience and achieve customer delight at the airport. The app, which is available for both Android as well as iOS based devices, covering majority smart phone users in the country, provides real-time flight information and access to all passengers’ facilities available at the airport among others. “The smart and tech savvy travellers as well as first-time users can make the best use of the wide range of facilities available at the airport by using the app,” said DIAL CEO I. Prabhakara Rao. “The app is based on a very specific technology that takes care of the real needs of the various categories of fliers to make their journey a pleasant and hassle-free affair,” he added. The offerings are currently listed under various categories – flights, services, food and beverages, navigation and shopping.

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

DESTINATION

A Regal Rendezvous

in Patiala The heritage walk in Patiala is an amalgamation of tradition and modernity, creating a unique experience for visitors. It encompasses magnificent forts, burnished arms and armours, shimmering chandeliers, European-style palatial buildings and a wide variety of traditional crafts to shop for. Jasleen Kaur

irst it was the thought of being in the state enriched with the most tempting cuisine and second was the extreme hunger, which made the hour-long journey from Rajpura railway station to Patiala really hard. With rumbling tummies, we headed straight to Patiala’s well-known eatery Pammi Purian Wala, famous for its chole puri (chickpeas with an unleavened deepfried Indian bread) accompanied by an exclusive pethe ki sabzi (cooked pumpkin). The eatery, started by brothers Pammi Singh and Parinder Singh in 1983, also serves delicious Punjabi specialities such as samosa (crispy buttery pastry with potato filling) with a filling of paneer (cottage cheese) and peas and desi ghee pinni, a sweet made from flour, sugar and desi ghee (traditional clarified butter). While the puri was being prepared, our guide Sarabjit Singh enriched our knowledge about Patiala, saying “Pati means ‘property’ in Sanskrit and Ala refers to Baba Ala Singh, the founder and first ruling chief of Patiala. In 1763, Baba Ala Singh laid the foundation of the Patiala fort known as Qila Mubarak, around which the present city of Patiala is built.” A historic city resplendent with architectural marvels and cultural heritage of the yore, Patiala is known for its hospitality too and I realised this when the waiter served us with hot

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

puffed puri chole and with a glass of lassi (yogurt-based drink). Heritage walk begins… After the sumptuous breakfast, we started the heritage walk. On the way to Qila Mubarak, Sarabjit Singh informed us, “Patiala is a walled city comprised of nine gates. The first gate is named Darshani and serves as the main entrance of the Qila Mubarak. Other gates are called the Top Khana, Sunami, Lahouri, Samana, Nabha, Safabadi, Sheranwala, and the Sirhindi Gate.” He added that among the nine gates of the city the Shereanwala Gate had special significance since it served as a gateway to the civil secretariat during the erstwhile Patiala State, head office of the State Bank of Patiala, Baradari Garden, Sheesh Mahal, Moti Mahal and other offices. Passing through one of the gates, we reached Qila Mubarak, the royal fort complex from 1764. Spread across 10 acre, it was home to the Royal Family of Patiala till the mid-19th century. A unique blend of Mughal and Rajasthani architecture, the complex comprises the Qila Androon (royal chambers), Ran Baas (guest houses), Darbar Hall (museum), living quarters of queens and several palatial buildings built under western influence like European Guest House. The complex has 10 courtyards along the north-south

axis and each courtyard is unique in size and character. Each set of rooms in the Qila Androon makes a cluster around a courtyard and each bears a specific name. Just as one enters into the Qila, the world outside seems like a facade. The whole gateway is constructed with stucco work. Upper portion of this building was probably used by the king to direct over the functions performed in the court. The ornamental doors, carved Europeanstyle windows and chipping frescoes on the entrance gate’s ceiling elicit many a wide-eyed wonderment. The compound is marked by some cannons on display, and many small European-style buildings. While Quila Androon displays elaborate mirror decorations, the Darbar Hall houses a collection of royal treasures such as a solid silver state carriage and a sword

Destination

The Darbar Hall, museum at Qila Mubarak, houses a collection of royal treasures such as arms and chandeliers

belonging to Persian emperor Nadir Shah who invaded India in 1739. Arms & chandeliers The highlight of this fort is the arms and chandeliers gallery, housed in the Darbar Hall. The Darbar Hall glitters with Belgian chandeliers and mirrors. There is an impressive armory on display and as well as a few vintage cars. It stands atop a mound on the right of Qila Androon Chowk, the open public space between the gateways of Qila Mubarak and Qila Androon. It is difficult to say which of the galleryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collections is more impressive: the weapons or the chandeliers. If a seven-barrel boltaction gun is ingenious, it is difficult to peel your eyes off the two tree-like Bohemian glass chandeliers. The 20 heavy chandeliers hanging from the ceiling can send you into

a frenzy, but the stern royals (both Patiala and British, including King George, Queen Victoria, Queen Alexandra, Maharaja Mohinder Singh, Baba Ala Singh, Maharaja Yadvinder Singh, to name a few) staring down from their wall mounted frames demand decorum. There is a story about how the chandeliers came to Patiala, Singh explained us. Maharaja Mohinder Singh (1852-76) was shopping in Kolkata, where he saw the chandeliers and enquired the price of one. The salesman snubbed him saying ordinary people could not afford them. At this, Mohinder Singh asked him to quote a sum for the entire collection and ship it to Patiala. Walking along the hallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rear wall, you cannot fail to admire the four carved walnut wood doors. Spare a few minutes for the roof as well. It is a false

ceiling, made of coloured wooden tiles. While it is difficult to pick a clear winner from the swords, lances, guns, armour and chandeliers, the silver alloy chariot used by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, grandfather of the present scion (and former Punjab chief minister) Amarinder Singh, is a big hit with all visitors. The four-wheeled carriage was built in Kolkata in 1909 to be used on ceremonial occasions and was drawn by six horses. The city of gardens After having a complete dose of rich heritage, we headed to get the essence of beauty of the numerous gardens of the city. The old Moti Bagh is perhaps the most elegantly laid out garden in the city and it is also the setting of two brilliant palaces, namely Sheesh Mahal and Moti Bagh Palace.

INDIA & YOU September-October 2015

Destination

The Darbar Hall glitters with Belgian chandeliers and mirrors

Suspension bridge at Sheesh Mahal is modelled on Rishikeshâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lakshman Jhula

Entrance to the beautiful Sheesh Mahal

Moti Bagh Palace is a centre of the National Institute of Sports

Sheesh Mahal, built by Maharaja Narinder Singh in 1847, offers an unparalleled experience

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

European guest house in the complex of Qila Mubarak

DESTINATION

Patiala’s well-known eatery Pammi Purian Wala started in 1983

Silver alloy chariot used by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh

Museum at Sheesh Mahal has over 3,000 medals on display

Did you know?

There is an impressive armory on display at the Darbar Hall, Qila Mubarak

Vintage car on display at the Darbar Hall

A Patiala Peg is a quantity that is roughly 120 ml of alcohol in a single peg. As the legend goes, Maharaja of Patiala, Bhupinder Singh who was an avid sportsman once invited the Irish team “The Viceroy’s Pride” for a match of Tent Pegging (a game loosely similar to Polo). The Maharaja’s team had never lost a game of Tent Pegging but he was not sure of winning the match against such a formidable opponent. He invited the Irish team for a lavish dinner a night before the match and in a cunning move the Irish team was served with a large peg of whiskey. As expected, the next morning the Irish team woke up with a bad hangover, it couldn’t concentrate on the game and lost the match against the Maharaja’s team. When the Irish team later went to the Maharaja to complain that they were given very large pegs of whiskey, the Maharaja replied, “Yes, in Patiala, our pegs are larger” and thus was born the “Patiala Peg”. Next time, you drink a Patiala Peg, have one for Maharaja Bhupinder Singh. Cheers!

On the way, we pass Mohindra College, founded by Viceroy Lord Northbrook in 1875 during Maharaja Mohinder Singh’s reign. The college building shows none of the Mughal or Rajasthani influences that dominate Qila Mubarak. It is a Roman building. We entered the Sheesh Mahal, which stands beside its dried up tank. Maharaja Narinder Singh had got this amazing palace built in 1847, at a cost of half a million rupees. Consider some of the palace’s highlights: a large tank that would require some effort to fill up in the dry season, a suspension bridge across the tank, modelled on Rishikesh’s Lakshman Jhula, two large ornamental watchtowers in the tank and cannons. Gardens laid out on the pattern of Lahore’s Shalimar Bagh, with fountains, terraces and water channels. As its name suggests, Sheesh Mahal had galleries decorated entirely with mirrors while other chambers were decorated with paintings in Rajasthani style. Today, however, its claim to fame is its museum of over 3,000 medals and decorations pieced together by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh from different corners of the world. We proceeded to Moti Bagh palace, which has been recently painted and looks as good as new. While I can vouch for its beauty, there is one claim I couldn’t have verified even if I had spent one full day on the premises - that it has 1,000 rooms. Used today as a centre of the National Institute of Sports, the palace does not hold much interest for tourists, but its museum of sports certainly is an attraction. India’s first sprinter, Milkha Singh’s spikes, Gama Pehalwan’s millstone and Maharaja Bhupinder Singh’s silver bat are just some of the curiosities on display here. We end our walk at the royal mausoleum, Shahi Samadhan, which contains the tomb—inlaid with intricate Islamic and Punjabi motifs—of Baba Ala Singh, who defended Patiala against the Mughals, Afghans and Marathas in the 18th century. White marble cenotaphs of other maharajas such as Karam Singh, Narinder Singh and Yadavindra Singh lie nearby. The latest addition is the samadhi of Inder Singh, son of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, who breathed his last in February 2014. A shopping paradise Known for juttis (moccasins), paranda (hair accessory) and phulkari work (a

INDIA & YOU September-October 2015

DESTINATION

Capital Other Cities

(Top, left) The royal mausoleum, Shahi Samadhan; Rest are the options for shopping in Patiala juttis, parandas and phulkari work

tradition of handmade embroidery), shopping in the bazaars of Patiala is a pure delight! The market is a maze of fascinating shops selling local craft. There is a vibrant burst of colours as the local handicrafts, each more colourful than the other catch your eye. Patiala jutti is handcrafted footwear available in myriad colours and named after the places of their origin— Tilla, Lahori, Peshawari and Kasoori. Traditionally, jutti were made of leather with embroidery in real gold and silver. They are now made of rubber soles in contemporary styles and designs. Also, paranda , the beautiful hair adornment, could be spotted in abundance at shops. These colourful silk tassels with added embellishments are customarily worn by Punjabi women on special occasions. Clothes bedecked with Patiala’s phulkari work can be spotted in every second shop.

