January/February 2019

A Passion for Heritage Connecting Communities Dining, American Style

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 Rs. 20

Confluence of Cultures

American high school students learn Hindi and experience Indian culture through an intensive exchange program.

Learning the Language of

Cultures

Courtesy NSLI-Y Y

By CARRIE LOEWENTHAL MASSEY

Alice McGuinness, an NSLI-Y participant from the United States, celebrates Diwali with her host family in Indore.

January/February 2019

V O LU M E L X N U M B E R 1

RABI DAS BAUL

Courtesy INTACH

CONTENTS 6 2 6 10 15

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Preserving a Place of Pilgrimage Reviving History Global Jams, International Bridges Restoring a Garden Tomb Creating Conversations Through Theater

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Connecting Communities A Passion for Heritage Dining, American Style Telling Stories Through Dance Weaving Cultural Bonds Creative Communication

RAHUL GAJJAR

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Learning the Language of Cultures

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PAVLOS MAVRIDIS

T

he best way to learn a language is to immerse yourself in it completely, or as completely as possible. For American high school students interested in learning Hindi, the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) provides opportunities to do just that.

NSLI-Y was launched in 2006 to promote critical language learning among American youth. The U.S. Department of State, in cooperation with American Councils for International Education and other program partners, awards and administers meritbased scholarships to high school students to learn eight languages: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Persian (Tajiki), Russian and Turkish. Students can engage in intensive language immersion in various locations around the world, including India, where the eight NSLI-Y languages are spoken.

American students can choose from programs that span the academic year or last six to eight weeks during the summer, both of which offer unique experiences.

“What makes the NSLI-Y programs, including the Hindi program, unique is the approach toward language learning. Both summer and academic year participants’ language learning is intensive, immersive and experiential, through a structured curriculum and planned cultural excursions, where participants practice their language skills,” says Roshan Sajan, deputy hosting operations at AFS India. AFS India is part of AFS Intercultural Programs, a nonprofit organization that

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10 Editor in Chief Conrad W. Turner

Reviewing Editor Karl M. Adam

Editor Deepanjali Kakati Associate Editor Suparna Mukherji Hindi Editor Giriraj Agarwal Urdu Editor Syed Sulaiman Akhtar Copy Editors Bhawya Joshi, Shah Md. Tahsin Usmani

Art Director/ Production Chief Hemant Bhatnagar Deputy Art Directors / Production Assistants Qasim Raza, Shah Faisal Khan Editorial Assistant Justina Bosco

Front cover: Indian classical dancer Tanya Saxena (left) and Assistant Professor of Contemporary Dance at Indiana University Nyama McCarthyBrown presented a performance, titled “Dancing Stories from the East and West,” at the inauguration of an exhibit commemorating 70 years of U.S.India relations, at the American Center New Delhi in July 2018.

Photograph by Rakesh Malhotra; design by Hemant Bhatnagar.

34 Printed and published by Jeffrey R. Sexton on behalf of the Government of the United States of America and printed at Thomson Press India Ltd., 18/35 Delhi Mathura Road, Faridabad, Haryana 121007 and published at the Public Affairs Section, American Embassy, American Center, 24 K.G. Marg, New Delhi 110001.

Opinions expressed in this 44-page magazine do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Government.

 Articles with a star may be reprinted with permission. Those without a star are copyrighted and may not be reprinted.Contact SPAN at 011-23472135 or editorspan@state.gov

Courtesy NSLI-Y Y

provides intercultural learning opportunities in more than 50 countries, and is a NSLI-Y partner organization in India.

These excursions include visits to Varanasi for the academic year program participants, as part of a learning project for their language class.

“Before their trip, students pick a topic of interest related to their host country. They then interview locals and conduct fieldwork during their trip. Topics range from kathak to environmental activism on the Ganges River, from ghats and temples to Varanasi street food,” says Kristell LeGoff, NSLI-Y specialist at AFSUSA. The participants “present in Hindi to their class and write a culminating essay,” she adds.

In 2018, yearlong students in India also took a four-month-long yoga course, taught by a certified guru, as well as Indian dance, music and art classes. For both yearlong and summer attendees, community service is integral.

“Over the past few years, participants volunteered to teach English to underprivileged children, to work at a vision camp that provides free eye examinations and glasses to people of any age or economic status, and to build washroom facilities for female students,” says LeGoff. “They have also planted trees, talked to and assisted with the care of senior citizens, and

4 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

spent time at the Indore Cancer Foundation, among many other community service activities. Participants have valued the opportunity to give back to their host community while using their Hindi skills to understand different issues affecting Indian society.”

Language acquisition and cultural immersion continue at “home,” too, while participants are in India.

“Participants also develop their language skills with their host families and are exposed to the Indian family system, values and traditions,” says Sajan. Summer participants live with host families the whole time, while academic year program students spend the first half of the year with host families, then transition to boarding at their host schools during the week. The boarding experience enhances peer-to-peer learning, says Sajan, while also building a sense of family at school.

“Participants often share that they feel very welcomed and happy when the junior students address them as bhaiya and didi, which is the Indian way of giving respect to elder students,” he says.

The NSLI-Y Hindi program hosts American participants in Indore and Pune each year.

Approximately 30 students attend the summer

Above: NSLI-Y Hindi program participants learn all four language skills— reading, writing, speaking and listening, through carefully-designed activities.

Right: As a program partner, the nonprofit organization iEARN (International Education and Resource Network) administers the NSLI-Y Hindi program in India.

Below right: NSLI-Y participants get the opportunity to not only attend intensive language classes, but also enroll in and volunteer with a local high school.

Far right: The NSLI-Y Hindi program helps American students explore the cultural context of the language, through Indian films, crafts, music, dance and festival celebrations with the host families.

“

This experience allowed me to become a better global citizen.

children with vision and hearing impairments,” says Sajan. LeGoff adds, “Several alumni have applied to colleges that have a Hindi language program, as they are now devoted to learning even more of the language and the culture.”

Another alumna got creative and found a job at an Indian restaurant, where she could continue to practice the language, says LeGoff.

Sajan emphasizes that participants “cherish the lifelong bonds and memories they create on their exchange,” a testament confirmed by Jackie Foster, a summer student who wrote a reflection at the end of his time in India.

“Throughout my exchange, I enjoyed learning Hindi and I learned a lot of life lessons, which will help me for the rest of my life. My host family was amazing, and I don’t even consider them my host family anymore, they are now my family,” Foster writes. He adds, “Outside of my family and school, this experience allowed me to become a better global citizen. I learned the true identity of India and I’m glad I was able to show them what it truly means to be an American. I am forever grateful.”

Carrie Loewenthal Massey is a New York Citybased freelance writer.

Photographs courtesy NSLI-Y Y

”

program and 5 attend the academic year program at a time. Admission officers assess applications for motivation for language learning, sense of character and demonstrated cultural awareness to make sure the applicants are mature enough and ready for an international experience.

Applicants also have to explain how their language study is linked to their future academic or professional goals—a consideration the NSLI-Y administrators hope will influence participants’ Indian peers.

“The program is a great example for Indian youth on how pursuing language learning through exchange could also be part of their career and personal development plans. We hope that NSLI-Y inspires Indian youth to consider language programs and opportunities that encourage cross-cultural understanding,” says Sajan.

NSLI-Y alumni continue to pursue their Hindi studies and usage after finishing the program.

“One example is that of a summer program alumnus who recently returned to participate in a Model United Nations event at his host school in Indore. Also, we had a NSLI-Y alumna who returned to India to work as an intern at her host school and, then, became an educator for

www.nsliforyouth.org

AFS India

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https://india.afs.org

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Preserving a Place of

Pilgrimage

By MICHAEL GALLANT

A grant from the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation helped document and preserve Varanasi’s historic Balaji Ghat.

Photographs courtesy INTACH

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Left: Scores of people visit Varanasi to experience the Ganges River and its various ghats, like Balaji Ghat, as well as the textile weaving traditions (bottom right).

Right: Stone beams being placed in situ during the restoration of Balaji Ghat.

Below right: A narrow passage leading to a ghat of the Ganges River.

Center right: A 3D model of the proposed restoration of Balaji Ghat.

