the quëst - Issue#6 by QUINTÉSSENCE PUNE

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1. The Changing Face of Radio Industry 2. A Cricket Tale 3. The 8th Color ( Kal, Aaj aur Kal - Truth or Illusion ) 4. Kaamunication 5. What Love is Not! 6. A Picture 7. Rewind 8. Milestones - Mrinalini Sarabhai 9. Comfort in Culture 10. I give you my Word 11. khabar, khabar ki... 12. Galleria 13. Q’ suggests. 14. Et Cetera 15. Signing off.

Disclaimer: ‘the quëst’ is a sarcastic critique. It is a positive vision for the society. It does not intend to target or hurt any specifications in case of gender, caste, religion etc. ‘the quëst’ does not endorse the views of its contributors or guarantee originality. The contributions are carried in good faith.

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May, 2011

The Changing Face of - Manali Misra Radio Industry

uring the time of Independence, radio was an integral part of everyone’s life. Due to the lack of any other motion medium, all the information about the national events reached the people through radio. Popularity of radio was widespread. Since then, radio has seen many seasons. From Hindi classical music to English rock music, radio has moved from its old box like look to the basic feature in every cell phone. Radio broadcasting began in India on an experimental basis. In 1921, Times of India in collaboration with Post and Telegraph started broadcasting a musical programme. In 1930, radio broadcasting started under the Indian Broadcasting Company. After three years, the company was liquidated and the Government took the charge of broadcasting. In 1936, the name changed to All India radio (AIR) and is officially known as Akashvani. AIR is one of the largest radio networks in the world. In accordance with its motto, Bahujan Hitaya, Bahujan Sukhaya, benefits and happiness of a large section of the people, AIR has always concentrated on information, education and entertainment.

Vividh Bharti service of AIR was started in 1957 to combat Radio Ceylon. It presents a mix of film music, skits, short plays and interactive programmes, some of the old popular programmes of Vividh Bharati are ‘Sangeet Sarita’, ‘Bhule Bisre Geet’, Hawa Mahal, ‘Jaimala’, ‘Inse Miliye’, ‘Chhaya Geet’ etc., are still distinctly recognized by the listeners. Ameen Sayani is referred to as the golden voice of Radio. For four decades, the Government of India did not allow private radio stations to broadcast in India. In 1993, the Government allowed private FM operators to buy chunks on AIR, prepare programming content, book commercials from advertisers and then broadcast. Within a short span of time, the FM radio advertising and sponsorship grew to millions of rupees. The year 1999, changed the course of radio industry in India. The Government decided to allow private sector participation in FM radio broadcasting. One hundred and fifty new FM channels were to be licensed across 40 cities. The focus was on the metros but many players dropped because of the

The quëst - Vol 1 | Issue 6 heavy license fee. This marked the Phase-I of Radio. Phase-II saw lesser restrictions and discussions on PhaseIII which may lead to permission of broadcasting news on private FM stations, are still on.

May, 2011 it with a new vigour,” said Vineet Singh Hukmani, managing director, RadioOne. Despite many hurdles, the radio industry is excited to welcome the Phase-III. It will spur the popularity and growth of radio even more.

At a time when radio nearly became dead, life was resurrected in it by FM Steve Allen has aptly remarked: stations. They brought music listening Radio is the theatre of the mind; television back into fashion. Radio One, Radio is the theatre of the mindless. Mirchi, Big FM, Red FM are few of the big players of the industry. “The irony with the radio industry is that it has been the last one to get liberalised. Even then, we are extremely excited about the next phase. It will be a huge advertising opportunity as smaller towns and cities will power it,” said Anurradha Prasad, president, Association of Radio Operators for India.With Phase-III, 800 new radio stations are expected to start. 18% of all the private FM stations are in the metro market. Advertising is the sole source of revenue for this industry. Radio industry is yet to see even greener shades of success. Youngsters like radio because it matches with the fast-paced lifestyle today. Radio reaches about 99% of Indian population. Internet radio adds to its accessibility. However, the content played on different FM stations is quite similar to each other. “With phase III, radio will become larger than any other medium. Advertisers will be forced to look at

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May, 2011

A Cricket Tale - Saahil Dama As we have moved out of antiquity, Cricket - a sport that is the religion of a billion people has undergone a drastic alteration. Today’s Cricket is merely a shadow of what yesteryear’s Cricket used to be. From a gentleman’s game it has met morphed into a maddening farrago of big money, glitteratzi, cheerleaders and raw entertainment. At this stage, the question that begs to be asked is, do we prefer the Cricket of the golden ages, or does the modern-day onslaught enthral us more? Originating in England, it wasn’t late before this sport became India’s favourite adopted child. The movie Lagaan beautifully captured the contrast between the elitist British playing the game and the infatuation of the poverty stricken Indians with it. The infatuation soon developed into an addiction and it wasn’t long before the sport was ensconced in the heart of every Indian. While at the global level, the likes of W.G.Grace, Sir Don Bradman and Sir Vivian Richards firmly established their dominance over the game, and the sport saw its first true legends. These men were made of sterner stuff than half of today’s teams put together. Those were the days when cricket was played, not for victory, not for vendetta and certainly not for money and greed; but to maintain the dignity and spirit of the game. 1975 - the world bore witness to the inception of a magisterial idea, the Cricket World Cup. It provided a platform for minnows to compete with behemoths and prove their mettle on a global level. To no one’s bewilderment, West Indies took home the first ever World Cup. India had its turn in 1983 and the rest, as we know, is history.