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

The finest type of phulkari is bagh with such heavy embroidery that the base cloth is no longer visible. “It can easily take a couple of months to hand-embroider a metre of cloth with the bagh stitch,” a shopkeeper says. The work is executed using colours such as pink, blue and yellow in geometric and floral patterns, he adds. With evening fast setting in, we decided to visit Dukh Nivaran Gurdwara, which was brimming with devouts. There was a sarovar (sacred pool) at the back catching the last rays of a setting sun, and shadows of pilgrims taking the parikrama (circumambulation of the pool). While enjoying the beautiful view and hearing scared hymns coming from inside Gurdwara premises, I instinctively began thinking that “If revisiting the past along with treating your senses is your cup of tea, you will truly savour the Patiala Heritage Walk”.

Punjab Ludhiana Patiala

Chandigarh

How to reach Air: The closest airport is at Chandigarh, which is located at a distance of only 56 km from Patiala. Train: Patiala has a railway station, connecting it with all the key destinations in India. Road: Patiala lies off NH1 (Delhi-Amritsar) and is just 250 km from Delhi. There are number of government and private buses running from Delhi to Patiala. One can also drive to Patiala from Chandigarh, via Zirakpur and Rajpura.

Where to stay Places to stay in Patiala ranges from standard hotels to budget hotels and guesthouses.

DESTINATION

Holidaying in the

farms of Punjab To sample the real farm life – whether the traditional one or with the blend of modernity – Punjab has many options to explore, including Gary Farms and Kailash Farm Stays.

magine a getaway in the peace and tranquility of the farm and its surroundings! Waking up to the dawn chorus, birds chirping, amid this enjoying traditional accommodation, local cuisine, involving in local handcraft and more. One can walk along the swaying mustard fields, take a ride on a baggi (horse cart) or a tractor, feed the cattle or simply sit, relax and gulp down fresh buttermilk in the green fields. If you really want to sample this life, head to Punjab, the food basket of India, which is known for its lush green fields and hard working farmers. Punjab is also trying to develop farm stays as part of rural tourism. One such farm stay is at Gary Farms, 28km away from the city in the village Nanoki and it is designated as ‘the best little village in India’. Acting both as a host and a guide to the visitors, the owner of the farm, Abjinder Singh Grewal, dressed in blue turban and carrying a kirpan (sword), introduces traveller to ‘real Punjabi’ hospitality, with fine home-cooked meals, farm activities, and opportunity to experience the rural life. And what adds more grace to this warm hospitality is his seven-year-old son Mehtab, who keeps the guest involved in the world of the Grewals. Involving guests in educational programmes, cultivation of the land, grooming of horses and pottery making, Abjinder has a unique activity at the farm which for sure compels the guest to visit the farm again, is “safari”, i.e., short drives in the neighbourhoods in a jeep driven by Abjinder. There is of course the ride in horse cart. Staying in touch with changing social and food habits, Abjinder has embarked upon organic farming, a practice that is increasingly gaining momentum cross the entire country. While Gary Farms has an authentic rural touch, a two-hour drive will take you to an altogether new farm set up in Hoshiarpur

Pottery making at Gary Farms

Kailash Farm Stays offers an amazing experience with modern amenities

at Kailash Farms, where the guests will be welcomed with fresh flowers from their poly farms by the owners themselves Rohit Puri and Raghav Puri. “It is a family effort, where each and every member of the family has contribution in making the place ‘A home away from home’ – be it room decoration or decorated earthen pots at the entrance gate,” says Shraddha Puri, part of the family. It is a perfect blend of tradition and modernity. The highlight of the stay is the greenhouse where seasonal flowers are in full bloom. An evening to spend near the pool and dining under the night sky coupled with an option to watch your favourite movie outdoors, with a projector,

is truly an amazing experience. Unlike other homestays, Kailash Farm stays are a step ahead to give their guests modern amenities along with offering a natural retreat. The spacious rooms with king sized beds in two cottages and five rooms, have attached toilets and are fully air conditioned and centrally heated with WiFi and a cable TV connection. Your palate will be delighted with the extravagant Punjabi cuisines served along with delicious Chinese and Continental dishes, for those who like a blend of cuisine. The activities include the tractor rides, kids zone, cycle ride, seasonal food plucking, etc., which will surely make the farm stay perfect.

INDIA & YOU September-October 2015

Destination

(Clockwise from left to right) Almora and the misty Himalayan mountains; Kasar Devi temple; Pahari women sing a song of regeneration and pray to Nanda to bless the village with her bounty; George Harrison (the Beatles) visited Kasar Devi Snowfall in Ranikhet; Nainital Lake and a its famous colourful boats.

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

DESTINATION

Nainital to Almora

A Pahari Journey in the Hills Apart from the beauty of the Kumaon region of the Himalayas, it is the pahari people and culture, as they are called in vernacular, that enhance the travel experience. Stanislas Dembinski

n the state of Uttarakhand, the hilly region from Nainital to Almora, offer many pahari (from the mountains) treasures. Pristine walks in the steep forests or around sacred lakes, spiritual halts in millenary temples, breath-taking views on the Himalayas, shopping of cashmere shawls or delicious jams; but the nicest asset is still the pahari people, with their warmth and simplicity. Forget New Delhi and its traffic jams. Go to the hills and the pahar (mountain) region from Nainital to Almora, in the green and wild parts of Uttarakhand. Drive North, play some dancing pahari song in the car, like Almora ki ganga chori (The girl from near the River Ganga in Almora), to start the journey. Once you have escaped the sprawling National Capital Region and its industrial extensions, through Uttar Pradesh, start climbing up the hills after Haldwani. After crossing many peaceful villages, pay first your duties to the sacred lake of Nainital, a fashionable destination, over 300 kilometres North-West of Delhi, a seven to eight hour drive. The volcanic Lake Nani is surrounded by woody hills and plenty of hotels, along its Mall Road. The legend says that the lake is one of the emerald eyes of Sati, wife of Lord Shiva. After a boat tour, have a drink at the Nainital Boat Club or enjoy the quaint charm of the 1897 Palace Belvedere, former summer resort of Raja Balwant Singh of Awagarh in Uttar Pradesh, now turned into a hotel. Admire the ancient engravings and the hunting trophies for tigers and bears. For a walk and a stunning view of the Himalayas and Nanda Devi peak, take the Snow View cable car or you can go for a horse ride till Tiffin Top and trot towards Lands End. A lesser known facet of Nainital are

the markets, scattered around the lake and between the mosque, the gurdwara (temple for Sikh religion) and the church with plenty of nice wooden houses and shopping opportunities (read box on next page). Try the Tibetan market and its delicious chowmein noodles or momos at Sonam Chowmein Corner, a real “Tibetan dhaba (roadside eateries)”. Looking for the fresh river Then, hit the road again. The laces through the forests will lead you to Nathuakhan, around 50 kilometres North West of Nainital, an hour and half journey. You can stay in a nice cottage like Bob’s Place and enjoy the local hospitality. Inquire about the beautiful walks a few kilometres north of the town. One of them takes you down to a wild Nadi (river), ideal for a bath. You must grab the opportunity while there and walk about an hour through terrace hills, small villages and orchards. But there are always pahari to help you: a woman carrying fruits in a beautiful sari, an old man with horses or two little shepherds taking cows or goats down to the river. The hills will also offer you fresh apples, pears or a prune that you can just pick from the ground, or the locals will anyway offer you some. The pahari way is gentle and hospitable, far from “hectic Delhi” (see box on the NGO). On the way to Almora, 35 kilometres North, about an hour and half ride, admire the view and have some famous local sweets, like Bal Mithai. It is a brown chocolate-like fudge, with roasted khoya (dried whole milk) and white sugar balls on top. Unique in India but strangely similar to the Polish fudge Krowka (little cow). Almora is an animated city, with its Lal Bazaar, circled with nice wooden and

carved bow window houses, inherited from the British. Almora used to be the summer residence of the Chand Kings, medival Rajput clan of the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand who ruled between 11th century to the beginning of the 19th century. Visit its Nanda Devi temple, adorned with delicate sculptures. From there, drive eight kilometres North to the peaceful and “hippie tradition” village of Kasar Devi. It has welcomed many famous visitors in quest of a spiritual retreat, such as American poet and Beat Generation icon Allen Ginsberg or musicians Bob Dylan and George Harrison (the Beatles). Have a walk on the crest of the pine forest leading to a peaceful temple nearby. Look afar and think about your next trek in Uttarakhand, further North, closer to the Himalayas this time. How to reach Train: The nearest train station to Nainital is Kathgodam (35km south of Nainital) and then Haldwani, a transport hub. A daily Express train leaves Old Delhi at 4pm, arriving at Haldwani 8h10pm and Kathgodam at 8h40pm. From Nainital, trains go also to Dehra Dun, Moradabad, Lucknow, Gorakhpur or Kolkata. Car: Nainital is 314 km away from Delhi, around 8 hours drive if the traffic is not too much. Then, Almora is 62 kilometres from Nainital, at least two hours time in these mountain roads.

Where to stay Nainital: There are nice hotels around the Mall like Evelyn Hotel.You can also choose the Hotel Snow View Heritage for its unique location and view on the mountains. Or go for the old charm of the Palace Belvedere. Nathuakhan: Choose one of the nice cottages around the town, hidden in orchard hills. Bob’s Place is a good choice, peaceful and with a great service. Almora: Hotel Shikhar, or a category lower, Bansal Hotel.

