Culturama March 2013

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India's Only Cultural Magazine for Global Citizens

VOLUME 4, iSSUE 1 March 2013

Brought to you by Global Adjustments

sheer power

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D e a r

R e a d e r s

IN THE Hindu pantheon, Parvati is the wife of Lord Shiva, the Destroyer (of Evil). They are a devoted couple, and the Hindu scriptures contain many charming stories of their love for each other. None can be more charming than the story of Ardhanarishwara – the Lord who is half woman. Here’s how it goes: One day, Shiva was sitting on a rock on Mount Kailas, his heavenly home, and Parvati was seated beside him, happy to be with her Lord. Casually, she glanced sidelong into his heart and what a shock she got! There was a woman in Shiva’s heart! More beautiful than any other woman. A devastated Parvati retired to an isolated spot, determined to win her Lord back by penance.

Shiva, meanwhile, equally devastated by his beloved wife’s departure, went after her to find out what was wrong. When she told him the problem, he made her look into his heart again, and she found to her joy that it had been her own image she had seen, and hadn’t recognised at first glance as it was more beautiful through Shiva’s eyes! Shiva vowed that he wouldn’t let such a separation occur ever again. “From today, we will be one body, one heart, inseparable,” he said, and held Parvati so tightly that she merged into him, and he became the Lord who is half woman – Ardhanarishwara. Even the Gods in India decree that woman and man are but two halves of a whole.

We celebrate and dedicate this issue of Culturama to this gender balance that makes so many success stories. We picked a handful of women we admire and asked them to share their mantras with readers. And what a learning experience it has been for us talking to women achievers from different spheres of work, as thought leaders impacting the world, bringing fresh insight and perspective in the work they do, irrespective of (or maybe because of) their gender. From filmmaker Gauri Shinde, Ultraman champion Anu Vaidyanathan, food critic and television host Rashmi Uday Singh, multi-faceted performer, Mallika Sarabhai, to topnotch lawyer, Pinky Anand, environmentalist Sunita Narain, businesswomen Jasmeet Kaur & Gitanjali Ghate, corporate leader, Shalini Sarin of Schneider Electric India and bestselling author, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni – Culturama has never had a prouder moment than this as it lights up with their witty, wise, heartfelt words. Don't miss what the 'men'tors have to say about women on page 34!

The role models in these pages have told their story straight: They were ready and willing to give to India (and the world). All that the rest of us have to do is ask as they did, and commit to hard work.

Ranjini Manian Editor-in-Chief E-mail: globalindian@globaladjustments.com Follow us on

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We are at http://www.youtube.com/user/globaladjustments and bring to you exciting videos about the happenings at Global Adjustments.

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Contents 46 Poetry of the Valley

On the Cover

The story of Lal Ded, poet, saint, mystic

The Sheer Power Series

Journeys into India

Exclusive interviews with women change-makers rewriting ‘his’story in their unique way

56 A Royal Affair

A trip to the Gir National Park, the only one in India to have Asiatic Lions

16 Show Time

58 Good Willing

In conversation with award winning filmmaker, Gauri Shinde

20 Catch me if you Can

In conversation with Anuradha Vaidyanathan, Asia’s only woman to compete in the Ultraman event

24 The Life of ‘And’

In conversation with Shalini Sarin, VP HR - Country Head, Schneider Electric India

One person’s initiative creates a movement of difference

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68 Carrying On

Lessons from the Bhagwad Gita on going beyond the physical

Regulars

48 Heart of the Matter

In conversation with businesswomen, Jasmeet Srivastava and Gitanjali Ghate

India’s Culture

8 Double Identity

Renowned musicians and sisters, RanjaniGayatri on their upcoming Aikya concert

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12 Short Message Service Snippets of Indian culture

70 Myth & Mythology Stories from India’s mythology reinterpreted for practical living

77 A Perfect Match

16 28 Express Mission

In conversation with Mallika Sarabhai, performer and activist for over three decades

32 Law & Behold!

In conversation with Supreme court lawyer, Pinky Anand

34 Heed the Call

Men, then and now, talk about why women are inspiring

36 Earthward Bound

In conversation with renowned environmentalist, Sunita Narain

40 Writes of Passage

In conversation with bestselling author, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

44 Good Food Guide

In conversation with food critic and television personality, Rashmi Uday Singh 4

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Postcard from India

80 Festival of the Month Mahashivarathri

Tales of India

Stories of inspiring women from Indian mythology

18 Ace of Clubs

One woman’s triumph against all odds

22 Deep Ties

50 Calendars

See what’s going in Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai

62 At Global Adjustments

A saint who lost herself in divine love

Thanksgiving celebrations at the India Immersion Centre

26 Soul Sacrifice

64 Give to India

30 Three in One

66 Global Citizen

A woman’s sacrifice saves the fate of a future king The wife of a sage turns three mighty gods into babies

38 There & Back Again The story of love that even conquered death

42 Age-Old Devotion A beautiful young woman prays for age and ugliness

Featuring worthy charitable initiatives in India On why Indian women are #1

Relocations and Property

74 Tell Us Your Story

Practical advice from Global Adjustments’ relocation expert

76 & 78 Space and the City Property listings across the metros

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Letters to the Editor Dear Editor, “We are an Australian family that moved to Chennai a week ago from Singapore. I stumbled upon your magazine at the American International School Chennai (AISC) and think it’s wonderful, although I have only had a quick read. I am looking forward to going through it in detail and referring to it many times over.”

— Angie Browne, Australia Dear Editor, “It is a great pleasure to go through Culturama every month. The magazine is truly global and international in quality and brings out so much information useful for both the local Indian and the elite expatriate. How I wish we had magazines such as Culturama when I was an NRI, way back in the late 1970s!”

— G. Balasubramanian, India

Editor-in-Chief Ranjini Manian

Consultant Editor praveena shivram

Business Head Sheeba radhamohan

creative head J K Behera Editorial Coordinator Shefali Ganesh Associate Designer Prem Kumar Advertising

Bengaluru mukundan T Delhi-NCR preeti bindra, ruchika srivastava Mumbai & Pune Farah bakshay Chennai sheeba RaDHAMOHAN

E-Culturama Shezina Kallarakkal Advisory Committee N Ram, Camilla Skaremyr Krook, G Venket Ram, Marina Marangos, Suzanne Mcneill, Babette verbeek

Chennai (Headquarters) 5, 3rd Main Road, R. A. Puram, Chennai 600028, India Telefax. +91-44-24617902 E-mail: culturama@globaladjustments.com Bengaluru 7/2, Edward Road, Off Cunningham Road, Bangalore - 560 052. Tel.+91-80-41267152 E-mail: culturamablr@globaladjustments.com Delhi-Gurgaon Level 4, Augusta Point, DLF Golf Course Road, Sector-53, Gurgaon - 122 002. Haryana. Tel.+91-124-435 4236.

E-mail: del@globaladjustments.com Mumbai/Pune Rustom Court, 2nd Floor, Dr. Annie Besant Road, Worli, Mumbai 400030.

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Published and owned by Ranjini Manian at #5, 3rd Main Road, Raja Annamalai Puram, Chennai – 600028 and printed by Vivek Sachdev at NPT Offset Press Pvt.Ltd., Royapettah, Chennai - 600014.

Editor: Ranjini Manian DISCLAIMER: Views and opinions expressed by writers do not necessarily reflect the publisher's or the magazine's.

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Dear Editor, “I love the recipes in the ‘In your Kitchen’ column of Culturama. I tried out one of the dishes and my family loved it!”

— Gina Makawana, Philippines Dear Editor, “I love Culturama and read every issue; it is a useful guide to India” — Sha Patel, Singapore Dear Editor, “I thoroughly enjoyed the A to Z column on India’s love stories in the February issue of your magazine. It was a nice mix of movies, mythology, books and real life stories. So much to learn, even for us Indians!”

— Poornima Hari, India Dear Editor, “The recipe in the February issue, Ghugni Chiwda, was a nice healthy snack. Could you suggest similar healthy options for us to try?"

— Kruti Buch, India Dear Editor, “The Global Citizen article in the February issue was brilliant. A good insight into the Indian psyche and the American one too, giving us a balanced view and placing cultural contexts in perspective." — Joanna Lajmi, UK

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Present Tens

10 questions for An Indian influencer

R a n j ini M a ni a n

Double Identity

In conversation with renowned vocalists and sisters Ranjani and Gayatri as they gear up for Aikya 2013 on March 31, the much awaited annual charity concert known for its unique aural and visual experience of something uniquely Indian

As you make history with Aikya 2013, inspired by the dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna, what are your emotions?

The Bhagwad Gita is an eternally relevant work and is rightly called the ‘Song of God’. It is a great challenge to translate the concepts from a musical perspective – after all, we are mere mortals! We are going to craft the music around the core concept of the Gita, while presenting our style of classical music. We believe that the Gita can be explored not just through particular songs that reflect its philosophical messages but also through pure music. The sublime quality in Carnatic music, its transcendence, its simplicity and utter beauty in the midst of complex technique, and above all, its capacity to evoke emotions and lift the artiste and listener to a place of bliss – all this makes it a beautiful vehicle to explore the Gita.

What role has your family played in your music and life? How did your upbringing impact you?

Music has been a part of our lives, perhaps, right from when we were in our mother’s womb! Our parents have given us the best environment that a musician can wish for. Music started not in the class, but as we were babies in arms. We would wake up to the sound of music, sing our way to school and on our way back, practice at home, and sleep against the backdrop of its beautiful cadences. Our parents, particularly our father, N Balasubramanian, instilled a strong value system, which has given us such a firm grounding that it has been so easy to build on it.

Today we see that Ranjani-Gayatri shows run to packed houses. How does that make you feel?

It is a wonderful feeling, no doubt! But to us, it is the music that matters most. When we started learning, all we wanted was to drown ourselves in this ocean and enjoy and savour the experience of it. It is still the same! When you sing from your heart, with honesty, integrity and a sense of purpose, everything

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falls into place. To us, our success is only a vindication of our firm conviction that when one sings to please the God within us, the world will move with you.

What is the strength or is there any challenge between Ranjani-Gayatri the violinists and RanjaniGayatri the singers?

Learning an instrument along with vocal training is held traditionally to be the best way of learning this beautiful art form. To us, one has fed the other, and this double avatar has enriched our knowledge, skills and experience. Perfecting the art of violin playing has taught us discipline and the value of hard work; it has given us an intimate knowledge of swaras (notes) — its shades and tones, and also opened our minds to the importance of pure sound, and how to emote without the prop of words. All this has enhanced our singing. When we play the violin, it reflects the depth of vocalisation- and adds another dimension. The challenge is to understand the uniqueness and strengths of the chosen medium, be it the voice or the violin, and accordingly craft and hone one’s musical thoughts and rendition.

Ranjani, we have two things in common – our name and being the older sibling. We often think (and are usually right) we know best! How do you inspire and collaborate without toe-treading your younger, talented sister?

It has been such a fantastic journey for me in music, all the more so, because I explored it along with Gayatri! I feel such a sense of pride and happiness when she effortlessly transcends from the mundane to the exalted. Many times I have been so moved by Gayatri’s music that tears have rolled down my cheeks and I have felt this sense of fulfilment and gratitude.

My calm and quiet music contrasts nicely with my sister’s flamboyance, and somehow we have never been out of sync in the things that mattered!

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When you sing from your heart, everything falls into place. To us, our success is only a vindication of our firm conviction that when one sings to please the God within us, the world will move with you

Gayatri, how do you agree to disagree and yet respect each other’s ideas?

To both of us, singing together is to not only blend our voices and music but also to celebrate the individuality within us. We have learnt and practised and fought and cried and laughed together – we have the same value system and same fundamental quality and faith. Yet, our music also reflects our personality and its quirks. We have been together in our journey for so long, that singing together is natural, instinctive and joyful. We enjoy our arguments as much as the sync-ing. It is all part of the beautiful creative process of making music that reflects different viewpoints like a prism reflecting light rays – all so colourful and seemingly different, and yet radiating with the same inner light.

While rehearsing for Aikya, I saw you had to pack one child off to school, and ferry another one to the doctor. How do you reduce the guilt most women have of not being perfect?

We all play multiple roles, and being a mother, wife, musician all at once is not easy! We are blessed with extremely supportive families, who are with us all through, giving us their unconditional support, love and time. We really believe that both of us were born under a lucky star – everything has happened as though a Fairy Godmother waved her wand and things fell into place!

Touch wood!

What is going to be different about your Aikya concert?

The Aikya concert has a fabulous brand that has been built over the past three years. The cause of retiring musicians and women empowerment are close to our hearts. Both of us are held to be staunch traditionalists, so it is going to be a new experience for us as well as our fans, as this concert is going to be quite a departure from the concert format that we usually present.

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What kinds of music will you render in this concert?

What will make it unique?

Music that the heart hears long after the ears have stopped listening. The experience and thought that stays with you long after the notes have ebbed away, beyond language and genre barriers. There are going to be a few surprises....melody, emotion and virtuosity. We do hope that our audience will enjoy it as much as we enjoyed putting it together!

Can I ask a question (Gayatri says)? What made Global Adjustments think of doing Aikya? It is not core to your role of expatriate services or cross-cultural training, is it?

Well, it starts with our bigger purpose of wanting to portray India’s culture in a unifying way. How we all thrive in diversity keeping the oneness as core is amazing to the world, so why not amaze ourselves too, through better understanding.

We felt that we had to give back to the city of Chennai that founded us. This Aikya 2013, in fact, marks our 18th birthday.

Anita Krishnaswamy, my colleague and President of Global Adjustments, has a great deal of experience in stage production and music. I know nothing about music, but am always keeping the lay person’s element of satisfaction in perspective. So together, when we met Usha Sridhar, chairperson of Interface, we had found our CSR partner and India Immersion Centre as an NGO was born. We wanted to bring out an annual fundraiser concert that is not the traditional “kutcheri” with the classical format of Carnatic music, but a new element of enjoyment with the stalwarts our South Indian city has produced.

Launching Aikya 2010, Padmashri Aruna Sairam sang with deep devotion in ten languages, which didn’t leave a dry eye in the audience. Padmashri Thota Tharani created our Aikya logo symbolising “oneness” and also created a spectacular stage with the Indian scripts that year. Emboldened by the success, we went on with Aikya 2011, to invite Sudha Raghunathan and T M Krishna, who sang together on stage for the first time. We only provided a base platform with the concept of Ardhanarishwara or the best of man and woman and their outstanding interpretation of it was a historic concert. Aikya 2012 we worked with Bombay Jayashree with the concept of blending all genres of music and still sticking to the original concept of Oneness of Life. That show has since been “encored” several times.

