HUM Magazine February 2015 by Hum Magazine

FEBRUARY 2015

a tribute to matters of the heart

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CONTENT February 2015

ROBERT ARNETT

THE 7TH ANNUAL INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF HOUSTON

ROMANCE

Set in Stone

Pongalo... Pongal Pongalo... Pongal

CHITTOOR K. RAMACHANDRAN

indotcomInc

a concept-to-completion, every stage in between - and beyond - enterprise

SOWMYA NANDAKUMAR

OF FALLING HOPELESSLY IN LOVE AND OTHER ASPIRATIONS

ARJUNE RAMA, MD

7457 Harwin Dr #250, Houston, TX 77036 Tel: 281-888-4552 email:info@hummagazine.com www.hummagazine.com HUM Magazine assumes no responsibility for the content of articles or advertisements, in that the views expressed therein may not necessarily reďŹ&#x201A;ect the views of the publisher or any magazine employee or contributor. This publication and all of its contents are copyrighted.

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DADDY’S

Enduring Script

AMARA BAVANI DEV

LAST YEAR IN BOLLYWOOD 2014 NANDINI BHATTACHARYA

Correspondents Dr. Arjune Rama Ken Chitwood Lisa Brooks Nalini Sadagopan Priya M. James Tajana Mesic Helen Buntting Langton Contributors

HARMONY IS THE FLOUR, LOVE IS THE YEAST USHA AKELLA

DESIGN TRENDS

That Need To End

WHAT’S OUT FOR 2014 AND IN FOR 2015?

AMARA BAVANI DEV CHITTOOR RAMACHANDRAN DAVID COURTNEY DAVID GARVIN PRADEEP ANAND NANDINI BHATTACHARYA ROBERT ARNETT SOWMYA NANDAKUMAR USHA AKELLA HUM Magazine February 2015 FEBRUARY 2015

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LOVE AND HINDUSTANI RAGAS

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Romance

Set in Stone BY ROBERT ARNETT In the West, the pathos of romantic love has been made legendary in the pages of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the most famous love story in Western literature. Believed to have been written between 1591-1595, the romantic tragedy ends with the Prince of Verona’s elegy for the lovers: “For never was a story of more woe / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.” About six decades after Shakespeare wrote the play, the love of a forlorn emperor for his empress was immortalized in India, not in literature, but in stone by the world-famous Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is widely believed to have been erected by Emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth in 1629, after giving him fourteen children, only seven of whom survived. Though there is much credible evidence that Shah Jahan merely remodeled an old preexisting Hindu temple/palace into his wife’s memorial, the Taj Mahal is one of the most beautifully proportioned buildings in the world regardless of the structure’s origin. It reduces Persian and Indian styles to an elegant and simple form, bringing to perfection elements found in earlier Hindu and Muslim architecture. The structure’s details are also impressive, with inlaid semi-precious stones forming designs in a process known as pietra dura. The Taj looks different with the changing light and retains its symmetry from any angle. Standing in its presence is exhilarating. Shah Jahan, whose title means “King of the World,” has the reputation of being the greatest builder of all Taj Mahal. Agra, Uttar Pradesh. 1631–53

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February 2015

Taj Mahal at sunrise as seen from across the Yamuna River, Agra

the Indian emperors. The construction of the Taj took 22 years and required 20,000 workers from India and Central Asia. It was completed in 1653. The scaffolding supposedly cost as much as the structure itself as it had to be made of stone due to the lack of wood. The main architect came from Shiraz in Iran, and artisans were brought from France and Italy to assist with the decoration. It is said that Shah Jahan had intended to build a black

marble Taj, a negative image of the white Taj, across the river as his own tomb. However, before he could embark on this project, he was deposed by his son Aurangzeb, just as Shah Jahan himself had done to his father, Jahangir. Shah Jahan spent the last eight years of his life as a prisoner in the Agra Fort, looking across the river at the lavish memorial to his beautiful wife.

Robert Arnett is the author and photographer of internationally acclaimed India Unveiled and multi-award-winning childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book Finders Keepers?. For more information about Robert Arnett and his work visit www.AtmanPress.com

Faking it for Begum

Bibi Ka Maqbara Aurangabad The Taj Mahal is without a doubt India’s most recognized symbol, but did you know that it’s not the only such mausoleum in India? Case in point: Bibi Ka Maqbara, located about 200 miles east of Mumbai in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, not only resembles the real Taj Mahal a great deal, but also shares a similar backstory. Known colloquially as both the “Fake Taj Mahal” and the “Poor Man’s Taj Mahal,” Bibi Ka Maqbara was built in the late 17th century by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, in memory of his first wife, Dilras Banu Begum. The Taj Mahal, as you might remember from history class, was also built by an Mughal emperor as a memorial to one of his wives – Shah Jahan for Mumtaz Mahal (his second). This might all seem purely coincidental (I mean, what more could Mughal emperors have to do back then than build monuments to their dead wives?) until you consider the fact that Shah Jahan was Aurangzeb’s father. The phrase “like father, like son” seems pretty appropriate here. Although Bibi Ka Maqbara seems a mediocre counterfeit of the Taj Mahal, its construction began with the idea that it would actually be superior, both historically and from a prestige standpoint, to the actual Taj. The subtle differences between the Taj Mahal and Bibi Ka Maqbara stem from several causes. The first reason the former is so much grander than the latter is that Aurangzeb imposed harsh budgetary restrictions on construction shortly after it began. Secondly, the importance of architecture generally waned during the reigns of the later Mughals, which resulted in structures that were less creative and elaborate, both in design and execution. Over time, perceived inferiority of Bibi Ka Maqbara has also resulted in less meticulous maintenance and upkeep, whose current dilapidation reinforces its inferiority compared to the actual Taj Mahal. How to Visit the Fake Taj Mahal Bibi Ka Maqbara is relatively easy to visit. From Mumbai, fly (55 minutes), drive (3-5 hours) or take an express train (7 hours) to Aurangabad, then hire a taxi or tuk-tuk to the mausoleum. I suggest you arrive to the fake Taj Mahal as early in the morning as you can. As is the case in Agra, home to the real Taj Mahal, there isn’t a whole lot to see in Aurangbad, the mausoleum notwithstanding.

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To order a copy of India Unveiled or other books by Robert Arnett, or to learn more about how you can donate books to your schools or libraries through the Indian American Education Foundation-Atman Press School Library Project, please visit www.AtmanPress.com or telephone 706-323-6377. www.hummagazine.com

February 2015

Decorated cow in mattupongal celebration

Pongalo... Pongal! Pongalo... Pongal! BY CHITTOOR K. RAMACHANDRAN For as long as man has been planting and gatheringproduce, there has always been some form of harvest festival associated with it. Pongal is one such festival of ancient origin that is celebrated with great fervor wherever Tamil speaking people live. It is also celebrated as Makar Sankranti in almost all parts of India and Nepal in a myriad of cultural forms. It is known as Uttarayana in Gujarat and Rajasthan; Lohri in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab; Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu in Assam; and Maghe Sankranti in Nepal. Makar Sankranti marks the transition of the Sun into the zodiac sign of Makara rashi (Capricorn) on its celestial path northbound. Makara Sankranthi is a solar event making it one of the few Indian festivals which fall on the same date in the Gregorian calendar every year: January 14, with some exceptions when the festival is celebrated on January 13 or 15. The slow and steady movement of Sun (uttarayana) is marked by longer days and shorter nights. The day is also believed to mark the arrival of spring in India and is a traditional event. Makara Sankranti denotes a period of enlightenment, peace, prosperity and happiness and a relief from the six months of unfavorable weather and longer hours of darkness that preceed. In Sanatana Dharma, there exists a tradition of dedicating this day to express thanks to God as a gesture of gratiﬁcation for all worldly pleasures bestowed on oneself. This harvest festival is associated with a couple of legends related to Lord Shiva and Lord Krishna. According to the legend of Lord Shiva, he had actually sent his bull, Nandi to inform the human beings that they should take an oil bath daily and eat only once a month. But Nandi got confused and told them that they should eat daily but take their bath only once a month. Being angry at this, Shiva ordered Nandi to stay on earth and help the human beings cultivate their crops and grow their harvest.

There goes another legend according to which, Lord Krishna had lifted the Govardhan Mountain on his little ﬁnger. This incident occurred on Bhogi which is observed as the 1st day of Pongal. By doing so, he saved his villagers and their cattle from the severe rains and thunderstorms that Lord Indra had sent on earth. The four-day celebration of Pongal begins in the morning to pay reverence to Sun as the all-pervading and nourishing divine energy one can see with the naked eye. Sacred texts of Sanathana Dharma states that: - ‘Food is the most important of the physical materials; it is because of food all living creations originate’ (Annam he bhutaanam jyeshtam...annad-yi- praja prajaayanthe, Ref.”Taitariya Upanishad 2.1.2). Preparing and offering the food (annam prepared on the day of Pongal is also called Pongal) is the most important observation of the day. In recognition of the it’s pivotal role in sustaining life on earth, an offering is made to the Sun (Surya) on this day. One can trace back the antiquity of this tradition as it originated in the Vedic period. The ancient wisdom of the Vedic culture has reiterated the message of harmony in the prayers. The literal meaning of one such mantra is ‘May the grace of God be with the humans; May the vegetation grow in abundance and give good health for all creation, both bipedal and quadrupedal (Ref.”Taitareeya Aranyakam, thritheeya prasna). May there be peace and harmony on earth. Pongal is a symbolic expression of this mantra addressed to the Lord. One can see that the ecological importance of animals and plants emphasized in the Vedic culture is what is being promulgated by this event. During this festival, people use the newly harvested grain to make the offering, pay respect

