India Perspectives 02/2010

India Perspectives

VOL 24 NO. 1/2010

EditorNavdeep Suri

Assistant EditorNeelu Rohra

Vol 24 No. 1/2010 ISSN 0970 5074

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Man milking a cow, Krishna Mandapa, Mamallapuram, 7th century.This is an endearing image of a cow being milked, while she lovingly licks her calf.Such depictions bring alive the village scene made in the Krishna Mandapa cave.

Photograph: Benoy K Behl.

In this issue of India Perspectives, the fi rst one of 2010, we bring to our readers an unusual blend of articles that refl ect not just India’s magnifi cent cultural heritage but also its growing technological sophistication.

Benoy Behl’s essay on the fi nesse displayed by our craftsmen in the 7 th century temples at Mamallapuram is juxtaposed with Shubhra Mazumdar’s write up on the aesthetics and symmetry of the Mughal Gardens. Leela Venkatraman links Protima Bedi’s dramatic encounter with Odissi dance with the establishment of Nrityagram, while Madhushree Chatterjee brings out the growing global popularity of different strands of Indian music. To add variety, we explain the intricacies of Dhokra craft and the inducements of Lucknow’s street cuisine. The articles on Manipur’s tradition of polo and on India’s sacred plants, the tribute to Leela Naidu and the report on the Jaipur Literature Festival continue our magazine’s tradition of bringing a diverse menu of cultural offerings to our readers.

The Indian Institute of Science, now a hundred years old, provides the bridge between the ancient and the modern, between the cultural and the technological. It is part of our on-going series to profi le some of India’s fi nest academic institutions and leads us to the quartet of articles on science and technology. The two on tele-medicine and on stem cells research explore the quest for cutting-edge technology for delivery of high quality and affordable health care, while the ones on automobiles and the Bandra-Worli Sea Link are a testimony to design and engineering skills.

The important visit of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and the wide-ranging agreements signed during the visit add a slight political fl avour to this issue.

Our next issue will be a special edition on Rabindranath Tagore but more about that later.

Meanwhile, happy reading. As always, we value your feedback.

Editorial

Navdeep Suri

we value y

Navdeep Suri

Aesthetic Grandeur of Mughal Gardens SHUBHRA MAZUMDAR 2

Living Rocks of MamallapuramBENOY K BEHL 12

Nrityagram and the Passion for DanceLEELA VENKATARAMAN 22

Bonding through Melody:Indian Music Goes GlobalMADHUSREE CHATTERJEE 32

Tribute

Leela NaiduSMM AUSAJA 75

Dhokra Craft: Transcending TimeREKHA SHANKAR 38

Lucknow and its Street FoodANIL MEHROTRA 44

A New Spring in India-Bangladesh TiesMANISH CHAND 50

Bandra-Worli Sea Link: An Engineering MarvelQUAID NAJMI 54

Automobiles

Designed to WinANNAMMA OOMMEN 58

One Hundred Years of The Indian Institute of ScienceP. BALARAM 66

A unique experiment in Tele-Medicine 70

Stem Cells towards a Disease-Free TomorrowRICHA SHARMA 72

Heritage Sports

Hockey on Horse Back:Manipuri’s Traditions of PoloDEBABRATA BANERJEE 78

Sacred Plants in Indian Lore... PRAN NEVILE 82

The Charms of the Jaipur Literature FestivalAMRIT DHILLON 86

Book Review

Himalaya: View from a Camera in the CloudsSUDHIR SAHI 94

Front cover: Bijayini Satpathy and Surupa Sen in an Odissi pose.

Photo: Deepak Mudgal

INDIA PERSPECTIVES VOL 24 NO. 1/2010 2 INDIA PERSPECTIVES VOL 24 NO. 1/2010 3

SHUBHRA MAZUMDAR

A garden by any yardstick is an ordered design of the outdoors, particularly if the garden is one of the numerous Mughal gardens in India, designed to exude the feeling of an exquisitely enclosed bit of paradise on earth, through its dignifi ed rules of layout philosophy.

For the emperor himself, the garden space was an exterior imagery depicting

the grandeur of the imperial power, while for the mystic and religious minded, its serene landscape embodied the concept of the Charbagh (four gardens) or the even older concept, described in the Book of Genesis, of a river that ran out of the Garden of Eden and thereafter, parted into ‘four heads’.

Paradoxically, this highbrow thematic connection with ideology completely sloughs off when one is actually inside one of the Mughal gardens. What strikes one at that time is the manner in which the space

Nishat Garden, Srinagar, KashmirAm

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Aesthetic Grandeur of

Mughal Gardens


has been arranged for both utility and ornamentation. The engineering skill of constructed water channels to irrigate the garden forms its rigid persona. On the other hand, the planted fruit trees and exotic plant species growing luxuriantly, relay a comfortable duality of form and freedom.

Currently, these gardens might have outlived their horticultural importance as fruit orchards or botanical exhibits, but their close link with agricultural traditions lives on, as these spaces were outstanding examples of water utilization.

Their rectangular arrangement is the most economical way of irrigating land. Instead of letting these channels run mundanely the Mughal penchant for aesthetics exploited this essential element into the focal point of their garden art.

Using feats of engineering, visual appeal and even aural accents the water was made to descend into the garden from a height, simulating the effect of a cascading waterfall. Dismissing notions of creating the wild outdoors, these channels were contained within a stone cascade, which had its

sides carved, with the wash of the stream running over these designed engravings. In the moonlight, when the carvings were obliterated, the pearly lustre of the water element suggested a living force, caressed by the surroundings.

Who then were the builders of these gardens? Apart from the emperors themselves, it was the princesses of the royal household who have left their mark on garden building in Mughal times. The very fi rst signifi cant one of them was Hamida Banu Begum, the principal widow of Emperor

Chasma Shahi and Shalimar Bagh, Srinagar (right & below) and Charbagh, Agra (facing page).

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oasis of peace away from the intrigues of the Mughal court. At about this time, one of the Emperor’s wives Akbarabadi, built a garden in Delhi’s Shalimar Bagh. It was a replica of the garden by that name in Kashmir.

Not just pleasure retreats for royalty, the Mughal garden also symbolised territorial control. The emperor resided in this orderly space and every blade and every bough, grew and

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Humayun, who had ordered a garden to be laid around the tomb of the late emperor. It became the fi rst tomb garden in India, with its 30-acre premises adjoining the banks of the river Yamuna. While incorporating the Charbagh design style of Emperor Babur, its square grid was subdivided with the help of water channels. A wall built of rubble surrounded this

piece of paradise. Centuries later, other princesses of the royal household, notably the daughters of the Emperor Shah Jahan, pursued the art with aplomb. Princess Jahanara, carried the tradition to the town of Ambala, located at the water divide between the Ganga and Indus river systems.

Her sister Roshanara, has left behind Delhi’s Roshanara Bagh, earlier a surround of dense forestry, creating an

was nurtured at the emperor’s behest. Naturally, ceremonial occasions of importance were preferably held in the garden, explaining why Aurangzeb chose to be crowned at the Shalimar Bagh, rather than the grander Red Fort, built by his father.

In life as in death, the garden complex of the Mughals was to serve the emperor in equal measure. Hence the plants for these gardens were chosen with a view to keeping alive

the idea of eternity. The dark cypress tree symbolized the dark unknown, or death. It was invariably intertwined with a fl owering creeper or a rose in bloom, symbolizing life. The cycle of life and the continuation of eternity was even engraved in stone as is evident in the fl oral inlay adorning the Taj Mahal.

Settings for these cameo-like spaces of greenery was another of the astute aspects of the

The garden around the tomb of Emperor Humayun at New Delhi.


Indian Mughal Garden. They were showcased beside the bank of a river, nestling at the bottom of a hillside, or overlooking a valley. Of the latter, the best example is the garden built in Kashmir, between the surrounding hills of the valley and beside the largest natural lake of the state, the Dal Lake. The fl ow of water as it is channelised from a height, gives the feeling of life coursing through the veins of greenery. The placid lakefront and the progression of majestic chinar plantings simulate the approach of the emperor.

Sans hills, the garden drew its strength from the adjoining riverfront. The river fl owing beside the Taj entombed the mausoleum almost womb-like, while the walls demarcated the hustle of the bazaar and the dusty expanse of the Yamuna plains beyond. Similarly, the gardens in forts and palaces offered a panoramic spread overlooking the countryside. It was an uninterrupted view of one’s conquest as one gazed at the sprawl at the foot of the citadel.

Gradually from being scenes of grandiose ceremonies, sources of indulgent pleasures, resting places of the high and mighty, the garden became a place for interpreting the colonial presence. When Delhi became the capital of India, the architect

An aerial view of Mughal Garden at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi.A

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Lutyens, designed a Mughal style garden in the Viceregal Palace, now known as the Mughal Gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan. In its architectural setting the garden of the 20th century interprets the traditional Mughal garden technique by enclosing the space within a walled compound. Water channels running north to south and east to west divide the rectilinear plot into four, while the borders of annuals hark back to an English country garden. Instead of becoming a medley without a motive, it is the Mughal element in this garden framework that works as its holistic formula.

And it is this ability to incorporate into its fold the adjustments of the times that make Mughal gardens such a resilient entity. Begun as a beloved imperial pastime, the Mughal Gardens are now blueprints of formal layouts. In their ability to accommodate fl exibility and preserve for posterity, these gardens have injected a keynote angle to our culture. ◆The author is a noted writer on arts.

Another view of the Mughal Garden at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi.P

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Living Rocks of Mamallapuram

Text and photographs: BENOY K BEHL

Shore Temple, Mamallapuram, 8 th century.The balance and proportions of the two slender towers of the Shore Temple make it one of the fi nest examples of Indian

structural temples. The sculpted details are in great harmony with the overall conception. Nandis, made along the outer wall,

greet you and invite you into the sacred space beyond.

The magnifi cent temples of Mamallapuram refl ect the fully developed styles of South Indian temples.


On the shores of Tamil Nadu, on the eastern coast of peninsular India, is a marvellous town of temples, carved out of rock. Mamallapuram was one of the greatest sea-faring ports of

ancient times. In early times, this bustling town would have had a great cosmopolitan culture. In its markets, people from Southeast Asia would have rubbed shoulders with Romans. Coins found here testify to extensive trade with Rome and other places, since at least the 1st century. Colonies of Romans are also known to have been present in this part of Tamil Nadu at that time.

This port town was called Mamalai, or ‘great hill’. Narasimhavarman Pallava, known as Mamalla or the ‘Great Warrior’, expanded the facilities of the port in the 7th century. Ships sailed constantly from here to Sri Lanka and South East Asia. Narasimhavarman changed the name of the port to Mamallapuram or ‘city of Mamalla’.

Here, over perhaps a hundred years, from about 630 to 728 AD, marvellous monuments were cut out of outcrops of hard grey granite. Cliff faces were transformed into a teeming world of animals and

Descent of the Ganga, Mamallapuram, 7 th century. One of the wonders of the art of Mamallapuram is the sensitive and naturalistic depiction of animals. The elephant appears as

if alive and its little ones steal the heart with their tender portrayal.

Mahishasurmardini Cave, Mamallapuram, 7 th century. Even while great themes were made in rock-cut relief at Mamallapuram, caves were excavated out of the hills, continuing the

tradition seen in Western India. In the depth and silence of the interior, the worshipper was presented the stories of deities, who personifi ed great concepts and the qualities within us.

people. Boulders were carved into fi ne temples. Rocks were chiselled into the shapes of animals.

The magnifi cent temples of Mamallapuram refl ect fully developed styles of South Indian temples. Obviously, such temples must have been made for a long time prior to this period. The earlier ones must have been made out of ephemeral materials and have not survived.

Facing the ancient port and not very far from it is one of the marvels of the sculptural art of India. The face of a vast granite rock, almost 100 feet by 50 feet, has been transformed into a world of divine and earthly beings. This giant relief is believed to be of the early or middle 7th century.

This tableau presents the auspicious moment of the descent of the river Ganga, to bestow her blessings and her treasure of fertility to the world. Some scholars have also interpreted this scene to be of the penance of Arjuna, the hero of the epic Mahabharata. A deep cleft in the rock has been artfully used to represent the great river, as she


Gajalakshmi, Varaha Cave, Mamallapuram, 7 th century. This is the theme of the deity Lakshmi, being lustrated by elephants. Since the Buddhist art of the 2nd century BC,

Gajalakshmi has been a perennial theme in Indic art. In fact, while it was mainly yakshas and yakshis, which were depicted then, she was the fi rst formalized deity to be seen. Like the

yakshis she also represents the fruitful abundance of nature.

Varaha Avatara, Varaha Cave, Mamallapuram, mid 7 th century. To fi ght the confusion and evil of ignorance, the deity Vishnu is envisaged as descending upon the earth as the

powerful Varaha Avatara, in the form of a boar. He saves the earth goddess Bhu-devi from being drowned, representing the great power within us, which can save us from the ocean

of ignorance. The depiction is imbued with the grace and sophistication, which is seen in the regally sponsored art of the Pallava period.

descends. In fact, there is a storage tank made above. On ceremonial occasions, water must have been let out to rush down the cleft, giving a sense of reality to the sacred scene.

A teeming world in a forest has been created around the river. About a hundred fi gures of animals, men, women and divine beings, all turn in reverence towards the life-giving river. These are all made approximately life-sized and with great sensitivity and naturalism.

The many beings, which populate the world created around the river, are made with a great sense of liveliness. In these there is a sense of freedom and the joy of creation expressed by the artists.

