Culturama March 2016

culturama POWERED BY GLOBAL ADJUSTMENTS

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Success in Sight Global Adjustments Foundation celebrates International Women’s Day by empowering 55 young women

March 2016 Volume 7, Issue 01

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Colours of Paradise Get drenched in the colours of Holi – a festival that celebrates the arrival of spring

Rs 40

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Dear Readers, On March 8, we mark the 105th anniversary of International Women’s Day. Four days earlier (on March 4), we mark the founding of Global Adjustments.

When I started the company 21 years ago, I decided to hire only women as I felt they didn't have enough opportunities to shine. In later years, I realised that we were gender-skewed – so we are now a healthy mix of both genders, leveraging the strengths of men and women in the company.

However, there is still a need for women to break the glass ceiling, and that is only possible when we push ourselves to give the next generation of girls the opportunities to learn new skills. It was with this idea in mind that we kick-started the ‘Aspiration to Achievement’ workshop – a five-day, free programme organised by the Global Adjustments Foundation (formerly known as India Immersion Centre) to prepare college students for the workplace. The girls you see on the cover were all participants in the workshop. We designed our programme around a range of holistic yet practical life skills – from goal setting to CV writing tips, meditation to grooming and fitness to self-confidence. We soon realised that what they ‘learnt’ went far beyond the classroom sessions, and would impact their families as well.

For example, young Meera came up to me after our session on meditation, where I had done a reading on letting go of the past, and asked, ‘Ma’am, how can I forget my elder sister who hanged herself in our thatched home because a boy had let her down? His image keeps haunting me and I feel resentful.’ Alagu said she had been hired by software giant Infosys after a campus interview, but that her father had died of alcoholism just before that. How was she going to manage her mother at home and work as well? Kirthi said she did not want to get married as her parents were fighting all the time.

We answered their questions, and provided them with guidance and directions. Their problems were real, often painful, but their determination to overcome the problems and make their lives a platform for empowerment and success was inspiring. Read more about the programme on Page 12, and visit http://tinyurl.com/h9hgenl to see a video that we have put together of the week-long workshop. We are delighted to have made a small beginning with 55 lives – and we dedicate this issue of Culturama to their spirit and success.

Ranjini Manian Editor-in-Chief globalindian@globaladjustments.com

Editor-in-Chief Ranjini Manian Managing Editor Yamini Vasudevan Senior Editor Lakshmi Krupa Business Head Archana Iyengar Creative Head Prem Kumar VP Finance V Ramkumar Circulation S Raghu Advertising Chennai Archana Iyengar Bengaluru Meera Roy Delhi/NCR Neha Verma Mumbai/Pune Arjun Bhat To subscribe to this magazine, e-mail circulation@globaladjustments.com or access it online at www.culturama.in Chennai (Headquarters) 5, 3rd Main Road, R A Puram, Chennai – 600028 Telefax +91-44-24617902 E-mail culturama@globaladjustments.com Bengaluru No.: A2, SPL Habitat, No.138, Gangadhar Chetty Road, Ulsoor, Bengaluru – 560043.

Tel +91-80-41267152, E-mail culturamablr@globaladjustments.com Delhi-NCR Level 4, Augusta Point, Golf Course Road, Sector 53, Gurgaon 122002, Haryana Mobile +91 124 435 4224 E-mail del@globaladjustments.com Mumbai #1102, 11th floor, Peninsula Business Park, Tower B, SB Road, Lower Parel, Mumbai – 400013 Tel +91-22-66879366 E-mail mum@globaladjustments.com 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

Culturama is delighted to welcome on board Annelize Booysen as our Advisory Board member. Annelize, a multitalented global citizen, contributed to the magazine earlier by researching, writing and submitting photos.

#5, Balaji Nagar, 1st Street, Ekkattuthangal, Chennai – 600032 Editor-in-Chief Ranjini Manian Disclaimer Views and opinions expressed by writers do not necessarily reflect the publisher’s or the magazine’s.

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Cover Image

The cover image for this month, shot by Prem Kumar, shows the participants who attended the five-day ‘Aspiration to Achievement’ workshop organised by Global Adjustments Foundation.

Letters to the editor

Advisory Board Members

Dear Editor,

N. Ram is an award-winning journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu. He is Director of Kasturi & Sons Limited, publishers of The Hindu.

Suzanne McNeill lived in India for seven years before returning to Scotland. She is a freelance writer and graphic designer.

Marina Marangos is a lawyer, and enjoys travel and writing. She lived in India for four years before moving to Australia. www.mezzemoments. blogspot.com G. Venket Ram is an acclaimed photographer and the creative mind behind many a Culturama issue. www.gvenketram.com Annelize Booysen is a business consultant and social entrepreneur. She lived in Asia for more than a decade, which included three years in India.

She is currently based in the United States.

Contributors Susan Philip is a freelance writer based in Chennai, and the editorial coordinator of Culturama’s various coffee table books.

Eknath Easwaran (1910–1999) was a spiritual teacher, author and interpreter of Indian literature. In 1961, he founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation and Nilgiri Press in California.

Preeti Verma Lal is a New Delhi-based freelance writer/photographer. If God had asked her what she wanted to be, she’d tell Him to turn her into a farmer who also writes lyrically; her fingers stained with wet clay and deep blue ink. Visit www.deepblueink.com Devdutt Pattanaik is the Chief Belief Officer of the Future Group and a writer and illustrator of several books on Indian mythology. www.devdutt.com Hema Narayanan is a photojournalist, writer and an avid traveller from Bengaluru. www.hemanarayanan.com

My mother brings home Culturama every month. I read the February 2016 issue – my first look through the magazine. I read ‘India Now’ and learnt about Azim Premji (the most generous Indian) and Bajirao Mastani winning several Filmfare Awards. I enjoyed reading the magazine.

Advaith Arvind (nine-and-a-half years old), Chennai

Dear Editor,

Congratulations to Global Adjustments on completing 21 years. I have been following Culturama for a long time. Please do continue promoting the ethos and cultural values of Indian society to all. Ours is a culture of peace, equality and harmony.

Parasuram Krishnan, Mumbai

Dear Editor,

I was thrilled to read about your upcoming Aikya concert featuring vidwans Abhishek Raghuram and Sanjeev Abhyankar. I am eagerly awaiting the concert!

Visalam Premnath, Chennai

Dear Editor,

The piece titled ‘Of Stone and Water’ in the February 2016 edition of Culturama was insightful. My congratulations and thanks to author Suzanne McNeill for the same.

Prashanth Thomas, Bengaluru

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

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Contents 24

Ten for the Road

Trivia about an Indian state – featuring Sikkim this month.

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India Now

A recap of the events and people that made news in the last month.

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Look Who’s In Town

Expats in India share their views about life in India.

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28 Feature In line with Maha Shivaratri, we explore the many forms of Shiva, one of the main Gods of Hinduism.

India’s Culture 08

Short Message Service

Short, engaging snippets of Indian culture.

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In Focus

Indian fashion designers are creating a new blend of traditional textiles, weaving techniques and contemporary elements.

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Calendar of Events

See what’s going on in the main cities and suburbs.

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India Diaries

Author Brigid Keenan, who was at the Jaipur Literary Festival 2016, talks about her ‘India connection’.

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Picture Story

Festival of the Month

Spring brings with it a plethora of reasons to celebrate – we have given a festivals drawn from most major religions of India.

Journeys Into India 40

Seeing India

Visit Kumbalangi, a serene fishing hamlet facing the Kochi backwaters, which is India’s first designated ecotourism village.

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Holistic Living

We draw on the metaphor of the lotus to remind ourselves that we have the latent capacity to grow towards heaven.

Regulars 12

At Global Adjustments

Are you ready to be dunked in colour? You better be, for Holi is round the corner!

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Myth and Mythology

Maha Shivaratri is a time to contemplate on the dualities of life – mortal desires and immortal bliss, material needs and spiritual demands.

Relocations and Property 76

Space and the City

Property listings in Chennai.

Fifty-five girls take the first step towards success.

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India Writes

Featuring the best from India’s world of literature.

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Ladies Special

We give you a list of eight things you can see, do and read on International Women’s Day on (March 8).

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by Suzanne McNeill Short cultural snippets for an easily digestible India

Art/Textile/Craft Thanjavur Veena

Photo: Meredith Chipperton, Australia

One of India’s most ancient and revered string instruments, the Thanjavur veena is vital to South India’s tradition of Carnatic music. It is also known as the Saraswati veena due to its association with the Hindu goddess, who is often depicted playing one. Families in the city of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu have been hand-crafting veenas for generations. It takes about 25 days to carve and decorate one instrument. About four feet in length, the body is hollowed out from jackfruit wood, and the tapering neck has 24 brass frets. The tuning box at the end culminates in a downward curve with an ornamental head. Sometimes a resonator is attached to the top of the neck, which also helps support the instrument. The Thanjavur veena is the first musical instrument to be awarded a Geographical Indication tag – a recognition of origin and authenticity.

Food and Drink Feni Feni is a traditional aromatic liquor produced exclusively in Goa. There are two types, one made from, the fermented juice of cashew apples and the other from coconut sap. Double, sometimes triple-distilled, feni has a high alcohol content of around 42 percent, and froths slightly when poured (the name is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit word phena, meaning ‘foam’). You’ll need to visit Goa to sample feni – it is classified as a ‘country liquor’, which means it may not be sold outside the state. Locals buy feni directly from distillers and drink it with ice or mixed with juice or lemonade, though connoisseurs demand it is drunk neat, in shots. Saúde!

Interpretations These stunning orange, scarlet and pink flowers, called naagalingam, are associated with the worship of Lord Shiva.

Spongy and soft to the touch, the flowers blossom on the trunk (not the branches) of the cannonball tree, which is native to South America but has been cultivated in southern India for 3,000 years. The tree is revered because the petals resemble the hood of the naga, the sacred snake, and protect the flower’s stigma, which represents the Shiva lingam – the smooth, cylindrical mass that is worshipped across India as an abstract representation of the deity and a symbol of divine energy.

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Prager Photo: Dave

Word of the Month Jugaad

Name to Know Raghuram Rajan

A jugaad is a colloquial Hindi and Punjabi word for a makeshift vehicle common across northern India that is part-tractor, part-truck, part-jeep, and sometimes partmotorbike. Cobbled together from discarded parts, a jugaad is used for carrying people, livestock and agricultural produce, and keeps rural India on the move in a very economical way. In everyday conversation, jugaad has come to mean an innovative fix or a simple ‘make-do’. Jugaad is used to describe a resourceful, often improvised solution to a problem, solving difficulties in a hurry or on the move. The word has become slang for ingenious ways to play the system, such as the ‘missed call’ on a mobile phone that communicates someone is ready to be picked up by their driver. A jugaad solution bends the rules, and describes someone who can solve a complicated issue: it is applied to both political fixers and street mechanics. Jugaad is now used as a management technique to generate ‘breakthrough’ growth in corporate America. If you are told, ‘Sab jugaad hai, kuch kaam ka nahin’, beware – it means, ‘He is all quick fix jugaad, no real substance!’ But if your colleague is described thus: ‘Jugaad karke problem solve kardega’, it means, ‘He will solve problems by hook or crook jugaad!’

