India Perspectives March 2012

INDIA VOL 25 NO. 12 MARCH 2012

PERSPECTIVES

INSIDE

FESTIVAL

Colours of Revelry

PROFILE

The Missile Woman

PARTNERSHIPS India-ASEAN Ties

INDIA THIS MONTH

MARCH 2012

March 8

DANGS DARBAR Hundreds of tribals in traditional attire from across the district gather for the three days of festivity, which include music, dance and drama.

Where: Ahwa, Gujarat

March 1-7

THE INTERNATIONAL YOGA FESTIVAL One of the largest yoga gatherings in the world, it offers classes by eminent teachers.

On its sidelines are discussions and vegetarian cooking lessons.

Where: Parmarth Niketan Ashram, Rishikesh

March 25

March 7

JAIPUR ELEPHANT FESTIVAL On the eve of Holi, the festival of colour, elephants are decorated and paraded around the city. A polo game and a tug-of-war between the animals and people are the other attractions.

Where: Jaipur, Rajasthan

March 7

March 2

CHAPCHAR KUT It is one of the oldest festivals of Mizoram, a state in the north-east of the country. Also known as the Festival of Joy, it celebrates the arrival of spring. Highlights are the cheraw or bamboo dance performed by women.

Where: Mizoram

ELEPHANTA FESTIVAL Eminent classical dancers and musicians perform against the backdrop of the Elephanta Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Where: Elephanta Island, Mumbai

March 8

VASANT UTSAV During this spring festival, introduced by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore at Visva-Bharati University, students smear each other with coloured powders and take part in dance and music performances.

Where: Santiniketan, West Bengal

ATTUVELA MAHOTSAVAM During this annual water carnival, the Moovattupuzha river comes alive with a procession of illuminated canoes carrying colourful replicas of the Elankavu temple.

Where: Vadayar, Kottayam

March 25-26

March 9

HOLLA MOHALLA Started by Guru Govind Singh, it is marked by displays of martial arts.

Poetry readings and music competitions are part of this Sikh festival.

Where: Anandpur Sahib and Kiratpur Sahib in Punjab

GANGAUR FESTIVAL In Jaipur, a sweet called ghewar is typical of the festival. Women accompany a clay image of Goddess Gauri in a procession through the city, which is finally immersed in water.

Where: All over Rajasthan

editorial note arch 8 is observed as International Women’s Day the world over. It celebrates women and lauds their economic, political and social achievements. It is an occasion to review how far women have come in their struggle for equality, peace and development. In India, the endeavour to ensure a better world for women is not about one day on the calendar; it is a continuous commitment.

Increasingly, Indian women are striding out to meet new challenges and breaking glass ceilings that have hindered their growth in the past. All over the country, women with access to health, education and productive resources are achieving success and are walking into varied professional spaces – from boardrooms and newsrooms to laboratories and Parliament. Unfortunately, their sisters from the weaker sections of society and from the rural areas continue to exist on the margins. Hopefully, this too will change, and change soon. In this issue, to mark Women’s Day, we profile Tessy Thomas, project director of India’s ongoing strategic weapons programme, Agni V. Coincidently, Holi, India’s festival of colours is being celebrated on March 8 as well.

This spring festival is celebrated with great gusto, especially in north India. Herald of the season is the tesu (flame of the forest) flower; in full bloom it turns the forests a fiery orange.

The flower has inspired many songs and poems written by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, and is an intrinsic part of spring celebrations in Santiniketan, where Visva-Bharati, a university founded by Tagore, is located. The cover story in this issue captures the colour and vibrancy of the festival.

A hundred and fifty years ago a boy was born in Kolkata, he was named Narendranath Dutta. Those who watched him take his first steps could not have known that one day he would propel Vedanta and Yoga on to the world stage and come to be known as Swami Vivekananda. He was only 30 years old when he addressed the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893. Quoting from the Bhagvada Gita he told the gathering, ‘‘As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take, through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee. He died before he could reach his 40th birthday, but by then he had established the Ramakrishna Mission, which even today works tirelessly in the spheres of healthcare, disaster relief and education. A feature in this issue is a tribute to the great philosopher.

Happy Holi.

M

Navdeep Suri

MARCH 2012 INDIA PERSPECTIVES

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INDIA

PERSPECTIVES March 2012 VOL 25 No. 12/2012

Editor: Navdeep Suri Assistant Editor: Abhay Kumar MEDIA TRANSASIA TEAM Editor-in-Chief: Maneesha Dube Creative Director: Bipin Kumar Desk: Urmila Marak Editorial Coordinator: Kanchan Rana Design: Ajay Kumar (Sr. Designer), Sujit Singh Production: Sunil Dubey (DGM), Ritesh Roy (Sr. Manager) Brijesh K. Juyal (Pre-Press Operator) Chairman: J.S. Uberoi 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

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.

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AFP

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.

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COVER STORY

COLOURS OF REVELRY Eminent personalities recount their favourite Holi memories

MARCH 2012

Essay: Guiding Light

14

Profile: Tessy Thomas

20

Snapshots: Kalachakra

22

Global Perspectives: India-ASEAN Ties

30

Partnerships: An Incredible Learning Experience

34

Travel: Pearls, Palaces and Paradise

36

REVIEWS:

22

An Affair with Craft

42

Film: On the Wings of Courage

44

Art: India Art Fair

45

Verbatim: Narain Karthikeyan

46

36

46

COVER PHOTO: MYRIAD OF COLOURS COVER DESIGN: BIPIN KUMAR

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COVER STORY

COLOURS OF

REVELRY

Holi, the festival of colours, is an occasion to have fun with friends and family. A harvest festival, it is celebrated all over the country with bonfires and bonhomie. As we drench ourselves in songs and celebrations, some eminent personalities recount their favourite Holi memories

Gulzar A lyricist,scriptwriter, he won the Oscar for the Best Original Song Jai Ho in the film Slumdog Millionaire.