Community event of preparing Pongal to their cattle, feed the birds and share their happiness with their families. Perhaps this is the only all-inclusive celebration following the literal meaning of this mantra. Although worldwide movement of people from the homelands, urbanization and the modern day lifestyles have changed the way of celebration during the past few decades, the impact of thisfestival still remains inﬂuential in the society. People who have the tradition of celebrating Pongal look forward to the festive days spread over four days of fun, feasting and merry making. Both, as a family get together and as a social event, Pongal has grown from a religious and harvest festival to a holiday season that sets stages for talent shows and even professional entertainment programs. The widespread Indian diasporas consider Pongal as a part of the celebrations of Makara Sankranti, which has taken distinct region-based characteristics over the centruries. Pongal, however, singles out as a unique custom that still strictly follows the ancient traditions. There are still several seniors like me all over the world, including Houston, who have nostalgic memories of their childhood and the celebration of Pongal in the villages where they grew up. What we all have in common is the memory of Mattu Pongal, the second day of the festival dedicated to cattle. On this day, bulls and cows, that play a major role in the welfare of the community were washed, decorated and fed special meals. Hinduism, being a compassionate religion, respects all living creatures as aspects of God, particularly the cow that represents the joyous earthly life, as a symbol of the Earth, the nourisher, the ever-giving, and undemanding provider. In Mattu Pongal (like in Gopashtama festival of North India) cows are honored, adored, garlanded and

given special treats as an expression of gratitude for their generosity in providing milk, the source of vital energy to the humans. Ancient texts reiterate that veneration of the cow instills the virtues of gentleness, receptivity and connectedness with nature. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi “One can measure the greatness of a nation and its moral progress by the way it treats its animals. Cow protection to me is not mere protection of the cow. It means protection of all that lives and is helpless and weak in the world. The cow means the entire subhuman world.” The practice of vegetarianism based on the principles of non-violence (Ahimsa) of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism was, for thousands of years, a principle of health and environmental ethics throughout India (Manu Dharma Shastra 5:55) until the recent times. Perhaps, a tradition like Mattu Pongal exists only in Indian culture which recognizes all the creatures of earth that aid homo sapiens survive on the face of this earth. The vanishing rustic lifestyle will eventually reduce these traditions over time and (hope not) reincarnate as rodeo shows in indoor stadiums! The spirit of Pongal brings back memories in some others like Mrs. Hema Natraj about her childhood. As a young girl, she remembers that she made offerings (to Sun) of colored rice preparations and left it to the crows (Pongal generally dedicated to the birds – it falls on the third day of the festival and is called Kanu Pongal). On this day women pray for the welfare of their brothers. In return, the sisters are given new clothing, a custom somewhat similar to raksha bandhan in the northern parts of India. Although Hema grew up in a city, the traditions have always existed and are practiced.

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February 2015

Pongal celebration in large cities like Toronto, San Francisco, Los Angles, Chicago, Houston etc., are organized by sociocultural and socio-religious organizations. Festivities usually include a sumptuous feast and exhilarating stage productions showcasing the talents of the youth of the community. A substantial inﬂuence of Bollywood is noticed in Pongal celebrations in recent years. A couple of years ago I met Mrs. Muthulakshmi Kannan during the Pongal celebration at Sri Meenakshi Temple, Pearland. She was visiting Houston for the ﬁrst time. She had a never-ending list of glorious stories to talk about her childhood in her village. The elaborate preparation of seven types of Pongal, the folk songs, dances, the decoration of the cows, neem trees, Mari Amman Kovil, sugar canes, snake charmers, fortune tellers – they were all in her mind as she described her Pongal days several decades ago. She was sportive in appreciating the Houston Pongal festivities as a cooperative effort by the community.

Pongal Recipe On the day of Pongal, a traditional rice dish, pongal — a delicious concoction of rice, moong dal, and aromatics spices — is cooked in a new decorated earthenware pot over an open wood or charcoal ﬁre. Fresh turmeric and ginger are tied around this pot. According to the ritual, this Pongal rice is allowed to boil and spill over (the word pongal means rising and boiling over) as a symbol of abundance and giving. Once the rice is cooked, it is tempered with cashewnuts and raisins fried in ghee. When the Pongal is ready, it is offered to the Sun god on a fresh banana leaf along with other traditional delicacies such as vadas and payasam. Ingredients » 1 cup rice » 1/4 cup moong dal » /2- 1 tsp jeera » 1/2-1 tsp peppercorns » 1/2 tsp pepper powdered fresh » A few cashewnuts broken » 1/2 cup dessicated coconut » A pinch of turmeric powder » Ghee Method 1. Dry fry the moongdal a little till you get a light ﬂavour. 2. Mix the dal with the rice, add 2-3 cups of water (the rice should cook very very soft) 3. Add turmeric powder, coconut, a few peppercorns and a 1-2 tsp of ghee to the rice and pressure cook till done. 4. When done, take a kadai, add sufficient of ghee to it (more the ghee, better the taste) add jeera, pepper corns and cashewnuts. 5. Add the cooked rice mixture, add pepper powder, salt and mix well with the ghee and jeera/cashewnuts.

Preparing and offering Pongal to Sun

Serve it with coconut chutney or onion/tomato raita. Serve hot.

Chittoor K. Ramachandran Ph.D. is a medical research scientist by profession. He currently resides in Pearland, TX. During the four decades of his stay in the US, he has been actively involved in promoting the artistic and cultural heritage of India.

From left, Gregg Helvey, ﬁlm director; Dipti Naval, actress and director; Sonu Nigam, singer and composer; Sutapa Ghosh, IFFH founder and festival director; Mohammed Iqbal Khan, actor; Dr.Carolyn Farb, philanthropist & Manisha Koirala, actress

The 7th Annual Indian Film Festival of Houston BY SOWMYA NANDAKUMAR The Indian Film Festival of Houston (IFFH) has been an annual event over the past five years, with every succeeding year, significantly surpassing the previous one in establishing the IFFH as an integral part of Houston’s art and entertainment culture. IFFH emanates from a strong passion for art and film. Love for the medium of cinema and a deep desire to create greater awareness and appreciation of Indian Cinema and culture is the aim of this festival. Organized by the Indian Film Festival of Houston (IFFH) Inc. — a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the festival serves as a great platform to honor artists and performers in the film industry, and for the screening of films that bring the internationally diverse Indian diaspora’s perspectives to the forefront. Sutapa Ghosh is the Founder and Festival Director of Indian Film Festival of Houston. Born in Kolkata, India, she moved to the USA 20 years ago. She has earned a Master’s degree (MS) from Rhode Island, USA and a Bachelor’s degree

in Music (Sitar). Sutapa has produced two Bengali feature films, Utsab and Titli, both directed by Rituparno Ghosh. Sutapa featured in the 100 most Creative People in Texas in 2012. In 2011, when the film festival was at its third year, one of the greatest challenges that Sutapa was facing as the organizer, was that Houston, with its rich flavors of art and culture exhibited a clear readiness for a festival of this kind. Despite that though, Houston was no LA or NY where people are completely familiar and acclimatized to the concept of a film festival. Four years later, has anything changed for the IFFH in terms of Houston embracing the festival as an intrinsic component of its many arts? Sutapa said, “Oh yeah! Big time!! The whole scenario of art, culture, film and entertainment has transformed in these last few years”. She attributes this shift to a couple of important factors. First, theres been a lot of migration from various cities into Houston, paving the path for the existence of an hugely cosmopolitan population which has an inclination towards

From left, Vikramaditya Motwane, ďŹ lm director; Dilip Mehta, ďŹ lm director; Carolyn Farb; Sumit Chadha, director - Reliance Entertainment US; Sutapa Ghosh; & Mohammed Iqbal Khan, actor

From left, Gordon Quan, managing partner at Quan Law Group, PLLC; Mr. and Mrs. Jostein Mykletun, Ambassador and Consul General of Norway), and guest

From left, Atul Badwal, Sylvie Moseley, Sutapa Ghosh & John Moseley, Senior Director, Trade Development at Port of Houston Authority

From left, Atul Badwal; Sutapa Ghosh; Dr.Renu Khator, Chancellor and President, University of Houston; & Dr. Suresh Khator, Associate Dean, University of Houston

From left, IFFH Board Member Sneha Merchant with actor Ajay Gehi & Nick Merchant

Actor Gulshan Grover with Jugal Malani, Industrialist and philanthropist www.hummagazine.com

February 2015

Raveena Tandon with Carolyn Farb From left, Sutapa Ghosh, Charles Foster, Chair, Asia Society Texas; Lily Foster, actress; & Atul Badwal, Senior Vice President, Additech

From left, Hon. Harish Parvathaneni, Consul General of India; Hansal Mehta, ﬁlm director; & Sutapa Ghosh

the arts. Consequently, Houston is no more viewed as a city predominantly categorized under the ‘Oil and Gas’ banner, but has found a relatively more prominent place on the art and culture map and is being increasingly recognized in those realms. Second, the Mayor of Houston, Anise Parker, has always been extremely supportive and encouraging of the arts, which has helped initiatives like the IFFH a great deal in growing over the years. The IFFH was actually sold out in 2014 during their sixth year, which certainly speaks for the festival’s increased popularity and the responsiveness and interest of the general population towards such events. “We have reinvented ourselves every year — we have paid attention to the diversity in food, the value of entertainment and the quality of movie content, to make the festival engaging and entertaining for those who attend” says Sutapa. The festival attracts enthusiasts from all over; Houstonians, folks from other cities, and some people even travel overseas to participate. The event seems to be gaining increasing momentum as each year passes. The IFFH presents three awards for; Best Documentary, Best Short and Best Feature Film. The selections are made by the Board of Directors of the IFFH, who then appoint a 4-member jury which decides on the awards. The jury members could be journalists, writers, ﬁlm reviewers, ﬁlm critics, etc. chosen from the general sphere of art.

