India Perspectives Sep 2011 by Indian Diplomacy

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INDIA VOL 25 NO. 6 4 SEPTEMBER JUNE 2011 2011

PERSPECTIVES

INSIDE NAGALAND The Scenic State CRAFT Timeless Weaves INDIA-BANGLADESH Positive Prospects VERBATIM Amitav Ghosh

INDIA THIS MONTH

September 25-October 5 Durga Puja Huge idols of the Goddess Durga and pandals are major attractions during the ten-day festival, celebrated passionately by Bengalis. Where: All over India, especially across West Bengal

October 1-10 Soorya Dance Festival Indian classical dances like Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak are performed by prominent artistes. Music afficionados can enjoy the soulful renditions of Hindustani and Carnatic music during the event. Where: Tagore Theatre, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

October 1-10 Bengaluru International Arts Festival International and Indian artistes enthrall audiences with their performances. Two days are dedicated to folk arts. Where: Various venues in Bengaluru

October 2-9 Short + Sweet Mumbai Renowned theatre artistes, playwrights and directors congregate on one platform for the largest ten-minute play festival in the world — now in its tenth year. Where: NCPA Experimental Theatre, Mumbai

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER

2011

October 12-16 Rajasthan International Folk Festival Folk musicians, dancers and performers engage locals and tourists in the celebration of their culture. Where: Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur October 7-15 Bathukamma A unique festival celebrated by the Telangana tribes in which the highlight is Bathukamma, a beautifully arranged seven-layered pile of seasonal flowers planted in a clay pot. Where: Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh

October 10-24 City, Kaavad and Other Works An exhibition of paintings by artist Gulam Mohammed Sheikh. A national award winner, his paintings are influenced by the secular poet, Kabir. Where: Rabindra Bhavan, 35, Firoz Shah Road, New Delhi

October 13-20 Mumbai Film Festival The exhaustive itinerary of the event includes best of world cinema, competitions among amateur filmmakers and assorted award ceremonies. It also offers the highest cash award in the country (USD 200,000) for the Best First Film. Where: Andheri suburbs, Mumbai

October 30 2011 Formula 1 Grand Prix of India For the first time, India will host this coveted car race. Ace racers from12 international teams will participate in what will be the17th race of the current season. Where: Jaypee Group Circuit, Greater Noida

EDITORIAL NOTE

fter a gap of 19 years, India has resumed Presidency of the fifteen-member United Nations Security Council under a monthly rotating system. This gives India an important opportunity to focus international attention on critical issues ranging from the situation in Syria to the humanitarian crisis in Somalia. Another significant occurrence in the area of international relations is the expanding canvas of India-Bangladesh relations. After a period of stagnation, there have been a series of positive developments. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s landmark visit to India in the beginning of 2010 lead to a strengthening of ties and this month Prime Minister Manmohan Singh goes to Dhaka giving further momentum to the growing partnership between our countries. Turning to the world of craft, in our lead story, we look at India’s varied textile traditions. There was a time when our old weaves, rather unjustly, were part of the marginal culture but now they have become very much mainstream. Contemporary fashion designers are drawing inspiration from old techniques and motifs—ikat, zardozi, appliqué and bagru. Using them in their high-end, bespoke garments, fashion designers are fusing centuriesold traditions with modern sensibilities and adding a new exotic lustre to their creations as they get displayed on the catwalks of Paris, Milan and New York. In developing countries like India, flying was always portrayed as a pursuit of the wealthy. Indeed, globally, the very term ‘jetset’ implies a certain economic status. But the entry, and huge commercial success, of low-cost carriers has changed the social face of air travel, in a way, democratising it. As we show, budget air travel in India is slated to increase over the next five years by 12-15 percent which is probably why it was the lowcost carriers that made significant aircraft purchases in the recently held Paris Air Show. Also in this issue, we have an interview with Amitav Ghosh whose exhaustive Ibis Trilogy perhaps makes him one of the most ambitious of Indian authors. River of Smoke, the second book in the trilogy, has just been released to much critical acclaim. Ghosh speaks, as he writes, with impeccable control and a great deal of detail. As usual we appreciate all your feedback — criticisms and comments. Do keep writing to us and tell us how we are faring.

Navdeep Suri

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INDIA

PERSPECTIVES September 2011 n VOL 25 No. 6/2011

SEPTEMBER 2011 Editor: Navdeep Suri

Craft: Timeless Threads

MEDIA TRANSASIA TEAM Editor-in-Chief: Maneesha Dube

Personality: Perfect Frame

Travel: Guided in Mumbai

Business: On a Flight Path

Production: Sunil Dubey (DGM), Ritesh Roy (Sr. Manager) Brijesh K. Juyal (Pre-Press Operator)

Essay: A Unique Charge

India and the world: Common Frontiers

Chairman: J.S. Uberoi

Development Partnerships: Grand Designs

Art: An Evening in Paris

Verbatim: Amitav Ghosh

Editor: Mannika Chopra Creative Director: Bipin Kumar Desk: Urmila Marak, Swati Bhasin Editorial Coordinator: Kanchan Rana Design: Vikas Verma (Sr. Visualiser), Ajay Kumar (Sr. Designer), Sujit Singh

President: Xavier Collaco

Financial Controller: Puneet Nanda Send editorial contributions and letters to Media Transasia India Ltd. 323, Udyog Vihar, Phase IV, Gurgaon 122016 Haryana, India E-mail: feedback.indiaperspectives@mtil.biz Telephone: 91-124-4759500 Fax: 91-124-4759550 India Perspectives is published every month in Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Bengali, English, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Pashto, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Sinhala, Spanish, Tamil, Turkish, Urdu and Vietnamese. Views expressed in the articles are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the Ministry of External Affairs. This edition is published for the Ministry of External Affairs by Navdeep Suri, Joint Secretary, Public Diplomacy Division, New Delhi, 140 ‘A’ Wing, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi-110001. Telephones: 91-11-23389471, 91-11-23388873, Fax: 91-11-23385549 Website: http://www.indiandiplomacy.in Text may be reproduced with an acknowledgement to India Perspectives For a copy of India Perspectives contact the nearest Indian diplomatic mission.

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POSTCARDS FROM NAGALAND High up in the mountains of Northeast India, richly endowed by nature, Nagaland also has a strong tribal tradition.