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Holi is hindustani rang (the colour of India). It is about colours. It is bahaar (spring) in our cultural ethos. We burn bonfires the day before Holi, symbolic of burning of a demon, Holika, which is the mythological base of this festival, signifying the victory of good over evil. Green chana (fresh chickpeas) and heads of wheat are roasted in the bonfire and eaten. Holi is also about beauty and aesthetics. The red colour of gulal (coloured powder) is considered very auspicious. Then there is the orange of tesu ke phool (flame of the forest). Holi is also about emotions.

Holi has nothing to do with religion. It’s always been about culture like Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi. I remember my mother tying rakhi (a sacred thread) on the wrists of some of my father’s Muslim friends because it symbolises protection and care. Holi spreads the message of a harmonious and colourful society. It is also the festival of love, the time when people shed their inhibitions. At home, we eat jalebi-samosa (popular sweets and savouries). Bhaang, a beverage made from the leaves and buds of the cannabis plant, makes for a heady drink. The road outside my house is soaked in the colours of the day.

Actors Rani Mukherjee and Aamir Khan in a still from Mangal Pandey

Holi celebrations at Mathura

Deepika Govind Fashion Designer

Debashish Bhattacharya Guitarist

Holi brings with it colours and jubilation. It is this spirit that I have incorporated in some of my collections. The spirit of this spring festival lies in the feeling of love and romance and embodying them in the form of colourful motifs helps to recreate the magic. My most memorable Holi was in Chennai, where I was a student in a hostel. The girls on my floor decided to initiate me into the ritual. When I returned from my morning walk on the campus, I was greeted with a shower of water. I was opportunely poised at the foot of the stairs, conversing with a firstyear student and a bucket of water came down on my head from above. And I stood drenched. But in the true hostel spirit, my friends rallied forces, and quickly gathered artillery. And all of us fired back with colours. Soon it was a hilarious battle between the floors with everyone drenched in colour and laughter by lunchtime.

Holi has always been an occasion to sing and dance. It is a festival that breaks boundaries between religions and cultures. Traditionally, dhrupad, dhamar and hori songs were sung during the celebrations of spring. The love between Radha and Krishna is central to the music of Holi. We have many songs centring on them even in khayal and light classical genres. The bandishi thumris such as Dekho ali hori khelata Nandalal re (Come see Krishna play Holi) have enthralled music lovers for centuries. The spirit is best expressed in the ragas of spring such as the quintessential Basant Bahar, Paraj Basant and Kedar.

Riddhima Kapoor Sahni Fashion designer and socialite

Holi has been played for a long time at the R.K. Studios in Mumbai.

My grandfather, actor Raj Kapoor, brought together the entire family on this occasion. An artificial pool was created in which all the men were dunked. Lezim, a folk dance of Maharashtra in which dancers carry a musical instrument that has small jingling discs, was performed all day. The highlight was a dance performance by wellknown Kathak dancer Sitara Devi. Celebrations would begin early in the morning and continue till about five or six in the evening.

Family, friends and even distant relatives joined in the fun. There was a lavish spread of mostly Indian food and a good deal of Peshawari cuisine thrown in. And who can forget the sweets?

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Holi is like music and dance. It is celebrated in spring and dance and music are like spring, bringing happiness and colour. The great Sufi saints wrote a lot of poetry on spring. They even danced to celebrate life. In one of my concerts, Beyond Boundaries, I performed to the qawwali, Hori re, written by the famous Pakistani singer, Ustad Shafqat Ali Khan. In this sequence I play Holi with three identities — Krishna, Khwaja Garib Nawaz and Nizamuddin Auliya — each merging into one other. Holi is celebration and that is what Sufi kathak is. It celebrates the mystical union of the soul with the divine. The dance and the song are the colours of love and the soul is drenched in the colour of the Almighty.

Manjari Chaturvedi Sufi Kathak dancer

Alka Raghuvanshi Artist and art Critic

Hazrat Hasan Sani Nizami Descendant of Sufi Saint Nizamuddin Auliya

In the Ragmala, Basholi and Rajput miniature paintings, Krishna is seen playing Holi with Radha and the gopis (milk maids). He sprinkles all with pichkaris (water guns) full of beautiful colours such as the yellow of tesu flowers and the red of vermillion — the colour of fertility, passion, love and life. In Jodhpur, the pagdi (turban) people wear at this time is either yellow or satrangi (one with the colours of the rainbow). Photographers have brilliantly captured the festive spirit. The colours of Holi stretch to the performing arts too.

Sufi saints — Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya and Amir Khusro — loved the festival of Holi. They sang songs in the language of the people.

Famous Mughal emperors — Bahadur Shah Zafar, Shahjahan, Akbar and Jahangir — played Holi. During Bahadur Shah Zafar’s reign, Holi was known as Eid-e-Gulabi (the pink Eid) or Aab-e-Pashi (shower of colourful flowers), and was a time to rejoice for both Hindus and Muslims. The season of spring, when the world around is full of colours, was celebrated by the sufis. Continuing this tradition for the last 700 years, we have a jash-ne-bahaar (festival of spring) at the Nizamuddin Dargah in Delhi. There is a mehfil of sufis, qawwalis and people from all walks of life join the celebrations, which are enriched with flowers, music and dance. This is the time when people bond and forget the things that create barriers.