The IFFH (http://www.iffhinc.org) does not have a fundraising effort per se. They do not make a profit but manage to break even. Their inexplicable love for the medium of cinema keeps them going, and growing. Sutapa says, “We have grown, we want to grow more. It is love for the art of film and giving back to the community that keeps us motivated.” Their tickets are not exorbitantly priced either. Film viewing tickets are $10-$15, and tickets for the opening night are $50 which includes food and entertainment. In the past six years, several films that have later earned recognition from the higher echelons of the film industry including the Oscars have been first screened at this festival. In 2009, the documentary Smile Pinki that won the Best Documentary, IFFH 2009, went on to win an Oscar for Best Documentary (Short Subject). In 2011, the feature film I am Kalam awarded Best Picture received critical acclaim at Cannes, Berlin and other film festivals. The feature film Gattu, Best Picture, IFFH 2012, was commended

Adoor Gopalakrishnan, producer & director with Ellen Goldberg, IFFH Board Member

From left, Mohammed Iqbal Khan; Sutapa Ghosh; James Harris, Director of Supplier Diversity, H-E-B; Hansal Mehta & Amey Prakash, Director at KBR, Inc. and President of IFFH

From left, Nandita Parvathaneni with Omana & Sam Abraham

From left, Prabir Ghosh; Rashi Vats, Fox 26 anchor; Reba Ghosh; & Jose Grinan Fox 26 news anchor www.hummagazine.com

February 2015

by critics and film reviewers all over the world, including the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival. In 2013, feature film The Good Road, India’s official entry for the Oscars; and in 2014, internationally acclaimed feature film Citylights, premiered in the United States at the IFFH. The nature and quality of the film festival, it seems, can well be surmised from its rich film screening history, as being ‘top notch’. Indeed the ‘art loving’ Houston much awaits, with bated breath, for the curtain to unveil — The Indian Film Festival of Houston, 2015. It comes as no surprise that the Houston Press declared the IFFH 2014 Best Film Festival of Houston. The 2015 festival will take place on the evenings of March 3rd, 4th and 5th at the Studio Movie Grill, CityCenter. The Festival will screen over ten features, documentaries and shorts including: For Here or to Go? 105 min – Feature, Comedy/Drama, English. Director: Rucha Humnabadkar An aspiring Indian tech entrepreneur in the Silicon Valley finds himself unexpectedly battling the bizarre American immigration system to keep his dream alive or prepare to return home forever. Star Cast: Ali Fazal, Omi Vaidya, Samrat Chakrabarti, Rajit Kapoor Dum Dum Deega Deega, 15 min - Short/Drama, Hindi with English subtitles: Director: Ayush Kapur, American Premiere The solution to your problem is often hidden in the problem itself; all you need is a different outlook. The story of a beggar child, Ajju, who lives on the streets of Mumbai, but dreams big. Cloth Paper Dreams, 12 min - Short/Drama, English, Director: Greg Davis At the confluence of the three holiest rivers in India during the world’s largest spiritual pilgrimage, three men converge, each bringing what connects them to something greater than themselves. Riders of the Mist, 64 min - Documentary/Action/Adventure, Director: Roopa Barua, American Premiere Riders of the Mist is a documentary about a century old bareback pony racing tradition in the state of Assam, India. The ponies are free-grazing and live in the grassland river islands of the Brahmaputra Valley. They come and participate in the annual racing event of a colonial era planters club in Jorhat, Assam. This documentary is a portrayal of the races as they unfold, the jockeys and their lives and these ponies that become part of the tradition every year. The heavy mist that hovers over Jorhat during this time of the year is a fitting backdrop for this quirky phenomenon that has a fleeting presence for a few days every year and is gone almost as soon as it arrives. For more information, visit www.iffhinc.org Sowmya Nandakumar holds a Masters in Mass Communications, University of Houston, and is an alumnus of Stella Maris College, and the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She has worked as assistant director for three feature films including “Vaaranam Aayiram” with Gautham Menon. She is a certified Yoga instructor teaching in the Houston area, takes lessons in ballet and Carnatic music on the violin. She enjoys writing and freelances for The Hindu occasionally. sowmya1310@gmail.com

HUM February 2015 Cover inspired by the Hollies and Bus Stop Bus stop, wet day, she’s there, I say Please share my umbrella Bus stop, bus goes, she stays, love grows Under my umbrella All that summer we enjoyed it Wind and rain and shine That umbrella, we employed it By August, she was mine Every morning I would see her waiting at the stop Sometimes she’d shopped and she would show me what she bought Other people stared as if we were both quite insane Someday my name and hers are going to be the same That’s the way the whole thing started Silly but it’s true Thinkin’ of a sweet romance Beginning in a queue Came the sun the ice was melting No more sheltering now Nice to think that that umbrella Led me to a vow Every morning I would see her waiting at the stop Sometimes she’d shopped and she would show me what she bought Other people stared as if we were both quite insane Someday my name and hers are going to be the same Bus stop, wet day, she’s there, I say Please share my umbrella Bus stop, bus goes, she stays, love grows Under my umbrella All that summer we enjoyed it Wind and rain and shine That umbrella, we employed it By August, she was mine

Send your fondest Valentine’s memories in words or in pictures to info@hummagazine.com by Feburary 20, 2015 Every published submission will receive a prize.

Of Falling Hopelessly In Love And Other Aspirations BY ARJUNE RAMA, MD I can’t remember when Kira and I met because I can’t remember a time when we didn’t know each other. We both attended the same school since pre-Kindergarten so we officially met at age four or ﬁve. However, it wasn’t until the tenth grade that I knew there was chemistry between us as we would smile wryly at each other when our science teacher would say something unintentionally hilarious. Our shared sense of humor showed me that we had an unusual bond which eventually led to us dating early in our senior year of high school. In just that short sliver of time at the end of high school I knew I was in love with her. I believe that one is in love when that other person makes you feel comfortable enough with yourself to be exactly who you are. Furthermore, I think that only when we can behave the way we want to without shame or doubt, we can truly love ourselves. In other words, one is in love with someone when that person allows you to fully love yourself. Just as I ﬁnd it difficult to determine when our friendship changed into romance, I struggle to identify when romance slipped into love. However, there was a classic high school scenario during which I think that transition took place. In high school I loved driving by myself in my car because I could sing along to my favorite songs and fantasize about being that performer without having to worry about the judgments of others.

However, whenever I would drive with someone in the passenger seat I could barely squeak out a note for fear of sounding off-pitch or just plain annoying. For reasons I could never completely understand, I have always felt comfortable enough to sing in my full voice loudly around her. Perhaps it’s the honesty and openness with which she approaches the world that made me feel this way. Maybe it’s the non-judgmental attitude that she exudes that allowed me to feel free to sing without fear. Whatever the quality, I knew that Kira allowed me to do and feel and be the person I wanted to be. I knew I was falling in love. In the same way that I was able to sing without fear back in high school, today I feel just as empowered to speak my mind, to hold an unusual opinion, or strive for things just outside my grasp. She remains an inexhaustible source of support and a constant endorser of even my most ridiculous ambitions. Some women are kind. Some women are brave. Some women are intrepid. Kira is all of these things by her very nature. These elements, combined with that impossible-todeﬁne-quality she possesses that brings out the real me, have kept me helplessly and hopelessly in love with her. Every day we spend together, no matter how quiet and small our experience may seem to others, I feel like I am singing at the top of my lungs.

Arjune Rama is a resident physician in psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine. He can be reached on Twitter @arjunerama and Facebook (www.facebook.com/arjuneramamd) www.hummagazine.com www.hummagazine.com

August/September 2013 February 2015

Mahatma Gandhi n o t s u o H d n a BY PRADEEP ANAND

I was born in the Democratic Republic of India soon after the country’s independence. I grew up in Mumbai, in a family whose members had contributed in some small ways to India’s freedom movement. My maternal grandfather admired Mahatma Gandhi and adhered to many of his spiritual, personal, and economic perspectives, including food habits, clothing, and other personal behavior. My grandfather’s protests were silent but potent. My mother grew up in the turmoil of India’s freedom movement. She was influenced by the Mahatma and other Founding Fathers of Independent India. Their ideals lit a flame in her that never diminished throughout her life. As a teenager, she participated in peaceful protests and marches, and was arrested once. For me, growing up in freshly-minted democratic India was a euphoric experience in itself. As a child, I was always in awe listening to my elders’ first-hand experiences, stories, and anecdotes about India’s freedom struggle. These witnesses to

history added personalities and perspectives that textbooks glossed over. The result was that, in my tender mind, the heroes and heroines of the Indian Freedom Movement were mythical, yet human. Mahatma Gandhi was an exception. He was idolized. India’s nonviolent freedom movement took place during the most violent times in human history, when more than 50 million people died in conﬂict. Mahatma Gandhi’s method of bringing about social change without violence was in stark contrast to prevailing violent confrontational principles. It was contrarian and its success turned on an intense spotlight as an alternative to armed opposition. Mahatma Gandhi was deiﬁed in India and today he is celebrated all over the world for the successful nonviolent resistance movement that he led. In recent decades, the world has experienced dramatic political and social transformations brought about by nonviolent resistance. These include the Civil Rights Movement (USA), De-

ﬁance Campaign (South Africa), Solidarnosc Walczaca (Poland), Arab Spring Uprising, Occupy Wall Street (USA), Taksim Square (Turkey), Otpor! Otpor! (Serbia), Montagsdemonstrationen (East Germany), Velvet Revolution (Czechoslovakia), Singing Revolution (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia), People Power Revolution (Philippines), and Draft Resistance (USA). The successes of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Lech Walesa, Václav Havel, and other leaders who sought social and political change, reinforced the principles of nonviolent resistance. These and many other movements derived some inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi’s ability to coalesce hundreds of millions of people of India — of different religions, languages, and social strata — could not have been possible without some vital personal assets that allowed him to overcome these divisive elements, to bring unity and harmony in diversity. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, “Gandhi was probably the

ﬁrst person in history to lift the love ethic of Jesus above mere interaction between individuals to a powerful and effective social force on a large scale. Love, for Gandhi, was a potent instrument for social and collective transformation. It was in this Gandhian emphasis on love and nonviolence that I discovered the method for social reform that I had been seeking for so many months. “The intellectual and moral satisfaction that I failed to gain from the utilitarianism of Bentham and Mill, the revolutionary methods of Marx and Lenin, the social contracts theory of Hobbes, the “back to nature” optimism of Rousseau, and the superman philosophy of Nietzsche, I found in the nonviolent resistance philosophy of Gandhi. I came to feel that this was the only morally and practically sound method open to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom.” Like King, what the world sees and saw were the actions of the man. But to see Gandhian values in Houston and Houstonians, we have to peek below the layer of his actions and discover beliefs that powered them. www.hummagazine.com

February 2015

Now in Houston

Sudarshana Sriman

Venkatesan Swami Vedic scholar capable of giving discourse in 4000 titles / topics in 5 languages Well experienced in organizing spiritual, cultural & social events Traveled widely all over India, Europe & USA Highly experienced in conducting Yagnas, authentic Pujas for various remedies for people all around USA & India Swamiji has dedicated 40 years of his life performing spiritual services in India, Europe and the USA •With the grace and mangalasasanams of Their Holiness’s Acharyas and the active participation of thousands of devotees, he fulﬁlled 9 major accomplishments in 20 years (1992 to 2012) including: •Sri Sudarshana Divyaprabandha Gnana Yagnas of 5 days each at 108 holy places in India and Nepal •Organized Sri Venkatesa Vijaya Sadbhavana Yatra from Tirupathi to Nepal in 1994 •Conducted 1008 Sri Sudarshana Homas all over India, Nepal, Singapore, France, UK and the USA •Conducted Sri Sudarshana Homam and Sri Venkatesa Maha Kratu for a whole year at Thirumala Hills in the year 2003-2004 •Established Sri Bhagawad Ramanuja Divyamangala Vigraha Sthapana at Muktinath, Nepal in 1995 •Organized three Lakshadeepotsavams at Tirupathi, Tiruchanur & Bangalore •Organized Tiruppavai Prachara Yatra from Srirangam to Seattle in USA in 2009 •Organized Sri Andal Vijaya Yatra from Srivilliputtur to Sri Kurmam in 2010 •Organized Sri Maha Vishnu Yagam with 108 Homa Kundams and Koti Deepa Mahotsavam at Tirupathi in 2012

