INDIA
INDIA
VOL 25 NO. 8 NOVEMBER 2011
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
Advancing India’s Conversations with the World WELCOME TO THE NEW WORLD OF INDIA PERSPECTIVES Now on Facebook! Become Friends of India Perspectives Join the Facebook Community http://www.facebook.com/IndiaPerspectives Read India Perspectives online: www.indiandiplomacy.in SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS, EXCHANGE IDEAS, SEND YOUR DARTS AND LAURELS
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ESSENTIAL READING ON INDIA
INSIDE
CULTURE
Wedding Bazaar
TRIBUTE
Remembering Nehru
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES India-Afghanistan Ties
INDIA THIS MONTH
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER
2011
December 15-January 9
Chennai Dance and Music Festival Two thousand Carnatic musicians and dancers will perform in over 300 concerts in auditoriums, temples and heritage buildings all over the city. Where: Chennai
November 23-December 3
October 31-November 15
Delhi International Arts Festival This year, the annual event celebrates the capital’s centenary. Artists from 28 countries will take part in the gala event. The opening ceremony will be an international tribute to Rabindranath Tagore at the Purana Quila. Where: Delhi
International Film Festival This is one of the most popular film festivals in Asia, now in its 42nd year. The best film will be awarded the Golden Peacock and a cash prize of `4 million (USD 90,000). Where: Panjim, Goa
Tansen Samaroh Dedicated to classical musician Tansen, it comprises night-long sessions of Indian classical music. The venue is the place where the legend lies buried. Where: Tansen Memorial, Gwalior
Sangai Festival Highlights are fashion and cultural shows, rock concerts and a chance to savour local cuisines. Where: Imphal, Manipur
December 9-16
December 1-7
Hornbill Festival The annual extravaganza is a tribute to the state’s tribal heritage. Evenings are enlivened by rock concerts while folk dances and songs dominate the days. Where: Kohima, Nagaland
International Film Festival Kerala In its 16th year, the festival has an exclusive competition section restricted to films produced or co-produced in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Where: Trivandrum, Kerala
Being a Good
T
he statistics are staggering. An estimated 20 million people — something like the combined populations of New York, London and Paris — get married in India every year. With the country witnessing as many as 10 million marriages in any given 12 months, it is no surprise that the industry which has sprung up around them is worth an astounding ` 1.9 trillion. The annual sale of gold touches 40 tons, all because the precious metal is a traditional gift to Indian brides. Even the bridal henna market is worth ` 50 billion. Financial pundits estimate that on an average a person in India spends 20 per cent of his/her life savings on a wedding, a number that spells money for apparel retailers, decorators, caterers, travel agents, event managers, wedding planners, not to speak of bangle sellers. India has played a major role in reconstructing Afghanistan Rich or poor, Indians across faiths and regions pull out all the stops when it comes to a and rehabilitating its citizens wedding. The buzzwords are colour, tradition and enjoyment. Festivities involve the extended family and carry on for several days. There is a ceremony that marks the applying of henna to TEXT: MEENAKSHI KUMAR a bride’s hands and feet, one that is devoted to the application of oil and turmeric paste to the face and hands of the bride as well as the groom, one that notes the setting out of the bridegroom’s procession and, of course, the ones that are part of the religious rituals. ndia and Afghanistan have a shared history, ` 24.5 million assistance in the present level All weddings in India — Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian or Parsi — have two aspects, cultural so it is natural for the two countries to be of almost ` 73.5 billion. This is a significant and religious. The cultural component is an example of unity in diversity. In Kerala, a Christian partners in development today. Visits by contribution and a result of India’s desire to bride will marry in a church and a Hindu one in a temple, but both will receive a gold Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and see peace and stability in Afghanistan. neckpiece, called a thaali, from the bridegroom. And henna nights are popular among Muslim, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai earlier this year As a result of Operation Enduring Freedom, Sikh and Hindu brides. These are just examples that underscore the ties of food, music and just confirms how important Afghanistan is to Afghanistan saw the ouster of the Taliban social mores that bind people of different religions and regions in the country. India. One of the reasons for this importance is regime and the extent to which the country has November 14 marks the birthday of India’s first prime minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. He Afghanistan’s strategic geographical position on been ravaged came to the fore. India was one left an indelible imprint on India’s foreign policy and this is reflected in a special feature that the world map. Says Gautam Mukhopadhaya, of the first countries to lend a helping hand to pays tribute to Panditji through images that capture some key moments in our history. Also India’s ambassador to Afghanistan: “A stable rebuild the country. From roads, power stations, enjoy our features on adventure tourism and Gujarati cuisine. As always we look forward to and economically robust Afghanistan is critical schools, hospitals to assistance in agriculture, your feedback; do keep writing in. for the stability of the region.” education, and telecommunication, India has With this issue, India Perspectives also moves towards an e-magazine format that enables Dignitaries from Afghanistan came on taken up innumerable projects in various parts us to enrich the content with music, photographs, video and additional resources. Since we reciprocal visits. President Hamid Karzai, who of the country. All the projects are undertaken can’t keep up with the growing demand for the print edition of the magazine, we hope you visited earlier in February and later in October, in partnership with the Afghan government, in will tell your friends to take a look at the electronic version at www.indiaperspectives.in was one of them. A historic agreement on total alignment with the Afghanistan National strategic partnership between Afghanistan and Development Strategy and with focus on local India – first agreement by the former with any ownership of assets. country – was signed. The agreement In 2009, India completed the Zaranjreinforced the strong, vibrant and multi- Delaram highway, located near the Iranian Navdeep Suri faceted relations between the two countries border. The 220-km-long road connects Zaranj and formalised a framework for cooperation to the Kandahar-Herat highway. The road will in various areas. They include political and help regional cooperation by encouraging trade security cooperation, trade and economic and transit through the Iranian port of cooperation, capacity development and Chabahar. A mammoth project and a matter education, and social, cultural, civil society and of pride, the highway involved over 330 people-to-people relations. engineers and workers from India and During his visit this May, the Indian Afghanistan. The road was built at a cost of Prime Minister announced an increase of ` 7.3 billion. Says Inder Pal Khosla, former
Friend I
December 9-12
November 21-30
EDITORIAL NOTE GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
December 17-21
Goa Arts and Literary Festival The second edition coincides with the golden jubilee of Goa’s independence. The focus will be on Goa and its diaspora. Where: Panjim, Goa
36 INDIA PERSPECTIVES
NOVEMBER 2011
NOVEMBER 2011 INDIA PERSPECTIVES
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INDIA
PERSPECTIVES November 2011 VOL 25 No. 8/2011
NOVEMBER 2011 Editor: Navdeep Suri Assistant Editor: Abhay Kumar
Culture: The Biggest Show on Earth
MEDIA TRANSASIA TEAM Editor-in- Chief: Maneesha Dube
6
Profile: The Compassionate Campaigners
20
Editorial Coordinator: Kanchan Rana
Art: Larger than Life
22
Design: Vikas Verma (Sr. Visualiser), Ajay Kumar (Sr. Designer), Sujit Singh
Photo Feature: Prime Portraits
26
Regional Relations: SAARC
32
Global Perspectives: Being a Good Friend
36
Cuisine: Balance of Flavours
40
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PHOTO: RAJEEV RASTOGI
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323, Udyog Vihar, Phase IV, Gurgaon 122016
Exhibition: Birdwatching on Canvas
44
Film: Path to Discovery
45
Verbatim: Nandita Das
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This edition is published for the Ministry of External Affairs by Navdeep Suri, Joint Secretary, Public Diplomacy Division, New Delhi, 140 ‘A’ Wing, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi-110001. Telephones: 91-11-23389471, 91-11-23388873, Fax: 91-11-23385549 Website: http://www.indiandiplomacy.in Text may be reproduced with an acknowledgement to India Perspectives For a copy of India Perspectives contact the nearest Indian diplomatic mission.
