Ip may june 2013

INDIAPERSPECTIVES

VOL 27 NO. 2 MAY-JUNE 2013

WILD WATCHOn a jungle safari

GLOBALPERSPECTIVESPresident’s state visit

to Bangladesh

BCIM CAR RALLYBuilding bonds

FESTIVALPuri Rathyatra

INSIDE

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EDITORIAL NOTE

he Indian summer has arrived. The mercury levels are rising and people are busymaking most of the longer days. This is the time to enjoy mangoes, melons, cool drinksand some pre-monsoon showers. May and June are also the months when action shiftsfrom bigger, warmer cities to cooler, quieter places in hills and forests, where many

Indians head for vacation. This time, we too couldn’t resist the temptation of visiting a few placesourselves and share with our readers accounts of our excursions to places they too can explore.

The double edition begins with our escapade to India’s five prominent nationalparks. Though Corbett in Uttarakhand, Ranthambore in Rajasthan, Panna andPench in Madhya Pradesh, and Gir in Gujarat are only a few of the many wildlifedestinations India has, the reserves possess unique natural vistas and diverse floraand fauna to captivate just any one driving in. The next on our route is Uttarakhand —the state in the foothills of Himalayas and a paradise to all kinds of travellers, fromfamilies and adventure enthusiasts to nature lovers and soul searchers.

While we may be travelling, we are not missing on India’s ongoing festivecelebrations. The edition brings to you engaging accounts of Hola Mohalla and LordJaganath Rathyatra from Punjab and Odisha, respectively. Besides we observeMahavir Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavira (celebrated on April 24 thisyear), the founder of Jainism, by paying a visit to the magnificent Jain temples inRanakpur, Rajasthan.

The May–June edition covers the maiden foreign tour of President PranabMukherjee to Bangladesh. The visit was not just memorable for the President, butwas also crucial, as trade between the nations is on an upswing. Also finds place inthe double edition is the two-day BRICS Summit that took place in the South African city ofDurban in March. Not just summits and tours, India’s friendly relations with its neighbours canbe seen, lived and cheered at its borders too. One such remarkable initiative was the first-ever BCIM (Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar) 2013 Car Rally. About 80 participants in20 cars embarked on this 12-day-long rally to cover 3,000 km throughout the partner nations,with an aim to boost trade and encourage people-to-people contacts.

Enjoy the edition!

Riva Ganguly Das

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P O T P O U R R I

Bonjour IndiaThe three-month-long festivalof France in India, BonjourIndia 2013 concluded onMarch 31. The exuberantfestival of artistic creationtravelled to 15 Indian citiesand presented 150 events –from visual arts, theatre,music, dance, literature andgastronomy – involving over300 artists and experts.

IPL 2013The sixth edition of the Indian PremierLeague was played across India, fromApril 3 to May 26. The IPL 6 saw a totalof 76 matches of the Twenty20 cricketformat between the nine franchises. Thenew additions included a team, SunrisersHyderabad; two international stadiumsat Raipur (Chhattisgarh) and Ranchi(Jharkhand); and cricketers likeAustralia’s Ricky Ponting.

Puppet theatreIshara International PuppetTheatre festival, April 8-16,in Delhi, Gurgaon andChandigarh, witnessed amélange of new and ancientpuppetry from Russia, Israel,Bulgaria, Iran, Portugal, Italyand Spain. Believed to havebeen born in India, puppetryin recent years has combinedwith dance and theatre.

Ayurveda e-booksAyurveda has takenthe digital route toreach the globalaudience, as KeralaTourism launchedtwo e-books on theIndian healing systemin April. The booksare Panchakarma:Ayurveda’s Mantraof Rejuvenation, onholistic rejuvenationtherapy, andAyurveda: TheMantra of Niramaya,an introduction tothe system usingtexts from ancientscripts to modernresearch papers.

Tribal festivalThe three-day-long ShadSuk Mynsiem (or dance ofhappy hearts) took place inShillong from April 13 to15. During the annualthanksgiving dance festivalKhasi tribesmen offer prayerto God for a bumperharvest. Men and women,dressed in traditionalfineries, dance to the beatsof drums and pipes calledtangmuri, the queen ofmusical instruments.

Travel BazaarThe 6th Great Indian Travel Bazaar tookplace in Jaipur, Rajasthan from April 15-16, with an objective to reinforce India asa world-class tourism destination.Organised by the Department of Tourism,Government of Rajasthan; Ministry ofTourism, Government of India; andFederation of Indian Chambers ofCommerce and Industry, the business-to-business mart hosted foreign buyers,Indian sellers, policy makers and investors.

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May-June 2013 n VOL 27 No. 2/2013

INDIAPERSPECTIVES

Editor: Riva Ganguly DasAssistant Editor: Ashish Arya

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COVER PHOTO: A TIGER SPOTTED IN RANTHAMBORENATIONAL PARK / INDIAPICTURE; COVER DESIGN: BIPIN KUMAR

Potpourri 2

Wild watch:On a safari to India’s National Parks 6

Global Perspectives:President’s visit to Bangladesh 18

Partnerships:BRICS Summit, Durban 24

BCIM Car Rally:Building bonds 30

Festival:Puri Rathyatra 38

Tradition:Hola Mohalla 44

Book extract:Wonder of the Age 52

Photo feature:Uttarakhand 58

Heritage:Astronomical observatories 66

Temple trail:Jain temples of Ranakpur 74

Music:Delhi Jazz Festival 80

Exhibition:Basketry Dialogues 82

Landmark:100 years of Indian cinema 86

Verbatim:Leila Seth 90

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18

44

66

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07MAYJUNE 2013 u INDIA PERSPECTIVES06 INDIA PERSPECTIVES u MAYJUNE 2013

Jungle EscapadeSummer months are the besttime to spot wildlife in theirnatural habitat. IndiaPerspectives makes most of themoment at five eminentnational parks of the country

W I L D WAT C H

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Named after a conservationist, Corbettoffers nature lovers an ideal experience

C O R B E T T N A T I O N A L P A R K

The story of the man behind Corbett National Park, inNainital, Uttarakhand, is synonymous with the story ofwildlife protection. Jim Corbett started out as a hunter forpleasure, turned into a life-saving specialist hunter of man-

eating tigers, and finally, became a die-hard conservationist, avideographer and a still photographer.

