September/October 2017 by SPAN magazine

Indian Art Through the Ages Indian Classics for American Palates Taking Yoga Beyond the Mat

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 Rs. 20

Cultural Connections

Enhance your health and get closer to nature at these picturesque yoga retreats in the United States.

Taking Yoga Beyond the Mat

By PAROMITA PAIN

here was a time when taking a break only meant going on a carefully planned holiday. Today, people want something more than just some time away from the familiar. And thus, options like yoga retreats are fast becoming a popular choice for vacations. Here are four popular yoga retreats in the United States.

Rolling Meadows

Photographs courtesy Rolling Meadows Yoga & Meditation Retreats

Rolling Meadows is a 40-hectare yoga and meditation retreat center in coastal Maine. The center, as it now exists in its current location, began in 2001. SuryaChandra Das, co-founder and one of the resident teachers, says, “We had been teaching at retreats in various places around the world and also had a yoga studio. We decided we wanted to work primarily out of a location that was in a rural and quiet area in the natural world.” Rolling Meadows’ retreats combine the physical postures of yoga with pranayama and meditation. Participants enter into silence after the meal on the

September/October 2017

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LOUIS VEST

Courtesy Big Sky Yoga Retreats

CONTENTS 2

http://rollingmeadowsretreat.com

India Yoga Retreat by Rolling Meadows https://goo.gl/iUFqbB

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Taking Yoga Beyond the Mat

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A Treasure Trove of Indian Paintings

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High Tech Meets Hot Tikka

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Performed Journeys of India

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Holistic Health

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Home Away From Home

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Outreach Through the Arts

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Indian Art Through the Ages

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Indian Classical in Cleveland

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Celebrating Indian Dance and Music

Indian Classics for American Palates

DARIAL SNEED

Rolling Meadows Yoga & Meditation Retreats

Courtesy Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Top, above and left: Rolling Meadows, a coastal retreat center in Maine, allows visitors to practice yoga and meditation in quiet, natural surroundings.

Editor in Chief Craig L. Dicker 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

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

Art Director Hemant Bhatnagar Deputy Art Directors Qasim Raza, Shah Faisal Khan Production/Circulation Manager Alok Kaushik Printing Assistant Manish Gandhi

Front cover: Indian bharatanatyam dancer Surabhi Bharadwaj performs in New York City, against the backdrop of the Statue of Liberty, during the 2016 Erasing Borders Festival of Indian Dance, which is presented and produced by the Indo-American Arts Council and hosted by Battery Dance Company. Photograph by Darial Sneed. Research Services : Bureau of International Information Programs, The American Library

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Photographs courtesy Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, Rhinebeck, NY, eOmega.org

Courtesy Rolling Meadows Yoga & Meditation Retreats

evening of their arrival at the center. “We call this ‘social silence,’ and it continues until the last morning of the retreat,” says Das. “The silence is an essential aspect of these retreats.” Seeking a retreat is a personal and individual choice, but for most people, it’s an opportunity to take a break from their busy lives. As Das says, people “often feel overwhelmed by daily demands and want to experience the physical, emotional and spiritual renewal provided in a retreat.” Rolling Meadows serves a very diverse clientele from all over the world and from different backgrounds, comprising students, professionals and retired people. “Everyone has different expectations and different experiences,” says Das. “Perhaps, the one thing most seek is an opportunity to connect to their inner peace and wisdom, that can often be lost in their busy and demanding lives.” As client testimonials show, these retreats are often a time of “honest self-reflection” and a time to live simply. For others, this is a time for yoga with little interruption. The most important aspect of the retreats is they offer a thorough immersion in the natural world. “The retreats have a maximum of 11 participants, which allows for individual attention, if requested by the participants,” says Das. Four years ago, Rolling Meadows started Maitreyi Vedic Village, a retreat in Tamil Nadu. “It is a very special retreat facility built in the vedic tradition,” says Das. “It is a stunningly beautiful and quiet location, offering authentic Ayurveda treatments.”

In 1977, holistic physician Stephan Rechtschaffen and educator Elizabeth Lesser were inspired by Eastern meditation teacher Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan to found Omega Institute for Holistic Studies. In its first year, Omega hosted only a few hundred people. In 1981, Omega expanded from its rented facilities in New York and Vermont to its current home in Rhinebeck, New York, spread over more than 100 hectares. Today, it hosts more than 500 teachers and 23,000 people each year, and reaches over two million people through its website. “This is one of the United States’ longest running retreat centers,” says Chrissa J. Santoro, external communications manager at Omega. Each year, Omega offers dozens of programs covering the full spectrum of yoga traditions, besides workshops, retreats and teacher training, from the rigorous to the restorative. The programs usually take place over a weekend, or from Monday through Friday, though yoga teacher trainings are longer. The institute offers yoga programs for all levels, from beginner to advanced. “The majority of our guests stay on campus, though it is possible to commute to most programs,” says Santoro. “Some want to explore yoga for the first time in a safe and Left, above left and right: Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, offers classes in yoga, tai chi, meditation and movement. Below left and below right: Between workshops, guests at Omega can enjoy boating or explore extensive nature trails.

trusted environment, or get back into their practice, while others come to go deeper into their existing practice or get certified to teach.” Teachers here are bona fide yogis, with deep knowledge of their practice and experience of leading retreats. “We generally seek out the original founder of any particular discipline, if he or she is still living, rather than his or her students,” says Santoro. “We carefully read our participants’ feedback, both for evaluations of current teachers and for interest in new topics and teachers.” Between workshop hours, guests can enjoy daily open classes in yoga, tai chi, meditation and movement; boating and swimming at Long Pond Lake, from June to August; basketball and tennis; extensive nature trails; and evening events including concerts, films and sample workshops. A unique aspect of the institute is the Omega Center for Sustainable Living, one of the first green buildings in the United States to receive both LEED Platinum and Living Building Challenge certifications. The building serves as an environmental education center and natural water reclamation facility—treating 100 percent of Omega’s wastewater with zero chemicals and net zero energy. Omega is now preparing to launch a new website that will be highly interactive and offer more online learning. People across the globe will be able to browse articles and videos, and participate in programs via live stream and online programs at eOmega.org.

RILEY KAMINER/Courtesy Flickr

Omega Institute

Omega Institute https://eomega.org

BRAD COY/Courtesy Flickr

Above and right: Visitors practice yoga during the 6th Annual Yoga Festival, held at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, in 2010. Center right: Esalen is perched on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, offering a quaint environment to its visitors. Far right: Sitar maestro Ravi Shankar (right) with the members of The Beatles, George Harrison (second from right) and Ringo Starr (second from left) at Esalen.

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Esalen Institute www.esalen.org

Esalen Institute

DOUG ELLIS/Courtesy Flickr

Courtesy Esalen Institute

personal, spiritual and social transformation practices to residents, interns and workshop participants, through about 600 workshops and retreats a year. Esalen opened its doors over 50 years ago as a center for personal and societal change, and has had more than 750,000 visitors since its inception. Costs can be a constraint, so the center offers general scholarships for student aid, and specific ones to help with workshop tuition and accommodation. The Esalen Center for Theory and Research sponsors research, theory and action to promote positive social change and new worldviews that can be “a transformative practice that can embody it, since vision without action is lame and action without vision is blind,” says its website. Fritz Perls, co-developer of Gestalt Therapy; Gregory Bateson, an English anthropologist; Stanislav Grof, a Czech psychiatrist, and many other scholars, therapists and researchers have spent several years at Esalen.

Big Sur in California is testimony to the natural beauty the United States is famed for. The locals call it “The Island.” Located on the promontory on Big Sur coast, with hot mineral springs, is the 48 hectares of fertile land of Esalen. According to its website, Esalen is a nonprofit center for “exploring and realizing human potential through experience, education and research.” It offers various workshops on yoga, meditation, personal transformation and communication. Michael Murphy, co-founder of Esalen, has a deep connection with India, having lived at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry for a year and a half before starting the Esalen Institute in 1962, with his fellow Stanford University graduate, Richard Price. The primary motivating factor was a deep need to foster freedom of thought and encourage innovation in the academic, medical and sociological areas. The idea was to create a space where ideas and thoughts could flow unrestricted. Thus, Esalen sponsors pioneering initiatives and offers

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

Photographs courtesy Big Sky Yoga Retreats

Top: The B-LUXE Cowgirl Yoga retreat, offered at Big Sky Yoga Retreats in Montana, allows visitors to explore the horse-human connection while deepening their yoga practice.