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ADVENTURE
THRILL TRAIL India has many options — from scuba diving to wildlife safaris – for the adrenaline junkie
AFP
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COVER PHOTO: A HINDU WEDDING RITUAL PHOTOGRAPH: IMAGESBAZAAR / COVER DESIGN: BIPIN KUMAR
NOVEMBER 2011 INDIA PERSPECTIVES
05
CULTURE
Show
THE BIGGEST
ON EARTH
There’s nothing like the Indian wedding – glamour, chaos and entertainment included
T
he wedding season in India is in full swing and soon enough the newspapers will report – as they do every year – on the number of weddings scheduled for ‘the most auspicious day’. In a big city like Delhi, the number on this particular day will cross 15,000. Like the capital, every city, town and corner of the country will have a shortage of venues, a huge demand for caterers, dizzying prices for flowers, a mad rush to book beauticians and hair stylists, lastminute changes and hysteria at the dressmakers, and – oh, definitely – traffic jams caused by the wedding processions. Rich or poor, Indians across faiths and regions pull out all the stops when it comes to a wedding. No part of India is immune to the frenzy that weddings bring in their wake. Like a massive juggernaut, the single-largest social phenomenon and behemoth industry, gets larger by the year, spawning more business opportunities, more related functions, more style and even more chutzpah. It’s the biggest, grandest show on earth. For the parents of the bride and the bridegroom, it is their social outing – an event they will strive to accomplish to the best of their ability in their lifetime, and one that they will be known by for the rest of their lives.
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The Indian wedding has spawned television shows, magazines, matrimonial websites, wedding planners and enough people who claim expert knowledge because the Indian wedding is like no other. Rituals change not just among people of different faiths or among various communities, but every few hundred miles. A photographer working on a book on Indian weddings is at his wit’s end because some marriages happen during the day, others in the middle of the night; at places, the bride walks behind the groom, in others, she has to be carried (for a long, long haul) by her brothers; the Rajput ceremony is an all-women’s affair; royal weddings have all the razzmatazz of exotic, medieval India caught in a time warp. But, increasingly, in large parts of the country, weddings are extended family events, with celebrations that go on for days. It isn’t just the scale of the wedding bazaar – calculated at an insane ` 1.9 trillion (a sum that could well be a reasonablesized country’s annual budget) and growing at 25 per cent annually – that is a phenomenon but the manner of the marriage as well. In no other country, or culture, are weddings ‘arranged’ the way they are in India. Until some decades ago, this was the task of persons whose sole purpose in life was to
PHOTO: INDIA PICTURE
TEXT: KISHORE SINGH
Most Indian brides and grooms are weighed down by brocade and gold
The wedding
Fancy venues, elaborate menus, rich clothes and lots of music — the wedding bazaar adds up to `1.9 trillion
PHOTO: ©DENNIS COX / ALAMY / INDIA PICTURE
VENUE COULD BE A FIVE-STAR HOTEL, A RESORT OVERSEAS, A PALACE OR EVEN A FORT.
match alliances. There were no family secrets they didn’t know. Family incomes, an indiscreet liaison, illnesses, inheritances, they were complicit in everything, no wonder they unearthed alliances that stood the test of ties and time. But with increased urbanisation and more nuclear families, these matchmakers have been replaced by matrimonial supplements in newspapers – which are still going strong – and, more recently, websites. Now, families can find grooms and brides to fit exact requirements: the right community, height, weight and six-figure salary, city, region, country, choice of cuisine (‘vegetarian, no-onions, no-garlic’), choice of employment (‘schoolteacher preferred’), down to second-time spouses (‘first marriage not consummated’). Not so long ago even engaged couples could not meet without a chaperone, with urbanisation and more and more women joining the workforce the rules are being relaxed. A step in the direction of giving people complete freedom to choose their mate is trendily referred to as dating-for-marriage. Once the families have agreed to the match (it would be deceiving to imply the ‘boy’ and the ‘girl’ have a say in this choice, the ‘yes, of course’ is a right reserved for the head of each family), it’s time to pull out all stops. While the engaged couple (the engagement itself is only a step lower than the wedding in terms of its scope and scale) begin ‘dating’ each other through emails, text messages and late-night phone calls, sometimes even meeting (if they’re lucky or brave enough), the family gets on with the preparations. There’s the venue to select, traditionally, the groom’s party goes to the bride’s home for the ceremony, but with houses now too small for dazzling wedding ceremonies, the choice could be a five-star hotel, a neutral destination suitable for both families, an overseas location, a suburban resort, even a palace
or fort in a remote corner of the country. The date of the wedding itself requires negotiations unparalleled among the comity of nations. The grandfather’s knee surgery, the kid brother’s board examinations, the army uncle’s annual leave, the paternal aunt’s return from her pilgrimage – everything must be taken into account. Moreover, it should fall on an auspicious day according to the priests. Next: how many guests will each family invite? Hundreds, definitely, but sometimes thousands, yes: they must be catered for, made to feel special, served, entertained and their curiosity over what the bride wore and the car the groom came in, satisfied. Provided, of course, the groom has come in a car, and not on a white mare (conventionally) or a caparisoned elephant (increasingly the preferred choice). Then there is the task of searching for the wedding dress. In north India, it is a lehnga (a skirt worn with a short blouse and long scarf) for the bride and an achkan (a long coat worn with fitted pants) for the groom. In south India, the bride wears a sari and the bridegroom a dhoti (an unstitched cloth wrapped around the legs). Clothes are also needed for the functions before and after the big event. The Indian wedding includes ceremonies like the mehendi when henna is applied to the hands and feet of the bride and groom, sangeet (an evening of music and dance both traditional and contemporary), a tilak ceremony (the day the bride’s family brings gifts for the groom), sehrabandi (when a veil of flowers is tied to the groom just before the wedding procession leaves for the bride’s house), haldi (when turmeric paste and oil are applied to the bride and groom by relatives), and then the West-inspired customs of a bridal shower, a hen party and a bachelor night. Gifts are given and taken – piles of elaborate costumes, jewellery, everything for a household from tableware to satin slippers, carpets and furniture, a car and once
NOVEMBER 2011 INDIA PERSPECTIVES
09
SPLURGE FACTOR
T
he big fat Indian wedding just got bigger and fatter. The Indian wedding industry is estimated at `1.9 trillion and is growing at 25 per cent per annum. The average wedding cost is around `1.5 million and can reach `15 million. According to estimates, 20 million weddings are held every year in India. A person in India spends one fifth of his total wealth accumulated in a lifetime on a wedding ceremony this means a tremendous opportunity for associated businesses. Numbers that are mind boggling to say in the
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NOVEMBER 2011
`60-70 million whereas in closer locations like Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia they can range from `7.5 million to `20 million. According to industry experts, the gold and diamond jewellery market in India is worth `600 billion. “An average of 30 to 40 grams of gold is spent in every marriage across the country and the total consumption of gold touches about 400 tonnes annually. The apparel market for weddings stands at `100 billion and the pandal (marquee) and venue decoration market is worth another `100 billion. The hotel and other weddingrelated market has been pegged at