Besides tigers, Corbett is a safe haven for 50 mammals, 580kinds of birds and 25 reptile species. It is a playground for the tiger,Asian elephants, the Himalayan black bear, the sloth bear, smallerfelines, wild dog and colourful birds.

The time was the first week of May, perhaps one of the best timesfor spotting wildlife in a park. After entering Corbett at Dhangari, theinaugural drive to Dhikala, a dancing peacock, sambar deer, andfinally, a herd of 10 wild elephants set the mood in right perspective.We moved towards the high bank and a forest range called Gairal.The former, also called the Crocodile Point, offers distant but fineviews of crocodiles and gharials. At the Ramganga river, we got nicepanoramic views, especially before the Gairal forest rest house,where the river forms a bend. The safari comes to an end, with theking of the jungle elusive.

—Deepankar Aron

INDIA PERSPECTIVES u MAYJUNE 201308

N A V I G A T O RThe nearest airstrip serving Corbett is at Pantnagar (80 km) andhas flights from Mumbai and Delhi. The nearest railhead isRamnagar, 51 km from Dhikala. The distance between Delhi andCorbett is around 225 km and is a five-hour drive.

(Clockwise fromabove) A herd ofelephants, awaterfall and atiger complete thepicture of CorbettNational Park

FOLLOW THE

PUGMARKS


37MARCHAPRIL 2013 u INDIA PERSPECTIVES

(Clockwise fromabove) A crocodileabout to get intothe Ken river, asambar, an Indianroller and a safarivehicle at Panna


N A V I G A T O RKhajuraho is the nearest airport and railhead. The bus stand inMadla village near the Park connects it to Khajuraho. One can getbuses and other public transport vehicles that connect the Parkwith all of Madhya Pradesh and nearby states.

Besides the big cat, Panna offers a greatbird watching experience

P A N N A N A T I O N A L P A R K

Spread over 542 sq km in the Vindhya range, the PannaNational Park was carved out of the hunting reserves of theerstwhile Panna, Chhattarpur and Bijawar states.Predominantly an open forest, it is situated at the junction

of the Gangetic plains and the Deccan peninsula, and the Pannahills provide the catchment area for the Ken river, the lifeline of thepark. The park is open from mid-October to end-June.

As we entered the park, the forest guide told the driver about a‘movement’ throughout the night. ‘Movement’ is referred to tigermoving around in his area. The area of one tiger can be anythingfrom 50 km to 125 km, and at times overlaps the area of one or twotigresses. Following the trail, soon we crossed a vehicle parked bythe side. We thought they had stopped because of the call, but thestupefied occupants were luckier than that — they had just spotteda tigress nonchalantly crossing right in front of their Gypsy, anddisappearing into the thicket beyond the clearing. For us, it was themost disheartening moment of a safari, missing the tiger by mereseconds. Tiger spotting is an obsessive activity. If you haven’t spottedone, you’ll keep returning till you’ve actually seen one; and if you’vealready seen one, you’ll keep returning to get more of it.

—Nivedita Panwar

THE JUNGLE OF DELIGHTS

PHO

TO: S

TEPH

EN C

UN

LIFF

E



N A V I G A T O RThe nearest airport is Keshod, and railheads are Sasan Gir andVeraval, but the most convenient airport and railway station is Rajkot.Buses run from Junagadh and Veraval, and Volvo buses betweenAhmedabad and Junagadh, from where one can take a mini bus.

(Clockwise fromabove) A lionfamily, a smallwaterfall, a spotteddeer and a spottedeagle present aperfect view of Gir

Visit the Gir Forest National Park for theAsiatic lion and marsh crocodiles

G I R F O R E S T N A T I O N A L P A R K

Gujarat’s Sasan Gir National Park is the last remaining lairof the majestic Asiatic Lion. With the 2010 censusindicating that lion numbers stand at 411, besides the40,000-plus spotted deer, 10,000 sambar deer, wild boar,

antelope, marsh crocodiles and some 500 leopards, the park is thebest place to witness wildlife.

The best period for visiting the park is mid-October to mid-June;November and February are the best months for sighting the lions.If planning a safari in your own vehicle, it’s necessary to apply for apermit at least three months in advance. But most visitors choose totake a guided jeep safari, for which foreign nationals are charged adifferent rate to that paid by Indian visitors.

I got to the city of Junagadh, gateway to Sasan Gir National Park,aboard the comfortable Girnar Express. As it turned out, myanticipation of being able to see lions in the wild was amply rewarded.A group of lionesses with their cubs cavorted, oblivious to thepresence of the jeep and its passengers. To be able to see natural lionbehaviour at such close range was something I just had not expected— and all the passengers remarked that their own expectations hadbeen well exceeded.