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Above: Lisa Laird, yoga instructor and Cowgirls vs. Cancer coordinator at Big Sky, practices yoga.

Above right: Various styles of yoga, combined with other outdoor activities, are practiced at Big Sky.

Big Sky Yoga Retreats https://bigskyyogaretreats.com

Big Sky Yoga Retreats blends yoga and activities like hiking, horseback riding, photography, cooking and wine tasting, for women. Different types of yoga like ashtanga, restorative and vinyasa flow yoga are practiced here. It offers summer and winter programs in the scenic mountains of Montana and in different countries like Italy and Costa Rica. Big Sky’s exclusive Cowgirl Yoga program, a set of retreats for women with an emphasis on horseback riding, is very popular. It includes, for instance, a four-day, three-night women’s retreat in Clyde Park, dedicated to creativity, renewal and the beauty of horses. Called Cowgirl Yogatography, the retreat combines yoga, horses and photography for amateur photographers and yoginis to help them explore the horse-human connection and tap into their creative core. Testimonials reiterate how Below: The Yoga and Hiking retreat offers a combination of spectacular views and rejuvenation.

Bottom: Participants enjoy a yoga session as part of the LUXE Cowgirl Yoga retreat.

confident participants became with photography, besides feeling rejuvenated. The LUXE Cowgirl Yoga retreat is focused on horseback riding and yoga in Clyde Park. It is aimed at those yearning for “mental space to think, physical space to move, and spiritual space to reconnect with nature,” says Big Sky’s website. It isn’t about complicated poses on horseback, but rather about connecting with horses in serene settings. This realigns bodies and deepens yoga practices, in their restored barn studio on a 600-hectare Double T River Ranch. Big Sky’s Yoga and Hiking retreat takes yoga beyond the mat to the mountains. Daily yoga and hiking are supplemented with discussions, reflection, intention setting and meditation based on themes from Richard Louv’s book, “The Nature Principle: Reconnecting with Life in a Virtual Age.” This includes a hike to the Beehive Basin, surrounded on three sides by the 10,000foot Spanish Peaks. The Advanced Hiking and Yoga retreat includes a more challenging hike to Bear Basin, a 19-kilometer round trip with wildlife sightings of elk, birds, black bears and moose. The back, hips and core are of special focus with yoga on the trail and post-hike restorative yoga. The Yoga and Yellowstone program is described as “the intersection of scenery and savasana.” This is held at the B Bar, Big Sky’s private 3,600-hectare ranch and an extension of the Yellowstone National Park ecosystem. This also involves trekking to Yellowstone’s Mammoth Hot Spring and visits to the Boiling River as well as the nearby Gallatin Petrified Forest, where ancient volcanic activity buried and preserved the forest 55 million years ago. Big Sky offers a retreat for breast cancer survivors or those currently undergoing treatment. Cowgirls vs. Cancer is a unique retreat designed to provide rejuvenation and healing for women battling breast cancer. In 2017, Cowgirls vs. Cancer and 99 other caregivers, researchers, philanthropists, advocates and volunteers were honored by the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center for their commitment to changing how people fight cancer. Big Sky provides many other retreat options, which ensure that yoginis not only improve their health but also have an enjoyable and memorable time off from their daily routines.

Photographs courtesy Big Sky Yoga Retreats

Big Sky Yoga Retreats

Top and above: Big Sky’s Cowgirl Yoga program offers a set of retreats for women, with an emphasis on horseback riding.

Paromita Pain is a journalist based in Austin, Texas. To share articles go to https://span.state.gov SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 9

A Treasure Trove of

Indian Paintings

By CANDICE YACONO

The San Diego Museum of Art boasts of a collection of over 1,400 Indian artworks created for the Mughal, Deccani, Rajasthani and Pahari courts from the 12th to the 19th centuries. 10 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

n ornate building resembling a Spanish palace lies nestled in Balboa Park, an oasis in the southern California city of San Diego. Inside this European architectural marvel lies one of the world’s best collections of South Asian art. The San Diego Museum of Art opened in 1926, and is the oldest, largest and most visited art museum in the region, serving about 250,000 visitors each year. As San Diego is located adjacent to Mexico, the museum’s exhibition text is in both English and Spanish. The museum is most famous for its selection of artworks by European masters like El Greco and Henri Matisse. But, its Edwin Binney 3rd Collection is one of the most comprehensive and high-quality collections of South Asian art outside of India. The collection’s 1,453 works include paintings from the 12th through the 19th centuries, including those created for the Mughal, Deccani, Rajasthani and Pahari courts. The works were created for Indian rulers as well as merchants from Persia, Central Asia and Europe, who traveled to India, set down roots and commissioned art to local Indian artists. The artists were expected to adapt to the whims and aesthetics of their foreign patrons, while maintaining a quintessential Indian quality. The museum has South Asian, Southeast Asian and Persian art galleries, where

selections from the Binney collection are always on display. The artworks are organized chronologically as well as by form, like paintings or sculptures, and by theme. The museum strives to showcase the beauty and craftsmanship of the art within the collection, while also informing its viewers about what makes it unique and important. The collection was put together personally by Edwin Binney 3rd (1925-86), an heir to the Crayola fortune. Crayola is known worldwide for its art products like crayons. Rather than acquiring examples of just one era or type of art, Binney sought to collect an encyclopedic range of art from different epochs and schools of painting. Binney also collected objets d’art like Persian miniatures, ballet prints, art from the Ottoman Empire and theater books. He began by focusing on Persian and Turkish art, but as interest in this type of art was widespread at the time, Binney focused on collecting less faddish and, therefore, less expensive South Asian art. The Binney collection ranges from narrative illustrations of Indian epics to portraits of important personages like emperors, as well as folk art from various regions of South Asia. Not all of the art was intended to be hung on walls. In addition to the massive assemblage of paintings, sculptures play an important part in the collection.

Photographs courtesy The San Diego Museum of Art

Clockwise from above: “Krishna Attacks Naraka’s Capital” and “The Sports of Love,” 16th-century watercolor paintings from Rajasthan; “Raja Sangram Pal,” a 17th-century watercolor painting from Himachal Pradesh; “The Emissaries Return to Chanda’s Father Rao Mihr and He Seeks Counsel,” a 16th-century watercolor painting from Delhi or Uttar Pradesh; and “Shiva as Lord of Music (Vinadhara Dakshinamurti),” a 6th-century sandstone sculpture from Gujarat. These South Asian artworks are part of the Edwin Binney 3rd Collection of the San Diego Museum of Art.

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Photographs courtesy The San Diego Museum of Art

The works were created for Indian rulers as well as merchants from Persia, Central Asia and Europe, who traveled to India, set down roots and commissioned art to local Indian artists.

Top: “Exchange of the Babies,” a 17th-century watercolor painting from Rajasthan. Above: “Many Little Compartments With People, Demons, and an Elephant,” a 17th-century watercolor painting from Madhya Pradesh.

Indian Paintings Embark on Nationwide Tour

However, paintings originally housed together in a single manuscript were removed and sold individually; the text in these large manuscripts was probably destroyed. So, the museum is now trying to preserve the art for future generations to appreciate. Marika Sardar, the museum’s associate curator of Southern Asian and Islamic Arts since 2013, has written extensively about the art of India and South Asia, including the section on South Asian art for the textbook “Asian Art.” Some of the paintings from the Binney collection have appeared in major exhibitions

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The San Diego Museum of Art www.sdmart.org

https://goo.gl/fjYksC

Princeton University Art Museum http://artmuseum. princeton.edu/

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across the United States and in Europe. In addition, selected works have traveled to cities like Québec in Canada, Mexico City in Mexico and Madrid in Spain. In 2012, the museum exhibited 106 works from the Binney collection at the ThyssenBornemisza Museum of Art in Madrid. This marked the first time an exhibition of Indian art was organized in Spain. More than 90 narrative paintings appeared at the Princeton University Art Museum in 2016, in an exhibition titled, “Epic Tales from Ancient India: Paintings from The San Diego Museum of Art.” It included paintings from the “Bhagavata Purana,” the “Ramayana,” the “Ragamala” and the “Shahnama.” Candice Yacono is a magazine and newspaper writer based in southern California.