COVER PHOTO: NAGA TRIBAL WOMAN PHOTOGRAPH: PHOTOLIBRARY / COVER DESIGN: BIPIN KUMAR

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CRAFT

Timeless

threads Contemporary fashion designers are drawing inspiration from intricate weaves and exquisite embroideries that have embellished garments of kings and nobles for hundreds of years. Their creations are finding a place on catwalks, in the fashion capitals of Paris, Milan, London and New York, and earning Indian textile crafts a reputation for sophistication, diversity and richness

‘Vintage India must stay alive’

Traditional Forms

Shantanu & Nikhil

The designer-duo Shantanu and Nikhil is inspired by the idea of taking vintage India to modern India and their special forte is appliqué. By using this craft, they have been able to project the traditional motifs of India – like the designs on the pillars of Umaid Bhavan Palace, Jaipur. “The Rajputs, their palaces, wall paintings, upholstery, architectural designs, courtyards, even the covers of their books – everything from yesteryear India continously inspires us,” affirms Nikhil passionately. For the fashion designers it was not difficult to master the old techniques since written records on appliqué work are plentiful. In fact, archival information on such forms has been preserved since the time of Shah Jahan. Apart from this craft, Nikhil explains, “We do a lot of other embroidery. We work closely on handloom and raw silk using vegetable-dyed yarn from Kutch.” With foreign buyers from Paris and Milan, besides the Middle East, clearly their appeal is international.

* The kings of Puri set up the village of Pipli for craftspeople specialising in appliqué. * Shops in Pipli flaunt appliqué canopies, garden umbrellas, handbags, bedsheets, and wall hangings. * The traditional appliqué work from Punjab is called phulkari. Silk thread is generally used in creating phulkari. * Rajasthan is known for its unique appliqué or gota created by sewing edges of zari ribbon onto fabric in elaborate patterns.

—Pallavi Singh

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‘Golden threads burnish our past’

Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla

“I shall wear it myself,” declared Princess Anne, daughter of Queen Elizabeth of England, when a zardozi shawl was presented to her by ace-designers, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla. Admiring the fine workmanship, the Princess was almost willing to overlook the British convention that required all gifts presented to the royals be kept in a State room. Paradoxically, the original inspiration for Jani and Khosla’s work too came from royalty — the Indian maharajas. “Their elaborate outfits embellished with gold threads caught our fancy,” recalls Jani The craft of zardozi was brought to India from Persia and literally means gold embroidery, reaching its zenith under the rule of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. “Zardozi is not restricted to India: it was a crucial part of the bullfighter’s attire in Spain, from there it travelled to Persia and then to India,” explains Jani. Zardozi is expensive but there still exist talented artisans in Uttar Pradesh and Bengal who practise the embroidery – of course this team has made the designs that much more sophisticated. As far as the style of their garments is concerned, Jani and Khosla have always specialised in Indian outfits. “Let western designers do what they are good at, we do what we are best at,” declares Jani. —Shachi Uniyal

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Metal to Silk * Zardozi uses metallic threads while other needlecraft use pliable threads of silk, cotton and wool. * In zardozi, the thread serves as a binding medium. The design is completed by layering metallic threads in several shapes and forms to give the illusion of gold ornaments on the body of the wearer. * Designers now use silk thread, along with zardozi, to ensure a proper fall of the fabric.

‘Ikat is steeped in history’

Ties that Bind forever

Deepika Govind

Deepika Govind, a postgraduate in economics, always had a fascination for handicrafts. After a chance meeting with a professor of the Fashion Institute of Technology, she decided to take up fashion. “During my study of Indian textiles, I was drawn to ikat, especially its complex format of weaving. When I travelled to the remote villages and townships of Orissa to get my ikats woven, I marvelled at the dexterity of hand and mind – the entire technical calculation of tie-and-dye and its coordination on the looms with the warp and weft. All the maths is done mentally, born from a legacy of experience.’’ Fashion designing for her is about, “Technique, craft, culture and history. I have a fascination for contradiction and contrasts, which I depict in subtle ways.”

* Ikat is a resist-dyeing process, it uses clay or wax on the warp or weft to create a pattern. A double ikat is when both the warp and the weft are tie-dyed before weaving. * Pochampally ikat of Andhra Pradesh, characterised by geometric designs, is registered under the Geographical Indication of Goods Act. * Ikat is known as patola in Gujara. It has its origins in Patan in north Gujarat. * In Orissa it is known as bandha.

—Shachi Uniyal

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Brocadia * Brocade or kinkhwab is fabric woven with pure silk and gold strands. * Brocades of Varanasi are perhaps the best known of all Indian textiles. * Ancient centres were situated mainly in Gujarat, Malwa and south India. Northern weavers were influenced by the brocade weaving from Persia, Turkey, Central Asia and Afghanistan. * The effect sought to be achieved is that the weave is actually embroidered on to the base fabric.

‘The glory of the past inspires me’ Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s love affair with brocade started with his design career when he was inspired by the wedding photographs of royalty. “This heritage is unique to India and has had constant development through history. But in recent times it has been becoming obsolete because of a lack of patronage. “Unfortunately, India has been looking outside rather than inside for design inspiration,” he says. “But because technology has moved too fast – the only logic now is to go backward. It is not too difficult to incorporate these crafts into modern fashion – we just need to make a sincere effort. We need to delve into the past and evoke the glory, grandeur and beauty of the crafts of the previous era,' says Mukherjee. At his Kolkata-based design house, brocade is given different treatments – brushing and dyeing in various colours. “We found that brocades appeal to both Indian and western buyers, if used aesthetically,” he says.

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‘Bagru needs a Sufi mindset’

Anju Modi

Anju Modi’s creativity, which has found appreciative buyers from Miami to Paris, Australia to Japan, found inspiration not in a design studio but in the tiniest of villages located in the remotest regions of India. “What I observed in the course of my travels was that every village had a different weaving, embroidery and printing technique,” she says. Bagru ended up being one of her favourite techniques, although she has also worked in chikankari, zardozi, crinkling, tie-and-dye, kota, Bhagalpuri tussar and chanderi. Along the way, she developed a tremendous respect for the families which have passed down these skills from generation to generation. “To excel in this craft one has to be a Sufi because unless one is calm and patient from within, one cannot create something so wonderful,” says Modi. Future plans include setting up a research and development centre.

Motifs to Dye For * The design is carved on wood, the block is placed in dye and applied on cloth. * In bagru, vegetable dyes are used — green from banana leaves, orange from saffron and jasmine, black from iron, and blue from indigo. Sanganer prints are always on a white background. The zigzag motifs of bagru, along with floral motifs of Sanganer, are much in demand.

