Culturama October 2018 by Rohini Manian

‘Uncle’ Nehru‘s Legacy We recall the legacy of the first Prime Minister of independent India on Children’s Day.

Take the Indian out of India... ...and he will take a bit of India with him. A look at Indian diasporic elements around the world.

November 2018 Volume 9, Issue 9

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Dear Readers, 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

This week, my phone’s IOS prompted me for an upgrade. Before I knew it, a ‘measure’ app came and settled itself on my home screen. I spent the rest of the hour walking around excitedly, pointing my phone at random and measuring a table here, a couch there! Technological improvements to make life easy are coming magically every other day to our fingertips. No more carrying around a compass or measuring tape. What next? I was suddenly reminded of T.S. Eliot’s line reflecting an old man’s mind in his poem, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, which I studied in my college days: I have measured out my life wit h coffee spoons. Wasn’t this about reaching old age without having followed one’s dreams? One’s real goals? Today, as we adapt to life-long learning in this mode of more and new, I am struck by the longevity that is increasing, too.

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We will be around longer in life. We will have more ease while living. We will learn to grow our livelihood To truly reap the benefits of this life we need to engage in mindful living. Measure our life’s meaning and purpose above all. How? Slow down the thinking process in order to reduce stress – be in the ‘Now’. Consciously. By choice. Relate. Be. Breat he. Then, success with happiness is ours. Hope you enjoy reading this edition. Wishing all our readers a very happy, ‘well-measured’ Diwali.

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

Editor | globalindian@globaladjustments.com

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Contents Regulars

26 Feature The most noteworthy aspect of Indians’ migration is that they took several little facets of Indian life to other countries – which makes the Indian diaspora a unique inter-cultural community.

India’s Culture 10

Short Message Service

Short, engaging snippets of Indian culture.

Driving Forces

In Indian society, each person is accorded a specific title that describes the manner in which he/she is related to another. Why is Indian society driven by such an elaborate system of kinship?

Journeys Into India 20

In Focus

Jawaharlal Nehru is best known as independent India’s first Prime Minister. Less known is his love for children, which is the reason why India celebrates his birth anniversary as Children’s Day.

At GA Foundation

The Global Adjustments Foundation starts to champion women from the school level – as testified by the 2,100 girls from the Adarsh Group of Schools, who attended the ‘All-Rounder’ workshops.

Champion Women

All of us have unique talents that can be used to promote good in the world. To help open up our eyes and minds, all we need is…POPCORN!

Mural Mahabharata

Introducing an illustrative rendition of the Mahabharata, with a series of full-size murals by famed artist Prince Thonnakkal and 35 of his women disciples.

Value Vignettes

Women have the innate ability to harness wealth and perpetuate it for the larger good. All they need to do is tap into this hidden gift.

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Hit The Road

The very sight of the Six Bone ornaments, gifted to the Naropa, a saint, are said to close the doors to hell. What else lies in store at the Naropa Festival, which is held in his memory?

Myth & Mythology

The practice of drawing artistic patterns at the threshold of the house is not merely a decorative activity but a practice that holds deeper lessons about, and for, life.

Holistic Living

How can we desist from indulging in excessive eating? Eknath Easwaran shares some tips to help keep our palate in control.

Look Who’s In Town

James Miller, Group Chief Technology Officer at TAFE, shares about his family’s experience of India, and the time he had to indulge in ‘obligatory selfies’.

Festivals of India

Join in the festivities for Diwali, one of the best known and celebrated events in India, and Guru Nanak Jayanti, which marks the birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism.

Relocations and Property 62

Space and the City

Property listings in Chennai.

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Cover Image Featured on our cover is a photograph by Tommaso Fiani of Italy, which won the Third Prize for the Into India Category in the 2017 edition of the Beautiful India Expatriate Photo Competition

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 freelance writer/photographer. If God had asked her what she wanted to be, she’d tell Him to turn her into a farmer who also writes lyrically; her fingers stained with wet clay and deep blue ink. Visit her website at www.deepblueink.com

Letters to the Editor Dear Editor,

I really enjoyed reading the article, ‘Coming a Full Circle’ and the travel article on Mauritius. - Natapol Vanichkul, General Manager – Thai Airways, Chennai

Dear Editor,

I was struck by your article in Culturama – October 2018. It was titled, ‘Women, Ask Nicely for What You Want’. Very useful and insightful. I'm always reluctant to ask...or directly jump to my point. Please write a sequel giving more advice! - Venil Sumantran

Dear Editor,

I always enjoy the photos used alongside the articles. I am looking forward to seeing the winners of this year’s Beautiful India Photo Competition, and the articles they will be featured in. - Natasha Ray, Bengaluru

Dear Editor,

I liked the article ‘Mark of a Leader’ in the September 2018 edition of Culturama. It covered a good diverse group of leaders and leadership styles. - Nicole Grady, Canada

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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Advertiser’s Feature

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SMS by Suzanne McNeill

Short cultural snippets for an easily digestible India

Art/textile/craft: Laal Paar Saris These beautiful red-and-white saris are synonymous with the women of Bengal. Laal means red in Bengali and signifies fertility, whilst white is the symbol of purity – the combination of red and white is seen as a celebration of the feminine and is considered auspicious in Bengal. There are two types of laal paar sari. The korial sari is the quintessential version in plain blocks of undyed, off-white silk with a deep red border. The pallu, the decorated end piece, may be embellished with basic gold thread. The garad sari is more sophisticated. The body may be cream or beige and decorated with repeating motifs of flowers or paisley. The deep red borders are broader and richly patterned. Laal paar saris are a favourite choice for women during Bengal’s Durga puja celebrations.

Food: Vegetarian omelette You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs – it’s a stock phrase in English, but it would appear that an egg-free omelette has been part of Indian cuisine for many years. Besan ke cheela is essentially a savoury pancake made with chickpea (besan) flour, also called gram flour, which looks just like a traditional egg omelette when served. It’s healthy, vegan and gluten-free. A cup of besan flour is seasoned with a selection of spices – choose from turmeric, chilli flakes and chopped spring onions, or green chilli and methi (fenugreek) leaves – then mixed with water to form a runny batter. Diced vegetables such as green peppers, peas and mushrooms are stirred through, then a ladleful of the batter is poured into a large hot frying pan and cooked for about three minutes on each side until golden brown. The cheela must be eaten hot, and served with chutneys.

