Culturama May 2011

VOLUME 2, iSSUE 3 may 2011

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Previously known as At A Glance – Understanding India

eternal sunshine

revisiting the cinema of satyajit ray

lending hand Meet India's leading philanthrophists in a new column, Cause and Effect

D e a r

R e a d e r s

Mahatma Gandhi said, “If all the Upanishads and all the other scriptures happened all of a sudden to be reduced to ashes, and if only the first verse in the Ishopanishad were left in the memory of the Hindus, Hinduism would live forever.”

The Isha Upanishad The Lord is enshrined in the hearts of all.

The Lord is the supreme Reality.

Rejoice in Him through renunciation.

Covet nothing. All belongs to the Lord.

Thus working may you live a hundred years.

Thus alone will you work in real freedom.

As a new government forms in the important state of Tamil Nadu, where we are headquartered, the words of sages echo with relevance even today. If leaders and the led both follow this principle of renouncing self-will and covet not, except that which is earned by fair means, we will excel as a nation.

In Culturama, we explore many areas of excellence this month. The A to Z of craftsmen who toil to create works of love, a feature on mangoes, bearing fruit of labour, coffee and conversation with danseuse and culture icon Leela Samson, expat views on Indian food and festivals, and India’s cinema giants Satyajit Ray and Amitabh Bachchan, all bear testimony to the country’s power of attraction. www.globaladjustments.com

We attract abundance, whether we intend to or not, when we remain true to ourselves.

Enjoy the Indian summer!

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

If you like culture, why not work in a place surrounded by it?

For details log on to www.globaladjustments.com/careers.html

culturama | May 2011

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contents 24

12 Coffee & Conversation

Dance of Life

16 A-Z of INdia

Artfully Yours

Summer in India is synoymous with long. lazy afternoons spent at home. As the country comes under the spell of the tropical sun, cold buttermilk or water kept in earthenpots along the roadside to help passersby cool off, is a common sight. Our cover image this month pays rich tribute to this Indian tradition of helping everyone battle the heat wave that takes over most of India.

Cover Photo: Catherine Harte, USA

20 india on a platter

Food from Paradise 24 Feature

Ray of Light 28 Look who's in town

Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi

30 bursting the bubble

42 Rising India

32 CAUSE AND EFFECT

44 India Immersion centre

The Layers of the Onion In the Write Direction Small Wonders

46 wisdom trail

34 Calendars Editor-in-Chief Ranjini Manian Associate Editor Lakshmi Krupa Assistant editor Amreetha Janardhan creative head JayaKrishna Behera Associate Designer Prem Kumar Advertising Chennai Anupama Raj, Yuvarani Peter Bengaluru Shubha Seetharaman, Divya Vasan Delhi-NCR Preeti Bindra, Ruchika Srivastava Mumbai & Pune Farah Bakhshay, Viji subramaniam,

Ashish Chaulkar Advisory Committee Timeri N Murari, N Ram, Elaine Wood, James J Williams, G Venket Ram,

Carmen HUTHOEFER-HEINRICH

New Beginnings

Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi

40 Photo feature

Tropical Treat

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The Wheel of Time 50 India & I

Ayahs and Madams 52 India snapshot 54 Inner Space

Courting the skies 54 name sake

Guest of Honour

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

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

56 Holistic living

Roots Remembered

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

E-mail: blr@globaladjustments.com

58 Star struck

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

E-mail: del@globaladjustments.com

59 FESTIVALS OF INDIA

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

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

Amitabh Bachchan

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60 PORTRAIT OF INDIA 62 iSeries

iRead, iSee, iLike and iAsk

66 space & the city Published and owned by Ranjini Manian at #5, 3rd Main Road, Raja Annamalai Puram, Chennai – 600028 and printed by K Srinivasan of Srikals Graphics Pvt Ltd at #5, Balaji Nagar, 1st Street, Ekkattuthangal, Chennai – 600097.

Editor: Ranjini Manian

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N e w s w o r t h y

The Burning Question

Letters to the Editor Dear Editor, Though intended for the expat community, every article in Culturama is well written and as a local, I look forward to every issue.

Ganesh Raghupathy Dear Editor,

On May 31 every year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) celebrates World No Tobacco Day and this year, the theme is The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). Since it came into force in 2005, this treaty has been the most widely embraced in UN History. It stresses on the need for individuals and civil society to encourage and help their governments in fulfilling their obligation of protecting present and future generations from the devastating hazards of tobacco use. You too can support this smoke-free legislation by reducing second-hand exposure among nonsmokers, telling people about the dangers of tobacco, not selling tobacco to minors, quitting tobacco and/or helping people to quit!

Source: http://www.who.int

I just saw the latest issue of Culturama – April 2011. I normally enjoy reading it. However, this time I was shocked to read the article “On Fair Ground” about India’s animal festivals and fairs.

I do not know whether you are aware that animal entertainment like Jallikattu, Nagpanchami and Bhogali Bihu cause cruelty to animals. In Jallikattu, bulls are force-fed meat and alcohol and their eyes and anus are rubbed with chilli powder to make them aggressive. There is a case in the Supreme Court of India to ban it. During Nagpanchami, snakes are force-fed milk which is a sure killer.

Bhogali Bihu involves cock fights and buffalo fights, which are instances of great cruelty.

Rekla races, camel races – you name it. Our festivals are very cruel towards animals.

You have always been very sensitive on animal welfare issues and I am extremely surprised that you could be promoting such events.

Nanditha Krishna Dear Nanditha, Thank you for your note. It was a good reminder for us to be sensitive to animal welfare. However, the article only reported these games, not to say they were to be promoted.

But we take your point seriously.

From the desk

Send your reader feedback to culturama@globaladjustments.com

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Hot Topic

For those of you who have lived in India in the month of May, Agni Nakshathram needs no introduction. Literally translating to “fire star”, the first day of this 15-day period marks the hottest day of the year and the beginning of the peak summer season. With temperatures soaring to a hot and humid 38–42 °C (100–108 °F), it is the perfect season for making pappads, pickles and masalas and it is a common sight to see housewives laying these out on the terrace to dry out in the scorching sun. Cooling drinks such as panagam (made of jaggery, cardamom and water), buttermilk, coconut water, lemonade and sugarcane juice are often prepared for guests and passers-by to counter the intense heat wave.

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culturama | May 2011

the dance of life Leela Samson is, perhaps, best described as India’s cultural ambassador. The Bharatanatyam danseuse is not only the director of India’s premier cultural institution of the arts and dance, Kalakshetra, in Chennai but is also the chairperson of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, a national academy of artistic heritage, dance, drama and music, as well as the author of two books. She talks about her new role as the Chairperson of the CBFC, the Central Board of Film Certification, the body that is directly under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of India and that regulates the public exhibition of films in the country. Lakshmi Krupa listens in…

In the cauldron of culture that is India, dance, music, literature, arts and cinema are as varied as the people that inhabit its vast landscape. Taking on the mantle of gate-keeping a single form of art is tough enough, but Leela Samson has, over the years, shown the country how to make a mark in as many of them as possible, and with panache. Her ability to straddle worlds, the traditional and the modern, and transcend forms has won her many fans. A Padma Shri awardee (among the highest civilian awards in the Republic of India conferred by the president of the country) for her contribution to the field of classical dance, Bharatanatyam, Leela is at the helm of several artistic platforms at the national level.

A dancer, teacher and choreographer in the Bharatanatyam school of classical Indian dance, she was a teacher at the Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra in Delhi before taking over as the Director of Kalakshetra in Chennai.

Kalakshetra founded by Rukmini Devi Arundale, is responsible for taking the stigma out of the dance form, originally practised only by temple dancers of yore. It wasn’t until Arundale set up the institute that the classical form was available for everyone to learn; under her tutelage Samson learned Bharatanatyam and later went on to write a book about. it When the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I & B) announced that she was to take over as the head of the CBFC, many were elated and some concerned, but almost everyone was surprised. The CBFC of India doesn’t just offer certification of a film, without which no filmmaker can screen their work of art, it is also known for the ‘cuts’ it asks filmmakers to make in scenes that are considered too controversial.

Many from the field shied away from this post for this very reason, the Minister for I & B announced earlier.

That explains how important this role is going to be. In conversation with her:

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From dancer to director of an institute of culture, to books and now cinema the last few years have seen you take on several new exciting roles. How has this journey been?

I am a dancer who also taught. Teaching reinforced my learning and I began to understand the body enough to want to choreograph. Choreography reinforced my understanding of sahitya (literature) and I began to want to express myself in another medium on matters related to dance. I wrote a book on dance (Rhythm in Joy: Classical Indian Dance Traditions) and then a book about my guru (Rukmini Devi: A Life), which brought me full circle back to where I had started the journey.

The most challenging role is that of heading Kalakshetra and reviving it to its full potential. I do not think we have achieved that yet, but might do in a couple of years, given the opportunity.

Any institute that old, it is in its 75th year, has many challenges but huge potential as well.

The roles of chairperson at Sangeet Natak Akademi and the Central Board of Film Certification are exciting in that they allow me to view the culture of this vast nation in a national perspective. These are huge learning curves and the gods are kind to have put such opportunities before me. What we can do to enhance the quality of our lives due to these bodies is to be seen.

How did you react to the news that you have been selected as the chairperson of the CBFC? Did that come as a surprise?

All such tidings come as a surprise.

You had recently expressed interest in allowing documentary filmmakers their space in India’s cinemascape? Is this something close to your heart?

Yes. I think we do a disservice to the documentary in India. There is so much good documentary that has been made and so few venues to watch such films in.

Smaller spaces and serious viewing can become another tradition if the will is there and we release documentary films from some of the stipulations applied on them simply because they have been clubbed with the mainstream.

Do you have a favourite filmmaker?

If I say the obvious a classic of some kind it would be true and yet not. Popular films have also captured my imagination.

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The board has, I believe, always supported good films and genuine work.

I am not a critic of cinema as I do not know enough yet.

What do you think will be your biggest challenge as the chairperson of the CBFC? The biggest challenge will be to get better informed people from all walks of life to sit on the regional committees that watch the films.

Does your appointment as the chairperson, in a sense, show the Government of India's receptiveness towards allowing artistes of diverse backgrounds to be a part of the dialogue of the sensitive censorship issue?

I think so. I believe it has become more important in our times. Especially in a country such as India, where we are over-sensitive and touchy, but also where we believe strongly in our convictions. And since we are so diverse, an artist could always find himself stepping on someone’s toes!

As the chairperson, what is your message to the country's filmmakers?

The board has, I believe, always supported good films and genuine work.

However, the trash that is also being churned out in the name of entertainment, and which has many shades of violence, will, I hope, become less demonstrative of an undermining of the audiences they make them for. These films tend

to bring all people down to the lowest denominator. I have no understanding why this is so. The less advantaged people across the country have more culture and wonderful traditions, without being squeamish. But we underestimate them, perhaps.

You are now, in some ways, the chief opinion leader of a country that churns out so many varieties of cinema. What will be your priority when making decisions about films that are sensitive?

I am not the lone voice of opinion about cinema. The largest voices and opinions belong, and will continue to belong, to those who make films and are involved in producing and acting in them.

This community is a thinking one. I do not presume that I can tell them about their craft or art. We also have a series of regional committees, which must be made up of more informed film buffs and represent every section of our society. If we can get lovers of good cinema to sit on these committees, then I think more than half the battle for us on the board is over. I also think that films are sensitive, but people watching them are more sensitive. A producer of any art cannot afford to forget that.

Finally, what next from you?

I hope I survive this first! I have always wanted to go back to university and study. Maybe someday!

A to Z of India

Susan Philip

Artfully Yours

India is replete with art, be it handicrafts made from locally available material, or music, dance and drama.

Here’s a random sample. Some of these are now globally famous, others are less well known.

Agarbathis, also known as joss sticks, are synonymous with India.

Their fragrance conjures up the peace that prayer brings.

Today, they’re used also in aromatherapy. The perfumes are derived from nature, and it’s a cottage industry, involving mainly women.

A

Bidri is a unique, ancient metal craft of India, using brass alloys to make artifacts with a jet black finish and gleaming silver inlays. The art has been handed down from generation to generation of skilled craftsmen, mainly in present-day Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

B

Coconut trees are very useful. No part of the tree is wasted. Mats, wall-hangings and hats are made from the fibre, and the coconut shells are used to make a range of bowls, cups, spoons and even jewellery. Kerala is especially famous for these handicrafts.

C

Dilli Haat is the place to be if you’re looking for Indian art, and don’t have the time to tour the country. This sprawling market complex in the heart of the capital city attracts artisans from across the nation, selling typical products.

D

Earthenware has a special significance in India. The clay pot plays an important role in religious ceremonies.