The realism and life-like softness of the elephants is remarkable. The details of the baby elephants show the artists’ deep concern for all the beings of the world. Another detail of a deer scratching his nose shows great sensitivity and observation of the natural world.

Close by is another relief depicting the same subject. However, it is unfi nished. A little to the left of the great ‘Descent of the Ganga’, a Krishna Govardhan scene is carved out of a boulder. Lord Krishna holds up the Govardhan mountain to protect the village from the fury of the storm. It is a charming scene. With peace restored and the storm forgotten, a cowherd plays the fl ute, another milks a cow. This is one of the fi nest depictions of rustic life in Indian art.

In Pallava times, when this relief was made, there was no mandapa made in front of it. Therefore, we saw clearly the whole mountain above Krishna as he lifted it. In later times, with the coming of more formalized norms, a mandapa was made in front of the scene, to accord the due status to the deity. Of course, in this the effectiveness of the theme was largely lost.

The soft rendering and slender forms of the Pallava idiom are again seen in the Varaha Mandapa of around the middle of the


7th century. Here we also see the developments of Pallava iconography and architectural styles. Seated lions made on the bases of pillars are characteristic.

There are four major sculptural panels in the cave. Vishnu is seen in the Varaha avatara, saving the earth goddess Bhu Devi from being submerged in the ocean. All Indian myths operate at many levels and this also signifi es the saving of mankind from the ocean of ignorance. Vishnu is also presented in the form of Trivikrama, the conqueror of the three worlds.

The rear wall of the cave has Gajalakshmi made on it. Lakshmi, who represents prosperity, is lustrated by elephants here. Also on the rear wall is a relief of Durga, who represents victory over ignorance.

In Pallava art, the fi gures are slender and delicately made. The scale is naturalistic. A depth

The Adivaraha cave is notable for having the portraits of King Narasimhavarman, with his queens. There is also a representation of his son with his wives. After the period of the Kushanas, who hailed from southern China and had portraits made of themselves in royal shrines in the 1st century, these are the earliest surviving portraits of Indian kings.

In early India, the purpose of art was always to take our thoughts away from the passing reality of the world, to that which was

is given to the relief by fi gures that turn inwards and others that are seen from the back. Such arrangements of fi gures were also seen in the paintings of Ajanta of the 5th century and in the art of the Krishna Valley in Andhra Pradesh.

One of the most magnifi cent depictions in Mamallapuram is that of Mahishasuramardini, made in a 7th century cave. It is entirely different from earlier representations of this subject. Durga, battles the demon buffalo or Mahisha, who represents the evil of ignorance. It is a most animated scene and, unlike before, the scale is naturalistic. Here the demon has a human body and the head of a buffalo. The natural poses of the fi gures, advancing from one side and pulling back upon the other, enhances the drama and realism of the subject. The self-assured ganas of Durga’s army of Righteousness are unforgettable.

eternal. Therefore, art did not traditionally depict ephemeral personalities. From here onwards, we see a shift take place and emphasis begins to come upon the personality of the monarch.

There are nine monolithic freestanding temples, cut out of boulders. Five of them are in one group. These are the earliest such edifi ces in India to be carved both on the outside and the inside, out of rock. They are popularly called rathas, or temple chariots. This is a misnomer as they are meant to be temples.

They are a marvellous record in stone of the many forms of temple architecture in South India at that time.

The monoliths are named after the fi ve Pandava brothers of the epic Mahabharata and their common wife Draupadi. They form a coherent group and were probably made in the middle of the 7th century.

Built right next to the lapping waves of the sea, one of the glories of Mamallapuram, is a temple with two towers,

Above: Seated Cow, Krishna Mandapa, Mamallapuram, 7 th century. The life of man is not seen in isolation in the vision of these artists. We live in a world pervaded with so many beings and the truth of life is presented here with none of these forgotten. It is this cow and so many of the other living inhabitants of this world, which create the warmth of life presented by the artists of Mamallapuram.

Right: Elderly man and child, Krishna Mandapa, Mamallapuram, 7 th century. Amid all the grandeur of the divine themes, the pulsating details of life are not forgotten by the artist. To the side of the scene where Lord Krishna holds aloft Mount Govardhana, this delightful detail of the life of the village is endearing.

King Narasimhavarman’s portrait, Adivaraha Cave, Mamallapuram. After the 1st century AD, in the period of the Kushana rulers, who came from southern China, the Pallava period brings us the fi rst portraits of rulers in India. King Narasimhavarman is depicted

here and in a close-by panel, his son is also represented. This marks the beginning of a new sense of royal importance and grandeur, which was largely to infl uence the future course of Indic art and architecture.


The Five Rathas, Mamallapuram, mid to late 7 th century. These fi ve temples, misnamed rathas, or chariots, depict the various forms, which the south Indian temple structure had taken. These are cut out of huge boulders, in imitation of structural temples. There would have been many structures of these shapes made out of wood and other ephemeral materials, which have not survived. The numerous kinds of temples seen here, along with rock-cut relief and caves, give a fairy-tale like quality to this fascinating town of divine structures.

known as the Shore Temple. The fi nely worked slender towers are among the most beautiful of any structure in the Indian subcontinent. The temple was probably made by Narasimhavarman II or Rajasimha, in the early 8th century. He is believed to have established the tradition of building structural stone temples in Tamil Nadu.

Perhaps the most memorable aspect of the art of Mamallapuram is the depiction of the many beings, which inhabit the world, the deer, the cows, the elephants and others. Man is seen amidst the world of nature, as one of its many manifestations. The Indian sculptor manages to communicate the living, breathing quality and emotions of animals with a rare empathy. What gives the art of ancient India a special place is its vision of the world: a vision which sees the same in each of us, men and women, in animals, plants, trees, even the breeze which moves the leaves. It sees a unity in the whole of creation, which imparts a great harmony and compassion to this vision.

First published in Frontline.

The author is a fi lm-maker, art-historian and photographer.


Nrityagramand

the Passion for DanceText: LEELA VENKATARAMAN

Photographs: AVINASH PASRICHA

Nrityagram the dance village is a paradise where dancers, musicians, writers and theatre people frequently come together for workshops to pool their creative energies.

Nestled amidst the sylvan woods of Hessargetta, Nrityagram the dance village, thirty miles outside the urban limits of Bangalore is a ten acre farmland, a paradise where dancers,

musicians, writers and theatre people frequently come together for workshops to pool their creative energies, enthused by the overwhelming fertility of Nature all round. This brainchild of the late Protima Bedi was the

unlikeliest dream for one growing amidst high society and the glare of Bollywood in Bombay, whose life turned topsy-turvy the day she casually went to an auditorium to pick up a friend and was held mesmerised by the magic of the late Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra performing Odissi. Gone were the images of the near-bald male performer, with paan stained teeth. All that remained was the ecstasy, passion and melting grace of the dance and the conviction that she had to learn it, come what may. Backstage after the performance she accosted Guruji “Guruji, please teach me this dance,” Looking up and down at this pant-clad, pony-tailed fi gure in stiletto heels, the Guru nonchalantly set a condition. “Only if by the time I reach

Cuttack by train tomorrow and see a saree-clad woman, with a bindi on the forehead, sitting on the doorstep of my house, will I consider the request.” Sure of having gotten rid of this oddity, Kelucharan Mohapatra forgot about the incident till – lo and behold – alighting from the rickshaw, he was greeted by a demure fi gure in saree and blouse with a neat bindi decorating the forehead sitting “like patience on a monument” on the verandah steps! Unable to deny such persistence, Guruji asked Protima to join his class and do as the others did, still convinced that this fl ash in the pan interest would soon peter out. Protima persevered and only much later when Guruji went to Bombay to conduct classes did she get the necessary individual attention to polish up her dance, to fi nally

become a well known Odissi performer.

The idea of a dance village, in the manner of Rukmini Devi’s Kalakshetra, (coincidentally Rukmini Devi too started learning Bharatanatyam when she was nearly 30 years old) far from the assaulting sounds and distractions of a city possessed Protima a few years later. Haunting the home of the then Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde, she fi nally succeeded in getting for lease, in the same region, where land was demarcated for the fi lm city, ten acres for a dance village. “I think the Chief Minister got so driven and fed up of seeing me everywhere – when he was in offi ce, when he went home, when he came out of the room to the gardens – he decided the only way to get rid of me was to lease the land”, Protima was to remark comically much later – though she never denied that but for a forward looking CM, her vision would have remained unfulfi lled. Then came the gruelling months working with architect Gerard De Cunha to raise funds, design and build cottages as lodging and teaching space for gurus and students. Living in a tent, with snakes and scorpions as frequent visitors, and toilet facilities at a distance to be reached with the help of a torch guiding one at night, Protima took all the hardship in her stride. Finally it was a proud moment in 1990 on the 11th of May when Nrityagram was

A view of some of the Nrityagram cottages

Doyenne Kalanidhi Narayanan conducting a worskshop on interpretative dance


inaugurated by none less than the then Prime Minister of India V.P. Singh.

Sharing her dreams and aspirations was Protima’s prime disciple Surupa Sen, who as the soul mate of her Guru, was destined to step in overnight as the person presiding over the dance Gurukul, when death prematurely snatched Protima away from the scene in 1998, in a landslide in the Himalayan region. Surupa was left with her fellow disciple Bijayini Satpathy a priceless dancer initially

groomed under Gangadhar Pradhan of Bhubaneswar. Surupa’s superbly creative mind with her imaginative choreographic concepts, visualised by the incredible body of Bijayini along with the ensemble productions, which have raised the bar for group choreography, have made Nrityagram a place to reckon with in Odissi.

Protima’s instincts in certain other areas were unerring. Lynne Fernandez who since 1993 has been with Nrityagram

as Managing Trustee, was an actress and light designer having worked with theatre people like Barry John, Joy Michael and Lillete Dubey. She was persuaded by Protima to visit Nrityagram. After a two month stay there, getting a feel of the place and helping Protima in a friendly manner in various ways, she was caught off guard when Protima told her that she was making her the Managing Trustee of Nrityagram. “But why?” asked the bewildered Lynne. “I am

Protima in a concluding pose while interpreting a lyric from Jayadeva’s Geeta Govind (facing page) and three profi les of a movement executed by Protima (below).


not even from the dance fi eld and know little about classical dance.” “I have Surupa for that. You need not worry. For the last several days that you have been here with us, you have worked without once asking for anything for yourself. You have thought only of the institution. I am convinced that you are the person I need for Nrityagram” and ever since Lynne has made Nrityagram her home, working for the institution day and night.

The Odissi Gurukul goes from strength to strength, its profi ciency earning Nrityagram the highest of laurels. The amazing number of hours of

dance put in by this ensemble, has to be seen to be believed. With Yoga, Meditation, Martial arts training, study of Sanskrit, Mythology and Literature, the opportunities for integrated learning are endless. With artists from all disciplines and choreographers from round the world dropping in constantly to interact with the students, the inmates have a rare artistic ambience, inculcating an awareness of the give and take between art forms. Each aspect of dance presentation, music, rhythm, costuming, lighting and space coverage is meticulously attended to in all productions. The fi nesse and excellence

of Nrityagram performances sets them apart. The dancers work on the farm too and this feel for earth imparts to the dance a quality that is special – a view shared strongly by both late Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra (who attributed his art sensitivity to having worked in a betel leaf orchard watering and looking after the plants) and Protima herself.

As Protima always maintained “Nrityagram is a way of life.”

During the annual Vasantahabba celebration, to watch over 40,000 spectators seated in the open air amphitheatre watching all night performances of music and dances of all hues is an unforgettable sight.

It was in 1996 that the Ensemble’s life-changing New York debut made the landmark break into mainstream performing in North America – a status very few classical Indian troupes have been given. This tour was without Protima who had to keep the home fi res burning in Nrityagram and unfortunately she never lived to see the mainstream performances of Nrityagram. Performing to sold-out shows in Hawai and Bozeman, USA, Middle East, Far East and Europe, the Nrityagram Ensemble has created a niche for itself in the world of art.

Apart from the Odissi inherited from the Guru, Nrityagram has done a lot of innovative work enabled by grants from

National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts and most recently Joyce Theatre. Apart from the Tribhanga (the three bend posture and Chauka (square half-seated stance with the knees turned out), the main stylistic concerns of Odissi, the Nrityagram approach to Odissi makes use of leg extensions and high leaps which the orthodox community of purists feel are an extension taking liberties with the form as taught by the Gurus. They feel that such robust physicality will dilute the lyricism of Odissi one of its main characters. The point is that the stringent body training that the Nrityagram performers go through gives them a felicity for movements which may look

more common to Mayurbhanj Chhau but which Odissi dancers with the usual training are not able to accommodate. It has to be said that in dance based on the Jayadeva Ashtapadis for instance, there is no dearth of lyrical grace in the Nrityagram dancers.

The Ensemble has found in musician Raghunath Panigrahi (who after the premature and sudden death of his wife Sanjuktha Panigrahi was at a loose end and found in the Nrityagram commitment to Odissi shades of Sanjukta’s involvement), an ideal music composer. His musical knowledge along with his understanding of Sanskrit and Surupa’s own intense creative endeavours fi nd the right alchemy. The Carnatic violin duo brothers Ganesh Kumaresh have also worked composing music for Nrityagram.