In US: 818-406-2660 In India: 91-984-502-9968 prayerforremedies@gmail.com

I moved to Houston, Texas, in 1978 and I have stayed here since then. I have experienced this city’s growth into a dynamic and diverse global economy. Today’s Houston is often advertised and displayed as the precursor to the diversity in tomorrow’s America. According to 2010 US Census, Houston’s population consists of: African Americans — 23.7%, Asian — 6%, Hispanic or Latino — 43.8%, Two or More Races — 3.3%, White — 25.6%. The diversity of the city brings to the forefront some of Mahatma Gandhi’s core principles that are necessary (but not sufficient) to create unity and harmony in diversity. Some of these are love, nonviolence, duty, democracy, and secularism. Mahatma Gandhi was a spiritual man, who lived a spiritual life based on principles that were derived from Satya or truth. The Mahatma wrote, “The word Satya (Truth) is derived from Sat which means ‘Being.’ Nothing is or exists in reality except Truth. That is why Sat or Truth is perhaps the most important name of God… the word Chit or Knowledge is associated with the name of God. And where there is true knowledge, there is always Bliss (Ananda). And even as Truth is eternal, so is the bliss derived from it. Hence we know God as SatChit-Ananda, one who combines in Himself Truth, Knowledge and Bliss.” Mahatma Gandhi was a seeker of Satchitananda, which guided his gentle life. He also wrote, “I believe in Advaita, I believe in the essential unity of man and for that matter of all that lives.” Advaita means non-dual. In a spiritual sense, it is “that which permeates all, which nothing transcends and which, like the universal space around us, ﬁlls everything completely from within and without, that Supreme non-dual Brahman.” This universal perspective of being the essence that permeates all beings and matter, in turn, was the root of Ahimsa or nonviolence. Ahimsa includes not putting others into distress.

The Mahatma wrote, “A true votary of Ahimsa therefore remains true to his faith, if the spring of all his actions is compassion, if he shuns to the best of his ability the destruction of the tiniest creature, tries to save it…. He will be constantly growing in selfrestraint and compassion.” Nowhere was this more visible, in recent times, than when Houstonians opened their hearts and homes to hundreds of thousands of people of New Orleans who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. An estimated 250,000 evacuees came to the city; a year later, as many as 150,000 had stayed. Today’s postKatrina Houston is a city where thousands of these evacuees found a home in a diverse metropolis. The Mahatma was an intense believer in democracy. He said, “Democracy, disciplined and enlightened, is the ﬁnest thing in the world…. The true democrat is he who with purely nonviolent means defends his liberty and, therefore, his country’s and ultimately that of the whole of mankind.” Houston and Texas are strong bastions of democracy. We take our rights as citizens seriously. This is balanced by our duties to our neighbors, our country and mankind. In Houston, love and duty are often indistinguishable. Additionally, Mahatma Gandhi was secular in his outlook. He described his secular religious beliefs as being rooted in Hinduism, especially the Bhagavad Gita, which addresses secularism with these words: “In any way that men may love me, in that same way they ﬁnd my love; for many are the paths of men, but they all in the end come to me.” He wrote, “When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and when I see not one ray of light on the horizon, I turn to the Bhagavad Gita… just as men are all human in spite of their different names and forms, just as leaves of a tree though different as leaves are the same as the leaves of the same tree, all religions though different are the same. We must treat all religions as equals.” Houston with its rich religious

diversity is a testament to Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals. Nothing surprises visitors to Houston than the varied number of places of worship that dot the city. Here all religions are not only equal but are celebrated equally. Diversity and secularism also attract cultural breezes. The Mahatma said, “I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed. I want the cultures of all the lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible.” And so it does, in Houston too. The winds of global cultures blow through this city, constantly, at work and at play. Houston has a large global workforce, and its arts and cultural scenes are speckled with events and performances from more than ninety countries. Another proof of the cultural pudding is the multiplicity of the city’s food industry. The city has hundreds of restaurants specializing in global cuisines, with new ones popping up to

satisfy the population’s palate for exotic, global ﬂavors and cultures. Today, Mahatma Gandhi’s message of nonviolence, like messages of all apostles of peace, is distributed and appreciated worldwide, by individuals, in the tiniest of outposts of society. His beliefs and attitudes about love and duty are practiced everywhere but are indiscernible because they are interwoven in our society’s fabric. We live, perhaps, in the most peaceful decades in human history by most standards of well-being. However, we are not yet at the Gandhian state where we are “friends with the world and… regard the whole human family like the members of one family.” The world still has a long way to go, but Houston can be a guiding light on that journey.

Pradeep Anand is the President of Seeta Resources (www.seeta.com), a strategy consulting ﬁrm that focuses on accelerating revenue and margin growth of its client ﬁrms. He resides in the Houston area and is the author of An Indian in Cowboy Country: Stories from an Immigrant’s Life.

Electric BY DAVID GARVIN Every year, approximately 90 million trucks, buses and passenger cars are produced worldwide. While the vast majority of these vehicles are powered by an internal combustion engine, the pow er source of choice for autos for the past one hundred years, there has been much speculation about the role that electric vehicles might play over the next 100. High levels of enviromental pollution and carbon emissions, as well as a perceived energy shortage, are all cited as reasons why electric vehicles will surely become a major factor in the global auto industry going forward. The ﬂip side of that coin is that high initial costs, insufficent (perceived) driving ranges, long charging times, and few charging facilities are major obstacles faced by all electric vehicle manufacturers. But we may be at the tipping point. General Motors surprised everyone at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this year by revealing its production-ready

concept car called Chevrolet Bolt. Since then, the electric vehicle (EV) has gained attention, and is expected to give a tough time to Tesla Motors Inc’s Model 3. It touts multiple driving modes that adjust the steering, acceleration and suspension, and the interior’s center stack is dominated by a 10-inch capacitive touchscreen. Also, you wouldn’t have to spring for a BMW i3 or Tesla to get a vehicle that can park itself — the Bolt’s smartphone app would automatically fetch and drop off the car when you’re in a hurry. There are certain similarities between Model 3 and Chevy Bolt. Both are anticipated to give an electric drive range of 200 miles and are scheduled to hit the market in late 2016 or 2017. The price range provided by both automakers for their respective EVs is also similar. In his speech at the Detroit Auto Show, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the price of Model 3 will be around $35,000, almost half the price of Model S. This means that Mr. Musk is targeting Model 3 to be a mass

cars

Are we at a tipping point yet?

Tesla www.hummagazine.com

3 February 2015

market electric car that can be sold in high volumes. He further said that, after incorporating federal tax credits, the price for the EV could drop as low as $27,500. GM quoted a similar price of around $30,000 (including tax credits) for Chevy Bolt. But slight differences in pricing do not matter now as fuel-efficient cars and EVs are all looking less attractive amid low fuel prices. But alot depends on whether EVs become a truly valid alternative to drivers who do not live, commute and travel within a large city. So far, the negatives of electric vehicles appear to outweigh the positives in the minds of individual consumers. Despite the media hype, electric cars have not yet grabbed a meaningful share in any of the three major auto markets — North America, Western Europe or China — which collectively account for 57 percent of the total global auto market. Moreover, declining oil prices and the increase in energy supply caused by the development of shale gas reserves threaten to halt any momentum that may have been achieved in recent years when oil was trading above $100 per barrel. At the current price of $46 per barrel, with no bottom yet in sight, the economics of electric vehicles to the consumer have become signiﬁcantly less attractive in just the past few months. The United States is the largest electric car market in the world. Through November of this year (the last month with veriﬁable numbers), 83,647 electric cars were sold in America. While this represents a 26-percent increase over the number sold during the same period in 2013, it is a small percentage of the total U.S. market, and the impact of gasoline at $2.25 per gallon is yet to be determined. Moreover, 55 percent of the electric cars sold in the U.S. are plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (“PHEVs”), suggesting that consumers still do not trust the range of cars powered solely with electric. In terms of winners in the U.S. market, the all-electric Nissan Leaf and range-extended Chevy Volt (which has

gasoline engine back-up), are the top sellers this year, accounting for almost 50 percent of electric car sales. The Toyota Prius, Ford Fusion and Ford C-Max Energi, all PHEVs, round out the top ﬁve with another one-third of the market. While traditional car companies like Nissan, Toyota, General Motors and Ford are the top sellers in North America and Europe, local companies lead the way in China. Kandi Technolgies Group, Inc., an industry newcomer, is the clear leader with 37 percent of the market, while BYD (China’s EV pioneer), Chery and Zoelte follow and account for a combined 46 percent. Tesla, which has made a point of its objectives for the country, rounds out the top ﬁve with an estimated 2,849 cars sold through September. Of all the auto markets in the world, China may represent the single best potential opportunity for electric vehicles. China must continue to industrialize in order to provide prosperity for the hundreds of millions of its citizens that have yet to take part in the country’s amazing economic development. Continued industrialization is creating an insatiable demand for energy in China, as well as high levels of air pollution in its major cities — two conditions that make a powerful case for new energy vehicles. However, the development of electric vehicles in China does not necessarily translate into opportunities for all assemblers because unique conditions in the country may require a different business model than that used in more developed markets. As indicated by the recent success of Kandi, which sold almost 7,000 units or 56 percent of the total, in September, the China EV market appears to be developing differently than the other major auto markets in the world. In the coming months, it will be interesting to see how new government policies, the development of new business models and companies like Kandi, and lower energy prices play out in the China EV market.

