Culturama November 2015 by Rohini Manian

culturama your cultural gateway to india

Festival of the Month This issue is dedicated to the pan-Indian festival of Diwali. Read about its origins and the ways in which it is celebrated

November 2015 Volume 6, Issue 09

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November 2015

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Dear Readers, I am writing to you while travelling along the California coast. Even this far away from India, there’s a buzz in the air, set off by Prime Minister Modi’s recent visit to the United States and his inspiring Townhall Q&A session at the Facebook headquarters. I contribute my bit to the buzz by adding real-life stories of FDI success in the nation that we have witnessed at Global Adjustments, at the Employee Relocation Council conference in Boston. Outside, the sun is shining and the bright blue sky is the same as the one over India, yet different. The reality is that cultures that have long daylight hours, have also a sense of having ‘plentiful’ time. People in lands where the sun sets early and have short days feel driven to get a lot done, as they see time as scanty. When these two mindsets meet, we hear a few groans of culture clash. “Our speech is in two hours, so there’s plenty of time.

We will fix the slides and then I will wash my hair, and we can take a taxi to the seminar,” I nonchalantly tell Joanne Grady Huskey, my Western co-speaker. “What? I am all ready to run now! We need to get this done as of yesterday. Let’s move ASAP,” she responds in horror, adding, “Your hair looks fine to me” as a reassuring afterthought. I adapt and comply with her need to make the most use of every minute. We travel all over the world to experience difference, seeking excitement in the new. And it does, in fact, please us to see the varied beauty of the world. Then we remember the pithy words of French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr: “plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose,” which can be translated as “the more things change, the more they stay the same”. It is the same divine inner beauty that thrills. What an inspiring message that is for Diwali, our pan-Indian festival, based on a celebration of light. Diwali is a reminder to look at the commonality of the light in others, and to work collaboratively, matching our mindset with theirs. Diwali tells us that light is, in fact, time; that time is, in fact, nature; and that nature is, in fact, the differentiator. Our nation unifies at this time – let us drop the barriers even after the crackers have fallen silent, the sweets have been digested and the lamps doused. Let us carry the light in our hearts. We thank gifted artist Gautam Patole for his brilliant depiction of Diwali, which unites us in all our diversity. The chakra (wheel) of dynamism is in our hands as we march forward into India’s bright century.

November 2015

Editor-in-Chief Ranjini Manian Managing Editor Yamini Vasudevan Sub-Editor Indrajit Dutta Business Head Archana Iyengar Creative Head Prem Kumar VP Finance V Ramkumar Circulation S Raghu Advertising Chennai Archana Iyengar Bengaluru Meera Roy Delhi/NCR Neha Verma Mumbai/Pune Arjun Bhat To subscribe to this magazine, write to circulation@globaladjustments.com or access it online at www.culturama.in Chennai (Headquarters) 5, 3rd Main Road, R A Puram, Chennai – 600028 Telefax +91-44-24617902 Email culturama@globaladjustments.com Bengaluru No.: A2, SPL Habitat, No.138, Gangadhar Chetty Road, Ulsoor, Bangalore- 560043. Tel +91-80-41267152, Email culturamablr@globaladjustments.com Delhi-NCR 1414, DLF Galleria Tower, DLF Phase IV, Gurgaon, Haryana – 122009 Mobile +91-124-4389488 Email del@globaladjustments.com Mumbai #1102, 11th floor, Peninsula Business Park, Tower B, SB Road, Lower Parel, Mumbai – 400013 Tel +91-22-66879366 Email mum@globaladjustments.com Published and owned by Ranjini Manian at #5, 3rd Main Road, Raja Annamalai Puram, Chennai – 600028, and printed by K Srinivasan of Srikals Graphics Pvt Ltd at #5, Balaji Nagar, 1st Street, Ekkattuthangal, Chennai – 600032 Editor-in-Chief Ranjini Manian Disclaimer Views and opinions expressed by writers do not necessarily reflect the publisher’s or the magazine’s.

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

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Cover Image

Letters to the editor Dear Editor, The cover image for this month was painted by celebrated artist Gautam Patole of ArtDesh. ArtDesh was formed in 2008 by art collector Bharat Patel and Gautam Patole with a view to providing a platform for emerging contemporary artists from India. The gallery has promoted numerous artists and has developed into a community for artists and art lovers. ArtDesh has also curated numerous exhibitions, festivals, workshops and events and engages with audiences at an individual and personal level. ArtDesh is based in Walkeshwar in South Mumbai. Visit www.artdesh.com

Advisory Board Members N. Ram is an award-winning journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu. He is Director of Kasturi & Sons Limited, publishers of The Hindu. Suzanne McNeill lived in India for seven years before returning to Scotland. She is a freelance writer and graphic designer. Marina Marangos is a lawyer, and enjoys travel and writing. She lived in India for four years before moving to Australia. www.mezzemoments. blogspot.com G. Venket Ram is an acclaimed photographer and the creative mind behind many a Culturama issue. www.gvenketram.com

Contributors Susan Philip is a freelance writer based in Chennai, and the editorial coordinator of Culturama’s various coffee table books. Eknath Easwaran (1910–1999) was a spiritual teacher, author, and interpreter of Indian literature. In 1961, he founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation and Nilgiri Press in California. Hasmita Sandeep is a writer and editor based in Mumbai. Devanshi Mody studied Physics, French and Philosophy at Oxford, then fortuitously stumbled into travel writing. Vagabond urges notwithstanding, she’s ever lured back to Chennai for masala dosas!

Over the years, I’ve greatly appreciated Culturama’s continued efforts to embrace and share the rich cultural diversity of India. This makes both visiting and living in India so much more of a lively and intriguing experience. Please keep up the good work. Charles Savage, Germany

Dear Editor,

A very useful magazine to understand the cultural richness of India. I love it! I have been subscribing to this magazine for a very long time. I have almost all copies still with me and cannot bring myself to throw them away. Gayathri.V, India

Dear Editor,

I have enjoyed Culturama since we were posted at Chennai from 2009 to 2012 with the Canadian Consulate. Thank you for continuing to send me the e-magazine, which I have always enjoyed as well. Anita Nazareth, Singapore

Dear Editor,

It is a delight to browse through Culturama each month. I rediscover my own country through the eyes and experiences of the expat community that has made India its home. Keep up the good work in bringing the best of India to our doorstep. Usha Dinesh, India

Dear Editor,

Culturama is consistently in the process of setting high standards for our pride and image to attract more travellers from across the globe. Lakshmi Vittal, India

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Contents 18

Ten for the Road

Trivia about an Indian state – featuring Nagaland this month..

India Now

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

In Focus

Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, was fond of children and put in place some key initiatives to help provide them with a better future. Hence, his birthday is celebrated as ‘Children’s Day’.

30 Feature India has a long tradition of distilling fragrances from flowers and roots. The resultant perfumes are used in a variety of ways to ensure well-being for the body, mind and soul.

India’s Culture 08

Short Message Service

Short, engaging snippets of Indian culture.

Festival of the Month

Celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, with friends and family, and visit a gurudwara on Guru Nanak Jayanti, the birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism.

Journeys Into India 42

Seeing India

India Writes

To mark Children’s Day (November 14), we have put together a list of books for your young ones.

Look Who’s In Town

Expats in India share their views about life in India.

Picture Story

The many faces of India, as seen in black and white.

Calendar of Events

The Lighter Side

Give to India

See what’s going on in the main cities and suburbs. An expat shares her tale of experiencing Diwali for the first time – and shares some tips for newbies in the country.

Featuring worthy NGOs and charitable organisations across the country.

At Global Adjustments

A special event for senior citizens to mark Gandhi Jayanti, and a vibrant two-day event for Navaratri provided Indians and expats with an opportunity to reconnect with history and culture.

Relocations and Property 70

Space and the City

Property listings in Chennai.

Sneak Peek culturama At the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve in Karnataka, you get to experience the romance and thrill of the safari, and the chance to spot a tiger.

Holistic Living

To ensure that our children grow up to be mature adults, we need to work towards their welfare from even before they are born.

Regulars 12

Thought Leaders

Matthew Delly, Head of Merchandise Planning at Target, talks about how ‘home’ has taken on a new meaning since he moved to India.

The cover image of Culturama’s December 2015 issue will be drawn from the entries to the 18th Beautiful India Expatriate Photo Competition by Global Adjustments. The next month’s Picture Story will also be based on the entries. If you participated in the competition, your photo could be featured! For more details, see Page 67.

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SMS 8

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by Suzanne McNeill Short cultural snippets for an easily digestible India

Art/Craft/Textile Bell Metal Craft Bell metal casting using the lost wax technique has been practised in Madhya Pradesh for 400 years to create all kinds of items from canons to temple decorations, distinctive figurines of the deities and intricate tribal jewellery. The model is finely moulded in wax and coated with a thick layer of clay, which is punctured to allow two openings. The object is baked in a furnace, the wax melts and flows out of one opening, and molten metal is poured in the other to fill the space. When it has cooled, the clay cover is broken to reveal the sculpted piece, which is tooled and polished.

Photo: Yusuke Kambe, Japan

Food and Drink Kulfi

Words Tera vs Tera

A perfect, cooling antidote to a spicy curry, kulfi is a frozen milk dessert, like ice cream, but denser and creamier with a subtle, caramel taste. Popular flavours are rosewater, mango, cardamom and pistachio. Kulfi emerged at the time of the Mughals – the name is derived from the Persian word for a covered cup. Traditionally, it is prepared by heating sweetened, flavoured milk very slowly until it has thickened and reduced by half, before freezing it in sealed moulds and placing them in an earthen pot filled with ice. This allows the mixture to freeze slowly and not form ice crystals. Nowadays, kulfi is prepared with ready-made evaporated milk, condensed milk and double cream, which reduces and thickens quickly.

Tera is the Hindi word for the number 13. The Tera Manzil Temple in Rishikesh is so named for its 13 storeys. The dancers of the Tera Taal folk dance of Rajasthan tie manjiras (small brass cymbals) to 13 different parts of the body. Tera also means ‘your’, and is the possessive form of tu, the informal version of ‘you’. This form of address is used only with loved ones as it indicates close intimacy. It also means ‘thine’ and is used to address God. A Sikh story tells how Guru Nanak served customers in a warehouse. Counting out measures of flour, he reached 13, tera, and suddenly forgot he was counting. He knew only that he was addressing God, repeating ‘tera, tera, tera’, meaning ‘thine, thine, thine’.