—With inputs from Ambica Gulati, Tithi Sarkar, Pallavi Singh, Sudipta Biswas

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A shop with a myriad of colours

CUI SINE

FLAVOURS OF

HOLI Sanjeev Kapoor Chef, author and television host

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Holi is a celebration of life, love, happiness and good spirits. The riot of rich colours, combined with high spirits, rejuvenates life on earth. The most colourful of festivals, it falls on the full moon day in the Hindu month of Phalgun, which is the month of March as per the Gregorian calendar. Like every festival, it is associated with many traditional sweets and savouries.

Holi calls for a lot of activity, which leaves one hungry. If one travels across India, one could probably have a taste of various regional sweets.

Come to the Northern states. Holi is a boisterous affair with people coming onto the streets early in the morning. Most prefer to dress in white so that the colours show brightly. You can find groups of friends going from house to house, applying gulal and dousing acquaintances with coloured water from pichkaris (squirters) and shouting ‘‘Holi hai!’’ (it’s Holi!).

One can have gujiyas that are crescent-shaped fried pastries filled with rich mawa (dried whole milk) and nuts. Or one can also have crisp, fried gud paray that are made with flour and coated with jaggery syrup. One can also be offered chilled dahi vadas — fried dumplings made with lentils dunked in sweet yoghurt and covered lavishly with sweet and spicy chutneys. Unbelievably tasty, it is a wonderful nutritious snack and gives the Holi revellers energy to carry on with the festivities.

In Gujarat, Holi is marked with basundi, which is a thick milk dessert flavoured with saffron, nutmeg, sunflower seeds and nuts. This is served after lunch with small soft puris (fried bread). In Maharashtra, puran poli is prepared in most homes. It is a sweet bread, the papery thin covering is filled with a stuffing made with Bengal gram and spices. It is served with melted ghee and relished by all.

A beverage enjoyed all over the country is thandai. It can be in two versions: one that has bhang (cannabis) and one without bhang.

The buds and leaves of the cannabis plant are squashed and ground into a green paste in a mortar with a pestle. Milk, nuts and spices are added.

Sometimes the leaves are added to fried savoury dumplings called pakoras.

So there’s always plenty to eat, drink and be merry about on Holi.

MARCH 2012

A beverage enjoyed all over the country is thandai. It can be in two versions: one that has bhang (cannabis) and one without bhang.

(Clockwise from left) Gujiyas (crescent-shaped fried pastries); thandai (a beverage of milk, cannabis leaves and spices); and dahi vadas (fried lentil dumplings dunked in yoghurt)

ESSAY

Guiding Light India celebrates the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, a man who gave a new meaning to the philosophy of tolerance

BALMIKI PRASAD SINGH

G

reat men are seldom born. It is our sheer good fortune that in a single decade of the 19th century, three great men were born in India: Swami Vivekananda on January 12, 1863; Rabindranath Tagore on May 4, 1861; and Mahatma Gandhi on October 2, 1869. Each one became a formidable figure in his sphere of work: Swami Vivekananda in religion and spirituality, Gurudev Tagore in literature, and Mahatma Gandhi in freedom movement and public life. Swami Vivekananda was the first leader among these three outstanding persons to make a major impact on the Indian consciousness both in his time and thereafter.

Narendranath Dutt (Swami Vivekananda) was born into a Hindu family in Kolkata. During a short span of 39 years he gave a new meaning to the Hindu philosophy of tolerance. He built the Ramakrishna Order to propagate the values of the Vedanta philosophy and to work to spread quality education and healthcare throughout India.

Swami Vivekananda’s contribution has three interrelated perspectives. First, he brought religion to the centre-stage and gave a new meaning to it. Second, he stressed on the need for harmony among faiths. Third, his teaching continues to be of relevance.

A contemporary of Swami Vivekananda, famous

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German thinker Friedrich Neitzsche (1844-1900) made an outstanding statement declaring the ‘death of god’.

Subsequent scholars and writers went on to highlight the fact that people were no longer as interested in God as they were earlier. Swamiji felt that science and rationality were guiding human affairs more decisively than religions. This was not acceptable to him and he went on to give a new meaning to religion.

Swami Vivekananda maintained that service to God should mean service to the poor. Discarding monks and pandits, temples and mosques, churches and satras, which were traditionally the centres for religious dialogues that enjoined on the participants the need to pursue higher values of renunciation and moksha, Swamiji emphasised something new, and that was to help the poor. He coined a new word Daridra Narayana – God in the poor and the lowly – as a religious axiom. Daridra Narayana brought in the sense of duty which was enjoined on men and women to serve the poor if they wanted to serve God. Like Buddha, Swami Vivekananda highlighted the role of rationality in human conduct. He believed that whatever we do must be justified and supported by reason. Man must learn to live with a religion which commends itself to intellectual conscience and to the spirit of rationality.

PHOTO: INDIA PICTURE

The Christian is not to become a Hindu or a Buddhist, or a Hindu or a Buddhist to become a Christian. But each must assimilate the spirit of the others and yet preserve his individuality and grow according to his own law of growth.

Religion should also be the sustaining faith that insists on the intellectual and spiritual development of every human being irrespective of his caste, creed, community, or race. Any religion that divides man from man, or supports privileges, exploitation, and wars cannot commend itself.

Swami Vivekananda emphasised that every religion must serve the poor and should aim at removing poverty, ignorance and disease among the downtrodden. He further stressed that there should be no discrimination between man and woman, between the sects and professions. He, in fact, raised service of the poor to the level of worship, and at that level, harmony among different faiths automatically became a pre-condition.

Such an environment demands reconciliation among human beings. In order to overcome enemies and animosity we need to renounce hatred and cultivate love and compassion for all.

Swamiji’s earnest prayer was, ‘‘May I be born again and again and suffer thousands of miseries, so that I may worship, my God, the miserable, my God, the poor of all races, of all species’’.

Today, it is no longer possible to live an isolated life.

People of different faiths live side by side. It is therefore, necessary to understand each other: their needs and aspirations, faiths and belief practices.