Indian Art

Through the Ages Photographs courtesy Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

By CARRIE LOEWENTHAL MASSEY

The Freer|Sackler galleries in Washington, D.C., house impressive collections of India’s ancient relics and modern-day masterpieces.

ashington, D.C., with its many museums and monuments, offers visitors a comprehensive immersion into American history and culture. But it’s not just the American way of life visitors can discover. For instance, within the city’s Smithsonian museums, entries to which are always free, also lies an impressive, not-to-be-missed collection of Indian art. This diverse group of paintings, sculptures and photographs gives insight into ancient Indian dynasties and contemporary Indian life.

Above right: “One Face of a Fence-rail From Bharhut: Worship at a Stupa” (early second century B.C.E.), a sandstone carving from a stupa in Madhya Pradesh that provides an early document of Buddhist faith and art. It is part of

the South Asian and Himalayan Art collection at Freer|Sackler. Right: “Woman Braving Difficulties to Meet Her Lover: Woman in Landscape” (circa 1800), a Pahari painting from Himachal Pradesh. To share articles go to https://span.state.gov SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 13

“Shiva Nataraja” (circa 990) is part of a small but superb collection of Chola bronze sculptures at Freer|Sackler.

Courtesy Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Go Online Freer|Sackler

www.asia.si.edu

South Asian and Himalayan Art collection

www.asia.si.edu/ collections/southAsian.asp 14 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

Photographs courtesy Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

The Indian art collection lives in the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian’s two museums of Asian art that neighbor each other along the National Mall. The galleries are set to re-open in midOctober this year, after renovations. Freer|Sackler, as the galleries are commonly known, categorizes its collection by region. Indian art is part of the South Asian and Himalayan Art collection, which includes more than 1,200 objects from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet, ranging from the first century B.C.E. to the present. “In our galleries, we seek to present artworks that came out of both religious and secular arenas. Our new galleries at the Freer will look at the ways different communities understood the body and how that manifested in artworks. On view will be Hindu, Buddhist and Jain sculptures, courtly paintings and luxury objects,” says Debra Diamond, curator of South and Southeast Asian art at Freer|Sackler. Diamond recommends catching a few of these highlights of Indian art among the region’s selection.

“

Chola bronzes From the 9th to the 13th century, the Chola dynasty was the dominant cultural, artistic, religious and political force in south India. Chola rulers commissioned elegant sculptures and majestic temples of Hindu deities, to proclaim the power and wealth of their dynasty. A “small but superb” collection of Chola bronze sculptures at the Freer gallery includes Shiva Nataraja, Nandi and the portrait sculpture of Queen Sembiyan Mahadevi as Goddess Uma or Parvati. The queen, known as a patron of the arts, focused on temple commissions. Her statue, “extraordinary in its grace,” offers “a rare glimpse of a powerful historical woman,” says Diamond.

Mughal and Rajput paintings The works in this collection rotate, “but we’ve always got a few masterpieces on view,” says Diamond. The artists who worked for the Rajput courts “made conscious decisions about styles and subjects, and their works helped to shape culture in western India,” she says. The Mughals “were globally connected. So, these works are always very

Below left and below center: “A Prince Holding an Audience” (circa 1750), a Mughal painting from Uttar Pradesh, and “Sarang Raga From the Sirohi Ragamala” (circa 1680-90), a Rajput painting from Rajasthan. The Mughal and Rajput masterpieces form an important part of the South Asian and Himalayan Art collection at Freer|Sackler. Below: “Jahangir,” a 17th century Mughal painting.

In our galleries, we seek to present artworks that came out of both religious and secular arenas. SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

Photographs courtesy Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Above: “Nandi” (12th century) is part of the collection of Chola bronzes. Above right: “Female Performer with Tanpura,” a Mughal painting from the 18th century. Below: “Siddhapratima Yantra (Shrine of a Perfected Being)” (circa 1333). Though small in size, the shrine is an elaborately detailed architectonic form. Bottom: “Knife Made for Jahangir, Partially of Meteoric Iron” (circa 1621).

interesting as springboards for thinking about the present,” adds Diamond. From October 2017 to February 2018, the Freer gallery will put on view, what Diamond says is, “one of the only extant allegorical portraits” of Jahangir, the Mughal emperor from 1605 to 1627. The subject of the painting is his “dream projection of dominance over Persia during a period when he’s vying with Shah Abbas for control of Qandahar,” which is part of present Afghanistan.

Meteoric iron knife The Freer gallery also keeps on permanent display a knife made partially of meteoric iron for Mughal emperor Jahangir. “It’s the only surviving blade, of four, that he had forged from a meteor that fell outside of Jalandhar in 1621,” says Diamond.

Siddhapratima Yantra This “very rare shrine of a Jain siddha [is] one of the most extraordinary objects in the museum,” says Diamond. It’s meant to show

“a being that had transcended samsara [the cycle of death and rebirth]. So, the artist depicted the being as negative space, which is very conceptual, very profound,” she adds.

Indian photography Diamond calls the more than 200 photographs by Indian photographer Raghubir Singh (1942-99) “the jewel of our collection.” It’s the “largest museum collection of works by this pioneering modern master of color,” she says. To see these and the other Indian and South Asian artworks, Diamond recommends visitors allocate at least 45 minutes to the Freer gallery and another 45 to the Sackler gallery. She also suggests visitors check with the galleries in advance regarding any special exhibitions on South Asia. For instance, from October 14, 2017, to June 24, 2018, Freer|Sackler will feature a large installation, called “Terminal,” by Subodh Gupta, a contemporary multimedia artist based in New Delhi. Diamond suggests a viewing strategy as well. Upon entering the Freer gallery, she says, “take a quick peek into the doorways of all the galleries of Japanese, Islamic, Chinese and American art, so that, when you enter the Indian galleries, you are struck immediately by how very distinctive the South Asian attitudes are toward the body. Indian artists told stories with the body, and they extolled its spiritual and physical beauty. It’s sensuous and transcendent at the same time, completely unique.” Carrie Loewenthal Massey is a New York Citybased freelance writer.

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The Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival is the largest Indian classical music festival outside India.

Indian Classical Cleveland

By CARRIE LOEWENTHAL MASSEY

GOPI SUNDARAM

Carnatic music vocalist K. Gayatri (right), along with ghatam artist G. Chandrasekara Sharma, pays tribute to her deceased guru, Suguna Purushothaman, during the 2017 Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival in Ohio.

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“

f your travel plans bring you to the United States this spring, be sure to put Cleveland, Ohio, on your itinerary between March 28 and April 8, 2018, for a one-of-a-kind immersion in Indian classical music. It may seem like an unlikely location, but since 1978, the midwestern city has played host to the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival, which has become one of the largest Indian classical music festivals outside India. The festival was started by two families

Thyagaraja. To celebrate Thyagaraja and other popular Carnatic composers like Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri, “the vast majority of our programming is Carnatic music concerts, featuring many of the top musicians in the field from India,” says Sundaram. “We also make it a point to feature lesser-known but highly respected musicians, as well as upand-coming artistes from India and from across the U.S.”

The vast majority of our programming is Carnatic

concerts, featuring many of the top musicians in the field from India.