Artisans from various regions have developed unique ways of processing clay to produce various types of pottery. Look for Blue Pottery in Rajasthan, and terracotta in West Bengal.

E

Furniture has distinct styles in India. Take the Sankedha furniture of Gujarat. It comes in vibrant colours like golden orange and brown, and designs in silver and gold.

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Glasswork is a tradition that goes back a long way in this part of the world. Glass bangles form rainbow hoops on a woman’s wrist, and glass beads are frozen drops of colour. The unique industry also produces exquisite glass lighting, crockery and even pens.

G

Handmade jewellery is a sought-after commodity in India. You get them in all price range, and in a variety of material – from solid gold to paper. Meenakari and Kundan jewellery are two unique Indian ornament styles.

H

Ivory was a product that ancient India was famous for.

Even King Solomon is believed to have bought some. Ivory carving is an age-old tradition, but following a Government ban artisans now work on bone.

Antique pieces can still be found, though.

I

Jute, which grows abundantly in India, is used to make utilitarian and ornamental items.

Even textiles are woven out of this versatile fibre. Kerala and West Bengal are centres for jute and coir.

J

Kondapalli toys, which have been given the protective Geographic Indication (GI) status, are made in Andhra Pradesh. Whole families work on these intricately carved and painted hand-made wooden toys, which display a remarkable attention to detail.

K

Lac products are easily available in India, particularly in Rajasthan and Delhi. The hard, resin-like substance secreted by the lac insect, which feeds on host trees, is used to make dazzlingly painted and stone-encrusted bangles and other ornaments, as well as curios.

L

Miniature paintings are a hallmark of Indian art.

Though heavily under Moghul influence, the style has evolved into something uniquely Indian.

Brilliant colours and ornate detail characterize these paintings, which have mostly love, religion and the royal courts as themes.

M

Natural dye paintings are also characteristically Indian. Folk artists use nature’s palette to create distinctive works. The Madhubani, Patachitra, Ragamala and Kalamkari forms of painting are some of the more famous styles that use natural dyes.

N

Oryzasative, or unhusked rice, is used by tribal craftsmen of Orissa to make amazing artifacts. It’s a fastdisappearing art as there are now only about fifteen families that know how to laboriously knot one grain of rice to another to make chains, and shape these to create baskets, figurines, garlands and the like.

O

Papier mâché art flourishes in places such as Kashmir in the north, Rajasthan in the west, Bihar in the east, and Andhra Pradesh in the south. Paper pulp is moulded with additives to form both utility and decorative items. The brilliant colours and detailed motifs make them more attractive.

P

Qawalli is a form of music with roots in North India and Islam. It is usually performed by a team, with one lead singer. Others echo the lyrics while clapping and playing musical instruments including the harmonium, dholak and tabla. It is now popular all through India.

Q

Reeds are the raw material for sturdy mats and baskets with a rustic charm. The reeds are split, shaved and woven in traditional patterns that differ from Manipur to Tamil Nadu. Pattamadai village in Tamil Nadu is famous for reed mats.

R

Stone carving is an ancient Indian art that still finds a ready market. Various types of stones are used in different regions, ranging from soft soapstone to glowing marble. Temples and

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palaces stand testimony to stone craftsmanship. You can pick up statuettes, paperweights, candlestands and even tableware made out of stone.

Thanjavur paintings are much admired examples of Indian art.

Their stunning colours apart, they are embellished by semi-precious stones, gold lace and thin sheets of gold and silver mounted as relief, which give them a three-dimensional effect.

T

Urumies are folk drums unique to Southern India. They are hour-glass shaped, and are believed to invoke the supernatural. The body is made of wood, which is often intricately carved. It is traditionally played during religious ceremonies or processions.

U

Villupaatu is a typical folk art form of Tamil Nadu. Literally translated as ‘bow song’, it refers to ballads based on stories from the ancient Hindu texts, sung by a lead singer to the accompaniment of music from a bow-shaped instrument, and supported by a chorus.

V

Warli paintings are pictures with a distinctive style, made originally with rice flour paste on walls by the Warli tribe of Maharashtra. They depict everyday activities and show people, animals and plants. Similar in simplicity to cave paintings, they’re now commercially available, done with white paint on brown backgrounds.

W

Xylophones have an Indian avatar in the Kasht tarang.

It has resonating wooden bars, but no chambers, unlike the European instrument. This unique Indian instrument is rather rare.

X

Yakshagana is a form of folk theatre native to the Karnataka region. The great Indian epics and the ancient religious texts supply the themes for the plays, which combine music, dance and dialogue, and use typical costumes in striking colours.

Y

Zari bags and purses add that extra touch of glamour to your wardrobe. They come in various shapes and sizes, and the gold lace is used, sometimes together with mirrors, embroidery and beads, to embellish different materials such as velvet, silk and satin.

Z

We are here!

India on a Platter

L a k s h m i K r u pa

Food from paradise Follow us on a gastronomical adventure to paradise, Kashmir, as we discover its rich cuisine…

Kashmir is among India’s most exotic locales, called paradise on earth and not without reason. With an interesting history and many cultural influences, the cuisine of this part of the country is unique and also a reflection of its unique geographical and climatic conditions. Food in Kashmir has particularly two different classifications, the Kashmiri Hindu cuisine, which is primarily vegetarian and the Kashmiri Muslim cuisine – that generously uses mutton.

The Hindu cuisine of the native Hindus of the region, Kashmiri Pundits, finds heavy use of asafoetida, yogurt, oils and spices while the Muslim cuisine usually is made with meat cooked in milk. Kashmiri food is known for its rich taste and heavy fat retention. This is unique to the region, a way for the locals to combat the extreme cold conditions of winter as the animal fat adds heat making it almost impossible to consume the food in other parts of the country where temperatures are known to soar notoriously.

A usual Kashmiri fare is elaborate with at least 15 to 20 dishes ranging from Rogan Josh, Dum Aloo, Gustaba, etc. The one very unique aspect of Kashmiri cuisine is that it doesn’t have a dessert. Over time however, desserts from other parts of the country such as gulab jamun have made it to the local food canvas of the region. However, there is the unique Meetha Pulao – sweetened rice with dry fruits and nuts eaten as part of the main course. Kahwah Chai, a local tea made with green tea leaves, saffron, spices, almonds and walnuts is very famous. Saffron is another popular addition to food in Kashmir. Lamb, of which there are 30 varieties, is an important component of the Kashmiri Muslim cuisine.

The wazwan meal – the traditional Muslim fare is a table for four. A jug with water is passed around to all four on the table. After everyone has washed their hands, a large plate is placed on the centre of the table and piled with rice and kebabs. The fare is usually made with lamb, followed by dishes such as Safed murg (chicken in white gravy), Zafrani murg (chicken in gravy made of yoghurt) and the meal usually ends with a Gustaba (boneless meat pounded and cooked).

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Rogan Josh Mutton in gravy Ingredients Mutton 500 gms (leg part) (Washed and cleaned) Mutton stock 1 cup Oil 5 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder 1 tsp Ginger powder (sonth) 1 tsp Cumin seeds ½ tsp Cloves 6-8 Green cardamom 4 Cinnamon ½ a stick Fennel powder 1 tsp Ratan Jog oil as required Kashmiri Var (garam masala made from Kahsmiri ground spices) – 1 tsp Curd ½ cup Salt to taste and fresh chopped coriander to garnish

1. Heat oil in a pan for 8 -10 minutes 2. Add Ratan Jog stick 3. Heat the oil for another 2 – 3 minutes, till you get a rich red colour 4. Use vegetable oil or mustard oil only 5. Drain oil and keep aside 6. Use as much required for the recipe and store the rest for further use 7. Do not refrigerate

6. Add salt, fennel powder, ginger powder and let it cook on medium fire for 5 – 10 minutes or till all the water has dried up

Method

7. Mix mutton stock and curd together and pour it in the mutton 8. Cook it till mutton is done

1. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan 2. Add whole cumin seeds and wait till it crackles 3. Add cardamom and cloves 4. Add Kashmiri red chilli power and Kashmiri Var

9. Add Ratan Jog oil prepared and mix well with the cooked mutton 10. Now that the mutton is ready, remove and garnish with coriander leaves

5. Immediately add mutton and stir Special thanks to Virender Razdan, General Manager, Sheraton Park Hotel and Towers, Chennai, for his valuable inputs on the cuisine of Kashmir

Quick Bytes ▪ Kashmiri Saffron is among the most sought-after saffron varieties in the world. It’s also among the darkest saffron the world giving it a deep aroma, taste and a strong flavour.

▪ Kashmiri Pundit cuisine uses a lot of yoghurt and spices but usually does not have onions, garlic or too many spices..

▪ Sheer Chai – pink in colour – is a salted tea with soda and is the most common tea in Kashmir..

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In the Kitchen To remove burnt food from your skillet, add a drop of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on the stove.

Don't throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

Spray your Tupperware with non-stick cooking spray before pouring in tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains.

Seasonal Fruits Water Melon Where: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana during the summer months of April to June.

Photo & Recipe Courtesy: sheraton park, Chennai

For Ratan Jog Oil

What: Watermelon is an excellent source of Vitamin C and is a great antioxidant When: Slice and eat immediately as the water content may be lost over time.

How: The ripe fruit is sliced and the seeds removed before consumption. Blended with a bit of lime juice and sugar, it also makes for a great morning drink. .

Feature

A l f r e d o De B r a g a n z a

Sound Camera Action!

A Ray Of Light “Villains bore me,” Satyajit Ray (Calcutta 1921-1992) wrote once. In Camus’s The Plague (French title “La Peste”) a character says, “I understand everyone, so I judge no one”. Ray made us understand. In the sparest and the most refined of cinematic idioms, he gave us a world. If Joyce captured a man in full through the relentless description and analysis of a day in Dublin, Ray’s films are delicate vignettes sculpted in time recording an entire culture. The New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael said about him, “Ray sees life itself as basically good, no matter how bad it is.”

On a business trip to London in 1950, Satyajit Ray watched Vittorio de Sica’s Bicycle Thieves more than a dozen times. On the ship back to India, he wrote a screenplay for his first film, Pather Panchali (“Song of the Little Road”). It became the first movie from independent India to attract major international critical attention and won the 'Best Human Document' at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival, establishing Satyajit Ray as a major international filmmaker. Even today it is considered one of the greatest films ever made.

Forget the technical jargon of montage, mise-en-scène, fade-outs and jump cuts, Ray performed, better than any other Indian, the basic duty of a filmmaker.

He communicated. He touched. The fun and games of Durga and Apu, the caring and sharing of the siblings, the candyman, the kittens, the rain dance and the loss of a sister, and the inability of Apu to comprehend its enormity as he brushes his teeth without his sister Durga by his side. This film is about childhood but made through the filtered vision of an adult looking back, which makes it that much more nuanced and philosophical.

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A Spanish Filmmaker's tribute to Satyajit Ray

Pather Panchali was followed by two films that continued the tale of Apu’s life: Aparajito (“The Unvanquished”) in 1956 and Apur Sansar (“The World of Apu”) in 1959. The three films are together known as The Apu Trilogy. Whether it is the smile of a child staring at the pompous village shopkeeper-teacher or the tragedy of a mother who has lost her young daughter, emotions are articulated without words and are all the more searing for that. You don’t need subtitles to sympathise with these people, you live alongside their feelings; it is all about visuals held together by silences and sounds to create feelings that are abidingly haunting.

If we take a clinical eye to Apu’s story nothing much happens to him that is out of the ordinary. His lower middle-class life is but a basis point in the statistical percentages of social studies. But Ray makes him Everyman; you see him grow from birth to fatherhood, and all you want is that he should be happy. His quest becomes yours. The important thing is not that he is a villager, not that he is a Bengali, but that he is a human being, a person, and that is the universality of the film.

For a viewer who had lived on a healthy diet of Hollywood blockbusters or megabudget Bollywood flicks and regards cinema as an escape, Pather Panchali can become too real for comfort. This viewer can sense the slow rhythm from the beginning, not understanding the subtle emotions and can get bogged down even by the poverty and relentlessly tragic mood. In my opinion, the most important criticism that we can make of Ray is that he believes naively that people are fundamentally good and that his films are too well crafted in contrast, for example, to the raw passion of Ritwik Ghatak and his spontaneous and stubborn frames. Like every giant, Ray suffered attacks from intellectual midgets, some of whom whined that the only reason he was so well received in the West was because of the negative picture his film showed of poverty in India. This is, of course, rubbish. Certainly the people in his films were poor and their lives were conditioned by that poverty. But poverty, in one degree or another, is a fact of life for every large part of the world’s population. The people in Pather Panchali are engaged in the struggle to survive, but it does not impair their humanity!