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Urban Adventure Chalai Bazaar in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Kerala’s busiest street market runs along a 2 km stretch of road in the heart of the city of Thiruvananthapuram. It was established in the 18th century by the Dewan of Travancore as the central point for the supply of goods to his kingdom, and continues to thrive as a bustling, energetic shopping destination with a constant through-flow of people, cars and motorbikes. The market sells everything from fruit, roasted coffee and fish, to shoes, cotton lungis, kitchenware and jewellery. Experience Kerala’s shopping culture from a local perspective and take in a meal at Azad’s while you’re there – a local institution since 1940, the restaurant serves traditional Kerala food and mutton biryani.

She Lives On CB Muthamma (1924–2009) C.B. Muthamma was India’s first female career diplomat and ambassador. Born in Coorg in 1924, she was the first female entrant into the Indian Civil Service, topping the Indian Foreign Service examination in 1949, and served with distinction in Europe, Africa and Asia. Overlooked for the post of Foreign Secretary, Muthamma crusaded for equality for women in the Civil Service, winning a landmark case against the government in 1979 that led to an overhaul in rules to remove gender bias. In retirement, she co-authored a book on Kodava cuisine, and was an environmentalist and philanthropist. She died on October 14, 2009. As a mark of homage, the main auditorium at the headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs was named C.B. Muthamma Hall in March 2014.

Interpretations Warding off Bad Luck This combination of a lemon, seven fresh green chillies and a piece of charcoal is called a nimbu-mirchi (in Hindi) and is hung at the doorway to protect a home from evil spirits (you will also see them tied to new cars). Here, an icon called a nazar battu has been added to the nimbu-mirchi as extra protection against the evil eye. The nimbu-mirchi is believed to ward off Alakshmi, the sister of Lakshmi, who brings misery and poverty. Alakshmi likes sour and spicy things, so it is hoped the nimbu-mirchi will satisfy her hunger, and that she will leave without entering the home. Eventually, it will be thrown away on the open road, far from the dwelling.

Photo: Enric Donate Sanchez, Spain

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Thought Leaders by Team Culturama

Home is where the Heart is

For Matthew Delly of Target India, being in India has been an enriching experience. He talks about the positive experience his family has had, his main takeaway from India’s corporate culture and some key tips for bridging cultural divides

“The simplest questions are the most profound. Where were you born? Where is your home? Where are you going? ... Think about these once in a while and watch your answers change.” So wrote Richard Bach, of Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah fame. While Bach’s questions were intended to point to a philosophical yearning, they can be easily applied to the many global citizens who traverse the world and set up shop and home in places that are several hundred miles away from their place of birth and growing up. Matthew Delly, Head of Merchandise Planning with American MNC Target’s India branch, is testimony to just how answers to these questions can change with time. Within five months of living there, his family and he had begun to refer to Bengaluru as ‘home’ – not Minnesota, where they came from. This openness towards new places and cultures derives from the ability to empathise with others – their way of doing things, even though it is different. This, in Matt’s own words, is an ‘important success factor’ that both expats and Indians would do well to cultivate. For no matter how much technology may evolve, it is people we deal with at the end of the day. This was just one takeaway from the interview with Matt – the conversation was filled with nuggets of practical wisdom and candid observations, which we hope you will enjoy.

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Matthew Delly, Head of Merchandise Planning, Target India

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For a global citizen like you, what is ‘home’? And how does India fit into that equation? We went back to our native Minnesota in the United States about a month and a half ago. We stayed there, we sold our house and went to [visit] all of our friends and family. However, after a month in the United States, we were all ready to go ‘home’ – and that was just after having been in Bengaluru for five months. We were surprised to note that when we said that ‘We were going home’, it was to Bengaluru – so, the very definition of ‘home’ for us had changed. For us, now, home is where we are comfortable, home is where our heart is…and since we have become acclimatised to India, we have redefined that for ourselves. Tell us about your Target journey, and some some best practices you have come across in the India leg. I have been with Target for just over 13 years. During that time I have been a leader for Target in different capacities for about eight years. For me, coming to India as a leader has been all about learning how to lead in a global environment, helping the India team really understand the business context and what a global partnership looks like. For me, I have probably learnt more from India than I have been able to teach.

India’s focus on talent management is a best practice that can be adopted in Western cultures. Recently, I hosted my leadership team here, where we spent an entire day of a two-day offsite [programme] specifically discussing about the team – each team member’s strengths, aspirations, opportunities, developmental activities, ways that we can help them throughout their career – and I have not seen that level of rigour in the United States. So, I think talent management practices are something really important to take away as a leader. Also, India is a very contextual culture. As a leader, it becomes very important to take the time to articulate the ‘why’ behind different initiatives, the purpose behind the work, and to really invest in teaching upfront why we are doing what we are doing. Those are a couple of things I have learnt along the way. As someone who has worked in purchasing in different fields, from deli to pet foods, what are some trends you see in this country? I think the single biggest trend that I see in India – that I also see in other cultures, but it is magnified in India – is mobile technology. India has essentially leapfrogged landlines…to a point when, you know, I look at the folks on the streets, so many people are carrying mobile phones. And I think, from a retail landscape point, one of the biggest differences between the United States and India is how penetrative the e-commerce business is in India. [It is] really capitalising on this mobile trend – [seen from some] of the top Indian retailers are Flipkart, Snapdeal and Amazon. Even more so than the rest of the world, India has been able to use its leading edge in mobile technology and turn it into a competitive advantage in the retail industry. One of the things we see in Bengaluru as well is the infusion of technology into retail. I was reading an article about artificial intelligence and how that is making its way into the retail landscape. Things like apps that will allow you to scan your shoe size without even going into a store. These are things that are being developed here in India. It is a really exciting culture to be a part of right now, to see how rapidly the retail landscape is changing. What are some key products made here that are becoming popular choices in worldwide retail MNCs? When we were back in the United States, we were shopping at a Target [store]. One of the items that struck my attention was this beautiful pillow and blanket – it was a matching set. I turned over the tag, and it said ‘Made in

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For Matthew and his family, Bengaluru is 'home' now.

India’. Beautiful patterns, beautiful product – it underscores domestics and home decor, the areas where India has exceptionally strong capability from a manufacturing standpoint. We recently went to a lifestyle store in Bengaluru, which [had] Indian-designed, developed and manufactured/ crafted home goods products – just beautiful and striking. I asked the shopowner, ‘Are you doing any wholesale? Are you selling beyond the shops here in Bengaluru?’ He listed a couple of prominent retailers in the United States that he is doing business with. So, India has excelled in the home decor space. And I know that with the ‘Make in India’ programme, the manufacturing sector is poised to grow further. As a student of psychology, what advice would you give for getting along with people from different cultures? I do not [think] that you need to be a student of psychology for this. I think one of the biggest success factors for working with people from different cultures is just having empathy. To be able to walk in somebody else’s shoes, it becomes really important to understand what the belief system looks like. It is about seeking to understand what are the things important to [the other], and acknowledging the communication differences. For both the Indian team and the expats, the opportunity is there to learn and to teach – so, taking the time to understand the person becomes so important. It is also important to acknowledge that it is going to take some time [for them] to immerse into the culture and for each side to understand where the otheris coming from. The two biggest tips I would have are having a shared sense of empathy and having patience.

Please share with us some of your own and your family’s positive experiences in India? As a family, one thing I would say is that we have spent more time together in the past six months while living in India than we have in a long time. I think it has resulted in us becoming more close-knit. As well as experiencing the culture, and the trials and tribulations of being expats, I think going out and travelling and seeing India has been a real highlight. In our first four months, we took three different trips to different areas of South India. Going to Mysore and seeing a palace; going to our first temple together; seeing monkeys – it was a great experience. When we went to Coorg, we were essentially in the middle of a rainforest. It was quite a paradox [compared] to the hustle and bustle that we normally see in Bengaluru. We had beautiful views and great oxygen-filled air in Coorg. Recently, we got back from Puducherry, where we went into the Indian Ocean for the first time. We went to a place called Paradise Beach – and we were the only people on this beach! We had a great time riding the waves and enjoying the sun. Travel has been a big part of our experience here, and it has really enriched us. Overall, spending so much time together as a family and experiencing new things together has brought us all closer together. The interview was conducted in Bengaluru by Meera Roy, Manager – Corporate Sales, Global Adjustments.

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Ten for the Road by Susan Philip

Photo: Praveen Emmanuel

Nagaland

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

How the Land Lies: Nagaland is among the smallest states in the country, and one of the ‘seven sisters’ as the northeastern states are collectively known. It is sometimes called ‘Switzerland of the East’ because of its salubrious climate. Kohima is the capital city.

Political Pressures: After Independence, the area was a part of the larger state of Assam. It was first declared a Union Territory, and later, in 1963, was granted full-fledged statehood.

Past Glories: The Naga villages of the past are good examples of self-reliance and democracy. Each village, made up of two or more clans, was responsible for its own social and economic wellbeing. Adding a gory touch to glory in the past was the practice of head-hunting – a rite of passage for young men. The first head a youth took propelled him into manhood, and the more he collected, the higher he rated in valour.

Ethnic Fingerprint: Nagaland is home to 16 major tribes, plus numerous sub-tribes. Each tribe has a distinct identity – the clothes, customs, even the language differ from each other.

Culture Quotient: Music, vocal and instrumental, is woven inextricably into the lives of the tribes. They sing of many things – heroic deeds, battles lost and won, love and heartbreak, and Gospel songs. Whether the tunes are traditional or modern, the songs are soul-stirring. Stringed instruments called petu and theku are commonly used. Dance is equally a part of life, but unlike in other regions, is performed here almost exclusively by men.

Personality Plus: Mercy, Azi, Kuku and Lulu Tetseo, known as the ‘Tetseo Sisters’, are cultural ambassadors for their state and

29 Indias: One Nation, published by Global Adjustments, has 10 handpicked snippets about each of the Indian states. Read the book for free at www.globaladjustments. com. Global Adjustments has created an animated video that captures the cultural markers of all 29 states: http://tinyurl.com/ m734xsm

country. The quartet sings in the local dialect. Their repertoire is based on Li, the traditional folk songs of their region, songs that have been handed down over the years. 7.