The quëst - Vol 1 | Issue 6 The winds of change have blown the game head over heels over the past years and it’s still an enigma whether this was for the good or bad. Undeniably though, the public entertainment factor has escalated by leaps and bounds. The sport now not only involves the men on the field, but the spectators too feel one with it with equal vigour. The ebullience, gusto and excitement that the game now radiates has reached an unprecedented level. The players have shed their white overalls and donned their national colours. The contrast between the former and current bats is equivalent to that between Mayawati and Katrina Kaif. From a time when a score of over three hundred was considered a match won (remember Ganguly’s shirt whirling act?), today the same score has become child’s play. The bowlers have fallen from the pedestal of vicious vipers to punching bags. The God of then, Sir Don Bradman has been replaced by a younger God - Sachin Tendulkar. Gone are the days when Sunil Gavaskar used to score a measly thirty six from sixty overs. Sixty balls are now enough to demolish the opposition with a century. We also witnessed the genesis of yet another idea - the IPL. Cheerleaders gyrating to hip-hop music, batsmen going all guns ablaze, film stars followed by their paparazzi and big money

May, 2011 are almost a sacrilege to Cricket. But that’s the price you pay for absolute entertainment. There’s no one to blame for this. The Zeitgeist is at work and the people love it. Yet some things have remained unchanged, filling us with the nostalgia about the old days. The spirit of the game still prevails as rampantly in the hearts of its followers as it did since one can remember. India still has the same spark in it as it did in 1983 and it was proven by us winning the World Cup. The players still respect one another and the umpires, never forgetting that Cricket it truly a gentleman’s game. The game repeatedly teaches us that no matter what the odds are, no matter which teams have which players and no matter how unlikely a victory may appear, the game is not over till it really is. Cricket is a sport that has inspired people, shaped lives and lives in the hearts of people like a majestic king. It is peoples’ religion, faith and belief. Though it has experienced a number of changes, it hasn’t lost its life. We can’t predict how the sport will be in twenty years; maybe there will be eight runs a shot or five players a team, but we can certainly ascertain that it will always be loved. That was, is and will be Cricket for you.

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‘Kal, Aaj aur Kal’- truth or illusion? - The Quantum Ah, but my Computations, People say Reduced the Year to better reckoning – Nay, ‘Twas only striking from the Calendar Unborn To-morrow and dead Yesterday Rubaiyat, verse #57, by Omar Khayyam (English by Edward Fitzgerald) Today. When does this today start? At 12am? At 5am? At 8am? When? Some of us might say what’s so confusing about when a day starts and when it ends, of course it starts at 12am and ends at 11:59:59pm. Well, that is meant to be happening globally but ONLY because the world has accepted the Gregorian calender as the standard calender today. Wow! Ever though the calendar you look at everyday also has a name and a type? There are more than one type of calenders that the world follows or had been following in past. Who will follow which calender entirely depends upon which part of world they live in and which culture they belong to. That’s a reason why everybody’s definition of ‘Today’ varies a massive amount. Ever thought why do Hindu fasts start from sunrise one day and go up until 5 or 6 the next morning instead of following 12-12 schedule? Well, that’s because our datetime depends upon Hindu calendars and in Hindu calendars the day starts with local sunrise. So, if I am living in Pune and you are living in Kolkata, my day will start probably some minutes later than yours will! It’s interesting with the cultural and generation changes different people follow different calendars. Two major types of calendars are: Solar calendar and Lunar calendar

and then there are some calendars which is a nice blend of both the types! Even Hindus of different states follow different calendars! Some examples of the different calendars used across the globe are : Hijri calender, Julian calender, Persian calender, Ethiopian calender, Fiscal calendar, Shak calendar, Jewish calendar and it just goes on and on and on! All of us are like puppets of calenders and watches today. Ever thought what a calender is? How suddenly the descendents of apes came up with the idea of a calender? Is calenders what we are gonna talk about in the rest of the article?! :O (Alternatively you may also ask “Whatcha been smokin?” / “Are you retard?”/ “Are you gonna be blah blahing about calenders?” etc or simply walk away from this column) well, NO… Anticipate! Basically calendars came into existence with the idea of organizing things around us. Day to day activities like harvesting, planting seeds, business or social activities like celebrations, religious festivities could not be done efficiently without calendars. Just imagine what would happen if you have to explain the

The quëst - Vol 1 | Issue 6 time of your birthday party without using any ‘day’, ‘date’ or ‘time’. (Something like ‘day after tomorrow after tomorrow’ or something like ‘15th sun-set from today and exactly after the sun will set, the party will begin’). So, to avoid the complications and make things simpler, we divided the time in things like ‘hour’, ‘minute’, ‘week’, ‘month’, ‘year’ and so on. All that our forefathers did was for theirs and our convenience and that’s how the ideas ideas of ‘yesterday’, ‘today’ and ‘tomorrow’ came into existence. Basically these ideas are not natural constructs and in fact they are social constructs that change time to time as per the users’ convenience. In fact if you feel courageous enough you can create one calendar of your own (‘Ekdum ghar ka calender’) in which you may as well have a day as long as a week of standard calendars. How cool is that? In fact here’s a small bit of information for the newbies (in the town of geekness). There’s an thought that’s being pondered on for some years now which talks about converting time into decimal. How we have 60 seconds = 1 minute, 24 hours = 1 day and so on, decimal time will have things like 100 seconds = 1 minute, 10 hours = 1 day, 10 months = 1 year etc. How cool is that?! In fact super geeks already have a decimal clock on their desktops for years now. (For the curious ones: Google ‘Decimal clock’ or ‘Decimal time’) However, I don’t completely agree to any of these ideas. The way I see it, everyday is today and today is a forever thing. Wouldn’t it be interesting having a today forever and living the entire life as a wonderful ‘today’ or alternatively have a today as long as a heartbeat. Live

