Ip mar april 2013 by Indian Diplomacy

INDIA VOL 27 NO. 1 MARCH-APRIL 2013

PERSPECTIVES

INSIDE

FESTIVAL OF COLOURS Holi at Brajbhoomi

PHOTO FEATURE Spring Delights

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES India–Bhutan Cordial Relations

P O T P O U R R I Republic Day celebrations The 64th Republic Day parade, on January 26 in Delhi, presented a kaleidoscope view of India’s rich heritage and military prowess. The parade had synchronised military and police formations, tableaux, motorcycle display and a flypast, and programmes by school children. AFP

Indo-French satellite SARAL launched

Railway heritage sites National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, and Ministry of Railways plan to collaborate to give a facelift to heritage railway sites across India. NID students will disseminate information at rail museums through technology and light, sound and interactive media, souvenirs and signages. The project will cover railway lines such as Darejeeling, KalkaShimla and Nilgiri.

Royal Mint sovereigns

Six foreign micro and mini spacecraft and the Indo-French oceanographic study satellite, SARAL (Satellite for Argos-3 and Altika) were launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation from Sriharikota in February. SARAL’s applications include study of climatic developments, migration of marine animals and protection of biodiversity.

Virtual shopping at IGI Airport

Britain’s Royal Mint has started to manufacture gold sovereign coins in India for the first time in almost 100 years. The sovereigns will be produced by Indian gold producer MMTCPAMP using the technique developed by the Royal Mint in its South Wales facility.

Delhi International Airport, with HomeShop18, has introduced a virtual shopping wall named ‘Scan N Shop’ at the Terminal 3 of the airport. The wall lets consumers view and buy products by scanning the QR code or over the phone.

Heritage walks at Bombay High Court One of Mumbai’s old architectural buildings, the Bombay High Court, has now thrown its doors open to visitors. Heritage Walk on weekends will be facilitated by the Tour Guides Association, only when it is not a working day. The Walk will be in the presence of police and the court keeper between 8 and 10.30 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays of every month except the Court’s working Saturdays.

EDITORIAL NOTE

arch is the month of changing colours when winter fades away, making way for spring; when you see the blooming of nature’s palette of shades — from fresh green shoots springing up all over the earth to flowers in myriad colours that sway in the balmy breeze. The festival of colours, Holi, celebrated on March 27 this year, is an occasion when Indians enjoy spring’s abundant colours with bonhomie. This is the time when gardens are blessed with blooms and butterflies — creating the perfect setting for one to be at peace with nature. March–April are exciting months in India. There are festivals galore; glimpses of which are captured on the pages of this double edition, making for a visual, cultural and festive treat. To capture the essence of Holi, we take our readers to Brajbhoomi, the land where Lord Krishna spent his childhood. Crowds smeared in the festive colours of Holi make their way across the region’s villages, turning this land into a veritable kaleidoscope. This issue observes the occasions of Baisakhi, Poila Boishakh, Bihu, Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, Puthandu and Vishu, and Easter, with articles that celebrate the enthusiasm, happiness and prosperity that pervades the country. The edition is also in harmony with nature, recording the arrival of spring at some of India’s well-known gardens. Readers will get a glimpse of India as we travel to Kochi, in Kerala, and the pristine tribal pocket of Jawhar-Kelichapada, in Maharashtra. In addition, we trace the successful journey of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, which in December 2012, completed 10 years of its operations. We have its managing director, Mangu Singh, recalling the past decade of success and sharing the future itinerary of the service. March 8 being International Women’s Day, we celebrate the contribution of women to India’s global success with the profile of social activist Nileema Mishra. As the world’s largest democracy showcased its potential during the 64th Republic Day celebrations in Delhi, the visit of the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Wangchuk, as chief guest, finds a place in this edition, which captures the spirit of the enduring friendship between India and Bhutan. Our Partnerships section features INDIAFRICA: A Shared Future, a unique peopleto-people outreach effort focussing on young people of India and Africa, providing them with opportunities to engage meaningfully with each other through competition and collaboration.

AFP

Riva Ganguly Das

MARCHAPRIL 2013 INDIA PERSPECTIVES

INDIA

PERSPECTIVES March-April 2013 VOL 27 No. 1/2013

Editor: Riva Ganguly Das Assistant Editor: Ashish Arya

MEDIA TRANSASIA TEAM Associate Editor: Jyoti Verma Senior Sub Editor: Aashruti Kak Junior Features Writer: Pallavi Paul 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.

MARCH-APRIL 2013

Potpourri

Holi: Festival of colours at Brajbhoomi

Festive feast: New Year cuisine

Global Perspectives: India–Bhutan cordial relations

Partnerships: INDIAFRICA: A Shared Future

Photo feature: Spring delights

Festival: Easter celebrations in India

Travel: Kochi: A slice of Kerala

Past time: Kabootar baazi in Old Delhi

Stagecraft: Inter-culture theatre

Milestone: Ten years of Delhi Metro

Legacy: Tribal tourism

Profile: Social activist Nileema Mishra

Exhibition: India Art Fair

Fair: Surajkund International Crafts Mela

Review: Mithila picks contemporary issues

Verbatim: Subodh Gupta

COVER PHOTO: A REVELLER IN HOLI COLOURS / IMAGESBAZAAR COVER DESIGN: BIPIN KUMAR

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FESTIVE SPIRIT

Splash of Colour

Songs, merriment and mayhem make Brajbhoomi, the land where Lord Krishna spent his childhood, a colour mosaic during Holi TEXT: KUMAR MANGWANI

t is the busiest day of the year, and all of us are geared up and ready for action. As decided, we would plan like an army on siege, perfecting our proficiency. The water-filled balloons clutched in our tiny grips and as someone strolls down our lane, we drop them with improvised aim. Dripping and stunned, the recipient issues forth his reaction, while our merry laughter echoes within quickly shut windows. Another group of children scamper under the foliage, tightly concealed till our enemy returns to his barrack. The raids can be likened to those of Krishna’s, the disparity although in quarries — ours unwary passersby, His effervescent female friends or gopis. One tale goes: Krishna, as a blue-skinned boy keeps complaining to his mother about the contrast in complexion between him and that of his fair consort Radha. Yashoda, annoyed by the constant questions, squirms out of the situation persuading Krishna to smear Radha’s face in the colour he desires. And thus began the ritual of Holi. In Brajbhoomi, the pastoral lands of Krishna’s childhood, Holi takes on a special significance in styles yet incomparable. At Barsana, as I finally shuffle myself into the temple, the forecourt lays

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Legend goes, Krishna with his friends would sneak into Radha’s native land colouring the maidens with gulaal. The hassled girls would chase the boys with wooden staffs (lath)

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INDIA PICTURE

audacious in blotches of dried colours blending with the patterned floor. The lathmaar Holi is what I missed out. Legend goes, Krishna with his cowherd friends from Nandgaon would sneak into Radha’s native Barsana colouring the maidens with coloured powder or gulaal. The hassled girls would chase the boys with wooden staffs (lath). The tradition continues to this day, where the men from Nandgaon invade Barsaana to tease the women with songs only to be beaten up with the stiff sticks. The second day of my arrival in Mathura is Holika Dahan, the traditional burning of demoness Holika, who tried killing her nephew Prahalad, by taking him in a fire. However, instead of Prahalad dying, Holika died in the fire. This is the reason why Holi is celebrated as a festival marking the burning of all demoniac tendencies. I disembark from the cycle rickshaw at the unremarkable Holi-gate, the old town’s new milestone now restored in over-embellished trimmings. Try as I might, the glassful of buttermilk and the Bengali sweets refuse to sedate the daytime heat. A walk past a sweet shop, then the alleys stifled in deafening music, and then a little meander to head down the steps to Vishram Ghat, so named as Krishna is believed to have rested here after slaying the evil Kansa. The Yamuna flows by lazily as I expend a few hours on the steps. The secured dinghies gently waltz in the lapping waters. A priest, spying me as a potential naïve, invites me to perform the Yamuna aarti or prayer since

MARCHAPRIL 2013 INDIA PERSPECTIVES

Holika Dahan is the burning of demoness Holika, who tried killing her nephew Prahalad, by taking him in a fire. However instead of Prahalad dying, Holika died in the fire I have come to this place of worship from miles away. The chanting begins with the usual gusto and as the tempo ascends fevered pitch, to the swaying and clapping, the suspended full moon shimmers with a hint of mischief analogous to that of Krishna’s playful acts. Next morning on Dhuleti, Mathura wears a ghostly veil. The usual flurry of traffic remains shy. Even the usual corner shops are tightly shut. I attempt flagging down a lone cycle rickshaw heading the Holi-gate way, he pops his eyes towards a group of revellers heading this way, and quickly swerves into a lane. The reason strikes apparent. I too slither into the first alley lest I become their honoured ‘guest’. My heart races on venturing into a nondescript detour towards the ghat. A pat for my cunning self, but the evasion remains short-lived. Helpless, in the next minute I am one of them. A brass tumbler appears in my hand. With cloudy eyes I peer at the turbid concoction. A celebrant grinds green balls of cannabis, another one a handful of almonds. Buckets tanked up with milk are impatient for the final potent tarnish, bhang. Filled tumblers are passed around, drums materialise beating to popular tunes and the ghat stumbles into an unparallel frenzy. The streets are turning into a colour mosaic. Women heap bucketfuls of water from the safety of their balconies. The charged men on streets toss handfuls of colours. There is dance, there is

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GETTING THERE The Brajbhoomi is centred around Mathura extending 75 km north-south and 50 km east-west, encompassing Vrindavan, Nandgaon, Barsana, Gokul, Govardhan and Baldev Mathura, 141 km from New Delhi and 58 km North-west of Agra, is accessible by regular bus services from Agra and Jaipur Govardhan, 25 km west of Mathura is where Krishna is said to have lifted the hill on one finger to shelter the inhabitants from deluge Vrindavan, 11 km north of Mathura is a celebrated Vaishnavite pilgrimage. The popular temples here are Banke Bihari, Madan Mohan temple, Radha Vallabh temple and the Jaipur temple Gokul, 10 km south-east of Mathura is associated with Krishna’s foster parents Nanda and Yashoda. This is where Krishna is believed to have revealed his divinity to Yashoda — she made him open his mouth after he gulped a handful of earth, only to peer in and see the entire universe

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music, and faces blur from yellows to greens to red. A tractor-drawn float carting saffron saints pulls into the street for a brisk trade of colours. The evening is a remarkable contrast. Colours done with, people in sparkling whites exchange the symbolical pinch of gulaal on scrubbed foreheads. Dhuleti comes to an end, but celebrations are far from over. Someone mentions the Horganga; I recollect wild images from Xavier’s illustrious book The Holy Song. The natives of Baldev village celebrate the Horganga on the second day of Dhuleti; their women with their heads covered take positions along the outer perimetre of the spacious courtyard, while the men continuously circumambulate the temple. The ‘outsiders’ over the one-storey roofs take turns in casting colours and water hoses. In merry barter, the natives pump long brass water guns or pichkaris in criss-cross gushes. Parked on the roof, there are dignitaries and there are foreigners. None are spared. Trip after trip, water buckets are carried into the courtyard and poured over the women. They retaliate like the gopis, teased by the ebullient Krishna. For one hour this mass mayhem moves in a colourful trance, the spectacle beyond any assessment.