—Graham Simmons

ABODE OF THE

LION

PHOTO: VISHWA KIRAN


37MARCHAPRIL 2013 u INDIA PERSPECTIVES

(Clockwise fromabove) Greylaggeese, tiger,spotted deer,Hanuman langurand temple ruinsat Ranthambore


N A V I G A T O RBy air, Jaipur (180 km) is the nearest airport. The Park is around 11 km away from the Sawai Madhopur railway station. A good network of buses connects Sawai Madhopur to all themajor cities within Rajasthan.

The Park is as much known for itspicturesque ruins and lakes as for the tiger

RANTHAMBORE NATIONAL PARK

Located in the Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan, theRanthambore National Park is home to the tiger, bear, nilgai,chital, crocodiles, civet cats and leopards, and over 350

species of birds, and is known for its amazing lakes, theRanthambore Fort and ruins of Raj Bagh palace. The pleasantmonths to visit the park are October and April.

Since tigerspotting is the name of the game, most visitors take everyopportunity to visit the park for a glimpse of the king of the jungle athome. This means waking up at the crack of dawn and setting off tothe jungle. But, this is a jungle and not a zoo, so, no one can guaranteea sighting.

However, one is hopeful that the majestic animal will give us anappearance. With this clear objective in mind, we enter the park.Within five minutes of turning off from the metalled road onto thejungle track, our guide tells us that a vehicle just up ahead has seena tigress cross the path. The guide hears the roar of a tigress, andtells us that it is mating season and she is with a tiger nearby. Then,we too hear her roaring, and are told that hearing the roar of a tigeris rarer than seeing one. Small consolation, as our tigress and hermate do not deign to give us an audience. The jungle safari soonends but we leave with a promise to come back, to relive the beautyof Ranthambore.

THATMAJESTICROAR



N A V I G A T O RNagpur is the nearest airport and railhead. From Nagpur,drive to Khawasa (80 km), from where Pench’s Touria Gateis just 12 km away. By road, reach Nagpur and Jabalpur,drive on NH 7, and reach Khawasa.

(Clockwise fromabove) Jungle andelephant safaris, a cheetal and anopen air machanthat allows one tosleep out

For over 400 years, Pench has beenknown for its natural beauty

P E N C H N A T I O N A L P A R K

For anyone who has ever read The Jungle Book, a trip toPench National Park, located on the southern boundary ofMadhya Pradesh, bordering Maharashtra, is not only a visitto a fabulous forest, but also a trip down memory lane. But,

much before Rudyard Kipling, Pench was recognised for its naturalbeauty by Abul-Fazl, a minister of Emperor Akbar, in his book Ain-i-Akbari, accounting the details of Akbar’s administration.

The reserve covers 758 sq km, of which 299 sq km is the corearea, and is off limits to visitors, giving more protection to the wildlife.But that still leaves a whopping 464 sq km in which you can spot alot of animals.

The tiger is the obvious star of Pench, but bear and Indian wilddog, or dhole, are also high on the list of any keen wildlife enthusiast.We were lucky to see dhole, for they do not stay in any one place fora long time. Soon, we heard the alarm call of a barking deer, followedby a second and a third call. “Quick,” the forest guide told our driver,and off we bounced through the forest for quite a distance. “Stop!” hesuddenly whispered. And there was a tigress lolling around in thegrass, as relaxed and lazy as could be. We wouldn’t have spotted her,if our guide hadn’t triangulated the three alarm calls.

—Christine Pemberton

FROM THEJUNGLE

BOOK

PHOTO: CHRISTINE PEMBERTON


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TOGETHER, IN PASTAND FUTUREPresident Mukherjee’s visit to Bangladesh reinforced the tiesbetween the two neighboursTEXT: RANJANA NARAYAN

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

Warmth and a touch of nostalgia marked President Pranab Mukherjee’s maidenvisit to Bangladesh after taking over the country’s highest office. A grandreception at his in-law’s home in Narail, a visit to Nobel laureate Rabindranath

Tagore’s country home in Kushtia, giving a convocation speech at Dhaka University andbeing conferred the prestigious Liberation War Award — President Mukherjee’s visit inearly March was memorable in more ways than one and helped strengthen the historicaland cultural bonds between the two neighbours.

Touching on the close relations, President Mukherjee, in his speech at DhakaUniversity where he was conferred an honorary doctorate, said his visit at a personallevel was “an emotional journey”. “I have my roots in the soil of Bengal, and have imbibedits language, traditions and culture. My wife was born in Narail and started her educationhere. I have grown up reading the compositions of the same poets as you, listening tothe same songs which both our people love and walked along the banks of the samerivers which inspire the songs that make us all similarly wistful,” he said.

Lauding the economic and social progress of Bangladesh, President Mukherjee alsospoke of the close linkages between the two countries. “India and Bangladesh areinterlinked like no other nations on earth. Our destinies are interwoven just like our historyand our geography. Within our resources, India remains committed to supporting thecomprehensive development of Bangladesh and the aspirations of its people.”

While receiving Bangladesh’s Liberation War Honour, amid a standing ovation frommore than 200 dignitaries, including from abroad, present at the Presidential Palace,President Mukherjee’s speech touched upon the charged and emotional eventsleading to the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. President Mukherjee, who was

Bangladesh PrimeMinister Sheikh Hasina

calls on President PranabMukherjee in Dhaka

President Mukherjee during the Guard of Honour at HazratShahjalal International Airport

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conferred the honour for his valuable contribution to the 1971 Liberation War — inwhich India played a critical role, said, “I feel humble as I receive this prestigious awardand I feel that my contribution was modest. As I stand here tonight, I am filled withmemories of the events of 1971. I was 36 years old and an MP when the people ofBangladesh engaged themselves in their liberation struggle.”