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Name: Rujuta Diwekar ‘Be grateful for your body, not unhappy with it!’ Such catchphrases are how nutritionist and sports scientist Rujuta Diwekar encourages people to eat healthily and manage their weight. Famed for her common sense advice that blends traditional food wisdom with modern nutritional science, Diwekar is said to be one of the world’s most-followed dieticians. Diwekar was born in 1973 in Mumbai to a middleclass family. She attended Mumbai’s SNDT Women’s University, and has also studied at the Australian Institute of Sport and the

University of Potsdam in Germany. Fitness was her calling from an early age, and she has helped changed the perception of her industry from a fringe, offbeat occupation into a significant business. Diwekar claims that the foundations of her philosophy, particularly the importance of sustainable living, were laid during childhood visits to her grandparents’ farm where the family helped grow and harvest food. She encourages clients not to be swayed by modern Western trends (such as those for quinoa and kale) and instead seek out the diverse grains, pulses and legumes of India and eat local, seasonal food that’s part of the country’s food heritage. Her programmes also focus on a realistic approach to fitness, stressing the importance of minor tweaks in her clients’ daily habits to promote a holistic lifestyle. Her website hosts a series of video guides, but Diwekar is also an established author. Her first book, Don’t Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight, is India’s highest-selling diet book, and the title of her second, Women and the Weight Loss Tamasha (‘tamasha’ means fuss or commotion), indicates her priorities about simple eating. Books on pregnancy, Indian superfoods and strategies for living with thyroid problems have followed. She has sold more than 1 million books in seven languages. Diwekar is dietician to celebrities such as Bollywood couple Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan. In January 2018, she launched her new 12-week fitness plan, The Fitness Project 2018, which offers guidelines for a daily eight-meal plan.

Word: Bas ek minute! The phrase ‘bas ek minute’ meaning ‘Just one minute’ or ‘Only one minute’ is understood by Indians everywhere. It’s the equivalent of the stock reply ‘Wait a minute!’, but it never really is just a minute or a second or even a moment. It’s probably safe to assume that the speaker means ‘very soon’ or ‘a short while’, depending on context, and wants to buy a little time. When answering the phone, you might say ‘Ek minute’ to suggest you will call the person who the caller has asked for, or ‘Ek second wait karo, bulaathi hoon’ (‘Can you wait a second? I will call him/her’). Bas ek Minute is the title of a Marathi quiz show, and a famous advert for Maggi instant noodles has a child telling her mother she is hungry. Her mother replies ‘Bas do (two) minute’, and the snack is ready! Photo: Silvia RICANEK, Germany

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Nehru visits the Paljor Namgyal Girls High School in Sikkim; (Top) Nehru gives a labourer’s child a flower upon his arrival at Bogodogra, on his way to Bhutan (September 1958). PhotoS: www.photodivision.gov.in

“I like being with children and talking to them and, even more, playing with them. For the moment I forget that I am terribly old and it is very long ago since I was a child.” So said Jawaharlal Nehru, independent India’s first Prime Minister. He was writing an open letter to children, dated December 3, 1949, in a weekly magazine. Nehru loved the innocence, the openness, the simplicity of children, and the fact that, unlike adults, they don’t build barriers of colour, caste, community, country and language, they accept people as they are. Nehru’s special bond with children has gone down in Indian history as a soft, endearing facet of this Harvardeducated astute London bar-at-law,

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November 2018

In Focus by Team Culturama

'Uncle' Nehru’s Legacy who turned steely fighter for independence and attained the stature of influential global leader. So, to commemorate this affinity, India celebrates Children’s Day on November 14, his birth anniversary, while Universal Children’s Day falls on November 20, the anniversary of both the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the signing of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the international community.

Mail Parenting Multitasking perhaps came naturally to Nehru. In the tumultuous years of the Freedom Struggle, and the hectic years after India won independence from British rule, he, along with many others, put their personal lives on hold for the sake of shaping a nation out of a conglomeration of disparate, and often inimical fiefdoms, principalities, kingdoms, communities, and of course religious groups. Yet, amidst all his preoccupations with coming to grips with a unique method of struggle – non-violent non-cooperation – and inspiring vast numbers of politically uneducated people

Jawaharlal Nehru is better known for his role in the independence movement and as independent India’s first Prime Minister. However, his love for children – which is less known outside the country – is the reason why India celebrates November 14, his birth anniversary, as Children’s Day

to adopt it, while going in and out of prison with almost monotonous regularity, Nehru didn’t quite abdicate his responsibilities as a parent. His only daughter, Indira, whose middle name, Priyardarshini – ‘beloved to the eyes’ – is an indication of how much he doted on her, was growing up, and he could not be a hands-on father. But he didn’t let that stop him from communicating with her. At one time, when he was busy with political activity in Ahmedabad, and little Indira was staying in Mussoorie with her grandparents, he sent her a series of letters giving her brief accounts of the story of the world, its nations and its people. “I hope [these] will make you think of the world as a whole and of other people in it as our brothers and sisters,” he wrote. They were subsequently published as Letters from a Father to a Daughter. In a sense, building on these letters, he went on to write Glimpses of World History while he was in jail for participating in the Independence Movement. “Prison life has its advantages; it brings both leisure and a measure

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of detachment,” wrote Nehru in his preface to Glimpses. This large body of letters, written with little or no access to reference material, delineates developments across the world that shaped history down the ages. Other books followed, all aimed at giving Indira a perspective of India and the world that went beyond mere textbooks. Not only she, but children in succeeding generations have had the windows of their minds opened by these letters. “My father's three books — Glimpses of World History, An Autobiography and The Discovery of India — have been my companions through life…. ,” writes the grown-up Indira (who too held office as Prime Minister), in her Foreword to Glimpses. “Indeed Glimpses was written for me. It remains the best introduction to the story of man for young and growing people in India and all over the world. The Autobiography has been acclaimed as not merely the quest of one individual for freedom, but as an insight into the making of the mind of new India. … Together, these books have moulded a whole generation of Indians and inspired persons from many other countries.”

Long-term plans Once India won independence, Nehru plunged into the tasks of nation building and also of laying the foundation of a new world force – the non-aligned countries. But despite other preoccupations, he kept sight of what he considered the real future of India – the children. He laid the foundation for children’s welfare, seeking support as Prime Minister from organisations such as the World Health Organization, and shaping policies to prevent malnutrition and infant mortality and boost child health. He took measures to set up institutions of higher learning, like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). It was he who took the first steps to instituting the National Bravery Awards for Children. His was the initiative behind the Children’s Film Society of India, which makes wholesome entertainment available to little ones. The target group – children – were obviously too young to comprehend the importance and impact of these initiatives, but every child who came in contact with him responded to the genuine interest he took in them. To them, he was not Prime Minister Nehru. He was simply ‘Chacha’ Nehru – ‘Uncle’ Nehru. There are many anecdotes about Nehru’s bonding with children. At the core of all of them is the fact that he saw children as fledgling citizens of the country, irrespective of caste, creed, colour, community or economic status.

Children First Jawaharlal Nehru with acclaimed Carnatic singer Aruna Sairam, when the latter was just 10 years old. Photo:

Courtesy Aruna Sairam

The special place children held in Nehru’s heart has been underrecorded, in comparison with the voluminous material available on his political and social achievements, not to mention his life as a private individual. Not all are appreciative of his efforts even in his efforts towards children, but there are some snippets in the public domain that offer telling insights into this facet of his personality. Once, when Nehru was taking a walk in the grounds of Teen Murti Bhavan, which was his official residence, he heard a baby crying. Going in search of the source of the unexpected sound, he found an infant, only a couple of months old, wailing his heart out. He guessed that the child belonged to one of women working on the grounds. She must have left him asleep and gone back to her work. Unmindful of his exalted status, Nehru picked up the crying baby and soothed him in his arms. A short while later, the mother came running up, and was stunned to find her baby chuckling while the Prime Minister of the country tickled him! An official of the International Cultural Forum remembers how he took a group of children to meet Prime Minister Nehru just before they left for a summer camp in the then Soviet Union. Nehru’s schedule was packed, and they had been given only a small window of time. But on meeting the children, Nehru got into the spirit of the occasion. He sat on the carpet with the youngsters, and showed them on an atlas where they were to go. He spoke to them about what life would be like there, while they enjoyed the snacks and soft drinks he ordered for them. The 15-minute appointment stretched to a full hour, and the whole group came out charged by the enthusiasm of the man they had just met. A longer version of this article, authored by Susan Philip, was published in Culturama November 2015.