S

ince 1735, pilgrims have traveled from all over India to Varanasi to visit an expansive and striking stone staircase, stretching downward from the banks of the Ganges River to the water’s edge, as well as to experience the ornate and imposing palace that reaches skyward from the staircase’s top.

Whether for praying or performing rituals, bathing in the holy river or cremating the dead, visitors to the revered Balaji Ghat in the city made it one of India’s most visited religious destinations. Such popularity is decidedly bittersweet though, as the centurieslong flow of devotees contributed not just to the ghat’s legacy, but also to a trajectory of deterioration.

In 1999, as a result of factors like heavy use, lack of maintenance, earthquakes and floods, part of the Balaji Ghat collapsed. For a decade thereafter, the structure stood as it was, weakened and deteriorating. In September 2009, a second catastrophic

collapse struck; this time, consisting of the naubatkhana’s floor. Naubatkhana is where shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan practiced and played his music.

Without immediate intervention, it seemed, the site would soon become little more than dust, debris and memories.

Luckily, the same year as the second collapse, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and conserving India’s heritage, began documenting the site. And, in 2012, a major, international restoration effort followed.

INTACH’s efforts to save and restore the ghat were supported by sources including the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) of the U.S. State Department as well as the New York-based nonprofit organization World Monuments Fund through a grant from American Express. AFCP supports the preservation of cultural sites, cultural objects To share articles go to https://span.state.gov JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 7

Right: An archival image of the ghats of the Ganges River. Archival research was part of the initial documentation efforts, supported by a U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation grant, to help INTACH fully understand Balaji Ghat’s past to aid the restoration of the structure.

Far right: Sectional plan of Balaji Ghat.

The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation grant supported the creation of a series of measured drawings, meant to record the building’s proportions, character and architectural details, and guide INTACH’s experts through the restoration process.

“ ”

The Ambassadors Fund grant was the first important step that led to the revival and restoration of the Balaji Ghat.

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and forms of traditional cultural expression in more than 100 countries around the world.

In the case of Balaji Ghat, the AFCP grant of $56,000 (Rs. 40 lakhs approximately) to INTACH made possible the detailed documentation of the building, a necessary foundation upon which the restoration work could progress. Yet, even before the first structural drawing could be rendered, a formidable amount of work was required.

According to World Monuments Fund, which included Balaji Ghat in its 2012 World Monuments Watch List, “seven hundred tons of debris were removed from the collapsed portion of the structure and examined to determine which pieces could be re-used when reconstruction began.” The World Monuments Watch, a global program of the organization, identifies endangered heritage sites and directs financial and technical support for their preservation.

Initial documentation efforts included archival research to help INTACH fully understand the structure’s past, as well as detailed photographic documentation of the building’s windows and doors, construction materials and architectural ornamentation. Accompanying this visual record was a series of measured drawings, meant to record the building’s proportions, character and architectural details, and guide INTACH’s experts through the restoration process.

The AFCP grant also supported the surveying and documentation of the building’s bones, bricks and mortar. Experts tested wood for moisture and decay, while bricks and limestone used in the construction were examined for strength, behavior when exposed to water, and more. The goal? To understand how the ghat’s basic building blocks would withstand the centuries to come, and to select new materials for the restoration that would integrate organically with the existing structure.

Documentation efforts stretched on from there, with the monitoring of cracks and defects, analysis of the building’s structural system and foundation, and focused examinations of internal elements like staircases, to ensure safety and stability for visitors.

Such early tasks were key to the project’s eventual success. “The Ambassadors Fund grant was the first important step that led to the revival and restoration of the Balaji Ghat,” says Bindu Manchanda, project director for the Architectural Heritage Division of INTACH. As Manchanda, Divay Gupta and other INTACH colleagues worked hard to restore the structure in the years that followed, they strove not only to keep the reborn Balaji Ghat as true to its heritage as possible, but to make it even more welcoming to visitors. After the restoration, the grand building was adapted to be reused as a museum and cultural center, writes Manchanda in her book, “The City Forever: Varanasi Balaji Ghat Initiative.” She describes the project as the first-of-its-kind in Varanasi, one that she expects to have far-reaching educational benefits for local residents and visitors alike.

“This project is even more important, as this is the only ghat in Varanasi that has been revived for non-religious, non-commercial use; entirely for the benefit of the community,” says Manchanda. “It houses a museum, an interpretation center and an auditorium for cultural activities showcasing the life, crafts and culture of Varanasi’s people and its environs.”

For Manchanda, the project was important on both professional and personal levels. “I feel especially blessed,” she says, “to have gotten this opportunity to revive this magical ghat in the city of Varanasi, where people come in millions to obtain moksha.”

Michael Gallant is the founder and chief executive officer of Gallant Music. He lives in New York City.

www.wmf.org/project/balaji-ghat

AFCP https://bit.ly/2kkeay9

INTACH http://intach.org

Below and below left: Dilapidated state of parts of Balaji Ghat before restoration.

Bottom: Ongoing restoration of Balaji Ghat’s Bismillah Khan Hall.

Bottom left: A restored section of Balaji Ghat.

Photographs courtesy INTACH

Above left: After restoration, the grand structure of Balaji Ghat has been adapted to be reused as a museum and cultural center for showcasing the history and heritage of the region.

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Balaji Ghat

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 9

Photographs by RAHUL GAJJAR

10 J A N U A RY /FEBRUARY 2019

A grant from the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation is helping to preserve the Medhi Talao Ensemble at

Champaner-Pavagadh in Gujarat.

RevivingHistory

By JASON CHIANG

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 11

Below: An ariel view of the Champaner-Pavagadh area and the Medhi Talao Ensemble.

I

n the 15th and 16th centuries, the city of Champaner in Gujarat was a critical post along the trade route linking the state with the Malwa region in western India. Medieval Champaner grew and developed at the base of the towering Pavagadh Hill, an 800-meter-high peak upon which a fortress was built in the 10th century. It remains a Hindu pilgrimage site to this day. But, over the hundreds of years since its construction, this historic site got lost beneath dense forest cover.

In 2003, the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) provided $20,619 (Rs. 15 lakhs) for the revival of the Medhi Talao Ensemble at ChampanerPavagadh. This grant enabled the Heritage Trust in Vadodara, which works on conserving the city’s heritage, to begin salvaging Champaner-Pavagadh through preservation and conservation initiatives. ChampanerPavagadh was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.

Excerpts from an interview with Sandhya Gajjar, a member of Heritage Trust’s managing committee, who was instrumental in the protection of Champaner-Pavagadh.

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How did you get involved in the preservation of Champaner-Pavagadh?

I was part of the volunteer core team instituted by the Heritage Trust with a focused target of getting the UNESCO World Heritage Site status for Champaner-Pavagadh. The site had major issues—quarrying being one of them—which were a real threat to the standing architectural heritage along the Pavagadh Hill as well as on the Champaner plain.

At a personal level, my husband, Rahul Gajjar, had been in touch with the [Mumbai] American Center, as it was then known, since the early 1990’s. He had hosted a number of art exhibitions by photographers from all parts of India and the United States in Baroda [now called Vadodara], which were inaugurated by senior officials of the U.S. Embassy. He would always take them to visit ChampanerPavagadh.

What would you say is the most fascinating feature of the ChampanerPavagadh site and why?

What I find most fascinating is its dual location—the Pavagadh Hill and the

AFCP https://bit.ly/2kkeay9

www.heritage trustbaroda.org

Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park

Photographs by RAHUL GAJJAR

http://asi.nic.in/ champaner

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Heritage Trust

Top: An interior view of the central dome of Jami Masjid, which is known to have served as a model for other mosque architecture in India.

Above: The Lakulisa temple, one of the oldest temples at Champaner-Pavagadh, was built between the 10th and 12th centuries.

Left: Saat Kaman or Seven Arches, a major tourist attraction at Champaner-Pavagadh.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 13

Photographs by RAHUL GAJJAR

Right: An intricatelycarved window of Jami Masjid at Champaner-Pavagadh.

Below: Medhi Talao, the large man-made pond at the site revitalized using the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation grant.

