Culturama June 2018 by Rohini Manian

June 2018 Volume 9, Issue 4

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Daddy Dearest

Fathers try their best to ensure that every frame in their childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives is picture perfect. We pay them a tribute in this issue. powered by

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Dear Readers, A conversation was inevitable; he loves going to Pushkar in Rajasthan for the camel fair – every other year apparently! Then, I went down an alley to a quaint resort called the Pharaoh, which offers physiotherapy and massage. Eurana, who assisted me, towered over me at 5 feet and 9 inches. In this Croatian therapist’s waiting room, I heard Sikh devotional

Soft power is the ability to shape the preferences of others through appeal and attraction. It contrasts with the hard power of nations that wield force. India is truly amazing in its soft power – I realised this more than ever in the Croatian island of Hvar. It is a scenic, sleepy town on the Adriatic coast, which boasts of inventing the art of finger printing. It measures just 62 km end-to-end, and has bright blue oceans and crystal clear waters. It has 4,000 inhabitants, who listen daily to bells from a lone Benedictine Abbey. Around 12,000 tourists come every day in the peak season. I was one of them. As I entered the main square, I was busy asking Google about greetings in Croatian, and practising aloud, “Doberdan – Good day” and “Bok – Hello!” when a man with a twinkle in his eyes pointed to my bindi and greeted me with a perfect “Namaste” (bowing gesture included).

songs playing. After setting my back right, she offered me vibhooti or sacred ash; her sister visits the Sai Baba ashram in India regularly, and got her the holy ash from there. Eurana says she practices yoga, and loves Indian spirituality. By now, I am not surprised to see ‘Om’ pendants when I pass by a shop. I step in and hear a renditon of ‘Vaishnava janato’ on the flute, which makes me smile. I ask Pezo, the shop owner, if he knows that this was Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite devotional song. He says he had no idea, but loves the tune. I offer to show him the lyrics and meaning, and grab my iPhone to pull them out. He says, “Use my Wi-Fi – the password is ‛Ganapati’.” My eyes almost pop out of my head! I buy a tee-shirt that says in Hindi, ‘Love others as much as you love yourself’, and walk back. My head is held high. I am proud to be and feel Indian. My father would have approved for sure. I dedicate this issue to him and all dads. Hope you enjoy our feature, aptly titled 'Daddy dearest'.

Editor Ranjini Manian Managing Editor Yamini Vasudevan Creative Head Prem Kumar Circulation P. Devaraj Advertising Chennai Shobana Sairaj Bengaluru Meera Roy Delhi/NCR Ruchika Srivastava Mumbai/Pune Ashish Chaulkar

To subscribe to this magazine, e-mail info@globaladjustments.com or access it online at www.globaladjustments.com Chennai (Headquarters) 5, 3rd Main Road, R A Puram, Chennai – 600028 Telefax +91-44-24617902 E-mail culturama@globaladjustments.com Bengaluru #333/1, 1st Floor, 9th Main, 14th Cross, 2nd Stage, Indira Nagar, Bangalore - 560038 Tel +91-80-41267152 E-mail culturamablr@globaladjustments.com Delhi-NCR Level 4, Augusta Point, Golf Course Road, Sector 53, Gurgaon 122002, Haryana Mobile +91 124 435 4224 E-mail del@globaladjustments.com Mumbai #1102, 11th floor, Peninsula Business Park, Tower B, SB Road, Lower Parel, Mumbai – 400013 Tel +91-22-66879366 E-mail mum@globaladjustments.com Hyderabad Suite-18, 3rd Floor, Rajapushpa Business Centre, Stone Ridge Centre, Opp. Google, Hitec City – Kondapur Main Road Hyderabad – 500 084 Tel +91 40 48687956 E-mail hyd@globaladjustments.com Printed by K Srinivasan and published and owned by Ranjini Manian. Printed at Srikals Graphics Pvt Ltd at #5, Balaji Nagar, 1st Street, Ekkattuthangal, Chennai – 600032 and published at Global Adjustments Services Pvt. Ltd., #5, 3rd Main Road, Raja Annamalai Puram, Chennai – 600028. Editor Ranjini Manian

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World Environment Day – June 5 Reduce waste is Culturama’s motto! If you are getting multiple copies, please tell us and we will solve the issue immediately.

Disclaimer Views and opinions expressed by writers do not necessarily reflect the publisher’s or the magazine’s.

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Cover Image We all have special memories of the time spent with our fathers – one that we hold close to our hearts. This issue is dedicated to all fathers and their legacies. Picture: Sharan Ragesh www.instagram.com/ sharanragesh/)

Advisory Board Members N. Ram is an award-winning journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu. He is Director of Kasturi & Sons Limited, publishers of The Hindu. Suzanne McNeill lived in India for seven years before returning to Scotland. She is a freelance writer and graphic designer. Liz Neisloss is a veteran journalist and writer who has worked for CNN based from Singapore, Chennai and at the United Nations in New York. She is now based in Mumbai. G. Venket Ram is an acclaimed photographer and the creative mind behind many a Culturama issue. www.gvenketram.com Annelize Booysen is a business consultant and social entrepreneur. She lived in Asia for more than a decade, which included three years in India. She is currently based in the United States. Namita Jain, founder of Jaldi Fit, is a leading fitness guru and a businesswoman who helms Kishco, a world-class cutlery brand.

Contributors Susan Philip is a freelance writer based in Chennai, and the editorial coordinator of Culturama’s various coffee table books. Eknath Easwaran (1910–1999) was a spiritual teacher, author and interpreter of Indian literature. In 1961, he founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation and Nilgiri Press in California. Devdutt Pattanaik is the Chief Belief Officer of the Future Group and a writer and illustrator of several books on Indian mythology. www.devdutt.com Preeti Verma Lal is a New Delhi–based writer/ photographer. If God asked her what she wanted, she’d tell Him to turn her into a farmer who also writes lyrically. www.deepblueink.com.

Letters to the Editor Dear Editor,

I always look forward to reading the segments by Devdutt Pattanaik and Eknath Easwaran – they touch on so many different aspects, but all of them are as relevant today as they were in the past. - N. Krishna, Bengaluru

Dear Editor,

I read the May 2018 issue of Culturama from end to end. The article on varieties of mangoes was a wonderful treat! - Deborah King, USA

Dear Editor,

I was intrigued by the story of the Iranian artist who had spent some time in Goa and captured the essence of the city in his sketches (covered in the April issue). It was a reminder that we have wonderful treasures for the taking right here in our backyard! - Padmini Ram, Chennai

Dear Editor,

The article on global movements in the April issue was very interesting – a must-read for corporates who are working primarily with millennials. - Rajeev Kapoor, Delhi

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

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w w w. a i s c h e n n a i . o r g Our Elementary School students participated in a Robotics Competition, and the energy and concentration in the rooms for the challenges was amazing. Experiencing robotics was new for many, and this incredibly hands-on and engaging experience was an excellent way for them to learn and explore. Students were also able to share their learning of robotics at a RISE event, AISC's own speaker series. This event brought IIT Madras's Lema Labs on to the AISC campus to talk about robotics and what that means for society.

#AISCAcademicExcellence

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Contents Regulars

22 Feature On the occasion of Father’s Day, we look back at some of the legacies created by men who were legends in their own right, and better examples as fathers.

India’s Culture 10

Short Message Service

Short, engaging snippets of Indian culture.