May, 2011 a ‘today’ on every beat of your heart. Every past beat is a yesterday and every next beat is an upcoming ‘today’. How wonderful it would be to live a ‘today’ as long as a heart-beat and as short as a life! No, we don’t want to talk about it in a boring way in ghise pite SMSes style where they say ‘Yesterday is history, tomorrow is mystery, today is a gift and that’s why we call it present’(wow! Even the 2nd standard kid knows about it’s existence). The way we want to talk about it here is by weaving both the above case scenarios into reality and trying to see the results of it. If today was as long as a whole life nobody would have to think of tomorrow ever and yesterday would be non-existent. A life as long as a dream it would be, neither would it have pain of past nor the tension of tomorrow. Whatever the man would do, would be simply based on what he wants to do and what he doesn’t want to do right here and right now. No decisions would be influenced by his ‘future’ plans and there would be no memories. No memories? Of course, no memories. Memories are always based of ‘yesterday’ but we don’t have anything as such in this case! Everything happens right now and today. On the other hand what if today was as long as a heart-beat? There would be thousands of memories and that would make the memories hard to remember and each memory worthless. There would be just billions of them memories. At the end of the day man would be better off ignoring all of them. Today would be just so eventful that

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thinking/worrying of ‘tomorrow’ would just make it highly difficult. That would result the man constantly living in either memories (Yesterday) or consciousness (today) or dream (tomorrow). Man would never know about the existence of the other two states apart from the one he lives in. Every upcoming ‘today’ would be completely new and surprising as ever and any task/decision would be momentary. At the end of the day, the ideas of ‘yesterday’ and ‘tomorrow’ have made things much more complicated on longer run in order to reduce the inconvenience that the humans would have without ‘calendars’. Most of us live our whole lives being highly influenced by these ides of yesterday and today and never even realize that. Just because sun is set we force ourselves to sleep. Just because it’s 12 in the noon, we force ourselves to eat even if we are not hungry and this starts literally with the 4 year old’s schooling. Recess is at 10am so the kid can’t eat at 9 just because it’s against the ‘discipline’. It’s 9 am so the kid has to sleep because he has to go to school the next day. It’s the kid’s year 12 board exams and so she won’t go to ‘dandiya’ night this year even if she wants to. He is 25 and so he should get married. She is 27 and so it’s high time and she should have kids. So many restrictions due to this ‘yesterday’ ‘today’ and ‘tomorrow’that are time bound and at the end of the day makes that day/year/life worthless! Then there are some learned mad men who live their lives in a constant ‘today’ and each today is as rich and content as ever. To me ‘yesterday’, ‘today’ and ‘tomorrow’ are non-existent. It’s all one unbreakable chain named ‘time’ made of an infinite number of little ‘timesegments’. A long chain which we have decided to fold from in between as per our short term comforts. Cheat code: Kal kare so aaj kar, aaj kare so abb, Pal me parlay hoygi, bahuri karega kabb? - Sant Kabeer

*** Foreplay : As far as science is concerned, it is a myth that, other than humans, only dolphins and some primates have sex for pleasure. Pleasure itself is yet to be defined properly may it be with social or biochemical context. So, until the term pleasure stays as vague as smile of Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, there are promising scopes that many of the ‘activities’ may come under umbrella of such ‘pleasurotic’ emotions. *** Human as a species have been using many ways to attract opposite sex & afterwards, to spice up love-making too! Though it is not studied in depth, that if it goes same in other species, but they do show their intimacy in other ways - like male birds making up a good nest and then female bird would come to check whose nest is ‘coolest’ (well, can’t use that word literally, when it comes to -

Penguins!) which in turn becomes way to make-up the pair. However, pheromones serve the purpose in many species so well, but humans are far less ‘nosey’ in this matter - except for fragrances, mildest of which are even way stronger than pheromones. Now that limitation along with the complexity that has come along evolution - in brain development as well as in lifestyle - may have been the reasons that we started having much more inclination towards visual beauty in compare to other things. No doubt other senses also do play their part but in limited role, specially when it comes to societies like India. For example, some peculiar type of voice (deep, in case of males specially) is often a turn on for females; another is to be (or not to be) hairy (also, ‘where’ & ‘how much’, regardless to sex or if you’re a bikini-wax enthusiast) often becomes a “turning point”. Obviously, all these vary more or less person-to-person.