Chevrolet Bolt

BMW i3

David Garvin is a lubrication science technician at Shell Technology Center, Houston www.hummagazine.com

February 2015

Daddy’s Enduring Script BY AMARA BAVANI DEV

Four decades after her father passed away, a daughter celebrates his priceless legacy Daddy quietly wrote into the night, and I sat huddled in a blanket opposite his desk and watched

Seated in our living room, Daddy quietly wrote into the night, the green ink from his fountain pen turning thoughts into words in his beautiful handwriting. My mother and little sister would be fast asleep in the bedroom. But I sat huddled in a blanket on the cane-chair opposite his desk and watched. It was the 1960s. We lived in Chennai, in a smiling modest house with whitewashed walls and green windows, a big garden around it and an inviting porch. To help make ends meet, my parents had rented out half the house. Daddy was a freelance writer contributing short stories to Tamil magazines and scripts for movies, although the movie offers were few and far between. Before I was born, he’d once held a steady, well-paying job in Trivandrum as a Malayalam newsreader, his name Nagarcoil K. Padmanabhan known to All India Radio listeners in Kerala. He’d suddenly resigned from AIR to pursue with relentless passion his dream of being a writer. Among Daddy’s early friends in Chennai were actors Gemini Ganesan and Nagesh, the comedian. Ganesan continued to visit us even after he became famous. I would look out, star-struck, as his blue Fiat drove in. He’d tease my handsome Dad; calling him “Maapilai” [Tamil for bridegroom] and the two would go on talking shop. One thing Daddy had gained early from his writing was Mommy. An English literature graduate and avid reader, she was a fan of Daddy’s magazine stories. The two became pen pals, met and got married, although the doe-eyed beauty from Bangalore was no Brahmin like Daddy. It was a huge leap of faith to marry inter-caste in those days. As I sat there watching Daddy, I wondered what he would write every day. I knew how he always worked on his next story at night, even

as he was working on his current one at the film studios. “My big hit is just a script away,” he would smile, his deep dimples showing. “Aren’t you sleepy?” “No,” I’d mumble, although I’d often doze off in the chair and he’d carry me to bed, next to Mom. I would dream of reams of white paper filled with green writing, and of valiant heroes — good always triumphed over evil, and Dad’s heroes were always good. When I was ten, he gave me Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, a rather new book then. “Just one story like that is enough for a lifetime,” he said. I sensed the longing in him. He had had a body of work by then, but a big hit eluded him. The novel made a great impact on me, and how right daddy was. Harper Lee never wrote another novel, yet became a legend with her only book. Summer nights, Daddy would regale us with tales about the film shoots. He was a good mimic with his radio star’s voice and was an excellent actor himself. And I would sigh — what a wonderful thing it is to be a writer! On Sundays and holidays, I would go up to the attic, where I hid my journal, and write endless stories of my own. When Daddy wrote scripts for Telugu producers, they would be in English. Sometimes he would ask me for a particular English word, which I’d supply. My heart would swell with pride that I was a part of his writing. My sister Anuradha and I studied at Chennai’s Holy Angels’ Convent, a most exclusive school, which my father could ill afford. Still, he wanted us to study and speak English well; an “entitlement,” he’d say. Then, one day, I heard my parents whisper excitedly of a lucrative offer that had come to Daddy for a Telugu film. At last, we would be rich! And Mom had promised me a red frock, some stationery and a new doll. There was an air of suppressed excitement in the house, of dreams that were finally coming true. I had a school picnic to go on, early one morning. The evening before, Daddy had come home tired from work but took me out to buy snacks and sweets for the picnic. My basket was crammed with goodies. I was bursting with joy. Daddy set the alarm for five in the morning, ironed my clothes for the next day, and went to bed. The next morning, the alarm clock went off. I got up but Daddy did not. He had passed away in his sleep — a coronary thrombosis, the doctor explained. I was 13, my sister Anuradha, eight. Daddy was just 41. Along with his body, our dreams too went up in flames. But Nindu Hrudayalu, the Telugu movie he had scripted with superstar N.T. Rama Rao in the lead, had celebrated its 100th day. The producer sent some additional money to my mother for the Hindi distribution rights of the film. The

movie was a blockbuster, and the first in its genre. Daddy’s script became a recurring Bollywood theme: three brothers separated in childhood, reunited as adults… avenging their parents’ misfortunes. Another Telugu producer had visited us to offer his condolences. He remarked ruefully that my father’s script for him was left half done. “I know the story,” I told him, “I could finish it for you.” He looked at me with kind eyes. “Are you sure?” I nodded. “Daddy discussed the treatment with me.” He smiled at my use of jargon. I completed the script for him. My mother, who’d been a teacher before her marriage, went back to work to support the family. We left our beloved home and city, moving to my mother’s ancestral home in Bangalore. Then, as the years rolled by, life meandered in different directions for Anuradha and I. But our love for language and the written word stood us in good stead. Studies completed, Anuradha became a marketing professional, while I became a mathematics teacher. We soon had our own families and children to raise. Even so, Daddy’s unfinished dreams lingered on. Both Anuradha and I continued to write. I brought out a collection of my poems, while my sister published her anthology of short stories and a novel. In 2003, my entry, For a Horseshoe Nail, in the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association’s short story competition won a HighlyCommended Prize, “Selected from 3700 stories, the competition was tough,” the judges informed me. “Your story was beautifully told, and very wellwritten.” Centred on an organ-donation racket, it was set in a remote Tamil Nadu village, but read across the world. A UK doctor used the story as a topic for debate among his university students. The following year, it was Anuradha’s turn. She too won a Highly-Commended Prize for her story. Today my elder daughter, Darshana Ramdev, is a journalist with Deccan Chronicle. She always wanted to write. My younger one, Deeksha, studying computer science, is also an ardent writer and has an active cricket blog, The TeaTowel Explanation. “I’m going to be a cricket writer, one day,” she says, as if it were a warning. “Let me finish my engineering.” Daddy passed away in 1970. Two generations ago, I’d say. But his single-minded devotion to writing still glows like a beacon among his children and grandchildren. Anybody can die. Yet, as I finish one more piece — this story you’ve read — I know something for sure about Dad. His writing never stopped.

Sometimes I’d supply Daddy with a particular English word. My heart would swell with pride that I was a part of his writing.

Amara Bhavani Dev is a freelance journalist who likes to write about lifestyle, travel and food. She does a daily column in Deccan Herald, Bangaluru called Astrospeak with Amara Bhavani Dev. She has contributed articles for India Today and has also freelanced with Ink Publishing, Singapore which brings out the in-house magazine for Spicejet. Amara writes short stories and has won the highly commended prize in the Commonwealth Short Story Competition in 2004. Her collection of poetry called The Garland, was published in 1999 under the auspices of the British Council, Bangaluru. www.hummagazine.com

February 2015

2 States

Mary Kom

LAST YEAR IN

BY NANDINI BHATTACHARYA

The last year in Bollywood was the usual pits according to my best friend who is an award-winning film editor; a fabulous year according to her daughter and my god-daughter, who is fourteen, beautiful and lives with her very “filmy” family in Mumbai; and glamorous and innovative as usual according to my sister, star-struck, gorgeous and working for a film digitalization company in Mumbai. The sample is admittedly skewed in being all women, but don’t women tend to be more candid about watching films, especially Hindi films, casually and habitually? Armed with the insights and blessings (I think) of these three amazing gals, I proceed, hereby to share with you, reader, my two cents about Bollywood 2014, recommending seven films for the seven days of the week. By sheer alphabetical logic, I will begin with the film Ankhon Dekhi (and will continue to follow the alphabet hereafter). This quirky film felt a bit lost to me between genres, styles and attitudes, but its ostensible story is that of an ordinary man in a lower middle-class Delhi neighborhood who has an epiphany of discovering the truth of every phenomenon for himself, and not from tradition or authority. Interesting premise, and rather exquisite photography of the dusty, winding alleys of Delhi, of humble joint-family interiors splintered by aspirational behaviors among its members, and of nature and mountains. The colors are today’s favored pastels, faded jewel-tones, and distressed sienna. While asserting the sanctity of ties of family and friendship, the film depicts an older man with a wife and two children gradually detaching himself from perceived reality and going on a spiritual quest wherein – the important point seems to be –

received wisdom about ethics and relationships are discarded like molted skin. Fertile concept, the story of a modern Buddha or Mahadev, or maybe even an Indian Heidegger, but cinematically speaking. . . ? It is as though Hollywood has collided with European avant garde, contemporary East Asian fantasy cinema, and the new experimental Bollywood more focused on character and psychology than plot. Is director and writer Rajat Kapoor trying postmodern narrative style, Hindi parallel cinema texture, French new wave, Indie forms, Indian new wave, or something else? The cast is a troupe of fabulous but relatively unknown actors. There are hints and flavors of Mani Kaul, Satyajit Ray, Francois Truffaut, and even – wonder of wonders – Ritwik Ghatak, that enfant terrible of Indian cinema. Let me finish with telling you that people fly (or not) in this story. I give this film a 4/7, mostly for trying. Homi Adajania’s Finding Fanny follows the fresh path in Bollywood of somewhat noir, yet heartwarming and lyrically, visually lush films such as his earlier Being Cyrus. As the participial preference of his titles indicates, Adajania is deep into existential conditions and enigmas, hence probably his deep love of scuba-diving, as he once told me. Finding Fanny is a charming exploration of that eternal quest for love that defies boundaries of age, class, and social dogma. Set in a very green Goa, Finding traces the journey of four individuals all seeking or mourning lost love -- as well as a selfish artist and a dead cat -- in a jalopy that is a character by itself. Rattling along highways and byways in search of Fanny, the lost love of his youth, Fernando (Naseeurddin Shah) or Ferdie and his companions

P.K.