Raghuram Rajan is an economic leader and academic and has been Governor of the Reserve Bank of India since 2013. Rajan was also the youngest person and the first non-Westerner to be appointed Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund. Rajan was born in 1963 in Bhopal. He took degrees in engineering and management, but his intellectual hero had long been the economist John Maynard Keynes, and he switched to economics in his mid-20s. He is a professor of finance at the University of Chicago and was economic adviser to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Rajan is considered an academic superstar with several highly regarded books and papers to his name. In 2005, he argued with prescience that financial sector managers were taking excessive risks, and that disaster could loom for the world’s economies – essentially what happened with the financial crisis two years later. Since 2013, his economic competence, operational skills and calm public persona have revived confidence in India’s economy. He has targeted bad loans and indebtedness, and is an advocate of greater co-ordination between developed and developing economies as a way to establish stable global financial systems.

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t h g i S n i s s e c c u S

stments At Global Adju ma ura

by Team Cult

From January 26 to 30, the Global Adjustments Foundation (formerly known as India Immersion Centre or IIC), the NGO wing of Global Adjustments Services Private Limited, conducted a free, five-day workshop for 55 college girls from less privileged economic backgrounds. Titled ‘Aspiration to Achievement (A2A)’, the workshop aimed at equipping the girls with essential and practical skills for success.

The programme was inaugurated on January 26 by Murugavel Janakiraman, Founder and CEO, Matrimony.com Ltd, danceuse and Padma Bhushan awardee Alarmel Valli and Swami Chidananda of FOWAI Forum. The sessions were conducted by industry experts, including Suhasini Maniratnam (actor), Dr. Nirmala Prasad (former Principal of MOP Vaishnav College), Mita Banker (CEO, Studio Profile) and Ranjini Manian (Founder and CEO, Global Adjustments).

The Global Adjustments Foundation recently held a five-day free workshop for 55 college girls from less privileged economic backgrounds – the aim of the workshop was to equip them with the right tools that could spur them to successful careers

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Clockwise from top right: Murugavel Janakiraman, Swami Chidananda and Alarmel Valli inaugurate the 'Aspiration to Achievement' workshop on Republic Day; Mita Banker speaks on the importance of grooming; Suhasini Maniratnam encourages the girls to speak freely in English; Ranjini Manian reads out a passage on meditation. PhotoS: Madhumitha and Prem Kumar

Over five days, the girls attended seminar-style sessions on a wide range of topics – including goal setting, time management, stress relief via meditation, physical fitness and diet, meeting workplace expectations, self-defence and handling sexual harassment, and effective CV writing.

Award-winning actor Suhasini Maniratnam talked about the need for self-confidence when attempting to master communication skills, especially in English. She related to the girls that she had barely known four sentences in English when she was 16 years old; in 1986, when she was 24, she received a National Film Award and was able to give a Doordarshan a full interview in English. She encouraged the girls to play word games to improve their vocabulary and to interact freely in English.

Mita Banker, co-owner of Studio Profile, conducted an interactive session on effective grooming tips, keeping in view the need to present a professional image at the workplace. The live demonstrations involving basic make-up and hairstyles, for which a few participants readily volunteered, was helpful in showing the girls just how easy it was to appear well turned out. “I loved being a part of the workshop, and was happy to motivate these young girls. I hope they learn well, and are successful in all they do,” said Ms. Banker.

In her session on goal setting, Anita Krishnaswamy, President of Global Adjustments, touched on the need to understand priorities, so that we can set goals that are fulfilling yet practical. Ranjini Manian, Founder-CEO of

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Rohini Manian (centre) leads a session on self-defence techniques with national gold medallist Master Kebiraj (centre, in the back), a mixed martial arts expert.

Global Adjustments, talked about the need to be true to one’s own culture while embracing international influences. A couple of role plays, enacted by Global Adjustments staff, added a touch of humour to the workshops. “This is the first of A2A workshops, and we hope to hold many more in future so as to reach out to, and empower, young Indians,” said Usha Ramakrishnan, Programme Director – Global Adjustments Foundation.

On the last day, the girls made speeches on their transformation, picking an area they had started to effect change in over the week-long learning, and the resolutions they had made for the future. Many of them talked about how they had been shown a whole new world outside their colleges and homes. Girls who had previously been reluctant to talk in English were now convinced that they could conquer the language with time and effort. Their resolutions ranged from “reading an English newspaper every day” to “joining a good job and helping my family”. Their smiling, confident faces were evidence of the success of the sessions.

Global Adjustments Foundation is a social initiative of Global Adjustments Services Pvt. Ltd. Its programmes are geared towards the youth, women and elderly. For more details, please e-mail Usha Ramakrishnan, Programme Director of Global Adjustments Foundation, at usha@globaladjustments.com

IT Girl-Next-Door Just as we were going to print, one of the girls wrote to us to celebrate the fact that she had received a job offer from TCS, one of India’s top IT companies.

A. Anandapapa, a B.Com student at Chellamal Women’s College, says, “I used to lack confidence in myself. After attending the workshop, the skills I learnt, such as meditation, body language and communication, helped me to feel bold, talk well and land the job.”

Mr. S. Premkumar, Exec Vice-Chairman of HCL Infosystems, and Dr. Kalpana Sankar, Chairperson and Managing Trustee of Hand in Hand at the valedictory function.

What They Said Here are some of the girls’ thoughts on what they liked best about the workshops: “I found the hygiene and goal setting sessions very useful! I also followed Ms. Octoli’s advice on improving my language. Everyday I do English reading and exercises, using at least 120 words. As a result, I have become more fluent in English!”

– G. Swati, Student of BCA, Professor Dhanapal College “I thoroughly enjoyed the session conducted

by Ms. Suhasini Maniratnam on fitness and the one by Ms. Ranjini Manian on meditation. Following their advice I practice meditation and fitness everyday now. Following the sessions I find that my communication skills have improved and I feel much more confident these days!”

– M. Preethi, Student of English literature, Chellamal Women’s College “I loved the sessions on diet and self-defense as well as the one by Ms. Nirmala Prasad on career! My biggest take-away from this, however, has been on meditation. I chant the mantram in the bus, on my way to college!”

– Indhira. D, Student of BCA, MGR Janaki College

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Make It In India We will help you and your company to get the best out of India - start your journey with us today Contact us to discover our services: info@globaladjustments.com

Relocation | Realty | Cross-cultural Training Cultural Publish ing | Not-for-profit programmes

www.globaladjustments.com Delhi / Gurgaon / Noida | Mumbai | Bangalore | Chennai | Pune | Hyderabad | Vizag | Ahmedabad | Vadodara | Coimbatore

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India writes

iREAD

Alphabet Soup for Lovers

by Anita Nair

Reviewed by Lakshmi Krupa There’s something about love, food, and love for food that lends itself to the creation of good literature. In this pithy new novel, Alphabet Soup for Lovers, Anita Nair explores the loves and lives of two women – Komathi and Lena – the men in their lives and the food memories they evoke.

The juxtaposition of each character’s journey in the book, through the alphabet series makes it an engaging affair. Each chapter is titled after a dish and the titles follow the order of A to Z. For instance, the very first chapter is titled ‘Arisi Appalam – A’. Crispy, crunchy rice savouries, make way for ‘Badam – B’ (almonds), and so on.

Komathi, who is one of the narrators of the novel, is learning English. And to understand the curves and the lines of an alien language she uses one that is very familiar to her. Food. For example, the cook uses ‘Daangar Chutney’ for ‘D’ and ‘Zigarthanda’, the famous Madurai drink made of sea algae, for ‘Z’, so as to commit to her memory the alphabet, which her employer Lena Abraham is teaching her.

Komathi has her own demons to slay when it comes to the memories each dish evokes.

As for Lena, she is stepping out of her comfortable (too comfortable for her own good) marriage and making new memories with the dashing Shoola Pani, a star who is in hiding in the beautiful homestay accommodation on a hill run by Lena and her reserved, mild-mannered husband, KK. She finds herself increasingly drawn to this man, and food is the excuse she’s using to further her connection with him.

Nair pushes this novel out of the comfort zone of ‘typical’ romance novels and weaves a dream-like setting where even the most pragmatic of people like Lena learn to embrace the irrational nature of love.

Whether you are looking for a purely romantic escape or a mouthwatering introduction to Indian foods, their history and myths and fiction around them, this is a good pick.

About the author: Anita Nair is the author of novels The Better Man, Ladies Coupé, Mistress, Lessons in Forgetting, Cut Like Wound and Idris. She has also published a collection of poems titled Malabar Mind, a collection of essays titled Goodnight & God Bless and five books for children. Visit www.anitanair.net

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India Impressions

by Team Culturama From cafes run by survivors of acid attacks to trailblazers in various fields, India has many reasons to celebrate women on International Women’s Day. On march 8, Watch movies, read books, go to a café, or take a cab – all with a difference

Ladies Special

Photo: Mikhail J. Gorbatov, Russia

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VISIT

Sheroes Hangout: In Agra, the city that houses the Taj Mahal – an icon of love, there stands a monument to women of strength. The Sheroes Hangout is a café whose workforce is entirely made up of survivors of vicious acid attacks. On the cafe’s website is this description: “The ‘Sheroes’ here are mostly women who have fought back for life and survival through heinous chemical burns and are now on a course to define themselves as ‘fighters’. Courageous fighters who walk with scars. And this a Hangout is where empowerment of women no more remains a widely funded phenomenon, but materialises in form of a readers’ cafe, an activism workshop, a community radio hub, and an exhibit space, where works crafted by Sheores will be on display.”

Details: Sheroes’ Hangout, Oppsosite The Gateway Hotel (Taj View), Fatehabad Road, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Read an article about the Chhanv Foundation, which established Sheroes, and works for the rehabilitation of survivors of acid attacks in the November 2015 issue of Culturama: http://tinyurl.com/grspuwn

The Kamakhya Temple In the beautiful state of Assam, famous for its tea, is the Kamakhya Temple, which stands on the Nilachil hill. The temple is a popular pilgrimage spot in India, and its goddess is said to menstruate like all women. The temple is a fascinating place, with stunning mythological significance, and quietly counters the taboo around the topic of menstruation in India.

Details: The temple is a few kilometres away from Guwahati – take a flight to the city and then a cab to the temple.

RIDE

G & She Taxis: The Gender Park, run by the Social Justice Department of the government of Kerala recently implemented the ‘24/7 She Taxi’ project. Envisaging fleets of women-driven taxis, 24/7 She Taxis cruise the cities and streets to instil the beginning of a new dawn powered by technology to ferry women commuters. The entire system, it is said, has been designed and developed to help working women, students and tourists visiting Kerala feel safe.

While there have been concerns on whether women-only transport systems are the answer to attacks on women in the public space, the employment opportunities the intiative has provided for women has been lauded and welcomed.