Nrityagram’s fi rst full length production “Sri – In Search of the Goddess”, premiered in Delhi in 2001 and in the United States in 2002-2003, evoked high critical acclaim. Ansh was a re-conception of items from a typical Odissi format. “Sacred Space” inspired by temple architecture like that of the Chausat Jogini in Orissa, premiered in Chennai during the Music Academy Festival in December 2005 and was judged the best production of the season. Commissioned by the Joyce Theatre’s Stephen and

Bharati Shivaji demonstrating a pose in Mohiniattam.Dancers performing in the amphitheatre of Nrityagram


Cathy Weinroth Fund for New Work “Pratima: Refl ection” in which the dancer’s relationship with the dance is built round the truths of “Creation, Contemplation, Separation and the Duality of the human spirit” premiered in 2008 and Joan Acocella of The New Yorker (12/9/2008) listed Vibhakta, a scene from Pratima, among the ten best dance performances.

Surupa Sen who has received the Raza Foundation award for excellence in Dance in 2007, the Yagnaraman award from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha in 2008 as Artistic Director

and Choreographer carries on tirelessly. Her duet performances with Bijayini provide some of the best Odissi one can see. Their Gita Govinda Ashtapadis have an enthralling lyricism suiting the poetic splendour of these songs. Bijayini who has herself been the recipient of several awards like the Mahari Award (2003), Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2007, the Yagaraman Krishna Gana Sabha award in 2008, Sanskriti award in 2007, has worked very hard on creating new techniques for Odissi dance training. Pavitra Reddy,

Radha and Krishna in a Manipuri item (facing page) and a performance of Yakshagana at the Nrityagram (below).


Rasmi Raj and Manasi Tripathy are the other permanent dancers of the Ensemble.

The dance studio, auditorium, exhibition space, physiotherapy unit are all Lynne’s new inductions into Nrityagram. Working throughout the year, it is still a back breaking task keeping the institution going, primarily because of its location which is both a blessing and a drawback, for getting resident musicians and percussionists is never easy. Many dance aspirants who want to be day scholars learning in this institution, fi nd the logistics of to and fro movement too diffi cult. Nrityagram’s outreach programme in the village and city, however, has many students who are benefi ted.

For anybody a stay in Nrityagram is like a dream come true, where Dance and Nature are in close company. Sustaining this dream are very hard working professionals who have dedicated their lives to art and who deserve all the help and encouragement possible. The winner will be Dance and Odissi in particular.

The author is a dance critic.

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Bijayini and Surupa showing the bee getting attracted to the Lotus – the image is a metaphorical depiction for the love of Radha and Krishna.


Bonding through MelodyINDIAN MUSIC GOES GLOBAL

MADHUSREE CHATTERJEE

As the world joyously hums “Jai Ho”, the Oscar winning song scored by composer A.R. Rahman,

the two words meaning ‘glory be’ sum up a golden moment for Indian music. The country’s

1,000-year-old musical legacy has just acquired a global outlook and a new face.

The international spotlight is on Indian music like never before, especially fusion which combines traditional classical ragas and ethnic folk beats with sounds from the West. The

country’s fi rst ever Oscar for a song has come at the same time as a Grammy for India’s Ustad Zakir Hussain, famous for making magic with the tabla, a percussion instrument.

“The world is discovering our music all over again. We have so much to give,” said Hussain, who collaborated with Western musicians on the Grammy winning “Global Drum Project”.

Vocalist Lakshmi Shankar, who bagged a Grammy nomination and specialises in Hindustani classical music that has roots in the country’s northern half, describes this period as “the second renaissance of Indian music. I fi nd in the west that everyone is craving for our music; they want to hear more of it”.

Indian music, however, has been making forays past geographical boundaries for almost seven decades, though not as dramatically as now.

Many historians concur that Indian music fi rst went abroad in 1930 with dancer-musician Uday Shankar – whose company, headquartered in Paris, toured Europe, North America and Southeast Asia for eight years.

H.E. Nikolai Bulganin, Russian Prime Minister presenting bouquet to the artists of the Shadow Play “Ramlila” staged by Uday Shankar and his troupe. Prime Minister

Jawaharlal Nehru is also seen in the picture.Baba Allauddin Khan

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Ustad Ali Akbar Khan in a concert

The ensemble boasted of some of the biggest names in the history of Indian classical music like Baba Allauddin Khan, a legendary player of the string instrument ‘sarod’; vocalist and instrumentalist Vishnu Das Shirali; and composer Timir Baran.

In 1955, famous conductor and violinist Yehudi Menuhin presented to the west “Music of India: Morning and Evening Raga”, the fi rst long-playing record of Indian classical music. The album featured Ustad Ali Akbar Khan on ‘sarod’, Pandit Chatur Lal on the ‘tabla’ and Shirish Gor on the string instrument tambura.

In a foreword, Menuhin introduced each musical instrument and the sounds that it created for the western ear.

When American composer La Monte Young fi rst heard the drone of the ‘tambura’ on the radio that was broadcasting the concerto in 1957, he drove to the nearest store to purchase the LP. Young eventually studied Indian music for 26 years with vocalist Pandit Pran Nath.

Menuhin also famously partnered Ravi Shankar, the Indian legend known for his mastery over the string instrument ‘sitar’, for the album “West Meets East” in the 1960s.

Mickey Hart, drummer of the popular American band The Grateful Dead, found it hard to believe that Chatur Lal was playing the ‘tabla’ with bare hands! Hart, one of the best percussionists that western contemporary music has ever had, felt: “Indian rhythm was very Arabic, very Moorish with intense multi-layered detail.”

Musician-author Peter Lavezzoli, a professional drummer and musician based in Miami and St. Louis who spends his winters in India listening to and writing about Indian classical music, says developments in technology have made it possible for Indian music to travel west.

In his new book, “Bhairavi: The Global Impact of Indian Music”, Lavezzoli says before the invention of the long playing record, Indian classical recordings were limited to three-minute 78 rpm discs, manufactured solely for the Indian market.

Technology also made it possible for sarod maestro Ali Akbar Khan to appear on television in the US – the fi rst Indian classical musician to do so.

If 1955 was the year when the seed for Indian classical music was planted in the west, then 1967 was a watershed when the search

Conductor and violinist Yehudi Menuhin presented Indian classical music to the west

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for an alternative worldview led musicians to Asia, especially India, to explore its spiritual and aesthetic traditions.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, an Indian seer who spread the ancient science of transcendental meditation in Europe and America, captured the imagination of the Beatles – one of the greatest British pop-rock bands that ever existed.

The quartet from Liverpool spent nearly six weeks at the seer’s retreat in Rishikesh and composed more than 30 songs there. It also saw the beginning of a lifelong association between George Harrison, one of the Beatles, and Ravi.

The spread of Indian religions like the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Buddhism and the Chinmaya cult also helped open the doors for Indian music in the west.

Lavezzoli reminisces in his book about the time Ravi Shankar and late tabla maestro Ustad Alla Rakha performed at the Monterey Pop Festival in California in 1967.

“The weekend’s events were fi lmed... capturing several of rock’s legendary fi gures in their prime – Jimi Hendrix, the WHOs, Otis

Sitar maestro Ravi Shankar and Ustad Zakir Hussain on tabla, a percussion instrument in a concert

Redding and Janis Joplin... almost all the musicians were there in the audience for Ravi Shankar’s set; most of them never having seen him before... And the response of the audience was ecstatic, further catapulting Shankar to stardom.”

In 1994, Indian musician Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, who invented the string instrument ‘mohan veena’, won a Grammy along with Ry Cooder for the album “A Meeting By The River”.

The crowning glory has been recognition for the country’s fi lm music industry – be it for a composer like A.R. Rahman or a sound designer like Resool Pookutty, both of whom hail from southern India and brought home Oscars for the fi lm “Slumdog Millionaire”, made by British director Danny Boyle.

As Vishwa Mohan Bhatt sums it up: “If the 1970s were about Beatlemania and Ravi Shankar, 2009 is about Indian musicians moving westward for the next musical wave. The west is overawed by our ragas and discipline. They are overwhelmed by the emotions in our music; that is what gets the attention of the world.”

(Source: Indo-Asian News Service)

Music Director and Oscar Award winner A R Rahman performing at the Doordarshan’s 50th Anniversary celebrations in New Delhi on August 11, 2009.

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The cultural creative mosaic of the country known as India has a recorded history of over 5000 years. One of humankind’s earliest civilisations, the people of this ancient land have over

the years developed skills and techniques that are passed down from one generation to the next in the oral tradition and through family and community activities. Indian craftspeople have worked with their hands creating objects of beauty, utility and for worship with local materials and images from the world around them. The

Dhokra CraftTRANSCENDING TIME

REKHA SHANKAR

The “artistic elegance” of Dhokra craft has stood the test of time. As one of the oldest known methods of non-ferrous

metal casting known to human civilisation, it is still evolving and breaking new grounds.

crafted products have been in the folk or fi ne art style, depending on the community of the craftsperson. The materials have been clay, metal, wood and hand spun yarn and the artisan – the weaver, potter, metal smith or wood worker was an integral part of the local community.

The use of metal in India can be traced back to Vedic times. The metalworker, called Karmara, enjoyed a high position in society. There is reference in the Yajurveda to Rudra, the lord of lightning, paying respect to the family of the Karmara. Metalworking like other artisanal activities is infused with religion. In fact, before an artisan begins work, he prays for guidance to Tvastram, the son of Visvakarma, described in the Hindu epic Mahabharata as “the Lord of the arts, executor of a thousand handicrafts”. Metals have religious signifi cance for the average Indian and metal icons fi nd place in family temples or prayer rooms in homes across the country. Over 2000 years ago, Indian metalworkers made a breakthrough in the fi eld of metallurgy. They succeeded in producing Brass – an alloy of basic metals, which looked almost exactly like Gold. This was achieved by fusing Zinc and Copper where the percentage of Zinc had to be controlled between 10 and 12 per cent. Another noteworthy creation was that of a metal

a popular metal for casting, is an alloy of Copper and Tin. Both these metals have the glow of Gold. Over the years, metal craft, like all other crafts developed under royal patronage and metalworkers developed mastery over metal casting and sculpture making.

Dhokra craft is the earliest method of non-ferrous metal casting known to humankind. The word Dhokra literally means “oldest” and comes from the name of the Dhokra Kamar tribes of West Bengal who are traditional metal smiths. They are a group that specialises in this art form. Some historians feel that the tribes originally came from the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh and being nomadic, moved around in the adjoining areas and have over a period of time, settled in the tribal areas of the states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh. Though they are ethnically the same, they are identifi ed by different names in each state. Their method of metal casting is known as cire perdue, the lost wax technique, and has been practised in India for over 4000 years. Evidence of similar casting of Copper-based alloys has been found in China, Egypt, Malaysia, Nigeria, and some areas of Central America.

One of the earliest known artifacts, sculpted in this technique is the ‘dancing

alloy called Panchdhattu made with fi ve metals – Copper, Zinc, Gold, Silver and Lead and has been a popular metal for crafting religious idols since then. Brass and Bell metal, also D

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cane. It seems that these artisans worked with grasses earlier and when they discovered metal they used the new material with the same textural treatment. There are some differences in the kind of furnaces used and minor variations in the materials of each region but the basic method is more or less the same. In West Bengal, the furnace is above the ground whereas in Chhattisgarh and other states, it is under ground. In Jharkhand, the heating apparatus is fi xed to the mould itself. Initially, the metalworker has to work as a sculptor and an artist. First, a rough mould of sand, clay and paddy dust is made. In West Bengal, this is covered with a thread made of gala, a paste of mustard oil and bees wax. In the Bastar region

describing the sculpture thought that the little Baluchi style girl (from Baluchistan) is, “for the moment, perfectly confi dent of herself and the world. There’s nothing like her, I think, in the world” – an ageless creation.

The painstaking and laborious technique of this method of metal casting has remained much the same since then and unlike other crafts in India, in Dhokra casting, any process can be done by either men or women. The surface treatment of objects is very reminiscent of items made in grass, bamboo or

girl,’ of Mohenjo-Daro, a 10.8 centimeter high bronze statuette. Believed to have been crafted in around 2500 BC, it was excavated in 1926 from a house in the ancient city of Mohenjodaro, now in Pakistan. People who have seen the piece feel that the statuette seems to speak to its viewer, reaching out through the ages, from its distant past to the present with a posture and expression that are as relevant today as they were on the day it was made. British archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler,

of Chhattisgarh, craftspeople use wax thread and strips while in the Sarguja area, they use a resin called Dhuvan. In Orissa, the wax is mixed with Dhuna, resin from the Sal tree – Shorea Robusta. Details of the fi nal design can be seen on the pattern created with this coating of wax threads. The thin threads, 1/16th of an inch, are wound so tightly that no part of the sand and clay mould is visible. This layer is then covered with clay and sun dried. The clay coating takes the negative form of the wax on the inside and becomes a mould for the metal that has to be poured inside it. Drain ducts are left for the wax to melt and drain out when the mould is heated. Once the mould has dried, it is heated gently D

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instruments used in their daily life. Oil lamps with peacocks are popular and made in many designs because they are a traditional gift to a daughter. The traditional, pyalae, measuring cups, in various sizes earlier used to measure grains, have today found a ready use as containers for nuts or fi nger bowls. In Bastar, the image of the elephant, which is perceived to be the state goddess, known as Dhanteshwari is commonly made. Interestingly, artisans believe they cannot see the

goddess so they assume she is riding the elephant they have made. With inputs from development agencies, government sponsored development projects and designers, their repertoire has grown to include a variety of products. These include statues, bowls, animal forms, mythical creatures, gods, goddesses, and a range of home accessories like lamp stands, doorknobs, handles and chains. A few of the more skilled craftspeople have even

ventured into tableware and cutlery, which lends an air of the unusual to the simplest of settings. The sonar, bhat and bhotia communities craft tribal jewellery in brass to create stunning impact. These are worn at festivals and on special occasions. Amongst the items made are necklaces, anklets, earrings, hairpins and bracelets.