Sights to See: The Kisama Heritage Village, just 10 km from Kohima, is virtually an open-air museum. Visitors can view a variety of traditional Naga homes and morungs (bachelor dormitories), with typical furniture and accessories. It is also the venue of the famous Hornbill Festival – an annual cultural and sports meet of the Naga tribes, held in the first week of December.

Tasty Treats: Rice, the staple food of all the tribes, is accompanied by meat, fish and boiled vegetables. Much of the meat is smoked, traditionally over the open kitchen fire. Chili sauces that accompany the meals pack a real punch. The ghost chilies, the hottest in the world, grow here.

Crafted with Care: The tribes practice traditional crafts such as basketry, pottery, wood carving and bead work. In an interesting blend of past and present, many young Nagas are using traditional textile designs that have been handed down from their ancestors in modern clothing.

10.

Worshipfully Yours: Christianity is the dominant religion, and there are many churches here, particularly belonging to the Baptist denomination. Religion aside, the Church played a big role in brokering peace between militant Nagas and the Indian Government in the 1960s. It was at a Nagaland Baptist Church Convention that a decision cutting across political beliefs of individuals and spearheaded by local Christian leaders like Reverend Longri Ao, was taken, to establish a Peace Mission.

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India now by Susan Philip

The month that was

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

The tax consultancy major, in its annual survey, contacted over 500 respondents, a third of them from North America and West Europe. As much as 37 per cent of the respondents were sure India would be among the world’s top three economies by 2020, up from the 29 per cent who thought so last year. Investors were particularly optimistic about the Smart cities project and the ongoing efforts to improve infrastructure across the country. The Modi government has launched a ‘Make in India’ initiative, aimed at easing the path for foreign companies to do business in India. http://tinyurl.com/ou78sx8 has more information on this.

Scientifically Speaking An eye on the sky

Politics and Polity India impresses German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s recent visit to India has left some indelible impressions on her mind. Speaking after inaugurating an integrated research centre of Bosch GmbH back in her own country, Merkel told her audience how impressed she had been with innovations being made in India, particularly at the Bosch research centre at Bengaluru, which she visited along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Around 12,000 researchers work at the Bengaluru centre, on technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) and image processing. It is Bosch’s second biggest R&D facility after Germany. Ms. Merkel’s India visit was an indication of the importance both countries place on bilateral relations, particularly in the sphere of business. India’s Prime Minister has also been making waves abroad. Watch his interaction with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg here: http://tinyurl.com/pmws89d

Business Matters Upbeat about India Ernst & Young has ranked India as the most attractive market globally. The approval ratings given to the country by international investors were more than double that of China and almost six times that of Brazil, according to the report.

India has become the first country in the developing world to put an astronomy observatory into orbit. The observatory, named Astrosat, was launched by PSLV–C30, a satellite launch vehicle, from the Sriharikota launch pad in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. The turbocharged ‘mini Hubble Telescope’ will be used to study black holes and analyse how stars and galaxies are actually born and how they ultimately die. With this, India is the only country to have a multi-wavelength space-based observatory capable of monitoring intensity variations in a broad range of cosmic sources. Dr. Kiran Kumar, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said the global astronomy community was looking forward to this launch as no other global space-based telescope has comparable capabilities. Did you know? This particular PSLV’s flight was also historic for another reason – for the first time, India launched satellites for an American company.

Arty Happenings Apu does India proud Noted filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s The Apu Trilogy has been ranked among the top five all-time greats of Asian cinema at the Busan International Film Festival, where a list of 100 top Asian films was announced. The trilogy was positioned fourth on the list. The three films – Pather Panchali, Aparajito and Apur Sansar – realistically and sensitively tell the story of a

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the grassroots on the one hand, and arrange for more foreign exposure for coaches and players on the other. Talking of the ongoing Indian Super League football tournament, he said “Oh yes! ISL can improve Indian football, no doubt about it.” Asked for suggestions on how to play well, besides stating the obvious about maintaining fitness, Pelé listed respecting people and staying humble – pertinent off the football field too!

little boy, Apu, growing up in rural Bengal and moving on to University, marriage and fatherhood. Japanese films Tokyo Story and Rashomon occupied the first two slots, In the Mood for Love (Hong Kong) was in third place, and A City of Sadness (Taiwan) came fifth. Other Indian filmmakers like Raj Kapoor, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Mira Nair, Guru Dutt, Mehboob Khan, Ritwik Ghatak and Govindan Aravindan also made it to the top 100.

Foot ball fans can look forward to a biography film on the foot baller. ‘Pelé: Birth of a Legend’ is being directed by American filmmaker Jeff Zimbalist, with music by India’s A.R. Rahman. The worldwide release date is unknown.

This and That

The ‘Asian Cinema 100’ is a collaboration project of the Festival and the Busan Cinema Center, and was compiled to mark the Festival’s 20th anniversary. Going forward, the list will be updated every five years to act as a guide to the aesthetic value and history of Asian cinema and to uncover hidden masterpieces and talented directors across the continent. Did you know? The original negatives of the trilogy and some other Ray masterpieces were burnt in a South London warehouse fire in 1993. But recently, a highly talented team has succeeded in a reconstructed digital restoration of the films, which are being screened all over the world. To watch a trailer, visit http://tinyurl. com/na2fv3l

Sports Spots The Black Pearl in Kolkata Kolkata, a city that lists football among its many passions, played host to the legendary Pelé, who thrilled his fans by saying that he would be glad to help support the game in the country in any way he could. The football king said he felt Indians have an excellent opportunity to grow in the game. His advice was to promote the game at

The Return of the Buddha (idol) An art gallery in Australia has agreed to give back to India a sculpture of Lord Buddha dating back to around the first century. The sitting Buddha is made of sandstone, and the style is unique to the Mathura region of Uttar Pradesh, known to have strong Buddhist roots. It is not clear yet how this 2,000-year-old piece of history found its way out of the country and across the seas. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) hopes to send a team to the gallery in Canberra to authenticate the sculpture. Recently, another country returned an idol of Goddess Durga, which had been stolen about 20 years ago, and turned up in a museum in that country. Can you name the country? Germany. The idol was stolen from Kashmir and was found in a museum in Stuttgart. The German Chancellor handed it over to Prime Minister Modi.

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

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

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November 2015

In Focus by Susan Philip

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

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

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

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

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(Clockwise from top left) Nehru talks to school children in Durgapur, West Bengal; with his daughter, Indira Gandhi; with villagers in Sikkim; while giving away prizes at a children’s competition (1958); handing out sweets to students at Nongpoh, Meghalaya. PhotoS: Wikimedia; Images of Asia; www.photodivision.gov.in

of detachment,” wrote Nehru in his preface to Glimpses. This large body of letters, written with little or no access to reference material, delineates developments across the world that shaped history down the ages. Other books followed, all aimed at giving Indira a perspective of India and the world that went beyond mere textbooks. Not only she, but children in succeeding generations have had the windows of their minds opened by these letters.

“My father's three books — Glimpses of World History, An Autobiography and The Discovery of India — have been my companions through life…. ,” writes the grown-up Indira (who too held office as Prime Minister), in her Foreword to Glimpses. “Indeed Glimpses was written for me. It remains the best introduction to the story of man for young and growing people in India and all over the world. The Autobiography has been acclaimed as not merely the quest of one individual for

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November 2015

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freedom, but as an insight into the making of the mind of new India. … Together, these books have moulded a whole generation of Indians and inspired persons from many other countries.”

Children First

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

Promises to keep Nehru once said, “Children are like buds in a garden and should be carefully and lovingly nurtured, as they are the future of the nation and the citizens of tomorrow.” Taking forward this concern, India today is working on multiple fronts to ensure that its future citizens are healthy in body, mind and spirit. The Constitution guarantees a wide range of rights and entitlements to the children of the country. There are laws against child labour, there are provisions for child protection, and legislations seeking to universalise the right to education. Yet, to quote a phrase from Nehru’s favourite poem, ‘there are miles to go’ in the matter of child welfare. When every child in the country has access to food, shelter, education and basic health care, and sees all children of India and also of the world as kin, with no social, economic or religious prejudice, then every day will be Children’s Day.

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

Courtesy Aruna Sairam

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

culturama

November 2015

India writes

iREAD

by Hasmita Sandeep

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Books are not just tools to improve one’s language skills or vocabulary – they are a gateway to new worlds and a channel to encourage interaction beyond borders. To mark Children’s Day on November 14, Culturama has put together a list of books you could read to (and with) your little ones. These books touch on a range of topics – from Indian mythology to environment issues, and other-worldly adventures to a good old ‘whodunnit?’

Tales of How & Why by Hema Vaidyanathan (illustrated by Archana Sreenivasan)

Age group: 3-plus This is a charming picture book that shares four stories from Indian mythology – ‘Why the Cuckoo Doesn’t Build a Nest’, ‘Why the Crow Sees with One Eye’, ‘The Forgetful Skink’, and ‘How Draupadi Created Butterflies’. Written in simple, clear language, with bright, attractive illustrations, this is a good book for grandparents to keep handy for little voices that ask, “Grandpa/ Grandma, please tell us a story!”

Wisha Wozzariter by Payal Kapadia (illustrated by Roger Dahl)

Age group: 7-plus Wisha is a 10-year-old girl who, as her name indicates, wants to be a writer. One day, she is invited by a bookworm that pops out of her book to get started on writing her story – but Wisha has no ideas! The bookworm says that all Wisha needs to do is catch the ‘Thought Express’ and get off at the ‘Marketplace of Ideas’, where she can bid for a ‘Masterpiece’ idea. They journey through places that are in the mind, with Wisha getting a ‘Heroine’, riding in an ‘Imagination Balloon’ and having other fun literary adventures.

The Taranauts series by Roopa Pai (illustrated by Priya Kurian)

Age group: 7-plus The Quest for the Shyn Emeralds is the first in the fantasy series. The story centres around the number ‘8’, with the universe the story is set in – Mithya – made up of 8 worlds, the time there divided into 8 parts and so on. Powerhungry Shaap Azur captures the 32 stars (Tarasuns) and plunges Mithya into darkness. Emperor Shoon Ya, trains the Taranauts (children with special talents) – Zarpa, Zvala, and Tufan – to free the Tarasuns by solving 32 challenges. One of the fun features of these books is the creative, wacky twists on Indian words such as creposa (kind of a dosa), samchori (something between a kachori and a samosa), hobgaram (an oven) and meenmaach (fish).