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CUISINE

New Year

Feast

SANJEEV KAPOOR CHEF, AUTHOR AND TELEVISION HOST

India is a land of diversity with numerous festivals spread across its regions. Talking of the New Year celebrations, the occasions may differ from one Indian state to the other, but the spirit is alike — to usher in the year with joy, peace, prosperity, brotherhood and bonhomie. Baisakhi (Punjab), and the lesser known Chaitti and Basoa (Himachal Pradesh) and Navreh (Jammu and Kashmir) in north; Poila Boishakh (West Bengal), Bihu (Assam) and Pana Sankranti (Orissa) in east; Gudi Padwa (Maharashtra) in west; and Ugadi (Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka), Puthandu (Tamil Nadu) and Vishu (Kerala) in south, are also the occasions when Indian kitchens gear up for the best cuisine worth waiting all year for

NORTH

BAISAKHI Come April 13 and there will be celebrations in Punjab to welcome the arrival of the harvest season with the significant festival, Baisakhi. Derived from the month of Vaisakh (April–May), Baisakhi sees people taking bath at nearby rivers and tanks and visiting temples and gurudwaras with sweets and money (which is supposed to be one tenth of the total produce or whatever they are capable of donating) to thank for their fortune and pray for a better crop next year. Baisakhi involves a lot of socialising. Friends and relatives are invited for dinner or lunch. Lots of fruits and sweets are sent to the houses of daughters as gifts. Visitors are welcomed and offered buttermilk and sweets. Also, langars or free community meals are organised at gurudwaras, and everyone helps to make it a success. The meals consist of some absolutely delectable, rich dishes such as puri (deep-fried bread) with cooked potatoes, dal (a preparation of pulses), halwa and kheer (a sweet dish made with milk) made in pure ghee.

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(Clockwise from top) Rich foods such as kheer, maa chhole ki dal (pulses), halwa and spicy snacks are big during Baisakhi

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(Clockwise from left) Luchi, ghugni, panta bhat and shrikhand are part of the regional food fare around the New Year

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EAST

POILA BOISHAKH AND BIHU West Bengal celebrates the first day of Vaisakh, April 14 as Poila Boishakh, which is the first day of the Bengali calendar. Also known as Nobo Borsho, it falls a day after Vishuva Sankranti. An important festival for Bengalis, the day is marked by cleaning homes, taking an early bath, wearing new clothes and preparing special dishes. The day is spent paying a visit to friends and family to greet them. Traditionally, the day starts with an authentic meal that consists of panta bhaat (soaked rice) with onion, green chillies and fried hilsa fish. New Year in Assam is celebrated as Bihu, also known as Rongali Bihu or Bohag Bihu around April 15. This day marks the arrival of spring. The Assamese New Year continues for seven days, where the first day is called Goru Bihu. Goru means cow and thus, this day is for the animal and has cows washed and worshipped. The second day is Manuh Bihu which is for humans. This day is celebrated in a similar way as that of Poila Boishakh. Gosai Bihu is the third day where statues of Gods (gosai) are worshipped in each and every household asking for another smooth and happy year ahead. Delicacies such as pithe (types of cake, dimsum or bread), narkol nadu (sweetmeats made of rice and coconut), ghugni (an evening snack) and luchi (deep-fried flatbread) are prepared.

WEST

GUDI PADWA The morning is bright and as the sun spreads its light, one ray strikes upon the brass pot that hangs upside down on a pole outside a Maharashtrian home. Gudi Padwa is the first day of Chaitra and is celebrated as New Year’s Day by the people of Maharashtra. In the Maharashtrian tradition, Gudi Padwa is one of the four most auspicious days of the year to celebrate weddings, housewarmings and inaugurations of business ventures and for buying gold, silver or property. At this time the crops are harvested and the produce is packed off to the marketplace. On this festive day, courtyards in village houses are swept clean. Even in the city, people do some hectic spring-cleaning. Women and children create intricate rangoli designs on their doorsteps, the vibrant colours symbolising the burst of colour associated with spring. Traditionally, families are supposed to begin the festivities by eating bittersweet leaves of the neem tree. Sometimes, a paste of neem leaves is prepared and mixed with cumin seeds, jaggery and salt. All the members of the family consume this paste, which is believed to purify the blood and strengthen the body’s immune system against diseases. Delicacies like puran poli (sweet flatbread), soonth panak (Konkani style jaggery, ginger and pepper drink), shrikhand (a sweet dish made of strained yogurt), puri and chana ussal (made with coconut and sprouts) are relished on this day.

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SOUTH

UGADI, PUTHANDU AND VISHU

UGADI SYMBOLISES A NEW LIFE ACCORDING TO THE HINDU BELIEF THAT SAYS, LORD BRAHMA, THE CREATOR, BEGAN CREATING THE WORLD ON THIS DAY

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PHOTOS COURTESY: SANJEEV KAPOOR

Celebrated in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, Ugadi or Yugadi marks the arrival of Chaitra month and beginning of the New Year. The day symbolises a new life according to the Hindu belief that says, Lord Brahma, The Creator, began creating the world on this day. Also, according to the renowned Indian mathematician Bhaskara, Ugadi is the beginning of a new Hindu lunar calendar with a change in the moonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s orbit. Prayers are held on this day by devotees who make special offerings at temples. This day is also considered auspicious to start new business ventures. Besides cleaning of houses and buying clothes, people decorate their homes with toran (made of mango leaves) and floors with colourful art or kolam. Special foods such as ugadi pachadi (sweet and sour tamarind-raw mango chutney), badam halwa (sweet dish of almonds), payasam (sweet dish made of rice and vermicelli), moong dal kheer (sweet made from milk and pulses), pulihora (sour and spicy tamarind rice), lemon rice, ujji garelu (onion vadas) and pappu pulusu (red grams cooked with tamarind) are made on this day. Tamil Nadu celebrates its New Year with Puthandu also known as Varusha Pirappu that falls on April 13 or 14, which is considered as the first month in the Tamil calendar. While in Kerala, the New Year is celebrated as Vishu. It is believed that on this day, the first thing seen by a person when one opens eyes in the morning is an indication of what one can expect in the year to come. So, it is made sure that one opens eyes in front of a propitious image. Lord Vishnu, the Preserver of Creation, is worshipped on this day and special food items such as aviyal (a vegetable dish), ada pradhaman (rice flakes in coconut and jaggery sauce), kuzhi paniyaram (soft pancakes), beans thoran (made of vegetables and coconut) and kalan (mixed vegetables in yogurt and coconut gravy) are prepared.

(Clockwise from top left) Ada pradhaman, kalan, kuzhi paniyaram and pal payasam are part of the South Indian food platter

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GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

COMMITTED TO DEVELOPMENT With strategic and economic interests and cultural intermingling in mind, India–Bhutan relations are poised to climb new peaks in days to come

TEXT: MANISH CHAND

n diplomacy, expressions of goodwill are routine, but many a time the same words and phrases do not lose their lustre. Unique, time-tested, exemplary – the list of affirmative adjectives is indeed long while describing the India–Bhutan partnership and friendship, but it’s also true that the fraternal and intimate ties that bind the two countries are without parallel. These special relations were once again telescoped in the eight-day visit of Bhutan’s monarch and his spouse to India in January. Bhutan’s 32-year-old Oxford-educated monarch Jigme Khesar Wangchuk was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in the Indian capital – a singular honour bestowed only on special friends of India. The visit reinforced the model of good neigbourly relations the world’s oldest and most populous democracies have forged over the years. A beaming Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and President Pranab Mukherjee warmly received the royal couple during the ceremonial reception at the forecourt of India’s presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhavan — easy smiles, confidential conversations and perfect photo-ops seamlessly merged with substantive discussions the Bhutan monarch had with his Indian interlocutors to pitch bilateral ties into a higher trajectory. Dr. Manmohan Singh, a firm believer in robust India–Bhutan relations, underlined India’s unwavering commitment to the development and prosperity of the Himalayan state, a newly-minted democracy that prefers to measure its wealth in terms of Gross National Happiness rather than the market-driven GDP. He also assured of continued support of the Government of India to Bhutan’s 11th Five Year Plan for development projects aimed at modernisation and closer integration of the economies and people of the two countries. The Bhutanese monarch was generous in acknowledging India’s contribution to the socio-economic development of his country over the past half a century and said that its continued assistance would be “indispensable” for his country’s future growth. Speaking at a state banquet in his honour on the eve of the Republic Day, the king’s speech was laced with sparks of eloquence and even a touch of poetry. “In this moment of great happiness — I offer to you my deepest, most profound affection and goodwill. My bond with India is for life, for it arises from two loves — my love for India and, my love for Bhutan and my people,” he said. Recalling his grandfather, who was invited as the Republic Day chief guest in 1954, he said, quoting his grandfather, “The destiny of

King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Wangchuk with Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh

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(From left) The King of Bhutan with President Pranab Mukherjee and Dr Singh at the Republic Day function, and while inspecting the Guard of Honour ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Delhi

Bhutan is intimately bound with that of India and it is in our mutual interests to further the bonds of friendship and understanding.” “And, many decades later, in a modernising Bhutan, my father (who was also the chief guest earlier) declared, ‘India is the cornerstone of our foreign policy.’ To these profound assertions of intimate bonds I would like to state, Indo-Bhutan friendship is indispensable for the future success of Bhutan,” he said. Underlining a unique cultural intermingling between the two nations, he described India as a “great nation,” and “the motherland of “our race,” “She was the mother of our philosophy; mother of much of our mathematics… mother, through the village community, of self-government and democracy. Mother India is in many ways the mother of us all,” he said, triggering resounding applause from assembled guests. Inspiring words indeed, but a trusted diplomatic relationship is not just made of pretty words and inspired eloquence. This is what puts the India–Bhutan relations in a different league – straight-from-the-heart speeches backed by substance and content. The king’s reaffirmation that India remains the cornerstone of Bhutan’s foreign policy is timely and should silence sceptics who have made much of another emerging Asian power’s renewed interest in building bridges with the Himalayan state. It’s an ongoing good news story in transformational diplomacy, but needs to be placed in context. India remains Bhutan’s largest trading and development partner.