A close examination of Swamiji’s teachings and practices reveals that he thought ahead of his time. His ideas emphasising dialogue among faiths and justification

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for plurality of faiths and belief patterns are of great relevance to today’s strife-torn world.

Swami Vivekananda explained that the Vedanta philosophy was not Brahmanic or Buddhist, Christian or Muslim, but the sum total of all these. In his historic address to the Parliament of Religions in Chicago on September 11, 1893, Swamiji clarified: The Christian is not to become a Hindu or a Buddhist, or a Hindu or a Buddhist to become a Christian. But each must assimilate the spirit of the others and yet preserve his individuality and grow according to his own law of growth.

Swamiji also saw this relevant in the Indian context.

The Indian idea was to make man find the best that he could in his environment, and live up to it in all sincerity.

The Hindu concept has been what was described by Paramahansa Ramakrishna in the form of an aphorism: Jato mat, tato path, meaning, ‘’As many opinions so many ways’’. Swamiji greatly valued plurality of approach in human affairs and spoke against uniformity.

Swamiji was in favour of harmony among religious beliefs and against one religion for all. As Swami Vivekananda records: The greatest misfortune to befall the world would be if all mankind were to recognise and accept but one religion, one universal form of worship, one standard of morality. This would be the death-blow to all religious and spiritual progress.

There are two aspects of Swamiji’s teachings and

(Above) Vivekananda Rock Memorial, Kanyakumari; (below) Swami Vivekananda temple at Belur Math, West Bengal

(Above) Schoolchildren garland Swami Vivekananda’s statue during the 150th birth anniversary celebrations in Ahmedabad; (below) 3, Gour Mohan Mukherjee Street, Kolkata, where the Swami was born

The greatest misfortune to befall the world

would be if all mankind were to recognise and accept but one religion, one universal form of worship, one standard of morality. This would be the death-blow to all religious and spiritual progress.

practice which are of particular relevance to India and the world today.

Swami Vivekananda was one of the great founders of the national freedom movement of India. Many people in his time and later who took an active part in the freedom struggle drew inspiration from him. Persons like Ramakrishna Paramahansa and Swami Vivekananda provided a way of life to the people not only in regard to their spiritual uplift but also in their approach towards society. The stress on rendering service to the poor is not only a social obligation to be discharged but a path of salvation as well.

Indian democracy is facing a serious challenge in view of our inability to keep public servants away from temptations. The Ramakrishna Order set up by Swamiji since its inception has taken care of their members in a manner that they continue to be symbols of integrity and devotion to duty. How has this been accomplished?

The order takes care of every member’s food, clothing, shelter, and healthcare needs. There is considerable equality in treatment in respect of food, clothing and healthcare provisions. It motivates its personnel through training and idealism. On the other hand, political parties do not have any system to support or sustain their active members. Time has come for political parties to draw appropriate lessons from Ramakrishna Order.

We are living in a world which is marked by hatred and violence, terrorism and suicide squads. The terrorists

are using religious slogans to justify their evil deeds. There are many people who believe in the dictum: ‘‘My god is superior to yours’’.

How could a man of religion be a terrorist? How could a religious person join a suicide squad if he believes in service of the poor? Swamiji had answer for all these questions as well as justification for plurality of faiths and harmony among religions.

Swami Vivekananda had rightly declared in the Parliament of Religions: ‘‘If anybody dreams of the exclusive survival of his own religion and the destruction of others, I pity him from the bottom of my heart, and point out to him that upon the banner of every religion will soon be written, in spite of resistance: ‘Help and not Fight’, ‘Assimilation and not Destruction’, ‘Harmony and Peace and not Dissension’.’’

Swami Vivekananda was handsome in looks, in thoughts, and in deeds. Such a combination of beauty is rarely seen in an individual. His short span of life and monumental deeds constitute a rare example of an individual’s earnestness and endeavour in human history.

As India celebrates the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, let us focus on and work for making India a strong nation and an equitable society and the world a better place to live in.

—Balmiki Prasad Singh is the Governor of Sikkim and a distinguished scholar, thinker and public servant. His latest book is Bahudha and the Post-9/11 World.

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PROFILE

It is all

Rocket

Science for the Lady

Dr Tessy Thomas is the first woman at the helm of the country’s strategic weapons project TEXT: LAKSHMI PRABHALA

A

lways dressed in simple, elegant saris and wearing a smile, Tessy Thomas, popularly known as the ‘‘missile woman’’, is the first woman at the helm of the country’s strategic weapons project. In the near future, once India test fires Agni V, she will have propelled the country to an elite group of nations — among them the US, Russia and China — with the ability to produce their own long-range Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).

Thomas, who lives and works in Hyderabad, has been associated with the Agni programme for close to two decades — first as associate project director for Agni III and then as project director for Agni IV and Agni V at the Advanced Systems Laboratory. According to her, Agni IV, India’s most advanced long-range missile, which was successfully test fired last November, was the most challenging. Says she: ‘‘If I had to pick the most challenging phase it would be Agni IV. Totally new from nose-tip to bottom, Agni IV – with a range of 2,500-3,500 km, and a 20-year shift in technology – was realised with a new design, new set up and new testing environment.’’

An engineering graduate from Thrissur Engineering College, in Kozhikode, she was among the 10 persons chosen for the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)-sponsored M. Tech programme on guided missiles. Thomas is an expert in ‘solid system propellants’ which fuel the Agni missiles.

Even as a child, she was interested in physics and

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mathematics, so much so that she would leave no problem unsolved. If she was not a rocket scientist, she would have been happy teaching science or mathematics. ‘‘We are what we are because of our teachers,’’ she says.