Driving Forces

A new series looks at the factors that influence India’s way of life, and motivate Indians’ behaviour. In this first episode, we look at how Indians view the idea of time and timeliness, and deep-seated norms that influence their behaviour.

Value Vignettes

Memory and intuition are said to be women’s strongpoints – qualities that help them read between the lines and beyond the obvious. And who better to illustrate the value of these qualities than Shakunthala Devi, the mathematical genius?

Picture Story

In MIM, the world’s only global instrument museum, India finds a place of prominence with the India Gallery, including a collection of musical instruments and a special section for Pandit Ravi Shankar.

Festivals of India

The occasion of Eid-al-fitr is a time of communal feasting and celebration.

Journeys Into India 54

Myth & Mythology

Tales of men who become fathers without wives is a recurring theme in Hindu mythology – and they help to open our minds about alternate forms of families.

At GA Foundation

Providing core life skills for girls graduating from college was the key focus of GA Foundation’s Aspiration to Achievement programme.

Spotlight

The festival of Sao Joao in Goa is all about good food and drink, music and dance, and more.

Holistic Living

Mediation helps us connect with the divinity within; repetition of a holy name or mantram is way of keeping our hearts open and drawing on the strength gained from meditation.

Relocations and Property 58

Space and the City

Property listings in Chennai.

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SMS by Suzanne McNeill

Short cultural snippets for an easily digestible India

Art/textile/craft: Marionette-style puppets made by the Nat Bhat caste in Rajasthan Puppet shows have existed in Rajasthan for centuries. Called kathputli (kath meaning ‘wood’ and putli meaning ‘doll’), puppet theatre took place at village fairs and religious festivals, relating folk tales of Rajasthani heroes. The shows were taken from village to village by the nomadic Bhat community, who also carved and painted the marionette-style puppets. The painted heads are made of mango wood, fixed to a thin wooden torso that was dressed in brightly coloured, decorative clothing. The puppets have no legs, but the arms, made of cloth or wood, are articulated at the elbow and wrist, and move freely. The strings are attached to the puppet’s waist and head, and connected to a loop that is manipulated at speed by the puppeteer. The cast of puppet characters is large: Rajput courtiers with moustaches, female dancers, musicians, jugglers, riders on horses and camels, and villains with pointed beards.

Words: Khallas/khalaas Khallas is a Marathi word that is used in Mumbai to mean ‘finished’, ‘completed’ or ‘ended’. It suggests a limit has been reached, and can be used as an exclamation simply to mean ‘Enough!’ From Bollywood, it has made its way into spoken Hindi and Urdu, and can be used in many different situations. It seems particularly popular as a form of urban slang. Khallas kar de is gangster-speak meaning ‘finish him off’, and khallas is coupled with the word nusta in expressions such as ‘The car in the accident was nusta khallas’ meaning ‘totalled’ (damaged beyond repair) and ‘His new shirt is nusta khallas’—a ‘terrific design’.

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Name: Nirmala Sitharaman Nirmala Sitharaman is a BJP politician who has worked for the Ministries of Finance and Commerce in the current government and, in 2017, was appointed India’s Defence Minister, only the second woman after Indira Gandhi to hold this post. Sitharaman was born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, in 1959. Her father worked for Indian Railways, and her mother was a homemaker who loved literature. The family prized education, and, although she attended several schools as her father’s job took them around the state, Sitharaman excelled academically, graduating with a BA in economics, then studying for a Masters in Economics in Delhi where she had a particular interest in globalisation and its effect on developing economies. She lived in London for a period of time, working in a variety of roles from shop assistant to economist for the Agricultural Engineers Association, in research for the consultancy PWC, and compiling Tamil news broadcasts for the BBC World Service. A campaigning stint during student union elections in Delhi had exposed Sitharaman to the world of politics. On her return to India, she was appointed to the National Commission for Women under the government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which she combined with founding a model school for underprivileged children in Hyderabad. Sitharaman joined the BJP in 2006, and was soon invited to join the National Executive Council. She made her mark as a party spokesman, then as a Minister for Commerce, dealing

with trade issues with China. In 2016, she was elected to the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of the Parliament of India. Her climb up the political ladder has been quick and Sitharaman credits Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to the empowerment of women. Her achievement reforming Foreign Direct Investment policy during her tenure at the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion was significant and her surprise appointment to the major post of Defence Minister has been welcomed. Sitharaman is articulate, efficient and forthright in countering Opposition attacks. A video of a relaxed Sitharaman interacting with Chinese soldiers at the Indo-Chinese border and introducing them to the greeting ‘Namaste’ has been widely shared: https://tinyurl. com/CulturamaSMS

Food and drink: Bonda These deep-fried snacks are a regional favourite across South India and are particularly associated with the state of Karnataka where they were included in a compilation of foods written as early as the 12th century. There are many variations, but the simplest recipe is made by combining flour and baking soda with cumin seeds, ginger, green chilli, coriander and coconut, then adding yoghurt or buttermilk and water to form a batter. Small, dumpling-sized balls of the batter are dropped into oil and cooked gently to an even golden colour, crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. These are served with coriander, mint or coconut chutney as appetisers, or tea-time snacks. A popular version, aloo bonda, is made with mashed potato that is fried with onion, green chilli, turmeric, asafoetida and garlic paste then deep-fried in oil. In Kerala, sugiyan bondas are sweetened with jaggery and flavoured with cardamom.

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Driving Forces by Suzanne McNeill

Good Timing What factors drive India’s way of life? What are the everyday influences that motivate people’s behaviour and underlie their decisions, actions and reactions? In this new series, we examine 12 topics that are fundamental to understanding Indian society, and discuss how they came into being, how they are experienced in daily life and how they are embodied in Indian culture.

Time is seen and regarded in vastly different ways across cultures. We look at how Indians view the idea of time and timeliness, and deep-seated norms that influence Indians’ behaviour The idea of time is perceived very differently in India. The perception of punctuality and urgency within the workplace can be quite different from that in the Western world, arrangements may seem fluid and it may be hard to pin down a time slot for an appointment. This elastic and fluctuating sense of time is also a characteristic of Indian society at large, where different communities follow different calendars, major festivals can be celebrated on different days around the country, and ‘tomorrow’ can mean anytime that is in the future.

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This image shows Lord Vishnu reclining on Ananta, the serpent. It is said that when Ananta uncoils, time moves forward and creation takes place. Brahma, who signifies the consciousness of man. is seated on a lotus flower that emerges from Vishnuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s navel.

Taking a Closer Look The Western world has a linear vision of time flowing in a straight line, a journey from beginning to end where time itself is in short supply. Within Hindu philosophy, however, time is viewed in a cosmic perspective. Time is understood as both divisible and indivisible. Divisible time is empirical and its divisions are brought about by the revolutions of the moon and sun. The lunar month is divided into a dark half and a bright half. The movement of the sun divides the year into six seasons and twelve solar months. The 24-hour day is subdivided into 30 muhurtas, each 48 minutes long. All of these divisions and subdivisions are split further into smaller units of time. The position of the sun, moon and planets also affects human destinies and consequently astrology is used to determine an individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future prospects. Indivisible time is understood as a principle that exists alongside matter and spirit. It gives both happiness and misery, and its effects are considered inescapable. Most importantly, time revolves through successive phases of creation and destruction. This is manifested in the principle of samsara, the unceasing round of reincarnation or The cosmic cycle of time, as depicted by Buddhist iconography

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repeated birth. Samsara is driven by the natural law of karma, understood as the (good or bad) actions that determine the nature and quality of a person’s future life. Samsara takes place in time. Liberation from samsara, called moksha, means reaching a timeless state. The universe also operates within immense timeframes. One month in human terms is considered to be one day and night of the ancestors, one human year is equal to one day and night of the gods and one thousand years of the gods is equal to one day of Brahma, the creator of the universe.