Following the success of this campaign, the government has announced the launch of G-Taxis, which will provide work opportunities for the transgendered.

“We are hopeful that the project will help them fetch not only a better income but also a good opportunity to mingle with the mainstream society. People who avail the service of G-taxi can interact with them, which will help change their mind-set towards TGs,” said T.M. Sunish, CEO of Gender Park.

Details: Dial 859 0000543, when in Kerala for 24/7 She Taxi. (The G-Taxi is yet to be launched.)

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WATCH

Iruthi Suttru (Tamil) / Saala Khadoos (Hindi) Iruthi Suttru, a movie directed by Sudha Kongara (a woman), is set in the world of women’s boxing. It follows the journey of a coach (played by Madhavan) in search of the biggest boxing champion in the women’s leg of the competition in India. He stumbles upon Madhi (played by Ritika Singh), from the fishing community, living in a hamlet off the sea in Chennai. The movie features almost three dozen real-life boxers, and even the lead roles (that of Madhi and her sister, Luxmi) were played by professional boxers.

The film deserves special mention because it transcends almost all the stereotypes reserved for women in Indian cinema. In its own subtle way, without getting preachy, the movie empowers women. Seeing Madhi go about her boxing and training, and dancing with glee and absolute abandon is among the most powerful scenes we have seen in recent times in India. If language is a barrier, try and catch a show with subtitles.

Trivia: Recently, boxing legend Mike Tyson wrote on his facebook wall that he would like to watch this boxing film from India.

READ

The Hangwoman Among the most interesting books to come out in recent times, The Hangwoman by K.R. Meera (originally written in Malayalam, and translated into English by J. Devika) is a story of history and politics. Here’s a blurb from the book: ‘The Grddha Mullick family bursts with marvellous tales of hangmen and hangings in which they figure as eyewitnesses to the momentous events that have shaped the history of the subcontinent. When twenty-two-year-old Chetna Grddha Mullick is appointed the first woman executioner in India, assistant and successor to her father, her life explodes under the harsh lights of television cameras. When the day of the execution arrives, will she bring herself to take a life? Meera’s spectacular imagination turns the story of Chetna’s life into an epic and perverse coming-of-age tale.’ The novel received the 2013 Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award and the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2015. It was also shortlisted for the 2016 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature.

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EAT

Lijjat Papad What if the crunchy pappadum that adds flavour to your meal came with a dollop of women empowerment? Lijjat Papad, among the oldest brands in India, is made entirely by a women-only cooperative. The parent organisation, Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad, also makes masalas, flour and detergents.

Photo: Wikicommons

LEARN Women of currency To remedy a problem that we see the world over, Poonam Singh, a Kolkatabased teacher started a campaign. She wants to see the face of an Indian woman on the Indian currency note. Her campaign #Womenon100, inspired by a similar effort in the United States, wants to press upon the Government of India to put a woman on the country’s 100 rupee note! Poonam also has a list of suggestions for women we could consider: Aruna Asif Ali, the first mayor of Delhi and a freedom fighter, and Savitribai Phule, an anticaste reformist, poet and education pioneer, among others.

Details: Check out the campaign page on twitter at https://twitter. com/womenon100

Head held high In some communities in India that practice matriarchy, the woman is the head of the family. Whether it is property or continuity in the clan, the female line is the one that is traced and mapped. In a country where female foeticide and infanticide is still prevalent in some parts, these stand in stark contrast. The best example of a matriarchal community in India is that of the Nairs of Kerala. The Nairs (which is a generic name that covers many families and castes) lived according to the marumakkathayam system, whereby

Photo: Correne Larsen, USA

family descent and kinship, inheritance of wealth and the succession to property were all traced through the female line. The mother of a Khasi clan (from Meghalaya) who trace their descent from their grandmothers holds high status as the community’s chief. Similar to the marumakkathayam matrilineal system of inheritance is the practice called aliyasantana, which is known amongst the Bunt community of Karnataka. It is understood to mean ‘sister’s son lineage’ and claims to be rooted in an ancient precedent.

Commentators suggest that the unique matrilineal systems (such as of the Khasi tribal community) may well resist contemporary pressures for equal rights, or at least retain a high level of female autonomy.

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29 Indias: One Nation, published by Global Adjustments, has 10 handpicked snippets about each of the Indian states.

Read the book for free at www.globaladjustments. com. Global Adjustments has created an animated video that captures the cultural markers of all 29 states: http://tinyurl.com/ m734xsm

Ten for the Road

by Susan Philip

sikkim

Explore the 29 states of this fascinating subcontinent. This segment will set out a collection of interesting, bite-size facts from each state – this month, we look at Sikkim 1.

How the Land Lies: In terms of population, Sikkim comes last among the Indian states, but has 11 official languages!

Gangtok is its capital. This landlocked Himalayan state rubs shoulders with Nepal, Bhutan and China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. The world’s third tallest peak, the Kanchenjunga, lies on its border with Nepal.

2.

Political Pressures: Phuntsog Namgyal was the founder of Sikkim’s monarchy. He was crowned in 1642 as the priest-king or Chogyal. Subsequently, Nepal’s invasion of Sikkim brought the British into the reckoning, and resulted in the Gurkha War of 1814. Still later, in 1975, the then Prime Minister of Sikkim requested the Indian Parliament to let the country join the Indian Union, and, after a referendum, Sikkim became the 22nd Indian state.

4.

Past Glories: The area was called Nye-mae-el, meaning ‘Paradise’ or ‘Heaven’. The original Chogyal’s domains were vast and covered Kalimpong and parts of Bhutan.

5.

Ethnic Fingerprint: The Lepchas, known for their skill in archery, are believed to be the first inhabitants of Sikkim. The Bhutias are another native race. For centuries, people from Nepal moved into this region, and Sikkim is now the only state to have an ethnic Nepali majority.

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Culture Quotient: Culture-vultures should try and watch the masked dances of Sikkim, which are mostly performed by lamas in celebration of Buddhist festivals. Dancers in colourful costumes and elaborate masks, and sporting ceremonial swords, dance to the rhythm of drums and cymbals. The most famous performances are the ones in the courtyard of the Pemayangtse monastery.

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Personality Plus: Baichung Bhutia is perhaps India’s bestknown footballer in the international scene. A striker, he became the first Indian footballer to sign a contract with a European club when he joined Bury in 1999. A recipient of the Government of India’s Padma Shri and Arjuna Awards, Baichung’s skill at shooting the ball earned him the nickname ‘Sikkimese Sniper’.

8.

Sights to See: Go paragliding or mountain biking, take a cable car ride over Gangtok, go river rafting in the Teesta or ride a Yak on the banks of the Tsomgo Lake nestled amidst mountain slopes 12,400 ft above sea level. Nature lovers should try and visit the Varsey or Singba Rhododendron Sanctuaries to see the state flower in bloom.

9. Tasty Treats: The fermentation process is used more or less as a method of preserving perishable vegetable products for use out of season. Kinema is made of fermented soya beans. Sisnoo is a nettle soup. And tongba is to Sikkim what feni is to Goa – made from whole millets, this local brew is very popular.

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Crafted with Care: Thangkas or scroll paintings of scenes from Buddha’s life are specialties of the state. So are small wooden tables decorated with intricate designs. If you’re looking for something ‘funky’, go for the cups with lids, painted with ethnic motifs, available in local markets.

11. Worshipfully Yours: The state is justly famous for monasteries. There are close to 200 of them. Red-clad lamas, flickering butter lamps and soft, melodious chanting are part of the ambience. The Pemayangtse, Dubdi and Rumtek Monasteries are among the more famous.

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India now

by Susan Philip

The month that was

As we enter a new month, we quickly recap the events, people and places that made news in the past month

India had its own special share of the excitement, thanks to the move to upgrade and transfer one of these Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatories to the country. Work to map out the IndiGo project, as it has been named, has been going on since 2009. It is billed as one of the biggest global scientific projects to be undertaken in independent India.

Did you know? C.V. Vishveshwara, Bala Iyer, Anand Sengupta and Sanjib Mitra are some Indian scientists who have played significant roles in the discovery of gravitational waves.

Bolts from the blue

Business Matters See what you can make in India!

India played host to the Prime Ministers of three nations, and the Deputy Prime Minister of a fourth this month.

Stefan Löfven, Juha Sipilä and Algirdas Butkevičius of Sweden, Finland and Lithuania, respectively, and Piotr Glinski of Poland were among the many overseas visitors who came to check out what India has to offer during the Make in India week which began on February 13.

Showcasing India’s strength in manufacturing, the event was flagged off by India’s own Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

‘Design, innovation and sustainability’ was the theme of the programme which aimed at attracting foreign investment, taking forward the Government of India’s Make in India initiative launched in 2014.

A mysterious object dropped from the skies into the campus of an engineering college in Tamil Nadu, killing one person, injuring three others, and damaging property. There is some controversy about the incident. Results of studies conducted on samples taken from the site point to it being a meteorite fall, say some, while others refute the claim. If it was indeed a meteorite, then the fatality is the first recorded in the world’s history. Interestingly, a few days earlier, another mysterious object had fallen into a paddy field, also in Tamil Nadu, causing a huge crater, but no casualties.

Awards and Accolades

Scientifically Speaking Then sing the stars…

While the world, filled with awesome wonder, tried to take in the implications of the gravitational wave detected using the three LIGO detectors now located in the United States,

The Chettinad cotton sari, a unique product woven in a pocket of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, can now show off

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the ‘India Handloom’ tag, an endorsement of its quality in terms of raw material, processing, weaving design and other parameters. The Amarar Rajiv Gandhi Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society, which produces these saris, characterised by dramatic, often contrasting colours, and bold checks or stripes, has been authorised to use the brand and logo for marketing the product. The India Handloom brand, a scheme launched last year as part of the first National Handloom Day celebrations, is also an affirmation of the social and environmental compliances in the production process.

from a family of high achievers. Her father, Dr Swaminathan, was a distinguished barrister, as was her brother, Govind Swaminathan. Her mother, Ammu Swaminathan, was a social worker and parliamentarian much ahead of her times while her sister, Lakshmi Sehgal, was the commander-in-chief of the Rani of Jhansi (women’s) regiment of the Indian National Army founded by freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose.

Mrinalini’s husband, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, is considered the father of the Indian Space Programme. She is survived by her children Kartikeya and Mallika Sarabhai.

These Chettinad saris, also known as ‘kandaangi’ saris, are traditionally draped in a unique manner that doesn’t require an underskirt. The pleats, which form a part of the way all saris are worn, are made at the back of the torso, not in front, as is normally the case. Check out http://tinyurl.com/jar8cav to see how it’s done.

To know more about this acclaimed artiste, read her autobiography, ‘Mallika Sarabhai: The Voice of the Heart’.

Sports Spots Playing for peace India ended up with a huge tally of 308 medals, including 188 gold medals, to emerge as overall champions in the 12th edition of the South Asian Games. Sportspersons from seven countries – Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Pakistan and Afghanistan – apart from hosts India, participated in the 22 events held in the north-eastern cities of Guwahati and Shillong. They pledged to promote peace in the region.