For Thomas science has no gender. ‘‘Defence research and development is a knowledge-based field where there is no question of a he or a she. It is of little importance if he said it or she did,’’ she emphasises. She has proved her mettle in the arena of rocket science on the strength of her own merit.

With many honours, including the DRDO Agni Award for Excellence in Self-Reliance (2001) and DRDO Award for Path-Breaking Research/Outstanding Technology Development (2007), to her credit, she is certainly not one to be swayed by her success. She maintains, ‘‘The challenge after achieving growth and success is to sustain it, without getting carried away.’’

The scientist draws inspiration from none other than the “missile man” and former president of India Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, whom she considers her rolemodel. ‘‘When I joined the DRDO, Dr Kalam was the director, and I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from him. He brought about a change in the work culture; insisted one cannot work in isolation and encouraged openness of ideas and sharing of knowledge,’’ she says.

Thomas is an inspiration for all women who aspire to make it big in fields considered the domain of men.

‘‘

Totally new from nose to bottom, Agni IV – with a range of 2,500-3,500 km, and a 20-year shift in technology – was realised with a new design, new set up and new testing environment”

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SNAPSHOTS

KALACHAKRA

Frames of

Faith Bodh Gaya hosts world’s largest Buddhist congregation

TEXT & PHOTOS: VIJAY KRANTI

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Devotees from 60 countries at Kalachakra, Bodh Gaya

B

odh Gaya, the city where Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment 2,550 years ago, was host, earlier this year, to the largest ever congregation of Buddhists in the world. Dalai Lama, a Buddhist leader, gave the Kalachakra initiation to hundreds of thousands of devotees from 60 countries. This was the 32nd Kalachakra since 1954 and the fifth in Bodh Gaya. Other cities where similar events have been held include Washington D.C. last year and Los Angeles, Ulan Bator, Barcelona, Sydney, Graz and Toronto.

Kalachakra, meaning ‘wheel of time’ in Sanskrit, is the highest Buddhist teaching. It opens the gates of Shambhala, an ‘awakening‘ in Buddhist parlance, to a large number of devotees en masse. To guide devotees a Mandala painting which depicts the passage to Shambhala is drawn by a team of monks with fine coloured sand. At the conclusion of the 12-day ceremony, the Mandala is ceremoniously destroyed and the sand

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immersed in a river. When I asked the Dalai Lama the reason for destroying the piece of art, he replied, ‘‘Beauty cannot be a license to permanence. Even the most beautiful thing on earth has to have a specific life span.’’

Another feast for the eyes was on display under the Bodhi Tree. This comprised butter sculptures made by monks from the famous Jonang school of Mahayana Buddhism. Delicately made with butter in endless colours and shades, the sculptures depicted popular events from Buddha’s life and figures of famous Buddhist teachers from the Nalanda tradition.

The Kalachakra at Bodh Gaya was a reflection of the emerging importance of India in the Buddhist world.

Kalachakra initiations by the Dalai Lama in Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh, Leh and Zanskar in Ladakh, Lahaul, Spiti, Tabo, Kalpa and Jispa in Himachal Pradesh, Salugara in West Bengal, Gangtok in Sikkim, Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh, Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh and Bylakuppe in Karnataka have been instrumental in spreading the faith among Buddhist communities across India.

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(Clockwise from extreme left) A butter sculpture made by monks; visitors at Kalachakra

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Monks creating a gigantic sand Mandala; (inset) fine coloured sand for the Mandala

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(Clockwise from extreme left) Richard Gere at Kalachakra; The Dalai Lama; and a devotee

The initiation was conducted in many languages, including Hindi, Sanskrit, Pali, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and English. The proceedings were simultaneously translated and broadcast in 17 languages which included Tibetan, Chinese, Portuguese, German, French, Russian and Japanese. These broadcasts were handled by volunteers who are experienced Dharma practitioners in their respective countries.

For many of the Buddhist devotees, especially those who came from distant Himalayan villages or from overseas, Kalachakra provided a chance to pay tribute to the Dalai Lama, the Mahabodhi Temple and the supreme gurus of their respective sects all at one place.

Ela Gandhi, granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, specially flew in from South Africa to present the Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Reconciliation and Peace to the Dalai Lama.

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (5th from left) and the 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations during the ASEAN-India Summit in Nusa Dua, Indonesia

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

Thriving Ties India and ASEAN celebrate their 20 years of dialogue and 10th anniversary of their summit-level talks TEXT: N.C. BIPINDRA

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AFP

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iving a renewed thrust to its two-decade-old Look East Policy, India has been pushing for greater integration, be it physical connectivity, economic links or cultural and educational ties with the 10-nation Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). To further the objective, India and ASEAN will commemorate 20 years of dialogue and the 10th anniversary of their summit-level talks this year.

The year-long engagement began in February with the Delhi Dialogue-IV, a track 1.5 forum, hosted by the Ministry of External Affairs in association with the Indian Council of World Affairs and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Before the programme culminates at the annual India-ASEAN

summit at the end of the year, there will be meetings of ministers for New and Renewable Energy and Agriculture and an India-ASEAN business fair, apart from high-level meetings on space and culture sectors. Cultural activities, such as the ASEAN-India car rally, are also lined up.

India’s Sail Training Ship, the INS Sudarshini, will undertake an expedition to ASEAN countries along the monsoon trade winds route in September. The ship will touch 18 ports in eight countries before concluding its expedition in April 2013.

The India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement for trade in goods has come into effect in all member states and India following its ratification by Cambodia last August.

The two sides are now working closely to conclude a

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AFP

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during a bilateral meeting at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and India Summit in Nusa Dua; (below) External Affairs Minister of India S.M. Krishna with ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan in New Delhi

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BUSINESS ALLIES India and Thailand, a key ASEAN nation, are set to elevate their business ties by expediting a Free Trade Agreement in goods, services and investments from this June-July; this was decided when Thailand’s first woman prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, came to New Delhi this January as the chief guest on Republic Day. Shinawatra held discussions on bilateral, regional and international issues with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the three-day visit.

