Ip jan feb 2013

INDIA VOL 26 NO. 9 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2013

PERSPECTIVES

INSIDE

RIVERS A journey across India

PHOTO FEATURE Vibrant Pushkar

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit

POTPOURRI CHANTING IS HERITAGE

CHOWMAHALLA GETS A LIBRARY

The Buddhist chanting of Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir has entered UNESCO’s 2012 List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The chanting — orchestrated musical recitation of sacred texts — shares the list with 27 cultural traditions from across the world.

AFP

Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad has now got a heritage library. The library, with around 10,000 books, including the personal collection of the Asaf Jahi Nizams and on subjects such as literature, medicine and Islamic culture, has a natural vintage look.

CHANDNI CHOWK @ GOOGLE Over 2,500 businesses in Delhi’s iconic Chandni Chowk market are now online with their own website as part of an initiative by Google. The listed 5,000-plus businesses, including suppliers, exporters and wholesalers, can be reached at www.chandnichowknowonline.in

WALK THROUGH CST Mumbai’s world heritage monument, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) building has been opened officially to visitors. The visitors now have access to the Heritage Gallery, Star Chamber, Grand Staircase Lounge on second floor and Forecourt. Souvenirs embossed with photographs of the iconic CST will also be on sale.

A TRIBUTE TO TEXTILES To celebrate the textile heritage of India, Cottage Emporium organised an exhibitioncum-sale of textiles, Timeless Threads, in six Indian cities from December 19 to January 27.

Dedicated to the authentic textiles from Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat, it showcased apparel, accessories and home linen.

JAIN HERITAGE WALK Ahmedabad-based City Heritage Centre and Jain International Trade Organisation has introduced a special walk covering 33 Jain monuments in the city. The 2-km walk includes 13 temples which will be shown from inside and around 20 Jain heritage structures. The walk will gradually cover the rest of the monuments.

AFP

EDITORIAL NOTE

he statistics are astounding. A hundred million devotees are expected to visit Allahabad, in Uttar Pradesh, during the Maha Kumbh to seek the blessings of India’s most venerated river, Ganga. Considering that the estimate includes a million foreign visitors, the event now is global and one of the greatest spectacles of faith on earth. Besides many evidences of how sacred rivers are to India and its civilisation, the streams are a blessing to the land, bonding people with nature, heritage with development, serenity with turbulence, and life with death. With an objective to witness and celebrate their life and glory, we ventured out on an enchanting journey with the six most important rivers of India — Ganga, Yamuna, Tapti, Narmada, Kaveri and Krishna — from the point of their origin to the point they culminate.

Talking of journey, one recalls the remarkable point made by famous poet Rainer Maria Rilke, when he said, “The only journey is the journey within.” Our maiden edition of 2013 takes its readers on one such spiritual journey. And who could be a better guide in this than Gautam Buddha? In Buddha’s Trail, we follow the footsteps of Lord Buddha, observing how the key destinations in his quest of Nirvana have transformed over centuries.

The double edition also has in store a tribute to sitar legend Pandit Ravi Shankar by his disciple and artist Shubhendra Rao, profiles of heritage centres such as Salar Jung Museum, in Hyderabad, and villages of Khotachiwadi, Mhaterpakadi and Ranwar, in Mumbai. The edition is also a visual, literary and leisure delight with dedicated features on Pushkar in Rajasthan, literature festivals of India, and International Kite Festival in Gujarat.

In this issue, we also cover the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit 2012, New Delhi, an event that marked an apogee of two decades of India’s Look East policy and defining milestones in New Delhi’s burgeoning relationship with the ASEAN. In our section, Outreach, we cover the 2nd Annual Convention of International Relations’ Scholars, held in December 2012. Supported by the Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, the event presented the scholars an opportunity to discuss a vast variety of themes and interact with policymakers.

Marking the onset of 2013, the edition wishes its readers a wonderful year ahead. As always, we value your feedback. Please keep writing in.

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Riva Ganguly Das

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INDIA

PERSPECTIVES

January-February 2013 VOL 26 No. 9/2013

Editor: Riva Ganguly Das Assistant Editor: Ashish Arya

MEDIA TRANSASIA TEAM Associate Editor: Jyoti Verma Senior Sub Editor: Aashruti Kak Creative Director: Bipin Kumar Editorial Coordinator: Kanchan Rana Design: Ajay Kumar (Assistant Art Director), Sujit Singh (Visualiser) 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

India Perspectives is published every month in Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, English, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Pashto, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Sinhala, Spanish, Tamil 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 Riva Ganguly Das, Joint Secretary, Public Diplomacy Division, New Delhi, 0145, 'A' Wing, Jawahar Lal Nehru Bhawan, New Delhi-110011 Tel: 91-11-49015276 Fax: 91-11-49015277 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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Potpourri

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Rivers: Streams of bliss

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Global Perspectives: ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit

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Outreach: International Relations Convention

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Buddha’s Trail: Divine soul search

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Tribute: Sitar legend Pandit Ravi Shankar

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Photo Feature: Pushkar

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Heritage: Mumbai villages

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Treasure: Salar Jung Museum

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Profile: Auto entrepreneur

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Past time: International Kite Festival

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Legacy: Music from the desert

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Erudition: Celebration of literature

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Exhibition: Rediscovering India

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Review: Colours of SAARC

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Verbatim: Gurcharan Das

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COVER PHOTO: A DECORATED CAMEL AT PUSHKAR, RAJASTHAN COVER DESIGN: BIPIN KUMAR

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RIVERS

STREAMS OF BLISS

Emerging as a trickle and continuing their long journey across India, rivers are goddesses to be worshipped and lifeline for multitudes. India Perspectives embarks on a journey with the six most important rivers of the country

LEGEND HAS IT‌

Lord Shiva rewarded King Bhagirath after his penance and Ganga came down to earth. However, due to her pride, and the fact that the earth would be devastated if Ganga came down in full force, Lord Shiva caught her in his hair. It was then proclaimed that Goddess Uma or Parvati would bathe in the Ganga every day and only then would she descend on the earth.

The sacred stone near the temple stands for the place where Ganga first came down.

(Clockwise from top) A mystic on the bank of Ganga; ice rocks of Gaumukh; boats at Varanasi; and evening prayer in progress at Haridwar

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GANGA

The Holy Descent he 2,600-km-long journey of the Ganga has many twists and turns. The river comes into being at Devprayag in Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. It is here that the holy union of its two main tributaries, Bhagirathi and Alaknanda, takes place. Considered to be the main origin of Ganga, the Gangotri is actually the source for Bhagirathi. The Badrinath shrine represents the origin of its other main tributary, Alaknanda.

As the Alaknanda races down the district of Chamoli, it finds the Mandakini river coming down the Nanda peaks. These peaks include the Nanda Devi (over 7,800 m), the second highest in India. This journey continues to Rudraprayag, where the quieter Mandakini with its resplendent green colour can be seen merging into the white waters of a rapidly flowing Alaknanda. Travelling down the Mandakini river takes you to the holy Kedarnath. It is now that Alaknanda longs to meet Bhagirathi at Devprayag.

From Devprayag onwards, the Ganga moves first to Rishikesh, a town next to Haridwar, famous as much for its spiritual hermitages, as much as for its opportunities for white-water rafting for adventure enthusiasts. Finally, it is at Haridwar that the Ganga enters the plains and transforms into a placid river. The confluence of the Ganga and the Yamuna is one of the biggest pilgrimages for Hindus. A dip at this confluence called Sangam, is auspicious. Allahabad — also known as Triveni — is the place for the merger of the invisible river Saraswati and the Ganga.

The journey of the Ganga continues from here to Kashi or Varanasi, a city seeped in an ancient past. Synonymous with Hindu thought, religion, temple, art, music and culture, the city is also famous for its numerous passages leading down to the river (about 100). As the Ganga moves from Uttar Pradesh to Bihar, various rivers continue to join it. These include the Ramganga, Kosi, Gandak and Ghaghra. As the river moves into West Bengal, it becomes sluggish and placid. Thereafter, she becomes the Hooghly and moves towards Ganga Sagar where she dissolves into the vastness of the ocean.

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—Deepankar Aron

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YAMUNA

Course of Consciousness he massive Bundarpunch Peak (6,316 m) cradles the source of the river Yamuna, the Saptrishi Kund, a sparkling lake that lies above and to the north of the Yamunotri shrine. The river actually has its origin within the ice-bound Champasar glacier, whose waters first accumulate at the foot of the Bundarpunch massif as the lake. The river has strong associations with Lord Krishna. It is believed that when Vasudeva, his father, was crossing the river with baby Krishna in his arms for a refuge in Gokul, a part of Mathura town, the infant fell into the waters. The dust of his lotus feet immediately purified the river and made its waters sacred.

The Yamuna has a temple dedicated to it. Named Yamunotri, it is one of the four sacred dwelling places for devout Hindus. The other three are the temples of Gangotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath. At Yamunotri, water from one of the hot springs is diverted into bathing tanks, where it is mixed with glacial melt waters to make the right temperature. Pilgrims take a ritual bath here, pay obeisance before entering the Yamunotri temple to pray before Goddess Yamuna, the black marble deity.

The Yamuna, a sparkling thread of silver flowing out of Saptrishi Kund, races merrily downhill, the verdant green mountains making way for it through valleys, tickled by its feisty touch and go. The river continues to flow through a 200-km-stretch of the Shivalik hills in Himachal Pradesh and plains of Dak Pathar in Uttarakhand, moving on to Uttar Pradesh to become the serene backdrop of Taj Mahal at Agra. At Allahabad, Yamuna meets the Ganga and the mythical Saraswati to make the confluence Sangam. The Yamuna merges with the mixed flow. The Ganga, with the Yamuna contained within, flows past Varanasi, a great Indian spiritual centre that has had more than 3,000 years of continuous habitation. The ocean is not far now. The river, ever remaining a constant companion to humanity, flows past Kolkata on its way to the Bay of Bengal, in a journey seemingly coming to an end and yet perpetuating from antiquity to eternity.

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—Sandeep Goswami

AFP

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LEGEND HAS IT‌

Yamuna is considered to be the daughter of the Sun just as he is the father of Yama. It is believed that Yama would not torment any person at the time of his death if he/she had bathed in the waters of the river. The freezing Yamunotri glaciers are a stark contrast to the steaming hot springs in the region. Is it a sleight of the divine hand? It would require a steely resolve to step into the ice-cold waters, let alone bathe in it!

(Clockwise from top) The Taj Mahal with the serene river as background; the Bateshwar temple complex on the banks of Yamuna; a devotee at the Kumbh Mela, Allahabad; and the river at Yamunotri

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TAPTI

Go with the Flow e had expected to find the Tapti’s origins in the Satpura hills to be a clear stream that would flow west for about 725 km to its confluence with the sea near Surat, in Gujarat. Instead, it turned out to be a tank in the town of Multai, in the Betul district of Madhya Pradesh, with a few temples adding some character to the landscape. After our afternoon cup of tea, we walked down to the source of the river and visited the temple which had a glimmering idol of Suryaputri Tapti (Sun’s daughter) being blessed by the Sun God. According to myth, river Tapti came into existence when local people offered penance to Sun God to save them from famine. The Sun God accepted their penance and gave birth to the Tapti through his wife, Chhaya. She has Shani or Saturn, Yama Dev or Lord of Death, Yami or the Yamuna and Ashwin twins, who were physicians of the Gods, among her siblings, a scholar explained.