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November 2015

At Least a Fish (Zain and Ana series) by Anushka Ravishankar (illustrated by Shilo Shiv Suleman)

Age group: 7-plus Zain and Ana are two friends who have interesting adventures in three books in the series, with each book featuring a different topic of interest. In At Least a Fish, Ana wants a pet dog but her parents get her three fishes instead. Ana is disappointed because a fish “has no legs. It has a tail, which sort-of wags, but it’s not quite the same”. Still, she names them Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. The story sees the friends having little adventures, one of which involves a dragon living in a mysterious pool in the neighbourhood.

One Night in the Sunderbans by Tannaz Daver (illustrated by Ratna Moriniaux Rege)

Age group: 8-plus This beautifully illustrated picture book is about eight-year-old Diya, who lives in the Sunderbans with her parents and three little goats. One night, her favourite kid, Mishti, disappears. Diya ventures into the dark forest to rescue her pet from a cobra, then a crocodile, and, finally, a tiger. A charming story about appreciating nature and learning to protect the environment, it also has a list of new words and meanings at the end of the book to help young readers build their vocabulary.

A Leap in a Blue Moon by Ishwar Vedam

Age group: 10-plus English idioms play a strong role in this novel. Eleven-year-old Nidhi takes a leap in the dark and travels into another world and has an intriguing adventure involving a (real) castle in the air, with the help of a boy who is a couch potato and watches TV all day. When she wants to return home, however, Nidhi is thwarted by the villain, Bête Noire. She must read the writing on the wall, back the right horse, and find her way back.

The Storyteller by Anushka Ravishankar (illustrated by Harshvardhan Kadam)

Age group: 10-plus This is a modern, entertaining version of some stories from the Arabian Nights, in which the main character is the intelligent, beautiful Scherezade, with the emperor, Shariar, being more of a comical sidekick. Even the familiar stories are a delight to read, each time told afresh while remaining familiar and dear to adults. The author’s intelligence and wit shine through and make this a book to reach for when looking for a cosy read.

November 2015

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Fragrances from flowers and roots are used in a variety of ways to enrich physical well-being. Photo: John Weir

Perfume in India is synonymous with attar, which derives from the Persian word atr, meaning ‘fragrance’ and refers to the meticulous, labour-intensive method of distilling oils from plant matter and blending them with a base of sandalwood oil. The name came to India with the Mughals, but long before they arrived, the peoples of the Bronze Age Harappan civilisation of the Indus Valley were pressing, grinding or distilling plant matter to create aromatic oils. Along with perfume jars and terracotta containers, archaeologists have unearthed clay distillation pots that date back thousands of years. Fragrant hair rinses, bath powders and body deodorants were mentioned in classic Ayurvedic medicine texts, and aromatic oils were sprinkled on kings at their coronation and during religious rites. In the 6th century CE, an encyclopaedic text called the Brihat Samhita or the ‘Great Compilation’, included a chapter on the preparation of perfumes:

‘Take equal quantities of cassia bark, andropogon and patra and a half-quantity of small cardamoms and pound them to a fine powder, which should be enriched with musk and camphor. It will make an excellent perfume for clothes.’ (From ‘The Preparation of Perfumes’, Sloka 12, The Brihat Samhita) The text was written by a Hindu astronomer and mathematician called Varahamihira and he provided recipes for making scents by blending 16 different essential oils in numerous combinations. His aromatic oils included extracts from vetiver, earthy and verdant; the Ayurvedic herb mandanaphala; the camphor tree; the Indian rose chestnut; herbaceous spikenard or jatamansi oil, with its spicy tones; the vanilla scent of benzoin resin, and sweet, woody sandalwood. These key ingredients even now provide the fragrance ‘notes’ that are used extensively by modern-day perfumers.

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November 2015

Feature by Suzanne McNeill

Aromatic Treasures Exotic, rich sandalwood, intense, narcotic jasmine and deep, powdery rose – the essential oils extracted from these and other plants native to India have been used for thousands of years to heal and anoint the body and enhance spiritual well-being. Fundamental to religious ceremony, therapeutic medicine and personal adornment, they represent the very essence of India

Indian perfumes were famous throughout the worlds of ancient Greece and Rome for their complexity and quality. This was to be enhanced further by the Mughals, whose Persian forbears had perfected the extraction of fragrances through steam distillation, and who introduced new raw materials to India such as musk and ambergris, the Damascus rose and amber, and new spices, resins and herbs. The palaces of Emperor Akbar were reported to be scented with ambergris and agarwood and his son Jahangir rejoiced in Ruh-e-gulab, the enchanting oil said to have been discovered by his mother-in-law, Asmat Begum. She was making rose water and, when she poured hot water into a kettle containing rose petals, a layer of foam appeared that carried the scent of roses. Another story tells that rose oil was discovered by the Emperor’s wife, Nur Jahan. A bath of rose petals was left overnight to cool. When she lay in the bath, she discovered the fragrant oil on the water’s surface.

Perfume-making reached its zenith in the cultured court of the nawabs of Lucknow, and the Scottish botanist Frances Buchanan, writing in 1811, reported that attar of roses blended with sandalwood oil was in almost universal use among Indians. Other essences commonly used were motiya, made from jasmine flowers, and an odour of spices called mujmua, a blend of cloves, nutmegs, cardamoms and saffron. Buchanan noted the number and size of flower gardens in Patna and Bihar where roses and jasmine were under cultivation. Gwalior was another centre for growing roses.

India’s Perfume Capital The city of Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh rose to prominence during the Mughal period when it became India’s perfume capital. To this day, intoxicating perfumes and essential oils are manufactured using the traditional, centuries-old steam-distillation process. It is estimated that 40,000 out of

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The traditonal perfume seller in India continues to have a special appeal, despite the onslaught of synthetic deodarants. Photos: Koshy/Creative Commons; (Inset) Monica/Creative Commons

the town’s 70,000 residents are associated with the fragrance industry in one way or another. Fields planted with aromatic crops stretch for miles – roses, jasmine and the tiny white flowers of the gul-hina tree – and are collected by whole families in the cool of the morning or evening, packed into jute sacks, then rushed to one of the town’s steam distilleries. The petals are gently heated with water in traditional copper pots called degs, which are each built on top of an oven and connected to a condenser called a bhapka. The scented steam is carried into the bhapka which contains sandalwood oil, a fixative that enhances the floral fragrance, blending together over weeks until the sandalwood is completely saturated with the fragrance of the flowers. It is a painstaking process that can last months, but results in fragrances that are world famous.

Fragrance in Indian Life Herbal oils are commonly used in Ayurvedic massage treatments to purify and regenerate the body (Ayurveda is India’s ancient healing system and way of life, and Vedic literature lists over 700 substances, including cinnamon, ginger, myrrh and sandalwood as effective for healing). Body massage is performed to manipulate the marma points, the vital energy pathways of the body that are located at the

junctions of the muscles, bones and nerves where the body’s three life forces or dosha reside, and the seven chakras, the meeting points of the energy channels. Not only are the selected oils therapeutic, the aromas are believed to clear the air of negative influences and energies. As well as essential oils, incense has long been burnt to create pleasing aromas. The method of rolling incense paste around a bamboo stick originated in India. It was created by practitioners of Ayurveda, from which it was assimilated into the religious practices of the Vedic era. Halmaddi forms the basis of the paste, which is combined with five classes of fragrance, according to Ayurvedic principles: fruits, such as star anise; stems and branches, such as sandalwood; roots including turmeric, vetiver and ginger; flowers, such as clove; and leaves such as patchouli. Incense is integral to the daily puja ritual and is offered before a picture of the deity; the fragrant smoke is believed to ward off demons and cleanse the air. The Buddha was said to have an odour of sanctity – a Pali verse in his honour refers to the Buddha as ‘He of fragrant body and fragrant face, fragrant with infinite virtues’. Buddhist temples are perfumed with incense, and offerings are accompanied by chants such as:

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November 2015

Reverencing the Buddha we offer incense, Incense whose fragrance pervades the air. The fragrance of the perfect life, sweeter than incense, Spreads in all directions throughout the world. Flowers are essential to Hindu festivals and prayers, and fragrance is a key component of puja ceremonies and offerings, particularly in the south where sweet-smelling roses, strings of jasmine buds and tulsi are offered to the gods, and rose water sprinkled on brides and grooms. Paradise, according to Islamic teaching, is filled with a pure and beautiful fragrance. The Prophet Mohammed was said to naturally emit from his body a sweet fragrance that was better than amber and musk, and the use of perfume was considered a religious duty: Prophet Mohammed stated that the use of perfume was essential to the Friday bathing ritual. Among Sufi worshippers the use of attars during meditation circles and dances is quite common. Rose water may be sprinkled into a Muslim grave before the burial. Fragrance is also central to Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cuisine. Rose water syrup is served with the sweet, fried dough balls called gulab jamun, and added to desserts including creamy rice kheer and fruit cakes. With saffron it adds a delicate fragrance to biryani. Another aromatic essence used in cooking is kewra, an extract distilled from the flower of the Pandanus palm. Kewra has an odour thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sweet like rose water but more fruity; it is used to flavour drinks and desserts.

(Clockwise from top) The method of rolling incense paste around bamboo sticks originated in India; rose water is used to add flavour to food items like ice-creams; flowers are an essential part of important ceremonies like weddings. Photos: Alex Gaylon/ Creative Commons; Hampus; E. Blignaut

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Fragrances of India Photo: Tomas Barrios/Creative Commons

Several flowers, roots and herbs are used in the Indian tradition of making perfumes and fragrant products – From the commonly known rose and jasmine to vetiver or khus, patchouli and tulsi or holy basil. Culturama lists below some commonly used ingredients in the Indian tradition, with a brief mention of their properties and benefits Vetiver: The roots of native vetiver or khus grass produce oil that has a verdant, woody scent and which has long been used in medicine and perfumes. Traditionally, the summer blinds hung up on doors and windows were made from the dried roots that, drenched with water to cool the air that came through them, emitted a pleasant earthy aroma. It is a major ingredient in wikimedia.org Photo: www. popular Western perfumes, particularly in fragrances and lotions aimed at men.

Sandalwood: The use of sandalwood for religious and medicinal purposes goes back thousands of years in India. Devotees rub sandalwood oil onto the forehead, the temples or between the eyes before beginning rituals to prepare the mind for its inward journey. Oil is distilled from the powdered wood of the sandalwood tree, and has an exotic, rich fragrance that lingers. About 90 per cent of the world’s production of sandalwood oil is from India, the best quality oil coming from Mysore and Tamil Nadu and it is used as a base note – the scent that brings depth and solidity to the perfume – in many different perfume compositions.

