December Issue 2011

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India's Only Cultural Magazine for Global Citizens

VOLUME 2, iSSUE 10 december 2011

Brought to you by Global Adjustments

strings

attached rhythm Meet cross-cultural band Aradhna

divine

A special feature on AR Rahman

D e a r

R e a d e r s

A time comes when you feel overwhelmingly grateful, and for me that time is now. I recently received the India Today’s award for Business Wizard of Tamil Nadu. It was indeed an honour. I would like to share three things with you, our readers, that were also a part of my acceptance speech. First, this is the one time I am happy to be called by a man’s name than a woman’s. I would rather be a wizard than a witch! Second, India Today’s recognition of our work makes even more sense when we take a look at their tagline – Making Sense of India. My team and I have spent 16 years helping expats make sense of India, and I am thankful to them for this recognition. And third, getting the award from His Excellency Dr. Rosaiah, Governor of Tamil Nadu, was most wonderful as he has been a fine political leader (former Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh), born on American independence day, July 4, and leading our independent nation towards growth, a combination of West and East, working with great leaders including Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. It is Panditji’s vision that we at Global Adjustments strive to live by everyday, “Welcome a guest (to do business), send back a friend (who has India in his/her soul)”.

Hitting high notes is indeed a thing that’s most special about December, isn’t it? While all across the world people are carolling, India plays her own tunes. Carnatic music concerts and Bharatanatyam performances known as the December margazhi season brings in thousands of NRIs and tourists from all over the world. This issue of Culturama celebrates India's music. In Coffee and Conversation, meet Sridhar/Thayil, a duo that is as Indian as it is international.

In Culture Connect learn about danseuse Anita Ratnam’s newest project, Mad and Divine, and in View from the Top about Aradhna, a music band that encourages cross cultural dialogues through the arts! Cause & Effect, this month, features the work of Music Basti, a Delhi-based NGO that helps marginalised children through music.

I sign off with a wonderful announcement: Devdutt Pattanaik, India's top notch thought leader writes a column Myth and Mythology, especially for Culturama, starting with this issue.

Merry Christmas!

Ranjini Manian Editor-in-Chief To contact me directly, e-mail globalindian@globaladjustments.com

Read Upworldly Mobile published by Penguin India. Turn to page 76 for details.

culturama | december 2011

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contents 10 Coffee & Conversation

Beyond Music & Lyrics

14 A-Z of INdia

In Sound Company

Our cover image this month is of the music saint Thyagaraja. It depicts him along with many gods and godesses - ones on whom he composed classical Carnatic songs. Lord Ram, Sita and Hanuman, Lord Shiva, Lord Brahma playing the mridangam...

Cover Art

Late Sri S Rajam

Courtesy: ‘Art Heritage of India: A Collector’s Special’, published by ‘L&T - ECC & ECC Recreation Club’ Editor-in-Chief

Ranjini Manian

business head susanna kurian Associate Editor

Lakshmi Krupa

Assistant Editor

vatsalya janani

creative head

JayaKrishna Behera

Associate Designer

Prem Kumar

Advertising Chennai rohini chandrakumar, trishla jain Bengaluru mukundan T Delhi-NCR

Preeti Bindra, Ruchika Srivastava

Mumbai & Pune

Farah Bakhshay, Ashish Chaulkar

Advisory Committee

Timeri N Murari, N Ram, Elaine Wood, James J Williams, G Venket Ram, Carmen HUTHOEFER-HEINRICH

18 curry country

'Tis The Season 22 Feature

Margazhi - A Magical Season

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28 Look who's in town

Chennai, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi

30 bursting the bubble

Fun with Phonetics

32 View from the top

Music of the Heart

36 Culture connect

Feminine Mystique

40 Calendars

Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi

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46 Photo feature

Picture Perfect

48 MUST STOP OVER

44 TALES OF INDIA

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50 namesake

Hand in Hand

50 inner space

Window to the World

51 FESTIVALS 52 CAUSE & EFFECT

Soul Music

56 tales of india

60 Star struck

Music Matters

61 OFFICE YOGA 61 MYTH & MYTHOLOGY

Bengaluru 216, Prestige Center Point, Off Cunningham Road, 7, Edward Road, Bengaluru 560052. Tel.+91-80-41267152/41148540.

E-mail: blr@globaladjustments.com

Mumbai/Pune Rustom Court, 2nd Floor, Dr. Annie Besant Road, Worli, Mumbai 400030.

Tel.+91-22-66104191/2 E-mail: mum@globaladjustments.com

culturama | December 2011

Passport Caste

66 india & I

Delhi-NCR Level 4, Augusta Point, DLF Golf Course Road, Sector-53, Gurgaon - 122 002. Haryana. Tel.+91-124-435 4236.

E-mail: del@globaladjustments.com

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The Sixth

Vimanica

Chennai 5, 3rd Main Road, R. A. Puram, Chennai 600028, India.

Telefax. +91-44-24617902 E-mail: designstore@globaladjustments.com

Published and owned by Ranjini Manian at #5, 3rd Main Road, Raja Annamalai Puram, Chennai – 600028 and printed by K Srinivasan of Srikals Graphics Pvt Ltd at #5, Balaji Nagar, 1st Street, Ekkattuthangal, Chennai – 600032.

Editor: Ranjini Manian

Silk Surrender

The Holy Ganges

68 Iseries

iRead, iSee, iLike, iAsk

78 Space & the city

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N e w s w o r t h y

The 7 billionth baby

Letters to the Editor Dear Editor,

Uttar Pradesh, one of the largest states in the country, which is currently under the radar as its legislative assembly passed a resolution recommending that the Centre divide it into four states for easy governance, welcomed the seven billionth baby of the world, recently. The baby girl, Nargis, was born in Dhanaur village of Lucknow.

The symbolic girl child was chosen by Plan India, an NGO based in India. It was done with the hope that this will draw attention to the “missing girls� problem in India, where sex selection of babies continues to be a problem. Across the world, several countries did the same.

Love your editorial in the latest issue.

Love the way you have looked at different angles for this month's theme!

Nirmal Mirza

Dear Editor, I am very impressed by the colourful and informative culture magazine,Culturama.

I would also like to thank you for the wonderful service you are doing to people, bringing all this wonderful information out.

Rageshwari Padmavasan

Outsmarted!

Dear Editor, I am a huge fan of Nandita Das! It was very nice to see her interview in the last issue.

Sreejith Menon, Chennai

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culturama | December 2011

The Institute of Engineering and Technology revealed recently that by the year 2012 the number of mobile phones in the world will be more than the world population. Dr. Mike Short, President of IET and Vice-President Public Affairs, Telefonica Europe, speaking recently at a conference, revealed this startling information.

Mobile phones and telecommunication devices have indeed, revolutionised the way we live, particularly so in the last decade. Now, with the onset of smart phones and 3G technology, it is but natural for these devices to become an integral part of human development.

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Photo Tejal Shah

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Beyond Music & Lyrics In the work of Sridhar/Thayil, the exploration of what a song can do and what can be done with the song is an ongoing process. One that perhaps begins at the songwriting stage and goes on until it is performed on stage. Nothing is sacrosanct, except perhaps what the song aims to convey. Edgy, constantly pushing boundaries and defying genres and bringing together elements that go beyond music and lyrics, this duo is certainly out to entertain, and does so unabashedly. In conversation with Lakshmi Krupa, Suman Sridhar and Jeet Thayil on their brand of music, poetry, bollywood and more…

Sridhar/Thayil is the coming together of two powerhouses of talent – Suman Sridhar, a trained Carnatic singer, jazz musician, theatre artiste with a brooding, sultry voice, and Jeet Thayil, a poet, now novelist with a talent that almost seems effortless.

Her rendition of Hawa Hawaii (a retro Bollywood track) in the recent film Shaitaan has catapulted Suman to greater fame, while Jeet’s poetry, which is at once universal and personal (he has authored four collections), has been critically acclaimed.

How did Sridhar/Thayil (S/T) come to be?

And what were your artistic pursuits before the band happened?

Suman Sridhar (SS): I was a dabbler. I was visiting immigrant detainees in jail post 9/11 one day, and directing a play the next day. I thought I would choose theatre over music, but music followed every theatre I entered. And Jeet entered one of those theatres, and Sridhar/Thayil happened.

Theatricality (lyrically, vocally and visually) has been an inherent part of your performance. How much effort goes into that aspect of your act?

SS: Not enough. I would love to collaborate with directors and costume and set designers. I think our content would lend itself neatly to that.

Jeet Thayil (JT): Theatricality has always been a part of it, from day one. The songs are stories, each has a narrative and character, and the only way to perform them is to act them. I’d say theatricality is part of the songwriting process for S/T, but very little effort goes into it.

How important is it for you as artistes to provoke? And is that an inevitable outcome of various genres and cultures coming together?

JT: S/T is a collision of Western classical music, spoken word, Hindustani classical, opera, the blues, funk and jazz. Provocation is a by-product because purists are unforgiving. I’m not going to apologise.

Except to say, sorry I’m not sorry.

SS: Simply performing original music in India is cause enough for provocation. I'd like to give provocation some respect; it should certainly not be inevitable!

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We have been described as avantgarde and creepy by critics. The funny thing is we're none of these things. Sridhar/Thayil is intentionally quite a mainstream project.

Is there a space for postmodern explorations of sounds in India that is going largely unnoticed because commercial voices are so loud?

SS: I am waiting for non-commercial spaces of performance to open up; ones without a license to serve anything other than live music, even private terraces and homes, to begin with. It's only when spaces are run by curators, not businessmen, that we can begin to speak of any type of exploration. The closest to such a space that I know of, in Mumbai, is B69.

JT: There’s space here for every kind of experiment. The S/T enterprise has always been DIY and contingent.

Everything is homemade and broken, from the beats to the instruments.

Friends design costumes, they make videos and photos and posters, Noush like Sploush made our logo. We did everything ourselves, without a label or a manager. We’re lucky to be here at a point in Indian history, when, thanks to technology and the Internet, the door is wide open. You don’t need CBS or EMI or Sony to be heard.

Jeet, you are a poet as well.

How do you compartmentalise, in a sense, your work. Which poetry

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finds itself on stage, and which goes in as the written word?

JT: Poetry and music are different animals. When I write a song, it’s the melody that rules, the words are cut or expanded to fit. It’s not that the words don’t matter, it’s just that they don’t matter as much: there are other forces at work. Writing for the page, as opposed to the stage, is hard labour, induced by solitary confinement, and I’m deliberately using prison terminology.

Suman, has Bollywood's reception come as a surprise?

What was it like, transforming a much-loved classic and a retro track and owning it with your own stamp?

SS: Big surprise. Mikey had the vision of reinventing old songs, I ended up singing them.

What really makes you want to push these boundaries and play with so many different genres?

Does this help bring in audience who enjoy all these different sounds you've owned, or is it sometimes painful to ask people to stop dropping genre names while talking about your music?

SS: Playing with genres is our way of reconciling with I and I.

Photo Antariksh jain

JT: Not painful as much as irrelevant.

Yes, there’s a mix of genres, but that’s not the point. The point is the song, which does not remain the same.

Is there a downside to being such a niche music band? Monetarily or otherwise?

SS: We get asked to "tone down" our set sometimes. Recently we got booked and then cancelled by a festival in Dubai for being too edgy. We have been described as avant-garde and creepy by critics. The funny thing is we're none of these things. Sridhar/Thayil is intentionally quite a mainstream project.

Our weird experiments are still cooking behind the closet.

JT: If we’d been thinking in terms of money, we’d have a different kind of sound and we’d probably be getting way more gigs. But the trade-off is expensive.

I’m having too much fun to exchange it for petty cash. And maybe the reason we haven’t sold out is because nobody can afford our price.

Can you tell us about things you are currently working on?

SS: Sridhar/Thayil's debut album is in its mixing stage. I'm working on a solo album of new material. I've recently started accompanying myself on the piano and singing alone, which is a completely new thing for me.

JT: My novel NARCOPOLIS is out next month. I’m working on an opera, Babur in London, for which I wrote the libretto. It’s a collaboration with the composer Edward Rushton and will tour internationally next year.