Some objects found today seem almost untouched by time and yet are strangely relevant while others seem to have evolved into almost another genre, sophisticated and contemporary. Each of their creations refl ects a naivety and primitive simplicity, whether it is in their enchanting folk motifs or the whimsical rendition of scenes from their life in compositions, depicting topics as diverse as a tribal woman handling a computer; a mother giving her baby an oil massage or a cow basking under the shade of a tree. Untrained in formal institutions, the skill and aesthetic sense of these people are the result of their special worldview, still largely protected from foreign infl uences. India is indeed a privileged country to own this timeless heritage and be able to offer to the world the creative beauty of its Dhokra artisans.

The writer is involved with the Dastkari Haat Samiti and was a director of the India Sponsor Foundation where she led a team to train women from marginalised sections of society as commercial drivers for the fi rst time in Delhi.

and as the wax starts to melt, molten metal is fi lled in the case to replace the wax. It is this process, the losing of wax that gives this technique its name. The molten metal replaces the wax over the inner mould and hardens between the core and the clay covering. It takes the same shape as the wax. Once cooled and set, the outer layer of clay is broken open with a large hack knife and the metal sculpture is removed. It is now ready for the fi nishing process. Except in hollow three dimensional sculptures, the clay cores are allowed to remain inside the metal covering to add weight to the piece, particularly if it is a votive image and has to be placed on an altar.

The quality of the fi nished product depends not only on the skill of the artist who makes the mould but also on the one who does the fi nishing. The surface is fi led to make it smooth and pellets, lattices and spirals are used for its ornamentation. A unique aspect of this craft is that no two Dhokra products can ever be identical as each item is moulded and cast in a new mould. The mould cannot be re-used as it has to be broken to extract the item. Every piece is perfected with great love, care and artistry and items are priced according to their weight, fi nish and the fi neness of the work.

Traditionally, artisans made religious deities, vessels and D

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At Lucknow, different cuisines come together unlike other States which are food specifi c. Thus, where Bengal prefers its rice with Macher Jhol (Fish curry), Gujarat is predominantly vegetarian.

Southern states and Bihar lean heavily on coconut and rice but Kashmiri’s relish their mutton gushtaba and Wazwan (formal meal) and the next door Jammu is Rajma- Chawal (kidney bean preparation with rice) oriented. While eastern states are meat and rice specifi c, in Haryana and Punjab wheat rules and neighboring Himachal banks on rice and corn. At Lucknow rice and roti (a type of baked bread) are at par and Biryani (meat and rice dish) occupies the same exalted status as roomali roti (a thin round type of bread baked individually) and Mutton-do-Pyaza (meat and onion dish) is as revered as Malka Masoor (pink lentils).

Lucknow and its Street FoodANIL MEHROTRA

Lucknow-the erstwhile seat of power of the Nawabs of Awadh, centre of Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb (mannerisms), a cornucopia

of chikankari, zardoji, mellifl uous Urdu and delectable cuisine, is the proverbial melting pot of cultures and cuisines, art and artisans, traditional and the modern. Cuisine here transcends

the confi nes of kitchen and is revered as a work of art.

Thus, when assigned to write about Lucknow’s street food I choked. I do not consider myself a blue-blooded foodie in the true sense of the word, though I can discern and appreciate a good recipe, dish, and taste. Lucknow has so varied a gastronomical spread on its streets as well as off it, that to savor and write about it would unnerve the most seasoned of gourmand. Where the differentiation between the daily food is so prominent that it is referred as Aam Faham and festive food becomes Taqualluf Ke Khane!

Historically speaking, the credit to put Lucknow on the gastronomical map of the world goes to its Nawabs – right from its fi rst Nawab Burhan-Ul-Mulk to the fl amboyant, poet and dancer Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. For the statistically oriented, 19 types of Kebabs, 37 types of bread, 35 types of Zarda (sweet rice preparation), 47 types of pulao (rice dishes), 37 types of sweets were created through gastronomical innovations during the reign of Nawab Shuja-Ud-Daula alone! Coupled with it is the fact that Lucknow was also the cradle where the world famous Dum Pukht cuisine was born, nursed and matured. From the most humble of beginnings Dum Pukht has conquered the imagination and taste-buds of food-lovers the world over. But more about it, later.

The Nawabs who hailed from Iran were great lovers and patrons of visual as well as performing arts in all its forms viz, dance, music, theatre and cuisine. The story goes that the water of Gomti River did not suit the fragile constitution of the Nawabs who then summoned the royal vaids/hakims (someone practising alternative medicine) to come up with a solution to their gastronomical problems! After many deliberations the royal doctors suggested using turmeric recipes and the remedy worked.

Yet another story explains creation of the melt-in-the-mouth variety of Lucknow’s famous Kakori Kebabs. An aged, toothless Nawab from the nearby village of Kakori, unable to resist the mouth watering delicacies ordered his Khansama (cook) to come up with a recipe permitting him

Spicy Mutton Korma Mouth-watering Tunde Kebab

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Gali also known as sheermal gali. Saffron, originally used to impart the distinctive orange colour has now been replaced by synthetic colours. Close-by, in Ban Wali Gali is Ram Asrey’s over three centuries old sweet shop known for its lal-pedas (milk thinkened into chewy fl at, round sweets).

Also at Gol Darwaza exists Raja’s Thandai (cooling spiced milk beverage) shop a glass of which is guaranteed to quench the most parched soul. Those desirous can also ask for lacing their glass with Bhang (cannabis) for that additional kick.

No visit to Chowk can be

complete without tasting Namish or Malai Makhan (souffl é like creamy delight) at Gol Darwaza. Available only during winters, the uniqueness of this dish-cum-dessert lies in the fact that it is not found in any other part of the country. As per Nawab Mir Zafar Abdullah, a direct descendant of the

Nawabs and my friend, Namish was part of the regular fare and savored with taftan – a saltish roti. Its metamorphosis into its dessert avatar is a much later development. Produced by placing whipped milk under the open sky where the inter-play of night-dew produces the most soft, lighter than any French

souffl é with the most delicate kiss of butter yellow colour!

We caught a cycle-richshaw to Aminabad, yet another old market where food dominates. Besides an outlet of Tunde Kebabi, its lanes also boast of a number of chaat (savoury snacks) shops. At the junction of Nazirabad and Aminabad market is the famous Prakash’s Kulfi (sweet thickened milk with pistachios frozen into icecream) shops and numerous namkeen (salty snacks) shops line up the main thoroughfare. During winters these shops are stocked with rewri, til (sesame) ladoos and gazak (winter savouries popularly known to ward off winter chill). Opposite to Tunde is a narrow, dingy lane leading to Alamgir Restaurant serving out of the world fare of Boti Kebab and roomali roti. The ambience may not be modern but the preparations are ‘fi nger licking good’. And lest I may be blamed for being partial to the non-vegetarians there is the macabre sounding Purani Qabar wali Dukan offering the most crisp Poori and Kachauri Alu (a fried snack with potato preparation).

Shiv Restaurant at Kaiserbagh, a short distance away from Aminabad serves the thick, sweet, curd drink Lassi topped with dry fruits which fi lls you up for hours. A little distance away at Novelty crossing is the Sharma Chaat House and Tea corner being run by two Sharma brothers. The tea corner does roaring business selling tea and bun-makhan (bun and butter)

Succulent Mutton Chops (top) and Tandoori Chicken in a roadside eatry Wahid Biryani – a 55 spices secret (top) and Tunde Kebab – legacy of a one armed cook

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to taste the kebab without having to chew or upset his tummy. What the Khansama produced to please his master is today the world renowned Kakori Kebab!

We decided to embark upon our gastronomical tour with Shahi Gelawati Kebabs from the famous Tunde Kebabi’s shop at Chowk, in old Lucknow. The kebab riot was started by Haji Murad Ali who, it is said, fell off the roof and lost an arm and was hence called Tunde (Tunde or a one armed man). Though the original shop is religiously thronged by food afi cionados, commercialization has crept in and Tunde’s kababs can now be had at various malls and other up-markets locations in the city. For discerning tastes one has to intimate whether one desires kebabs of Bade ka or chotte ka. Bada (literally large) refers to the size of the animal and hence would signify beef and Chota is small and hence mutton from goat or sheep. The recipe, a closely guarded family secret, consists of hundreds of spices and is claimed to be good for digestion!

Nearby is Ajmeri Gate, where Chowk and Nakkhas markets come together. In its bylane called Thandi Sarak is Rahim’s Nihari shop. Set up in mid nineteenth century by Haji Abdur Rahim his gilafi kulche (very soft leavened bread) and nehari khaas (special beef/lamb trotters) are worth dying for. For the orange coloured sheermal (rich fl at bread made of fl our, milk fat saffron) we visited Chawal Wali


LIC building in centre of Hazratganj, tables are being set up as people line up to have the crunchiest of Batashas (a paper thin wheat preparation fi lled with spiced liquid) with six different types of Paani. The clientele consists of regulars for whom a round of batasha (Gol Gappa in Punjab/Delhi and Paani Poori in Kolkatta) after an evening stroll is a must.

Much later, as the evening starts melting into night and traffi c lights and cops cease to matter the crowd outside the vintage Moti Mahal queue up for the deliciously creamy kulfi , hot, just off the wok imarti (sweet deep-fried snack), gajar ka halwa (gajrella in Punjab/Delhi, grated carrot cooked in milk and topped with dry fruits), gulab jamuns or hundreds of other varieties of sweets.

At the GPO end of Hazratganj and short of Raj Bhawan (Governor House) is the well known Dahi bade walla (lentil balls fried and dunked in sweet curd and chutney). The shop, more of a kiosk actually, opens at 2 pm on all days except Mondays and by evening there is nothing left. The swirling crowd outside the bright green painted kiosk can provide food for thought to any MNC food chain. And beyond in the swanky Cantonment in the ubiquitous Sadar Bazaar is Chappan Bhog selling the best of sweets and chaat.

At the China Gate (Press Club) end of Lucknow’s Mahatma Gandhi Road, under the very shadow of the starred Gemini and Clark’s Awadh Hotels is Lucknow’s food street of the drive-in variety. Biased heavily in favour of non-vegetarians

almost to the point of sinning, the fl avours of Awadhi street food are here to be enjoyed in all its nuances. The tanginess of chicken kalimirch (black pepper) blends with the subtle fragrance of fresh coriander and cumin seeds of Dal Tadka. Aromas from dum pukht biryanis, chops, tikkas, mussallam, rogan josh, kebabs, chicken marinated and roasted to perfection, boti kebabs, butter chicken and numerous other mouth watering varieties vie for attention with fi sh chatpati, kali dal, paneer kali mirch and its several variants. The gastronomical spread cannot be said to be completed as they are to be wolfed down with a mind boggling variety of complimentary breads viz Tandoori roti, roomali, kulche, bhature taftan, phulke, parathas and its variants of laccha, varki

and stuffed, pooris and naans... The list is endless.

Muskuraiye Ki Aap Lucknow Main Hain (Smile, now that you are in Lucknow) is how a visit to Lucknow is supposed to be. And for a perfect smile you ought to have a paan (betel) without which no meal in Lucknow can be said to be complete. And there are paan shops galore, each a favourite of someone, some where. As the discerning clients are fastidious regarding types of leaves, various types of

betel leaves are brought-in from as far away as Kolkatta, Varanasi, Hamirpur and Mahoba. Prepared with nafasat (refi nement)bordering on reverence and laced with the choicest of fl avourings, nuts, condiments and scented tobaccos (for those who desire), sprinkled with rosewater and gulkand (rose leaves marinated in sugar syrup) it is offered with utmost grace. A blue blooded Lucknowite is likely to see red if after his meal he doesn’t visit his favorite paan shop which can be any where in the city.

Is it any wonder that the poet has said:

Aye Shehar-e-Lucknow tujhe mera Salaam hai;Tera hi naam doosra Zannat ka naam hai...

(O Lucknow I salute you for being the other name of Heaven)

The author is a noted travel writer.

and has been doing so as far as I can remember.

Come evening and the Jains set up their Chaat stalls at Novelty crossing, vying in taste with Sharma. Both have their loyalists who would swear for their respective brand of Chaat. For me, however, it is either King of Chaat or Shukla, both located in the upmarket Hazratganj. Just outside Halwasiya Market, also in Hazratganj, is the Matarwala selling a patta (a bowl made with dried and compressed Banyan leaves) of tastiest of matar (boiled and mashed peas) probably since this world came into existence. So famous has he become that he is now known for the stuff that he churns and sells.

At the proverbial stone’s throw from Shukla’s, opposite

Delectable desserts – Zauk-e-Shahi (above) and Makhan Malai (above right). A meal in Lucknow is not complete without a paan (right).

Kachauri – a fried snack (below) and making of a refreshing cup of tea (right).

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In the misty chill of Delhi’s fi erce winter, India and Bangladesh heralded a new spring in their bilateral ties. Taking inspiration from the unity themes in the works of Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi

Nazrul Islam, the two iconic poets of the subcontinent, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina Wajed on Jan 11 took pathbreaking steps to bring their countries closer in the joint task of confronting terrorism and building a new future around three Ts – trade, transit and transport.