”

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Photographs by GOPI SUNDARAM

music

seeking to promote interest in music in the local Indian community. After its first year, the festival moved to the Cleveland State University campus, where it continues to take place today and draws international performers and audiences. The festival is held in honor of Thyagaraja, one of “the most prolific” composers of Carnatic music, says Gopi Sundaram, a core volunteer of the Aradhana Committee, which plans and organizes the festival. Sundaram’s father, V.V. Sundaram, is the co-founder and secretary of the Cleveland-based committee. The festival was modeled on the one held in Thiruvaiyaru, Tamil Nadu, the birthplace of

The songs Concerts at the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival typically feature a series of songs by different composers. “Songs may be preceded by a raga alapana, or free-form improvisation of the raga phrases. The artistes choose a few songs for further types of improv, such as niraval—variations on a single line of the composition—and kalpana swaram—solfège [associating notes with syllables in words] sung in patterns,” explains Sundaram. Most artistes convey devotion, longing, surrender and grace through their performances, he adds. The works are often written in Telugu

www.aradhana.org

language, with some in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Sanskrit. The festival organizers also “make it a point to have at least one veena concert and one nadaswaram concert,” to feature these traditional instruments “that are slowly losing their popularity,” says Sundaram.

The dances Beyond its Carnatic highlights, the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival features several dance performances, mainly of bharatanatyam. “These performances are usually commissioned works with original music and choreography composed specifically for our

festival,” says Sundaram. “For example, in 2017, we had a series of dance performances based on Srimad Bhagavatam, in five parts. We occasionally feature other dance forms as well, such as kuchipudi, kathak and odissi.”

The add-ons

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Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival

Above: Artistes perform to a full house at the 2017 Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival. Above left: Young aspiring artistes from the United States perform with violin maestro V.V. Subrahmanyam (center) during the festival.

In recent years, the festival has branched out to host concerts of Hindustani music as well. These performances complement the event’s World Music collaboration program, which brings together on stage Indian musicians and artistes from other cultures and musical traditions. The 2017 festival, for instance, included Jamey Haddad, an

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

American percussionist, and his band, Under One Sun. Youth participation is another key component of the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival. Since 2007, the event has included an educational program called Sustaining Sampradaya, under which children from across the United States train with senior musicians based in India for six months using video conferencing and other online tools. They learn traditional compositions and perform in groups at the festival. The festival also offers an opportunity to young musicians and dancers to compete to showcase their talents. The Carnatic music competition, The T. Temple Tuttle Memorial Music Competition, has become one of the largest of its kind in the United States, drawing 905 entries in 2017. Some of these vocalists and instrumentalists compete in advanced categories that require improvisation. The winners earn the opportunity to perform at the following year’s festival. The annual bharatanatyam competition draws participants from around the world in four age categories. They compete over two days and the grand prize winner gets to perform either at the next Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival or in December in Chennai, where the organizing committee hosts a festival featuring primarily young American performers.

What’s ahead The list of musicians for the 2018 Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival includes N. Ravikiran on the chitravina, a 20- or 21stringed fretless lute; Sudha Raghunathan, Carnatic composer and vocalist; Trichy Sankaran on the mridangam, a percussion instrument; V.V. Subrahmanyam on the violin; and Neyveli Santhanagopalan, vocalist. The festival always aligns with Easter, beginning the Wednesday before the Sunday holiday, and continues for 12 days into the following week. “Easter weekend is usually when we see our biggest crowds,” says Sundaram. “And it’s typical to see dhoti- and sari-clad people wandering around downtown Cleveland.” Carrie Loewenthal Massey is a New York City-based freelance writer.

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An annual festival by the Indian Fine Arts Academy of San Diego showcases a variety of Indian performing arts.

Celebrating Indian Dance and Music

C By PAROMITA PAIN

ultural programs celebrating Indian arts are not new in the United States. What sets the Indian Fine Arts Academy of San Diego’s annual festival apart is not just its promotion of pan-Indian music and dance but also its educative component. The festival, which turned 10 this year, “is the largest festival celebrating Indian art on the West Coast,” says Shekar Viswanathan, president of the academy. The objective of the academy is to establish San Diego as the cultural center for Indian classical arts. It was set up with the advice of sitar maestro Ravi Shankar who was the Regents’ Professor at the University of California, San Diego, to “propagate Indian, not just South Indian or North Indian, classical arts to the local population which includes people from many different nationalities,” says Viswanathan. “We also target children from local schools, colleges and universities, who have a passion for learning Indian classical art forms.” Over 100 local students, trained by well-known artists like C.M. Venkatachalam and Revathi Subramaniam, perform regularly at the festival. Academic sessions are conducted to help general public learn about different aspects of the art forms. Ravi Shankar’s birthday as well as the centenaries of well-known artistes and composers are celebrated each year. Sherya Gopal, now in 10th grade, has been performing at the festival for the last eight years. “Today, dance is an important part of the program,” she says. “Earlier, it would just be a two-hour performance of the various

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The 10th Annual Music and Dance Festival

www.indianfineartsacademy.org

www.youtube.com/watch?v=00uFYLKrR5k

Photograp hs by TIGER THIAGARAJAN

SAIRAM SUNDARESAN and PAVITHRA RAMASUBRAMANIAN

Indian Fine Arts Academy of San Diego

kritis, or compositions, we learn from our teachers. The performances have enhanced my stage presence and improved my musical abilities.”

Art and academics Lectures on the technical and historical aspects of music and dance are an important part of the program. “That’s why we use the term ‘academy’ as part of the name of the organization,” says Viswanathan. “Wellknown musicologists like Pappu Venugopala Rao and artists like Chitravina Ravikiran, Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi and Neyveli Santhanagopalan have given different academic lectures as part of the proceedings.” The academic lecture demonstrations and performances by over 100 young local students are a unique feature of the program. “This was incorporated in the first year of the festival,” says Viswanathan. “The two local student events are attended not only by parents and local patrons, but also by visiting artistes.” Sankalp Srinivas Kaushik, who has just completed his ninth grade at Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego, participated in the event for the first time in 2016. He is currently learning Carnatic vocal music from Revathi Subramanian and flute recital from Amshu Murthy. “Apart from my music teachers, another big motivation for me to participate in this festival is the fact that this is an excellent platform for budding artistes like me because of the exposure it provides to watch legendary artistes perform and to learn,” he says.

Festival features Typically, each festival has 14 events and two academic sessions. The events showcase Carnatic and Hindustani vocal and instrumental music as well as dance forms like bharatanatyam, kuchipudi, kathak and odissi. Special regional programs like kathakali and yakshagana, and dance dramas are also integral to the festival. It generally features over 75 professional artistes from India, selected by a committee consisting of 18 members. “Our programs have become theme-based and, hence, people can relate to a story or to an epic such as the ‘Ramayana’ or the ‘Mahabharata,’ ” says Viswanathan. Over the years, renowned artistes like N. Ramani, M. Balamuralikrishna, Ajoy Chakrabarty, L. Subramaniam, Kavita Krishnamurthy, and dancers like Birju Maharaj, Sonal Mansingh, Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar, Radha and Raja Reddy, and Sujata Mohapatra have performed at the festival. Artistes from San Diego are also featured. Most participate in the children and adult programs staged over two evenings, he says. The festival has strong support from the community. Besides corporates, the City and County of San Diego and Cal Arts sponsor the program. “We have a patron subscription for anyone wanting to attend and support our work,” says Viswanathan. “Through this process, we collect 60 percent of the funds required to stage the festival.”

Above left: Children perform bharatanatyam at the annual music and dance festival by the Indian Fine Arts Academy of San Diego. Top: The festival features over 75 classical music and dance artistes from India. Above: A group of students trained by C.M. Venkatachalam, one of the founding members of the Indian Fine Arts Academy of San Diego, at the festival.

Paromita Pain is a journalist based in Austin, Texas. SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

Indian Classics for American

JULIE KESELMAN

The mother-daughter duo of Anita Jaisinghani and Ajna Jai is taking Indian food mainstream for American audiences through their Pondicheri restaurants.

From popular Indian street food items like paani poori, khandvi and samosas to breakfast favorites like uttapam and wholesome main course thalis, the Pondicheri restaurants serve Indian food with innovative twists.