A to Z of India

In Sound Company A glossary of musical instruments from across India, used for various occasions.

SOme happy, some sad, but all soulful nonetheless‌

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It is one of a group of small percussive instruments. It is a long folded steel strip that often has seven pairs of small metal jingles attached to it.

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Indian flutes are made of bamboo and depending on the variety of bamboo, the sound differs. The melody of a flute adds a romantic feel to any concert. Krishna, an avtaar of Lord Vishnu, is associated with the flute.

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Ghatam in Sanskrit means pot, and it is a pot made of red clay. The making of the ghatam utilises all five elements: earth, water, fire, air and space. Clay is earth; water is used to moisten the clay; fire hardens the clay; air dries it; finally, space is present in the cavity. Different tones can be produced by hitting different areas of the pot with different parts of the hand. The ghatam usually accompanies the mridangam.

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A chenda is a wooden drum THAT has a cylindrical shape. It is a percussion instrument and is popular in Kerala and some parts of Karnataka.

It is called 'chende' in Karnataka.

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The daf is a tambourine. It is quite large, about two feet across, with a conspicuous absence of jingles. It is commonly used in folk music but is rarely heard in other styles. It is also called dapphu, daffali or a number of other names.

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The harmonium is a small, tabletop-sized organ with bellows pumped with one hand while the other hand plays the keyboard. The British introduced harmoniums to North India. Today it is widely used in all forms of Indian music, whether classical, Hindustani, devotional or film music.

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The kanjira, or ganjira, a South Indian frame drum, is an instrument belonging to the tambourine family. It is used primarily in Carnatic music concerts as a supporting instrument for the mridangam. Similar to the Western tambourine, it consists of a circular frame made from the wood of the jackfruit tree.

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The word mridangam is derived from two Sanskrit words, Mrid (clay or earth) and Ang (body). In Hindu mythology, it is depicted as the instrument of choice for several deities, including Ganesh (the remover of obstacles) and Nandi, Lord Shiva’s vehicle and companion. It is thus also known as ‘Deva Vaadyam’, or ‘Instrument of the Gods.’

The talam (also called the manjira) is simply a pair of small hand cymbals. It commonly accompanies the singing of bhajans or Hindu devotional songs.

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Originally from Bengal, the khol is a variant of the mridangam and is commonly used in Bengali folk and light classical music.

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The tabla is an Indian percussion instrument used in classical, popular and devotional music. The term ‘tabla’ is derived from an Arabic word, tabl, which means ‘drum’. The tabla is actually two drums, a higherpitched wooden one and a bass one made of metal. The tabla is popular throughout the Indian subcontinent in all kinds of musical genres.

Maadal is a popular folk musical instrument which originated in Nepal, where it is the most popular and widely used hand drum. Both heads are played, while being held horizontally. It is made of leather, with a wooden body.

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The pakhawaj, also called mardal, pakhavaj, pakuaj, pakhvaj, pakavaj or mardala, is a barrel-shaped, two-headed drum, the North Indian equivalent to the southern mridangam. It is widely used as an accompaniment for various forms of music and dance performances. The pakhavaj has a low, mellow tone, very rich in harmonics.

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Tanpura is a long necked plucked lute, a four-stringed unfretted instrument. The name is probably derived from ‘tana’, referring to a musical phrase, and ‘pura’ which means complete. The characteristic droning sound in Indian music is created by the tanpura (also known as the tampura). It provides a constant reminder of the base pitch of the music.

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The word violin is derived from the Middle Latin word ‘vitula’, meaning stringed instrument. Believed to have been introduced to the South Indian tradition by Baluswami Dikshitar, brother of the legendary composer Muthuswamy Dikshitar, it is a very important part of Carnatic music.

Curry Country

N i s h a T h o m as

' Tis the

seas on Ring in the festive season with warm memories and some home-made treats!

WITH the holiday season fast approaching, I am already in the mood for the festivities, shopping and, most importantly, the feasting. The shops have started putting out Christmas decorations, here in London, and the radio stations have started playing Christmas carols; it’s absolutely magical, this time of the year.

If there is one holiday that gains priority over the others, it’s Christmas. No, not because we ‘still’ get gifts from under the tree, but because it is somehow that time of the year when the entire family gets together, whichever part of the world they are in. From attending the carol service in church to decorating the Christmas tree, the festivities and planning begins at least two weeks ahead, not counting the homemade wine and fruits that we soak in rum earlier in the year.

After the morning church service on Christmas day, it’s breakfast at grandmom’s home with an elaborate spread of the quintessential South Indian breakfast item, appam and stew followed by egg roast, banana fry and, of course, the moist fruit cake among other sweet and savoury dishes. Presents are opened, stories are shared and the women head to the kitchen to get lunch preparations under way. If you thought breakfast was elaborate, then you'd be surprised to see the lunch spread. It would not stop with just a mutton biryani or rice, but there would be roasts and gravy, dinner rolls and vegetables and an array of side dishes waiting to be dug into.

Although it was a recent addition, stuffed chicken buns now form part of our Christmas feast or, for that matter, any special occasion. The fact that you can prepare everything in advance the previous day, and still end up with warm buns from the oven to serve, makes it a huge hit.

I got this recipe from a friend, who is a brilliant chef herself, and after a few trial-and-error methods, came up with my slightly altered version. These have managed to please quite a few appetites and I hope it manages to do the same for you. Happy Holidays!

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Method

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Chicken Stuffed Buns (Yields around 15 medium sized buns)

Ingredients

For the dough 1-1/2 cup plain flour (maida) plus enough to dust the work surface 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (atta) 1 tbsp active dry yeast 1 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp warm water 1/2 cup warm milk 1/4 cup oil 1 egg, beaten Sesame seeds, to sprinkle on top (optional) Egg white or milk, for the egg wash Salt For the filling 400 gm minced/shredded chicken 1 large onion, finely chopped 1/2 tbsp ginger paste 1/2 tbsp garlic paste 2 green chillies, finely chopped (optional) 1 medium size tomato, diced 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder 1-1/2 tsp coriander powder 1/4 tsp turmeric powder Potato 1 large, diced into small cubes 1 tsp garam masala 1/4 to 1/2 cup coconut milk Couple of stalks of coriander leaves, chopped fine (optional) 2 tbsp oil Salt

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- Whisk together the plain flour and whole wheat flour along with some salt and keep aside.

Mix the yeast, 1/2 tbsp of plain flour and 1/2 tbsp sugar in a small bowl.

Add warm water and mix well till the sugar and yeast have completely dissolved. Keep aside for about 10 minutes for the yeast to become active.

You would know the yeast is active once it starts forming a bubble layer on top.

While that's taken care of, get going with the remaining set of ingredients.

Into a large mixing bowl, add the warm milk, oil and remaining sugar and stir well, making sure the sugar has dissolved.

Tip in 1 cup of the flour and mix well, using a wooden spoon, till you get a paste-like consistency.

In goes the beaten egg followed by the yeast. Mix well.

Finally, add the remaining 1 cup flour and mix vigorously to form a smooth dough.

Lightly flour your work surface and knead the dough for about 10 minutes or till you get a smooth and soft consistency.

Oil the same mixing bowl and place the dough in it. Cover with a damp cloth and leave aside in a warm place for about 2 hours, till it doubles in size.

(If you plan on making the buns only the subsequent day, then leave it in the refrigerator overnight, but make sure you bring it to room temperature, before proceeding with the stuffing.

While the dough is proofing get down to making the filling.

If you can't get hold of minced chicken, then dice chicken breasts into chunks and pre-cook it with some salt and a pinch of turmeric powder and a couple of spoons of water. Once it’s cooked, shred and use that instead.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the onions.

SautĂŠ on medium heat till they turn light brown and then add the ginger and garlic pastes.

When the mixture is more or less dry, add the coconut milk and stir continuously to get a rather semi-gravy-like consistency. It should not be too watery, or too dry.

At this point, do a salt test and add more if required. Also tip in the garam masala and chopped coriander leaves (if using) and give a final mix.

Transfer onto a serving plate and keep aside to cool completely.

Assembling

Cook for about 2 minutes or till the raw smell disappears.

Throw in the diced tomato and cook till the entire mixture becomes mushy and oil starts separating.

This could take about 5 to 6 minutes.

Add the chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt, give a stir and cook for a minute or so to let the spices cook.

Add the diced potatoes followed by the chicken and mix well, making sure the masala coats the pieces evenly.

Mix it all in thoroughly and cook till the chicken and potatoes are done and all the water has evaporated.

Keep stirring in between for even cooking.

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down lightly using your hands, knead it a couple of times and divide into balls of more or less the same size. If you are a bit obsessive like me, then weigh the balls on your kitchen scale and adjust accordingly, to get the exact same size.

Lightly flour your work surface and using a rolling pin, spread out the dough into a small disc.

Place a tablespoon of chicken filling in the centre, wrap it up by bringing the sides together and pinch the top lightly to seal it all in.

Try and reshape it to a neat ball and place seam side down on a baking tray lined with baking paper or silver foil.

Leave it to prove for another half hour.

Towards the end of your proving time, pre-heat the oven to 200C Just before placing the buns in the oven, whisk the egg white a bit and brush it on top of the buns. You can do the same with milk as well.

Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, or till the tops are light brown and glossy.

Take it out of the oven, cool on a rack for a couple of minutes and then arrange in a bread basket that can take centre place for your Christmas feast.

Nisha Thomas is an award-winning food blogger. She is an Indian, currently living in the UK. Read her recipes at www.mykitchenantics.blogspot.com

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Feature

Samyuktha PC

Magical Music Season Hundreds, and we wouldn’t be exaggerating if we said thousands, of NRIs and tourists from all over the world descend on Chennai in South India for a period of one month to immerse themselves in soulful classical Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam, hopping sabhas (cultural institutions) and feasting on sumptuous food.

Read on about this unique Indian cultural phenomenon

Leaning on the Eastern Ghats and the Coromandel Coast, sat the Carnatic region famous for its patronage of classical arts during its colonial avatar as the massive Madras Presidency. As its administrative centre, the town of Chennapattinam grew from its fishing villages and temple towns around the Fort to become Chennai. It has survived till date as the cultural hub for the arts, especially Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam.

Patrons from various kindgoms and the other presidencies were in awe of these classical forms that have brewed in this land's rich literature, folk traditions, and history.

People from all over the country started travelling towards Madras to learn and master these forms. Karnataka Sangitam, crudely translated from Sanskrit as that (music) which pleases the ear, with its careful study of ragam, talam, shruti, and swaram was constantly nourished by great artistes.

In 1927, the All India Music Conference held

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in Madras by the Indian National Congress brought together many artistes, patrons, and well-wishers, who saw the need for a structured attempt to encourage this interest in classical forms and enable a musical culture. A year later , an Academy that would organise cultural events, maintain literature, and facilitate research and education for this purpose was inaugurated by a large gathering presided over by C P Ramaswami Iyer, a great statesman of India.

In the light of this, the Academy launched the annual Marghazhi festival of music, which is now known as the December Music Season.

Kutcheris (concerts), lecture demonstrations, harikathas (religious discourses), and award/title ceremonies filled the months of December and January, making this a temporary abode for many scholars, vidwans, (artistes), students, patrons and fans to interact, learn and further develop this musical form.

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It was only in the 1930s, when more sabhas began to host their own kutcheris and other cultural events, that the festival grew towards it present diversity. This December, almost every sabha and cultural centre in the city will host not only Carnatic music concerts but also throw open their doors to dance, drama, and other classical non-Carnatic art forms.

This season, the familiar voices of Kadri Gopalanath, O S Thiagarajan, T N Seshagopalan, Aruna Sairam, P Unnikrishnan, Bombay Jayashri, T M Krishna, Sanjay Subramanyan, Sikkil Gurucharan, Nithyashree Mahadevan, Sudha Ragunathan and others will once again be heard. Although Carnatic music's grammar is heavily the vocalist's, many artistes have mastered instruments over the years to render performances so human in temperament and character. U Srinivas on the mandolin, Sheikh Mehboob Subhani and Khalsa Bi-Mehboob on the nadaswaram, Rajesh Vaidhya on the veena, and Anil Srinivasan on the piano are some performers to be noted.