He recalled that on June 15, 1971 he had the privilege to initiate a discussion inthe Rajya Sabha and he suggested that India should accord recognition to thegovernment of Bangladesh in exile. He said India has an abiding interest in the all-around development of Bangladesh.

“As in 1971, so in 2013, the people of India stand beside the people of Bangladesh.We will walk with you as equal partners, shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm. We are bothinheritors of an undivided civilisational legacy. It is no wonder that India and her peopleshare a special connection with Bangladesh.”

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her speech at the event, described PresidentMukherjee as “a real friend” of Bangladesh who “braving all obstacles from differentquarters stood beside us when the war was waged at the call of Father of the NationBangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and played a big role in mobilising support ofthe international community for our independence.”

Poet laureate Rabindranath Tagore is another factor binding the two nations.Tagore’s songs, poetry and dance-dramas are equally popular in India andBangladesh. The two countries jointly celebrated the 150th birth anniversary of theNobel laureate on whose compositions their national anthems are based. PresidentMukherjee had as finance minister visited Dhaka in May 2011 for the closing

(Above and left) PresidentMukherjee during his visit to

Bangabandhu MemorialMuseum, Dhaka

POETLAUREATE

TAGORE IS AFACTOR

BINDING THETWO NATIONS.

TAGORE’SSONGS,

POETRY ANDDANCE-DRAMAS

ARE EQUALLYPOPULAR ININDIA AND

BANGLADESH

Bangladesh President Md Zillur Rahman (right) greetsPresident Mukherjee on his arrival in Dhaka


INDIAWOULD FUNDUPGRADATION

OF THESEWERAGE OF

KUMUDINIHOSPITAL

COMPLEX INTANGAIL AND

CONSTRUCTIONOF A STATE-OF-THE-ART

WASTE WATERTREATMENT

PLANT SYSTEM


ceremony of the Tagore birth anniversary celebrations.Taking their close bonding over Tagore further, President Mukherjee during this

tour visited Tagore’s country home in Shilaidaha in Kushtia district, where the poet hadpenned several of his famous lyrics. The President said he was “quite impressed” bythe way the articles of the poet have been preserved at the heritage site.

The President visited Kumudini hospital complex at the Kumudini township inMirzapur, Tangail, where he announced that India would fund upgradation of thesewerage of Kumudini complex, as well as construction of a state-of-the-art waste watertreatment plant system.

At the Dhaka Cantonment railway station, President Mukherjee along withBangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the broad-gauge locomotivesand tank wagon of Bangladesh Railway supplied under the $1 billion Line of Creditextended by India. In mid-February, India had handed over 20 Ashok Leyland busesto Bangladesh as part of the Line of Credit.

The President made his maiden visit to the ancestral home of his in-laws in Narailwhere he was accorded a traditional reception. The President and his wife SuvraMukherjee were offered sweetmeats and other gifts and showered with love and attention.

In keeping with the red carpet ceremonial welcome, the President was accordedat Dhaka airport on his arrival, where the then Bangladesh President, Md. ZillurRahman was there to receive him, when leaving Dhaka Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinawas there at the airport to see him off.

(Ranjana Narayan is Associate Editor with Indo-Asian News Service. She was part of the mediadelegation that accompanied the President to the state visit to Bangladesh)

President Mukherjee was presented the degree of Doctor of LawsHonoris Causa by University of Dhaka

(Above) President Mukherjeeand Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina

inaugurate the broad gaugelocomotive and tank wagon

under Line of Credit; and(right) President Mukherjee lays

wreath on the portrait ofBangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman



In the balmy South African coastal city of Durban, where MahatmaGandhi once honed weapons of anti-imperial struggle, the leadersof the world’s five emerging economies scripted a new anthem ofliberation in the form of BRICS development bank, which is poised

to become the pivot of a new democratic world order. The seeds ofthe bank were sown in New Delhi, nurtured in Durban, and is set tobud and bloom in the next few months.

Defying sceptics, the two-day BRICS summit, from March 26-27,2013, culminated in a unanimous decision by the leaders of Brazil,Russia, India, China and South Africa to set up a BRICS-led bank thatwill finance development and infrastructure projects not just inemerging economies, but also in the larger global South. The leadersof the five emerging economies, which account for over a quarter ofglobal GDP, also endorsed a $100-billion contingency reservearrangement that will be deployed as a last resort, in case of a seriousbalance of payment crisis afflicting a BRICS country. The contingencyfund envisages contributions of $41 billion by China, $18 billion eachby India, Brazil and Russia, and $5 billion by South Africa.

“We have decided to enter formal negotiations to establish aBRICS-led new development bank based on our own considerableinfrastructure needs, which amounts to around $4.5 trillion over thenext five years, but also to cooperate with other emerging markets anddeveloping countries in future,” said South African President JacobZuma, the host of the first BRICS summit held on African soil.

The Summit also saw important steps in deepening the frameworkof intra-BRICS cooperation. These pivotal steps included the setting upof a 25-member BRICS Business Council and the BRICS Think TanksCouncil that seeks to provide thought leadership to a new dialectics ofdevelopment, business and geopolitics epitomised by the BRICS.