Champaner plain at its foot. At the main entry, the ruins of the fortified Champaner, capital of medieval Gujarat, are separated from the way up the Pavagadh hill by just a strip of road.

Most of the 114 heritage monuments, listed by Heritage Trust, are in this area; spread over six square kilometers of the Core Zone of the site.

Some of these are among the most amazing examples of stone carving and architecture.

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What process or strategy was followed by Heritage Trust when planning the preservation of this historical site?

As a nonprofit, our role is focused on activating public awareness and engagement with the site, and providing proactive support to the government agencies involved in the preservation and conservation work.

Our strategy with Champaner-Pavagadh was to initially get it on the World Monuments Fund’s watchlist of 100 Most Endangered Heritage Sites in 2000. Our next step was to apply for the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation grant. Since we were aiming to get our dossier ready for the UNESCO World Heritage Site meeting for 2004, we were going full steam ahead documenting every aspect of ChampanerPavagadh. Some of this work revealed the extraordinary water conservation systems that the Hindu and Jain rulers of Pavagadh had put in place over the many centuries of their rule.

What activities were undertaken using the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation grant?

Medhi Talao was a large man-made pond at such a strategic point that it gathered almost all the rainwater flowing down that part of the hill, for use by people during the hot summer months. The talao [pond] had stone steps all around it, which made it easy to access and use for local people and pilgrims. There was also a square structure jutting out, like a tower, on the edge of the pond.

The grant was used for the revitalization of the Medhi Talao complex. The ruined structure around the talao was documented and several of the ruined pieces that had fallen into it were fished out, cleaned and placed in what was “reconstructed” as the talao environs in the time of the Sultans or Rajput rulers at Pavagadh Hill.

Winning the AFCP grant and the subsequent visits to the site by people from the U.S. Embassy created a qualitative boost for the till-then-largely-ignored site. It created a buzz in the state media and a sense of pride among the locals, who had been living in the shadow of the heritage monument for generations.

Jason Chiang is a freelance writer based in Silver Lake, Los Angeles.

Global Jams,

International Bridges

Courtesy U.S. Consulate General Kolkata

By MICHAEL GALLANT

W

Through tours sponsored by the U.S. State Department,

Ari Roland

leads artistes to build international understanding through music.

hen Ari Roland picks up a bass, he usually plays beautiful melodies and sublime counterpoints inspired by Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker Jr., Louis Armstrong and other legends of American jazz. During a recent tour, though, Roland used his virtuosity to channel not just the musical traditions of the United States, but also those of India.

Roland teamed up with saxophonist Zaid Nasser, guitarist Pasquale Grasso and drummer Keith Balla in late 2017 to bring their unique, improvised music to Kolkata, Mumbai and Hyderabad for a weeks-long tour. Performing for a diverse array of enraptured audiences, the jazz quartet kept its daily schedules packed with appearances, regularly playing vigorous concerts at night, holding educational workshops for students during the day, and participating in radio and television broadcasts in between.

Roland relishes the opportunity to participate in such jam-packed international tours, which are sponsored by the U.S. State

Above: Ari Roland (second from left) and other members of the jazz quartet perform with the Bauls of Bengal at American Center Kolkata in 2017, during the New York Meets Kolkata concert organized by U.S. Consulate General Kolkata.

Department, and designed to foster cultural exchange and international friendship. He was first accepted into the State Department’s program, then called The Rhythm Road, in 2007, and spent up to four months every year performing in countries like Syria and Cyprus. Roland estimates having completed around 135 international musical diplomacy programs, and has no plans of stopping.

“Touring to places like India with the State Department is amazing,” says Roland, who was born and raised in New York City.

“Never in a trillion years would you otherwise be able to interact and share music with such a wide range of people—from general audiences and student groups of all ages to children in orphanages and hospitals to members of the U.S. and international

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 15

PASQUALE GRASSO

Left: Members of the Ari Roland Jazz Quartet at the Qutb Shahi Tombs in Hyderabad, during their India tour in 2017.

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American Music Abroad http://amvoices.org/ama

16 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

diplomatic corps—and everyone in between!

It’s such a wonderful experience to set up in the middle of a rural town square, whether it’s in India or Turkmenistan, and play for people who have never heard jazz before.”

One unique feature of Roland’s 2017 tour to India was a collaboration with the Bauls of Bengal, musicians who practice a form of traditional folk music that Roland found captivating. “Performing with them felt like it wasn’t about us as musicians showing off how good we all were, but about bringing the performer, audience and, hopefully, the whole world into a celebration of God and all of God’s manifestations,” says Roland. “I’m an agnostic,” he continues, laughing, “but I very much get and appreciate the idea.” The concert, New York Meets Kolkata, was part of U.S. Consulate General Kolkata’s initiative to promote cultural ties between India and the United States.

Roland sees direct parallels between Baul music that he experienced and American styles ranging from gospel to blues. “Muddy Waters, one of the greatest blues musicians to ever live, used to say that, sometimes, when you sing, this wave takes you over and everything else is gone. Even though we were playing different notes and different rhythms with the

Bauls, that feeling was there.”

When performing with the Bauls, and elsewhere in India, Roland made an effort not just to play the jazz of his home country, but also the music of the region he was visiting. “We always want to learn local music,” he says.

“Wherever we play, we want at least a third of our songs to be melodies that everyone, from little kids to grandmothers, will recognize. We don’t try to imitate how local musicians would play them, but we do try to play the melodies faithfully, and then improvise. We’ve learned a lot of wonderful music that way.”

Roland’s tours include cultural exchange not just on the bandstand, but in everyday life as well. “I remember the trip we had to a village in Bengal,” says Nasser of the 2017 tour. “The drive was incredible. At one point, we were on a narrow dirt road in the forest. We played at an all-girls school. They were very enthusiastic. We had a great lunch and somehow... we ended up trying to play cricket with the girls. That was a really special day.”

Chris Byars, a saxophonist who accompanied Roland to India on a previous State Department tour, recalls the group’s uplifting collaboration with Rajasthani musicians, the Barmer Boys, and describes them as truly inspirational and passionate about their music.

Byars also recalls his wonderful experiences visiting museums and shrines in Kolkata, the Red Fort in New Delhi and the Taj Mahal in Agra. He also greatly enjoyed local live radio appearances, during which members of the musical ensemble received messages from all over India.

Throughout his travels to India, Roland has found his collaborations with local musicians to be hugely rewarding, not just on cultural and personal levels, but on a musical one as well. “On one tour to India, the group I was with worked with Carnatic musicians, who taught us several ragas,” he says. “Playing in those ragas was definitely not my comfort zone. But, when it was time to perform, I did my best, and the reactions from the other musicians and audience were great.”

“When I was able to play with great feeling, even if I was new to that particular style and musical format, it reached across rules and traditions,” continues Roland. “It’s fascinating and wonderful. That’s just what music does.”

Michael Gallant is the founder and chief executive officer of Gallant Music. He lives in New York City.

Photographs courtesy U.S. Consulate General Mumbai

“

Above and below: The Ari Roland Jazz Quartet performs at the NCPA International Jazz Festival 2018, held in Mumbai. The performance was supported by U.S. Consulate General Mumbai.

Wherever we play, we want at least a third of our songs to be melodies that everyone, from little kids to grandmothers, will recognize.

�

View of Mah Laqa Bai Chanda’s tomb under restoration, from Maula Ali hill.

Restoring a

Garden Tomb

A

By PAROMITA PAIN

The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for

Cultural Preservation has helped restore the garden tomb of 18th-century poetess and courtesan Mah Laqa Bai Chanda in Hyderabad.

18 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

professor of South Asian and Islamic Studies at Emory College of Arts and Sciences in Georgia, Scott Alan Kugle was always deeply interested in the intricacies of Urdu poetry. “It largely celebrates its male poets and writers,” he says. “But one of the first novels in Urdu, ‘Umrao Jan Ada,’ centered on a powerful female protagonist.” Intrigued, Kugle started exploring female voices and characters in Urdu poetry and discovered the fascinating Chanda Bibi or Mah Laqa Bai Chanda, a famous courtesan who was elevated to the rank of senior omarah, the highest nobility, by the then Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Nizam Ali Khan.

