ip jan feb 2013

INDIAPERSPECTIVES

VOL 26 NO. 9 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2013

IINNSS IIDDEE GLOBAL PERSPECTIVESASEAN-India Commemorative Summit

PHOTO FEATUREVibrant Pushkar

RIVERSA journey across India

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P O T P O U R R ICHANTING IS HERITAGEThe Buddhist chanting of Ladakh,Jammu & Kashmir has enteredUNESCO’s 2012 List of the IntangibleCultural Heritage of Humanity. Thechanting — orchestrated musicalrecitation of sacred texts — shares thelist with 27 cultural traditions fromacross the world.

CHOWMAHALLA GETS A LIBRARYChowmahalla Palace inHyderabad has now got aheritage library. Thelibrary, with around10,000 books, includingthe personal collection ofthe Asaf Jahi Nizams andon subjects such asliterature, medicine andIslamic culture, has anatural vintage look.

CHANDNI CHOWK @ GOOGLEOver 2,500 businesses in Delhi’s iconicChandni Chowk market are now onlinewith their own website as part of aninitiative by Google. The listed 5,000-plusbusinesses, including suppliers, exportersand wholesalers, can be reached atwww.chandnichowknowonline.in

JAIN HERITAGE WALKAhmedabad-based City Heritage Centreand Jain International Trade Organisationhas introduced a special walk covering 33Jain monuments in the city. The 2-km walkincludes 13 temples which will be shownfrom inside and around 20 Jain heritagestructures. The walk will gradually coverthe rest of the monuments.

WALK THROUGH CSTMumbai’s world heritagemonument, ChhatrapatiShivaji Terminus (CST)building has been openedofficially to visitors. Thevisitors now have access tothe Heritage Gallery, StarChamber, Grand StaircaseLounge on second floor andForecourt. Souvenirsembossed with photographsof the iconic CST will alsobe on sale.

A TRIBUTE TO TEXTILESTo celebrate the textile heritage of India,Cottage Emporium organised an exhibition-cum-sale of textiles, Timeless Threads, in sixIndian cities from December 19 to January 27.Dedicated to the authentic textiles fromJammu & Kashmir, West Bengal, UttarPradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat, it showcasedapparel, accessories and home linen.

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EDITORIAL NOTE

The statistics are astounding. A hundred million devotees are expected tovisit Allahabad, in Uttar Pradesh, during the Maha Kumbh to seek theblessings of India’s most venerated river, Ganga. Considering that theestimate includes a million foreign visitors, the event now is global and

one of the greatest spectacles of faith on earth. Besides many evidences of howsacred rivers are to India and its civilisation, the streams are a blessing to the land,bonding people with nature, heritage with development, serenity with turbulence,and life with death. With an objective to witness and celebrate their life and glory,we ventured out on an enchanting journey with the six most important rivers ofIndia — Ganga, Yamuna, Tapti, Narmada, Kaveri and Krishna — from the point oftheir origin to the point they culminate.

Talking of journey, one recalls the remarkable point made by famous poetRainer Maria Rilke, when he said, “The only journey is the journey within.” Ourmaiden edition of 2013 takes its readers on one such spiritual journey. And whocould be a better guide in this than Gautam Buddha? In Buddha’s Trail, we followthe footsteps of Lord Buddha, observing how the key destinations in his quest ofNirvana have transformed over centuries.

The double edition also has in store a tribute to sitar legend Pandit RaviShankar by his disciple and artist Shubhendra Rao, profiles of heritage centressuch as Salar Jung Museum, in Hyderabad, and villages of Khotachiwadi,Mhaterpakadi and Ranwar, in Mumbai. The edition is also a visual, literary andleisure delight with dedicated features on Pushkar in Rajasthan, literature festivalsof India, and International Kite Festival in Gujarat.

In this issue, we also cover the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit 2012, NewDelhi, an event that marked an apogee of two decades of India’s Look East policy anddefining milestones in New Delhi’s burgeoning relationship with the ASEAN. In oursection, Outreach, we cover the 2nd Annual Convention of International Relations’Scholars, held in December 2012. Supported by the Public Diplomacy Division of theMinistry of External Affairs, the event presented the scholars an opportunity todiscuss a vast variety of themes and interact with policymakers.

Marking the onset of 2013, the edition wishes its readers a wonderful yearahead. As always, we value your feedback. Please keep writing in.

Riva Ganguly Das

03JANUARYFEBRUARY 2013 � INDIA PERSPECTIVES

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January-February 2013 � VOL 26 No. 9/2013

INDIAPERSPECTIVES

Editor: Riva Ganguly DasAssistant Editor: Ashish Arya

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COVER PHOTO: A DECORATED CAMEL AT PUSHKAR, RAJASTHAN COVER DESIGN: BIPIN KUMAR

Potpourri 2

Rivers:Streams of bliss 6

Global Perspectives:ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit 20

Outreach:International Relations Convention 28

Buddha’s Trail:Divine soul search 32

Tribute:Sitar legend Pandit Ravi Shankar 40

Photo Feature:Pushkar 46

Heritage:Mumbai villages 56

Treasure:Salar Jung Museum 60

Profile:Auto entrepreneur 62

Past time:International Kite Festival 66

Legacy:Music from the desert 72

Erudition:Celebration of literature 78

Exhibition:Rediscovering India 84

Review:Colours of SAARC 88

Verbatim:Gurcharan Das 90

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JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2013


RIVERS

Emerging as a trickle and continuing theirlong journey across India, rivers aregoddesses to be worshipped and lifelinefor multitudes. India Perspectivesembarks on a journey with the six mostimportant rivers of the country

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08 INDIA PERSPECTIVES � JANUARYFEBRUARY 2013

LEGEND HAS IT…Lord Shiva rewarded King Bhagirath after his penance and

Ganga came down to earth. However, due to her pride, and thefact that the earth would be devastated if Ganga came down in

full force, Lord Shiva caught her in his hair. It was thenproclaimed that Goddess Uma or Parvati would bathe in the

Ganga every day and only then would she descend on the earth.The sacred stone near the temple stands for the place where

Ganga first came down.

(Clockwise from top) A mystic onthe bank of Ganga; ice rocks of

Gaumukh; boats at Varanasi; andevening prayer in progress at

Haridwar


The 2,600-km-long journey of the Ganga has many twists and turns. The river comesinto being at Devprayag in Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. It is here that the holy union

of its two main tributaries, Bhagirathi and Alaknanda, takes place. Considered to be themain origin of Ganga, the Gangotri is actually the source for Bhagirathi. The Badrinathshrine represents the origin of its other main tributary, Alaknanda.

As the Alaknanda races down the district of Chamoli, it finds the Mandakini rivercoming down the Nanda peaks. These peaks include the Nanda Devi (over 7,800 m),the second highest in India. This journey continues to Rudraprayag, where the quieterMandakini with its resplendent green colour can be seen merging into the white watersof a rapidly flowing Alaknanda. Travelling down the Mandakini river takes you to theholy Kedarnath. It is now that Alaknanda longs to meet Bhagirathi at Devprayag.

From Devprayag onwards, the Ganga moves first to Rishikesh, a town next toHaridwar, famous as much for its spiritual hermitages, as much as for its opportunitiesfor white-water rafting for adventure enthusiasts. Finally, it is at Haridwar that theGanga enters the plains and transforms into a placid river. The confluence of theGanga and the Yamuna is one of the biggest pilgrimages for Hindus. A dip at thisconfluence called Sangam, is auspicious. Allahabad — also known as Triveni — is theplace for the merger of the invisible river Saraswati and the Ganga.

The journey of the Ganga continues from here to Kashi or Varanasi, a city seeped inan ancient past. Synonymous with Hindu thought, religion, temple, art, music andculture, the city is also famous for its numerous passages leading down to the river(about 100). As the Ganga moves from Uttar Pradesh to Bihar, various rivers continueto join it. These include the Ramganga, Kosi, Gandak and Ghaghra. As the river movesinto West Bengal, it becomes sluggish and placid. Thereafter, she becomes the Hooghlyand moves towards Ganga Sagar where she dissolves into the vastness of the ocean.

—Deepankar Aron

The Holy DescentGANGA


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The massive Bundarpunch Peak (6,316 m) cradles the source of the river Yamuna,the Saptrishi Kund, a sparkling lake that lies above and to the north of the

Yamunotri shrine. The river actually has its origin within the ice-bound Champasarglacier, whose waters first accumulate at the foot of the Bundarpunch massif as thelake. The river has strong associations with Lord Krishna. It is believed that whenVasudeva, his father, was crossing the river with baby Krishna in his arms for a refugein Gokul, a part of Mathura town, the infant fell into the waters. The dust of his lotusfeet immediately purified the river and made its waters sacred.

The Yamuna has a temple dedicated to it. Named Yamunotri, it is one of the foursacred dwelling places for devout Hindus. The other three are the temples of Gangotri,Badrinath and Kedarnath. At Yamunotri, water from one of the hot springs is divertedinto bathing tanks, where it is mixed with glacial melt waters to make the righttemperature. Pilgrims take a ritual bath here, pay obeisance before entering theYamunotri temple to pray before Goddess Yamuna, the black marble deity.

The Yamuna, a sparkling thread of silver flowing out of Saptrishi Kund, races merrilydownhill, the verdant green mountains making way for it through valleys, tickled by itsfeisty touch and go. The river continues to flow through a 200-km-stretch of the Shivalikhills in Himachal Pradesh and plains of Dak Pathar in Uttarakhand, moving on to UttarPradesh to become the serene backdrop of Taj Mahal at Agra. At Allahabad, Yamunameets the Ganga and the mythical Saraswati to make the confluence Sangam. TheYamuna merges with the mixed flow. The Ganga, with the Yamuna contained within,flows past Varanasi, a great Indian spiritual centre that has had more than 3,000 yearsof continuous habitation. The ocean is not far now. The river, ever remaining a constantcompanion to humanity, flows past Kolkata on its way to the Bay of Bengal, in a journeyseemingly coming to an end and yet perpetuating from antiquity to eternity.

—Sandeep Goswami

Course of ConsciousnessYAMUNA

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LEGEND HAS IT…Yamuna is considered to be the daughter of the Sun just ashe is the father of Yama. It is believed that Yama wouldnot torment any person at the time of his death if he/shehad bathed in the waters of the river. The freezingYamunotri glaciers are a stark contrast to the steaming hotsprings in the region. Is it a sleight of the divine hand? Itwould require a steely resolve to step into the ice-coldwaters, let alone bathe in it!


(Clockwise from top) The Taj Mahal withthe serene river as background; theBateshwar temple complex on the banksof Yamuna; a devotee at the Kumbh Mela,Allahabad; and the river at Yamunotri

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We had expected to find the Tapti’s origins in the Satpura hills to be a clear streamthat would flow west for about 725 km to its confluence with the sea near Surat,

in Gujarat. Instead, it turned out to be a tank in the town of Multai, in the Betul districtof Madhya Pradesh, with a few temples adding some character to the landscape. Afterour afternoon cup of tea, we walked down to the source of the river and visited thetemple which had a glimmering idol of Suryaputri Tapti (Sun’s daughter) being blessedby the Sun God. According to myth, river Tapti came into existence when local peopleoffered penance to Sun God to save them from famine. The Sun God accepted theirpenance and gave birth to the Tapti through his wife, Chhaya. She has Shani or Saturn,Yama Dev or Lord of Death, Yami or the Yamuna and Ashwin twins, who werephysicians of the Gods, among her siblings, a scholar explained.