Finding Fanny

BOLLYWOOD Rosie Eucharistica (Dimple Kapadia), her widowed daughterin-law Angie (Deepika Padukone), driver and roadside Romeo Savio (Arjun Kapoor) and the aforesaid selfish artist Don Pedro (Pankaj Kapur) find love and rest in the least expected places. Since it will already be fairly self-evident that Angie and Savio – being Deepika Padukone and Arjun Kapur -- will find love with each other – the twists come in the other unexpected discoveries of what love and true commitment really mean. There is a “short-lived” (according to cast titles) Gabo (Ranvir Kapur) who dies of too much cake at his wedding with Angie, leaving the way clear for Angie and Savio to realize that they were actually meant for each other. You have to see the film to know who else dies, and what happens when Fanny is found. The closeness of love and death are always implied in the plot; however, the result is not despair but a call for joie de vivre. The dialogue is slightly racy, and the romantic innuendoes not always implicit, but the cinematography and music are absolutely to die for (no pun intended). Finding Fanny easily gets a 3/7. I have found Vishal Bhardwaj’s previous Shakespeare adaptations – Omkara for Othello, Maqbool for Macbeth – brilliant failures, and Haider (Hamlet) is no exception. For one thing, the film is too interminably long, clocking in at about three hours. But there is also a peculiar paradox of reception of adaptations. On the one hand, adaptations are pitched at knowledgeable audiences who presumably already know the original and are therefore even more scintillated by its blossoming in a foreign and exotic context. On the other hand, these same audiences know the story all too well to feel any curiosity or suspense,

(2014)

really. The days of Greek drama are rather over; everyone seeks novelty now. Indeed, Indian audiences are not even relying exclusively – as it is said they did – on allegories of the great epics in their film plots any more. So the story of Shakespeare’s Prince Hamlet who acts to avenge his dead father and depose his usurping uncle from the throne as well as his mother’s bed may or may not be the best or ideal vehicle to tell the political story of the brutalization of Kashmir that Bhardwaj intends in this film. However, Haider has its great moments, such as when Shaheed Kapur (Haider) discovers the ruins of his parents’ home; the reptilian maneuvers of his uncle played by Kaykay Menon; the scene of the exposure of Haider’s uncle as his father’s killer, with its brilliant and haunting dance choreography; the scene of Haider’s metamorphosis into the mad bard of the people rapping the injustices suffered by Kashmiri people at the hands of governments; and the beautiful, warmly lit love scene between Haider and his beloved Ophelia (Arshi the beautiful Kashmiri journalist who inadvertently betrays him). In all, in allegorizing the plight of Kashmir through the story of the Danish prince’s tragedy, the film also sticks closely to a gothic as well as almost Bergmanesque visual idiom: ravaged countryside; cold, dead landscapes; forests that seem to be enduring a holocaust just like the people of Kashmir. Among Bhardwaj’s “Shakesperean” adaptations, Haider is to date the most politically explicit and critical film. Tabu mesmerizes with her performance of Haider’s mother (aka Hamlet’s mother Queen Gertrude). Lastly, the musical score is sublime yet unobtrusive. Haider shall have his just rewards: 2/7. www.hummagazine.com

February 2015

In the category of inspirational biopic, as well as the story of the unlikely underdog making it big, there is Mary Kom (director Omung Kumar). Based on the true story of India’s foremost female boxer M.C. Mary Kom, the story also hews close to the trend these days of “sports” films, but since Shahrukh Khan et al’s Chak De India (2007) there has not been another one focused on women until now. In a sense it is a story of rage as well as of love: rage against unfair systems and traditions, and love for a sport and one’s personal best. Mary Kom, who rose from conditions of acute deprivation as well as minority discrimination, was so full of the spirit of struggle that she was able to do the almost impossible, which is to be a mother, a wife and a champion boxer. The film does well in depicting conditions of a police state in Manipur. Priyanka Chopra does her level best in bringing a hill woman’s struggles to life, though often the drives, cadences and images of Bollywood take over, transforming a tough, rugged and spirited athlete into an obviously fascinating Bollywood beauty, the only transformation being evident in the faint reddishness and freckling of Priyanka’s skin and her slightly accented Hindi. The part of Mary’s supportive, loving and feminist husband is well portrayed by the young and upcoming Darshan Kumar. My one qualm about this film is that it is more focused -- as the “sports” film usually is -- on patriotism than on the woman question, which latter issue does not always fit well in reality to questions of governmentality and nation-states. Yes, Mary Kom is a woman and an Indian; no, Mary Kom is not unambivalent about what it means to be a minority in South Asia. Still, we need more movies like Mary Kom, to which I give 5/7. In P.K., Rajkumar Hirani does it again, reading everyday life and mass media in technologically advanced twenty-first-century India as still faithful to piety, humanity and tolerance of diversity. Making mince-meat of a version of Hindu televangelism that has deftly deployed communication media to its propagandistic advantage, P.K. is ostensibly about a lost alien – remember Steven Spielberg’s E.T.? – visiting earth and reconnecting duped or deviant humans to true faith and love for one another irrespective of caste, religion, creed, nationality, and yes, even species. Aamir Khan as P.K. grew on me, though slowly, with his pointy jug ears and deranged look, and when he resumes his much-loved older persona of the lafanga or

tapori who lives off the foibles of the street, he takes apart one by one each ill that plagues society: greed, hypocrisy, intolerance and, above all, religious fundamentalism and fanaticism. How he restores love, faith and peace to all I will not disclose here, but suffice it to say that other than the somewhat grotesque body-language deemed suitable for a “real alien,” and despite the somewhat flamboyant display of a rather buffed physique, Aamir Khan is, as always, exceedingly lovable in this movie and really funny to boot. Anushka Sharma plays the lovely and lovable earth girl who befriends P.K. (really a contraction of “peekay ho?” [“are you drunk?”] because of the “outlandish” things he says), and manages to get him back to his home planet, retrieving his “remote control” stolen by the evil god-man in the film (played cutely enough by Saurav Shukla). Hindi cinema puts to good political and artistic use the fertile idea of the “good outsider” when it experiments with it in sci-fi, despite the few dull lectures we must sit through. Besides the prize-winning smiles of Anushka and Aamir, the film celebrates the power of love to the extent of declaring it possible between humans and extra-terrestrials. But not enough can be said about the cuteness of Anushka who, apart from a very brief skirt in her first appearance as a buoyant cyclist in a presumably very liberal-minded Belgium, manages to mingle her signature girl-next-door charm with a luminous glamor. That hairstyle alone is likely to prove a rage in Bombay this year, and we are all happy when P.K. turns a publicized media warfare into a tearful reunion of Hindu girl and her estranged Muslim boyfriend. The sampling of Indian bazaar art in the film is a naturalistic triumph in itself. In keeping with that, the script and dialogue are zippy, raunchy, and kitschy. The camerawork is rapid, multi-angled, often panoramic and spectacular, and always full of surprises. You will know what I mean especially when you see the last sequence of the film where a literally angelic creature drops out of a cloud unexpectedly. Slightly surprised at myself, I give P.K. 6/7. Far outstripping Mary Kom as a woman’s film in artistic quality, and less didactic, is Queen (director Vikas Bahl) showcasing a startlingly good performance by Kangana Ranaut, who simply steals the scene from everyone else, and deserves the highest praise for the distance she has come from her very early days as an actor. Playing a sweet, sheltered and unambitious Delhi girl who comes

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into her own despite losses, surprises, and wounds, Rani played by Ranaut travels the world on her “honeymoon” after her fiancé (Rajkumar Rao) dumps her cruelly, and in fact celebrates her honeymoon with the wider world, humanity and life itself in a manner that would have been impossible, indeed prohibited, by the man who breaks her heart only to come back begging and find her stronger and independent beyond his wildest imagination. Lisa Haydon performs a great Frenchified “desi” with exuberance and flair, if perhaps a little exaggeratedly, and thanks to her plenty of unmentionable facts of life are brought up, helped no doubt by the “foreign” setting. But Rani’s adventures make sense in a world where globalization and internationalism have brought cultures closer to each other than ever, and offer a strong image of the possibilities that lie ahead for the diaspora beyond the cloyingly regressive plots of past DDLJs and K3Gs. Instead of letting the hero take the lead according to his whimsy and/ or family “compulsions,” the heroine discovers her agency and autonomy by venturing out and taking risks. Kangana Ranaut has wowed everyone with this film, and rightly so; her performance is simply magisterial. The film is also fool of humor and mischief, as in a scene in an erotica shop in Amsterdam where a blissfully innocent Rani buys entirely inappropriate gifts for her friends and family while her acquired family of a Russian, a Japanese, and an African man are in stitches at her simplicity and ignorance of what her gifts truly portend. I give Queen the top rating of all the films of 2014. I had absolutely thoroughly enjoyed Chetan Bhagat’s terse tongue-in-cheek writing in the novel 2 States, and so had high expectations of the film when it was released. I am sorry to say though that the film by Abhishek Varman does not live up to expectations if you are looking for something like Bhagat’s wry style, which was the greatest

charm of the novel. Even 3 Idiots was much funnier; can only boys have fun? (Well, not according to Rani). In fact, utterly lacking in humor as its register, the film 2 States dutifully devotes itself to the theme of love, and of families not getting along on broadly ethnic and communitarian issues and prohibiting the marriage of brilliant IIT graduates Ananya (Tamilian) and Krish (Punjabi). All ends happily, of course, and the couple are united after many misunderstandings, changes of heart, and, indeed, departures from the plot of the original novel. But that is alright, because love should win in the end. Devoted to this ideal, the director even revises the novel to make Krish’s estranged parents fall in love again. The most exalted theme of the film, however, is the pettiness of communal intolerance and parochialism, a phenomenon found among Indians quite often when it comes to the marriage of people from different backgrounds, and 2 States no doubt goes a long way in dispelling such prejudices and reminding us, Indians, that however many states we are, in the end we are all Indian. Despite all this, and though Alia Bhatt and Arjun Kapoor are a sight for sore eyes, I still see 7/7 on my moviemeter, though. In conclusion, cinema is flourishing in India, though obviously not at the rate of pollution, which is supposed to be forty times worse than deemed safe in the capital city of Delhi itself! Communal politics lowers, Pakistan glowers, the Chinese economy flowers, but Indians still have movies. Offering a more and more ambitious, diverse, sophisticated menu, Indian commercial cinema still shows us the abundance of the world, of human creativity and human kindness. Of course, it also continues to hold up to the mirror the scandals of human selfishness, cruelty and ignorance, but its artistry persuades us of the possibility of happiness in this world if we value the good in ourselves, in others, and in mother earth.

Nandini Bhattacharya is Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in English at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. She has written scholarly books and essays on colonial and postcolonial writing, and is recently the author of a book on Indian cinema (Hindi Cinema: Repeating the Subject [Routledge, 2012]). Being a lover of contemporary Indian English literature by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Amitav Ghosh, Arvind Adiga and Jhumpa Lahiri, she is turning her energies also to repeating her passion for writing in the creative genre.