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Achievers Ahoy!

Global Adjustments Foundation startS ITS #championawoman INITIATIVE at the school level. The deslightful 2,100 girls from ADARSH group of schools, who recently attended our ‘All-Rounder’ workshops, were testimony to this

“The fun way they teach us to speak up and ask questions makes me feel I can achieve anything I decide to.” Sheela Mohan, Class IX student “I am going to achieve my goals and be successful in life without compromising on my happiness.” Sahanulma, Class IX student

“I narrated the story of a poor little girl, Anamika, whose mother worked in a bungalow. Anamika felt she could never be rich and happy and would have to be content with an ordinary life. A balloon vendor made her realise that the colour or shape of the balloon is immaterial and that it is the air inside that enables it to fly high. Anamika realised that self-motivation and the fire within to achieve would help her reach great heights. This story was an instant hit and made the students feel that it was there in them too to become a Champion. My 18-year career in an international bank pales in comparison to the life-changing work we do here.” Lakshmi Subramanian, Program Coordinator, Global Adjustments Foundation

“The workshop they ran motivated our girls not to take any shortcuts to success and to preserve core values. We saw their energetic claps in class as a positive sign.” Senior Chemistry Teacher.

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 the institution and trainees. Content can be tailor-made on request. Call Usha Ramakrishnan, Director, Global Adjustments Foundation at +91-9840520394 or e-mail usha@globaladjustments.com Follow us on:

/GlobalAdjustments

/GlobalAdjustmentsFoundation

In this holiday season light up a real woman's life by supporting her college education – empower her with physical, emotional and leadership skills.

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Here’s what POPCORN stands for:

P Power – Use it for good. O Openly – That’s how you seek and

Champion Women by Ranjini Manian

All you need is… …POPCORN! Read on to find out our winning formula, which will help you break barriers and become an agent of empowerment A mother I know lost her young daughter to heart disease. She was beside herself with grief and naturally was depressed. But not for long. Chitra picked herself up and started spreading awareness on the importance of early detection of heart issues in children. She then offered support on a small scale to those who needed help to pay for their children to have life-saving surgeries. Yes, Aishwarya (her lovely daughter) was gone, but the Aishwarya Trust was born in her place. Today, thousands of children are saved because of the timely help and support that the Trust offers. The NGO provides employment opportunities, too. This is a classic example of how a champion woman learns lessons from what happens to her, and uses her power and skills for the greater good. Each of us is here with a unique talent – we may be good public speakers, singers, learners, and many other things. Using our special talents to promote good in the world is what will help us leave a legacy. However, this is where most women stop and raise questions as to their limited abilities, lack of opportunity or resources – and look crestfallen that they cannot help the world as much as they would like to. To help open up the eyes and minds, we tell them that all they have to do is…POPCORN!

accept support.

P Participation – Do it whole-heartedly. C Confidence – Let that be your hallmark.

O Optimism – It should be your driving force.

R Remaining authentic – Make it your goal.

N Never give up – This is your guiding principle.

Now, let us ask ourselves: •

As a student, can I make one other person literate by spending a couple of after-school hours with a maid or a poor learner?

•

As a homemaker, can I cook extra for someone in need of nourishing food?

•

As an employee of a company, can I help a struggling team member cross a stumbling block with my professional skill?

•

As an earning woman, can I set aside an amount for a specific charity and offer it personally with a smile?

•

As a woman leader, can I use my power to mentor other women with leadership potential?

It comes naturally to women to be altruisti; and if we search for ways, we can use our power for good. If I give from what I have, it is halved. If I use my power for good, it doubles! So, all you champion women out there, ask, “What can I give?” Don’t lose another day – contribute more than you consume. You’ll burst through your perceived limitations and bring smiles to faces.

Ranjini Manian is the Founder–Chairperson of Global Adjustments Foundation, and aims to use life coaching for mindful living to encourage women's empowerment. She can be contacted for further questions on gender at globalindian@globaladjustments.com

We are crowdfunding. Look for our Shakti scholars at milaap.org

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Women imbibe the tendency to use resources for the larger good from a young age.

Photo: Ruxandra CRUCEANA, Romania

Value Vignettes by Susan Philip

Harbingers of Prosperity

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October 2018 November 2018

There is a common, mistaken perception that money is a man’s game. However, Women are not just adept at handling their individual or home’s finances, they have the ability to stretch and grow scarce resources and use them for the greater good Sultan Jahan Begum of Bhopal

The Bhagavad Gita names Shree, or prosperity, as one of the attributes of an ideal woman. When a new bride enters her marital home, in the Hindu tradition she is welcomed as a representative of Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, who heralds prosperity. This prosperity is not meant to be limited to herself. The implication is that it must be extended for the benefit of those around her.

Bhopal, now the capital of the state of Madhya Pradesh, was once a Princely state. Between 1819 and 1926, it was ruled by four women – Nawab Begums, as they were called. They ruled in their own right, daughters inheriting the throne from their mothers, not as regents or proxy rulers. Sultan Jahan Begum, also known as Sultan Kaikhusrau Jahan Begum, was the last of the women Begums. Sultan was her name, not her title. When she ascended the throne in 1901, she was 43 years old. What she inherited was an almost empty treasury. There was just Rs. 40,000 left in it. And a pile of debts, besides. Not one to be fazed by adversity, Sultan Jahan Begum quickly embarked on a course of royal austerity and public reform. That meant doing away with hunting and polo, favourite pastimes of the ruling class. The time was spent instead on getting to know the problems and needs of the people, and working out solutions. She reworked the tax structure and took steps to foster agriculture by providing irrigation facilities and other necessary public works. She undertook a widespread public health programme, including sanitation, vaccination and water supply. The efforts of the Nawab Begum and her dedicated team quickly bore fruit, and Bhopal became prosperous once more. Sultan Jahan Begum’s other major area of focus was women’s education. She started schools for girls, understanding that educated women would usher in long-term prosperity. She donated Rs. 1 lakh, a huge amount at that time, for a university mooted at Aligarh. She also mobilized funds from

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When women manage resources, they bring to the table the trait of prudence and aim of ultimate prosperity. (Below) When a new bride enters her marital home, in the Hindu tradition she is welcomed as a representative of Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth.

Photo: Oliver FISCHBACH, Germany

Photo: Tomasso FIANI, Italy

rulers of other princely states for the cause. In 1920, she was named the founding Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University, and held the post until her death in 1930. To date, she is the only woman Chancellor of the University.