—Pallavi Singh

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PERSONALITY

PERFECT

FRAME

Homai Vyarawalla, India’s first woman photojournalist, is in her nineties, but continues to live life with the same spirit that goaded her to travel, camera in hand, across the country

omai Vyarawalla is in her nineties; age has

furrowed her flawless skin, obliterated chronology from her calendar but you can still see the naughty curls — peppered with white, of course — and a spring in her gait that stood her in good stead for 35 years as she criss-crossed the country — shooting dignitaries, everyday life and historic events — often on a bicycle, wearing, khadi, a hand-woven cotton sari. It all began in Navsari, a small town in Gujarat, when Homai’s father, an actor from the Urdu-Parsi theatre, and mother, a homemaker were blessed with a girl. The girl was sent to Bombay (now Mumbai) to study, where she was the only girl in her class of 35. Homai acquired an honours degree from Bombay University and a Diploma in Art from the J.J. School of Art, and in between these back-to-back classes, she tinkered with the camera under the guidance of Maneckshaw Jamshedji Vyarawalla, a distant relative. “I remember my first shot, in 1938. A group from the Women’s Club had gone for a picnic party and I photographed

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them. The first published pictures were in The Bombay Chronicle — a whole page of pictures, for which I was paid ` 1 for each in cash,” she recalls. That was just the beginning. Homai started freelancing for The Illustrated Weekly of India and its editor, Stanley Jepson, would give her weekly assignments. Photography was not as easy as it is now: Her large-format Speed Graphic camera, a favourite with press photographers the world over then, had a composite wood, steel and aluminium chassis, weighed nearly 3 kg and could take a film roll with only 12 exposures. The electronic flash that she bought second-hand from a German photographer weighed 9 kg; her Roliflex and Contex cameras were no lean machines either. And remember, there were no padded leather bags in which she could neatly arrange the cameras and lenses. It had to be stacked in a wooden box and balanced on the bicycle’s carrier. Homai and Maneckshaw were married and moved to Delhi in 1942 to work for the British High Commission, then known as Far Eastern Bureau of British Information Services. She was hired

PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY, INDIA IN FOCUS: CAMERA CHRONICLES OF HOMAI VYARAWALLA/MAPIN PUBLISHING

TEXT: PREETI VERMA LAL

ICONIC OBSERVER: Commonly known by her pseudonym ‘Dalda 13,’ Homai Vyarawalla was chosen for the second-highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India

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WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE: Visiting Teen Murti Bhavan, Delhi, in July 2004

IN COMMAND: Homai with other press photographers at a photo session with Indira Gandhi

HOMAI’S PICTURES WERE FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE BOMBAY CHRONICLE, SHE WAS PAID ` 1 FOR EACH IN CASH.

as a photographer for `450 a month and made F-44 Connaught Place (now Rajiv Chowk) her home. Nails were driven into the walls to turn the pantry into a dark room. The office was next door, so when the baby cried, her mother-in-law would holler from the balcony and Homai would run to feed the baby. It was in Delhi that Vyarawalla plunged into the world of photography. The other photographers often referred to her as ‘Mummy’. “I never faced any difficulty because I was a woman. Actually, I liked the company of men; I would not have known what to talk about with women,” says Homai. She recalls a particularly hilarious moment. She had to attend a high-profile function at the Government House (now Rashtrapati Bhavan) and decided to stitch herself a new blouse for her beige sari. She hand-stitched the sleeve but forgot to run the sewing

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machine over it. “I wanted to take a top-angle shot and had to lift my arms up… Suddenly, I heard the stitches ripping. Without waiting a minute, I ripped off the hand-stitched sleeve, then the other one, shoved them in to my purse and went back to photography.” In 1955, the Vyarawallas bought a black Fiat for a princely `11,000 with DLD 13 as its registration number. Somebody once called it ‘‘Dalda 13’’ and the name stuck. The car still remains parked in her home in Vadodara, though she adds ruefully,“ I have spent more on its repairs than its original price.” After nearly 35 years of photography, capturing World War II, India’s Freedom struggle and Independence, the rich and the chic, the menacing and the graceful, she votes Jawaharlal Nehru as the most handsome of all men and Yasho Rajya Lakshmi,

Nehru : (top to bottom) Pandit CAPTURED MOMENTS troupe ce dan a ; ium Stad al ion releasing a pigeon at Nat , ade Par ory Vict hi; el, Del performing at Marina Hot e Plac in Connaught

wife of Dr Karan Singh, veteran politician, religious scholar and the last heir apparent to the State of Jammu and Kashmir, as the most exquisite woman. But during late 1960s, Vyarawalla was disillusioned with politics and politicking. Maneckshaw was no more and one day she decided to mothball her cameras. She has not touched the camera since. And has no regrets, either. The wooden box in which she stashed her precious equipment has now been turned into a flower pot, a lot of essentials from the dark room now grace the pantry, she has lost some prints, and at her ripe age still does all the chores herself, even cobbling her slippers. “I am not the groan-and-grumble kind. I have lived a fulfilling life and if I were to relive life, I would do it exactly the way I did,” she says. n

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TRAVEL

Cutting Chai Tour

Discover the city in four hours A half-day tour of Mumbai is called the Cutting Chai Tour, because in Mumbai if you want half a glass of tea from a roadside stall you ask for a 'cutting chai'. This shorter tour, relative to a full-day tour, takes you to sights like the Gateway of India, Marine Drive and Chowpatty Beach. Increasingly, customised tours are gaining popularity. Says Naini Mehta of Namaste City Tours, “We include requests into our regular circuit and provide informed guides.” Art & Heritage Tour

Take a heritage walk into Mumbai’s soul The walk allows one to get up close and personal with historic landmarks and buildings. Tourists are taken through areas such as Colaba Market, Fort Area, Kala Ghoda District and Chhatrapati Shivaji Station. Guides usually have indepth knowledge of the buildings, including their history and architecture. Personalised, educative and imaginative, the tour highlights the vast range of architectural styles, planning elements and ornamental details, that make up the social and cultural history of the city. One is also taken to the Phillips antique store, where some of the earliest photographs of the city are on view. The Karla Baja caves and the Kanheri caves also feature on some circuits as do the Elephanta caves.

Kala Ghoda Fair, the annual nine-day arts and crafts festival

From the one that takes you to the shopping hotspots to the one that brings you up close to Bollywood stars — conducted tours are a convenient and wonderful way to discover the city’s multiple layers TEXT: PRIA AGNI

Market Tour

Gateway of India

Pick up something to remember your visit

Guided in

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Chor Bazaar, one of the largest flea markets in India

Mumbai has lots of shopping havens from Bhuleshwar, Mirchi Galli, Phool Galli to Fashion Street. Pick antiques and semiprecious stones from Colaba Causeway, old zari borders at Bhuleshwar and an array of jewellery at Zaveri Bazaar. Chor Bazaar, one of the largest flea markets in the country, off Mohammed Ali Road, has quaint shops of itar and incense. Chor Bazaar literally means, Thieves Market: a joke has it that if something is stolen you can buy it back at Chor Bazaar. Here one can find everything from old gramophones and antique clocks to Ming vases and Victorian furniture. The crowded lanes of suburban Bandra are great for all things Indian — from Kolhapuri chappals to kurtas and junk jewellery.