In the fi rst state visit hosted by India in 2010, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced $1 billion line of credit to spur the economic transformation of Bangladesh.

The aid could be crucial in addressing Bangladesh’s burgeoning infrastructure needs and helping Sheikh Hasina realise what she calls Vision 2021, which aims at transforming Bangladesh into a middle-income country by 2021.

India also agreed to supply 250 MW of electricity through its central grid and inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on expanding power cooperation that will include building inter-grid connectivity.

A new spring inIndia-Bangladesh Ties

MANISH CHAND

Looking back in history: India’s late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi walks with the founding father of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at a dinner party she hosted for him in

April 1974, one year before he was assassinated along with several members of his family. Twenty-six years later, his daughter Sheikh Hasina visited New Delhi as Prime Minister to

take forward the relationship with India.

Signaling a new trust on an issue that had shadowed their ties earlier, the two sides inked three treaties on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, mutual transfer of convicted prisoners, and cooperation in the fi ght against international terrorism, organised crime and illegal drug traffi cking.

The two sides took important steps to improve connectivity, including a decision on starting a rail link between Akhaura in Bangladesh to Agartala in India. They also decided to declare Ashuganj in Bangladesh and Silghat in India as ports of call.

Reciprocating India’s warmth and resolve to walk the extra mile to put bilateral ties on a new footing, Sheikh Hasina said Bangladeshi territory would not be used for anti-India activities by insurgents from northeastern states. However, it is clear that more needs to be done on the security front though a beginning has indeed been made.

In a sign of transforming relations, India also acceded to a long-pending demand of Dhaka by allowing road and rail transit between Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. Sheikh Hasina agreed to open up the Bangladesh ports of Mongla and Chittagong for transit of goods by India as well as Nepal and Bhutan.

The camaraderie was in full fl ow at the state banquet the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hosted for the Bangladeshi leader.

The Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Mrs. Sheikh Hasina, inspecting the guard of honour at the ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on

January 11, 2010.


of Sheikh Hasina’s visit, but contended that there was no room for complacency if the process of win-win improvement had to be lasting.

By taking bold steps to address each other’s long-standing concerns over terrorism, trade, transit, transport and river water-sharing, India and Bangladesh, are scripting a new chapter in their bilateral ties.

On the economic and trade side the opening of Demagiri-Thegamukh on the Mizoram border, Sabroom-Ramgarh on the Tripura Border and border haats on the Meghalaya border bodes well for the North East states of India.

The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Mrs. Sheikh Hasina with the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh (right) and at a delegation level talks in New Delhi on January 11, 2010.

The high-profi le guests, particularly Bengalis, raved about the delicious hilsa bred in Bangladesh’s Padma river.

Sheikh Hasina spoke movingly about six years she spent in exile in India after her father, the legendary Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, was assassinated in 1975.

“Your visit will open a new chapter in our relations”, Dr. Manmohan Singh said warmly, stressing increased collaboration to address “common challenges of climate change, and assuring food,

water and energy security to our peoples”.

Sheikh Hasina’s four-day visit to India scored in both substance and atmospherics.

The bilateral relationship has been on an upswing since Sheikh Hasina and her secular allies swept the December 2008 polls.

The signifi cance of the visit, said Wahiduddin Mahmud, Professor of Economics at the University of Dhaka, lies not in “terms of the number of agreements and MoUs signed; much more important is the expression of political will for cooperation”.

Hiranmay Karlekar, Bangladesh expert and author of “Bangladesh: The New Afghanistan?”, hailed the results

India’s Bharti group has proposed US$ 300 million to build its telecom network and Meru Cabs along with Tatas are planning a transport service with 20,000 radio cabs in capital Dhaka.

The Bangladesh media hailed the visit.

“Prime Ministers Sheikh Hasina and Dr. Manmohan Singh seem to be inspired by a higher call than mere diplomacy in dealing with the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India,” said Financial Express.

The summit between them “bears a mark of maturity in handling the sensitive issues vital to the mutual interest of both the

The President, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil presenting the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2009 to the Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Mrs. Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi on January 12, 2010. The Prime Minister

Dr. Manmohan Singh and the Chairperson, UPA, Smt. Sonia Gandhi are also seen in the picture.

neighbours”, The Daily Star said in an editorial.

But the two principal architects of the ongoing transformation best encapsulated the visit. Sheikh Hasina said that she would not only work for “Sonar Bangla” (a throwback to the golden era of bountiful and prosperous Bengal of yore) but also for lasting peace in South Asia.

Added Dr. Manmohan Singh: “This visit has opened a new chapter in India-Bangladesh relations, refl ecting the true unity of minds and hearts.”


It rises out of the blue grey waters with its two main towers disappearing into the low slung monsoon clouds and stretches for 5.6 km to connect two busy points of India’s fi nancial hub

Mumbai through the Arabian Sea. India’s fi rst open sea bridge, called the Rajiv Gandhi Bandra-Worli Sea Link, is a cable-held

Bandra-Worli Sea LinkAN ENGINEERING MARVEL

Text: QUAID NAJMIPhotographs: N.K. SAREEN

engineering marvel that heralds a new era in infrastructure consolidation in the country.

Ten years in the making, the bridge that was inaugurated recently has used nearly 40,000 tonnes of steel, 90,000 tonnes of concrete, weighs 270,000 tonnes and cost $327 million. The high-speed open eight-lane carriageway, which is nine metres above the surface of the water, rests on two main towers, each equivalent to a 43-storey building, and 180 steel piers to weather the rough waves.

The two main towers connecting the cables that hold up the bridge rise in a gigantic but perfect ‘Namaste,’ the traditional Indian greeting. It also has two cable bridges, one 500 metres long on


Overwhelmed by the compliments pouring in from all over the country is the unassuming BWSL Chief Engineer S.M. Sabnis of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).

“We have done our b-est and are happy that everybody has liked it. It has been a tremendous morale-booster for my entire team,” said Sabnis.

Sabnis said that the new link between the southern island city and the northwest suburbs would last for over a century with proper maintenance.

He said it could withstand earthquakes of very high intensity and stormy gales of over 125 km per hour speeds, the maximum on this stretch of the Konkan coast.

Even the highest recorded waves of six metres would not disturb traffi c movement on the carriageway, Sabnis explained.

Sabnis and his team are now focused on completing the remaining 20 percent of work, on the second four-lane carriageway. “Then, traffi c movement will be greatly enhanced on all the eight lanes that make up the bridge,” he said.


the northern side and another 350 metres long on the southern side, to allow the passage of fi shing boats below.

The bridge – which was conceived way back in 1963 – encompasses some of the most modern security systems, including electronic eyes on the top and underneath.

The project involved some 3,000 professionals from 11 countries, including China, Egypt, Singapore, Thailand, and even Serbia and Switzerland.

Beyond the fi gures and the technical expertise, however, is the sheer ease that it has brought to the lives of millions of Mumbaikars, as the residents of the city are referred to, by cutting down driving time.

The eight-kilometre distance between suburban Bandra and Worli, in the central part of the city, which used to take 60-90 minutes to cover during the morning-evening peak hours, can now be completed in fl at six-eight minutes.

Bypassing 23 signals that commuters have to presently endure, it is a new alternative to the existing Mahim Causeway where daily traffi c volumes had exceeded 1.4 million vehicles, leading to massive traffi c snarls, especially during peak hours.

Authorities hope to see some 150,000 vehicles use it each day for a toll that ranges between

Rs.50 and Rs.100 per trip (about $2) depending on the size of the automobile.

Regardless of the toll, residents are thrilled with the latest infrastructure wonder that curves one kilometre away from shore and cuts out so much of their drudgery.

Mumbaikars, who drove up and down the bridge with the angry Arabian Sea waves lashing at it on both sides on the fi rst day, returned awe-struck.

“It has been an unreal experience, better than the best we could have imagined. The drive is not only pleasant, it transports you to a different destination,” said management professional Venkat Iyer.

“I was born in the city and have seen it grow and develop in the past four decades. The bridge has completely fl oored me, the beautiful approaches on both sides, the majesty of this great city zooming past... It is most impressive,” added investment consultant Nigam R. Pandya.

Businessman Pratap S. Bohra, who lives in suburban Juhu, said he had long abandoned his offi ce in the central business district of Nariman Point in downtown Mumbai on account of the time wasted in the traffi c.

“We kept hearing about the sea link. Now that it is ready, I am seriously planning to attend my offi ce in south Mumbai,” said Bohra.


India’s rapidly growing automobile sector is on the look-out for international design talent, with several top auto-makers hiring designers and engineers from different parts of the globe in recent

months.

Unlike the US, where the auto industry has been facing a crisis, India’s two-wheeler and four-wheeler industry is on a roll with record sales being registered in fi nancial year 2009-10. Top professionals, including designers, engineers and researchers, who see tremendous possibilities for growth in the burgeoning automobile sector in India are willing to relocate to the country on medium- and long-term assignments.

A top executive of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL), the country’s largest car-maker, was in Detroit earlier this year, meeting designers and engineers in Motown, and urging them to relocate to India.

I V Rao, managing executive offi cer (engineering), MSIL, succeeded in his mission – eight Detroit-based auto engineers, specialising in auto design, styling and modelling, and engine development and manufacturing, have now been taken on MSIL’s rolls. Some of the engineers and designers from the US are of Indian-origin and were eager to grab the Maruti offer.

According to Rao, the international design talent that the company is tapping into would help it launch innovative new models and also help train its engineers. “For a long time, we had limited resources,” points out Rao. “We would get new designs from Suzuki and the testing and development would be done here. We had less number of

experienced designers, making it diffi cult to execute new projects.

The newly-recruited global designers would help the auto-maker in grooming in-house designers and transferring know-how, adds Rao.

Other Indian auto-makers including Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bajaj Auto and Royal Enfi eld, are also in talks with international auto designers as they launch ambitious drives to expand their in-house design capabilities.

Many international auto designers have also been visiting India in recent months, interacting with top executives of domestic automobile majors. These designers have expertise in design and model-making

DESIGNED TO WINANNAMMA OOMMEN

The Indian automotive industry is attracting global design talent, as leading companies are hiring expatriate

designers to help them launch a rash of new models, even as some domestic giants have acquired international

auto design fi rms.

Automobiles


“We are looking at launching electronic fuel injection models in India,” says Padmanabhan. Royal Enfi eld hopes to sell about 50,000 bikes this year.

According to V G Ramakrishnan, senior director, automotive and transportation sector, Frost & Sullivan, the new focus on the role of design refl ects the aim of the Indian auto companies to tap global markets.

The change in the global auto manufacturing landscape, following the downturn in the US and Europe has also triggered off a ‘reverse brain-drain,’ with many designers seeking work in India and China. Pininfarina, the legendary Italian auto design fi rm, is also on the look-out for a white knight to rescue it from the ongoing crisis. There was talk of an Indian auto major acquiring the fi rm, but with many of the top designers having quit the Italian design house, there seems little interest in the deal.

Design aspects such as proto-typing and clay-modelling, which typically used to be done out of France, the UK and Italy, are now being executed by many automobile fi rms in India itself. And both domestic and international auto fi rms are investing signifi cantly, both in terms of investments in technology and human resources, in design centres in India.

While GM and Chrysler have R&D centres in Bangalore, Renault has a design centre in Mumbai. These design and R&D units not only do India-specifi c

Tata Motors, which took the global auto industry

by surprise with the launch of the Nano, has made it to the new, narrowed down list of 43 contestant teams for Progressive Automotive X Prize.

There were nearly a hundred teams in the original list of contestants for the $10 million prize – including established car-makers and even engineering students from Cornell Univeristy – who have to develop next-generation green vehicles. The teams submitted a list of over 50 vehicles.

Tata Motors, which has been at the forefront of innovation, attributes the spirit of ‘questioning the unquestioned’, for encouraging it to participate in the Progressive Automotive X Prize. The company aims to develop cars that are more fuel effi cient, cleaner, with minimum impact to the

environment and provide exception levels of customer satisfaction.

“It is with this vision that we have entered the Progressive Automotive X prize competition with the Indica Vista EV-X in the Alternative class,” points out a company statement.

The contest aims to inspire a new generation of viable, super fuel-effi cient vehicles that offer more consumer choices. The $10 million prize will be awarded to the teams that win a stage competition for clean, production-capable vehicles that exceed 100 miles per gallon or energy equivalent (MPGe). The major focus is on effi ciency, safety, affordability, and the environment.

“It is about developing real, production-capable cars that consumers will want to buy, not science projects or concept cars,”

say the organisers of the contest. “This progress is needed because today’s oil consumption is unsustainable and because automotive emissions signifi cantly contribute to global warming and climate change.”

The organiser of the contest, the X Prize Foundation, is best known for its Ansari X Prize, which saw the fi rst manned private space fl ight about fi ve years ago. The foundation is also sponsoring contests in genomics, healthcare and a moon landing.

“The teams and vehicles represented in this group (of 43 contestants) are the most viable in our competition and we believe that together they are positioned to make a huge impact on the automotive marketplace,” says Peter Diamandis, CEO and Chairman, X Prize Foundation. The winner of the contest will be announced in September 2010.

AIMING FOR THE X PRIZE

relating to hybrids, engines and transmissions.