At the core

A good manager is someone who nurtures available supplies and increases them so that all stakeholders benefit. Traditionally, women are good managers. They instinctively know how to stretch and grow scarce resources and use them for the greater good. These resources can be anything from firewood and grain to stocks and shares. Women add value to the decision-making echelons of companies and institutions as they bring with them this intrinsic quality of prudence with the aim of ultimate prosperity. Many of India’s top banks have women at the helm. An inclusive workplace, giving due representation to women, can only thrive.

Echoes at home and elsewhere October 2018 opened with the news that India-born Gita Gopinath is the International Monetary Fund’s new Chief Economist, the first woman to hold

Editor’s Note

Photo: Helle Strømholt

Lakshmi’s sacred name, Shree or Shri, is associated with acquiring resources and striving for prosperity. That’s encouraged in Hindu philosophy during a certain phase in every person’s life. Householders – married men and women – are referred to with the prefix ‘shri’ or ‘shrimati’. The underlying idea is that it is their responsibility to work for prosperity for themselves and those under their care. The word ‘shree’ and, by extension, ‘shriman’ and ‘shrimati’ have connotations of auspiciousness, in the sense that they attract the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi. The next stage in life is the one where active seeking of material gain is renounced in order to focus on God.

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women instinctively know how to stretch and grow resources (anything from firewood and grain to stocks and shares) and use them for the greater good prestigious positions, and is currently the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and of Economics at Harvard. She is only the third woman and the first Indian after Nobel laureate Amartya Sen to become a tenured professor at the prestigious university’s Department of Economics.

Gita Gopinath

the post. The department she will now head is the one which brings out the World Economic Outlook, a pivotal document. What better example of a woman with the attribute of Shree, a harbinger of prosperity? IMF’s Managing Director Christine Lagarde, announcing Gita’s appointment, said she was “exceptionally well-placed” for the position. She is only the second Indian to hold this prestigious post, the other being Raghuram Rajan, who subsequently became Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s apex bank. Gita has gone on record to say that her desire to specialise in economics was spurred by the external funding and currency crisis that India experienced in the initial years of the 1990s.

Indra Nooyi

She has held many

Indra Nooyi, who has just announced that she’s laying down the reins as PepsiCo’s CEO, is another brilliant example of how a woman can embody the quality of Shree – and bring about great prosperity within her sphere of influence. Business Week says that after Indra took over as PepsiCo’s CFO in 2001, prior to her appointment as the company’s CEO, PepsiCo’s annual revenues rose 72 percent, and net profit more than doubled in just five years. In her first letter to PepsiCo staff as CEO in 2006, she wrote: “We face an ever-more-challenging business environment … And we need to get out in front of events and shape them rather than to wait and be buffeted by them.” Recalling that first letter, she told her colleagues in her farewell note: “You have helped make this company the icon it is today.” Forbes Magazine says Indra Nooyi is the 12th highest paid woman in the US corporate world. The magazine has listed her among the world’s 100 most powerful women.

Well said! “Investments in women are positively correlated to growth, prosperity, stability, democracy, health – and vital to our national security. We cannot write off the talent of half the world and expect to confront our challenges.” – Melanne Verveer, former US Ambassador at large for women’s issues

Melanne Verveer

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Feature by Susan Philip

Take the Indian out of India...

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...And he will take something of India with him. a noteworthy aspect of Indiansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; migration is that they took with them Several cultural facets from the subcontinent, which are rooted in the daily lives of people in other countries

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g to Southeast

dinya travellin

g sage Kou A frieze showin

Asia

The Indian subcontinent is, geographically speaking, an ‘insulated’ area. The Himalayas in the north and the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean in the south should logically have made it difficult for anyone to get into or out of the region, at least till the advent of modern modes of travel. Of course, with the opening up of trade and the subsequent quest for empires, employment and employees, there have been exoduses of various types from India to the world. But what’s interesting is that this is by no means a ‘modern’ phenomenon. Even as long ago as the third millennium BC, groups of people have been migrating from India for one reason or another. Ancient Hindu texts advice against ‘crossing the seas’ – foreign travel, in other words. Even so, the great sage Agasthya is believed to have visited south-east Asian countries like Cambodia and Siam (Thailand). And, according to legend, sage Koudinya set sail from India with the dream of establishing an empire in the east. When his ship neared the Cambodian coast, it was attacked by a group led by the daughter of the local king. Koudinya fired arrows from the bow he had brought from an Indian temple, and established his superiority. He married the princess and founded the wealthy Funan Empire. The Borobodur and Prambanan Buddhist temples of Indonesia, and of course Angkor Wat, are grand affirmations of the countries’ ties with India. Artisans from India tweaked Indian motifs and styles to suit their host countries, and created sculptures and paintings which were clearly Indian in origin but also distinctly different.

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Agasthya and Koudinya were not exceptions to the rule. Trade was a great pull across the waters for ancient Indians. They took with them their culture and their religious beliefs, and these took root in new lands where they prospered, albeit with local adaptations.

Fun facts

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Indonesia’s Airlines is named Garuda – the vehicle of the Hindu God Vishnu.

Garuda

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Sanskrit was Cambodia’s language for administration till the 14th century.

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Indrapura, Amaravati and Panduranga are cities in Vietnam.

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Svarga and mantri are examples of Malay words with Indian roots. They mean the same as their Indian versions – heaven and minister. • Wayung (left) Indonesia’s famous puppet theatre, is very like the Tholu Bommalatta of Andhra Pradesh. • The bitter gourd, okra, mango, betel nut, jackfruit and tamarind are some native Indian plants that were transplanted and flourished on foreign shores.

•

In Amharic, Ethiopia’s national language, Surat means tobacco – a reference to the city of that name in Gujarat from where it was first brought.

Following the dictum of Emperor Ashoka, groups of Buddhist missionaries also left India to spread the Buddha’s teachings. They went to China, Japan, Sri Lanka and to Southeast Asia. And much later, Muslim traders from Gujarat took Islam to Indonesia. There were overland trade routes too, to the Middle East and Europe, particularly Rome. Interestingly, the Romanis, who are Sage Agastya intrinsically nomadic, popularly known as ‘gypsies’ in countries across Europe today, trace their origins to large groups of people who left the north-western region of India around 1,500 years ago. They went to the Middle East and Africa and also to various parts of Europe. Their language still bears some similarities to those spoken in northern India. As years went by, the profile of those who left India’s shores changed. Apart from traders, there were financiers, like the Chettiars of Tamil Nadu. There were businessmen, like the Sindhis who had textile and jewellery enterprises. Whole families settled down in countries with which they had commercial links, so that they could do even better. They went to countries as distant as Spain and the United Kingdom. In 1833, slavery was abolished in Britain, and other countries followed suit. The availability of cheap labour from Africa came to an abrupt end. Britain got the idea of using indentured labourers from India to work in cotton and sugarcane fields in the Caribbean and other colonies. Other countries followed Britain’s lead in their own colonies too. And then there were the teachers, the doctors, the nurses and of course the IT professionals, who left in search of pastures greener.

The Nattukotai Chettiars established kitangis or business houses in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Burma (now Myanmar), Vietnam and at other places too. They became rooted in the economies of their countries of stay. In Singapore, several roads are named after prominent Chettiars of yesteryear.