“Mah Laqa Bai Chanda is a very compelling character,” says Kugle, who is also an author.

“Born in 1768, she was among the first women writers in Urdu, with a full divan of ghazals.

She was a courtesan and, as sources reveal, was among the richest women in the state and an influential figure at court.” In a paper titled, “Mah Laqa Bai and Gender: The Language, Poetry, and Performance of a Courtesan in Hyderabad,” Kugle explores how she was no “typical” woman of her time.

Celebrating Chanda Bibi For the longest time, few outside Hyderabad knew about this 18th-century courtesan, poetess and a mystic explorer of love. The idea to renovate her tomb, which was in a dilapidated condition, was proposed by Kugle. In 2009, the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), which supports the preservation of cultural sites and objects and

forms of traditional cultural expression in more than 100 developing countries around the world, awarded a grant of $106,200 (Rs. 78 lakhs approximately) for the restoration of her monumental garden tomb in Hyderabad. The U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad, Center for Deccan Studies and the Muslim Educational, Social and Cultural Organization played key roles in this year-long renovation project, which involved the restoration of five buildings, the reservoir and the garden. The debris was cleared; water channels were rebuilt; trees and bushes were planted; and the exquisite building decorations were restored. The project also included designing and installation of exhibits on both Shi’ite culture and the roles of women in the region.

More than a courtesan Mah Laqa Bai Chanda was the courtly address given to her by the Nizam of Hyderabad. “It means ‘Madam Moon Cheek,’” says Kugle. “Her real name was Chanda Bibi.”

She was raised by her elder sister, who was married to the prime minster of the Nizam. She was highly educated and had a huge library in her house. She knew Arabic, Persian and Urdu.

Sources say she would even discuss Persian poetry with Mir Alum, the second prime minister of the Nizam, which was quite unusual for a woman at that time.

“Today, people do not like to call her a courtesan because, in the modern world, a courtesan is associated with prostitution,” explains Kugle. “But this was not the case in

SUBAH DAYAL Photographs courtesy Scott Kugle

University in Hyderabad were also built on the land that she once owned.

Mah Laqa Bai Chanda was a generous patron of art and history. She invited a downand-out poet called Gauhar, who was from Bidar, a small town in Karnataka, to compile a history of Hyderabad. This comprehensive tome can be found in the Salar Jung Museum.

While Mah Laqa Bai Chanda is remembered for her poetry, the state still benefits from her philanthropy. She built many stepwells and rest houses for travelers. “She gave generously to the poor,” says Kugle. He hopes that the restoration of her garden tomb complex will encourage more exploration of her works and persona. “It is always incredible to find that women like her existed in the past,” he says.

U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation https://bit.ly/2kkeay9

Emory University www.emory.edu

Paromita Pain is a journalist based in Austin, Texas.

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 19

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the days when Chanda Bibi was writing.”

Courtesans practiced and preserved the arts of the time and were skilled in witty conversation and repartee. Men, especially those in important positions, went to courtesans not just to be entertained but to also learn the art of conversing and negotiation. They were essentially the finishing schools of the time.

An admired figure in Hyderabad, Mah Laqa Bai Chanda is especially associated with education. In Nampally, Hyderabad, stands a government college for girls on a property that was gifted to her by the Nizam. “She did not give the government this property, for in 1824 when she died, she could not inherit property which passed on to the Nizam,” says Kugle.

“Later, after India’s independence, when the government acquired the Nizam’s properties, a college was constructed.” Osmania University and the English and Foreign Languages

Above: Pavilion housing the tombs of Mah Laqa Bai Chanda and her mother, Raj Kanvar Bai, at the monumental garden tomb in Hyderabad.

Left: Mah Laqa Bai Chanda’s portrait in oil, housed at the Telangana State Archaeology Museum, Hyderabad.

Far left: Scott Alan Kugle, a professor of South Asian and Islamic Studies at Emory College of Arts and Sciences, and author of a paper titled, “Mah Laqa Bai and Gender: The Language, Poetry, and Performance of a Courtesan in Hyderabad.”

Photographs courtesy EnActe Arts

Right: Vinita Sud Belani (right), artistic director of EnActe Arts, directs and plays the lead role in “Chaos Theory,” the love story of two South Asian professors from Harvard and Columbia universities.

Below: Odissi dancers express the pain of love and longing in EnActe Arts’ “Chitra: The Warrior Princess,” a contemporary interpretation of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s classic feminist tale, “Chitra,” and dance drama, “Chitrangada.”

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Vinita Sud Belani’s theater company, EnActe Arts, works to increase

representation of South Asians in theater.

Creating Conversations Through Theater

E

By CANDICE YACONO

nActe Arts, co-located in Silicon Valley, California, and Houston, Texas, showcases and serves the South Asian diaspora through theater. With its roots in the greater Indian subcontinent, EnActe seeks to inspire conversations that lead to greater tolerance.

“We are a theater company with a three-fold mission,” says Vinita Sud Belani, founder and artistic director of the international theater company. “This includes telling stories that put South Asian stories and culture into a global context and breaking ethnic barriers between communities that live and work together; creating opportunities that help correct the under-representation of South Asians in theater; and developing talent in all aspects of theater, including playwrights.”

EnActe predominantly selects plays by young

or upcoming South Asian playwrights who write with, in Belani’s words, a “diaspora voice.” “We choose subjects that are of relevance to South Asians taking their place in a global society today. These plays have strong South Asian roles, especially female ones,” she says. “It could be, for example, an Indian-origin playwright born in Kenya now living in Los Angeles, like Shishir Kurup, whose play ‘Merchant on Venice’ is a brilliant satire on how Hindu-Muslim relations are carried by Indian immigrants into their U.S. lives. It has 10 Indian roles and two Latino roles. Or it could be a young Silicon Valleyborn playwright like Madhuri Shekar, who went back to India to live for a few years. We have done two plays of hers—‘A Nice Indian Boy,’ which is a humorous exposé of what it is like to be Indian, gay and in love with a white guy in Silicon Valley, and ‘Queen,’

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 21

which explores the relationship between a female Indian mathematician and a female Caucasian biologist at University of California Santa Cruz, as they rush to find the scientific cause behind why bees are dying. All of them have strong roles for South Asian actors.”

EnActe also commissions works on subjects of interest to South Asian audiences. Lifetime Oscar winner Jean-Claude Carrière wrote and performed a 90-minute storytelling piece for EnActe. In this personal retelling of “The Mahabharata,” Carrière traces the story’s roots in ancient civilization and discusses its relevance to our times. Indian playwright Feisal Alkazi wrote “Noor: Empress of the Mughals,” on the life of Empress Noor Jahan, as seen through the eyes of a eunuch at the Mughal court. First-time playwrights Salil Singh and Anurag Wadehra of the Bay Area wrote “The Parting,” based on true-life accounts of people who crossed the line dividing India and Pakistan in 1947. “It was a unique, political view of the Partition,” says Belani. “The entire South Asian community came together for this project—donating funds, sharing stories, hosting fundraisers and filling the seats at all our shows.”

EnActe receives funding from ticket sales, arts grants, individual and corporate sponsorships and foundation grants. Its affiliated EnActe Academy teaches acting and theater stagecraft through classes, workshops and hands-on experiences, including a program for young actors.

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© Swagato B. Photography

Courtesy EnActe Arts

© Prabhakar Subrahmanyam Photography

“Aspire is our amateur production, Hybrid our training ground for actors more serious about their craft, and Pro takes actors to the point where they are ready for a professional career in acting,” says Belani. “Many of them then become Equity actors and feed into the mainstream talent pool in Los Angeles, New York and other regional theaters.”

EnActe has partnered with 14 dance companies to date, as well as with a wide range of venues, arts organizations and community centers. “Collaboration is built into our DNA,” she says.

Belani was born in Kolkata to an engineer father and a musician mother. She worked with Mother Teresa on her charitable efforts, and developed a love for theater and debate, as well as mathematics and physics. She also earned an M.B.A. degree from HEC Paris, an international business school in France.

Belani graduated from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, with a degree in computer science, and worked around the world for multinational tech companies, including a couple of Silicon Valley start-ups, she says.