Rose: Essential oils are distilled from the Damask rose, which has pink, intensely fragrant petals that yield a deep, powdery bouquet. It has its origins in the Taif rose plantations around Shiraz in Persia, but legends claim that it actually originated in India. The Persians were distilling rose water from petals from the 9th century CE, but the earliest sources documenting attar as originating from roses come from 16th-century India, as noted earlier.

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November 2015

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Tulsi: Tulsi is a much-venerated plant in India, as indicated by its other name, ‘holy basil’. It is regarded as an incarnation of Vishnu and many Hindu homes have a tulsi plant growing in their courtyard or balcony. It is worshipped with reverence – no Hindu religious occasion is complete without its presence. Tulsi falls within the ‘green’ perfume classification, with piquant grassy notes. The leaves are strongly aromatic, with a herbal odour, and the aroma is said to have a rejuvenating effect on the mind and body, whilst the essential oil of the tulsi plant is believed to have therapeutic benefits, boosting immunity and generating wellness.

Camphor: Camphor is categorised under ‘resins and

Nag Champa: The heady, sweet notes of frangipani

balsams’ by perfumers. The raw materials that fall under this category are among the most ancient components of medicines and often the base of the rich and spicy Oriental family of scents. It exudes naturally from the camphor tree as a white, crystalline substance, although nowadays it is distilled from the roots and wood. Camphor is highly flammable, and is used in Hindu religious ceremonies, where the synthetic version is burnt during prayers and rituals. Camphor has a sharp, pungent odour – it is the main ingredient in mothballs – and is used by perfumers in blends to cut through the intense sweetness of floral top notes. Camphor is a popular ingredient in incense.

flowers form the main component of one of India’s most identifiable incense fragrances, called Nag Champa. The aroma, however, is a clever blend of several ingredients. Recipes differ, but authentic Nag Champa incense must also contain halmaddi, a resin from the Ailanthus tree, which provides an enveloping, musky odour. Other floral ingredients such as vanilla, geranium and champaca (magnolia) can also be combined in Nag Champa to intensify the aroma.

Patchouli: The pungent essential oil patchouli comes from the leaves of a green bushy herb that is part of the mint family and that grows mainly in India. The name derives from Tamil patchai (meaning ‘green’) and elai (meaning ‘leaf’)

Photo: Christèle GAUTHIER

Jasmine: Jasmine blossoms are seen all over India woven

The fragrance is sweet and dark with an earthy, woody edge. Its popularity amongst hippies of the 1960s and 1970s, who often wore overwhelming synthetic formulations of the oil, has resulted in its poor reputation in the West, but patchouli is an elementary ingredient in many perfume and incense blends, providing rich and oriental undertones.

into thick garlands for ceremonies and rituals, and as adornments for hair. Jasmine is one of the oldest known and most widely used botanical scents, with a piercingly intense, sweet, narcotic fragrance, almost over-ripe (a fragrance note that is known to perfumers as ‘indolic’). The name has Persian origins, but the two species of jasmine grown commercially for their fragrance are common to India. It takes about 8,000 hand-picked blossoms to produce 1ml of oil.

culturama

November 2015

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Look Who’s In Town Mumbai

The Festive Spirit

The festive atmosphere not only captivated Sjef van Djik (from the Netherlands) but also showed him just how diverse the people are My graduate business school in the United Kingdom had a large Indian community and it was there that I learnt about India. I found it really interesting when an Indian classmate shared her insights on how different and diverse the Indian market was in comparison to Europe. India is going to be one of the most important markets in the future and, hence, I always had a strong interest in the country. The country has so much potential and I hope it will be able to realise it. I was told by everyone that India is a diverse country, but I had no idea of just how diverse a country could be. Whenever I feel I understand India, something new comes up and changes my point of view! I guess I also came to the country at the right time – that is, when the festival season has begun. Ganesh Chaturthi was a great experience. Each community was celebrating it slightly differently and everyone came together. Also, the fact that the community members contribute financially to make the idols as beautiful as possible is a great idea. India on a plate German cuisine is really different from the Indian cuisine. The two main differences are the spice and the variety. Its a nice gesture that people here like to share their dishes – something different from what I have been used to.

Wanderlust So far I have only been to Bengaluru, but there more trips planned for the coming months. In general, Bengaluru is a really nice city – it is very green and has a good climate. Also, the people seem to be quite calm and are not in a rush. What I would like in India For people to show more patience while driving – it seems to me that everyone is always in such a hurry. I am taking home... Flexibility, optimism and, of course, the food.

Take

Best Indian friend: Pooja, a colleague. She was in Germany for some time and it is really great to exchange ideas with her. Favourite Indian food: I love the thali (meal on a plate). I am also a huge fan of snacks such as samosa and bhel. Favourite hang-out spot in India: Toit Brewpub in Bengaluru. Intolerable India: (Bad) Traffic. Loveable India: Food, optimism, hospitality and willingness to help when someone needs assistance.

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November 2015

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Look Who’s In Town Chennai

A ‘Warm’ City The temperature may soar in the southern capital, but it is more than made up for by the friendly faces all around, says Christine Valade from France Before coming to India, I had no first-hand experience of the country; I learnt about it through magazines and the TV. I was a member of a movie club focusing on Asian cinema, and I came to know about India through Bollywood – especially the movie Devdas. One of the members of the club was an Indian living in Paris. My first impression of India after coming here was that it was a multitude of noise but also of kindness and smiles of inhabitants. After four years, I feel somewhat at home in Chennai. I became interested in Indian culture through my travels, photographs, reading and encounters. In Chennai, I discovered places such as Parry’s Corner, Mylapore, Triplicane and Besant Nagar, which have kept their traditional identity and charm. India on a plate I always liked Indian cooking – but without going too strong on the spices! I followed some cooking lessons, which were regularly organised by a couple of friends, who took us on a food journey through India with recipes from Gujarat, Kerala and other parts of South India. I have a special

favourite – the biryani prepared by Aminia restaurant in Kolkata. Wanderlust Apart from the Taj Mahal, I liked the Ajanta and Ellora Caves, Rajasthan, and Ladakh. Varanasi and Kolkata are my preferred destinations. Closer to Chennai, the temples in Madurai and Thanjavur are worth visiting. Thanjavur is very authentic, and the people are very warm and friendly. What I would like in India Greater improvement in the position of women in Indian society. Chennai Accueil, for example, promotes and contributes to SPEED Trust, an NGO that helps abandoned women to become auto rickshaw drivers and helps with their children’s education as well. I am taking home... The colours and the bright sun of India!

Take

Best Indian friend: Several acquaintances, especially through Chennai Accueil Favourite Indian food: Samosas and coconut Favourite hang-out spot in Chennai: Anokhi restaurant for meetings and work Intolerable India: Noise Loveable India: Kindness and hospitality of Indian inhabitants everywhere

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Seeing India by Devanshi Mody

Jungle Book The Kabini river laps and leaps into the shores of Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, which resembles a ‘naga’ or snake curled around the river – and it is from this form that it receives its name. The sinuous national park in Karnataka is perhaps India’s best-kept secret. Nagarhole unfathomably generates less excitement than its more famous sibling, the neighbouring Bandipur Tiger Reserve, or close cousin Mudumalai National Park in Tamil Nadu. Indeed, I must confess that I had not heard of Nagarhole – but it turned out to be a showcase of the great spectacle of nature. The finest prelude to the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve is Shekar Dattatri’s acclaimed documentary on it (Nagarahole – Tales From An Indian Jungle). It is perhaps the best wildlife documentary I have seen, not for its elegant comprehensiveness but for its visual and musical impact,

which dramatically and mesmerisingly presents Nagarhole’s unique jungle life. The naturalists at the Orange County Resort, where I was staying, know how to tell a tale, too. These boys are specialists. Kishan’s expertise, for instance, is early morning nature walks along the banks of the Kabini, aflutter with myriad and many-hued birds (and, alas, as many plastic bags and wrappers, all equally colourful). We also explore a termite hill, which Kishan eloquently and appositely calls ‘technically advanced, high-speed real estate’. It is also heated housing, I discover, when Kishan has me insert my hand into the deliciously warm termite home. Amidst flowers aswirl with dancing haloes of golden butterflies, multifarious birds zigzag our line of vision. Kishan expatiates on their habits and habitats. ‘But do you know,’ he asks, ‘who understands animal behaviour and

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November 2015

The sinuous national park in Karnataka is perhaps India’s best-kept secret – here, you get to experience the romance and thrill of the safari, which is the art of tracking animals

the jungle best?’ My brow arches in query. ‘Poachers!’ He says, smiling. However, Kishan goes on to reassure me that there has been no poaching in the past 15 years because the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, which falls under India’s prestigious ‘Project Tiger’, is fiercely guarded. The forest has long been protected, Kishan states with irony, for the British, during the Raj, discovered teak in Nagarhole and declared it ‘government-protected’ land. I am intrigued by what look like mammoth mushrooms – they are actually traditional thatch coracle boats, sunbathing with their bottoms up. When I am invited for a mid-morning coracle boat ride, I wonder how these little circular ‘boats’ will accommodate three people – myself, spunky naturalist Shanmugam and the boatman. Just then, we spot 30 villagers packed onto a furiously paddled coracle. My first ‘safari’

is a short excursion when Sanjeeve, who specialises in amphibians, shows me the resort’s bullfrog pond with its sole survivor, an enormous female that can mate with fives males, but sadly is consigned to celibacy as all her lovers have been consumed by snakes. So she pines alone in a palatial pond, whose vegetation is violated by pestiferous snails that are migrated all the way from Europe. Part of the safari experience is, of course, discovering the regional cuisine over meals that insert themselves between jungle jaunts. After the morning safari, at breakfast, watch the sun spread like a lover over the receptive Kabini as you bask on the banks navigating quintessentially indigenous specialities including healthy maroon ragi rotis (made from locally grown millet) and fresh sugarcane juice with a dash of lime and ginger. This is the freshest sugarcane juice you