`50 billion while the wedding invitation card market has been estimated at `100 billion. Even bridal mehendi (henna) is big business, worth `50 billion. The annual market of wedding dhol (drums), bands, parades with elephants, horses and camels and lighting is put at around `50 billion. The wedding card market in India for the 20 million marriages held annually is worth `80 billion to `100 billion,” says Murugavel Janakiraman, founder-CEO, BharatMatrimony. The wedding industry is certainly recession-proof. —Bindu Gopal Rao
PHOTO: ©LOUISE BATALLA DURAN / ALAMY / INDIA PICTURE
(clockwise from extreme left) A Hindu wedding ritual; a Muslim nikah; a church ceremony; and a traditional Sikh Anand Karaj
PHOTO: INDIA PICTURE
even a helicopter. It seems there’s no end to the extravaganza that is the Indian wedding. The big weddings of corporate honchos and business magnates are as excessively reported as the hype they generate: the Mittals (of Arcelor fame) booked Versailles Palace in France – a first – as the venue for their daughter’s wedding and the diamond merchants of Surat evidently send out diamonds and sometimes luxury cars as gifts to their invited guests. Reportedly, Lalit Tanwar and Yogita Jaunapuria’s wedding near Delhi, cost upwards of `1 billion; over 1,000 workers took 40 days to decorate the venue and around 20,000 guests turned up to watch the nuptials and feast on 100 dishes on offer. For most Indians it’s Bollywood actors that make the wedding a big-ticket event. Their presence adds stardust to evenings already drenched in brocade and gold jewellery. And so, complete with band, baaja (musical instruments), baaraat (groom’s wedding procession), the groom sets out amidst a blaze of lights and fireworks. The band and baja play popular tunes to which everyone from eight to eighty dances on the streets. Even strangers on the road shower blessings on the groom as he rides his mare to win his bride in a show of gaudiness and glitz. The glamour is reflected in the attire of all those present. India’s fashion industry revolves around just one season – the wedding season (October-November to June)! Top-notch fashion designers such as J.J. Valaya, Rohit Bal, Ritu Kumar strut their stuff on ramps all over the world, but it is the wedding trousseau that keeps them in business. The Indian bride is, perhaps, the most resplendent of brides anywhere in the world, weighed down as she is by brocade and gold. The Indian groom is no less a peacock. Every year, wedding planners vie with each other to get a piece of the business. Even the most spectacular weddings are not
least. Weddings comprise a whole gamut of businesses ranging from jewellery, event planning, flower retailing, cinematography, fashion designing, beauticians, clothes, destinations, food, decorations and gifts. Big designer names like Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Tarun Tahiliani, Deepika Govind, Manish Malhotra, Satya Paul and Ritu Kumar showcase their bridal lines which are lapped up. Destination weddings in Indonesia, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Greece, Monaco, the French Riviera, Penang and Langkawi in Malaysia are popular, the cost of luxury European destination weddings can go upto
enough to occupy jaded Indian guests. Royal, Hawaiian, Retro, Bollywood – these themes are now passé. Event managers are now looking for something that’s more startling than ever before – it could be the court of King Louis IV, or one in the Mughal empire or, as I saw on a designer’s computer monitor, sets from the blockbuster Avatar. Couples are no longer content to go to Udaipur for their dream wedding – the newer, more exciting choice is Mauritius or South Africa. The guests are flown there in chartered aircraft, complete with container-loads of materials that will go into building a set for the perfect Indian wedding event. As for the food, guests and hosts are not truly satisfied with just a choice of fantastic Indian food, or even its regional variations. Two years ago I attended a city hotel wedding where twenty-eight cuisines were on offer for dinner: Italian pastas and French sauces, Burmese khaw-swey and Thai curries, and also seafood platters, exotic cheeses and fruits, biryani and salan, Japanese sushi, Cambodian and Mongolian dishes… and loads and loads of other stuff we were happy to look at but too stuffed to eat, and this was before the desserts! The Big Fat Indian wedding is a musical with an ensemble of hundreds that gets bigger every year. Take out your brocade tunic, polish your gold buttons, order this season’s trendiest accessories, the pile of wedding invitations (with their accompanying boxes of sweets) must be attended to. Watch Bandhan, a film on Indian weddings, at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Woh-C5uWdKo&feature=channel_video_title
NOVEMBER 2011 INDIA PERSPECTIVES
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ADVENTURE
Thrill TRAIL India has many options from scuba diving to wildlife safaris – for the adrenaline junkie
SCUBA DIVING
Deep Discovery GOA Divers will be amazed to see similar marine life here as in the Maldives. Also, of interest is the presence of wrecks of Spanish and Portuguese World War II ships. Grande Island is a major diving site and for interesting shallow diving check out Malvan Shoal. LAKSHADWEEP Lakshadweep offers a thousand options to water sport enthusiasts. Divers can enjoy breathtaking views of corals in islands like Agatti while charming lagoons and marine life wait to be discovered in Kalpeni and Kavaratti. HAVELOCK ISLANDS The waters surrounding the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have one of the
richest coral reef eco-systems in the world. The best season for scuba diving is from December to April. DEVBAGH, KARWAR BEACH Devbagh near Karwar beach in Karnataka has eight dive sites on its islands like Kumaragarh, Anjudeep and Sanyasi. Here, advanced scuba diving courses are run by qualified trainers affiliated to Professional Association of Diving Instructors, USA. RAMESHWARAM The best beach for scuba diving in Tamil Nadu is Rameshwaram. A medical team is on call at all times to make the activity safe for both amateurs and professionals.
EXPERT ADVICE If you are above the age of 14, and do not have a history of heart ailments, you can dive. You don’t need to know how to swim. As long as you are comfortable in the water, you can become an excellent diver. Instructor to student ratio should be 1:4 or less.
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—Prahlad Kakkar
BIRD WATCHING
Telling Tails KEOLADEO GHANA NATIONAL PARK With lagoons, grasslands and woodland areas, the park is the perfect wintering ground for resident and migratory birds. Over 380 species of birds are found in this 29 sq km stretch. Hire a bicycle or a cycle-rickshaw to make your way around the park. CHILIKA LAKE Numerous islands dot this brackish water lagoon. One of them, Nalbana Island, is completely submerged during the monsoon. When the waters recede, hundreds of migratory waterfowls congregate here. Migratory birds arrive in October from Siberia, Iran, Afghanistan and Iraq and stay until the end of March. RANN OF KUTCH Situated in western India, it is the only
place in the country where flamingos breed. The Rann’s connection to the Gulf of Kutch makes it an ideal habitat for birds. Over 200 species have been spotted here, among them are the lesser florican and the Houbara bustard. KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK Almost 500 species have been recorded here. Of these 100 are migratory birds which come from as faraway as Siberia. The avian creatures have the same characteristics as Indo-Malayan species, and are typical to Northeast India. KUMARAKOM Located on Vembanad Lake, which is part of the backwater labyrinth of Kerala. A way to go bird watching here is a boat trip. —Valerie Rodrigues
EXPERT ADVICE Since bird activity is greatest in the morning, an early start is important. To blend with the surroundings avoid flashy clothes. Sounds will scare birds away so be as quiet as possible. Even if you cannot see the birds at first, learn to recognise them by their calls. Carry binoculars, a notepad and a pencil to note the details.