But despite her exciting career in tech and all of the travel she enjoyed, something was missing. “Twenty-plus years of moving across countries and continents, while trying to hold down a job and raise a family of three children, meant that there was not a lot of time for theater in my thirties and forties,” she says.

Candice Yacono is a magazine and newspaper writer based in southern California.

Left: A scene from EnActe Arts’ production of “The Conference of the Birds,” written by Jean-Claude Carrière and Peter Brook.

EnActe partnered with Sangam Arts and 13 ethnic dance companies to produce this interpretation of 12th century Persian poet Farid ud-Din Attar’s magnum opus.

Far left: Bay Area-born playwright Madhuri Shekar explores what it means to be South Asian and gay in Silicon Valley, in EnActe Arts’ production of “A Nice Indian Boy.”

EnActe Arts https://enacte.org

Go Online

But then, a fateful moment arrived for Belani. At a friend’s dinner party in Paris in 2011, she met Carrière. “In conversation, I mentioned to him that I had children now who were the same age as I was when Peter Brook and [Carrière] first produced ‘The Mahabharata,’” says Belani. “The production was such a huge watershed moment in Western theater, making a deeply Eastern story, steeped in four millennia of cultural context, comprehensible to all.”

She suggested to Carrière that perhaps it was time to stage “The Mahabharata” again. “ ‘Well,’ he joked, ‘why don’t you start a theater company and then we could!’ The rest, as they say, is history.” Belani gave up her job, moved back to the United States, and founded EnActe, with Brook and Carrière.

Looking ahead, Belani describes how the group is now producing a play called “A Widow of No Importance” by Shane Sakhrani, on the subject of Indian widows’ right to make their own choices on how to live life. “This will be followed by ‘The Case of the Vanishing Firefish,’ written by me and Ajay Chowdhury, based on his ‘Ayesha and the Firefish,’ which showcases an 11-year-old British Indian detective, Ayesha, who saves the world from an environmental disaster,” she says. “We are also presenting a piece called ‘Snake and Ladder’ by Los Angeles-based Navarasa Dance Theater, which showcases a revival of India’s ancient martial arts form, Kalaripayattu.”

“ ”

We choose subjects that are of relevance to South Asians taking their place in a global society today.

Above left: Native American actor and scholar Myrton Running Wolf plays the role of Arjuna, the iconic Indian warrior of the epic “Mahabharata,” in EnActe Arts’ “Chitra: The Warrior Princess.”

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 23

Connecting Communities From West Bengal to Washington, D.C., young artists and professionals learn from each other through a groundbreaking, heritage-themed

exchange program.

Photographs courtesy Contact Base and Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

By MICHAEL GALLANT

B

eginning September 2017, 31 Indians and 20 Americans participated in a first-of-its-kind program—a rich cultural exchange aimed to forge bonds through computers and cooking, arts and airplanes, as well as once-in-alifetime creative collaborations.

The Learning Together Toward a Brighter Future project was one of the six U.S. State Department Communities Connecting Heritage partnerships around the world, all administered by the World Learning organization. Learning Together Toward a Brighter Future was created by the Kolkatabased social enterprise Contact Base and Washington, D.C.’s Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, two organizations devoted to promoting, protecting and sharing knowledge of cultures.

24 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

“Both our organizations believe that culture can make a tremendous contribution toward peace, and that cultural sustainability leads to community empowerment,” says Ananya Bhattacharya, director and vice president, projects, at banglanatak dot com, the umbrella brand which includes Contact Base. “We wanted to find ways to connect young people in India and the United States, so that they could learn about each other’s heritage.”

“We also wanted to focus on creative enterprises,” she continues, “and how traditional skills, arts and knowledge can contribute to understanding and peace.”

In practice, this meant selecting young participants from both countries who possess deep interest, experience or expertise in arts and culture. Participants from West Bengal

“

We also wanted to focus on creative enterprises, and how traditional skills, arts and knowledge can contribute to understanding and peace.

RABI DAS BAUL

MANAS ACHARYA

”

included Patua scroll painters and singers, Dhokra metalworkers, Baul folk singers and more. American participants had academic backgrounds in fields like anthropology, sociology, linguistics and folklore.

The exchange began online, with two staff members and three participants from each country sharing glimpses of their cultures and social backgrounds through photos, videos and more. In February 2018, the American team came to India to meet its Indian counterpart and experience the unforgettable Sur Jahan world peace music festival in Kolkata. Four months later, the Indian contingent visited the United States and participated in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, an annual exposition of living cultural heritage, held in Washington, D.C.

In between the trips, though, the exchange broadened to include virtual participants, in addition to those traveling for in-person visits. The participants from both countries shared pictures and videos of their homes and daily lives via the program’s official blog and Facebook page.

For example, CJ Guadarrama and Arpan Thakur Chakraborty bonded over a shared love of music, after Chakraborty wrote a post about enjoying listening to artistes and bands like John Denver, Bob Marley, Pink Floyd and the Scorpions.

The virtual and in-person exchanges sparked not just mutual appreciation of cultures and arts, but also the creation of new works. For instance, young Indian artist Anwar Chitrakar crafted and posted

Above far left: Betty Belanus (left), a curator and education specialist at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and other American participants of Learning Together Toward a Brighter Future project visited their Indian counterparts in 2018.

Above left: Indian exchange participants observe the work of a stone carving artist at the 2018 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. Top: Belanus (center) shares the history of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., with Indian exchange participants.

Above: American and Indian exchange participants visit the DC Alley Museum in Washington, D.C.

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 25

“

I learned that sharing traditional art with people of other cultures is as important as practicing the art form.

”

26 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

online a replica of a traditional Mexican Retablo painting on Patachitra. The Retablo had been shared by American participant Ashley Martinez during her visit to India. As the exchange progressed, participants from both countries shared even more aspects of their lives and cultures, including traditional recipes that their new international friends experimented with in their own kitchens.

Betty Belanus, a curator and education specialist at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, took the lead on the U.S. side of the exchange. She describes how, during the Indian contingent’s visit to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, one of the most memorable manifestations of Learning Together Toward a Brighter Future’s success was unveiled.

It began during the American team’s visit to India, Belanus says, when they sat with a large group of Patua practitioners in West Bengal’s Naya village, learning about the nuances and intricacies of their art form. The American group had been asked to bring its own story, which would be interpreted as both a scroll and a song.

“We came up with the idea of sharing the historical story behind the National Mall, which is the site in Washington, D.C. where the Smithsonian Folklife Festival is held every year,” says Belanus. “The Indian artists created three amazing scrolls based on that story. One of the artists, Mamoni Chitrakar, came on the exchange to the United States.” Her scroll was unveiled in late June at the Library of Congress, and she performed the accompanying song in person.

This visual and performative work of art, which started with the U.S. group meeting the traditional Indian artists, who then came to the National Mall, was amazing, describes Belanus.

“Thinking about Mamoni visiting us in America and singing her song to a Washington, D.C., audience still gives me chills,” she says.

Given the breadth of the exchange program, other participants found deep meaning in its varying aspects. For Baul singer Girish Mondal, who traveled to the United States with Mamoni Chitrakar, Rabi Das Baul and two young cultural professionals, the visit to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture made a huge impression. “I never knew about these stories,” says Mondal. “It was the most surprising thing I learned about the culture of the United States.”

For Mamoni Chitrakar, it was the sharing of cultural traditions that made a lasting impact.

“Through this exchange,” she says, “I learned that sharing traditional art with people of other cultures is as important as practicing the art form.”

Virtual exchange participants Kennedy Soden and Debraj Chakraborty summed up the lasting value of the exchange in a post on the program’s blog. “Sharing a common interest with someone [who] is 8,000 miles away from you,” they wrote, “and being able to discuss that interest or compare that interest with them is a gift.”

Michael Gallant is the founder and chief executive officer of Gallant Music. He lives in New York City.

https://bit.ly/2DNaUWi

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage https://folklife.si.edu

banglanatak dot com

MAMONI CHITRAKAR

http://banglanatak.com

Go Online

Photographs courtesy Contact Base and Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Communities Connecting Heritage

Above left: Indian and American exchange participants bond over music during the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. Left: Baul singers Rabi Das Baul (left) and Girish Mondal (center), along with other two artists, perform at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Below: American exchange participants learn about traditional Indian arts in a West Bengal craft village.