End of an Era

Singing him to his rest An 84-member choir sang some of the best loved songs penned by one of Kerala’s best-loved contemporary poets, O.N.V. Kurup, as his last rites were performed with state honours. The author of many an award-winning lyric for Malayalam films, and recipient of the country’s highest literary prize, the Jnanpith Award, besides high civilian honours, ONV, as he was popularly known, was 84. A galaxy of dignitaries, including politicians and celebrities from the world of culture, as well as thousands of ordinary people, paid their last respects to him.

Watch ‘Vaishali’, the Malayalam movie that won ONV the National Award for best lyricist.

This and That Squeaky clean – again!

Mysore, or Mysuru as it is now officially known, has won the

The ankle bells lie silent World-renowned danseuse Mrinalini Sarabhai breathed her last at a hospital in Gujarat at the age of 97. Much acclaimed and honoured, Mrinalini was the founder of the Darpana School of Performing Arts, a teaching and performance institute for not only Indian classical dance but also drama, music and puppetry. The institute has trained thousands of students since its inception in 1949. Mrinalini comes

distinction of being named the cleanest city in India for the second time in a row! This Karnataka city was followed

by Chandigarh, Tiruchirappalli, New Delhi Municipal Council Area and Visakapatnam in the list of the five cleanest cities, identified in a nationwide survey conducted under the Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission. A total of 73 cities were surveyed.

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Feature

by Chithra Madhavan

A Man, A Sage, A God In line with Maha Shivaratri on March 7, we explore the many forms of Shiva – one of the primary deities in Hinduism

Shiva (the auspicious one), also known as Mahadeva and Rudra, is one of the three main deities in Hinduism – the other two being Brahma (the Creator) and Vishnu (the Preserver). He is known by various other names – in fact, as many as a thousand, which are recorded in a Sanskrit hymn called Shiva Sahasranama. Shiva is extolled even in the Vedas, India’s oldest literature.

Many ancient texts such as the Linga Purana and Shiva Purana give many details about this very popular deity, the ‘Destroyer’ of evil. He is depicted as a yogi who spurns beautiful robes and jewels and lives an austere life. His abode is in Mount Kailash, high up in the Himalayas.

Form and Substance Shiva’s form is known for several physical characteristics. A well-known one is his third eye found in the centre of his forehead, which opens when

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Photo: Michael Stroband, Germany

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Photo: Darlene Armijo, USA

he is angry, and burns his enemies to ashes, depicting the destruction of ignorance and evil. Most Hindu deities are shown with a crown, but Shiva wears his matted hair in the form of a crown, in which are seen the crescent moon and a flower called datura. Perhaps this is a symbol of balancing time and beauty. There are snakes all over his body, including around his neck – the snakes symbolise negative emotions, and Shiva is shown to have mastered them. He is clad in tigerskin, which depicts great courage.

In some representation, he wears a different ear-ring in each of his ear-lobes. The one on the right is that usually worn by men, and the one on the left is an earring worn by women.

This is done by Shiva with a special purpose – he is known to have given the left side of his body to his consort, Parvati.

Many images of Shiva are thus shown as half-female and half-male, indicating that this is half-Shiva and half-Parvati.

Even in the images of Shiva that are fully male in form, the earrings are usually different.

Worship of Shiva in temples and homes is done with a variety of flowers, but Shiva’s favourite leaf is the vilva or bilva (botanical name: Aegle marmelos), in which each leaf has three leaflets (see inset picture). It is widely known that this leaf has many medicinal properties and has been used in India over the centuries to cure many diseases. It is common to see shops near temples selling these leaves, and devotees buy and offer to them the deity inside. Each leaf stands for the past, present and future, of which he is the lord.

Shiva rides on a bull called Nandi, and has the emblem of the bull on his flag. In the temples for Shiva, this bull is seen in a pillared pavillion directly facing Shiva in the main shrine. This is because Nandi is believed to be a messenger who carries the devotees’ messages to Shiva. In many temples, the images of this bull are hewn from one stone. Some of

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Photo: Douglas Vanherpe, Belgium

are worshipped. Once a year, the processional images of the nayanmars are taken out in procession on the streets around the temple, in the spirit of a carnival.

ny Baird Photo: John

them are of huge proportions, the biggest being at a temple in Lepakshi in Andhra Pradesh. It is 4.5 m high and 8.5 m long and decorated with a variety of jewels and bells.

Shiva’s devotees are legendary, and it is interesting that even a powerful demon named Ravana, the antagonist in India’s famous epic Ramayana, was his staunch devotee. The collective term nayanmars is given to 63 great devotees of Shiva in Tamil Nadu. In many temples, the images of these saints, of whom three were ladies, have been installed and

The famous weapon of Shiva is the three-pronged spear (trishula), which he is shown holding in many an image.

In many sculptures in Tamil Nadu, this God holds an axe (parashu); in another hand, he holds the hind legs of a deer. It is believed that the axe is to cut away the negative thoughts, of the devotees and the deer symbolising the mind and its fleeting thoughts is reigned in. Shiva is also known to use a bow called pinaka and one of the names of this God is Pinakapani or ‘one who holds the Pinaka’.

Stories Associated with Shiva There are many festivals celebrated for this God, the most famous being Shivaratri. This important celebration occurs on the eve of the new moon day between mid-February and mid-March. Generally, Shiva devotees keep awake the whole

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Photo: Kate Nash

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night praying to this deity either at home or in temples.

Shiva’s wife is Parvati, and the two of them are known to be very devoted to each other. The Hindu scriptures contain many charming stories of their love for each other, but none can be more charming than the story of ardhanarishwara – the ‘Lord who is half-woman’. One day, Shiva was sitting on a rock on Mount Kailas, and Parvati was seated beside him.

When she casually glanced sidelong into his heart, she got a shock! There was a woman in Shiva’s heart – a women who was more beautiful than any other woman she had seen.

A devastated Parvati retired to an isolated spot, determined to win her Lord back by penance. Shiva, in the meanwhile, was devastated by his beloved wife’s departure went after her to find out what was wrong. When she told him the problem, he made her look into his heart again, and she saw to her joy that it had been her own image. She was even more beautiful through his eyes! Then, Shiva vowed that he wouldn’t let such a separation occur ever again. He held Parvati so tightly that she merged with him, and they became the ardhanarishwara. The two popular deities, the elephant-faced Ganesha and Subrahmanya (also spelt as Subramanyam), are the sons of Shiva and Parvati.

Another famous episode with which Shiva is associated is that of swallowing the deadly poison called halahala. In Indian mythology, when the ‘ocean of milk’ was churned by the gods

(devas) and the demons (asuras), many objects arose from the ocean, and the first was the halahala, which affected both the Gods and the demons. Shiva quickly put the poison into his mouth, whereupon, Parvati, frightened that it would affect him, quickly held his throat so that the poison would not enter his stomach. As a result, Shiva’s throat turned blue and he is hence famously known as Nilakanta (in Sankrit, nila is blue and kanta is throat).

The Many Forms of Shiva Across India, worshippers are used to seeing the Shiva linga in the main sanctum. It is believed that Shiva once appeared in the form of a pillar of fire with either end not visible. Brahma flew up in the form of a swan to see the top, and Vishnu burrowed down in the form of a boar to find the end, but neither was successful. The linga thus represents the unending pillar of fire.

Inside the main sanctum of the temples, the linga is almost always hewn from stone, except in a few places like Amarnath in the Himalayas where the linga is in the form of a stalagmite formed by the freezing of water drops from the ceiling of the cave. There are also many images of Shiva made of metal. These are termed ‘bronze images’, though they could be of other metals and alloys as well. These images are the processional deities (utsava murti in Sanskrit), which were taken out of the temple premises on festive days for people to

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Photo: lotussculpture.com

The Cosmic Dancer

Photo: Dominique Lopez

see and worship. The practice of carrying out such a procession was instituted to help ‘take the God’ to the old and physically unwell, who could not visit the temple.

Shiva’s role as Gangadhara (He who holds the River Ganga) is commonly seen in sculptures, with the Ganga as a lady tumbling onto the tresses of the God. The story of Shiva as Gangadhara begins with King Bhagiratha who wanted to bring the celestial river down to the earth to purify the ashes of his ancestors. The Ganga agreed on the condition that Shiva should hold her on her passage to the earth. Bhagiratha prayed to Shiva and the latter agreed. On receiving Ganga on his matted locks, Shiva released her onto earth. The Ganga stands for the flow of spiritual knowledge from time immemorial.

In Tamil Nadu, one of the most popular images of Shiva, seen inside the niches on the walls of the main sanctum of temples, is the manifestation of Dakshinamurti, the ‘Universal Teacher’ (see picture on top right). With a beatific smile, in a seated posture, this deity usually has the right hand in the gesture of teaching (chinmudra) with the palm shown outward, the index finger bent to touch the thumb and the other fingers pointing upward. Sometimes, Dakshinamurti is sculpted standing with a veena in his hands. Beneath the foot of Dakshinamurti is a small human figure called apasmara purusha. This image denotes human ego and ignorance, which is crushed under the foot of this God when devotees surrender to him.

Among the most famous temples of India for Shiva are the 12 jyotir lingas in Somnath in Somnath (Gujarat), Mallikarjuna in Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh), Mahakal in Ujjain, Mamleshwar in Omkareshwar (Madhya Pradesh), Vaidyanath in Parli (Maharashtra), Bhimashankaram in Bhimpur (Maharashtra), Ramanathaswami in Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu), Nagesham in Darukavanam in Gujarat, Vishwanath in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Tryambakeshwar in Triambak (Maharashtra), Kedarnath in the Himalayas (Uttarakhand) and Grishneshwar in Verul (Maharashtra). Devout Hindus make a pilgrimage to these temples over their lifetime. There is a also a belief that even chanting the names of the jyotir jingas will bring the devotee much merit. One could also listen to the Vilvashtakam, a powerful, ancient hymn, especially on Shivaratri (listen the hymn here: http://tinyurl.com/gt2wyt8).

Shiva as the ‘Cosmic Dancer’ or Nataraja is famous in every part of India. The family deity of the illustrious Chola dynasty of South India, which had its capital first in Thanjavur and later in Gangaikondacholapuram, was Shiva as Nataraja, enshrined in the famous temple in Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu. So fascinated were the Chola monarchs by this deity that they ensured that every Shiva temple that was constructed in their empire had a bronze image of Nataraja. The images are usually seen in what is commonly termed the ananda tandava pose or the ‘dance of bliss’. The four-armed deity is seen dancing inside a circular halo, with the right leg planted on the ground and left leg uplifted horizontally. In his hands, he holds the damaru (the kettle-drum sounded by Shiva) and fire. One hand points to his uplifted foot, indicating to the devotee to surrender to Him; the right hand is in the gesture of abhaya or ‘do not fear’.

Underneath Nataraja’s foot is the apasmara purusha, which denotes human ego and ignorance.