So where do all these go? To be honest, homo sapiens didn’t do any great job till before last 10,000 years or so. Only ‘happening’ thing - during that tough call of survival priority - was to develop a deep affection towards strong physic which often ‘overspills’ nowadays in terms of “size does matter(?)” and “six packs”. However, rise of “agri-cultures” and stratified societies, gave those now-settled hearts and minds a lot of time devoted to beautification. From cosmetic pallets used in ancient Misr (Egypt) to art of geisha make-up; from use of rouge by Romans to sandalwood and rose-water (gulab-jal) bath by Indians; times of fast-changing trends to seduce the opposite sex had just been started. Over the time, clothing has been such a big game on what & how much to hide, that studies supporting “half-nakedness is more sensual than bare all” are with no surprise, adding fuel to the creativity. As a result, it has already taken a full circle from Adam & Eve wearing a leaf (at lea st, in paintings?) to pasties on beaches nowadays; only to coverup in between from corsets to g/v/t/cstrings, from jockstraps to and from burqa to helluva types of bikinis, even Burqini! Phew!!

famous carvings of Khajuraho) oral/ anal sex illegal. However, erotic body modification - painting like private tattoo and piercing specially those for stimulation like pearling - just like fetishisms - seems almost never-happening to India. So where do all these heading in general? Well, on positive notes, condoms are not anymore “rubber ka rukha sukha tukda”, as been called in advert to promote lubricated condoms. Vaccines and contraceptives are making pleasure much safer for women. Same goes for hygiene during menstruation. If we talk about men, they have become much more aware of their physique and hygiene than ever before. In fact, the concept of metrosexuality is bringing whole new charm to fantasy of women. Still, weird to see some brilliant ideas like femadoms have failed to create enthusiasm unlike some others, such as food-&-sex. Bon Appétit! *** Afterplay :

Any wildest guesses what you’ll find when you Google-image Search first with (all without comma) ‘flashlight’, Human sexuality has been being expressed then ‘flashlight man’ and then ‘flashlight in many ways from metaphorically in art men’?!! (hey, your safe search setting is (poetry, paintings, furniture etc) to much ON?) #Caution: 16+ more straightforward ways when it comes to body arts and modifications. If we talk *** about India, sex toys are now slowly being available (limited till metros though yet) For extra-timers : still conservative society doesn’t seem to show up openness like (surprisingly!) - Many words in this article has links for further reading. Few more are as below. china, where ‘sexpo’s (expo of items related to sex) are getting regular hit! - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_ On the other hand, Indian governments cosmetics and http://en.wikipedia.org/ are walking reverse by making (else wiki/History_of_perfume everywhere dotted in Indian culture, including ‘bible of sex – kamasutra’ &

The quëst - Vol 1 | Issue 6

What Love is Not!

May, 2011

- Tejas Nair

An anecdote about four people entwined in an infatuation circle. Prologue A teenager was desperately finding ways to be with a girl after he broke up with his previous love who he admired like she was a femme fatale. After almost four months of singularity his needs grew, both mentally & physically. He was so desperate that he never felt ashamed of proposing a girl which he once hated. Before he was bitten by this love insect, he had some disciplined standards on selecting his love. He was very choosy!

Chapter 1 – She is a killer! In college a week back, he met Amanda, an extremely sexy girl high in her adventurous spirits & her friend, Samantha with a smile that could kill. Within days, he managed to somehow get their contact numbers & eventually the chatting started. Amanda was a girl with a lot of sense of humor & a mind only a man could have. She exposed her attributes, she revealed her spirits, she framed herself as everything she wasn’t; she brought this guy in his knees until one day his heart asked him to propose her.

Chapter 2 – Bad timing. Five days ago, his first love, Rebecca, entered the scene with a broken heart. She had turned down this lad’s proposal on seeing her best friend’s sheer crocodile tears. She was in love with the guy at that time. Now, this friend of Rebecca was the main reason why our desolate guy fell into desperation… & started finding ways to get with a girl. Their relationship had erratically flowed for two years. Period. Rebecca wanted sex. She stated an extra-marital affair with this guy. Her beau was very much dominating & busy with his business, giving no time to make love, as she explained. Now, Rebecca was voluptuous, modest & full of drug. Anyone would fall for her. But, our boy turned down her proposal because he thought he was in love with Amanda; Rebecca was still living in hope, though.

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Chapter 3 – Samantha, go away! Her smile, you know, was so much impressive & cute that anyone would want to kiss her. Her sweetness knew no boundaries – a perfect girl material she was. Two days back, not knowing about our guy’s love for her, Amanda inadvertently revealed that Samantha was in love with him. Poor chap! Samantha used to message him, which he apparently used to ignored expecting Amanda’s messages in his cell-phone. He was so much in love. A girl has some limits… Samantha waved the white flag. Chapter 4 – Is it the end? Present time, he proposed to Amanda. Amanda got what she wanted – he fell for her. “Isn’t this going too fast? You know, I have a boyfriend. Chuck it, let’s talk something else…,” she messaged back. Tears rolled out from his eyes as he stood appalled by his own mistakes. He had a thought upon his action… “Isn’t this love?” “No! kid.” “Then, what is it?” “Dear, they say love happens in a fraction of a second. But…” “But what?” “Love happens when I think it is. Your thing was nothing else but infatuation.” “What the heck? Who are YOU to say all this? I know, this IS love.” “One last thing, my dear boy… I’m God!” We tend to fall in love pit many times, but it’s our own duty to understand the purity… whether it is love or just a crush. It is not a crime to have crush on a girl/boy. But you need to think twice on what may be the consequences before you pop that question, a friendship might be at stake. So, think upon it & give love… Chapter 5 – Buzz! His Facebook status read, “Making a new start…” & his relationship status… Single, again!