Of Legend and Myth An iconic image of Hinduism shows Lord Vishnu (the Protector) reclining on Ananta, the serpent with seven heads, in the middle of the cosmic milky ocean. The deity is resting during intervals in the cycles of creation, symbolising infinite time. It is said that when Ananta uncoils, time moves forward and creation takes place. When he coils back, the universe ceases to exist. A lotus flower emerges from Vishnu’s navel upon which is seated a figure of Brahma, signifying the consciousness of man.

The Here and Now This circular sense of time influences the Indian psyche, and can clash with Western, monochronic cultures. Indians ‘have’ time, although they might not be ‘on’ time, and time is conceptualised as ‘now’, the current moment. The Indian workplace is characterised by coffee breaks, chats and a stop-and-start style of working. They may take long lunch hours, but will stay late to make up the hours and are flexible. In all walks of life, Indians consider time to be plentiful, may arrive late, digress from a topic, meet you at short notice, give you all the time you need, take the time they need to respond to something and not think of it as a big deal if they need additional hours for a project or activity. Time is seen as a range rather than an instant. Astrology is a key determinant of the time any auspicious activity is scheduled to begin, whether it is a religious ritual, a building project or even the launch of a movie.

Ghanta Ghar (clock tower) in Jodhpur Photo: Barroiz NICOLAS and Gonzalvez CORALIE

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Jantar Mantar in Jaipur Photo: Tommaso FIANI

Cultural Expressions The 13th-century temple at Konark in Orissa is a monumental offering to Surya, the Vedic sun god, and is a symbol of the passage of time itself. The temple is designed as a huge chariot on twelve pairs of elaborately decorated wheels. It was drawn by seven horses (only one is still intact) that strained to haul the sun eastwards in the direction of the dawn. The horses represent the days of the week, and the pairs of wheels the twelve months of the year. Two of the wheels also function as accurate sundials, their spokes dividing the 24-hour day into 90-minute units, and beads around the rims cast shadows that allow time to be calculated to the minute. India’s Mughal rulers also created unique time tools. The Jantar Mantar observatory in Jaipur was built in 1738 to observe the movement of the sun, moon and planets. The monumental astronomical instruments are dominated by a huge sundial that measured the time of day to within half a second’s accuracy. Astronomers were able to draw up the calendar, predict the earth’s orbit and the changing of the seasons.

The Aikya Factor The Biblical verse ‘For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past’ offers a similar idea, contrasting the eternity of Divine purpose with the brief life of man.

Photo: Silvia

The Japanese have a keen sense of the unfolding of time, segmenting time according to properness, courtesy and tradition. An event must be broken down into its significant phases, rituals must be adhered to before beginning any kind of activity, and time must be allowed for unhurried contemplation of, say, a garden. Mindfulness is a fashionable phenomenon in the West. It is a form of awareness that develops an individual’s capacity to pay attention to the present moment.

In Conclusion… The Hindi word kal means both yesterday and tomorrow. In Midnight’s Children, Salmon Rushdie writes with tongue in cheek: “No people whose word for ‘yesterday’ is the same as their word for ‘tomorrow’ can be said to have a firm grip on the time.”

RICANEK

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Feature by Yamini Vasudevan

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Photo: Sophie FONTANT, France

Daddy Dearest powered by

Fathers are often seen as guides and mentors who help their children forge their path, and hold a light up for them when starting out. Fathers are often their childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest supporters and stern critics, too. On the occasion of Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day, we look back at some of the legacies created by men who were legends in their own right, and better examples as fathers

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Fathers play a crucial role in their children’s lives. They are often the first, and primary, disciplinarians in our lives; teachers in younger days and mentors in later years. An interesting point of view that is often brought up when fathers are discussed is the fact that they tend to set very high expectations for their children – almost as if they know deep within their children’s true potential and wait for the day when the latter would have achieved it. As American lawyer and politician Frank Clark said, “A father is a man who expects his son to be as good a man as he meant to be.” In line with Father’s Day (June 19), we celebrate and honour fathers worldwide. As a tribute, we look at some Indian fathers who not only set the bar high but also raised their children to be a shining example of the best in work and values.

Jawarhalal Nehru India’s first Prime Minister; father of Indira Gandhi, India’s first lady Prime Minister The first Prime Minister of India shared a deep bond with his daughter, Indira (née Indira Gandhi, who later became Indira’s first lady Prime Minister), and was determined to give her a well-rounded education. Undaunted by his frequent sojourns to prison, he began to write her letters in which he shared life lessons, wisdom gleaned from books and words of advice about how to tread in the world at large. In his first letter, which he began writing in the summer of 1928, Nehru talked about how life began in the universe. In the following letters, he touched on several topics, including languages, trade, history, geography, science, epics and evolution. In return, Indira shared her own thoughts, and the duo traded their views and recommendations on books.

Jawaharlal Nehru with his daughter, Indira

A letter written by Jawaharlal Nehru to Indira in 1932

The writings strengthened the bond between father and daughter, and – more importantly – awakened in Indira a sense of responsibility and kinship towards people and the environment. In 1973, Indira wrote, “These letters aroused a feeling of concern for people and interest in the world around me. They taught one to treat nature as a book. I spent absorbing hours studying stones and plants, the lives of insects and at night, the stars.”

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Apart from lessons on the world around them, Nehru also shared his thoughts on what made for a responsible leader. In a letter written to her in 1932, he says, “It is no easy matter to decide what is right and what is not. One little test I shall ask you to apply whenever you are in doubt. Never do anything in secret or anything that you would wish to hide. For the desire to hide anything means that you are afraid, and fear is a bad thing and unworthy of you. Be brave, and all the rest follows.”

Rabindranath Tagore

Nehru’s correspondence was later compiled into a book titled Letters from a Father to His Daughter. In it, one senses his desire to mould his daughter as a worthy citizen, a wellrounded scholar and a good human being.

Maharishi Debendranath Tagore Founder of Brahmo Samaj; father of poet Rabindranath Tagore Debendranath Tagore (or Thakur), was a Hindu philosopher and an active member of the Brahmo Samaj, which took up the cause of social and religious reform. Tagore was born into a wealthy landowning family, and introduced to power and privilege from childhood. However, at a young age, he developed a deeply religious outlook, a development that had its roots in a night spent beside his grandmother’s deathbed, and from reading a page of the Ishopanishad. Influenced by his friend and social reformer Ram Mohan Roy, Debendranath founded the Maharishi Debendranath Tagore Tattwaranjini Sabha (later renamed Tattwabodhini Sabha; it lasted until 1854) to promote the ‘purification’ of Hinduism through the dissemination through philosophical enquiry and teaching of the Upanishads. He also started a journal, Tattwabodhini Patrika, that published articles on the rationalisation of Brahmo doctrines and the propagation of natural theism as well as on female education, widow re-marriage and the denouncing of polygamy. In December 1843, Debendranath converted the society into Brahmo Samaj, a spiritual fraternity that came together regularly for praise and prayer. For his efforts at religious and