INDIA & YOU September-October 2015

DESTINATION

Jageshwar, 124 Temples Surrounded by

Spiritual Trees

early 38 kilometres north-east of Almora and at 1,870 metres above the sea level, Jageshwar is home to a cluster of 124 temples, some dating back to the seventh century BC. Welcome to a world of faith and millenary trees. The Jageshwar temple

complex is a marvellous halt on the mountain roads of Uttarakhand. Nearly 38 kilometres north-east of Almora and 1,870 metres above sea level, the temple is surrounded by hills and an old Deodar forest, where a small Himalayan stream peacefully meanders. The temple complex

welcomes thousands of pilgrims all year long, with a peak season during the Jageshwar festival in June. Dwell across the 124 temples. According to the legend, Shiva came to meditate here. It is a fantastic “little town” with a mix of “lingas” and big “Shikaras” (Hindu temples), dedicated to various gods and goddesses; some of it dating back to the seventh century. Some ashtadhatu images, alloy of eight metals, are among the rarest examples of the kind in the Northern part of India. The spiritual experience is as simple as powerful, in the middle of joyful families paying homage to the deities scattered in the little stone edifices, and bringing back home sacred platters full of victuals. All of this under the mutineer scrutiny of a colony of monkeys perched on the temples. They are the real masters of the place, so beware of your bags and food. “Monkey see, monkey do” as is said. A moment of inattention and farewell to your belongings, with these sneaky thief “cousins”. The temples are surrounded by thousandyear-old trees. Some branches remind the shape of deities; locals have been honouring this “cathedral forest” for ages. A few hundred meters down the Temple complex, visit the Archeologic Museum of Jageshwar. Its small but wonderful collection of religious sculptures were taken from the temples, to be kept safely. Among them, the “dancing Ganesh” is a marvel.

The Booming Kumaon

Fair Trade Craft

he popular cashmere shawls and embroidaried decoratives of Kumaon provide livlihood opportunities to the local ecosystem. Kumaon craft of Uttarakhand is famous for its delicacy and its noble materials, such as cashmere and sheep wool. Multicolour shawls and embroideries for decoration are a few popular products of the craft. The name derives from the Kumaon region of the Himalayas. Several cooperative structures have developed a dense network of shops in the area (Nainital, Almora, Sitla). Their products can be bought in venues like Aurobindo Market, in South Delhi. Visit the Panchachuli Women Weavers of Kumaon facility, near Almora. Panchachuli is

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

the name of a Himalayan range in the North East of Uttarakhand, close to Tibet and Nepal borders. These centuries old traditions of spinning and weaving have been revived and perpetuated in this non-profit company established in 1998. The cashmere comes from Kailash Manasarovar region of the Himalayas and is patiently worked by 350 women who have been especially trained. Other retail networks, like Himjoli or

Kilmora, offer clothes, arts and crafts and a range of organic products. Some plum jams are free of preservatives and the honey is a delight. Look out for cosmetic products such as apricot scrub. It is 100 pc natural, you use the waste of the fruit that would be otherwise thrown away. Here lies the beauty of fair trade: you do yourself a treat, at a decent price, and contribute at the same time to the local ecosystem.

DESTINATION

Shiksha Alok: Empowering Women

Through Education

ased in the village of Nathuakhan, in the district of Nainital, Shiksha Alok is an Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) founded in 2013 to empower women through literacy. It also teaches internet and technology tools (the use of internet or softwares such as word or excel). The name is a program in itself: Shiksha means “education” in Hindi and “Alok” enlightenment. The NGO that has taught hundreds of women from the region, aims at helping them develop their autonomy through enabling them to find jobs. Shiksha Alok was set up by Shalini Srivastava and Lieutenant Colonel Kulvinder Brar (Retired). Shalini has worked for 17 years in the Learning & Development field for big international IT companies. With her expertise, she has designed the programs. The NGO

Shalini Srivastava

has also introduced successfully books to school kids in far flung villages. Now the children have started requesting for books they want to read. As for Kulvinder Brar, after 20 years in the Indian Army, he became a ‘Risk Management’ consultant for International NGO’s in conflict zones around the world. He is the

treasurer and chief campaigner of Shiksha Alok. Shalini, a smiling and dynamic lady, welcomes the visitors in her flat packed with books and computers to be used in the nearby classroom, just across the square, in the small town of Nathuakhan. She explains that the region lacks activity, except for the six months devoted to orchards culture, agriculture work and summer tourism. She considers this schooling in the NGO a must to develop jobs nearby. Through trade, craft sold on internet, or tourism, for instance. “The winter season is undervalued”, she says. “We could welcome many more tourists to enjoy the snow and the beautiful white pahar in the cold”. She has plans to develop some accommodation in a true and natural pahari style.

INDIA & YOU September-October 2015

PHOTO FEATURE

RATH YATRA

GODâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ANNUAL SOJOURN In the coastal town of Puri in Orissa that is home to the revered Jagannath temple, the deities are taken in a procession from their abode to their auntâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s abode for a week. Devotees from India and from across the world become a part of this journey, the count this year being 3 million. Text: Shweta Keshri Photos: Arabinda Mohapatra

Photo Feature

Priests performing the ‘Dhadi Pahandi’ ritual when the deities are carried from the temple to their respective chariots

While it is essential for humans to take a break, so it is for the Gods. And the annual Rath Yatra at Puri in the southeastern state of Orissa is reflective of that. Through Rath Yatra, rath meaning chariot and yatra journey, Lord Jagannath, more popular as Lord Krishna, along with his brother Lord Balrama and sister Goddess Subhadra from the Jagannath Temple are taken to their aunt’s home Gundicha, two kilometres away, in a procession.

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

Photo Feature

Artists performing Odisha’s traditional martial art ‘Banati’

Lord Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, considered the supreme God in Hinduism, is often worshipped as Jagannath, jagat meaning world and nath meaning master. It is during his life on earth as Krishna in the age of Dwapara Yuga, roughly 3228 BC, according to the Hindu mythology, that He declared that He would dwell in the seaside abode of Puri where His temple was erected in the 11th century. The temple is among the Char Dham (four sacred abodes), the most significant Hindu pilgrimage circuit in India and the route to salvation.

INDIA & YOU September-October 2015

PHOTO FEATURE

Goat hair at Changthang in Ladakh are used for weaving Pashmina yarn

A human embodiment of Hindu deity Hanuman

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

Photo Feature

Odissi dancers performing in front of the chariots

A woman devotee worshipping the rope of a chariot

INDIA & YOU September-October 2015

PHOTO FEATURE

A child dressed as young Lord Krishna

Photo Feature

Sevayats, who acquire their positions hereditarily to perfom rituals for Lord Jagannath, playing Ghantas or traditional bells

While usually the deities are worshipped within the temple, during Rath Yatra, the three deities of Jagannath Temple are taken to Gundicha Ghar through the roads of Puri in three different decorated wooden chariots that resemble the pyramidal structure of the temple, the highest being that of Lord Jagannath and the lowest Goddess Subhadraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. According to a legend, Lord Jagannath once expressed a desire to visit Gundicha Ghar, believed to be His birthplace, every year for a week. Lakhs of devotees from across India and the world gather to take part in His journey. This year the festival that was celebrated on July 18, the state expected a footfall of 3 million pilgrims. The state police, therefore, deployed 10,000 personnel besides tightening the security in land, air and sea. The procession proceeds amidst the devotees who are eternally enthused to pull the chariot by the ropes, the temple priests, regional artists and performers and the pilgrims. With the step-by-step accompaniment of beating of instruments such as ghantas and kahalis and blowing of konch shells, the Gods move forward only to return to their abode in a similar procession, a week later.

INDIA & YOU September-October 2015

Tourism brief

Kochi to get WTCF membership

Uttarakhand tourism to promote winter pilgrimage

Kochi has the distinction of becoming the first Indian city to be granted membership of Beijing-headquartered World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) Council with Kerala’s Tourism Department accepting the invitation to join its league of leading tourism cities across the world. Kochi mayor Tony Chammany handed over the membership acceptance document to Chinese Ambassador to India Le Yucheng at a function held at Kochi in the presence of Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy, chief secretary Jiji Thomson, Kerala tourism secretary G Kamala Vardhana Rao and tourism director PI Sheik Pareeth.Yucheng said “The two regions need to explore the possibilities for partnerships in culture, sports and tourism as there are many striking similarities between the two cultures, especially the cuisine, martial arts and snake and dragon boat races.”

Uttarakhand tourism department plans to take up promotional activities to attract tourists and pilgrims for the winter char Dham pilgrimage. The tourism department will take up at least four big festivals and fairs and will try to sell the events via its publicity measures across the country and also invite stakeholders like tours and travel agencies and other experts to take part in the events. Tehri fair in November and Mussoorie carnival in December will be held under the aegis of the state tourism department. Mussoorie festival will have some exclusive hill cuisines on display along with clothing items, and other attractions and Tehri festival will have larger dimensions to sell the scenic beauty of lake and the new Tehri Township. Tourism department has planned a winter carnival at snow capped Auli, known for skiing and other adventure sports.

Mumbai Metro Darshan rolls out for tourists

E-tickets for night visit to Taj Mahal soon

The Mumbai Metro Darshan has rolled out for tourists visiting the city. The tourism package will take visitors on a day long tour of Mumbai’s major destinations, primarily South Mumbai, besides organising a self-guided tour of destinations in and around the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro alignment. The combo package is being offered in collaboration with a local tour operator at a nominal price of INR 300 (Euros 4). Visitors can buy the combo package from any of the metro station customer care office, comprising of two coupons with validity of 30 days each.

Tourists visiting the Taj Mahal at night would soon be able to buy tickets online till 1500 hours of the day of their visit, instead of booking in advance. The night view would be allowed between 2030 hours to 0030 hours, with 30 minutes as duration of visit. The night viewing facility is available for five nights, two before and two after the full the moon night. Arrangements were also being made to allow night time visitors’ entry to the 17th century monument through the western gate in the compound. Presently, tourists for night viewing are permitted entry from the eastern gate, which creates problem for the locals, whose movements get restricted.