This year, we had a chance to brainstorm with you. Each time we have been encouraged by great artistes, who have been open to co-create with us to produce this visual and aural extravaganza for the audience. We have played the simple role of a catalyst, presenting them in a new light, or so the audiences have said after the show. Thank you for giving me a chance to explain all this, Ranjani and Gayatri. And thank you in advance for Aikya 2013, a musical conversation between two sisters, both at once human and divine.

Save The Date March 31, 1800h, Music Academy For tickets, call Anupama @ 9841654816

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Short Message Service

easily digestible cultural snippets

S u z a nne M cnei l l

g Showcasin aspects of re in Indian cultu tible easily diges snippets

Mata ni Pachedi

Kannada kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA kANNADA KANNADA is the official language of the south-western state of Karnataka, and is also spoken in the border areas of the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Goa. According the 2001 Indian Census, that’s 37,924,011 speakers! It is accepted that the name Karnataka is derived from the Kannada words karu and nádu, meaning ‘elevated land’. Kannada has its origins in a southern Dravidian language, from which it split around the 5th century BCE. The modern script evolved 1,500 years ago. Old Kannada is found on many stone inscriptions of that era, as well as gold and copper coins, which indicates it had become an administrative language. In 2011, Kannada was recognised as one of India’s four classical languages according to strict criteria that include the antiquity of its early texts and its original literary traditions. Try wishing a friend good health in Kanarese: ‘Tumba santosha athavá khushiyáytu’.

Kashmiri Sozni Embroidery MAA-THAA-NEE-PA-CHE-DI means ‘the cloth of the Goddess Mother’ and is the name given to the distinctive shrine cloths traditionally crafted by the Vaghris, a nomadic community now settled in Ahmedabad in Gujurat. The design on the pached (cloth) is divided into panels that relate narrative scenes associated with the mythology of the mata (Goddess Mother). The central image is always the Mother Goddess at her most fearsome. The traditional colours of the pachedi are black and maroon, with the cloth itself forming the third colour, often white. The design is painted onto large wooden blocks using a dye made of iron filings mixed with jaggery that oxidises to produce black.

This is block printed onto the base fabric. The background is painted with alum, a dye-fixer, and then the cloth is dyed in vats of natural red pigment, which reacts with the alum to form the maroon. Modern pieces use a wider palette of dyes, and the pachedi have been reinvented as decorative wall pieces.

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Photo www.sozni.com

Photo Artist Jagdish (www.tarabooks.com)

FINE woollen shawls, or pashminas, have been woven by the people of Kashmir in India’s north-western region for centuries.

These are traditionally hand-embroidered with a form of fine needlework called sozni, which is used to decorate the shawls with traditional motifs of flowers, leaves and coils, and the distinctive mango shape of the paisley design. The work is done by combining just two or three simple styles of stitch in wool, cotton or silk thread.

Generally, the design is stitched along the borders of the shawl, with two intricate panels at each end, though throughout only the outline of the design is embroidered. One shawl can take anything from two months to four years to embroider!

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Short Message Service

Reel Shrines FILM stars have long been idolised in India, and fans often relate to their favourite stars at a very personal level. This may be driven by regional, linguistic or community affiliation but given the centrality of religion in everyday life, this adulation can tip over into reverence. In the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, such reverence has found expression in the construction of temples that are built to honour the devotee’s most loved actor or actress. One such was a temple built at Tiruchirappalli, for the actress Khushboo, a heartthrob of Tamil cinema during the 1990s. Many film stars have made successful transitions from the movie world to politics. At Nathamedu, 40 km from Chennai, is the Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran mandir, built to honour the film actor, director and politician known as MGR, who became Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Housing three idols of MGR, the temple cost Rs. 21.5 lakh to build, and its consecration in August 2011 attracted over 2,000 ardent fans.

Discus Throw

Mysore Dussehra Festival

Photo courtesy L&T Constructions

HELD over ten days during September or October each year, it commemorates the slaying of the demon buffalo Mahishasura by goddess Durga, which is said to have taken place here. The festival features many cultural events, culminating with a magnificent procession of guardsmen on horseback, caparisoned elephants and folk performers parading from the Maharajah’s Palace, which is illuminated throughout the festival by 100,000 light bulbs, to Banni Mantap, where the sacred banni tree is worshipped. Dramatic re-enactments of the legends of the gods are often a feature of such extravaganzas, and one closely associated with the Mysore Dussehra is the dancedrama, Veeragase, seen in this picture. This narrates how Lord Shiva was provoked into performing the divine Tandava dance, the source of cosmic creation, preservation and destruction, by his anger at the death of his wife.

THE 2012 London Olympics saw not one but two Indian competitors make it to the finals of the discus throw field competitions. Vikas Gowda, born in Mysore and coached in the US, qualified in fifth place with a throw of 65.20 m, finishing eighth in the final itself. He is the Indian national record holder. The gold medal in the women’s competition at the Commonwealth Games was won by Krishna Poonia from Haryana, who went on to finish in seventh place in the Olympics final with a throw of 63.54 m and is the first woman from India to advance to the final of the discus throw. Both Gowda and Poonia come from sporting families: Gowda’s father, Shive, coached the 1988 Indian Olympic track team, whilst Poonia is coached by her husband, Virender Singh, himself a former athlete. These placings gave the duo the distinction of being only the sixth and seventh Indian track and field athletes to appear in the final round of an Olympic event, surely an inspiration to budding young Indian athletes!

Photo Michael Ditter, Germany

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SHEER POWER P r a v een a Shi v r a m

Show Time

Filmmaker Gauri Shinde talks about life, cinema and the creative process that she believes knows no gender WHEN you watch Gauri Shinde’s debut film, English Vinglish, you cannot help but wonder at the apparent simplicity with which it plays out on screen and, long after then, in your mind.

You sense immediately that there is a master auteur behind the frames, who never once overwhelms you with garish gimmicks, overplayed melodrama or clichéd histrionics, the usual ingredients in most Bollywood films. Instead, she gives you a sensitive portrayal of a middle-class Indian woman, struggling to meet her family’s expectation in a language they are familiar with, English, while grappling with her own sense of identity.

That the story is inspired from her mother’s life is secondary. “I think an idea can come in any form and at any time and there is a definite emotional connect. It’s only later that you sort of associate it with things that might have happened in your life,

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but it doesn’t begin there. It’s not like you think to yourself, let me see what has happened in my life,” says Gauri.

An accomplished ad-filmmaker with over a 100 advertisements in her kitty, Gauri isn’t new to this medium.

“They are similar in many ways, the most obvious difference being the duration. With an advertisement, the entire package won’t take more than three weeks to a month. With a film, it’s about a lot of physical and emotional endurance. That’s the change you see in yourself. You need to sustain everything for a longer duration, from your interest to your body, mind and soul,” she says with a short laugh that reveals the truth of how gruelling schedules can be and the amount of tenacity and fortitude required to get through it, while retaining an acute sense of perspective. This is Gauri Shinde – part filmmaker, part storyteller, all woman.

How did you get over the everyday pressures of directing multiple stars on the set, of deadlines and production, and even the expectations of being married to a critically acclaimed and successful director?

I actually don’t think about it all like that. It’s like a batsman.

He isn’t thinking if the audience is going to cheer, or if the bowler is another legend, or if he is going to hit a six. All he can focus on is how best will he tackle the next ball. And that’s what you enjoy most. It’s all about that moment. It’s the same with filmmaking. If you start to think of all that, then the joy of making a film is gone. Like any other profession, or life itself, of course there are lots of obstacles on a daily basis. With a film, especially, the work is such that if you don’t enjoy it tremendously, things can quickly bog you down. My happiness comes from a fabulous team, a family that is created, that you look forward to seeing every day. .

You have often said in interviews how supportive your husband, R Balki, was during the filming of English Vinglish. And also that since you would do the same for him, it isn’t such a big deal. What do you think India or Indians need to do to get to this liberated state of being?

Between two friends or a couple, there is always appreciation.

You are thankful and grateful for the support. The reason I say that in interviews is because of the whole gender bias that exists in India. When a man looks after a child, he becomes a lovely father. But, when the mother does it, it is taken for granted and not valued enough. When the man takes the kids to the park, he becomes a hero, when it is an equal thing, both the man and the woman created this child. Why do we keep men on a pedestal when they do normal stuff? That’s what we need

to change. It’s more important for appreciation to exist between the couple, than a world view of who the hero is.

How important to do you think language is to one’s identity? Especially in a country like India where regional languages seem to be fighting a losing battle to the more accepted English?

It is important and it is not. In the sense, it is good to know where you come from; it’s something you connect with. It’s your cultural identity, not your identity in the world. There’s a comfort in speaking your mother tongue with people around.

When you know much of your surrounding and environment, you also know what is not your own. But language cannot only be about the technicality of communication. That’s not important. Communication is far more than that – it’s about getting across to people, being able to express. How you do it is your choice.

Do you think the creative process knows no gender?

Yes, I do. It’s more about who you are, your sensibilities and the way you think that influences the process. Of course, biologically, men and women are different. Though a lot of women, or men, have a good balance of the male and the female energies. But the creative process itself is free from gender bias.

What are the three things every woman needs to make space for her identity in the world we live in today?

First and foremost, self-respect. The minute you have that, you get respect. Second would be the courage to do what you want and be who you are. And finally, a firm belief that we are all equal – man and woman!

Quick Bytes A film title that best describes you: In the Mood for Love One word to describe Indian cinema: Friday A stress-buster you recommend: Pet and friends An Indian film every expat should watch: Lagaan An international film every Indian should watch: The Source (French) Watch the trailer of Gauri’s film, English Vinglish, here: http://tinyurl.com/b7kckba

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Tales of India

Ace of Clubs One woman’s triumph against all odds

OBAVVA (oba-vaas) sat silently in her little home inside the fortress of Chitradurga, waiting for her husband to come home for lunch. It was long past his usual lunch hour and Obavva was worried. She knew that the fort had been besieged by the army of Hyder Ali, the daring ruler of Mysore. She knew that Madakari Nayaka, the Vijayanagara King, to whom Chitradurga fortress belonged, was not a very powerful king.

Was there a pitched battle going on? Was that why her husband, who was one of the forts’ guards, not yet home? Obavva shuddered. What would happen to them, the ordinary people, should the fortress fall to the enemy?

As she sat beside the hearth, speculating and worrying, the door opened and her husband stepped in. “I must quickly eat and get back to my post,” he said. “Will you stand guard at my post till I return to it? I shall help myself with the lunch. It is a difficult day. Some of our people saw the enemy soldiers marching up the hill…” And he quickly directed her to the post he had been guarding that day.

It was a hole in the ground, a sort of an underground tunnel which led into the fortress from outside. A spot that could just not be left unguarded even for a moment, especially with a powerful enemy at the doorstep. Obavva got up and picked up her long club, the one she used to pound rice. “You eat in peace,” she told her husband. “I shall be there.

Nothing will happen in a few moments.” And off she strode briskly to the location of the underground

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illustration m r rajan

tunnel. She sat on a rock beside the gawking hole, her club on her lap and fell into a reverie.

In a short while, however, her reverie was disturbed. A head emerged out of the hole at her feet. Hyder Ali’s soldiers had indeed found that underground tunnel and had silently gained entry inside the fortress. Only to be met by a woman with a club.

Obavva was not benumbed by shock. Nor was she terrified. Reacting almost spontaneously, Obavva swung her club over her head and brought it down with all the force at her command, on the soldier’s head. He crumbled at her feet. She hauled him up out of the hole and plunked him at a distance and now watched the tunnel more alertly. Sure enough, in a few moments, another head surfaced. Obavva got into the act all over again. And another enemy soldier fell to her blow.

Legends say that when her husband returned after lunch, he was aghast to see his wife with a blood-spattered club and more than a hundred enemy soldiers lying dead all around her. We have no way of verifying the number of soldiers Obavva actually killed on that fateful day. But ballads in Kannada even today sing of the courage and resourcefulness of this legendary 18th century woman who single handedly held the enemy at bay on a blazing afternoon. She is celebrated even today as Onakke Obavva or Obavva of the club.

culturama | march 2013

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SHEER POWER S u s a n P hi l ip

Catch Me If You Can

The only Asian to compete in the Ultraman event, Anuradha Vaidyanathan is a powerhouse of talent, effortlessly juggling her various roles of sportsperson, entrepreneur and teacher

ANURADHA Vaidyanathan is a woman of many parts. The feathers in her cap, in no particular order, include being the only Asian to date to compete in the gruelling Ultraman event, completing her Ph.D in Electrical Engineering in a record-setting 26 months, winning a place among the visiting faculty of both the Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar, and the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and setting up PatNMarks, her own company of Intellectual Property Consultants. But before we get overwhelmed at this show of superhuman powers, Anuradha quickly puts it all in perspective. “Actually, I wouldn’t say I multitask very well,” she begins with a smile. “For example, last year I paid more attention to teaching and working on my business, at the cost of my workouts, only to realise in December that I had been struggling with asthma. This year, the focus is back on sport and business.” As much as that little confession makes us feel better, we know the sheer range of her achievements over the years are testimony to a more rigorous personality, one that is perhaps born with a sportsperson’s ability to stay focused. “I try to build consistency into my daily routine. With time and life getting crowded, I think we forget that consistency is the key to good performance and a healthy, happy life. I also am clear about what my priorities are, and at what point in time – I don't try to do everything at once because that is simply taking away from giving it your best. Single-mindedness is important in all my pursuits, so I slice up my time and energy accordingly,” she explains. With a sense of humour to match that focus, Anuradha quickly adds that her liberal upbringing is the cornerstone of her successes. “I did have silly people telling me to get married when I tried to train in Indian pools and I have a wonderful batch of acquaintances/relatives (as every woman does), waiting for me to fail, but I keep out of their time-zone and never give out my phone number!” She talks to Culturama on life, as she lives it.

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Do you think your different roles – as sportsperson, as teacher, as entrepreneur – complement each other?

Or do you keep your different persona in separate compartments?

I think sport and business have common elements but academia is a different ballgame. It requires a lot of sitting (which I hate) and thinking. I excel in academia because I have precious little time and therefore I am supremely focused and creative in that time. I also think my sport makes me more creative because I am not stuck to the computer all day, which I feel makes people lose energy. In any case, my philosophy is that happiness has nothing to do with money, but one must live a life one can afford to, and do that honestly.

What in your upbringing would you replicate for the next generation?

I would let my children grow up to be whatever they want to be – foisting one’s own dreams and limitations on progeny is the worst mistake one can make. Yes, parents do have to show children the way and make them self-reliant, but it must be done carefully. I would also make sure my kids did not watch TV, play video games or snack only on coke and French-fries.

The way we eat and engage with life is an important factor in how we grow up, I think.

Ironman, and Ultraman. Do you think the very names are indicative of a gender bias?

I totally think it’s gender biased, but our problems are deeper than race titles. In India specially, there is a price to pay for following unconventional dreams, but that is not to be paid with uber-feminist takes on titles. Titles mean very little to me.