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A Picture

May, 2011

- Shruti Nanivadekar

I see it sitting quietly on my desk, a thin film of stubborn dust tells me it’s always been there, in the spotlight of my table lamp, but otherwise ignored. A six-year-old me now locks her eyes with mine: hers shine and sparkle, and do magical things, reflecting the jovial summer of 2002; while mine- tired, half-open, ageing, short-sighted and pained. I gaze at the picture with greed. I’m wishing nothing more than to go back. I live in that picture. I die in this life. She grins up at me, her cheek bulging with candy, an arm around her best friend. I remember. What was her name? Ah yes. We do not talk anymore. What happened between us? I cannot remember. I am disappointed. I blink back a tear, feeling loss as if for the first time. Pointy party shoes. There is something so comical about my blue polka-dotted frock. I was standing on one leg. I laugh. For that moment, I am very much like her.

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A picture. It sings to me in silence. There is oceans and mountains to be said about it, but all of it is silenced. That little girl is who I was, and that little girl is who I want to be. Happy. Grateful. Without care. Look at it in silence, and you may hear the waves. And laughter. Shrill. Jubilant. Fading. The clock ticks. Monotony resumes. Distracted, I look away from the picture and get back to my book. The six-year-old continues to smile. Forever.

- The Quantum The clock moves almost a century back to the remarkable year of 1914 in the world history. July the 28th when Austria and Hungary declared a war against Serbia that lead to the thing world never knew of before called ‘The world war’. Yes, it was then that the world was introduced the idea of the worst kind of wars of all times! Be it war or peace no human could entirely overcome their basic instincts like sex and war at the end of the day lead to multiple partners, sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies for pleasure of a night. There were condoms as contraception but they were made of vulcanized rubber. Charles Goodyear – the father of vulcanized rubber was in fact the first person to make condoms of rubber in 1855. The earliest rubber condoms had a seam and were as thick as a bicycle inner tube. Besides this type, small rubber condoms covering only the glans were often used in England and

the United States. There was more risk of losing them and if the rubber ring was too tight, it would constrict the penis. Thus, making the condoms more of a thing to avoid. Everyone was witnessing the situation and the failure rates of existing contraception but one. He was in his early thirties then, not merely witnessing what was happening. He was studying Chemistry then in Berlin spending his life in slums with a parentless family of 6 siblings. Since large-scale factories were putting the handmade cigarette out of business, young Julius took chemistry classes in night school and dreamed of better times. Julius Fromm was his name. In 1906 Julius had to marry his pregnant fiancée who beard him three sons later on. It must have been these awkward experiences that would have given him the idea that transformed the idea of sex entirely. In 1912 Julius set up a workshop in the Berlin workers’ district of Prenzlauerberg, where he manufactured perfume and rubber

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items. He experimented for months there with a new kind of condom. After all the ponderings and failures he came up with a much better idea. He fashioned phallic glass molds, dipped them into a natural rubber solution, and then vulcanized them in an oven, creating thin and transparent rubber sheaths with a nipple on the end. He then hand-rolled and packaged them for sale in drug stores. In 1916, he patented it titled ‘Fromm’s act’. He did a roaring trade, with every packet containing a folded slip of paper on which was printed: “Please discreetly hand me a packet of three Fromm’s Act,” to be silently presented to the salesperson. This was exactly what we call modern day ‘latex condom’.

May, 2011

across Europe. He introduced his first condom vending machine in 1928. The rest as they say is history. Latex had its dominance over the world condoms market much up and until 1994 when Polyurethane came into the market. 70 years of an extensive time period that the whole world used it in exactly the same form. In 2008 the world was introduced to Polyisoprene condoms and by now there are all the different types available including female condoms.

Fromm’s efforts got described as ‘a revolution in bed’ which just like birth control pill “Reliably separated lust and love from reproduction.” “Fromm’s Act” was “the right product at the right time.” By 1919 his little factory registered a daily production of 150,000 “Fromms,” as they were already being called and in early 1920s he was marketing them

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Imagine where the world would have ended up after the Second World War if the condoms didn’t existed then in its Latex form. It is that one idea one passion to make the difference, one spark of anger that brings the change the world had never seen before. It wasn’t only him who was going through all he was going through. World had millions of people then at that time going through the same as Fromm was going through but it was only Fromm who was conscious enough to actually try and come up with a solution with his existing knowledge!

Sponsored Condoms | Google | Just for laughs!

The quĂŤst - Vol 1 | Issue 6 May, 2011

The quëst - Vol 1 | Issue 6

Milestones – Mrinalini Sarabhai

May, 2011

- Prima Virani

She is a dancer, a writer, an activist, an environmentalist and so on. Wife to the great scientist Dr. Vikram Sarabhai and mother to the dynamic Mallika Sarabhai started at a very early stage of her life and came to realize that she is nothing else but a dancer. Alumni of ‘Shantiniketan’ – Mrinalini Sarabhai says “Rabindranath Tagore was the most wonderful person I’ve ever met. I think he influenced me the most than anyone else in the world.” According to Mrinaliniji “art is movement and life is movement. “ It’s such a beautiful way that the artist compares art and life and lives the idea of ‘change’.

“The territories of our rules and regulations have sometimes been very difficult for new generation. My generation was brought up with certain kids of habits and I took it for granted. It’s such a habit that I used to go to the temple and ring the bell and pray and we never think that why do I do this and why do I do that? But, as we grew up we began to question things, question religion, question our parents who were a bit authoritative about things and my children question me even more. I have children who themselves are thinking people and who have gone onto new path. I’ve often had arguments with my children. I tell them this shouldn’t be done, they ask me why and often I find I have no answer. In certain times in Gujarat it was wrong to dance like ballroom dancing at all. They’d say why? Why shouldn’t we dance? “– Now, this is exactly what we call open mindedness that comes from the idea of accepting change for better.