Burhanpur, where we arrived next, came as a real surprise. Established by the Farooqi dynasty in the 1400s, it got its name from the dynasty’s spiritual mentor, Hazrat Burhanuddin. The building of forts, palaces, mosques, public baths and water retaining structures was carried out during the reign of Adil Shah in the 1500s, the golden period of Burhanpur’s architecture. Burhanpur is also an important pilgrimage centre because of the mausoleum of the Syedi Abdulqadir Hakimuddin called Dargahe-Hakimi visited by a large number of Bohra Muslims. We also visited the gurdwara at Rajghat that commemorates the visit of Guru Nanak to the Tapti ghats. On the opposite bank of the river from the fort is Zainabad village which also has many monuments, including Ahukhana, the pavilion of the begums. The boatman told us that Mumtaz Mahal was buried here before being moved to the Taj Mahal in Agra.

From Burhanpur, the road took us to Bhusaval, Jalgaon and eventually to Surat.

By virtue of its location near the Tapti river estuary, Surat has always been an important port of India used by the Sultans, Mughals, Dutch and British for business, and Hindu, Jain and Parsi business families prospered within the city.

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—Anil Mulchandani

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LEGEND HAS IT‌

Tapti is the daughter of Surya, the Sun god, and his wife, Chhaya. She is also known as Suryaputri or Surya’s daughter. In Mahabharata, there is a reference to Tapti, who married Sanvaran, a legendary hero of the Moon dynasty. Kuru, their son, was the founder of the Kuru dynasty. Her siblings are Yama, Yami and Shani.

DINESH SHUKLA

(Clockwise from top left) Fort of Burhanpur; weaving lives around the Tapti at Multai; Surat city on both sides of the Tapti; and seeking the blessings of the river

LEGEND HAS IT‌

Narmada is the most sacred of the five rivers (the others being Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari and Kaveri). According to a fable, when the cosmic ocean was being churned, it emitted halahal (poison). Aware that it could create destruction, Lord Shiva sipped the poison and trapped it in his throat. But he needed to drink water immediately. The place where found it is today known as Amarkantak.

(Clockwise from top right) Marble rocks at Bedhaghat in Jabalpur; Narmada flows through Omkareshwar; and the calm river bank and boats

RAJEEV RASTOGI

NARMADA

From the Heart of India his is a story of love, longing and mistaken identities. It is the story of a handsome youth, an ebullient princess of unsurpassed beauty and a trusted servant. It is a story of betrayal, separation and a wedding. It is the story of three rivers — the Narmada, the Sone and the Johila — originating in and around Amarkantak, a small town in the Maikal mountains on the border of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Legend has it that Narmada, daughter of King Maikal, was promised to the man who would bring her father gulbakavali, a flower that is said to cure all eye ailments.

Sone set out to fulfill the task but took longer than expected. An impatient Narmada, who had fallen in love with the good-looking prince, sent her maid Johila to find out the reason for the delay and to tell Sone of her feelings. Sone mistook Johila for Narmada and Johila, dumbstruck by the beauty of the youth, did nothing to disabuse him. Tired of waiting, Narmada set out in search of her maid only to find her in the arms of Sone. An angry Narmada set out westwards, in the opposite direction from Sone and Johila. A distraught Sone threw himself off a mountain and wandered eastwards for a while before marrying Johila. The ancients sure knew how to make a geography lesson interesting. The sources of the Narmada, the Sone and the Johila are all within a few kilometres of each other.

Standing on the edge of the Narmadakund in Amarkantak, it is difficult to believe that this trickle turns into the mighty 1,300-km-long river that cleaves India into two; separating North India and the Deccan plateau. The Narmada — said to be even holier than the Ganga — rises from the Maikal range in the very heart of India. Meandering through Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, it enters the Gulf of Khambat forming a 21-kmwide estuary. The few who come head for the main temple, the Narmadeshwar Mandir adjoining which is the Narmadakund. There are over a dozen temples within the boundary wall. About a kilometre from the temple complex is a grove of trees called Mai ki Bagiya, which is said to have been frequented by Narmada.

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KAVERI

The Golden River he 785-km-course of the Kaveri, regarded as the sacred Dakshina Ganga, is dotted with historic and religious sites. As the Kaveri winds south-eastwards, through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu towards the Bay of Bengal, a number of tributaries, such as the Hemvati, Kabini and Aiyar, invigorate its flow. At Poompuhar, on the Coromandel coast, the fresh water of the Kaveri spills into the salt-laden sea. Before that, after passing the temple town of Tiruchirappalli, the Kaveri begins to dissipate into a delta system which spans more than 80 km from north to south.

At Talakaveri, the Kaveri trickles into a trough in front of a small shrine. Pilgrims head to Talakaveri all the year round, though most visit during October to November when the river, revered as a goddess, celebrates her birthday. Known as Tulasankramana Day, it is marked by a brief surge in pressure at the river’s source.

To the inhabitants of the Kodagu region, the event has special significance.

Theerhodbhava is a time for ancestor worship and the celebration of local traditions.

Texts such as the Tulakaverimanmiyam and Kaverittalpuranam document the mythology of the Kaveri’s origins. Swami Ananda Tertha, who has spent a lifetime around the stories and knows them by heart, knows the subtle differences in the Kannada and Tamil versions of the legends. “A sage named Agasthya, the father of the Tamil language, came to this area and asked Kavera for his daughter… Kaveri agreed to marry him, under the condition that Agasthya should never be away for more than 40 minutes at a time. Back then, there was no water on this side of the mountain, so Agasthya went to the other side of the Brahmagiri. He kept Kaveri in the form of water, in a jug. After the 40 minutes was over, a surge of water came from the jug and that is how the Kaveri river emerged....,” explains the Brahmagiri resident.

In the Tamil version, elders pleaded for water to Ganesh, who then sent Kaveri river towards Tamil Nadu. Though the details of the river’s divine origins may be disputed, the Kaveri’s importance to the region is not.

—Stuart Forster

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PHOTOS: STUART FORSTER

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LEGEND HAS IT‌

There was once born a girl named Vishnumaya or Lopamudra, the daughter of Brahma, but her divine father permitted her to be regarded as the child of a mortal called Kavera. Lopamudra resolved to become a river whose waters would purify the sins of mankind. It is believed that even the holy Ganga travels underground once a year to reach the source of the Kaveri.

(Clockwise from top) Past Srirangam island; ruins of Srirangapatnam; tourists enjoy a ride; and a magnificent view of the Kaveri

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LEGEND HAS IT…

(Clockwise from top) Pilgrimage centre at Narsobawadi; ornate craftsmanship at Khidrapur temple, near Kolhapur; Krishna waters in a bund near Sangli; and misty mountains and pretty flowers en route

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DILIPKUMAR DONGARE

The source of the river is a spout from the mouth of a cow’s statue in the ancient temple of Mahadev in Mahabaleshwar.

Krishna is said to be Lord Vishnu himself as a result of a curse on the trinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva by Savitri. Its tributaries, Venna and Koyana, are said to be Shiva and Brahma themselves.

KRISHNA

Giver of Prosperity rom the time it springs through the mouth of a cow (carved in stone) in the picturesque hill station-plateau of Mahabaleshwar in Western Maharashtra, until it merges into anonymity in the Bay of Bengal, via Hamasaladeevi in Andhra Pradesh, the mighty Krishna river has travelled a stupendous 1,300-odd kilometres. Gushing down from a height of 1,400 m above sea level and bathing the plains barely 50 km from the source, it enriches every area that it meanders through. The river passes through 40 per cent of hilly terrain as it flows through three prominent states — Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

The fable of the birth of the Krishna river is fascinating. Dating back to the time when Earth came into existence, Lord Brahma is said to have been mesmerised by the landscape of the earth, as he saw it from the plateau of Mahabaleshwar. He decided to hold a yagna or ritual of offering to celebrate the occasion. To dissipate any hurdle, he first scuttled the might of the Mahabal demon, and invited the Gods for the rituals. When the rituals began, the priest asked Lord Brahma to call his wife, Savitri, to join in. Brahma called out for her, but Savitri did not reply. The priest then asked him to call his second wife, Gayatri, who came in and sat for the puja.

However, when Savitri heard the chanting, she sprinted towards the offering and was aghast to see Gayatri seated there. She angrily shouted, “This is my prerogative; how can Gayatri be allowed to do it?” There was no answer. The Gods kept silent.

Savitri then turned to Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu and snapped, “Why are you keeping quiet?” Bursting with anger, Lord Shiva is said to have directed a curse, “Women have become very arrogant. I curse that both of you will turn into two water bodies and the three of us will never meet again.” To this, Savitri is said to have cursed back, “All three of you (Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu) will also take the form of water.” And so the five rivers were born from the mouth of the cow located at the Panchganga temple in Mahabaleshwar.

PRADEEP SUTAR

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—Vinita Deshmukh

DILIPKUMAR DONGARE

PRADEEP SUTAR

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GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

BLOSSOMING OF THE

ASIAN DREAM The ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit fleshed out an ambitious overarching vision of an Asian century and an Asian community

TEXT: MANISH CHAND

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Heads of states at the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit 2012 in New Delhi

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t’s the blossoming of the ‘Great Asian Dream.’ In a rapidly mutating world order marked by the seismic shift of power from the West to the East, the leaders of India and 10 ASEAN countries gathered in the Indian capital for a special two-day ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit (December 20-21) and fleshed out an ambitious overarching vision of an Asian century and an Asian community.

The summit marked an apogee of two decades of India’s Look East policy and toasted defining milestones in New Delhi’s burgeoning and variegated relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a

regional dynamo that has set new benchmarks in economic integration and has emerged as a beacon of hope in recessionary times. India became a sectoral dialogue partner of the ASEAN in 1992 and has been holding annual summits with the regional grouping since 2002. The summit was singular in as much as this was the first time New Delhi hosted all the ASEAN leaders on the Indian soil.

The wide-ranging discussions at the New Delhi Summit saw a unique confluence of economic and strategic interests between India and the ASEAN. The bonding and the sense of camaraderie between leaders of India and the

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(Above) President of India, Pranab Mukherjee meets Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah; and (below) President of Myanmar, Thein Sein with Lok Sabha Speaker, Meira Kumar

A CULTURAL SYMPHONY Culturally, the New Delhi Summit saw a resounding reaffirmation of the centuries-old ties, connecting the hearts and minds of nearly 2 billion people of the two regions.