I personally find a link between Ray’s film and a “magic” scene from Guiseppe Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso when the young boy Toto is fascinated as Alfredo (his projectionist friend) inclines the projector and lets the moving image travel out of the theatre over the wall of the town square. Martin Scorsese once said, “With Ray’s films you became attached to the culture through the people”. Watching Pather Panchali, the experience is not about acting, camera frame, music (by Ravi Shankar), editing or sound. It is about more than that: an unforgettable movie magic experience; a ray of light to your consciousness.

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Ray films you cannot miss

THE APU TRILOGY 1955 - 59 Pather Panchali (“The Song of the Road”), Aparajito (“The Unvanquished”) and Apur Sansar (“The World of Apu”) tell the story of Everyman Apu from birth through boyhood, marriage and fatherhood. Visually poetic, this delicately crafted trilogy is a work of astonishing sensitivity.

JALSAGHAR 1958 (The Music Room) Powerful study of crumbling feudalism through the eyes of a zamindar who refuses to accept that times have changed.

MAHANAGAR 1963 (The Big City) Neglected masterpiece. A wife steps out to work: she changes, her relationships change, the world changes her.

CHARULATA 1964 (The Lonely Wife) Ray’s personal favourite. A neglected and sensitive wife finds solace and identity in a complex relationship with her brother-in-law.

GOOPI GYNE BAGHA BYNE 1968 (The adventures of Goopy and Bagha) Age-no-bar musical fairy tale about two travelling minstrels blessed by the King of Ghosts.

It’s also a powerful anti-war parable.

ARANYER DIN RATRI 1969 (Days and Nights in the Jungle) Four urban young men go for a short trip to the Palamau jungle. Three return, their lives changed forever.

PRATIDWADI 1970 (The Adversary) Surrealistic and experimental in style: about unemployment, late 1960s Calcutta, the power and failure of the imagination, and an elusive birdcall.

SONAR KELLA 1974 (The Golden Fortress) Delightful thriller about a little boy who remembers his past life and the treasure hunt that follows.

Made then unknown Jaisalmer a thriving tourist destination.

JANA ARANYA 1975 (The Middleman) Ray’s darkest work. Juxtaposes the slow moral degradation of a young man trying to earn a living against the decay of Calcutta and Bengali society.

SHATRANJ KE KHILARI 1977 (The Chess Players) Ray’s only full-length Hindi feature film. Dissolute nobles spend their days in pointless leisure as the English annexe Awadh.

Alfredo de Braganza (Spain) is an independent filmmaker. He is regarded as the first Spanish person to shoot an entire feature film on celluloid in India.

He has made a Tamil feature film, Maayan The Fisherman, and a documentary feature in Hindi shot in the Himalayas, Smoking Babas Holy Men of India.

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culturama | May 2011

Look who’s in Town

UK

delhi

chennai

canada

David Walker and Emma Reddington, Shannon McDonnell

Honorary Co-coordinator-India, Roots and Shoots My India, My Country Indians are much more involved with their neighbours’ lives than Canadians. It was initially strange to be asked things that we consider to be highly personal–about children, religion and the costs of things. However when you need the support of your community, it is always there.

My Favourite Indian Dr. Supraja Dharini, the founder and chair of TREE Foundation, a local NGO that works on ocean conservation, primarily through Olive Ridley Sea Turtle rescue and community engagement programs. Her remarkable work is truly groundbreaking and I admire her dedication in the face of great difficulty.

My Indian Cuisine We have always liked Indian food. Sambar vada, masala dosa, dal–I could go on indefinitely!

My India Insight I love the fact that there was 75% voter turnout for the election, but find the corruption here difficult to fathom. Most Indians have an appreciation for the natural beauty of the country, yet there is so much litter and the beaches are used as toilets.

My Tip to India Canadian women are very strong and often, it is a matriarchal society; so it is sometimes difficult to deal with the occasional conservative views towards women here.

Time means something very different to us, but we eventually learn about ISTIndian Stretchable Time and relax. .

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culturama | May 2011

Senior Consultant ERM, HR Director Serco India

My India, My Country The biggest similarity we see is driving on the left-hand side. This is probably one of the main dissimilarities too! As, at times, it appears that driving on the righthand side of the road is the protocol!

My Favourite Indian Stepping off the plane at Heathrow we were met by a full-scale poster of Shah Rukh Khan advertising a watch brand. His advertising skills know no bounds, domestically and internationally!

I have to also say that it is indeed very difficult not to be charmed by Amitabh Bachan!

My Indian Cuisine Dosas came as a relatively new concept and heavily flavoured breakfasts have taken time to get used to. But we taste new things every day and have become addicted to chats! Golgappas are a favourite!

My India Insight It’s great that culturally people have such strong identities with their regions; it always causes conversations or at times even serious debate.

Education is very important; we would like to ensure that the people around us and their families have access to learning opportunities that will make a difference.

My Tip to India We are quite flexible and more robust than you think so there is no need to sugar coat India!

If you have a recommendation of something to do or see, write it down and mention the best time of the year to go – planning is everything.

belgium

Ben Tellin

Managing Director, Yechte Consulting My India, My Country It is very difficult to draw parallels when looking at the two countries. But the striking similarity that I have seen is that in both countries, we take life easily and have a good sense of humour.

My Favourite Indian The person I work most closely with, my trusted business partner. He is always sharp and on point.

My Indian Cuisine India has brought an array of new senses and tastes; my favourite would be Bengali cuisine and also the savoury coastal food.

My India Insight Indians have a flexibility of mind and what I liked the most is their willingness to help at all times and at all costs!

More discipline and stronger conviction would help to overcome the lack of rigour and strong judgement that I have found at times.

My Tip to India Belgians have a fascination for order and hierarchy, and take commitments seriously.

Located at the heart of the European Union (EU), we tend to travel and be culturally conversant.

mumbai

bengaluru

usa

Shannon Frandsen Freelance writer

My India, My Country Services from maids, nannies, and drivers are available at prices considered affordable to most middle-class Americans. In the States, labour and time are both expensive commodities, leaving the vast majority of families to juggle full-time work with household work on their own.

My Favourite Indian The two Indians who I am thankful for every day are my driver and my nanny. The driver makes sure my husband gets to work and back home safely; and my nanny helps me with the endless list of chores surrounding motherhood, giving me with time for hobbies (cooking and photography), freelance writing, and business ventures.

My Indian Cuisine Two of my favourite Indian dishes are baingan bhartha and paneer bhurji, both with fresh rotis. I enjoyed cooking a South Indian fish curry and a Maharashtrian shrimp curry and found that while Indian cooking doesn't require difficult technique, it does call for small amounts of many spices.

My India Insight I love the colours and festiveness of Indian culture from the flower garlands to the sparkly sarees, from the spirit of Indian weddings to the joy of Diwali.

Public campaigns encouraging queue culture would help make the chaotic daily life in India more manageable and harmonious, in banks, grocery stores, and even traffic!

My Tip to India Americans are generally outgoing and curious people. If you have American guests, they probably will ask many question and we hope our inquisitiveness is not mistaken for intrusion.

Americans just want to know what life in India is all about! culturama | May 2011

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Bursting the Bubble

I a n W at k i n s o n

The Layers of the Onion

Last month, we looked at many foreigners’ commonly experienced reactions when settling into India. This month, we deal with reasons for misunderstandings that could arise. Are you ready to have those bubbles burst?

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culturama | May 2011

Let’s begin to explore the reasons for the potential misunderstandings that often surface when two different cultures meet by using another simple analogy, the “layers of the onion”. The “onion” represents the culture, and the concentric “layers” represent the structures, social interactions and parameters that define a culture’s individuality. Every culture is like an onion. Often foreigners in India find it impossible to interface their modes of cultural parameters their onion layers with those of India.

“Layers of the onion” is a simple model to help us understand why issues arise when differing cultures meet. Interfacing cross-cultural layers initiates building better and more productive cross-cultural communication, rather than creating confusion and thus retreating deeper into our “bubble”. Initially, cultural layers can seem to be on similar wavelengths but under the surface be very disparate. In the coming months we will explore key facets of Indian cultural layers, contrasting them with Western culture. Neither cultural value system is right, neither is wrong. They just work with different parameters. They are different onions.

One of the most important layers people have difficulty relating to whilst in India is the idea of time – and it is of paramount importance in all walks of life.

“Time” – the label we apply to that strange, inexplicable one-way continuum of moments, which even the science of physics seems to find challenging.

Four letters with a very complex meaning.

Time as a concept is deeply encapsulated in Western and Indian cultures in very contrasting ways. The “time layer” is an external layer of the cultural onion and can have a dramatic positive or negative impact on our day-to-day interface between those cultures.

Some of the difficulties are caused by different interpretations of time management – in general, Western concepts of time are very “non-nowcentric” and Indian concepts of time are very “nowcentric”.

These different interpretations can create misunderstanding, poor synchronicity, lack of definitive outcomes and difficulty in establishing future common objectives.

Generally speaking, Western culture is dominated by trying to manage future time: for work and daily routines, for travel, the dates of holidays, appointment times and so on. The mapping of time’s continuum is systemic in our cultural processes.

Overall, this controlled view of the future has many positive benefits, both for us and those around us, and as such it can self-perpetuate. On the other hand, we unconsciously tend to project so much of our existence into future moments that have yet to happen, often intrinsically forgetting how to actually be in the present. We strive to make the future immutable, to make it bow to our will and hence control it. As a result our lives are often not “now” centred, or based in the “now”, and we become frustrated when sometimes the things we plot, plan and project into those future-projected moments go awry, fall off the scale, don’t happen as planned. Which happens, of course. That is the negative side.

Conversely, the Indian concept of time as “now”, the existence of only the current moment in time, is a very different way of looking at the world. Much of the Indian cultural psyche regarding time is built

around the current, unique and singular moment (the “now”), where all of us actually “are”, rather than any future-projected moments. For millennia the masters of Indian philosophy have eloquently analysed, debated, articulated and rationalised the extremely beautiful concept that “now” is all there is, this moment (incidentally, long before the invention of the ticking clock).

This “in the moment” view has brought its own unique, positive benefits for us and those around us, but also has its negative side the very idea of accurately pinning a time slot for activity on a “now” yet to come is hard to conceptualise, and often the best attempts to extrapolate any future plan from this “now” creates a very elastic and mutable sense of time. Indian time. It can stretch.

Being late for appointments, or not appearing at all, are things Western culture regards as a breach of personal commitment they are high up on the scale of ways to upset our embedded cultural time-management processes. So asking a tradesman, rickshaw driver, or delivery person to come at a certain time tomorrow is often asking for misunderstanding when viewed from the strict, fixed Western time-ordered domain. Tomorrow can mean anytime that’s in the future, just not the current “now” in Indian time. “Now” is important. All else is flexible.

The ancient archetypal Hindu deity of Vishnu reclining on the serpent Anantha crystallises thought relating to space, time and continuum, and provides an intellectual parallel with quantum physics. The consciousness of man, which arises from Vishnu’s navel as the four heads of Brahma, shows how we are merely observers in this cosmic process of time. There is no parallel in common in Western culture, only in science. Ultimately, it’s way out of our control.

If we can step back and consciously work with, and understand, both of these approaches to the complex notion of time we will find a deeply powerful mental toolkit that can culturally integrate us rather than separate us, and that will provide benefits to all far in excess than either side will ever achieve in isolation, or from our ‘bubble’.

Time waits for no-one, whoever winds the clock.

Photos Ian Watkinson

The writer is British and lives in Chennai.

culturama | May 2011

31

Cause and Effect

A m r ee t h a J a n a r d h a n

small wonders V-Excel, an educational trust for children with special needs, aims at instilling a love for learning in the child by rousing their curiosities and unveiling their full learning potential.

“Thank you God for the world so sweet Thank you God for the food we eat Thank you God for the birds that sing Thank you God for everything.”

The school is a quaint, old, refurnished house resounding with laughter and chatter. When we arrive students are finishing their day with a prayer. As we wait in the verandah, a few of them walk by and wave at us welcoming us with a gentleness and warmth that we seldom see in other places.

Making the Change Dr Vasudha Prakash, the founder and director of V-Excel Educational Trust, Chennai, has been running the school for close to ten years. At V-Excel the Waldorf Curriculum is followed it incorporates sensory methods of teaching into the regular timetable to encourage children to develop their imaginations and creativity. For children with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, the Bridges Learning Academy (BLA) at the Trust helps tackle the 3 Rs – Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic. The school’s Rural Outreach

Programmes meet the special needs of people with disabilities in smaller towns and rural areas, but are often crowded due to a serious lack of adequate staff.