If you are new to the culture of kutcheris, you will most probably spend the first few concerts in awe of not only the artistes but also the members of the audiences, who sing along, carefully follow the talam, and excitedly jump up when their favourite song is finally sung.

The December Music Season, however, consists of many other art forms and lecture demonstrations that analyse these classical forms. T N Krishnan's lec-dem 'My Experiences with Music over the Last 75 years' and V R Devika and troupe's lec-dem 'Mood and Music in Tamil Kuttu' are among those worth looking forward to. The Bharatanatyam performances by V P Dhananjayan and Shanta Dhananjayan, Shobana and Malavika Sarukkai, Kuchipudi by Uma Murali, and Odissi by Sikata Das are some star events.

Although the star voices and performances should not be missed, young artistes like Arundhati Krishnan and Rithvik Raja will also perform this season.

Should you be well-versed in ragam (melody), talam (beat), swaram (notes) and shruti (tune) to have fun? Actually, this season is the apt time for the curious to learn more about Carnatic music, while everything pleases the ear. Out of place or clueless, as you hop from concert to concert, many faces in the audiences will become familiar and the large gatherings will merge into a welcoming family.

Ram, a mrudangam artiste, runs a blog where he posts information about all the concerts, lecdems and other cultural events he has attended.

He has carefully put together a list of events for this December Music Season, which has been used to create this easy calendar for you.

Ram’s blog for the calendar is available at http:// ramsabode.wordpress.com/about/ The India Immersion Centre at Global Adjustments runs unique cultural modules, Raga and Natya, that will help you understand and appreciate the Margazhi season’s sessions. Turn to Page 64 for more.

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If you are new to the culture of kutcheris, you will most probably spend the first few concerts in awe of not only the artistes but the teeming audiences, who sing along...

Look who’s in Town belgium

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Wydemans Ethem Aydemir

Executive Chef, Mediterranean My India, My Country Hospitality is similar, almost the same.

People are friendly and respectful.

In India, people are mostly vegetarians and enjoy spicy food. In my country people enjoy meat and very few people enjoy spicy food.

My Favorite Indian Bollywood Actor Mr. Raj Kapoor is quite a famous personality in Turkey. His movies are quite famous. Films like Awara were very popular. As a young boy, I used to enjoy his movies on our national television.

Indian Cuisine Of course, I enjoy Indian Cuisine. I like some dishes in Indian cuisine, especially deserts, kebabs and breads.

My India Insight: What I like the most, is the "family culture". They have very strong family bonds with tremendous attachment to their families, children and spouse. It is a big plus for the Indians. One bigger positive, I observe is their openness for higher education and people are smart learners.

What I dislike here is, people are indifferent to the biggest problem – i.e. cleanliness outside.

Public areas are dirty with rubbish on the streets and roads, in-fact rubbish everywhere. This is a social issue and needs to be addressed, because this affects the health of people around. I am sure as more and more people are educated on this issue this will be solved.

My tip to India Don’t miss the Bosporus cruise, if you happen to visit Istanbul.

Offer them a Turkish Baklava.

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culturama | December 2011

My India, My Country India has recognised Hindi and English as official languages, Belgium has recognised French, Flemish and German as official languages.

Unlike Belgium, India has a cultural pluralism, and the people are very much absorbed in traditional customs. In India, family values are greatly respected. India is a Republic, Belgium is a Monarchy. India is the seventh largest nation in the world, in geographical terms. Belgium is a very small country. Around one Belgian citizen for 120 Indians. Traditional Indian culture is defined by a relatively strict social hierarchy.

My Favourite Indian It is too early to admire a particular person as we arrived in India a couple of months ago.

Generally speaking we do appreciate the spirit of entrepreneurial people such as Mr. Tata, Mr. Naresh Goyal and the energy and dynamism that Indians have. We also think, even if she is not Indian, Mother Teresa.

My Indian Cuisine Chicken Tikka, Indian potatoes mixed with cauliflower. Cucumber Raita.

My India Insight Religious tolerance: Many religions are represented / accepted in India.

Pollution. Delhi is a really nice city, green park and beautiful threes. Would be nice to have Delhi and the whole India clean.

My Tip to India - You shouldn’t be boastful or outspoken, Belgians like modesty.

- Never ask a Belgian how much he or she earns. Only in exceptional circumstances (at gunpoint or as a sign of deep friendship) will he answer and then only to say the usual ‘Not enough’.

USA

mumbai

bengaluru

Germany

Catherine Peters Urban Farmer

My India, My Country The streets of Mumbai are charged with more energy and dynamism than I feel when I am in American cities.

My Favourite Indian Amartya Sen and Pankaj Mishra.

My Indian Cuisine The diversity of Indian cuisine is a playground for my palate. That being said, I hope that someday I will learn to properly cook dal.

My India Insight I wish that people would be more direct with me. Sometimes I grow tired of the verbal jostling. I would prefer to hear the truth than a variation of it.

My Tip to India Too much attention makes us uncomfortable. Sometimes I am afraid that America's reputation colors how we, as individual Americans, are perceived. We appreciate being taken in our own right.

Alexander Schneider General Manager

My India, My Country Coming from the old world, it is just amazing to experience the speed and the incredible momentum at which India is developing. Everything is moving in all directions at one time.

My Favourite Indian It is not a person, it is more the unique spirit of hospitality and genuine friendliness.

My Indian Cuisine Hyderabad Biryani, Andhra chicken, pickles in general.

My India Insight The drive of the Indian private sector to push things forward despite all potential roadblocks and the universal understanding within most levels of the society that growth and further development is the only answer.

My Tip to India Personally, I think we are here to adapt and not vice-versa, so I do not think any precautions are necessary. Perhaps, you might want to have a little patience with us left-handed people, we do not mean it in a bad way.

culturama | december 2011

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Bursting the Bubble

Ia n W a t k i n s o n

Fun with Phonetics

IN just a few millennia, we have progressed from creating crude primitive images as language tools, via the wonder of hieroglyphs and early cuneiform to the subtle development of symbols representing phonetics further clustered into meaning – all these skill sets are an intrinsic part of our humanity now, built into our DNA. For foreigners in India, the plethora of languages and scripts that intermingle across the sub-continent can be overwhelming at times, with 22 ‘official’ languages scheduled in the Indian Constitution and hundreds of ancient tribal languages still used. This is further compounded by the immediate visible difference between the scripts of North Indian languages and the South Indian or Dravidian language group.

There is no doubting the common historical connection between India’s languages and those of Europe – the root phonetics of so many core words are effectively the same. We can only see back so far in time to unravel how this came about – trade and human migration would have been fundamental to the process. It has been suggested that there may have been a ‘Mother’ tongue that gave birth to the Sanskrit and Latin/Greek languages, which has been lost forever, essentially a precursor to all language.

Because languages are not static entities; they evolve.

Just as Latin was the root of the tree that branched into the modern European languages, including English, Sanskrit was the root stock of the tree branching into the Indian languages of today.

The inspired realisation in the late 18th century of the Sanskrit–Latin connection was made by an Englishman from the East India Company, Sir William James, who was more interested in the culture of India than many of his more unscrupulous countrymen of the time. He described Sanskrit as ‘a wonderful structure, more perfect than Greek and more copious than Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either’. He learnt to speak Sanskrit fluently.

We should also not forget the influence of Arabic on India – the root of Urdu – using the same basic

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phonetics and words as Hindi but written using the Arabic script.

India’s position as a leading world power is still gathering momentum, and it is now English that is the language of communication, commerce and transaction. And this is now by necessity and not by colonial domination.

As the English language becomes globalised, it settles itself into local cultures, and we find that localised English develops in unique ways from place to place, evolving and adapting, alive. Local languages and cultural archetypes are gradually assimilated and embedded into its structure by osmosis and vernacular variations become part of it – form and phonetics subtly change with time. We only have to listen to the differences between the still embryonic variants of English spoken today in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, India, South Africa and the West Indies. And naturally, India is creating its own Indian-infused style of English, which will continue to alter and grow in its own unique way – in centuries to come, the United States, the United Kingdom and India may speak completely different versions of ‘English’, relationships similar to the modern languages that are the offspring of Latin and Sanskrit. More branches on the tree.

While the educated, business-oriented Indian people you meet here will be fluent and articulate in the use of English, the poorer, less-educated urban and rural peoples will often speak little or no English at all. There are potential problems with this divide for India as the paradigm shift of commerce and power from West to East embeds itself; those with English language skill sets will be at the forefront of India’s development and

success, those who haven’t could well be left far, far behind. We can all play a small part in helping them keep up by sharing our skill sets.

So let’s learn a little of the local language – whether in Kashmir or Kanyakumari, Bhuj or Benares – gather up a few phrases to lubricate day-to-day transactions. A phrase a day. And let’s actively encourage the local people to use their English with us – even a little in basic conversation helps. Let us be reciprocal.

‘How are you?’ ... ‘I’m fine’ … ‘I want’ … ‘How much’ in the local language in conversation with drivers and domestic staff will often elicit a genuinely surprised smile from them.

I have seen foreigners in Delhi hiring an autorickshaw and confusing everyone involved; ‘first we want to go and visit the Red Fort, how much will it cost and we need to take these bags’ – this produces a puzzled expression on the face of the auto driver; he doesn’t get it at all. Communication breakdown. ‘Go to Red Fort’, ‘How much, luggage?’ in simple Hindi or English would suffice, and would elicit an immediate response. Contact.

Or directing taxi drivers or auto drivers here in Chennai …. ‘Please go down here and turn right at the crossroads connecting MG Road’ in English will invariably get you going the wrong way, whereas a clear ‘straight’, then ‘right side’ when approaching the junction will get you there every time. In fact, I think ‘straight’ ‘right side’ and ‘left side’ are already part of the evolving marriage of Tamil and English, by language osmosis. Get into an auto or taxi in Chennai, at least say ‘Ok, pogalam’ (Ok, let’s go) and you will get a smile of appreciation from the driver. You’ve made a small effort to speak Tamil; already, some barriers have been overcome. It’s important. Because language is so embedded within cultural identity, by learning at the very least a little of our host culture’s local tongue we are actively exploring the edges of that identity – it’s great fun, it’s very useful and, more importantly, it builds tangible bridges between people.

And of course, wherever you are in India the beginning of any interaction can be simplified with that wonderful unspoken language that crosses all cultural barriers – a smile. That is probably more important than anything else.

The writer is British and lives in Chennai. culturama | december 2011

31

View from the Top

La k s h m i Kr u pa

A TRUE confluence of the East and the West, Aradhna is a band at whose very heart lies an artistic pursuit that seeks to create an honest cross-cultural dialogue‌ In conversation with Peter Hicks of the music band‌

heart Music of the

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First, can you take us through the journey that led to the forming of Aradhna? Also why the name, Aradhna?

Chris (Christopher Hale) and I first played music together in the band Olio. While we toured India, we began playing acoustic guitar and sitar in our off time, just kind of freeform jam-type stuff. We loved the sound of those two instruments and the way our musical imaginations worked together. Chris and I had an immediate rapport. Then, Chris introduced me to bhajans and our musical enjoyment deepened into a life-changing spiritual experience. The name Aradhna came out of that initial spiritual experience, where we were both engaging in a new and personal worship that was fuelled by the bhajans.

How would you describe the sound of your music and where does it come from?

Our songs range from full out rock, to Western folk, to the more traditional bhajan style, to mellow meditation music. We like and listen to all sorts of music and our different tastes come together to make up the sound we create in Aradhna. Chris brings the Indian classical and Indian folk elements to our songwriting and I bring a more Western creativity

to the music. They somehow meet in the middle and create something unique and special.

Spirituality is at the heart of your music – or is it the other way round? Can you take us through the process of recording a bhajan, for instance? From writing it to recording it, what does the process involve?

It is hard to draw a defining line between spirituality and music. Both are such deep parts of us. What comes first? That is a question I think about all the time. Is it music that helps us to worship? Or is it worship that helps us create music? I guess it can go either way.