Some sceptics say the Durban Summit fell far short of expectations,but the fifth outing of emerging powers has proved to be the mostsubstantive one, capping five years of incremental efforts to infusegreater strategic, geopolitical and economic content in a grouping thatwas born in the crucible of the 2008 global financial crisis. Yes, a lotof hard work remains to be done to get the details of the bank right,

A NEW WORLD ORDERThe BRICS Summit in Durban decides to set up a development bank and contingencyreserve arrangement in case of a payment crisis afflicting a member

TEXT: MANISH CHAND

PARTNERSHIPS(From left) Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh; Presidentof the People’s Republic ofChina, Xi Jinping; President ofSouth Africa, Jacob Zuma;President of Brazil, DilmaRousseff and Russian FederationPresident, Vladimir Putin

AFP

BRICS Durban:Layout 1 03/06/13 10:26 AM Page 2


but the fact that the leaders of the countries, with their distinctivetrajectories of economic growth and national priorities, could joinhands and declare the “viability” of a BRICS-led bank in times of thecontinuing slowdown is in itself a signature achievement.

For India, which took the lead in shaping the development bank,the fruition of the key ideas that flowed from the 2012 New DelhiSummit was a moment of special pride and resonance. “It gives megreat satisfaction to note that one of the ideas that we first discussedat New Delhi, that of instituting a mechanism to recycle surplussavings into infrastructure investments in developing countries, hasbeen given a concrete shape during the Durban Summit,” said IndianPrime Minister Manmohan Singh. “Our Finance Ministers will nowwork to develop the details of this project,” he said, adding, “TheBRICS development bank initiative has opened the doors to newpossibilities of cooperation.”

India’s Finance Minister P. Chidambaram is upbeat aboutcompleting the processes relating to the bank by the time Brazil hoststhe next summit in 2014. “We should have a nearly completedocument when the leaders meet again in Brazil next March,”Chidambaram told media after the Summit. The basic structuralfeatures of the bank, including the initial corpus capital; the governingboard; and headquarters of the bank will entail intense negotiations.There are lingering differences over the corpus of the seed capital,which range from $50 billion to $100 billion. From New Delhi’s pointof view, the $100 billion corpus could distort internal balance withinthe grouping, as the economies and capacities of the five BRICScountries are not the same. Indian officials have underscored thatequity is the cardinal principle that should underpin the bank and feelthat any deviation from this principle could lead to a replication ofasymmetries of the Bretton Woods institutions.

The Durban Summit also saw an infusion of greater strategic andgeopolitical content in the grouping that has remained focused on issuesof global economic governance and recovery. This new convergencewas reflected in their collective resolve to cooperate and consult closelyon a wide array of cross-cutting issues, ranging from piracy and

THE SUMMIT SAWTHE COLLECTIVE RESOLVE OF BRICS TO COOPERATE

AND CONSULT ON A RANGE OF CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES, FROM PIRACY AND TERRORISM TO NEW-AGE

THREATS LIKE CYBER WARFARE

Dr Manmohan Singhwith Ms DilmaRousseff during theSummit



terrorism to new-age threats like cyber warfare. Moving beyondeconomics, the BRICS leaders forged a collective stand on mitigating thesuffering of the Syrian people and underlined the need for a Syrian-lednational dialogue to achieve lasting peace in the West Asian nation. Theyalso warned the West against military adventurism in Iran, an assertivestance that marks the emergence of an alternative BRICS narrative onpressing international issues. “We express our deep concern with thedeterioration of the security and humanitarian situation in Syria andcondemn the increasing violations of human rights and of internationalhumanitarian law as a result of continued violence,” said the eThekwiniDeclaration that was issued at the end of the Summit.

Though the Durban Summit ended on a high note, the road fromDurban to Brasilia will be fraught with challenges and prospects ofnew initiatives to add more traction to the $14 trillion grouping.Outlining the future trajectory, Dr Singh underlined that “the progressover the past five years encourages us to set higher ambitions, seeknew avenues and set new goals for our cooperation.” The suggestionsmade by the Indian leader, along with the ideas offered by other BRICSleaders, have the potential to make the grouping a more powerful andcredible platform in reconfiguring the global order.

The suggestions included expanding intra-BRICS trade andinvestment so that the BRICS remain the driver of global economicgrowth and enhancing collaboration between institutions in BRICScountries to forge relevant solutions in areas such as energy, foodsecurity, education, healthcare, sustainable development and IT-enabled public services. Dr Singh also urged BRICS countries to workindividually and collectively to make economic development morebroad-based and inclusive and underlined the need to “work morecohesively in international forums to advance the agenda of sustainedglobal economy recovery and promote a balanced outcome on issuessuch as trade, sustainable development and climate change, in amanner that protects our shared interests and those of the entiredeveloping world.”

—Manish Chand is Editor-in-Chief of India Writes, an e-magazine focused on international affairs

(Clockwise from left)Prime Minister Singhwith Mr VladimirPutin, Xi Jinping andJacob Zuma on thesidelines of theSummit

DR MANMOHAN SINGH URGED BRICS COUNTRIES TO WORK INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY TO MAKEECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MORE BROAD-BASEDAND INCLUSIVE



PHOTOGRAPHS: ASHLEY BAXTER & PARVEZ KALEEMTEXT: SHIVAM SHARMA

BCIM CAR RALLY

BUILDING BONDS, FOSTERING FRIENDSHIP

The historic Kolkata–KunmingBCIM (Bangladesh, China, Indiaand Myanmar) 2013 Car Rallywas flagged off in Kolkata inFebruary. About 80participants from four partnernations embarked on an epic3,000-km journey in 20 cars tothe Chinese city of Kunming, viaJessore, Dhaka, Sylhet, Silchar,Imphal, Ka-Lay, Mandalay, Ruili,Tengchong and Erhai Lake, Dali.The first edition of the12-day-longrally was organised through theactive participation of the partnernations to boost trade andencourage people-to-peoplecontact in the BCIM region. IndiaPerspectives brings to you thesnapshots of the rally

The first-ever BCIM Car Rally was flagged off in Kolkata on February 22, 2013, by the Chief Minister of West Bengal,

Mamata Banerjee, in presence of Confederation of IndianIndustry (CII) President Adi Godrej, CII Director General

Chandrajit Banerjee and other dignitaries. The rally enteredBangladesh on the same day through Petrapole Border.