ON THE ROAD: THE ASEAN CAR RALLY From the splendours of Angkor Vat in Cambodia and Wat Phu in Laos to Borobudur in Indonesia and Sukhothai in Thailand, the India-ASEAN car rally, that traversed over 8,000 km across the region, blended the past and the present to bring alive centuries-old civilisational linkages between India and the ASEAN. The car rally, comprising 31 sports utility vehicles, was flagged off from Yogyakarta, Indonesia on November 26 and reached New Delhi after an exhilarating odyssey on a crisp winter morning of December 21. The rally was given a ceremonial flag down by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and all ASEAN leaders, waving flags and cheering on the participants. It marked a “new journey of closer cooperation and a deeper strategic partnership” through increased connectivity, the Prime Minister said at the flagging-down ceremony. The rally underlined the connectivity between India and ASEAN which are “joined together on land and by water, with shared borders and shared cultures,” he said. It “symbolises the vision of an ASEANIndia community, where people, goods, services and ideas can travel freely between us.” What made the road trip a unique experience was an effortless commingling of languages and music of different countries and a spontaneous sense of camaraderie. Indian participants sang Malay and Filipino songs whereas rallyists from ASEAN countries sang Bollywood songs.

Rekindling old bonds, INS Sudarshini, the indigenously built sail training ship of Indian Navy, docked at the ports of the ASEAN countries, retracing the ancient sea routes developed along monsoon trade winds, linking India with South East Asia. The expedition which was flagged-off from Kochi on September 15, 2012 on its six months expedition, is traversing the entire distance of over 13,500 nautical miles by sail, wind permitting, calling on ports in nine ASEAN countries before being flagged down in Kochi on March 29, 2013.

DANCE OF SPIRIT Transcending boundaries and different cultural spaces, 10 dancing troupes from ASEAN countries and 10 groups of dancers and musicians from various parts of India effortlessly merged to create a unique synthesis symbolising the theme of cultural and spiritual synergy. It was a mesmerising spectacle as the leaders and their delegations watched spellbound the ensemble performance at Ashoka Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan on the concluding day of the summit.

“The cultural collaboration aimed to bring out the similarities of the common origin shared

by Indian performing arts with the existing traditions in the Southeast Asian nations,” says Suresh K. Goel, Director General of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR), which organised the hour-long show.

Southeast Asian countries was all too visible. At the plenary, all leaders of ASEAN countries were unstinting in praise of India’s economic growth model and its emergence as a power centre. They voiced in unison their desire to map new frontiers in this empowering relationship that has multiple spin-off benefits for both sides.

The talks covered an entire spectrum of bilateral, regional and international issues. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, an eloquent proponent of what he calls “an arc of prosperity” across Asia, encapsulated this meeting of minds in his inaugural address at the summit.

“Our shared values, convergent world views and similarities in approaches to the region should help us make the IndiaASEAN relationship more comprehensive and elevate it to a Strategic Partnership for the next decade and beyond.”

The summit, themed “ASEAN-India Partnership for

Peace and Shared Prosperity” ended with an all-embracing vision document that elevated India’s ties with the ASEAN to the level of strategic partnership and formally unveiled the conclusion of negotiations on a free-trade agreement (FTA) in services and investments, a potential game-changer in the expanding bilateral relations marked by win-win linkages and investments. It complements the FTA in goods, which was sealed in 2009 and became fully operational in August 2011, leading to a near doubling of bilateral trade.

The summit firmed up a template for closer cooperation in political, economic and security areas. The key focus areas, which are poised for a major upsurge include intensification of trade and investments, closer security cooperation and enhanced physical and cultural connectivity. The leaders resolved to work towards “the full, effective and timely implementation of the ASEAN-India

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INDIA, AS DR. SINGH STRESSED, SEES ASEAN AS A PARTNER “IN CREATING AN OPEN, BALANCED, INCLUSIVE AND RULE-BASED ARCHITECTURE IN THE REGION FOR OUR COLLECTIVE SECURITY, STABILITY AND PROSPERITY”

dialogue relations across the whole spectrum of political and security, economic, social and development cooperation.”

With the global slowdown and the deepening gloom in the eurozone as a backdrop, the focus was on adding more economic content to the relationship as most ASEAN economies and India are still growing at a healthy pace. The synergies and prospects of collaboration between the regions are immense, making the horizon virtually limitless.

The ambition was soaring: most ASEAN leaders reiterated

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their collective resolve to scale up bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2015. This, too, is a modest target, with many long-standing watchers of the ASEAN scene saying the figure could double in the next few years to $200 billion.

The successful conclusion of negotiations on an FTA in services and investments stole the headlines, and for legitimate reasons. This FTA was preceded by labyrinthine negotiations, but in the end the spirit of give and take and the larger vision of the ASEAN-India relations prevailed.

(Left) Pranab Mukherjee meets Prime Minister of Vietnam Truong Tan Sang; and (right) Dr. Manmohan Singh meets Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Sen

There was a tinge of pride and satisfaction in Dr. Singh’s voice when he observed that the FTA “represents a valuable milestone in our relationship. I am confident it will boost our economic ties in much the same way the FTA in Goods has done.” This sense of accomplishment was shared enthusiastically by all ASEAN leaders.

Besides economics, then prime driver of international diplomacy in the 21st century, the Commemorative Summit opened up new vistas of cooperation in security issues and invested the bilateral ties with the much-needed strategic depth. This is a time of great flux and transition, with several unsettled questions and unresolved issues in our region. Our responsibility to work for peace has increased and become more urgent.” This concern was shared by ASEAN leaders, with many of them pitching for a proactive role for India, a growing economy and an emerging power, in regional affairs.

Freedom of navigation found across-the-board endorsement. The vision document underscored the need for India and the ASEAN leaders to “strengthen cooperation to ensure maritime security and freedom of navigation, and safety of sea lanes of communication for unfettered

movement of trade in accordance with international law.”

India, however, refrained from any interventionist impulse, with External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid saying the issue of sovereignty should be resolved by the countries concerned. The vision document stressed on “fostering greater security cooperation and information sharing in the form of regular and high-level dialogues to address traditional and non-traditional security challenges, including transnational crimes and terrorism.” Underpinning this strategic vision is India’s belief in the ASEAN as “the bridge to the East.” India, as Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh stressed, sees ASEAN as a critical partner “in creating an open, balanced, inclusive and rule-based architecture in the region for our collective security, stability and prosperity.”

Taking a long-range view, India and the ASEAN also decided to give a strategic cast to their accelerating trade and investment through closer consultations in shaping regional economic architecture and organising multi-sectoral economic dialogues. Boosting private sector investment and public-private partnership linkages were identified as priority areas. The vision statement also noted that India and ASEAN

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(Above) Prime Minister Dr. Singh with Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong; and (below) with Prime Minister of Thailand, Yingluck Shinawatra

CONNECTIVITY HOLDS THE KEY TO DEEPER INTEGRATION OF INDIA AND ASEAN PHYSICALLY, ECONOMICALLY AND CULTURALLY. THE VISION DOCUMENT SEEKS TO CREATE A WEB OF RAIL, ROAD AND AIR LINKS THAT WILL PROMOTE TRADE AND PUT PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE CONTACTS AT THE HEART OF THE RELATIONSHIP

are committed to launching the ASEAN-India Free Trade Area, which will create a market of around 1.8 billion people with a “combined GDP of $3.8 trillion.”

Connectivity holds the key to deeper integration of India and ASEAN physically, economically and culturally. The vision statement seeks to create a web of closer rail, road and air links that will not only promote trade, but also firmly position people-to-people contacts at the heart of this vibrant relationship. The dream of the India-MyanmarThailand Trilateral Highway is on course to become reality by 2016 and is proposed to be extended to Lao and Cambodia. From India’s point of view, this will be the highway of prosperity for India’s northeastern states by linking them to vibrant markets and high-tech hubs of Southeast Asia. A new highway project that will connect India, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia is also under consideration. Another key infrastructure project, the Mekong-India Economic Corridor, too, will act as an instrument of transformation for India’s northeastern region.

The Commemorative Summit built upon the successful ASEAN-India Summit held in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on November 19, 2012. At the Phnom Penh Summit, India pitched for closer economic integration and connectivity as the twin focus areas that have the potential to

transform the interlinked destinies of countries in the region.

In the annals of international diplomacy, there are some defining transformational relationships that are not only good for the two countries, but for the region and the world.

The intertwining of the destinies of India and the ASEAN, and the larger East Asia is a good news story that is still unfolding, and will have new chapters of hope added to its archives. The dream of an Asian century is no longer a fancy buzzword, but is inching closer to becoming a living reality. “A future of peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia Pacific requires increased cooperation and integration in the region. ASEAN has shown the way in this regard,” said Dr. Manmohan Singh. India has eloquently reaffirmed the ASEAN’s centrality in the ongoing project of renaissance and renewal in the region by pledging support to the creation of the ASEAN Community in 2015, comprising three pillars, namely, the ASEAN Political Security Community, the ASEAN Economic Community and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. The ASEAN is upbeat about partnering a rising India for mutual resurgence. “The more India is able to engage (with ASEAN), the more it will be able to reap the benefits and the (Asia) plane will then take wings,” Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said prophetically at the summit.

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(Left) External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid addresses the gathering; and (right) Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai meets the delegates at the Convention

OUTREACH

THE NEW-AGE FACETS OF

FOREIGN POLICY The International Relations Convention is an annual event of significance for theorists and practitioners of the specialisation TEXT: L. SAVITHRI

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t was a cold and foggy December morning in Delhi but India International Centre, the venue of the 2nd Annual Convention of International Relations’ (IR) scholars, was bustling with activity. Close to 300 young and experienced scholars from all over the country and some from overseas had gathered in the Indian capital for the Convention to discuss and debate on a vast array of themes relating to international relations. The IR Convention, as the annual event is often referred, was held from December 10 to 12, 2012 and focused on the larger theme, The Dawning of Asian Century: Emerging Challenges before Theory and Practices of IR in India. The convention was organised by the Indian Association of International Studies (IAIS) in collaboration with the Institute for Research on India and International Studies (IRIIS).

The Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of External Affairs supported the event under its Outreach programme for the second time in a row, and it had very good reasons

to do so. In fact, the idea was conceived during Ministry’s interactions with the academic community during which a need was felt for a structured interaction with policymakers and practitioners of foreign policy. A beginning made in 2011 was taken forward in 2012 with a more academic emphasis. The response to call or papers by IAIS and IRIIS was stupendous and there were close to 500 registrations.

The visible zeal in the academic community for themes relating to international relations was encouraging and augured well both for the institutions and policymakers, as it is the synergy between them that would eventually result in enhanced understanding of the subject and contribute to better scholarship and inputs into policy making.

The inaugural session was attended by the External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid, who lauded the scholars for carrying out the exemplary work. The minister urged the IR professionals to focus on challenges that the world is facing currently and stressed on regional cooperation, with

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(Left) Ranjan Mathai speaking at the IR Convention; and (right) National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon speaks at a session

DEVELOPMENTS IN THE ARAB WORLD, RELATIONS WITH NEIGHBOURS TO GENDER STUDIES AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY, THE EVENT SAW DELIBERATIONS ON VARIOUS ISSUES

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Europe as a case in point. He said, we must ask ourselves the question if we are living up to the expectations that the 21st century is the Asian century. He said that India is contributing significantly to the world forums on a variety of areas — G20, environment, nuclear security — but we in India should appreciate and understand the efforts.

Another session which held great interest of the scholars was an interaction with the National Security Adviser (NSA), Shiv Shankar Menon. The NSA answered many questions from the enthusiastic scholars on the relevance of IR as a discipline for the practitioners, our policy towards neighbours such as China, and non-traditional threats.

Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai interacted with the scholars in an open plenary session on December 12, 2012, and gave them an insight into the evolution of foreign policy.

Stating that the importance of the study of international Relations cannot be over-emphasised, he said that the challenge, however, was to keep pace with the rapidity of

change in the globalised, technology-driven world of today, in which non-state actors, in some domains, have assumed as central a role as perhaps states themselves. The divide between the policy formulators and implementers remains and affects us whether foreign policy is seen as the realm of the political and economic scenario or whether you deal with new global challenges such as terrorism and radicalisation, piracy, food and energy securities, climate change, pandemics and cyber security. The Foreign Secretary suggested that the impact of these forces on inter-state relations is an increasingly important area of study.

In sessions focusing on area studies, the Joint Secretaries dealing with relations with Americas, East Asia and Pakistan/Iran/Afghanistan interacted with scholars and spoke to them about our relations with the countries they deal with from a practitioner’s point of view. As in the previous years the sessions turned out to be the most interesting, bringing forth inquisitive questions from scholars

and giving them the unique opportunity to interact with the select officials of the Ministry.

The Convention also provided the IR scholars an opportunity to interact with one another and share scholarly pursuits. The sheer variety of themes discussed over three days — from developments in the Arab world, evolving relations with the neighbouring countries, connectivity issues with Central Asia, soft power projections and globalisation to pure theoretical topics of post western perspectives, gender studies and international political economy — gave the IR Convention a credible standing whose deliberations needed to be taken seriously.

The text of the addresses by the external affairs minister and foreign secretary are available on the MEA website www.mea.gov.in, and the speeches and the text of the papers presented during the conference are available on the IRIIS website www.iriss.res.in.

—The writer is Director, Public Diplomacy Division, Ministry of External Affairs

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BUDDHA’S TRAIL

DIVINE SOUL SEARCH, RELIVED From his birthplace to his final resting place, Hugh and Colleen Gantzer follow the footsteps of the Buddha jotting down the changes the destinations have gone through

he Uttar Pradesh State Highway stretched across space and time, linking the present with the past.

The tourist bungalow at Kapilavastu was on one side of the highway; on the other, brick ruins spread across a scrub-dotted wilderness, where cattle grazed. We walked across, treading carefully on the uneven ground. There were low walls covered with earth, probably concealing ancient ruins; dislodged bricks were strewn around. Cows raised their heads, staring at us warily.

Further down, larger excavated structures had been fenced in. We closed our eyes and let our imagination soar. The structures grew into a city, teeming, festive...

Garlands festoon the balconies, filling the clean, subHimalayan air with the acrid-sweet scent of golden marigolds.

People line the streets hailing the approach of their young queen, Mahamaya, with unconcealed delight. Surrounded by her escorts, she is in a curtained palanquin carried by strong, bare-bodied, bearers. Her jubilant subjects visualise her in their minds’ eyes — beautiful, glowing and full-bellied with

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their expected prince. She has a long journey ahead of her to her father’s kingdom, and so, they wish her safe passage.

Slowly, the procession winds out of Kapilavastu, capital of the Sakya principality.

A blue-and-white sign on the state highway pointed to Lumbini. We drove down past patches of sugarcane, bittergourd vines trained on poles and ropes and large groves of carefully cultivated mangoes. There wasn’t much traffic on the road until we reached Sonauli, a kilometre from the Nepalese border. Mountains rose in the heat haze, blue in the distance. Our identities were checked by Nepalese policemen and, after a brief pause, we were waved through. Mahamaya’s royal procession must have passed this way, but never reached its destination.

The young queen feels the birth pangs coming. Hurriedly her attendants set up camp. The queen gives birth to her son, taking the support of two trees.

This happened in a grove in Lumbini. There is a panel in Lumbini showing the nativity.

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(Above) Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha; and (below) a panel depicting his birth

(Left and right) Devotees at the Mahabodhi temple, Bodh Gaya

A TOWN OF RESPLENDENT TEMPLES,

BODH GAYA HAS AN ATMOSPHERE OF DEEP SANCTITY. THE SOUNDS OF CHANTS, PRAYERS AND TEMPLE BELLS FILL THE AIR

Lumbini’s broad roads wound through avenues of flowering trees, thickets of bamboo and lily ponds. The ambience of the lush forest, at the foot of the towering Himalayas, had been retained. But all around, temples arose, capturing the architecture of the many lands in which people revere this holy place: India, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, China... The Sacred Forest is the most revered spot in Lumbini. According to tradition, this is where the Prince was born. The stepped pool, Puskarni, in which Mahamaya bathed before she gave birth to her son, was a short distance away, spanned by festoons of Tibetan prayer flags.

In spite of being weakened by her arduous journey, and the birth of her son in a forest, the young mother insists on journeying back to Kapilavastu. But the ordeal is too much for her. She dies in Kapilavastu a week later after placing her baby in the hands of her sister Gautami. The infant prince is called Gautama after his stepmother. When a sage predicts that he will give up his kingdom to ‘dispel the darkness of delusion’, he is named Siddhartha — one whose purpose has

been fulfilled. And, he does fulfil his purpose. He gets married, produces a son, and at the age of 29, rides away from the palace to find out why mankind has to suffer, age and die.

No one knows where Gautama Siddhartha wandered till he was 36 years old, so we could not follow his tortured quest for truth. But we do know that eventually he sat under a spreading sacred fig tree and discovered and sharpened his insight into the Law of Causation — human desires cause their own misery. The place of his enlightenment is now called Bodh Gaya. Here, the erstwhile Prince Gautama Siddhartha became the Enlightened One: the Buddha.

A town of resplendent temples, Bodh Gaya, has an atmosphere of deep sanctity. The sounds of chants, prayers and temple bells fill the air. As in all pilgrim towns the world over, there are pockets that seem to commercialise religion, but the towering stature of the great Mahabodhi Temple, its butter lamps, streams of praying and prostrating devotees speaking a myriad tongues and the magnetism of the spreading Bodhi tree, suffuse even the most blatant of trading activities with a gentle aura of other-worldliness. It is

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HOW TO REACH Varanasi is well-connected by air, train and road to other Buddhist sites in Uttar Pradesh and Lumbini in Nepal. Varanasi has a wide range of accommodation — from five-star to budget. Tourist taxis and coaches are available.

Kaushambi is 180 kilometres and is a day’s trip from Varanasi. Carry packed lunch and drinking water.

Sarnath is 10 kilometres from Varanasi and has a tourist bungalow and guest-houses for pilgrims.

Kushinagar is 51 kilometres from Gorakhpur. It has up-market tourist accommodation run by UP Tourism, and pilgrim rest-houses.

Sonauli is a border town on the way to Lumbini. An Indian driving license, ration card or voter’s identification is sufficient to cross the border.

Lumbini, in Nepal, is 108 kilometres from Gorakhpur railway station and 175 kilometres from Kushinagar. It has hotels and pilgrim guest-houses.

Kapilavastu is 95 kilometres from Lumbini and has a tourist bungalow.

Sravasti can be reached via Lucknow (151 kilometres). Balrampur (19 kilometres) is the nearest railhead. Onward journey can be made by road.

Bodh Gaya, in Bihar, is accessible by air. The nearest railhead is Gaya, l6 kilometres away.

a fervent, shifting religious kaleidoscope that has to be experienced to be believed. But it was just a forest when the Buddha walked the earth.

Realising, after much self-searching, that he cannot keep his revelation to himself, the Buddha journeys to Varanasi, a long-established powerhouse of Hindu philosophy and learning. He feels that the minds of the people of this sacred town will provide the most fertile grounds for his teachings. A short distance out of ancient Varanasi, he enters a deer park and, with a few people around him, begins to deliver his message for the first time.

The religion called Buddhism originated at this place, now called Sarnath.

With its cool, green serenity Sarnath is enchanting. Its trees and lawns are dotted with the ruins of many monasteries and reliquaries. Monks and other devotees in saffron, yellow, grey, black, brown and strawberry-coloured robes walk around the monuments slowly and reverentially.

None of the monuments is a living temple today; just

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outside the perimeter fence erected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an impressive Sri Lankan temple.

Within the ASI’s protected grounds, the spot, where the Buddha first delivered his message is marked by the great Dhamek Stupa. It is 42 metres high and 28.5 metres in diameter at its base.

From this focal point, 26 centuries ago, the tolerant and gentle message of the Buddha spread like wildfire amongst people disillusioned by excessive ritualism and prohibitions.

Most importantly, Buddha practised what he preached. He trudged like a mendicant all across northern India, accepting whatever food was offered to him, irrespective of the caste or status of the donor. During the monsoon, he rested in the home of one of his many followers, as he advised his disciples to do.

We visited the former trading town of Sravasti, now divided into the abandoned monastic areas of Saheth and Maheth. Neither of them has communities living there any longer. Nevertheless, both still attract devout Buddhists

(Clockwise from facing page) Interior view of the Sarnath temple; Dhamek Stupa in Sarnath; and prayer wheels at the Sarnath temple

(Above) Devotees at Sravasti; and (below) the reclining statue of Lord Buddha in Kushinagar

THE BUDDHA BELIEVED HUMANS COULD

ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING IF THEY ATTEMPTED IT WITH A CLEAR HEART AND MIND. THAT’S WHAT HIS STATUE AT KUSHINAGAR CONVEYS

because they are associated with a number of miracles attributed to the Buddha.

Another place that had been favoured by the Buddha is Kaushambi. In those distant days, it was one of the most important cities in India. The former residential sector, with an Ashokan Pillar at its heart, is clearly demarcated from the riverine port area, which has brick wharves and warehouses. The monastic and palace sectors are also easily discernible. It is fairly certain that Buddha had rested in the Ghositarama monastery here.

In spite of his disciplined periods of rest, Buddha’s oncetowering physical presence is becoming enfeebled. As he nears his 80th year he knows his end is approaching. He sets out on his last journey. He trudges on painfully, has a meal with a metal worker, Chunda, and falls seriously ill. He asks Ananda, his beloved disciple, to make a bed for him between two trees, blesses his last convert and delivers his last sermon. He then closes his eyes and passes into a state, which Buddhists call parinirvana, and his conscious being leaves this world.

The name of his final resting place is Kushinagar.

As Buddhism declined in the place of its birth, the location of Kushinagar was almost forgotten. Today, thanks to the dedicated work of archaeologists, Kushinagar lives again — a green avenue of parks and open spaces around ancient monuments and modern Buddhist temples. The single-celled Matha Kuar shrine holds a beautiful image of the Buddha. It apparently stood for many years atop a mound. Clearly, much still lies buried in Kushinagar. As things stand today, the most important group of monuments is clustered around the main reliquary, reportedly the site of Buddha’s cremation. In front of it is the new Mahaparinirvan Temple, which holds a 6.1-metre-long reclining statue of the Buddha. When we looked at the face of the statue from its feet, it was expressionless; seen from its waist, it has a contemplative expression; close-up it was smiling gently. A miracle? Not really.

The Buddha believed his fellow humans could accomplish anything if they attempted it with a clear heart and mind. That is what this statue conveys so well with the convincingly gentle persuasion of Buddhism.