NOVEMBER 2011 INDIA PERSPECTIVES
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WILDLIFE
Spotting Game GIR NATIONAL PARK Located in Gujarat, it is spread over nearly 1,500 km. It is the only place where one can see the Asiatic lion in the wild. It has about 300 of the species. The park’s steep rocky hillsides are covered with mixed deciduous forests. The park also has leopards and chital (spotted deer), nilgai (Indian antelope), wild boar and marsh crocodiles. SUNDERBANS NATIONAL PARK The Park is located in the delta of the Brahmaputra and the Ganga Rivers and is largely an estuarine mangrove forest. It is the habitat of the Royal Bengal tiger. Traversing the mangroves by motor launch is quite an experience. PERIYAR NATIONAL PARK Set high in the Western Ghats, in Kerala, the park has a picturesque lake at its
heart. Visitors can take a boat trip to see a herd of elephants bathing in the waters of the lake. A rarely seen inhabitant is the Nilgiri Tahr. KANHA NATIONAL PARK This ‘tiger country’, located in Madhya Pradesh, is ideal for watching the predator. The sal forest is interspersed with meadows that are teeming with a variety of deer — barasingha ( twelvehorned deer), chital (spotted deer) and chousingha (four-horned deer) — besides the gaur or Indian bison. RANTHAMBORE NATIONAL PARK Earlier the hunting preserve of the Maharajas of Jaipur, today it is one of the best places to see the tiger, India’s national animal. The mongoose and monitor lizards are found in plenty.
EXPERT ADVICE Please follow the rules of the park — do not walk alone if you are not permitted to do so. Wear clothes in shades of brown and green to blend with the surroundings. Do not smoke in restricted areas. Don’t make a noise, play music or honk. Don’t leave behind any litter. Wear comfortable clothes and in keeping with the season.
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—Smita Singh
SKIING
Zig Zag Zoom ROHTANG Land in Kullu and head to Rohtang La, situated at 14,000 ft. It is connected to Manali, Himachal Pradesh, by the highest motorable road in the world. Tour operators offer heli-skiing in the area. Ski runs can be as complicated or as straightforward as you can handle. YUMTHANG North of Sikkim at 11,800 ft, it is the latest high ground for skiing in India. One needs an Inner Line Permit to zip down the beautiful snow-clad mountains. GULMARG This was the first ski resort to be established in India. Set up by the British Army in 1927, it is located at an altitude of 8,955 ft. It is, also, the first
Asian destination to start heli-skiing from atop the Affarwat peak. SOLANG NALLAH Just 12 km away from Manali, Himachal Pradesh, it is a popular skiing destination. It has gentle slopes that are a good learning ground. It is one of the venues for the annual national ski championships. AULI Around 298 km from Dehradun, Auli, according to some experts, is one of the best skiing destinations in the world. It boasts of Asia’s largest cable car and the highest man-made lake in the world. The lake has been developed to create artificial snow in the event of low snowfall. December to March is the best time to visit. —Gaurav Schimar
EXPERT ADVICE
PHOTO: RAJEEV RASTOGI
You should be physically fit. Pay extra attention to strengthening knee joints as injuries to the area are common. Specialised clothing, gloves and UV-resistant sunglasses are some of the must-haves. Regular intake of fluids is mandatory to avoid getting dehydrated. Slap on sunscreen for a happy skiing photograph!
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PROFILE
COURTESY: TEHELKA/SHAILENDRA PANDEY
D
Social workers and Ramon Magsaysay award winners, Prakash and Mandakini Amte’s lives reveal a sense of service and achievement
THE COMPASSIONATE CAMPAIGNERS 20 INDIA PERSPECTIVES
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eep within the forests of central India, exists a world that is difficult to imagine for the urban planet. Secluded from the effects of globalisation, this universe is home to the Madia Gonds, a primitive tribal group, and the nerve centre of the work carried out by Prakash and Mandakini Amte, recipients of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay award. The honour for the Amte family is not new. In 1985, Murlidhar Devidas Amte, better known as Baba Amte, Prakash’s father, was given the award for community service. The couple was chosen for the award, often referred to as Asia’s version of the Nobel prize, in the community leadership category. According to the award citation, the Amtes were being honoured for their work in, “enhancing the capacity of the Madia Gonds to adapt positively in today’s India, through healing and teaching and other compassionate interventions.” In 1973, disturbed by the obvious ill health and poverty of the Madia Gonds, Baba Amte, already working with leprosyafflicted people in a relief and rehabilitation centre in Anandwan, Maharashtra, decided to stay in this inhospitable terrain to steer the locals towards development and the mainstream. The project was called Lok Biradari Prakalpa (LBP). A year later, Prakash, cut short his postgraduate degree in general surgery, and along with his new bride Mandakini, an anaesthetist and lecturer, responded to his father’s request for help to work in the remote village of Hemalkasa in southeastern Maharashtra. With nothing but two doorless huts to live in, the Amtes settled down and set to work. Without electricity, telephones or privacy the young couple literally practised medicine on the roadside. It required time and utmost patience to win the trust of the Madias. To reduce barriers, the couple set about learning the local dialect. To accommodate the tribal way of life, hospital beds were placed under open skies and sometimes under shady trees. Prakash took to wearing an unassuming white singlet and shorts so as not to identify himself with the ‘well-dressed’ urban outsiders. That sartorial decision was soon to become a recognisable trademark uniform. In the beginning, organisations like SWISSAID provided LBP funds to build and equip a small hospital in Hemalkasa. Here patients were treated for malaria, tuberculosis, burns and animal
WITHOUT ELECTRICITY, TELEPHONES OR PRIVACY THE YOUNG COUPLE LITERALLY PRACTISED MEDICINE ON THE ROADSIDE. IT REQUIRED TIME AND UTMOST PATIENCE TO WIN THE TRUST OF THE MADIAS.
bites. Later, other donors made it possible for the work to develop and continue on a more sustained basis. Today, that rough and ready hospital has 50 beds, a staff of five full-time doctors and treats 40,000 patients a year coming from 1,000 villages from a radius of 150 km — all free of charge. The hospital also incorporates a regional centre for mother and child welfare. The Amtes, also, run a school which has residential facilities up to Class XII for boys and girls. It also has a training programme for barefoot doctors. The school has introduced the Madia Gonds to settled agriculture by providing an education in growing vegetable and fruits and encouraging them to conserve forest resources. Over time the Madia Gonds are learning to look after their own. Many graduates of the school are Madia Gond’s first generation doctors, lawyers and teachers as well as office workers and policemen. The continuing involvement of the various branches of the Amte family tree bears witness to the compassion and sense of service that has become an enduring trait of the family. Elder brother Vikas has moved on to a newer project. His son, Kaustubh, is handling the financial aspects while daughter, Sheetal, organises the archives. In Hemalkasa, Prakash’s and Mandakini’s elder son Diganth and his wife, Anika, both doctors, are extending health services. His younger son, Aniket, a civil engineer, has taken on the LBP’s administration and daughter Aarti has enlisted as a nurse. On the margin of all this activity is a three-and-a half-year old grandson who proudly struts alongside his grandfather and talks to the animals, brought in by concerned tribals, while their injuries are being tended to.