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

Tourism brief

Six Planet Hollywood restaurants in India

Wi-Fi service to be provided at heritage sites across India

Actor and entrepreneur Sachiin Joshi owned Viiking Ventures, which has the franchise for Planet Hollywood brand in India, is all set to open six Planet Hollywood restaurants in the country. Of the six, three would be launched in all probability by the end of 2016, in Gurgaon, Mumbai and Bengaluru. These are larger format restaurants – not just 5,000-6,000 sq ft, but about 30,000 sq ft area. Currently, the brand Planet Hollywood owns two properties in the country – Planet Hollywood Beach Resort, Goa and Beatle Hotel in Powai, Mumbai. In addition, the company invested INR 900 million in acquiring Goa’s favourite beer brand, King’s Beer, which is now rebranded as Goa Kings. The packaging has been changed, with a redesigned crown and embossed logo.

Archaeological Survey of India has identified 25 Adarsh Monuments (centrally protected monuments), to provide Wi-Fi facility, which would be available free of cost for the first 30 minutes and thereafter it is chargeable on additional usage. Some of the monuments include, Humayun’s Tomb, Qutb Complex, Red Fort in Delhi; Rock-cut Temples in Himachal Pradesh; Leh Palace, Leh, Sun Temple at Martand in Jammu & Kashmir; Ruins at Hampi, Bellary, Group of monuments in Karnataka; Elephanta Caves, Mumbai, Fort at Daultabad in Maharashtra; Monuments at Mandu, temples at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh; Sun Temple, Konark in Odisha; Kumbhalgarh Fort in Rajasthan; Mahabalipuram, Brihadeshwar Temple, Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu; Taj Mahal, Agra, monuments at Fatehpur Sikri, Group of Temples at Jageshwar in Uttarakhand.

Eco-tourism as pilot project in Jaisalmer

Jharkhand drafts film policy to boost tourism

Eco-tourism has begun as a pilot project in areas connected with the Desert National Park in Jaisalmer. Under this, tourists coming to Jaisalmer would not only enjoy camel safaris, but also see the Great Indian Bustard, chinkara, desert fox, desert cat and other rare desert wildlife. Many villages and hamlets of Sam and Khuhadi regions have been identified and 25 to 30 youths from these villages will be trained as camel safari drivers and field guides. The villages and hamlets identified for eco-tourism include Gaje Mata, Neemba, Beeda, Kumar Kotha, Ghuria, Chehaini, Jambhada, Barna, etc. At Gajai Mata sand dunes, nature trail programme is being organised for tourists.

Jharkhand government is drafting a film policy to develop and promote the state as a popular filming destination. With its rich forest cover and popular getaways, the state has been trying to develop itself as a tourism hotspot and now, the government plans to make Jharkhand a filming hotspot by creating infrastructure and attracting filmmakers with tax exemptions. The film city in turn will generate employment for several technicians of the state. Besides infrastructure, the policy will lay emphasis on maintenance of popular shooting locations and provide tax exemptions for filmmakers who come to the state.

INDIA & YOU September-October 2015

ART

Bagru Printers

Building Blocks Like other traditional art forms of India, block-printers of Bagru, too, have been fleeced by middlemen and traders. Through community initiatives, however, the printers are equipping themselves to work on their own terms. Shweta Keshri

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

ART

right printed fabrics spread at the common village ground that once formed a farmland, printing units at nearly every household with pits for dyes, the sight of artists printing with wooden blocks under tin roof in the severe heat of Rajasthan, occasionally resting their eyes and minds, and the wood carvers sitting on the threshold of their workshops piercing their way through the design on the block; this makes for a regular morning at Bagru, a village on Jaipur-Ajmer road in the arid state of Rajasthan where the traditional Bagru block printers reside. Nearly 30 kilometres from Bagru, in the state capital Jaipur, is the factory of Anokhee, a well-known apparel and lifestyle label that uses traditional crafts such as the block printing, primarily from Rajasthan, and boasts of employing the local artists. Spread across a vast area, the factory has definite units for production and quality control. In its air-conditioned environs, it employs nearly 300 workers, predominantly women and outsources work to approximately 2,000 people in its network that include printers, dyers and washer men. Apart from the manual labour, the heavy machines and equipments support the methodical mass production. The enterprise has systematically segregated its work and has quality checks at all stages of fabrication. While Anokhee is an example of enterprise working with the artists and involved in the production, there are numerous retailers and export houses that purchase from the printers to sell at exaggerated costs. An indigo Bagru print cotton stole, for instance, would cost INR 800 in the village itself and nearly INR 2,000 in a store in Jaipur, merely 30 kilometres away, indicating the fat margins made by the middlemen or the traders, leaving the artisans themselves high and dry, even if the demand for their products has been rising across the nation. This is an issue not just with Bagru’s artisans, but indeed a nationwide issue. Some artisans have begun to eliminate the middlemen, connecting directly with the customers for maximising their returns. Tricks of the trade According to the local legend, Bagru printing began at the instance of two royal families at Bagru who invited the artist community called Chhipa from Sawai

Traditional and contemporary motifs are carved on Teak and Indian Rosewood blocks for printing that takes one or two days, depending on the intricacy of the design

Madhopur to Bagru, nearly 400 years ago, to print fabrics exclusively for them. Sanjaria river, in the vicinity, gave the nomadic artist community a motivation to accept the offer and settle down. With the growing interest of the villagers, the art flourished further. The patterns of Bagru also traditionally denoted marital status and caste; gardeners wore cloth patterned with flowers, widows could not wear a dagger pattern and middle-aged women wore marigold patterns. The villagers also engaged in the barter system. Farmers, for instance, exchanged food for Bagru prints. In the early 20th century, demand for block prints dropped with the advent of cheaper, machine-made fabrics. However, Bagru had a revival in the 1960s, with the arrival of western designers as part of the “hippie trail” who began using handblock printed textiles to make modern, fashionable clothing giving Bagru’s artisans

an export market. Viewing its demand in the west, many companies such as Anokhee and Aravali Exports entered the export business for a share of the pie. Anokhee worked with printers in Sanganer, Jaipur and other natural dye centres such as Jahota, Ajrakhpur and Balotra. “The work is spread across various printing villages/towns although our relationship with Bagru is the longest standing,” says Rachel BrackenSingh, creative director, Anokhee. From merely being an export house, the company extended itself to production and retail business in 1984 with its first shop in Jaipur, thus tapping the domestic market, and now has 27 outlets across the country. Sanganer and Bagru, the two distinct styles of block-prints of Rajasthan, adorn garments, bedspreads, curtains and linen among other household decorative items. While Sanganer prints are mostly on the

INDIA & YOU September-October 2015

Art

(Middle left to top right): Artists at Bagru village (Middle right to bottom): Anokhee factory with definite units for production and quality control; reflecting the contrast between the traditional printing units at Bagru village and the factories for methodical mass production equipped with labour and technology

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

Art

white or off-white backgrounds, Bagru that also enjoys the GII (Geographical Indication of India) status applicable for any art form more than 150 years old, are predominantly on red, black or blue backgrounds. Another difference lies in the usage of natural and chemical dyes. The Bagru block print fabrics boast of natural colours even in the modern times. However, the time and the labour that goes into traditional Bagru, often act as limitations in keeping it authentic. “The very traditional motifs done with very small blocks take long to produce and hence have limited supply and tend to be very expensive. Yet demand remains very high,” says Rachel. To meet the rising demand, some artisans were tempted to use synthetic dyes and modern blocks, thus diluting the authenticity of the art. But there remain a section of dedicated printers who follow the traditional ways and take initiatives for the community to preserve the authentic art. “My father would print 35-40 metres of clothes every week to sell at the weekly fairs in Jaipur,” says Bagru artist Vijendra Chhippa, who founded his social enterprise Bagru Textiles in 2007 at Bagru. “I started learning and helping my father with printing when I turned 13 and after he died in 2007, I dedicated myself to the art completely,” says Vijendra. He founded Bagru Textiles, a firm that claims to be based on fair trade, transparency and use of natural and ecofriendly material, and employs 16 fellow artists from the village. Unlike the traders, Vijendra links the artists in his network to the clients directly and pays more than double the amount of standard wage fixed by the government. The blocks of Bagru Traditional prints of Bagru are motifs of flowers, leaves and customary designs, while to keep up with the modern times geometrical patterns and shapes are also imprinted. Predominantly, two kinds of wood is are taken into use while preparing the blocks – Sagwan (teak) and Sheesham (Indian Rosewood), among which Sagwan is the more expensive, soft and durable. Because it is hard, intricate and detailed motifs are carved in Sheesham. Depending on the intricacy of the design, the carvers take one or two days to prepare a block. Additionally, from treating the base cloth with fuller’s earth (multanimitti),

soaking it in turmeric (haldi), to stamping the cloth with patterned blocks of wood using natural dyes of earthy hues, Bagru’s prints are fine examples of eco-friendly textiles and printing practices. Natural colouring agents such as alum, turmeric, pomegranate, dried flowers and indigo are used to add colourful designs and motifs to the fabric. Blue is derived from indigo, green from indigo mixed with pomegranate rinds, red from madder root and yellow from turmeric. These colours rest in the pits at home-based workshops of the artists. Black is derived from worn-out iron horse or camel shoes soaked in water, red comes from gum paste and alum, and maroon is a result of mixing black and red. Nearly 15 master families are expert in printing, from creating colours to the finished product. The wooden blocks filled in mud are stamped on the fabric before dying to prevent the designs to get coloured. Later they are soaked in natural dyes for 10 hours post which they are beaten on a stone to remove impurities. Owing to the dry conditions of Rajasthan and to prevent the wastage of water, the water used in the printing process is recycled and reused until it is no longer usable when it is used for irrigation. The dyes, being natural, do not harm the soil. The primary reason for the settlement of the Chhipa community in Bagru was the river that supported the printing requirements. Ironically, with the drying of the river in 1981, scarcity of water has become one of the key challenges now. “The water here is 110-115 feet below the surface and every year it goes down by one metre,” concerns Vijendra. Under such circumstances, the art may not last beyond the next 10 years, according to him. The conflicts of growth Of the 50,000 people in the village, nearly 5,000 are directly involved in printing while 10,000 are involved in supplying and dyeing. During summers, farmers also turn to printing for livelihood. The printing is the yearlong source of income, with the exception of monsoon that stops the process. While the popularity of the Bagru prints has passed the test of time both in India and overseas and the trade has flourished, the same can’t be said about the artists who work for the traders and exporters.