I aspire to be remembered as someone who was half as brave as her mom and grandmom.

Quite unlike a Tamil Brahmin woman with her “thayir sadam” (yogurt and rice) to become an Ultraman! What do you eat for your regimen?

I love thayir minus sadam – it’s my life-blood and very good for the stomach. I eat normally, but 90% of my food I cook myself. I don't go for processed foods or eating out.

I’m re-learning my paati’s and mom’s old recipes. There were a lot of great things in our older cooking habits, all lost to fast food and a fast paced life.

What are the top three tips you would give a modern Indian girl who wants to develop as a person in her own right?

Be self-reliant – Always know what you are on your own two feet and defend that identity with all your might. Past being a wife, mother, daughter, sister, you need to know who you are and be self-reliant.

Take responsibility – While cooking and cleaning seem to be modern day anathemas, I believe that with a supportive spouse, one can divvy up the household chores reasonably well.

Do something original - Copies are so boring!

Quick Bytes Your favourite song Labhdha Ein Jinhun by Rabbi Shergill is my latest favourite If you weren’t a sportsperson/teacher/ entrepreneur, what would you be?

A librarian or a music teacher How you unwind With a glass of red wine and great music or a great book Your pet hate The Punjabi word vair –duality (or hypocrite) and haters Your dream vacation spot Queenstown, New Zealand, or any Himalayan village by the River Beas

Know more about Anu’s work at www. anuvaidyanathan.com

culturama | march 2013

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Tales of India

Deep Ties illustration vincent moses raja

A saint who lost herself in divine love

THE Tamil month of Margazhi, which begins from approximately December 15 and culminates in Pongal (harvest festival) in mid-January, is considered to be one of the holiest months in the Hindu calendar. Devotional hymns written by the Alwars (poet saints) are rendered throughout the month. The most popular of the hymns is the “Tiruppavai” consisting of 30 verses in praise of Lord Vishnu attributed to Andal, one of the 12 Alwars.

The story of Andal is set around the 8th century in a village in central Tamil Nadu called Srivilliputtur (Sri-villiputt-ur). At the Vishnu temple there was a garden that was tended faithfully by a devotee called Periaazhvaar (Peria-

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azh-vaar). The flowers for making garlands for the Lord came from here. One day, while deepening the pit of the tulsi (holy basil) plant, he miraculously found a baby girl. Considering it to be God’s gift, and being childless, he and his wife decided to rear the child and named her Kothai (meaning “from Mother Earth”) but later called her Andal.

Andal was very devoted to the Lord and particularly enjoyed making the garlands which her father took every day to the temple. One day, Periaazhvaar found some strands of hair in the garland. Not too sure how they appeared as he always took great care when making them, he decided to keep a careful watch. What he saw shocked him – Andal wore the garland meant for the deity and admired herself in the mirror before she placed them in the basket to offer the Lord. This was sacrilege according to Periaazhvaar.

Hindus will not even smell flowers that are to be offered to God as this will make them impure!

He confronted Andal and to his surprise she did not show any remorse. She confounded him by replying very calmly, “Why can’t I wear them? After all I am going to be his wife.” Periaazhvaar was deeply troubled by this sacrilegious statement. But that night the Lord appeared in his dreams and said that he did not want fresh flowers but only those worn by Andal. Such was the purity and depth of her devotion. Periaazhvaar’s doubts were put to rest and the whole town soon came to recognise Andal’s devotion.

Andal soon grew into a young woman and her father wanted to find a suitable match. But she persisted in her resolve that she would only marry the Lord. Her father was in despair. Who could marry God! One day Andal insisted on being taken to the famous Sri Ranganatha Temple (near Tiruchirappalli). When her father did so, it is said she was so ecstatic at the sight of the Lord that she disappeared into the sanctum sanctorum and became one with the deity.

Thus was she united with the Lord. Almost every temple of Vishnu has an altar dedicated to Andal and the gardens of Srivilliputtur exist to this day. Andal’s village is 70 km south west of Madurai, Tamil Nadu.

culturama | march 2013

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SHEER POWER te a m c u lt u r a m a

The Life of ‘And’ Her driving force is to explore all possibilities and her philosophy is that life is a journey that brings newness every day. Meet the corporate change maker, Dr. Shalini Sarin

THAT good things come in small packages is true for Dr Shalini Sarin.

This small-made woman with a firebrand personality is VP HR – Country Partner, Schneider Electric India. Having married early into a highly erudite family, the go-getter joined the corporate world much after she entered the institution of marriage.

Shalini’s striking ideology of “never putting a ceiling” on herself has served in good stead in her two-decade-long career. “There were a lot of ‘and’s in my life. I never limited myself to any self made constraints. We often hear young women saythat they will not become a mother as that would come in the way of their career or higher studies. It is an OR situation for them. They stop something to keep another going. They put constraints on themselves which often become bigger than opportunities.

God has made us multi-faceted; we are all about AND and not ‘OR',” she says.

And so, it has always been “studies AND children”, “consulting AND home” all the way for Shalini. Not surprising, considering her role model is her husband’s grandfather, renowned Sanskrit grammarian, Dr Charudev Shastri. “When I got married, he was 90 years old. He pursued his Ph.D. while he was in is his late sixties, followed by multiple masters degrees in English, German, French and Marathi. Till he was 96, he was authoring books on the complex field of Sanskrit Grammar. It is from him that I learnt there is no time, no age in life which is too late for anything.

If he could do it till 96, I have a long way to go,” she says.

Shalini was all of 17 when her father entrusted her to choose and pay for a house that they would live in Mumbai.

From a decisive and determined adolescent, to effortlessly climbing the corporate ladder, Shalini did that

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through the sheer dint of her personality. She is a walkingtalking book on inspiration. With a warm smile that brings a sparkle to her eyes, she talks about striking that elusive work-life balance and her ability to bring originality in anything she does.

There was marriage, home, responsibility as a woman. The key to getting on must have been that you enjoyed it, but how did you actually manage it all?

It is all about negotiation – at home, at office, with your husband, with in-laws and with your children. Feeling guilty makes us miserable. Women need to respect themselves. I am not one of those radicals who put a stop to matters of family just because she is a career woman. I firmly believe that managing both ends of the spectrum makes a complete woman. At an age when we feel the empty nest syndrome, we need to have ways and means to give meaning to our lives. Today, my children are grown up and I have joined a jazz dance class to keep myself on my toes, literally! I am associated with the HOPE Foundation for social work and on weekends I go to my farm and enjoy gardening.

If your daughter were to look at her mom, what lessons would she have learnt from you?

She is married now but while she was growing up she never ceased to surprise me with her precocious thoughts and probing queries. I guess she has picked many cues from my life — personal and professional , and I am sure she will apply some of those to hers. She’s extremely proud of the balance we have created in our work spaces and family time. I have shared with her my conviction not to compromise on one for the sake of another. Life is all about relationships and a happy life is one where there is no inordinate tilt. Everything and everybody in life have their own slots and maintaining a harmonious balance is the only trick to be happy.

How do you balance HR policies, between being human and understanding personalities, and at the same time being process compliant?

A very pertinent question for HR today. Policies are framed around historic data, current applicability, industry benchmarks, budgetary provisions and of course the implementation methodology. Any policy has a “What” and a “How”. While what is an uncompromising constant it is the how which has to be very humane. There could be policies which are very restrictive and yet a warm and fuzzy implementation process established around them.

A good policy is one which is run by the line managers and practical suggestions for periodic improvements accepted and carried out. Such a policy would have a lot of buy-in amongst stakeholders. There are no rewards for being compliant, but a policy which provides for a clear penal action on violation serves to act as a deterrent for non-compliance.

How, in your opinion, does a country’s culture impact the organisation’s culture?

Schneider is a Global MNC with local cultural nuances interwoven into its empowering fabric. Schneider Corporate creates global guidelines and empowers countries toward

local adaptation. Boundaries of any policy guidelines must always be preserved both in terms of intent and scope. It is here that we manage to get the best of both the worlds; knowing that the intent is always on how we can make it more relevant to the country. Listening to stakeholders and partnering with them has been my mantra. I often share with my team that they should keep listening to employees and line managers. Some messages we get would have a bearing on our global best practices and eventually business.

Is there anything about India that you see adds value to global business?

India brings in adaptability, creativity and sensitivity.

What we need more of is planning, consistency and a disciplined approach to execution….and to do it right the first time. Indians have a high degree of resilience to economic distress that has helped us manage global volatility in economy much better than most others.

Quick Bytes

One word to describe India’s work culture: Chalta Hai One useful word for working expats to carry in India: “Jugaad” and adaptability A living Indian leader you admire: Ratan Tata One strength and weakness: Our strength is our Vibrancy and weakness is insignificantly small of India’s diversity Your personal work mantra: A job half done isn’t done

culturama | march 2013

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Tales of India

Soul Sacrifice illustration m r rajan

A woman’s sacrifice saves the fate of a future king

TIME was when the princely Rajput state of Mewar was renowned far and wide for its brave warriors and chivalrous rulers. But even the best of kingdoms run into bad times. After the death of the noble Rana Sanga in the thirteenth century, Mewar ran into grave trouble. His successor, Ratan Singh and later Vikramjit were weak and depraved, and dissipated their energies and resources in pleasure seeking. Soon, Mewar lost its power and glory. And as it often happens, the kingdom and the king found themselves in some danger. Disgruntled nobles and slighted warriors arrayed themselves behind a powerful Rajput noble, Banvir, and conspired to take over Mewar.

In a surprise move, Banvir and his army attacked the kingdom and Vikramjit died in the battlefield. Banvir,

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determined to wipe out the royal family, turned his attention towards Vikramjit’s palace. But news of the disaster preceded him to the palace.

While all were busy grieving for the dead master and seeking ways to save themselves, deep inside the women’s quarters in the Mewar palace, the young prince of Mewar and son of Vikramjit, Uday Singh, slept peacefully, unaware of the danger to his life. Watching tenderly over the prince was his devoted nursemaid, or dai, the gentle Panna, to whose care the young prince had been entrusted since birth. Next to the Prince’s royal bed, in another bed lay Panna’s son, a young lad of the same age as the Prince, sleeping just as peacefully as his young master.

When news of Vikramjit’s death reached Panna, she instinctively knew the threat to the sleeping prince. In the true tradition of a Rajput woman, she knew where her duty lay – in saving the prince, the future of Mewar.

Calling a trusted palace attendant, she wrapped the baby prince in old rags, and handed him to the man, with instructions to wait for her in a faraway fort.

The attendant left and Panna turned her heavy heart to the more difficult task ahead. She dressed her sleeping son in royal clothes and placed him gently in the prince’s bed. She knew that if he found the prince missing, Banvir would send out men in all directions in search of the child and not rest till he had killed him. When Banvir came barging into her quarters demanding the royal child, Panna unflinchingly pointed to her own royally-dressed son. Banvir made short work of the innocent child and Panna, quelling her grieving heart, made her way to the distant fortress where the prince and the attendant awaited her.

Later as a diligent and brave young man, Uday Singh did his devoted nurse proud by wrenching Mewar back from Banvir and proving himself a wise ruler.

Panna dai’s sacrifice had not been in vain.

culturama | march 2013

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SHEER POWER P r a v een a Shi v r a m

Classical dancer and activist Mallika Sarabhai tells us why the medium is always the message and how powerfully it can be communicated

Express Mission “WHEN asked what I like to be introduced as – dancer, choreographer, publisher, activist, writer, actor – I tend to say that I am a communicator,” is how Mallika Sarabhai describes herself on her website. You get a sense of what she means when you watch her perform. Almost always a transcendental experience, Mallika’s performances are like statements in motion that “say enough to all that is wrong”.

“I have always felt that way ever since I can remember. This is what I saw my family involved in while I was growing up and the stories of earlier family members were also full of this,” she says. With an accomplished dancer in her mother, Mrinalini Sarabhai, and an accomplished scientist in her father, Vikram Sarabhai, Mallika’s upbringing reflects the sensitivity of art with the unique synergy of the logic of science, with never a sense of one dominating the other, but always complementing the other. In fact, her own education and profession reflects that essence of combining two diametrically opposite streams: an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and a Ph.D. in Organisational Behaviour, coupled with nearly three decades of performing on stage and leading her mother’s

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prestigious arts institution, Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, as the co-director.

“I would have gone into the science stream, but in those days we had to cut actual frogs in our first year and that is something I couldn’t handle. So I decided on economics – bad choice! In school I loved maths and chemistry. So I guess I loved and enjoyed both the arts and science,” she explains.

And so it hardly came as a surprise when she decided to debut in cinema at the age of 15, and quickly earned recognition as an exceptional dancer of two of India’s classical forms, Bharatnatyam (Tamil Nadu) and Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh).

She gained international recognition through her role of Draupadi in Peter Brook’s ‘The Mahabharatha’ that toured the world for five years. Mallika was now a performer to reckon with and she began to use the power this medium of dance and drama offered to further the cause of social education and women’s empowerment.

As she unapologetically confesses that she does not cook, that the book that made her cry is Bambi, and the leader she admires is Aung San Suu Ki, she tells Culturama why it’s

did you know ?

In 2009 Mallika Sarabhai contested as an independent candidate against the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate, L K Advani, though she eventually lost.

She was nominated as one among 1000 women for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.

She is the recipient of India’s third highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan.

She was knighted Order of Arts & Letters by the French Government in 2002.

Watch this inspiring talk by Mallika at TEDIndia, as she tells a transformative story in dance: http://tinyurl.com/bg43ete

important to “care about people, about non-violence, about nature, about cruelty, about poverty, about justice, about greed and deprivation and about caring”, and why Mallika in one word is Mallika.

Is there a natural and conscious confluence of the different mediums you have chosen? For instance, the rhythm of dance with the rhythm of writing, the emotion in performance and the emotion in activism?

I choose what I want to communicate and to whom and then the medium and the style follow. What I create to communicate with a rural audience may be different from a college audience to a women’s audience. The message and the audience invariably dictate the language and channel.

How do you view the significance of Darpana and the work it produces in today’s world of instant gratification?

Attitude and mental changes do not happen instantly.

Roots take long to bind. Darpana works on these. Fashions change but things of value remain. I think that is our motto.

And the fact that our work is so much in demand is proof of what our philosophy is about. Whether it is in holding onto our classical roots while experimenting with forms, or holding onto ethical values and using the arts to re-ingrain them, that is the importance of what we do.

With so much going on in your life, how do you make your 24 hours work?

My children, both of whom work closely with me and whose taste and decisions I trust totally, often joke with me and say, “You see, you should have had more children and trained them all to be your lieutenants, then you would have gotten to do every thing you want to”. True, I am always head deep in things and the day is never enough.

Is there an instance you could share with us when you heard your parents’ voice in your own while speaking to your children?