Burhanpur, where we arrived next, came as a real surprise. Established by theFarooqi dynasty in the 1400s, it got its name from the dynasty’s spiritual mentor,Hazrat Burhanuddin. The building of forts, palaces, mosques, public baths and waterretaining structures was carried out during the reign of Adil Shah in the 1500s, thegolden period of Burhanpur’s architecture. Burhanpur is also an important pilgrimagecentre because of the mausoleum of the Syedi Abdulqadir Hakimuddin called Dargah-e-Hakimi visited by a large number of Bohra Muslims. We also visited the gurdwaraat Rajghat that commemorates the visit of Guru Nanak to the Tapti ghats. On theopposite bank of the river from the fort is Zainabad village which also has manymonuments, including Ahukhana, the pavilion of the begums. The boatman told usthat Mumtaz Mahal was buried here before being moved to the Taj Mahal in Agra.

From Burhanpur, the road took us to Bhusaval, Jalgaon and eventually to Surat.By virtue of its location near the Tapti river estuary, Surat has always been an importantport of India used by the Sultans, Mughals, Dutch and British for business, and Hindu,Jain and Parsi business families prospered within the city.

—Anil Mulchandani

INDIA PERSPECTIVES � JANUARYFEBRUARY 2013

Go with the FlowTAPTI

LEGEND HAS IT…Tapti is the daughter of Surya, the Sun god, andhis wife, Chhaya. She is also known as Suryaputrior Surya’s daughter. In Mahabharata, there is areference to Tapti, who married Sanvaran, alegendary hero of the Moon dynasty. Kuru, theirson, was the founder of the Kuru dynasty. Hersiblings are Yama, Yami and Shani.

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(Clockwise from top left) Fort ofBurhanpur; weaving lives aroundthe Tapti at Multai; Surat city onboth sides of the Tapti; and seekingthe blessings of the river

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LEGEND HAS IT…Narmada is the most sacred of the five rivers (the others

being Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari and Kaveri). According toa fable, when the cosmic ocean was being churned, it

emitted halahal (poison). Aware that it could createdestruction, Lord Shiva sipped the poison and trapped it inhis throat. But he needed to drink water immediately. The

place where found it is today known as Amarkantak.

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(Clockwise from top right) Marblerocks at Bedhaghat in Jabalpur;

Narmada flows throughOmkareshwar; and the calm river

bank and boats

This is a story of love, longing and mistaken identities. It is the story of a handsomeyouth, an ebullient princess of unsurpassed beauty and a trusted servant. It is a

story of betrayal, separation and a wedding. It is the story of three rivers — theNarmada, the Sone and the Johila — originating in and around Amarkantak, a smalltown in the Maikal mountains on the border of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Legend has it that Narmada, daughter of King Maikal, was promised to the manwho would bring her father gulbakavali, a flower that is said to cure all eye ailments.Sone set out to fulfill the task but took longer than expected. An impatient Narmada,who had fallen in love with the good-looking prince, sent her maid Johila to find outthe reason for the delay and to tell Sone of her feelings. Sone mistook Johila forNarmada and Johila, dumbstruck by the beauty of the youth, did nothing to disabusehim. Tired of waiting, Narmada set out in search of her maid only to find her in thearms of Sone. An angry Narmada set out westwards, in the opposite direction fromSone and Johila. A distraught Sone threw himself off a mountain and wanderedeastwards for a while before marrying Johila. The ancients sure knew how to make ageography lesson interesting. The sources of the Narmada, the Sone and the Johilaare all within a few kilometres of each other.

Standing on the edge of the Narmadakund in Amarkantak, it is difficult to believe thatthis trickle turns into the mighty 1,300-km-long river that cleaves India into two;separating North India and the Deccan plateau. The Narmada — said to be even holierthan the Ganga — rises from the Maikal range in the very heart of India. Meanderingthrough Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, it enters the Gulf of Khambat forming a 21-km-wide estuary. The few who come head for the main temple, the Narmadeshwar Mandiradjoining which is the Narmadakund. There are over a dozen temples within theboundary wall. About a kilometre from the temple complex is a grove of trees called Maiki Bagiya, which is said to have been frequented by Narmada.


From the Heart of IndiaNARMADA

RAJEEV RASTOGI


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The 785-km-course of the Kaveri, regarded as the sacred Dakshina Ganga, isdotted with historic and religious sites. As the Kaveri winds south-eastwards,

through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu towards the Bay of Bengal, a number of tributaries,such as the Hemvati, Kabini and Aiyar, invigorate its flow. At Poompuhar, on theCoromandel coast, the fresh water of the Kaveri spills into the salt-laden sea. Beforethat, after passing the temple town of Tiruchirappalli, the Kaveri begins to dissipate intoa delta system which spans more than 80 km from north to south.

At Talakaveri, the Kaveri trickles into a trough in front of a small shrine. Pilgrimshead to Talakaveri all the year round, though most visit during October to Novemberwhen the river, revered as a goddess, celebrates her birthday. Known asTulasankramana Day, it is marked by a brief surge in pressure at the river’s source.To the inhabitants of the Kodagu region, the event has special significance.Theerhodbhava is a time for ancestor worship and the celebration of local traditions.

Texts such as the Tulakaverimanmiyam and Kaverittalpuranam document themythology of the Kaveri’s origins. Swami Ananda Tertha, who has spent a lifetimearound the stories and knows them by heart, knows the subtle differences in theKannada and Tamil versions of the legends. “A sage named Agasthya, the father ofthe Tamil language, came to this area and asked Kavera for his daughter… Kaveriagreed to marry him, under the condition that Agasthya should never be away formore than 40 minutes at a time. Back then, there was no water on this side of themountain, so Agasthya went to the other side of the Brahmagiri. He kept Kaveri in theform of water, in a jug. After the 40 minutes was over, a surge of water came from thejug and that is how the Kaveri river emerged....,” explains the Brahmagiri resident.

In the Tamil version, elders pleaded for water to Ganesh, who then sent Kaveririver towards Tamil Nadu. Though the details of the river’s divine origins may bedisputed, the Kaveri’s importance to the region is not.

—Stuart Forster

The Golden RiverKAVERI

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LEGEND HAS IT…There was once born a girl named Vishnumaya orLopamudra, the daughter of Brahma, but her divine fatherpermitted her to be regarded as the child of a mortal calledKavera. Lopamudra resolved to become a river whosewaters would purify the sins of mankind. It is believedthat even the holy Ganga travels underground once a yearto reach the source of the Kaveri.


(Clockwise from top) Past Srirangamisland; ruins of Srirangapatnam;tourists enjoy a ride; and amagnificent view of the Kaveri


LEGEND HAS IT…The source of the river is a spout from the mouth of a cow’sstatue in the ancient temple of Mahadev in Mahabaleshwar.

Krishna is said to be Lord Vishnu himself as a result of acurse on the trinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva by Savitri. Its

tributaries, Venna and Koyana, are said to be Shiva andBrahma themselves.

(Clockwise from top) Pilgrimage centre atNarsobawadi; ornate craftsmanship at Khidrapurtemple, near Kolhapur; Krishna waters in a bund

near Sangli; and misty mountains and prettyflowers en route

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From the time it springs through the mouth of a cow (carved in stone) in thepicturesque hill station-plateau of Mahabaleshwar in Western Maharashtra, until

it merges into anonymity in the Bay of Bengal, via Hamasaladeevi in Andhra Pradesh,the mighty Krishna river has travelled a stupendous 1,300-odd kilometres. Gushingdown from a height of 1,400 m above sea level and bathing the plains barely 50 kmfrom the source, it enriches every area that it meanders through. The river passesthrough 40 per cent of hilly terrain as it flows through three prominent states —Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

The fable of the birth of the Krishna river is fascinating. Dating back to the timewhen Earth came into existence, Lord Brahma is said to have been mesmerised bythe landscape of the earth, as he saw it from the plateau of Mahabaleshwar. Hedecided to hold a yagna or ritual of offering to celebrate the occasion. To dissipateany hurdle, he first scuttled the might of the Mahabal demon, and invited the Godsfor the rituals. When the rituals began, the priest asked Lord Brahma to call his wife,Savitri, to join in. Brahma called out for her, but Savitri did not reply. The priest thenasked him to call his second wife, Gayatri, who came in and sat for the puja.

However, when Savitri heard the chanting, she sprinted towards the offering andwas aghast to see Gayatri seated there. She angrily shouted, “This is my prerogative;how can Gayatri be allowed to do it?” There was no answer. The Gods kept silent.Savitri then turned to Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu and snapped, “Why are you keepingquiet?” Bursting with anger, Lord Shiva is said to have directed a curse, “Women havebecome very arrogant. I curse that both of you will turn into two water bodies and thethree of us will never meet again.” To this, Savitri is said to have cursed back, “Allthree of you (Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu) will also take the form ofwater.” And so the five rivers were born from the mouth of the cow located at thePanchganga temple in Mahabaleshwar.

—Vinita Deshmukh

Giver of ProsperityKRISHNA

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BLOSSOMING OF THE

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TEXT: MANISH CHAND

The ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit fleshed out an ambitiousoverarching vision of an Asian century and an Asian community

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

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t’s the blossoming of the ‘Great Asian Dream.’ In a rapidlymutating world order marked by the seismic shift of powerfrom the West to the East, the leaders of India and 10ASEAN countries gathered in the Indian capital for a

special two-day ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit(December 20-21) and fleshed out an ambitious overarchingvision of an Asian century and an Asian community.

The summit marked an apogee of two decades ofIndia’s Look East policy and toasted defining milestones inNew Delhi’s burgeoning and variegated relationship withthe Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a

regional dynamo that has set new benchmarks in economicintegration and has emerged as a beacon of hope inrecessionary times. India became a sectoral dialoguepartner of the ASEAN in 1992 and has been holding annualsummits with the regional grouping since 2002. Thesummit was singular in as much as this was the first timeNew Delhi hosted all the ASEAN leaders on the Indian soil.

The wide-ranging discussions at the New Delhi Summitsaw a unique confluence of economic and strategicinterests between India and the ASEAN. The bonding andthe sense of camaraderie between leaders of India and the


Heads of states atthe ASEAN-IndiaCommemorativeSummit 2012 inNew Delhi

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(Above) President ofIndia, PranabMukherjee meetsSultan of Brunei,Hassanal Bolkiah; and(below) President ofMyanmar, Thein Seinwith Lok SabhaSpeaker, Meira Kumar

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Southeast Asian countries was all too visible. At the plenary,all leaders of ASEAN countries were unstinting in praise ofIndia’s economic growth model and its emergence as apower centre. They voiced in unison their desire to mapnew frontiers in this empowering relationship that hasmultiple spin-off benefits for both sides.

The talks covered an entire spectrum of bilateral,regional and international issues. Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh, an eloquent proponent of what he calls“an arc of prosperity” across Asia, encapsulated thismeeting of minds in his inaugural address at the summit.“Our shared values, convergent world views and similaritiesin approaches to the region should help us make the India-ASEAN relationship more comprehensive and elevate it toa Strategic Partnership for the next decade and beyond.”

The summit, themed “ASEAN-India Partnership for

Peace and Shared Prosperity” ended with an all-embracingvision document that elevated India’s ties with the ASEAN tothe level of strategic partnership and formally unveiled theconclusion of negotiations on a free-trade agreement (FTA)in services and investments, a potential game-changer in theexpanding bilateral relations marked by win-win linkages andinvestments. It complements the FTA in goods, which wassealed in 2009 and became fully operational in August 2011,leading to a near doubling of bilateral trade.