To add to this, a textile park was inaugurated at Bagru in 2013, consisting of printing units that employ the local artists. That too compromised both the quality and the wages of the artists. “In place of the textile park, we had proposed to build a shilpgram that would have offered exhibition space to the artists independently,” says Vijendra, who was the secretary of the society formed by the community, from 2008 to 2011. Under this capacity, he engaged with the ministry of textile and RUDA (Rural Non-Farm Development Agency) and organised workshops for skill development in the village. “One factory there requires an investment of at least INR 30-40 million, way out of reach for any artist,” he adds. However, Rachel from Anokhee differs, “In my opinion, the park at Bagru is an example of how the craft can be more sustainable – for one, it is an example of water conservation where over 90 pc is recyclable. The park is focused on the longevity of the craft, that it will have a future that includes the ongoing livelihood for local artisans.” “The block printers receive regular, ongoing work using the techniques and dyes that they have identified with for generations. It is important for any craftsperson to feel the security of year round and long-term work. As a company, we have always endeavoured to provide constant employment in this way,” she adds about Anokhee. But this is not reflected in the outlook of the artists themselves. With the hard work being unflattering to the livelihood, artists prefer their next generations to study and drift away from the hardships of the life that it proclaims. “I don’t want my children to continue this for living. However, we are working in the direction of increasing awareness through village tours, workshops and offering fellowship programmes for the continuity of the art,” says Vijendra. While this may not be enough to uplift the circumstances of the artisans, the community’s initiatives to promote the art has worked in their favour as overseas designers and buyers show interest. With the use of technology and internet, some artisans have begun to find buyers afar who send them contemporary motifs and products to design, thus showing a ray of hope.

INDIA & YOU September-October 2015

CINEMA

Aishwaryaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Second Inning After having weathered criticisms on her weight and speculations over her comeback post motherhood, Indian actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan confirmed her return with the film Jazbaa. Jasleen Kaur

CINEMA

(Left) Aishwarya Rai appeared at Cannes Film Festival in 2012 with a ‘fat’ look; (right) Aish stunned everyone in the golden gown in the perfect hour glass figure at Cannes 2014

n a seven-minute trailer of her comeback film Jazbaa , Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan had the audience at Cannes swoon in her glory. Interestingly, director Sanjay Gupta, who accompanied Aishwarya to Cannes, revealed that he didn’t prepare a trailer for Cannes. “I took out one dramatic sequence from the film where Aishwarya kills it. We did the entire post-production of that sequence and took it to Cannes. The real hero of that scene is the Academy Award winner sound designer Resul Pookutty of Slumdog Millionnaire fame. He took that dramatic scene and Aishwarya’s performance to another dimension.” Apparently, a German critic burst into tears when he saw Aishwarya’s acting in the trailer. Gupta said, “American and European critics aren’t used to the heightened emotions that we believe in. Yet when they saw Aishwarya’s scene, they were bowled over. It was reassuring to see how foreigners responded to these Indian emotions.”

Great welcome to comeback The first look of the poster featuring only Aishwarya got thumbs up from the fans not only in India but at the French Riviera as well. The actress, who has been setting fashion statements on the Cannes red carpet for over a decade now as the brand ambassador of cosmetic brand L’Oreal, told the media at Cannes, “I was very happy to see that film has made buzz not only in India but at Cannes as well.” Just few minutes after the launch of the poster, social media was abuzz with positive feedbacks, calling it ‘mind-blowing’, ‘just the beginning’, ‘impressive’ and a lot more. It was also the top trend on Twitter in India as this was being written and was trending worldwide as well. In the poster, Aishwarya looks distressed against the backdrop of a city’s skyline. Word is that Aishwarya will be seen doing reckless stunts in the film that has also been shot in extreme conditions. The journey begins with Jazbaa We saw the former miss world in a Bollywood film five years ago when she

stormed the silver screen with her remarkable performance in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish (2010). The fans take a sigh as they watch the trailer that was launched on August 15; the film is set to release on October 9, 2015. Also starring Irrfan Khan, Shabana Azmi, Anupam Kher and Siddhant Kapoor, the film is womancentric where Aishwarya will be seen playing a lawyer and performing some never-seen-before action sequences. “The scene involved an intense meeting between Ash’s character, a lawyer, and Irrfan who plays a suspended cop. They meet for the first time and a heated exchange follows. The crew was so pleased with the shots that they gave Ash a standing ovation,” a source from the set of the film told Mumbai Mirror. The film is a remake of South Korean crime drama Seven Days (2007). The Bollywood remake is spearheaded by a phenomenal actress/ director team claimed by Aishwarya’s husband and Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, as reported by a daily, “I am very excited to see Aishwarya in Jazbaa .

INDIA & YOU September-October 2015

Cinema

The second inning of Aishwarya seems to be busy as after Jazbaa, the actress has a films lined up with Sujoy Ghosh of Kahaani (2012) fame and Karan Johar

Aishwarya with her daughter Aaradhya

I love Sanjay Gupta as a director and they both make a fantastic team, and it is always wonderful to see her on screen.” Recently, Bollywood actress Preity Zinta was also full of praises for Aishwarya’s comeback in Jazbaa . She tweeted, “Aishwarya is looking absolutely smashing in the teasers of Jazbaa. Who says female actors, after marriage, are no longer in demand? Ash’s getting the best of both the worlds. She’s a great mom and wife, and she’s doing the work that she wants to, on her own terms.” A weighty issue Last year, the news of Aishwariya’s comeback with Jazbaa made headlines. Though fans were happy that the actress was returning to the silver screen, the criticism on her weight too followed. Back in November 16, 2011, she gave birth to her daughter Aaradhya and over a period of time it became noticeable that the actress wasn’t losing her weight

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

that eventually raised eyebrows among the snobs. Aishwarya, however, closed all mouths by saying that she was enjoying motherhood and there was no hurry to get back to the Dhoom 2 (2006) look. She didn’t hide herself and was seen at times, like most normal human beings do after delivering a baby. She didn’t even skip her annual appointment at Cannes. And Cannes is the platform where she was seen on the red carpet last year in golden gown in the perfect shape again, shedding kilos, which made everyone think – was Aishwarya even ‘fat’ in the memory? With this, Aishwariya not only silenced critics but became the pin up girl for women in their 40s battling weight issues. Rumours in abundance Apart from weight, there were numerous rumours and speculations about her comeback plans to Bollywood. Allegedly some said that Aishwarya

doesn’t wish to be paired with anyone other than her real life hero Abhishek Bachchan that was denied by Junior Bachchan himself. Followed by the same, she was rumoured to be paired with Ranbir Kapoor in filmmaker Karan Johar’s film. More recently, the rumours of Aishwarya to pair again with Shah Rukh in Farah Akhtar’s Happy New Year hit the tabloid for the role that was played by Deepika Padukone. And the latest to hit the tabloid was the Aishwarya bagging a part in Tamil filmmaker Mani Ratnam’s next venture. However, all were farce. A source from the film industry stated a news agency, “Contrary to the rumours, Aishwarya is not a part of filmmaker Mani Ratnam‘s yetuntitled Tamil directorial, Mani sir is yet to finalise the heroines.” The surprising aspect about these rumours is the actress neither accepted nor denied these rumours. She almost stayed away from the paparazzi ever since she vacated herself from Madhur Bhandarkar’s Heroine due to her pregnancy. As a dutiful mother, Aishwarya never made a public appearance until almost 10 months after delivering the baby. Next plan The second innings of Aishwarya seems to be busy as after Jazbaa, the actress during Cannes Film Festival, mentioned that she has a films lined up with Sujoy Ghosh of Kahaani (2012) fame and Karan Johar. After receiving a welcoming response from fans and the film fraternity Aishwarya is looking forward to make a stellar comeback with Jazbaa. Now we wait to see the magic she creates with her performance on October 9, when the film hits the silver screen!

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Interview T Suvarna Raju, Chairman and MD, HAL

Private Sector in Defence

PPP Model in Airports

Moving Ahead Aggressively

Shades of Grey

CINEMA

Yaadhum

In Good Faith Yaadhum, a Tamil documentary, makes a scathing commentary on the polarisation of Indian society on communal lines. Importantly, it is one man’s journey in search of his roots and identity. K V Priya

ajoritarianism based on language, religion, caste and ethnicity often raises its ugly head across the globe. Consequently, these issues of sectarian identity determine our mindsets, livelihood, culture and politics. Round the clock media houses often deepen these divisions and keep the wounds simmering for vested interests. It is in such situations that artists, writers and filmmakers show how the society has also fostered bonds of brotherhood. Yaadhum, meaning ‘all’ in Tamil, a documentary produced and directed

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

by noted Chennai based documentary filmmaker Kombai S Anwar, does just that. It is an attempt that manages to open up our closed mindsets and shows us how communities have lived together drawing sustenance and inspirations from each other for centuries. “Documenting the history of Muslims opened my eyes to the misrepresentations that filled the so-called history books. They were simply loaded against the community. I decided to focus on the subject and throw light on the misunderstandings,” says Anwar. This is how he embarked on this 56minute documentary that is a search for the

filmmaker’s own identity as he undertakes a journey in search of the India unknown even to the most well read Indians. Yaadhum has been winning accolades and won the bronze Remi Award in the Cultural/Ethnic category at the 48th Annual World Fest at the Houston Film Festival this year. The film traces the rich heritage shared by Muslims, Christians and Hindus in southern India and underlines the significance of that poetic line from ‘Purananooru’ meaning “The world is mine and all are my kin”, a Sangam-era poem from roughly between third century BC to