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will find, for sweeps of swaying sugarcane carpet these parts (which are equally swathed in fluffs of cotton). Many local tourists typically spurn the wondrous rural plethora but you would be foolish not to explore the variations on the raw banana (banana stem, flower or fruit turned into rasam or mildly spiced soup, a fried snack called vadai and what not), usually reserved for the more intrepid international tourist. They can handle spice and things get spicier still when an Omani Sheikh’s chopper lands, amidst flurried activity, the sole disruption to the serenity of the surrounds. Post lunch, the afternoon boat safari ventures us into waters flowing uniquely between two tiger reserves – Nagarhole and Bandipur. Lush green landscapes embroider the river’s hems as fishes tack in and out of the water like large silver needles. Birds with slender necks and dainty feet pose on stumps and stones. A stork with its flush of pink feathers stands supremely elegant as a string of birds takes off beheld by nesting cormorants on the stunning stark trunks of submerged trees. Suddenly, our guide Narendra spots elephants drinking at the water’s edge. I think, ‘Wouldn’t it be sheer magic if a tiger came out to drink.’ But this seems a

tad greedy – the shy, secretive cat isn’t wont to grant a brazen audience like the elephants. However, safaris are about suspense, anticipation and luck: anything can happen on a safari if you are lucky. And as luck would have it, Narendra next exclaims, ‘Tiger!’ Indeed. The striped creature in all its majesty makes a dramatic but fleeting appearance as spotted deer elongate in flight evoking a flight of arrows. We watch transfixed as the trademark gold and black stripes of the tiger weave in and out of the woods and then shimmer away… The sun is dissolving, too. If at dawn the sun seemed a gold coin tossed out of misty gauze, the setting sun thickly daubs the skies with molten gold. On the horizon, with approaching twilight, ancient trees seem stacked like books covered in a dazed dust of a thousand years. Next day, on an afternoon vehicle safari, which is my final safari, we penetrate deep into tiger territory. This wildlife circuit in the Nilgiris Biosphere, amongst the few knots of forests left in India, once so expansively jungled, boasts the largest Asiatic elephant population (troops of 200 elephants together aren’t unusual) and Asia’s highest density of prey.

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Here is where tigers, leopards and wild dogs co-exist, given the abundance of rich food. Burrowing into the forest, where bright yellow flowers fall from trees like golden ringlets and oriels flash up like sprays of gold we observe, beside the natural cover of trees, neatly packed files of teak the British cultivated to fell. Our naturalist Somashekar points out to us a peacock and announces, ‘We started our safari with the national bird of India (the peacock). Hopefully we shall end with the national animal (the tiger).’ We see monkeys misbehave, elephants threatening to and samba deer poised regally, but the tiger eludes. Apparently they were once so rampant in this jungle that maharajas would sit around shooting tigers from their lodge veranda (a story the guides love to narrate). Our safari is failing. Then, just before the park’s stringently regulated closing time, we hear an alarm call. Our guides with great guile sniff out and uncover the tiger. Unlike on my recent trip to South Africa, where animals are ‘on display’, here you experience the romance and thrill of the safari, which is the art of tracking animals.

November 2015

PhotoS: All photos courtesy Orange County Resorts & Hotels Ltd

INFO BYTES Planning A Trip to Nagarhole? Here are a couple of handy pieces of information to get you started: Getting there: The nearest city to Nagarhole Tiger Reserve is Mysore, which is well connected from most Indian cities by road, air and train. From Mysore, one can take taxis to the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve. In addition, there are buses from Mysore to HD Kote, which is about 30 km away from the Reserve. Accommodation: Forest rest houses or dormitories and bungalows that offer double rooms are available at reasonable rates – one has to make a booking 15 days in advance with the forest department in Hunsur. Other places to stay in are the Kabani River Lodge or private lodges and resorts in the area. Best time to visit: The months between September and May offer the best time for a visit. The winter months, from November to February, are an especially pleasant time as the temperature hovers around a comfortable 14°C.

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Clean Up Your Act: Sometimes, the pet ends up giving the master a bath – whether he likes it or not. Photo: Pascal Reynaud, France

Picture Story by Team Culturama

Rainbow of emotions

“To see in colour is a delight for the eye but to see in black and white is a delight for the soul.” – Andri Cauldwell Those who have visited or lived in India have often been amazed by the juxtaposition of paradoxes – tradition and modernity, wealth and austerity, fasting and feasting, monotheism and polytheism – within a single land. This was the basis of the theme and special photo category for this year’s Beautiful India Expatriate Photo Competition – the melding of black, white and shades of grey that bring out the rich contrasts of this fascinating land. However, this was not the first time that the spirit of this theme was fulfilled through photography – several entries from previous years have touched on the same. We present a collage of some of these images from previous years.

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Tried and Rested: Everyone likes a bit of royal comfort – especially when it comes in this form. Photo: Douglas Vanherpe

Human Touch: Young, old; expat, Indian – technology can cross several divides. Photo: Maayan Gutgold, Israel

Soul Art: Beauty is not limited to the living – as these ornate tombs remind us. Photo: Louisa Castro, UK

Emote Like A Man: Who said only women are masters of emotions? Photo: Bipin Khimasia, Canada

Gender Bias: All women (even elephants) seem to have a special love for jewellery. Photo: Mia Kotakorpi, Finland

November 2015

November Calendar of events

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

Art & Exhibitions

Painting Exhibition Delhi

Architecture Exhibition Chennai

The Alliance Francaise will host the sixth Annual Future Artists Painting Exhibition. The organisers of the exhibitions will be Well Done, in partnership with Maharaja Art Gallery – Gurgaon. The works of people who aspire to be artists will be showcased; more than 100 people aged between 3 and 70 from numerous walks of life will participate in this exhibition.

The DICE Architecture & Building Materials Exhibition, which will cater to construction and design, will see several prominent brands put their products on display. The event, which is produced by Magnate Events, will see more than 5,000 products and 100 brands bring exhibited.

Date: November 4 Time: 1700 hrs Venue: Alliance Francaise, 72, KK Birla Marg, Lodi Estate

Date: November 28 and 29 Time: 1000 to 2000 hrs Venue: Chennai Trade Centre, Mount Poonamallee Road

Photography Exhibition Mumbai Well-known photographer Nemai Ghosh’s exhibition, ‘Satyajit Ray and Beyond’, will provide a glimpse into mainstream Hindi movies and Bengali films over a period of 25 years. Ghosh is best known for his collaborations with Ray, with the relationship lasting more than 22 years. For more information, visit http://www.bdlmuseum. org/exhibitions/index.html Date: October 9 to November 3 Venue: Kamalnayan Bajaj Hall & Art Gallery, Bajaj Bhavan, Ground Floor, Jamnalal Bajaj Marg, 226 Nariman Point

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Global Adjustments and Crowne Plaza Present

Trade Exhibition Bengaluru The Confederation of India Industry (CII) will organise Excon 2015, a trade show and exhibition focusing on products from the construction and infrastructure sectors. The CII, a non-government and not-forprofit organisation, plays a huge role in the development of the construction industry in India. For more information, visit http://www. excon.in/aboutcii.php

The 18th Beautiful India Expatriate Photo Competition Awards Ceremony

Date: November 25 to 29 Venue: Bangalore International Exhibition Centre, 10th Mile, Tumkur Road, Madavara Post, Dasanapura Hobli

Events

Arts Festival Mumbai Art lovers can head to the Nehru Centre to check out the fifth edition of the India Arts Festival, a contemporary art fair in India. The festival also provides the opportunity for collaborations between artists, art galleries and connoisseurs. The festival, over its last four editions, has attracted more than a hundred thousand visitors in total. For more information, visit http://www.indiaartfestival.com Date: November 26 to 29 Venue: Dr. Annie Besant Road, Worli

The awards ceremony for the 18th Beautiful India Expatriate Photo Competition, organised by Global Adjustments, will be held on November 15. The event will include some special performances based on this year’s special theme of ‘Black and White’ – such as a dance that brings together songs from yesteryear and recent times. The event will be followed by a special brunch. This is an opportunity to see first-hand some of the best images of India through an expat’s eyes and to mingle with people from around the world. By invitation only. Call Rosanna Buch at +91-98416 33180 for more details. Date: November 15 Time: 1000 hrs to noon Venue: Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park, 132, T.T. Krishnamachari Road

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International Book Fair Bengaluru

Music Concert Chennai

The International Book Fair 2015, which will be presented by Royal Marriott, is a nineday event commencing on November 20. Books of several genres such as agriculture, architecture, art, biographies and memoirs, business, children’s fiction, cooking and travel will be on view. The general public has to pay Rs. 10 for a ticket, while entry is free for students. For more information, e-mail royalmarriottevents@gmail.com.

Hariharan, the famous classical and playback singer, will perform at the Music Academy as a part of the ongoing ‘Navotsavam’, a series of musical events presented by SS International. Tickets are available at denominations of Rs. 1,000, Rs. 500, Rs. 300 and Rs. 100 and can be bought at www.bookmyshow.com.

Date: November 20 to 29 Venue: Freedom Park, Ramachandra Road, Gandhi Nagar

Music Festival Delhi

Jazz Festival Bengaluru

The Qutub Festival, an annual three-day festival that showcases classical Indian dance forms and Indian classical music, is organised by the Tourism Department of the government of Delhi and is held within the premises of the Qutub Minar. Dance aficionados will have a chance to see several classical Indian forms such as Odissi and Manipuri, while music lovers can attend performances that feature both vocal and instrumental forms. A big draw is that the performers are all renowned artistes whose renditions are much sought after.

Renowned English musician John McLaughlin will be the major attraction at the Jazz in the Garden festival in Bengaluru. McLaughlin, a pioneer in the world of Jazz and fusion, has been a performer for over four decades now and collaborated with the likes of world-famous tabla player Zakir Hussain. This time around he will be performing with his newest band The 4th Dimension. The event will be presented by CounterCulture – a Bengaluru-based organisation. For ticket details please visit http:// counterculture.co.in Date: November 7 and 8 Time: 1900 hours Venue: VR Bengaluru, Whitefield Main Road, Mahadevapura

Date: November 1 Time: 1900 hours Venue: Music Academy, T.T. Krishnamachari Road

Date: November 15 to 19 Venue: Qutub Minar, Mehrauli

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E: info@globaladjustments.com | P: 98416 54816 Follow us on:

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Photo: Christine Valade, France

Spotlight by Team Culturama

Pushkar Camel Fair November 18 to 25 The Pushkar Camel Fair, also known as Pushkar ka mela, is one of the world’s largest cattle and camel fairs. The event draws its name from Pushkar, a town in Rajasthan that is located near the Thar Desert. The fair takes place over five days on the banks of the Pushkar Lake. More than 25,000 camels are said to be sold every year. Apart from camels, other livestock such as goats, sheep, horses and cows are sold as well. Numerous stalls that have jewellery, clothes, textiles and fabrics also attract buyers. Apart from traders, a huge number of pilgrims are in attendance every year as they look to bathe in the holy waters of the Pushkar Lake. In recent years, this fair has been very popular with tourists from other parts of India and from overseas. A camel race signals the beginning of the event as music and exhibitions follow. Various competitions are an integral part of the event – for example, the best decorated camel is declared the winner. The ‘matka phod’ or the longest moustache is also a huge attraction. The best way to get to Pushkar is by road. Direct buses ply from Ajmer (30 minutes away) and Jaipur (3 hours away).