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Harmony is the flour, Love is the yeast BY USHA AKELLA Imagine, for a moment, you are ambling in the streets of an ancient bazaar, sun and dust patterns in the air. Hawker’s calls fill your ears; olives, lemons, tomatoes and pomegranates are being weighed on iron scales by nimble fingers tilting them this way and that; the sharp aroma of sizzling kebabs and stinging hamsi havoc your nostrils; moist helva lies in pans; nans deftly rolled and flattened are blooming in burning tandoors; haggling women’s voices, colorful fabrics being measured, children running along and bumping into you in the midst of play. Perhaps, a student is on your mind or you are thinking which surah of the Koran to teach next… and then… A single sound crystallizes... the clear ringing sound of a goldsmith’s hammer, clang clang clang clang… it fills the cup of your ear like wine lulling you into an altered awareness. Somehow, this sound becomes your heartbeat, then the heartbeat of the universe, and it dawns on you it is the divine heartbeat in everything… and so in the midst of an ordinary day you discover the divine in everything and yourself. Rooted to this understanding, nailed to your own center of existence you begin to whirl gradually in divine ecstasy mirroring the dance of egolessness of the stars and the planets. Out of your vision of splendid harmony spirals

out a Love taking you with it in its motion. God and you are one. This is what we can imagine happened to Rumi, the first whirling dervish, in the bazaar of 13th century Konya, who birthed the dance that is so fervently imitated nine centuries later; in the hope of a glimpse of what that great mystic originally experienced. Born on September 30th, 1207 in Vakhsh, Afghanistan/Tajikstan, he spent most of his life in Konya and died in 1273. Coleman Barks, the American translator of his works has been the main force in propelling Rumi as the best-selling poet in America. For Rumi, words too came out of the same divine ecstasy; a dance of harmony and love that filled volumes and volumes of the Masnavi (25,000 verses) and Diwan-eShams-e Tabrizi (40,000 verses). The treasure of his verses is being unearthed by hundreds of scholars as an ongoing practice in itself. Rumi’s poetry is a poetry of return and remembrance, the gathering of the petals into a single flower. He navigates the ineffable within the realm of the perceivable. If harmony is the flour of his poetry, love is the yeast in it; the process of fermentation is ongoing eight centuries later; his energy continues to vibrate in the reader’s heart as an overflow from the mind within the mind, the qalb:

Whoever you may be, come Even though you maybe An infidel, a pagan, or a fire-worshipper, come Our brotherhood is not one of despair Even though you have broken Your vows of repentance a hundred times, come Rumi is the poet of poets who effortlessly stitches together numerous literary techniques; whether it is metaphor or personification, hyperbole or narrative there is a seamless crossover from soul to form. In no other poet, does poetry so powerfully become a medium offering its plasticity and potentiality in service of the soul and love. Rumi uses words to extinguish words. He asks that poetry must finally write the greater poetry of silence. Then the windows are closed. Individual grapes become one dark wine His poetry is a dazzling architecture of metaphor, fable, legend, parables, teaching, sermonizing; the sub text is silence. Puns are elaborate, the universe collapsing on itself. No metaphor can hold this truth that knows how to keep secret and when to show itself Sometimes, the poem is a cup holding divine

nectar, at others it is a dam collapsing under the torrential flow of divine inspiration. A poetry of non-being and being, his words are mosque and mosaic. Hu, the pronoun of divine presence is the real voice of the poetry. You and I in the poetry shift and exchange places in a wink of an eye. Thousands of verses emanated from his divine friendship with Shams, his guide, friend and mirror of his soul. Rumi is the lover and the beloved - the one speaking, the one spoken to and the spoken of. His poetry is the hall of mirrors - reflector and reflected. He is guest/host. He is Shams/Rumi, teacher/ student, lover/beloved, you/I, and I/Hu. In mystical conversation sohbet there is oneness. It is said that when Rumi and Shams met a second time after a long separation they fell to the ground simultaneously obliterating the identity of lover and beloved. Why should I seek? I am the same as He. His essence speaks through me. I have been looking for myself! His epitaph reads: When we are dead, seek not our tomb in the earth, but find it in the hearts of men.” He must have known the living fire of his poetry would “endure.” Rumi goes to the source and proclaims: break out in love, all else will be reconciled. Love’s nationality is separate from all other religions,

Design Trends That Need to End 4 1 0 2 R O F T U ? 5 1 WHAT’S O 0 2 R O F AND IN In 2014, we saw a number of design trends, including the emergence of gray, “the ideal neutral,” metallics, and tufted furnishings, just to name a few. While we loved many of 2014’s trends, whether they will continue into 2015 is another story… It’s no secret that trends come and go… we’ve all got our opinions on what’s in and what’s out, but if there’s one person who isn’t afraid to share her feelings about which design trends should stick around versus the ones that need to disappear for good, it’s Anne! So, with that in mind, we asked Cantoni’s Visual Guru, Anne Mancuso about the trends she feels need to end along with what she’s looking forward to seeing in 2015! Check out what she had to say along with this helpful infographic to follow along! Reclaimed Wood: Floors, walls, stumps, trunks, tables, accessories, and art, you name it, you can ﬁnd it covered in reclaimed wood.

But according to Anne, we’ll be seeing a transition towards warmer woods in reddish and pink tones as well as pieces covered in walnut. Inspirational Word Art: “Keep Calm and Carry On” seems to be just about everywhere, available on any sized canvas in just about every color. Yes, we all need a little motivation every now and then, and a big or small sign featuring inspirational quotes or phrases are a great way to achieve that. But as far as incorporating these inspirational words into our home decor and calling it art? Time to hang it up, or in this case take it down… Vintage: Everything old is new again is still old in Anne’s opinion. Antiquated telephones, rusty typewriters as accoutrements and weathered and worn luggage as furniture has been all the rage. In her own words, “Unless it’s the typewriter your granny wrote love

Scandinavian Design: Miniaml & Modern

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February 2015

Printed Acrylic Art

letters to your gramps with, adding these vintage objects to your home for effect instead of affection will almost always look like an affectation.” Gotta love that Anne Mancuso…! She did mention that Scandinavian design is making a comeback as an overall style – think minimal, modern, causal and colorless. Chevron: Although popular for a few years now, Anne has had enough of this pattern. “It deﬁnitely had its moment,” she said. “We even painted an entire extra-large wall in the Dallas showroom in the striped pattern, which I am thrilled to report will morph into a pixelated wall made from paint chips by the end of the month.” The Many Shades of Gray: Last but not least, we can all admit to falling for gray in 2014, from the many shades to the man himself. Gray, in all its shades was the ideal neutral for 2014 and although we will still see this soft, yet masculine neutral around Cantoni’s showrooms, expect to see a new neutral taking over: Navy! Agree or disagree with Anne? We want to hear what you think! Tell us what you won’t miss from 2014 and years passed as well as what you’re loving now for 2015! Pen your opinion and shoot it of to info@hummagazine to win fabulous prizes. While everyone at Cantoni knows her as the Visual Guru, Anne Mancuso is formally known as the Creative Director of the Visuals Department at Cantoni’s ﬂagship store in Dallas. Anne is in charge of conceiving and constructing the innovative and inspiring visual displays Cantoni is known for. Discover Anne’s DIY projects and creative displays along with helpful tips and tricks within the “Ask Anne” section at Cantoni.com. And just remember, whether you’ve got an interior design dilemma or question, simply “Ask Anne!” www.hummagazine.com

February 2015

Love of Texas Natural Heritage 40

BY TAJANA MESIC Fort Bend County is one of the fastest growing counties in America, statistics say. Nestled in the heart of Fort Bend County is the small town of Fulshear. Surrounded by suburbia, Fulshear holds its own. Close to Houston, yet far away, residents are proud of its history going back to the 1820s and its founder, Churchill Fulshear, who was one of Stephen F. Austin’s original 300 Texas settlers. Since 2011, I live in Fulshear and have grown roots here. I love the clean air, lack of pollution, small-town charm and people proud of their Texas natural heritage. After just a few months of living here, I started serving as the Parks Commissioner and a few years later entered public service as an elected Councilmember of the City of Fulshear. The noticeable bucolic charm of Fulshear is evident as soon as you drive into town with its lovely storefronts, classy restaurants and old trees. I was hoping to preserve that feeling and the pockets of nature that were teeming with butterflies and other pollinators. In 2014, the Fulshear Park’s Commission decided to install the first Butterfly and Pollinator Garden at the site of the Irene Stern Community Center. The garden is a pilot project of the Commission and enhances the charm and character of the city. It provides an educational area for multi-generational enjoyment in an already existing 1.34-acre community park. The goal is to also provide a destination for families and nature-lovers to visit, learn and enjoy. It also provides an ecosystem and a habitat for the area’s pollinators (butterflies, bumblebees, bees, and other insects) and migrating Monarch butterflies and hummingbirds. It is going to provide a fertile ground for program collaborations with partner organizations such as Master Naturalists, Master Gardeners, Friends of Fulshear Parks, Forever Fulshear, Arts Fulshear, and Boys and Girls Scouts of America, as we continue adding to the project in the months and years to come.

From left, Darrell Morrison, H-GAC Chairl; Tajana Mesic, Fulshear Parks Commission and City Council of Fulshear, Jeff Taebel, H-GAC Director of C&E Planning, and Tommy Kuykendall, City of Fulshear Mayor

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February 2015

With the vision of creating a natural oasis for people and habitat for pollinators, the City created an area where people can watch butterflies and other pollinators in their natural habitat and learn about the benefits of spending time in nature. This beautiful habitat for the pollinators is now a permanent and growing platform for people to enjoy Fulshear Parks. The flowerbed structure and planting for the Garden was completed in August 2014 and has started to attract a number of butterflies, bees, bumblebees, caterpillars, ladybugs, hummingbirds and other pollinators native to the area. A variety of perennial plants planted in the raised bed include Bat-Face Cuphea, Trailing Verbena, Vitex, Milkweed, Butterfly Bush, Pentas, and a variety of native grasses. Our partnerships with other organizations and our recognition of each of those partners make our project an excellent model for the surrounding small towns and organizations that are planning to enhance their parks. The garden is a Certified Monarch Waystation, providing a crucial habitat for migrating Monarch butterflies on their migration South to Mexico in the fall and North to Canada in

the spring. The Texas State Butterﬂy, the Monarch, is experiencing issue of habitat degradation and decline due to destruction of its habitat and pesticide use. The garden offers a place for the Monarchs to refuel on their migration north and south. It is pesticide-free and offers a great place to enjoy and great place to learn organic practices. Adding other features such as fruit feeders, other host plants; amending the soil and adding nutrients to achieve proper conditions before planting and after the plants are established; eliminating the use of insecticides; managing the density of the plot by thinning and removing plants to minimize crowding; mulching around the base of plants to reduce the growth of weeds and retain water; removing dead stalks before the next growing season by hand; removing invasive species from the site, using natural compost for fertilization; watering the plot as needed to maintain growth. Fulshear is still a small community. During the last municipal election, we had just over 2,500 registered voters and the latest unofficial count put us at 7,500 residents, not including the surrounding community of Weston Lakes and the unincorpo-

From left, Almir Mesic, Brett Lowe, Gunnison Lowe and Laura Lowe

rated area of Fort Bend County. Our City currently boasts an abundance of wildlife and nature, but with the rapid development, all of this might be leveled and developed. A number of families with children love to use the Irene Stern Community Park for picnics and our seniors have daily activities scheduled at the Irene Stern Community Center. They attend lectures and look forward to be able to spot and learn about butterďŹ&#x201A;ies and other pollina-

tors that will be visiting the Garden, just a few steps away from the Community Center, a walking distance for them. Most of them have limited mobility, and they welcome the proximity of the Garden. I continue to be proud of the small effort that will turn into a great project in years to come and provide a respite from urban growth for both people and pollinators. I love Fulshear and invite you to visit us soon!