Cinema

One of the many interesting things featured in the documentary is how mosques adopted the local architectural traditions

third century AD. Anwar, who began his career as a journalist, photographed pictures for his stories that effectively portrayed the syncretic traditions that have existed in this southern state over the last two millennia. The filmmaker employs an effective story telling technique as the documentary opens with a quote from Koran, the sacred book of Muslims. As a counterpoint, this is followed by an image of Lord Ranganatha - the presiding deity of the streets of Kombai in Theni district of Tamil Nadu, accompanied by traditional temple sounds from the Nadhaswaram and a large drum. Shot in hi-definition, the opening sets the tone of the entire documentary on the co-existence of two major communities in Tamil Nadu. Living and working in the mainstream society, Anwar never felt alienated on account of his religion even when India’s secular fabric was torn to shreds by Hindu ultra nationalists who razed down the medieval era Babri Masjid in 1992 and the

communal riots that followed. The ignition for the film However, it was six years later in 199899 when bomb blasts ripped Coimbatore that prompted Anwar to search for his own identity. “It really shook me. Whether you like it not, people started looking at you as a Muslim,” says Anwar, who started exploring these fault lines of prejudices and putting them into a documentary. There is good reason why the documentary is labelled “A Tamil Muslim’s journey in search of his roots and identity.” For Anwar, the making of the documentary was about how India was culturally diverse and that it needed to be celebrated. “It is a documentary on how we can understand ourselves better. Increasingly, there are attempts to bring everything under one umbrella and monotheise instead of celebrating the rich diversity,” says Anwar, who produced the short film from his personal savings and borrowings from like-minded friends. Produced at the cost of around INR 2

million, Anwar has drawn definite plans to render the documentary in French and German soon. However, Anwar first wants to attempt it in Hindi and other national languages. Clouded by prejudices, the documentary challenges the viewers on many of the popular narratives that stereotype the Muslim community. For instance, the filmmaker educates people how he need not speak Urdu or Hindi despite being a Muslim. “Muslims are not a monolithic community. Muslims are living in different parts of India and are proud of their local language and culture,” he observes. Acknowledging how the Muslim community is under strain due to local and global reasons, Anwar blames two centuries of British colonial rule. Painstaking research undertaken by Anwar is there for us to see as the viewer is taken to different parts of Tamil Nadu strating from Kombai, Anwar’s hometown in Theni district in foothills of Western Ghats, neighbouring Kerala and Goa. The journey is replete with experts and locals who drive the filmmaker’s central thesis. One of the many interesting things featured in the documentary is how mosques adopted the local architectural traditions. While stones and granite were used in Tamil Nadu, in Kerala, one can see typical wooden storied structures. Further, Yaadhum shows how Muslims were the backbone of India’s maritime trade during ancient and medieval times as Hindus were forbidden to cross the seas and how the songs of Seera Aboobacker on the Prophet are rendered in Carnatic music style. With the Indian society getting polarised on communal lines, the documentary ends with Joe D’ Cruz, an award-winning writer from Tamil Nadu, declaring that calling someone a “Muslim” is alien to him and that he is used to addressing them as his paternal uncle or aunt at his native village. As the documentary closes, Anwar observes that he was just half way through the journey and that he plans to embark upon another enlightening journey to explore the Tamil diaspora. “Muslims also travelled farther along the Spice Route - from peninsular India to Southeast Asia. In fact, the Arabs called South India ‘maabar’, meaning ‘transit’. I hope to explore the Muslim connection between India and Southeast Asia next,” says Anwar.

INDIA & YOU September-October 2015

CINEMA

Hunterrr

A Delicate Seduction With the success of the offbeat independent film Hunterrr, debutante filmmaker Harshvardhan Kulkarni once again proves that there is no fixed formula of success. Stanislas Dembinski

ith a modest budget, no stars and an “adult” subject revolving around a serial seducer, “vaasu” in Mumbai slang, “Hunterrr” has been one of the surprise successes of Hindi cinema in 2015. But it is still difficult for a “middle of the road” movie to reach its

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

target, squeezed between art films and blockbusters. It takes a lot of craft and new ideas to succeed. Hunterrr is funny, witty and enjoyable to watch. Directed by Harshavardhan Kulkarni and released in February 2015, it narrates the tribulations of a bachelor who tries to find love and settle down, after having enjoyed a life of “serial dating”. It is

a refreshing angle if you are weary of the same old Bollywood commercial formula, with dances, stars and (still enjoyable) clichés about family and romance. And it is relaxing, at the same time, if you do not want to watch a film too serious or “arty” in its pretentions, but still reflecting the preoccupations of the new Indian urban society. In this respect, it is what some

CINEMA

film critics call a “middle of the road” movie. Neither a big production, nor an “intellectual” cinema; a limited budget independent flick but still aiming for a decent commercial success. In over two hour you follow the adventures of Mandar (Gulshan Devaiah) and how he evolves from a women “hunter” to a subjugated lover, after meeting an independent and modern woman, Tripti (Radhika Apte). His friends are witnesses of this change, submitted to the pressure of social conventions, such as arranged weddings and their inevitable meeting to sort out the right “candidate”. One character is particularly enjoyable: Dilip, the chronicler of the tale, as in a Shakespeare play. He is the “nice guy” with women and the sensible voice that the “hunter” does not want necessarily to listen to. How come such an “adult” independent comedy enjoyed such a success? Making more than INR 120 million at the theatre box office, after only ten days of release, with a budget of just INR 40-50 million. First, Harshavardhan Kulkarni has matured over years before this debut film and polished the screenplay through several versions. He has found a good balance between laugh and acidity, like in the Italian comedies of the 1950’s to 1970’s, which could also be regarded as drama, because their core subject was potentially serious. Then, the theme has echoed the preoccupations of a generation that enjoys more freedom in terms of dating. Finally, Hunterrr benefited a good word of mouth and was shown on many festivals, such as the pan-Indian Jagran Film Festival, in July 2015. You could feel, at the screeing at Delhi Siri Fort Auditorium, the audience connecting and laughing right from the beginning. No magical formula Harshavardhan Kulkarni, a young bearded director, comes from a Mumbai middle class similar to the one depicted in the film, hence a sense of realism. Son of award winning Kannada poet Jeevi Kulkarni, he studied petro-chemical engineering in Pune. But he preferred to pursue his passion and joined the

Harshavardhan Kulkarni, Director of Hunterrr

Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), also in Pune. After 10 years of shooting corporate videos and short films and learning the ropes, he co-wrote the comedy Hasee Toh Phasee (2014) and polished the script of Hunterrr. When you meet him, Kulkarni is jovial and happy about this success but at the same time cautious and modest. “My movie is relatively not too expensive to produce, around INR 40 million. But you have to add at least the same amount or even double this figure to promote and market it,”

he explains. “This is the tricky part. It is hard for this kind of movies to reach their audience. They are not particularly designed for multiplexes and at the same time very much pirated online.” The director faced a small misadventure with a pirated file of Hunterrr still visible on internet. “The girl’s number showing on screen on my hero’s mobile is my number and now I have a lot of “vaasus” (chat up boys in Mumbai slang) calling me”. Now, Kulkarni contemplates new ways to promote independent films. Since you cannot avoid piracy and marketing is very costly, you could for instance imagine going for a single campaign, releasing your film on multiple platforms the same day, he says. The movie could be shown for instance at the same time in theatres, on Video on Demand (VOD) websites or channels, on DVD or Blu Ray, and very quickly even on TV. Some independent filmmakers have tried this way of promotion in the US or in Europe. However, there is no magical formula and the hunt to seduce audience is still going on. Mandar (Gulshan Devaiah) has a handful of conquests (left and right), among them Tripti (Radhika Apte), on the right being his Lady Love.

To watch the trailer go to india-magazine.com

INDIA & YOU September-October 2015

SPORTS

An Auspicious Start 11-year-old Shubham Jaglan may have already won laurels for the country, his real challenge begins when he turns pro. Excelling there will require persistence and humility. K V Priya

here is good reason behind the frenzy that has followed backto-back triumphs by 11-year-old Shubham Jaglan. After all, the son of a milkman from Haryana had won the prestigious IMG Academy Junior World Championships in San Diego (July 11-17, 2015) and topped it with the World Stars of Junior Golf title (July 19-23, 2015) in Las Vegas. The exclusivity of golf – a game considered a privilege of the elite such as bureaucrats, business tycoons and Bollywood stars – had been breached by a commoner! Already a local legend in Israna village in Panipat, Haryana, about 100 kilometres from the national capital, this young prodigy’s success has all trappings of a Bollywood ‘ragsto-riches’ story. “I am in awe of this little guy! What a journey you have in front of you!” Aussie cricketer Dean Jones wrote to the little champion.

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

Introduced to the game by his grandfather Eshwar Singh after Kapur Singh, an NRI businessman, set up a golf academy near Israna in 2008-09, Shubham first tried his hand at the golf as a four-year-old student of Vidya Niketan Academy. Three months later, the academy shut down, leaving the 20 students high and dry. But that did not dent this youngster’s interest in the game. Hailing from a village that is known for wrestling, Shubam picked up inspiration by watching his favourite players such as Spanish pro Steve Ballesteros, world’s number one from the mid-70s to mid-90s who succumbed to brain cancer in 2011; South African golfer Gary Player and US pro Tiger Woods. Shubham would usually turn to abandoned mustard or sugarcane fields in the village to practice his shots. His practice sessions had several onlookers, including buffaloes. Playing a caddy for his son, Jagpal, a humble milkman who owned a few buffaloes,

did farming, sold vegetables at markets in Delhi and Shimla and lived in a joint family. Married to Himachali girl Anjana in 2001, the couple was blessed with a boy three years later. They named him ‘Shubham’, meaning “auspicious” in Sanskrit. Shubham’s actual foray into the world of golfing was a matter of chance when Jagpal happened to contact Arjuna Award winner and Asian Games Gold Medallist Amit Luthra, Founder-CEO of the Golf Foundation in Delhi. To everyone’s surprise, they were soon visited by the professional golf instructor to assess Shubham’s skills. Another Arjuna Award winner Nonita Lall Qureshi from Chandigarh accompanied Luthra. Impressed by his swing, Nonita and Luthra decided to hone his skills. What followed has been history in the making. Supported by the Foundation, Jagpal soon sold his belongings and buffaloes and moved to Delhi where Shubham got free access to the Delhi Golf Club to practice his game and