AFP

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Over the years, a large chunk of India’s developmental assistance in form of loans, grants and lines of credit has been committed to Bhutan. The statistics tell their own story. Bhutan received around ` 1,723 crore from India for the year 2010-2011, says the Budget Report of the Ministry of External Affairs. The process of working with Bhutan on its “Eleventh Plan and consultations” is progressing, says External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid. These plans were further discussed during the visit of Bhutan’s PM Jigmi Y Thinely. Bilateral trade is on an upswing. In 2011, bilateral trade was estimated to be around ` 61.6 billion, comprising 72 per cent of Bhutan’s total imports and 85 per cent of its exports. In power sector, a key pillar that underpins robust bilateral ties, the two countries have set new models to create a sphere of co-prosperity. In fact, power trade has emerged as a key contributor for Bhutan’s tax revenues in 2011-2012. As Shyam Saran, India’s former foreign secretary, has put it aptly, “Bhutan has become the richest country in South Asia because it has been able to properly harness its own resources using Indian aid and investment.” Saran has called hydropower collaboration “a perfect example of a win-win situation.” The cascading rivers of Bhutan have a cumulative hydropower potential of 35,000 MW. The power generated in Himalayan mountains and rivers light up smiles in countless homes in Bihar, West Bengal and Delhi. India has helped set up the 336 MW

IN 2011, BILATERAL TRADE BETWEEN INDIA AND BHUTAN WAS ESTIMATED TO BE AROUND ` 61.6 BILLION, COMPRISING 72 PER CENT OF BHUTAN’S TOTAL IMPORTS AND 85 PER CENT OF ITS EXPORTS

AFP

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THIMPHU HAS BACKED NEW DELHI’S POSITION ON A NUCLEARWEAPON-FREE ZONE IN SOUTH ASIA, THE COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN TREATY AND THE 1998 NUCLEAR TESTS AT POKHRAN

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Chukha hydro project (1986-87), the 60 MW Kurichu (2001-02) and the 1,020 MW Tala project (2006-2007). India has pledged to buy 10,000 MW by 2020, making Bhutan perhaps the only country in South Asia which enjoys trade surplus with New Delhi. The two sides have already agreed on ten hydropower projects. Of these, the three projects – Punatsangchhu-I Hydro Electric Project, Punatsangchhu–II and Mangedechhu HEPs – are under construction. In the realm of national security, the strategically-located Bhutan continues to be of special significance to India. Issues related with security were discussed when National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon called on the Bhutanese monarch during the visit. India’s leaders have not forgotten how in 2003 the then King Jigme Singye Wangchuk personally led the offensive by the Royal Bhutan Army to cleanse anti-India insurgents such as the United Liberation Front of Assam from the Bhutanese soil. Against the backdrop of reports about intensifying activities of insurgent groups along the India–Bhutan border, counter-terror cooperation is bound to gain greater salience in the bilateral relations. As the world’s budding democracy navigates its transition to modernity, the timetested relations between India and Bhutan are set to acquire new traction in the evolving geopolitical flux in the region. Above all, it’s a relationship based on reciprocity. If India has been generous with funds and developmental assistance,

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Bhutan has consistently backed India’s claim for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. Among other important issues, Thimphu has backed New Delhi’s position on a nuclear-weapon-free zone in South Asia, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the 1998 nuclear tests at Pokhran. From the time India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, along with his daughter Indira Gandhi, trekked to Paro on yaks in 1958 to Bhutan’s embrace of democracy and the first elections in 2008 to the royal couple’s choice of India as their first stop after their wedding, to their latest visit to New Delhi in January, the relationship has exhibited a meeting of minds and hearts. With such trust and depths of goodwill, the two countries have managed to create a radiant realm of co-prosperity. “India will stand by you as a factor of stability and support in your quest for greater prosperity and happiness,” Dr Singh said in his address to the Bhutanese parliament in 2010. And Bhutan has made it clear yet again that New Delhi remains the cornerstone of its foreign policy. With this rare convergence of strategic and economic interests on the one hand and an effortless cultural intermingling on the other, the multi-faceted relations between India and Bhutan are poised to climb new peaks in days to come. —Manish Chand is Editor-in-Chief of India Writes (www.indiawrites.org), an online magazine focused on international affairs and promoting dialogue among cultures.

(From left) The King and Queen of Bhutan paying floral tributes at Rajghat, and the King in conversation with the External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid

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INDIAFRICA campus ambassadors and AIESEC volunteers of the University of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

PARTNERSHIPS

A SHARED FUTURE INDIAFRICA has created multiple platforms for people in India and Africa to engage in dialogue, showcase their talent and collaborate across sectors TEXT: AMIT SHAHI

frica – a continent known for its diversity, myriad traditions, natural bounty, music and exuberance. India – a country marked by myth, culture, colours, innovation, rapid economic growth and a vibrant democracy. The INDIAFRICA relationship is unique and owes its origins to a common past and holds immense potential for building a great shared future. The people have similar aspirations and dreams, face common challenges and tackle them in multiple ways that hold lessons not just for themselves, but also for the rest of the world.

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INDIAFRICA: A Shared Future is a programme that is complementing the various government-to-government, institution-to-institution and business-to-business linkages, with a unique people-to-people outreach based on shared sensibilities. The objective is to bring the young people of India and Africa closer and provide them with opportunities to engage meaningfully and expand their horizons. INDIAFRICA has created multiple platforms for students, entrepreneurs and visionaries to engage in dialogue, showcase their talent and collaborate to develop innovative

INDIAFRICA Interactive Session with African Heads of Mission in Delhi

solutions for problems old and new. Following deliberations at the INDIAFRICA Forum Summit held at Addis Ababa in May 2011, INDIAFRICA: A Shared Future was launched as a three-year project in July 2011. Conceptualised and managed by theIdeaWorks, a design and strategy firm headquartered in Delhi, the programme is supported by the Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Guided by its operating philosophy, Compete. Collaborate. Co-Create the Future, INDIAFRICA organises competitions, discussions, campus outreach programmes and has instituted a Young Visionaries Fellowship programme for young entrepreneurs. Several reputed institutions such as Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad; University of Witwatersrand, South Africa; National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad; University of Johannesburg, South Africa; Lagos Business School, Nigeria and Udaan School of Photography, India, have come on board as partners. The worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest youth managed organisation AIESEC is providing excellent support across Africa. The competitions, open for participation in multiple

languages, have emerged as dynamic platforms for youth and professionals across India and Africa to collaborate through competition, innovation and entrepreneurship, and explore future collaborations in business, design and culture. The Young Visionaries Fellowship programme identifies promising young entrepreneurs in India and Africa and offers them opportunities for growth and cross-fertilisation of ideas. The vision is to encourage collaborative entrepreneurship and trade, and a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities of doing business in the two geographies. Over the first 12 months, INDIAFRICA: A Shared Future visited Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Ghana. Multiple events and interactive sessions were organised, which presented an opportunity to interact with various stakeholders such as universities, schools, industry associations, students, entrepreneurs and opinion leaders who welcomed the initiative as a means to forge meaningful bonds between the youth from both the nations. Season One of the contests drew participation from 21

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(Above, in centre) Michael Hubbard, an INDIAFRICA Young Visionary from South Africa with his friends at a Hyderabad orphanage; and (below) panelists, award winners and organisers after the INDIAFRICA Panel Discussion in Davos

THE YOUNG VISIONARIES

FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME OFFERS YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS IN INDIA AND AFRICA OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH AND CROSS-FERTILISATION OF IDEAS

African countries and India. The Business Venture Competition finals were held at Lagos Business School on September 25 where leaders of the top nine teams made presentations for three Grand Prizes of $10,000, $7,500 and $5,000 and two trips to Davos, Switzerland during the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in January 2013. A total of 124 prizes were announced. Seven young entrepreneurs from Africa and five from India won the Young Visionaries Fellowship, which carries an individual grant of $10,000. They will be attending a sixday boot camp at ISB, Hyderabad with a view to harvest at least six executable and scalable new ideas for INDIAFRICA collaborative business ventures across sectors. In the true spirit of INDIAFRICA: A Shared Future, Michael Hubbard, a student entrepreneur from University of Capetown and one of the INDIAFRICA Young Visionaries, has set a great example for all young people of Africa and India. He has visited Hyderabad three times over the past couple of years. In a laudable act of selflessness, he has spent $2,000 of his grant on setting up a library at an orphanage in Hyderabad and has contributed $3,000 towards the medical treatment of Shashank, his fellow AIESECer in the same city. The latter initiative inspired AIESECers across India to raise another $5,000 over a week to fund Shashank’s treatment, helping him recover from a serious road accident. INDIAFRICA: A Shared Future chose Davos, Switzerland to share its story with the world during the WEF Annual Meeting in January this year. An INDIAFRICA music medley with three master musicians from India and Ghana was the highlight of the September 23 awards evening. January 25 saw a luncheon panel discussion themed “How can INDIAFRICA and the World Co-create the Future.” INDIAFRICA winners Kennedy Kitheka of South Africa,

Arnold Sarfo Kantanka of Ghana and Zubaida Bai of India made individual presentations. Dr Nkosana D Moyo, Executive Chairperson, Mandela Institute of Developmental Studies, South Africa, in his opening comments, spoke about the colonial past of both India and Africa and how Africans have much to imbibe from the Indian way, in learning to build their nascent democracies. The panelists, Jasandra Nyker, CEO, BioTherm Energy Pty Ltd, South Africa; Bright Simons, President, mPedigree Network, Ghana; and Neelam Chibber, Founder, IndusTree, India discussed the various similarities and differences between India and Africa and what both geographies could take away from each other. The discussion was moderated by Prof Michael Useem, Director, Centre for Leadership & Change Management, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USA. Season Two of INDIAFRICA competitions are now open for registration from both India and Africa. Campus outreach events have been conducted in Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Ghana. The entries for the Business Venture competition close on March 14 and for Essay Writing, Photography and Poster Design on April 14, 2013. The INDIAFRICA Community of participants, winners and campus ambassadors is at work to ensure maximum participation from both geographies. With INDIAFRICA: A Shared Future, youth of Africa and India are not just discovering the joys of competing and collaborating with each other, but also scripting future histories. The programme has built up a significant social media presence with a Facebook community of over 1,54,000 spread across Africa and India. —Amit Shahi is CEO and co-founder, theIdeaWorks. For more information on the programme, log on to www.indiafrica.in