Debendranath’s involvement in the Bengal Renaissance had a strong effect on his family – especially his son, Rabindranath, who would become one of India’s beloved poets and writers. social reform, he was known as Maharishi or ‘great soul’. He also founded Shantiniketan in the 1860s, wherein Rabindranath would establish his school and university many years later. Debendranath’s involvement in the Bengal Renaissance had a strong effect on his family – especially his son, Rabindranath Tagore, who would become one of India’s beloved poets and writers. Even though Debendranath did not spend much time at home, his work enabled his family to be a part of the larger cultural movement. Rabindranath has also written about accompanying his father on one of his journeys – first to Shantiniketan and then to the Himalayas – and described it as a “life-changing experience”. He credits his father with teaching him discipline as well as freedom and responsibility, and for acquainting him with the Upanishads. powered by

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Harivansh Rai Bachchan Poet and literary figure; father of Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan Most Indians know of Amitabh Bachchan – the man who ruled the silver screen as the ‘angry young man’ of Bollywood, and then maturing to become an actor who has held his own over time and the tide of newcomers. Amitabh’s father, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, was a famed poet. The Padma Bhushan awardee is to date best remembered for his Madhushala, which was published in 1935. (Translated to mean ‘The Tavern’, this was a book of 135 verses, all of which end in the word madhushala. In it, the poet tries to explain the complexity of life with wine and all things related to the drink.)

Amitabh with his father, Harivanshrai Bachchan

Nayi Leek (The New Generation) Pulled and torn by the strains of life and living My sons ask me 'Why did you give birth to us?' And I do not possess an answer to this That even my father did not ask me before giving birth to me, Nor my father was asked by his father Nor my grandfather was asked by his father before being brought. The trials and tribulations of life and living Were there before And are there now too, perhaps more And shall be there tomorrow, even greater. Why don't you make a new beginning, a new thinking? Ask your sons before giving birth to them!

As a father, too, Harivansh Rai resorted to words when he needed to impart life lessons. Once, Amitabh, frustrated by lack of opportunity, burst into his father’s room and demanded angrily, “Aapne hamme paida kyun kiya?” (“Why did you give birth to me?”) His father looked up from his writing, surprised, but did not remonstrate or provide a response. The next morning, Harivansh Rai walked into his son’s room and handed him a sheet of paper – a poem titled Nayi Leek (‛The New Generation’). The gentle advice to bear the trials of life was impressed upon Amitabh in a manner that ensured he would never forget it. And as the actor has said of his father, “It is the light of his wisdom that I endeavour to carry each day when I step out!”

“It is the light of his wisdom that I endeavour to carry each day when I step out!” – Amitabh Bachchan

Harivanshrai Bachchan

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A.R. Rahman

R.K. Shekhar Music composer; father of music director and Oscar winner A.R. Rahman Rajagopala Kulashekhara Shekhar or R.K. Shekhar was an Indian music composer who worked actively in the South Indian (primarily Malayalam) movie industry. By the time of his demise at the young age of 43, he had composed music for 52 films (23 in Malayalam, with 127 songs), and was the music conductor for more than 100 films. His debut song as a music director was ‘Chotta Muthal Chudala Vare’ (‘From cradle to grave’), composed for the film Pazhassi Raja (1964), which became a big hit in Kerala. While R.K. Shekhar was much sought-after in the South Indian film industry, it was more for his ability as an excellent assistant and arranger. Thanks to this, he ended up ghost composing in many movies without any credit. This is probably one of the reasons he is not as well known for his music outside of the core film fraternity. He is best known for his son, Allah Rakha Rahman – Indian cinema’s shining jewel, who has won several laurels in the most prestigious stages world over. Rahman exhibits some key traits that his father was famed for. Shekhar is said to have the special talent to recognise the potential of new sounds of music instruments, and used to travel to Singapore to understand the latest trends in musical instruments. He introduced to South Indian

R.K. Shekhar

“I have spent all my lifetime as second fiddle. I will be victorious one day through my son.” – R.K. Shekhar music the early synthesizers such as Univox and Claviolin, which only international music bands used. Similarly, Shekhar introduced many new singers to the Malayalam film industry. Said to be a music fanatic and a workaholic, Shekhar worked on rehearsing songs, arranging music and recording songs, without caring much for either food or sleep (an unfortunate routine that led him to contract chronic ulcer, which would prove to be fatal). Rahman recalls, “The memories of my father remain my inspiration. I have seen

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my father. Hearing them gave me great pleasure. Father was greatly regarded as one well-versed in music. I listen to his old songs even now. I believe that by God’s grace I have inherited a small part of his great genius in music.” famous film music personalities and film directors of those years waiting for my father in the verandah of our house. Father used to work for eight or nine films at a time. I think he died of excessive exertion. Beneficiaries have recounted to me how my father helped them, how he created opportunities for them. I was very moved by all that....” Rahman (who was born Dileep) had his early training in music from his father at a young age. It is recounted how a four-year-old Dileep played a song on the harmonium; a composer named Sudarshanam covered the keys of the harmonium with a cloth, but the child played the same tune again. On seeing his son’s talent, Shekhar remarked, “I have spent all my lifetime as second fiddle. I will be victorious one day through my son.” Shekhar’s words were prophetic. Even though he was not around to watch his son grow (Rahman was only 11 when his father died), he would be more than proud on seeing how Rahman is celebrated today as much for his music as for his humility. Talent and blessings have been passed on in plenty. As Rahman said, “My mother has told me a lot about

Prakash Padukone and his daughter, Deepika

Prakash Padukone National badminton player – ranked World No. 1 in 1980; father of Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone Indian badminton legend Prakash Padukone was not keen on his older daughter’s career choices – first as a model, and then as an actress. Looking back, he says, “We thought that Deepika had made the wrong decision three or four times… All these times, we were wrong. Then, I conceded and said, ‘You were right and we were wrong.’ If we had interfered and she had signed up for the wrong movie, who knows what would have happened…She knew all that, but we did not because it was not our field of expertise…Sometimes, parents should support their children to be the best they can and not interfere too much.” He has even said that he is now known as ‘Deepika’s father’ than as a badminton player. Today, Deepika Padukone is one of the highest-paid actresses in Bollywood, with several successes and awards to her name. Her bonds with her family are strong, and she is particularly fond of her father. In an interview, she said, “My team stays in touch with dad regarding my work; they always

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Leander Paes with the GA Team when he visited the Chennai office in 2009 Leander with his father, Vece Paes

talk about him and say, ‘How cute your father is!...He is such a humble person and there is so much goodness in him...I don’t think my sister Anisha and I could have asked for a better role model than him.”

Vece Paes Midfielder in the Indian national hockey team; Father of tennis star Leander Paes Tennis ace Leander Paes’s father, Vece Paes decided that his son would become an athlete when he saw the boy break glass

cases with his kicks. Vece, a member of the bronze medalwinning hockey squad in the 1972 Munich Games, was keen to instil a love for athletics in his children, and hung multicoloured balls from the boy’s crib to improve his coordination (a tip taken from an East German coaching manual). Leander did not take up tennis right away – he was known for his interest in cricket, football and hockey, and played rugby with his father for the prestigious Calcutta Cricket & Football Club in Kolkata. At the age of 10, he suffered concussions, which led to the doctors’ announcement that he would never make it as a professional sportsman. At the age of 12, he was transitioned to tennis as it was a non-contact sport, and enrolled in the Britannia-Amritraj Tennis Academy (BAT) in Chennai, where Vece was a member. It was a life-changing decision – one that would play out when Leander was asked to join the doubles team to play in the Davis Cup team in 1990 (when he was going on 17). In a match that lasted for over five hours, the team beat its Japanese opponents 18-16 in the last set. He also won the Junior Wimbledon in 1990 – the start of what would be a long, illustrious career. Not that the journey was not without its fair share of challenges. With Leander’s career coming into its own when the country was beginning to open up its economy, Vece had to face challenges in getting foreign exchange and permission to travel for his son’s tournaments. Leander himself has mentioned that he literally lived in dressing rooms due to lack of money, coming as he did from a middle-class family, as he climbed up the ladder to professional success. What marked this journey for father and son was a never-say-die

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Pandit Ravi Shankar with his daughter, Anoushka

spirit and the confidence that their efforts would not be denied the right results.