The summit firmed up a template for closer cooperationin political, economic and security areas. The key focusareas, which are poised for a major upsurge includeintensification of trade and investments, closer securitycooperation and enhanced physical and culturalconnectivity. The leaders resolved to work towards “the full,effective and timely implementation of the ASEAN-India

A CULTURAL SYMPHONYCulturally, the New Delhi Summit saw a resounding reaffirmation of the centuries-old ties,connecting the hearts and minds of nearly 2 billion people of the two regions.

ON THE ROAD: THE ASEAN CAR RALLYFrom the splendours of Angkor Vat in Cambodia and Wat Phu in Laos to Borobudur in Indonesiaand Sukhothai in Thailand, the India-ASEAN car rally, that traversed over 8,000 km across theregion, blended the past and the present to bring alive centuries-old civilisational linkagesbetween India and the ASEAN. The car rally, comprising 31 sports utility vehicles, was flagged offfrom Yogyakarta, Indonesia on November 26 and reached New Delhi after an exhilarating odysseyon a crisp winter morning of December 21. The rally was given a ceremonial flag down by PrimeMinister Dr. Manmohan Singh and all ASEAN leaders, waving flags and cheering on theparticipants. It marked a “new journey of closer cooperation and a deeper strategic partnership”through increased connectivity, the Prime Minister said at the flagging-down ceremony. The rallyunderlined the connectivity between India and ASEAN which are “joined together on land and bywater, with shared borders and shared cultures,” he said. It “symbolises the vision of an ASEAN-India community, where people, goods, services and ideas can travel freely between us.” Whatmade the road trip a unique experience was an effortless commingling of languages and music ofdifferent countries and a spontaneous sense of camaraderie. Indian participants sang Malay andFilipino songs whereas rallyists from ASEAN countries sang Bollywood songs.

Rekindling old bonds, INS Sudarshini, the indigenously built sail training ship of Indian Navy,docked at the ports of the ASEAN countries, retracing the ancient sea routes developed alongmonsoon trade winds, linking India with South East Asia. The expedition which was flagged-offfrom Kochi on September 15, 2012 on its six months expedition, is traversing the entire distanceof over 13,500 nautical miles by sail, wind permitting, calling on ports in nine ASEAN countriesbefore being flagged down in Kochi on March 29, 2013.

DANCE OF SPIRITTranscending boundaries and different cultural spaces, 10 dancing troupes from ASEANcountries and 10 groups of dancers and musicians from various parts of India effortlessly mergedto create a unique synthesis symbolising the theme of cultural and spiritual synergy. It was amesmerising spectacle as the leaders and their delegations watched spellbound the ensembleperformance at Ashoka Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan on the concluding day of the summit.

“The cultural collaboration aimed to bring out the similarities of the common origin sharedby Indian performing arts with the existing traditions in the Southeast Asian nations,” saysSuresh K. Goel, Director General of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR), whichorganised the hour-long show.


dialogue relations across the whole spectrum of political andsecurity, economic, social and development cooperation.”

With the global slowdown and the deepening gloom inthe eurozone as a backdrop, the focus was on adding moreeconomic content to the relationship as most ASEANeconomies and India are still growing at a healthy pace. Thesynergies and prospects of collaboration between theregions are immense, making the horizon virtually limitless.The ambition was soaring: most ASEAN leaders reiterated

their collective resolve to scale up bilateral trade to $100billion by 2015. This, too, is a modest target, with manylong-standing watchers of the ASEAN scene saying thefigure could double in the next few years to $200 billion.The successful conclusion of negotiations on an FTA inservices and investments stole the headlines, and forlegitimate reasons. This FTA was preceded by labyrinthinenegotiations, but in the end the spirit of give and take andthe larger vision of the ASEAN-India relations prevailed.

INDIA, AS DR. SINGH STRESSED, SEES ASEAN ASA PARTNER “IN CREATING AN OPEN, BALANCED,INCLUSIVE AND RULE-BASED ARCHITECTURE INTHE REGION FOR OUR COLLECTIVE SECURITY,STABILITY AND PROSPERITY”


There was a tinge of pride and satisfaction in Dr. Singh’svoice when he observed that the FTA “represents a valuablemilestone in our relationship. I am confident it will boost oureconomic ties in much the same way the FTA in Goods hasdone.” This sense of accomplishment was sharedenthusiastically by all ASEAN leaders.

Besides economics, then prime driver of internationaldiplomacy in the 21st century, the Commemorative Summitopened up new vistas of cooperation in security issues andinvested the bilateral ties with the much-needed strategicdepth. This is a time of great flux and transition, with severalunsettled questions and unresolved issues in our region. Ourresponsibility to work for peace has increased and becomemore urgent.” This concern was shared by ASEAN leaders,with many of them pitching for a proactive role for India, agrowing economy and an emerging power, in regional affairs.

Freedom of navigation found across-the-boardendorsement. The vision document underscored the needfor India and the ASEAN leaders to “strengthen cooperationto ensure maritime security and freedom of navigation, andsafety of sea lanes of communication for unfettered

movement of trade in accordance with international law.”India, however, refrained from any interventionist impulse,with External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid saying theissue of sovereignty should be resolved by the countriesconcerned. The vision document stressed on “fosteringgreater security cooperation and information sharing in theform of regular and high-level dialogues to address traditionaland non-traditional security challenges, includingtransnational crimes and terrorism.” Underpinning thisstrategic vision is India’s belief in the ASEAN as “the bridgeto the East.” India, as Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singhstressed, sees ASEAN as a critical partner “in creating anopen, balanced, inclusive and rule-based architecture in theregion for our collective security, stability and prosperity.”

Taking a long-range view, India and the ASEAN alsodecided to give a strategic cast to their accelerating trade andinvestment through closer consultations in shaping regionaleconomic architecture and organising multi-sectoraleconomic dialogues. Boosting private sector investment andpublic-private partnership linkages were identified as priorityareas. The vision statement also noted that India and ASEAN

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(Left) Pranab Mukherjeemeets Prime Minister ofVietnam Truong Tan Sang; and(right) Dr. Manmohan Singhmeets Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Sen

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(Above) PrimeMinister Dr. Singhwith Prime Ministerof Singapore, LeeHsien Loong; and(below) with PrimeMinister ofThailand, YingluckShinawatra

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are committed to launching the ASEAN-India Free TradeArea, which will create a market of around 1.8 billion peoplewith a “combined GDP of $3.8 trillion.”

Connectivity holds the key to deeper integration of Indiaand ASEAN physically, economically and culturally. Thevision statement seeks to create a web of closer rail, roadand air links that will not only promote trade, but also firmlyposition people-to-people contacts at the heart of thisvibrant relationship. The dream of the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway is on course to become realityby 2016 and is proposed to be extended to Lao andCambodia. From India’s point of view, this will be thehighway of prosperity for India’s northeastern states bylinking them to vibrant markets and high-tech hubs ofSoutheast Asia. A new highway project that will connectIndia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia is also underconsideration. Another key infrastructure project, theMekong-India Economic Corridor, too, will act as aninstrument of transformation for India’s northeastern region.

The Commemorative Summit built upon the successfulASEAN-India Summit held in the Cambodian capital PhnomPenh on November 19, 2012. At the Phnom Penh Summit,India pitched for closer economic integration andconnectivity as the twin focus areas that have the potential to

transform the interlinked destinies of countries in the region.In the annals of international diplomacy, there are some

defining transformational relationships that are not onlygood for the two countries, but for the region and the world.The intertwining of the destinies of India and the ASEAN,and the larger East Asia is a good news story that is stillunfolding, and will have new chapters of hope added to itsarchives. The dream of an Asian century is no longer afancy buzzword, but is inching closer to becoming a livingreality. “A future of peace, stability and prosperity in theAsia Pacific requires increased cooperation and integrationin the region. ASEAN has shown the way in this regard,”said Dr. Manmohan Singh. India has eloquently reaffirmedthe ASEAN’s centrality in the ongoing project of renaissanceand renewal in the region by pledging support to thecreation of the ASEAN Community in 2015, comprisingthree pillars, namely, the ASEAN Political SecurityCommunity, the ASEAN Economic Community and theASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. The ASEAN is upbeatabout partnering a rising India for mutual resurgence. “Themore India is able to engage (with ASEAN), the more it willbe able to reap the benefits and the (Asia) plane will thentake wings,” Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loongsaid prophetically at the summit. �

CONNECTIVITY HOLDS THE KEY TO DEEPERINTEGRATION OF INDIA AND ASEAN PHYSICALLY,ECONOMICALLY AND CULTURALLY. THE VISIONDOCUMENT SEEKS TO CREATE A WEB OF RAIL, ROADAND AIR LINKS THAT WILL PROMOTE TRADE ANDPUT PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE CONTACTS AT THE HEARTOF THE RELATIONSHIP


THE NEW-AGE FACETS OF

FOREIGN POLICYTEXT: L. SAVITHRI

The International Relations Convention is an annual event of significancefor theorists and practitioners of the specialisation

OUTREACH

(Left) External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid addresses the gathering; and (right) Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai meets the delegates at the Convention

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t was a cold and foggy December morning in Delhi butIndia International Centre, the venue of the 2nd AnnualConvention of International Relations’ (IR) scholars, wasbustling with activity. Close to 300 young and experienced

scholars from all over the country and some from overseashad gathered in the Indian capital for the Convention todiscuss and debate on a vast array of themes relating tointernational relations. The IR Convention, as the annualevent is often referred, was held from December 10 to 12,2012 and focused on the larger theme, The Dawning ofAsian Century: Emerging Challenges before Theory andPractices of IR in India. The convention was organised bythe Indian Association of International Studies (IAIS) incollaboration with the Institute for Research on India andInternational Studies (IRIIS).

The Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of ExternalAffairs supported the event under its Outreach programmefor the second time in a row, and it had very good reasons

to do so. In fact, the idea was conceived during Ministry’sinteractions with the academic community during which aneed was felt for a structured interaction with policymakersand practitioners of foreign policy. A beginning made in2011 was taken forward in 2012 with a more academicemphasis. The response to call or papers by IAIS and IRIISwas stupendous and there were close to 500 registrations.The visible zeal in the academic community for themesrelating to international relations was encouraging andaugured well both for the institutions and policymakers, asit is the synergy between them that would eventually resultin enhanced understanding of the subject and contribute tobetter scholarship and inputs into policy making.

The inaugural session was attended by the ExternalAffairs Minister, Salman Khurshid, who lauded the scholarsfor carrying out the exemplary work. The minister urged theIR professionals to focus on challenges that the world isfacing currently and stressed on regional cooperation, with


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Europe as a case in point. He said, we must ask ourselvesthe question if we are living up to the expectations that the21st century is the Asian century. He said that India iscontributing significantly to the world forums on a variety ofareas — G20, environment, nuclear security — but we inIndia should appreciate and understand the efforts.

Another session which held great interest of the scholarswas an interaction with the National Security Adviser (NSA),Shiv Shankar Menon. The NSA answered many questionsfrom the enthusiastic scholars on the relevance of IR as adiscipline for the practitioners, our policy towards neighbourssuch as China, and non-traditional threats.

Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai interacted with thescholars in an open plenary session on December 12, 2012,and gave them an insight into the evolution of foreign policy.Stating that the importance of the study of internationalRelations cannot be over-emphasised, he said that thechallenge, however, was to keep pace with the rapidity of

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(Left) Ranjan Mathai speaking at the IR Convention; and (right) National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon speaks at a session

DEVELOPMENTSIN THE ARAB WORLD,RELATIONS WITHNEIGHBOURS TO GENDER STUDIES ANDINTERNATIONALPOLITICAL ECONOMY,THE EVENT SAWDELIBERATIONS ONVARIOUS ISSUES


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change in the globalised, technology-driven world of today,in which non-state actors, in some domains, have assumedas central a role as perhaps states themselves. The dividebetween the policy formulators and implementers remainsand affects us whether foreign policy is seen as the realm ofthe political and economic scenario or whether you deal withnew global challenges such as terrorism and radicalisation,piracy, food and energy securities, climate change,pandemics and cyber security. The Foreign Secretarysuggested that the impact of these forces on inter-staterelations is an increasingly important area of study.

In sessions focusing on area studies, the JointSecretaries dealing with relations with Americas, East Asiaand Pakistan/Iran/Afghanistan interacted with scholars andspoke to them about our relations with the countries theydeal with from a practitioner’s point of view. As in theprevious years the sessions turned out to be the mostinteresting, bringing forth inquisitive questions from scholars

and giving them the unique opportunity to interact with theselect officials of the Ministry.

The Convention also provided the IR scholars anopportunity to interact with one another and share scholarlypursuits. The sheer variety of themes discussed over threedays — from developments in the Arab world, evolvingrelations with the neighbouring countries, connectivityissues with Central Asia, soft power projections andglobalisation to pure theoretical topics of post westernperspectives, gender studies and international politicaleconomy — gave the IR Convention a credible standingwhose deliberations needed to be taken seriously.

The text of the addresses by the external affairs ministerand foreign secretary are available on the MEA websitewww.mea.gov.in, and the speeches and the text of thepapers presented during the conference are available onthe IRIIS website www.iriss.res.in.—The writer is Director, Public Diplomacy Division, Ministry of External Affairs


The Uttar Pradesh State Highway stretched acrossspace and time, linking the present with the past.The tourist bungalow at Kapilavastu was on oneside of the highway; on the other, brick ruins

spread across a scrub-dotted wilderness, where cattlegrazed. We walked across, treading carefully on the unevenground. There were low walls covered with earth, probablyconcealing ancient ruins; dislodged bricks were strewnaround. Cows raised their heads, staring at us warily.Further down, larger excavated structures had been fencedin. We closed our eyes and let our imagination soar. Thestructures grew into a city, teeming, festive...

Garlands festoon the balconies, filling the clean, sub-Himalayan air with the acrid-sweet scent of golden marigolds.People line the streets hailing the approach of their youngqueen, Mahamaya, with unconcealed delight. Surrounded byher escorts, she is in a curtained palanquin carried by strong,bare-bodied, bearers. Her jubilant subjects visualise her intheir minds’ eyes — beautiful, glowing and full-bellied with

their expected prince. She has a long journey ahead of her toher father’s kingdom, and so, they wish her safe passage.Slowly, the procession winds out of Kapilavastu, capital of theSakya principality.

A blue-and-white sign on the state highway pointed toLumbini. We drove down past patches of sugarcane,bittergourd vines trained on poles and ropes and largegroves of carefully cultivated mangoes. There wasn’t muchtraffic on the road until we reached Sonauli, a kilometrefrom the Nepalese border. Mountains rose in the heat haze,blue in the distance. Our identities were checked byNepalese policemen and, after a brief pause, we werewaved through. Mahamaya’s royal procession must havepassed this way, but never reached its destination.

The young queen feels the birth pangs coming. Hurriedlyher attendants set up camp. The queen gives birth to her son,taking the support of two trees.

This happened in a grove in Lumbini. There is a panelin Lumbini showing the nativity.

DIVINE SOULSEARCH, RELIVED

BUDDHA’S TRAIL

From his birthplace to his final resting place, Hugh and Colleen Gantzerfollow the footsteps of the Buddha jotting down the changes thedestinations have gone through

(Above) Lumbini, thebirthplace of Lord Buddha;and (below) a paneldepicting his birth

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(Left and right) Devoteesat the Mahabodhitemple, Bodh Gaya


Lumbini’s broad roads wound through avenues offlowering trees, thickets of bamboo and lily ponds. Theambience of the lush forest, at the foot of the toweringHimalayas, had been retained. But all around, templesarose, capturing the architecture of the many lands inwhich people revere this holy place: India, Myanmar,Bhutan, Nepal, China... The Sacred Forest is the mostrevered spot in Lumbini. According to tradition, this iswhere the Prince was born. The stepped pool, Puskarni, inwhich Mahamaya bathed before she gave birth to her son, was a short distance away, spanned by festoons ofTibetan prayer flags.

In spite of being weakened by her arduous journey, and thebirth of her son in a forest, the young mother insists onjourneying back to Kapilavastu. But the ordeal is too much forher. She dies in Kapilavastu a week later after placing herbaby in the hands of her sister Gautami. The infant prince iscalled Gautama after his stepmother. When a sage predictsthat he will give up his kingdom to ‘dispel the darkness ofdelusion’, he is named Siddhartha — one whose purpose has

been fulfilled. And, he does fulfil his purpose. He gets married,produces a son, and at the age of 29, rides away from thepalace to find out why mankind has to suffer, age and die.

No one knows where Gautama Siddhartha wandered tillhe was 36 years old, so we could not follow his torturedquest for truth. But we do know that eventually he sat undera spreading sacred fig tree and discovered and sharpenedhis insight into the Law of Causation — human desirescause their own misery. The place of his enlightenment isnow called Bodh Gaya. Here, the erstwhile Prince GautamaSiddhartha became the Enlightened One: the Buddha.

A town of resplendent temples, Bodh Gaya, has anatmosphere of deep sanctity. The sounds of chants, prayersand temple bells fill the air. As in all pilgrim towns the worldover, there are pockets that seem to commercialise religion,but the towering stature of the great Mahabodhi Temple, itsbutter lamps, streams of praying and prostrating devoteesspeaking a myriad tongues and the magnetism of thespreading Bodhi tree, suffuse even the most blatant oftrading activities with a gentle aura of other-worldliness. It is

A TOWN OF RESPLENDENT TEMPLES,BODH GAYA HAS AN ATMOSPHERE OF DEEP

SANCTITY. THE SOUNDS OF CHANTS, PRAYERSAND TEMPLE BELLS FILL THE AIR

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a fervent, shifting religious kaleidoscope that has to beexperienced to be believed. But it was just a forest whenthe Buddha walked the earth.

Realising, after much self-searching, that he cannot keephis revelation to himself, the Buddha journeys to Varanasi, along-established powerhouse of Hindu philosophy andlearning. He feels that the minds of the people of this sacredtown will provide the most fertile grounds for his teachings. Ashort distance out of ancient Varanasi, he enters a deer parkand, with a few people around him, begins to deliver hismessage for the first time.

The religion called Buddhism originated at this place,now called Sarnath.

With its cool, green serenity Sarnath is enchanting. Itstrees and lawns are dotted with the ruins of manymonasteries and reliquaries. Monks and other devotees insaffron, yellow, grey, black, brown and strawberry-colouredrobes walk around the monuments slowly and reverentially.None of the monuments is a living temple today; just

outside the perimeter fence erected by the ArchaeologicalSurvey of India (ASI) is an impressive Sri Lankan temple.Within the ASI’s protected grounds, the spot, where theBuddha first delivered his message is marked by the greatDhamek Stupa. It is 42 metres high and 28.5 metres indiameter at its base.

From this focal point, 26 centuries ago, the tolerant andgentle message of the Buddha spread like wildfire amongstpeople disillusioned by excessive ritualism and prohibitions.Most importantly, Buddha practised what he preached. Hetrudged like a mendicant all across northern India,accepting whatever food was offered to him, irrespective ofthe caste or status of the donor. During the monsoon, herested in the home of one of his many followers, as headvised his disciples to do.

We visited the former trading town of Sravasti, nowdivided into the abandoned monastic areas of Saheth andMaheth. Neither of them has communities living there anylonger. Nevertheless, both still attract devout Buddhists

HOW TO REACHVaranasi is well-connected by air, train and road to other Buddhist sites in Uttar Pradesh and Lumbini in Nepal. Varanasi has a wide range ofaccommodation — from five-star to budget. Tourist taxis and coaches are available.Kaushambi is 180 kilometres and is a day’s trip from Varanasi. Carry packed lunch and drinking water. Sarnath is 10 kilometres from Varanasi and has a tourist bungalow and guest-houses for pilgrims.Kushinagar is 51 kilometres from Gorakhpur. It has up-market tourist accommodation run by UP Tourism, and pilgrim rest-houses. Sonauli is a border town on the way to Lumbini. An Indian driving license, ration card or voter’s identification is sufficient to cross the border.Lumbini, in Nepal, is 108 kilometres from Gorakhpur railway station and 175 kilometres from Kushinagar. It has hotels and pilgrim guest-houses.Kapilavastu is 95 kilometres from Lumbini and has a tourist bungalow.Sravasti can be reached via Lucknow (151 kilometres). Balrampur (19 kilometres) is the nearest railhead. Onward journey can be made by road.Bodh Gaya, in Bihar, is accessible by air. The nearest railhead is Gaya, l6 kilometres away.

(Clockwise from facingpage) Interior view of theSarnath temple; Dhamek Stupa in Sarnath;and prayer wheels at the Sarnath temple

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(Above) Devotees at Sravasti; and (below) thereclining statue of LordBuddha in Kushinagar

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JANUARYFEBRUARY 2013 � INDIA PERSPECTIVES 39

because they are associated with a number of miraclesattributed to the Buddha.

Another place that had been favoured by the Buddhais Kaushambi. In those distant days, it was one of the mostimportant cities in India. The former residential sector, withan Ashokan Pillar at its heart, is clearly demarcated fromthe riverine port area, which has brick wharves andwarehouses. The monastic and palace sectors are alsoeasily discernible. It is fairly certain that Buddha had restedin the Ghositarama monastery here.

In spite of his disciplined periods of rest, Buddha’s once-towering physical presence is becoming enfeebled. As he nearshis 80th year he knows his end is approaching. He sets out onhis last journey. He trudges on painfully, has a meal with ametal worker, Chunda, and falls seriously ill. He asks Ananda,his beloved disciple, to make a bed for him between two trees,blesses his last convert and delivers his last sermon. He thencloses his eyes and passes into a state, which Buddhists callparinirvana, and his conscious being leaves this world.

The name of his final resting place is Kushinagar.

As Buddhism declined in the place of its birth, thelocation of Kushinagar was almost forgotten. Today, thanksto the dedicated work of archaeologists, Kushinagar livesagain — a green avenue of parks and open spaces aroundancient monuments and modern Buddhist temples. Thesingle-celled Matha Kuar shrine holds a beautiful image ofthe Buddha. It apparently stood for many years atop amound. Clearly, much still lies buried in Kushinagar. Asthings stand today, the most important group of monumentsis clustered around the main reliquary, reportedly the site ofBuddha’s cremation. In front of it is the newMahaparinirvan Temple, which holds a 6.1-metre-longreclining statue of the Buddha. When we looked at the faceof the statue from its feet, it was expressionless; seen fromits waist, it has a contemplative expression; close-up it wassmiling gently. A miracle? Not really.

The Buddha believed his fellow humans couldaccomplish anything if they attempted it with a clear heartand mind. That is what this statue conveys so well with theconvincingly gentle persuasion of Buddhism. �

THE BUDDHA BELIEVED HUMANS COULDACCOMPLISH ANYTHING IF THEY ATTEMPTED

IT WITH A CLEAR HEART AND MIND. THAT’SWHAT HIS STATUE AT KUSHINAGAR CONVEYS

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TRIBUTE

Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru devo MaheshwaraGuru Sakshat, Parambrahma, Tasmai Shri Gurave Namaha.“The guru is the creator, the guru is the preserver,and the guru is the destroyer. The guru is theAbsolute. I bow before you.”