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Breeze, Blooms & Butterflies SPRING TIME

India Perspectives visits the best season of the year, spring

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PHOTO: TANMOY DAS

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INDIA PICTURE

(From left) Towering chinar trees at Nishat Beg Garden and visitors in the Tulip Garden

AFP

Valley’s colourful bulbs TULIP GARDEN, KASHMIR

The Kashmir Valley comes alive with multi-hued flowers, tall and graceful Chinars and apple and pear trees in full bloom during spring. With terraced lawns, cascading fountains, bright flowerbeds with the panorama of the Dal Lake in front of them, the Mughal Gardens of Nishat and Shalimar were the Mughal Emperors’ concept of paradise and to date are popular among beauty lovers. In 2007, the valley formally got the magnificent Tulip Garden, located on the eastern bank of the Dal. The captivating Zabarwan Mountain provides the perfect backdrop to the garden that is well spread out over 30 hectares with more than 100 varieties of tulip alone. Cultivation of different flowers in this garden was going on a limited scale till 1998. Soon the commercial floriculture activity started in the garden with the technical and financial assistance of Food & Agriculture Organization, United Nations, and different varieties of tulip, alestromeria, gladiolii, lilium and gerbera were introduced. During 2006, former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad conceptualised the dream of creating the Tulip Garden and about 2,75,000 tulip bulbs were imported from Holland and sown here. In its first year, 2007, the garden hosted 20,000 visitors, with the number growing by leaps and bound to reach 1,50,000 in April 2012.

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Royalty and pride THE MUGHAL GARDEN, NEW DELHI

The Mughal Garden of Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, is one of the most beautiful gardens of the world. Its beauty lies in its design and architecture — inspired by the gardens built during the Mughal era and many elements of British garden art — and extensive flora, comprising trees, bushes, vines, lawn grass and seasonal flowers. Located at the heart of Delhi and at the first address of India, the Mughal Garden has kept pace with changing times with various value additions over the years, thanks to the keen interest taken by successive Indian Presidents. Spread over 15 acres, the Mughal Garden includes a circular garden and a rectangular garden near the main Rashtrapati Bhavan building, which is divided into four quarters, each with terraced gardens on either side. There are six fountains in the shape of a lotus to beautify the lawns. Known especially for over 250 varieties of roses, this year’s attraction at the garden was the dahlia in different colours.

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AFP

Nature at its best LALBAGH BOTANICAL GARDEN, BENGALURU

It was 1760 when the famous ruler of old Mysore, Hyder Ali developed a private garden in an area of 40 acres. Inspired by a garden at Sira in Tumkur near Bengaluru, the garden was later developed by Aliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s son Tipu Sultan and subsequently by the British and Indian experts of horticulture. The continued efforts, extended area and vast and varied plant species brought the garden the status of Government Botanical Garden in 1856. A delight to behold any time of the year, today the Lalbagh Botanical Garden in Bengaluru has become a lush green paradise spread over 240 acres and encompassing nearly 2,000 species of plants and 1,117 varieties of bonsai. The garden has well laid out paths, open spaces and shaded patches. With native and exotic flora of wide-ranging diversity, use and interest, this veritable treasure trove of plants is also an important centre for dissemination of knowledge of plants.

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flight

Beauty in

Butterflies are known to be the reincarnation of souls; they are believed to have been born from Virgin Mary’s tear drops, and are called Himalayan flowers who earned wings from Lord Vishnu! A date with the charismatic winged creatures abounding the green expanses of Kerala Photographs: Dr. Unni Krishnan Pulikkal, www.imagery.in

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Kerala, a haven for

butterflies, has over 300 species of rare, endemic and exotic species of colourful butterflies. Of them, 37 species are endemic to the Western Ghats.

A newborn Three-spot Grass Yellow butterfly

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The Swallowtails

(Papilionidae), the Brushfooted (Nymphalidae), the Yellows and Whites (Pierridae), the Blues (Lycaenidae) and the Skippers (Hesperidae) are the families to look out for

(Top) Red Pierrots mating near Peechi Wildlife Sanctuary and (left) Lime butterflies on Clerodendron flowers

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Though butterflies

are active round the year, it requires attention to spot one. If lucky, you could watch members of all five families in a single day

(Top) Tamil Lacewing and (left) Yamflies are the most photogenic butterflies found in Kerala

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lthough Christmas has always seized the social and popular limelight, for Christians in India, as the world over, it is actually Easter that is of a far deeper religious significance. Easter is a quieter, more personal festival than Christmas, and what is fascinating is that by and large, Indian Christians celebrate it in exactly the same way as Christians the world over. Easter is at the very heart of the Christian spiritual calendar, with its celebration of the death of Jesus and his resurrection from the dead. The lowest point in Christian belief is plumbed on Good Friday, when Jesus dies on the cross. And the correspondingly highest spiritual point is reached on Easter Sunday, when Jesus rises from the dead, a symbolic triumph of life over death, of good over evil. Easter cannot be separated from Lent, a period lasting approximately six weeks before Easter, which is a time of spiritual reflection and also physical privation. Lent is when Christians typically “give up” something they enjoy, as a token penance. It can be sweets or chocolate or that evening glass of wine, but the idea is

to deprive yourself of one of life’s little pleasures. In order to clear your house of all such tempting goodies for the six weeks, you have a big blow-out on the day before Lent starts, Mardi Gras or literally “Fat Tuesday” when you gorge and party and dance for the last time before the solemnity of Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Mardi Gras has always been celebrated in Goa, the most obviously Catholic part of India, in a centuries old tradition called “Intruz”. After sinking into gentle oblivion, “Intruz” is being revived in some of the villages of south Goa, with processions and carnivals, but nothing will ever really rival the big Mardi Gras carnival in Panaji. From the religious processions introduced by the Portuguese over 400 years ago, Carnival in Goa now embraces religion, food and fashion shows. After all that very public partying, drinking, dancing and colour, Ash Wednesday brings in Lent. In a ritual that is both sad and moving, churches symbolically cover up all the statues, candles are extinguished, the church bells are muffled, as all gaiety and colour is subdued. After the six long weeks comes the Holy Week when churches all over the country are packed, taking you on a long

E N N I V O I I T D C E R R U S E R

L FESTIVA

of life h p m u i tr mbolic y s a s i n ter ns, Eas ne Pemberto a i t s i r h i st rC oint fo il, writes Chri p l a u t i r er ev t spi Highes h, of good ov at over de

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PHOTO

S: AFP

g n i t s a l iod r e p a , Lent imately six , approxbefore Easterl weeks e of spiritua is a timion and reflect al privation physic

PHOTO S: AFP

The Ho spiritualy Week, a lon Palm S l journey fromg to Eastunday throug busy timer Sunday, i h sa e for ch urches across t he coun try

spiritual journey from Palm Sunday through to Easter Sunday, with congregations reaching their maximum from Maundy Thursday onwards. On Maundy Thursday – the day of the Last Supper, after which Jesus was betrayed and captured – Christians the world over eat hot cross buns, which literally have a cross on them. For people who have given up pastries or cakes for Lent, hot cross buns are the one permitted exemption. Traditionally, the Good Friday service commemorating the death of Jesus on the cross begins at 3 pm, as that is accepted as the time of his Crucifixion, and when the crowds pour out of church three hours later, it is to begin the countdown to Easter. The Easter Vigil, a mass celebrated at midnight, to usher in Sunday, is a happy time. As chocoholic little children, you know it is only a matter of hours till you can break that fast. You watch as gradually life, colour and music come back into church. Symbolically, the statues are uncovered, and the candles in church are lit in a moving communal ceremony. Everyone holds a candle, the priest lights the first candle, and one by one the light slowly passes through the congregation, the

dark of midnight being banished. And then the bells are rung. And Easter morning has dawned. Food takes centre stage on Easter Sunday. Traditionally in India, as all over the world, children are given chocolate eggs, which are supposed to represent the stone that was rolled in front of Jesus’ grave, as well as symbolising birth and spring. Kolkata old-timers recall with nostalgia the chocolate eggs from Flurys, but as India increasingly embraces all that is global, children are now spoiled for choice with chocolate eggs and chocolate Easter bunnies available all over the country. So far, India’s Easter rituals have hardly varied at all from those of Europe and the west, but the traditional family lunch on Easter Sunday is naturally very local in flavour. While Goans might well eat sausage pulao, Syrian Christians will rather have traditional Kerala food, with appam and, as a treat, duck. And life returns to normal, with everyone eating and drinking all the goodies they had renounced for Lent, as Easter Sunday gives way to Easter Monday, a day devoted to polishing off whatever remains of those chocolate eggs.

THE NA ME, EA Some t STER radition s conne godd

ess of l ct nam ove and e Easte beginn r with t fertility, ings, Eo he Bab I s h tar or a stre. Pr ylonian celebra n obably Anglo-S and As tions of t he Chri syrian a x spring o n the egg g stian ho oddess and fer , a sym liday w of fresh tility. Ta bol of li as nam decora lking of fe. Like ted, gif e d after fertility, in othe ted and the star r parts hidden of festiv of the w . al is orld, th e eggs are

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Kerala

A Slice of TRAVEL

A city that has linked India to the world, Kochiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s known world over for its rich heritage TEXT: PALLAVI AIYAR

TITLE TRACK Ancient travellers and tradesmen referred to Kochi as Cocym, Cochym and Kochi. The Kochi Jewish community called Kochi as Kogin, which is seen in the seal of the synagogue. The origin of the name ‘Kochi’ is thought to be from the Malayalam word kochu azhi, meaning ‘small lagoon.’ However, some people believe that the name has a Chinese origin, during the time of Kublai Khan. Yet another theory is that Kochi is derived from the word Kaci meaning harbour. Italian explorers Nicolo Conti and Fra Paoline say that it was called Kochchi. After the arrival of the Portuguese, and later the British, the name Kochi stuck as the official appellation. The city reverted to a closer Anglicisation of its original Malayalam name, Kochi, in 1996.