Mainstream life The child’s development is synonymous with how readily parents can accept their condition. Dr Prakash adds, “There is always a want to see your offspring perform better than you.” Parents often resort to different philosophies and beliefs, spending lakhs of rupees on so-called “cures”, when they have hit a brick wall. But it should be acknowledged that there is no cure for learning disabilities, only the skill of adapting to mainstream life that can be incorporated in the child’s mind.

In other countries people with such disabilities live alone and are even entrusted with apartments to live in and take care of by themselves. “The problem in India is that the parents become dependent on their children’s dependence, despite the fact that often they are more than willing and able to

take on jobs offered to them,” comments Dr Prakash.

Starting this month we will promote a cause worth your efforts.

Be the change!

• Contribute funds, books and equipment for projects, rural outreach programmes and satellite centres. It takes up to Rs. 1.5 lakh to set up one satellite centre.

• Sponsor workshops that help spread awareness.

• Enrol in the Academy of Teachers Excellence! There is a serious lack of people who are willing to take this up as a full-time profession.

• V-Excel also conducts one-week training programmes for volunteers who can help as teacher assistants.

• Offer any help in accounting or administration work at the school, filming of the school, making systems, teaching dance, music and sports.

• Sponsor a child for Rs. 9,000 (USD 225) per quarter.

V Excel is at No 1 Norton Second Street, Mandaveli, Chennai – 28. For details log on to www.v-excel.org 32

culturama | May 2011

CALENDAR MUMBAI theatre film

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

FOOD & SHOPPING

workshop & events

7 Prithvi Theatre, 1100h & 1600h English Play – 2 hours On the 7th and 8th of May, meet 'Peter Pan', Wendy and the Darling Children; Fly with them to Neverland, and join forces with the Lost Boys in their fight against the evil Captain Hook!

1 Valhalla, 1200h - 2345h New Seasonal Menu A contemporary choice of world cuisine Embark on Malt Musings from May with Asian and Mediterranean accents!

1 to 15. The four-course culinary Try the Asian spiced rawas perfumed journey comprising kebabs, qorma, with cilantro, char-grilled chicken and qaliyan and salan, naan, biranj and seasonal vegetables with Parmesan meetha is an evocative presentation cheese and of course the classic risotto! of aromas flavors and textures. Price: Vegetarians have a greater variety too.

Rs. 6,500 to Rs. 7,500.

On through the month.

1 Cake It Away 1 Dum Pukht, ITC Grand Maratha

A Royal Voyage

12 Experimental Theatre, 1900h Three Short Plays in English – 2 hours 1 Sri Aurobindo Society, 1700h Motley’s new production, directed

by Naseeruddin Shah, features three Music Appreciation Workshop for

Children short pieces by George Bernard Shaw Give your children a broader perspective - Village Wooing, How he lied to her of music using stories, movement, Husband and English Pronounciation. instruments and songs, the children will Tickets range from Rs.150 – Rs.300. be on a musical journey they will always On till the 14th remember. Every Tuesday. Fees: Rs. 1 2,000/- for three months. Email : Safier.

21 Prithvi Theatre, 1100h & 1600h sas@gmail.com. On till the 15th.

English Play – 2 hours

With the conviction that children 1 H20, 1000h – till sunset should not be exposed only to low Parasailing comedy in the theatre, Motley is If you’re looking for something attempting to revive Bernard Shaw’s different to get your adrenalin pumping!

“Arms and the man” (with a younger H20 promises that their parasailing cast) and showcase Shaw’s exquisite instructors have experience of over use of words. On the 21st and 22nd.

5,000 flights. Certified life guards are

art & exhibition 1 Chemould Prescott, 1100h

Solo Exhibition Jitish Kallat’s Stations of a Pause showcases the full range of his artistic practice; addressing the core themes of sustenance, survival and mortality in the contemporary urban environment, the show incorporates photography and large format paintings. On till the 10th.

1 Art Matthieu Foss Gallery,

Solo exhibition Photographer Vidisha Saini’s first solo show showcasing two series - Pratibimb and Showtime featuring Behrupiyas, a cluster of lower caste communities in India who are nomadic, costumechanging performers.

1 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya

Chinese Culture and Art exhibition Treasures of Ancient China is a collection dating as far back as 21st century BCE to 19th century CE offers a glimpse of the material and spiritual life led by the Chinese. On through the month.

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culturama | May 2011

also present. Flight cost: Rs.1090. On through the month.

Cupcakes for a Cause Order Cupcakes from Cake It Away directly or through Delivery Chef and they will donate 25% of your total bill towards the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund. On till the 15th.

Fruit Chocolate at Pure Sin Chocolates 1030h - 1900h Bite into fruity chocolates, for the taste of summer. Indulge in mouth watering fruit flavors like trippin on cherries (brandy-soaked cherries in chocolate), berry d’ cheez (crushed biscuit, creamy milk chocolate, strawberry and cheesecake flavour in dark decadent dessert chocolate) and more. On till the 20th.

1 S. S. Sahani School, 1800h &

Capoeira Classes Capoeira is a Brazilian form of dance and martial art, specializing in synchronizing the moves to music. ‘Cordao De Ouro India’ is the first Capoeira Group in India started by Monitor Baba. For Children and beginners, all through the month.

1 Women’s Graduates Union, 0700h Aerobic Classes

Aerobic classes conducted by wellknown trainer at Women’s Graduates Union. Days: Monday to Friday, on through the month.

16 Prithvi House, 1400h – 1530h

Pick of the month

24 Experimental Theatre, 1930h English Play – 80 minutes The award winning ‘The Interview’ returns to NCPA. A bright, young man is called in for a job interview at a big corporate. But nothing he learnt in college, university or his last few jobs has prepared him for what comes next.

Tickets: range from Rs.150 – 250.

FOOD & SHOPPING

News Today Gone Tomorrow Preethi Athreya along with Padmini Chettur, brings to you a workshop of dance and healing! We will find ways to access our own bodies through movement and release violence into a form of healing through the language of dance. Fees: Rs. 1,800.On till the 25th.

1 Barcode 053 Summer Coolers Indulge in some icy cool cocktails like the lemon drop (lemon juice , vodka,sugar,crushed ice,lemon,mint) and the ultimate frozen strawberry (tequila, triple sec,strawberries in syrup,frozen limeade concentrate).

1 Torrp It up, 1100h - 2300h Festival of Choices Choose your choice of bread from white, brown, herb, masala, multigrain with your choice of veg/non-veg filling from lamb kafta, tuna sweet corn, smoked chickeno, turkey, CBLT, salmon and cream cheese to garden fresh, spicy tofu, paneer tikka makhani, mushroom herb garlic. On till the 28th.

1 Oakwood Premier IPL T20: Mania Watch live IPL matches at Oakroom Lounge at Oakwood Premier and get unlimited Fosters and kababs. Price: Rs.1,800 + taxes. On till the 28th.

venues

Prithvi Theatre 20, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Mumbai – 400 049. Tel : 2614 9546.

Chemould Prescott Queens Mansion, 3rd Floor, Ghanshyam Talwatkar Marg, Fort, Mumbai 400 001.

Tel: +91-22-2200 0211 / 0212.

Mathieu Foss at C & L Gallery 01 / 18, First Floor, Kamal Mansion, Arthur Bunder Road, Near Radio Club, Colaba, Mumbai 400 005.

Tel:+91-22- 6747 7261.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, 150/161, M.G. Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001.

Tel: +91-22-2284 4484.

Sri Aurobindo Society 11, Sahakar, 1st Floor, B. Road, Curchgate, Mumbai 400 020.

Tel:+91-22-2204 3076 H2O Netaji Subhashchandr Bose Road, Chowpatty, Mumabi. Tel : 2367 7546 Mr. Monitor Baba S.S. Sahani School, 8th Road, Khar (West), Mumbai 400 051.

Tel: +91-98690 55371 Women’s Graduates Union Sasoon Dock Cross Road, Near BPT Garden, Colaba, Mumbai 400 005 Tel : +91-98203 24162 Dum Pukht ITC Grand Maratha, Sahar Airport Raod, Sahar, Andheri East, Mumbai 69.

Tel:+91-22-2830 3030.

Cake It Away, Cupcakes, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021. Tel: 98209 51925.

Pure Sin Chocolates G-5, Pil Court, 111, M. Karve Road, Behind Korean Air, Churchgate, Mumbai 400 020. Tel: 2200 0267.

Torrp It Up Shop No,2 & 3, Solace Building, Plot No.345 , City Survey, Khar west, Mumbai 400 052. Tel: 2648 3368.

Oakwood Premier J R Mhatre Road Juhu, Vile Parle West, Mumbai 400 049. Tel:6623 8888.

Valhalla 1st Floor, East Wing, Eros Theatre Building, Churchgate, Mumbai 400 026.

Tel: +91-22-6735 3535.

CALENDAR BENGALURU MUSIC & THEATRE

WORKSHOP & EVENTS

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

FOOD & SHOPPING

1 Kanteerva Stadium, 0630h – 0830h Columbia Asia Cyclothon The 10k cyclothon by Columbia Asia is an initiative by the hospital to promote healthy living among people. It will start from Kanteerva Stadium and will end at Columbia Asia Yeshwantpur.

The Mahua Art Gallery The Leela Palace 23, Airport Road, Bengaluru – 17 Tel: 9341665580

Pick of the month 1 New Life College Campus Intensive Music Seminar The Summer Intensive Music Seminar is an extreme introductory semester to learn more about the music arts and take it forward. The subjects covered would be Vocal Arts, Keyboard, Guitar, Bass, Drums and Piano. On till the 6th.

1 Ranga Shankara, 1530h – 1720 h English Play Necessary Targets by Suchitra’s CFD directed by Prakash Belawadi.

1 Sanathana Kalakshetra, 1800h Flute Recital VRC Academy of Music and Dance cordially Invites you and your Friends to the grand flute recital by Sridhar, Anantha Sathyam(Violin), V.R.Chandrashekar (Mridangam) and Shashikala (Ghatam).

10 Ranga Shankara English Play Akvarious Productions brings you ‘A Guy Thing’ (on till the 12th) and 'The Interview' (May 13–15) directed by Akarsh Khurana.

17 Ranga Shankara, 1530h–1645h English Play Version one dot oh! brings you 'Chimeras' directed by Sri Krishna. On till May 18.

ART & EXHIBITION

1 Mahua Art Gallery Twin Art Exhibition You are invited to the opening of the Twin exhibition at the gallery. The shows are: A Painter, A Sculptor, A Ceramist & A Printmaker – An exhibition by four Bhopal based women artists. On till the 15th.

Hypnos Lavelle Road, Bengaluru – 1 Tel: 9886404347

1 Latha Residency, 0900h–1800h Basic and Professional Tarot Learning 1 Hypnos, 1600h – 2330h IPL Live on Big Screen Workshop Learn professional and basic tarot card Live - IPL matches telecast on Big Screen at Hypnos. Enjoy the games reading course from its history to the with special offers on beverages. On interpretation of cards. On till May 31. till the 28th.

4 Bangalore International Exhibition 1 Blu Petal, Center, 0900h – 1800h IPL Live on Giant Screen Bangalore–BIO Live - IPL matches telecast on Giant Affordable Innovation is the way Screen at Blu Petal. Enjoy the games forward and in this context it is with special offers of unlimited food Advantage India. Join us in India’s and Drinks at Rs.999 + tax. On till movement towards “biotech for May 28. improved quality of life” at Bangalore INDIA BIO 2011. On till the 6th 1 Vivanta by Taj Cricket – Live 10 Kids Studios Watch the IPL matches at Tease and Three day outbound camping enjoy the First slip- fried cheese and Keep your children busy with lots of coconut crusted prawns, Free Hit– adventure and fun filled activities at chicken mince, Back foot– char grilled our outbound camping! What better vegetable kebab platter, and more! On way to learn than at a beautiful till the 28th. location Hid–Den near Chennapatna.

10 Grand Ashok, 0900 – 1800 h Education Worldwide India Do you want to study in the most renowned and reputed institutions in India and abroad? More than 200 universities from various countries will showcase their courses to the most potential student population of India.

On till May 11.

1

14 Palm Meadows, 0930h–1730h

Happiness @ Work Is there is a good chance that you lack the right skills to be happy?

This workshop led by IIM alumnus – Rahul De – combines ideas from the spiritual traditions of the East and the recent scientific advances 1 in the West to put an end to your

suffering at work.