Mrinaliniji belonged to a very westernized family and though Dr. Vikram’s family was westernized as well there were still certain boundaries and expected behaviour. Dr. Vikram used to study at Bangalore in Indian Institute of Science and he used to love dance and music. He used to attend all the dance and music concerts held in Bangalore and it was then when Dr. Vikram fell in love with Mrinaliniji as he saw that sincerity in her about her dancing and whatever she did. There was quite an agreement about dancing with the Sarabhai family but it was the surrounding of theirs that was a challenge for Mrinaliniji. Guajarati people used to say “Oh Vikram has married this ‘dancer’ girl from South!” in disgust. Mrinaliniji’s father-in-law used to attend her dance shows to show his approval and Mrinaliniji used to say dancing is like praying to god because she used to do Bharatanatyam performances full of ‘bhakti rasa’ and that’s when slowly people started accepting her.

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She says in her interview with ‘In conversation’ to Mr. Rajiv Malhotra that if she writes her autobiography, it can be described in two gestures- initially disgust and disapproval saying “Ooh! Dancing girl comes to Gujarat” and today with respect “Amma, namaskaar” that’s it. The dancer used to be performing alone mostly but then she started needing people to convey her messages even better and she couldn’t find people to dance with her and that’s when Dr. Vikram had suggested if she wants many more people to dance with her, she should train them from scratch and that’s exactly the idea with which ‘Darpan’ started in the year 1949.

Mrinaliniji had started Darpan with a nice blend of Indian classical dances like Bharatnatyam, Kathakali and Mohiniattam and yet she was open and welcoming enough when her daughter Mallika Sarabhai brought the contemporary styles and choreographies to the stage when she took over the administration of ‘Darpan’. Mrinaliniji says “It changes its patterns and with every new generation it has to change. After all Darpan is creativity, change and also tradition. From tradition the tree grows and Darpan takes on new phases in its life perhaps even more creative than when it had started.” To me, Mrinaliniji is the perfect example when we talk about ‘Kal, aaj aur kal’. A true Quintessential woman whose life overall was all about change and acceptance of change. Be it as an individual by accepting the next generations’ trends or be it as one of the pioneers of dance in Gujarati society and changing the peoples’ mindset towards dancing or be it as a global human being contributing her tiniest bit to bring about the change in peoples’ approaches towards nature and environment.

Mrinalini Sarabhai Gordon Anthony (Photographer) Black and White Photograph 21cm by 16.5cm Location Unknown Around 1949

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May, 2011

Comfort in Culture - Aditi Dharmadhikari “Take time to think about whether you are living your own life to the full or whether it has become a routine and less than satisfying. Goddess Freya can give you inspiration! Imagine wearing her cloak of falcon feathers and travelling wherever you wish!” Goddesses, by Dr Sue Jenning A bold statement, but one that is true, nevertheless - India is a blatant oxymoron. This is with respect to standards of morality, gender issues, sex, education, corruption, politics and even nationalism. However, once one manages to get their heads around this chain of slightly irrational contradictions, one finds that India has left behind something very fundamental in the multi-layered waves of its past, like a legacy lost to the Arabian Sea. A legacy of simple, uncomplicated beauty which, if resurrected, could revolutionize those who are underprivileged in our country – either in terms of finances, abilities or opportunity. Arts-based therapy(ABT) is the sort of therapy which incorporates creative activities like dance therapy, drama therapy, storytelling, singing, music appreciation and drumming and channelizes them into improving the condition of the those who are suffering from withdrawal symptoms during rehabilitation, or those suffering from psychosomatic disorders. If at all a complete cure is not medically possible, then ABT(Art Based Therapy) serves as what I would call a creative cocoon – it a psychosocial palliative type of therapy which maintains a positive outlook for the patient and in a strange and beautiful way allows them to overcome their disability at least to a certain extent, through the use of sheer will power. Dance, drama and music are three elements which are ingrained in our cultural traditions in such an irrevocable way, that it is easy to believe it is almost something that has been passed on from one generation to another through genes. Psychologically, these activities are stress-busters that serve the purpose of distracting the patient from his illness, disability or infliction and just for a while, taking them away to a place that is only populated by percussion, where it is the emotions of strangers that dominate your mind or where you lose yourself to the beat that your feet move in.

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May, 2011

It is akin to a symbolic cure – a cure for the psychology and the mind, albeit the physical illness’ persistence. ABT is used to treat de-addiction, mental illnesses, eating disorders, cognitive disabilities and other psychological or psychosomatic illnesses in which there are no clinical cures or drugs available. I had mentioned before that India is an oxymoron. This statement is relevant to ABT, as this amalgamation of creative expression, healing and education is actually a concoction that was initiated in India before anywhere else in the world during the Vedic era. The concepts of chanting “Om”, and the idea that the positive energy of the universe could be immersed with merely one word, ‘Shaman’ drumming and sound vibrations are all ancient secrets of our soil, which were neglected in the era following the Vedas. They were later discovered by the West and popularized in their cultural and social contexts. This is a serious matter as it is popular knowledge that various ancient Indian indigenous traditions and methods are being adapted and even patented in the West(like the medicinal uses of haldi, which gave rise to the Indian Patent Act). Art Based Therapy is very popular in the West now and there are entire colleges dedicated to it, wherein there is a certain population that can acquire a degree in it and reap benefits to last a lifetime. However, there is no such facility available in India for the citizens to benefit from. ABT is a process of “consistent therapeutic work” – it is something that involved initiative and then persistence, and without either it would be dysfunctional. For anyone who is interested in working for this course, he/she would have to go to the West to acquire a degree first (something that grants credibility in a field) before returning to India to impart what they have learnt. There are plenty of dance instructors or drama teachers in our country but using these creative means of expression for the purpose of education is very different from a stereotypical dance class or drama workshop – the creativity needs to be channeled with a very tangible sort of goal, keeping in mind that the primary aim is to impart something invaluable – be it a lesson, or just a positive outlook.