Often, Chris brings some lyrics with a melody and just starts singing or playing it on the sitar. I listen and start responding with the guitar. It takes a while for the big picture of the song to become clear. I like it that way. It seems to free up my preconceived notions of the ‘proper’ chord and I end up playing parts that I would never have created if I had been thinking of the whole song rather than each individual part.

When we have a song that is fairly fleshed out, we begin to hone it either in the studio or at concerts.

In recording, there is a certain amount of vision as to what the song is and where it should go, but often it grows as different instruments are added. Every musician we play with brings something unique and vibrant to the studio and stage and we try to let their expression colour the final song rather than squeeze them into our pre-set path. It makes it all very interesting. Sometimes, a song that we envisioned as being a soft, quiet number turns into a rock anthem.

At a time when spirituality and crosscultural voices are sought after globally, you have chosen to self-release your albums. Is the market friendly towards this artistic decision?

The whole music market has changed drastically.

This is the era of bands that would never have had a chance 15 years ago. Recording and album

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reproduction are more affordable than ever, which opens the door for niche market music like ours to get heard. For the most part, it has been liberating to make our own decisions in releasing our albums and touring. We have a sense that, perhaps, more people would know about our music if we had been attached to a label, but as in all things it is a trade-off and we have loved the journey. We have a solid group of faithful friends and fans who have made it possible for us able to self-publish and we are truly grateful to them!

Can you tell us about some of your upcoming projects?

We have a couple of things going on right now. I am currently re-evaluating songs from Namaste Sate and Amrit Vani and turning them into mainly instrumental/ meditative remixes. It is a challenge to take songs we all know so well and rethink them enough to make them new and yet still have the distinct flavour of the original. What we are also planning , is a live studio EP made up of some songs that we have already released as well as some new material. Our plan is to sit in a studio as our four-piece band (Chris on the sitar, Travis on the bass, Jim on the tabla and myself on the guitar) and capture the energy of a live concert with the clarity of a studio performance. Namaste Sate was a very well-produced studio album and when played stripped down to a four-piece, the songs are almost like completely different ones. We want to give people the chance to experience some of those songs in a new way. We are very excited about both projects.

Any performances slated in India that we can look forward to?

We are currently working on an India tour in October/November of 2012. Our goal is to have about 10 concerts in some of India's major cities. It is sad that we have not toured India since 2007 and we are very excited about finally being back in the homeland of this music.

Culture Connect

A k h i l a Kr i s h n a m u r t h y

Feminine Mystique

Mad and Divine, an exploration of the poetry of India’s female saints, curated by Anita Ratnam will be held this December

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“I am excited, honoured and stressed, all at once; that is my life story,” says Anita Ratnam, counted among India’s most leading dancers, choreographers, curators and cultural activists… Among other things, this December, Anita is at the helm of curating a three-day international conference (between December 23 and December 25) and performance event that is produced by Kartik Fine Arts for the Natya Darshan seminar. The conference, interestingly titled – Mad and Divine – is an academic, political, feminist, sociological, humanist and cultural exploration of the magnificent poetry of India’s beloved female poet saints like Andal, Mirabai, Akka Mahadevi, Lal Ded, Avvaiyar, just to name a few. Here, Anita Ratnam talks about the thought and process that went into stringing this event together and why the poetry of these poet saints continues to be relevant to the world we live in…

The conference is called Mad and Divine; tell us about the inspiration for the title?

Creative women are possessed with a unique inner flame; that is the heat of the inner world, the hidden voice of passionate women across time. Across history, powerless women in a patriarchal society found their power through strong poetry, through resistance of male domination, and through a thread of rebellion. They were all called ‘Mad’ and later sanctified as ‘Divine’ when men could not tame them.

Why did you decide to dedicate the conference to the magnificent poetry of India's female poet saints?

Which dancer or musician has not been moved by the torrential words of Mirabai, Akka Mahadevi, Andal, Lal Ded and many more? However, the oft-trodden path has been to valorise only the divine and neglect the eroticism inherent in the poetry. With the month of Margazhi in Chennai being the season when all dance and music seem skewed only in the adoration and worship of the classical arts, I felt it would be a good idea to look at these popular women through a variety of lenses – academic, political, feminist, sociological and humanist.

As a performer and choreographer, you have also often engaged with the poetry of these poets; can you share a few moments/experiences?

As a good Iyengar (a sect among Tamil Brahmins) girl, I performed the mandatory Andal Tiruppavai song at my Arangetram at age nine. I remember wincing when my mother attached the side 'kondai' (bun) on my head to represent the saint poet. I think that Andal met me on that day and has shadowed me through my life. I have returned to her words annually and marvelled at the shades of life, love and longing that her words carry. How a simple girl from a conservative

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society could withstand the wrath of the entire town and finally find her way through her divine madness, has been a sort of inspiration to my own life of ups and downs.

What, according to you, really makes the poetry and content of these poet saints so passionate, powerful?

They are born out of the gut; they are imaginative, deeply felt and real. They do not couch them in mere religiosity even though they are conveniently only read in a linear way.

These poets attached themselves to male Gods to subvert the influence of fathers, brothers and husbands in their lives. "Burn all husbands,” says 12th century Akka Mahadevi. Bondage to a man is unimportant.

How relevant is their work in the context we live in?

Very. And not mere anger. That is empty. So is mere resistance. The words of these saint poets carry an implosion of a social order of a presumed coherence of a status quo that was convenient. Today, women are trying to balance career, relationships, money, security, family, and are pulled in so many directions. Reading the English translations itself and learning about the lives of these remarkable women can provide private moments of inspiration for today's women. Even if some of the words may sound extreme, they are honest and not couched in mere religiosity. Today's woman can take heart that the women's movement started earlier than recorded Western history.

Tell us a little about the speakers and performances at the event and how you went about stringing the event together?

I am most excited about the variety of speakers and presenters for Mad and Divine. Mythologist Devdutt Patnaik, poet Priya Sarukkai, feminist scholar Akhila Ramnarayan, academic Ketu Katrak, cultural critic Shanta Serbjeet Singh, dancers – Vidya Subramaniam, and Chitra Visweswaran – filmmaker Madhureeta Anand will explore the many voices and facets of these wonderful women. My own dance presentation with my sister Pritha focusses on Andal - her inner and outer worlds. While each of their lives may not have had a traditional ‘happily ever after’, their fierce intelligence and determination in conservative times will continue to inspire generations even after our time. The mornings will be divided between dance presentations and analytical/scholarly presentations. The venue is a dance hall and so does not provide for a purely academic atmosphere. Keeping in mind shortening attention spans and to attract a young audience of NRIs foreigners and dancers, the pace and content have been kept accessible with daily short broadcasts on YouTube and Facebook.

CALENDAR CHENNAI THEATRE & MUSIC

* Event details are correct at the time of printing. However, we encourage readers to call and reconfirm at the venues concerned. Numbers beside each event indicate the date. Events are divided into categories like film, music, etc. Addresses and phone numbers of venues and places mentioned are listed under Venues.

aRT & EXHIBITION Photos for Rato Upto December 10 A collection of twenty photographs by Vreeland taken over the 26 years he has been a Rato Monk.

They provide a glimpse into daily life in a monastery which only an insider could have experienced.

Gallery Sumukha, 187, Mary's Road, Alwarpet

Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra December 4, 6.30 pm Directed by the celebrated, Mr. Wolfgang Kussmaul, celebrity soloists György Bognar, Nikolaus von Bülow, violoncellos (Vivaldi), Adrian lliesu, Wolfgang Kussmaul, Klaus von Niswandt, violin (Bach) will perform in Chennai as an extension of ‘The year of Germany in India’. This is an event by Purple Reign.

Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao Concert Hall, Chetpet Tickets at Rs600,1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 Contact: 42858858

By Hand, From The Heart : One Show, Many Stories!

December 9 – 10, 10:00h to 20:00h Exhibition of art, design and lifestyle products, presented by designers from Mumbai, Ranchi, Bangalore and Chennai. This is an artisan market place organized by designers, for designers; the show promotes different genre of craft based products that have been created by emerging and established Designers, Artists, Artisans, NGOs and Entrepreneurs.

Ambujam Lounge, No.48, Whites Road, Chennai.

Contact: 9840326354

FOOD & SHOPPING

Sikkil Guruchanran in concert December 2, 18:30h Entry Free Catch Sikkil Gurucharan in a carnatic vocal concert.

BharatiyaVidya Bhavan Main Hall, East Mada Street, Mylapore (Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan)

Tea-totallers Upto December 31 Taste your favourite teas like Imperial Jasmine, European Peppermint, Tulsi Mint, Vanilla Classic, Strawberry Mango and many more.

Radisson Blu GRT Hotels, 531 GST Road, St Thomas Mount

Sanjay Subrahmanyan Concert December 7, 16:30 PM Sanjay Subrahmanyan on the vocals, Nagai Sriram on violin, Tanjore Murugabhoopathy on Mrudangam and S. Karthick on the Ghatam in concert.

Narada Gana Sabha Main Hall, TTK Road, Alwarpet (Kartik Fine Arts) Ranjani Gayatri Concert December 25, 16:15h to 18:45h Ranjani and Gayatri on vocals, H.N. Bhaskar on violin, K.V. Prasad on Mrudangam and B.S. Purushotham on Khanjira.

T.T. Krishnamachari Auditorium, The Music Academy, TTK Road, Royapettah (The Music Academy) Sudha Raghunathan Concert December 30 16:15h to 18:45h Sudha Ragunathan’s vocals with R.K. Shriramkumar on violin and Tiruvarur Vaidyanathan on the Mrudangam.

T.T. Krishnamachari Auditorium, The Music Academy, TTK Road, Royapettah (The Music Academy)

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T.N. Krishnan will conduct a Lec Dem titled My Experiences with Music over the last 75 years.

Kasturi Srinivasan Hall (Mini Hall), The Music Academy, TTK Road, Royapettah (The Music Academy)

wORKSHOPs & EVENTs Abhyaasa Sampradaaya December 26 – 31 Dedicated to the memories of Bi-centenarian Aachaarya Tanjavoor Vadivelu and centenarian Naatyaachaarya Vazhuvoor Ramayya Pillai, the conference explores the theme of Evolutionary Developments in the System of Natya Training & Presentation.

Venue: Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Nalli Gana Vihar, 20, Maharajapuram Santhanam Salai, T Nagar, Chennai - 17 Various facets of Annamacharya December 11, 17:05h Pappu Venugopala Rao will conduct a Lec Dem on the Various Facets of Annamacharya with Aarthi & Archana for vocal support.

Dakshinamurthy Auditorium, P.S. High School, R.K. Mutt Road, Mylapore (Naadhabrahmam) Experiences with Music December 16, 9:00h – 10:00h

Spaced out!

Upto December 15 Relish some authentic Kerala cuisine at the newly renovated restaurant. It's now Bigger and more Spacious.

Kumarakom 25/51, 1st Main Road, Gandhinagar, Adyar, Contact 42034203

CALENDAR BENGALURU THEATRE & MUSIC

* Event details are correct at the time of printing. However, we encourage readers to call and reconfirm at the venues concerned. Numbers beside each event indicate the date. Events are divided into categories like film, music, etc. Addresses and phone numbers of venues and places mentioned are listed under Venues.

aRT & EXHIBITION

Modern Theatre & Film Acting Course Upto January 22, 2012 All Day, Event occurs every Sunday Sankula Theatre Institute is conducting Six Months Sunday Acting Training course. The Module includes Comparative Theatre, Film & Serial Acting Study with sets props music, costumes etc based on Stanislavsky acting Theory, Voice Modulation, Voice Culture, Video Sessions, Discussions, Expressions & Interactions, Shows, Actor's Preparation etc Sankula Theatre Institute, 591, 20th Cross, Police Station Road, Behind HOPCOMS, Kumara Swamy Layout Ratnan Prapancha - Play December 1 19:30h (Event duration: 01:20 hrs) Watch Ratnan Prapancha by playwrights G P Rajaratnam / Sundar directed by Joseph and performed by the troupe Kriyative Theatre, Bengaluru.