28 Silicon World, Lower Parel, 0930h – 1730h Robotics Summer Camp Robotics is an ultimate techno– science subject that any engineer dreams to work on. We give platform and facilities for kids to build and programme their own robots. Free workshop till May end.

venues

New Life College Campus 50/12, Outer Ring Road Kalyanagar, Bengaluru - 560043 Nimhans Convention Center Hosur Road, Bengaluru – 560029 Ranga Shankara 36/2, 8th cross, JP Nagar II Phase Bengaluru – 560078 Tel: 080 26493982 Grand Ashok Vimanapura Airport Road HAL, Bengaluru – 560017 Tel: 080 25221140 Sanathana Kalakshetra 9th Main Road, 4th Block Jayanagar (Near Tel exchange) Bengaluru – 560011 Tel: 040-4040 4160 Palm Meadows Club Adarsh Palm Retreat, Whitefield Road Whitefield, Bengaluru – 560066 Silicon World Human Capital Consulting #6/1, Above Bata showroom, Gandhi Bazaar Main Road Gandhi Bazaar, Bengaluru – 4 Kanteerva Stadium Kasturba Road, Bengaluru – 1

Vivanta By Taj Express lunch Express Lunch at Memories of China.

A dining experience that combines fine dining with all you can eat buffet. Try our dim sum and famous Pecking duck. Choice of a glass of beer or wine. On till the 10th.

B-3 Latha Residency Kundanahalli Gate Signal Marathahalli, Bengaluru- 6

Geoffreys Restaurant IPL offers Beer Buckets (King Fisher Premium) 3 plus 1 @ 550 / + tax. Beer Bucket (KingFisher Ultra) 3 plus 1 @ Rs. 700/ + tax. Game Offer - UB Sprits Plus Two Starters @ Rs. 3,500/ + tax. On till May 28.

Geoffreys Restaurant No.1, Hotel Royal Orchid Ad to Golf Course, Airport Road Bengaluru – 560017

1 Rajdhani – The King of Thali Mango food Festival @ Relish the mango keri panna, mango lassi, mango dal dhokli, keri khanda samosa, mango shrikhand and lots more. On till May 30

Vivantha by Taj ITPL, Whitefield, Bengaluru - 66 Tel – 080 669333333 & MG Road, Bengaluru – 560001 Tel: 080 66604444

Rajdhani Restaurant 2nd Floor, UB City Mall Vittal Mallya Road, Bengaluru – 1 Tel – 080 32919222 Blu Petal Business Hotel, #60, Jyoti Nivas College Road, 5th Block, Koramangala, Bengaluru – 560095 Tel: 080 43431818 culturama | May 2011

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CALENDAR DELHI FILM & THEATRE 1 India Habitat Centre, 1900h English Play The Prophet And The Poet (English/90mins) by Little Theatre Group, Bangalore is based on a compilation of letters and articles exchanged between Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore over 25 years, with the Indian freedom struggle as the backdrop.

Pick of the month

6 India Habitat Centre, 1900h Documentary Film Celebrate Mother’s Day with 3 short inspirational films(8 mins each).

Director Dr. Lavlin Thadani’s ‘Why Can’t I’ encapsulates the stories of three motivated Rajasthani women, each from a different district of Rajasthan, and each, a path breaker in her own right. Screenings will be followed by a panel discussion on Where Would I Be Without My Mom?

music & dance 4 India Habitat Centre, 1900h International Music Concert Enjoy a collection of folk songs and romantic interludes from an international repertoire, capturing the lighter moments of spring at the Spring Concert 2011. Conductor: Nadya V. Balyan Pianist; Jina Lee. Collab: Capital City Minstrels Choir.

9 India Habitat Centre, 1900h Monthly Performance Pehchaan is a monthly performance series featuring Kathak recital by Rama Prasad Chattopadhayay, disciple of Pt. Bijoysankar, Pt. Birju Maharaj and Shaswati Sen. Followed by tabla solo by Subhankar Banerjee, disciple of Swapan Shiva, Collab: Dhwani 25 India Habitat Centre, 1900h Vocal Recital Hindustani vocal recital by Arati Ankalikar-Tikekar Shankar, guitar

by Dr. Kamala Shankar and bharatnatyam recital by Anuradha Venkat Raman. Collab: Swar Saraswati Foundation

12 Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre, 1800h Hungarian film ‘Lost Times’ follows Ivan a car mechanic who lives with his sister Eszter - a young autistic woman. Ivan earns extra money by smuggling diesel ART & EXHIBITIONS across the border. Eszter’s following rape remains unsolved by the police 8 Open Palm Court Gallery and she lives with her trauma and Modern Art Group exhibition becomes mute while Ivan is away Group show by 100 children from making his life different schools of Delhi. Brought to you by Empowerment.

14 Epicentre, 1730h & 2000h English Play 25 Open Palm Court Gallery Rage Productions brings you Pune Solo Exhibition Highway, a comic thriller that Catch Sumit Saurabh’s exhibition explores the survival of friendship in titled India–People and Culture. extreme circumstances; directed by Rahul Da Cunha. It is five am in the morning; Three friends are holed up in workshops & events a seedy hotel room off the BombayPune highway. They have just witnessed the stabbing of a fourth friend, in a robbery attempt by thugs.

They need desperately to get back to Bombay, but are constantly thwarted by obstacles.

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

workshops & events arts as tools for transformation of Society. Talk on Arts and Healing, Garadi Dance of Pondicherry believed to have a purely mythological origin; Talk on The Concept Of Fanaa Or Spiritual Ecstasy.

culturama | May 2011

New Earring Collection Don’t mind the bugs buzzing around your ears! Light and pretty, Ayesha Accessories brings to you its new collection 'Flutter' of filigree earrings flutter and float around your ears in little cut-out butterfly, dragonfly and flower shapes. Soft baby pink, purple, white, magenta and red colours keep it bright beside cool grey and black.

14 India Habitat Centre 28 Photography Workshop Learn to capture the unnoticed, the unsaid, the untouched, and the unfelt through the lens of your camera, and 1 DLF Emporio Mall make a difference with the Zen of New Collection Photography by Achal Kumar! Winner This spring, an incredible new fashion of the 1997 National Academy Award season sashays in with must-have instituted by the Lalit Kala Academy, trends, looks and styles which are Delhi. Achal has been practicing entirely modern, fresh and irresistible. photography for the past 25 years.

And there is no need to wait to wear these beautiful clothe! Spring 2011 20 India Habitat Centre, 1900h collection by Alexander McQueen, Family Workshop Diane Von Furstenberg, Elise Learn how to apply the fascinating, Overland, Halston Heritage, Lanvin unfailing and time-honoured principles and Stella McCartney. of teambuilding to the most important enterprise of all – the family unit!

FOOD & SHOPPING 8 Delectable Sunday Brunch Start your brunch with unlimited choice of healthy soups, scrumptious salads, and the most popular oriental dish of the house, sushi and maki rolls, prepared on a live counter.

Vegetarians can choose between the delicious tamarind tofu in cups, asparagus dumplings and kakiage.

Price per person: Rs.1750 + taxes 1 Tryst MusiCafe, 1200h Summer Combos Bid adieu to the Delhi heat as Tryst MusiCafe introduces its line of earth cocktails! Join them on an unprecedented voyage with cocktails like big Refresher, stony shore of sea, deep sea delight and water melon martini. From the kitchen, try our sandwhiches teamed with our must have cocktails. Price per cocktail: Rs. 300. Summer combos: Rs. 295 onwards. On till May 31.

1 DLF Emporio Mall, Stuning Ring Collection 7 India Habitat Centre, 0930h Bracialeto offers a montage of chic Book Forum and enchanting rings crafted in 92.5 Revisit Roald Dahl’s Magic with the sterling silver with a special antiHabitat Children’s Book Forum. Tell us tarnish coating. These stunning rings about your favourite Dahl character, are embedded with a striking range read a favourite passage, draw a of international murano glass beads. scene. Age group 9+.

Available in a surfeit of colours and designs, they are a perfect fit for all 12 Epicentre, 1900h age groups. Price: Rs. 1,225 onwards.

International Ancient Arts Event Explore the power of the performing 1 Ambience Mall 36

FOOD & SHOPPING

VENUES Ambience Mall, Nelson Mandela Road, Vasant Kunj Phase II, Vasant Kunj Delhi, 110070 DLF Emporio Mall, 4, Nelson Mandela Marg, Vasant Kunj, Delhi.

Phone: 011 46116666 Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre, Lodi Estate, Khan Market New Delhi, Delhi (state) Tel: 011 23014497 Habitat World & Open Palm Court Gallery, India Habitat Centre Lodhi Road, New Delhi – 110003 Tel: 011 24682001 –09, Epicentre Apparel House, Sector 44 Gurgaon, Tel: 0124 – 42715000 Shiro Hotel Samrat, Kautilya Marg, Chanakyapuri, Delhi, Tel: 26876302 Tryst Musicafe Salcon Ras Villas Mall, District Centre, Saket, Delhi Tel: 462911391

CALENDAR CHENNAI FILM & MUSIC

WORKSHOPS & EVENTS

1 Forum Art Gallery 7 Museum Theatre, 1900h Summer Camp Jazz Concert Come experience the swing and joy of A five day art and craft workshop conducted by artists, for children and jazz with a concert hosting performers teenagers focused on creativity, fun such as Madhav Chari, Jeoraj George and fellowship and social awareness. and Naveen Kumar.

On through the month.

Pick of the month

27 MM Preview Theatre, 1830h German Film (75 mins) Madras Film Society brings you 'Impressions of Europe' with Polska Love Serenade. Max, a young attorney, investigates in former German property for his father, while Anna, a student deliberately tries to get her car stolen. Max and Anna drive through Poland, eventually getting over their mutual prejudices and even more.

ART & EXHIBITION 1 Prakrit Arts, 1100h – 1800h Group Show by Bengal Artists Take in the works of an array of artists from Bengal in this exhibition titled 'Wall Speaks'.

1 DakshinaChitra Art Gallery, 1100h – 1800h Sculpture Exhibition Take a visual expedition with the Sculptures of E.Gopinath at Dakshina Chitra. Call 27472603 for further details. On till the 15th.

1 Artworld, 1030h-1830h Group Exhibition Artworld presents a group exhibition of paintings and sculptures by Amitabh Sengupta and others. Call 24338691/24315371 for further details. On till May 30.

1 Apparao Galleries, 1000h – 1800h Glass Art Exhibition Look into the 'Depths of Field' with Chennai artist Anjali Srinivasan exhibiting her glass installations and sculptures. Anjali blows her own glass, stretches it and fires her imagination to create unusual yet pleasing works of art. On till May 30.

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1 Forum Art Gallery Portfolio Preparation Workshop Preparing an art portfolio for admission in a reputed university abroad or in India is a must for an aspiring art, design or fashion student. Forum Art Gallery understands the needs of various universities and offers a comprehensive two week art and design portfolio programme that covers various materials and medium under expert guidance.

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

WORKSHOPS & EVENTS 31549 for details. On till the 13th.

22 Chennai Hash House Harriers Run #279 and #280 Take part in a family hash run every fortnight for an hour, followed by an evening of beer and relaxation. Run #279 will take place May 8 followed by Run #280 on May 22. The group meets at 4:30 pm for a 5:00 start. For details contact Michael Long 9789842220, Sidharth 9840389839 or Sashi Varma 9840866083.

FOOD & SHOPPING

1 PlayCoop, 0900h–1200h Summer Camps A summer camp with lots of fun-filled activities for children in the months of April and May for children aged 4 to 12 years. For registrations, please 1 Express Avenue Mall contact 42054989, 9940514873. On New Summer Collection Evolv offers a range of high end design through the month. products ranging from designer wear,

accessories, stationary, books and 1 Hansel & Gretel, 1000h–1300h magazines. The new summer collections Summer Camps features A&T , Annaika , Gaurav Gupta, Junior and senior campers, it’s time Manish Arora ,Play Clan , Pero ,Rajesh to gear up for the summer! Hansel Pratap Singh, Sanchita , Arugam Bay & Gretel is organising story time, and the inhouse menswear label. sing-along, drama and puzzles for 3-7 year-olds; and creative writing, chess 1 Courtyard by Marriott, 1900h and arts and crafts for 8-year-olds IPL and Summer Offers and above. Camps will include snacks, Head to the Paprika café during the IPL certificates and gifts. Pick any two and enjoy mouth-watering street food weeks between March 14 and August from the ten participating cities till 29th 31 and register with the venue. Call May. Indulge in the luxury of pairing 98404 31549 for details. each course with a different selection of wine at the most unbelievable price 2 Kartwheel, 1400h–1700h at Rhapsody. Heal your senses with the Dance & Arts Program exquisite sandalwood therapy at the Enrol your child at Kartwheel where spa. they can learn various styles including pop jazz, hip hop, modern ballet, pop n 1 Peek-a-Boo Patterns lock and freestyle. The children are even Kid’s Art Station taught to create their own props for the Peek-a-boo patterns add to its existing gala show presented to parents at the range of furniture for children with end of the program. Free Play gym time. its Kid’s Art station. Get your own Ages :4 to 12 yrs. For registrations, personalised labels. Our new collection of contact 9600015074 or 2817 0721 rugs offers the twin benefit of comfort and style. Celebrate Mother’s Day with 2 Hansel& Gretel, 1400h-1500h the cutest apron and mitten set embroided English Camps with special quotes like “No.1 Mom”.