It is said that it takes a lifetime to find the right “guru”and a few more lifetimes to understand what a guruactually means. One of the greatest musicians of thiscentury, my guru Pandit Ravi Shankar left this world

at the ripe old age of 92 years. Here was an artist whochanged the face of classical Indian music forever, and hiscontribution to globalising our music will be rememberedin the annals of history. Apart from the music he taughtme, I have been fortunate to see the human side of thisgreat artist. His child-like enthusiasm to learn and live lifeto the fullest, his humility and his humour—he taught menot just music, but about life itself.

I was born in a family where guru was the centre of ourlives. In our house in Bangalore, in the puja room, next tothe photo of Lord Dattatreya and Adi Shankaracharya wasthe photo of my guru. My father late N.R. Rama Rao wasone of Panditji’s earliest disciples from the late 1940sonwards, when this legend himself was in his twenties. The

close bonding Panditji and my father shared as guru-shishya (master-disciple) is spoken about in the musiccircles as Ram bhakt Hanuman, Ravi bhakt Rao. Myfather was the epitome of a perfect shishya and I grew upwith lots of stories of their beautiful relationship—my fathersitting behind on a bicycle with the sitar and Guruji ridingthe bicycle to All India Radio for his work, listening to hoursof his practice with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Annapurnaji,while accompanying them on tanpura (a kind of lute) orthe festive atmosphere that would start weeks before hearrived to my home town, Bangalore. They shared abeautiful relationship, which continued till my father’sdeath due to Alzheimer’s in 2004.

Right from my first lesson in 1973 in Mysore (where hetaught me Raga Bhairav) to the nine years of living andlearning with to the numerous concerts I played withPanditji, every single day has been a learning experience.I remember the two weeks in Mumbai in 1982 when hewas working with Richard Attenborough composing musicfor the film, Gandhi. Panditji would tirelessly teach me forthree to four hours in the morning before going to thestudio. In late 1983 he was given a house at Lodi Estate byMrs. Indira Gandhi as a token of appreciation for the musiche composed for the Asian Games. At that point, hewanted to spend more time in India and asked me to move


On the demise of the sitar virtuoso, his disciple and sitar artist Shubhendra Raoremembers him for the music and living life to the fullest

MY GURU, PANDIT RAVI SHANKAR

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to Delhi. The nine years to follow is the foundation of mylife where he taught me not just music but how to be acomplete artist. For him, music was always a spiritualquest and I found this in every raga that he performed.

My first concert assisting him on stage was on February20, 1985 in Delhi. I had played with him along with threeother disciples in 1983 at Siri Fort Auditorium, but neveralone. I had gone out on some errands that morning andreturned home when his secretary asked me to rush toGuruji since he was asking for me. He was about to takehis shower and asked me if I could get some hot waterfrom the other bathroom. I was a bit surprised becausethere were other people who could have done the task forhim. When I returned with the water, he casuallymentioned that I should sit on stage with him that evening.Assuming that he wanted me to play the tanpura for him,I immediately said yes. Only when I realised that he wantedme to assist him with my sitar did I realise what he actuallymeant. He was very understanding of my nervousness andtruly supportive. We performed Marwa and Bhoopali in thefirst half. During the intermission, he said I should playmore in the second half. When he started, I was a littlemore confident having survived the first half and whengiven an opportunity in the faster section, I did play slightlylongish. Immediately, there was a huge applause from theaudience and he smiled. It surely is a night that remainsdeeply etched in my memory. I played with him in manyother concerts, but a concert in Bangalore with my parentsand family in attendance is most dear to me. I was fulfillingthe dreams of my parents and could feel their pride.

During my years of learning, I never developed thehabit of writing down my lessons. I had a good memoryand Guruji would call me his “memory bank”. Even whenhe was composing for huge orchestras like the “Live inKremlin” show in Moscow where we had almost 150musicians on stage, I would sit with him with my sitar andhe would go on composing, as I picked up all the differentpieces and later, practice it with the other musicians.

When he came to know that I was going to get married


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“The nine years with Panditji taught me not

just music but how to be a complete artist. For him,

music was always a spiritual quest and I found this in

every raga that he performed”


“Initially Panditji related to me only as my

father’s son and perhaps expected me to be his

replica.... It took him some time before he could see

me as an individual and not just my father’s son”


4:41 PM Page 6

to Saskia and she was a cellist, he immediately said, “Cellois one of my favourite instruments. Ask her to come andplay for me tomorrow.” When I came home and toldSaskia, she was obviously thrilled but nervous too. He wasvery happy to hear her play and started singing raga Kafi,asking her to follow him. This went on for more than halfhour until he had to be reminded about his upcomingmeeting. Unfortunately, he could not attend our weddingin Bangalore but his wife had organised a surprise party athome in Delhi after the wedding. Later when my sonIshaan was born in Delhi in 2004, Guruji came to thehospital to bless him. Taking Ishaan in his arms, he saidthat Ishaan was only the second two-day-old baby that heheld in his arms apart from his own son, ShubhendraShankar (after whom my parents named me).

Not that everything was a smooth sailing always as inany intense relationship. Initially he related to me only asmy father’s son and perhaps expected me to be hisreplica. There were times when he would get angry andsay that this was not the way my father would have doneit. It took him some time before he could see me as anindividual and not just my father’s son. Last year when Ivisited him in his home in California, he told me, “Son, Ifeel bad I could not give you enough time when I had tobecause I was busy with my concerts and tours. But now,I have the time and want to give you everything that I havebut you don’t have the time because you are busy withyour own concerts. I am really happy that you are doingwell and my blessings are always with you”.

Surely I do feel the void he has left behind but I knowhe is always with me. His smile, the twinkle in his eyes, hiseasy sense of humour, his passion for life and mostimportant, his music will always live with me all my life.

As Sant Kabir said,Guru Govind dou khade, kaake laagoon payeBalihari guru aapki, Govind diyo milaye.“I face both God and my guru. Whom should Ibow to first? I first bow to my guru because he’sthe one who showed me the path to God.”

—-Shubhendra Rao is a sitar artist and composer


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TOWN OF TEMPLESPUSHKAR, IN RAJASTHAN, IS ONE OF THE MOST SACRED TOWNS ININDIA. LEGEND HAS IT THAT THE HOLY LAKE AT ITS CENTRE WASCREATED WHEN LORD BRAHMA DROPPED THE PETALS OF A LOTUSFLOWER (PUSHPA) FROM HIS HAND (KAR)

PHOTOFEATURE


Known for the onlytemple of the Hindu God

of Creation, Brahma,Pushkar is called Tirth

Raj or the king of pilgrimage sites

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Pushkar is synonymouswith vibrant colours

and traditional fervour offairs and festivals{ }

AROUND THE HOLY LAKEBORDERED BY HILLS ON THREE SIDES AND SAND DUNES ON THE

FOURTH SIDE, THE SMALL TOWN OF PUSHKAR CAN BEEXPLORED ENTIRELY ON FOOT. IT TAKES ABOUT 45 MINUTES TO

WALK AROUND THE HOLY LAKE AND ITS 52 GHATS



CATTLE SPECTACLEPUSHKAR CAMEL FAIR IS A SHOW OF COLOUR AND ONE OFINDIA’S HIGHLY RATED TRAVEL EXPERIENCES. THE FAIR BRINGSTOGETHER LIVESTOCK, FARMERS, TRADERS, VILLAGERS ANDTOURISTS FROM ALL OVER THE STATE AND OUTSIDE

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The best time to visitPushkar is during the

camel fair, held October–November. A serious

business affair, itwitnesses the trading ofthousands of animals

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Pushkar’s temples are itsmajor crowd pullers.

The desire of taking a dipin the holy lake on

auspicious days bringsmany to the town

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BRAHMA’S ABODESURROUNDING THE HOLY LAKE ARE SOME 500 TEMPLES,

WHICH INCLUDES THE ONE DEDICATED TO BRAHMA, SAID TOBE 2,000 YEARS OLD, AND TWO DEDICATED TO HIS

CONSORTS: SAVITRI AND GAYATRI

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SHOPPER’S DELIGHTTOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN PUSHKAR INCLUDE SHOPPING, ASNONE OF THE ITEMS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE. HANDICRAFT,HANDLOOMS, APPAREL, SILVER JEWELS, ALL ARE AVAILABLE INBEST OF COLOURS AND AT MOST REASONABLE PRICE

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The town has somethingfor everyone, from

personal accessories tothose for the animals{ }


t’s almost like a world far removed from reality. Oasis ofcalm and beauty in bustling Mumbai? That’s right.Mumbai is perhaps the only city in India that straddleswithin its long and wide boundaries a few heritage villages

or precincts. These are referred to as ‘heritage villages’ bythe Maharashtra government and are protected by lawagainst destruction.

So, whether it is Khotachiwadi in the Maharashtrian-dominated Girgaum or Mhaterpakadi in the dock area ofMazagaon or Ranwar in the once-Christian neighbourhood ofBandra, time has literally come to a standstill. In the bylanesveering off the main roads or at the end of wooded lanes are

old homes, bungalows and villages that cling to the vestigesof the past. Surrounded by monstrous buildings, they areresisting the inevitable march of time in their own way.

Interestingly, each one is built in the Portuguesearchitectural style. “The Portuguese colonised Mumbaimuch before the British,” says architect Brinda Gaitonde,who, along with Abha Bahl, conducts walks alongMumbai’s heritage areas. “The handing over of Mumbai bythe Portuguese to the British in 1661 in dowry, whenCharles II married Princess Catherine of Braganza, sister ofthe king of Portugal, did not signal the end of the dominion.Mass conversion of the local people by the Portuguese

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HERITAGE

URBAN SUBURBIADeepali Nandwani captures the glory of Mumbai’s old and charming Portuguese-style villages

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missionaries ensured the continuation of the cult, both intraditions and buildings.”

Taking over from the Portuguese, the East IndiaCompany divided the land beyond Fort area into patchesand leased it to individual owners. Dadoba Waman Khot, aland revenue officer, got Khotachiwadi. Way back in time,Hindus dominated the area, followed by Christians. Today,the village has a mixed-community settlement. It has fiveentrances and exits, and until you know it like the back ofyour hand, you may well be in a labyrinth. Single-storeycottages painted in red, blue and green, located acrossstreets on which more than three people are a crowd;


The pattern and style of Khotachiwadi houses forma unique ensemble of 19th-century structures

KHOTACHIWADIHAS FIVE ENTRANCES AND EXITS, AND UNTIL YOU KNOW IT LIKE THE BACK OF YOUR HAND, YOU MAYWELL BE IN A LABYRINTHI

PHOTOS: NISHIKANT GAMRE

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timber spiral staircases running from the front porch to theupper floors; high ceilings, long balconies and sloping roofscharacterise Khotachiwadi. Little wonder that this charmingvillage was declared protected by Bombay MunicipalCorporation’s Heritage Department in 1995.