Below left: American and Indian exchange participants attend the Sur Jahan world peace music festival in Kolkata in February 2018.

27

RAJEEV RAJAGOPALAN/Courtesy Flickr Courtesy Deborah Thiagarajan

A Passion for

Heritage

By RANJITA BISWAS

DakshinaChitra, a living history museum founded by

Deborah Thiagarajan

in Chennai, preserves and promotes the rich cultural heritage of South India.

28 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

eborah Thiagarajan grew up in New York, Toronto and Philadelphia. But today, she is firmly rooted in Tamil Nadu, where she moved after her marriage. She is the founder of DakshinaChitra, a cross-cultural living history museum spread across a four-hectare campus in Muttukadu, 25 kilometers south of Chennai. Art, architecture, lifestyles, crafts and performing arts of South India are highlighted in this interesting museum, where curated permanent exhibits and a variety of public programs attract visitors and interns throughout the year.

An important component of DakshinaChitra’s activities is preservation of traditional South Indian houses. Today,

many such houses get sold off to make way for modern buildings. This is true of other regions in India as well. In the process, a part of the lived-in heritage disappears forever.

In an effort to preserve traditional houses, with their signature styles and inherent building expertise, DakshinaChitra purchases them from different regions of South India, dismantles them, and then relocates them to its campus. Currently, visitors to DakshinaChitra Heritage Museum can explore 18 such traditional homes and contextual exhibitions, interact with village artisans and witness folk performances.

Excerpts from an interview with Thiagarajan.

Courtesy Deborah Thiagarajan

Photographs by HEMANT BHATNAGAR

POOCHI VENKAT

REKHA VIJAYASHANKAR

From far left: Few of the traditional houses and contextual exhibitions at Deborah Thiagarajan’s (bottom) DakshinaChitra. To preserve the lived-in heritage, the museum purchases houses from different regions of South India, dismantles them, and then relocates them to its campus. These include Karnataka’s Chikmagalur House, Tamil Nadu Merchant House, Coastal Andhra House, Kerala’s Calicut or Hindu House and Telangana’s Ikat House.

Please tell us about how you decided to start DakshinaChitra?

I have studied both anthropology and art history in the United States. I have a Ph.D. in ancient Indian culture and history from the University of Madras. I have always been interested in art, culture, language and how people live.

I worked for three years in villages throughout Tamil Nadu, from 1972 to 1975. I learned a lot and saw the crafts and performances, and how the artisans and performers were becoming dejected.

I was employed by the World Bank’s Tamil Nadu Nutrition Project and then CARE, a global humanitarian organization.

How important is it to preserve our lived-in heritage as well as folk arts and traditions?

Our past is linked to the present and our present to the future. We must know our roots and our identity in order to be secure and confident in ourselves in this fast-changing world.

Initially, you had a lot of problems starting your dream project. Do you feel that your patience and belief have paid off?

Patience, perseverance and working as much as possible with the community have definitely paid off. I and my one employee, Devika, and many volunteers

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 29

What do you think is the best way to make children aware of their roots?

The best way would be what was prevalent in the 1970’s and 1980’s, which was to spend every vacation in the grandparents’ rural home. That has changed now. Visiting villages and learning on-the-spot about the people and what they do would give an in-depth experience.

We do what we can and hope they learn. They always enjoy it so, I hope, we have planted seeds of interest. We also have in-depth programs for small groups and different architectural workshops.

Culture is a reflection of the environment. If we care more for our environment, that will certainly reflect in our culture, now and in the future.

REKHA VIJAYASHANKAR

brought programs into schools and we did research while we were trying to get land, from 1981 to 1991.

I have had several invitations to put up a DakshinaChitra for other states. I told them I would give all my expertise on how to go about it, but I could not do it myself. The researchers and persons with knowledge from those areas should be in charge.

From top right: Glimpses of various activities at DakshinaChitra. These include traditional dance performances like Kerala’s Thira Poothan; Kalamkari and other textile art exhibitions; and art and craft workshops for children.

Above far right: Interns work at the collections management department of DakshinaChitra. The museum offers internship and volunteering opportunities to Indian and foreign students, as well as other interested individuals, to work in its various departments.

30 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

Photographs courtesy Deborah Thiagarajan

REKHA VIJAYASHANKAR

REKHA VIJAYASHANKAR

Ranjita Biswas is a Kolkata-based journalist. She also translates fiction and writes short stories.

Dining,

American Style Photographs courtesy Old World Hospitality

By CANDICE YACONO

F

Experience authentic

American food with

classic music ’ and unique decor at The All American Diner in New Delhi.

or more than 15 years, patrons have come to The All American Diner in New Delhi for its food, and stayed for the classic music, beautiful ambience and unique décor.

“Since the inception of the restaurant, we have received extreme love and appreciation from satisfied customers. We feel really blessed to have guests who have been loyal from our early days and have continued to come back, again and again,” says Aakriti Sachdeva, assistant manager at Old World Hospitality, which operates The All American Diner at the India Habitat Centre.

Above: Belgian waffle (above left) and pancake (top left) combos, two of the appetizing combination dishes served at The All American Diner in New Delhi.

Diners can be found in every region of the United States. The concept was born when an enterprising man named Walter Scott began to offer prepared food from his converted horsedrawn freight wagon in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1872, says Sachdeva. The original “lunch wagon” was incredibly successful and others imitated the concept, leading to an industry that stretches all across the United

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 31

Photographs courtesy Old World Hospitality

While most diners have the same basic elements, they showcase their unique flair in their décor items, food specials and hospitality.

32 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

States. While most diners have the same basic elements, they showcase their unique flair in their décor items, food specials and hospitality.

At The All American Diner in New Delhi, the décor features classic, padded red vinyl booths, black and white checkerboard tiles, and lots of tin and enamel plaques advertising classic U.S. companies and brands. These have been sourced from flea markets and antique shops from various parts of the United States.

Elvis Presley has a ubiquitous presence at the diner. It boasts of an Elvis clock and a limited-edition “Elvis” Wurlitzer jukebox that plays classic American music from the 1930’s through the 1970’s, including the hits of the singer himself, says Sachdeva.

Even some of the kitchen equipment have a vintage flair, including a retro-style Hamilton Beach blender and an Elektra Barlume Crema Caffè, which Sachdeva calls, “the Cadillac of all coffee machines.”

The diner is located at the India Habitat Centre’s hub, an open space with lawns and a

Above: The All American Diner is known for its classic décor, which includes padded red vinyl booths, black and white checkerboard tiles, and tin and enamel plaques advertising U.S. brands.

Above right: Sunrise Skillet is one of the most sought-after all-day breakfast items served at the diner (above far right).

lotus pond. Patrons can sit inside or outside the restaurant. The counter with red vinyl bar stools evokes a particularly American feel, also because of the “soda fountain,” which was a part of mid-20th-century life in the United States.

The restaurant serves American breakfast all day, and also offers extensive lunch and dinner options. All-day breakfast is a trademark of the diner, as many patrons enjoy eating bacon and eggs even for dinner.

The Sunrise Skillet, for example, includes two scrambled eggs, three slices of bacon and two grilled chicken or pork sausages, along with two pancakes. For those who prefer omelettes, The Ultimate contains three eggs, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers,

Go Online chicken or pork sausage and chicken ham, topped with cheese.

Keep an eye out for the diner’s weekend breakfast buffet, as well as Mexican food specials.

If your entire group is especially hungry and arrives early at the diner for breakfast, the Gluttons on the Table offer allows patrons to eat anything they want from the breakfast menu for a flat price. The deal is available only if everyone at the table participates.

For lunch or dinner, consider Surf ‘N’ Turf—chicken steak with golden fried prawns, served with American corn and sautéed vegetables. Another option is the spicy marinated chicken fajita, which is served with vegetables, a flour tortilla and sour cream. For those seeking fish, there’s a chargrilled Norwegian salmon steak with tomato coulis, garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed vegetables.