Two-wheeler giant Bajaj Auto recently hired Edgar Heinrich from BMW Motorcycles to head its design function. “The world has woken to the paradigm shift in the Indian automobile industry, with out-of-the box designs playing a vital role,” points out Heinrich. The Pune-headquartered company has been launching a slew of new motor-cycles to take on the challenge posed by international majors including Harley-Davidson, who are poised to enter India.

Royal Enfi eld brought in Venki Padmanabhan as chief operating offi cer this year to handle design and product development. With a doctorate in industrial

engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, Padmanabhan had worked with the advanced engineering team of General Motors in the US, served in the DaimlerChrysler Mercedes car division and was managing director South East Asia global sourcing operations for Chrysler before being picked up by Royal Enfi eld.

❛❛We had limited resources. We would get new designs

from Suzuki and the development would be

done here.

❜❜I V Rao,

Managing Executive Offi cer, MSIL


Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, the country’s largest

auto-maker, is putting up a sprawling, 700-acre high-tech R&D complex at Rohtak in Haryana. The new facility will emerge as a global R&D hub for small cars for Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC).

The Rohtak project, estimated to cost about US$ 325 million, will feature a crash test facility, emission labs, wind tunnel testing, durability testing facilities as well as performance evaluation facilities for components. The Rohtak complex will augment the full vehicle design and development capability of Maruti Suzuki, which is on course to design a car on its own and launch a made-in-India car by 2012.

“The facility in Rohtak would be a big step forward in

building the R&D capability of Maruti Suzuki, and enable us to offer superior products to our customers in the future as well,” says Shinzo Nakanishi, Managing Director and CEO, MSIL. According to him, Osamu Suzuki, Chairman of the Japanese auto major, had six years ago promised that MSIL would be made the R&D hub for Asia, outside Japan.

With the allocation of 700 acres of land for MSIL by the Haryana government recently, “we have taken a step further in realising this promise,” he avers. The sprawling complex will feature a dedicated, 100-acre suppliers’ park for vendor companies. The test tracks are expected to be ready during the fi rst phase by 2012 and the overall R&D facilities will be completed by 2015.

According to Nakanishi, the project “will be a dream-come-true for Indian engineers and automobile designers.” The ambitious outlay for the Rohtak project highlights the growing `India-focus’ by the Japanese auto giant towards making Maruti Suzuki the R&D hub for small cars outside Japan, he adds.

The Rohtak facility is also the latest of a series of big-ticket investments by MSIL, which has made Haryana a global manufacturing hub. For its latest global model, the ‘A star’, SMC has chosen MSIL as the sole manufacturing base for its global requirement.

The decision to induct designers from the US at its facility in India refl ects the confi dence of MSIL in designing cars for global markets.

‘DREAM COME TRUE’ FOR AUTO ENGINEERS, DESIGNERS

projects, but also work for the parent companies.

“The basic objective of setting up a full-fl edged India design studio was to learn from Indian designers and the market about local tastes and preferences,” points out Jean-Philippe Salar, chief designer and head, Renault Design India. According to him, Renault’s design studio of 16 persons operates as a satellite to the parent studio in Paris. “In the last 30 months, this studio has handled end-to-end design for the Indian market and is now capable of working on global projects for Renault,” he adds.

Some Indian auto majors have also started acquiring global design companies. A series of equity partnerships between local companies and global fi rms in the past few months have underscored the importance of this aspect of the automobile industry, as a worldwide consolidation wave prompts

high-tech, glamourous car bodies to serve as the main differentiator.

Indian auto companies are keen to buy out global design houses in a bid to produce contemporary products, upgrade their R&D and also become more globally competitive through better management of costs.

Utility vehicle major Mahindra & Mahindra recently acquired the business of G.R. Grafi ca Ricerca Design Srl (GRD), an Italian auto designing, body-engineering and feasibility and styling company based out of Turin. With this acquisition M&M intends to develop a global design centre for the group and cater to global auto OEMs.

“The synergies resulting from this acquisition will not only help us strengthen our existing design capabilities, but will also help us emerge as a global auto design power house,” explains Pawan Goenka, president, automotive


IN TOP GEAR

IN THE FAST LANE

Segment April-Sept ‘08 April-Sept ‘09 % change

Passenger vehicles 779,217 884,118 13.46

Commercial vehicles 221,685 220,529 -0.52

Three-wheelers 184,934 207,809 12.37

Two-wheelers 3,864,443 4,470,464 15.68

Total 5,050,279 5,782,920 14.51

Source: Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM)

sector, M&M. “Complementary capabilities between Mahindra and GRD will enhance the product development capabilities, provide a solid European footprint for M&M to leverage technologies and skill sets by harnessing the talent pool of designers and engineers.”

As global auto manufacturing capabilities shift to Asia, design fi rms are setting up offi ces in India to focus on back-end operations, post the ideation stage. Many global design houses have also seen declining business, partly as automobile manufacturers have moved more design work in-house. A growing number of these fi rms are now prepared to sell equity stake in their businesses in the hope of revving their fortunes.

Design will be the differentiator in the globalised environment, since performance, quality and

costs are getting commoditised. Says Arun Jaura, head, R&D, Eaton Corporation, a diversifi ed industrial group: “Indian OEMs are committed to building capabilities and acquisition of design houses in developed economies seems to be the fastest way. With the engineering talent pool in short supply, global OEMs and suppliers will set up captive design centres in India and other developing markets.”

Adds Dilip Chhabria, managing director, DC Design: “The current move of Indian OEMs acquiring front-end design capability is more in the nature of off-shoring.”

S D Pradhan, CEO, Argentum Engineering Design – which was set up by B V R Subbu, former India chief of Hyundai Motors – says the fi rm has positioned itself as a contract designer to prototype manufacturers. Argentum has tied up with Dassault Systemes, a French software major, to provide power-train solutions to various companies.

As the Indian automobile industry presses hard on the accelerator and speeds on the fast lane, design and research and development will feature prominently in its overall strategy to emerge as a global leader.

(Source: India Brand Equity Foundation)

The world has woken to the paradigm shift in the Indian

automobile industry, with outof-the box designs playing

a vital role.

Edgar Heinrich,Design Head, Bajaj Auto

Auto sales in India have revved up dramatically in recent months, as consumers splurge on the new models that have been launched by manufacturers.

According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), auto sales surged by 21 per cent in September 2009 to 129,000 units, as against 107,000 units in September 2008. Thirteen of the 16 automobile manufacturers reported an increase in sales during the month.

Leading automakers including Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors,

Mahindra & Mahindra, Fiat, BMW and Audi have launched several new models in recent months.

Overall vehicle sales – including cars, two-wheelers, three-wheelers and commercial vehicles

– expanded by 10 per cent in September 2009, to 1.09 million, as against 990,000 units a year earlier.

For the fi rst half of 2009-10 fi scal (April-September), total vehicle sales grew by 14.51 per cent to 5.78 million units.


One Hundred Years ofThe Indian Institute of Science

behalf, and Lord Curzon the Viceroy of India, whose fi rst task on arrival on December 31, 1898 was to receive a draft proposal prepared by the Provisional Committee set up to plan the establishment of the Institute. The plan was shepherded through many diffi cult years by Burjorji Padshah, a close associate of J.N. Tata. Unfortunately, J.N. Tata died in 1904 unaware that his vision would indeed be realized a few years later. When the British Government fi nally issued the Vesting Order in 1909, an unmatched experiment in higher education and research was launched in India. IIsc is truly the fi rst example of a public-private partnership in this country; an institution, whose evolution over a century is testimony to the robustness of its foundations.

The Institute occupies nearly 400 acres of prime land in

Bangalore, generously donated by the Maharaja of Mysore in March 1907. Indeed, the contribution from the princely state of Mysore was the decisive element in determining the location of J.N. Tata’s proposed institution. Remarkably, in a gesture unmatched in the annals of private philanthropy in India, Tata did not wish his name to be associated with the Institute. His dream was to create an institution that would contribute to the development of India. The name, Indian Institute of Science, which was fi nally chosen, refl ects in every way the wishes of J.N. Tata. Visitors to Bangalore who seek out IISc still have to ask local residents for directions to the ‘Tata Institute’, a clear recognition that Jamsetji Tata’s act of generosity has remained undimmed in public memory, despite the passage of a century.

The Institute began with only two departments: General and Applied Chemistry and Electro-Technology. The fi rst Director, Morris W Travers began the task of organizing the Institute shortly after his arrival in India at the end of 1906. Travers began the construction of the main building, which is one of Bangalore’s landmarks today. The Departments of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry were among the earliest to be established. The Physics Department came into being in 1933, when C.V. Raman became the fi rst Indian Director of the Institute. In the century that has passed since its inception, IISc has grown to become India’s premier centre for research and postgraduate education in science and engineering. Several new areas of research have been established, many of them for the fi rst time in India. The institute’s departments in fi elds ranging from Biochemistry

Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata Maharaja of Mysore Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV Morris W Travers

P. BALARAM

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) was conceived as a ‘Research Institute’ or ‘University of Research’ by Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, in the dying years of the 19th century. A

long period of almost thirteen years was to elapse from the initial conception in 1896 to the birth of the institute on May 27, 1909. The early history of the Institute is a fascinating chapter in the story of higher education and scientifi c research in India. The cast of characters in the drama that led to the establishment of the Institute includes, in addition to its charismatic and generous founder J.N. Tata, fi gures from the pages of Indian history. There is Swami Vivekananda, whom J.N. Tata befriended on his famous voyage to the United States, the Maharaja of Mysore, Shri Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV and his mother then acting on his


amongst the best in India. A major program for modernizing laboratories is underway, catalyzed by a special grant provided by the Government of India in 2006. The Institute hosts hundreds of visitors from India and abroad every year and is the venue for many major national and international academic events.

The face of science and engineering research has been changing very rapidly over the past few years. In approaching the second century of the Institute many new activities have been initiated. Notable among them are the interdisciplinary Ph. D. Programs in Mathematical Science, Chemical Biology, Earth System Science, Nanoscience and Nanotechnogy and Nanoengineering for

Integrated Systems. These programs are intended to blur the traditional boundaries between disciplines, thereby promoting cross-disciplinary research. An M. Tech program in Climate Science has also been introduced. New centres in the areas of Earth Sciences, Climate Change and Neuroscience have been established. The Institute hopes to foster collaborative and interdisciplinary research in a vigorous fashion in the years to come. The Institute is also committed to promoting post-doctoral research in the areas of science and engineering.

The Institute is engaged in interactions with society and industry through a variety of outreach programs. The Centre for Scientifi c and Industrial Consultancy (CSIC) and the Society for Innovation and

Development (SID) promote collaborative interactions with industry, while the Centre for Continuing Education (CCE) provides an opportunity for working scientist and engineers to enrich themselves academically. The institute’s Young Fellowships Program in Science and Engineering seeks to bring young students to the campus in summer. The Institute also administers the Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) program of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) aimed at encouraging students of Basic Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to take up research careers in these areas. The Institute’s commitment to socially relevant research is specifi cally emphasized by the activities undertaken at the Centre for Sustainable Technologies (CST), together with the Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology (KSCST), which is housed on the campus.

The evolution of the Institute over the past one hundred years has mirrored the development of science and technology in India. A long history, a strong tradition of academic research and ambience that favours scholarly activity have been important elements in making the Institute a most attractive place for students and faculty.

The author is Director, IISc, Bangalore.

The Solid State Structural Chemistry Laboratory

The Aerospace Engineering Laboratory

who was the Director of IISc in the critical period 1939-48, during which much of the activity in engineering was initiated at the Institute. Many of India’s most distinguished scientists have been associated with the Institute as students or faculty. Notable among them are G.N. Ramachandran, Harish Chandra, S. Ramaseshan, A. Ramachandran, C.N.R Rao and R. Narasimha. Alumni of the Institute head many major organizations in India and abroad.

The Institute offers a variety of Master’s degree programs in Engineering, an integrated (post-B.Sc.) program in Science and Ph.D programs in a wide spectrum of disciplines in science and engineering. The research laboratories at the Institute are well equipped. Many national facilities are housed at the Institute. The library and computational facilities at the institute are

to Aerospace Engineering have served to nucleate research and development in both the public and private sectors. The faculty and alumni of the Institute have been responsible for establishing and spearheading many new institutions and programs across the country, refl ecting in a real sense, a major development. Homi Bhabha conceived the idea of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and an Atomic Energy Program while working in the Department of Physics. Vikram Sarabhai, the founder of India’s space program was an alumnus. Following his premature death, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) was built under the far-sighted leadership of Satish Dhawan, who simultaneously held the position of the Director of the Institute with the greatest distinction. The fi rst Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) at Kharagpur was established by J.C. Ghosh,


A unique experiment in

Tele-Medicine

over 7 districts of Southern Karnataka to image these premature infants, and store, process and analyze these images. Using an indigenously developed web based Tele-ROP platform, the technicians were matched with ROP experts situated elsewhere validating a unique model which has obviated the need for the physical presence of experts in the rural areas.

Thus far, over 2100 infants from over 20 neonatal care centres, covering a radius of 350 kilometers have been screened. Of these, over 230 have undergone sight saving (laser) treatment without having

Tele-Ophthalmology provides a new hope in preventing infant blindness in rural India.

As of today, Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is the leading cause of infant

blindness. According to the WHO, middle-income countries such as India are believed to be in the midst of ‘the third epidemic’ of ROP.