Improve your child’s English skills with our intuitive methods. Learn to 7 Amethyst, 1100h–2000h make up stories using pictures, and Avadh Collection characters from cartoons. Practice Indulge in some classic designs by the telling these stories to an audience house of Avadh, which will showcase and then write them down in the some beautiful chikankari salwars. Call correct grammatical format, paying 9382713370 for more details. attention to punctuation and spelling!

For ages, 8–12 years. Call 98404

venues Amethyst Whites Road, (Entrance next to Corporation Bank), Royapettah, Chennai 600014 Tel: 42105070/28541917 Apparao Galleries 7, Wallace Gardens, 3rd Street, Nungambakkam, Chennai Tel: 28332226 Artworld 1/12, Ganeshapuram 3rd Street, Chennai. Tel: 24338691/24315371 Email: artworld@airtelmail.in Courtyard by Marriott Anna Salai, Ellaiamman Colony, Teynampet, Chennai 600018 Tel: 66764000 DakshinaChitra East Coast Road, Muttukadu, Chingleput District 600118.

Tel: 27472603 / 27472783 Forum Art Gallery 57, 5th Street, Padmanabha Nagar, Adyar, Chennai 600020 Tel: 42115596 Goethe-Institute/Max Mueller Bhavan 4, Rutland Gate, 5th Street Chennai - 600 006. Tel: 28331314 Hansel & Gretel Kids Play Centre 11 Jagadambal Street (Near Pondy Bazaar), T.Nagar, Chennai -600017 Tel: 044-2815 2549 MM Preview Theatre 137Kodambakkam High Road (Near Kodambakkam Over bridge), T. Nagar, Chennai-600017 Museum Theatre Government Museum, Pantheon Road, Egmore, Chennai - 600008.

Peek a boo patterns 16/47 Kasturi Rangan Road, Alwarpet, Chennai 18.

Tel.: 24992365 1st Floor Express Avenue Mall Tel : 28464091 PlayCoop, Gandhinagar, 4th main road, Adyar, Chennai.

Prakrit Arts #102, Greenways Road Extn R.A.Puram, Chennai 600028 Tel: 42188989 Express Avenue Mall, 1st Floor, Royapettah High Road , Chennai - 14. Tel: 28464250 Kartwheel 21/1, Lady Madhavan Road, Mahalingapuram, Chennai 600 034 (Near Mahalingapuram Ayyappan Temple).

Tel: 9600015074/ 044-2817-0721

Photo Feature

lakshmi krupa

Tropical treat The mere mention of this fruit’s name is bound to evoke strong memories of lazy summer days in India. Succulent, ripe mangoes feature in ancient Indian mythology, and even the gods are believed to have fought over them.

The mango is, in a sense, a very intimate representation of India, for it is an indigenous fruit and has found its way into fashion too, with paisley prints being acknowledged as timeless and classy by the who’s who of design moghuls.

It is, however, the war of the local varieties that is most amusing to everyone, visitors and locals alike. The main varieties of mangoes in India are Alphonso, Benishaan or Banganapalli and Kesar, all famous for their rich taste. Alphonso is among the most expensive fruits in the country and is found mostly in the western parts. The origin of the variety’s name bears a very interesting story for it is named after the Portuguese fidalgo, Aphonso d'Albuquerque, who would bring the fruit during his visits to Goa. Banganapalli, on the other hand, is named after a village in Andhra Pradesh where the fruit is found in abundance. With a thin skin and a succulent taste it is, indeed, a rage in South India. Kesar, found vastly in Gujarat, is known for its greenish overtones and is a smaller fruit in size.

While raw mangoes are pickled in India, the fruit is eaten directly and then there is the local delicacy – where the fruit pulp’s extract is laid together in layers, resulting in a sweet dish locally known as maavadi thaandra. Raw mango powder, called aamchur, is also an important addition to local cuisine.

Culturally, mangoes are of great significance to Hindus – several portraits of Hindu gods and goddesses depict the fruit, which is considered a symbol of perfection. Leaves from the mango tree are hung ithe entrance of homes and used in rituals too – a symbol of auspiciousness.

The mango season in India begins roughly towards the end of March and lasts till June. And this is the best time to bite into one of these treats.

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Banganapalli

Alphonso

culturama | May 2011

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Rising India

Samanth Subramanian

In the Write Direction Unearthing real stories about India and writing in a format that the country’s publishing industry had started to give up on, Samanth Subramanian, author of Following Fish: Travels Around the Indian Coast, is in a sense, this generation’s go-to guy for the narrative non-fiction genre. In conversation with Lakshmi Krupa The narrative non-fiction genre lends itself to an exercise in recording reality first-hand, demanding from its writer many hours, patience and a natural sense of curiosity. Culturama this month features a young Indian writer who is at the helm of this movement of sorts towards the long form in India.

Quizzing, theatre, writing, travelling…

Seamlessly drifting in and out of these activities, award-winning writer Samanth Subramanian says, “I had always assumed that writing a book was something one did in their 40s, while going through a mid-life crisis.” Penguin India, having read Samanth’s work as a journalist, approached him to write a non-fiction title about the Indian coastline. “That was all I was told. I was excited with the offer because it was not a traditional genre and chose fish as a motif, interpreting coastal Indian life, culture, history, using it as the starting point and travelling over weekends, while working at a Delhi newspaper.”

Travelling for over two-and-a-half years, across coastal India, this once42

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a-vegetarian, sampled fish of every possible kind, developing a taste for the same while writing the book. “I was raised a vegetarian but took to chicken and pork quite early; I was, however, never a fan of fish. But I guess I made up for it all with this book,” he offers. Keeping his day job, Samanth wrote the book over weekends, and mornings and evenings on other days.

Having spent his childhood in Jakarta, Delhi and Chennai, the young author made the rather unorthodox choice of travelling to the USA for his undergraduate studies, while the trend in the late 1990s in India pointed to students travelling to the US for their Masters in engineering disciplines. He studied journalism at the Pennsylvania State University.

While still working in a Delhi-based newspaper, Samanth debuted with Following Fish: Travels Around the Indian Coast in May 2010 and won an award in December for the same - the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize. The book, essentially a travelogue in the form of essays, explores

various aspects of India’s unique coastal line from Bengal to Gujarat on either side of the coast with fish as the leitmotif.

The art of fishing with underlying themes such as the tradition versus commerce debate, ecology and local flavours form the core of the book.

“Frankly speaking, the book did a lot better than I expected it to,” he says when asked what he thought of the response, especially considering the fact that nonfiction as a genre is not as mainstream in India, as it is perhaps in the West. “I cannot picture myself writing fiction and this is clearly the only format I read and write,” he adds.

Samanth, who now freelances for several leading publications, still makes time, flying to Chennai and elsewhere in the country, for his other love - quizzing.

“If there was a way to quiz for a living, I would do it,” he says. While in Chennai, he was also a regular in the theatre circuits working with popular groups such as The Madras Players. “I am currently working on another book in the same narrative genre,” he offers before signing off.

New Beginnings This month, the India Immersion Centre kick-started its event line-up with a warm thank you to TM Krishna and Sudha Raghunathan. The classical singers were honoured with a screening of their beautiful carnatic renditions at Aikya 2011, held last month, followed by a thank–you and the handing over of the CD for Aikya 2011,

by Anita Krishnaswmy, President, Global Adjustments.

The month particularly saw a fostering of relationships–something that lies at the heart of Global Adjustments.

Vedic chants echoed through the corridors of the India Immersion Centre on Tamil New Year day which was celebrated on April 14 this year. Young vedic scholars led the group through hymns; thanking the universe with verses from the oldest scriptures of Hinduism.

On April 15, Vishu, the New Year of the Malayalee(from Kerala) community, Vishu Kani was ritually arranged with raw rice, fresh lemon, cucumber, betel leaves, arecanut, metal mirror, yellow flowers and coins.

Member of Parliament, Shashi Tharoor visited the India Immersion Centre and shared his thoughts. "Congratulations on your tastefully decorated, beautifully organised centre. It is a great advertisement for India," he said.

Come visit the India Immersion Center to partake in culture or language classes. Join current students Yumi Kato from Japan or Ghislaine Godon from France as they learn the language and live in the culture. Contact Usha Sridhar: iic@globaladjustments.com.

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Wisdom Trail

Charles Savage

the wheel of time Finding our own inner core is the overriding theme of many religious movements. In Hinduism it is called Dharma…

WHAT is Dharma? How do we find and understand it? And how do we build a future upon it? Dharma is the central theme not only for Hindus, but also Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs. By extension and under other names, this quest also extends to the Parsis and the three Abrahamic traditions. So India’s quest is a human quest - how do we find the solid rock of human society upon which to build a meaningful future for our great grandchildren and theirs?

Gurcharan Das’s latest book, The Difficulty of Being Good: On the Subtle Art of Dharma (Penguin, 2009) is his own quest to find a wiser basis for business and social development. His sense of urgency has been undoubtedly goaded by the Great Recession and the Satyam scandal (for the uninitiated Satyam was a major IT firm in India that was recently charged with accounting fraud charges).

He finds that there is not a simple and easily applied formula that can solve our many challenges. Instead he realises the Mahabharata (a Hindu epic) is brilliant in posing difficult questions and inviting us to dig deeply into our own reasoning and emotional abilities to sense what is truly right. Each of the ten chapters in his book has more than one gem or insight that can nurture our own development. By way of providing a tiny taste of this important work and, perhaps, inspiring others to read the whole book, I am sharing a few things that have touched my spirit.

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Photo Philippe armand, france

Duryodhana’s Envy: Duryodhana’s envy at the success of Yudhishthira and the other Pandavas leads to a dice game.

Though Yudhishthira has the option of saying no, he foolishly accepts the game despite knowing that the dice are loaded. It is a perfect example of how illusionary greed and self-interest blind us from the deeper dimensions of life.

Draupadi’s Courage: In the dice game, Yudhishthira bets and loses everything, even his own wife, Draupadi. To set things right, she asks some deep questions, but neither Bhishma (their grandfather) nor her five husbands can rise to the occasion. Even as Duryodhana and his circle attempt to disrobe her, she retains her courage.

Yudhishthira’s Duty: Having lost the dice game, the Pandavas must go into the Dvaita forests for twelve years. Even when Draupadi encourages Yudhishthira to raise an army and fight back, he accepts this fate and anchors his situation in ahimsa, non-violence.

Arjuna’s Despair: As Arjuna looks at the close to four million soldiers gathered on the fields of Kurukshetra, he drops his mighty bow in despair. How can he fight and kill his own family – his grandfather, Bhishma; or Drona, his teachers; or even his own cousins? Do we not despair when we look at the irrational forces gathered against us and retreat into our everyday little worlds? Krishna reminds Arjuna that he should “be intent on the action, not the fruits of action.”

Bhishma’s Selflessness: Fascinating and full of inner strength, yet still incapable of protecting Draupadi or stopping the war, Bhishma is the one to best understand and live the Dharma. Yet, he fails! He dies upon a bed of arrows flung from Arjuna’s bow, but not before instructing Yudhishthira in the art of leadership.

Karna’s Status Anxiety: Karna is the first son of Kunti by the sun god, yet his young mother abandons him to a charioteer, Adhiratha. Ironically, he fights for the Kauravas when he is, in fact, a Pandava. Most have not seen or taken the time to understand his high status and excellent skills, but instead demean him for supposedly being the son of a charioteer. How often do we superficially judge the other because of circumstances rather than character?

Krishna’s Guile: Were the Mahabharata a true Bollywood production, it would close with the hero, Arjuna riding off in glory driven by Krishna. Alas, the Mahabharata is truer to life

and we find the good side only wins through their own trickery.

In the final battle, Krishna advises Bhama to throw his mace below the belt into Duryodhana’s thigh (something that was not according to the Dharma of warfare). Bhishma is killed through the deceptive use of Shikhandi and Drona lays down his arms when Yudhishthira indicates Drona’s son, Ashwatthama, had been killed, when it is really an elephant by that same name.

Where is the Dharma, the truth, in all these activities? Is our truth today as deceptive and jumbled?

Ashwatthama’s Revenge: On the eighth day, the war is over and the hundred Kaurava brothers are dead along with close to four million other warriors. Drona’s son, Ashwatthama, survives and that night as he lay under a banyan tree he has a terrible dream of a ferocious owl killing the crows on the tree.