A statue depicting a Chettiar moneylender (seated), in Singapore

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Fusion Food

In Padang, Sumatra, every March, sachets of sugar are strewn from mosque rooftops for members of the public to catch, to commemorate the birth anniversary of an Islamic preacher from India, and as a thanksgiving for blessings during the year. The tradition has its origins in India and is known as Serak Gulo.

Quite often, the early migrants were mostly men. They found spaces for themselves in the new countries they went to, and managed as best as they could. When women were able to accompany their menfolk, things were a little easier. And it was mainly the women who clung to the customs and rituals, the food they had grown up with, and tried to pass them on to the next generations. In some instances, these customs are still practised with fervour on foreign shores, whereas in India itself, they may not be as strictly or enthusiastically observed. Whatever the reason for the migrations that happened down the ages, people from India have left indelible marks on the psyche of their adopted countries. And the beauty of it is that they did not do it by violent or coercive means. They did it with soft power! Indian Diaspora were welcomed wherever they went because they weren’t interested in establishing political supremacy, but contributed to the economy. Indian food, customs, festivals, words, names, architecture, literature, music and dance forms, and religious beliefs found their way into the daily lives of the people in far-away places. And those facets of foreign lands will remain forever Indian.

An 85-foot statue of Lord Hanuman stands in Trinidad – it is tallest one of the Monkey God outside India. And the 140-foot statue of Lord Muruga near the Batu Caves in Malaysia is the tallest in the world. Thaipusam, a festival associated with Lord Muruga, is celebrated with great religious fervour in countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Fiji Islands.

•

It is well known that Indians can’t do without spices. Wherever they migrated, they carried spice boxes with them, and these ‘exotic’ flavours found their way into the foods of the lands they settled in. Various types of ‘curry’ teamed with rice are staple meals in Southeast Asian countries, and popular in the West Indies and Africa too.

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Debe, a Caribbean town, is known for the Debe Double, basically a fried portion of dough called barra (could it be a take on the vada?) served with a chick peas and pepper sauce. It was originally a single serving, a breakfast dish to sustain Indian plantation workers. But it wasn’t filling enough, and the workers asked for double servings, so it metamorphosed into a sandwich-type presentation and came to be known as the Debe Double.

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The Bunny Chow, a local delicacy in Durban, has nothing to do with rabbits, or their food. It has Indian roots, with the word ‘bunny’ being a corruption of baniya, a Gujarati business community. It is thought to have evolved from an innovative way Indians devised to carry packed or take-away lunches in Bunny Chow the absence of containers – hollow out a loaf of bread (a substitute for the roti) and fill it with a vegetable side-dish. In course of time, meat and beans were used as fillings. It is now served with a side of grated carrots and other vegetables.

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Other foreign adaptations of Indian favourites, old and new, include kedgeree (originally from kitchdi, a dish of rice and lentils), almond brittle (the ubiquitous peanut chikki), turmeric latte (from the Ayurvedic therapeutic concoction of warm milk, turmeric and a dash of pepper), Ethiopia’s injera, a close cousin of South India’s dosa, Lisbon’s Injera chicken chamuchas (a take on samosas) and Britain’s favourite chicken tikka masala.

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Mural Mahabharata by Team Culturama

Composition of the Mahabharatha The Mahabharata, comprising over one lakh shlokas (religious verses), was composed by sage Ved Vyasa. Inspired by Lord Brahma, he recited the verses virtually non-stop at the bidding of his scribe, Lord Ganesha. The epic was initially known as Jayam and later as Bharata, and then Mahabharata. It includes numerous stories, explanations, advice on dharma (righteous living), various kinds of sastras and the history of various clans and kingdoms. Mahabharata is known as Panchama Veda (fifth Veda). Artists: Prince Thonakkal and Mythili Ganesh

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From this issue onwards, we are introducing a new series â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an illustrative rendition of the Mahabharata, with reproduction of full-size mural artworks painted by Prince Thonnakkal and 35 of his women disciples. Kerala mural art was traditionally restricted to men only and women were not taught. Prince Thonakkal helped break this barrier and began to teach women this art. Their efforts culminated in exhibitions of the paintings, as well as the publication of a book titled Mural Mahabharatam. Global Adjustments Foundation supports womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s empowerment in all forms. If you wish to get more information about these paintings or the possibility of commissioning them, please contact Chitra at +91-94441 67870

November 2018

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Look Who’s In Town Chennai

Chennai calling The Group Chief Technology Officer at tractor giant TAFE, James Miller moved to Chennai in 2017. Here, he speaks about his family’s experience of India, and the time he had to indulge in ‘obligatory selfies’

I first visited Chennai in 2006, but most of my contact with people here has been through work for around 12 years. Repeat visits to different places was a good start, as was talking to friends and colleagues, in preparing for the move. Global Adjustments has also been a great help in relocation and providing information on living and working in India. I moved to Chennai with my wife, Denyse, and three boys, in 2017.

as ‘tying the knot’, ‘wedding breakfast’ and ‘the whole 9 yards’ (which I am told refers to the 9-yard wedding sari).

India on a Platter

Sightseeing

Masala dosa and sambar for breakfast. Masala peanuts as a snack. Chicken, Chettinad style, for dinner.

So far, we have a number of good memories, including being blessed by an elephant at the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, riding a Royal Enfield down the East Coast Road, and passing our PADI Open Water Scuba Diver course as a family in the Bay of Bengal. That is only the beginning. This country has so much to offer.

Festive Fervour

We have been to Bhopal and joined a ‘family day’ with friends and colleagues, with more dancing and selfies. We even went on a boat trip around the lake.

We haven’t attended any festivals as a family, but I experienced the festivities and procession for Ganesh Chaturthi. The crowds were fantastic and keen to have me involved with a little dancing and the obligatory selfies.

We have also visited Madurai, and toured the Meenakshi Temple and Alagar Koyil. It was an interesting and immersive cultural experience to understand a little more about the history and beliefs that can be found in India.

Loveable India

I Am Taking Home...

We have attended a couple of weddings as a family, which have been a fantastic experience. It was enlightening to understand the links between everyday English sayings, such

The weather, the recipe for masala dosa and sambar, and the jugaad* spirit. *Jugaad is a Hindi term that refers to Indians’ flexible approach to problem-solving

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November October 2018

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Hit the Road by Preeti Verma Lal

Closing the Door to Hell The very sight of the Six Bone ornaments, gifted to The Naropa, a scholar/saint, is said to confer blessings so great that the doors to the three lower realms â&#x20AC;&#x201C; animal, hungry ghost, and hell â&#x20AC;&#x201C; are closed. What else lies in store at the Naropa Festival, which is held in his memory?