Ranga Shankara, 36/2 8th Cross II Phase J P Nagar Namma Dance Utsav Bengaluru - Day 7 December 2 2011, All Day Catch Namma Dance Utsav in an all-night dance

Everything About Water Expo December 09 – December 11 EAGB Expo is an expo and conference designed to help AEC professionals design and construct a better buildings environment. The expo will feature an integrated display of latest high performance, green and sustainable building products, technologies, developments and services as well as solutions to help AEC professionals design, specify and better manage projects.

Palace Grounds, Jayamahal Road, Bangalore This Situation - Art Installation by Tino Seghal December 6 – December 7 All Day, Event occurs daily Through situations of his own construction, Tino Sehgal pushes anew the boundaries of art. One of these - This Situation - will tour the GoetheInstitutes in Rumania, Serbia, Turkey, Georgia and India from October 2011.

Max Mueller Bhavan, No .24 /10 BTS Depot Road, Wilson Garden, Bangalore Depths of Field - Sculptures Exhibition Upto December 31 12:30 PM, Event occurs daily Apparao Galleries presents Depths of Field, an exhibition of glass sculpture & installation works by Anjali Srinivasan.

Apparao Galleries, The Presidency, 82 St Marks Road, Ground Floor Recollections Reconnections Upto December 3, 19:00h Recollections Reconnections is an art exhibition by

by SG Vasudev Kynkyny Art Gallery, 33/200, NS Iyengar Steet, Nehrunagar, Kumara Park

concert.

Indian Heritage Academy, 20th Main, Koramangala 6th Block Tadroopi - Play Dec 07 2011, 19:30h (Event duration: 01:30 hrs) Watch Tadroopi, a play by Prasanna, directed

by Joseph, performed by the troupe Sanchaya, Bengaluru.

Ranga Shankara, 36/2 8th Cross II Phase J P Nagar Grill Point (Halbe Treppe) - Film December 8, 18:30h Frankfurt/Oder, everyday life of two acquainted couples somewhere between thirty and forty. Uwe runs a pub half-way up a stairway in a park; his wife Ellen sells perfumes.

Max Mueller Bhavan, No .24 /10 BTS Depot Road, Wilson Garden,

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culturama | December 2011

Be it a collection of short stories or a novel that you plan to write, the workshop will hone your skills and polish you into being a serious writer. iReboot, 3095, 6th A Main, 13th Cross, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar

Art & Craft Exhibition Upto December 03, 11:00h An exhibition of works in different media by artists from Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Baroda, Chandigarh and Mysore. It also features graphic art such as lithography, woodcuts and etching Swasti Contemporary Art Gallery, HCG Towers, No 8, Kalinga Rao Road, Sampangi Ram Nagar

wORKSHOPs & EVENTs Fiction Writing Workshop with Madhavi Mahadevan Upto December 11, All Day If you have a vivid imagination and love telling stories, then the fiction writing workshop is for you.

FOOD & SHOPPING From Kabul To Kolkata..

Upto December 31, All Day The culinary history of India is incomplete without experiencing the gastronomic delights of the Northwest Frontier cuisine and the significance of the Mughal culture on the socio-cultural fabric of India. Along the classic route from Kabul to Kolkata, one has an unmatched opportunity to discover the culinary riches of India Hotel Ista, 1/1 Swami Vivekananda Road, Ulsoor, Bangalore Jashn - Special Menu at Le Meridien Upto December 7 The special menu features Jashn Special Salmon Tikka paired with Four seasons Chenin Blanc, a wine which is still off dry with wine crisp acidity that balances the residual sugar. it also has some delectable Prawns, Chicken and lamb. The vegetarians can savour some broccoli paired with Sauvignon Blanc.

Hotel Le Meridien, Bangalore , Karnataka

CALENDAR MUMBAI THEATRE & MUSIC

Collaborators December 17 – 18, 15:00 & 19:00 Inspired by historical facts, Collaborators embarks on a surreal journey into the fevered imagination of the writer as he loses himself in a macabre and disturbingly funny relationship with the omnipotent subject of his drama.

Tickets: Rs.400/Godrej Dance Theatre, NCPA Marg & Dorabji Tata Road, Nariman Point Contact: 022 6622 3737 Theatre Group Youth Festival: Thespo 13 December 17 - 18, 19:00 The festival will host full length productions, platform performances, workshops by theatre professionals and much more. It will conclude with the Thespo 13 Awards Night.

50% student discount on tickets Box Office: December 9 for Members and December 12 for the Public Contact: 9867562859 NCPA Experimental Theatre Contact 022 6622 3737 Vilasini Natyam by Swapnasundari December 14, 19:00 Vilasini Natyam represents the performing tradition of Telugu hereditary female dancers who served the temples and courts of yore.

Tickets:Rs.270 & 180/- (for Members) Rs.300 & 200/- (for the Public) Box Office: November 26 for Members and November 29 for the Public NCPA Experimental Theatre Contact 022 6622 3737

aRT & EXHIBITION Fashion Face December 7, 11:00h to 19:00h Gallery BMB presents Fashion Face the works of much acclaimed photographer Robyn Beeche.

Beeche’s images provide a colourful insight into the

* Event details are correct at the time of printing. However, we encourage readers to call and reconfirm at the venues concerned. Numbers beside each event indicate the date. Events are divided into categories like film, music, etc. Addresses and phone numbers of venues and places mentioned are listed under Venues.

aesthetics of underground London in the 1980’s.

Gallery BMB, Ground Floor, Queen’s Mansion, GT Marg, Fort Contact 022 22000061 UpperCrust Show December 9 – December 11th, 10:00h to 20:00h UpperCrust Show has established itself as a very unique food and wine trade fair where it successfully brings together the finest of national and international vintners and distillers, the biggest names in the food and cuisine industry, renowned chefs, leading restaurateurs, respected critics and celebrities known for their discerning taste buds.

The exhibition also serves as a platform for those making an entry into the F & B industry to launch their products and concepts.

World Trade Centre 1 Building, 31st Floor, WTC Complex, Cuffe Parade Contact 022 66387272

wORKSHOPs & EVENTs Salsa Classes by Baile-de-Salon, Upto December17 Baile -de- Salón - Ballroom Academy combines Dance & Theatre together for the first time in history of Latin Dancing in Mumbai!

Perform this December at - SE7EN A total of 15 dance sequences -- SE7EN short stories for each of the Sins & Virtues and a Baile-de-Salon, Colaba/Bandra/ Powai Contact 9833973669

Capoeira Classes Ongoing Children :1800h – 1900h, Beginners : 1900h – 2030h Capoeira is a Brazilian form of dance and martial art, specializing in synchronizing the moves to music. 'Cordao De Ouro India' is the first Capoeira Group in India started by Monitor Baba.

SS Sahani School, 18th Road, Khar (West) Contact 98690 55371

FOOD & SHOPPING Devour Coastal Cuisine Upto 12th December’ 2011 Lotus Cafe brings you the most elaborate spread of seafood in the city. The freshest, tastiest and widest variety of crustaceans and fish! Feast on King Tiger Prawn, Sand Lobster, Deep Sea Lobster, Whole Clams, Green Mussels, Sea Crab, Mud Crab, Baby Lobster, Scottish Salmon and Scallops. Every Friday and Saturday over dinner, JW Marriott Mumbai gets fresh with Seafood.

At Lotus Café, JW Marriott, Juhu Barbecue Dinners Upto December 31, 19:30h to 23:30h Saptami has introduced barbecue dinner buffet every Wednesday night. Patrons visiting Saptami on Wednesdays can look forward to enjoying different kinds of barbecues for dinner. The executive chef, Sudhir Pai has prepared an elaborate menu which consists of variety of barbecued meats and sea foods. Patrons can relish on world barbecues such as barbecue white salmon with basil, grilled sea scallop kebabs with housing sauce, pernoid scented flambé prawns, barbeque duxelle stuffed lamb loin, chicken peri-peri and more.

Price: Rs. 999 + taxes Saptami, Located in Holiday Inn, Lobby Level, Sakinaka, Andheri East Contact 022 40851800

Arts & Crafts Upto December 31, 10:00h to 18:00h Learn Wedding Trousseau (more than 50 items), fancy envelopes, French bead classes, designer paper bags & boxes, Oragata flowers, punch craft and much more - course includes all the material.

Sejal Kanani’s Purple Art & Crafts, A – 404, Padmaja Society, Off J.P. Road, Andheri West Contact 9819298311

culturama | december 2011

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CALENDAR DELHI THEATRE & MUSIC

Manipuri Dance December 1st, 1900 h Manipuri dance recital by Baishali Sarkar and troupe HCL Concert Series Habitat World, IHC, Lodhi Road Da-Saz December 3 – 4 A da.saz evening with Suchet Malhotra and edge cut and Da-saz on 3rd Dec. Da-Saz is a collective of musicians and artists from India and abroad based in New Delhi.

Habitat World, IHC, Lodhi Road, New Delhi – 110003

* Event details are correct at the time of printing. However, we encourage readers to call and reconfirm at the venues concerned. Numbers beside each event indicate the date. Events are divided into categories like film, music, etc. Addresses and phone numbers of venues and places mentioned are listed under Venues.

instrument. Together, note by note, instrument by instrument, a symphony is formed, morphing into a jam-packed auto lurching and careening through the stillness and chaos of India.

Epicenter Institutional Area, Sector 44, Gurgaon.

0124 2715000 You Can Heal Your Life December 5, 1900h The film gives penetrating insights into Louise Hay’s fascinating personal story; and shows how her views on self-esteem, abundance, and the metaphysical causes behind physical ailments were developed.

It also reveals how she applied these concepts to her own emotional, spiritual, and professional life.

Collab: Hay House Publications Habitat World, IHC, Lodhi Road, New Delhi – 110003 Odissi & Kathak December 7, 1930h Kala Uditaayan presents Shri Ganesh, an evening of Odissi and Kathak classical dances and music conceptualised & directed by MamtaTandan and choreographed by Panchanan Bhuia, Sampath Kumar and Manoranjan Dey. Epicenter Institutional Area, Sector 44, Gurgaon.

0124 2715000

aRT & EXHIBITION

Christmas Concert December 12,1900h As the year of 2011 swiftly comes to a close, it is once again time for CCM’s annual Christmas concert season.

Hungarian Information and cultural center The Real Santa December 15, 1800h Once upon a time there was a bar pianist, Misu. His life had been derailed. Once upon a time there was an 8-year-old girl, Liza. She was an orphan. On 6th December, Misu is hired as Santa at a department store. The adventures of Liza and Misu in the city will provide the answer to the question at the end of the day.

Hungarian Information and cultural center Three Sopranos December 21st, 1900h An evening of arias– solo, duets and trio by Patricia Rozario Joanne D'Mello, Susanna Hurrell & Mark Troop (piano) Habitat World, IHC, Lodhi Road, New Delhi – 110003 Infinite Stupidity December 29th, 1930h The play is about the space between the notes that makes the music– the lull and the chaos of the common Indian man. Ten clowns come together from different parts of the country, playing a different

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wORKSHOPs & EVENTs

Ferenc Liszt in Literature December 9,1800h Liszt’s work overlapped that period of Romanticism in the nineteenth century when music and literature drew close to each other. Vörösmarty’s poem To Ferencz Liszt calls Liszt „The great Universal Master” and the genius who preserved the spirit of the historic ancestors to spur the Hungarian nation to action.

Hungarian Information and cultural center

FOOD & SHOPPING Christmas Brunch December 25 Enjoy a sumptuous Christmas Brunch, ring in the spirit of the Yuletide!

Habitat World, IHC, Lodhi Road, New Delhi – 110003

From Red Fort to Raisina Hill – The making of New Delhi December 10th - 15th An exhibition of pen and ink drawings by Vikram Kalra.

Habitat World, IHC, Lodhi Road, New Delhi – 110003 Nasik Nuances December 1 – 6 These art works are the manifestations of a group of Hungarian artists giving glimpses of spirituality and scenic beauty. The works are the result of perfect ambience for creativity at the Nasik Art Camp organized by the Art Indulge Foundation from the October 10 – 20, 2011, in Nasik, Maharashtra.