Photo: Marina Maringos, Greece

Photo: Emma Horne, UK

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The Lighter Side by Marina Marangos

Lights Sound Action For your first Diwali in India, don ear mufflers, gloves, goggles and a thick firecracker-proof jacket. and hope your eardrums will survive the festivities If you are an expat living in India and your contract is over one year, you will, like it or not, come across the great festival in the Indian calendar called Diwali. In some communities, Diwali heralds the Hindu New Year and is also a celebration of light over darkness and good over evil. Admittedly, the celebration of New Year in many cultures is often an excuse for a great party and some fireworks. I guess that is where the similarity ends – as in most other cultures, the noise accompanying Diwali would be tantamount to a declaration of war or something akin to warfare. I see you smile, and that may be because you have never experienced Diwali. So, this is a short expat survival guide for the uninitiated. In the good old Indian tradition of biggest MUST be best, every neighbourhood, every little precinct, every family unit, must outdo the other. This, of course, is done with every kindness and every extension of hospitality, lots of ladoos, multiple noddings of the head and faint smiles as if to say “You wait and see, this will blow your head off”. Though of

course this is meant to be metaphorical in meaning, a literal experience of this nature has been known to occur! As Diwali approached on our first year, my teenage son was delighted to see that the local supermarket kept some sparkly boxes at the back, for those special customers who could not believe their luck. A whole phantasmagorical long box with bright fireworks bursting on the cover was his for the grand price of Rs. 1,200. He came home ecstatic and told me with pride what this box contained. It seemed a treasure trove of pyrotechnics. The time arrived and we spent many a happy hour setting up the various bottles and fixtures in the garden that would contain these glorious bits of Technicolor wonder. We lit them carefully, with the usual perhaps expat health and safety shroud hanging over us, and stood well back to enjoy the wonderful scene that the cover of the box would have us believe was about to unfold before our very eyes. For the main part they popped, fizzled and flumped. It is the

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only way really that I can describe the anticlimactic end to our evening. Perhaps, however, you might think that in the scheme of things this was a 1,200 rupees well spent for the relative quiet that it brought to our Diwali evening. Our little episode however didn’t seem to matter as the rest of India was determined to blow us out of the water. I suspect that our supermarket was not where our hosts for the grown-up party obtained their fireworks nor their even noisier neighbours. We went along to a party in a fairly dense neighbourhood and there it all began. The windows shook, the booms came with shocking regularity. To start with, we attempted to keep up a conversation; by the end of the evening, we were experts at mime and an occasional dance to take our mind off what seemed like a ‘Shock and Awe’ offensive ‘for Fun’ just outside the door. The dog was suitably put out and crept under the duvet and stayed there for the entire night. If she could, I think she would have used our pillows as mufflers. The next morning there was a thick pall of smog in the atmosphere with the acrid smell of burning. The roads and pavements were littered with the empty cartridges of the rockets and the Catherine wheels that had

been fired. So, if you are keen to experience this, go with ear mufflers, gloves, goggles and a thick firecracker-proof jacket. Be prepared for mayhem, keep an emergency number handy and a fire extinguisher, and hope your eardrums will survive the ordeal. Don’t worry if your fashion sense is a little bit out. Remember, this is a lesson in survival. Yes, Diwali had come and gone and miraculously, because truly that is the only way to describe it, we had lived to see another day.

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Festival of the month

Photo: Armando Bruck, Brazil

Photo: John L. Toole

Diwali November 10 and 11

Guru Nanak Jayanti November 10

Diwali or deepavali is one of the biggest festivals in India. All across the country it is celebrated with great pomp and splendour. It is also known as the ‘festival of lights’ because people decorate their houses and shops with diyas (tiny clay lamps that are filled with oil, with a cotton wick inserted and lit). In recent years, tea lights are commonly used. On Diwali, people wear their best clothes, light diyas and place them around the house and offer prayers to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Another common way of celebrating the event is by bursting crackers and fireworks and exchanging gifts.

Guru Nanak Jayanti, celebrated mostly in North India, is held in honour of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism and the first of 10 gurus of the Sikh religion. This day is regarded as his day of his birth.

The origin of the festival is attributed to different myths across the subcontinent. In North India, it is Lord Rama’s return to his home, Ayodhya, after his 14-year exile. During his exile, he defeated a demon king named Ravana who had abducted his wife, Sita. In the South, Diwali was the night when a demon named Narakasura was killed by Satyabhama, one of Krishna’s wives. People in the East pay homage to Kali, the goddess of destruction with Kali puja, held the day before Diwali or on the same day. Idols of Kali are constructed and displayed in public spaces known as pandals. To do: Offer the household and neighbourhood staff a Diwali ‘baksheesh’ or bonus by giving them a box of sweets and a generous tip. Visit friends and join in the festivities.

Festivities usually start a few days earlier with the gurudwaras or Sikh temples being decorated grandly. On the day of the festival, a procession of devotees singing hymns, known as prabhat pheris, is conducted in the early morning at the gurudwaras. Following this, in some cities, the devotees take the procession around the neighbourhood as well. In addition, akhand path or a continuous 48-hour reading of the Guru Grant Sahib, Sikhism’s religious text, is held. Celebrations also include the display of sword skills and martial arts. A significant part of Guru Nanak Jayanti is the langar or the free communal meal – with the food cooked and served by devotees. This tradition was begun by Guru Nanak in the 16th century, to uphold the principle of equality between all people regardless of religion, caste, colour, creed, age, gender or social status. To do: Visit a gurudwara to take part in the festivities, and partake of a meal at the langar. If you can, do visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar – regarded as the holiest Sikh gurudwara.

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Global Wellness Series

Hazards of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Dr. S. Sham, Consultant Rheumatologist in the Department of Rheumatology at Global Health City, offers suggestions to treat Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis is one of the common autoimmune problems; generally found in young females. Usual symptoms are pain, warmth and swelling in multiple joints of the body. These require the immediate attention of a rheumatologist. Rheumatoid Arthritis, if treated early on prevents the formation of joint deformities and consequent disabilities. Oral drugs like Methotrexate and Leflunomide are commonly used for treatment. Routine blood investigations are necessary to check for side effects. Now newer injections called Biologicals are available, which can be used in patients, if the disease does not respond to oral drugs. There are other supportive forms of treatment that patients may need to undergo to get comprehensive care. They are listed below: Physiotherapy: Undergoing physiotherapy helps patients help improve their fitness and muscle strength, and make the joints more flexible. Occupational therapy: An occupational therapist can provide profession specific training and advice that will help you to protect your joints, both while you are at home and at work. Podiatry: If you have problems with your feet, a podiatrist may be able to help. You may also be offered some type of support for your joints or shoe insoles that can ease pain.

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Holistic living by Eknath Easwaran

What do Children

Need?

The most important gift we can give our children is our undivided love. No material advantage can ever take the place of such love, for without it children cannot grow to their full height as secure human beings. All we have to do is look around at the anger and separateness in the younger generation to see what happens when children are deprived of undivided love. I have known many young people who come from well-to-do homes, go to good schools, take music lessons, play junior league baseball, surf, ski, and even travel all over the world, yet a deeply rooted sense of deprivation distorts their thoughts, feelings and actions. To help change the destructive direction in which our children’s lives are moving, what is required is a deep desire to put the children’s welfare first and everything else second. We have the perfect classroom right in our own home, where we can learn to make choices that put the welfare of our children first. If possible, we should start doing this before the child is born, for the mother influences her child’s life even before birth. If the mother has a deep desire for her child’s greatest welfare, she will not fail to make wise choices in her daily living. Whenever she indulges an unhealthy habit, she is putting her own pleasure before her child’s welfare, which is another way of saying that she deprives that child of her love. Popular magazines and television would have us believe that our responsibility for our children’s well-being is met by buying fluoridated toothpaste and a balanced vitamin supplement. But health is not just an absence of disease. It is a dynamic, positive state of existence in which we function at our optimum, physically, mentally and in all our personal relationships. The basis of such health is a heart filled with

To Raise our children well, we need to inculcate a deep desire to put their welfare first – even before they are born love for others and a mind at peace, which is first absorbed at home, in the family, from the parents’ example of how to live.

Searching questions When we realise how powerful the example of our daily life is, we will start trying to find ways of making improvements in the way we think, feel and act towards our own parents, partner and children. This calls for a thoughtful look at ourselves, and at our habits and attitudes. We need to ask, How effectively do we communicate with our children? In what ways does competition between husband and wife, parents and children, and the children themselves disturb our home? What kind of guidance do we give our children? Can we say no to them when it is for their welfare without confusing them with elaborate excuses? Can we settle differences of opinion amicably? Do we spend our weekends pursuing our own personal interests, or do we give our time, energy and full attention to our family? In thinking about these questions, we begin to realise to what extent we exist as separate fragments, instead of as a family which is deepening all its relationships. It is this increasing isolation among family members that drives the sense of deprivation deep into the consciousness of children. To the extent that we work to reduce this separateness and estrangement, to that extent we dissolve the sense of deprivation from which our children suffer. One of the most effective ways of reducing separateness is to establish good communication among all family members. This is something we must work at constantly, for there is a natural tendency to split into peer groups, age groups, racial groups, religious groups, social groups and economic

groups. Often by the age of twelve or thirteen our children have become so absorbed in their peer group that they look there for direction and guidance, and since a twelve-year-old cannot provide a model of behaviour, they begin to flounder and get into trouble. Communication becomes even more critical during the teen years, when young people have to face so many new pressures: romantic relationships, sex, drugs, college, career and finding meaning in their lives. Peer groups, television, movies and the mass media often serve as substitutes for parental guidance in answering these questions because prolonged lack of communication has driven a deep rift between parent and child. What little communication does take place is often in the form of arguments which drive the rift even deeper and intensify the mutual lack of trust between parent and child. Then it does not mean much for a parent to say no to an activity they know from experience will bring sorrow. Self-will, which is just another way of describing separateness and deprivation, has become so entrenched that communication is almost impossible.