Tajana Mesic is a sustainability consultant with GGG Sustainability Solutions, a speaker and a City of Fulshear Councilwoman. GGG is a full-service sustainability and resource efficiency consulting ďŹ rm, providing clients with professional services and guidance on integrating sustainability strategy into operations in a ďŹ nancially viable way.

Love and

Hindustani Ragas

BY DAVID COURTNEY It was late night long, long time ago in Hyderabad. It was a musical performance long ago. A classical hindustani vocal was all set to begin. The singer had just tuned up the tanpura. The tabla and harmonium were already tuned. The ensemble warmed up with a very short alap, and then the thumri started. It was a very romantic piece set to Mishra Khammaj. Romantic! But what was the relationship between love and Hindustani music? Indian classical music, especially in Northern India, has revolved around themes of love since the earliest times. But there are twists and turns which deal with various questions of love, the traditional system of aesthetics, and classical music. First, let us look at love from the traditional system of aesthetics. Today the classical approach is based upon what is called the “nava rasa theory”. According to this, there are nine primary emotions which are analogous to the three primary colors that a painter uses. A painter can represent every hue of the rainbow by mixing primary colors. In a similar fashion the aesthetic component of every work of art can be made by mixing these nine primary emotions.

The nine primary emotions Shringar

Love

Hasya

Comic

Karuna

Sadness

Raudra

Furious

Veera

Heroic

Bhayanaka

Terrible / Frightful

Vibhatsa

Disgusting

Adbhuta

Wonderment

Shanti

Peace

It is interesting to note that eight of these nine emotions can be traced back to the Natya Shastra. These treatise on stagecraft was written by Bharata Muni sometime between 200CE and 300BCE. For some reason, Shanti (Peace) was not included in Bharata’s original system. The nava rasa theory may be the aesthetic theoretical framework for love as presented in classical music, but what is classical music? This should be an easy topic to deal with but it is not. One underlying component of “classicism” is antiquity. From stylistic standpoint, neither the north Indian system nor the south Indian system can present anything which is more than a few centuries old. Even the musical concept of the rag (ragam) is hard to trace back more than a millennium. If we go back more than a thousand years, the predominant musical form was the jati and not the rag. The word “rag” does not show up in any text until Matang’s Brihaddeshi. This text is variously dated at between 6th to the 8th century CE. Even here, it is highly questionable whether Matang’s use of the word has any relationship to the modern concept of rag. So we have to make a distinction between the tradition of classical music and classical music as we think of it today. It is safe to say that the tradition of both north and south Indian music is ancient, but the music itself is much younger than most people are led to believe. But the age of classical music is not the subject here; the topic is love. There is a universality about love

which is overpowering. We can presume that love was was an important theme from the earliest periods. But what about the rags and the present classical music? The rag and its relationship to the mood of love is not straightforward. It is true that some rags are more suited towards this than others. Desh, Kalyan, Pahadi, Pillu, and Khammaj, stand out in particular, but there are more. But it is not a question of particular rags being inherently romantic, but more often the way that they are presented. Just as the emotion of love pulls us to abandon social conventions and place ourselves in personally and socially vulnerable positions, so too, a romantic treatment of the rag should be lighter, one in which the conventions of the rag are stretched to the point of being violated. When it comes to stretching or even violating the conventions of a rag for romantic purpose, the undisputed leaders have always been the music directors and composers of Hindi films. Who can forget Mahendra Kapoor’s performance of rag Pahadi for “Aaja Re Tuhko Mera Pyar Pukare” in the film Gumrah. Then there is Lata Mangeshkar’s playful performance of Kalyan, for “Jiya Le Gayo Ji Mora Sanvariya” in the film Anpadh. A favorite of mine is Asha Bhosle, and Mohd. Rafi’s performance of Rag Desh for the song “Gori Tore Naina, Nainava Kajar Bin Kare Kare” in the film Main Suhagan Hoon. Valentine’s Day is upon us. While others may be shopping for chocolates for their “significant other”, I will be tuning up my tanpura.

Dr. David R. Courtney is a writer, musician, teacher, activist, and ﬁlmmaker. He has over 65 publications on the subject of Indian culture and Indian music.

A Raga’s Journey

Kinetic Kalyani BY CHARULATHA MANI There exists a graceful raga that, with its seven notes, is capable of creating innumerable phrasings, each more stimulating than the previous. It is the queen of the raga family, and it’s called “Kalyani”. In the Hindustani system, this raga is known by the name “Yaman”. Sadja, Chatusruti Rishabha, Antara Gandhara, Prati Madhyama, Pancama, Chatusruti Dhaivata and Kakali Nishada are the notes taken by Kalyani. The nishada is particularly important while expanding this raga, as is the gandhara. There are many kritis in this raga. Thyagaraja’s Ethavunara, Vasudevayani, Nidhichala; Dikshitar’s Kamalamba Navavarana Kamalambam Bhajare; and Shyama Sastri’s Talli Ninnu Nera deﬁnitely merit mention. The melodic beauty of Kalyani has added a third dimension to many a movie. In Sinthanai Sei Maname from Ambikapathy, G. Ramanathan showcases the key phrases of the raga. In the lines Sentamizhkarul gnana desaganai, the embellishments free-wheeling from the tara sthayi gandhara are a treat. Then there is the monumental Mannavan Vandanadi by K.V. Mahadevan from the ﬁlm Thiruvarutchelvar. In the charanam, each of the seven swaras are sung with a tag-line — “sa – sadhamadhu tharava......ni - iraiarul perava. Mugathil Mugam Parkalam by MSV-Ramamurthy, from Thangapadhumai, starts brightly in the upper sadja and in the lines virall nagathil... the nishada is sensibly highlighted.

Maduraiyil Paranda from Poova Thalaiya, once again by MSVRamamurthy, is a Kalyani with a light and breezy feel, mellisai in the true sense of the word. Ilayaraja has composed several of his super-hits in Kalyani raga, each of them distinctive in appeal. Janani Janani from Thai Mookambikai is a piece filled with devotional fervour. Preceded by the first shloka from Soundarya Lahari, this song is very often sung by several light music troupes as the opening piece and with due reason. Kalyani is indeed auspicious and this is why it’s used in weddings and other functions as an ideal background raga. In Ammavendrazhaikkada from Mannan Ilayaraja uses Yesudas’s resonant voice to its fullest potential and the lines unnale pirandhene bring forth both the raga bhava and the lyrical bhava. In Sindhu Bhairavi the song Kalaivaniye features the raga’s phrases that only ascend the scale. A challenging piece to compose and execute, this one’s a stunner by Ilayaraja. More recently he has come up with Kaatril Varum Geetame from Oru Naal Oru Kanavu, a soft, soothing piece. Dekh Hame Awaaz Na Dena from the film Amardeep, with music by C. Ramachandra, is based on a Greek tune! Kalyani has travelled all the way to Greece and is hugely popular there as well. Shankar Mahadevan’s album Breathless featured the striking Yaman piece Koi jo mila tha mujhe. Courtesy: The Hindu

Charulatha Mani is a Carnatic vocalist and cine playback singer. She appears on Isai Payanam show on Jaya TV, Isai Cafe on Raj TV and gives live concerts. She has taken up blogging to interact with her rasikas worldwide. Her blogs feature her concerts, latest ﬁlm songs, and updates on Isai Payanam and Sahitya Payanam

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Moong/Urad Iddli Ingredients for 25 Healthy Iddlis 1. Split Moong Dhal 2 cups 2. Whole Urad Dhal 1 cup 3. Ginger 1 piece, size of a thumb (optional) 4. Green Chillies 2 (optional) 5. Curry Leaves 5 or 6 (optional) Note: There is no rice as in traditional recipes Mix and soak the split moong and urad dhals for 4 hours Blend the soaked mix to the consistency of Iddli batter Add the optional ingredients while blending as desired Add salt to taste Let the blended batter ferment overnight Prepare steam cooked iddlis in the conventional cooker

Mango Ginger Pacchadi Mango Ginger ½ pound – peel and keep aside Seasoning: Oil 2 tsp Urad Dhal 1 tsp Mustard Seeds ½ tsp

Methi seeds ¼ tsp Asafoetida ½ tsp Red Chillies 2 Green Chillies 2 Turmeric powder little Curry leaves 5 or 6

Add the mango ginger and seasoning together in a blender Add tamarind (size of a small lime), salt to taste and jaggery to taste Add fresh dhania leaves (optional) Blend the mix adding water to a coarse consistency

Our innovative menu offers something to please every palate

Chef Kaiser Lashkari

er, n n i D , h c Lun OB Y B , t u O Take ning i D l a u s a C ere h p s o m t A The best in its class, now with a little more class

Fearless Critic restaurant review

Hours TUESDAY – THURSDAY: 11:30am – 10:30pm FRIDAY – SUNDAY : 11:30am – 11:30pm 6652 Southwest Freeway Houston, TX, 77074

Leela (Lilly) Krishnamurthy is a Maryland housewife. She has a passion for cooking healthy food offering a nutritious diet. She takes interest in researching and trying out innovative recipes

himalayarestuarnt@sbcglobal.net himalayarestauranthouston.com

713-532-2837

Richmond Printing Where art and commerce combine to produce dazzling results

Complete Prepress Services Printing Services Bindery Services Fulfillment Services

5825 Schumacher, Houston, Texas 77057

Tel: ( 713) 952-0800 5825 Schumacher, Houston, Texas Fax 77057 : (713) 952-0932

Tel: ( 713) 952-0800 Fax - (713) 952-0932