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Palates

Courtesy Ajna Jai

LOUIS VEST

Right: Anita Jaisinghani, chef and owner of Pondicheri in Houston and New York City. Far right: Ajna Jai, who manages the Pondicheri restaurant in New York City.

By STEVE FOX

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mericans are no strangers to Indian food. But Anita Jaisinghani and her daughter, Ajna Jai, are broadening the cuisine’s appeal by modifying traditional dishes and serving variations of popular Indian street foods. It’s a recipe that’s working—their Pondicheri restaurants, the original in Houston, Texas, and the newest in New York City, have attracted rave reviews and enthusiastic customers. The driving force behind these restaurants is Gujarat native Jaisinghani, who earned a degree in microbiology at her parents’ urging, but always knew food was her true calling. “Food was definitely what I wanted to do, but it wasn’t an elegant enough career for my parents,” she says. “I wanted to go to culinary college, but my parents said, ‘We’re not sending you off to another city to learn how to cook; you can do that right here at home.’ ” Marriage followed university. When her daughter and son were old enough, Jaisinghani got a job in the pastry kitchen at Cafe Annie, one of Houston’s top restaurants. After honing her skills, in 2001, she and her then-husband launched Indika, a high-end restaurant which established her reputation in Texas. Although

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HAMZEH ZAHRAN

The Indian food was already great—we just changed the look of it and made it more appealing to Americans.

Indika was very successful, Jaisinghani was thinking about something different—street food. “I think street food is the best part of Indian food,” she says. “I like it so much. I used to make my dad stop off at midnight to eat some. It has all the many flavors I look for in food. It’s very satisfying and credible the way all the sweet, spicy and salty ingredients are combined. That was what was missing in so many Indian restaurants that focused on highend cuisine.” Houston Chronicle called the first Pondicheri restaurant, which Jaisinghani launched in 2011, “the game-changing, Indian street food-inspired restaurant that brought her culinary fame beyond the skillful repertoire of her upscale Indika.” Her instincts confirmed, Jaisinghani began Below: Ajna Jai (left) and Anita Jaisinghani at Pondicheri in New York City. Right: Chefs at work at the kitchen of Pondicheri in New York City. Above far right: The Pondicheri restaurant in

Houston, Texas. Far right: The creations of the Bake Lab at Pondicheri in Houston are very popular among the restaurant’s patrons. Below right: The bar area at Pondicheri in New York City.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

Photographs by HAMZEH ZAHRAN

LOUIS VEST

26 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

T.TSENG/Courtesy Flickr

Photographs by CHOTDA/Courtesy Flickr

thinking about another location. Her daughter, Jai, suggested New York City, where her career as a stage and screen actress was already flourishing. Jai, who has a degree in architecture, now manages the Pondicheri restaurant, a huge all-day eatery in Manhattan’s hip Flatiron District. The restaurant’s offerings were described by the Village Voice newspaper as “food that has a kind of rambunctiousness to it: it’s made with fresh, quality ingredients, but it’s not droopy-healthy; it champions flavor over fuss, joy and color over polish and restraint.” Both Pondicheri locations offer Jaisinghani’s interpretations of Indian classics like lentil-stuffed poori, masala rice pancakes, chickpea flour rolls stuffed with coconut and chili, naan wraps, parathas, stuffed dosas and kebab wraps. Also popular are samosas,

curries, salads and snacks inspired by Indian street food. “I took Indian food toward a mainstream American audience and met them halfway,” says Jaisinghani. “We didn’t make it all bowls of curry with shareable plates. If they order a piece of salmon, they get a nice piece of salmon on their own plates. The Indian food was already great—we just changed the look of it and made it more appealing to Americans.” Another change was that of customers’ perceptions. “Indian food has been regarded as a ‘destination food,’ ” says Jai. “It’s been more of an event, like ‘Oh, let’s go out and have Indian food,’ instead of ‘Let’s go to lunch.’ Americans haven’t had the idea they can eat Indian food all day, every day. We’re changing that, partially by being open for breakfast,

LOUIS VEST

Pondicheri locations, acknowledges running top-quality restaurants in two different cities is challenging. “I have to be very organized, keeping track of everything and within that, keeping the creative challenges going,” she says. “I have to cut out everything in my life that I don’t need; I have a very narrow path I walk on.” While the dishes are delicious, there’s something else on Pondicheri menus. “I’m very proud of the food of India,” says Jaisinghani. “It’s a cuisine that has evolved over many hundreds of years. I think Indians, in general, are not as proud of our heritage as we should be. We have an amazing heritage and knowledge that we should be proud of.”

Pondicheri www.pondichericafe.com

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lunch and dinner, and partially by what we’re serving.” The 2016 launch of the Pondicheri restaurant in New York City, which has 135 seats in a 5,000-square-foot modernized industrial space, required dealing with multiple contractors for an extensive renovation of an old building, obtaining various permits and licenses, hiring and training chefs and servers, developing a new menu…and the list goes on. “I had no idea what I was getting myself into,” says Jai. “I had opened other restaurants with my mom, but I was much younger. I was doing my little part, but thought I was doing a lot. I learned everything from my mom—she does so much. And she was obsessed with food. If we went out to dinner, she would talk about the food versus talking about us.” Jaisinghani, who commutes between the

Steve Fox is a freelance writer, former newspaper publisher and reporter based in Ventura, California.

From above far left to above: With its ever-changing menu and reinvented Indian classics, Pondicheri is trying to change perceptions about Indian cuisine.

Above: The Bake Lab at Pondicheri in Houston, Texas, offers a variety of sweet and savory baked items. It also sells spices and kitchenware from India. Left: Customers enjoy their meals at Pondicheri in Houston.

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Indian food has been regarded as a ‘destination food.’ Americans haven’t had the idea they can eat Indian food all day, every day. We’re changing that, partially by being open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and partially by what we’re serving.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

High Tech

Meets

Hot

Tikka

28 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

CALI GODLEY/Yelp Inc./Courtesy Flickr

which runs food trucks, restaurants, bars and a catering business in California, fuses Indian flavors with American favorites.

CALI GODLEY/Yelp Inc./Courtesy Flickr

Curry Up Now,

Photographs courtesy Curry Up Now

By CANDICE YACONO

wanted to try something new. We were able to give an affordable offering using premium ingredients and lots of love. Plus, there were no other trucks selling Indian street food.” Curry Up Now exploded in popularity, seemingly overnight. Its rapid success surprised the co-founders, who had no experience in the restaurant industry prior to taking their proverbial leap of faith. And eight years later, the company has expanded to four food trucks, five brick-and-mortar restaurants, two craft cocktail lounges called Mortar & Pestle and a catering business. The menu takes a clever approach by fusing fresh Indian flavors with types of food more familiar and accessible to Americans, like sandwiches, tacos and ravioli. “Our most popular item has always been the chicken tikka masala burrito,” says Hosseini. “Our deconstructed samosa would be a close second, which has received many accolades as well.” Curry Up Now has had a strong tech component since its founding—interested diners check their phones or computers to find TODD LAPPIN/Courtesy Flickr

Above left: Curry Up Now co-founders Akash Kapoor (from left), his wife Rana Kapoor, and Amir Hosseini at one of their Mortar & Pestle bars. Left, center left, below left and below far left: Deconstructed samosa, thali platters, kathi rolls and mango lassi are some of the Indian street food items offered by Curry Up Now. Below: Customers gather at the Curry Up Now food truck in San Francisco, California.

ometimes, two great things really do go well together. In the case of San Francisco Bay Area’s Curry Up Now, it was the merger of chicken tikka masala and the burrito—two culinary staples from two very different cultures. The chicken tikka masala burrito resulted in a wildly successful business opportunity for Curry Up Now co-founders Amir Hosseini, Akash Kapoor and his wife Rana Kapoor. “Curry Up Now was born after a short discussion over lunch,” says Hosseini. The chicken tikka masala burrito had never been done, but the concept was tantalizingly within reach. Two weeks later, they abandoned their real estate industry jobs and purchased their first food truck. Launched in 2009, Curry Up Now helped usher in the white-hot gourmet food truck by introducing a new form of a familiar comfort food in the Bay Area, where the burrito is the king of lunchtime eats. “We were probably the first ‘gourmet food truck’ in the Bay Area,” says Hosseini. “Our timing was right and people in the Bay Area

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Curry Up Now

MARLON E/Courtesy Flickr

CALI GODLEY/Yelp Inc./Courtesy Flickr

www.curryupnow.com

Above: A diner clicks a photograph of her meal during the Yelp Elite Event at Curry Up Now in Oakland, California, in May 2017. Above right: The menu at Curry Up Now in San Mateo, California.