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ART RAM SUTAR
than
Life
This sculptor, who has given us iconic Gandhi busts, says he is hungry for more
A
t 86, Ram Vanji Sutar, sculptor of iconic Gandhi busts, continues to hammer and chisel sculptures at his studio in Electronic City, Noida — a suburb of Delhi. ‘‘I still have the desire to create. I am still hungry for more,’’ says Sutar, who is a recipient of the Padmashri (one of the country’s highest civilian honours). The proof is a life-size statue of Mahatma Gandhi sculpted by him that has been installed in Strasbourg, France, last month. Massive statues – of bronze, clay, marble and fibre glass – pack Sutar’s studio, which in part resembles a museum of leaders and heroes. Busts and statues of prime ministers, presidents, and social reformers are strewn everywhere. Also, on the premises are statues of Punjab’s ruler Ranjit Singh and Maratha king Shivaji, astride their horses. The sculptor has successfully merged art and commerce. He has worked with fervent speed to establish a foundry in Sahibabad, Uttar Pradesh, that can cast 1,000 kg of metal every day. His creativity has found him admirers abroad as well.
ART OF THE MATTER: Ram Sutar at work
PHOTO: RAJEEV RASTOGI
Larger
TEXT: MALVIKA KAUL
PHOTO: RAJEEV RASTOGI
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Sutar’s Gandhi busts have inspired copies not only across the country, but also in France, Italy, Argentina, Russia, Malaysia and the UK. When he first saw Gandhi in real life, Sutar was in Class 3. ‘‘Gandhiji came to our village during the Swadeshi movement to organise a bonfire. Everyone carried something that was foreign-made to throw into it. I threw my fancy velvet cap. I was struck by Gandhiji’s peaceful persona,’’ recounts the artist. In 1948, when Sutar first created Gandhi’s bust, for a school in Maharashtra, he sought to capture the same serenity. With the `100 he got for the job, he left to join Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai. By the time Sutar graduated – receiving the prestigious Mayo Gold medal for clay modelling – he had made many more busts and statues on commission. Even as a child, Sutar wanted to create monumental works that represented heroism and humanism. Although he was impressed by Renaissance sculpture, and for some years sculpted in a similar fashion, he eventually settled for the decorative and poetic Indian style. He always takes care of three things – balance, architecture and engineering. He believes technique is crucial because it decides whether the work will withstand the test of time. ‘‘The work should not collapse because of a technical flaw,’’ he says. He has two inspirations: B.R. Carmaker, an artist in British India, and, of course, Gandhi. ‘‘I love Gandhi’s vision not only for India but also for the whole world. His message, of the big helping the small is still relevant and necessary today.’’
CREATIVITY AT ITS BEST: (facing page from extreme left) Mahatma Gandhi’s statue at Parliament House; work in progress at the studio; and (above) statues of famous Indians on the studio premises
PHOTO: RAJEEV RASTOGI
One of the commissions is from the Swedish government for a work that will show physicist Albert Einstein watching Gandhi spinning a charkha (spinning wheel). Born in 1925 in Maharashtra, the young Sutar’s ability to shape clay and stone was spotted by his teachers who encouraged him to hone his talent. ‘‘To see things and mould them according to my imagination is a gift I have,” he says. He opens several plastic boxes that are filled with pebbles, with human faces and bodies drawn on them. ‘‘I don’t chisel them or shape them. They are in their natural shape. My eye sees them in a particular way and I draw an outline of what I see on the pebbles – man, woman, child, etc.” As a child, Sutar drew attention by creating extraordinary art from ordinary things. In junior school, he made a scorpion out of a soap bar. In middle school, he etched an image of Goddess Bhawani offering a sword to Shivaji on a black slate. Eventually, Shriram Krishna Joshi, an art teacher in college, tapped his talent for sculpture. Sutar shot to fame nearly five decades ago with a massive statue on the Gandhi Sagar dam in Madhya Pradesh. It is of a woman, 45-foot-high, carved out of a concrete block. She represents the Chambal River, and is flanked by two boys, representing the states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh that share the river’s waters. A few years later, Sutar created the 16-foot-high statue of Mahatma Gandhi in a meditative pose, it is now installed in Parliament House. It captures Gandhi’s serenity completely.
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PHOTO FEATURE
PRIME
AFP
PORTRAITS
REMEMBERING INDIA’S FIRST PRIME MINISTER, JAWAHARLAL NEHRU, ON HIS BIRTHDAY, WHICH IS CELEBRATED ON NOVEMBER 14.
PHOTO: ADITYA ARYA ARCHIVE
(Left) Hugs grandson Rajiv as daughter Indira looks on before leaving for a trip abroad; (above) with Mahatma Gandhi during a Congress meeting in Bombay (now Mumbai), 1942
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AFP
‘‘PEACE IS NOT A RELATIONSHIP OF NATIONS. IT IS A CONDITION OF MIND BROUGHT ABOUT BY A SERENITY OF SOUL. LASTING PEACE CAN COME ONLY TO PEACEFUL PEOPLE.’’
PHOTO: INDIA PICTURE
(Above) Nehru releases a dove during a public celebration held on his 65th birthday at the New Delhi Stadium, 1954; (right) with grandchildren Rajiv (left) and Sanjay
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AFP
AFP
‘‘WHAT WE REALLY ARE MATTERS MORE THAN WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK OF US.’’
(Clockwise from above) Shares a joke with Yugoslavia President Marshal Josip Broz Tito (right), and Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein at Brijuni Islands during a Non-Aligned Movement summit, 1956; with Dalai Lama; and with physicist Albert Einstein at Princeton University, 1949
AFP
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REGIONAL RELATIONS
AFP
T
Bridges of Friendship The 17th SAARC summit, to be held in the Maldives in November, will strengthen existing forums and focus on expanding people-centric activities TEXT: N.C. BIPINDRA
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UNITED FORCE: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressing the inaugural session of the 16th SAARC summit held in Thimphu in 2010
he 17th summit of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) leaders to be held on November 10 and 11 comes at a time when the world is looking at India and the South Asian region for solutions to its problems, including the financial crisis. ‘Building Bridges’ will be the theme of the summit to be hosted by Maldives, one of the founding members of the eightnation grouping. The last SAARC summit was held in Thimphu, Bhutan, in April 2010, and was devoted to ‘Climate Change’. To be held in Addu Atoll, the southern-most tip of the South Asian region, the summit will build bridges, both physically and figuratively. In recent years, the member-states — Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka — have worked towards overcoming barriers to establish connectivity and communication. A few months ago, India and Sri Lanka recommenced their ferry services across the Palk Straits after nearly 30 years. This is an example of the summit’s theme to strengthen economic, diplomatic and people-topeople ties among member-nations for mutual benefit. The figurative aspect would be political dialogue. According to the host nation, the idea of bridging differences would be the overarching theme of the summit rather than any set diplomatic or development aims. ‘‘The idea is to celebrate the diversity that we have and use this to unite nations to build a better region. South Asia is unique: 100 different languages are spoken here, 10 major religions are practiced here and onefifth of the world’s population lives here,’’ says a release of the Maldives government. ‘‘The Maldives is the lowest lying nation in the world, at the same time Nepal has the planet’s highest points. We want to use these factors as an opportunity to celebrate as a united force to build bridges of friendship, peace and security,” it says. This will be the third time Maldives is hosting the SAARC summit, having played host during the fifth and ninth meetings held in 1990 and 1997 respectively. SAARC is a quarter-century old: young enough to maximise its vibrancy and vigour to produce best results for the region’s own benefit and mature enough to take forward the initiative as a relevant forum in global affairs. It has a major role to play in building capacities of its member-countries and India has more responsibilities in this regard than any other nation in the regional forum.