During the visit, India and Thailand signed six pacts in defence, security and trade and decided to step up cooperation in combating terrorism and piracy. The agreements included a crucial treaty on transfer of sentenced persons and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defence cooperation. The two nations also signed an agreement on cultural exchange programmes for 2012-14 and an MoU between Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations for setting up a Chair at the India Studies Centre of the university.

Bilateral trade is expected to touch ` 492 billion next year. Indian companies have invested ` 98 billion in Thailand and Thai companies invested nearly ` 49 billion in India. India underlined the need for a bilateral legal framework to deal with non-state actors and subversive elements that pose a common threat to both nations. The nations decided to expedite the ongoing negotiations on an extradition treaty and the mutual legal assistance treaty on civil and commercial matters.

commercially meaningful Services and Investments Agreement. This is expected to create a positive climate for an India-ASEAN Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement as envisaged in the Framework Agreement of 2003. Trade between India and ASEAN witnessed a record increase of 41.8 per cent in 2010 as compared to 2009, and touched ` 2,731 billion mark.

The two sides have set their eyes on achieving their trade target of ` 3,444 billion by the year-end.

At the Ha Noi summit in 2010, India and ASEAN had called for developing a long-term vision for a strategic partnership and constituted the ASEAN-India Eminent Persons Group that is tasked to draft an ASEAN-India Vision 2020 document. Following the successful implementation of the ASEAN-India Plan of Action for 2004-2010, the two sides have adopted an 82-point Plan of Action for 2010-2015.

India has pledged ` 2,460 million to the ASEAN Secretariat for the 2010-2015 Plan and the ASEAN-India Cooperation Fund. Several projects are being implemented under the ASEAN-India Science and Technology Fund.

The two sides have several projects in the pipeline for both land and sea connectivity. These include the India-Myanmar-Thailand Highway that is to be extended to Laos and Cambodia.

A study on a Mekong-India Economic Corridor conducted by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia proposes the linking of corridors in the peninsular, and possibly the Northeast regions of India with the East Asian region. This involves integrating the four Greater Mekong countries — Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam — with India through its east coast, that is by connecting Ho Chi Minh City, Dawei, Bangkok and Phnom Penh with Chennai.

It has been proposed that the way forward is the virtual networks and e-connectivity for which ASEAN and India have the potential to partner each other. India has already offered to assist in the ASEAN Information and Communications Technology Connectivity Master Plan, particularly on the establishment of an e-network in the Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam for telemedicine and tele-education.

In the cultural and educational spheres, seeds have been sown for the revival of the Nalanda University, a major initiative for which India gave a statutory approval in 2010. This university in India is expected to devote a major part of its academic research activity to Buddhist studies, a major religious factor that links India with the ASEAN region.

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PARTNERSHIPS

An Incredible

Learning Experience ICCR scholarships facilitate foreign students to come to India and learn more about the country, its culture and heritage TEXT: MEENAKSHI KUMAR

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AFP

(Facing page) A foreign student learning to play the sitar at Kalakshetra, Chennai; (above) playing Holi at Santiniketan

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very year, thanks to the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), thousands of foreign students get an opportunity to visit India. For over 30 years, ICCR has been offering scholarships to students interested in coming to India to learn about the country’s culture and heritage.

Ali Kamil Jebut, from Iraq, is here on an ICCR scholarship to pursue a Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. A teacher, he has availed of the facility to improve his career prospects. “I was inspired by a friend who had come to India on a similar scholarship and he got a good job after he returned,” he says.

Set up in 1950, ICCR promotes Indian art and culture across the world. Scholarships form a small but significant part of this larger objective: To begin with there were a modest 35 scholarships for training in Indian cultural traditions, now the number has grown to over 3,000 scholarships in various disciplines except medicine. Under its Cultural Scholarship Scheme, ICCR offers 100 scholarships to foreign students to learn about Indian culture. Students can choose to study at recognised cultural institutions such as Santiniketan in West Bengal and Kalakshetra in Chennai or opt for an ancient Indian style of learning and train under the guru-shishya parampara (teacher-student tradition).

In addition, ICCR has a general scholarship scheme – with about 545 slots each year – and scholarships under various cultural exchange programmes and the Commonwealth Scholarship programme, which allows students to study at an Indian university, right from undergraduate courses up to doctoral studies.

ICCR does a lot of country-specific agency work. Says Anita Nayar, Joint Secretary and Deputy Director General, ICCR: ‘‘Around 60-70 per cent of our scholarships are for other agencies. Most of it comes through the Ministry of External Affairs.’’ ‘‘Grants which are country-specific generally have a higher utilisation rate. For instance, 600 scholarships were offered in 2011 to Africa. This year, the number has gone up to 900.

Afghanistan, Africa, Nepal, Bangladesh, Latin America have the maximum takers,’’ says Nayar.

Akelita Marisa Pesega from Tuvalu, the third smallest country in the world, availed of an ICCR scholarship to study Biochemistry at Burdwan University in West Bengal. After she completed her course, she wrote in a newspaper: ‘‘Learning is interesting as resources are available and even if they are not, there are substitutes.’’

Today, the demand to study engineering, management and information technology is rising rather than to learn about Indian arts and culture. Nayar feels that it has more to do with the fact that courses that offer a career prospect are being preferred. Another reason for the plateauing of cultural scholarships in India is that over the years ICCR has opened cultural centres in various countries cutting down the need to travel to India. “So we have not felt the need to expand our original scholarship offering cultural studies,” says Nayar.