The menu takes a clever approach by fusing fresh Indian flavors with types of food more familiar and accessible to Americans, like sandwiches, tacos and ravioli. 30 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

out where the food trucks would set up shop for lunch on any given day. A strong social media presence also contributes to Curry Up Now’s engaged and devoted local following. As the Bay Area became a metaphor for tech success, Curry Up Now became a metaphor for fast-casual restaurant success. The team has received countless awards and nods. Hosseini, for instance, was featured in Forbes’ 2017 30 Under 30 list in the food and drink category. Hosseini says he is still in shock about what has happened in less than 10 years. “I would have never believed we would accomplish all that we have in such a short period,” he says. “It’s an awesome feeling to watch our brand grow the way it has. We still work with the same passion with which we started our brand back in 2009.” The restaurants are as eclectic as the food they serve, decked with colorful artwork and community tables. “We’re different from other fast-casual concept restaurants,” says Hosseini. “We care just as much about the atmosphere and dining experience as we do about the food. Our dining rooms are colorful and vibrant, and our food is approachable, fun and delicious.” Part of the restaurant expansion was

achieved through the acquisition of Tava, a former competitor in the East Bay area. But food trucks were always, and continue to be, the company’s bedrock. “The original thought was not to pivot, but to grow,” says Hosseini. “The first brick-andmortar location allowed us to build infrastructure and a consistent location for our guests to visit. It was definitely a different operational experience. We learned very quickly how different opening a restaurant was from running a food truck.” What’s next? With a solid stable of local businesses, the Curry Up Now co-founders have set their sights beyond the Bay Area. “Now that we’ve completed the Tava acquisition, our current focus is to grow our franchise model and take the brand national,” says Hosseini. But he is also mindful of the company’s roots and advises other aspiring entrepreneurs to do the same. “Start your endeavor with the right team,” says Hosseini. “Always stay humble and never become complacent. Don’t lose sight of what has brought you success in the first place.” Candice Yacono is a magazine and newspaper writer based in southern California.

Below left: Navina Jafa performs against the backdrop of the Badami cave temples in Karnataka.

Below: Jafa sings with local artistes at the Great Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. Photographs courtesy Navina Jafa

Fulbrighter

Navina Jafa uses walks and performances to promote India’s cultural heritage.

Performed Journeys

of India

By NATASA MILAS

he Condé Nast Traveller guide to Delhi suggests walks with Navina Jafa as one of the experiences in the city not to be missed—“Her walks will make you experience the city like you can never imagine.” Jafa promotes India’s cultural heritage through well-organized and well-researched tours of Delhi and other parts of India. Her tours link the past and the present through the lenses of culture, history, sociology and economics. Her walks are considered unique as they promote cultural heritage through performative acts. Jafa is a performer and academic—she is a kathak dancer and holds a Ph.D. in socioeconomic history of performing arts from Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi. She is also the vice president of the Centre for New Perspectives, a think tank working on sustainable development, cultural policy, innovative tourism and green skills. In 2005-6, Jafa was a Fulbright Scholar at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage in Washington, D.C., where she worked on the themes of “Cultural Management and Cultural Diplomacy.” She has also authored a book, “Performing Heritage: Art of Exhibit Walks.” Excerpts from an interview. Please tell us about your experience at the Smithsonian and how it helped shape your career?

For my Fulbright program, I was associated with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and the National Endowment for the Arts. These interactions allowed me to not only critique my body of work, but also to reposition both theoretical and practical constructs that touched ideas on exhibiting culture through the modality of heritage walks and academic tours, which manifested themselves in a book. While in America, I reached out to various sectors of American culture. From dancing with African Americans near the Anacostia River, conducting storytelling sessions for children through the Washington Storytelling Society, performing at the [John F.] Kennedy Center [for the Performing Arts] and sharing ideas on Indian food with my colleagues at the Smithsonian, to creating dance journeys with American dancers and multimedia artistes, these dialogues between the unique aspects of American culture and knowledge of Indian traditions opened a new world. Please tell us about the concept of “academic tourism” in the context of India. I have both a copyright and a trademark of the term “academic tourism.” It is an interpretation of a heritage landscape through multiple perspectives, including sociological, political, historical and so on. It also brings in tradition bearers and community voices.

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www.navinajafa.com

Centre for New Perspectives http://cnpindia.org

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage www.folklife.si.edu

Fulbright Fellowships

www.usief.org.in/ Fellowships.aspx

Right and far right: Chargé d’Affaires MaryKay Loss Carlson at the launch event of Air India’s direct flight from New Delhi to Washington, D.C., in New Delhi in July 2017.

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Academic tourism implies not checking boxes when traveling, but something like what Adam Douglas’ work is about—a scientific aspect inspired to create real-life innovative experiences. Let us take the delta of the Ganges, known as the Sundarbans, as an example. The themes are not only about the natural heritage, but also those that cover anthropological aspects of the trade between West Asia in the Indian Ocean, which gave birth to the fascinating forest goddess Bonbibi, having both Muslim and Hindu aspects. The entire academic tour is not merely about visiting sites, but includes interactions with tradition bearers and bringing live issues to the table. You have worked on heritage education within different cultural institutions in India. What type of work do you do within these organizations to promote heritage education? The work is largely on traditional knowledge, covering a wide set of subjects such as crafts, performing arts, health or medicine, cuisine, lifestyle, scientific knowledge related to agriculture, and issues such as water harvesting. The bottom line is conservation of cultural traditions through a multipronged strategy, which includes methodologies and practical programs. The most exciting recent projects that we are doing at the Centre for New Perspectives are creating inventive sustainable livelihood programs for marginalized streetfolk performers and launching a massive environmental youth leadership program in different parts of India, called the Green Foot Soldier.

Many famous people have participated in your guided heritage walks, including two former U.S. Secretaries of State, Henry Kissinger and Condoleezza Rice. Please tell us about your popular walks in Delhi. When one is commissioned to present Indian heritage to important world leaders, there are limitations related to their security, age and time. Taking all these into consideration, the site of the Humayun’s Tomb, Sufi shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, the Qutub Minar and Red Fort [in Delhi], and the Taj Mahal [in Agra] have been most popular. Other popular walks in Delhi which I conduct are “Jugaad,” economic heritage in Old Delhi, socio-politics of transgender heritage, and gateway to Sufism. Your book, “Performing Heritage: Art of Exhibit Walks,” discusses art and politics of cultural representation. What role can heritage studies play given the increasing globalization of cultures and values today? Heritage is usually a record of how human communities have responded to natural environments and resources, which manifests itself in how they live, trade, eat, dress and so on. Heritage studies can be a platform to explore unique ways to create sustainable development programs for tradition bearers, often living on the margins. And, it can be a distinct way to evolve local leadership programs to address environmental issues, seek conflict resolutions and provide advocacy for developing a globalized culture. Natasa Milas is a freelance writer based in New York City.

Photographs by SHIBU MATHEWS

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Navina Jafa

offer an opportunity to travel and relax while focusing on health.

Photographs courtesy The Raj

Ayurveda vacations

Holistic Health By NATASA MILAS

Left: A guest enjoys shirodhara, a relaxation treatment, at The Raj in Fairfield, Iowa. Top and above: The Raj uses Maharishi Ayurveda products, formulations prepared using various herbs, in its treatment programs.