Oh, I followed the basic pattern of my own parenting with my children, updated to current times, consciously because I think we had such an amazing upbringing. So my parents’ voice is a conscious one I use.

What are the three things every woman needs to hold on to and the three things she needs to let go of?

If she writes the script for her own life she will live a fulfilled life. She must let go the script scripted by her family and “society”.

She must have the courage to introspect constantly to find out who she really is, strip the masks. Only when she knows who she is can she look for fulfilment.

An unhappy and repressed woman makes a lousy life for herself and all around her. It is in her blossoming that others blossom.

culturama | march 2013

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illustration m r rajan

Tales of India

Three in One The Trinity and 24 teachers of nature shaped this young boy’s life

SAGE Atri (a-thri) and his wife Anasuya (anasu-ya) were an ideal couple, known for their wise and simple ways. Anasuya, particularly, was known as the very embodiment of chastity. One day when the sage was away at the river offering prayers, the three great gods, the trinity of Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver) and Shiva (the destroyer) decided to test Anasuya’s virtue. Appearing to her as mendicants, they begged her for food. But they had a condition: they would only eat food given by her in the nude. Anasuya was unperturbed. “They who ask a woman for food are her children,” she thought. “Why should I fear my own children?” With the power of her devotion she turned the three mighty gods into helpless babies!

When the sage returned home, he found three bonny babies nodding off to sleep under the loving care of his wife. As Anasuya explained how they came there, the babies surprised the couple by transforming into the holy triumvirate. “We came to test your wife’s chastity and your faith in her,” said the gods. “We are satisfied. The world will forever sing your praises.”

But as they prepared to leave, Atri and Anasuya cried in one voice, “Please grant that you will always be with us as our children.”

The gods were pleased with their love, and granted them their wish: aspects of each of the three gods united to become a baby. Atri and Anasuya

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named their child, Dattatreya (dutt-taath-tre-ya), or the ‘given one’.

Dattatreya grew up to be an extraordinary boy. He would wander around the forest and gaze into the far horizon for long hours, lost in contemplation. He carried himself with a carefree abandon that drew the attention of all those who came in contact with him.

King Yadu was no exception. Struck by the strange, indescribable joy in the young boy’s face, the king, who met him inside a forest, asked, “Who are you?

What is this strange quality you possess that we do not?”

Dattatreya smiled and answered: “Not one but twenty four teachers have I, who have taught me the secret of this joy and peace. My teachers are – the earth, the wind, the sky, the water, the fire, the moon, the sun, a pigeon, a python, the ocean, a moth, the bee, the keeper of a beehive, an elephant, a deer and a fish, a woman, a small squirrel-like animal, a child, a young girl, an archer, a snake, a spider and a wasp.”

This extraordinary story occurs in the Srimad (sri-madh) Bhagawatham (bha-gha-wa-tham) and Dattatreya goes on to explain what his 24 teachers taught him, such as, the earth taught him to stand firm and enduring in the face of adversity, the wind taught him not to get attached to objects of desire, and so on.

culturama | march 2013

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SHEER POWER S u s a n P hi l ip

Law & Behold!

Law, politics, environment, social issues – the areas of Pinky Anand’s interest are many and varied. Meet the Designated Senior Advocate who made waves recently by defending the ‘right to freedom of speech and expression’ 32

culturama | march 2013

THE lawyer and the activist vie for supremacy in Pinky Anand. At one level, she takes pleasure in the cases she’s won, opening up new dimensions in law and thereby becoming a part of the country’s legal history. On another level, she draws satisfaction from what she describes as her ‘humane potential’, her ability to make someone’s life worth living.

A Harvard Law School graduate, she also holds a Doctorate in Law. Constitutional Law, Private International Law, Property Matters and Family Law are among her fields of expertise. She has been practising in the Supreme Court since 1980. Asked what she would put on top of her wish list for the Indian legal system, and pat comes the reply, “Simplify procedures and limit time for submissions.” These, in her view, would remove many of the speed-breakers in the way of the law taking its course.

Talking of how she, a lawyer from the North, came to defend Kushboo from the South, Pinky attributes it to ‘cosmic forces.’ (The South Indian matinee idol’s remarks on premarital sex had kicked off a controversy that ultimately came up before the Apex Court.) “The South Indian idol is a vibrant, vivacious, energetic woman, but she was facing a lot of flak.

It wasn't an easy ride to win her case.

Her lawyer approached me because Khushboo obviously had heard good things about me. I can only say that I am happy I could live up to my reputation.

We have become good friends now,” she explains.

Her heavy case load hasn’t distracted her from taking an interest in politics, nor has it prevented her from accepting hands-on positions. She is an active member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is member of the party's All India National Executive and held the reigns of the National Legal Cell as National Convener. A forthright speaker, she is a sought after TV panellist and has

represented the country at the Women’s Forum Global Meeting, Deauville, France, Terra Madre Turin, Italy, among other national and international forums.

Pinky Anand is actively involved with issues of security, climate change and environment and works with the ecologyfocused NGO Navdanya and Research Foundation. The feisty opinion maker talks about what it means to be a woman in a largely-male dominated profession, India and women, and more: As a lawyer in the largely maledominated legal profession, is gender a problem in gaining cases not related to women’s issues?

Generally speaking, I haven’t felt a major problem in this regard. But yes, there is a constant move to try to relegate women to women’s issues.

You have represented India in international forums, and have felt the pulse of the world in relation to various issues. How does the world looks at us, vis-à-vis human rights in general and the treatment of women in particular?

I think the world has mixed responses to India. If we have barbaric crimes against women, we also revere women, though in set roles. If women are subjugated, we also have women at all the top political posts, from President to Speaker to Chairperson of a ruling party. We are a paradox! On Human Rights, we are looked at critically.

You have handled several prominent cases. Can you pick out one case/issue which has given you special satisfaction?

I think one of my most challenging and enriching cases was fighting for the right to freedom of knowledge, when I argued for the release of 30 pages of the late Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s works which would otherwise have remained locked up. These were part of his book “India wins freedom”. We won!

Harvard Law School is your alma mater. Other than the subject, what else did you learn there that you still use today?

It’s a world apart! I learnt to work; to think; to analyse; to question; to evolve; to strive for excellence; to achieve – I can go on, but it’s enough to say it was a dream come true!

As a women’s rights protagonist, what would you consider the three most important things for a woman to practice, so that she can claim those rights, both for herself and for other women?

A woman has to have an independent identity backed by capacity building and financial capability. She has to be able to stand on her own feet, not being dependent.

Practice points • FICCI Award for Excellence in Law • 19th Bharat Nirman Award for Excellence in Law • Core Committee Member, National Human Rights Commission • Director, Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology • Fellow of Session 433, “Women, Political Power & Next Generation Leadership,” Salzburg Seminar, Austria • Trustee of Harmit Trust, which runs a home for the elderly • Secretary, Delhi Study Group, well-known NGO of professionals and intellectuals

Quick Bytes A book that has left a profound mark on you: Da Vinci Code. I really enjoyed it as a fiction thriller and for throwing challenges at dominant sects Your favourite comfort food: Bread Two people who have been inspirations in your life: Winston Churchill and Atal Bihari Vajpayee Your first choice as a stress-buster: Playing a sport What you dread the most: Any harm to those I love

culturama | march 2013

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Sheer POwer T e a m c u lt u r a m a

Heed the Call Mahatma Gandhi, Father of Indian Independence

Sunil Kunte, President, FMR India

Jean-Philippe Bottin, Directeur, Alliance Française Delhi

Shanker Annaswamy, Senior Advisor – India Enterprise, IBM

Marshall Goldsmith, #1 Leadership thinker in the world

VR Ferose, Senior Vice President, Globalisation Services, SAP

Men, then and now, have always had one thing in common – women. As grandmother, mother, daughter, sister, wife, lover or friend, the feminine aura is inevitable and its influence, if understood, irreplaceable “To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is man's injustice to woman. If by strength is meant brute strength, then, indeed, is woman less brute than man. If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man's superior. Has she not greater intuition, is she not more self-sacrificing, has she not greater powers of endurance, has she not greater courage?

Without her, man could not be. If non-violence is the law of our being, the future is with woman. Who can make a more effective appeal to the heart than woman?” Mahatma Gandhi, Father of Indian Independence “It is admirable how women can deftly multi-task. I believe that it is important to provide women with a level playing field, both at office and home to ensure that they can have both a fulfilling career and a robust and rewarding personal life.”

Shanker Annaswamy, Senior Advisor – India Enterprise, IBM India Private Limited “Women tend to be harder on themselves than men. This is not a theory. This is a well-documented fact. Here is my challenge for your women readers: Do you want the women who love you at home to be happy? Do you want the women who respect you at work to be happy? You go first! Lead by example. If you want them to be happy, let them learn how

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from you.” Marshall Goldsmith, #1 Leadership thinker in the world “Having been raised by a working/thinking/multitasking mother, I believe when women are free, respected and politically involved and represented in a country, in this country, everybody is free, respected and politically involved.”

Jean-Philippe Bottin, Directeur, Alliance Française Delhi "I am often wonderstruck at the multiple roles that women play so effectively. They are a true source of inspiration and motivation. However, our world of unhindered connectivity and intense competition obligates sacrificing personal time.

Therefore, my ask to the multitasking women is to ensure that family priorities are not compromised and sufficient time is allocated to exercise and health." V R Ferose, Senior Vice President, Globalisation Services, SAP "My practical tip for women who admirably juggle multiple roles with drive and determination would be to regularly take time out for yourself and for things you really like to do — pursue a hobby, catch up with an old friend, shop for yourself, read a book...anything that makes you feel good about yourself." Sunil Kunte, President, FMR India.

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Earthward Bound 36

culturama | march 2013

Writer and environmentalist Sunita Narain, who believes in spearheading a movement for water literacy in the country, tells us why it’s good to fall in love with the environment

IF YOU walk into Sunita Narain’s office at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in Delhi and ask for a glass of water, you can be sure that what you receive would be filtered ground water. Sunita laughs and adds, “To keep our ecological footprint small, we haven’t limited our efforts to only this. The CSE buildings have environment-friendly architecture that allows for maximum utilisation of natural light and air, keeping the use of artificial lighting minimal and need for airconditioning limited to only the peak summer months. Planted terraces on all the floors and lush gardens around the building help keep the environs cool.”

Her easy manner hides her gritty persona and it suddenly dawns on you that change is all about paying attention to the details. And you feel, as deep as the earth’s roots, why this director general of CSE, also the director of the Society for Environmental Communications, publisher of the fortnightly magazine, Down To Earth, is a passionate voice in the country for sustainable development. In a country like India, where community well-being, and by an extension of that, environmental well-being, is often shortchanged in lieu of personal well-being, we wonder if a quiet sense of frustration ever sets in, but Sunita says, “It is not frustrating at all. Environment for me is everything, much more than just trees and tigers. Being an environmentalist takes into account the various aspects of our physical being and working towards conservation of that space to make room for everyone and every living thing.”

For someone who believes every day should be treated as World Environment Day, Sunita’s life and work in the last three decades is not just an acknowledgment of that sentiment, but an inspiration for us to live our lives by.

You have often talked about environmentalism of the poor. What exactly do you mean by that?

It would not be wrong to say that virtually all infrastructure and industrial projects – from mining to thermal and hydel and nuclear power to cement or steel – are under attack today from communities who fear loss of livelihoods. These communities are at the forefront of India’s environmental movement. They are its warriors. For them, the environment is not a matter of luxury; it is not about fixing the problems of growth, but of survival. It is fixing growth itself. They know that when the land is mined and trees are cut, their water source dries up or they lose grazing and agricultural land. They know they are poor.

And they are saying, loudly and as clearly as they can, that what others call development will only make them poorer.

This is what I call environmentalism of the poor. The fact is, today, development projects take local resources – minerals, water or land – but cannot provide employment to replace the livelihoods of all those they displace. It is for this reason that the country is resonating with cries of people who are fighting

development itself.

You are particularly interested in “making water everybody’s business”. How acute is the crisis in India?

The crisis of water in our country is very real. Urban India is growing at a rapid pace, and this growth is accompanied by increasing use of scarce resources – including water. To meet the demand, cities are now drawing water from sources that are further and further away (Delhi, for instance, gets water from distant Tehri), or by over-exploiting their groundwater reserves.

Water use leads to wastewater generation. In India, wastewater is usually disposed into the very sources from where a city’s fresh water comes – its rivers, ponds, lakes and its groundwater – thereby polluting these sources irrevocably.

In the course of our researches, we have found countless instances where a city’s drain was actually a river. Delhi residents are familiar with Najafgarh drain, which discharges the city’s waste into the Yamuna. But most of them do not know that this “drain” has its source in the lake Sahibi. Now Sahibi is gone, and what has replaced it in living memory is a drain carrying only filth, not water.

We Indians should be angry over the loss of our rivers.

More worryingly, if we do not change our ways, we will lose the remaining rivers, lakes and other water bodies. This generation will then not just be pitied for losing rivers, but accused of committing deliberate “hydrocide”. Coming generations will forget that the Yamuna, Cauvery and the Damodar were rivers.

Do you think gender could ever become a deterrent in the path to success?

No, I don’t think so. Every pursuit, every path has its obstacles.

Instead of looking at them as deterrents, it is imperative that we remain focused on and committed to the things that we believe in and the things that we want to do.

You have written extensively and have spoken at several forums across the world. What is the power that the written word possesses, which direct speech doesn’t and vice versa?

We believe in disseminating information, which can be done through various modes – through the written word or through direct speech. In today’s fast-paced communicative world, every means of spreading information is required to be exploited. Each mode and means complements the others.

What are three other changes in your lifestyle to reduce global footprint that we could emulate?

Use solar energy; collect and conserve rainwater, and recycle wastewater.

To read some of Sunita’s work, log on to http://tinyurl.com/amfcj49 To hear Sunita speak, watch this interview at http://tinyurl.com/ahm956m

culturama | march 2013

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illustration vincent moses raja

Tales of India

There & Back Again The story of love that even conquered death

ONCE upon a time there was a king who ruled his kingdom wisely and caringly. But the king was unhappy as he did not have any children. He prayed to the Goddess Savithri, the bestower of gifts, to grant him a child. The Goddess was very pleased with the king so she blessed him with a girl child. The king named his daughter 'Savithri' in honour of the Goddess of gifts.

Savithri grew up to be a beautiful and gentle girl.

When it was time for her to get married, the king could not find any young man who would be a match for his daughter. So he decided to let her make her own choice with regard to her marriage. After many days the princess came back and told the king that she had found her life's partner. In a forest lived a blind king who had been banished from his kingdom. His wife and son were living with him. Savithri had decided to marry this king's son, Prince Satyavan. Though the prince was very handsome and strong, the king was advised not to agree to this proposal, as the prince was destined to die within a year. But Savithri was adamant. Finally, the king agreed to his daughter's wishes and the marriage between Savithri and Satyavan took place.