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Jonas Nilsson from Sweden, the Head of Volvo PentaIndia, shares his mantra for making the most of his time in India

Look Who’s In Town Bengaluru

, t p e c c A , Enjoy e r u d n E r o t Adap A road trip throughout the country in the late 1990s was our first and primary experience of India. Apart from that, we knew little about life in modern India before making Bengaluru our second home in August last year. To prepare for the move, we spoke to colleagues and friends who had had more recent experiences. After moving here, we have stopped categorising our impressions in terms of what India is and simply enjoy, accept, adapt or endure!

India on a plate Traditional Swedish cuisine lacks spices other than salt and pepper. So the ingredients’ natural flavours emerge and give a taste experience that is more subtle. Indian masala can put on a show of fireworks in your mouth!

Wanderlust I have met with customers and other business partners in about one-third of the states and union territories. During business travels, you always get the opportunity to interact with people and, if fortunate, enjoy the local cuisine or a morning walk but rarely get the opportunity of a broader experience. When my wife is in India, we enjoy travelling on our own. Our best experiences include joining an Indian family gathering for a Kathakali performance at their home in Kerala and safaris to see wildlife in their natural habitat in Karnataka.

Our India home is close to Ulsoor Lake, where you can’t walk the streets without taking part in some of the festivals.

An ecstatic group of young men once pulled me in to help carrying their large Ganesha idol to the lift crane’s platform that would submerge him into the lake.

What I would like in India In the interest of public safety and environment, waste handling needs to improve. Burning unsorted waste in the midst of residential areas, where children live, is an uncontrolled process where toxic gases are formed and released.

I am taking home...

The positive influence of people’s social involvement, composure and humility.

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Best Indian friend: The Volvo Penta family Favourite Indian food: Everything...there is so much to try!

Favourite hangout spot in India: My balcony, which faces the Prestige Mosque Intolerable India: Waste-handling practices Loveable India: The people!

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Look Who’s In Town Chennai

Building Trust Yang Younggeun, a taekwondo master from South Korea sees a lot in common with Indians, often by performing a simple exercise – putting himself in others’ shoes!

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Best Indian friend: Harish Kumar, Vel Kumar, Kartikeyan and Master Kebiraj Favourite Indian food: South Indian meals Favourite hangout spot in India: New Beach in ECR Intolerable India: Cheating and untrustworthiness of some people Loveable India: Potential of Indian people

In 2004, my church mentor suggested to me that India is a good place for taekwondo. In 2009, I was working in the United States, but due to the economic conditions, foreigners had to go back to their country. It was then that I wanted to go to India – and I got in touch with Hyundai Motors India (HMI), because they were looking for a Korean taekwondo master to teach in their Welfare Centre.

Indians and Koreans share a similar mindset, where they are very helpful and welcoming to guests. I understood the conditions of the people by putting myself in their place. The current situation of many people in India is similar to the situation in Korea after the Korean War. Poor people focus on earning money for food and they don’t see right or wrong as long as they satisfy their hunger. This is neither good nor bad; it is just the impact of poverty.

I also like watching Indian movies and music videos. It’s really fascinating to see all those unknown and unrelated people come and dance with the hero all of a sudden!

India on a plate Korean food uses all kinds of meat, whereas Indian food uses only some kinds. Many places serve only vegetarian food. Indian food also uses a lot of masala. Korean food also has these kinds of spices, but they aren’t used all that much as in Indian food.

Wanderlust I have been to Delhi, Bengalru, Kolkata, Kolar and Kochi.

After seeing these places, I realised that India has many diverse cultures and languages.

What I would like in India If I could, I would like to change the Indian mindset.

Many people give their word, but they don’t deliver through their actions. Because of this, trust is broken. When people keep their word with good action, then they can be trusted. If the people can be trusted, the nation can be trusted. It’s this development of character that I want to teach to the people through taekwondo.

I am taking home...

I would like to take home the harmony and patience that lives in India. Indians are very patient because work gets done at a slow pace, but Koreans want things done quickly. It’s a good and bad thing, so it needs to be balanced.

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Photo: All photos by Hema Narayan

Everyone visiting this Indian state will be enchanted by the narrow, verdant stretch of land that is sandwiched between the mighty Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea – Kerala.

Why wouldn’t they, when 44 pristine rivers, originating from the mountains flows down with vigour, to the sea-washed, palm-fringed beaches, throughout the 500 km of length? Like any traveller, varied facets of Kerala enamoured me too, on each of my trips. But, my recent experience at Fort Kochi was distinct and new, as I visited an ecotourism model-fishing village at Kumbalangi, located near the port city of Kochi in Ernakulam.

After being driven to a ferry point, 16 km outside Kochi, we were greeted by a boatman in a special country boat that was decked in white satin and had special seats. The oarman offered a thoughtful keepsake – a foldable cap made of bamboo sticks – and then took up the oars. A glimpse across the waters revealed the existence of an island, with people going about their activities at an unhurried pace. We set sail through the vast stretch of backwaters, connected by interlocking waterways to the entire state. It was blissful, with silence all around. Sitting beside the prow of the canoe, I was surrounded by palm trees and a ring of Chinese fishing nets.

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Seeing India

by Hema Narayan

A Natural Way of Life Kumbalangi, a serene fishing hamlet facing the Kochi backwaters, is unique in that its inhabitants depend on nature for everything – little wonder then that it is India’s first designated ecotourism village

The island was unspoiled by commercialism or the arrival of hordes of tourists.

Kumbalangi, the brainchild of Kerala Tourism, is aimed at showcasing the work of the local people. It is a serene fishing hamlet facing the Kochi backwaters, and its inhabitants depend on nature for their survival. I also learnt that it is India’s first designated ecotourism village and the first rural tourism village in the state. Called the Kumbalangi Integrated Tourism Village, this project was set up in 2003 to help the economy and the locals. The 16 sq.km. island is rich in aquatic life, and this explained why fishing is the

main occupation. Some of the locals told me that bait fishing is extremely popular among tourists here. Mangroves were scattered here and there, separating the land from the water.

The locals use the space as a breeding ground for prawns, crabs, oysters and fishes – which might have triggered the idea of setting up farms to demonstrate the process of catching and filtering oysters to visitors.

When our boat touched land, we were greeted warmly by the residents of Kumbalangi. One of the men briskly walked towards a coconut tree, climbed it with unassuming ease, plucked some tender coconuts and offered them as a welcome

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drink! The fresh, sweet water and soft pulp were much better tasting than the ones we had tasted in cities. Plantations of coconuts, pepper, raw plantains, betel nuts, jackfruit, nutmeg, orchids, vanilla and anthurium are seen all over the island.

The island is home to farmers, fishermen, toddy tappers, labourers, and coir spinners. We met a few women who wanted to showcase their skills in making ropes from coir.

While one woman spun the wheel of the manually operated loom, around six women on either side fed the wheel with coconut fibres. The fibres were entwined together to form thick ropes. When I held the finished rope in my hand, I could tell that it was probably strong enough to pull a boat out from the sea! Nothing went to waste. For instance, dried coconut leaves were put to good use by weaving them into intricate baskets; an elderly woman used fresh green leaves to weave a broad mat. The thinner strips at the centre of the leaves were used to make broomsticks.

When we saw the first signs of a drizzle, we took shelter in one of residents’ houses, where we were treated to hot tea.

The home was adjacent to the backwaters, and faced over one hundred Chinese fishing nets. While talking to the lady of the house, I gathered that homes on the island are rented out as homestays for visitors.

If sweet alcoholic beverages are your thing, toddy (or palm wine, as some call it) made fresh from the sap of the

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palm tree might be worth a try. I was told that it is mildly intoxicating, unlike the fermented toddy (with its stale-cider taste) that is sold at roadside toddy shops. To me, it was a treat to watch the toddy tapper climb up the palm tree and carry the sour drinks in a pot tied to his back. Nevertheless, I chose to remain sober.

And how could I not mention the farms that were set up to breed crabs, oysters and fish? For the first time, I was up close with a crab that tried to crawl towards my toe. The fisherman cast his net aesthetically into a small stretch of the backwaters with bait, demonstrating how he caught a crab, a prawn or a large fish. The highlight was his holding a live crab in his hand – without a trace of fear! The process of extracting the oysters was another interesting experience. The oysters are boiled with their shells in water, and later extracted.

By the time we were done watching, the lunch bell was sounded and typical Kerala-style lunch awaited us. The memories of having a hearty meal with the residents, while enjoying the view of the backwaters is a memory I will cherish. Soon it was time to bid adieu to Kumbalangi. For me, this model village was a unique getaway, and a veritable treat – one I would surely come back to.

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Five Rathas at Mahabalipuram, Tamilnadu For Information, Please Contact INDIATOURISM CHENNAI MINISTRY OF TOURISM, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA, 154 ANNA ROAD, CHENNAI 600 002.

Tel : 044 28460285, 28461459 Fax : 044 28460193

Email: indiatourism.chn@nic.in Website : www.tourism.gov.in / www.incredibleindia.org

ADVERTISE

IN T HIS MAGAZINE

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PhotoS: All photos by Preeti Verma Lal

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In Focus

by Preeti Verma Lal

The Warp and Weft of Traditions Nayaab, a recent textile exhibition that showcased 16 designers/weavers, was the meeting point for India’s priceless textile heritage and modern designers who are eager to keep the looms whirring You sure have heard of silk. Heard of balkal ever? That’s yarn spun out of tasar cocoon peduncles, after being boiled in alkaline solution and opened up. Woody in colour, it is a rare textile made in Jharkhand. What about spider silk? Yes, yarn that the golden orb spider spins, which can be woven into fabric. Saris made of banana yarn? The traditional Parsi gara embroidery that borrows heavily from Chinese motifs. Zardozi with real rubies. Daintily embroidered pashmina. Hand-stitched dresses. Jute threads embroidered with golden threads on a red sari.

In The Lodhi in New Delhi, I was tangled in yarn. Literally. I had stepped into Nayaab, a textile exhibition showcasing 16 designers/weavers collectively termed revivalists. In one corner, the Weavers Studio had laid antique textiles (Parsi embroidered jhabala, Rajasthani angarakha, batik, and so on) on a table and the sedulously replicated modern versions of ancient weaving styles and techniques. On another wall hung red jamdani saris that are woven on handlooms and take months to make the seven-yard exquisite sari. Resist

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dyeing gets a twist in geometric designs and Bihar’s sujani embroidery looks alluring with a modern makeover.

Walking through Nayaab was almost like going back to the beginning of India’s textile heritage when weavers hunched over looms for hours to create exquisite weaves embellished with intricate embroidery or prints, each region proud of its tradition, each style a preserve of a community.

Naysayers mourn the death of myriad weaving traditions but modern revivalists are trying their best to keep the looms whirring. Like Gaurang Shah, whose love for textiles emanated from watching his father sell ‘blouse pieces’. With no formal training in textiles, Gaurang started working with the uppada weavers of Andhra Pradesh and today has 450 weavers creating seamless warp and weft for him.