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The rally participants visited the National Martyrs’ Memorial near the capital city of Bangladesh, Dhaka. Seen in the photograph, all 20 cars lined up at the Memorial

During the run in Bangladesh, the rally crossed several rivers through bridges, but the highlight was ferry crossing through Padma river.

A common sight in Bangladesh, the citizens extended warm welcome to the rally. At different instances, they handed out snacks andwater bottles to the participants.

The convoy en route Sutankandi (Bangladesh–India) border; the rally entered back in India on the fourth day through Silchar, Assam.




The rally receivednothing less than a

heroic welcome whileentering back in Indiafrom Bangladesh. Thefollowing day, the rallydrove through Silchar(Assam) and Imphal

(Manipur) beforeentering Myanmar.

On the sixth day the rally entered Myanmar throughPorder Bridge, Moreh Border on NH39. A significantlandmark in the rally route, half of the bridge fallsunder India and the other half under Myanmar. Seenin the photograph: MD of Tata Motors Karl Slymdriving the control car into Myanmar.

The rally was greeted bypeople wherever it went.

Seen in the photograph isa human tunnel formed by

residents en routeMyanmar.

After a long day’sdrive, participantswitnessed aspectacularperformance byManipuri dancers.

With magnificent landscapes and abreathtaking natural beauty around

them, Ka-Lay to Mandalay was a memorable drive for participants

driving in Myanmar.

Visit to Myanmar can never becomplete without visiting a pagoda.

The car rally visited a pagoda nearMandalay en route Ruili, China

The rally participants from Myanmarincluded two film actors and onepop singer. Seen in the photograph,actress Aye Myat Thu with localsduring a tea break.



The rally was flagged down in Kunming, China, on March 5, 2013. The rally covered 3,000 km across four countries in 12 days from Kolkata toKunming. A group photograph of the 80 rally participants.

On the eighth day, the rally entered Ruili, theborder town of China, through Myanmar.

After completing a week-long run through threecountries, the convoy arrived in China, the ultimatedestination of the BCIM Car Rally.

After long drives, the rally participants got a chance for sightseeing.Seen in the photograph are participants sharing a light moment inDali, China.




WHEN

GodsGO ON A HOLIDAY

LARGER-THAN-LIFE IDOLS, CHARIOTS AND A SEA OF HUMANITYMAKE PURI RATHYATRA A SPECTACLE

TEXT: UTTARA GANGOPADHYAY

The annual Jagannath Rathyatra or the ChariotFestival in Puri, Odisha, is around the corner. It isthe occasion when believers from across theworld congregate in Puri for a glimpse of the

journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and theirsister Subhadra, aloft three wooden chariots, from the12th-century-old Jagannath Temple to their aunt’s templea little distance away. This is also the time when devoteespull the ropes of the chariots, dance, sing and partake ofthe blessed offerings. The three giant chariots rolling downthe Bada Danda or Grand Avenue of Puri, pulled by a seaof people, amidst chants and cries of Jai Jagannath, is aspectacle one can’t forget.

Tucked in the eastern sea coast of India, Puri is betterknown for the 12th century temple dedicated to LordJagannath. Every year, on the day of Asadh ShuklaDwititya (falling in June−July), the three idols leave thetemple for a five-kilometre chariot ride to their aunt’shome, Gundicha Temple, where they stay for the nextseven days. The chariots — built anew every year by thesame family of craftspeople — are lined up in front of thetemple the day before. The first to roll out is the Taladhvajahousing big brother Lord Balabhadra. Sister Subhadrastarts next, seated in her chariot, Darpadalan, followed bychariot Nandighosa of Lord Jagannath, the star of theshow. It is this grand spectacle that gave the word‘juggernaut’ (meaning huge) to the English lexicon.

FESTIVAL

Thousands of devoteesgather to pull thechariots during theRathyatra

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The first day of the festival is marked with numerousrites and rituals of which the most famous is the pahandiand the chhenrapahara. The pahandi consists ofunfastening the idols from the pedestal, lifting them andcarrying them all the way to the chariot. The idols are heavyand it is not easy to carry them through the surging crowd.After the idols are seated on the chariots, the ruler of Purisweeps the chariot with a golden broom. Known aschhenrapahara, it is a lesson in humility — everyone isequal before the Lord. Interestingly, while all rites and ritualsobserved daily in the temple are conducted by Brahminpriests, the rites and rituals associated with the Rathayatraare only conducted by a special group of attendants calleddaitapatis, descendants of the tribal king Biswabasu.

Pilgrims and visitors start arriving the day before thefestival and the town is swamped by a sea of people. Thevisitors include a good number of foreign travellers.Rooftops around the temple and makeshift galleries nowsell tickets to visitors for a better view of the spectacle.Otherwise, one can mingle with the crowd.