Monks at the Naropa Festival. All photos by Preeti Verma Lal

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It was in a stark cold desert named Leh that I first heard of dakinis, the mythical creatures who carry the human soul into the sky. That is not their only job, though. They are also the spiritual muse, the guardians of the inner mysteries of the Self. I do not know what the dakinis look like. Perhaps pretty. Perhaps beatific. Sitting on a red carpet in the shadow of the 17th-century Hemis Monastery, I was listening to stories about them. Of how, about a thousand years ago, the dakinis gifted Six Bone Ornaments to an Indian scholar/saint called Naropa on the day he attained enlightenment. The Naropa (1016–1100), who became the Chancellor of Nalanda University but later left the materialistic world and his family for the path of enlightenment. At the age of 40, he met his guru, Tilopa, and attained enlightenment 12 years later. His teachings of the Six Yogas of Naropa are considered to be one of the fundamental pillars of the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition. It was for the five-day Naropa Festival that I had flown in to Leh. At 11,652 feet above sea level, my lungs should have been gasping for an ounce of extra oxygen. Instead, caught in the milling crowd of monks and nuns, the curious and the onlooker, my soul was packing piety. This was not the biggest of the Naropa Festivals, often called the ‘Kumbh of the Himalayas’. Held every 12 years, the festival is the largest Buddhist congregation in the Himalayas. This September, it broke from the 12-year routine to host a festival two years after the big Naropa. The sorrel landscape was swathed in maroon – the colour of the monks’ robes, its monotony interrupted by the gleam of traditional silver jewellery of the Ladakhi women. Women in perakh (head gear) embedded with turquoise The Hemis Monastery, which was the venue of the Naropa Festival

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Thuksey Monastery

Entry to the sanctum was restricted and photography strictly prohibited. Stern security men were ushering the crowd and there was not a moment extra to gaze at the ornaments.

A monk waits for the arrival of the Six Bone ornaments

stones, woollen goncha (dress) adorned with long, stringed silver brooches and embroidered yak-leather papu (woollen shoes) were waiting patiently for a glimpse of the Six Bone Ornaments that consist of anklets, bangles, crown, earrings, necklace and seralkha*. Devotees believe that the mere sight of these ornaments would confer blessings so great that the doors to the three lower realms â&#x20AC;&#x201C; animal, hungry ghost, and hell â&#x20AC;&#x201C; are closed. When the palanquin, with a marigold-yellow satin umbrella, drew closer, the sound of the cymbals hit a crescendo and the sky resonated with the sound of the oboe**, drums, and trumpets. I joined the crowd towards the sanctum where the ornaments were displayed. Entry to the sanctum was restricted and photography strictly prohibited. Stern security men were ushering the crowd, and there was not a moment extra to gaze at the ornaments. I got a glimpse. That is all. There was more to the day. Traditional dances, spiritual discourses, official launch of the Naropa Fellowship, release

of Ladakhâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first EDM (electronic dance music) CD and lunch in a large tent with the snow-capped mountains staring at my bowl of rice and vegetables. The shops were laden with local handicraft, and women in intricate jewellery were pouring salted yak-milk tea from gigantic flasks. Another day. Another bumpy ride to the Hemis Monastery to look at the thangka*** of Buddha Amitabha. One of the largest thangkas in the world, the 60-foot silk

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Junior monks watch the Naropa Festival

Ladakhi women in traditional costume

embroidered brocade of Buddha Amitabha was unfurled on day 2 of the Naropa Festival. Perched on a metal scaffolding, the thangka was open for public viewing between 8 a.m. and noon for four days. His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa, the 12th reincarnation of Naropa and the current head of the Drukpa lineage, was not present. However, I felt his compassion at the Stray Animal Rescue and Management Centre, which was founded by him. Far away from civilisation, the injured dogs, the horse with a broken leg and the camel with a nasty back have found a home and care. Separate enclosures for nearly 350 dogs and hundreds of poultry, camels, horses, donkeys. All sick and injured and brought to the centre. Compassion has found a home in the cold desert. At the Naropa Festival, I found religion stepping beyond rituals and discourses. I sat at the feet of His Eminence Thuksey Rinpoche to learn about how the Naropa lineage has stepped into the unchartered territory of saving the environment and creating Himalayan leaders. He talked of the tree plantation drive and the initiative to provide garbage bags to taxi drivers so that Leh’s beauty is not tarnished by plastic bottles and littering. The Live to Love Foundation along with Waterkeeper Alliance and Himalayan Glacier

A golden Buddha in Hemis Monastery

Waterkeeper, founded by His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa, has launched a first-of-its-kind initiative to protect the waters of the Himalayas. In the stark cold desert, I first heard of the dakinis and saw the Six Bone Ornaments that they gifted the Naropa and flew into the sky. They say that the mere sight of these ornaments would confer blessings so great that the doors to the three lower realms – animal, hungry ghost, and hell – are closed. I do not know whether the dakinis closed the doors to the three lower realms for me. However, at the feet of Thuksey Rinpoche, I learnt that the blessing of the Naropa is manifest in the world. In everything. Everywhere.

* An ornament worn across the shoulders. ** A woodwind instrument with a double-reed mouthpiece, a slender tubular body, and holes stopped by keys. *** Tibetan Buddhist painting on cotton, silk appliqué, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, scene, or mandala.

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November 2018

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November 2018

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For Indians, the concept of family extends far beyond the immediate family circle, and connections with oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extended family are sought out and valued. Photo: Paresh PARADKAR, India

culturama

November 2018

Driving Forces by Suzanne McNeill

A Name for Every Relationship… …And every relationship in its rightful name. Indians regard even cousins and aunts/uncles thrice removed as part of the ‘family’ and, insist on according them the needed importance and respect. Why is Indian society driven by such an elaborate system of kinship?

November 2018

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If you go to an Indian wedding, you will be amazed at how many people are invited. Indian families might even invite relatives up to three times removed – signifying the fact that relationships matter in all rites of passage and milestones of life. Photo: Marie Julie Olive

The value Indians place on their relationships with members of their extended family is so deep that they have very specific terms for these relatives. In English we simply say ‘aunt’ to denote our father’s sister or our mother’s sister, whereas Indians differentiate between them and use specific names to indicate the precise relationship. This happens across India’s many languages. For instance, in the Tamil language your father’s sister is athai and your mother’s sister is chitti. In Marathi, spoken in Maharashtra, the word for your paternal aunt is atya and your maternal aunt is maushi.

Taking a Closer Look God forbid you call your mother’s younger sister badi ma or your mother’s older sister masi, the Hindi words which depict the opposite meaning of these relationships. To clarify, badi ma refers to one’s mother’s older sister, and masi to one’s mother younger sister. Each aunt has a special descriptor showing respect for that relationship, and both would feel hurt if referred to by the ‘wrong’ term. The importance given to a particular relationship that you share with a family member, and the particular way you call and address relatives, is an important part of Indian culture, which is driven by an elaborate system of kinship based on language, community and family.

The concept of family extends far beyond the immediate family circle, and connections with one’s extended family are sought out and valued. If people from, say, Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai are socialising together, those from Mumbai will inevitably be drawn towards their fellow Mumbaiites and – within a very short time – start finding similarities and connections: Where this person’s aunt went to college with that person’s uncle, and where this person’s sister was living next door to that person’s second cousin. There is always some relative who will be a binding factor and the group will knit more closely, start finding commonalities and form real friendships just in one evening because relationships mean so much to Indians.

Of Legend and Myth Kinship is at the heart of the Mahabharata, ancient India’s epic tale. At the core of the story is a struggle for inheritance between two sets of paternal cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas, who become bitter rivals and oppose each other in war for possession of their ancestral kingdom. Modern TV soap operas have taken their inspiration from the epics. They are still set within big joint families where several generations live together and the relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is often at the heart of the story. Just like

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the Mahabharata, these are family sagas where the forces of good and evil collide.