The fi gures speak for themselves. Over 27 million live births are recorded in India annually and over 8.4% of these are low weight births below 2000 grams. Upto 47% of these low weight births and premature babies share the deadly risk factors of potentially blinding ROP. Upto 15% of these may require treatment. With less than 300 retinal surgeons and less than 20 pediatric retinal surgeons

in the country, screening (and treating) these babies especially in the non-urban setting, is an unmet challenge.

To address this issue, Narayana Nethralaya Postgraduate Institute of Ophthalmology, a leading tertiary eye care provider situated in Bangalore, has undertaken a unique experiment in Tele-Ophthalmology over two years ago called “KIDROP” (Karnataka State Internet Assisted Diagnosis of ROP).

Under the leadership of Dr Anand Vinekar, who heads the Institute’s Pediatric Retina department, trained technicians armed with a portable wide-fi eld digital pediatric retinal camera (Retcam Shuttle), travel

to shift the baby to the city. Over 80% of this has been done entirely free or at subsidized costs. Recently, the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) has extended support to this project to include six more districts in Northern Karnataka.

Since 2009,with the help of an indigenous company, i2i Tele-Solutions, the images acquired in rural areas are now being received on a specially designed software application on the Apple iPhone. The specialist can now provide live diagnosis and a report using the GSM network further reducing the dependence on the variable speed of the internet.

“We are in the process of expansion. Some other states in India as well as a few countries in South-East Asia and Africa have evinced keen interest in our model”, said Dr Anand Vinekar.

With increasing neonatal survival, rural and semi-urban infants are as much at risk as their city based counterparts of developing ROP. At this point in time, Tele-ROP seems to offer the best option to meet the standard of care for these tiny and precious citizens.

Based on inputs provided by Narayana Nethralaya Postgraduate Institute of Ophthalmology, Bangalore.


Stem Cells RICHA SHARMA

With stem cell therapy clearly emerging as the treatment for the future, India has joined a handful of nations

in banking on technologically advanced healthcare options for humankind.

Like all parents, Arvind Tripathi, a schoolteacher in India’s pink city of Jaipur,

wants to gift his unborn child a disease-free future. As India walks the path of cutting-edge technology in healthcare, the once unthinkable is actually within grasp and Tripathi is planning to achieve his dream by banking his baby’s stem cells.

He will soon join the ranks of 30,000 other parents in India who have banked the umbilical

cord blood cells of their babies to give them a way to fi ght blood, genetic and immune system diseases for the rest of their lives.

From 2001, when the fi rst stem cell bank in India was launched in the southern city of Chennai by Reliance Life Sciences, now part of the Reliance Group led by Mukesh Ambani, benefi ts of the technology have percolated down to thousands of people.

Stem cells have been labelled the natural repair kit of the human body. The cells, collected from the umbilical cord blood at the time of birth, are the building blocks of our blood and immune systems and have the potential to grow into any other type of cells. They form the white cells that fi ght infection, red cells that carry oxygen and platelets that promote healing.

Stem cells present in bone marrow and umbilical cord can generate new cells throughout our lives. Umbilical cord blood stem cells have been used over the years in an increasing number of treatments including leukaemia, malignant tumours, blood disorders and red cell disorders.

In the last few years, more than 10,000 patients in over 150 countries have been treated with cord blood stem cell transplants. Currently, research in the use of

stem cells to treat more than 85 diseases is being undertaken.

India is catching up fast.

Though there are no estimates of the size of the business, the stem cell banking business is growing rapidly with international companies like Cryo-Save, Cryo-Cell and Cryobank opening their branches in various parts of the country.

“With a high birth rate (43 million births a year), India holds a huge market for the stem cell banking business. Though in a nascent stage, awareness about umbilical cord blood stem cell banking is catching up fast in India,” says Mayur Abhaya, president and executive director of Life Cell International.

“To make people more aware about the benefi ts, the company has tied up with several gynaecologist associations in the country. We are also teaming up with hospitals in the country to

TOWARDS A DISEASE-FREE TOMORROW

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instalments) payment plans.

“A couple interested in storing stem cells may contact the company two months before scheduled delivery. Our counsellors will approach them and guide them about the process. After 21 years, we will charge a minimal annual fee to store it for a lifetime,” explained V.R. Chandramouli, managing director of Cryo-Save, India.

Families that cannot raise the money at the time of birth can bank the cord blood in a public bank and then arrange for it to be transferred for exclusive use. Public stem cell banks operate like regular blood banks. It doesn’t cost anything to donate stem cells to a public bank and the ownership of the cells doesn’t belong to the donor. The unknown recipient pays for the stem cells when he fi nds suitable matching stem cells.

“In the case of a private stem cell bank, the client holds the right to retrieve or access the stem cells for his own use or by his family members for which purpose there is a periodic or one-time payment which he needs to make. These stem cells cannot be sold or transferred to third parties,” Abhaya said. As the stem cell revolution gains strength in India, researchers in the country are also marching ahead for the therapy that has the potential to radically change the treatment of human disease.

The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in the southern city of Hyderabad is collaborating with the Deccan Medical College for liver stem cell research and with the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute for growing cornea cells.

The All India Institute for Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi is developing treatments using bone marrow cells for spinal cord injury, heart tissue damage, diabetes, stroke, peripheral vascular disease and certain eye surface diseases.

The Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) in the western Indian city of Pune has set up one of the biggest stem cell research centres in Asia. With stem cell therapy clearly emerging as the treatment for the future, India has joined the rest of the world in banking on the best healthcare options for humankind.


reach out to expecting mothers and counsel them about the benefi ts of storing cord blood,” Abhaya said.

He estimates that the business is growing at a steady pace of 25 to 30 percent per annum. Realising the huge potential in stem cells banking business in India, European company Cryo-Save launched its operations in India last December with an investment of Rs.10 million (approx $206,000).

Stem cell banking kits – which include harvesting, processing and storage of cord blood – range from about $300 to about $15,000 depending upon the kind of facilities being offered. Though not extravagantly priced, the facility is out of reach for many Indians. To make it affordable to the average salaried person, companies are offering EMI (equated monthly

Not many actresses leave a mark with just a few fi lms in their lifetime. Leela Naidu had a spark that made her stand out in the fi lm industry – even though she was never a part of

the ‘top’ star bracket that usually identifi ed a popular actress in the 60s. Launched in fi lms by the legendary fi lmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Leela went on to do very few fi lms and yet managed to win hearts across the country and form a loyal fan following that lingers even decades after her debut. Born in 1940 to nuclear scientist Dr Ramaiah Naidu (who hailed from Chittor, Andhra Pradesh) and his Swiss-French wife Marthe (who was herself an

Leela NaiduTHE ENIGMA LIVES ON...

Text & Photographs: SMM AUSAJA

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fi lms in 1960. Anuradha was a sensitive story that required a matured performance. Leela surprised the critics with a seasoned performance in the title role, and the fi lm went on to win the national award for Best Film. Its music by Pandit Ravi Shankar still delights the listeners. Her next fi lm – Ummeed – was released in 1962. It was directed by the legendary Nitin Bose. In fact Bose had triumphed a year back with Gunga Jumna – a fi lm considered to be his best work. Leela shared the screen with Joy Mukherjee and Ashok Kumar in Ummeed, while composer Ravi scored the music.

Yet another memorable role for Naidu came in 1963 with Sunil Dutt’s ‘Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke’ directed by R K Nayyar. This fi lm gave her the opportunity to stand out in her performance

Oberoi who owned the Oberoi Hotels chain. They had twin daughters – Maya and Priya Oberoi, but Leela’s marriage ended in a divorce with her husband getting the custody of the daughters. This setback made her emotionally weak and vulnerable, and she turned to

Leela Naidu and Sunil Dutt in Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke, 1963 directed by R.K. Nayyar (above) and the cover of the soundtrack of Anuradha (right).

playing an adulterous wife. The murder mystery was inspired by a famous court case ‘K M Nanawati v/s State of Maharashtra’ which had made headlines across the country. Though the songs composed by Ravi – ‘Yeh raaste hain pyaar ke...’ and ‘Yeh khamoshiyan...’ soared at the charts, the fi lm couldn’t get much success at the box-offi ce. The same year Leela was seen and admired in Merchant Ivory’s The Householder as she played the free spirited wife with such dedication that it remains one

indologist), Leela loved music and her mother would often play her lovely lullabies and French songs, often on the piano. Hindi and English songs enchanted her on the radio. Polish composer Frederic François Chopin’s music infl uenced her most as she crossed her fi fth year. She began learning the piano and also became one of the youngest entrants to the Music Academy in Geneva. Graduating from music to dance, she even learnt ballet at the age of eight. Her grooming for dance happened at the Institute of Eurhythmics. It was here that she also faced the fi lm camera at the age of nine during the fi lming of a documentary.

In 1950 she appeared in a play ‘Leela – the soul who wanted to equal the gods’ at her Geneva school. One of her school mates was so impressed with her performance that he went on to feature her in one of his experimental fi lms ‘Birth of a Soul’ years later. This fi lm was honoured at the Cannes fi lm festival. Leela continued to do French and English plays in her European schooling, while frequent trips to India kept her in touch with her roots. In 1954, Leela shot to limelight by not only winning the coveted Miss India crown but also a rank among the ten most beautiful women in the world, a listing by Vogue magazine. Two years later, Leela married 33 year old Tilak Raj Oberoi, son of Mohan

spiritualism under philosopher J Krishnamurti.

Director Hrishikesh Mukehrjee chanced upon Leela’s photograph and decided to cast her in the title role of his forthcoming fi lm Anuradha opposite Balraj Sahni. Thus began her career in Hindi

of her best roles. The fi lm was a Hindi-English bilingual, based on Ruth Jhabwala’s novel of the same name. Its Hindi dialogues were written by Prayag Raaj, and Satyajit Ray had composed the music.

Leela worked in Ram Dayal’s Baghi in 1964 opposite Pradeep Kumar – Vijya Chowdhry and Mumtaz were also in the cast. The fi lm however could not sustain itself at the box offi ce. Her career in Hindi fi lms began to wane after this fi lm. She was seen in a guest appearance in Merchant-Ivory’s Guru in 1969, the year she married writer Dom Moraes, her childhood friend. Years later Leela Naidu returned to arc lights with Shyam Benegal’s Trikaal, a brilliantly shot fi lm set in Goa. Leela once again delivered a memorable performance in this fi lm which won two national awards. The last fi lm she did was Pradeep Krishen’s Electric Moon in 1992. In her entire career she did very few fi lms, but the impact of her few performances is such that she is still admired and respected as a formidable performer on screen. She died in Mumbai on 28th July 2009, leaving behind wonderful memories of her roles to millions of fans.

The author is a fi lm historian.


The Manipuri name for Polo is Sagol Kangjei or Hockey on Horse. The traditional game is played seven a side mounted on ponies which are often not more than 4/5 feet in height.

Heritage Sports

HOCKEY ON HORSE BACKText: DEBABRATA BANERJEEPhotographs: DILIP BANERJEE

The number ‘seven’ is sacred to the Manipuris, it represents the seven ancestral clans of the people. Each player is outfi tted with a polo stick made of cane having a narrow angled wooden head fi xed at the striking end. The ball, 14 inches in circumference is made of bamboo root. The mounted players hit the ball into the goal. Extremely vigorous and exhilarating, the game is played in two styles – the PANA or original Manipuri style and the International style i.e. Polo. The ponies are also decorated fully with metal guards protecting the eyes, forehead, fl anks etc. The Manipuri polo fi eld measures 160 Sana-Lamjei by 80 Sana Lamjei,

MANIPURI’S TRADITIONS OF POLO


a Sana-Lamjei being equal to 6 ft. The duration of a game depends on the preset number of goals to be scored by a side for a win. If the wining number of goals is not scored on the day, the game is continued into the next day! There are no goal posts in traditional Sagol Kangjei, the entire back line being the goal target. There are few rules in traditional Sagol Kangjei. The game is started by the Huntre Hunba or referee by throwing the ball high up in the air. A player is allowed to catch the ball in mid air, run and hit it with the mallet to score a goal. In mid-play a player can roll the ball from the ground up the mallet into his hands and score with mallet. Some semblance of a rule was imposed by the King Churachand Singh in 1928 when crossing the right of way and hooking of the opponents stick above the Pony’s height was prohibited. Although the royal patronage of the game has ended, the game is still played in its indigenous form. There are over 30 polo clubs in Manipur today and visitors are amazed by the massive crowds that turn out to witness the tournaments at the Imphal Polo Ground.

The author is a noted writer.


Sacred Plants in Indian Lore...PRAN NEVILE

The Banyan tree takes the pride of place amongst the sacred trees of India. It has aerial roots that grow down into the soil forming additional trunks. It is, therefore, called

Bahupada, one with several feet symbolising long life and also representing the divine creator Brahma. It is invariably planted in front of Hindu temples. Its numerous stems are even regarded as the home of gods and spirits. It was under a Banyan tree that

Since time immemorial, certain trees and plants in India have been invested with divine attributes. The Hindus were taught to worship and revere them in the belief that it would

infl uence their own personal well-being. Evergreen trees were regarded as symbols of eternal life. The groves in forests

were looked upon as habitations of the gods...

Hindu temples and the Banyan tree at Agouree on the river Soane, Bihar by Thomas Daniell, c. 1796 (below) and a Hindu woman performing a religious ceremony around the Tulsi plant

by D.V. Dhurandhar, c. 1890 (facing page), courtesy V&A Museum, London.


beneath its hallowed foliage. The most famous of these trees is the sacred Peepul at Gaya under which Buddha sat when he attained enlightenment. Since then the Peepul tree is also called the Bo or the Bodhi tree. It is also believed to be a symbol of fertility and women worship it for progeny.