SPORTS

a sponsorship to drive his merit. Shubham’s story, however, is not that of overcoming his early struggle, or that of his family. It is also about the help that he has received in recognition to his talent. As far as the little champion goes, his stardom has no shortcuts. His daily schedule involves waking up early at 5 am and exercising at home to stay fit. Post school, he heads straight for Delhi Golf Club at around 2.30 pm where he plays till it gets dark. The young master, who wants to break Tiger Woods’ career records, has already set sights on the next tournament – the US Kids Golf Championship at Pinehurst. However, he misses being with his friends and playing with them. “I miss them. Yeah, I play golf. It is serious business. It is not like being with friends,” he confesses in an American twang, which, claims Luthra, he picked up to perfection during his two-month tour of US and Scotland. Shubham is provided books, uniforms, special English counselling, personality development lessons and evening classes to accommodate his playing schedule by Lakshman Public School where he is enrolled. Remarkably, Shubham scored about 90 per cent in his annual examinations. “The major difference is that Shubham was at a very young age when we picked him up,” observes Luthra, the man behind The Golf Foundation and has a knack of spotting talent early. He has identified 35 kids across the country. His foundation has also groomed Ashok Kumar and numerous others. “I believe he could be the reincarnation of Steve Ballesteros he likes so much,” says Luthra, under whose gaze Shubham is being honed to be a pro. Both Nonita and Luthra are not just helping the lad with funds and coaching, they have also taken upon themselves to teach Shubham and his family to stay grounded and to develop a positive attitude towards life as well. Besides honing his skills on the golf course, Shubham acknowledges that “Nonita Ma’am often tells him to stay calm” when the game is not going his way. Important to be grounded For a nation that eats, drinks and thinks cricket – where achievements in other sports are hard to come by – the limelight that succeses such as those of Shubham often shoot to limelight. No wonder then that Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi wanted to make a biopic on Shubham Jaglan,

Shubham with his coach Amit Luthra, who is FounderCEO of the Golf Foundation in Delhi

while others wanted to send him to US for schooling. It is Luthra who had to put his foot down on these proposals. “Schooling in India is good. The youngster can be with his family. He will also be firmly rooted to India,” he told his friends. Luthra has some important lessons for the young lad who could easily get carried away by the limelight he is receiving at such an

early age. There is a long way to go, believes the Asian Games Gold medalist. “Okay, he has won the world championship. But it is nothing. It is not even the start. Of course he will make a few crores, but I don’t want to kill the goose that lays golden eggs,” he says. For Luthra, it is important that Shubham realises his true potential and lives up to it when he plays for India at amateur competitions. “As of now it is all class tests. All these winnings should be treated as mere holiday homework,” warns Luthra. Luthra, who has captained India for two decades, won a Gold at the Asiad ‘82 and played top players such as Sergio Garcie, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, has a point. Ashok Kumar, whom he groomed like Shubham, got married at the age of 16 on his brother’s advice and is now embroiled in unnecessary controversies. To keep the little master and his family grounded to reality, Luthra got Shubham to play with golf legend Gary Player thrice. The player, who has a similar underprivileged background like Shubam, did some plain speak with Luthra and Shubam’s family. “There are a million kids playing at this stage. In my view, he is the best. But his chances of making it the top are 500:1. If there are 500 Shubams, only one will make it,” he said. So, Shubham’s real competition begins when he turns 18 and gets his first go as a pro. There, he will face competition from anybody between 18 to 60 - the Tiger Woods of the world. “It is then that his life and accomplishment as a golfer will begin,” reveals Luthra.

Grit and Glory

There are not many stories in India’s sporting scenario that offer too much of an inspiration. In fact, most of them dominating the Indian space are those of deprivation, neglect and disdain. It is in this context that Shubham’s story comes across as a whiff of fresh air. Not that there aren’t any examples of legendary Indian sportspersons who have come from disadvantaged backgrounds and yet made it to the top. Milkha Singh, P T Usha, Mary Kom, Limba Ram and Sushil Kumar are some of the biggest inspirations. However, it is the other side that reveals how India has treated its sporting heroes and continues to do so. Sita Sahu, athlete: Two-time bronze medal winner in the Athens Special Olympics in 2011, the 15-year old Olympian from Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh has been forced to work at a shop owing to financial troubles. Mohd Yousuf Khan, footballer: Arjuna

Awardee and part of the team that won India its maiden Gold in Soccer in 1962, he was known as ‘The Bearded Horse’. Today he supports his family with a pension of INR 4,500. Makhan Singh, athelete: An Arjuna awardee, he won a gold and silver at the Asian Games in 1962 and beat Milkha Singh in 1964 in Calcutta. After losing his leg in an accident, he chased politicians for a gas agency outlet without success. Nisha Rani Dutt, archer: The 21-year old from Jharkhand won best archer in Taiwan, participated in the Asian Grand Prix and bagged another silver at the South Asian Championship held at Jamshedpur in 2008. Had to quit the game to make ends meet for her family. Gopal Bhengra, hockey player: Played for his army unit before representing India in the 1978 World Cup, Argentina. Survived with his pension of INR 1,475 and crushes stones to make ends meet.

INDIA & YOU September-October 2015

SOCIETY

A Needled Profession While the ear buds have taken over their profession, the traditional ear-cleaners can be scantily found on the sidewalks of cities across India. Shweta Keshri

n the scorching heat of Delhi, 55-yearold Nassir Hussain waits for costumers at a sidewalk in Chandni Chowk area. Occupying a small space, Hussain sits prepared with his simple tools – a sharp steel needle, wad of cotton and a pair of pincers to remove lose wax, apart from tiny bottles of hydrogen composition and oil. Hussain is an ear cleaner, a fading profession in India. Practicing for nearly 40 years since he was 14, Hussain shifted to the capital form Moradabad, a small town in Uttar Pradesh, looking for work. Starting his day as early as 9 in the morning, Hussain roams in the busy and congested lanes of Chandni Chowk, looking for clients. While it was much easier 20 years ago to provide a service, he only gets a handful of them now, as people are wary. “People are scared of getting infection and prefer to use ear buds,” says Hussain. On a good day at work, he gets 15 customers and earns INR 300-400.

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

He wraps the steel needle with cotton wool before sliding it down the customer’s ear. After soaking the wax, he gently removes the needle to pick out the stray wax or cotton through pincers. “I normally charge INR 20 per service, but INR 50-60 if they want the oil too,” reveals Hussain. Another ear cleaner Rahul, 22, who caters for upmarket customers of Connaught Place, comes from a family practicing this for generations. Rahul, whose family shifted from Rajasthan to capital two generations ago, took up the profession when he was 12. “I learnt it from my grandfather, who learnt from his,” he says with pride. Although, given a chance, he would leave it for a job; he refrains because this the traditional occupation passed on to him by his family. However, he doesn’t want his children to carry on, “I want them to have good education and find respectable jobs,” says the father of three. While the profession is believed to have

sustained since the time of the Mughals in India, it is undergoing a testing time. “The situation has changed immensely over the past 10 years when the customers were more,” says Rahul who receives elderly clients more over the young generation. Medically, although the ear-cleaners provide instant relief through removing wax, there is a probability of Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media (CSOM), an inflammatory condition of the ear that causes recurrent ear discharge, according to general physician Dr S K Aggarwal, based in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. “With the growing awareness, people are approaching ENT specialists than the ear cleaners,” he says. However, the high consultation fees and services of medical clinics may have kept alive the ear cleaners who charge merely INR 20-30 for their services at small corners. Nevertheless, do they think their profession is dying? “Yes, people trust the ear-buds now,” says Hussain.

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SOCIAL VIBES

The Whistle Blower of

Green Park

Rajesh Mittal left behind a prosperous career in the real estate to devote his life to save animals. This Good Samaritan of the Green Park area, in South Delhi, believes God is in every living soul. Stanislas Dembinski

e must protect animals, dogs, birds, rats and cats...It is very important because God is with everyone, God is in everyone. God is everywhere. Our own personality is fictitious. The real personality is one.” Such is the credo of Rajesh Mittal, a real Good Samaritan for animals in the wealthy neighbourhood of Green Park, in South Delhi. Every morning, a few streets behind the busy shops of Green Park Main Market, you can bump into this slim and smiling bearded man carrying buckets. They are filled with food that he prepares himself to feed hundreds of dogs, cats, birds or even rats… living around his home near Deer Park. Rajesh Mittal, the animal saviour Now 58, Rajesh gave up his lucrative property business in 1999, to devote himself living soul, humans or animals, but also in nature and in the buildings dedicated to God to this cause, after his father died of a long and religious teachings. He also insists on illness. “I earned a lot of money from real estate business through my consultancy”, he protecting the heritage buildings such as the recalls. “I did legal work also. I am an expert Mughal tombs and the mosques that grace the vicinity with their mysterious presence. in legal work. After that, somebody advised me: ‘Why do you work for money. You have They date back to the Lodi Era (15th and 16th centuries) of the Mughal Empire and these enough money for yourself and your family, ruins provide their benevolent shelter and there is no point in making money and silence to animals. keeping it.” Rajesh adds with a smile: “So I started The dog charmer thinking on these lines, working for others Deer Park is also famous for its deers, and using the money I received, giving it living in a special enclosure, for the pleasure back in several fields, like plantations of of children and locals, just a few hundred trees in and around Delhi, for instance yards away from the animation of Hauz Khas mangoes or imli (Tamarind). After that, I Village with its profusion of cafes and trendy started installing drinking water coolers. boutiques. There are some dense areas in the Whenever I started accumulating some Deer Park, rich in biodiversity in terms of money, I used to purchase a cooler and plants and trees. install; temple, mosque or a gurdwara (temple of Sikhs).” Rajesh Mittal walks around these forest like Rajesh is opened to all religions and areas, blowing his little whistle, as if he had a believes that God is not only in every magical flute, like in the famous Pied Pieper of “