Savithri went to live in the forest along with her husband and his parents. She was very happy as she loved her husband dearly. But, as the day of his predicted death drew near, she was filled with anguish. She took a vow and began a severe penance, fasting and praying for her husband's life.

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On the day when Satyavan was destined to die, he planned to go to the forest to cut wood for fuel. Savithri also accompanied him. After some time, Satyavan felt very tired and feverish and had to take rest. Savithri made him lie on the ground with his head on her lap. Soon she saw a dark stranger dressed in red with a noose in his hand standing next to Satyavan. He was none other than Yama, the God of Death. In spite of all Savithri's desperate protests, Yama took the soul of Satyavan and went off towards the south.

With soft footsteps, Savithri followed Yama, but the tiny chink of her anklets gave her away and he realised he was being followed. Yama turned back and asked her why she was following him. She said she did not want to be separated from her husband and therefore was following him.

Impressed by the integrity and steadfastness of Savithri, he blessed her with a boon. She could ask any boon of him except her husband's life. After much thought, Savithri asked that she should have many sons and daughters.

Yama, unthinkingly, granted that boon. Then Savithri reminded him that as she could not have any children without her husband, the God of Death would have to return her husband alive to her. Yama had no other alternative but to bring Satyavan back to life.

The tale of Savithri's conquest of death through a combination of love and intelligence is very well known throughout India and has been presented in many ways.

culturama | march 2013

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Writes of Passage An award-winning author and poet, whose themes include women, immigration, and the celebration of diversity, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni talks about all things write

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CHITRA Banerjee Divakaruni is your consummate itinerant writer. It’s not so much about the author herself travelling from place to place, but her books and the words that make up those books that do it for her. For one, her books have been translated into 20 languages, including Dutch, Hebrew, Indonesian and Japanese. Two, her characters are constantly travelling – between the inside and the outside, the what is and the what was, the here and now and then and there, and from the familiar to the unknown. In both cases, books and words, there is a transformation, from the physical to the metaphysical, from the apparent clamour of chaos to the quiet centre of knowing. But this is Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni we are talking about, the one who immigrated to the United States at 19 years of age and took on odd jobs (babysitter to bread slicer) to get through graduate school.

Who better to talk about travelling, than the one who left one shore to find another? “For me, geography does add to a sense of identity – geography tempered with time. I see around me in America that how long you live in a place matters a great deal. One day you wake up and everything is familiar, the air smells like home. However, the gift and the curse of the immigrant is that we are often not completely at home anywhere. When we return to the original home, it has changed and so have we. Some immigrants immerse; some transcend.

Quick Bytes

Must-read book by an Indian author: Anita Desai’s Clear Light of Day A word you use often during the day: Grateful Favourite holiday spot in India: Kerala A title for your biography: Unexpected Your comfort song: Imagine

by John Lennon

Chitra’s new book, Oleander Girl, is out this month. The book traces the life of Korobi Roy, orphaned at birth, who is forced to tackle the demons of the past that take her from the sheltered, privileged life she’d led till then in Kolkata, to post 9/11 America, a country that she finds at once dangerous, unwelcoming and alluring. What she discovers at the end will force her to make the most difficult choice of her life.

The book is available in all leading bookstores and at www.flipkart.com

I think a mix of both is healthy,” she says with characteristic depth, something readers of her books are familiar with.

When her first collection of short stories, ‘Arranged Marriages’ and her subsequent first novel, ‘The Mistress of Spices’ hit the stands, people sat up and took notice of this writer who spoke with assured poise and grace of the immigrant experience that had largely gone unnoticed till then. But Chitra’s books are also about women, women who conquer, women who lead, women who die a million deaths to reach that moment of awakening. Having also written fiction for children (the successful Brotherhood of the Conch series) and several collections of poetry, apart from teaching the nationally ranked Creative Writing programme at the University of Houston, we ask her how she does it, and she says simply, “I begin each day with prayer and meditation,” and adds, “Reading good books motivates me.”

Typically, how long does it take you to let go of the characters in the novel you have just finished and begin a new journey with a new set of characters?

Usually, I can let go right away. If they’re not done with me, they’ll come back. That’s what happened in ‘Vine of Desire’, the sequel to ‘Sister of My Heart’. I finished ‘Sister of My Heart’ and went on to write ‘Unknown Errors of Our Lives’, a collection of stories. Then I found myself thinking of Sudha and Anju all the time, and I had to pick up their story in ‘Vine of Desire’.

How did Maitri, the helpline for South Asian women you began in 1991, happen? Is there a particular incident during your volunteer experience that triggered it?

A group of us friends started Maitri in the San Francisco area after a woman in our community suffered severe depression and became suicidal. We felt that we needed to create a safe space where a woman who was in trouble or in an abusive situation could come and feel she was not alone, that there were people who cared and wanted to help. Maitri has now grown into a large and powerful organization helping hundreds of women. I’m still on their advisory board. In Houston, I am similarly involved with an organisation named Daya.

Writing your novels in between bringing up two boys, running Maitri, and teaching, do you think creative bursts of energy need disciplined spaces to flourish?

Definitely. That’s what I always tell my students. We have to be disciplined and make time for writing in our life. I do discipline my writing to certain timings. I send my children off to school and sit quietly in my writing room for about three to four hours. I write directly onto my computer. But I always maintain a writer’s notebook where I jot down my thoughts. These thoughts come to me when I’m reading, watching a movie or when I see some paintings… anytime! Especially if it’s a thought about a book, I jot down the idea with as much as I can write about that idea into my writer’s notebook.

Between poetry and fiction, which one do you think is more forceful, if we were to look at them as personalities?

Both are equally powerful in different ways. One is long and sustained, like an ocean. One is dramatic and immediate, like a waterfall.

What are the three most important things every woman immigrating to a different country needs to be prepared for?

I think they are: 1.Prepare to be surprised.

2. Be open minded.

3. Bloom where you are planted.

culturama | march 2013

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illustration m r rajan

Tales of India

Age-Old Devotion

A beautiful young woman prays for age and ugliness

MORE than a thousand years ago, in the coastal town of Karaikkal (kaa-rai-k-kal) in Tamil Nadu, lived a merchant, who had a beautiful young daughter called Punithavati (punee-tha-va-thi). He got her married to Paramadattan (parra-ma-dha-thun), a young merchant who set up business at Karaikkal. Punithavati was virtuous, dutyminded and pious. Devoted from childhood to the worship of Lord Shiva, she chanted His name even as she went about her daily chores, and spontaneously served all those who knocked on her door.

One morning, Paramadattan received a gift of two mangoes and sent them home to his wife with the message to serve them at dinner. But as she was cooking that evening, a mendicant came by begging for alms. Punithavati invited him in and gave him a mango with rice. When her husband returned, he called for a mango. Punithavati served him the mango that remained. He enjoyed it so much that he wanted the second one. Now Punithavati was in a fix. She left the room and prayed to her Lord: “They say the Lord never deserts his devotees. I am in distress and who can I turn to, but you?” She suddenly felt as if her folded palms were being nudged open. She looked down, and saw a golden-hued mango in her hands!

With great joy, she served it to Paramadattan. This mango was extraordinarily delicious. “I have never tasted anything like this before!” cried Paramadattan. “I did not send this home. Where did you get this?”

Punithavati told him all that had happened. “The Lord sent you a mango?” he cried, incredulously. “How can it be?

I must see it happen.”

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Punithavati prayed earnestly. In front of her husband’s popping eyes, another gleaming-golden mango materialised in her hands. Paramadattan looked at her with awe and wonder. Who was she: a woman or a goddess?

He backed away. How could he call this divine being his wife? Or defile her with his mortal touch? As time went by, Paramadattan found work in a town faraway and set sail, leaving Punithavati behind.

Punithavati turned to her parents for help. After years of rigorous search, Paramadattan was discovered. He had married again and even had a daughter. Punithavati’s indignant father immediately set sail for the town, taking his daughter and some relatives with him.

Paramadattan was stunned to see the unexpected visitors, but he came forward respectfully and stupefied every one by falling at Punithavati’s feet. Greatly taken aback, her father demanded what he meant. “She is no ordinary woman,” replied Paramadattan. “She ought to be worshipped.”

Punithavati was overwhelmed by his words. “If he for whose sake I cherished this beauty and youth should reject them for the truth within, why do I need these at all?” she cried. “O Lord, if I am a true devotee, take away this youth and bless me with age and ugliness that I might forever forget my form and live in your love alone!”

In front of the amazed eyes of the gathering, Punithavati’s slim frame shrivelled and shrank into a bony cage, and she was reduced to a wispy wraith. Abandoning herself in devotion, Punithavati lived long and came to be known as the Mother from Karaikkal, or Karaikkal Ammaiyar.

culturama | march 2013

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SHEER POWER H a rini S a nk a r a n a r a y a n a n

Good Food Guide Meet Rashmi Uday Singh, food critic, award winning author and television personality as she shares her views on food and more THERE are several reasons why Rashmi Uday Singh has become synonymous with good food in India. For one, she has many firsts to her credit…

India’s first ever city-restaurant guide in 1997, first ever ‘Nightlife Guide to Mumbai’ and most recently, the world’s first vegetarian guide to Paris who won the World Gourmand Cookbook Award this year. Second, she remains the undisputed queen of understanding the essence of food and health for the past two decades, without letting go of the essence of her personality. And finally, after thirty-three award winning books and food shows on television, including a show with the famed British chef, Gordon Ramsey, nobody knows food the way Rashmi does. “Food nourishes, satiates, gives energy, expresses love, bonding, romance and all this cannot be put into a couple of words. It can only be savoured and experienced,” she says.

But this is the Rashmi that many people are familiar with. Few know that she also studied journalism, completed her degree in law and was successful in her attempt with the Civil Service exams.

Rashmi worked as a Revenue Officer for fifteen years before she realised her true calling. She followed her creative muse into the world of television and newsprint and since then, there has been no looking back.

Having trained with the BBC in London for a year, Rashmi debuted on television

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with a series for India’s national channel, DD Metro, with the show, Health Today, which catapulted her into millions of Indian homes. Along with her popular food columns for national dailies, and her unique initiative of inviting readers to share a meal with her to help promote local talent, made her a household name. Today, Rashmi represents India in many world forums and is also the contributing editor of ‘Miele Restaurant Guide’, the Asia food guide, is the chairperson of the Central Asia region of the Londonbased, ‘World's 50 Best Restaurant Academy’, and runs the Rashmi Uday Singh’s Good Food Academy. “I just enjoy every aspect and, for me, the most important thing is to be a caring human being,” she says with ease. Her passion for food shows through clearly as she answers our questions about food and how it can influence people. As she says in one of her popular TV shows, “I am convinced. The world is filled with only two kinds of people – those who love food and those who don’t.” In Rashmi’s case, we clearly know where she belongs!

Cuisines have always adopted and adapted to local conditions to produce a fusion cuisine. Today, that seems to be the deliberate and fashionable attempt by many a chef – to deliberately combine techniques and flavours. Is the result Fusion food or Hotchpotch?

First of all, one can’t generalise that chefs are adapting to create fusion cuisine…it is just a very small percentage of chefs (in our metros) who are doing this. And to be sure, to combine flavours and textures and to innovate requires a strong grasp of both the art and science of cooking. When that is absent, “fusion” becomes “confusion” cooking.

Now, more than ever, there is a variety of flavours available to the Indian taste buds — some familiar and some not so familiar. What can one do to train the palate?

The wave of Foodism has slowly but surely engulfed our major metros. This is due to increasing disposable income, burgeoning middle class, more travel, more television and more Internet. Regarding training one’s palate… Sure, reading about food, using cookbooks, watching cooking shows help, but nothing can replace the actual experience of tasting local cuisines. Travelling and tasting are the best ways to expose one’s palate…being alert to textures, flavours and enjoying them.

There seems to be a sudden spurt in reality cooking shows. Does this really help to raise awareness about food or are they cashing in on a popular trend. Is India ready for 24-hour food channels?

The answers are yes to all three questions. Yes! Reality cooking shows do play a very important part in raising awareness about food. Yes! They are cashing in on a popular trend. And yes! India is ready for 24-hour food channels…we already have “Food Food” and “Khana Khazana.”

Three things you would like to tell a home cook who fancies himself as a master chef.

1. Shop for the best and freshest ingredients because your dish is only as good as your ingredients.

2. Expose yourself to new flavours, ideas and textures through tasting and reading 3. Practise, Practise, Practise and put dollops of love in your cooking.

With childhood obesity on the rise, what is your observation on the food habits of young Indians?

All this Western fast food is taking over our young ones’ palates… As long as they stick to also eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and our traditional dal-chawal (dal-rice) meals, they will be fine.

Quick Bytes

Your favourite Cook book title Larousse Gastronomique Food, does it feed the body or feed the soul?

Both What would you rather have, a starter or dessert?

Dessert, for sure Which country has the healthiest cuisine?

Japan A dish that would best describe you Bhelpuri…a mix of tangy, sweet, crunchy and soft. Home-grown and local

Watch a trailer of Rashmi’s latest show, Delicious Discoveries, here: http://tinyurl.com/culcsjy

culturama | march 2013

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Tales of India

Poetry of the Valley illustration m r rajan

Whatever your name is, Shiva, Vishnu, the genius who inspired Scherazade, savior of the Jains, the pure Buddha, lotus-born God, I am sick. The world is my disease, and You are the cure, You, you, you, you, you, you, you

THE note of urgency and the tone of intimacy in the verse reveal not only the philosophy that inspired the song, but also, the sex of the composer. It cannot but be a woman – and woman it is, but no ordinary one. Lal Ded, who sang the above lines in Kashmiri, was a saint, poet and mystic, who lived in the valley of Kashmir in the 1300s.

Born to a Brahmin family, the pious Lal Ded was married when young. But she was not destined to lead a happy life. She was tormented and harassed by her mother-in-law, who even denied her food. A Kashmiri proverb in use even today says: “Whether they killed a small sheep or a big one, Lalla only had a stone for dinner!” alluding to the starvation Lal Ded faced in her marital home. It is believed that Lal Ded was

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served a big lumpy stone covered with rice – it filled her plate and fooled the rest of the family into thinking that young Lalla had had her fill. Even though Lal Ded suffered every injustice meted out to her in respectful silence, a time came when the humiliation proved unbearable. Lal Ded did not hesitate to leave the house forever.

She was only twenty-six then.

She found a spiritual guru in Siddh Srikant, a well-known yogi and Shaiva (ancient Indian philosophy) guru of the age. He guided her in yogic studies, meditation and philosophy.

Seeking within herself for Lord Shiva, Lal Ded was exultant when she found spiritual liberation by experiencing God in herself. Feeling the divine presence everywhere and within her, Lal Ded grew convinced of the oneness of all Creation.