Pandit Ravi Shankar Renowned sitar player; father of musician Anoushka Shankar Pandit Ravi Shankar was 61 when Anoushka was born – by then, he had already been married and divorced, had fathered a son (who died in 1992, aged 50, of pneumonia) and had had an affair with a New York concert promoter, Sue Jones (with whom he had another daughter – singer Norah Jones). Anoushka’s mother, Sukanya Rajan, a longstanding friend of Ravi Shankar’s, had gotten together with him, as Anoushka suggests, “because she very much wanted a child. Pandit Ravi Shankar And so she had one. Me.” As India’s first international star, and known for giving sitar lessons, Ravi Shankar was an accomplished, famous musician. Anoushka’s mother played his tunes when she was pregnant. In her biography, Bapi: The Love of My Life (2002), Anoushka writes

that she began learning the sitar at the age of nine, on a smaller version of the instrument specially commissioned for her. When he became aware that his daughter had his talent and desire for music, he helped her pave the path. “He became my teacher, my guru,” says Anoushka, “and he really was terribly good at it…My father told me I didn’t have to learn if I didn’t want to but there would be no cutting corners.” Anoushka gave her solo debut when she was 13, in New Delhi – at Ravi Shankar’s seventy-fifth birthday celebrations. By 14, she was touring the world with her father; with time, she began to leave her own footprint on the global scene. Her collaborations and joint concerts with her father are much loved even today. In addition to nurturing and honing her talent, her father had a part in ensuring that she came into her own in playing an instrument that few women claimed mastery over. “My parents were very pro-women and independence. They wanted me to have my own career…It’s not as if playing the sitar is banned for women in India. You see a lot of girls learning sitar at school, but then dropping off when they get to professional touring age and becoming wives and mothers instead. There’s simply no infrastructure there for so many things,” she says. Probably the biggest gift Ravi Shankar has given his daughter is a bond that surpasses all others. “Being taught by him gave us, I think, an almost unique relationship. It gave us a deep connection because we suddenly had this whole undercurrent of communication that you can only really get when you play music together… though my father is no longer here, I still get to interact with him through the music. I’m blessed in that way.”

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Dhirubhai Ambani Industrialist; father of businessmen Anil and Mukesh Ambani Dhirubhai Ambani, who was born to a primary school teacher in Gujarat, came from humble beginnings but made his way to the top in the business world – so much so that he is regarded as the father of capital markets and the equity cult in India. His life and work have been the topic of several lectures, books and a famous biopic. His risk-taking tendencies and unwillingness to give up in the face of even the worst hurdles are legendary. As a father, too, he ensured that his children were imbued with the right values in business. Mukesh Ambani has said that he was never given a roadmap but asked to create one – just like his father had done. “When I came from Stanford University, I asked [my father], ‘What is going to be my job? What would I do?’ To that my father said, ‘If you are in a job, you are a manager. If you are an entrepreneur, you will figure it out. So I won’t tell you anything. Figure out what you want to do.’,” Mukesh recalls. The means of doing business was taught by example, too. As Anil Ambani recalls, “If you ever asked what part of being an entrepreneur he enjoyed the most, he would say, ‘I enjoy creating wealth. But what I enjoy even more is in creating wealth for the people of the country.’”

“If you are in a job, you are a manager. If you are an entrepreneur, you will figure it out. So I won't tell you anything. Figure out what you want to do.” - Dhirubhai Ambani’s advice to his son, Mukesh

Today, Mukesh and Anil carry on their father’s legacy. If Dhirubhai is remembered and revered today, it is not only because he began with Rs. 1,000 for an IPO and went on to build a company that is worth millions – it is because he proved that you cannot stand in the way of a man who is determined to succeed.

How did Father’s Day Come About? A customary day for celebrating fatherhood in Catholic Europe dates back to the Middle Ages, and is observed on March 19, as the feast day of Saint Joseph, who is referred to as the fatherly Nutritor Domini (‘Nourisher of the Lord’). The more popular marker of Father’s Day on June 19 has its origins in a celebration held at the YMCA in Spokane, Washington, on the same date by a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd. Her father, a civil war veteran named William Jackson Smart, was a single parent who raised his six children. Sonora had heard about Mother’s Day, which was celebrated in 1909, and suggested that fathers should have a similar holiday to honor them. Although she initially suggested June 5, her father’s birthday, due to lack of time for preparation, the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday in June. In addition to Father's Day, International Men's Day is celebrated in many countries on November 19 in honor of men and boys who are not fathers.

Dhirubhai Ambani with his sons, Mukesh and Anil

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Advertiser's Feature

A Legacy of Five Decades in Education The Sprawling, state-of-the art HIS Padur campus

Rendezvous with the Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi

Very few men dare to dream, and even fewer men turn their dreams into reality. One such visionary dreamer who turned dreams into stunning reality was Dr. K.C.G Verghese, whose relentless and arduous effort catapulted him to the pinnacle of success. His legacy lives on today with the various educational institutions he established, and the various communities he has served. His journey commenced in the year 1966 as he launched the Hindustan Engineering Training Centre, which attracted students from various corners of the world. It was his novel teaching techniques that gave birth to this institution, which delivered quality education in a safe and result-oriented environment. In 1970, he took yet another big leap of faith as a pioneer in the aviation programme, thereby amalgamating professional and technical education. In 1985, he instituted the Hindustan Engineering College, which was an impetus in the field of technical education in the state of Tamil Nadu. In 2008, the group saw yet another hallmark success as the Hindustan University was established – with that, the group made giant strides in the education and training sector. The Hindustan Institute of Management was formed in 1994. In 1996, another milestone was added with the launch of the Hindustan Arts and Science College and the Orient Flight School. The hallmark success continued as in 1998 as the KCG College of Technology was flagged off.

Hindustan International School strives to provide holistic education to all our students by instilling the desire for lifelong learning strengthening their civic, ethical and moral values. Since then, the Hindustan Group of Institutions has grown from strength to strength, and it led to the culmination of more institutions, such as the Hindustan First Grade College and the Hindustan International Schools (HIS) at Guindy, Padur and Karapakkam. A tiny seed grew into a sprawling tree as the Hindustan International School was founded with state of the art facilities and infrastructure imparting modern teaching. The teaching and learning strategies at HIS is unique and one of a kind. HIS provides an international educational environment that promotes intellectual and personal growth through a comprehensive education that fosters character development in its students and prepares them for high school and beyond. HIS will continue to elevate its educational standards and remain responsive to changing conditions and trends in academics, including the international academic community. Continuous striving and tireless effort to constantly perform better has earned the institution many awards and accolades such as Jury’s Choice Award for India’s Best School, Chennai by Education Today in the year 2017–18, and Best School Brand by Economic Times India in the year 2016, to name a few. Today, the Hindustan Group is an educational edifice that includes several institutions in the field of Engineering, Aviation, Applied Science and Management. The 50-year legacy of the Hindustan Group of Institutions has led to a robust exhilaration in the entire repertoire of the educational frontier braced by the vision, “To Make Every Man a Success and No Man a Failure”, and ensures that our learners LIVE, LEARN and LEAD.