Loving, lasting companionship The more we become preoccupied with our own interests, the less we are able to see what is in our children’s best interests. For example, if we rush home from work eager for time for ourselves and park the children to one side while we indulge in some private pursuit that we enjoy, we are telling them by our actions that we do not have time for them or interest in them. After a while, our children are learning more from television than from us; they come to believe the message of the advertiser that things will bring happiness and security, and they take the violent, sensate behaviour of television heroes as models to emulate. In this way we are encouraging them to accept a way of living that will bring misery and despair. It is not only the child, but the parents, too, who suffer, for the lives of parent and child cannot be considered separate. Reprinted with permission from ‘What Do Children Need?’, an article by Eknath Easwaran from The Blue Mountain Journal. Copyright The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, P.O. Box 256, Tomales, CA 94971, www.easwaran.org. (Visit http://bmcmwebsite. s3.amazonaws.com/assets/bm-journal/2012/2012Spring.pdf) 5 Join Us Every Saturday India Immersion Centre in Chennai facilitates a weekly spiritual fellowship group following Easwaran’s Eight Point Programme of Meditation. E-mail us for more information at globalindian@globaladjustments.com. If you are in other cities, visit www.easwaran.org for e-satsangs.

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Photo: Marlon Pieris Canada

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Chhanv. The organisation helped Soni shift to Delhi and got her admitted to a hospital. On October 4, Soni underwent surgery. Most importantly, she didn’t have put forth any money for the treatment.

Give to India by Indrajit Dutta

Victims No More

Formed in 2013, Chhanv has helped more than 100 acid attack survivors such as Soni to date. Notably, the inception of the organisation lay in an acid attack similar to the one mentioned above. In 2000, Arti Srivastava, who lived in Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) had acid thrown on her face by a college mate, whose romantic interest she had rejected. The incident made a strong impression on a young journalist named Alok Dixit. Given that there was enormous press coverage of the attack on Arti, it was little wonder that Alok knew about the event. However, Alok’s interest went beyond journalistic enthusiasm – he decided to get in touch with Arti and help her. It was no easy task, and he was able to establish contact with her only in 2009. “Before I met her, the biggest question on my mind was about how I would talk to a person with such a face,” he admits. His apprehensions disappeared after he met her; he visited her regularly and helped write letters on her behalf to government officials. It was through this interaction that Alok began to realise that there were very few laws in favour of acid attack victims. He began to see other problems – the lack of medical facilities in most cities and the huge amount of money required for treatment. Most importantly, he saw the social stigma faced by survivors – most people found it uncomfortable to look at the survivors’ ravaged faces, let alone maintain social relations with them. To fight the scourge of acid attacks and to help survivors lead a life of dignity, Alok founded Chhanv.

Photos: William barylo

Even though it was formed only two years back, Chhanv has been making great strides in creating awareness about the horror of acid attacks and helping attack survivors gain respect in society On September 13, in the city of Patna (Bihar), a 15-year-old girl named Soni Parveen had acid thrown on her face by a man whose advances she had refused. Given the lack of a burns unit in hospitals in Patna, and her lack of finances, it seemed that Soni had little choice but to suffer even more than the loss of vision that the attack had initially caused. Help came at this point in the form of an NGO named

With its name drawn from a word that means ‘roof’ in Hindi, Chhanv is literally that – a shelter for acid attack survivors who are struggling to find the path to their future. The organisation’s headquarters (an apartment) provides temporary residence for survivors who come to Delhi for treatment. As the number of people who seek the organisation’s help has increased, Chhanv recently rented another property. Chhanv’s activities are directed towards increasing awareness, banning the public sale of acid, getting justice and assistance for acid attack victims, and providing social acceptance and employment opportunities for survivors. In line with this, some noteworthy campaigns and initiatives have been put in place. These include the Stop Acid Attacks campaign, which was begun in 2013. Laxmi Agarwal, a survivor who played a pivotal role in this campaign, filed a public interest litigation (PIL) to which the Supreme Court

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RajastHan

palaces. forts. relive the past.

declared that only people with valid identity cards could buy acid. The Sheroes Hangout, located in Agra, is a café run by survivors. In these activities, the 15-member core team is assisted by a 5,000-member strong volunteer group that comes together on a social website called Paltan. Chhanv has its work cut out for the coming years. In an article on April 10, 2015, The Indian Express reported that there were no fewer than 309 reported cases of acid attacks last year. However, there are glimpses of positive change. Laxmi Agarwal (mentioned above) was attacked in 2005, when she was 15 years old. Today, her efforts towards curbing the sale of acid and helping survivors find a home have won her the International Women of Courage Award, instituted by the United States Government. The award was given to her by the American First Lady Michelle Obama in 2014. She also received the NDTV Indian of the Year award in the same year. Moreover, while Stop Acid Attacks is a recent initiative, it has made a deep impact. “Earlier, survivors used to hide behind their veils and tell the papers not to publish their names. By the end of last year, they began to insist that their faces be photographed and their names be published. Earlier, the activists would relate the survivors’ stories; now, the survivors themselves are activists,” says Alok. If you would like to know more about Chhanv, please visit www.stopacidattacks.org. You can email them at stopacidattacks@ gmail.com or call them at +91-11-6465 800 or +91-75330 83502.

milesworth holidays india • srilanka • maldives • and beyond

visit: www.milesworth.com Milesworth Travels & Tours Pvt. Ltd., 39 R M Towers, 108 Chamiers Road, Chennai. Tel: +91-44-24320522 / 24359554 Fax: +91-44-24342668 E-mail: holidays@milesworth.com

November 2015

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V.R. Devika shows the audience how to use the charkha to create cotton thread and to make Gandhi caps from newspaper.

At Global Adjustments by Team Culturama

Memories of Gandhi To mark Gandhi’s birth anniversary the India Immersion Centre held a special event for senior citizens The India Immersion Centre, the NGO wing of Global Adjustments, commemorated Gandhi Jayanti or the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in a special Purnashakti session. The chief guest of the event was V.R. Devika, a Gandhian and cultural activist. Devika began by discussing the emphasis Gandhi placed on the charkha (a device used to weave cotton by hand into fabric) in India’s freedom struggle. She talked about how her mother used the device from the time she was just four years old. She had even brought the charkha her mother had used – which led to many admiring comments on how she had preserved the device for all these years. She also taught the audience how to make Gandhi caps from newspaper – an activity that everyone took part in with gusto. Devika also talked about some notable events in her life. One was about how Gandhi remained unnerved in the face of possible violence in 1936 in Rajkot, when he had spurred some people to speak out against a tax levied on them by the

king. A potentially dangerous situation arose, for there was a group that was unhappy with Gandhi talking about why the tax was unfair. Once, when he went about greeting people, this group waited with lathis (long, thin wooden stick) to assault him. Gandhi, contrary to expectations, went towards the group – and took them by surprise. He went up to a young lad who held a lathi, placed his hand on the boy’s head and requested him to see to it that no harm befall him. The boy, overwhelmed by this gesture, threw down his stick and saw to it there was no violence. The audience felt very touched by the stories, and willingly shared some of their own. A few of them talked about how their family members had met Gandhi. A lady said that a photograph of her mother with Gandhi holds pride of place in her home. Another talked about how, as a young lad in 1946, he had met Gandhi – and that it was one of his fondest memories. The India Immersion Centre (IIC) conducts several programmes for different age groups. If you would like to participate in the programmes, please email Usha Ramakrishnan, Centre Director of IIC, at usha@globaladjustments.com

What They Said “Gandhi was a man who was worth worshipping. It’s very interesting when somebody talks about Gandhi. Even now we are curious to find out more about him.” – Chitra Vishnu “It was very impressive that the speaker could relate to us some events from Gandhi’s life in a descriptive manner.” – A.V. Jayaram

culturama

November 2015

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(Clockwise from top left) Kyungsoo Kim (the Consulate General of South Korea for Southern India) and his wife; participants admire the golu; Carnatic performances by students artiste Shraddha Mohan (right) and Sri Sankara Senior Secondary school.

At Global Adjustments by Team Culturama

A Time for Oneness A couple of musical events and golu or a special exhibition of dolls were the main attractions of the Navratri celebrations at the India Immersion Centre The Navratri celebrations at the India Immersion Centre, which took place over two days (October 16 and 17), comprised of musical performances, golu or display of dolls and the coming together of people of different nationalities. The theme of the celebrations was aikya or oneness, which was based on the underlying element of divinity across the cosmos. The performance on the first day consisted of a series of bhajans (melodious songs sung by a group) by the students of Sri Sankara Senior

Secondary School in Chennai. Emma King of England felt the performance was nothing short of stupendous, and the way students sang in unison led her to believe they had decades of experience. After the show ended, Kyungsoo Kim, the Consulate General of South Korea for Southern India, presented the students with mementos. Carnatic musician Shraddha Mohan held a spell-binding music concert on the second day. An experienced musician who has been in the field for 18 years, Shraddha captivated the audience members with her rendition of the Indian raagas Saranga and Aarbhi. The celebrations on both days saw the coming together of people from different countries, including the Republic of Korea, France, England and Germany. The special display of dolls or the golu – a South Indian tradition – was of great interest. Kyungsoo Kim said the dolls of a trader and his wife stood out for him, as it reflected prosperity. In keeping with aikya or oneness, there was also on display a giant map of India with cultural markers of all the 29 states (such as Tamil Nadu’s ‘filter’ coffee, Agra’s Taj Mahal and Mumbai’s dabbawallahs). This drew praise from many attendees.

What They Said “I really enjoyed the music performance by the students. The camaraderie amongst them especially stood out for me. In the golu display, the India map was an excellent effort” – Kyungsoo Kim “Shraddha’s rendition of the raagas was fantastic. For me, a connoisseur of music, it was a really good evening.” – Dr. Seshadri Nath “The students’ concert reminded me of some music concerts I have attended in France. The performance was beautiful and my family and I enjoyed it very much.” – Veronica Poirrier Ondrackova The India Immersion Centre (IIC) conducts cultural initiatives in line with special festivals. If you wish to participate in the programmes, please email Usha Ramakrishnan, Centre Director of IIC, at usha@ globaladjustments.com

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November 2015

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November 2015

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