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TRIBUTE

MY GURU, PANDIT RAVI SHANKAR On the demise of the sitar virtuoso, his disciple and sitar artist Shubhendra Rao remembers him for the music and living life to the fullest Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru devo Maheshwara Guru Sakshat, Parambrahma, Tasmai Shri Gurave Namaha.

“The guru is the creator, the guru is the preserver, and the guru is the destroyer. The guru is the Absolute. I bow before you.” t is said that it takes a lifetime to find the right “guru” and a few more lifetimes to understand what a guru actually means. One of the greatest musicians of this century, my guru Pandit Ravi Shankar left this world at the ripe old age of 92 years. Here was an artist who changed the face of classical Indian music forever, and his contribution to globalising our music will be remembered in the annals of history. Apart from the music he taught me, I have been fortunate to see the human side of this great artist. His child-like enthusiasm to learn and live life to the fullest, his humility and his humour—he taught me not just music, but about life itself.

I was born in a family where guru was the centre of our lives. In our house in Bangalore, in the puja room, next to the photo of Lord Dattatreya and Adi Shankaracharya was the photo of my guru. My father late N.R. Rama Rao was one of Panditji’s earliest disciples from the late 1940s onwards, when this legend himself was in his twenties. The

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close bonding Panditji and my father shared as gurushishya (master-disciple) is spoken about in the music circles as Ram bhakt Hanuman, Ravi bhakt Rao. My father was the epitome of a perfect shishya and I grew up with lots of stories of their beautiful relationship—my father sitting behind on a bicycle with the sitar and Guruji riding the bicycle to All India Radio for his work, listening to hours of his practice with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Annapurnaji, while accompanying them on tanpura (a kind of lute) or the festive atmosphere that would start weeks before he arrived to my home town, Bangalore. They shared a beautiful relationship, which continued till my father’s death due to Alzheimer’s in 2004.

Right from my first lesson in 1973 in Mysore (where he taught me Raga Bhairav) to the nine years of living and learning with to the numerous concerts I played with Panditji, every single day has been a learning experience.

I remember the two weeks in Mumbai in 1982 when he was working with Richard Attenborough composing music for the film, Gandhi. Panditji would tirelessly teach me for three to four hours in the morning before going to the studio. In late 1983 he was given a house at Lodi Estate by Mrs. Indira Gandhi as a token of appreciation for the music he composed for the Asian Games. At that point, he wanted to spend more time in India and asked me to move

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to Delhi. The nine years to follow is the foundation of my life where he taught me not just music but how to be a complete artist. For him, music was always a spiritual quest and I found this in every raga that he performed.

My first concert assisting him on stage was on February 20, 1985 in Delhi. I had played with him along with three other disciples in 1983 at Siri Fort Auditorium, but never alone. I had gone out on some errands that morning and returned home when his secretary asked me to rush to Guruji since he was asking for me. He was about to take his shower and asked me if I could get some hot water from the other bathroom. I was a bit surprised because there were other people who could have done the task for him. When I returned with the water, he casually mentioned that I should sit on stage with him that evening.

Assuming that he wanted me to play the tanpura for him, I immediately said yes. Only when I realised that he wanted me to assist him with my sitar did I realise what he actually meant. He was very understanding of my nervousness and truly supportive. We performed Marwa and Bhoopali in the first half. During the intermission, he said I should play more in the second half. When he started, I was a little more confident having survived the first half and when given an opportunity in the faster section, I did play slightly longish. Immediately, there was a huge applause from the audience and he smiled. It surely is a night that remains deeply etched in my memory. I played with him in many other concerts, but a concert in Bangalore with my parents and family in attendance is most dear to me. I was fulfilling the dreams of my parents and could feel their pride.

During my years of learning, I never developed the habit of writing down my lessons. I had a good memory and Guruji would call me his “memory bank”. Even when he was composing for huge orchestras like the “Live in Kremlin” show in Moscow where we had almost 150 musicians on stage, I would sit with him with my sitar and he would go on composing, as I picked up all the different pieces and later, practice it with the other musicians.

When he came to know that I was going to get married

ught me not ta ji it d an P h it w s ar ye “The nine to be a complete artist. For him, just music but how und this in fo I d an t es u q al u it ir sp music was always a rmed” every raga that he perfo JANUARYFEBRUARY 2013 INDIA PERSPECTIVES

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ly as my on e m to d te la re ji it d “Initially Ppaernhaps expected me to be his

father’s son and could see e h e or ef b e m ti e m so replica.... It took him y father’s son” m st ju ot n d an al u id iv d me as an in

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to Saskia and she was a cellist, he immediately said, “Cello is one of my favourite instruments. Ask her to come and play for me tomorrow.” When I came home and told Saskia, she was obviously thrilled but nervous too. He was very happy to hear her play and started singing raga Kafi, asking her to follow him. This went on for more than half hour until he had to be reminded about his upcoming meeting. Unfortunately, he could not attend our wedding in Bangalore but his wife had organised a surprise party at home in Delhi after the wedding. Later when my son Ishaan was born in Delhi in 2004, Guruji came to the hospital to bless him. Taking Ishaan in his arms, he said that Ishaan was only the second two-day-old baby that he held in his arms apart from his own son, Shubhendra Shankar (after whom my parents named me).

Not that everything was a smooth sailing always as in any intense relationship. Initially he related to me only as my father’s son and perhaps expected me to be his replica. There were times when he would get angry and say that this was not the way my father would have done it. It took him some time before he could see me as an individual and not just my father’s son. Last year when I visited him in his home in California, he told me, “Son, I feel bad I could not give you enough time when I had to because I was busy with my concerts and tours. But now, I have the time and want to give you everything that I have but you don’t have the time because you are busy with your own concerts. I am really happy that you are doing well and my blessings are always with you”.

Surely I do feel the void he has left behind but I know he is always with me. His smile, the twinkle in his eyes, his easy sense of humour, his passion for life and most important, his music will always live with me all my life.

As Sant Kabir said,

Guru Govind dou khade, kaake laagoon paye Balihari guru aapki, Govind diyo milaye.

“I face both God and my guru. Whom should I bow to first? I first bow to my guru because he’s the one who showed me the path to God.”

—-Shubhendra Rao is a sitar artist and composer

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PHOTOFEATURE

TOWN OF TEMPLES PUSHKAR, IN RAJASTHAN, IS ONE OF THE MOST SACRED TOWNS IN INDIA. LEGEND HAS IT THAT THE HOLY LAKE AT ITS CENTRE WAS CREATED WHEN LORD BRAHMA DROPPED THE PETALS OF A LOTUS FLOWER (PUSHPA) FROM HIS HAND (KAR)

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Known for the only temple of the Hindu God of Creation, Brahma, Pushkar is called Tirth Raj or the king of pilgrimage sites

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Pushkar is synonymous with vibrant colours and traditional fervour of fairs and festivals

AROUND THE HOLY LAKE BORDERED BY HILLS ON THREE SIDES AND SAND DUNES ON THE FOURTH SIDE, THE SMALL TOWN OF PUSHKAR CAN BE EXPLORED ENTIRELY ON FOOT. IT TAKES ABOUT 45 MINUTES TO WALK AROUND THE HOLY LAKE AND ITS 52 GHATS

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CATTLE SPECTACLE PUSHKAR CAMEL FAIR IS A SHOW OF COLOUR AND ONE OF INDIA’S HIGHLY RATED TRAVEL EXPERIENCES. THE FAIR BRINGS TOGETHER LIVESTOCK, FARMERS, TRADERS, VILLAGERS AND TOURISTS FROM ALL OVER THE STATE AND OUTSIDE

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The best time to visit Pushkar is during the camel fair, held October– November. A serious business affair, it witnesses the trading of thousands of animals

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Pushkar’s temples are its major crowd pullers.

The desire of taking a dip in the holy lake on auspicious days brings many to the town

BRAHMA’S ABODE SURROUNDING THE HOLY LAKE ARE SOME 500 TEMPLES, WHICH INCLUDES THE ONE DEDICATED TO BRAHMA, SAID TO BE 2,000 YEARS OLD, AND TWO DEDICATED TO HIS CONSORTS: SAVITRI AND GAYATRI

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SHOPPER’S DELIGHT TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN PUSHKAR INCLUDE SHOPPING, AS NONE OF THE ITEMS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE. HANDICRAFT, HANDLOOMS, APPAREL, SILVER JEWELS, ALL ARE AVAILABLE IN BEST OF COLOURS AND AT MOST REASONABLE PRICE

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The town has something for everyone, from personal accessories to those for the animals

HERITAGE

URBAN SUBURBIA Deepali Nandwani captures the glory of Mumbai’s old and charming Portuguese-style villages

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t’s almost like a world far removed from reality. Oasis of calm and beauty in bustling Mumbai? That’s right.

Mumbai is perhaps the only city in India that straddles within its long and wide boundaries a few heritage villages or precincts. These are referred to as ‘heritage villages’ by the Maharashtra government and are protected by law against destruction.

So, whether it is Khotachiwadi in the Maharashtriandominated Girgaum or Mhaterpakadi in the dock area of Mazagaon or Ranwar in the once-Christian neighbourhood of Bandra, time has literally come to a standstill. In the bylanes veering off the main roads or at the end of wooded lanes are

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old homes, bungalows and villages that cling to the vestiges of the past. Surrounded by monstrous buildings, they are resisting the inevitable march of time in their own way.

Interestingly, each one is built in the Portuguese architectural style. “The Portuguese colonised Mumbai much before the British,” says architect Brinda Gaitonde, who, along with Abha Bahl, conducts walks along Mumbai’s heritage areas. “The handing over of Mumbai by the Portuguese to the British in 1661 in dowry, when Charles II married Princess Catherine of Braganza, sister of the king of Portugal, did not signal the end of the dominion.

Mass conversion of the local people by the Portuguese

PHOTOS: NISHIKANT GAMRE

missionaries ensured the continuation of the cult, both in traditions and buildings.”

Taking over from the Portuguese, the East India Company divided the land beyond Fort area into patches and leased it to individual owners. Dadoba Waman Khot, a land revenue officer, got Khotachiwadi. Way back in time, Hindus dominated the area, followed by Christians. Today, the village has a mixed-community settlement. It has five entrances and exits, and until you know it like the back of your hand, you may well be in a labyrinth. Single-storey cottages painted in red, blue and green, located across streets on which more than three people are a crowd;

KHOTACHIWADI HAS FIVE ENTRANCES AND EXITS, AND UNTIL YOU KNOW IT LIKE THE BACK OF YOUR HAND, YOU MAY WELL BE IN A LABYRINTH The pattern and style of Khotachiwadi houses form a unique ensemble of 19th-century structures

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PHOTO: DEEPALI NANDWANI

RANWAR HAS OLD HOMES WITH TILED ROOFS, CARVED WOODEN STAIRCASES, WOODEN FRETWORK BALUSTRADES AND DOORS THAT OPEN ALMOST INTO THE STREETS (Left) A chapel in Mhaterpakadi and (right) a residential building in Ranwar

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timber spiral staircases running from the front porch to the upper floors; high ceilings, long balconies and sloping roofs characterise Khotachiwadi. Little wonder that this charming village was declared protected by Bombay Municipal Corporation’s Heritage Department in 1995.