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The Pandit Ravi Shankar section in the Artists’ Gallery, which includes his personal sitar and clothing

Picture Story by Preeti Verma Lal

Music Sans Borders

Teakwood surbahar. Jackfruit wood tavil. A metal chilli. A collection of sitars. A mannequin in a Bharatanatyam pose on a wooden platform. An Odissi dancer in a collage. A corner for sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar. And ‘Sangeet aatma ki bhasha hai’ (Music is the language of the soul) emblazoned across white walls and black t-shirts. In Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix (Arizona), the Indian drum resonates and one almost can hear a raaga from the long, broad, fretted neck and a gourd-shaped body of the sitar. In MIM, the world’s only global instrument museum, India finds a place of prominence. The India Gallery includes a collection of musical instruments from around the country. The highlight of MIM is a Pandit Ravi Shankar section in the Artists’ Gallery that includes his personal sitar and clothing donated by his widow. MIM has a collection of 13,600 musical instruments and associated objects from nearly 200 countries and territories. At any given time, approximately 6,800 of them are displayed. Spread over approximately 200,000 sq.ft with two floors of light-filled galleries and built at a cost of over $250 million, MIM opened in April 2010. One of the rarest musical instruments in MIM is the 12-foot-high octobass of which only seven are in existence. First built around 1850 by French luthier Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume (1798–1875), it has three strings and can create sound that is beyond human hearing – one can only feel the vibrations. The sound from its C is down to 16 Hz and falls into the realm of infrasound.

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June 2018

Teak wood, silver, sambar deer antler and wire surbahar (plucked lute). Carved from wood to resemble a gourd resonator, the resonating chamber amplifies sound. Kolkata, West Bengal. 1882-1905. Maker: Damodar Adhikari

A 20th century wood and metal chipli (clappers)

Wooden kartal

Chaturangui (slide guitar) designed by Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya, a pioneer of the Indian slide guitar. Maker: Trideb International Guitar Company

Jackfruit wood, buffalo skin, goatskin tavil (double-headed barrel drum) from Panruti and Chennai. Maker: A.R. Dawood & Sons

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India Gallery at Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix (Arizona)

Late 20th century jackfruit wood, monitor lizard skin, metal kanjira (singleheaded frame drum)

Wooden nagphani from Rajasthan

Wood, animal skin, metal, string khamak (string drum) used by the Baul people of West Bengal

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Take a Guess?

Memory and intuition are said to be women’s strongpoints – qualities that help them multitask and handle their multiple roles. On a deeper level, it manifests as intuition – which helps them go read between the lines and beyond the obvious. Who better to illustrate the value of these qualities than Shakunthala Devi, the mathematical genius

’

Girls are praised for being sensitive while boys are urged to be more linear in their thinking rather than listening to their feelings,” observes Judith Orloff, a UCLA Professor. Strong memory and intuition have been cultivated by women down the ages everywhere. Continuing our series on the qualities of an ideal woman as set out in the Bhagavad Gita, we bring you Smrithi – memory or intuition.

It was the early 1930s in a small town in Karnataka. A little girl sat playing cards with her father. She won. Again and again. No, her father was not cheating to allow her to win, as most fathers do. In fact, her father suspected that it was she who was cheating, to beat him. He started observing her closely. To his astonishment, he realised that this pintsized child was memorising the numbers on the cards he played, and using that information to predict sequences in subsequent rounds to outwit him. The little girl’s name was Shakuntala Devi. She was about three years old at that time. Shakuntala’s father belonged to a family of Hindu priests, but had broken with tradition to join

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June 2018

Shakuntala Devi

a circus. The family was achingly poor, and could not afford the minimal money required to put Shakuntala in school. Instead, her father took her on roadshows to demonstrate her memory power and her skill with numbers. In a couple of years, she was the family’s sole breadwinner. A massive responsibility for a child who should have been learning her alphabets and playing hop-scotch. Soon, her fame spread. As a six-year-old, Shakuntala Devi was invited to the University of Mysore and some other universities where students and faculty watched in amazement as she extracted square roots and multiplied multi-digit figures within seconds. All without any formal

education! From Indian centres of learning, Shakuntala went to London, and got a lot of publicity for her prowess with numbers. She managed to make her skills pay, and exist on very little so that she could send the lion’s share of what she earned back home to India. She ultimately returned to India, but she was always on the move, travelling to various countries to hold shows and display her capabilities. “Am I right?”, she would ask, solving mathematical problem after problem, pin-pointing the day of the week based on dates and years, and making various other calculations. And she always was! She regularly wowed established mathematicians and outperformed computers.

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Shakuntala got married, had a daughter and later divorced. She wrote many books, not only on mathematical skills and memory power, but also cookbooks and fiction, and one insightful book on homosexuality. In later years, Shakuntala took up astrology. Although it is based on charts and calculations, her daughter says she had an intuitive knowledge of whether a marriage would work or a business succeed. Shakuntala Devi died in 2013, aged 83. Such was her fame that Google honoured her with a doodle on what would have been her 84th birthday.

At the core She won an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records by correctly multiplying within an astounding 28 seconds two 13-digit numbers randomly chosen by the Computer Department of the Imperial College of London. Her mind-blowing aptitude earned her the nickname ‘Human Computer’, but she hated being called that, as she firmly believed that the human brain is superior to any computer. “Nobody challenges me. I challenge myself,” she once said.

Memory is an asset to every woman. As wife, mother, daughter, daughter-in-law and grandmother, she has to multitask and keep many balls in the air. It is usually up to her to remember birthdays and anniversaries and plan for them; it is often left to her to remember when bills and fees have to be paid, when school holidays start and end, when inoculations and medical check-ups are due. Also, a woman’s intuition is something men rely on even if they don’t always acknowledge it. Broadly speaking, it is a sixth sense which tells a woman when her loved ones, especially her children, are in trouble, or a hunch that something about a person or a proposition isn’t quite right. It is quite possibly a sense developed as an off-shoot of patriarchy, where women were

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June 2018

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Dr. Judith Orloff

Jill Price

relegated to the background, and learnt to pick up a lot of non-verbal cues and clues. Men would do well to cultivate smrithi, which comes almost naturally to women.

Echoes at home and elsewhere Jill Price is an American woman famed for her memory. She has featured on the Oprah Winfrey show and ABC News among other publicised events. She has demonstrated that she can remember the dates of big and small happenings from her personal life, as well as public events. She has what is called an autobiographical memory. That means she can remember almost every detail of almost every day in her life from the time she was born.

Health and The Empath’s Survival Guide, says she has helped women executives develop their intuition. “They see it as a ‘superpower’ to use in all decisions at work as well as a guide for how to be good leaders and organisers.”