The All American Diner also offers a range of sandwiches like Triple Decker Club, Vegetable Hoagie, and Mushroom, Jalapeno

and Cheese Sandwich. Burgers are made with the patron’s choice of chicken or lamb. The diner also has a range of options for vegetarians.

Along with soft drinks, smoothies, malts and shakes, The All American Diner offers fancy hot and cold coffees, and cocktails.

There’s also a full page of mouth-watering dessert options, like New York-style cheesecake, Brownie Blast, Lime Pie, Affogato and Chocolate Chip Pancakes.

The All American Diner first opened its doors in January 2002. Although it is located within the India Habitat Centre complex, the diner is open to the public. The center houses several institutions and, thus, many of the diner’s guests work in the same complex. But, it also sees visitors from around the world, who attend conferences or exhibitions at the center, as well as those who are simply interested in American food.

The All American Diner

https://bit.ly/2C3mLgT

A Life Devoted to the American Diner https://bit.ly/2PIvdL3

Candice Yacono is a magazine and newspaper writer based in southern California.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 33

Telling Stories

By PAROMITA PAIN

Courtesy Preeti Vasudevan

Preeti Vasudevan helps build a cultural bridge between India and the United States using traditional and contemporary styles of performing arts.

34 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

sing dance to explore the potential and boundaries of art is not new. But with her latest production, “Stories by Hand,” New York City-based dancer and choreographer Preeti Vasudevan seeks to create an enduring dialogue between movement, art, culture and people. “It celebrates individuality through personal stories,” she says.

Vasudevan is the recipient of the prestigious 2018 Lincoln Center Awards for Emerging Artists and the 2018 Dance Research Fellowship by the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts’ Jerome Robbins Dance Division. The winners of the Lincoln awards receive $7,500 (Rs. 5.5 lakh approximately), to be used for career advancement. A stipend of the same amount is awarded to the Dance

MARIA BARANOVA

Dance U

Through

Research Fellows to complete their research work. Vasudevan, a certified movement analyst from the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies in New York, was invited to choreographer Bill T. Jones’ New York Live Arts as a two-year Artist in Residence, which culminated in the commissioned work, “Stories by Hand,” in November 2017. A solo performance conceived and created by Vasudevan and multimedia artist Paul Kaiser, “Stories by Hand” combines theater and dance to tell personal stories from her life—as a child born in India and the woman living in New York. It recently debuted in six Indian cities and received critical acclaim.

In India, responses to Vasudevan’s Left: Preeti Vasudevan performed her solo work, “Stories by Hand,” in six Indian cities in 2018.

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 35

performances ranged from standing ovations to audience members coming forward to talk to her about their own lives. “This is what art is supposed to do,” she says. “It is meant to encourage sharing and empathetic responses.”

For Vasudevan, India is always “home” and where her spiritual roots are. She lives in the United States now, being a part of the “larger immigrant artistic voice” and exploring her global identity. “I go back every year to India, and I am in touch with artistes and performing groups there,” says Vasudevan.

She was selected for the DanceMotion USA 2018 Follow-On Professional Development Program of the Bureau of Educational and

MARIA BARANOVA

Left: In “Stories by Hand,” Preeti Vasudevan uses the hand gestures of bharatanatyam for storytelling.

Below and right: “Veiled Moon,” a dance-theater choreographed by Vasudevan, is inspired by the life and works of Mah Laqa Bai Chanda, an 18thcentury poetess and courtesan from Hyderabad.

Below right: Vasudevan (right) performs for young students at Madison Elementary School in Des Moines, Iowa, as part of a Silkroad project.

TANYA AHMED/Metropolitan Museum of Art

“ 36 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

This is what art is supposed to do. It is meant to encourage sharing and empathetic responses.

Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, produced by BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), to facilitate cultural exchange while showcasing the best in contemporary American dance abroad. She is also associated with Silkroad, an organization founded by renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma to promote cultural diplomacy through the arts.

Student of movement Dance has always been a part of Vasudevan’s life. “As a child I danced more than I walked,” she says. Born in Chennai, she learned bharatanatyam from U.S. Krishna Rao, as well as V.P. Dhananjayan and his wife, Shanta Dhananjayan. Dance, to her, is a mode of centering and balancing. “Dance helps you focus and work on life skills from a very young age,” she says. “This is something that dance and sports have in common. But, sports is more goal-oriented in nature, whereas dance is a unique means of self-expression. All my happy memories have something to do with dance.”

Vasudevan describes herself as a student of

”

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 37

PHIL ROEDER/Courtesy Flickr

TANYA AHMED/Metropolitan Museum of Art

Go Online

Thresh www.threshdance.org

Dancing for the Gods https://bit.ly/2Prfhrr

DanceMotionUSA https://bit.ly/2QoXTsO

movement. “It is not just about bharatanatyam or ballet,” she says. “Dance is extremely dynamic, yet reflective and meditative.”

Believing in dance as “a dialogue, never a monologue,” she founded Thresh, a performance arts collaborative that has earned international acclaim for its juxtaposition of traditional dance forms from India with modern theories of movement and expression.

“Thresh is based on the interesting concept of a threshold between the past and the future, where you cast off the trappings of the past and move toward an unknown future,” explains Vasudevan. It was formed in 2004, toward the end of her master’s degree in London.

Performing and teaching

TANYA AHMED /Metro politan Museum of Art

Vasudevan’s training in bharatanatyam ensures an appreciation of its storytelling ability. “As a dance form, it has both theater and abstract movement in it,” she says. “It is an evolved form rather than a pure form.” A passionate educator, Vasudevan created an

interactive multimedia website, Dancing for the Gods, to teach bharatanatyam to the younger generation. It is the result of two years of intensive research in India with her husband, Bruno Kavanagh.

Designed for students and teachers, it is now offered in New York City public schools.

“We are looking to revamp the website to bring it up to speed with new technology,” says Vasudevan. “We are looking for collaborators and partners.”

Meanwhile, another project by Thresh, in conjunction with DakshinaChitra, a heritage museum based in Chennai, and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, will work toward building a repository of endangered art forms and artistes from southern India for worldwide visibility. As Vasudevan explains, “People should be able to tell their own stories, and I am proud to be one of the conduits of this operation.”

Paromita Pain is a journalist based in Austin, Texas.

“Veiled Moon” performance by Thresh, as part of an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

38 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

Weaving

Cultural Bonds

By NATASA MILAS

Fulbrighter

Kanchan WaliRichardson used

K Photographs courtesy Kanchan Wali-Richardson

her experience in Varanasi to design the River Sari series, a homage to the Ganges River.

Top and above: The River Sari series by Kanchan WaliRichardson is inspired by her personal experience of the Ganges River’s mythology and the way that mythology permeates the daily life in Varanasi.

anchan Wali-Richardson is an interdisciplinary visual artist. She was born in Massachusetts to a mixed Indian American heritage. Early on, WaliRichardson developed a penchant for creative endeavors. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in Massachusetts. In 2014-2015, she traveled to Varanasi as part of her Fulbright-Nehru research grant to study the pollution of the Ganges River. Her time in the city inspired her to design a series of four handwoven silk saris, called River Sari, celebrating the Ganges River. Wali-Richardson works with a variety of concepts, styles and materials, including drawing, textiles and, most recently, plants, dirt, stone, seasons and time.

Excerpts from an interview.

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Photographs courtesy Kanchan Wali-Richardson

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Above: Kanchan WaliRichardson (right) designed a series of four handloom silk saris, River Sari (below right), while in Varanasi under a Fulbright-Nehru research grant.

Kanchan Wali-Richardson

kanchanrichardson.com

River Sari

www.riversari.com

Fulbright-Nehru Fellowships https://bit.ly/2r9fyGj

40 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

Please tell us about your early life and educational background.

I grew up on a small island off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and went to the Waldorf School of Cape Cod, which provides a kind of arts-based alternative education. As a kid, I was always entertaining myself by making things—little clay animals, comic books or haphazard objects out of leaves and twigs in the woods. When I was 18, deciding to attend art school specifically was a very hard choice for me. Art had always come so naturally to me, but I had many other interests as well and was nervous to pursue it full-time. Ultimately, I ended up at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City, which is an incredible university for art, architecture and engineering, and I would never take back that choice.