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AFP
At the Thimphu summit, the leaders of the eight member states reiterated their commitment to implement the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) in letter and spirit.
AFP
PROMOTING COOPERATION: (clockwise from above) IGNOU headquarters, Delhi; ferry services are operational between India and Sri Lanka; and a cargo train plying between India and Bangladesh
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Keeping this in mind, the South Asian University in New Delhi, an international university sponsored by the eight member states of SAARC, following a proposal in 2005 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, began its academic session in 2010. This year, the university has introduced courses in biotechnology, sociology, international relations and law, these are in addition to computer science and economics already being taught. Another SAARC initiative in the field of human resources development is the SAARC Consortium of Open and Distance Learning (SACODiL). This aims to promote cooperation and collaboration among open and distance learning institutions in member states and provide a viable and cost-effective method of imparting quality education at all levels. To reach out to remote areas and under-privileged people, the consortium works at developing programmes and courses, evolving mechanisms for credit transfer, accumulation and accreditation, and sharing information technology. India’s Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is a participating institution in SACODiL, along with the open universities of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan. With 1.5 billion mouths to feed, food security is a major concern for South Asia. Keeping this in mind, an agreement has been signed by SAARC member states to set up the SAARC Food Bank (SFB) with a cumulative capacity of nearly 486,000 metric tonnes (MT) in rice and wheat reserves, of which India’s share will be over 306,000 MT. The SFB will cater to memberstates in times of need, to help deal with severe and unexpected natural and man-made calamities. The bank, approved in the Colombo summit in 2008, will act as a regional food security reserve to provide regional support to national food security efforts, foster inter-country partnerships and regional integration and solve regional food shortages through collective action. The SAARC Development Fund (SDF) secretariat was inaugurated in April 2010 in Thimphu. The SDF’s objective is to
finance projects to promote people’s welfare in the SAARC region, improve quality of life, and accelerate economic growth, social progress and poverty alleviation. India has provided USD 100 million as a voluntary contribution in addition to its assessed contribution of USD 89.9 million. In the Thimphu summit, the leaders of the eight member states have reiterated their commitment to implement the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) in letter and spirit. There is a need to realise the full potential of SAFTA by reducing the size of the sensitive lists, ramping up of trade facilitation measures, and speedy removal of non-tariff, para-tariff and other barriers. Moreover, the SAARC Agreement on Trade in Services, signed last year, will open up new opportunities for trade cooperation among member-states and deepen the integration of their economies. The South Asia Forum, agreed upon in Thimphu, held its first meeting in New Delhi in September 2011. It has kick-started debate, discussion and exchange of ideas on the region and its development, which will be critical to the future of the grouping. The forum has been mandated to provide inputs, based on a comprehensive understanding, for charting out the future course of SAARC and improvements in the existing mechanisms within the regional group. The Addu summit needs to debate on the conclusion arrived at the Thimphu meet that though the scope and substance of cooperation among SAARC nations has expanded to diverse fields, it has not translated into meaningful and tangible benefits to the people. The solution to this problem that came out of the Thimphu meet is: There is a need for more efficient, focused, time-bound and peoplecentric activities and for appropriate reflection of all SAARC decisions in the policies and programmes of member-states’ governments, all of which are incidentally products of multiparty democratic systems.
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GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
Being a Good
Friend
India has played a major role in reconstructing Afghanistan and rehabilitating its citizens
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DEEPENING BOND: (clockwise from above) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai at Parliament House; Defence Minister A.K. Antony with his Afghan counterpart General Abdul Rahim Wardak; President Pratibha Patil with Afghan First Vice-President, Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim
AFP
` 24.5 million assistance in the present level of almost ` 73.5 billion. This is a significant contribution and a result of India’s desire to see peace and stability in Afghanistan. As a result of Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan saw the ouster of the Taliban regime and the extent to which the country has been ravaged came to the fore. India was one of the first countries to lend a helping hand to rebuild the country. From roads, power stations, schools, hospitals to assistance in agriculture, education, and telecommunication, India has taken up innumerable projects in various parts of the country. All the projects are undertaken in partnership with the Afghan government, in total alignment with the Afghanistan National Development Strategy and with focus on local ownership of assets. In 2009, India completed the ZaranjDelaram highway, located near the Iranian border. The 220-km-long road connects Zaranj to the Kandahar-Herat highway. The road will help regional cooperation by encouraging trade and transit through the Iranian port of Chabahar. A mammoth project and a matter of pride, the highway involved over 330 engineers and workers from India and Afghanistan. The road was built at a cost of ` 7.3 billion. Says Inder Pal Khosla, former
AFP
I
ndia and Afghanistan have a shared history, so it is natural for the two countries to be partners in development today. Visits by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai earlier this year just confirms how important Afghanistan is to India. One of the reasons for this importance is Afghanistan’s strategic geographical position on the world map. Says Gautam Mukhopadhaya, India’s ambassador to Afghanistan: “A stable and economically robust Afghanistan is critical for the stability of the region.” Dignitaries from Afghanistan came on reciprocal visits. President Hamid Karzai, who visited earlier in February and later in October, was one of them. A historic agreement on strategic partnership between Afghanistan and India – first agreement by the former with any country – was signed. The agreement reinforced the strong, vibrant and multifaceted relations between the two countries and formalised a framework for cooperation in various areas. They include political and security cooperation, trade and economic cooperation, capacity development and education, and social, cultural, civil society and people-to-people relations. During his visit this May, the Indian Prime Minister announced an increase of
AFP
TEXT: MEENAKSHI KUMAR
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GOODWILL MISSION: (clockwise from above) The Chimtala substation, a milestone in Afghanistan’s reconstruction; road repair in progress; Afghans unload medical supplies sent from India; buses donated by India
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AFP
AFP
AFP
Capacity building is a significant aspect of India’s involvement in Afghanistan.