Well said! If by strength is meant brute strength, then, indeed, is woman less brute than man. If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man’s superior. Has she not greater intuition, is she not more self-sacrificing, has she not greater powers of endurance, has she not greater courage? Without her, man could not be. – Mahatma Gandhi

Dr. Judith Orloff MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA, who is the author of Guide to Intuitive

Editors’ Note

John Gray

John Gray (author of Men Are from Mars and Women Are from Venus) and Barbara Annis, CEO, Gender Intelligence Group, wrote Work with Me: The 8 Blind Spots Between Men and Women in Business on how men and women can work together. There is a real need for women to be included on teams and in leadership positions, because they will pick up cues and intuitively know what customers are thinking. Caring comes naturally to women, so they will build an inclusive team. The meaning of smrithi for the 21st century is this: Let us work to build an inclusive mindset.

Barbara Annis

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Mr. Sunil Paliwal IAS (centre) with participants of the Aspiration to Achievement workshop

At GA Foundation by Team Culturama

Take the first step...

A special statue dedicated to the cause of Championing Women, unveiled by Mr. Sunil Paliwal IAS

Come summer, and everyone begins to plan vacations or short getaways. However, some girls chose to use this time to invest in their future – by participating in the Aspiration to Achievement programme conducted by the Global Adjustments Foundation.

...towards empowerment – this was the aim behind the Ga Foundation’s week-long programme, aspiration to achievement, formulated specially for girls graduating from college

Young women’s leadership programme Global Adjustments Foundation’s tagline is ‘Champion a Woman – She Will Build a Nation’. After touching over 40,000 women, GA Foundation once again ran their flagship week-long young women’s leadership programme, ‘Aspiration to Achievement’, for 26 hours, starting May 7, 2018, in their unique India-embellished centre in R.A. Puram, Chennai. The participants in the workshop, which is run free of cost, were current graduates from engineering, psychology, physics,

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TN Education Secretary applauds women’s empowerment

(Clockwise from top) Goal setting activity; role play to improve confidence and public speaking; a session on self-defence

computer science and commerce streams. Many of the girls are first-generation graduates. ’At GA Foundation, we taught them to have a ‘think big’ aspiration and to ‘goal set’ effectively towards achieving them,” says Usha Ramakrishnan, Director. The 25 Champion Women left the workshop with tools and tips for maximising their emotional, physical and leadership skills. Topics included meditation, emotional intelligence, self-esteem building, self-defence, fitness and nutrition, women’s health and hygiene, leadership communication, relationship building and work–life balance.

Mr. Sunil Paliwal IAS, Secretary to the Higher Education Department of Government of Tamil Nadu, was the Chief Guest during the valedictory function for the Aspiration to Achievement workshop. In his address, he applauded the workshop, and encouraged the girls to keep their focus trained on the positives of life. He quoted the example of his wife, Dr. Swati Paliwal, who was also present at the valedictory function. Dr. Swati finished her doctorate in Hindi after having two girls, and now is Head of Department at Guru Nanak College, Chennai. Mr. Sunil Paliwal IAS said that women have the innate quality to adapt to situations and focus on their life goals, thus positively influencing a family, society and even a nation. He lauded Ranjini Manian for instituting free life-coaching workshops, and unveiled a statue symbolising woman empowerment at GA Foundation.

After the mock interview session, which was conducted as part of the programme, a mini job fair was conducted to connect the graduates to potential employers. Lead faculty at GA Foundation delivered a wellthought-through curriculum in an interactive format. Their Sanjana taking part in an activity during the session on mindfulness

Mr. Sunil Paliwal IAS (left) and his wife, Dr. Swati Paliwal, (to the right of the statue) with members of the GA Foundation

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sessions were enriched by special guests such as D. Sabita IAS (former Secretary school education and current MD of TANCEM), Gayatri S. (Director–Ford Business Solutions), and entrepreneurs like Sripriya Kumar (formerly from Price Waterhouse Coopers), who freely shared their life stories and leadership wisdom.

Mrs. Sabitha IAS was a huge source of inspiration for the young participants

“It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience… as young girls in our early 20s, we were made aware of how we must grow into successful women – indeed as Champion Women – and be an inspiration to others.” – Abhirami

Mrs. Sabita IAS shared an inspiring message during her round table discussion with the girls: “Demonstrate your interest and attention visibly at all times with leaders you meet, you never know who will be a catalyst to your sucess. Mine was an uncle who challenged my capability to pass the IAS exams.” Anchana, an electronics engineer and workshop participant, said in her transformation speech at the end: “I learnt from so many inspiring women leaders here…that I could achieve anything I set my mind to, if I reduce time wasters. My parents always said that I should limit social media time during my student life, but I never stopped even at meal times. By the third day of class, I actually limited my gadget time to 15 minutes, and even went to bed at 10 p.m. – super early – as I wanted my melatoninfilled sleep cycle to be normal and healthy for mind and body.” K. Gayathri, a science graduate, who hardly spoke in the first few days of the session blossomed suddenly. Her newfound confidence shone in her speech: “My goal was to overcome my fear of speaking in front of an audience, or just speaking up. I know all the answers but a lump in my throat used to freeze my speech. But the trainers here were amazing. They believed in me. So I began to as well. After the session, I attended an interview at HCL. I spoke up and cleared three rounds so smoothly! I owe it to this program for boosting my confidence.”

The Express Avenue Mall partnered with GA Foundation in a special event to encourage women’s empowerment. In line with Mother’s Day, GA Foundation and Express Avenue put together a special event, wherein young celebrity singer Rahul Vellal’s rendition of ‘Yenna Thavam Seidhanai’, a popular Carnatic song was premiered (view this at www.youtube. com/GlobalAdjustmentsFoundation). The highlight of the hour-long event was a flash mob by the participants of the Aspiration to Achievement workshop, who danced to the Foundation’s theme song, ‘Champion a Woman’. The event was highlighted on SUN News that day.

“It was four days of awesomeness! A complete package of women empowerment. Every session was useful…we were trained to develop indispensible qualities that each and every woman should possess.” – Aparna Dhevi

If you are a manager in a corporate organisation, college or high school, please invite us to hold a sample seminar to empower women at your institution. The seminars will be free of cost for your institution and for the trainees. Content can be tailor-made on request. Call Usha Ramakrishnan at +91-9840520394 or email usha@globaladjustments.com

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June 2018

Portrait of India by Team Culturama

Saraswati or Veena Vahini is said to be the goddess of knowledge, music and arts. In this painting, Goddess Saraswati is portrayed with the veena, a musical instrument that represents her perfection of the arts and sciences. Her love for the rhythm of music is symbolic of emotions and feelings expressed through speech or music. Painting by Sri S. Rajam. Picture courtesy ‘Art Heritage of India: A Collectors’ Special’, published by L&T-ECC & ECC Recreation Club.

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Festivals of India

Photo: Ken GARDINER

Eid-ul-fitr

June 15 Ramzan is the holy month in the Islamic calendar, when every Muslim needs to perform an obligatory fast from dawn to dusk. It marks the month when Prophet Muhammad received the first revelation of the Quran. The period of fasting, which lasts for 29 or 30 days, is determined by the lunar calendar each year. Fasting is one of the five major pillars of Islam and teaches self-restriction and patience. Special prayers are held every night before the fast is broken and the Quran is recited in mosques around the world. The evening meal is almost a religious observance as a community and is called iftar. Eid-ul-Fitr (also called Eid or Id) marks the end of the fasting period. Eid has a particular salat (Islamic prayer) consisting of two rakats (units), and is generally offered in an open field or large hall. It may be performed only in congregation (jamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;at). After prayers are offered, usually in mosques, families visit relatives and friends and exchange food and gifts. Eid is marked by feasting and celebration â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and people from all communities are invited to be part of the festivities.