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Siddhi Vinayak Temple

Dharavi Tour

In the footsteps of Slumdog Millionaire The success of the film Slumdog Millionaire has led to many tours to Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum. Guides point out Bada Gutter Galli, the location of a police chase in the Oscar-winning film. For `400, one can get an informative tour of Dharavi. My guide, Rakesh Das, was attentive and sensitive to the residents, and kept the group enthralled with facts and figures. Cameras are strictly prohibited as is interaction with inhabitants. Temple Tour

Walk barefeet to Siddhivinayak Temple

Mani Bhavan houses a Gandhi museum

The pilgrimage tour takes one to the noted temples and mosques in Mumbai among them the Mumbadevi Temple and the Haji Ali Mosque. It is conducted by guides well versed in mythological trivia. Devotees walk tens of kilometres through Monday night to attend the 5 am aarti every Tuesday at the Siddhivinayak Temple dedicated to Ganesha. Tourists can join this pooja. The fabulous and ornate marble Jain temples in Walkeshwar are centuries old and still have artisans working on them. It is an opportunity for tourists to see art and sculpture as it is being made. Most temples have narrow streets lined with stalls selling bric-a-brac. Bollywood Tour

This is where the stars live The Bollywood tour takes one on a visit to film locations, a dubbing studio and famous Bollywood star residences. Shah Rukh Khan’s palatial Bandra sea-facing villa, Mannat, and Amitabh Bacchhan’s Jalsa in Juhu are on the list, along with other celeb homes. Tourists are taken to the shooting of a television serial or a film at one of the studios in the city or to Film City. At a technical studio, they learn about sound recording, video editing and other aspects of filmmaking. Gandhi Tour

In the footsteps of Gandhi

Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan’s palatial villa, Mannat

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The tour takes one to Mani Bhavan, a two-storey house in Laburnum Road from where Mahatma Gandhi initiated the Civil Disobedience, Satyagraha, Swadeshi, Khadi and Khilafat Movements. His room remains untouched and there’s a wonderful photographic record of his life, along with dioramas and original letters he wrote to Hitler. Nearby is the Gowalia Tank, from where the Quit India Movement was launched. Gowalia Tank is now renamed August Kranti Maidan (August Revolution Square) in commemoration of that meeting. n

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SNAPSHOTS

RUGGED PARADISE: The picturesque village of Changtonya in Mokokchung District

POSTCARDS FROM

NAGALAND High up in the mountains of Northeast India, Nagaland is richly endowed by nature and, with over twenty tribes, also has a strong tribal tradition PHOTOGRAPHS: SANKAR SRIDHAR

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THIS COLOURFUL

SPREADING CHEER: (facing page) children enjoying a game of cricket at Tuophema village in Kohima District; (above) steadfast in his vigil, a carved warrior watches as three Angami women share a pleasant moment

CORNER OF INDIA IS MARKED BY STUNNING PANORAMAS, AN ANCIENT TRIBAL CULTURE, FORESTS TEEMING WITH BEAUTIFUL BLOSSOMS AND RARE BIRDS. IT IS ALSO A DELIGHT FOR THE ADVENTURE SEEKER.

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FESTIVE BEAT: Men dancing at the Hornbill Festival at Kisama Heritage Village. The festival is a week-long extravaganza, showcasing all aspects of Naga life and culture

ITS WILDERNESS IS NOT CORRALLED INTO PARKS OR GARDENS — IT JUST LIES UNDER THE HEAVENS — AND WHILE YOU WANDER ALONG THE LAZY TRACKS, YOU MAY FIND YOURSELF AT THE FOOT OF A QUAINT WATERFALL!

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RICH HERITAGE: (facing page) A woman weaving a shawl in Tuophema; (above) the Kohima War Cemetery, which is dedicated to the soldiers who lost their lives during the Japanese invasion in World War-II

BEYOND ITS FUSION OF HISTORY, LANDSCAPES, FRIENDLY PEOPLE AND TOPOGRAPHICAL SURPRISES, NAGALAND IS A COMFORTABLE DESTINATION. AFTER ALL, IT IS NOT EVERY DAY THAT YOU STUMBLE UPON A ‘WELL-KEPT SECRET’!

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BUSINESS

ndia will have one of the world’s fastest growing economies with an annual GDP growth of 7.5 percent between 2011-2030 ahead of China which is expected to grow at 7 percent, forecasts a report by IHS Global Insight. For airlines in India this potential for growth is good news as it will propel travel by a rising middle class looking at value-for-money mobility. This growing segment is willing to give up the frills of hot food, towels, candy, choice of seating and inflight entertainment in return for fares lower than fullservice airlines. Passenger traffic is expected to grow by 8.1 percent annually over the long-term, according to Dinesh Keskar, President, Boeing India. ‘‘The demand will be driven by growth in developing and emerging cities,’’ he says. Boeing’s Current Market Outlook released recently for India says India’s airlines will need 1,320 new airplanes valued at USD 150 billion over the next 20 years. Of this 81 percent will be in the narrow-body range with the lion’s share being taken by low cost carriers like Indigo, GoAir and SpiceJet which continue to experience significant growth and continue to add capacity. Already, there has been a shift in the Indian aviation market. As recession hit the industry, businesses swung towards budget airlines. Today, these airlines offer a corporate club concept with negotiated rates and a free meal for their frequent passengers. Of course, that’s about as far as the frills go. Operating costs are kept low with a multi-skilled staff, no aerobridges, no hot beverages on board, outsourcing major services and a wafer-thin staff. Little wonder then of India’s seven scheduled airlines with an inventory of around 376 aircraft (June 15, 2011) with another 275 on order, over 70 percent of seats offered presently are in the budget segment. Also, full-service airlines like Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines have started their budget counterparts — Jet Konnect and Kingfisher Red. IndiGo, now five years old, has become the fastest growing airline in the

ON A

‘‘

The addition of new 737s will help us expand SpiceJet’s domestic network as well as support the launch of our international destinations. —Raymond Mills, CEO, SpiceJet

Flight

’’

PATH

With a 12-15 percent growth rate low cost carriers are ready for take-off TEXT: NEELAM MATHEWS

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AFP

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The Nusli Wadia group-owned GoAir, run by his son Jehangir Wadia, has also chosen the A320neo for its long-term fleet expansion, with a firm order for 72 aircraft. The airline currently operates ten A320s with an average age of two years making it the youngest fleet in India.