His forte is jamdani, one of the finest muslin textiles that originated in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and has been declared by UNESCO as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Gaurang has taken traditional fabrics such as silk, cotton and khadi and ‘modernised it’. For his Ardhangini collection, he combined kanjeevaram with kalamkari in unusual hues; in Berlin, he showcased saris created in three-shuttle technique and varying tonality. At Nayaab, Guarang came in with his kalpavriksha (Tree of Life) saris that take months to create and cost Rs 1 lakh upward.

Gaurang, however, is not the only one adding a touch of contemporary to the classic. Neha Puri Dhir has picked the ancient tradition of resist dyeing on silk and cotton and turned it on its head. ‘Bandhej and batik are resist dyeing, but I do not twist the cloth. Instead, I stitch the cloth to resist the colour from entering those spaces while a fabric is dyed and then open it,’ explains Neha who studied at the National Institute of Design and padded up her skills with a masters degree in Strategic Design in Milan and a second masters degree in Textile Futures in London. To give resist dyeing a language and expression of its own, Neha borrows from the Japanese boro technique which, simply put, is reuse and stitch intricate patchwork of fabric to preserve it. Neha is also exploring shawl weaving in Kullu, kinnauri in Himachal Pradesh, tussar silk making in Jharkhand and leather puppet craft in Andhra Pradesh.

To buy a Raymond Manickshaw sari, one really needs to loosen the purse strings. Perhaps empty it. Mumbai-based Manickshaw has taken upon himself to keep alive the age-old gara Parsi embroidery, which was once a rage among the rich and the mighty. A Rs 10-lakh black sari embroidered with animal motifs took more 15 months to make. So perfect is the embroidered sari that every animal motif is different from

(Top to bottom) Neha Puri Shir; Raymond Manickshaw with his Rs 10-lakh sari; Anjali Kalia; Gaurang Shah

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Spinning a Yarn Club

the other, each harking back to the days when Parsi traders often travelled to China for opium and yarn and returned with embroidered silk for their women. Not surprisingly, Parsi gara is replete with Chinese motifs such as birds of paradise, lovebirds, chrysanthemums and roses. Add to it the rooster, peonies, the 100-petalled rose and the paisley motifs that came from Iran and the peacock, lotus and ambi (a variation of the paisley) from India.

While Swati Kalsi is bringing contemporary relevance to the time-honoured handcrafted sujani style of Bihar, Monapali (Mona Lamba and Pali Sachdev) is threading jute along with gold thread to give the sari/dupatta an unheard-of look, and Anjali Kalia is keeping alive the aari technique.

Born within the community of Khatris, who were once renowned for their traditional craft of bandhani (tie and dye), Abdul Jabbar Khatri is relentlessly perfecting the art that has been practised by his ancestors. While most revivalists are focusing on one weave or technique, Asif Sheikh is ‘accepting challenges’ in any form. He embroiders real rubies on a paisley, and has experimented with pashmina thread embroidery. Such is his expertise that his black chanderi silk stole was honoured with the UNESCO Seal of Excellence.

Nayaab was not only a platform for ancient Indian textile heritage; somewhere in those garments and saris, hope seemed to have been woven intricately. Hope that the revivalists will keep alive India’s exquisite textile tradition.

And never let it die.

Sharan Apparao (left) says she is no ‘reformist’, no ‘preserver’. But anyone who knows Apparao and has stepped into Apparao Gallery in Chennai knows she has an eye for art and detail. And yes, excellence. She calls herself an ‘art dealer’ and can tell you a million stories about art. Not just art that is painted on canvas, but anything artistic. Like textile.

That love led to the birth of The Yarn Club, which was not purported to be a textile saviour.

Apparao wanted people to talk about textile, the warp, the weft, the communities that wove, the embroiderers who hunched over a paisley design for hours. That was the first Yarn Club. Four years later she joined hands with ‘collector’ Rupa Sood (on the right in the photo) who has collected ancient arts and textiles for nearly four decades and has worked tirelessly with the Crafts Council of India in Chennai and the Delhi Crafts Council.

The Yarn Club provides a platform for textile enthusiasts, collectors and designers to gather, share and increase their knowledge and love for textiles. Towards this end, it invites speakers every month (except July, August) to the capital to talk of India’s rich textile heritage and their experiments with it. Curated by Apparao and Sood, Nayaab is the first initiative of The Yarn Club which aims to move away from the watered-down textile crafts and showcase the more difficult laborious, old, complicated traditional skills being produced by revivalists who are dedicated to the pursuit of these exceptional skills.

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March Calendar of events

Presenting the best of India’s events in different categories across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and nearby suburbs

Art & Exhibitions

Art Exhibition Mumbai

Art Exhibition NCR Region

Cosmic Heart Gallery presents ‘Kala Ghodas’ – a stunning collection of equine art in charcoal by Gautam Patole. The collection celebrates the magnificent horse, which symbolises passion, vigour, independence and freedom of expression. “Horses enthrall so many with their vigour and such is their strength that en engine’s capacity is decided on the basis of ‘horse power’,” says the artist.

Email art@cosmicheartgallery.info for more details.

Chennai-based Trust HeART BEAT Foundation is organising a special exhibition of over 100 paintings by two specially abled artists. Forty-one-year-old R. Udayakumar is fully paralysed, except for the thumb and the index finger of his right hand. He has mastered and evolved his own style of abstract painting using acrylic, inspired by Picasso, Rembrandt and Hussain, using just two fingers. K. Narasimhalu was affected by cerebral palsy in his childhood – now, at 40, he paints and embroiders deftly with his feet. The show will prove how hurdles cannot come in the way of true art. Call +91-1204238527 / 28 for more details.

Date: Until March 31 Time: 1100 hrs to 1900 hrs Venue: Cosmic Heart Gallery, G-2a, Court Chambers, 35 - New Marine Lines

Date: March 18 to 28 Time: All day Venue: Art Life Gallery, C-97, Sec- 44, Noida

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Global Adjusments & Apollo Hospitals present

‘Stories of Architecture’, an exhibition of paintings inspired by architecture, will feature works by Dhanush Kodi, Ritendra Roy, Anjali Reddy, Chalapathi Rao and Lalit Sharma, who have been inspired by monuments, buildings, structures and ruins. Call +91-99410 12388 or +91- 96861 12078 for more details.

Date: Until March 28 Time: 1000 hrs onwards Venue: Apparao Galleries @ Sandy's (Cenotaph Road) – 2/15, Ganapathy Colony Main Road, Teynampet

Art exhibition Bengaluru Kynkyny Art presents ‘The New Romantics’, a thematic group exhibition celebrating the world of contemporary love. The exhibition will feature works of prominent artists, and bring together stirring, soulful and sublime works on the nature of postmodern love. The show promises to be a treat for art connoisseurs, aesthetes, closet romantics and everyone else.

Above all, it reminds us of the healing and redemptive nature of romance, and is an ode to that inexplicable phenomenon we call love.

Date: Until March 5 Time: All day Venue: Kynkyny Art, 104 Embassy Square, 148 Infantry Road

Events

Music Concert Delhi and Mumbai Raell Padamsee’s Numero Uno Productions presents The Australian Bee Gees Show, live from Las Vegas, a celebration of one of the most influential and famous musical groups of all time. Their record-breaking music is performed on stage with a mesmerising resemblance in sound and mannerisms.

The new Australian Bee Gees Show is a theatrical concert experience that takes a nostalgic trip through the legacy of the Bee Gees left behind while celebrating the wonderful music written by the Gibb brothers. Visit www.bookmyshow.com for more details and to buy tickets.

Dates: March 9 (Delhi) AND March 11 and 12 (Mumbai) Time: 2000 hrs Venue: Delhi: Sirifort Auditorium: Delhi, August Kranti Marg, Asian Games Village Complex, Gautam Nagar Mumbai: Jamshed Bhabha Theatre: NCPA, NCPA Marg, Nariman Point,

‘Aikya’, a word that means ‘oneness’, is the name given to the series of annual CSR concerts presented by Global Adjustments. The theme of Aikya 2016 is centered on an intriguing concept drawn from the Ramayana, and the concert will see the coming together of two award-winning artistes – Sanjeev Abhyankar (Hindustani vocalist) and Abhishek Raghuram (Carnatic vocalist) – for the first time. The concert and music will be designed by Sai Shravanam (famed for his work in the Oscar-winning track for Life of Pi) and Rajkumar Bharati (grandson of legendary poet Subramanya Bharati).

Previous editions of Aikya ran to packed audiences and have always received very positive reviews from performing artistes and attendees.

The 75-minute concert raises funds for Smrutha Dhvani, an initiative by Interface and Global Adjustments Services Pvt. Ltd. to support retiring artistes in the fields of music, dance and performance and to empower young girls by providing them with monetary support for their degree in medicine or engineering. For donor passes, please call +91-98410 77732 or book them online at https://in.explara.com OR www.eventjini.com/ Date: March 11 Time: 1900 to 2100 hrs Venue: Music Academy, Old No. 306, New No. 168, T.T. Krishnamachari Road, Royapettah

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International Photo Festival Chennai

Play Bengaluru

Chennai’s first international photo festival will feature a series of events designed to serve as a window for photographic art in South India. Jointly organised by GoetheInstitut Chennai and Travelling Lens, the Chennai Photo Biennale will bring together photographers from across the globe, paving the way for a healthy interaction and sharing of ideas. The event, spanning two weeks, will comprise several print exhibitions, workshops, artist talks, symposium and curated projections.

‘I love you, let’s have sex’ is an entertaining, quirky play about relationships. The script follows the lives of Nidhi and Vishal over what could be the period of one exciting evening or a number of years. Keeping their sense of humour alive through thick and thin, the couple are determined to reach a ‘happy ending’. The play opened at the Delhi Contemporary Arts Festival and has since been performed across the country. Visit www.bookmyshow.com for more details and to buy tickets.

Dates: Until March 13 Time and Venue: For details on timing and venues of exhibitions, lectures and workshops, visit http://chennaiphotobiennale.com/ OR https://www.facebook.com/ChennaiPhotoBiennale

Date: March 17 and 20 Time: 1930 hrs (March 17); 1630 and 1930 hrs (March 20) Venue: March 17: The Humming Tree: Bengaluru, 949, 3rd and 4th Floor, Doopanahalli, Appareddipalya, 12th Main Rd, Indira Nagar March 20: Atta Galata: Bengaluru, 134 KHB Colony, 5th Block Koramangala

Dance Theatre Mumbai An iconic masterpiece of American dance, Alvin Ailey’s Revelations was described by The New York Times as ‘one of the great works of the human spirit’. The wide-ranging influences and irrepressible passion of Revelations are evident across the rest of the electrifying programme – Wayne McGregor’s Chroma, set to a score by Joby Talbot with orchestrations of songs by The White Stripes; Ronald K. Brown’s Grace, a meeting of modern and West African dance with a soundtrack by Duke Ellington, Roy Davis and Fela Kuti; and Robert Battle’s high-flying Takademe. Visit www. bookmyshow.com for more details.