Hungarian Information and cultural center

Live Wednesdays Every Wednesday, 2030h Retro, Rock, Contemporary, & Popular Music accompanied with the best of Indian, Oriental & Western Cuisine Drift, Epicenter Institutional Area, Sector 44, Gurgaon.

0124 2715000

Photo Feature

picture perfect Ansel Adams one said, “Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop.” At Global Adjustments, we take our harvest season rather seriously. For the past 14 years, we have been encouraging expatriates to showcase the way they see India, through their lens and their eyes, with photographs – candid and straight from the heart of the nation – across different categories such as Culture and Festivals, Faces, Places and Into India. These photographs, besides being judged by the best in the industry, have gone on to adorn the pages of our magazine, with credits to the photographer. We have turned hundreds of expatriates into cultural anthropologists over the years, recording the beauty and mystery of this country!

This year, at the Chennai leg of our Photo Competition held at the Hilton, Chennai, we added a new theme to the contest, encouraging participants to showcase a country that is young and vibrant, but a civilisation that is ancient. A juxtaposition of the old and the new – that captures the very spirit of India. With our theme – Old Meets New – we hoped to chronicle a nation in motion, zooming forward to the future while hanging on to its roots. In this photo feature, we present some of this year’s award-winning photographs!

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Moniek de Zwaan, The Netherlands FIRST PRIZE - PLACES

ELENA EDER, ITALY - OVERALL BEST

IAN WATKINSON, UK FIRST PRIZE - OLD MEETS NEW

THOMAS VALERO, FRENCH FIRST PRIZE - FACES

ELENA EDER, ITALY FIRST PRIZE - INTO INDIA photo: nancy reiseg, USA

culturama | december 2011

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Must Stopover

T e a m c u lt u ra m a

At the temple town of kanchipuram, where time stands still, discover an age-old tradition of handloom that is alive and thriving

Silk Surrender IT IS said that Shiva and Parvathi married under the mango tree in the courtyard of Kanchipuram’s Ekambareshwara (a-kam-ba-resh-wa-ra) temple. Though pilgrims and tourists are drawn to that site, this city in Tamil Nadu is iconic for something different – sari production.

In Southern India especially, Kanchipuram silk saris have a special reputation. Synonymous with beauty, grandeur and tradition, brides from affluent families will almost certainly wear a Kanchipuram sari during their wedding ceremony and hardly an auspicious occasion goes by without the Kanchipuram silk taking centrestage.

Kanchipuram silk saris are hand-woven from thread, which is created by winding together three, and in special cases, five, silk fibres. This results in a heavy and enduring fabric, the luxurious, hushed rustle of which, whispers quality. A sari made from this fabric weighs about a kilo and has a beautifully rich feel to it and with proper care and maintenance, can be worn for 25 to 30 years, sometimes longer. The silk is dyed before it is woven, ensuring that the material has a lustrous sheen.

Intricate patterns are woven into the silk. Traditional motifs such as peacocks, mangoes, elephants, lotuses, parrots and diamonds can frequently be seen in the broad borders of Kanchipuram saris. Decorative scenes are sometimes woven into the pallu, the broad decorative end of the sari. The patterns are created from a precious thread, known either as a jari or a zari. The jari is produced in Gujarat, by wrapping 48

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silver wire around a silk thread and dipping the filament into 24 carat gold dust, then transported to Tamil Nadu.

It is said that 50,000 of Kanchipuram’s 1,70,000 inhabitants are weavers, and their work is labour intensive. Even a simpler sari will take two weavers around ten days to complete by hand. Those with more complex patterns, the type of sari deemed typical of the city, take approximately 25 days on the loom.

Many of the weavers have their own styles and the design of each of their saris is unique. Modern designs might show classical dancers or animals, and increasingly, innovations flood the market. Traditional attention-grabbing saris, in colours such as bright reds and rich oranges are now supplemented by pastel tones.

The skills and efforts of the weavers play a significant role in justifying the price and quality, which, in every sense, is woven into a Kanchipuram sari. At the end of its natural lifetime, such a sari can yield a silver memento from the smelted jari.

The look, feel and luxury of Kanchipuram saris go a long way in explaining why it continues to be the preferred choice, when it comes to the traditional Indian attire.

Kanchipuram – a city of thousand temples, is a must see, just a quick one hour’s car ride away from Chennai. We tell the sari story here, but there is much more good work done there, by TTDC. Visit their website for more details. www. tamilnadutourism.org

Name Sake

s nair

Inner Space

photo Natalie Von Hoffmeister, Canada

Hand in hand Hasta in Sanskrit means hand. An etymological journey round the world finds us surprisingly in far off lands such as Spain, Turkey and Rome, where we find the foreign equivalent of hasta meaning ‘until’ in Spanish; ‘sick’ in Turkish; ‘spear’ in Latin; or Hasta Pompeii, a Roman town known today as Asti.

Hasta ranges from a hand gesture adopted in Indian classical dance forms, to a unit of measurement, to the thirteenth nakshatra (star) of Hindu astrology.

In dance, each hand gesture can express feelings ranging from extreme joy to inexplicable grief. As a unit of measurement, hasta takes on from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, equalling about 18 inches (45 centimetres). In astrology, hasta is a constellation that corresponds to the zodiacal Virgo. It is believed that people born in this star are skilled in matters related to the hand. Among the gods, Ganesha and Hanuman are said to have been born under this star. And in modern days, the philosopher Swami Vivekananda!

Among the most common derivatives of the word are hasta rekha (palmistry), hasta kala (handicraft) and hasta laghava (sleight of hand). The last is a branch of magic and refers to the techniques used by magicians while trying to manipulate objects such as coins. In wedding vows, “Mama hastabanda” stands for “one who takes my hand”. Was “husband” inspired by “hastabanda” too?

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Windows to the world Gujarati jharokha, an overhanging window is an innovation of Moghul architecture. It served as a defence mechanism, as well as an artefact of beauty. The protruding casing sheltered the demure female royalty within, allowing them to see without being seen. It also effectively concealed archers, strategically positioned to attack when the palace was under siege. Jharokha is essentially a stone window. It is projected out from the wall of a building. It is usually located in an upper storey, elevated from the ground, with a view – usually overlooking a street, market, court or other such open spaces.

This window is considered more formal and ornamental and is very typical of the western part of India.

Jharokhas are one of the most important trademarks of Rajputana and Mughal architecture that was prominent in India down to the 19th century. The Jharokha is also like an enclosed balcony used in Indian architecture.

These windows could either be used as a design element, intended to add aesthetic value to the building, or as strategic spaces for spies to hide out. They also helped in keeping the overall temperature of a room cool!

This and many more windows at India Immersion Centre - Global Adjustments.

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DECEMBER

Festivals of India

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Muharram

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Karthigai Deepam

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This is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the sacred months in which fighting is prohibited. The tenth day of this month is known as 'the day of grief' or 'Yaumul Ashura'. It is on this day that Muslims mourn the martyrdom of Hussain ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed.

Karthigai is, essentially, a festival of lamps and is celebrated mainly by Tamilians. While the lighted lamp is important for all Hindu rituals and festivals, it is indispensable for Karthigai. Rows of agal vilakkus (mud lamps) are lit in front of every house during the month of Karthigai. It is believed that the lighted lamp will ward off evil forces and usher in prosperity and joy. During this festival, fluffed rice and jaggery are rolled into balls and offered to God.

Christmas Christmas in India has the same underlying spirit as it does in other parts of the world, but the celebrations vary in this country of diversity.

In South India, small clay oil burning lamps placed on roofs and walls serve as Christmas decorations.

Cities wear a festive look as Christmas bazaars and markets are organised.

Cause & Effect

t e a m c u lt u ra m a

soul music

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life,� Berthold Auerbach once said. Music Basti, a Delhi-based NGO, has taken this a step forward, by using music as an aid in working with children from marginalised sections of society. In conversation with Faith Gonsalves, Project Officer and Founder How did the idea for an NGO that works with the aid of music come about?

I have been singing ever since I was a child, and the most memorable experiences I have growing up are around the music room in school, college or different music activities I participated in such as Artistes Unlimited in Delhi. While I recognise today that these played a pivotal role in my personal growth and development, they were also experiences that made me the most happy, motivated or driven. Music Basti was developed as a project to use music and arts to engage with children who are otherwise ignored, marginalised and at risk.

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I had done volunteer work not only with other NGOs who focused on children but also with an international school in Delhi, and I saw first hand the gross disparity in the access to information and opportunities. I also believe that while the school is an integral space for child development, it is also often a space for exclusion, discrimination and stunting of creativity, where values of competition and skills of replication dominate. Almost none of the great minds in our contemporary world have thrived because of this school system; they thrived in spite of it. In this context, when focusing on children or youth who are at-risk, that is, abandoned by families, the

school or the mainstream system, living or working of music on children within the Indian system of on the streets in cities, survivors of trafficking, child learning, especially with respect to the impact of arts labour or other forms of exploitation, it is imperative and music on at-risk groups of children and youth, it to create programmes that rely on the tenets of became critical to include a research and evaluation inclusion, participation and enjoyable learning. This component into Music Basti’s programmes. was what led to the creation of Music Basti in Delhi.

How do the arts and music help children from What are some of the underprivileged sections? important milestones in Music Key observations in the area of Children learn to Basti's journey so far? impact has been the creation of - Direct work with over 500 spaces for children to be creative cooperate with street children over, 300 workshops and to experiment and develop and programmes in three years – their independence, confidence and others to reach focus on working with the "Dil Se self-esteem; shared performance a common goal, Campaign" in Delhi. builds teamwork, collaboration - Direct work with over 300 and participation skills. Children through playing, volunteers including over 100 learn to cooperate with others to rehearsing and trainings programs in three years. reach a common goal, through - Performances by over playing, rehearsing and performing performing music, 30 leading local, national and music, they develop an awareness they develop an international artists including of different musical parts and the Grammy Award–winning Carrie roles and contributions of different awareness Newcomer, the Xylopholks, members of a group; enhanced levels Vishal Dadlani, the Yale Gospel of cultural understanding promotes Choir, David Hykes, Dr. Madan Gopal Singh, Advaita, a child’s awareness of national and global cultures.

Swarathma, and others.

These instil in a child the values of common good, What are some of your current projects and cooperation and hard work, which contribute to an areas of work? active and responsible citizenship. Music Basti seeks Programmes with children-at-risk, music education to use music as a tool for personal empowerment in a workshops, learning of instruments, a song writing and community where these children too have every right recording project, concerts and public performances, to enjoy their childhood, as a part of their healthy music culture and appreciation and capacity building development and growth towards mature adulthood. and development, training with volunteers, training If our readers want to help Music Basti, how with artistes, development of ‘Action Together’, can they do so? an inter-organizational discussions of sharing Music Basti invites applications for volunteers, best practices and capacity building with staff of interns and teaching-artistes who may be musicians organizations working with child care, protection, or other artistes based in Delhi; sponsorships or rights and education. Research and Evaluation programmes for children, instruments and other Given the limitations of the availability of and teaching-learning material are welcome. access to information about the subject of the impact For details log on to http://www.facebook.com/Dhanakdhin

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Tales of India

V i m a n i k a c o m i cs

Sometimes heroes come back… after death, after destruction, after millennia have passed.

Because their souls live on. These souls don’t give up their dream of vanquishing evil. And if they faltered the first time, the souls wait, replenishing themselves, preparing them for the final fight.

‘The Sixth’ is one such soul. In the battle of Mahabharata, there was a hero who fought for the villains. But his heroism remained untouched by the dirt around him. Karna… he is back.

To read the entire series, get your copy of Karna right now! Log on to http://www.vimanika.com or www.flipkart.com or call 09650457457 56

culturama | December 2011

STAR STRUCK

jyoti nair

In a StopOver Chennai exclusive, meet Chennai’s own Oscar winner who bagged Oscars, Grammys and with these, international acclaim for Slumdog Millionnaire’s Jai Ho. His dream child—The KM Music Conservatory, is in a quiet tucked-away dead end of a Chennai street, where pianos vie with tablas, harpsichords sit next to veenas and musical interludes fuse creating oneness of West and East.

music matters

Meet India's own musical genius who bagged Oscars, Grammys and with these, international acclaim for Slumdog Millionnaire’s Jai Ho. His dream child—the KM Music Conservatory, is in a quiet tucked-away dead end of a Chennai street, where pianos vie with tablas, harpsichords sit next to veenas and musical interludes fuse creating oneness of the West and East.