Today, over 4,000 students are pursuing different degrees across the country; this is a big achievement for ICCR. Says Nayar: ‘‘Our effort is to make the programme more user-friendly and promote India as a destination for higher education.’’

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TRAVEL

Pearls,

Palaces and Paradise

The area around the Charminar in Hyderabad is a delight for the foodie, shopper and the history buff TEXT: RAMCHANDER PENTUKER

(Previous page) The Charminar; (clockwise from above) Golkonda Fort; Makkah Masjid; Chowmahalla Palace; and tombs of the seven Qutub Shahi rulers at Ibrahim Bagh

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yderabad, the capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh, is the city of nizams, mosques and palaces. Built in1590, it is one of the earliest planned cities in India. The Charminar, an ornate structure with four towers, is its focal point.

Recently, I took a walking tour of the city’s bustling bazaars and alleys. My journey took me to some old buildings, crowded cafes and colourfully stocked shops, which continue to breathe life into the centuries-old history and culture of this place. My starting point: the Charminar. Built in 1591 by Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah, an erstwhile ruler of the region, it is located on the east bank of the Musi river. The ancient clock just above one of its arches shows 8 am. The businesses are yet to open. But the Farasha Cafe, in the shadow of the minarets, is already crowded with the tea-holics. All I can hear as I sit sipping my morning tea is the occasional sound of the bells from the Hindu temple nearby. The cafe is one of the oldest eating joints in the city and serves the best Irani tea.

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Hyderabad is as famous for its Irani tea as it is for its biryani (a dish of rice, meats and spices).

The muezzin can be heard calling the faithful to prayer from the Makkah Masjid nearby. I follow the direction of the sound and enter the masjid’s sprawling courtyard. The city has dozens of mosques, but the Makkah Masjid is the most important. It is believed that the merit of prayers said here match the spiritual benefits of a pilgrimage to Mecca. The mosque gets its name from the fact that the sultan commissioned bricks to be made from soil brought from Mecca and used them to construct the central arch of the structure. The three arches that make up the mosque’s facade have been carved from a single piece of granite, which took five years to quarry.

This part of Hyderabad is a foodie’s paradise. Pista House on Shah Ali Banda road is an excellent place to gorge on a Hyderabadi speciality, haleem (a stew made of meat, pounded wheat, spices and clarified butter). For biryani, head to Hotel Shadab and Madina,

Navigator:

By Air: Hyderabad is well connected to national and international destinations.

By Rail: It is the headquarters for Indian Railway in south India. Regular trains from different states connect Hyderabad to other parts of the country.

By Road: It is well connected to the nearby states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Orissa.

(Clockwise from left) A girl checks out some bangles at a shop in Lad Bazaar; a stones and beads vendor; and an attar shop

not far from the Charminar. During the month of Ramazan, the area comes alive in the evening, with foodstalls mushrooming to cater to those looking to break their fast and offer prayers at the nearby mosques.

It is believed that Hyderabad gets its name from Hyder Mahal, a beloved of Quli Qutb Shah. Hyder Mahal was a title bestowed on Bhagmati, a Hindu peasant girl, Quli married. He built Hyderabad around the village of her birth Chechlam. A legend has it that the Qutub Shahis built a secret tunnel, the location of which is still unknown, connecting the fortress city of Golkonda with the Charminar.

The area is also the centre Hyderabad’s bangle industry. Traditional Hyderabadi bangles, or goots, made of lac and studded with pieces of glass in a myriad different designs and a thousand bewitching colours adorn the shops in Lad Bazaar. Look hard and you may spot an antique from the age of the nawabs. Antiques and local handicrafts are worth taking home.

A short walk from Lad Bazaar takes me to the official residence of the former nizams of Hyderabad, known as the Chowmahalla Palace, which built around the early 1800s. Chowmahalla is said to resemble the Shah of Iran’s palace in Tehran. The lavishness of its interior décor reflects the exotic and extravagant tastes of the Asif Jah monarchy that ruled Hyderabad state for around 200 years up until Independence in 1947.

My journey ends at Madina Hotel. But before I call it a day I nip into a shop selling attar (perfumes). The shelves are lined with tinly glass bottles filled with alcohol-free, natural, oil-based fragrances. Floral attars are very popular, it is said that the favourite of the nizams was jasmine attar.

Hyderabad is known as the City of Pearls for good reason. On my way home, I walk past shops around Gulzar Hauz, each one of them has a king’s ransom worth of pearls in all shapes, sizes and colours. I long to stop, but I guess this pleasure will have to wait for my next visit.

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PHOTOS: ASHWANI VERMA

REVIEW

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An affair with

Craft

The Surajkund Mela is an ideal platform to discover the culture and cuisine of the country TEXT: AASHRUTI KAK

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he music of Assam filled the air at the 26th Surajkund Mela that brought together hundreds of artisans, craftsmen and weavers from across India, SAARC and other countries to showcase their handicrafts for a fortnight beginning February 1. This was because Assam, a state in the North-East of the country, was the theme state for this year’s fair, which is held in Faridabad, near Delhi.

The region is famous for crafts made from cane and bamboo, these include intricately woven baskets and strikingly designed furniture. It also has a rich textile tradition, especially famous are silks like muga and pat. Assam is known all over the world for its tea, and, also, as the home of the onehorned rhinoceros. A life-sized stone replica of the animal was an attraction as was Apna Ghar, a model of a traditional rural Assamese home, complete with a loom, livestock and a bullock cart.

An open-air theatre situated on the fair grounds had performances by folk singers and dancers through the day. Among the highlights were dances from Assam like Bihu, Xatriya and Boata.

Thailand was the partner nation for this year’s event.

Stalls selling crafts from the country made from silk, palm leaves and rattan were popular with visitors. Other countries which had a presence were Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Congo.