On the ninth day of the festival, the idols embark ontheir return journey to the main temple, known as BahudaYatra, and remain in the chariot for one more night. Thesunabesh or adorning with gold ornaments is held on thetenth day. The next day, the idols return to the templeprobably as tired and happy as the pilgrims.

THE RITUALSOF THE RATHYATRA ARE CONDUCTED BY DAITAPATIS, THE DESCENDANTS OF THE TRIBAL KING BISWABASU

(From left) A devotee dressed in acolourful costume; the GundichaTemple; and a child sitting on theedge of a chariot

AFP

AFP



SIX HUNDREDCOOKS, 400 HELPERS, AROUND 752 EARTHENOVENS AND ABSOLUTE SANCTITY HELPPREPARE THE HOLY MEAL

An important element of the Chariot Festival is the blessed food,known as Mahaprasada, which the temple kitchen prepares ona massive scale to ensure that no one goes hungry.

Mahaprasada is a 56-course meal consisting of Sankhudi andNisankhudi, which stand for cooked food and dry food, respectively. Sixhundred cooks, 400 helpers, around 752 earthen ovens and absolutesanctity help prepare the holy meal, which includes four types of rice.Kanika (rice made in clarified butter and sugar), salted rice, plainrice, mahura (mixed vegetable curry), besara (mixed vegetable withblack mustard seeds) and raita (cucumber and tomatoes in yoghurt)are the most popular preparations. Once the cooking is done andoffered to the deities, it is offered to Goddess Vimala. After she partakesof the offerings, it is called Mahaprasada.

A legend has it that when King Indradyumna finished buildingthe Lord Jagannath Temple at Puri, he went to invite Lord Brahma tobless the edifice. As Brahma was meditating, it took him a long time.When he came back, goddess Vimala had taken possession of thetemple. She agreed to vacate the abode if another temple was built forher in the same courtyard and that she would be the first to receivethe Mahaprasada. She was appeased and the tradition is beingmaintained since then.

The tradition of Mahaprasada began during the reign of KingYayati Keshari. It was disrupted for some years, but was laterresumed. There is no change in the menu since it was introduced inthe 12th century.

—Mona Lisa Jena

FOOD OF THE GODS

The Mahaprasada beingsold to public inAnanda Bazaar, in Puri



or three days in March, thetwin towns of Anandpur Sahiband Kiratpur Sahib, in Punjab,resound to the battle cries of

Nihang (an armed Sikh order)warriors. Upholding a tradition startedby the tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh,the community gathers in hugenumbers to watch the Nihangs put upa scintillating display of mock battlesand skills using traditional weapons.Called Hola Mohalla, the festival hasswordsmanship, tent-pegging,saddle-less horse riding and a varietyof martial skills to symbolise revelryon subduing the aggressor.

The celebration of Hola Mohalladates back to the early 1700s. GuruGobind Singh realised the importanceof acquiring the capability to defendhis people against oppression, as wellas the constant need to keep hisforces fighting fit and in high spirits.

F

TRADITION

TEXT: SANDEEP GOSWAMI

A STRIKINGSHOWCASE OFARCHERY, HORSE RIDINGSWORDSMANSHIPAND COMMUNITYBONDING MAKE HOLA MOHALLADIFFERENT

WARRIORSHOLY

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In the open fields surrounding theHolgarh Fort, near Anandpur Sahib,he initiated the tradition of mockbattles between groups of Nihangs.Observed after Holi, the traditionblends the spirit of victory and gaietyassociated with spring. The Nihangsmove about in groups, called jatthas,live together in tented encampments,called chawannis, carry theirweapons of war on their person, andeven cook and eat in iron utensils.Each jattha specialises in somemethod of warfare and is peopled byexperts unique to that group.

The Nihangs, dressed in theirroyal-blue robes and sporting fierce-looking weapons, gravitate atAnandpur Sahib from all over Indiafor the festival. War cries resound andpuffs of gulal fill the clear blue skies.The camaraderie and onenessamongst the gathered Sikhs is


DRESSED IN THEIR ROYAL-BLUE ROBESAND SPORTINGWEAPONS, GRAVITATEAT ANANDPUR SAHIB FROM ALL OVER INDIA

THE NIHANGS,

AFP


underscored by the sincerity withwhich they perform communityservice or kar sewa, irrespective oftheir financial or social status.Voluntary community kitchens orlangars are set up at AnandpurSahib. The third Sikh Guru Amar Das,initiated this system of communitykitchens with the aim of removinginequality amongst his followers —exhorting them to sit on the floortogether and share common food.

The third day of the festival is itshigh point. Nihangas begin their dayearly with a bath and prayers followedby the preparation of parshada (foodoffered to God), which is distributedto pilgrims throughout the day. This issucceeded by recitals from the GuruGranth Sahib, followed by ardas(seeking forgiveness for anyinadvertent errors during the holyrecital), and the bhog ceremony,

MOVE ABOUT IN GROUPS, CALLED JATTHAS. EACH JATTHASPECIALISES IN SOME METHOD OF WARFARE

THE WARRIORS



during which a part of the parshadais offered to the Guru Granth Sahib,and the rest is distributed. By noon,the Nihangs are ready for their annualprocession, led by the Panj Pyarasrepresenting in spirit the five Sikhs,who were willing to sacrifice their liveson the bidding of Guru Gobind Singh.