Then she took upon herself the task of enlightening the common people. Both Hindus and Muslims were charmed by her philosophy of singleminded devotion to ‘One God’. Lal Ded went about her task with no care for herself and was often seen to walk the streets, absolutely naked. Her bare-bodied presence often invited gibes, criticism and ridicule, but she remained calm and unconcerned: Let them jeer or cheer me; Let anybody say what he likes; Let good persons worship me with flowers; What can any one of them gain I being pure?

Much of her poetry and philosophy are recorded in four-line verses called ‘vakhs’, which are popular, even today, in the country.

culturama | march 2013

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SHEER POWER S u z a nne M c N ei l l

Heart of the Matter

Creators of the market research company, Third Eye, Jasmeet Srivastava and Gitanjali Ghate, talk about why the heart approach undeniably defines success

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ACCORDING to Jasmeet Srivastava and Gitanjali Ghate, it is the ‘sari approach’ that distinguishes the culture of their successful consumer market research company, ‘Third Eye’, from the structured ‘suit approach’ that dominates corporate India. The duo, one a psychologist and the other a management graduate, set out in 1994 to build an organisation with a difference. As women, they saw that success would lie in building a nurturing space of like-minded people: “Our culture was to foster relationships within the workplace that would lead to greater teamwork and more effective output.”

Seeing through this conviction about the kind of organisation they wanted to set up remains the pair’s best business decision, they told Culturama. Creating Third Eye with their hearts rather than just their heads was counter intuitive at the time, but one that the duo knew would help in the nature of the work they do: “Qualitative research is about understanding the consumer as a person rather than a statistic,” they say, adding, “the heart approach enabled us to be sensitive to the consumer, their needs and attitudes, and allowed us to provide sharp and relevant consumer insights to our clients.” It’s an ethos that has worked well for Third Eye – the company is now 45-people strong, it has a robust and reputed client list, and Jasmeet and Gitanjali were recently voted amongst the 50 most powerful women in India. We asked these inspiring thought leaders to share their insights with Culturama.

How does the synergy of Third Eye’s team, a collective of highly talented individuals, work?

Our people and their chemistry with each other are at the heart of our business. We have a diverse set of people with different skills, which our approach successfully harnesses. Our manner is

encouraging rather than instructive. Everyone is given the freedom and the space to say their piece. This flat structure fosters a healthy exchange of ideas and democracy, which in turn empowers the employees and gives them a strong sense of ownership. This trust and respect has helped us build a community of like-minded people who share a passion and collaborate rather than compete. We have many instances of people putting their own tasks aside to help someone and fill in for the other, without expecting any credit in return. We’ve been compared to the TV sitcom, ‘The Modern Family’, that has a bunch of different people, all of whom are a little crazy, but who come together to create a bigger whole. It is this whole being larger than the sum of its parts that is one of the biggest mantras of our success.

In 20 years, you have had very little attrition in your organisation as your teams form tight bonds. How have you managed this?

We created Third Eye using feminine energy, believing that organisations need to include wellness and personal development indices. A business built on a happiness index will have happy employees, who in turn contribute immensely to organisation building and feel a proud sense of ownership. We have always offered flexibility and work-from-home options.

This allows our team to strike the right work-life balance and motivates them to display high degrees of personal responsibility at work.

Gitanjali is a Maharashtrian, and Jasmeet is Sikh.

How does India achieve strength in diversity, and what weaknesses can such diversity highlight?

Being part of a diverse culture makes us naturally assimilative and we imbibe the culture of the other almost instinctively. This internalisation of diversity makes us more aware and sensitive to difference, and we appreciate other cultures better. Being Indian, we naturally factor in cultural diversity and absorb and adapt to it rather than struggle with it. One possible weakness is the imposition of more traditional frameworks in some cultures. For instance, if we, as women, do research in rural areas, we need to be accompanied by a male and might need to cover our heads. But other than the pressure to conform to traditional edicts within some contexts, we believe that cultural diversity presents an immense opportunity for expansion.

What is your advice to men who have daughters, and to young women who are about to marry?

Fathers should encourage their daughters to tap into their feminine energy and foster the spirit of creative entrepreneurship.

We believe that women adapt and create organisations around their conditions, and manage their relationships and circumstances within these very well. To young women getting married, we say hold on to your dreams. While you are in the process of building a home and a family, these might be kept in cold storage, yet should never be forgotten. These dreams are beacons that will eventually guide you to fulfil your destiny as part of a creative workforce.

What are your three tips for expats who have female Indian staff on their teams?

First, tap into their amazingly adaptable, accommodating and resourceful capabilities. Second, given their family structure and expectations, Indian women value flexibility. By understanding their circumstances, you will create a highly appreciative and 200% committed resource pool, that will be ready to adjust their lives, not just their work, for you. And finally, Indian women are brilliant multi-taskers, and will naturally excel in roles that need these skills. .

Quick Bytes A book we recommend A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth and May You Be the Mother of a Hundred Sons by Elisabeth Bumiller.

Our mantra for life What you put out always comes around, so collect good karma!

Our favourite stress-busters Shopping and holidays.

A paper or magazine we read Time and Outlook.

Our favourite song Vincent by Don McLean.

culturama | march 2013

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events CALENDAR MUMBAI

Norah Jones Live Concert March 3 Turf Club, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai

Catch American jazz singer and songwriter Norah Jones’ headlining performance at Summer’s Day, a brand new music festival produced by Only Much Louder. Daughter of legendary musician Pandit Ravishankar, this is the singer’s first concert in the country.

Enjoy some of this nine-time Grammy Award winning artiste’s famous tracks, ‘Don’t know why’ and ‘Come away with me’ at this concert. For tickets, log on to www.bookmyshow.com

The Elephanta Festival March 26 to 28|1830h Elephanta Island, off Mumbai

The Elephanta Dance and Music Festival is an annual event organised by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC). The highlight of the festival is the illuminated idol of Lord Shiva in the main cave of the island.

The island, named Elephanta by the Portuguese after the majestic carved elephant on this island, is known for its huge cave shrine, excavated in the 6th century. Call MTDC at 02222845678/22044040 for details.

culturama | march 2013

Art Exhibition

Till March 23|1830h to 2130h Project 88, BMP Building, NA Sawant Marg, Colaba, Mumbai. Ph: 022-22810066 ‘Metropolyptical – A Tale of a City’ is a solo exhibition of miniature paintings and framed tapestries

by Pakistani-artist Risham Syed.

Syed work looks at the haphazard construction on her home city, Lahore, that inadvertently mirrors Mumbai’s bizarre, urban sprawl.

Travel Photography Workshop March 23 and 24 Purushwadi Village, 200 km from Mumbai

Grassroute Journeys and photographer Girish Menon present a photography travel workshop through the 1000year-old village, Purushwadi.

Experience the quaint lanes and the village’s earthy Warli houses.

Eat food cooked on firewood with the village folk and exchange stories over a bonfire. Visit www. girishmenon.com for registrations.

Cosmic Journey and Heavenly Wonders

Bonjour India Festival of France, 2013

It’s the 36th Full Dome Sky Theatre Show at the venue that makes the universe comprehensible to visitors by taking them on an imaginary journey from the Sun to the end of the known universe. Call 02224964676, 24924133 (Ext: 116) for details. The show is also available in Hindi and Marathi, so do check the language when registering.

The best of France, spiced with all things Indian, is what the Bonjour India Festival is all about. In its second edition, the festival will encompass the entire gamut of cultural exchanges between India and France; art, literature, cinema, education, sports, architecture, performing arts and more. These cultural events are spread across various venues in Mumbai. Visit http:// bonjour-india.in for more details.

Till March 31| 1500h to 1600h The Nehru Planetarium, Dr Annie Besant Road, Worli, Mumbai

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For a slice of culture in Mumbai through Culturama’s pick of events this month

Till March 31 Across Mumbai

events CALENDAR DELHI

Norah Jones Live and Loud March 5 and 6

Siri Fort Auditorium, Asiad Village Complex, August Kranti Marg, New Delhi Catch American jazz singer and songwriter Norah Jones live in concert. Daughter of legendary musician, Pandit Ravishankar, this is the singer’s first concert in the country.

Enjoy some of this nine-time Grammy Award winning artiste’s famous tracks, ‘Don’t know why’ and ‘Come away with me’ at this concert. Call 011-26499397 or 09811109809 for tickets.

Women’s Weekend

March 8 to 10 Epicentre, Apparel House, Sector 44, Gurgaon Celebrate Women’s Day with a weekend of exciting activities at Epicentre. Enjoy theatre shows, stand-up comedy acts and workshops for women. The Great Indian Bazaar will also have a flea market, and women can avail special discounts at Drift. Call 0124-2715000 for more details.

Festival of Dance

March 9 and 10 | 1830h Kamani Auditorium, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi Ashtapadi, the Festival of Dance, will present the Indian epic ‘Geetagovinda’ The festival will feature choreography by renowned dancers Kelu Charan Mahaptra (Odissi, dance of Orissa) and Vempatti Chinna Satyam (Kuchipudi, dance of Andhra Pradesh), Mohiniattam (classical dance of Kerala) and and also Bharatanatyam (dance of Tamil) performances . Visit www. ashtapadi.in for more details.

For a slice of culture in Delhi through Culturama’s pick of events this month

Hungarian Film Screening March 14|1800h

Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre, 1/A, Janpath, New Delhi Watch a special screening of ‘A Hidember (The Bridgeman)’ directed

by Geza Beremenyi. The film is set between the year 1820 and 1860 and portrays the life of a Hungarian aristocrat born with extraordinary mental and spiritual talents. The duration of the film is 145 minutes. Call 01123014992 or 23014497 for details.

Photography Festival

March 10 and 11 Siri Fort auditorium, Asiad Village complex, August Kranti Marg, New Delhi ‘Photorgy 2013’ is a one-of-a-kind photography festival that promotes photography and innovations in the art. The festival will support Adhigam Foundation, an NGO aiding education. There will be a seminar for photography buffs and a photo contest apart from the Adhigam music concert. Register at www.photorgy.in

Bonjour India Festival of France, 2013 Till March 31

Across New Delhi The best of France, spiced with all things Indian, is what the ‘Bonjour India Festival’ is all about. In its second edition, the festival will encompass the entire gamut of cultural exchanges between India and France – art, literature, cinema, education, sports, architecture, performing arts and more.

Visit http://bonjour-india.in for the complete list of events and venues.

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events

CALENDAR BENGALURU

Norah Jones Live and Loud

Start-up Festival 2013

Nice Grounds (near BIEC), Tumkur Road, Bengaluru Catch American jazz singer and songwriter Norah Jones live in concert. Daughter of legendary musician, Pandit Ravishankar, this is the singer’s first concert in the country. Enjoy some of this nine-time Grammy Award winning artiste’s famous tracks, ‘Don’t know why’ and ‘Come away with me’ at this concert. Book your tickets on www.bookmyshow.com

Koramangala, Jayanagar, Indiranagar and Palace Grounds.

This four-day event aims to unite hundreds of Bengalurians under one brand to celebrate the city as the Start-up Capital of India.

With partner locations starting from yoga studios to gym classes, to restaurants with special deals, the festival is open to anybody who loves the garden city. Join the neighborhood art festival and enjoy street drum circle, performance arts, installations, open studios, wall art and more. Visit www. startupfestival.in for details.

Theatre Workshop

Tibetian Festival of Music and Dance

March 8

March 16 and 17

Evam Entertainment, # 227, 10th Main, 4th Cross, Indira Nagar, 2nd Stage, Bengaluru First Rush is an Evam initiative to democratise theatre. The goal is to give everyone a chance to get on stage and experience the magic of a live performance. The batch, which ideally consists of 15 to 30 people, is encouraged to get involved in all aspects of theatre. For more details, write to firstrush@evam.in.

English Theatre Till March 31

Ramagondanahalli, Varthur Road, Whitefield, Bengaluru Jagriti Theatre presents ‘Curtain Raisers at Jagriti’, a festival that features India’s top Englishlanguage theatre groups from February through March, 2013.

Check out Tortilla’s ‘Seussification of A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ by Peter Bloedel. Narrated in rhyming couplets, this re-imagining is how Shakespeare’s magical tale might have played if Dr. Seuss had gotten his hands on it. Directed

by Judith Roby Bidappa. Buy tickets on www.bookmyshow.com

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For a slice of culture in Bengaluru through Culturama’s pick of events this month

culturama | december march 2013 2012

March 7 to 10

March 16 | 1900h

St.Joseph’s College of Arts & Science Grounds, # 36, Langford Road, Richmond Road, Shantinagar, Bengaluru Watch traditional and contemporary dance and music of Tibet presented by leading music groups from the country. Performing groups include the Akama Live Band from the Tibetian Institute of Performing Arts and another wellknown band, the TIPA Group. Book your tickets on www.indianstage.com

Bonjour India Festival of France, 2 013 Till March 31

Across Bengaluru The best of France, spiced with all things Indian, is what the Bonjour India Festival is all about.

In its second edition, the festival will encompass the entire gamut of cultural exchanges between India and France – art, literature, cinema, education, sports, architecture, performing arts and more. These cultural events are spread across various venues in Bengaluru.

For the complete list of events, visit http://bonjour-india.in .

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events CALENDAR CHENNAI

Indo Jazz Concert March 6 |1930 h

Music Academy, TTK Road, Chennai The Phoenix Foundation along with the Goethe Institute presents an Indo Jazz fusion concert by a 17-member band of young Jazz musicians, Jugend Jazzorchester Rheinland-Pfalz. They will play a wide repertoire of music drawn from the genres of Jazz, Rock and Pop. The band will be conducted by well-known trumpeter and jazz educator, Frank Reichert. Contact Goethe Institute at 044-28331314 or visit www.goethe. de/chennai for more details.

Storytelling Workshop March 3 to April 7

World Storytelling Institute, # 2A/16, Dr.Thirumurthy Nagar, Nungambakkam, Chennai The World Storytelling Institute will conduct a storytelling workshop, designed especially for parents, teachers, screen writers, therapists and professional storytellers.

The workshop will be led by Eric Miller, Director of the Institute.

Call 09840394282 or mail eric@ storytellinginstitute.org for details.

Outdoor Adventure Camps Till March 24 Epagemaker, 1st Cross Street, Bharathi Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai, and other locations across Chennai.

Chennai Trekkers Club celebrates its fifth birthday with more than 40 outdoor events that include trekking, cycling, biking, photography and sports. The ‘Trek Polama’ (Lets go Trekking) symposium on adventure, nature and conservation will be held on March 9 and 10 with 12 eminent guest speakers, who will talk of their outdoor / environment passions. More details on http:// www.chennaitrekkers.org/2013

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For a slice of culture in Chennai through Culturama’s pick of events this month

International Short Film Festival of India (ISFFI)

March 9 and 10|0930h to 1800h Venue to be announced Launched in 2007 by Don Bosco Institute of Communication Arts in collaboration Das management Services, Canada, ISFFI is the biggest international short film festival in India. ISFFI showcases the latest and best short films, blending diverse cultures, social and political themes. The films are usually screened at local theatres. Contact the Institute at 044-26423930 or 09566102806, or log on to http://www. dbicafilmfestivals.org for details.