A little like Khotachiwadi, but just a bit more isolated, is Mhaterpakadi village in the Mazagaon area with some of the oldest homes in the city. Archaic, yet modern, Mazagaon, or maza gaon (my village), offers the traveller a glimpse of a lifestyle that is quintessentially old Mumbai. The famous Alphonso mangoes are said to have originated in Mazagaon, once famous for its sprawling groves. There are 80-odd

CHAPEL FABLE In the heart of Mhaterpakadi is a holy cross, located within a tiny chapel. Erected in 1875, it was a gesture of thanksgiving for an end to the plague that struck Mumbai that year. It houses a number of Goan clubs that offer lodging facilities to navy men, en route through Mumbai. St Andrews Church, around which Ranwar is located, was built sometime in the 1570s. The construction of the church and the conversion of the locals saw the beginning of the East Indian settlements in the village.

Portuguese-style cottages with tiled sloping roofs and spacious verandas. In the heart of this village is a holy cross, located within a tiny chapel. Erected in 1875, it was a gesture of thanksgiving for an end to the plague that struck Mumbai that year. Mhaterpakadi houses a number of Goan clubs that offer lodging facilities to navy men, en route through Mumbai.

While Khotachiwadi and Mhaterpakadi are representatives of the heritage villages from South Mumbai, towards the north of the city are the Christian villages of old Bandra. Once inhabited by the Kolis, or the fishing community, around the villages are the signs of the cosmopolitan city. Snazzy nightclubs, noisy discos and swanky high-rise buildings

abound here. Nestled somewhere in the middle is Ranwar.

St Andrews Church, around which the village is located, was built sometime in the 1570s. The construction of the church and the conversion of the locals saw the beginning of the East Indian settlements in Ranwar. The village has old mansions and pretty bungalows. The trio of churches — St Andrews, St Peter’s and Mt Carmel’s — serves as the landmark to identify the entry points to the village. Ranwar has a number of 19th-century buildings that reflect a marked Portuguese influence. There are old homes with tiled roofs, carved wooden staircases, wooden fretwork balustrades and doors that open almost into the streets.

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TREASURE

A Sparkling

Legacy The exquisite pieces of jewellery on display at the Salar Jung Museum, in Hyderabad, make up one of the most magnificent collections in the world, writes Noopur Kumar

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t feels like a dream as one walks through the galleries of the Salar Jung Museum, in Hyderabad, passing by the incredible jewellery of the Nizams showcased here.

Collected from around the world over the course of a couple of centuries, the exhibit unravels the Nizams’ fascination for all things beautiful and their rich classical order, which has become an inspiration for today’s style.

The gallery at the entrance narrates the tale of the golden age of the Asif Jah rulers or the Nizams. The spotlight is on some rare photographs of the Nizams and their women and children flaunting exquisite ornaments, many of which are exhibited in the main gallery.

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Emulating the grandeur and opulence of the great Mughals, the Asif Jah rulers became the biggest buyers of precious stones. Hyderabad, during their rule, was the wealthiest princely state in India, and the seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, the richest man in the world. In 1948, a year after Independence, Hyderabad merged with the Indian Union. Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan very wisely formed trusts to manage his estate and enormous wealth.

Of these, HEH The Nizam’s Jewellery Trust and HEH The Nizam’s Supplemental Jewellery Trust are the most significant. After the seventh Nizam passed away, a long legal battle ensued with the Government of India. After 23

THE 173 PIECES OF JEWELS ON DISPLAY INCLUDE NECKLACES, TURBAN ORNAMENTS, ARMBANDS AND BELTS ADORNED BY THE ROYAL FAMILY years of arbitration and payment of a whopping `218 crore, the government managed to acquire a part of the fabulous jewellery collection. The display of 173 precious pieces of gems and jewels presents a unique and comprehensive view of the splendid lifestyle of the Nizams. On view are dazzling necklaces, earrings, turban ornaments, armbands, bracelets, belts, bangles, cufflinks, buttons, rings, anklets, toe rings and other ornaments adorned by the royal family.

But the indisputable star of the show is the Imperial, or the Jacob, diamond — a brilliant 184.5 carat beauty mined in South Africa in the late 19th century and owned by the sixth Nizam, Mahboob Ali Khan. He bought the famous oval

diamond from Alexander Malcolm Jacob, but the deal got mired in a legal wrangle and when the diamond finally reached the Nizam, he was no longer interested in it. So much so that it was accidentally chanced upon by his son lying in a shoe. It later lay in disregard on the seventh Nizam’s desk, wrapped in a rag and used as a paper weight.

The collection is rather eclectic, thanks to a few European jewellers, who, lured by the lucrative business, decided to come and reside in the city. Fancy pocket watches bought from the House of Cartier, P. Orr and Sons and Cooke and Kelvey, too, add to the varied collection.

Research and resource courtesy: Salar Jung Museum

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PROFILE

Auto Entrepreneur Chetan Maini, the strategist behind electric car brand Reva, aims to drive into a clean future with green technologies TEXT: BINDU GOPAL RAO

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ven as a child under 10, he enjoyed assembling components and building models. Transistor radios, remote control cars and flying planes were part of his growing years. And somehow this became part of his DNA as he grew up. Little wonder then that Chetan Maini, chief of technology & strategy, Mahindra Reva, is credited with being the pioneer of starting a green automobile revolution in India.

With his fascination to decode automobiles, Maini was pretty clear of what he wanted to do even while studying. He reminisces, “I did my studies at St. Josephs College in Bangalore and was part of a science group and enjoyed flying remote-controlled planes. Of course, I shifted focus to larger vehicles like go karts and spent an average of 20 to 40 hours a week playing with technology.”

While in high school, Maini would read his elder brother’s automobile engineering books. His father soon encouraged him to pursue automobile engineering at the University of Michigan. “I spent almost all my free time on projects and teamed with friends to build a super mileage vehicle in the first year of college. In the third year, our solar car team came first in a race across the USA and General Motors (GM) sponsored us to race at the World Solar Challenge in Australia, where we stood third,” he says.

Incidentally, it was really here that Maini made the switch from high performance to using technology, and green energy became the focus. After spending two summers at GM, he got together with a group of friends to look at working on electric cars, which further led them to work for a start up in California, Amerigon, founded by Dr. Lon Bell, their mentor. “At this juncture I felt the need to increase my exposure in mechatronics and joined Stanford University. Post that, I rejoined Amerigon, and in 1994 we started working on a small electric car project for urban Asian cities. During one of my father’s visits to the US, he and Lon got together and mooted the idea of doing this for India, and the Reva project was born. For the first four years I led the team from the US and after developing the core technology, moved back to India in 1999,” he recalls.

Considering the nature of the business he was in, there were different challenges at every stage. In the mid 1990s the challenge was to create technologies to make electric cars affordable. “The first few years were technology oriented and we developed several key technologies such

AFP

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as patented Energy Management Systems. Also, moving back to India and building a team from scratch was a challenge, as no one had experience in electric cars. At that time with India’s focus on IT outsourcing, convincing financial institutions to invest in an unheard concept of an electric car was challenging and so was convincing suppliers. Also then, there were no testing facilities in India, and policy regulations for electric cars were nonexistent.

We had to work with government agencies to formulate policy. We still face issues with consumer mindsets even though much has changed,” he says.

In fact, in 2004 when the company launched in Europe, it had to make 134 changes to the product and drive from Germany to England to finish the last test as the lab in

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Germany had a fire! “Just before we launched in India in 2001, the Government policy changed, taxes doubled and the subsidies disappeared and that’s when we looked at export markets to survive,” he explains.

In May 2010, Mahindra & Mahindra, the country’s largest utility vehicle company, acquired a 55.2 per cent stake in Reva and it was time for Maini to switch roles yet again. “The partnership with Mahindra made me turn to previous role as a technologist and focus on next-generation technologies and products and support the overall strategy of electric cars at Mahindra,” he says. The company also recently inaugurated its Bengaluru manufacturing facility, which is the first platinum-rated automobile facility in India.

The facility is based on the 5 C’s Framework. “The first C,

Reva’s new plant is built

PHOTOS: AFP

on the future mobility concept.

Its new car will embody green technologies such as Quick2Charge, Sun2Car and Car2Home developed by the company in recent years

Clean, involves a radical re-think on how we manufacture, use and recycle automobiles so that the entire chain is as green as possible. The next is how customers are demanding Convenience in all aspects of acquiring and operating mobility products. Dramatic improvements in telematics and related technologies are making Connected vehicles a reality. We will soon see cars connecting to their owners and to other cars, car owners connecting to other owners through their cars and cars connecting to the grid.

Rapid integration of electronics and IT with automobiles is making vehicles Clever. Embedded intelligence will make cars of the future intelligent enough to interact with traffic systems, carry out self-diagnosis and perhaps, even drive themselves without a human interface. Lastly, the challenge

is to translate the benefits of these innovations into Costeffective products to make owning/using these products affordable. This is what will drive progress and development,” he explains.

Reva’s new plant is built on the future mobility concept and the new car launch NXR will embody all these concepts.

“We have incorporated learnings from our dealers and customers across 24 countries in this new 4-seater,” he adds.

The technologies showcased include ‘Quick2Charge’, by which the car can be charged in 15 minutes to run 25 km, thereby providing customers with increased convenience; a personal charging unit, ‘Sun2Car’ to provide free, clean and abundant solar energy for the lifetime; and ‘Car2Home’ to use energy from the car to power a house.

For someone who is constantly busy, Maini is a wonderful family man. “My seven-year-old son Aryan likes cars and we watch the F1 together. He is very good with remote-controlled cars. I also have a five-year-old daughter Kayli. I met my wife Kim when I was studying in America, and she has been a big support and the person behind me at all times. My parents and elder brothers Sandeep and Gautam have also supported me not just financially, but also emotionally and have made my dream theirs,” he says.

Among his favourite cars is the Reva convertible and Tesla, an electric car made in California. “One car that I always liked is the Lamborghini,” he says.

Besides car, what drives Maini is the belief that he can help in making a clean and green future. “On a day-today basis inventing something new, overcoming barriers and continuous improvement keep me egged on,” he signs off.

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PAST TIME

COLOURS OF THE

RAINBOW Enjoy a veritable war in the skies as thousands of kites engage one another in the International Kite Festival TEXT: ANIL MULCHANDANI

he local event has gone global, or at least acquired an international sheen.

Uttarayana, the festival, which coincides with Makar Sankranti (January 14 and 15) every year, brings old neighbourhoods of Gujarat alive with the flutter of kites. Started in 1989, this festival has attracted kite flyers from countries as diverse as Ukraine and France who come here to enjoy the experience, as well as show off their elaborate creations.

Earlier, Uttarayana was a celebration of the harvest season and a salute to the sun. But even today the traditional flavour can be savoured in crowded areas of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and other urban centres of Gujarat. Come January and the preparations begin in full swing. Children bring a whiff of excitement as they spend all their spare time practising for the big day. Manjhas — cotton threads coated with glass, rice paste, chemicals and other abrasive material to give them the tensile strength and that cutting edge — are prepared on every street corner, then rolled on spools called firkis. Artisans make the kites using paper and bamboo, sourced from Northeast India.