The annual Surajkund Mela is a cultural cocktail that is gaining in popularity year after year.

REVIEWS

EXHIBITION

Art of the Matter The India Art Fair provided an opportunity to enjoy works of art from across the globe under one roof

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ficionados, dewy-eyed students, serious buyers and casual visitors were all greeted by colour, craft, sculpture, installation and moving and performance art at the fourth edition of the India Art Fair held in Delhi from January 25-29. The fair, which is among the world’s most attended art fairs, confirmed India as the destination for modern and contemporary art.

On show were ninety-one exhibitors from 20 countries — including Portugal, the UK, Spain, the US, and France — presenting 1,000 of the “most exciting modern and contemporary artists”. The India Art Fair is a, “part of the largest network of art fairs” worldwide, says its founder director Neha Kripal, who announced a collaboration with the Hong Kong International Art Fair and Will Ramsay, founder of the Affordable Art Fair and famed London gallery, Will’s Art Warehouse.

The crowd flocked to see the works of contemporary greats such as M.F. Husain, Yoko Ono, Ravinder Reddy, Bikash Bhattacharya, S.H. Raza, Anish Kapoor, English artist Damien Hirst, Wim Delvoye from Belgium and Waqas Khan from Pakistan.

The fair showcased collections from blue-chip galleries from across India, the rest of Asia, Europe, North and South America, Africa and Australia. Guided gallery walks were popular with the uninitiated; all of whom came away with a greater appreciation of the trends in the world of art. Huge Installations and works in 3-D awed viewers. Film screenings, panel discussions and debates were not restricted to the venue, but were held in galleries scattered all over the city. These helped to build bridges between creators, buyers and critics.

Says Roshini Vadehra of Vadehra Art Gallery: “This is a cultural venue unlike any other for balancing national and —Sudha G Tilak international contemporary art”.

FILM

The Horror of Terror It deals with issues pertaining to global peace and progress, both of which have suffered because of terrorism

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aptain Rajiv Ojha chooses to expand the scope of his 23-minute documentary to take in much larger issues pertaining to global peace and progress, both of which have suffered debilitating blows each time terrorists have struck at the heart of humanity in any corner of the globe.

On the Wings of Courage goes all the way back to the very roots of terrorism that erupted in 18th century Europe fuelled by “feudal suppression of common people” by exploitative monarchies.

Has the civilised done enough to rein in the global terror network? Capt Ojha enlists the considered views of iconic political activists, social thinkers and philosophers of different eras to understand what it is exactly that the present-day perpetrators of terror seek to achieve through their heinous acts.

In the modern era, many nations around the world have been hit by terrorism but few have borne its brunt quite to the extent that India has. So it is in the fitness of things that a significant part of the film turns the spotlight on the sources of terror relevant to the subcontinent. The film spells out how a cynical “distortion of Islam” has yielded a brand of religious extremism that has pushed the world to the edge.

Paul Wilkinson, one of the world’s leading experts on terrorism who passed away last August, poses a pertinent and chilling question: How long can a liberal nation remain liberal in the face of repeated terrorist attacks?

Indeed, if peace remains elusive in a world plagued by terror, desperate counter-measures might only make the world a more bloodied place.

ON THE WINGS OF COURAGE Genre: Documentary Running Time: 23 minutes Director: Captain Rajiv Ojha Producer: Public Diplomacy Division, Ministry of External Affairs

AFP

YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VprXqaR6B8Q&feature=relmfu

—Saibal Chatterjee is a film and media critic

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VERBATIM

“The Indian Grand Prix was a surreal experience”

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ormula 1 driver, Narain Karthikeyan, 35, has put India on the world map of motor sport. Last year, at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, he was the only Indian on the grid. Karthikeyan, who made his F1 debut in 2005, has won two races in the A1GP and is the first Indian to race in the Le Mans Series in 2009.

He is busy preparing for the 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship, which is scheduled to begin later this month. He spoke to Urmila Marak on life on the fast track.

In a country where racing is practically non-existent, you have become an F1 driver. Comment.

Making it to FI was an uphill task. I had to go through the ranks that European drivers go through, starting with the British F3 championship. It wasn’t until 2005 that things fell in place, including the funding to compete in a full season of Formula 1.

What was it like to race at the Buddh International Circuit in the first-ever Indian Grand Prix?

It was a surreal experience. The feeling was different from the other races I’ve been to. I was overwhelmed and the first few laps of the practice session were incredibly special.

Just before the race, during the drivers’ parade, the crowd was rooting for me. Cricket idol Sachin Tendulkar came to the grid to wish me luck and it was really motivating. I was able to drive a good race, despite a few hitches. It was definitely one of the high points of my career – right up there with my first F1 race at Melbourne in 2005.

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Motor sport is fast gaining popularity in India, what needs to be done to groom young drivers?

Post-the Indian Grand Prix, the number of enthusiasts has gone up, but many forget that racing begins at a grassroots level. Only the most determined drivers are able to progress through the domestic ranks and onwards. We have some training academies, but they are not enough.

With the Buddh International Circuit in the north and two other race tracks in the south, young people have greater access to world-class facilities. To produce drivers of international quality, we need purpose-built racing facilities, modern racing machinery and professional guidance. Once these things are in place, transition to international racing will be easier.

Can other sports find a place in the hearts of our cricket-loving nation?

Always, India has been a sport-loving nation, even if a majority of its affection is reserved for cricket in the past few decades. But things are changing now and there is a lot of scope for athletes from other fields to go professional. Now, we also have more corporate support.

I also see parents encouraging their children to take up sports at school. The basis of excellence in any sport is simple – the earlier, the better.

What do you do if you are not on the racing tracks?

I enjoy tennis, watch movies and take an interest in wildlife whenever I get the opportunity.

AFP