Happenings @ Aalaap All this month

Various venues across the city Aalaap, a performing arts initiative, will host three interesting events in the city this month. Go on a spiritual journey celebrating Shivarathri at 136.1 Yoga Studio in Alwarpet; experience the stillness of sound with six instrumentalists at Spaces, Besant Nagar, and participate in an interactive classical dance session with Bharatnatyam dancer, Priyadarshini Govind at the Chennai Mathematical Institute. Email aalaap.concepts@ gmail.com for details. All events are free and open to all.

Aikya 2013

March 31 |1800h Music Academy, New # 168 (Old # 306), TTK Road, Chennai – 14.

Ph: 044-28112231/5162.

Global Adjustments is proud to present Aikya 2013 with renowned musicians and sisters, RanjaniGayatri. In its fourth successful year, this year’s concert is a musical conversation on human conflict, inspired by the famous dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna in the Bhagwad Gita. The Aikya concerts support the twin causes of aiding retiring musicians and women’s empowerment. For tickets, contact Anupama at 9841654816.

kerala break for high tea

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 culturama | march 2013

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Seeing India M a rin a M a r a n g o s

A Royal Affair

A trip to the Gir National Park in Gujarat, the only one in India to have Asiatic Lions, and, therefore, the only one offering a truly royal experience

IN A nutshell, Gujarat is one of the richest and most industrialised states in India and it has good infrastructure to prove it – read roads. It is massive, like a lot of states are in India, so my account takes in a small but important part of it, which is the Gir National Park, or Sasan Gir as it is known.

What is remarkable about the National Park and the people surrounding it is that both are steeped in history and so a couple of words about this before I take you into the park.

As Gujarat lies to the west of the country, it was reached first and saw a lot of influx of people and animals. Africans came from Ethiopia to serve in some of the Nawab’s armies and also as part of the slave trade. These people known as Siddis or Habshis still survive today in this area of Gujarat and there

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are tribes and ethnic groups that are entirely African in their looks and features.

The Asiatic lion came across the west through the north part of the country and clearly was here in ancient times. It was revered as can be seen by Durga, the warrior goddess, who is often depicted mounted on a lion, and the choice of the lion as the national symbol, which is four lions representing power, courage, pride and confidence is further proof. However as the years went by the lions were hunted and almost driven to extinction until the 1900s when one of the maharajas banned their killing. From about 50 they now number closer to 400 and there are plans afoot to take them beyond Gir to other game parks, which would help their diversity and assure their future

survival. At present, Gir is the only place in the whole of India to have Asiatic lions.

We entered the leafy and largely teak forest of Gir not really knowing what to expect. The forest is deciduous and a lot of the leaves of the teak trees dry on the trees, losing their green colour, but retaining the outlines of the finest veins of the leaves that still cling on to the trees with the early morning light filtering through them. It made for a magical and quite enchanting drive. We saw many spotted deer, chital as they are called, and monkeys and peacocks but the lions eluded us that first day.

Returning to our camp, however, I noticed a long dark shape on the road ahead, and as we neared, we realised that it was a magnificent cobra. It then slithered away gracefully into the sugar cane plantation nearby but not before it raised its triangular head and took a good look at us deciding perhaps whether we would be worth spitting on. Mercifully, she decided we were not worth it and let us live to see another day.

The next morning we set out with renewed confidence to try our luck with the lions and were rewarded with something even more thrilling.

We saw a leopard, with its dark brown spots, sitting in the undergrowth partly camouflaged by a termite hill. We parked and watched as it positioned itself carefully and then within a flash of a moment it had attacked the family of chitals that were grazing somewhat unaware on the other side of the termite hill.

Perhaps, the wind was in the opposite direction because they really were completely oblivious to her presence. Then, with a bound and leap and a forceful run, she secured her prize, a baby chital which lay lifeless in her mouth as the mother looked on emitting plaintive cries at having lost her young. It was hard to watch; impossible to photograph, but unforgettable in the way it unfolded before our very eyes.

At that point I was sure that the cobra sighting was a harbinger of good luck and more was to come and how right I was. The next outing at 6.30 am saw us first in the park encountering four lionesses lying on the path. They lay there quite happy and unconcerned at the several jeeps that had arrived in dusty haste to enjoy them and when they had had enough of us humans, they turned their back to us and walked off into the forest. We left the other jeeps trying to track them at a distance and we headed in another direction enjoying langur antics along the way and a beautiful serpent eagle, some crocs and a variety of bird life.

We made our way to a beautiful dam and along there, suddenly out of the forest, came the most regal of lions. He stunned us as he walked very close to our open jeep and settled on a small raised hill where he graciously afforded us the best view of him. We were full of questions for our young but engaging game warden. Did they attack humans? Did they eat cattle? How and when did they breed? He answered all these with patience and with a wonderful accent and told us how this was a royal animal and thus we had nothing to fear. They know it and we were, in the scale of things, of not much interest to them. We, on the other hand, were completely ecstatic at our sighting and enjoyed his royal presence for as long as he granted us an audience.

The writer is Greek-Cypriot and lived in Delhi for over two years. culturama | march 2013

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Being India Pa m H u d s o n

photo Tobias Schmidt, Germany

Good Willing MY HUSBAND David and I moved in 1989 to India, a very different country than it is today and stayed there until 2011 and during this time we had one unforgettable journey.

We soon became captivated by the charm and magic of this remarkable country and were greatly impressed by the cheerfulness and resilience of those facing hardship. It was this very aspect that moved me to reach out to those less fortunate and, together with some friends, we set about assisting several charities. This extended to helping rural schools, making craft items for the Christmas fairs in and around Delhi to help raise money for charities.

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How much of a difference can one individual make to society? Looking at Pam Hudson’s life and her Purely for Charity initiative, the answer is, a lot. Read on about the incredible journey in India of this lady, who was Awarded the Member of British Empire (MBE)

I was invited to join the Committee of The Grant Govan Memorial Homes, which is a retirement home for Anglo Indian elderly of limited means. After working with established charities, we decided to seek out the smaller and less well-known homes, orphanages, schools, etc, as it was felt that our support could make more of a difference. A group of ladies and I would visit and check on what their immediate needs were, that could be shoes, blankets, rice, school bags, school materials, desks, etc.

One was a home for unmarried mothers where we have been supplying baby milk for almost 14 years now!

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photo Pam Hudson

Dr Kiran Bedi, former Inspector General of Police, inaugurates the creche in Tihar jail

photo Enrice Donate Sànchez, Spain

Another area we visited and worked with was the Indian Vision Foundation, where my husband’s company was to take over the crèche at Tihar Jail. He asked that I lead this project and we were invited into Tihar to see the crèche area that they were just starting up under the guidance of Dr Kiran Bedi. This is still strongly being supported to this day. Having got to know the inmates over the years, I decided to try and provide help that would be of use to them once they are on the outside. This ranged from supporting their weaving project with wool and updating designs and introducing a new project to make three sizes of very pretty gift bags which has been very successful.

Sewing machines were donated to help this and other projects.

We also started a handmade card and gift tag project on the roof top of the police station in the Yamuna Pushka slums with young teenage girls. At times the girls came with us to the fairs to sell their cards and they were then able to help support their families.

CanSupport, which helps cancer patients with respite care, is an initiative I am very proud to be associated with. We provided them with a van to enable the doctor and nurses to expand their area of care. Once I was meeting some patients at their weekly visit to the centre, where they rest and gain some relief away from home, and, at times, they dance, have reflexology, massage, yoga, painting or just coffee and a chat/sharing. I arrived late, stressed and in a big hurry, but really wanting to visit for a coffee and a chat. Within minutes, the tranquillity hit me. The love and laugher shared that day will forever be etched in my memory; some could not speak English but smiles and nods and laughter are enough. I certainly was no longer in a hurry to get to wherever I should have been and it was no longer important to me. I always feel that the brave ladies and gentlemen, plus the dedicated helpers, gave more to me that day than I could give to them.

We also arranged to pay school fees for ten underprivileged school children for 15 years and then later helped some get into jobs such as secretaries, mechanics, a couple in I.T , hotel workers and helpers for camping trips. On one occasion, I bumped into one of the girls who had always been our special little dancer of her group. She was in university and with

her boyfriend and was very excited to see me; it was a very pleasurable chance meeting. She was only five years old when we first paid her school fees!

At home in Delhi, we lived on a farm where we made chutneys, pickled vegetables, mustards, cakes and biscuits to sell, which was a great success. We would have orders for DiwaIi and Christmas for seasonal goodies, all of which went towards funding the more needy causes. Once a year, we threw a garden party at our farm for around 100 less-privileged children from various homes around the region. This was as much fun for us and the wonderful volunteers and sponsors who helped us, as it was for the children and their helpers.

In 2005, I was awarded the MBE (Member of the British Empire) from HRH Queen Elizabeth II for my contribution to good causes in India. That was a great honour for me, but others helped me along the way and I just wish I could have shared it.

Through this journey, if there is one thing I have learnt, it is that everyone can make a difference, no matter how small. We now live in Dubai but my work continues as I still do all that I can to support the charities that can give so much comfort to those very deserving people.

Helping Hands Here are some of the organisations that Pam’s Purely for Charity supports in India: CanSupport Asha Mission

Children’s Home House of Peace Grant Govan Children of the World India Vision Foundation Jeevashram Udayan Care Family Vision Salaam Balaak Trust

To contact Pam Hudson for more details, write to prhmbe@gmail.com or log on to http://www.pamhudson.org/ 60

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At Global Adjustments

Pongal Coffee Morning THANKSGIVING is sure to take on unique meanings, all the more when 16 nationalities come together. The coffee morning held recently at Global Adjustments to celebrate Pongal, the harvest festival of Tamil Nadu, was testimony to this.

Centred around thanking the sun god for an abundant harvest, Pongal is also venerated as the harbinger of spring.

That Pongal is the name of the festival and also that of the sweet dish served on the day was an eye opener for many present. Over hot filter coffee, the women also got a glimpse of how other harvest festivals are celebrated across the country.

While the ubiquitous ‘bindi’ worn by Indian women evoked quite a few questions, many also found the use of jaggery in the sweet Pongal a novel taste. The pot painted at the end of

the session and the resounding shouts of ‘Pongalo Pongal’ to welcome the season robustly captured the participants’ ideas of the festival.

The Coffee Morning turned out to be a cultural exchange of sorts for all present. Not only did the participants learn about India but we also learnt from them about the many seasonal customs across the world. While the US welcomes spring with the hot air balloon festival, the French celebrate the harvest of grapes with a Vineyard Festival.

Coffee Mornings are informal get-togethers organised for expatriate women to get to know more about Indian customs.

The Global Adjustments Coffee Mornings are also the best way to make new friends!

Want to join the coffee mornings at Global Adjustments? Follow us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/globaladjustments for details of our next coffee morning.

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Give to India

The Giving Note

Forgotten artistes of the music fraternity take the centre stage again at Aikya 2013, the annual fundraiser from Global Adjustments

RIDING on the shoulders of Indian culture to give back to the fraternity of artistes is what Aikya aims to do. The accompanying artistes of yesteryear are the forgotten stars that Aikya seeks to support in their fading years. Conceived four years ago as the Corporate Social Responsibility of Global Adjustments, the annual fundraiser has been successful in bridging the gap between the needy and the contributors. Ranjini Manian, CEO & Founder of Global Adjustments, adds, “Oneness is what Aikya is about and it is a fitting tribute to the music fraternity from Global Adjustments.”

In conjunction with Smrutha Dhvani Fund of the Sarada Foundation, Aikya has been supporting the cause of retiring artistes in the field of music, dance and performance. “‘Smrutha’ means ‘to remember’ and ‘Dhvani’ means ‘music’, and this initiative that is so aptly named hopes to build a tangible future for classical artistes of the past,” explains Usha Sridhar of the Sarada Foundation. Thanks to the stupendous success of the last three Aikya concerts, several retired artistes are today being pensioned from the Smrutha Dhvani Fund. These artistes include vidwans (a Sanskrit term used to describe the expertise and knowledge of Indian classical musicians) who in their prime were sought after Ghatam (an earthen pot used as a percussion instrument) and Ghanjira (tambourine) players, composers and Oduvars, singers of devotional songs in temples. The pension fund provides monetary support for the artiste and his or her spouse for the rest of their lives.

Prof Sudharanai Raghupathi honouring Tambura artist S.Ganesan during AIKYA 2010

This year, the concert will aid not just retiring artistes but also aims to empower young women with educational support. The Sarada Foundation identifies students from rural Tamil Nadu who have excelled in their stream of studies and sponsors their higher education. The Foundation currently supports many students, some of whom have found jobs in the corporate sector. “It’s gratifying to see this cycle of giving that continues through these students who have now found jobs. They, in turn, are sponsoring others,” says Usha.

Aikya will be held on March 31, 6 p.m. at Music Academy, New #168, TTK Road, Chennai – 600 014. For inquiries, contact Anupama at +91 98416 54816 or email at anupama@globaladjustments.com.

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Global Citizen N ei l M i l l er

Indian Women Are #1 photo naomi hattaway, USA

That women can multitask is a given, but Indian women seem to be giving that a new definition, and in the process, earning the top spot on the most stressed women list. Our writer puts that in perspective

WHILE discussing gender diversity in a training programme, I revealed the top five list of the most stressed women in the world according to a recent Nielsen Survey. I started at five and made my way up: Spain, Brazil, Russia, Mexico... India. One young male in the group jumped out of his seat and pumped his fist seeing that his women had cracked the top spot! “Our women are number one!” was the expression on his face. We all had a good laugh, given what he was celebrating, and he sheepishly took the ensuing ragging.

In order to continue the celebration of Indian women, here is a small list of the many different roles the average Indian woman fulfils at one time: 1. Mother – The bond between an Indian woman and her child is lifelong, and especially between a mother and a son. I recently saw a sign for a large housing development company that the owner had named “Mother's Nest”.

2. Teacher/Learner – While very few women “homeschool” in the traditional sense, I have yet to meet an Indian mother near exam time who is not spending every evening going over their children’s studies. In an effort to

stay prepared for this, many women have to re-learn all the subjects themselves. It is a fairly common sight for a mother to spend her breaks at work sitting with the local IT guy refreshing herself on computer science before the exam.

4. Daughter – While sons are traditionally supposed to be the ones to take care of parents as they age, you would be hard-pressed to find an Indian woman who did not spend significant time caring for her own parents. The bond and responsibilities are forever.