(From left) A Kathakali performance and musicians at the annual festival in Siva Temple, Kochi

s I sped along the 26 km-long road from Kochi airport to the Kerala city’s historic heart, Fort Kochi, the warming vistas of golden-green paddy fields and coconut-laden palms were balm to my winter-chilled soul. Palm fronds arched towards each other to form a canopy over the still backwaters that criss-crossed the area. The brochures claimed Kerala to be ‘God’s own country,’ and, for once, the hype did not seem overblown. Punctuating the landscape, demure churches sheltered in the shade of bulbous domed-mosques and signs for ‘Jew

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town’ swayed gently in the breeze by roadside Hindu shrines, giving me my first taste of Kochi’s fabulous syncreticism and multi-cultural history. Throughout the millennium, Kochi had exported pepper, cardamom and coffee while importing waves of immigrants and cultures, making it a spice-scented tapestry of cosmopolitanism. It was long home to Syrian Christians, Jews and Arabs before becoming the centre of the battle for control of the region between the European colonial powers of Portugal, Holland and England.

It even had a China connection, with many in Kerala believing the city was named Kochi by the founder of China’s Yuan Dynasty, Kublai Khan. Merchants from the court of Kublai Khan are also credited with having introduced to this part of southern India, one of the region’s biggest tourist draws: the Chinese fishing nets. Kochi incorporates several islands (all connected by a series of bridges and ferries) and the mainland, Ernakulam. The areas called Mattancherry and Fort Kochi (where I was staying) were on the southern peninsula and were host to

most of the major places of interest. Given my time constraints, I had narrowed down my ‘must-sees’ to four: the Chinese fishing nets, St Francis Church (the first European church built in India), the synagogue and the Dutch palace. From the hotel where I was staying, it was a few minutes’ walk to the Chinese fishing nets, possibly the most photographed image in Kochi. They were to be found all along the sea front and had a timeless grace. Each structure was some 10 m high, comprising a cantilever with a massive

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MUST SEE Folklore Museum Kerala Folklore Theatre and Museum, set in Thevara, Kochi, is a magnificent experience of architectural beauty and traditional performing arts of southern India. This museum is packed with exquisite historical objects from window frames to hand-painted ceilings. It houses performing arts garments, puppets, musical instruments, and Hindu and Christian architectural pieces. After having a tour of the museum, the guides will show you to the main venue hall where a performance of Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Bharatanatyam, and Kalaripayattu is given with live music. (Above) Ferries and (below) autorickshaws are the main modes of transport in and around Kochi

ST FRANCIS CHURCH WAS

BUILT BY FRANCISCAN FRIARS, SOON AFTER VASCO DA GAMA LANDED ON KERALA’S SHORES IN 1498, HAVING DISCOVERED THE SEA ROUTE FROM EUROPE TO INDIA hammock-like net on one end and heavy rocks suspended from dangling ropes providing a counter weight on the other. Before heading to the hotel for supper, I decided to catch a traditional Kathakali dance-drama performance at the Kerala Kathakali Centre next door. It turned out to be a fascinating experience that introduced the basics of this highly-stylised ritual theatre right from a demonstration of the intricate make up and elaborate masks used by the performers, to the basic story structures of the art form. There was much eyebrow waggling and lip quivering by the all-male cast who were accompanied by a bevy of percussionists on instruments like the madalam, mridungam, gingira and tabla. Traditionally, a Kathakali performance tended to last all night. This one, luckily for my stomach, had been abridged to a tourist-friendly hourand-a-half. The next day, I spent the morning walking around Fort Kochi, taking in St Francis Church, and an atmospherically decrepit Dutch cemetery. The church dated back to the first

decade of the 16th century when it was built by Franciscan Friars, soon after the great Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama landed on Kerala’s shores in 1498, having discovered the sea route from Europe to India. The explorer died in Kochi in 1524 on his third visit to India, and his body was buried in the church for 14 years before being moved to Lisbon. I walked around the simple building till I came upon his gravestone on the southern side of the church. Inside, ceiling fans hanging from the high, vaulted roof, turned lazily. In the front pew, a gnarled old woman was deep in prayer. Now, the property of the Church of South India, St Francis had been through several avatars, ranging from its Portuguese origins when it was dedicated to St Anthony to a protestant rebirth at the hands of the Dutch who took control of the area in 1663. In the 19th century, it changed hands again when Anglicans took it over and rededicated it to St Francis of Assisi. Kochi’s multi-layered European past was also in display

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at the wonderfully-dilapidated Dutch cemetery that I visited next. As I waded through the overgrown grass taking a look at the faded inscriptions on the gravestones of the Dutch and British traders and colonialists who had ended their lives here, I could hear the sea lapping in the background. This was the oldest European graveyard in India, and it was touchingly evocative. An hour later, I was on my way to Mattancherry, for a look at its famous synagogue. The first migration of Jews to Kerala is thought to have taken place in the 6th century BC,

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although the synagogue in Kochi was built much later in 1568. The synagogue had been used exclusively by the Jews whose ancestry could be traced to the Middle East and Europe. These were Jews who had settled in Kochi relatively recently, from 16th century onwards. The other Jews, Malabari Jews were the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s original inhabitants. The area around the synagogue is known somewhat as Jew Town. Tourists were seen shopping or browsing through the numerous antique and spice shops. The Dutch palace was a spacious two-story 16th-century

HOW TO REACH By air: The Nedumbassery International Airport is about 20 km away from Kochi. By rail: Kochi has three important railheads: Harbour Terminus on Willingdon Island, Ernakulam town and Ernakulam Junction. Ernakulam Junction is well connected to all cities in India. By road: Kochi is well connected by bus services. The state-run buses connect Kochi with all major cities in Kerala and with many cities in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

(From left) A Dutch cemetery and St Francis Church, where Vasco da Gama was buried

building that turned out to actually have been built by the Portuguese, who gave it to the Raja of Kochi as a token of thanks for trading rights and favours granted to them. When the Dutch claimed Kochi in 1663, they also took control of the palace, which explained the misnomer. The fabulous murals in bright red, green and yellow ochre, depicting stories from Indian mythology that covered the walls of the bedroom chamber, made for an absorbing couple of hours. Also on display were a collection of coronation robes, palanquins and royal family portraits.

Ernakulam, my last stop in Kochi was the face of modern India: chaotic, disjunctive and colourful with cows and overcrowded buses jostling each other for road-space and colourful film posters pasted on every street corner. The dinner at the Taj Malabar Hotel on Willingdon Island, which boasted a magnificent view of the Kochi harbour, made it the perfect last evening. As the evening waned I felt little pricks of future nostalgia. Although I was sad to be leaving, I comforted myself with the knowledge that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be taking a little piece of Kerala with me.

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FLIGHTS AND WHISTLES PAST TIME

The pigeon fanciers’ of Old Delhi have kept their passion alive

INDIA PICTURE

TEXT: ARUN GANAPATHY

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t was 3 o’ clock on a winter afternoon. The past few days had been foggy but that day the skies were clear and brilliantly blue. In the distance I could see the domes and minarets of Delhi. On the terrace of Nadeem Ahmad’s small house a light chilly wind blew, but the sun was still strong. Suddenly Nadeem let out a high-pitched whistle and looked towards the sky. “Ao aao, aao (come, come),” he called, waving a stick with a cloth at its end. My eyes followed his hand and head to see a flock of pink, white, brown and grey pigeons dive in and out of the surrounding rooftops and brickfaced backs of houses. Nadeem and his friend Shakeel are part of a tradition called kabootar baazi or pigeon fancying. It goes back to the times of Mughal Emperor, Akbar. It is said that when Jahangir fell seriously ill in his boyhood, a worried Akbar announced that he would reward anyone who would help his son recover. In response, an aged mystic declared that the Prince would recover if he was kept in a room full of pigeons. True to the mystic’s word, Jahangir recovered and developed a liking for the pigeons. When he became the Emperor, pigeon fanciers flocked to his court from Egypt and Baghdad and from them Jahangir learnt the art of kabootar baazi. “In those days pigeons were mainly used to carry messages, but when that function died kabootar baazi continued as a sport. It was, and still is, popular in Agra, Lucknow and Delhi,” said Nadeem, who threw some more

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grain and the pigeons tumbled over each other to get them. “This here is a Hyderabadi chotidaar,” he said pointing to a white pigeon with red eyes. “Look it’s got a crest.” By now the grain was over and the males had started chasing the females. Nadeem stamped his foot; and together the pigeons fluttered their wings and took off like a helicopter. Just when I thought he had lost them for good, Shakeel, Nadeem’s friend, stuck his fingers into his mouth and whistled in a low-pitched tone. Instantly the pigeons turned around and flew back towards Nadeem’s terrace. “How did you manage that?” I asked Shakeel. “These pigeons understand our whistles. A high-pitched one means fly far. A low soft tone means come back, a yell to make them behave,” he replied. “Every rooftop here looks alike, and each has people fancying the pigeons. How do the pigeons know which rooftop to come back to?” I asked. “We train them. On the first day we don’t feed the pigeon any food, then we slowly feed them at particular times. From these habits, the pigeons know which flock and house they belong to. We also train them to recognise our voices and whistles. After a month’s training, the pigeons are ready,” he said. As we were talking Nadeem opened the mesh door of the coop and we both crawled in. Inside were rows of pigeon holes. On each of them sat a pigeon of a different colour. “This is lal bhan, this Agra shahi,” he pointed out

AFP

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AFP

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AFP

Kabootar baazi goes back to the times of Mughal Emperor, Akbar, and flourished during the reign of Jahangir. Pigeon fanciers from as far as Egypt and Baghdad flocked Jahangir’s court

more varieties. “I have 90 pigeons and it costs me about `3,000-4,000 a month to maintain them. To keep them cool in summer, we drape khus khus mats around the coop and feed them almonds. In winter, we feed them desi ghee and warm food. And treat them when they fall ill.” The surrounding rooftops were full of kabootar baaz, each whistling his own particular whistle. Small clouds of pigeons filled the sky in front of the minaret. “Those belong to Mullahji,” said Nadeem identifying one cloud. “Shakeel can identify the pigeons just by the colour of their eyes. We also put coloured rings around their legs, see the orange ones,” he pointed out. It was time for a little competition, a demonstration of who the ruler of pigeon airspace was. Nadeem stamped his feet and all of them waved their sticks; the pigeons took to the air again and whirled around the rooftop. Meanwhile, Mullahji’s flock was dipping and diving around the mosque. Both flocks came close to each other at moments but never met. “Mullahji is not excited, but he will be when we fly our

new ones,” said Shakeel and Nadeem threw the new pigeons out of the coop. In less than a minute they were flying over Mullahji’s house. This time the two flocks merged. For the next few minutes, they wheeled, whirled, dipped and dived over the jumble of mud houses and trees. Suddenly, a conspiratorial whisper went around the group. “Kale gandedhar has come,” said Shakeel excitedly. I looked up to see the flock banking like aircraft in front of Nadeem’s terrace. They were preparing for their final dive on to the terrace. Nadeem and Shakeel softened their yells. At the back was an extra pigeon. “Come, come, oh oh,” Nadeem softened his tone more, coaxing, pleading Mullahji’s kale gandedhar to land. Just as the flock made one final tight turn, kale gandedhar wobbled and Nadeem stopped calling. At that moment, Mullahji’s pigeon wheeled around and flew towards his home. “A stranger to the flock won’t settle, it will wobble and jerk,” said Shakeel. The sun, now the colour of molten iron, had started dipping on the horizon. As I descended the rickety ladder, I understood why kabootar baazi ‘is still a great passion of the old Delhiwallahs’.