KMMC marks the beginning of a new phase in the nation’s educational system. A.R. Rahman established an institution whose goal is to promote the growth of Western music and music technology right here in Chennai. It’s the first of its kind—in India and in the whole of Southeast Asia. Having a degree programme in affiliation with Middlesex University in London gives students an overseas study opportunity during which they can partake of the best of Western education in music. Rahman’s spirit of enquiry and his belief in the significance of music technology keep in view larger intellectual forces that transform the entire world. He reflects, “The search is more important than the destination.’’ The curriculum at KMMC is planned to make each moment a memorable experience. Rahman feels that learning today must have meaning for the young people tomorrow. KMMC resonates with Western notes here and the Sufi qalams there, under the expert eyes of Fathima Rafiq, Rahman’s sister, who is the Resident Director of the conservatory. Pastiche and musicianship are taught in tandem with sequencing and programming. Rahman believes that the emergence of a formal, professional course in music makes a difference in the long run and strengthens musical traditions.

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Rahman muses, “Music is a gift from God; every note should be blessed. Otherwise, music becomes noise.

Before composing, I pray and beg God to give me something. I believe every song should have pure soul in it to reach people.”

Under the outreach programme at KMMC, training in strings is provided to underprivileged children. It is in keeping with Rahman’s vision. In his own words, “Providing education to underprivileged children and equipping them with knowledge is a step towards eradicating poverty”.

Modern communication methods have an impact on young people everywhere. Thus, Rahman is committed to making a symphony orchestra at KMMC with his own musicians. He believes that “music is a universal language that binds people irrespective of their nationality, religion or economic status”.

Rahman has sown a seed that is KMMC; and it now is bearing fruit. It is, in short, the commonality of the uncommon. With the currency of ideas and musical phrases, it is leaving its stamp on the musical world. As Rahman says, “Be the voice, not the echo."

Office

Yoga

Words of Five Essentials Tips for

Breathing and Stretching

1. Most important: When stretching, do not hold your breath. Breathe deeply and slowly, in rhythm with your moments.

2. While stretching, focus on relaxing your entire body. Pay attention to the areas that remain tense.

3. If you want to go deeper into a stretch, breathe and relax into it. Don't force it.

4. If a stretch hurts, don't do it. In other words: "If pain, no gain."

5. In a hurry? Do one or two stretches fully rather than through many.

Courtesy: Darrin Zeer “America’s relaxation expert!”

–CNN www.HappyYoga.ME

wisdom

Vinod and Dolly Dham stand behind the Anantapadmanabha Swami pose of the Monhiniyattam dancer in white representing Vishnu lying on a serpant, the Kuchipudi dancer in green representing Lakshmi at his feet and the Bharatanatyam dancer in representing Brahma emerging from Vishnu's navel.

The India Immersion Centre at Global Adjustments hosted the father of the Pentium chip, Vinod Dham, and presented its signature programme Taste of India. Mr Dham left a message behind.

"I am very impressed by the important work Global Adjustments is doing for easing expats’ moves to India. I was fortunate to have serendipitously run into Global Adjustments. My encounter has left an indelible impression of the creative approach the founder Mrs. Ranjini Manian and her team have adopted towards this important endeavour.

Even for some one like me, who was born and brought up in India and has returned here dozens of times - it is an overwhelming experience every time. I am always awestruck by the diversity of our cultures, languages, customs and religions. I can only imagine the challenges expats face in dealing with this diversity, especially when they relocate here to become part of a global community.

Thanks again for hosting us, your warm hospitality and amazing grace was wonderful as was the beautiful dance!"

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Myth & Mythology

D e v d u t t Pat ta n a i k

Passport

Caste 62

culturama | December 2011

In a new series starting this month, mythology expert, author of several books and columnist Devdutt Pattanaik talks to Ranjini Manian about common Indian myths and some uncommon mythological tales‌ RM: Devdutt, most people ask us "so do you still practice caste?" the moment they hear we are Hindu. What's your take on this?

DP: Unfortunately, the moment the word caste is used, its politics surfaces with such lethal force, that all discussion on this topic becomes tempered with so much political correctness that it ends up being everything but scientific.

It is the easiest way to make Hindus defensive about their religion. It is like equating Islam only with jihad and the Catholic faith only with patriarchal priests, Europe only with Imperialism and America only with materialism.

To understand the caste system, one must begin with the human desire to dominate. In Nature, animals create pecking orders so that the dominant animal gets more access to food and exclusive access to mates. This is Nature’s way of ensuring the survival of the best of genes. Genetically speaking, humans are 96–99% animals and so this desire to dominate, and be territorial, has not gone away. It is still there.

If anything, it has amplified because of imagination.

Culture was created to break free from the law of the jungle. Animals have to search for food and shun predators every minute of their lives. Humans created society so that with enough food and adequate protection, humans can Richard Buttrey, UK

pursue activities that validate their humanity. Unfortunately, culture ended up creating structures that ended up celebrating the animal desire within us to dominate and be territorial.

That is why, in every society, we still have hierarchies, based on various parameters, even though human imagination allows us to create a world without pecking orders.

Every animal is different. This difference grants it a place in the food chain. Thus, the capabilities and capacities of an animal cannot be separated from its place in the hierarchy. The strong animal, willynilly, will dominate. Among humans, the strong can celebrate his strength by choosing not to dominate. This idea is expressed in the idea of Hanuman, the Hindu monkey-god, who is animal and exceptionally strong, but functions with such humility and gentleness that it makes him worthy of veneration.

Every human being can be distinguished on the basis of various criteria. Natural criteria such as height, weight, colour, race, ethnicity, looks, lineage, intelligence and skills and social criteria such as politics, economics, geography and history. Any one of these can be used to dominate, or not dominate, other human beings.

Each one of these has been used to dominate, and not dominate. There is not a single society where hierarchy and domination do not exist. Everybody imagines a world without it, aspires for it, but ends up creating it.

The American Declaration of Independence speaks of equality. The men who wrote it were white, patriarchal, Protestant, owned slaves, owned land obtained by wiping out Native Americans.

After two centuries, America remains a hierarchical society, hierarchy being determined by wealth, technology and glamour. Every nation state signed the Declaration of Human Rights nearly half a century ago. But even today 80% of the world’s resources is enjoyed by 20% of the world’s population, and ironically people belonging to the 20% point fingers at those in the 80% for human rights abuses!

The caste system took hierarchy and inequality to unbelievable heights.

People have tried to explain this castebased hierarchy on the basis of race, ethnicity, colour, race, economics and politics and have failed. The Vedic hymns acknowledge the existence of varnas, divisions of human society based on certain criteria. References to rights and responsibilities of each varna is found in almost every Hindu scripture. On

religious grounds, Brahmins dominated society. On political grounds, Kshatriyas dominated society. On economic grounds, Vaishyas dominated society.

The rest served these three groups. The idea seems to have been to create a society based on division of capabilities where there were no single criteria of domination.

However, what we call caste system today is based not on varna, but on jati, professions. Scholars are divided if varna thoughts inspired the jati system.

One will never know for sure, but the idea of human diversity and hierarchy is rooted in hymns that speak of varna.

The method by which the jati system was adopted was deceptively simple: no sharing of women and food with members of other castes.

British interpreters of the caste system made it sound rather rigid, more for administrative convenience, than to reflect reality, while Indian academicians have noted the fluid nature of jati. A term called ‘Sanskritization’ came into being to show how castes moved up the social ladder as they acquired economic and political clout.

More than the unequal division of resources that this system perpetrated, it is the impact it had on human dignity that was worse. For the system dehumanszed a vast section of people called variously in various periods of Indian history as Shudras, Chandalas, Harijans and Dalits. They were denied water. They were not touched. Their shadows and footprints were avoided.

They were regarded as impure. By contrast, members of the Brahmin jatis were revered as deities. Somewhere along the line, Hinduism celebrated the Vedic notion of hierarchy indicated by and forgot the Vedic notion of equality indicated by the atma or soul concept, or the impact of karma if humans were treated so inhumanely!

One hoped that democracy would slowly wipe out the caste system that plagues not just Hindus but also Muslims and Christians. But it has not.

Vote-bank politics has reinforced it.

Positive discrimination has led to social divides. In academic circles, in India and abroad, one hears of language conferences where Brahmins are not invited, as neo-jati systems are on the rise, purportedly to overturn centuries of injustice. Newspaper reports still speak of how Dalits remain marginalised, raped, denied resources and repeatedly stripped of dignity.

The error that is made by modern political systems is the assumption that laws can change humanity. Laws can

Illustration: Devdutt Pattanaik

domesticate humans, force humans to tolerate other humans, but do not change humanity. If anything, they breed resentment, and increasingly innovative means of perpetrating hierarchies.

The caste system in India is like the passport system of the world.

Passports give us two things: an identity and an access to certain rights and resources. Everyone knows the power an American passport yields.

Everyone knows how difficult it is for a person with an Israeli passport to travel to certain parts of the world. In airports, different people with different passports are treated differently: some are allowed to roam freely, others are strip-searched. Passports determine what education we have access to, where we can work, where we can earn, where we can stay and where we can buy property. Changing passports is not easy. It is a complex process and one can spend a lifetime waiting for it.

We all want to create a perfect world where everyone is treated with equal dignity, but no one is willing to burn the passports. So it is with the caste system.

No one likes its dark side, its denial of dignity and resources. And yet, as a source of identity, it plays an important functional role in society. So caste still thrives in India but now everyone uses the globally permitted and politically correct term: community!

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India and I

B o g u s i a S i p i o ra

the holy Ganges Rishikesh is all about the Ganges or Ganga, the river goddess who is believed to have descended on Earth from the heavens, in the process turning the entire planet into a pious and fertile space. She is also believed to wash out all the sins of humans. The Ganges was so forceful when she first descended on Earth that Lord Shiva, legend has it, trapped her between the locks of his hair, and what we see now is only what little comes down to the Earth through this!

Rishikesh, literally meaning ‘the place of sages', is a celebrated place and home to rishis, yogis and all those looking for enlightenment. It is also home to places of mythological significance – where it is believed that Lord Vishnu crushed the demon Madhu and where Lord Shiva drank the poison that came out during the churning of the ocean.

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Rishikesh is all about the Ganges, spirituality and finding inner peace...

Every day, thousands of people from across the world come to Rishikesh to take a holy dip in the Ganges. For many of them it is a pilgrimage – one that must be taken at least once in their lifetime.

It is believed that any water that mixes with even the smallest amount of water from the Ganges becomes holy, with healing powers.

Rishikesh is also known for its temples, yoga and meditation. The entire town is considered sacred and it is believed that meditating in this place leads to salvation or moksha.

The Beatles visited one of the ashrams in 1968 and took part in meditation classes there. Since then, the Western world has continued to be charmed by this town.

Evenings in Rishikesh are for sitting by the Ganges and whiling away the time. There are white sand beaches, where people try to find a quiet spot and just be. But what a challenge that is! Even as you think you have found one, out of nowhere come the people selling diyas for the arti, chasing you and trying to hike the price of the product. Arti is a ritual in which the Ganges is worshipped with singing of bhajans (holy songs) and lighting of diyas or earthen lamps. In Rishikesh, the Ganga arti is a daily evening affair

and is not to be missed. Devotees join in the singing of bhajans, led by the monks and young students of nearby Sanskrit schools.

Rishikesh attracts people from all over the world, who come here and often end up staying back. You will also see foreigners, clad in simple Indian clothes, who are not interested in sightseeing but rather in practising yoga and meditation. Rishikesh takes on everyone and lets them feel at home.