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Now global,

INDIA PICTURE

the kite festival has no religious connotation. It is a fun-filled time with family and friends as they get together for food and kite flying on rooftops

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PHOTOS: AFP

The kite duels continue from dawn

to sunset, and even when the night takes over, with paper lanterns tied to the strings of large kites

The pols or old quarters of Ahmedabad see the highest kite concentrations imaginable. Flying a kite is not as simple as it looks, especially when the idea is to cut your rival’s string with your own. It has to be manoeuvred by tightening or slackening the string, making it go slower or faster, curving a graceful arc or spinning on a wing tip, cutting a swathe through the sky, and then moving in for the kill. When a kite flyer is successful in cutting another kite off its line, there is much excitement on the flier’s rooftop with yells of “well cut”. The cries come from the fans, the men and women,

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boys and girls who have gathered on their rooftops, munching sugarcane, snacks, fruits and vegetables typical of the January harvest season. Lunch too is a picnic on the roof, which in Surat and Khambatt would be matka undhiyu, a mixed vegetable preparation cooked in an earthen pot, and puris, deep-fried puffed flat bread.

The kite duels continue from dawn to sunset, and even when the night takes over, the fun goes on. Dispelling the darkness are tukuls, paper lanterns, tied to the strings of large kites, especially made for the purpose. The effect in the sky of

PHOTOS: AFP

The festival, now in its 25th year, was bigger than ever. It was organised at 10 locations and had kite flyers from 40 countries

scores of candle-lit lanterns flying behind hardly visible kites is beautiful.

Celebrated by all in the state, the kite-flying festival has no religious connotation. It is a fun-filled time with family and friends as they get together for food and kite flying on rooftops. People flock to the venues to watch kites from around the globe — whether it is an American kite-flying enthusiast performing tricks or dances with her Mid-Atlantic stunt kite that could even be choreographed to music, or a Dutch kite designer with his own creation. Koreans come with their kite trains and the

Australians with their steerable kites. It is a delight to watch Southeast Asian kites with dragons and other mythical themes and Chinese opera kites or Japanese butterfly designs and hi-tech creations.

Not to mention kite clubs proudly displaying their own designer kites.

The kite festival, now in its 25th year, began in Mumbai and Delhi on January 7. The event was bigger than ever, covering nine locations besides Ahmedabad and Indian participants trading skills with 100 international kite flyers from 40 countries. The festival culminated in Ahmedabad on January 14.

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LEGACY

MUSIC FROM THE

DESERT Musicians by profession and inheritance, the Langa singers stir hearts with their powerful voices, lyrics and melody TEXT: BRINDA GILL

eated on a mattress on the floor, dressed in traditional white attire with neatly tied, colourful turbans and dark block-printed scarves, the Langa singers are a striking sight. And as they burst into beat and song, filling the air with the verve of their rich voices, music and dance, the ambience is infused with joy. The performance goes on and their strong voices, poignant lyrics and increasing tempo of the music soon convey a vignette of Rajasthan, the land of rippling desertscapes, spectacular palaces and forts, regal pageantry and soul-stirring music and dance.

Musicians by profession and inheritance, the Langa singers hail from Rajasthan’s Jodhpur and Barmer districts. The term Langa means song-giver, and aptly conveys their role of playing at joyous, auspicious occasions just as their forefathers did from whom they inherited their innate love of and talent for music.

In the cool of the desert night, the powerful voices of Langas and the music of their instruments carry across the sands and stir hearts with their lyrics and melody.

“We are there to play at every happy occasion,” says Sikandar Khan, the spokesperson of a Langa troupe from Jodhpur, performing at a Rajasthani food festival in Pune to create an ambience for the regional cuisine. Khan’s troupe plays at weddings, births, ceremonial occasions, festivals and — in a reflection of 21st century India — events at hotels. His forefathers performed for royalty at celebratory occasions for which they were paid in kind. In fact, as the Langas also sang in praise of their patrons, they held within their oral tradition a record of the family history of their patrons.

“Most of the Langa music is occasion based,” says the co-founder of Banyan Tree Events, Nandini Mahesh, who has been instrumental in bringing a galaxy of Indian folk musicians to the fore, especially through the Ruhaniyat programmes. “The Langas have powerful voices. And, with an amazing vocal range and grasping power, their performance leads to a stunning presentation of folk music,” she adds.

Mahesh was introduced to the mesmeric music of the Langas in the mid1980s in Jodhpur, by the legendary folklorist Dr. Komal Kothari. Since 1950, Kothari worked tirelessly to encourage and record the folk music and oral traditions of Rajasthan that were till then little known to the outside world.

S

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LANGA MUSICIANS LEARN SINGING AND PLAYING AT A YOUNG AGE BY SIMPLY WATCHING THEIR ELDERS PERFORM

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AFP

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AFP

THE SINDHI SARANGI, A STRING INSTRUMENT PLAYED WITH A BOW AND CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SOUNDS CLOSEST TO THE HUMAN VOICE, IS THE MAIN INSTRUMENT

Langa musicians learn the nuances of singing and playing at a young age, without any formal training, by simply watching their elders perform. The Sindhi Sarangi, a quaint vertically held string instrument, played with a bow, which is capable of producing sounds closest to the human voice, is the main traditional instrument of the Langas. The instrument usually has four main strings–three melody strings and one drone string — and many sympathetic strings. The numerous strings bring the sarangi a rich range of musical notes and also demands training and experience to master. In fact, the word sarangi stems from sau (meaning hundred) and rang (meaning colour) that conveys that the music of the sarangi can produce a hundred colours or expressions!

The repertoire of Langas’ traditional instruments includes the algoza, a double-flute, which has two pipes, one for drone and one for melody, played by the technique of circular breathing that a musician has to master to produce a continuous flow of air. The khartals — light, rectangular wooden blocks held as a pair in each hand — are also commonly played by the Langa musicians. By simply opening and closing their fists, the performers create a charming clacking beat with the khartals, lifting the song to another dimension, says Mahesh.

Complimenting the khartal is the robust beat of the dholak, a double-sided drum that has one small head for high-pitched sounds and a large head for lower pitched sounds.

The harmonium, though not a part of the instruments, is played by the Langas

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sometimes, though purists would rather not recommend it, as it does not lend itself to subtle inflections of the traditional music as the sarangi does. Sikandar Khan also has a small old shehnai (a one reed instrument with perforations) that was played in the old days played as the ruler entered the court.

Most Langa musicians sing and are skilled at playing more than one instrument, while young members of the troupe dance, create a vibrant and joyous mood during the performance. The poetic lyrics of their songs, sung in the local dialect, are drawn from life around them, elements of nature, life in the desert, and rituals and ceremonies of love and longing.

“One of the most popular Langa songs is Gorbund that describes the act of decorating a camel, an animal synonymous with the desert. In the song Khurja, the singer requests the migratory bird — known locally by the same name — that has arrived from afar to carry a message to a beloved. In the song Charkha the spinning wheel is described, while Tiluda addresses the insect that attacks crops.

In Padharo Mare Des the singer welcomes listeners to his land; Dudhaliya Banaa describes the finery at a wedding; and Dharti Dhora ri Samman alludes to the beautiful sand dunes of the land,” says Mahesh.

Starting a song, Sikander Khan wafted a lively tune with the double-flute and his troupe picked up the cue instantly. B.K. Khan set an animated beat with the khartal that was enhanced by Musher Khan creating a robust beat with the dholak. Kasim Khan ran his fingers smoothly on the harmonium; Hanif Khan played the been, akin a snake charmer’s flute, with a string of colourful pompoms suspended below and lithe Akim Khan, all of eight years, danced with one hand on his slender hips and the other in the air with a pair of khartals to create a performance that was sparkling with verve and joy.

As the song picked pace, Sikandar Khan picked a pair of khartals and started singing. B.K. Khan joined him, and soon the ensemble was enraptured by the gathering tempo of the lyrics, the steady beat of the khartals and dholak, the repeats of the lines and layers of the music. Wrapped in the verve of the music and bonding between the musicians, who played and sang in sync, Sikandar Khan was soon on his knees, swaying from side to side, sustaining the beat with the khartals in his hands, arms moving in small arcs, singing loud and with cheer.

A single voice, chorus, rise and fall of voices, a slow meandering pace and then a quickening, lines plaintive and joyous, tones gentle and vibrant — the variations of Langa music are several and enthralling with the weaving of improvisations in vocals and instruments. Engaged with the audience, the folk artistes sing, play and dance enjoying the music, the harmony amongst themselves, and their rapport with the listeners.

It is this earthy passion for their music that makes Langas appealing to music lovers across cultures and countries. The Langas are happy to travel and perform in cities across India and abroad. A life dedicated to music, a Langa not just infuses joy in the lives of his audience, but also keeps alive the legacy of Rajasthan’s evocative folk music.

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THE LYRICS OF LANGA SONGS, SUNG IN THEIR LOCAL DIALECT, ARE DRAWN FROM LIFE, NATURE, DESERT, AND RITUALS AND CEREMONIES OF LOVE AND LONGING

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ERUDITION

CELEBRATION OF LITERATURE

An award ceremony at the Jaipur Literature Festival, and (right) a session in progress at the fest

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TEXT: MADHUSREE CHATTERJEE

iterature in India is moving beyond the confines of print space to reach out to people in interactive venues across the states. The new breed of literary galas is going beyond core literary brainstorming to take up local, cultural and political issues with a cast of international participants, thus rendering a global hue to immediate local concerns.

In the last decade, a spurt in regional literary festivals in places like Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa, Thiruvananthapuram and New Delhi has integrated literature with the distinctive local cultures, demography, identities and issues to relate to the people.

Homegrown flavours are the lifeline of the new literature festivals in the states.

“The residents of Bangalore (Bengaluru) felt there was a need to provide a platform to the very local literary traditions and literary voices. We wanted to establish an annual flagship event on a national and international scale at a historic place,” said writer Vikram Sampath, co-founder of the Bangalore Literature Festival, a three-day event held for the first time in the city in December.

Sampath said the festival offered a mix of vernacular and global literature. “It was global.

The festival featured writing in south Indian languages as well,” he said. The co-founder, along with Srikrishna Ramamoorthy, of the Bangalore festival, added: “The issues in Bangalore were different from those of Kolkata....

The city is one of contrasts. The festival tried to reclaim this soul of the city with several seminars and sessions designed around them.”

And is there a danger of too many lit fests in the country?

“Too many literature festivals are like too many restaurants – there’s room for all,” Sampath said.

L A spurt

in regional literary festivals has integrated literature with the distinctive local cultures, demography, identities and issues to relate to the people

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Kolkata is gung-ho about the Apeejay Kolkata Literature Festival, which took place from January 9 to 13 this year. The festival started in 2010 to coincide with the centenary of the Apeejay Group, as one of the company’s 100 community initiatives to benefit people in small neighbourhoods. The mood was distinctly ethnic at the Apeejay Literature Festival, says Renu Kakkar, vicepresident of the Apeejay Surendra Group.