Indian ambassador to Afghanistan: “The Iranians will now have access to sell goods in their neighbouring country.” Already the road has resulted in increased trade, transport and customs revenues for the government. A major project underway is the Salma Dam power plant in Herat province. The 42-megawatt power plant, which has been delayed due to problems in logistics, will bring power to the west of Herat. A 220 kV DC transmission line from Pul-e-Khumri in the north and a 220/110/20 kV sub-station at Chimtala were commissioned to provide power to Kabul. Considered a milestone in Afghanistan’s reconstruction, the Chimtala substation has been built at a cost of `4.5 billion. It has benefitted a huge number of people by bringing power from Uzbekistan to Kabul. Another ongoing project is the construction of a new Parliament building in Kabul by India. “Indian projects in Afghanistan are widely regarded as visible, successful, and benefitting both the targeted communities and general economic development,” says ambassador Mukhopadhaya. Capacity building is a significant aspect of India’s involvement in Afghanistan. The projects include reconstruction of Habibia School; award of 1,000 ICCR long-term university scholarships and 675 short-term ITEC training programmes for Afghan nationals annually; deputation of 30 Indian civil servants under Capacity for Afghan Public Service Programme (CAP); setting up of CII-run India-Afghan vocational training centre for training 3,000 Afghans in carpentry, plumbing, welding, masonry and tailoring; and a SEWA project for setting up Women’s Vocational Training Centre
in Bagh-e-Zanana women’s market. Says Mukhopadhaya: “Our contributions in this area are intended to help Afghanistan stand on its own after 30 years of conflict that has severely depleted its education and training infrastructure and shattered its structures of administration. India is perhaps best placed in the region to help in this regard.” Besides, India assists in community-based, small development projects in vulnerable border areas. These are essentially in the fields of agriculture, rural development, education, health and vocational training. The focus of these projects is on local ownership and management. Under phase-I (2006-08), 50 such proposals have been approved and are being implemented; under phase-II (2008-2010), a new pipeline project has been approved. In addition, India has always extended humanitarian assistance whenever needed. Free medical services and medicines have been provided through five Indian medical missions. Moreover, in collaboration with the World Food Programme, India has sponsored the distribution of high-protein biscuits in Afghan public schools. It is a win-win situation. Indian aid helps win friends and earn goodwill and in the process the Afghans get infrastructure and world class training in various disciplines. Mukhopadhaya sums up the partnership, “We see a progressive integration between the Afghan and Indian economies as a return to the ‘natural state’ that has historically prevailed in this region. Such integration is also a guarantee for the long-term economic prosperity of Afghanistan.”
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CUISINE
BALANCE OF
FLAVOURS
Gujarat, in the north-west of the country, is a vegetarian paradise. Here, the simplest of ingredients are transformed into mouthwatering delicacies TEXT: RUSHINA MUNSHAW GHILDIYAL
G
ujarati cuisine lays great importance on the balance of flavours. When tasting food, a Gujarati will often ask if the khattash (sourness) and mithash (sweetness) are all right. The non-vegetarian element, in a largely vegetarian region, is contributed by two communities — the Parsis and the Bohra Muslims. The Parsi community originated in Persia, present-day Iran. Very rarely chilli-hot, the cuisine has a partiality towards chicken, mutton and eggs. Popular dishes include dhansakh (lentils slow-cooked with meat and vegetables), which is served with caramelised rice, mincemeat kebabs and kachumber (finely diced tomatoes, onions and fresh coriander); patra ni machchi (whole fish coated in coriander chutney and steamed in banana leaves); and tarapori patio made with Bombay duck (a kind of fish which is dried and salted before being eaten).
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Gujarati cuisine is marked by the use of fresh, seasonal ingredients that vary from region to region depending on the availability of products. Dishes have prefixes to indicate the region from where they have originated like Surti (from Surat) and Bhavnagri (from Bhavnagar). The Bohra platter is just Gujarati cuisine, but incorporates meat. Northern Gujarat is known for its thali — a platter with individual servings of rice, dal, curry, vegetables, sprouted beans, farsan (savouries), pickles, chutney and raita (yoghurt combined with spices and chopped vegetables and fruits). The cuisine from the Kutch region of the state is simple in comparison, with dishes such as khichdi (a simple dish of rice and lentils cooked together) and kadhi (a savoury curry made of yoghurt and chickpea flour). Other specialties include osaman, a preparation of lentils, flavoured with tomatoes, fresh coconut and coriander; khaman dhokla (a steamed snack made with fermented
ALL TIME FAVOURITE: (clockwise from top left) Khandvis (rolls made with gram flour); theplas (bread made with a mixture of flours); bhel (a puffed rice snack); and a thali with pooris and an assortment of vegetables
TICKLE YOUR TASTE BUDS: (clockwise from right) Steamed dhoklas (fermented chickpea flour savoury cakes); flavoured suparis (betelnut); dahi papdi chaat (discs of fried pastry in spiced yoghurt); and spices on sale
chickpea flour), doodhpak (sweet, thickened milk served chilled); and shrikhand, a dessert made of yoghurt, flavoured with saffron, cardamom and nuts. Surti undhiyu, made with steamed millets is a well-known seasonal dish from Saurashtra, in south Gujarat. Nothing celebrates Gujarati food quite like the thali. A procession of fresh vegetables cooked in aromatic spices, a variety of crisp, fried snacks and an array of delectable confections are an integral part of it. It will usually have khaman dhokla; khandvi (rolls made with gram flour tempered with mustard seeds and grated coconut); and patra (steamed and fried pinwheels of coloccasia leaves and a lentil paste). The main course special include undhiyu (a mixed vegetable preparation), best enjoyed with steaming-hot rice and a dollop of clarified butter. Alongside the savouries are sweets such as halwa (a dessert made of semolina) and shrikhand. The most amazing thing about Gujarati cuisine is the sheer variety of each element on the thali.
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Gujarati athaanas (pickles) comprise methia keri (a mango pickle made with coarsely ground fenugreek seeds), chhundo (a grated mango pickle flavoured with chilli powder and sun cooked for a couple of weeks), gol keri (chunks of green mango and spices cooked to a thick syrupy consistency), and the fragrant, sweet murabbo. Gujarati cuisine has two kinds of snacks, nasto and farsan. Nasto means breakfast but is not relegated to the morning meal. It could be served at any time in the day when one desires something to munch on. Nastos are usually dry, made of deep fried, spiced chickpea batter. The most common forms are sev and ganthia. Sev is made using an implement that has holes through which dough is pushed out to resemble spaghetti, it falls straight into boiling oil and is fried and then stored. The holes are of various sizes and types, allowing different variations: from as fine as vermicelli to as thick as a pencil. It comes in a variety of flavours such as garlic, chilli, tomato and cheese. Ganthias resemble squiggles or knots and are
usually accompanied by jalebis (a dessert, which resembles pretzels soaked in syrup), mild Bhavnagari chillies and papaya chutney (green papaya and chickpea flour tempered with cumin and mustard seeds). While nastos are great niblets, farsans make up the heavy artillery of the Gujarati snack repertoire. No self-respecting cook of Gujarati food will present a thali without a farsan or two gracing one corner. Farsans could range from deep-fried bhajias (fritters) to ghugras (fried half circles of pastry stuffed with savoury fillings), kachoris (fried circular pastry usually stuffed with a savoury potato filling), dhoklas, muthias (made of chickpea flour and grated vegetables steamed and later shallow fried), patra and the delicate khandvi. There is always something to celebrate in Gujarat. The festivals and fairs here revolve around an occasion — be it the harvest season, or a religious event. Some of the most notable festivals are Makar Sankranti or the Kite Festival, held on January 14, on this day, a veritable war takes place in the skies as thousands of kites engage one another,
Gokulashtami to celebrate Lord Krishna's birthday, Navratri, the nine days preceding Dusshera, when the nine avatars of the Mother Goddess are worshiped, and of course, Diwali or the Festival of Lights. Like the rest of India, Diwali is celebrated with much fanfare in Gujarat with Goddess Lakshmi being worshiped by the business community. New books of accounts are started on this auspicious day. Food takes precedence over other preparations for the big festival with the women of the household labouring over hot stoves to prepare a variety of sweets and savouries. For children, it is a joyous time. They wear new clothes, participate in the pujas at home and savour the delicacies. With such a wide range of snacks and savouries, is it any wonder that Gujaratis are fond of their food and even carry it with them when they travel? As soon as the train chugs out of the station, look out for the boxes of farsan, maghaj laddoos, theplas, chunddo and chai masala tucked into bags and boxes of various sizes and shapes. As the feast begins and you are invited to partake of the goodies, enjoy.