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A Below: An aerial view of The Raj, situated on 40 hectares of meadows and woodlands in Fairfield, Iowa. Below right: Each day, guests at The Raj receive a series of recommended treatments that last from two to three hours.

yurveda is one of the world’s oldest forms of holistic medicine. It was developed more than 3,000 years ago in India, and remains one of the country’s most important traditional health care systems. Many of its practices, like herbal remedies, mineral therapies and energy balancing, have been adopted by Western holistic medical systems. As a natural extension of the West’s deep interest in holistic medicine and Eastern health practices, the trend of Ayurveda vacations is growing rapidly in the United States. Ayurveda vacations combine travel and relaxation with educational and potentially life-altering experiences. They offer tourists a chance to not only take a break from their usual routines and explore new regions of the country, but to also improve their health. Although the treatment for ailments like allergies, diabetes, obesity, stress and depression can be manifold, the common element within all Ayurveda practices is to seek balance of the body, urges and the mind. The philosophy behind an Ayurveda vacation

www.theraj.com

34 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

Photographs courtesy The Raj

The Raj

is to immerse oneself in a treatment, so as to “jump-start” the move toward good health, and then to carry these forms of balance forward once the vacation has ended, by integrating the newfound knowledge and practices into one’s daily routine. As per the teaching of Ayurveda, it continues to enhance one’s health as long as the remedies and practices are continued. In this way, the benefits of the treatments availed during the vacation can be enjoyed long after the trip has ended. Two locations are at the forefront of popularizing Ayurveda vacations in the United States: The Raj in Fairfield, Iowa, and the Ayurveda Health Retreat in Alachua, Florida.

The Raj Started in 1993, The Raj soon became one of the major centers of Ayurveda medicine in the United States. Although Iowa may seem very far afield from India, careful thinking went into establishing The Raj there. Fairfield is home to the Maharishi University of Management and the Maharishi

Photographs courtesy Ayurveda Health Retreat

Ayurveda Health Retreat www.ayurvedahealthretreat.com Far left: A guest enjoys a massage by a therapist at the Ayurveda Health Retreat (left) in Alachua, Florida.

College of Consciousness Based Health Care. Before The Raj opened, at an international conference in Holland in 1990, Ayurveda experts thought of establishing a “Mayo Clinic” of prevention, based on Maharishi Ayurveda. As a lot of research in the field of Ayurveda was conducted through the Maharishi University of Management, it was decided that Fairfield would be the ideal location for the project, which included The Raj. The health spa offers various comprehensive treatment and educational options. A treatment is initiated by meeting an Ayurveda health consultant, who begins the process of gauging the visitor’s needs and level of health using the Maharishi Ayurveda Pulse Assessment, a diagnostic technique which helps to identify the level of imbalance in the body. All treatments are designed to meet individual needs, but they typically include two to three hours of massage, cleansing, counseling or other therapies. Food is integral to Ayurveda, so only organic, vegetarian food is served at The Raj. Yoga classes are conducted twice daily, with an emphasis not on intensive exercise but on learning a series of exercises and poses that can be practiced at home as well.

Ayurveda Health Retreat Sharing the same vision as The Raj is the Ayurveda Health Retreat in Alachua, Florida. The mission statement of the retreat is: “To share the wisdom of yoga and Ayurveda in the spirit of healing, love, transformation and service.” Founded in 2001 by Richard Masla, the retreat offers services of psychologists, massage therapists, Reiki healers, and yoga and meditation teachers. It also offers a great range of intensity and duration in terms of packages, from weekend programs to a full 21-day retreat. The ability to reshape one’s lifestyle is one of the main reasons behind the expanding appeal of Ayurveda retreats and is at the core of what the center caters to— offering visitors the chance to learn about and follow practices that will help them manage their health well. As Masla says, “Ayurveda includes the science of rejuvenation, but many people take better care of their automobiles than they take care of their bodies.” But, with an Ayurveda vacation, it is possible to arrive at a location that reminds the traveler of the most important vehicle of all.

The ability to reshape one’s lifestyle is one of the main reasons behind the expanding appeal of Ayurveda retreats.

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

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

Home Away from Home

cross the United States, there are scores of places inhabited by people from India. These Little Indias are expanding as immigration from the subcontinent continues apace. The substantial influx started in the late 1960’s, after the lifting of a provision of a U.S. immigration law that had greatly restricted immigration from Asia and Africa. Now, for many, these neighborhoods are the first stop on the road to a life in the United States. These communities “have a big appeal for people immigrating with their parents,” says Mita Shewakramani, a business owner in Devon Avenue, an area often dubbed as the Little India of

By BURTON BOLLAG

Chicago. “People can get around comfortably in these areas without knowing much English.” But unlike other areas with ethnic communities, like the Chinatowns in the United States, Indian neighborhoods tend to be more transient. “Indians move to a Little India, become successful and, then, move on to more affluent areas,” says Animesh Goenka, who lives in Long Island, New York. He is the president of New York-based Steelbro International Co., Inc. and a former president of the Association of Indians in America. Here are three of the many Little Indias across the United States.

Above and above right: People participate in a parade, organized on the occasion of India’s Independence Day. The parade passes through Devon Avenue in Chicago. Right: A view of Oak Tree Road in the town of Edison, New Jersey.

SEBASTIAN JOHN

Photographs by ALAN C./Courtesy Flickr

Take a trip to Little Indias to experience Indian and South Asian cultures in the United States.

Association of Indians in America http://aianational.com/ 36 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

SAMUEL A. LOVE/Courtesy Flickr

Devon Avenue, Illinois

after Golda Meir, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. It’s, therefore, not hard to understand why locals call it “the most diverse street in America.” This diverse mix of cultures has led to some surprising culinary mash-ups: Ali’s BBQ Restaurant advertises “fine Pakistani and Indian food” as well as cheese burgers, chicken nuggets and french fries. Royal Sweets serves pizza as well as chaat. Devon Avenue had a large population of orthodox Jews, originally from Eastern Europe, when Indians began arriving in the 1970’s. From the 1990’s, they were being joined by Pakistanis and other South Asians. Thus, you can find at least half a dozen synagogues and half a dozen mosques scattered around the neighborhood. The first Hindu temple opened last year.

hicago’s Devon Avenue neighborhood is one of the United States’ most well-known Little Indias. The community is centered around the 1.5-kilometer stretch of Devon Avenue, a dense commercial street lined with low brick and stucco buildings on Chicago’s north side. Stroll down the sidewalk and let your senses regale in the aromas from dozens of Indian and Pakistani restaurants and grocery stores, the colorful saris adorning mannequins in clothing stores and the subtle jangling of bangles. South Asian residents share the area with people of various nationalities, ethnicities and religions: Eastern European Jews, Russians, Arabs and Latinos. It is said that 40 different languages are spoken at Devon Avenue. A stretch of the road bears the official honorary name Gandhi Marg, while others are named

https://goo.gl/BasWCB

UMAR NASIR/Courtesy Flickr

A Guide to Devon Avenue

RUNS WITH SCISSORS/Courtesy Flickr

Indian restaurants (far right) and clothing stores (right) line the Devon Avenue neighborhood in Chicago (above).

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Oak Tree Road, New Jersey

he first Indian restaurants and grocery stores opened on Oak Tree Road in the town of Edison, New Jersey, in the early 1980’s. At the time, this area of strip malls—clusters of stores lining major roads—was in a slump, losing business to the newer, enclosed shopping malls. Fortunately, migration to the state of New Jersey was on the rise as skilled professionals were coming from India. Fashion boutiques, beauty parlors, jewelry stores and travel agencies followed, attracting even more Indians to settle here. Today, an estimated one quarter of Edison’s 100,000 residents are Indians and the neighborhood accounts for more than 400 Indian-owned businesses. The Oak Tree Road

Oak Tree Road

www.oaktreeroad.us 38 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

Photographs by SEBASTIAN JOHN

Above, right and far right: With more than 400 Indianowned businesses, Oak Tree Road in Edison, New Jersey, is one of the largest Indian commercial hubs in the United States.

neighborhood is now one of the largest Indian commercial hubs in the United States. The area is soaked in the ambience of India. Restaurants and sweet shops alternate with Indian-owned banks, doctors’ and lawyers’ offices, and real estate agencies. One can find stores with a wide collection of Indian music and Bollywood films, or can catch the latest Indian films at a local movie theater that sells samosas in addition to popcorn to moviegoers. India’s Independence Day is celebrated here with an annual India Day parade, featuring food, music and dance, which attracts thousands. Diwali and Navratri are also celebrated with much fervor on Oak Tree Road.