A little like Khotachiwadi, but just a bit more isolated, isMhaterpakadi village in the Mazagaon area with some of theoldest homes in the city. Archaic, yet modern, Mazagaon, ormaza gaon (my village), offers the traveller a glimpse of alifestyle that is quintessentially old Mumbai. The famousAlphonso mangoes are said to have originated in Mazagaon,once famous for its sprawling groves. There are 80-odd

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(Left) A chapel in Mhaterpakadi and (right)a residential building in Ranwar

RANWAR HAS OLD HOMES WITHTILED ROOFS, CARVED WOODEN

STAIRCASES, WOODEN FRETWORKBALUSTRADES AND DOORS THAT OPEN

ALMOST INTO THE STREETS

PHOTO: DEEPALI NANDWANI

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Portuguese-style cottages with tiled sloping roofs andspacious verandas. In the heart of this village is a holy cross,located within a tiny chapel. Erected in 1875, it was a gestureof thanksgiving for an end to the plague that struck Mumbaithat year. Mhaterpakadi houses a number of Goan clubs thatoffer lodging facilities to navy men, en route through Mumbai.

While Khotachiwadi and Mhaterpakadi are representativesof the heritage villages from South Mumbai, towards the northof the city are the Christian villages of old Bandra. Onceinhabited by the Kolis, or the fishing community, around thevillages are the signs of the cosmopolitan city. Snazzynightclubs, noisy discos and swanky high-rise buildings

abound here. Nestled somewhere in the middle is Ranwar.St Andrews Church, around which the village is located,

was built sometime in the 1570s. The construction of thechurch and the conversion of the locals saw the beginningof the East Indian settlements in Ranwar. The village hasold mansions and pretty bungalows. The trio of churches —St Andrews, St Peter’s and Mt Carmel’s — serves as thelandmark to identify the entry points to the village. Ranwarhas a number of 19th-century buildings that reflect amarked Portuguese influence. There are old homes withtiled roofs, carved wooden staircases, wooden fretworkbalustrades and doors that open almost into the streets. �


CHAPEL FABLEIn the heart of Mhaterpakadi is a holy cross, located within a tiny chapel. Erected in 1875, it was agesture of thanksgiving for an end to the plague that struck Mumbai that year. It houses a number ofGoan clubs that offer lodging facilities to navy men, en route through Mumbai. St Andrews Church,around which Ranwar is located, was built sometime in the 1570s. The construction of the church andthe conversion of the locals saw the beginning of the East Indian settlements in the village.


t feels like a dream as one walks through the galleries ofthe Salar Jung Museum, in Hyderabad, passing by theincredible jewellery of the Nizams showcased here.Collected from around the world over the course of a

couple of centuries, the exhibit unravels the Nizams’fascination for all things beautiful and their rich classicalorder, which has become an inspiration for today’s style.

The gallery at the entrance narrates the tale of the goldenage of the Asif Jah rulers or the Nizams. The spotlight is onsome rare photographs of the Nizams and their women andchildren flaunting exquisite ornaments, many of which areexhibited in the main gallery.

Emulating the grandeur and opulence of the greatMughals, the Asif Jah rulers became the biggest buyers ofprecious stones. Hyderabad, during their rule, was thewealthiest princely state in India, and the seventh Nizam,Mir Osman Ali Khan, the richest man in the world. In 1948,a year after Independence, Hyderabad merged with theIndian Union. Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan very wiselyformed trusts to manage his estate and enormous wealth.Of these, HEH The Nizam’s Jewellery Trust and HEH TheNizam’s Supplemental Jewellery Trust are the mostsignificant. After the seventh Nizam passed away, a longlegal battle ensued with the Government of India. After 23

TREASURE

A Sparkling

LegacyThe exquisite pieces of jewellery

on display at the Salar Jung Museum, in Hyderabad, make up

one of the most magnificent collections in the world, writes Noopur Kumar

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years of arbitration and payment of a whopping `218 crore,the government managed to acquire a part of the fabulousjewellery collection. The display of 173 precious pieces ofgems and jewels presents a unique and comprehensiveview of the splendid lifestyle of the Nizams. On view aredazzling necklaces, earrings, turban ornaments, armbands,bracelets, belts, bangles, cufflinks, buttons, rings, anklets,toe rings and other ornaments adorned by the royal family.But the indisputable star of the show is the Imperial, or theJacob, diamond — a brilliant 184.5 carat beauty mined inSouth Africa in the late 19th century and owned by the sixthNizam, Mahboob Ali Khan. He bought the famous oval

diamond from Alexander Malcolm Jacob, but the deal gotmired in a legal wrangle and when the diamond finallyreached the Nizam, he was no longer interested in it. Somuch so that it was accidentally chanced upon by his sonlying in a shoe. It later lay in disregard on the seventhNizam’s desk, wrapped in a rag and used as a paper weight.

The collection is rather eclectic, thanks to a fewEuropean jewellers, who, lured by the lucrative business,decided to come and reside in the city. Fancy pocketwatches bought from the House of Cartier, P. Orr and Sonsand Cooke and Kelvey, too, add to the varied collection.

Research and resource courtesy: Salar Jung Museum


THE 173 PIECES OFJEWELS ON DISPLAY INCLUDENECKLACES, TURBANORNAMENTS, ARMBANDSAND BELTS ADORNED BY THEROYAL FAMILY

PROFILE

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Auto Entrepreneur

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TEXT: BINDU GOPAL RAO

Chetan Maini, the strategist behind electric car brand Reva, aims to drive intoa clean future with green technologies

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ven as a child under 10, he enjoyed assemblingcomponents and building models. Transistorradios, remote control cars and flying planes werepart of his growing years. And somehow this

became part of his DNA as he grew up. Little wonder thenthat Chetan Maini, chief of technology & strategy, MahindraReva, is credited with being the pioneer of starting a greenautomobile revolution in India.

With his fascination to decode automobiles, Maini waspretty clear of what he wanted to do even while studying. Hereminisces, “I did my studies at St. Josephs College inBangalore and was part of a science group and enjoyedflying remote-controlled planes. Of course, I shifted focus tolarger vehicles like go karts and spent an average of 20 to40 hours a week playing with technology.”

While in high school, Maini would read his elderbrother’s automobile engineering books. His father soonencouraged him to pursue automobile engineering at theUniversity of Michigan. “I spent almost all my free time onprojects and teamed with friends to build a super mileagevehicle in the first year of college. In the third year, our solarcar team came first in a race across the USA and GeneralMotors (GM) sponsored us to race at the World SolarChallenge in Australia, where we stood third,” he says.

Incidentally, it was really here that Maini made theswitch from high performance to using technology, andgreen energy became the focus. After spending twosummers at GM, he got together with a group of friends tolook at working on electric cars, which further led them towork for a start up in California, Amerigon, founded by Dr.Lon Bell, their mentor. “At this juncture I felt the need toincrease my exposure in mechatronics and joined StanfordUniversity. Post that, I rejoined Amerigon, and in 1994 westarted working on a small electric car project for urbanAsian cities. During one of my father’s visits to the US, heand Lon got together and mooted the idea of doing this forIndia, and the Reva project was born. For the first four yearsI led the team from the US and after developing the coretechnology, moved back to India in 1999,” he recalls.

Considering the nature of the business he was in, therewere different challenges at every stage. In the mid 1990sthe challenge was to create technologies to make electriccars affordable. “The first few years were technologyoriented and we developed several key technologies such

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as patented Energy Management Systems. Also, movingback to India and building a team from scratch was achallenge, as no one had experience in electric cars. At thattime with India’s focus on IT outsourcing, convincingfinancial institutions to invest in an unheard concept of anelectric car was challenging and so was convincingsuppliers. Also then, there were no testing facilities in India,and policy regulations for electric cars were nonexistent.We had to work with government agencies to formulatepolicy. We still face issues with consumer mindsets eventhough much has changed,” he says.

In fact, in 2004 when the company launched in Europe,it had to make 134 changes to the product and drive fromGermany to England to finish the last test as the lab in

Germany had a fire! “Just before we launched in India in2001, the Government policy changed, taxes doubled andthe subsidies disappeared and that’s when we looked atexport markets to survive,” he explains.

In May 2010, Mahindra & Mahindra, the country’slargest utility vehicle company, acquired a 55.2 per centstake in Reva and it was time for Maini to switch roles yetagain. “The partnership with Mahindra made me turn toprevious role as a technologist and focus on next-generationtechnologies and products and support the overall strategyof electric cars at Mahindra,” he says. The company alsorecently inaugurated its Bengaluru manufacturing facility,which is the first platinum-rated automobile facility in India.The facility is based on the 5 C’s Framework. “The first C,


Clean, involves a radical re-think on how we manufacture,use and recycle automobiles so that the entire chain is asgreen as possible. The next is how customers aredemanding Convenience in all aspects of acquiring andoperating mobility products. Dramatic improvements intelematics and related technologies are making Connectedvehicles a reality. We will soon see cars connecting to theirowners and to other cars, car owners connecting to otherowners through their cars and cars connecting to the grid.Rapid integration of electronics and IT with automobiles ismaking vehicles Clever. Embedded intelligence will makecars of the future intelligent enough to interact with trafficsystems, carry out self-diagnosis and perhaps, even drivethemselves without a human interface. Lastly, the challenge

is to translate the benefits of these innovations into Cost-effective products to make owning/using these productsaffordable. This is what will drive progress anddevelopment,” he explains.

Reva’s new plant is built on the future mobility conceptand the new car launch NXR will embody all these concepts.“We have incorporated learnings from our dealers andcustomers across 24 countries in this new 4-seater,” he adds.

The technologies showcased include ‘Quick2Charge’,by which the car can be charged in 15 minutes to run 25km, thereby providing customers with increasedconvenience; a personal charging unit, ‘Sun2Car’ to providefree, clean and abundant solar energy for the lifetime; and‘Car2Home’ to use energy from the car to power a house.

For someone who is constantly busy, Maini is awonderful family man. “My seven-year-old son Aryan likescars and we watch the F1 together. He is very good withremote-controlled cars. I also have a five-year-old daughterKayli. I met my wife Kim when I was studying in America,and she has been a big support and the person behind meat all times. My parents and elder brothers Sandeep andGautam have also supported me not just financially, butalso emotionally and have made my dream theirs,” he says.Among his favourite cars is the Reva convertible and Tesla,an electric car made in California. “One car that I alwaysliked is the Lamborghini,” he says.

Besides car, what drives Maini is the belief that he canhelp in making a clean and green future. “On a day-to-day basis inventing something new, overcoming barriersand continuous improvement keep me egged on,” hesigns off. �

Reva’s new plant is builton the future mobility concept.Its new car will embody green technologies such asQuick2Charge, Sun2Car andCar2Home developed by thecompany in recent years

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COLOURS OF THE

RAINBOWT

he local event has gone global, or at least acquired an international sheen.Uttarayana, the festival, which coincideswith Makar Sankranti (January 14 and 15)

every year, brings old neighbourhoods of Gujaratalive with the flutter of kites. Started in 1989, thisfestival has attracted kite flyers from countries asdiverse as Ukraine and France who come here toenjoy the experience, as well as show off theirelaborate creations.

Earlier, Uttarayana was a celebration of theharvest season and a salute to the sun. But eventoday the traditional flavour can be savoured incrowded areas of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat andother urban centres of Gujarat. Come January andthe preparations begin in full swing. Children bringa whiff of excitement as they spend all their sparetime practising for the big day. Manjhas — cottonthreads coated with glass, rice paste, chemicalsand other abrasive material to give them the tensilestrength and that cutting edge — are prepared onevery street corner, then rolled on spools calledfirkis. Artisans make the kites using paper andbamboo, sourced from Northeast India.