Date: March 9 and 10 Time: 1630 hrs Venue: Dance Theatre Godrej: NCPA, Nariman Point, NCPA Marg

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Photo: Paramarth Niketan Ashram

Spotlight

by Team Culturama

International Yoga Festival March 1 -7 The annual International Yoga Festival organised by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board, GMVN and Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh India is held for one whole week on the banks of the holy river, Ganga.

At the event, participants will get to learn as well practice yoga from various gurus who are from yoga lineages, and those from international schools. The festival gives one the opportunity to participate in 60 hours of yoga classes. The various styles that will be taught here include Kundalini Yoga, Power Vinyasa Yoga, Iyengar Yoga and Kriya Yoga.

Parmarth Niketan, among the largest ashrams in Rishikesh, is a great space to perform yoga. It is on the banks of the Ganges, in the lap of the Himalayas. The ashram has a clean, pure and sacred atmosphere as well as verdant gardens. It also has 1,000 rooms and its facilities combine modern amenities with traditional, spiritual simplicity.

At the event, daily classes will start from four in the morning. In between sessions on yoga, the event will also have lectures on inspiring topics.

- Go rafting on the beautiful Ganges!

Or trekking on the Himalayas. Paddle India is an adventure group based out of Rishikesh that leads several such activities.

- Watch the arti or special prayer performed for of the river at Triveni Ghat in Rishikesh.

- Walk on the beautiful Lakshman Jhula (hanging bridge).

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India Diaries

by Marina Marangos

Coming Home Brigid Keenan, Author of ‘Packing up’, ‘Travels in Kashmir’, and ‘a biography of Dior’ talks about living the expat life, learning to laugh and why India is really her home I had just arrived in Delhi. In mid July the heat and humidity was stifling. We were moving into our home in South Delhi and there were boxes everywhere and I struggled to cope with the relocation and the upheaval. Someone I met at my Book Group had recommended Diplomatic Baggage, and I picked it up in one of Delhi’s wonderful bookshops.

I started reading it whenever I had a moment and very soon I was stealing moments from my busy days to continue reading it. This book was written by an author I did not know, Brigid Keenan, and it was all about her adventures as an expat wife, moving to various countries and having to cope with whatever was thrown her way. She made me laugh, she made me feel like I was not alone and she made me realise what an adventure and a privilege it was for me to be living in this vast and, at the time, unfamiliar subcontinent.

So when I saw that she was one of the guest speakers at this year’s Jaipur Literature Festival I lost no time in trying to track her down, not only because I was curious to meet her myself and tell her what an impact her writing had on me,

but also because I knew she would have a lot to offer readers of this magazine.

I met her in the authors’ tent and approached her. She did not know me from Adam (Eve?) but was warm and welcoming, wearing a lovely black and white Indian coat and sporting a broad smile. She told me how happy she was to be back in India and how she would be delighted to answer my questions.

This is not your first trip to India. Could you tell us when your association with India began and how you feel about the subcontinent?

I was born in India, my father was in the Indian Army (17th Dogras) and my family on both sides had lived in India for five generations - my great great grandfather was a silk weaver in Bengal, and other ancestors were poor Irish who joined the British Army (as many poor Irish did) and were sent to India. I lived in India until I was eight and then my family went ‘home’ to England, but it certainly did not feel like home – England in 1948 was a dour place and we longed

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to go back to our real home, India. It was many years before I went back to live there and then it was because I had married a diplomat and – from 1986 to 1988 – we were posted to India with our family. It made me very happy to see my daughters experiencing, if only for a brief time, the same sort of childhood that I had had.

You return to India to take part in the Jaipur Literary Festival. Could you tell us more your association with the festival and your recent publication?

In the eighties, at the time we were posted to India I came to know Faith Singh, who with her husband John had started the company, Anokhi, which was big in the United Kingdom then. This came about because, being a journalist, I went to interview her for the International Herald Tribune.

As soon as we met I felt as if I had known her all my life, and we became close friends – our friendship has endured over the years and we come to Jaipur often, to stay with her – and because I am a writer we time our visits with the great Literary Festival – and then, probably because I am on the spot I have been lucky enough to be asked to speak there.

You delighted the crowds by reciting a nursery rhyme your ayah taught you. Do you have a special connection with India because you were born here?

Yes I feel a strong connection with India. You know the Jesuits say something like “Give me a child till the age of 8 and I will make him mine forever” and I think that is what happened – in some way I belong to India! I was devoted to my ayah and she and my mother taught me English nursery rhymes in Hindustani and in some extraordinary way, even though nowadays I cannot remember the number plate on my car, I can remember how to say Little Miss Muffet in

PhotoS: All photos by Marina Marangos

“I lived in India until I was eight and then my family went ‘home’ to England, but it certainly did not feel like home” Hindustani - which I did at Jaipur this year and got a big cheer from the audience!

You are the author of a number of books – Diplomatic Baggage is a book I read in India when I was living here and loved it, for it was related to the daily issues that arise from moving around the world. Do you have any tips for expatriates coming to India?

I have moved about a dozen times, all over the world – so I should be the best packer of luggage, but I am still hopeless and take far too much stuff with me wherever I go. I think the best advice to other expats is to keep laughing – a sense of humour is very important. My other advice is to keep a diary and write down the curious or funny things that happen because otherwise you are sure to forget them. I have so many stories about being an expat that I can’t pick one out – but they are all in Diplomatic Baggage and its sequel, Packing Up, which is equally funny, I think. It is about retirement, and that thing I have already mentioned about going 'home' and how difficult that is. It’s also about getting and surviving breast cancer, becoming a grandmother and getting older – all of which I have tried to see the funny side of!

What is your new book called and when can we expect to see it?

My new book is called Full marks for trying and it is about my childhood in India and growing up to become a fashion editor for the Sunday Times – it is due out in June of this year.

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PRESENTING MAMA LIVE As always, it’s our version of Asia.

This time Mama gives you her take on the Japanese Teppanyaki Grill.

The tastes are subtle and for the discerning diner!

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Festivals of India March marks the beginning of spring in India. And the change in seasons is celebrated with festivals across religions! Here’s our pick for this month.

Maha Shivaratri March 7

Photo: Olya Morvan

Maha Shivarathri, legend has it, falls each year on the day Lord Shiva married goddess Parvati. It is believed that fasting through the night on Maha Shivarathri and spending time in prayer will release one from the karmic cycle of life.

Devotees chant verses from the scriptures in praise of Lord Shiva on this day. Many people visit Shiva temples in their neighbourhood or go on pilgrimage to important Shiva temples in the country to mark and observe the day.

To Do: Isha Foundation organises a free live webstream of Maha Shivarathri celebrations led by Sathguru Jaggi Vasudev, between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Visit http://mahashivarathri.org/live for more information.

Palm Sunday March 20 Palm Sunday is among the most important days for the Christian community in India. The day is celebrated with a lot of veneration. On this day churches distribute palm leaves from coconut trees to mark Jesus Christ's entry to Jerusalem.

It is believed that palm branches were kept all over his path before he was arrested and crucified on Good Friday. During the time between Palm Sunday and Easter most Christians in India also turn vegetarians.

To Do: Be a part of the prayer ceremony when palm fronds are received and waved in your local church.

Photo: Melissa Enderle

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Jamshed-e-Navroz March 21

Photo: Pablo Ares Gastesi

The Parsi community of India celebrates Jamshed-eNavroz as the beginning of a new year on this day. People of the Zoroastrian faith visit the fire temple and offer prayers along with sandalwood sticks among other things. The Navroz (nav means new and roz means day) celebratory foods include seven food items whose names begin with the ‘sh’ sound, namely: sharab (wine), shakar (sugar), shir (milk), shirin berenjor (sweet meat), shahad (honey), shirin (sweet), and shira (syrup). It also has eight food items beginning with ‘s’: sirka (vinegar), sumac (spice), sumanu (a pudding of wheat germ), sib (apple), sabzi (green vegetables), senjed (sorb tree berry) and seer (garlic). This is symbolic of the creation of Earth in seven days.

To Do: Try and visit some iconic Irani cafes (there are still some popular ones in cities such as Mumbai) or Parsi restaurants in your city and taste some traditional delicacies like Patra Ni Macchi and Ravo.

Holi March 24 The festival of Holi is when all of India’s streets are filled with colour. The festival is held to celebrate the destruction of a demoness called ‘Holika’. This is symbolic of the victory of good over evil.

To Do: Holi is a great time to bond with your friends as well as neighbours. Step outside in old clothes, use organic powders and play safe.

Photo: Lynn Elise Peterson, USA

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Picture Story

by Team Culturama

Colours of Paradise

From the latest Coldplay video to classic Bollywood numbers, Holi, the festival of colours, has been a source of inspiration and fascination for many! It is essentially a celebration of the arrival of spring. People celebrate by throwing powders of various colours on the streets. And it doesn’t matter if you are someone’s friend or foe – if you are out on Holi day, be prepared to look like you’ve bathed in a rainbow.

Days before the festival, roadside shops all over India, particularly in the North, are stocked with bags of colours!

Photo: Kevin Iles, UK

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Holi etiquette overrides the usual sombre nature of people on the streets. Dunking your friends in coloured water and throwing coloured powders at them and even at strangers is allowed. Photo: Tineke Sysmans, Belgium / Diana Grieger, Germany

Every year, Holi is celebrated on the day after the full moon in early March! It signifies the good harvest and fertility of the land. Photo: Nicole Alice, USA

Remnants of a good time had on the day of Holi.

Photo: Christine Liechti

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Heading to the Hills?

This summer, escape the heat and visit one of Tamil Nadu’s picturesque hill stations…

Kodaikanal

Yelagiri

The meadows, long stretch of forests, woods slopes, mighty rocks, bowers, creeks and slopes of Kodaikanal charm tourists.

Go cycling, horse riding, boating, and trekking. Visit the lake, Bryant’s Park, solar observatory, Kurunji Andavar Temple, Moier Point, Silver Cascade Falls, Kukkal Caves and La Saleth Church. Go for a walk on Coakers Walk… Find a whole new paradise nestled in the greens of Tamil Nadu.

Yelagiri Hill located at an altitude of 1410 metres is among the most popular hill stations of Tamil Nadu, situated amidst four mountains well known for its salubrious climate prevailing throughout the year. Tribal people live in villages of these hills and it comprises of 14 small villages. These tribal inhabitants are engaged in agriculture, horticulture, forestry etc. Their traditions, habits and the structure of their houses are all unique.

Udhagamandalam Located in the Western Ghats at an altitude of 2240 metres, this ‘Queen of Hill Stations’ is the headquarters of the Nilgiri District. This is where the two mountain ranges meet. Udhagamandalam , popularly called as Ooty, is also home to the charming Nilgiri Mountain Railway. Relive your childhood or create new memories for young ones on this historic rail! Visit the Pykara Lake, Doddabetta Peak, St. Stephen’s Church, Annamalai Temple, the botanical gardens among other things at this hill station.