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STAGECRAFT

THE NEW LANGUAGE OF

THEATRE As a medium, inter-cultural theatre helps nations develop to common idiom of global cultural understanding TEXT: MADHUSREE CHATTERJEE

he spirit of multiculturalism and direct exchange of soft power is playing out in contemporary theatre, a hybrid form culling from different linguistic, traditional and literary sources. Manipur-born director Jayanta Meetei, an alumnus of New Delhi’s National School of Drama (NSD), has been experimenting with multilingual theatre in five languages — Manipuri, Japanese, Malay, Mandarin and an ethnic Taiwanese — at his repertory company, Ex-Theatre Asia, at the picturesque Miaoli mountain resort, in western Taiwan for the last 10 years. Meetei is the only Indian theatre exponent in Taiwan and manages his company of 11 actors with a government grant. His repertoire is a neo-Asian genre — a mix of traditional Indian, Manipuri folk, western post-modernism and Chinese traditional and contemporary styles lending a distinctive feel to 17 productions, including a Mandarin version of Girish Karnad’s play Haya Vadana. “I combine all the Asian art forms to give new expression to contemporary theatre. Our Asian theatre is characterised in music, dancing, physical acting, exaggerated acting and elaborate costumes. I draw from all these commonalities to add value,” Meetei said. Meetei was in India at NSD’s Bharat Rangmahotsav, an annual theatre festival, with a production, A True Calling in Manipuri and Mandarin based on an Indian folktale by Vijaydan Detha. The play is built around two actors, an ancient Manipuri performer and a Chinese multi-discipline modern actor. One of the actors narrates the story of fellow actor, who earns his living by playing a variety of roles. The king

INDIA PERSPECTIVES MARCHAPRIL 2013

A scene from the play, A True Calling

Scenes from Paddy Hayterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Indian Tempest

“I COMBINE ALL THE ASIAN ART FORMS TO GIVE NEW EXPRESSION TO CONTEMPORARY THEATRE” —JAYANTA MEETEI, DIRECTOR, EX-THEATRE ASIA

hears of his talent and calls the actor to put up the “biggest performance of his life”. But at the end of the performance, the king refuses to pay the actor the money he had promised him. For Meetei, the play is a comment on the modern political leadership. Over the last three decades since the mid-1970s, foreign theatre has been spurring a slow cultural fusion on the Indian stage with indigenous adaptations of western plays and modern theatre practises of Europe and the US. In the late 1980s and 1990s, the winds of globalisation drove Indian theatre to experiment with diverse cultures and languages from across continents for direct osmosis on stage, the director said. One of the earliest experiments of the east-meets-west on stage is American director and scholar Peter Brook’s Mahabharata starring danseuse Mallika Sarabhai as Draupadi in a crossover cast in 1989. In the recent years, the Indo-western collaborations around Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen’s plays involving foreign actors, directors and Indian repertories at the annual Ibsen Festival in Delhi can be described as an example. Director Paddy Hayter of the Footsbarn Theatre has prompted a new dialogue across cultures with an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, believed to have been conceived around 1610-1611 in English, French, Sanskrit and Malayalam at the Bharat Rangmahotsav. “I have used five performers from Kerala — three actors, one actress and one

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“INTER-CULTURAL THEATRE IS A DIALOGUE BETWEEN LANGUAGES, DIFFERENT BODIES AND STORIES” —ANURADHA KAPUR, DIRECTOR, NSD

musician for my production Indian Tempest. I decided to use four languages because I believe in creating natural situations in theatre where it is impossible to speak the same language. But it is communication through words — the words are our guides and our mentors,” Hayter said. The Footsbarn Theatre uses a mélange of styles that is inspired by traditional outdoor performance, opera, conventional proscenium theatre, mobile tent theatres and old world drama. “What is important is that there have been a lot of inter-cultural experiments when you put two cultures together and you expect a third meaning. It is a dialogue between languages, different bodies and stories,” said Anuradha Kapur, Director, NSD. According to Kapur, the NSD has been trying to open similar inter-cultural dialogues by inviting directors from around the world to interface with students in its campus in India and direct them on stage. “They introduce aspects of their own styles, traditions and practise to Indian students,” Kapur said, citing an example of a version of King Lear staged by Uzbek director at the NSD with Ottoman costumes. Inter-cultural theatre as a medium to develop to common idiom of global cultural understanding was first set in motion by the United Nations in 1948 when it set up the International Theatre Institute. The forum hosts the Theatre of Nations — an inter-cultural performance umbrella — and celebrates the World Theatre Day every year. —Madhusree Chatterjee is an assistant editor at IANS

INDIA PERSPECTIVES MARCHAPRIL 2013

An Enemy of the People is based on a story by Henrik Ibsen

MILESTONE

MANGU SINGH

A SMOOTH RIDE TO SUCCESS After a glorious journey of 10 years, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation aims to achieve more landmarks in years to come

t was December 24, 2002, when the residents of Delhi, and we at the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), embarked on a journey that was set to change Delhi and our lives for better. The task at hand was huge — to give the Indian capital a mass rapid transit system (MRTS), which was suggested to be the only solution to city’s ever-increasing traffic problems. Considering MRTS is either built on elevated viaducts or underground and does not take up any road space and is environment friendly, the idea was to have a service running parallel to the existing transport modes and fitting in with the “clean and green” image of Delhi. But the task was not as easy as it was envisioned. There were challenges, which in the long run made the journey all the more interesting. Excitement still fills my mind whenever

I recall those hectic days that lead to the commencement of the 8.5 km journey from Shahdara to Tis Hazari station in 2002. The realisation of the dream could never have fructified without the able leadership of DMRC’s first managing director Dr. E Sreedharan, who was not only a superb engineer, but also an impeccable people manager. Dr. Sreedharan always led from the front and created a work culture unheard of in most public sector establishments in the country. Looking back all those years, I would like to acknowledge the years of tireless teamwork that made the DMRC, in many departments, a step ahead of the rest. For example, Delhi Metro was the first ever Metro system globally to introduce contact-less tokens and smart cards.

Besides, DMRC’s Operations and Maintenance team set new benchmarks in terms of professionalism by running trains with immaculate punctuality and maintaining the Metro stations superbly. Frequent inspections of the stations and construction sites by officials ensured quality control. Soon the efforts made the service a well-read subject by reputed international management institutes that visited us to study and analyse our performance. In 2011, DMRC was certified by the United Nations (UN) as the first Metro rail and rail-based system in the world to get carbon credits for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as it helped to reduce pollution levels in Delhi by 6,30,000 tonnes every year.

PEOPLE POWER More than anything, DMRC’s greatest achievement has been the faith of the people of Delhi. Our average daily ridership has increased by almost 3,00,000 in the last one year. The punctuality rate has also been a commendable 99.87 per cent. From a mere 8.5 km in 2002 we have grown to 190 km

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METROPEDIA

Delhi Metro has been a bridge between Delhi and its residents and expatriates alike, connecting them to city’s lesser visited pockets. Over the years, it has perked up Connaught Place and Chandni Chowk, made areas on Delhi’s fringes habitable, helped city tourism, and made corporate houses in the NCR choose the service over private vehicles. The highest point of the Delhi Metro is at Karkardooma crossing in East Delhi — 19 metres above the ground. Its deepest station is Chawri Bazar with a depth of 25 metre. The Chattarpur Metro station is the only station that is made completely of steel. By 2021, Delhi Metro promises to be within 500 metre radius of every residential colony in Delhi.

INDIA PICTURE

today and our ridership has increased from a few thousands to over two million per day. Satellite towns of the National Capital Region (NCR) such as Noida, Gurgaon and Ghaziabad are already on the Metro map and Faridabad and Bahadurgarh are slated to join within a few years. We thank the active feedback of Metro commuters to help us improve by the day. All the commuter-oriented steps taken by us such as the introduction of reserved coaches for ladies or reserved seats for senior citizens have been taken on the basis of the feedback of our commuters. We have a public complaint cell and a 24X7 helpline service to help passengers connect to us whenever they feel like. In the last decade, DMRC also added a museum at Patel Chowk to make people aware about the service. The museum is just a humble beginning towards our effort to document our journey. A museum in Hindi is also in the pipeline.

LOOKING AHEAD In the last one year, we have continuously strived to improve the quality of DMRC and introduced an eight-coach train.