Full of revenge, he decides to murder as many Pandavas as possible while they are still asleep, again violating the Dharma, as there is to be no fighting after dark. The five Pandava brothers survive but few others. do Might we see this kind of blind revenge when the Gini Index (a standard measure of income inequality) tips more unfairly, meaning fewer have more and the rest are left to struggle on little?

Yudhishthira’s Remorse: At the end of the war, Yudhishthira goes to the mother of the Kauravas, Gandhari, and asks for forgiveness. He is also aware of the pained wives and sisters wandering through the desolate battlefield in search of their brothers and spouses. Yudhishthira grieves over Abhimanyu’s death (Arjuna’s son) and that of Karna when he learns of his noble birth. Why has he not seen more clearly the underlying patterns? Can we live the Dharma if we are blind to our reality? Is this not also our question?

Mahabharata’s Dharma: What is Gurcharan Das’s Dharma? What is our own individual Dharma? Our journey through the Mahabharata reminds us that no advertising agency will concoct an adequate Dharma for us. In the end, Yudhishthira realises that his highest Dharma is anrishamsya, compassion. Das’s concluding chapter is deep and touching.

He helps me see that the competitive veneer of our society is but an illusion (Maya) that hides the beauty of interaction among and between us. Instead of a lonely individual who needs to worry about my ego, I gradually realise it can cocreate an affirming future for all. In a collaborative community I begin to find my inner core, my Dharma.

The writer is President and Mentor, Knowledge Era Enterprising, and lives in Germany.

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India and I

K a t r i n Sc h Ăź t z

Ayahs and Madams A women’s universe 50

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A sneak-peek into the world of Ayahs and their Madams and the intimate relationships they share with their families

“Let me give him a bath and change his diaper, Madam.” Sitting at the breakfast table with a toddler on my lap and spilled porridge across the shirt, I can't get used to being called Madam.

But as much as I try to convince Sonia to call me didi (sister) or bhabi (sister- in-law) or at least Mrs, our aya (domestic help) holds onto this rigid denomination. “Madam” etymologically derives from “my dame” and was a title reserved for the noble wives of the king’s knights. The Western women I know are neither noble nor are their hubbies, knights. But living in India one climbs the hierarchical ladder. Uncombed mamas are put on the throne of a kingdom called household in which ayahs bravely fight on the battlefield of full nappies, flying toys and cranky kids. Until arriving in India an unimaginable – because financially unaffordable–scenario for a middleclass woman in Europe.

"You expatriates spoil the market!" an Indian friend told me recently. She is desperately trying to find a good nanny for her little ones, but no one wants to work for the wage she is willing to pay. Only why are most of the expatriates offering considerably higher salaries for approximately 8 to 12 hours work per day, extras not included?

There might be the awareness of how precious and unique it is to have somebody helping you with the children, enabling you the luxury of spare time. But it might also be the consciousness of how "cheap" this help is compared to what you would have to pay in France, Switzerland or Germany. And there is the rub! Whereas 200 Euros does not seem much for a Western income, it is quite a lot for an average Indian wage.

Being a mother but having the choice of walking the streets without buggy, baby and sticky hands in your palms is bliss. Nevertheless, the freedom gained comes with a loss of freedom within your own four walls. As a constant target of your aya’s observation, you suddenly make sure that a big towel lies next to the shower and that intimate conversations take place in pianissimo tones. But at the end of the day: Aren't modern Panna Dais looking after the most important people in our lives and isn’t it natural they’d become part of our lives, too? (Panna Dai lived in Rajasthan in the 16th century and sacrificed the life of her own child in order to save the one of King Rana Singh’s infant Udai Singh who later was known as the founder of Udaipur.)

Rita Guleria is sitting in a rattan chair gazing out of the window. When she was a child 70 years ago, she was looked after by an aya she still remembers with sparkling eyes. Amrita would not only take care of her when her parents were attending one of the many functions the father’s position of a high-ranking military required, most of all, Amrita

would wrap this “warm blanket of love” around little Rita, sharing emotions Rita’s parents were unable to give “I want to make enough money to buy my family a house.” “I would like to send my children to a good school and go back to my village one day.” “I have no choice but being an aya for I have no higher education.” “I would like to save up and go abroad to earn even more money.” Asking ayahs about the motivation of their profession, one can hear different versions.

Shimran has offered her services to 12 embassies in her 25 years long career as an aya.

She has worked for Westerners, Asians, Africans and Indian families and says that she has “seen it all”. Naming different nations, some clichés pop up such as, for example, generous Americans, friendly Swiss, polite British, chitchatting Australians, drunken Russians, strict Koreans, exigent Indians and accurate Germans who once took her to Berlin for holidays. She laughs on being asked about what happiness means to her.

“Happiness? Happiness is being free!”

Asked about her dream for the future, my aya Sonia, who is not married yet reckons, “Life is so expensive and hard for us women. I dream about a tailor’s shop and creating ladies clothes. But most of all…” she smiles, “I would love to have children of my own.”

Katrin Schütz has a PhD in Literature Science/Philology and a Masters Degree in European Studies. She now enjoys her two years stay in “Incredible India” where she works on scientific and journalistic articles. Her children are five and one year old.

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India Snapshot

QA t h r o u g h Pa s c a l Re y n a u d ' s l e n s

Can you define time in India?

Sure...give me five minutes!

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Name Sake

S Nair

photo Steven Birnie, USA

Inner Space

Athithi

Guest of Honour

Athithi, a combination of a, which means “without” and thithi, meaning “date”, transforms to “someone who arrives without a date”. Effectively, a guest! In Indian culture there is no such concept as an unwelcome guest. Athithi devo bhava or “Thy guest is God” has driven Indian hospitality through the ages, from the welcome accorded to the visitor to the home, plying him with food and sharing the host’s space and time, to the graciousness shown at all social situations.

The coinage of the word goes back to times when means of communication were limited and it was not possible for guests to anticipate their date of arrival.

According to the scriptures, it is not for the guest to be grateful for the hospitality shown but instead for the host to be thankful to the visitor for providing him with the opportunity to serve him. A satisfied guest rewards the provider of the hospitality but a disappointed visitor can unload his curses on the householder. It is believed that houses that have never offered even water to guests are like ‘houses frosted over by the cold season’.

Every Indian has been taught, as driven by scriptures, that they should respect and welcome the guest with the same feeling they would have if they were welcoming God into their home. And from this to the maxim of welcoming one’s enemy should he come for shelter, teachings point to the need for sensitivity in one’s actions.

Apart from styling the code of conduct for society, Athithi devo bhava was converted as the tagline for the Ministry of Tourism’s campaign to improve the welcome towards tourists to India. .

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Courtyard at India Immersion Centre

Courting the Skies

A way of life in the architectural style in India, courtyards are spaces open to the sky, enclosed by a building. Going by names as varied as aangan (in the North) and muttam or nadumuttam (down South), courtyards defined how to make a home. Built to match climatic requirements, they were a reflection of the society of the time. From the simplest to the flamboyant, elegance was their hallmark.

At a time when it seemed logical to break the required spaces into smaller units, the logical conclusion was the construction of courtyard homes. The fact that they ensured close relationships between the separate units made courtyard homes the perfect setting for joint families. And if it happened to be a Hindu household, it was considered incomplete without a tulsi (basil) plant in the centre of the courtyard.

Varying from a narrow opening to a large peristyle, courtyards have been in use ever since people began constructing dwellings. Airy and well lit, these spaces were converted into private or public comfort zones as desired by the owner. Cooking, sleeping, working, playing, gardening and even serving as places to keep animals – courtyards have played out their roles through the ages.

The open fires that were kept burning in a central place in a house, with a hole in the ceiling to let the smoke out, served as the precedent of the courtyard. With time, the apertures led to the construction of the centralized open courtyard we know of today.

If courtyards were primarily used for community-based activity or sacred rituals in the days of yore, today they serve as the lungs for an oxy-starved society.

Holistic Living

ek n a t h e s w a r a n

Roots remembered Fulfillment doesn’t come from outside – we must look within ourselves.

From that perspective, one person in my village stood out like a beacon: my grandmother.

When I talk about Granny, I need to explain first that the branch of society I come from is rare in India as well as the rest of the world. It is a matriarchy, in which lineage is traced through the mother rather than the father and women have had legal rights for centuries. My grandmother was not the head of the family, but she was revered throughout the village for her wisdom. Whenever someone had a problem, he or she was likely to come to Granny.

Within the small orbit of this isolated village, hidden from the world among coconut palms and rice fields, my grandmother passed the whole of her seventy-odd years, participating fully in all aspects of village life. She arose daily with the morning star and worked till evening – sometimes, when necessary, well into the night, long after others had gone to bed. She did everything carefully, giving each task her full attention without pressure or hurry, enjoying her work without ever being driven by it.

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Granny often taught me with stories, and with the kind of short, pungent sayings that villagers live by throughout the world. “Your own gums are better than someone else’s teeth,” she would say whenever anyone in the family wanted to leave some responsibility to a servant. With that self-reliance went an independent spirit rare in rural India. Utterly unlettered, untravelled, uneducated, deeply rooted in an ancient way of life, she encouraged me to rebel against orthodoxy while she herself observed every ritual, ceremony, taboo, and sometimes ridiculous demands of a traditional society. When everyone else in my ancestral family was pressuring me to become an engineer, Granny just told me with quiet authority, “Follow your own star.”

And she was completely fearless – another rare trait in a land where villagers live in fear of snakes, ghosts, disease, poverty, social disapproval, and countless other, nameless threats. In those days, death was a familiar visitor, and in the center of our joint family home was a room called the dark room where the body of a person who had died was kept until it could be cremated. The candle in that room was not allowed to go out, which meant that someone had to stay with the corpse throughout the night. Most village Indians are terrified of ghosts, but for Granny, a corpse was just a tattered jacket that its wearer had discarded. On almost every occasion it was she who sat beside the body and kept the flame alive. “When Granny slept under our roof,” one of my aunts told me, “we weren’t afraid of anything.”

That was what I wanted, I realised. That was the kind of person I wanted to be. But I didn’t want her kind of life. Literature had opened unlimited vistas for me; I needed wide horizons. I wanted the best of both worlds: I wanted to combine my grandmother’s inner strength and mastery with the modern, active life I had discovered for myself.

Mahatma Gandhi showed how to face pressure without losing peace of mind.

I knew of one other person who was a master of pressures and priorities. Mahatma Gandhi had been an ideal for me since I visited him as a college student in the early thirties. As the leader of a nonviolent revolution involving four hundred million people, waged against the most powerful empire the world had yet seen, Gandhi was constantly under pressure.

But it never seemed to touch him. On my first visit, at the height of India’s struggle for independence, I caught him emerging from an all-day emergency meeting with the country’s top leaders. Everyone else looked concerned and tense; Gandhi looked as relaxed as if he had been playing a game.

Today, we think of Gandhi as the man who went about in sandals and homespun clothing even when invited to Buckingham Palace. But Gandhi was no simple villager. He had taken his law degree in London and was a wealthy, successful barrister when he began to dedicate his life and resources to public service. He was thoroughly acquainted with the realities of modern life.

It was a revelation to me, therefore, to see that this most practical of idealists knew the value of every minute. I don’t think anyone has understood time better, or had a more intimate grasp of how a decision taken in a second can change the course of history. Unlike most of the rest of us in India, Gandhi considered it a mark not only of courtesy but of mastery to be on time wherever he went. Time was precious to him, other people were precious to him, so he treated their time and his own with the utmost respect. He wore only one piece of cloth around his waist and a second around his shoulders, but there was always a large pocket watch pinned to his waist with a safety pin. It was one of his noted eccentricities. And if anyone was late for an appointment, he would take this watch up and show it, no matter how distinguished his visitor. That was his gentle way of teaching us Indians to be on time.

Staying calm at the centre enabled Gandhi to accomplish great things.

Join us every Saturday India Immersion Centre facilitates a weekly spiritual fellowship group following Easwaran’s Eight Point Programme of Meditation in Chennai. E-mail us for more information at easwaranindia@ gmail.com or call Reema Duseja at 9884127304.

Reprinted with permission from “The Goal of Meditation” (Blue Mountain, Spring 2009). Copyright 2009 by the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, PO Box 256, Tomales, CA 94971, http://www.easwaran.org.

Eknath Easwaran (1910–1999) founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation in 1961. The Center offers books and retreats based on the eight-point program of passage meditation that Easwaran developed, taught, and practiced. To learn more, visit http://www.easwaran.org

culturama | May 2011

57

Star Struck

A m r ee t h a J a n a r d h a n

To B or not to B

In India, as you probably know by now, two Cs are important – one is cricket and the other, cinema. And if you need to know the country’s cinema, you need to know the man the country calls, the Big B. Amitabh Bachchan. His is a name that commands reverence and carries with it a dignity and charisma that inspires many.