The festival used literature to connect to the heritage of Kolkata with emphasis on the Victoria Memorial, St. John’s Church and the Lascar Monument on the Hooghly river — landmarks that were prominent stops on the festival map.

“The festival designed an interactive patachitra, a modern-day version of the scroll painting with narrative songs of 19th century Kolkata on computer to tell the story of the city through the voices of the people,” said Kakkar.

The festival this year hosted writers like Ramachandra Guha, who spoke on “What kind of Asian was Gandhi”. The uniqueness of the festival is that it is organised by a bookstore, the Oxford Bookstore — a shop intricately woven into the intellectual consciousness of Kolkata, Kakkar said.

At the Jaipur Literary Festival, from January 24 to 28, the focus was on literature in Indian languages. Writers in 17 Indian languages connected to an essentially Hindi-speaking audience in Jaipur under a project entitled, Ek bhasa hua karti hain.

“The creative and dynamic programming of Indian languages make the Jaipur Literature Festival more democratic in one sense, more Indian in a deeper sense, and make these languages familiar to the wider audience,” said poet Ashok Vajpeyi, who is associated with the festival.

The Jaipur Literature Festival also attempts

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Not just literary fests, but book fests are also devising more and more ways to reach wider audiences

The literature and book festivals host erudite visitors from India and abroad

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Writer Ramachandra Guha (second from left) and (right) film maker Shyam Benegal at the Apeejay Kolkata Literature Festival

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The festivals also attempt unique outreach programmes and intervene on issues of education and new forms of creative expression

unique outreach programmes. Last year, more than 1,000 children attended the festival as “guests”. The Music Stage — a separate segment of the festival — plays host to new fusion culture of Rajasthan with collaboration between local musicians and foreign bands.

Not just literary fests, but book fests are also devising more and more ways to reach wider audiences. A roving book festival, The Bookwallah, supported by the Asialink Writing Programme, affiliated to the University of Melbourne, Australia, took six writers from the Mumbai Live, a literature festival, on a 2,000-km train journey of southern India to meet readers, students and the general public. The travelling writers also carried along a pop-up library.

“Our writers experienced a little of southern India on train and visited each city on foot. They discussed their books and ideated across a range of topics — modern love, the politics of travel and migration, Australian and Indian culture and identity,” said Nick Low, one of the organisers of Bookwallah.

The Goa Arts and Literary Festival and Kovalam Literary Festival speak of the local cultural issues on the sidelines of the mainstream session, while the Bookaroo, the annual children’s book festival in Delhi, intervenes in more than 100 government schools on issues of education and new forms of creative expression.

Through literature, “geopolitics, politics, caste systems and productive analysis of social issues” could be gleaned, says Sanjoy Roy, producer of the Jaipur Literary Festival.

“The festivals allow us to cross the boundary between the present and future and connects us — it does so in many different languages,” Roy said.

—Madhusree Chatterjee is assistant editor, IANS

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EXHIBITION

From excavations to

Discoveries The objects on display showcase the journey of exploration and excavation by the Archaeological Survey of India in the last 50 years TEXT: CHITRA BALASUBRAMANIAM

unning over a month, the exhibition at Delhi’s National Museum, Rediscovering India – 19612011 is a grand finale to the series of celebration commemorating 150 years of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). On display is a selection of objects excavated from various archaeological sites across India, painstakingly requisitioned from these regions and kept in a systematic way to represent the progression of centuries and chequered history of Indian civilisation.

The 307 objects reflect the journey of exploration and excavation, especially in the last 50 years. The exhibits include four fibre glass replicas. A designer quirk, if history was to make it to drawing rooms, such fibre glass panels would be hot sellers. And, with an extremely interesting and attractive display, it also serves as an interesting educational medium to aid teaching history. It not only provokes the viewer into a journey in the past, but also brings out nuances of civilisation at that point of time. The exhibits are cleverly grouped on the historic timeline with objects excavated during that period from different parts of the

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country. For example, there are objects from Mandi in Uttar Pradesh, juxtaposed with that from Dholavira in Gujarat during the same period. The earliest tools from the prehistoric era, the Stone Age are amply reflected in the host of stone tools on display. Looking at these much functional tools, it’s difficult to fathom that they are nearly 3000 or more years old.

The excavations at the exhibition are from various sites, including Anangpur (Haryana), Attirampakkam (Tamilnadu) and Lalitpur (Uttar Pradesh). What astonishes the eye is the advanced technique possessed in these civilisations. The objects can sit comfortably in the modern contemporary world nay a change. It just goes to show how advanced these civilisations were even at that time. The cynosure of the eye is the Harappan civilisation about which there is a process of evolution in learning and unearthing yet another secret.

It is the findings of the Harappan civilisation — represented by various sites such as Bhirrana, Ropar, Kalibangan, Mandi, Dholavira and Surkotda — that stand out. A curious piece displayed is a goblet in beautiful yellow

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THE EXHIBITS

INCLUDE TWO LIGHT, BEAUTIFUL CHINESE PORCELAIN POTTERY PIECES, SPEAKING OF THE SKILL OF GLAZING AND POTTERY IN THE SULTANATE PERIOD

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from Lothal. It has some drawings that narrate the story of the thirsty crow. Do we presume that the story was as much a part of the vocabulary of children then as it is now? How ancient is the literature that we so commonly treat it? It is awe inspiring and humbling at the same time.

The dishes found in Ropar represent the typical pottery of this period. From Banawali a complete lay model of the plough was found. Kalibangan revealed a treasure trove of fabrics and pottery from Early Harappan level. Similarly, from Dhalewan in Punjab comes a cubical weight of stone, which was used for construction. Talking of construction, the meticulousness of town planning and layout is an eye opener. Dholavira has an inimitable water harvesting system, which shows the extent to which such techniques were developed even then.

Amongst the most eye-catching exhibits are the gold ornaments from the Harappan era. The ornaments excavated from Mandi in Uttar Pradesh, from where a lot of gold ornaments have been excavated, include armlets, beads and neck pieces. Similar gold ornaments have also been obtained from Khirsara in Gujarat.

Another lot of jewellery on display — a beautiful animalshaped pendant from Khaparkheda (it is a tiny tiger and exquisitely shaped) and gold ear ornaments — excavated from Bekal Fort and Vijaynagar represent the Medieval period. A beautiful golden bee which is studded with 11 gems is another attractive piece from the same period.

Outstanding also are the metallic sculptures of Buddha, Tara and Garuda of the Medieval period. Some of the seals on display are so tiny that it is a wonder they survived years being buried underground and so are a credit to the skilled hands which excavated them without any damage.

The exhibits include two light, beautiful Chinese porcelain pottery pieces with excellent designs. Discovered at Kotla Firoz Shah in New Delhi, these speak of the skill of glazing and pottery in the Sultanate period. Glazed dishes from this period have also been discovered in Lalkot excavation. The objects at the exhibition are present in all available material — bronze, copper, brass, gold, stone, terracotta and more. A few showcase the advent of Buddhism and Jainism. Ploughs, water sprinklers, seals and moulds, the rich findings are astonishing.

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REVIEW

Ambassadors of

Culture The exhibition displayed the emotion of camaraderie seen through the eyes of children TEXT: CHITRA BALASUBRAMANIAM

utual understanding and friendship are imperative for entities to survive and thrive in today’s competitive global world. Besides, the emotions convey the warmth and versatility of one’s personality. More important than shaking hands or exchanging smiles, the comfort of how much common we have with the other and in which direction we can move hand-in-hand, hold us together. And what if such impressions are captured by children from across the border on a canvas? The emotion of camaraderie through the eyes of children that is so powerful to transcend manmade geographical boundaries was the theme of Colours of SAARC exhibition held in Delhi. Students and child artists from SAARC countries, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Maldives and Nepal, came together on a platform to paint their vision. The confluence aptly titled, Cultural Confluence – United Colours, presented fresh, innovative, free thinking spirit of the young artists, with the detailing and talent no less than those of experienced masters.

The exhibition can be seen as a culmination of cultural

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interactions carried out by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) over a period of time. These students were brought together for a camp that exposed them to various facets of Indian art and culture. The interaction was a part of a series of such camps conducted under the aegis of ICCR since 2007 when it held the first camp in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. This was later followed by Puducherry in 2010 and Kerala in 2011. The camp of 2012 exposed the young minds to Indian culture and tradition to help them open to the cultural similarities in the region. The camp also encouraged the young artistes to collaborate with their regional counterparts in times to come.

The exhibition stood out as an eclectic and interesting creation. At the entrance was a beautiful thangka painting welcoming the visitors to the series. There were glimpses of Buddha in his numerous avatars, a peek into the everyday life of the SAARC members with those of the streets of Afghanistan especially outstanding, and experiments with themes, artistic vision, mediums (with couple of sculptures in bronze included) and ways of painting (acrylic, water colours, splash and repeated dyeing).

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VERBATIM

THE CLASSICAL LIBERAL

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hinker and commentator Gurcharan Das has travelled across the world, observed changes in societies and states, and seen growth at all levels. And he writes about growth in his recent book India Grows at Night. He speaks with Ambica Gulati on dharma, reforms and success.

You have had vast experience in observing different states. Please share your thoughts.

I used to call myself a socialist till the 1960s but now I would say that I am a classical liberal. I feel that every society decides to make reforms from time to time for sound growth. But there is no immediate silver bullet for reforms and success. All successful states have taken the tough road for reforms. If there is strong enforcement, citizens follow it and reforms eventually change the state. There are certain states that I admire more such as Scandinavia, England and the local democracy in America.

India Grows at Night is an intriguing title…

The book is about growth despite the problems. Essentially, I have made a balanced liberal case for strong state. The people have risen to the challenges despite the weaknesses. The government has been a good regulator with some sound institutions — Election Commission, Reserve Bank of India, Securities and Exchange Board of India. The last chapter of the book gives a balanced view of all these good institutions.

What does a strong state have?

A strong state is an effective and enabling state. A classical liberal state has three pillars. It has the ability to take decisive, determined action when required, so it is not paralysed. That action is bound by the rule of law and it is accountable to the people. A liberal strong state is what was envisaged by our founding fathers. A successful state is built on a moral core.

IN INDIA GROWS AT NIGHT, I HAVE TRIED TO CELEBRATE THE RISE OF INDIA, WHICH IS ONE OF THE GREATEST EVENTS OF OUR LIFE.

Please elucidate on what you call the ‘moral core’.

In the chapter ‘Habits of the heart’, you can see that the best way to see democracy is at its heart in the small towns and villages at the gram sabha level or in the mohalla sabhas. Here you can see what notion people have of liberty, equality and governance and learn their responsibilities as a citizen. The founding fathers placed the dharma wheel at the centre of our national flag to remind us of our dharma. To give an example, Mahatma Gandhi invoked the notion of sadharan dharma when he fought against untouchability. When people hear the word dharma, it resonates with them. And local democracy promotes dharma.

In the book you have written about Gurgaon. Please elaborate on the rise there.

About 25-30 years ago, Gurgaon was just a land of heat and dust. But today it is the Millennium City; it is the road of aspiration for people searching for jobs across the country. It has created millions of jobs and become an engine of growth for the country. Gurgaon’s disadvantage has become its advantage!

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