Millbourne, Pennsylvania

the early 1990’s. What makes Millbourne unique is that it may be the only town in the United States with a majority of residents from the subcontinent— mostly Indians, followed by Bangladeshis. Millbourne distinguishes itself from other Little Indias in another way—its residents are distinctly of working class. Many residents stay here for a number of years, and then move to more affluent communities after they become more financially secure. Burton Bollag is a freelance journalist living in Washington, D.C.

SMALLBONES/Courtesy Wikipedia

Courtesy Facebook.com/UpperDarbyGurudwara

Below: The Philadelphia Sikh Society celebrates Khalsa Day in Millbourne in 2016. Bottom: “Paradise,” an iridescent relief sculpture of peacock feathers, on Millbourne Station. The Indian peacock as the subject is a homage to the multiethnic character of Millbourne’s residents, most of whom are of Indian origin.

ocated only six kilometers from downtown Philadelphia, where many residents go to work, Millbourne, known as a “borough,” is a small community of only about 1,000 inhabitants. Walk down Market Street, the town’s main commercial thoroughfare, and for a few blocks, you’ll be transported to India without the air travel. Indian grocery stores, beauty salons and other types of establishments are full of clients speaking an Indian language and women clad in saris. Half of the businesses are owned by Indians and the town’s only place of worship is a gurdwara established in

Borough of Millbourne

www.millbourneborough.org SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

Outreach Through the Arts

By MICHAEL GALLANT

s a teenager in the United States, Jonathan Hollander was chosen by an organization called the American Field Service to represent his high school on an adventure of studying in another country. The field service is now called AFS Intercultural Programs. Little did Hollander know that the subsequent journey would not only take him halfway around the world to India, but also lay the groundwork for a multidecade career spreading friendship, dance and diplomacy between his native and adoptive homes.

Diplomacy through dance Hollander is the founder and artistic director of the New York City-based Battery Dance Company, an innovative organization inspired in no small part by his experiences of studying, and dancing, in India.

New York City-based Battery Dance Company builds bridges internationally through performing arts. 40 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

Battery Dance Company Jonathan Hollander https://goo.gl/W21bSv

Indo-A American Arts Council www.iaac.us

Dancing to Connect https://goo.gl/5z9JEr

DARIAL SNEED

Courtesy Battery Dance Company

http://batterydance.org

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Right: Jonathan Hollander (second from right) with Indian classical dancers Mithun Shyam (from left), Shyamjith Kiran, Viraja Mandhre and Unnath Hassan Rathnaraju. Below: During the 41st anniversary season of Battery Dance Company in New York City in 2017, the group presented one of its most ambitious works, “On Foot,” a piece about refugees and the issue of immigration.

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Hollander describes the company as “a multifaceted institution with a 41-year history of engagement in the creation of new work, teaching and spreading its collective passion for dance, and facilitating international cultural exchange and engagement.” Founded in 1976, Battery Dance Company teaches people of all ages, with special attention to the disadvantaged and those in areas of conflict. It has participated in international arts festivals, conferences and symposia in 70 countries. Thanks to Hollander’s early explorations and focus on building international connections, the company has deep roots in India and continues to launch innovative initiatives that tie both countries together. In 2000, Hollander co-created the Indo-American Arts Council in New York, an organization that promotes Indian performing, literary and visual arts. The council collaborates with Battery Dance Company every summer in presenting Indian dancers, many of whom have never performed in the United States, before large public audiences. Some of Hollander’s bridge-building is inherent in his creative work. In 1997, during India’s 50th year of independence, Hollander brought a production he had choreographed for Battery Dance Company, called “Songs of Tagore,” to India and Sri Lanka, touring 17 cities in all. “The production demonstrated to young audiences that [Rabindranath] Tagore was not ‘old school,’ but a source of inspiration for an audacious dance company from New York,” he says. In 1992, Hollander traveled to India as a Fulbright lecturer on dance and “exposed many dancers and students to the American way of choreography and philosophy of dance, which include freedom to choose a theme and to build a vocabulary of movement from scratch, rather than by using a

codified method such as in classical ballet,” he says. This approach, coupled with the respect he showed toward other classical forms of dance, sent an important message, he says. “In the postcolonial period, some Indian dancers who wanted to innovate—Mallika Sarabhai and Chandralekha, for example—were accused of destroying the tradition that had so recently been revived.” Hollander’s efforts supported the innovative instincts of these and many other artistes, encouraging them both to honor the traditional roots of dance and add their own artistic voices to it. For Battery Dance Company’s 40th anniversary celebration in 2016, Hollander created a production inspired by the music of Hindustani vocalists Pandit Rajan and Sajan Misra, as well as the dance of bharatanatyam soloist Unnath Hassan Rathnaraju. “We hope to bring the production to India and have been invited by various festivals and theaters for December 2017 and beyond,” says Hollander.

Past, present and future When Hollander first arrived in India as a young student, he was placed with a welcoming host family in Mumbai and soon began to learn about Indian dance from some of the country’s most renowned experts. “This was an incredible opportunity for a callow 16-year-old,” he says with a laugh. “I learned about Manipuri dance from the Jhaveri sisters, bharatanatyam from Guru Parvati Kumar and his leading student Sucheta [Bhide] Chapekar.” “The most surprising thing was how generous people were with their time and patience,” he continues, “including [then] Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who entertained me and my fellow American exchange students on the lawn of her residence.” As both an outsider and an expert with deep roots in India, Hollander has a unique perspective on the challenges and Below: Battery Dance Company artistes perform “The Durga Project“ against the backdrop of New York Harbor, during the company’s 40th anniversary season. The dance number weaves Western and Indian influences.

42 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

Below right: Bharatanatyam dancer Unnath Hassan Rathnaraju performs at the 40th anniversary season of Battery Dance Company in New York City in 2016.

opportunities facing dancers in the country. “India has so much to be proud of with its brilliant array of talented dancers,” he says. “I hope the federal, state and local government departments which look after culture will increase their budgets and standardize their grant-making procedures, and ensure the most worthy artistes receive support.” “I also hope the Indian dance community, as a whole, will band together and make a unified plea for better conditions to address the financial and logistical challenges they now face,” he adds. “So many changes are happening in India that may improve conditions for Indian dancers of future generations.” Hollander’s dreams for the future include expanding the innovative work his company began in 2014 with survivors of human trafficking and young people from disenfranchised communities. “I also hope we can work with mixed groups of Pakistani and Indian teenagers in the framework of our Dancing to Connect program,” he says. “We have seen this program erase borders between Palestinian and Israeli youth, between Northern Irish Catholics and Protestants, and between wealthy dance students and those from communities where few amenities are available.” Michael Gallant is the founder and chief executive officer of Gallant Music. He lives in New York City.

Courtesy Battery Dance Company

Center right: During its 41st anniversary season in New York City in 2017, Battery Dance Company premiered a piece called “Reconstruction,” which highlights its modern dance athletic style.

Photographs by DARIAL SNEED

Right: A creative movement workshop by Battery Dance Company, with children served by nongovernmental organizations, in Mumbai.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

Courtesy https://twitter.com/USAmbIndia

Photographs by RAKESH MALHOTRA

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Chargé d’Affaires MaryKay Loss Carlson ran a social media poll in August to help her select a saree to wear on August 15, India’s Independence Day. Voters had to choose from the four options the Chargé d’Affaires had picked up from the Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan in New Delhi (above right). Chargé d’Affaires Carlson wore the voters’ top choice, the kanjeevaram (above), to the Independence Day event at the Red Fort in the morning and the second choice, the tussar (right), to the evening reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, where she met President Ram Nath Kovind.