PAST TIME

Enjoy a veritable war in the skies as thousands of kites engageone another in the International Kite FestivalTEXT: ANIL MULCHANDANI

67JANUARYFEBRUARY 2013 � INDIA PERSPECTIVESI

Now global,the kite festival hasno religiousconnotation. It is afun-filled time withfamily and friendsas they get togetherfor food and kiteflying on rooftops

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The kite duels continue from dawn to sunset, and even when the night takes

over, with paper lanterns tied to thestrings of large kites


The pols or old quarters of Ahmedabad see thehighest kite concentrations imaginable. Flying a kiteis not as simple as it looks, especially when the ideais to cut your rival’s string with your own. It has tobe manoeuvred by tightening or slackening thestring, making it go slower or faster, curving agraceful arc or spinning on a wing tip, cutting aswathe through the sky, and then moving in for thekill. When a kite flyer is successful in cuttinganother kite off its line, there is much excitementon the flier’s rooftop with yells of “well cut”. Thecries come from the fans, the men and women,

boys and girls who have gathered on their rooftops,munching sugarcane, snacks, fruits and vegetablestypical of the January harvest season. Lunch too isa picnic on the roof, which in Surat and Khambattwould be matka undhiyu, a mixed vegetablepreparation cooked in an earthen pot, and puris,deep-fried puffed flat bread.

The kite duels continue from dawn to sunset,and even when the night takes over, the fun goeson. Dispelling the darkness are tukuls, paperlanterns, tied to the strings of large kites, especiallymade for the purpose. The effect in the sky of

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scores of candle-lit lanterns flying behind hardlyvisible kites is beautiful.

Celebrated by all in the state, the kite-flyingfestival has no religious connotation. It is a fun-filledtime with family and friends as they get together forfood and kite flying on rooftops. People flock to thevenues to watch kites from around the globe —whether it is an American kite-flying enthusiastperforming tricks or dances with her Mid-Atlanticstunt kite that could even be choreographed tomusic, or a Dutch kite designer with his owncreation. Koreans come with their kite trains and the

Australians with their steerable kites. It is a delightto watch Southeast Asian kites with dragons andother mythical themes and Chinese opera kites orJapanese butterfly designs and hi-tech creations.Not to mention kite clubs proudly displaying theirown designer kites.

The kite festival, now in its 25th year, began inMumbai and Delhi on January 7. The event wasbigger than ever, covering nine locations besidesAhmedabad and Indian participants trading skills with100 international kite flyers from 40 countries. Thefestival culminated in Ahmedabad on January 14. �

The festival, now in its 25th year,was bigger than ever. It was organised

at 10 locations and had kite flyers from 40 countries


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MUSIC FROM THE

DESERTMusicians by profession and inheritance, the Langa singers stirhearts with their powerful voices, lyrics and melodyTEXT: BRINDA GILL

Seated on a mattress on the floor, dressed in traditional white attire withneatly tied, colourful turbans and dark block-printed scarves, the Langasingers are a striking sight. And as they burst into beat and song, fillingthe air with the verve of their rich voices, music and dance, the

ambience is infused with joy. The performance goes on and their strong voices,poignant lyrics and increasing tempo of the music soon convey a vignette ofRajasthan, the land of rippling desertscapes, spectacular palaces and forts, regalpageantry and soul-stirring music and dance.

Musicians by profession and inheritance, the Langa singers hail fromRajasthan’s Jodhpur and Barmer districts. The term Langa means song-giver, andaptly conveys their role of playing at joyous, auspicious occasions just as theirforefathers did from whom they inherited their innate love of and talent for music.In the cool of the desert night, the powerful voices of Langas and the music of theirinstruments carry across the sands and stir hearts with their lyrics and melody.

“We are there to play at every happy occasion,” says Sikandar Khan, thespokesperson of a Langa troupe from Jodhpur, performing at a Rajasthani foodfestival in Pune to create an ambience for the regional cuisine. Khan’s troupeplays at weddings, births, ceremonial occasions, festivals and — in a reflectionof 21st century India — events at hotels. His forefathers performed for royalty atcelebratory occasions for which they were paid in kind. In fact, as the Langas alsosang in praise of their patrons, they held within their oral tradition a record of thefamily history of their patrons.

“Most of the Langa music is occasion based,” says the co-founder of BanyanTree Events, Nandini Mahesh, who has been instrumental in bringing a galaxyof Indian folk musicians to the fore, especially through the Ruhaniyatprogrammes. “The Langas have powerful voices. And, with an amazing vocalrange and grasping power, their performance leads to a stunning presentation offolk music,” she adds.

Mahesh was introduced to the mesmeric music of the Langas in the mid-1980s in Jodhpur, by the legendary folklorist Dr. Komal Kothari. Since 1950,Kothari worked tirelessly to encourage and record the folk music and oraltraditions of Rajasthan that were till then little known to the outside world.

LEGACY

LANGA MUSICIANSLEARN SINGING ANDPLAYING AT A YOUNGAGE BY SIMPLYWATCHING THEIRELDERS PERFORM

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Langa musicians learn the nuances of singing and playing at a young age,without any formal training, by simply watching their elders perform. The SindhiSarangi, a quaint vertically held string instrument, played with a bow, which iscapable of producing sounds closest to the human voice, is the main traditionalinstrument of the Langas. The instrument usually has four main strings–threemelody strings and one drone string — and many sympathetic strings. Thenumerous strings bring the sarangi a rich range of musical notes and alsodemands training and experience to master. In fact, the word sarangi stems fromsau (meaning hundred) and rang (meaning colour) that conveys that the musicof the sarangi can produce a hundred colours or expressions!

The repertoire of Langas’ traditional instruments includes the algoza, adouble-flute, which has two pipes, one for drone and one for melody, played bythe technique of circular breathing that a musician has to master to produce acontinuous flow of air. The khartals — light, rectangular wooden blocks held asa pair in each hand — are also commonly played by the Langa musicians. Bysimply opening and closing their fists, the performers create a charming clackingbeat with the khartals, lifting the song to another dimension, says Mahesh.Complimenting the khartal is the robust beat of the dholak, a double-sided drumthat has one small head for high-pitched sounds and a large head for lowerpitched sounds.

The harmonium, though not a part of the instruments, is played by the Langas

THE SINDHISARANGI, A STRING

INSTRUMENT PLAYEDWITH A BOW AND

CAPABLE OFPRODUCING SOUNDS

CLOSEST TO THEHUMAN VOICE, IS THE

MAIN INSTRUMENTAF

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sometimes, though purists would rather not recommend it, as it does not lend itselfto subtle inflections of the traditional music as the sarangi does. Sikandar Khan alsohas a small old shehnai (a one reed instrument with perforations) that was playedin the old days played as the ruler entered the court.

Most Langa musicians sing and are skilled at playing more than oneinstrument, while young members of the troupe dance, create a vibrant andjoyous mood during the performance. The poetic lyrics of their songs, sung in thelocal dialect, are drawn from life around them, elements of nature, life in thedesert, and rituals and ceremonies of love and longing.

“One of the most popular Langa songs is Gorbund that describes the act ofdecorating a camel, an animal synonymous with the desert. In the song Khurja,the singer requests the migratory bird — known locally by the same name — thathas arrived from afar to carry a message to a beloved. In the song Charkha thespinning wheel is described, while Tiluda addresses the insect that attacks crops.In Padharo Mare Des the singer welcomes listeners to his land; Dudhaliya Banaadescribes the finery at a wedding; and Dharti Dhora ri Samman alludes to thebeautiful sand dunes of the land,” says Mahesh.

Starting a song, Sikander Khan wafted a lively tune with the double-flute andhis troupe picked up the cue instantly. B.K. Khan set an animated beat with thekhartal that was enhanced by Musher Khan creating a robust beat with thedholak. Kasim Khan ran his fingers smoothly on the harmonium; Hanif Khanplayed the been, akin a snake charmer’s flute, with a string of colourful pom-poms suspended below and lithe Akim Khan, all of eight years, danced with onehand on his slender hips and the other in the air with a pair of khartals to createa performance that was sparkling with verve and joy.

As the song picked pace, Sikandar Khan picked a pair of khartals and startedsinging. B.K. Khan joined him, and soon the ensemble was enraptured by thegathering tempo of the lyrics, the steady beat of the khartals and dholak, therepeats of the lines and layers of the music. Wrapped in the verve of the musicand bonding between the musicians, who played and sang in sync, SikandarKhan was soon on his knees, swaying from side to side, sustaining the beat withthe khartals in his hands, arms moving in small arcs, singing loud and with cheer.

A single voice, chorus, rise and fall of voices, a slow meandering pace andthen a quickening, lines plaintive and joyous, tones gentle and vibrant — thevariations of Langa music are several and enthralling with the weaving ofimprovisations in vocals and instruments. Engaged with the audience, the folkartistes sing, play and dance enjoying the music, the harmony amongstthemselves, and their rapport with the listeners.

It is this earthy passion for their music that makes Langas appealing to musiclovers across cultures and countries. The Langas are happy to travel and performin cities across India and abroad. A life dedicated to music, a Langa not justinfuses joy in the lives of his audience, but also keeps alive the legacy ofRajasthan’s evocative folk music. �

THE LYRICS OFLANGA SONGS, SUNGIN THEIR LOCALDIALECT, ARE DRAWNFROM LIFE, NATURE,DESERT, AND RITUALSAND CEREMONIES OFLOVE AND LONGING

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J INDIA PERSPECTIVES � JANUARYFEBRUARY 201378

An award ceremony at the Jaipur Literature Festival, and (right) a session in progress at the fest

CELEBRATION OF LITERATURE

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Literature in India is moving beyond theconfines of print space to reach out topeople in interactive venues across thestates. The new breed of literary galas is

going beyond core literary brainstorming to takeup local, cultural and political issues with a castof international participants, thus rendering aglobal hue to immediate local concerns.

In the last decade, a spurt in regional literaryfestivals in places like Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai,Bengaluru, Goa, Thiruvananthapuram and NewDelhi has integrated literature with the distinctivelocal cultures, demography, identities and issuesto relate to the people.

Homegrown flavours are the lifeline of the newliterature festivals in the states.

“The residents of Bangalore (Bengaluru) feltthere was a need to provide a platform to the verylocal literary traditions and literary voices. Wewanted to establish an annual flagship event on anational and international scale at a historic place,”said writer Vikram Sampath, co-founder of theBangalore Literature Festival, a three-day eventheld for the first time in the city in December.

Sampath said the festival offered a mix ofvernacular and global literature. “It was global.The festival featured writing in south Indianlanguages as well,” he said. The co-founder,along with Srikrishna Ramamoorthy, of theBangalore festival, added: “The issues inBangalore were different from those of Kolkata....The city is one of contrasts. The festival tried toreclaim this soul of the city with several seminarsand sessions designed around them.”

And is there a danger of too many lit fests inthe country?

“Too many literature festivals are like too manyrestaurants – there’s room for all,” Sampath said.

TEXT: MADHUSREE CHATTERJEE

A spurtin regional literaryfestivals hasintegratedliterature with the distinctivelocal cultures,demography,identities andissues to relate tothe people


Kolkata is gung-ho about the Apeejay KolkataLiterature Festival, which took place from January9 to 13 this year. The festival started in 2010 tocoincide with the centenary of the Apeejay Group,as one of the company’s 100 community initiativesto benefit people in small neighbourhoods. Themood was distinctly ethnic at the ApeejayLiterature Festival, says Renu Kakkar, vice-president of the Apeejay Surendra Group.

The festival used literature to connect to theheritage of Kolkata with emphasis on the VictoriaMemorial, St. John’s Church and the LascarMonument on the Hooghly river — landmarksthat were prominent stops on the festival map.

“The festival designed an interactivepatachitra, a modern-day version of the scrollpainting with narrative songs of 19th centuryKolkata on computer to tell the story of the citythrough the voices of the people,” said Kakkar.