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‘‘

country. So far, it has flown over 32 million passengers on over 223,000 flights. Its current market share has risen to 19.6 percent and it presently has a fleet of 42 A320 aircraft. Keeping in mind commonality of fleet models, it has placed an order for 180 Airbus 320 aircraft, the single largest in India. ‘‘IndiGo, undoubtedly, is India’s youngest yet fastest growing airline. Its journey has been extraordinary owing to our strong yet agile team and our customers. Our aim has been to provide an on-time, hassle-free, affordable flying experience to travellers. These core values will continue to define our success,’’ says Aditya Ghosh, President, IndiGo. Now that Government rules permit domestic carriers that have flown for five years and have at least five aircraft to launch international flights, it is no surprise that low cost airlines are venturing further afield. Come September, IndiGo will start flying to Singapore, Dubai and Bangkok. It has already announced launch fares of `9,999 to these destinations, a figure that will definitely create a flutter in the offices of their rivals. India’s second largest budget airline, SpiceJet, owned by Kalanithi Maran of Sun TV Network, with a 14 percent market share and a fleet of 30 Boeing 737 aircraft, also plans to start regional operations. With this in mind, it has ordered 15 Canadian Bombardier Q-400s, each with a 80-seat capacity. It is presently awaiting approval from the Reserve Bank of India to finance its purchase with the help of a Canadian bank, says an official. Serving Tier-2 and 3 cities that have shorter runways where the Q-400 can land makes good business sense. ‘‘We see an immense growth opportunity on those sectors,’’

says SpiceJet CEO Neil Raymond Mills. SpiceJet will also start services to two or three destinations in South Asia this year, one of which could be Male in the Maldives, he says. Having turned five last year, SpiceJet has started flights to Kathmandu. Also, the airline has ordered 30 Boeing 737s. ‘‘The aviation sector in India is recovering and business and leisure travel is on the rise. The addition of the 737s will help us expand SpiceJet’s domestic network as well as support the launch of our international destinations.’’ says Mills. ‘‘SpiceJet is already operating a fleet of 737-800s and 737-900ERs. The new 737-800s will be delivered between 2014 and 2019. The Nusli Wadia group-owned GoAir, run by his son Jehangir Wadia, has also chosen the A320neo for its long-term fleet expansion, with a firm order for 72 aircraft. Airbus delivered GoAir’s first A320 in 2007 from its original order of 20 A320s placed in 2006. The airline currently operates ten A320s with an average age of two years making it the youngest fleet in India. It’ll take delivery of the other ten aircraft over the next two years. Says Nikhil Vohra, Managing Director, IDFC Securities: ‘‘The industry looks set to record strong 12-15 percent growth over the next five to six years given strong economic growth prospects, improving airport infrastructure, deeper penetration in Tier-2 cities and low per capita travel. With the current domestic fleet size expected to be calibrated at least for the next few years yields are expected to be stronger as well.’’

IndiGo journey has been extraordinary, owing to our strong, yet agile team, and customers. Our aim has been to provide an on-time, hassle-free, and affordable experience to travellers. —Aditya Ghosh, President, IndiGo

’’

—Neelam Mathews is Contributing Editor, Travel News Digest

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COMMENT TIMELY INTERVENTIONS: Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri, India’s Permanent Representative, at a United Nations Security Council meeting

A Unique Charge In August, India took over the Presidency of the United Nations Security Council focussing international attention on critical issues

n the early hours of August 1, 2011 when India received the mantle of the Presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) from Germany, it marked the end of a nearly two decade-long wait. The last time this responsibility was bestowed on India was in the end of 1992. The world – and India in its wake – has changed tremendously in the interregnum, the Council less so. It was therefore, not surprising, to discern a certain degree of curiosity within the international community and among United Nations (UN) watchers about what an Indian Presidency meant. The fact that the Presidency came calling at a time when most of the UN and large parts of the West were in vacation mode was hardly a dampener. Through the course of human history, August has had more than its fair share of groundbreaking events: the outbreak of the Second World War, the dropping of atomic bombs, the birth of the Indian nation, the Berlin Wall, the start of the First Gulf War in 1991 and, most recently, the conflict between Russia and Georgia in 2008, to name just a few. As far as India is concerned, the Presidency was, in a sense, a high- water mark in its current journey of rediscovery of the Security Council. Besides, these 31 days also afforded India an opportunity to have a closer peek into the unprecedented changes that were taking place in global politics in the last five or six months.

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Just like most things associated with the Council, the Presidency is also a unique entity. Of the six principal organs of the UN, it is only the Council that is not presided over by an ‘elected’ official. The General Assembly elects its own President for each session, as does the Economic and Social Council and the International Court of Justice while the Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. On the other hand, the Presidency of the Council is held in turn by its members in the English alphabetical order of their names with each President holding office for one calendar month. The President presides over the meetings of the Council during the month and represents the Council in its capacity as a principal organ of the UN. The Presidency also oversees enhanced coordination with the Secretary-General on matters relating to international peace and security. In other words, the Presidency is a very important function that each member of the Council discharges, albeit, on a rotation basis, and in addition to its normal day-to-day duties that pertain to the maintenance of international peace and security. Other equally important functions, include, chairing subsidiary bodies and working groups. But the Presidency is unique in that it is a responsibility that each of the 15 members have to discharge without exception. The question of whether the Presidency of the Council is a