5. Daughter-in-law – Potentially one of the most highpressure relationships. Many Indian women enter a marriage by moving into a new home with a new family and new parents to care for as long as they live. There are a lot of expectations, which most women handle with an amazing amount of poise.

6. Worker – From the woman carrying bricks on the worksite, to the cook making food, to the woman who owns the multi-million dollar company, women work hard in India.

This probably adds to the stress more than anything. They perform at high-pressure jobs and then come home to situations where they still have a large list of duties and responsibilities that can’t be taken up by anyone else.

Instead of cheering for their stress, a simple idea for the men of India might be to take up grilling or some other culinary art to ease the pressure at home. Let’s all work together to make Indian women #1 in something other than stress!

Food for Thought Questions expatriates asked us about India this month If I am invited for a social event from work – a wedding – can I also take my wife?

How do emergency services work here?

Why do Indian women all sit together in a room?

If you have a question or an answer, write to us at courses@globaladjustments.com

The writer is Head of Business Strategy for Global Adjustments (GA). He is American and has been living in India for the past two years. For a copy of GA’s New Training Catalogue featuring all of our courses and modules, contact courses@globaladjustments.com.

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Holistic Living E kn a th E a s w a r a n

Carrying On

Photo Deborah Miller, U.S.A

In this final instalment of Chapter 4 of the Essence of the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Easwaran continues from last issue’s journey into the inner self, and shows us how letting go of the masks we carry is the true path of freedom

IF YOU have seen real Russian dolls, you know that one inside the other is not the end of the story. That second doll can be opened to reveal another, and so on, each tinier than the one before.

Similarly, in the Gita, this inner doll we have been calling the subtle body is really not just one. In this view, what we call mind has really three components. Nearest to the body is the field of personal thoughts and emotions, which we can agree to go on calling the mind. But there is also what is sometimes

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called the “higher mind” – in Sanskrit, buddhi, a word with no English equivalent; it comprises will, judgment, discernment, and the faculty of discrimination. And hidden deep within the higher mind, so to say, is a tiny doll that seems barely present but affects all the others: ahamkara, literally “that which makes me ‘I’,” which I freely translate as ego.

Each of these levels of consciousness adds its own set of problems and confusion to the central question, Who am I? Each is a filter over the light of the Self. Ultimately, however, the

cause of separateness is the ego-sense, the deeply embedded principle that our personal experience makes us separate from the rest of life.

This idea of levels of personality helps a good deal in understanding the Gita, so the image of dolls within dolls is a useful one to keep in mind. The subtle body is a kind of mask – if you like, masks inside masks. We see the world through the masks we identify with, so identifying with the body brings with it all the others and imposes the crudest – that is, the most highly filtered – mode of knowing. Until Self-realisation, we see most clearly when we identify only with the higher mind – in fact, seeing clearly is its job; it simply gets muddled and manacled by the body and the lower mind. To attain this state is itself a rare achievement, and brings a high measure of clarity and self-mastery.

Indian philosophy calls such filters upadhis, which might be translated literally as “overlays.” An upadhi is an apparent limitation imposed on one thing by another. The classical example is the horizon, which seems to limit the limitless sky but has no reality itself. Each level of personality – body, mind, buddhi, ego – is an upadhi, an artificial limitation that is real only insofar as we identify with it. Imagine being the Self at the core of our set of Russian dolls, looking out at the world through all those layers! No wonder we see as through a glass darkly – very darkly indeed.

Everything depends ultimately on consciousness, and our consciousness has been conditioned by countless limitations ranging from biological makeup to our upbringing, our education, our friends, the mass media, every blessed thing one can think of. All these make up the filters that hide our real Self.

One big problem is that this is our personality. We think it is who we are. Not only can we not imagine removing it, we don’t really want to; we’re rather fond of it, and imagine that others feel the same way. As I said earlier, this is a very limited view. A large number of people throughout the world believe they can express their personality by changing the colour of the wallpaper or getting a new car. They forget that the word personality comes from the Latin persona: a mask. Our purpose in life is not to refine this mask, but to throw it away.

Once you make this discovery, when you want to use the mind during the day, you can simply slip it back on and zip it up. That may sound odd, because we think we need to use the mind all the time. In fact what is happening is that the mind is using us, running on and on with worries and anxieties and building castles in the air. It doesn’t occur to us that we can slip it off and give it a rest – an extremely useful skill, as we shall see.

But the innermost covering, the sense of “I,” is terribly difficult to remove. Since this is the final layer of separateness, of our very agency as an individual, removing it is a bit like lifting ourselves by our own bootstraps. In the end, that comes as something of a miracle – in traditional language, grace, from a power necessarily beyond our individual self.

Long before that state is attained, however, simply not identifying with body and mind brings unimaginable freedom.

We can compare it playfully with riding a bicycle. Each of us is a kind of cyclist; the two wheels are the body and the mind, and we’re on the seat with our feet on the pedals and hands gripping the bars. Do you remember the first time you tried to ride? I learned much later than most of you would have; we just didn’t have many bikes in my village. (I made up for it by learning to ride an elephant.) While I was getting used to the ways of the bicycle, I remember wobbling down the path in my village and seeing a bullock cart coming towards me from a hundred yards or so away. Bullock carts are incredibly slow, so I really had plenty of time to decide what to do, but that didn’t stop my hands from shaking and the wheels from going this way and that until I ran off the road. I didn’t know who was more frightened, the bullock or me.

After some practice, however, I could cope even with heavy traffic in a big city like Nagpur, which in those days meant cows, children, and carts crowding the street together with buses, cars, pedestrians, and other cyclists, most of them carrying outsized loads. You have to understand that kind of traffic – move around the cow, think like the children, know how the drivers drive. But once I learned all this, the bicycle became second nature. I could even look around and enjoy the sights; the bicycle had been forgotten.

It is just like that with knowing who you are. When you no longer identify with body or mind, you can move through life effortlessly – “no hands.” You can make the right decisions without a tangle because you don’t get all caught up in what to do, thinking one thing, feeling another, saying a third, and doing a fourth.

End of Chapter 4

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.

Reprinted with permission from Essence of the Bhagavad Gita: A Contemporary Guide to Yoga, Meditation & Indian Philosophy by Eknath Easwaran (Nilgiri Press, 2011). Copyright 2011 by The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, P.O. Box 256, Tomales, CA 94971, www.easwaran.org.

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Myth and Mythology De v d u tt P a tt a n a ik

A Fine Balance Did you know the most popular deity in India, Lord Ganesh, considered the remover of obstacles, had a female form as well? The world of thoughts or the world of things, says Devdutt through this story, is all about the balance of male and female energies

photo: Ben Bowling, USA

THE demon, Andhaka, wanted the goddess Parvati to be his wife. He tried to grab her by force so she called out to her husband, Shiva, who immediately raised his trident and impaled the Asura.

But the Asura had a magic power; every drop of his blood that touched the ground turned into another Andhaka. The only way to kill him was to ensure that not a single drop of his blood touched the ground, while he was impaled on Shiva’s trident.

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Parvati knew that every divine being is a mixture of male and female forms – the male form representing mental potential and the female form representing material resources (Shakti). Parvati therefore called out to all the Shaktis. On her request, every divine being released their female energy that could drink the blood of Andhaka before it touched the ground. Soon the battlefield was filled with the Shaktis of every god imaginable. Indra’s Shakti emerged as Indrani, Vishnu’s Shakti emerged as

Goddess Vinayaki — The Female Ganesha

Vaishnavi and Brahma’s Shakti emerged as Brahmini. They drank the blood of Andhaka before it touched the ground and Andhaka was destroyed.

Some other ancient Indian scriptures list even Ganesha’s Shakti in the list of female warrior goddesses. Her name was Vinayaki, also known as Ganeshvari.

Images of the female Ganesha start appearing from 16th century onwards. Some are of the opinion that these images perhaps represent Malini, the elephant-headed companion of Parvati, nursemaid to Ganesha, occasionally referred to in the Puranas.

The idea of a female elephant-headed deity, whether it is the Shakti of Ganesha or the handmaid of Parvati, is an integral part of Tantrik practices that preferred to see the divine in female, rather than the more dominant male form. This could be because in occult sciences, the female form was seen as the source of all generative powers: while the spark of life came from the male body, life finally was created and nourished by the female body. Or the reason could be more metaphysical. The female form was a code for material resources.

Sages in India have always had this debate between what matters more: the world of thoughts (mental potential) or the world of things (material resources). Those who veered towards intangible thoughts eventually came to be associated with Vedic practices, while those who veered towards tangible things eventually came to be associated with Tantrik practices. The former coded their ideas through male forms while the latter coded their ideas through female forms. And so Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, gained popularity in Vedic circles, and his female form, Vinayaki, became popular in Tantrik circles.

Were there stories associated with Vinayaki? We will never know as most of these ideas were oral. What we do know is that the fourth day after new moon is called Vinayaki Chaturthi. This day, which is sacred to Ganesha, is named after his female form.

The writer is the Chief Belief Officer of the Future Group, and a writer and illustrator of several books on Indian mythology.

This article originally appeared in Speaking Tree, September 09, 2012. Reprinted with permission from www.devdutt.com

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Tell us your Story

The ouse Whisperer Anita Krishnaswamy, President of Global Adjustments and relocation expert, will answer all those niggling questions you might have on housing and realty in India. Anita comes with many years of experience of working with expat clients across the major metros in India to help them find their perfect home. She can be reached at anita@globaladjustments.com

Could you please explain the responsibilities of the landlord towards maintenance of the property leased to an expat? What are the areas where we can expect support?

(Belgian tenant in Mumbai) In all major cities in India, the expat has a choice of independent houses, apartments, row houses and villas in gated communities. When leased, each of them has different maintenance components built into the terms of tenancy.

What I will be addressing in this question will not cover expense management and tenancy management of the property leased.

But, generally, maintenance support from the landlord in villas and houses will include: AMCs (annual maintenance contracts) of all air-conditioners or centralised cooling/heating systems. This would mean regular cleaning of filters and ensuring that they run efficiently. However, small consumables or parts that need to be replaced in these appliances will have to be taken care of by the tenant.

Power backup generators are also maintained by the landlord. This would mean regular upkeep of the machine and ensuring that it runs efficiently.

However, the cost of the fuel for the generator is borne by the tenant based on the usage.

The common area and the swimming pool are also maintained by the landlord. It includes common area cleaning and chemical treatment of the water in the pool. Particularly in large houses or farm houses, the garden upkeep is also the responsibility of the landlord. This includes cleaning of the garden, watering, landscaping, pruning and fertilisers. The labour for all the above tasks is also the landlord’s responsibility.

Engaging a security guard and taking care of him and his compensation is the responsibility of the tenant/company that has leased the property.

During the handover and walk-through of the property, please ensure that all internal appliances and electrical fittings are in working condition.

All appliances and electrical fittings such as bulbs, fans, water heaters, microwave ovens, kitchen hobs and food processors, if provided by the landlord, will be ONLY a one-time investment for a fully furnished property. Ongoing maintenance, repairs and replacements are the tenant’s responsibility.

Maids and drivers, if employed, are the tenant’s responsibility.

In case of accidents and major structural problems in the leased property, it is the landlord’s responsibility. All these points need to be discussed in detail during the period of negotiation.

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If you have any comments, suggestions or queries for this column, write to anita@globaladjustments.com 74

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Postcard from India

A Perfect Match e rooftop of th ure form the ct pi ) is se th ou K H st I TOO osy Gue veli (now the C g ha rin ld tu -o ap ar C r. ye 500Jodhpu ul blue city of ed in in the beautif sportation us an tr of es od so m t in en the differ rest of m e, a recent inte st. en si re be ’t s dn ha ul India chbox, I co at m e cl cy is lli mpe ng when I saw th India to be co cated in t ar ay yd it is lo I find ever aling, whether matchbox ve re lly ra ltu and cu sign, or a hand-painted on a lorry, a cover.

, UK

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culturama | march 2013

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Festival of the Month

8

13

MARCH

10 Maha Shivarathri

PHOTO Jonathan Baird,UK

MAHA Shivarathri or the ‘Night of Lord Shiva’ is a Hindu festival that celebrates the valour of Lord Shiva.

Here’s a glimpse of the different ways in which Shivarathri is celebrated across the country: Himachal Pradesh: The town of Mandi in Himachal Pradesh is known for the annual week-long fair that begins with Shivarathri. Processions of idols of gods and goddesses from more than 80 temples across Mandi take part in this event. The main deity of the festival, is of course, Lord Shiva, from the Bhootnath Temple in Mandi.

Kerala: The banks of the river Periyar in Aluva, Kerala, is where the grand celebration takes place. The idol of Lord Shiva made from the river sand is worshipped by thousands of pilgrims.

The Shivarathri procession at the

Thrikkurati Temple in Kerala is known for its spectacular display of sound and fireworks.

Tamil Nadu: Don’t miss the Isha Yoga Foundation’s celebrations of the sacred night at the foothills of Velliangiri Mountains in Coimbatore from March 3 to 10. The celebrations will begin with worship at the unique Dhyanalingam Yogic Temple at the foundation. More details on www.ishafoundation.org Karnataka: The Sri Sri Ravishankar Ashram in Bengaluru, Karanataka, holds a special meditation session called ‘Rudra Puja’. More details on www.artofliving.org Central India: Ujjain’s Mahakaleshwar Temple, the Tilwara Ghar in Jabalpur and the Math Temple in Seoni are where Shivarathri is celebrated with a lot of religious fervour.

Advertiser's Feature

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Health Tips for a Healthy Liver 80

culturama | march 2013

Well, to add a few more information from the medical standpoint, we all need to be aware what our changing lifestyle ( not so healthy food and sedentary lifestyle) is doing to the liver. Fatty Liver disease - which is gradually developing as an " epidemic", literally means deposition of fat in the liver and is a silent killer . It is not really the fat alone - but the carbohydrate in our diet which is the culprit. If unattended to , it can progress to end stage liver disease - cirrhosis of the liver, whereas in the early stages it is a totally reversible condition. Upkeep of the liver does not need anything extra ordinary - all the measures taken for a "healthy heart" will automatically take care of the liver- Healthy diet (- low carbohydrate, high protein diet), exercise - 30 minutes / 5 times a week in addition to a "healthy mind".

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Global Adjustments is Hiring: Are you a returning Indian or Expat spouse with international experience/exposure combined with corporate exposure as well ? Would you like full time or freelance work sharing your own intercultural experiences while in India? We have positions for: Client managers in our Realty department Chennai Crosscultural trainers/Country resource experts in the Chennai/Bangalore/Delhi and Mumbai /Pune region Business Development professionals with high energy to spread the word on the important work we do of Empowering Global citizens – Mumbai, Delhi,Bangalore,Chennai.

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