We plan to introduce 68 such trains into service in a phased manner which will tremendously increase our overall carrying capacity and help in controlling overcrowding at stations. Over 120 new automated fare collection gates have been installed at some of our busy stations to facilitate smoother crowd movement. To boost the security apparatus, 160 new door frame metal detectors and 104 hand-held metal detectors have also been added. In the coming years, our immediate target is to complete the under-construction Metro corridors on time. We want to take the Metro to all corners of the NCR so that the pressure of vehicular traffic on the roads is reduced. Besides focusing on our own expansion, we are guiding the upcoming Metro projects of other Indian cities in our capacity as consultants. To conclude, I would like to ensure that in the years to come too, Delhi Metro will continue to work equally hard to provide the best possible services to its commuters and give them more reasons to travel with us daily. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;The writer is Managing Director, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation

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LEGACY

Nature’s Lap Endogenous tourism initiatives in the tribal area of Jawhar-Kelichapada, Maharashtra, focus on supporting its culture and livelihood TEXT: MALTI PANDE

e organised a tour to the tribal area of JawharKelichapada nearly two years ago and it was a great hit!” said Chandan Pathare, director, Jungle Cub, a specialised tour operator. Pathare recalled the general quiet and get-away-from-it-all character of the location and learning the traditions of the Adivasis (early people) as reasons for the big hit. With the growing demand for ever-newer places with still newer experiences, tribal tourism has the added advantage of benefitting the local economy. “Our aim in starting tribal tourism in Kelichapada village was to bring economic betterment for the local population without having to migrate out of their villages, looking to earn a livelihood,” said an

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official at the Pune-based BAIF Development Research Foundation, a non-profit which works to provide gainful selfemployment and sustainable livelihood for rural poor. Tribal tourism fit BAIF’s aims and objectives and the programme began four years ago at Kelichapada, in Jawhar taluka of Thane district, about 180 km north of Mumbai. The tribals of the area had first to be trained, which involved training them as guides, setting up the infrastructure to handle overnight tourists or those wanting meals. The BAIF official added, “Our objective was to complement the under-employment of the locals who work in their fields two-three hours a day in the monsoon season but had to migrate at other times, looking for work. We wanted

A tribal plays a traditional music instrument

PHOTOS COURTESY: BAIF DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH FOUNDATION

(From left) Tribals presenting their local dance; an artist at work; women preparing food; and a warm welcome of the tourists

HOW TO GET THERE: Jawhar is 180 km from Mumbai, 85 km from Nashik and 289 km from Pune. Nearest airports are Mumbai and Nashik There are five railheads: Thane, Nashik, Igatpuri, Dahanu and Palghar

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them to have livelihoods in their own setting so we identified this village, Kelichapada, near Jawhar, in Thane district.” BAIF calls this endogenous tourism that is, originating from the local surroundings, and different from eco-tourism. The focus of eco-tourism, the BAIF officials point out, is the preservation of natural resources and landscape, while endogenous tourism focuses on the culture and crafts of the region through projects that are owned by the community. The best season to visit this area is September–April when the countryside turns a lush green immediately after the rain. Kelichapada is a hamlet comprising 72 families of which nearly 50 families participate in the tourism project. While a dormitory, which can house up to 20 people, and toilets have been built, there are also some home-stay facilities. “Living conditions are very basic here and you are with nature. You’ve heard of confluences of rivers, but near Kelichapada is a confluence of waterfalls! This is amazing and the location lends itself to adventure tourism. Besides are traditional food and culture,” Pathare said. Jairam Jadhav, a member of the Kalmandavi Paryatak

Samiti (the local tourism committee) and a guide said the highlight of the locale is to see nature and the tribal culture. “Visitors want to see our traditional dances, hear the traditional music, and walk around, where we can explain about the different vegetables, fruits and flowers. For tourists wanting a full village experience, there are bullock cart rides as well. And the money that is spent by these tourists, who buy our artefacts or have lunch prepared by the women in our group, stays here,” Jadhav said. BAIF began the project under its “innovating livelihoods through hospitality service provider” programme. The plan is now to organise special programmes during local festivals. Coming up in July is the rice festival, where tourists can witness paddy transplanting. This dovetails neatly with the broader objective of preserving local rice varieties. There are also programmes to preserve the wild vegetables of the region. Tourists who have been to Kelichapada, recalled the itinerary, beginning with a warm welcome, followed by a traditional lunch and a three-km walk to the Kalmandavi

waterfall. In the evening, over dinner around a camp fire, villagers presented their traditional dances and kathakari (stories set to music). Among the other attractions are a sacred grove, a Sunset Point, handicraft such as masks made from papier mâché and the renowned traditional Warli paintings. Warli, a tribe of the region, is a recognised style of art, done typically on mud-plastered walls using rice paste depicting scenes from their lives. Jawhar, located at a height of 518 metres, is the seat of an old Gond tribal kingdom. The Jai Vilas Palace has long been a major tourist attraction while the region is home to the Kukana, Kolcha and Warli tribes. Kelichapada is in the plains, amid the paddy fields. “Tours to this village can be either a day trip or an overnight stay. The charges vary from ` 450-500 for the day package to ` 800 for an overnight trip. These charges include accommodation and food and some part of the income generated is ploughed back into the community kitty. This is intended to help with the maintenance and improvement of tourist infrastructure,” said a visitor.

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PROFILE

THE SELFLESS

CRUSADER

Nileema Mishra has been instrumental in effecting major changes in improving the lives of villages in Maharashtra TEXT: URMILA MARAK

hirteen years ago Nileema Mishra returned to her roots in Bahadarpur, Maharashtra, and started Bhagini Nivedita Gramin Vigyan Niketan (BNGVN), a non-governmental organisation that addresses the community’s problems from within the village. The project that began with just 14 women is today a 20,000women initiative with 1,800 self-help groups in 200 villages across Maharashtra, engaging in micro credit and other income-generating activities. Mishra had seen so much poverty around her during her childhood that even as a teenager, when girls her age were dreaming about better things in life, she would spend hours visualising a better future for her villagers. “I thought that the lady who spent her nights in starvation would have good food to eat. The one who had poor housing condition would have a good house,” recalls the 41-year-old social worker, recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2011 and now the Padma Shri. “Awards have given me the confidence that I am on the right track of community development. But winning any award was never my dream or goal. What motivates me is the feeling that the work we do for people is actually supporting them to improve their lives,” she says. Sporting short hair and always dressed in a salwar kameez (a traditional attire), Mishra draws inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of a self-sufficient, prosperous village. Born to a middle class family, she went to Pune for further studies and was equipped with a master’s degree in clinical psychology. She could have continued working in the city enjoying all the comforts of urban life, but poverty of her village beckoned. In 2000, she returned to her village and started BNGVN. In 2004, the village farmers desperately needed funds but did not have access to banks. That’s when they approached BNGVN, which made them start the micro-credit scheme. Soon money was raised and villagers were provided with loans at 10 per cent interest rate per annum. Today, the micro-credit programme has a 100 per cent loan recovery rate.

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AWARDS

HAVE GIVEN ME THE CONFIDENCE THAT I AM ON THE RIGHT TRACK OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Active on ground, Nileema Mishra keenly participates in all of BNGVN’s projects

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WE ARE

COMMITTED TO SUPPORT THE VILLAGES WITH A SYSTEM, WHICH WOULD MAKE THEM RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN DEVELOPMENT

Mishra in conversation with the members of BNGVN

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The positive stories are endless. BNGVN is helping women in making export-quality quilts. They have become so confident that they train other women in making quilts besides going outside the state to get raw materials at a cheaper rate. Its other initiatives include helping women in producing food items that are marketed locally through 20 outlets called Bhagini Kendra. The women into marketing these products have formed Bhagini Vypari Sanghatana, a cooperative, to spread the business to four other districts of the state. Her organisation has so far succeeded in training villagers in production, marketing, accounting and computer literacy and has also been instrumental in making them articulate and confident. “Today, women are active members of these groups and saving substantial amount. They are lending internal loans and taking care of their needs through the self-help groups without going to private money lenders to take loans at a high interest rate,” she says. But things are not always rosy for her and her team. Their main stumbling blocks are arranging funds for the projects and the huge administrative expenses of the organisation. “Arranging for funds takes a toll on our core team. We believe that we could use this energy in concept development, as well as its implementation in the community.” Despite the challenges, Mishra takes pride in her team. “Isn’t it great to have a core team by your side that understands what you think and conceptualise?” she asks, satisfied that the support of her teammates has made the journey so far, easier. Working 24X7 does not tire this social activist as her daily routine revolves around BNGVN always. When not travelling, Mishra’s entire day is packed with meeting villagers. “We have a lot of discussions to find solutions to their problems, as I believe in people’s participation. People from other villages too approach us for our intervention,” she adds. Now, that her team has become independent and efficient, she travels extensively to guide and mentor other self-help groups and to meet donors to raise funds. She does not shy away from admitting that looking for good donors is an arduous task. But her quest to effect more changes in improving the lives of the villagers is making her work even harder. Making Bahadarpur a model village and replicating the process in other villages besides creating a self-sustainable community is what Mishra is looking at in the future. “This process involves taking all the challenges to the small lanes of the village and to the self-help groups and finally to individual homes. We are committed to support the villages with a system, which would take care of their education, health, community development and livelihood, gradually making them responsible for their own development,” she says, suggesting the million-dollar smiles of the villagers as her driving force. “The smiles are priceless. I chose to live for the many families around me and that gives me a lot of strength to live my life,” she signs off.

MARCHAPRIL 2013 INDIA PERSPECTIVES

REVIEW

Art with an

Attitude

Encapsulating refined artistic attempts across mediums, the India Art Fair 2013 fared well

AFP

TEXT: PALLAVI PAUL

he fifth edition of the India Art Fair 2013, organised February 1-3 in New Delhi, offered everything one could anticipate. Contemporary, dynamic and enjoyable, it was undeniably a fitting tribute to experimental avant-garde art that could draw admiration even from the most unyielding skeptics. With the primary objective to spread deeper awareness and create wider access to art in the country, the India Art Fair showcased a diverse set of galleries that displayed a plethora of modern art practices by established and emerging local and international artists, ranging from paintings, sculptures and installation to performance arts. The three-day fair also included informative sessions, art projects, book launches and instructional tours. The 40 international galleries, featuring 106 exhibitors from 25 countries, presented art works from countries such as Argentina, Israel, Korea, Latvia, Turkey and Russia, which

had not participated in the earlier events. Also featured were leading art galleries from India, presenting the exhibits for purveying of a variety of buyers from India and abroad. “The focus of the art fair is on developing new audiences and initiating new energy in the Indian market. While it gives those with limited knowledge of art an opportunity to see a diverse spectrum of it, it offers a brand new line-up of exciting work for existing collectors,” said Neha Kirpal, founding director of India Art Fair. The interesting aspect of the fair was that it was not restricted to the display of paintings and sculptures but included ingeniously made art objects from recycled items such as cans. The heart-shaped artworks made with cans of Heineken, Coca-Cola and Red Bull by Alfredo Longo had the imprint of a genius at work. Among the interesting works were a fog screen projection of the historic ‘Covering Letter’ written by Mahatma Gandhi to

(Clockwise from left) Needle Kids, a work by Nantu Das; an exhibit at the fair; and a heart-shaped artwork made from Coca Cola cans by Alfredo Longo