important meetings for the month of August were periodic briefings, for instance, on the situation in the Middle East; on Libya, where India is interested in exploring the possibility of a cessation of hostilities as mandated in the Security Council Resolution 1973; on renewing the mandates of existing UN Peacekeeping Operations, such as the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. The August 10 meeting on the situation in Somalia afforded the international community an opportunity to address one of the most challenging threats to international security and maritime trade in recent years, namely, the problem of piracy and the taking of hostages off the coast of Somalia. India contributes around 7 percent of the world’s merchant mariners and we have an abiding interest in their safety and security. So far the main focus of our concerted efforts has been to protect ships from pirate attacks and on issues related to prosecution and punishment of pirates. The adoption of Resolution 1976 on April 11, 2011, which India co-sponsored, constituted a time for the country concerned to try and shine the global major landmark since it addressed, for the first time ever, the spotlight on some of its pet national themes has, and will problems of hostages taken by pirates. forever, remain a matter of debate. This is because the person Since the situation in Somalia has seriously worsened with performing the duties of the President wears two hats: one as the recent famine already affecting 2.6 million people, it was the presiding officer and the other as the spokesperson for his important for the international community to come together or her own country. For instance, in July, Germany organised a to ensure that the humanitarian crisis of such epic proportions thematic debate on the security aspects of was effectively addressed. climate change and officiated over the Many other issues received India’s attention. adoption of a resolution on children and When Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri, India’s The adoption armed conflict. The Chinese Presidency, in Permanent Representative read out the of Resolution March, focussed on the situation in Somalia. Presidential statement on Syria at a mid1976 on The linkages between peace, security and afternoon meeting of the Council on August 3, April 11, 2011, development attained pride of place in the it marked the culmination of 48 hours of which India Brazilian Presidency in February; and in June, gruelling diplomatic exchanges. Very clearly, co-sponsored, Gabon focussed on the connections between India was at the centre of this extensive debate. constituted HIV/AIDS and international peace and security. The dynamics of the Council, which for a major India’s choice of peacekeeping as the nearly three months had been deadlocked, landmark. subject of the thematic debate on August 26 underwent a sea change once the IBSA (Indiawas relevant both to the present and the Brazil-South Africa) countries took the initiative future of not only the Council but the UN itself. and succeeded in bringing the West, led by the The fact that India is one of the world’s major troop-contributing USA, UK, France, and Germany, on the one hand, and Russia countries is merely incidental. The future of peacekeeping has and China, on the other, towards an agreement. a bearing on the entire international community and on Africa And, as they say, the rest was history – a history that in particular. India cannot be remiss, nor even be perceived as continued through August under India’s Presidency. —Press Office, Permanent Mission of India, New York such, on this score. Besides the thematic debate, other

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INDIA AND THE WORLD IMPROVING CONNECTIVITY: (clockwise) Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban, the National Assembly Building of Bangladesh in Dhaka created by iconic architect Louis Kahn; cricket fans; Chittagong Port and Finance Minster Pranab Mukherjee flags off a truck carrying goods across the India-Bangladesh border

COMMON

FRONTIERS Deepening bilateral ties underpin relations between the two neighbours TEXT: MANISH CHAND

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AFP

n the picturesque West Garo hills in Meghalaya, India and Bangladesh recently opened their first border haat (local market) amidst an emotional singing of the national anthems of both countries. In late July, as the rolling hills came alive with the sound of folk songs, new chords were struck in the deepening relationship between these two neighbours. These haats, a remnant of the Mughal era, signalled the growing trust and a new pragmatic economic impulse that is driving the two countries to create a dynamic, integrated region. These local markets will not only boost trade between Bangladesh and India’s northeastern states, but will also bring people of the two countries together by providing an outlet to the locally produced commodities. In yet another milestone, Bangladesh’s Commerce Minister Muhammad Faruk Khan reiterated on the same day his country’s decision to provide India and neighbouring countries, Bhutan and Myanmar, access to Chittagong and other ports in Bangladesh. Indeed, during the visit of Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina Wajed to India in January 2010, it was agreed that Bangladesh will allow use of Mongla and Chittagong sea ports for movement of goods to and from India through road and rail. Bangladesh also conveyed their intention to give Nepal and Bhutan access to Mongla and Chittagong ports. The decision was hailed by India which has been pressing Dhaka for more than a decade to allow access to these ports. “We

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THAT ECONOMICS, WHICH IS THE DRIVING FORCE IN BILATERAL TIES, COULD BE SEEN IN THE LANDMARK VISIT OF BANGLADESH’S PRIME MINISTER SHEIKH HASINA WAJED TO NEW DELHI IN JANUARY 2010

AFP

GROWING TIES: (clockwise from above) Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh; President of Bangladesh Zillur Rahman with Vice-President Hamid Ansari; Minister for External Affairs S.M. Krishna with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni and Minister for Commerce and Industry, Anand Sharma with his Bangladeshi counterpart, Muhammad Faruk Khan AFP

welcome the offer of Bangladesh to use Chittagong and other ports. This will, no doubt, provide tremendous benefit for trade and development of Bangladesh as well as the Northeast,” India’s Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said. Earlier in July, during the visit of External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna to Dhaka, India and Bangladesh completed formalities to bring into force a bilateral investment protection treaty and signed another pact on allowing Bhutanese vehicles 200 metres into Bangladesh through the Indian territory. The opinion makers in Dhaka are delighted. “We need more foreign investments. India’s investment here is expected as Bangladesh is its next-door neighbour,” said Ahsan Mansur, executive director of Policy Research Institute, a Dhaka-based think tank. On its part, India feels improved connectivity with Bangladesh holds the key to the prosperity of its northeastern states. “We are also looking at the market in the Northeast. From the Northeast’s point of view, it is easier and cheaper to get goods from Bangladesh than India,” says Rajeet Mitter, India’s High Commissioner to Dhaka. “This has been demonstrated in a number of cases. For instance, I have noticed that in Tripura, the State Government has sourced furniture from Bangladesh for many of its new buildings.” All these trends reflect a paradigm shift in a relationship in which trade and business override national sentiments. That economics, which is the driving force in the bilateral ties, could be seen in the landmark visit of Sheikh Hasina Wajed in early 2010. The warmth that surrounded the visit was bolstered by a genuine desire to address each other’s needs and concerns. It was during that visit, India unveiled a USD 1 billion Line of Credit, the largest ever one-time bilateral grant New Delhi has given to any country. It also announced a slew of new initiatives, including connecting electricity grids that will supply 250 MW of power to Bangladesh. In another significant step, Bangladesh signed three counter-terror pacts, promising not to allow its territory to be used by anti-India insurgents. It is with this subtext of good neigbourliness that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh goes to Dhaka in September, making it the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister after six years. Sheikh Hasina, a firm believer in the India-Bangladesh friendship, has said that the people of Bangladesh are looking forward to the Indian Prime Minister’s trip which has an all-embracing agenda. Besides giving a fresh impetus to the implementation of projects, including supply of locomotives and buses, identified under the USD 1 billion Line of Credit, the two sides are expected to seal an interim deal on sharing the waters of Teesta and Feni rivers and pursue an agreement on demarcating the land border.