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May, 2011

One must not forget that even after the candidate has returned to India with a degree in ABT, there still remains the issue of cultural adaptation. These therapies are inherently culture-based, and need to have a very well-defined basis in one’s own cultural identity. Hence, whatever has been learnt in the West regarding ABT, has then to be adapted to an Indian cultural context. For instance, an elderly person in the West will be asked to sing a Stevie Wonder song(as a part of Improvisational Music Therapy – IMT) while someone in India would be asked to sing a Ghazal or maybe an old Bollywood song like “Ajeeb Daastan Hai Yeh”. This is a seemingly incongruous technicality but it is actually very important as it is important for the patient to relate to the cultural identity of the therapy. WCCLF (World Centre for Creative Learning Foundation) is a Pune-based NGO which is a pioneer in this field. It believes its own models and research on IMT(Improvisational Music Therapy) and DT(Drama Therapy) with patients who have had strokes, movement disorders and degenerative disorders. They have had 10,000-plus direct client contact time and have some 20 trained arts based therapists working in NGOs and institutions in Mumbai, Delhi and Pune. WCCLF saw the day of light when three individuals – namely Zubin Balsara, Aanand Chabukswar and Asha Pillai – gave up their different careers and decided to work on arts-based Therapies right here in India, something that was 50-years old in the West but new to us. I would now like to focus on the three main types of Art Based Therapies that are conducted in WCCLF, Pune and shed a little light on their origination and evolution:

The quëst - Vol 1 | Issue 6

May, 2011

1) Drama Therapy (DT)

DT is a form of expressive therapy that involves the use of expression to promote health and personal growth. In WCCLF, Aanand Chabukswar pioneered the cause of DT. Chabukswar’s passion was experimental theatre. He was struck by the way in which it could affect emotions and even grades, to a certain extent. He happened to stumble across a book by Dr Sue Jennings at that point that enthused him and in 2000 he met her in the UK. She assured him that what he had felt about drama was actually an instinctive understanding of Drama Therapy, and invited him to work with her. It includes working and playing methods are used to facilitate creativity, imagination, learning, insight into oneself. Upon his return to India, he worked with Bulsara at the Kripa Deaddiction centre and they proceeded to take this cause further. He elaborates, ““We move from telling stories, to making them and enacting them. Engaging with the imagination is a significant part of drama therapy but we make the distinction between dramatic reality and real life reality. Therapy happens when there is a bridging of the real life with the dramatic reality. We experience lightness through the enacting.”

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May, 2011

1) Improvisational Music Therapy (IMT)

Improvisation Music Therapy (IMT) which has grown out of the drum circle. Therapist and client try to relate to one another in which the client makes up music while singing or playing, extemporaneously creating a melody, rhythm, song or instrumental piece. IMT recommends instinctive musical instruments like drums, percussion, voice, harmonicas and Q chord that can be played by all. This model is for those who have completed the ABT course and have exhibited certain musical skills.

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May, 2011

1) Drumming Circles Drumming circles was an idea pioneered by Ms. Mactavish, who herself is a patient of Parkinson’s and she explores how rhythm and percussion combine to heal an ailment. This has been adapted in WWCLF, Pune by Zubin Bulsara.

A performance – oriented therapy with a difference, ABT primarily aims at character building in an intriguing and holistic manner.

The quëst - Vol 1 | Issue 6

I give you my Word

May, 2011

- Deepa Chary

Humans being the most intellectual ones in living beings, we have the capability to weave our thread like thoughts to give a shape known as word. It is the smallest free form in a language, but becomes a complicated form when it starts loitering around. Every generation has its own perception towards it. An era when our land used to be dictated by the Kings, they firmly used to believe in “Pran jaye par vachan na jaye”, which means that I would die but not alter the word that I had given. In those days keeping a word was like an unobligated devotion towards self, taking an ownership for maintaining self respect, a deep care upon other’s feeling, sacrifice with dignity. Sometimes the unspoken words would lead to lifelong promise between a couple. On the contrary it was also a different ball game in that rigid atmosphere, where expression of feelings on the path of “Love Marriage” was just unacceptable. The fear of consequences forced them wrap their emotions and preserve them as mummies. Coming back to this era’s bubble gum generation, commitment is as per convenience. The feeling of trusting someone is diluting as you never know when the person may retaliate and say “I never meant that”. Diplomacy, manipulation and playing around with words have become a new way to climb the ladder of success. Without understanding or experiencing the true essence, commitment is perceived as an obligation, a cage where you are stuck forever with no escape. The fear of being transparent is becoming so obvious that the sensation of coming to a dead end dominates the cluttered and impatient mind, which motivates to choose a convenient option - “Break up”. There is always a lame excuse followed by “After all who cares”. This generation is lacking the patience to enjoy the sweetness of being committed which only comes after tasting the bitter part. Everyone in this Gen – X would say they are different, with their “X” factor compromised.