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REVIEWS
FILM
Path to Discovery A documentary tracks MNREGA and meets those whose lives the Act has changed BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN INDIA AND BHARAT Genre: Documentary Running Time: 52 minutes Director: Puneeta Roy Producer: Public Diplomacy Division, Ministry of External Affairs
EXHIBITION
Birdwatching on Canvas An exhibition, The Lost Sparrow, draws attention to the fact that the little bird is fast disappearing
H
ouse sparrows were a common sight in homes across India. However, lately their population has been diminishing especially in urban areas. Art curator Tunty Chauhan has taken up the cause of the winged creatures. Last month, she organised an exhibition, ‘‘The Lost Sparrow’’ at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. Prominent artists like Manu Parekh, Anjolie Ela Menon and Sebastian Varghese contributed paintings to it, portraying the sparrow and the need to save it. ‘‘The initiative addresses the larger problem of the adverse effects on the environment due to our lifestyle,’’ says Varghese, who often captures nature on his canvases. Present at the exhibition was Mohammed Dilawar, popularly known as the ‘Sparrow Man of India’, who was on the Time list of Heroes of the Environment a few years ago. Dilawar, who runs an NGO, Nature Forever Society, in Nashik, has been campaigning for the cause for six years. He says: ‘‘ (To save the sparrow) we can take simple initiatives in our homes, we can
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DIFFERENT STROKES: (clockwise from left) Piyali Ghosh’s portrayal of the sparrow as a member of the family; Bhagat Singh’s experimentation with water colours; and Rajan Krishnan’s Little Painting
keep nest boxes and clean bowls with food and water where the birds can reach them.’’ To ensure that environmental awareness is imbibed at a young age, schoolchildren from in and around Delhi were invited to participate in the programme. The idea, says the curator, is to create a ripple effect, to sensitise the public. The sparrow, an important part of the ecosystem, is just a metaphor for the urgent need to save our environment. Experts have not been able to pinpoint the reasons for the decline in the sparrow population, which is a worldwide phenomenon. They conjecture that it could be due to loss of habitat, chemical pollution and microwave radiation from cell towers. Other contributing factors, they feel, are lack of nesting sites due to changes in urban architecture, with tiled roofs giving way to concrete ones. “We should throw our doors open to the sparrow,” says Dilawar. That is the need of the hour. —Swati Bhasin
F
or those who have little or no idea how the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), 2005, is perceived in rural India or how it has changed the lives of its beneficiaries, here’s a film that provides the answers. Directed by Puneeta Roy, Bridging the Gap Between India and Bharat takes the viewer to Rajasthan, Bihar, Sikkim and Andhra Pradesh – states with different landscapes, climates and cultural complexities. Roy talks to NGOs, government officials, sarpanches and workers; looks at projects under way; highlights the scenic and oftentimes the harsh beauty of the surroundings, and doesn’t shy away from the poverty she encounters. Her narrator is as much on the path of discovery as the viewer. Across the board, heartening voices echo one another. Those interviewed underline the revolutionary nature of the Act. It, not only, ensures 100 days of work a year to adults in rural households; it is now a legal right that people can demand; it builds rural infrastructure, creates lasting economic assets and, hopefully, stems migration to cities; most of all it has ‘‘shaken basic power structures and given people self-respect, dignity and hope’’. And all this without force, without ‘a bloody revolution’. MNREGA is truly democratic and groundbreaking. In different states, this feel-good film tells us, MNREGA has greened parched land, recharged groundwater, created water bodies, bettered communication through road construction, revived tea gardens, revitalised panchayats (focal points for decision-making and delivery mechanisms), instituted social audits, involved women in the workforce and provided food to the poor. In parts of Sikkim, workers get biometric smart cards and payments are made through post-offices and banks. On the downside, people’s voices may not always be heard; land records may not be updated, and progress can be slow since individual rights and collective gain must be finely balanced. Can 100 days of work change lives? Perhaps not. But it is a beginning, both economic and social. The film opens ones eyes to the many success stories that MNREGA has unleashed. Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfDHP9XWxvc
—Latika Padgaonkar
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“The International Children’s Film Festival has got entries from 85 countries” While in India, Bollywood blockbusters with big stars get branded as family films and that includes children. It is important to have a space for pure children’s films. After all, children are imaginative souls and their minds need more than the burden of the reality of the world around them. What are the challenges before you while preparing for the International Children’s Film Festival India? A lot of thought has gone into making the festival a special experience for children. It is challenging, as many of them cannot read subtitles. We have to choose films that are visually exciting without being dependent on dialogues. We have received a record number of entries from 85 countries. For the first time we have an African and a South American presence. We have also introduced a country-focus section and will present a retrospective of Chinese films.
With the recent success of films like Chillar Party and Stanley Ka Dabba, have children’s films come of age? Why did you choose Firaaq for your directorial debut? Children’s films were never a priority in India, but we did Firaaq is an ensemble story. It was born out of my interactions have some lovely films earlier. As a kid, I remember with young people in schools and colleges and my watching Raj Kapoor’s Boot Polish and Safed Haathi. CFSI conversations with strangers on flights and at gatherings. films lack marketing budgets, but still reach During my travels, I have sensed a collective millions of rural and small town children. Now, desire to understand this complex world we as marketing has become big, we know of inhabit and a palpable need for peace. As I ‘‘For children, films that are making a big splash. I hope have a platform to share my concerns, I use it we have to this surge in children’s films is the beginning of to speak about marginalised communities. choose films a new phase. that are visually Now that your son is a year old, do we get exciting How have children’s films in India evolved to see you back on screen? without being as compared to the rest of the world? I am looking at a few scripts, both for acting dependent on Children’s films make a lot of money abroad and direction. If I find something interesting, I dialogues.’’ because there is a huge audience. Children will surely take that up. But for now, it is my are taken to watch these films in theatres. son, Vihaan, and CFSI that take up my time.
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acing the camera or calling the shots from behind one, 41-year-old Nandita Das has always been applauded for her brilliant work. She is known for her unconventional roles in films like Deepa Mehta’s internationally acclaimed Fire and Earth and Jagmohan Mundra’s Bawandar, based on the true story of Bhanwari Devi, a rape victim. Firaaq, her directorial debut, has won critical acclaim across the world. Nandita has acted in films in ten different languages: English, Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Marathi, Oriya and Kannada. Among the numerous awards she has received is the Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres given by the French Government. At present, she is busy as the chairperson of the Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI). She spoke to Urmila Marak about the challenges of her assignment. Excerpts.