The Here and Now The significance Indians place on relationships can be witnessed in the world of work as well as the family. A recommendation from an individual who has proved a trusted and valuable employee that the company hires a member of the family will be taken seriously by colleagues. For an HR department, that can be a reference good enough to take up when considering hiring someone. Unlike in the West, where such an arrangement is seen as nepotism, it is not seen as unethical in India to favour the relative of a respected employee.

Cultural Expressions If you go to an Indian wedding, you will be amazed at how many people are invited. The truth is if any relative is not invited, there will be hell to pay! You can’t even choose to leave out a second cousin or a cousin three times removed. If you invite one cousin who is a second cousin, you have to invite all the cousins who are second cousins. At some point, the parents of the bride or groom will have to decide where to draw the line – perhaps they’ll invite everyone up to relatives three times removed! The point here is that relationships matter in all rites of passage and milestones of life. Involving everyone when there is good news to celebrate is automatic in Indian relationships, but so it is when there is sadness to mark, too. When someone dies, you still relate to the deceased person as a fellow human being and you just show up at the doorstep of their home,

whether friend or neighbour, and even if you didn’t know them very well. There is no concept of quiet or isolated mourning. This can be good and bad. Many, many people will come to pay their respects when someone has died, thronging the house; to a non-Indian, this will appear overwhelming. However, it also alleviates the sorrow, because sorrow shared is sorrow halved. It is the very opposite of the Western world, where people mourn in private.

World Echoes It is said that the things a culture truly values come across in its language. The Inuit people, for example, have numerous words for ice, signifying, for example, if it’s thin ice, thick ice, sheet ice or flakes of ice, whilst in the African savannah there are several different words for grass that denote if the grass is dry, or green or long-stemmed. Ice is an important part of the culture of the Inuit, and in Africa grass is to be valued. The way that relationships have unique names in India shows how this is a driving force of Indian culture.

In Conclusion… Older family friends and even strangers are often called ‘aunty’ or ‘uncle’ in India as a sign of respect. This may seem strange to non-Indians, but it is evidence of how relationships are formed quite easily in India. More interestingly, such relationships can be as (and sometimes, even more) lasting as those formed by blood and kinship. Many expats profess their surprise at how their children are encouraged to call their friends or colleagues ‘uncle’ or ‘aunty’, but also share heartwarming stories of birthday gifts or warm greetings sent years after they have returned home. Photo: Kevin ILES, UK

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November 2018

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Festivals of India by Team Culturama

Diwali / Deepavali

November 7

Diwali or Deepavali is one of the biggest festivals in India, and is celebrated across the country with great pomp and splendour. It is also known as the ‘festival of lights’ because people decorate their houses and shops with oil lamps and electric lights. In recent years, tea lights are commonly used. On Diwali, people wear new clothes, light diyas (clay lamps filled with oil) placed around the house and offer prayers to Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth. People also burst crackers and fireworks and exchange gifts.

Photo: Anna BOZZI, Canada

The origin of the festival is attributed to different myths. In North India, it marks Lord Rama’s return to his home, Ayodhya, after his 14-year exile. During his exile, he defeated a demon king named Ravana who had abducted his wife, Sita. In the South, Deepavali was the night when a demon named Narakasura was defeated and killed by Satyabhama, one of Krishna’s wives. People in the East pay homage to Kali, the goddess of destruction. Kali puja, held the day before Diwali or on the same day, is the most popular festival in West Bengal after Durga puja (held during Navaratri).

Guru Nanak Jayanti

November 23

Guru Nanak Jayanti is held in honour of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism and the first of the 10 gurus of the Sikh religion. This day is regarded as the day of his birth. Festivities usually start a few days earlier with the gurudwaras or Sikh temples being decorated grandly. On the day of the festival, a procession of devotees singing hymns, known as prabhat pheris, is taken out in the early morning at the gurudwaras. Following this, some devotees walk in a procession around the neighbourhood as well. In addition, Akhand Path or a continuous 48-hour reading of the Guru Grant Sahib, Sikhism’s religious text, is held. Celebrations also include the display of sword skills and martial arts. A significant part of Guru Nanak Jayanti is the langar or the free communal meal – with the food cooked and served by devotees. This tradition was begun by Guru Nanak in the 16th century, to uphold the principle of equality between all people regardless of religion, caste, colour, creed, age, gender or social status. Photo: Anna BOZZI, Canada

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"Tour South India like a walk around your Courtyard." Trails of South India: In 2 nights and 3 days, travel back in time and experience South India

December - Chola Trail (Tanjore, Darasuram & Gangaikondacholapuram in Tamil Nadu), Chettinad Trail (Karaikkudi & Pudukkotai in Tamil Nadu), Buddhist Trail (Andhra Pradesh & Telangana) January - Chola Trail (Tanjore, Darasuram & Gangaikondacholapuram in Tamil Nadu), Chettinad Trail (Karaikkudi & Pudukkotai in Tamil Nadu), Vijayanagara Trail (Hampi in Karnataka) February - Chalukya Trail (Karnataka), Nayanmar Trail (Thiruvarur, Thiruppungoor, Thiruchengattankudi & Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu), Colonial Trail (Pondicherry & Tranquebar in Tamil Nadu), Ajanta-Ellora Trail (Maharashtra) One-Day Tours:

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A Chennai-based heritage travel company curating and conducting tours across South India on History, Art, Architecture, Culture, Textiles, Crafts and Food.

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November 2018

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Myth & Mythology by Devdutt Pattanaik

Photo: A.Chandrasekaran, India

Between the

Rangoli Lines The practice of drawing artistic patterns at the threshold of the house is not merely a womencentric activity but also a practice that holds within it deeper lessons about and for life

Every morning, in my neighbourhood, I find a woman painting pretty patterns using rice flour paste just outside the door of her house. She is from Andhra Pradesh and she calls it muggu. This practice is seen in millions of households across India, mostly in the South where it is also called kolam. The patterns extend beyond the doorway to the walls of the house too. It is called alpana in Orissa and Bengal, aripan in Bihar and rangoli in Maharashtra. Once, this was a daily practice. In many parts of rural India it is still so. But in most parts of India, this practice is restricted to festival time, Diwali being the most popular one. Other times are Kojagiri, the full moon before Diwali, and Krishna Janmashtami, the birth of Krishna. These patterns are also seen during weddings. This practice of decorating the threshold is seen even in Parsi households. The patterns are done only by women. And the material used was once rice flour, but now synthetic powders, even paint, are being increasingly used. And for the busy household, there are readymade sticker bright rangolis.

Does this have any logical purpose? Yes, say the rationalists, who say the rice flour is meant to feed ants so they do not enter the house. Does it have any aesthetic purpose? Yes, it enables the homemakers make the house pretty.

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November 2018

Students of Grade 4 initiate a Take 3 project where the students collect trash and clean a local beach. They did their own case study, analyzed their trash and came up with creative ideas to reduce pollution.