Amitabh Bachchan first came into the limelight when he was cast in Zanjeer (Shackles), a Hindi film that released in the year 1973, quickly earning for himself the title and reputation of “the angry young man”. Following its success, the tall actor (he is 6 ft 2 inches) with deep brooding eyes and a rich baritone starred in other Hindi box office hits such as Sholay (Embers) - the highest grossing film ever in India, Coolie, Deewar (The Wall), Don and Amar Akbar Anthony. His performances in these films brought him many laurels and awards including two Best Actor titles at the Filmfare awards (a big award show sponsored by The Times of India Group), shooting him to further stardom.

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on roles that are out of the box and challenging. His performance in director Sanjay Leela Bansali’s Black – in which he plays the teacher of a blind, deaf and mute young woman – was received with much acclaim. He has also been noticed for playing the role of family patriarch in films like Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham (Sometimes Happiness, Sometimes Sadness) and Baghban (Gardener) bringing a touch of sophistication and the idea of aging gracefully to popular culture. But in the true spirit of a versatile actor, Amitabh continues to perform and play a range of characters. In 2007, he starred in director Ram Gopal Verma’s controversial film Nishabd (No words) where he plays a 60-year-old man romancing an 18-year-old and in 2009, he starred in Paa (Father), playing a 13year-old boy afflicted by Progeria (a rare genetic defect that causes a rapid aging in appearance). In an instance of role reversal, his real-life son Abhishek Bachchan played his father in the film!

Abhishek is married to Aishwarya RaiBachchan (previously Aishwarya Rai) who won the title of Ms. World in 1995. She is also a popular Bollywood actress, the

brand ambassador of L’oreal, Longines to name a few and has also been voted many times as one of the world’s most beautiful women.

Being Big B His father initially named him Inquilab inspired by the Indian Independence struggle’s signature phrase - Inquilab Zindabad (Long live the revolution) - but at the suggestion of fellow poet Sumitranandan Pant later changed it to Amitabh which means one with boundless splendour.

While shooting for a fight sequence for Coolie with co-star Puneet Isaar, Amitabh Bachchan was involved in a life-threatening accident. Puneet’s mistimed punch knocked his abdomen onto the corner of a table rupturing his spleen. Hundreds of devout fans gathered outside the hospital during his months of illness offering their wishes and prayers.

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Festivals of India

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Celebrating Diversity

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Buddha Purnima Buddha Purnima celebrates the birth, enlightenment and the death of Buddha. It falls on the full moon day of the Buddhist (and Hindu) month of Vaisakha commemorating the founder of Buddhism. Buddha, who was born as Sidhartha a prince in Nepal attained enlightenment or Buddhahood under a Bodhi Tree at a place currently called Bodh Gaya in Bihar, India. The day is celebrated with great reverence in places like Lumbhini, Bodhgaya and Kushinagara in India. Although an occasion of much joy, this festival, much like many other Buddhist festivals is an occasion of solemnity and peace.

Akshaya Tritiya Akshaya Tritiya, otherwise known as Akha Teej, is celebrated widely throughout India by Hindus and Jains. ‘Akshaya’ is the Sanskrit word for ‘never diminishing’. This day is unlike any other in the Hindu calendar in the sense that every hour is considered to be highly auspicious. It is also said to be the day that the Ganges River descended to earth from the heavens.

Hindus believe that this day is governed by Lord Vishnu and celebrates the birthday of his sixth avatar, Parasurama. In Jainism, it is the day that Tirthankara Rishabdev broke his year-long fast with sugarcane juice. Jains, to this day, follow this tradition of breaking their fasts on Akshaya Tritiya with sugarcane juice and exchange religious gifts.

It was originally believed that contributing to charitable causes on this day would bring bountiful blessings. It is also said that making investments or starting up new businesses on this day will bring boundless prosperity. Jewellery stores throng with people willing to buy at least one gram of gold often a gold coin inscribed with the image of Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth and prosperity).

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Portrait of India Parasurama – believed to be the sixth ‘avatar’ of Lord Vishnu literally means ‘Rama with the axe’ and in this image he is seen with the Parasu or axe gifted to him by Lord Shiva. It is little-known that Akshaya Tritiya, a highly auspicious day for making new investments and celebrated on the 6th of May this year, also commemorates Parasurama’s birthday (Parasurama Jayanthi).

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

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iseries

i read

Book Parthiban’s Dream Author Kalki Krishnamurthy, translated by Nirupama Raghavan Price ` 165

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i see

Film Pushpak (1987) Director Singeetham Srinivasa Rao Language Silent

Kalki Krishnamurthy’s Parthiban Kanavu (Parthiban’s Dream) is a fictionalised account of a period in Tamil history dominated by four glorious kingdoms the Cholas, the Pallavas, the Cheras and the Pandiyas.

As the king of the Cholas, Parthiban, lies dying on the battlefield, he seeks the help of a Shivanadiyar (Shiva-worshipping ascetic) in ensuring that his dream of a vast and powerful Chola kingdom is realised by his son, Vikraman.

Years later, when Vikraman sets out to conquer the neighbouring Pallava kingdom, he is betrayed by his uncle, Marappa Bhupathi, and captured by Pallava troops. The Pallava princess, Kuntavi, falls in love with him and tries to convince her father, the mighty Chakravarthi Narasimha Varman, to be lenient in his sentencing of the Chola prince. However, Vikraman is exiled to the Shenbaga Islands.

Two years later, when Vikraman returns to the mainland in disguise, he hears that his mother is missing. He endures a series of near-death experiences and finally is nursed back to health by Kuntavi. He finds his mother who tells him that the Shivanadiyar aided her escape from a group of Kapala Bhairavars (Kali-worshipping cult), but was himself captured. With the help of Ponnan, a Chola loyal, Vikraman reaches the Kapala Bhairavar hideout. After a daring rescue helped by Pallava allies, the intrigue surrounding the Shivanadiyar is revealed, thereby setting the stage for the realisation of Parthiban’s dream.

Parthiban’s Dream was translated from the Tamil original by 15-year-old Nirupama Raghavan. Although targeted at young adults, the story, with its vivid portrayal of Tamil valour, is captivating to all.

Pushpak is a black comedy that deftly uses background music and symbols to convey meaning in the absence of dialogue.

In the Ramayana, the pushpak was a flying machine with the ability to conjure up on request all the luxuries of the world. The Pushpak Hotel and its winged halo logo featured in the movie are an allegory for the lavish life on board the mythological flying machine. At another level, the movie explores the fleeting, illusory world of money and the divide between the haves and the have-nots.

An unemployed youth (Kamal Haasan) comes across a millionaire (Sameer Khakkar) lying in an inebriated state, with a room key of the luxurious Hotel Pushpak in his pocket. The youth decides to steal the millionaire’s identity, leaving him gagged in his own humble room. He moves into the lavish suite of the Hotel Pushpak, and uses the millionaire’s wealth to groom himself in the fashion of the wealthy.

The youth falls in love with a magician’s daughter (Amala) staying at the hotel. The young lovers spend time together and the youth senses with some relief that the magician’s daughter does not hanker after his presumed wealth. Meanwhile, a hitman (Tinu Anand) fails in his attempts to kill the youth. The youth realises that the real target is the millionaire and, decides to investigate. Disillusioned with the material world that gave him wings, he sets things right, finally returning to his own humble life.

Pushpak won the Golden Lotus among the National Awards for the “Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment”.

— By Saritha Rao

Find the DVD at www.landmarkonthnet.com

culturama | May 2011

— By Saritha Rao

iseries

i ask

politically correct Who is Amma?

Well, while in Tamil “Amma” means mother, around election time if you hear “Amma”, it is in reference to only one person. And that is J Jayalalithaa, the leader of the opposition party in Tamil Nadu – AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam). An erstwhile actor, J Jayalalithaa rose in power to become a party supremo and is well known for her administrative efficiency. You may note that sycophancy reaches an all-time high around election time and this particular leader, who is also an ex-Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, commands much hysteria, both from the masses of the state and her own party cadre. She is also among the only two women to have been in power as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

Who is Kalaignar?

“Kalaignar” is a Tamil word referring to an artiste or a scholar of arts and M Karunanidhi, who is the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, is fondly called so by the people of this state. A screen-writer and playwright, famous for his expertise in the Tamil language, this octogenarian was at the forefront of shaping the politics in this part of the country. He is the head of the DMK party (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) and is known as a powerful and intelligent politician. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself reading about M Karunanidhi constantly in the news: much of the country is now involved in guessing who’s to take the “empire” he has created in

Tamil Nadu.

Who is Captain?

You will be forgiven for assuming we are talking about the captain of the Indian cricket team – MS Dhoni. But not this time (we’ve already won the World Cup, you see).

This particular Captain interestingly comes from a cinematic background, too – he is Vijayakanth, an “action hero” much like the country’s own superstar, Rajinikanth, and is known for his gravity-defying stunts (with doubles, of course) and films with patriotic tones, where he takes on corrupt villains and terrorists single-handedly. The actor stormed into the country’s political milieu with his party (Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam), formed in 2005. He has allied with Amma (refer above) this election.

What is Dravida Kazhagam?

Now, in all these leader’s parties, did you notice the common thread – Dravida Kazhagam (DK) – which forms the last two words of all their names? The Dravida Kazhagam was, in a sense, the mother party launched by earlier leaders of this state in a bid to bring about change with a “Dravidian” identity in Tamil Nadu.

Dravidian identity has been the driving force of the politics of this part of Vindhyas (the mountain range in India). Dravidian identity although geographically refers to the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, only Tamil Nadu has taken this particular aspect as a guiding philosophy of its politics. DMK and AIADMK were born out of DK.

culturama | May 2011

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iseries

i like

My Top 10 Indian Food and Drink Suzanne McNeil “Have you had your lunch?” is an expression I got very used to in India, and one that could be asked as early as 11.30 in the morning. It captured a relish for the preparation and enjoyment of food that consumed my Indian friends.

Before coming to work, colleagues began their morning by grinding spices for that day’s household cooking. Tiffin cans collected in the office kitchen, to be sampled and shared en masse, and the office boys bought snacks and sweet juices to distribute in the afternoon. It was a real treat to be invited to eat at a friend’s house and partake of the household’s favourite recipes, whilst the caterers of even the smallest of buffet functions cooked enough to feed the party several times over. My driver, who did much of my fruit and vegetable shopping, insisted on cooking us biryani, and it would make my maid’s day if I asked her to prepare dinner.

Indian food is readily available in the West, yet so much was new to me. These are my top ten ‘discoveries’: Paneer butter masala from a takeaway restaurant near my Chennai office, a north Indian dish on which the south Indians performed some kind of alchemy, turning cheese, tomato and cream into a dish with rich depth and flavour. Eaten with roti bread, it was a favourite lunchtime treat, as were fried tindora, little baby gourds, which I’ve never seen in the West. My maid stir-fried them, probably in ghee, and I ate them obsessively. My first taste of true south Indian cooking was in the form of black pepper okra, a side dish served at a hotel restaurant and one that, sadly, I never came across again. Given this was during our looksee visit, I credit that simple dish with bringing me to India!

Curry leaves have to feature on this list. The aroma alone can transport me back to South India – we can get dried versions here in Britain, but they are a poor substitute.

Dal makani, black lentils cooked with butter and cream, was completely new to me and my expat peer group. Served alongside lamb tandoori with piles of naan bread, it was the highlight on the Peshawari restaurant’s ‘frontier-style’ menu.

Another favourite were the samosas sold from street stalls with small tubs of mint dip, brilliant ‘on-the-move’ food.

I’ve yet to taste cappuccino back home that matches that served by the Barista coffee shop in Basant Lok Market, Delhi. However, the real coffee treat was South Indian coffee. After he’d dropped me at the office, my driver would deliver me two takeaway South Indian coffees every morning – one wasn’t enough. Another great pick-me-up was airport chai – so called as airports seemed to be the

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only place I had it. Seemingly made by immersing two teabags in condensed milk in a tiny plastic cup, it’s a mystery how it tasted so good. Such simplicity also applies to another pan-India discovery, fresh lime soda. The sugar cane is the secret, of course. Attempts to recreate this at home using granulated sugar have sadly misfired.

My final ‘discoveries’ would be the pan-Indian, but ohso-exotic mangos and papayas. However, my husband has suggested this list would not be complete without his breakfast special of idli and sambar, a combination of plain steamed rice cakes with a broth of lentils and vegetables spiked with a fragrant spice blend: India on a plate!

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