The other sacred trees are the Bilva or oak-apple and the Asoka trees associated with different deities. The Asoka tree is sacred to Kama, the god of love, and according to folklore, its buds will open up in full bloom when the foot of a young beautiful maiden touches its roots. The Bilva with its three leaves resembling the Trishul, or the trident held by Lord Shiva, fi nds mention in Hindu mythology. Its fruit is a blood purifi er.

Besides the sacred trees, there are certain sacred plants too, notably the Tulsi plant which is found everywhere in sandy and fallow lands. An ancient variety of the basil, Tulsi is considered to be the wife of Lord Vishnu and worshipped by the Hindus. In homes, Tulsi is grown in pots and worshipped daily. A mere touch of the plant is believed to purify the person and giving a twig of Tulsi to anyone is considered as a protection from

dangers and diffi culties. Among other virtues of the Tulsi are its medicinal properties. Its leaves have a pleasing aroma and act as a cough elixir. Leaves are also eaten to help digestion and prevent other maladies like colds and chills. No wonder, the Hindus deifi ed the plant for its numerous qualities. Fanny Parks, the fi rst Indophile, writer and artist makes a special mention of the worship of the “Toolsee” plant. She describes the rituals and ceremonial ‘pooja of the toolsee’ and the way it was planted in a number of pillars hollowed at the top in Benaras where the devotees walked around these pillars pouring water on the sacred plant.

Darbha or Kusha is a sacred grass essential in all rituals. This plant is found in damp marshy ground. It is rough to touch and pointed at the top. According to an old legend, it was produced at the time of the churning of the ocean by the gods and demons. It is also said the gods while drinking amrita or the nectar of immortality shed some drops on this grass which thus became sacred. There is a mention of it in the Hindu scriptures and the epics and is used in various religious ceremonies, as it is believed to have the virtue of purifying everything.

The author is a noted writer.

the Hindu sages sat in trance seeking enlightenment, held discourses and conducted holy rituals. Some Banyan trees reached a height of over 100 feet and more than a thousand feet in circumference. No wonder, it is stated that ten thousand men could be covered by a single tree. We come across mention of the Banyan tree in many travellers’ account. Bishop Heber (1825) was so impressed by the sight of this tree that he exclaimed, “what a noble place of worship”. Travellers’ tales even inspired the great English poet Milton to allude to the banyan tree in his Paradise Lost.

In Hindu mythology, the tree is called Kalapvriksha, the tree that provides fulfi llment of wishes and other material gains. The worship of the tree is also represented in Buddhist texts. Another great tree of India is the Peepul, found all over the country. Known for its antiquity, it fi nds mention in many Hindu scriptures as a sacred tree whose worship is regarded as homage to the Trinity – Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The tree is also associated with the old Vedic rituals of lighting the sacrifi cial fi re with a twig of the Peepul tree. Every village has its special Peepul tree and the village elders hold their councils

Women engaged in tree worship by William Carpenter, c. 1850,courtesy V&A Museum, London.

The sacred tree of the Hindus at Gyah, Bihar by Thomas Daniell, c. 1796

Pooja of the Tulsi by Fanny Parks c. 1830


There are few women in the world busier than celebrity Manhattan editor Tina Brown whose latest venture is a news website called “The Daily Beast” which gets 50 million

hits a day but for two years in a row she has made it a point of taking out a week to attend the Jaipur Literature Festival.

“I’m addicted to it. It’s the most wonderful gathering of the world’s top authors and the best Indian writers. It’s stimulating and fun,” she said while enjoying a hot spiced cider in Flow café located on the sprawling lawns of Diggi Palace, the faded but charming palace turned into a resort where the festival is held every January.

THE CHARMS OF THE

Jaipur Literature FestivalText: AMRIT DHILLON

Photographs: TEAMWORK PRODUCTIONS

Before arriving in Jaipur, Ms Brown had been interviewed on Twitter by The Sunday Times in the UK. When asked what she was doing at that moment, she replied that she was having breakfast in a New York diner and looking forward to attending the festival.

“After Tatler, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker (all magazines that Ms Brown has edited) isn’t an Indian literature festival a bit low-rent?” her interlocuter asked.

She was withering in her reply: “What are you talking about? The festival has the world’s best writers. If that’s slumming it, I’ll do it every day.” Later, writing on The Daily Beast, she called it ‘the greatest literary show on earth’.

For the ‘Pink City’, the festival was once again a source of local pride as Wole Soyinka, Michael Frayn, Amit Chaudhari, Pavan Varma, Louis de Bernieres, Vikram Chandra, Alexander McCall Smith, Hanif Kureishi and nearly 200 other top authors kicked off fi ve whirlwind days of literary activity.

The festival’s origins, fi ve years ago, were exceedingly humble. “I read in a room full of dusty sofas with six persons sitting in the audience. When the slide projector failed, three of them left despite my begging them to stay,” related co-founder and British writer William Dalrymple, who has made his home in India.

Nigerian Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka Tina Brown with Vir Sanghvi of Hindustan Times


Two years later, in 2007, Dalrymple and the other founder, Namita Gokhale, got about eight to ten authors. Last year proved to be the tipping point when, suddenly, the festival became ‘big’, attracting 160 authors, 20,000 people and establishing itself as the biggest literary festival in India and Asia.

The event prides itself on being the ‘most democratic’ book festival in the world with free entry for everyone and no special treatment for famous authors or celebrity visitors. Last year, fi lm star Julia Roberts visited (unrecognised) while Vikram Seth sat cross legged on the lawns to eat his dinner because there was no space at a table.

There are no separate enclosures. The authors use the same toilets and eat the same food. Anyone, including the 200 local school children and students from Delhi who are invited, can buttonhole an author and engage him or her in conversation.

This year, Nigerian Nobel prizewinner Wole Soyinka found himself dining with a bunch of wide-eyed schoolgirls. “He was telling us how to lead a good life and what it means to be a good human being,” said Asha Gupta, a Jaipur schoolgirl.

British writer Hanif Kureishi found himself ambushed by schoolboys demanding his autograph. “I haven’t read his

A view of the evening gathering


Author Chetan Bhagat in a session with Meenakshi Madhavan, Ira Trivedi and Anjum Hasan (from left to right).

A performance by the Rajasthani folk musicians

The festivity is the best of Rajasthan – colourful outfi ts and wonderful folk musicians and dancers, brightly coloured marquees and turbaned men serving masala chai in ‘khullars’ or clay cups.

The concerts in the evening are an integral part of the festival. After a day’s intellectual stimulation, visitors are eager to enjoy a rollicking good show and they were not let down this year. The audience went wild when Susheela Raman, an acclaimed British Tamil singer, gave them a taste of the rich, bold voice which won her a nomination for the 2001 Mercury prize for her debut album, Salt Rain. Her partner and guitarist Sam Mills also performed with her. In this performance of UK and Indian music, Nathoo Lal Solanki, a classical Nagara player and folk musician Chugge Khan also delighted the crowd. The Baul

singers from Bengal led by Paban Das Baul, were equally popular.

As eclectic as ever, the music ranged from Sufi and Indian folk to Moroccan and popular fusion musicians such as Biddu Unplugged (Biddu was born in India where he started his career playing in a pop band whose infl uences lay in the classical repertoire of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones). The grand fi nale – a Writers’ Ball with a sound and light show – took place at Jaipur’s famous Amber Fort.

But to come back to the daytime activities, these are packed with serious discussions on literature in the marquees which attract enthusiastic audiences prepared to sit on the fl oor to hear the writers they love and admire.

These tents are put up on the lawns because there is no way that the Durbar Hall, grand as it

is with chandeliers and frescoed walls, could accommodate all the Indians and foreigners – over 26,000 this year – who descend on Diggi Palace.

Much of the appeal of the festival lies in Diggi’s manicured lawns and old world charm. As award-winning biographer, Claire Tomalin, explained the art of biography in a tent of vast pink, green, lime, yellow and magenta stripes, she was interrupted by the neighing of horses tethered nearby in the royal stables.

“The festival still has the feel of a group of friends putting it together for a lark,” said Dalrymple. “The city itself is an attraction. What can be nicer in

the winter than the sun shining in Jaipur?” Mr Dalrymple says that the idea of a festival in India fi rst occurred to him when he used to attend festivals in other countries and would fi nd celebrated Indian authors everywhere, except in India.

Poetry readings and concerts lasted till past midnight with the lawns overfl owing not just with festival guests but with locals curious to see the event that has put their city on the literary map. “Jaipur is the perfect festival city,” said festival producer Sanjoy K. Roy. “It’s not just about books but about the music, colour and fun of Rajasthan.”

Every session offered something

novels but I’ve heard of him,” said a delighted Nikhil Rathore, 15 when an initially reluctant Kureshi relented. He added: “I have never in my life seen so many famous people.”

At this point, actor Om Puri, who was promoting his biography, walked past, chased by a posse of photographers and reporters, and Rathore ran off to join them to get Mr Puri’s autograph too.

At this festival, no matter how famous you are, you have to fend for yourself, whether it’s for a place to sit or to grab some food which is on a fi rst-come, fi rst-served basis. A frazzled and lost-looking Michael Frayn, a celebrated British playwright, was seen wandering around the lawns looking for a chair.

The same rules apply to everyone. Dalrymple himself was ticked off by a guard outside the Full Circle book stall for taking his coffee inside, against the rules. Like an obedient schoolboy, he obeyed.

Unlike other big literature festivals which have become hierarchical and money-making machines, at Diggi Palace, the atmosphere is relaxed, cheerful, informal, and almost carnival-like with large crowds milling around day and night. Anyone, from a journalist or diplomat to a student can buttonhole an author or someone like actor Rahul Bose who did a wonderful job of moderating a discussion on adapting books into screenplays, and have a conversation with them or lunch with them.


new. Alexander McCall Smith, author of the hugely successful No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, and a wonderful raconteur, treated the audience to some hilarious stories.

In the Baitak tent, everyone was so absorbed in hearing Omprakash Valmiki speak about his childhood that no one noticed former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje walk in and quietly sit down.

On another day, a poetry session honouring the Pakistani Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz took place to commemorate his 99th birthday at which his daughter Salima Hashmi recited his poetry and spoke on his legacy.

Fans of actress Shabana Azmi were thrilled to hear her talk about her mother’s book, ‘Kaifi and I’ in a conversation with Urvashi Butalia.

If the festival continues to grow at its currently phenomenal rate, it will be diffi cult for Diggi Palace – which is already bursting at the seams and looks like a bombsite at the end of every day – to continue hosting it. If, perchance, this lovable, cuddly gorilla of a festival ends up moving to another venue, it just won’t be the same.

The author is a freelance journalist.

Susheela Raman and Sam Mills performing at the festival.


For many years now Ashok Dilwali has dexterously captured the facets of the Himalaya. As Dr MS Gill says in his Foreword, “The mountains being a passion with Ashok, he simply wanted

to capture every mood and nuance of each ray of the sun, in all its hues – over the snowy peaks...”

The fragile eco-system of the Himalaya arches across from the Indus to the Brahmaputra. To its south, as indeed to its north, it faces threats on a magnitude not imagined before. Its impact on our life support systems is critical, bordering on extreme climatic variation. It engenders the drainage basins of some of the world’s greatest rivers, plains and forests which are home to countless life forms.

Book Review

HimalayaVIEW FROM A CAMERA IN THE CLOUDS

SUDHIR SAHI

Quicker access to distant locations, larger disposable incomes and rising lifestyle aspirations characterise the growing numbers of leisure seekers today. As with other locations, within the four corners of India, the Himalaya presents extensive opportunities for a unique outdoor experience. This extends to winter as well when, for example, the frozen Zanskar turns to a white sheet, or Chadar, and briefl y allows winter access to the Zanskar valley.

In the vastness covering this sprawling ampitheatre, lie high mountain passes, lakes and valleys, often rising above 20000 ft to the summits of the world’s most fascinating mountain faces. Access by land is therefore usually feasible during summer when the high passes are clear of snow, usually from May to October.

Ashok Dilwali has seen it all. But for him, the wonder of the Himalaya never ceases, revealing to this day, the vestiges of its great ethno-cultural cauldron. It is a region where mountain journeys to distant lakes resonate to the call of the brahmini duck, the barheaded geese and the crested grebe. And on the fringe of survival, in a barren rocky profi le, the sensitive visitor may

INDIA PERSPECTIVES VOL 24 NO. 1/2010 96

chance upon the habitat of the most elusive and threatened of all predators, the snow leopard.

Ashok has trodden on trading routes, trekking trails and grazing tracks that radiate in numerous directions. Many festivals that mark local lifestyles have been captured at altitude through his lens and passion.

There is a message crying out from Ashok’s many frames. When the balance between natural processes is subjected to heavy pressure, the resultant damage can create positions where weather patterns and lifestyles are thrown out of gear. Burning of fossil fuels and the ensuing greenhouse effect has led to global warming while the use of non-biodegradable containers such as aerosols has dented the ozone shield, raising ultra-violet radiation.

In the fragile eco-system of the Himalaya, this takes on a crucial dimension. Local communities become the motive force for sustainable practices, especially in the preservation of local traditions and habitats. While tempering the impact of the ecological footprint, this also creates the pressure point for an equitable local share in the economic benefi ts of ‘development’.

The author is a noted travel consultant.

Documents

India Perspectives 02/2010