There are two famous bridges in Rishikesh that span the Ganges: Ram Jhula and Lakshman Jhula. Jhula in Hindi means ‘swing’ and, indeed, these are suspended bridges. It is believed that on the spot where the Lakshman Jhula is, Lord Rama's brother, Lakshman, crossed the river on a jute rope. Ram Jhula connects the town to Gita Bhawan, a well-known ashram where the famous Indian epic Ramayana and Mahabharta are described on the walls. The evening prayer, arti, takes place at the ashram’s ghat (bank of the river).

The crowd crossing the bridges is a mixture of people, cows, bicycles and motorbikes, rikshaws and porters. This is the traffic of Rishikesh flowing through the swinging, narrow ‘road’. I was stuck in the traffic jam once there and the only thing I could do was admire the view of snow-capped hills, as I swung by reality!

The writer is Polish and lives in Delhi

culturama | december 2011

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i read

Book Krishna’s Other Song

Film Morning Raga

Author Steven J. Rosen

Director Mahesh Dattani

Price ` 295

Language English, Telugu

Of all of Eastern philosophies that have found patronage in the West, it is Bhagvad Gita that perhaps, has stuck to its space of prominence over centuries.

Steven J. Rosen’s new book, aptly titled Krishna’s Other Song, sheds light on Uddhava Gita, for the Western world, and to a large extent to anyone looking for the essence of the song’s philosophy in the English language.

Structuredimpeccably, thebookdetailsLordKrishna’s instructions to Uddhava. Every verse, translated in English, forms the crux of the various chapters followed by an extensive commentary explaining the context of each verse. Besides an introduction to the basic tenets of Vaishnavism that the book deals with, the book also explains who Uddhava is. It also comes with a bold declaration that this edition is not meant to be a translation of the Sanskrit version. The book, instead, focuses on interpreting the text through the eyes of Vaishnavite sages and philosophers through the ages.

The book also gains a stamp of importance as it sets the philosophy in context and how it affects us in the 21st century. Rosen has also written several volumes on the Bhagavad Gita. In this book, that is neatly divided into 23 chapters, Steven J. Rosen also explains that the Uddhava Gita originally occupies Chapters 7 to 29 of the Bhagavata Purana’s Eleventh Book but in his book, the seventh chapter is called Chapter One and the following chapters proceed from there.

The book ends with a commentary that encapsulates the essence of the five items that are ‘only briefly explored in its cousin-text, the Bhagavad Gita.’ These are the Supreme Lords, Living Entities, Material Nature, Time and Activities. The book also touches upon the fact that the Lord, both while reciting Bhagavd Gita and Uddhava Gita, seems to have been in a sense of urgency. With the former, he was to reveal the truth about the Universe as Arjuna, the great archer, prepared for battle. With the latter, he was preparing to leave the planet!

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culturama | December 2011

Set in the beautiful West Godavari village, Kulla, Morning Raga is a unique bilingual film that deals with the confluence of the old and the new!

Swarnalata (Shabana Azmi) is an exceptionally talented Carnatic singer who puts her talent to rest following a personal tragedy – the loss of her son.

For decades, Swarnalata confines herself to her mansion in Andhra Pradesh, seldom meeting with anyone new nor wanting to interact with people.

Soon, her son’s friend Abhinay (Prakash Kovelamudi) arrives at the village with his girlfriend Pinky (Perizad Zorabian) opening up past memories.

Abhinay and Pinky are both musicians with a penchant for the contemporary. The former, who is aware of Swarnalata’s talent for singing, wants her to lend her voice for a fusion performance with his band.

After a lot of hesitation, Swarnalata comes on board.

Over the course of their jamming sessions, the trio comes together to forma charming friendship and the music and the company helps all of them deal with the complexities of their past and move on.

The film also stars Lillete Dubey in a comic role and the cinematography by Rajivmenon captures the glorious rural West Godavari landscape and the bungalow in which the film is set. The film was wellreceived for its attempt at being a true bilingual film.

And the lead actor, Shabana Azmi, talking recently at an event said, of the film, “People always ask me how does this lady in a village in Andhra speak English? To which I tell them, the language of the film is English that's all – the way Shakespeare wrote of Roman emperors conversing in English!”

iseries

i like

My Top 10 Indian Journeys “The journey is the reward” – Taoist saying This isn’t always the case in India. Despite massive investment in infrastructure projects, roads can be clogged with traffic, with straying cows (and pedestrians) and reckless truck drivers creating tension on even the shortest of drives: pleasure in the journey itself could be hard to discern. Yet whilst some of the most memorable destinations we visited in India were reached by way of journeys best forgotten, we derived great satisfaction from the travelling to and from others. These are my top ten ‘journeys’ in India The journey I look back on with greatest pleasure is a five-day road tour we made driving north through Madhya Pradesh, starting at the ancient temple town of Khajuraho, then to the deserted medieval monuments of Orchha, the former capital of the Bundela rajas, on past Datia, with its fine Rajput palace, to the fort at Gwalior and ending at Agra. It was May, and so the rocky terrain and scrub-covered hills through which we journeyed were unbelievably hot and dusty, but it was a journey of incredible atmosphere with architectural gems at every stopping point.

The flight from Delhi to Shimla is quite short, but memorable for the small twin-turboprop aircraft used on this route and for the landing strip: an extremely short runway that was once mountain top, now sliced off and planed level, the sloping sides of which are still partly forested.

We caught of glimpse of this side-on as we circled, and as we approached, treetops whizzing by, we held our breath!

Two journeys by car into the mountains of north and south India stand out. The first from Bagdogra, in that squeezed part of West Bengal that runs between Nepal and Bangladesh, is a three-hour climb through Siliguri to Darjeeling.

Here the Himalayas soar from the flat plains towards Nepal, and the drive provides magnificent mountain panoramas as the air thins and freshens.

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The second such journey is from Coimbatore in the far west of Tamil Nadu, and took us 90 km up into the Western Ghats to Ooty, the “Queen of the Hill Stations”. The town is situated high on the north-south ridge of these volcanic mountains, which rise to a height of 2,500 m and are India’s second highest mountain chain. Much excitement was experienced on this route in the form of crumbling ledges and over-laden fruit and vegetable trucks hurtling down the mountain to market.

Journeys by train are a must in India, and a regular one we took was the Shatabdi Express, the super-fast passenger train from Chennai to Bangalore. Crack-of-dawn starts were made bearable by a curry breakfast served at the seat airline style, with toast, jam and milky sweet tea.

Another car journey of note was along the N68 from the pilgrimage centre of Rishikesh, 200 km north-east of Delhi, in the direction of Badrinath. The N68 hugs the aquamarine waters of the River Ganges, following every twist and curve and following it upstream into the wooded mountains of Uttaranchal.

Rock falls into the road are a daily problem and teams of men with bulldozers were on permanent standby: we watched with other onlookers as a massive boulder was cleared from our path and tossed down into the river valley.

In complete contrast was the short hop from my apartment in Vasant Vihar, Delhi, to the local Basant Lok shopping centre by rickshaw. This journey, two minutes long and for which I was always charged five times the going rate to the outrage of my maid, was nothing special – but I always experienced a kind of reckless freedom during those few moments of scootering along, a fraction of the size and weight of everything else around me on the road.

My father and I remember with great nostalgia a journey by Ambassador taxi from Agra to Delhi, at the end of a day’s sightseeing.

It was late afternoon with the sun setting as it does in India in shades of pearly pink. Our top speed was a stately 35 mph, and our daydreaming was interrupted by the sight of a procession of pilgrims with several mattresses between them. Each took it in turn to lay down head to foot in succession in fulfilment, I now understand, of a vow to cover the distance with their bodies laid flat.

Back to the Western Ghats, and there we took the narrow-gauge Nilgiri Blue Mountain Railway from Mettupalayam down the mountain to Coonoor, a journey of about one hour. The line was built at the end of the 19th century and the tiny locomotives, capable of climbing very steep gradients, pass through tunnels and over bridges and viaducts, pretty much at walking pace, with teenage boys daring each other to hang off the carriages.

The last journey was the funniest. We were staying at Kovalam in Kerala, and promised our visitor a trip on the narrow canals that penetrate the dense vegetation of the backwaters. We anticipated a traditional kettu vallam boat, with thatched roof and viewing platform, but ended up in an enterprising fisherman’s canoe, precariously balanced on three plastic chairs whisked from his hut, with a black umbrella for shade. Once we’d stopped giggling, we settled back to enjoy our customised yet timeless journey along the palm-fringed shores of the canals.

culturama | december 2011

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i ask Ran Levi, israel

People Power How does a country as large as India make democracy work?

India is the world’s largest democracy and a functional one at that and a beacon of hope and example for the rest of the South Asian countries, showing that no matter what the cultural, linguistic differences it is possible to unite people with democracy. In India, people vote for the leaders for their respective states and for the central government thus making it possible for them to have a say about which party, ideologies and mandate rule the nation. India is a multiparty democracy.

How do parties arrive at symbols, especially considering there are so many in India?

The Election Commission of India which oversees the electoral process in India has set aside certain criteria such as the length of political activity and success in elections. These allow parties to enjoy certain privileges such as the allocation of the party symbol. National parties are given a symbol that is for their

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use only, throughout the country. State parties have the sole use of a symbol in the state in which they are recognised as such Registered-unrecognised parties can choose a symbol from a selection of ‘free’ symbols.

What are the biggest parties of India?

Some of the big parties of India at the national level are the Congress, BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and CPI (Communist Party of India).

What is the difference between state elections and central elections?

State level elections are held for the formation of local state governments.

Central elections are for the overall national government formation. State governments have jurisdiction and majority within their own states and work in tandem with the government at the Centre to acquire funding and development projects for their respective regions. This allows for a decentralised and more efficient governance.

Beautiful India

Dozens of expats who contributed over 350 images walked away with prizes to exotic destinations in India to click more images of beautiful India.

We thank the participants, dancers - who were from seven nationalities but were authentic ‘Chammak Challos’ (shining ladies) from the Ra.One song they performed, and the young and upcoming musicians who crooned for us. 300 guests + stunning Hilton ambience + the largest brunch in the city = Unforgettable India experience.

For more photos for the event log on to wwwfacebook.com/gaculture

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Reader Feedback "I am in the process of reading Upworldly Mobile. Captivating!"

– SV Nathan, Deloitte

"Thank you for this handbook which should enable all professionals to develop a High Cultural Quotient" – Geetha Chandra, Royal Bank of Scotland

"The book presents invaluable advice, in a form to provoke thinking, to accept reality and to help one succeed, if he is serious."

— KR Ganapathy, Former leader Murugappa Group

upworldly

Mobile Behaviour and Business Skills for the New Indian Manager

By Ranjini Manian THE BOOK What should you wear when your American colleague invites you to an informal dinner? What is the correct way to address a business associate you are meeting for the first time? When should you shake hands, and when is the right time to bow or do namaste? How can you manage as an Indian abroad when you are faced with unfamiliar food? What clicks with a German client, and how do you win over a Japanese partner? If you get an important business call in the middle of an equally important meeting, should you take it? Is it possible to be succinct in an email without being curt?

With real-life examples from world leaders that inspire emulation and featuring an easy ‘pick-a-page’ format, Upworldly Mobile is the ideal companion for Indian managers dealing with expatriate colleagues and global workplaces. It is equally useful for foreign managers looking to decode Indian work practices.

Drawing on the author's business interactions with C-level executives of thousands of multinationals across seventy-six nationalities, this book aims to help develop a culturally sensitive outlook that will cement relationships with international counterparts most effectively. Upworldly Mobile tells you everything they don’t teach at business schools - how to hold your own in the global work environment today.

Foreword by – Shashi Tharoor

‘An extraordinarily practical manual for succeeding in the new flat world’ – Ravi Venkatesan. Former chairman, Microsoft India

` 250/-

THE AUTHOR Ranjini Manian is founder – CEO of Global Adjustments, India’s premier relocation, realty and cross-cultural services company. She has had clients from 75 nationalities over 16 years and has lived, worked and travelled in dozens of countries.

Upworldly Mobile is a great instrument to help you become a global Indian.’

— N.R. Narayana Murthy

Find Upworldly Mobile - Behaviour and Business Skills for the New Indian Manager at leading bookstores across India or log on to www.penguinbooksindia.com ISBN 978-0-143-06803-7

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