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

Hamelin tale, attracting street dogs from the neighbourhood. These dogs, multicolour and cautiously timid, are not as skinny as elsewhere in Delhi. Rajesh checks on their health and provides them vaccines. Their tails dance with delight when they smell the food he prepares especially for them. It takes him several hours in the morning to cook in his own kitchen rice, mixed with meat and very few - high end dog food. Rajesh’s house, a two storey building in a quiet and residential street near Deer Park, is spacious but filled with food storage, shelters for animals and practical tools. The master has indulged himself only with a bed, a TV, a table and a small living room with family photos and patrons on the wall, such as Lord Ganesh. Rajesh doesn’t mind if some vicinity people called him “crazy”, even if they have become used to his ways now. He is happy with this life dedicated to others, touring the neighbourhood every day, greeting his friends, from the intellectual figure and the businessman, to the tea wallah and the employees of a very old street Dhaba. “We don’t own this land. We cannot manufacture even a particle. We cannot even manufacture this,” says Rajesh touching his arms. “How can we say ‘I have two children.’ It is all God gifted.” “This is made of mud”, repeats Rajesh three times, touching consecutively his heart, his ear and his eyes. “But life is something else, it is inside it. It is hidden. It is not visible from these eyes. You can feel it.” After that, he says goodbye, walks towards the woods and disappears. You can only hear the sound of his whistle and some dogs barking. To watch the video, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE3xvHAglhjCYewk h7GKtmA?app=desktop

CUISINE

Smoking Chettinad Chicken A classic Indian recipe from the Chettinad region, the Chettinad chicken curry is an easy to prepare and mouth-watering delicacy that leaves you fresh with its flavour. K V Priya

ocated in the Sivaganga district in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, the Chettinad region comprises of two principal towns of Karaikudi and Devakottai and 75 villages that is home to the ‘Chettiars’, a mercantile community engaged in maritime trade with South and Southeast Asia for centuries. While the region’s local architecture consequently took the form of palatial mansions and the temples were embellished

with decorations imported from Europe, the South Asia influenced the gastronomy. While the cuisine has been serving the people of South India with delicious food, Smokey Chettinad became the first restaurant to bring this gastronomy delight mercifully to Delhi’s plate. Though there are more than a hundred lip-smacking Chettinad cuisines, the chicken curry definitely tops the popularity list. Here is their recipe of the Chettinad chicken curry.

COOKING METHODOLOGY: 1. 1

2. 2

3 3. 4 4. 5 5.

Roast all the ingredients - Cinnamon, Cloves, Kalpasi or sea moss, Poppy seeds, Cumin, Fennel, Pepper Corn, grated coconut and Curry leaves - in two and a half tea spoons of oil for ten minutes. Add chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger paste and garlic paste to the roast and cook for five to seven minutes. Add 50 to 75 ml water to it and cook with lid on for 20-25 minutes on a medium flame. Leave it to cool. Grind the mixture into fine paste. Fill the paste in a cooker and add water till it turns into thick gravy. Add chicken and pressure cook till about two whistles. Spicy, but not oily, your delicious Chettinad Chicken Curry is ready to be served. Easy to cook and great to eat, this Southern delicacy is a culinary experience that wafts your home with a spicy aroma. Bon appétit!

Recipe for Chettinad Chicken Curry for ten people INGREDIENTS Cinnamon Cloves Kalpasi or sea moss Poppy seeds Cumin Fennel Pepper Corn Coconut Curry leaves

: 1½ Inches : 1 tea spoon : : : : : : :

5 gram 2 ½ TSP 2 ½ TSP 2 ½ TSP 2 TSP ½ nut 20 gram

Onions Tomatoes Ginger paste Garlic paste Chilli Powder Salt Coriander powder Turmeric powder Chicken

: : : : : :

400 grams 400 grams 1 ½ TSP 2 TSP ¾ TSP To taste

: 1 ½ TSP : ¾ TSP : 1 ½ Kg to 1¾ Kg

Art & Culture brief

Heritage structures in Srinagar have potential for hospitality Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) in J&K has been making concerted efforts to enable 143 Grade I heritage structures in Srinagar to be converted into heritage hotels or restaurants, to enhance tourism in the state. Out of these, 40 properties are along the river front. Some of the properties are ideal for boutique hotels, and can be between 20 to 30 room establishments. Remaining properties could be used as restaurants, crafts shops, small museums and demonstration centres. All these properties are more than 80 years old. The qualifying criteria for these properties are that these have been traditionally built with significant architectural elements.

Walls in Trivandrum to turn into spaces of artistry City walls and public buildings in Thiruvanathapuram (Trivandrum), Kerala, will soon be adorned with paintings by renowned artists. Titled ‘Arteria’, the project is aims to beautify the city and to create public awareness about contemporary art and paintings. The walls of University Stadium have been painted with colourful images, which were unveiled to the public during the Onam festival celebrations. The first phase of project aims to cover the walls and available buildings stretching from LMS junction to Palayam in the heart of the city. A team of 20 artists, including renowned artist Kanayi Kunhiraman, Kattoor Naryana Pillai, BD Dethan and NN Rimzon Tensing Joseph, will participate in the first phase.

The last battle of the Mahabharata recreated Much of the scenes from the epic battle of Kurukshetra have been recreated by artist Naresh Kapuria at a special exhibition of installations at Alliance Francaise de Delhi. Curated by Jean Philippe Bottin, Director of Alliance Francaise de Delhi, the exhibition attempts to showcase the important aspects of this battle. As you enter the gallery, you cannot miss the 7 feet by 33 feet installation on the floor – a large canvas with arrows painted in acrylic – like an overcast sky. You walk under a mesh of fish nets and arrows suspended from the ceiling and a broken bow which signifies the end of the battle and lives lost. There are shlokas from the Gita and their translations.

Beauty and the Beast to make its stage debut in India Love Beauty and the Beast? Guess what! Good times are here. Disney India has announced the arrival of Beauty and the Beast on stage in India. Disney India has tweeted its #BeautyAndTheBeastIndia launch party to celebrate the first Disney movie to be performed live on stage in India. Beauty and the Beast will be performed from October through December across Mumbai and Delhi, using both local talent and international artists. There will be over 100 performers, lavish set design and stunning costumes. Disney India’s managing director Siddarth Roy Kapur said, “Beauty and the Beast is a story that has resonated with millions of fans from around the world and we are sure it will do so in India as well.”

September-October 2015 INDIA & YOU

Art & Culture brief

US-based production company produces Marathi film For the first time in history, a Marathi film Partu has been made by a US-based production company. The movie is a story about a poor farmer who raises a lost boy he finds at a train station. Eventually, the boy faces the choice between staying with his new family or reuniting with his biological family. The film presents a number of firsts for both Hollywood and Indian cinema, including the first time a Hollywood composer has scored a Marathi film. Greg Simms is an award-winning composer for film and television, who has previously worked on television shows like The Oprah Winfrey Show and Dr Oz Show.

India shines at Indian American Cultural Center Classical Indian music and dances, aromatic foods, henna tattoos, brilliantly-coloured clothing and ornate jewelry created a veritable feast for the senses at 20th annual India Fest that took place at Indian American Cultural Center at Merrillville. Children performed the traditional Indian dances accompanied by music played on a sitar. The colourful and intricate clothes of India were also displayed during a fashion show, and women attending the festival learned how to wear a saree. Raj Nagaraja of Frankfort, Ill. attended India Fest for the second year and stopped at the table filled with jewellery displayed by Avantique, of Naperville. The food also attracted Mark Seert and Dana Behler, of Merrillville, to India Fest for the second year in a row.

‘MasterChef Australia’ judge exploring food in India ‘MasterChef Australia’ judge Gary Mehigan will soon be seen exploring food in India and other Asian countries, as well as fast bikes on his new show ‘Far Flung with Gary Mehigan’. “I was amazed at the rich culture and culinary experience India had to offer. It was exciting to explore the enchanting lanes of old Delhi, the fish markets of Chennai and the magnificent city of Jodhpur. This journey has given me a reason to come back to India and explore more,” he said. The series of the show begins in India where he discovers the secret of the Mumbai tiffin boxes. He then experiences Delhi’s street food style. Then, he heads to Jodhpur to get a taste of the Rajasthan International Folk Festival. On his next stop, the chef fulfils his dream of visiting the Royal Enfield factory in Chennai.

Nagaland culture dept to construct Gaidinliu memorial The construction of Rani Gaidinliu Library-cum-Memorial Museum in Kohima has been planned by the arts & culture department, Nagaland government. Though Nagaland is predominantly a Christian state, Rani Gaindinliu is a follower of Heraka religion. “Kohima was selected as the site of the proposed museum because Gaidinliu breathed her last in Kohima,” said a source, adding, “Each tribe has its own traditions and languages which is different from others. Equally distinctive are their colourful costumes and ornaments, dance forms, music, handicrafts and architecture. Among the people of the northeast, Rani Gaidinliu, a freedom fighter from Nagaland, had been honoured as one of the most renowned freedom fighters.”

INDIA & YOU September-October 2015

Mark Your Diary DURGA PUJA

QUTAB FESTIVAL

The Durga Puja is 4-5 days of extravaganza where people from different corners of the world reunite with their family and friends. It is the time when you will come across the vibrant mood, art and colours, people mostly in traditional wears and temporary thematic and artistic pandals (marquee) and idols of goddess Durga.

The three-day long Qutab Festival takes place in the courtyard of Qutab Minar with performances by renowned artists every year. Artists throng to the premise to showcase their talents in various traditional and classical dance forms, such as, Kuchipudi, Odissi and Manipuri. Melodious tunes fill the air around. Audiences get an opportunity to listen to the various forms of music, such as, Ghazals and qawwalis.

PUSHKAR FAIR

HORNBILL FESTIVAL

One of the five sacred sites of the Hindu devotees, Pushkar is internationally famed for hosting the Pushkar Camel Fair, every year. The weeklong gala affair spread various shades of the royal state of Rajasthan. With marvelous art and architecture from the bygone era being major attractions, the Pushkar Fair is famous among the tourists from around the world.

The weeklong celebration is a rendezvous of the Naga tribes and travellers from different corner of the world. The festival is celebrated with colourful events and folk dance and songs performances, sports and ceremonies. The traditional arts of Nagaland including paintings, wood carvings, and sculptures are good souvenirs for the travellers.

When: October 18-23, 2015 Where: Kolkata, West Bengal

When: November 18-25, 2015 Where: Pushkar, Rajasthan

When: November 15-19, 2015 Where: Qutab Minar, New Delhi

When: December 1-10, 2015 Where: Nagaland

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