The festival this year hosted writers likeRamachandra Guha, who spoke on “What kind ofAsian was Gandhi”. The uniqueness of the festivalis that it is organised by a bookstore, the OxfordBookstore — a shop intricately woven into theintellectual consciousness of Kolkata, Kakkar said.

At the Jaipur Literary Festival, from January24 to 28, the focus was on literature in Indianlanguages. Writers in 17 Indian languagesconnected to an essentially Hindi-speakingaudience in Jaipur under a project entitled, Ekbhasa hua karti hain.

“The creative and dynamic programming ofIndian languages make the Jaipur LiteratureFestival more democratic in one sense, moreIndian in a deeper sense, and make theselanguages familiar to the wider audience,” saidpoet Ashok Vajpeyi, who is associated with the festival.

The Jaipur Literature Festival also attempts

Not justliterary fests,but book festsare alsodevising moreand more waysto reach wideraudiences

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The literature and book festivals host erudite visitors from India and abroad


Writer Ramachandra Guha (second from left) and (right) film maker Shyam Benegal at the Apeejay Kolkata Literature Festival

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unique outreach programmes. Last year, morethan 1,000 children attended the festival as“guests”. The Music Stage — a separate segmentof the festival — plays host to new fusion cultureof Rajasthan with collaboration between localmusicians and foreign bands.

Not just literary fests, but book fests are alsodevising more and more ways to reach wideraudiences. A roving book festival, TheBookwallah, supported by the Asialink WritingProgramme, affiliated to the University ofMelbourne, Australia, took six writers from theMumbai Live, a literature festival, on a 2,000-kmtrain journey of southern India to meet readers,students and the general public. The travellingwriters also carried along a pop-up library.

“Our writers experienced a little of southernIndia on train and visited each city on foot. Theydiscussed their books and ideated across arange of topics — modern love, the politics oftravel and migration, Australian and Indianculture and identity,” said Nick Low, one of theorganisers of Bookwallah.

The Goa Arts and Literary Festival andKovalam Literary Festival speak of the localcultural issues on the sidelines of the mainstreamsession, while the Bookaroo, the annualchildren’s book festival in Delhi, intervenes inmore than 100 government schools on issues ofeducation and new forms of creative expression.

Through literature, “geopolitics, politics, castesystems and productive analysis of social issues”could be gleaned, says Sanjoy Roy, producer ofthe Jaipur Literary Festival.

“The festivals allow us to cross the boundarybetween the present and future and connects us — it does so in many different languages,”Roy said.

—Madhusree Chatterjee is assistant editor, IANS

The festivalsalso attemptunique outreachprogrammes and intervene on issues ofeducation andnew forms ofcreativeexpression

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Running over a month, the exhibition at Delhi’sNational Museum, Rediscovering India – 1961-2011 is a grand finale to the series of celebrationcommemorating 150 years of the Archaeological

Survey of India (ASI). On display is a selection of objectsexcavated from various archaeological sites across India,painstakingly requisitioned from these regions and kept ina systematic way to represent the progression of centuriesand chequered history of Indian civilisation.

The 307 objects reflect the journey of exploration andexcavation, especially in the last 50 years. The exhibitsinclude four fibre glass replicas. A designer quirk, if historywas to make it to drawing rooms, such fibre glass panelswould be hot sellers. And, with an extremely interesting andattractive display, it also serves as an interesting educationalmedium to aid teaching history. It not only provokes theviewer into a journey in the past, but also brings outnuances of civilisation at that point of time. The exhibits arecleverly grouped on the historic timeline with objectsexcavated during that period from different parts of the

country. For example, there are objects from Mandi in UttarPradesh, juxtaposed with that from Dholavira in Gujaratduring the same period. The earliest tools from theprehistoric era, the Stone Age are amply reflected in thehost of stone tools on display. Looking at these muchfunctional tools, it’s difficult to fathom that they are nearly3000 or more years old.

The excavations at the exhibition are from various sites,including Anangpur (Haryana), Attirampakkam (Tamilnadu)and Lalitpur (Uttar Pradesh). What astonishes the eye is theadvanced technique possessed in these civilisations. Theobjects can sit comfortably in the modern contemporaryworld nay a change. It just goes to show how advanced thesecivilisations were even at that time. The cynosure of the eyeis the Harappan civilisation about which there is a process ofevolution in learning and unearthing yet another secret.

It is the findings of the Harappan civilisation —represented by various sites such as Bhirrana, Ropar,Kalibangan, Mandi, Dholavira and Surkotda — that standout. A curious piece displayed is a goblet in beautiful yellow

From excavations toEXHIBITION

DiscoveriesThe objects on display showcase the journey of exploration and excavationby the Archaeological Survey of India in the last 50 yearsTEXT: CHITRA BALASUBRAMANIAM


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THE EXHIBITSINCLUDE TWOLIGHT, BEAUTIFULCHINESEPORCELAINPOTTERY PIECES,SPEAKING OF THESKILL OF GLAZINGAND POTTERY INTHE SULTANATEPERIOD


from Lothal. It has some drawings that narrate the story ofthe thirsty crow. Do we presume that the story was as mucha part of the vocabulary of children then as it is now? Howancient is the literature that we so commonly treat it? It is aweinspiring and humbling at the same time.

The dishes found in Ropar represent the typical potteryof this period. From Banawali a complete lay model of theplough was found. Kalibangan revealed a treasure trove offabrics and pottery from Early Harappan level. Similarly,from Dhalewan in Punjab comes a cubical weight of stone,which was used for construction. Talking of construction,the meticulousness of town planning and layout is an eyeopener. Dholavira has an inimitable water harvestingsystem, which shows the extent to which such techniqueswere developed even then.

Amongst the most eye-catching exhibits are the goldornaments from the Harappan era. The ornamentsexcavated from Mandi in Uttar Pradesh, from where a lot ofgold ornaments have been excavated, include armlets, beadsand neck pieces. Similar gold ornaments have also beenobtained from Khirsara in Gujarat.

Another lot of jewellery on display — a beautiful animal-shaped pendant from Khaparkheda (it is a tiny tiger andexquisitely shaped) and gold ear ornaments — excavatedfrom Bekal Fort and Vijaynagar represent the Medievalperiod. A beautiful golden bee which is studded with 11gems is another attractive piece from the same period.Outstanding also are the metallic sculptures of Buddha,Tara and Garuda of the Medieval period. Some of the sealson display are so tiny that it is a wonder they survived yearsbeing buried underground and so are a credit to the skilledhands which excavated them without any damage.

The exhibits include two light, beautiful Chineseporcelain pottery pieces with excellent designs. Discoveredat Kotla Firoz Shah in New Delhi, these speak of the skill ofglazing and pottery in the Sultanate period. Glazed dishesfrom this period have also been discovered in Lalkotexcavation. The objects at the exhibition are present in allavailable material — bronze, copper, brass, gold, stone,terracotta and more. A few showcase the advent ofBuddhism and Jainism. Ploughs, water sprinklers, sealsand moulds, the rich findings are astonishing. �


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utual understanding and friendship areimperative for entities to survive and thrive intoday’s competitive global world. Besides, theemotions convey the warmth and versatility of

one’s personality. More important than shaking hands orexchanging smiles, the comfort of how much common wehave with the other and in which direction we can movehand-in-hand, hold us together. And what if suchimpressions are captured by children from across theborder on a canvas? The emotion of camaraderie throughthe eyes of children that is so powerful to transcendmanmade geographical boundaries was the theme ofColours of SAARC exhibition held in Delhi. Students andchild artists from SAARC countries, Afghanistan, Bhutan,Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Maldives and Nepal, cametogether on a platform to paint their vision. The confluenceaptly titled, Cultural Confluence – United Colours, presentedfresh, innovative, free thinking spirit of the young artists,with the detailing and talent no less than those ofexperienced masters.

The exhibition can be seen as a culmination of cultural

interactions carried out by the Indian Council for CulturalRelations (ICCR) over a period of time. These students werebrought together for a camp that exposed them to variousfacets of Indian art and culture. The interaction was a part ofa series of such camps conducted under the aegis of ICCRsince 2007 when it held the first camp in Jaisalmer,Rajasthan. This was later followed by Puducherry in 2010and Kerala in 2011. The camp of 2012 exposed the youngminds to Indian culture and tradition to help them open to thecultural similarities in the region. The camp also encouragedthe young artistes to collaborate with their regionalcounterparts in times to come.

The exhibition stood out as an eclectic and interestingcreation. At the entrance was a beautiful thangka paintingwelcoming the visitors to the series. There were glimpses ofBuddha in his numerous avatars, a peek into the everydaylife of the SAARC members with those of the streets ofAfghanistan especially outstanding, and experiments withthemes, artistic vision, mediums (with couple of sculptures inbronze included) and ways of painting (acrylic, water colours,splash and repeated dyeing). �

TEXT: CHITRA BALASUBRAMANIAM

CultureAmbassadors ofREVIEW

The exhibition displayed the emotion of camaraderieseen through the eyes of children

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hinker and commentator Gurcharan Das has travelled across the world, observedchanges in societies and states, and seen growth at all levels. And he writes aboutgrowth in his recent book India Grows at Night. He speaks with Ambica Gulati ondharma, reforms and success.

You have had vast experience in observing different states. Please share your thoughts.I used to call myself a socialist till the 1960s but now I would say that I am a classical liberal. Ifeel that every society decides to make reforms from time to time for sound growth. But there isno immediate silver bullet for reforms and success. All successful states have taken the tough roadfor reforms. If there is strong enforcement, citizens follow it and reforms eventually change thestate. There are certain states that I admire more such as Scandinavia, England and the localdemocracy in America.

India Grows at Night is an intriguing title…The book is about growth despite the problems. Essentially, I have made a balanced liberal casefor strong state. The people have risen to the challenges despite the weaknesses. The governmenthas been a good regulator with some sound institutions — Election Commission, Reserve Bankof India, Securities and Exchange Board of India. The last chapter of the book gives a balancedview of all these good institutions.

What does a strong state have?A strong state is an effective and enabling state. A classical liberal state has threepillars. It has the ability to take decisive, determined action when required, so it isnot paralysed. That action is bound by the rule of law and it is accountable to thepeople. A liberal strong state is what was envisaged by our founding fathers. Asuccessful state is built on a moral core.

Please elucidate on what you call the ‘moral core’.In the chapter ‘Habits of the heart’, you can see that the best way to see democracyis at its heart in the small towns and villages at the gram sabha level or in the mohallasabhas. Here you can see what notion people have of liberty, equality and governanceand learn their responsibilities as a citizen. The founding fathers placed the dharmawheel at the centre of our national flag to remind us of our dharma. To give an example, MahatmaGandhi invoked the notion of sadharan dharma when he fought against untouchability. When peoplehear the word dharma, it resonates with them. And local democracy promotes dharma.

In the book you have written about Gurgaon. Please elaborate on the rise there.About 25-30 years ago, Gurgaon was just a land of heat and dust. But today it is the MillenniumCity; it is the road of aspiration for people searching for jobs across the country. It has createdmillions of jobs and become an engine of growth for the country. Gurgaon’s disadvantage hasbecome its advantage! �

VERBATIM

THE CLASSICAL LIBERALT


IN INDIA GROWSAT NIGHT, I HAVETRIED TOCELEBRATE THERISE OF INDIA,WHICH IS ONE OFTHE GREATESTEVENTS OF OUR LIFE.

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Documents

spiritual journey

enchanting journey

textile heritage of

jain monuments

access tothe heritage

remarkable point

sale of textiles

jain heritagestructures