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Many are of the opinion that the rangoli or kolam is what later transformed into Tantrik mandalas and yantras. Or maybe the process was the other way around. These mandalas and yantras used geometrical forms to represent various gods and goddesses, various natural spirits. A downward pointing triangle represented woman; an upward pointing triangle represented man. A circle represented nature while a square represented culture. A lotus represented the womb. A pentagram represented Venus and the five elements. Typically, a rangoli begins with a grid of dots being made. The more the dots, the more elaborate the patterns. Given the same grid, different women would see different patterns in it, and draw accordingly. So if one walked down the village street, one would find different households with different patterns.

Photo: Anne Mathilde THEVENIN, France

But that still does not explain why it has to be done every day, by women, at the doorway. That the practice becomes elaborate during festivals and rites of passage indicates that this ritual is rooted in emotion, myth and magic. In all probability, these are talismans, bringing in good luck into the household. This was a ritual where the matriarch of the household was the grand priestess. This is how she harnessed cosmic energy and brought it into the household. This is how she anchored divine grace to the house. This was a ritual that she did on her own, without the support of any men or priests. But to do this, there were rules. She had to be a married woman with children. Widows were not allowed to do this and virgins could only support their mothers. Only male priests were allowed to make a rangoli, but only as part of a ritual; the rangoli was used to mark out the sacred space where the rituals were performed. This was different from the woman’s rangoli that transformed the house into a sacred space.

Different households were run by different women and each woman had her own identity and her own sense of aesthetics which she expressed each day in her rangoli. While the grid of dots united them all, as did the ritual of making the rangoli, the specific pattern reminded all of the differences. Every woman did her best, but no one compared or tried to turn it into a competition. The point was not to be better than others but to be the best as one could be, for one’s own house. Through these beautiful but different patterns, generations of Indians were taught to be tolerant, to enjoy other people’s patterns and enjoy one’s own, without being judgemental. Just by looking at the pattern one could determine the mood of the household. Daily patterns indicated discipline. Beautiful patterns indicated joy. Elaborate patterns indicated focus and dedication. Shoddy patterns indicated a bad mood, a fight maybe the previous night. Absence of a pattern meant something was amiss in the household. The kolam serves almost as a message board of the household. Once in a while, the patterns were fixed, as during festival times. Then the women had to set individual creativity aside and align to the demands of culture or tradition. Those were the days when the women were part of a larger whole. The village rules became household rules. The rangoli was never permanent. It was wiped off each morning, reminding all that things change. Yesterday’s bad mood can be become tomorrow’s good mood. Bad patterns can give way to good patterns. The household changes and so do its patterns. People learn and grow and with that patterns become more confident and more joyful.

Published in Sunday Midday (Mumbai) on 29 Nov 2009. Reprinted with permission from www.devdutt.com

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November 2018

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Holistic Living by Eknath Easwaran

Training the Palate Festive celebrations mean an array of gastronomic temptations. The trick to keeping our palate in control lies in being firm but gentle with ourselves

Photo: Jennifer MULLEN, Australia

With a series of celebrations coming up, most people will find their social calendars filled with invitations for dinners and lunches. Further, many of us are gifted hampers containing sweets and snacks. Given these, how can we desist from indulging in excessive portions â&#x20AC;&#x201C; more so, of foods that we are specifically supposed to stay away from? Eknath Easwaran shares a set of tips to help keep our palate within our control. Be firm but gentle We are trying to make our senses faithful servants, not abject slaves. We need to understand them and be firm but gentle: expect a little more from them than they have been used to, but do not make unreasonable demands. We need to know when to issue strict orders, when to persuade and negotiate and when to let them frisk a bit. Develop a taste for nutritious food Just as we have developed a taste for wrong food, so with a little effort we can develop a taste for food that is nutritious. We may not be mad about whole-grain bread or green salads, but by cultivating a taste for food that is healthy and learning to prepare it with a creative flair, we can soon become as enthusiastic about fresh garden vegetables as we are about chocolate ĂŠclairs. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t snack To train our sense of taste, we need to stop eating mechanically and become aware of what we eat. Eating only at mealtime helps, because we can focus our attention on the food more fully when we sit at the table.

November 2018

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Eat only when hungry When we misinterpret a sense craving as a hunger signal, we often overload a stomach that is already full. To control such cravings, eat only when hungry and eat temperately. Eat only what you need… Most of us do not need as much food as we may think we do. One of the finer points of the art of eating is to stop just when you are about to ask for another helping: when your hand is outstretched, you should be able to get up and turn your back on the table. …but don’t go to extremes Fasting may not be as easy as feasting, but after a while it is not too different. Both are extremes. It is not hard to go the extreme way, but what is really difficult is neither to fast nor to feast, but to be moderate in everything we do. It requires great artistry and vigilance. Strengthen the will In order to strengthen the will, start early morning when you want a third piece of toast. Just push it away, and you have increased your willpower. From breakfast onwards this goes on, and every time you can say ‘no’ to the craving of the palate, you have added to the will just a little. Plan how to cope with feasts If I know an elaborate meal is on the way, I go lightly on or even skip the meal that comes before. Then, at the feast, I participate in everything without overdoing it. Eaten too much? Skip the next meal. If you do find that you have eaten more than you should at a particular meal, I have a simple suggestion for restoring the balance: skip the next meal. Instead of going about saying, “Why did I do it? Why did I do it?” and working yourself up to such a state that you head back to the refrigerator, just resolve to sail past the meal coming up. With cravings, try substituting… If you crave candy, for example, you can offer your taste buds some nutritious substitute like raisins or fresh fruit. They will probably accept. …or wait an hour When a sensory desire arises, you might try saying, “Well, if you still want that in an hour, I’ll give it to you.” Very likely the desire will have subsided by that time, since it is the nature of desires to come and go. Use the mantram The mantram can also be a ready ally in training the senses, especially when some negative emotion gets the better of us and we feel obliged to take it out on the refrigerator. When we go out for a brisk walk repeating the mantram, we not only give our body a healthy workout, we transform negative emotions into their positive counterparts.

Meditate sincerely… Meditation, of course, is our most powerful tool for rechanneling our mind, for reconditioning ourselves. Sincere and regular practice can lead to complete transformation of the contents of consciousness. …and make wise choices during the day But even if we sit for meditation in the morning and then again in the evening, that will not of itself change our eating habits. We have to make wise choices during the day. Help children train their tastes I don’t object to children having sweets within reason now and then, so long as they get plenty of good-tasting, nutritious food at meals and so long as taste is not presented as an end in itself. As far as I can remember, I enjoyed my food as a child primarily because it was prepared by people I loved deeply. Tastes are learnt, and there is no motivation like love. The tips presented here were extracted from ‘Twenty Tips from Easwaran for Training the Palate’ by Eknath Easwaran, published in the Summer 2015 edition of the Blue Mountain Journal. The article can be accessed at http://bmcmwebsite.s3.amazonaws.com/ assets/bm-journal/2015/2015Summer.pdf.

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GLOBAL ADJUSTMENTS Honoured With

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(centre), obal Adjustments ice President, Gl V Sr. (to her right) , r nd ge i rv na A a a Anupam Supply Chain M al b o Gl r, Sterling te s eb W icon Relocation / seen with Justin President, of Lex ce Vi Sr. , an ov n and Craig Do

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