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SHARED HISTORY, SHARED PASSIONS When Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during her visit to New Delhi the two leaders not only discussed the sharing of Teesta river water and terrorism, but they also talked fondly about poets, Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam who sang of the unity of minds and hearts. The two leaders agreed to celebrate jointly the 150th birth anniversary of Tagore, the globally revered poet, whose poems both countries have adopted as their respective national anthems. Dhaka kicked off the Tagore celebrations on May 6, this year in the presence of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina and Indian Vice-President Hamid Ansari. The next day Dr Manmohan Singh launched the festivities in New Delhi rekindling throughout India an interest in the Bengali writer’s novels, music, plays, poems and paintings. Given the shared history and language, cultural exchanges are a key component of Indo-Bangla relations. The thrust areas are music, theatre, movies, art, paintings and books under a three-year bilateral Cultural Exchange Programme signed in 2010. The Indian Council of Cultural Relations gives 100 scholarships to Bangladeshi students every year to study in India. —MC

MUSIC, THEATRE, MOVIES, ART, PAINTINGS AND BOOKS ARE THE THRUST AREAS UNDER A THREE-YEAR BILATERAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMME SIGNED IN 201O

Three Ts

AFP

MEMORABLE JOURNEYS: At the Kolkata station, railway workers decorate Maitree (Friendship) Express, a Kolkata-Dhaka train

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The focus will be on three Ts — trade, transit and transport — that are set to underpin this burgeoning relationship in days to come. Pacts relating to transit, import of power from India, joint venture power generation, cooperation in security, education, culture and trade liberalisation are also on the cards. “We value the close friendship with Bangladesh and we must step up cooperation. The Prime Minister’s visit will be an opportunity not just to take stock of what has been achieved but also to chart the future,” says the Indian envoy. Trade imbalance, a prickly issue at the best of times, is now getting addressed with renewed vigour. Bangladeshi exports to India have increased by 56 percent in the first ten months of 2010-11. The annual duty free quota for export of garments from Bangladesh to India has been raised from 8 to 10 million pieces. People-to-people contacts are flourishing, with the Indian High Commission in Dhaka issuing around 2,000 visas every day. In key steps that are set to expand economic and development partnership, India will sell 500 MW of electricity to Bangladesh that is reeling under a power crunch and half of this will be available by the end of 2012 or early 2013. India has also agreed to set up a 1,320 MW coal-based thermal power plant in Bangladesh’s southern Khulna area. Border crossing points are set to be modernised, further easing trade movement. The bilateral ties are clearly on an upward trajectory. It is in this spirit that the Sheikh Hasina-led Government recently presented Bangladesh’s Swadhinata Sammanona, the country’s highest State honour, posthumously to Indira Gandhi for her critical role in the Liberation War. Congress president Sonia Gandhi travelled to Dhaka to receive this highly prestigious award. “I feel the India-Bangladesh relationship is at a historic juncture. We must seize this opportunity and establish a sustainable win-win path,” says Mahfuz Anam, the influential editor and publisher of The Daily Star, the largest circulated English daily in Bangladesh. When Dr Manmohan Singh goes to Dhaka next month, he will be determined to keep relations on this positive path, opening new frontiers of cooperation, dovetailing the surging aspirations of Bangladesh — one of the world’s 11 emerging economies according to a Citibank report — with the sturdy growth trajectory of India, thus giving the neighbouring country a bigger stake in the fortunes of an emerging Asian power. —Manish Chand is Senior Editor, IANS

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DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIPS

Grand

UNDER THE ITEC PROGRAMME, APTECH HAS BEEN CONDUCTING 8 TO 10 WEEK-LONG COURSES IN WEB DESIGNING, ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND IT SKILLS FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS OR SO.

Designs

From all corners of the globe students gather to learn the technicalities of web design TEXT: MEENAKSHI KUMAR

n a building in South Delhi, a group of youngsters is poring over a computer. They are learning designing and it’s clear they are enjoying it. Part of the Ministry of External Affairs’ Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme, they are enrolled with Aptech Limited. The ITEC programme, instituted in 1964, aims to share India’s technological achievement with other developing countries. Under the ITEC programme, Aptech has been conducting 8 to10 week-long courses in web designing, English language and IT skills for the last five years or so. This year there are 11 batches and web designing is one of the most sought after courses. Tapiwa T. Hwandih from Zimbabwe completed the certificate course last year. Back in Zimbabwe, he wrote to the institute about his fruitful experience. ‘‘When I came back from India, I wanted to pursue a diploma in web design and visited some colleges. Instead, the colleges requested me to come and teach web design. To my surprise, the concepts we covered at Aptech were more advanced than the diploma which they were offering at some local colleges. I commend you for the knowledge you gave me,’’ he writes. Sonia Narula, Vice-President, Corporate Affairs, Aptech Limited, is flooded with emails, expressing gratitude and requests for a return. Of course, a return is not possible as one can apply for an ITEC course only once. ‘‘The kind of exposure they get here is unparalleled. Coupled with that is the attention they receive which leaves them impressed,’’ she says. The current batch has 19 students from countries such as Laos, Uzbekistan, Gambia, Egypt and Cuba. The ten week-long

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certificate course is intensive. It gives the learner basic knowledge and skills of web designing. Durdona Sobirova, a university teacher from Uzbekistan, had heard about the course from her friends who had been here before. With limited access to a similar course in Uzbekistan, she was keen to pursue it in India. Besides, she wanted to visit India, the land of the Taj Mahal. A month into the course, she says: ‘‘I am confident of making my own website now.’’ For Yudeisy Salazar Benitez, a software programmer from Cuba, the course is an added qualification. Once she has learnt the bit about graphic art, she can help design her company’s website. Many others have the same aim. Among them is Bhakta Chhetri, a technical staffer in the Nepal police. “I am sure my inputs to the official website of the Nepal police will be considered invaluable,” he says. Ida Drammeh, a record supervisor from Gambia, has fallen in love with the country. She definitely wants to return to learn more about web designing and also to see this ‘‘vast and beautiful country’’. Says Renier Gonzalez Hernandez, a software programmer from Cuba: ‘‘I have told them (my friends back in Cuba), you’ll love both the country and the course.” The Government takes good care of all students in India under the ITEC programme. During their stay every detail is taken care of. Says Narula: ‘‘We become like one big family here. Little things like a stomach upset or a tiff with a fellow colleague are all shared and dealt with. What’s best about the ITEC programmes is that it wins so many goodwill ambassadors.’’ n

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REVIEWS

MIXING CULTURES: (clockwise from left) Beyond Gods by Riyas Komu; Orlan standing in front of her work Draps-peaux hybridés; L’Installation by Philippe Ramette; Tejal Shah’s You Too Can Touch the Moon