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June 2018

Spotlight by Team Culturama

Sao Joao Festival – Goa June 24 No festival in Goa is complete without good food and drink, music and dance. The festival of Sao Joao has all of this – and some other unique features, too The festival of Sao Joao is dedicated to St John the Baptist, who was a cousin of Jesus Christ and a prophet himself. The festival has its roots in Portuguese culture, and it is noteworthy that the same festival (on the same day, albeit with some local differences) is celebrated in the city of Porto in Portugal. Even though Sao Joao is a traditional Catholic festival, it is celebrated as a monsoon festival by Goans, and has its own unique features. For one, young men plunge into wells and ponds to retrieve gifts thrown in by the villagers, and the air is rent with shouts of “Viva San Joao!” People wear colourful clothes and specially made coronets (called kopel), which are made by stitching together leaves, flowers and fresh fruits. Newly married couples and young women of child-bearing age are particularly in the spotlight during Sao Joao as it is also referred to as ‘the Festival of Fertility.’ In many places, the highlights of the day are processions of colourfully decorated sangodds or floating platforms created by joining boats together with banana tree trunks and coconut palms. Live performers entertain people while on these sangodds, and people join in the celebrations. Gifts and eatables are exchanged, folk dances and music are the order of the day, and food and free-flowing feni (local liquor made from the cashew fruit) keep the spirits high.

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Myth & Mythology by Devdutt Pattanaik

Singl Fath rs Tales of men who become fathers without wives is a recurring theme in Hindu mythology â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and they help open our minds about alternate forms of families

Photo: Alan DOUGANS

culturama

June 2018

One day, while wandering through the countryside, Matsyendranath* saw a farmer’s wife crying in front of her house. He divined she was childless. He gave her a fistful of ash and said, “Consume it and you will become pregnant.” The lady accepted the ash but a few hours later was consumed by doubt and fear. She threw the ash in a pit where her family threw cow dung to make manure. Twelve years later, Matsyendranath passed by the same house and, on seeing the woman, said, “Where is your son? He must be around 11 now!” The lady did not know what to say but the look on her face revealed all. “You did not consume that ash, did you? You did not trust my powers. Tell me where you threw the ash.” The lady took the sage to the cow dung manure pit. Matsyendranath dug through the manure and pulled out a beautiful eleven-year-old boy. “The ash I gave you was so powerful that it transformed into a child even outside your womb in your cow dung manure pit. This son would have been your son. But now, I claim him as my son. Born in a cow dung pit, I name him Gorakshanath.” The farmer’s wife, still childless, begged for forgiveness. The sage simply smiled and walked away, with his son. He had chosen the life of a hermit, yet clearly, his masters wanted him to be a father. Gorakshanath went on to become a great Nath-jogi like his father. Some would say, even more powerful. How does one read this story? Is it the story of a single dad, a man who becomes a father even though he has no wife? Such tales of men who become fathers without wives is a recurring theme in Hindu mythology. Drona, the great tutor of the Kauravas and the Pandavas, had no mother. His father, Bharadvaja, saw an apsara and was so aroused that he ejaculated on the spot and the semen fell in a pot. Here, it transformed into a child, a boy, who was name Drona, the pot-born, raised by his father, but not a mother. His wife, Kripi, and her twin, Kripa, were born when another sage called Sharadwan saw a nymph called Janapadi and ejaculated on river reeds. Like Drona, they had a father, but no mother. But their father did not know of their birth.

King Shantanu of Hastinapur found them, and raised them. He was single then; his first wife, Ganga, had left him, taking their son, Devavrata, with him, and he was yet to meet his second wife, Satyavati. In other words, Kripa and Kripi were adopted by a single father. The famous beauty, Shakuntala, was conceived when her mother, an apsara, enchanted and seduced the great sage Vishwamitra. But, she abandoned the child on the forest floor. Vishwamitra refused to accept the child. So, the child remained on the forest floor attracting the attention of vultures. A sage called Kanva came upon this abandoned child and adopted her as his own. Thus, Kanva was the single father of an adopted child. All these tales open our minds about alternate forms of families, where fathers can have children without a wife, and children of single fathers grow up to be healthy adults.

Published on 3rd July, 2016, in Mid-Day. Reprinted with permission from www.devdutt.com * Matsyendranath was a saint in both Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Gorakshanath is regarded as key figure in the development of hatha yoga.

June 2018

culturama

Holistic Living by Eknath Easwaran

when meditation alone is not enough

Photo: Alan DOUGANS

culturama

June 2018

Meditation helps us to connect with the divinity within; repetition of a holy name or mantram is way of keeping our hearts open and drawing on the strength gained from meditation It is meditation every morning that gives you the wonderful capacity to stay patient and forgiving no matter what the day brings. When you know from your own experience what the tremendous benefits can be, you look forward to meditation. When the alarm goes off in the morning, even in the dead of winter when the bed is warm and the blankets hold you down, you get up for your meditation with eagerness and enthusiasm every day, well or not so well, because you know that meditation is the key to the art of living. But meditation alone is not enough. You can make great progress during a morning’s meditation only to see it all undone at the breakfast table, when someone admits to having dented a fender slightly or overdrawn the checking account. To hold on to the precious advances you make in meditation and to extend the effects of meditation into the rest of the day, you need to practice certain supporting disciplines as well. The first of these is the use of the holy name, called the mantram in Sanskrit. Meditation is going inside to pay a formal visit to the Lord who lives in the depths of consciousness: you sit down and politely give him your undivided attention. Repeating the mantram, by contrast, is quite informal, although never casual. There are times throughout the day and night when you need to draw on the Lord for love or wisdom or strength, and you need to do it right now, regardless of where you are or what you are doing. You’re not paying a visit in person; you can’t even afford the price of a phone call. Instead, you’re calling the Lord collect. A wave of fear or anger is about to overtake you, or a great wave of selfish desire, and you just go out for a brisk walk repeating ‘Jesus, Jesus, Jesus’ in your mind. The rhythm of your breathing will blend with the rhythm of your footsteps. Soon you will find that the rhythm of your mind has slowed down too, and its turbulence has subsided. The power of this simple discipline has been laid out eloquently by the anonymous author of the Cloud of Unknowing:

…a naked intent directed unto God, without any other cause than himself, sufficeth wholly. And if thou desirest to have this intent lapped and folden in one word, so that thou mayest have better hold thereupon, take thee but a little word of one syllable, for so it is better than two; for the shorter the word, the better it accordeth with the work of the spirit… And fasten this word to thy heart that so it may never go thence for anything that befalleth. This word shall be thy shield and thy spear, whether thou ridest on peace or on war. With this word thou shalt beat on this cloud and this darkness above thee. With this word thou shalt smite down all manner of thought under the cloud of forgetting; insomuch that if any thought press upon thee to ask what thou wouldst have, answer with no more than this one word. When people say or do harmful things to you, you can almost see the cloud of darkness forming across your mind. It is this cloud that covers over your need to give and forgive, and it can seem as thick as a great thunderhead. But with the mantram you can just beat on that cloud until you disperse it and drive it away, and there behind it, shining like the sun, is the capacity to forgive others and draw them closer to you. It isn’t always that you forget the wrongs that have been done or said, but there is no longer any emotional charge. Article courtesy Blue Mountain Journal (https://www.bmcm.org/ inspiration/journals/) Extracted from ‘Giving and Forgiving with the Mantram’, Autumn 2013.

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

June 2018

culturama

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culturama

June 2018

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