Valparai Valparai is a pristine hill town abundant in beauty featuring hills, pastures, grasslands, waterfalls, and more.

Located 1,193 metres above sea level, this getaway is tucked away on the Anaimalai Hills Range of the Western Ghats.

There are tea plantations and protected forests in this zone.

Started as a coffee plantation area, today this is a popular summer vacation spot that has a rich elephant tract and is home to many a leopard! Birdwatchers rejoice for the area is known for its rich biodiversity. Pack in your binoculars, and who knows you could spot a Great Hornbill.

Travel by the winding Ghat Road that has 14 hairpin bends to reach the Yelagiri hilltop. The ride offers panoramic breathtaking views of the hills and its surroundings. The seventh bend is significant, since it offer the view of the slopes of the mountain and the green forests. The highest point in Yelagiri is the Swamimalai Hill, standing tall at 4,338 ft and a popular destination for trekkers.

Yercaud Yercaud is situated at an altitude of 4,970 feet in Salem District. Known as the jewel of the south, the place gets its name from two Tamil words yeri meaning lake and kaadu meaning forest. Botanical Survey of India maintains an Orchidarium in Yercaud. Apart from this, coffee plantations and orange groves are aplenty here. Bison, deer, rabbits, hares, foxes, mongoose, partridges, snakes, swallows and the bird of paradise form the wildlife habitats of Yercaud region. Places for sight-seeing include the lake, Lay’s Seat, Killiyur Falls, Pagoda Point, Arthur’s Seat, Kaveri Peak and the Servarayan temple at 5,326 ft.

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5 Join Us Every Saturday

Holistic Living

by Eknath Easwaran

Global Adjustments in Chennai facilitates a weekly spiritual fellowship group following Easwaran’s Eight Point Programme of Meditation.

E-mail us for more information at globalindian@globaladjustments.com.

If you are in other cities, visit www.easwaran.org for e-satsangs.

Original Goodness Just half an hour’s walk from my home was a lotus pond so thickly overlaid with glossy leaves and gleaming rose and white blossoms that you could scarcely see the water. In Sanskrit, this exquisite flower is called pankaja, ‘born from the mud’. In the murky depths of the pond, a seed takes root. Then a long, wavering strand reaches upward, groping through the water towards the glimmer of light above. From the water a bud emerges. Warmed by the sun’s rays, it slowly opens out and forms a perfect chalice to catch and hold the dazzling light of the sun.

The lotus makes a beautiful symbol for the core of goodness in every human being. Though we are born of human clay, it reminds us, each of us has the latent capacity to reach and grow towards heaven until we shine with the reflected glory of our Maker.

The lotus makes a beautiful symbol for the core of goodness in every human being. It reminds us that we have the latent capacity to grow toward heaven until we shine with the reflected glory of our Maker

Early in the third century, a Greek Father of the Church, Origen, referred to this core of goodness as both a spark and a divine seed – a seed that is sown deep in the consciousness by the very fact of our being human, made in the

Photo: Marianne van Loo, Dutch

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image of our Creator. “Even though it is covered up,” Origen explains, “because it is God that has sowed this seed in us, pressed it in, begotten it, it cannot be extirpated or die out; it glows and sparkles, burning and giving light, and always it moves upward towards God.” Meister Eckhart seized the metaphor and dared take it to the full limits it implies:

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kerala break for high tea

The seed of God is in us. Given an intelligent and hard-working farmer, it will thrive and grow up to God, whose seed it is, and its fruits will be God-nature. Pear seeds grow into pear trees, nut seeds into nut trees, and God-seed into God. ‘Its fruit will be God-nature’! What promise could be more revolutionary? Yet Eckhart, like other great mystics of the Church before and after him, does no more than assure us of his personal experience. The seed is there, and the ground is fertile. Nothing is required but diligent gardening to bring into existence the God-tree: a life that proclaims the original goodness in all creation.

The implications of this statement are far-reaching.

Rightly understood, they can lift the most oppressive burden of guilt, restore any loss of self-esteem. For if goodness is our real core, goodness that can be hidden but never taken away, then goodness is not something we have to get. We do not have to figure out how to make ourselves good; all we need do is remove what covers the goodness that is already there.

To be sure, removing these coverings is far from easy.

Having a core of goodness does not prevent the rest of the personality from occasionally being a monumental nuisance.

But the very concept of original goodness can transform our lives. It does not deny what traditional religion calls sin; it simply reminds us that before original sin was original innocence.

That is our real nature. Everything else – all our habits, our conditioning, our past mistakes – is a mask. A mask can hide a face completely; like that iron contraption in Dumas’s novel, it can be excruciating to wear and nearly impossible to remove.

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But the very nature of a mask is that it can be removed.

This is the promise and the purpose of all spiritual disciplines: to take off the mask that hides our real face.

Reprinted with permission from ‘The Art of Detachment’, an article

by Eknath Easwaran from The Blue Mountain Journal. Copyright The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, P.O. Box 256, Tomales, CA 94971, www.easwaran.org. (Extract from http://bmcmwebsite. s3.amazonaws.com/assets/bm-journal/2015/2015Winter.pdf)

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Portrait of India

by Team Culturama

The painting here shows the Akasha Lingam, which is said to be at a temple in Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu (one of holiest five Shiva temples, each of which represents one of the five natural elements). The painting shows the space and aura of the famous shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva as Nataraja, the Cosmic Dancer. Mythology has it that life on Earth began after this cosmic dance.

Nataraja holds the crescent moon and Ganga in his locks, and beats the damaru or drum while he dances. Painting by Sri S. Rajam. Picture courtesy ‘Art Heritage of India: A Collector’s Special’, published by L&T-ECC & ECC Recreation Club.

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Sneak Peek culturama YOUR CULTURAL GATEWAY TO INDIA

Culturama’s April 2016 issue is a smorgasbord of special articles and visually appealing features. Here are some of picks from our next issue: Ten for the Road: The birthplace of famed singer and music composer Sachin Dev Burman, and the place where the panIndian sari may have had its genesis – Tripura may be one of India’s smaller states, but it has several surprises in store.

Traditions, Cast in Bronze: Indian artisans and craftsmen have long been masters at extracting and shaping metals

April 2016

and alloys, as proved by archaeological finds from the 2nd to 3rd millennia BC. We explore the bronze sculptures made through the lost wax process, which are famed in India and world over.

Celebrating the Language of Love: If you thought Urdu is a language that has left its glory days behind, you are in for a surprise! Jashn-e-Rekhta, a three-day Urdu festival held in New Delhi proved that the language continues to capture hearts world over.

There is much more to look forward to – keep a lookout for the April issue of Culturama.

Write to culturama@globaladjustments.com to subscribe for your copy.

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Myth & Mythology

by Devdutt Pattanaik

Celebrating Shiva’s Holy Night Why is Shivaratri one of the few Hindu festivals to be celebrated in the not-so-auspicious dark half of the lunar cycle? Why is it celebrated just as winter draws to a close?

These are questions to which ‘real’ answers may never be known. However, one can always speculate. Speculation helps one explore sacred mysteries and thus gain insight into the divine.

Photo: Helmut Josef KARRASCH, Germany

The traditional story is that on this night a thief climbed a bilva tree, which is sacred to Shiva, to give his pursuers the slip. He spent the whole night on the tree plucking leaves that – unknown to him – fell on a Shiva linga. This act of unintended piety earned the thief an eternal place in the lord’s heart. Stories running along these lines are narrated on Shivaratri as devotees hold an all-night vigil in Shiva temples. But these narratives tell us why Shiva should be worshipped during Shivaratri. They do not tell us what makes Shivaratri sacred.

One story, popular in some parts of South India, says that it was on this night that Shiva drank halahala, the cosmic

culturama

Looking into the symbolism and traditions associated with Maha shivaratri, we could say it is a time to contemplate on the dualities of life – mortal desires and immortal bliss, material needs and spiritual demands poison churned by the gods and demons from the ocean of milk. The goddess Parvati did not want the poison to enter her husband’s body, so she caught hold of Shiva’s neck. The gods did not want Shiva to spit the poison out. So they began singing songs in praise of Shiva. With bated breath, the gods stayed awake wondering how Shiva could save the world without annoying his wife. Finally, at dawn, Shiva locked the poison in his throat for eternity until it turned his neck blue. The all-night vigil on Shivaratri commemorates Shiva’s benevolence.

The unconventional tradition of worshipping Shiva in the dark half of the lunar cycle is not surprising considering there is nothing conventional about Shiva. He is the only god who does not adorn himself with flowers or jewels. He smears his body with ash, wraps himself with elephant hide and tiger skin and bedecks himself with serpents, wild dhatura flowers and rudraksha beads. He intoxicates himself with hemp, is surrounded by wild and fearsome ganas (his attendants) and lives on icy barren mountains. The crescent moon on his head – the same moon that can be seen in the skies on Shivaratri – offers another possible reason why the 13th night of the waning moon is sacred to Shiva.

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The moon god Chandra was married to the 27 nakshatras (lunar asterisms) but he preferred only the company of Rohini. The neglected wives complained to their father, Prajapati Daksha, who ordered Chandra to change his ways.

When the moon god did not, he was struck with the dreaded wasting disease. As the days passed, Chandra’s lustre waned.

No one came to his rescue for fear of incurring Daksha’s wrath. In despair, Chandra turned to Shiva who placed the moon god on his forehead where Daksha’s curse had no effect.

The crescent moon on Shiva’s head is a reminder of how Shiva’s grace saved the moon god from oblivion. Those who fear death, those who cannot come to terms with the fleeting nature of existence therefore take refuge in the cosmic ascetic who has transcended the eternal cycle of birth and death.

In Tantra, the moon represents the cooler, submissive and fleeting aspect of nature. The sun represents the warmer, dominating and eternal aspect of nature. Together they represent the totality of life, the union of opposites. While Shiva represents lunar energy, Vishnu represents the solar.

Shiva transcends worldly life, Vishnu actively participates in it. Shiva did not want to marry but Vishnu coaxed him into the cycle of existence. In Shiva’s willingness to be Devi’s groom, one finds the reason why Maha Shivaratri is celebrated just before the arrival of spring. It must be remembered that in the Hindu calendar, the festival to follow Shiva’s holy night is Holi, the festival of fertility, love and joy.

Shiva’s marriage to Parvati is a major theme of Shaiva lore and is often narrated during Shivaratri. The union transforms the hermit into the householder and couples world-rejection with world-affirmation. With the Devi by his side, the yogi becomes a bhogi. A balance is achieved between the spirit and the flesh, the ego and the infinite. Maybe that is what Shivaratri is all about. A time to stay awake through the night contemplating on the dualities of life – of mortal desires and immortal bliss, earthly obligations and heavenly aspirations, material needs and spiritual demands. When the balance is met, when Shiva is in the arms of Shakti, when the dance is in perfect harmony, there is truth, awareness and bliss – sat, chit, anand.

Published in Speaking Tree, Times of India, February 15, 1999.

Reprinted with permission from www.devdutt.com

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