AN EVENING IN

PARIS Paris-Delhi-Bombay, an exhibition in the French capital, explores contemporary Indian society and is a bridge between Indian and French cultures

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TEXT: SUDHA ANANTHARAMAN

aris-Delhi-Bombay, like the Centre Pompidou in which it is being held, is big, bold and brash. The exhibition, running until September 19 at the Centre, located in Paris, explores Indian society through the works of more than 50 Indian and French artists. On display is their take on politics, urban environment, religion, identity and artisanal arts using multiple forms of expression such as film, photography and the plastic arts. Most of India’s contemporary artists are represented. At the core of the well-conceived layout is Ravinder Reddy’s Tara, a giant bust of an Indian woman. Atul Dodiya’s Mahalakshmi, a painting of the Goddess Lakshmi on a shopkeeper’s roller door to bring him prosperity, hides a rather macabre image of the

collective suicide of three sisters whose family is unable to pay dowry. N. Pushpamala addresses the need for emancipation through the medium of photography; she uses well-known French iconic images with slanted Indian references. Nalini Malani’s Remembering Mad Meg uses a system of video and shadow theatre inspired by Indian glass painting and Dulle Griet by Bruegel the Elder. Krishnaraj Chonat’s My Hands Smell of You addresses the problem of India being used as a dumping ground for toxic waste by the West. His other work is an installation done with bars of sandalwood soap. Shilpa Gupta’s Half Widow and Amar Kanwar’s The Scene of Crime, a cinematic installation set in Orissa, focus on the how industrial speculation is posing a threat

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A Different Take on India: (clockwise from left) Remembering Mad Meg by Nalini Malani; Ravinder Reddy’s Tara; Atul Dodiya’s Charu; Ali Baba 2011 by Subodh Gupta; Nikhil Chopra’s Broken White II

THE EXHIBITION EXPLORES INDIAN SOCIETY THROUGH THE WORKS OF INDIAN AND FRENCH ARTISTS

to ecological balance and rural population. The photographs of Vivan Sundaram’s Barricade With Mattress and Barricade With Two Drains, made of bricks, pipes, bottles, jars, mud, cardboard and glass, are a comment on recycling and environmental and social problems. A similar theme is dealt with by Hema Upadhyay in Think Left, Think Right, Think Low, Think Tight, a representation of Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum in Mumbai. Tejal Shah’s untitled work is on sexual violence perpetrated by people in authority; Sunil Gupta’s photo book portrays a homosexual liaison in an all-men Parisian sauna and reflects on homophobia and HIV/AIDS issues. Thukral and Tagra have

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addressed the same issues in their work that shows amorous couples from Khajuraho in a bedroom setting, half covered with a crumpled canvas with instructions on how to use condoms. Subodh Gupta’s Ali Baba 2011 is a huge installation of a shop stocked with stainless steel vessels, it is a satirical take on too many vessels but no food. The French artists have also taken up similar issues. Among them are L’Installation (Place publique d’intérieur) by Philippe Ramette, which shows a girl clambering onto a pedestal; it serves as a metaphor for the future of women in India. Leandro Erlich’s Le Regard work is a Parisian bedroom through one

window of which one can see images of a street in Mumbai while through the other — a real window — the streets of Paris. The message is that life everywhere in the world is as mundane as anywhere else. Curators of the exhibition, Sophie Duplaix and Fabrice Bousteau, say: ‘‘The originality of the approach adopted for this exhibition lies in the confrontation of work by Indian artists with that of French colleagues, who were offered the opportunity to consider the contemporary life of a country that most of them knew through an imagery but today has lost most of its relevance.’’ The curators add that more than two-thirds of the

works were produced specifically for the event. ‘‘The French artists who visited India for the first time to produce their works led to viewing it with ‘fresh eyes’,’’ they say. While most exhibitions on India focus on the country’s 5,000-year-old culture, the Centre Pompidou looks at contemporary India, a land of profound change which still holds on to its glorious past. Art historians and curators as well as sociologists, political scientists, philosophers and anthropologists from the two countries worked together for several years to make the exhibition possible. Other attractions include lectures, performances and screenings around the main exhibition. n

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VERBATIM

‘‘Readers are yearning for something meaningful’’ What determines your choice of subjects? I have always believed that as a writer you should write about things that are of interest to you. You must write the kind of book that you want to read. And that has always been my credo, to follow my own interests, to follow my own ideas and to follow them to their rightful conclusion. And it is deeply gratifying for me that these books have found huge audience around the world.

Do you think there is a captive audience for the contemporary Indian novel? I do find this time extremely compelling. But then to write about here and now, that isn’t particularly compelling to me at this point.

What according to you dictates a book’s success? When I was writing The Glass AS A WRITER Palace I thought who on Earth is YOU SHOULD going to read this book because WRITE ABOUT it is about Indian migrants in THINGS THAT ARE Burma. Strangely, the book has a OF INTEREST TO continually growing audience YOU. YOU MUST even today. Again, my last two WRITE THE KIND books are about obscure sorts of OF BOOK YOU things and they too seem to have WANT TO READ. found a wide audience. My newest book, River of Smoke, is 530 pages-long and it is about 19th century China. I think there is a yearning for something meaningful, something that takes you to a different sort of an experience.

Are you surprised by the popularity of your books? My books are not easy books [to read]. They are not about the sort of things that make for popularity; they are not the easy-to-pick-up kind of books. But then that’s probably what brings people to them. Many writers seem to think that the way to write a successful book is to give people what they want. But then who knows what they want? And I don’t think they know what they want.

How do you go about your work? My kind of writing involves a lot of hard work. I am a slow writer. It takes me a lot of time to write every page. History interests me greatly, but then it is not that I first research into a time and place and then start writing the novel. When my characters lead me, then I start looking for, reading, researching and imagine situations and movement of characters. n

Why do you think Indian English fiction has become the toast of the literary world? I don’t think it is only fiction from India. There is an equal interest in Chinese, South American and even Pakistani fiction. India, however, is one of the places where a lot of interesting books are being written.

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AFP

eginning with The Circle of Reason in 1986, Amitav Ghosh, 55, has authored seven novels and five collections of essays. The Kolkata-born writer is recipient of one of the country’s highest civilian honours, the Padma Shri. His most-recent release, River of Smoke, is the second book in what is known as the Ibis Trilogy. An epic-historical novel, River of Smoke, follows the destiny of its lead characters in the crowded harbours of Canton in China. The story plays out against the backdrop of the Opium Wars that were fought between China and the British Empire over trade and diplomatic relations. In the Capital for the launch of River of Smoke, Amitav Ghosh spoke to Suresh Kohli. Excerpts.

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