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May, 2011

Every generation has something in common …Challenges. If the previous gen had challenge of expressing then this gen is having a challenge of accepting, if that gen had challenge of making a decision then this gen has challenge of maintaining the decision, if that gen had challenge of getting along with rigid superstitious principles then this gen has a challenge of having a principle. The comparison list is endless… Can we imagine how the coming Gen - Y would be in terms of commitment? I see this word coming in the category of extinct species especially in the relationship shared by humans known as a MAN & WOMAN. Like we have sanctuaries to conserve “would be extinct” animal species, we also need to do something to conserve the essence of this emotion. No generations can be compared, and we cannot go back to our older generation to rectify them. The best possible way is to learn from the mistakes of our older generation & to grab those essential ingredients to cement our own fundamentals of being a simple yet efficient human. Let’s not see word as a MS office tool, its much beyond that. Respect your own words…Respect yourself.

The quëst - Vol 1 | Issue 6

May, 2011

khabar, khabar ki... Remember those good old days when everyone at home would wait for the newspaper and then glue themselves for hours till every word was read. Yes, Those good old days when news in the newspapers made sense and news was actual news; had depth to it and not just random shit like we read today. I wonder what went wrong; was it lack of “ethics” or were “responsibilities” forgotten on the part of journalists or was it the rise in the yellow and tabloid journalism or perhaps were “WE” responsible for all this.

I remember my dad saying “Back in days, we read news reports which had in-depth analysis of the whole issue. There was no opportunity to question. ” I wondered how true it is. I recently went through original works of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, Investigative journalists from “The Washington Post”, online. I was shocked to see how detailed and organized the investigation of the break in of Democratic National Committee’s Watergate building was not only done but reported. These journalists uncovered information suggesting that the knowledge of break in and cover up led deep into the justice department, FBI, CIA and even White house. This eventually led to resignation of the then US President Richard Nixon.

- Sanjay Deshpande

Think about it. A reportage which was well organized, analyzed and in-depth led to resignation of the country’s president. Now THAT’s the power of Journalism.

Let’s take an example which is closer home. Remember the “EMERGENCY” of late 1970’s in India? The emergency which lasted for 21 months. The then President of India Frakhruddin Ali Ahmed upon advice by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency. Elections and all civil liberties were suspended, including Free Press. Did this stop the “Real” Journalists? Hell no. They still wrote discreetly; reported events secretly; gave important information to public. All this with no exception in the analysis or depth of the story.

Look at the print media today. We have news articles. Oh yeah, We certainly do. So- called “News” articles. Let’s ask ourselves a few questions. a) Did the article make sense? b) Was the article “newsworthy”? c) Was reporting it necessary? d) Was it well analyzed? e) Did it have depth to it?

The quëst - Vol 1 | Issue 6 For most of the “news articles“, the majority of answers are a big NO. I first thought it was just with Tabloids like Mumbai Mirror which report really queer stuff. Who’s dating whom in Bollywood, the most grotesque incident from your neighborhood, scientific facts which are really interesting but hard to find sources. Tabloids are famous for such stuff. Why shouldn’t they be? After all, we love to read such stuff! Right?

The “Real” journalists today are writing shallow, most of them, with almost no depth in their work. The reporting is very superficial and sensationalism is the new trend. They write about politicians and politics, actors and cinema, food and wine, love and relationships. But, where is the “Depth”?

May, 2011 and fair. It’s their responsibility to make sure the journalists’ reportage is well analyzed and the topic of discussion is not random.

I wonder if this is the condition of the news media today, what it would be tomorrow? I am pretty sure that “ETHICS” and “RESPONSIBILITIES” would be almost, if not completely, erased from a journalist’s dictionary. If so then, God only can save us from the impending doom.

Like I mentioned before, I could all blame it on two factors – “Ethics” and “Responsibilities”. “Ethics” is what most journalist lack today. Although most of the journalists who come from journalism schools are taught “Media ethics”. But, then what about the rest, they too have ethics right? Lets just say, we all are slowly losing our so-called “Ethics”. Next comes “Responsibilities”. Yes, the journalists have responsibility towards the society – report events as they happen, unbiased and untouched, with thorough analysis and dept to it. But, it’s not just the journalists’ responsibility. It’s also the responsibility of the common man to make sure Press is free

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May, 2011

The quëst - Vol 1 | Issue 6

May, 2011

The quëst - Vol 1 | Issue 6

May, 2011

Q’ Suggests: Harishchandrachi Factory is a 2009 Marathi film, directed by Paresh Mokashi, depicting the struggle of Dadasaheb Phalke in making Raja Harishchandra in 1913, India’s first feature film, thus the birth of Indian cinema. The film is the story about the beginning of the Indian film industry, set in 1913, when two business partners fall out resulting in one leaving the company. As the family struggle to survive Phalke (Nandu Madhav) decides to make his own silent motion picture along with the support of his family.He travels to England to learn about the new medium and after he returns brings together a team of actors and technicians to produce his first film about the story of Raja Harishchandra. Through all the hard work the movie becomes a hit thus marking the beginning of one of the world’s biggest film industry

The quĂŤst - Vol 1 | Issue 6

Et Cetera

May, 2011