As an interdisciplinary visual artist, what styles and materials do you use in your work?

My projects have culminated in many different kinds of media—sculpture, video, writing, textile design—but my primary mode of thinking is always through drawing. Last fall, my practice took a big shift. I’m currently pursuing a master’s degree in landscape architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. I’m now learning an entirely new set of tools and ways of making. Though I see my interests here as a direct extension of what I was trying to do in my earlier work, the scale has exploded exponentially.

I became interested in landscape

architecture as a way to have more of a direct impact on the environmental and spatial issues I had been trying to address through sculpture and installation. But obviously, the materials I’m now having to work with and consider are a world of their own—materials like living plants, soil microorganisms, dirt, stone, concrete, as well as human behavior, the seasons and time. I’m now being trained on how to design with the ever-evolving and shifting processes of both natural and urban systems.

How was your experience of staying in Varanasi during your Fulbright fellowship?

It was an incredibly intense and powerful experience, which will come as no surprise to anyone who has ever spent time there. The spiritual, mythical and historical richness of that city is indescribable. It was deeply humbling to live there, and to attempt to approach such a complex and fraught situation as the pollution of the Ganges. I found that the bulk of my “work,” as part of the Fulbright, was to unlearn my American way of seeing and judging the situation.

I don’t know if I succeeded, but I tried to use art as a way to process the visual and emotional cacophony that the experience roused in me.

My experience living there was also tied to my family history. My grandparents met and married while studying at Banaras Hindu University, and my mother was born there, while they were still living in the campus housing. As a person of mixed Indian American ethnicity, it was an important rite of passage for me to live in Varanasi for a longer term because I was able to deeply absorb that part of my family’s history, and to bring it to life in the unfolding of my own story.

As a result of your trip to India and your studies of the Ganges, you designed the River Sari series. Please tell us more about it.

I spent many months attempting to make artwork addressing the health and environmental crisis of the pollution of the Ganges River, but found that I wasn’t getting anywhere. The grief and complexity of the infrastructural and social challenges were paralyzing. So, I decided instead to celebrate the river and the beauty of everything the river means, specifically to the identity of Varanasi.

The River Saris are a homage to the richness of my experience in Varanasi.

Each element of the saris’ pattern was inspired by a personal experience of the river’s mythology and the ways that

Left and above: Each part of the River Saris represents different aspects of the Ganges River, from its flowing lines of currents to its ghats and its mythical mount.

mythology permeated the daily life in Varanasi.

The bodies of the saris are composed of the flowing lines of the river’s currents, with alternating symbols of eyes, speaking to the multiplicity of views. The river is revered by some as a living goddess, the embodied divine; by others, as the foundation of agriculture, industry, development, a vehicle for shipping or even the answer to India’s growing energy demands. Then, along the borders of the saris are the ghats, the cascading steps that frame people’s approach to goddess Ganga, who is herself envisioned as the sacred staircase to the realms of afterlife. The saris’ pallus show the intense rolling waves of the river, with goddess Ganga’s mythical mount, the Makara [a sea creature]. For me, this image is about the power of the river, and the sweeping bewilderment that can suck you under when trying to understand the situation.

What can be done in the face of rapid

development, pollution, the physical suffering of those made sick by waterborne disease and yet, simultaneously, the deep existential faith of a culture reminding itself of the sacredness underlying everything, the challenge to let go of disgust and aversion, and an ideal of total forgiveness? I think, it’s a beautiful question; one which pushes you to look ever harder and deeper.

Finally, the divider strip in the saris’ pattern is composed of a string of gazing eyes, speaking to the all-pervasive eyes of the Hindu deities, gazing out from their numberless shrines throughout the alleys of the city. To me, these eyes also speak to the long history of mystic saints, gurus and poets who have been drawn to Varanasi in search of insight.

What are your current plans?

To survive graduate school! And, to find a way to return to India and continue to build on the incredible relationships I developed when I was there.

Natasa Milas is a freelance writer based in New York City.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 41

Creative

Communication

By JASON CHIANG

The

International Writing Program Fall Residency at The University of Iowa brings together writers from India and other countries for creative work and collaborations.

T

he International Writing Program Fall Residency at The University of Iowa is one of the oldest and largest multicultural writing residencies in the world. Since 1967, emerging and established writers from around the globe have been coming to the university to participate in this unique writing program.

It aims to provide authors the setting for cultural exchange, and the time and space to write, read, translate, study, and to become part of the literary and academic community at the university. The program is supported by the U.S. Department of State.

Each fall, about 25 to 40 writers gather in Iowa City for an approximately 10-week residency to work on their own projects, to give readings and lectures, and to interact with American audiences and literary communities across the United States.

Chandramohan Sathyanathan, a poet from Kerala, was selected as the Indian participant for the program in 2018. His poems often portray the sociopolitical struggles of the marginalized, the working class and the nomadic outcasts of the world.

Excerpts from an interview.

42 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

Above: Chandramohan Sathyanathan (second from right) at a panel discussion at The University of Iowa.

When did you realize that poetry was something you wanted to pursue as a career? Who were your early influences?

I first encountered poetry at a library, reading the works of Tomas Tranströmer. I knew that it was something I wanted to pursue after some major local poets approved of some of my poems and encouraged me to write more. As part of a reading assignment, a friend of mine had suggested “Invisible Man”

by Ralph Ellison. This book had a profound impact on me.

My influence is a Malayalam poet, K. Satchidanandan. I have also been devouring the works of Aimé Césaire and Derek Walcott for a long time, not to mention the contemporary poets like Lesego Rampolokeng, Nathaniel Mackey, Terrance Hayes and Kamau Brathwaite.

How did you become involved in the International Writing Program Fall Residency at the University of Iowa?

Photographs courtesy Chandramohan Sathyanathan

Sathyanathan (third from left, second row) with participants of the 2018 International Writing Program Fall Residency.

representative of the cultures we come from.

What advice would you give other aspiring poets or writers?

The only suggestion I can give an aspiring writer is to read as much as possible. Read voraciously every strand and genre of literature that you can get your hands on.

Also, engage with other art forms like painting, cinema and music. A writer should be aware of his or her own privileges and take advantage of all the art that surrounds us.

What goals do you have for the future?

The main focus I have at the moment is to study Malayalam Dalit poetry and translate them to English, and develop platforms for a conversation between Dalit writers and African American writers.

I have recently been scrutinizing the works of Shane Book, Safiya Sinclair, Anne Winters, Vladimir Lucien, Ishion Hutchinson, Natasha Trethewey and Chris Abani. I am inspired to experiment with my writing along the lines of these authors.

International Writing Program https://iwp.uiowa.edu/

The University of Iowa https://uiowa.edu/

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The U.S. consulates in India nominate writers for the program. The Chennai Consulate nominated me, and I eagerly accepted.

What were some of the most distinct differences you observed—both academically and culturally—at The University of Iowa, as compared to an Indian educational institution?

My first observation was that the system worked much more efficiently there than in my own country. American academia seems to value every individual. I did suffer a certain degree of cultural shock, even though I was familiar with most of the American way of life.

The punctuality with which every event would start and the commitment to the profession by every member of the teaching staff were inspiring. The United States provides an ideal habitat for a dedicated artist to thrive in.

Please share your key takeaways from your time at The University of Iowa?

Some key takeaways were to believe in yourself and be the voice no one else can be.

Strive to be a writer who can encode our words with our life experiences that are unique and

Jason Chiang is a freelance writer based in Silver Lake, Los Angeles.

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 43

Registered under RNI-6586/60

Photographs by RAKESH MALHOTRA

Visitors at the inauguration (above) of an exhibition commemorating 70 years of U.S.India relations, at the New Delhi American Center in July 2018. The exhibition featured images and photographs from the U.S. Embassy archives, which document the U.S.India relationship as far back as the 1950’s.

The show was broken into themes that mirrored the depth and breadth of the two countries’ collaborations, ranging from security and economic partnerships to the sharing of talents and culture across such areas as science and technology innovation and performing arts creations.