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Hitler in 1939, Paresh Maity’s depiction of Delhi’s seven-fold history and bronze artefacts by sculptor K.S. Radhakrishnan. Popularly known for modelling and bronze casting technique, Radhakrishnan’s abstract figurative sculptures are endowed with a cryptic elemental aspect and are almost mythical. One work that loomed before us in grand monumental majesty was the ‘Effigies of Turbulent Yesterdays’ by Mumbai-based artist T.V. Santosh whose paintings and sculptures appear sentient to violence, lurking danger, war and terrorism. It was an imposing ‘anti-monument’ portraying a decapitated equestrian — a ludicrous and pitiful spectacle. The headless horseman represents the King — a figure that has sustained histories of violence and has two bodies, a physical one that will eventually be subject to infirmity and death and a symbolic one which continues to extend its dominion by the sheer force of coercion and power. Gigi Scaria’s Windchime project was a visualisation of the

(Clockwise from left) A bronze sculpture by Dhruv Mistry; an installation made of used army leather boots by Bangladeshi artist Mahbubur Rahman; and Nayika, a work by Paresh Maity

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THE FAIR

AFP

WENT BEYOND PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURES TO INGENIOUSLY MADE ART OBJECTS FROM RECYCLED ITEMS

past, present and future. Buildings from New Delhi were photographed, then re-imagined by the artist in 3D forms and recreated with steel. They were then suspended as part of a large rotating mobile windchime structure. According to Scaria, these metallic architectural structures act as memories of home, social hierarchies and spaces in your minds, forging a provocative statement of personal experiences and absolute signposts of social and urban change. Launched in 2006, with a borrowed sum of ` 6 million, to offer impetus to the emerging Indian art market, The India Art Summit by 2008 had 34 local and international galleries. This progressively increased to a whopping 104 this year, said Kripal. The enthusiasm of the participants and the spectators is a fair index of the course it will take in future. So far, its main objective, to provide a platform for art to be seen and appreciated and provide an interface between the artist and the buyer, is being well served.

FAIR

KALEIDOSCOPE OF

COLOURS From enthralling folk dances to exclusive handicrafts, the Surajkund Mela has something for everyone TEXT: DEEPIKA KHURANA

he 27th Surajkund International Crafts Mela, held in Faridabad, Haryana, may be seen as a vibrant start of the new year. A festive ambience with a joyous riot of sounds, sights and colours splashed all around with multi-hued cut-outs, streamers and the resonating beats of drums, the fair had a bouquet of delights to stay in your mind for long. This year, Karnataka made a comeback to the fair as the theme state after a hiatus of 18 years. While it cannot be denied that a wide range of handicrafts

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and handlooms can be found at numerous fairs in India round the year, what makes the Surajkund Mela stand out is some unusual artworks not easily spotted elsewhere. At the first look, the fair ground itself looks like a complete village with a chaupal or a rural community space, a well and a huge replica of a cot adding to the ambience. Mud huts, wooden lampposts, grinding stones, string cots, little streams and the uneven terrain complete the rural landscape. The uneven, unpaved paths lead to innumerable thatched platforms that

DANCE AND MUSIC

PHOTOS: NITIN

JAIN

The land of Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak and Odissi, Karnataka also boasts of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most respected schools of music, Carnatic and Hindustani. The celestial song or Yakshagana is an amalgamation of dance, music and literature. Dollu Kunita is a powerful drum dance accompanied by acrobatic movements, synchronised group formations and the occasional screams.

ART AND CRAFT

PHOTOS: NITIN

JAIN

Chittara Kale: A kine art supposed to have originated during the Stone Age and still practiced by the Deewaru community of Karnataka. Bidriware: A Persian craft brought to India by traders and innovated further, bidri is cast with an alloy of zinc and copper with patterns engraved with pure silver. Ganjifa Paintings: An ancient art, Ganjifa was originally used on playing cards made from paper, which was first covered with a mixture of tamarind seed powder and oil and then painted with natural colours and coated with lac.

provide glimpses of the exquisite paintings, textiles, wood work, pottery, terracotta, stone work, papier mâché, lac work and cane and grass work. In an effort to capture the cultural and archaeological heritage of Karnataka aesthetically, replicas of the magnificent gates of the Mysore Palace, architectural styles of Belur, Hampi and the world famous monument of Jain Basadi and Bijapur were erected at the ground. More than 300 weavers, artisans, folk musicians and dancers from the state brought the fair alive with a vibrant display of their unique and ancient heritage. A spectacular stage was set for the artistes from across India and beyond. Madhubani paintings from Bihar, Navalgund mats of Karnataka, Ganjifa (Mysore) paintings, marble artifacts from Rajasthan, cushion covers and wall hangings from Gujarat and chikankari were on sale. Other interesting elements were paintings of deities drawn in small circular round paper; brass and metal crafts; and sculptures in marble and soapstone, ivory inlay work and wood carvings. Craftspeople from neighbouring nations such as Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Burma and Bangladesh also brought

their crafts to the fair this year. One stall from Nepal, selling soft stoles made from bamboo and nettle plant, stood out from the rest. “These stoles are made from the soft part extracted from bamboo. It is woven along with cotton-thread and then dyed in different colours,” said Usha Ma of Nepal, adding, “Since these are made from natural fabric they don’t cause itching, and in case you already have a skin problem it will be eradicated with the use of these stoles.” Entertainment during the fair included formal nuances of the classical genre, folk dance and theatre at the open air theatre, Natyashala. The chaupal was packed to its capacity with people enjoying spectacular performances of dance troupes from Kashmir, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tajikistan, Namibia and so on. Apart from shopping and entertainment the alluring aroma of traditional food attracted national and global visitors alike. The cuisine ranged from Kashmir’s rista to Kerala’s dosa and Gujarat’s undhiyu to Bengal’s roshogulla. Popular Chinese and snack foods, and traditional sweet meats from Karnataka could be enjoyed too. Truly a gourmet’s delight, one could literally gorge away to glory, for there were enough chemists around to take care of the after-effects!

MARCHAPRIL 2013 INDIA PERSPECTIVES

REVIEW

Traditional Motifs,

Contemporary Issues The travelling exhibition shows the forward progression of Mithila paintings

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TEXT: CHITRA BALASUBRAMANIAM

An exhibition, displaying the work of around 20 Madhubani artists, in Delhi this February showcased the traditional Mithila style depicting the current socio-economic concerns of India, especially pertaining to women. Organised by Ethnic Arts Foundation (EAF) and The Mithila Art Institute (MAI) — both dedicated to the uphold and revival of the tradition of Mithila or Madhubani paintings — it can be described as a forward progression of the traditional style of painting. A total of 49 paintings were displayed in the travelling exhibition, a majority drawn by students who have passed out from the institute based in Madhubani, Bihar. The outstanding pieces included Soni Kumari’s Ardhanarishwar (a form of Lord Shiva, half as himself and the other half as his consort Parvati), Rambharos’ fine technique depicting transformation, Rani Jha’s work on women breaking out of the confines of home, the tsunami in Sri Lanka by Amrita Das, and Priyanshu’s Botticelli Nativity combining the Christian theme with Madhubani. The show was an initiative of EAF, started by Raymond Owens, an anthropologist from the University of Texas. In 1977 when researching in Madhubani, Owens came across the art and fell in love with it. He encouraged the artists to move beyond the run-of-the-mill paintings. He then bought the paintings from them. On his return, he showed it to David Szanton, also an anthropologist. Fascinated, the process started to sell these paintings to friends and through exhibitions in the USA. The profits on sale were redistributed to the artists. This is still being done. Later, the EAF was started in 1980 to carry out the mission in a more structured manner. The organisation over the years has bought over 1,800 paintings from 150 artists and sold around 900 paintings to numerous collectors and museums, says Peter Zirnis, a curator associated with the foundation. “Started in 2003 to provide free training in the art to 25 students, the MAI also supports several artists,” he adds.

A renaissance of Mithila art, the paintings showcased the traditional, tantric and personalised interpretations, socially relevant themes and more

(Clockwise from facing page) ‘Kohbar Deconstructed’ by Pinki Kumari, ‘Tearing the Veil’ by Rani Jha and ‘Tsunami’ by Amrita Das

IMAGES COURTESY: THE MITHILA ART INSTITUTE

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VERBATIM

A COMMON MAN’S ARTIST contemporary artist, Subodh Gupta is one of the global talents India has produced in recent years. Born in Bihar and now based in Delhi, the creative genius is known for his iconic works fashioned from plebeian materials and inspired by common issues. The painter-sculptor has recently been conferred the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government. In an interview with Jyoti Verma, he talks about the merit, his artistic inspiration and plans ahead.

Q. How significant are awards to an artist? A. Awards are recognitions, they make you feel good about the work you are doing. International awards or recognitions closer to home are attempts to publicly recognise your efforts. My responsibility is to create art, and an award does not change that. I shall continue to work the way I always did. Q. What is the source of your artistic inspiration? A. Growing up in the circumstances and settings as I did, I was used to certain everyday aspects, which steamrolled my consciousness into absorbing them thoroughly and reproducing them now in the manner that I do. The steel utensils, the objects of daily use, all inspire me. Large billboards I remember would entice me when I walked past them. Who knows, they were perhaps my inspiration? I communicate with my immediate surrounding and so ideas pour in all the time, from everywhere. Q. What are the challenges for contemporary art? A. A good, avant-garde art always holds its place in the contemporary scenario. It is futuristic in the sense that it seeks to look ahead of its time. However, we definitely need a contemporary art museum — a vibrant space that can house all kinds of artists and their work. Such platforms make the art reach the masses; it is an effort that needs to see the light of day in our country soon enough. Besides, the young pool of talent is full of potential and so vibrant. It is best to expose them to the nuances of art at a young age through art colleges with good educators.

“A GOOD,

AVANT-GARDE ART ALWAYS HOLDS ITS PLACE IN THE CONTEMPORARY SCENARIO”

90 INDIA PERSPECTIVES

MARCHAPRIL 2013

Q. Is there any medium or concept that you are keen to work on in coming years? A. You will see me working with sculptures, video installations, paintings, photography, whatever appeals to me and my theme and is pertinent to the work I am conceptualising. My solo show opened on February 15 at Kunstmuseum Thun, Switzerland. This is followed by a possible show in May with my gallery Hauser and Wirth in London, and Malaga in Spain around July.

PHOTOS: AFP

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