A procession starts fromgurudwara Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahiband passes through other importantgurudwaras of Qila Anandgarh,Lohgarh Sahib and Mata Jitoji toreturn at the Takht from where itstarted, followed by a display ofmilitary skills by the participatingjatthas at Shahidi Bagh. The mockbattles and skilled displays continuetill sunset. Awards and citations(saropas) are handed out to honourthe skilled and the brave. And the dayends on a note of high spirits and full-fledged festivity. n


AMONGST THEGATHERED SIKHS ISUNDERSCORED BYTHE SINCERITY WITHWHICH THEYPERFORM KAR SEWAAND LANGARS

THE ONENESS



HistoryBrush

Strokes from

Wonder of the Age:Master Painters of India

1100-1900 is a vividlyillustrated publicationdedicated to the most

eminent Indian paintersfrom the era. A selection

of photographs takenfrom the book

Asad ibn Kariba launches a night attack on the camp of Malik Iraj: folio from a Hamzanama seriesDelhi–Fatehpuri Sikri, ca. 1570

Extracted from:

WONDER OF THE AGEMASTER PAINTERS OF INDIA 1100-1900

John Guy and Jorrit Britschgi

PUBLISHER: MAPIN PUBLISHING INASSOCIATION WITH THE METROPOLITANMUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORKPRICE: ` 2100 PAGES: 224; 165ILLUSTRATIONS AND 3 MAPS

BOOK EXTRACT

Book Extract-Wonders:Layout 1 03/06/13 11:34 AM Page 2


ainting in India is ancient, and of two kinds. It was used to decorate the interiors ofboth palaces and places of worship, and it was deployed to illustrate texts inmanuscripts, both secular and sacred. Early in their development, all Indian religionsexperienced the precariousness of relying exclusively on oral transmission and

became aware of the necessity of a written tradition.The traditional medium throughout most of India’s past has been the palm-leaf

manuscript, both fragile and resilient. It not just provided the vehicle for transmitting the vastbody of Indian thought for more than 2000 years, but was a medium for the visual arts in theform of illustrated manuscripts. The other stream of early painting — again, of which almostnothing survives — was that of mural painting, both temple and palace decor. Works ofliterature, notably dramas and romances, must have been a regular feature of court culture,and manuscript editions may well have incorporated illustrated covers from an early period.All these traditions of paintings — for temple, palace, and dramatic arts alike — share acommon ancestry.

Nanda touches Krishna’s head after the slaying of Putana: folio from a Bhagavata Purana manuscriptDelhi–Agra region, North India, ca.1540

The village beauty: folio from the Guler Bihari Satsai seriesGuler, Himachal Pradesh, ca. 1785

P


Wonder of the Age: Master Painters of India 1100-1900 captures this ancestry byfeaturing 110 works by many eminent painters in the history of Indian art. The remarkablepaintings, dating from 1100 to 1900, were selected according to identifiable artists, and theyrefute the long-held view of anonymous authorship in Indian art.

Traditionally, Indian paintings have been classified by regional styles or dynastic periods,with an emphasis on subject matter. The introductory essay of the book outlines the originsof early Indian painting of the first millennium. The following sections examine manuscriptpainting as it evolved from palm-leaf to paper, the early Hindu–Sultanate paintings, the goldenage of the Mughal Painting, the emergence of traditional painting as an independent artform, and its demise with the coming of photography. Biographies of the artists and a glossaryof their major literary sources provide valuable context. A few such artists are Basawan, ‘Abdal-Samad, Manohar, Farrukh Beg, Keshav Das, Aqa Riza, Abu’l Hassan, ‘Abid, Mansur,Balchand, Payag, Bhavanidas, Nainsulk, Mir Malan Khan, Shivalal and Mohanlal. n


Rao Jagat Singh of Kota at ease in a gardenKota, Rajasthan, ca. 1660

Hanuman paying homage to Rama: folio from a Dasavatara seriesMankot, Jammu, ca. 1700-1710


Blessed with magnificent glaciers and snow-clad peaks, dense forestsand places of pilgrimage, Uttarakhand is a place for everyone

Picture Perfect

PHOTO FEATURE UTTARAKHAND The Shivling peak and a lake in the Himalayas

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HeightsEnsconced in the mighty Himalayas,Uttarakhand is a beautifulbreak any time of theyear. Its peaks (highestbeing Nanda Devi, at7,817 m), glaciers, passesand meadows, give aperfect backdrop to itsmany hill stations. Thefamous getaways includeMussoorie, Nainital,Almora, Ranikhet,Pithoragarh, Pauri andMunsiyari.

(From left) Families on vacation at Kempty Falls inMussoorie; and shikara boats at Tallital Lake in Nainital


(Clockwise from left) Flowers bloom in Har-ki-dun Valley; a climber in Garhwal; and white water rafting in Rishikesh

NatureBlessed with verdantpatches and a perfectbalance of flora and

fauna, enjoyUttarakhand’s best atRajaji National Park,Nanda Devi National

Park, Askot Sanctuaryand Corbett, among

others. High onadventure, the state also

has options ofmountaineering

(at Bhagirathi,Chowkhamba, Pindari,

Sahastrataal andGaumukh, to name a

few), trekking, skiing (atAuli, Dayara Bugyal,

Munsiyari and Mundali),skating, water and aerosports (at Pithoragarh,Jolly Grant and Pauri).


(Clockwise from top) Devotees at the religious sites ofHaridwar, Kedar Nath Temple and Hemkund Sahib

PilgrimageA paradise for devotees,Uttarakhand is dottedwith numerous sacredshrines and temples. Themost prominent areYamunotri, Gangotri,Badrinath and Kedarnath,which are collectivelycalled Chhota CharDham. Haridwar,Rishikesh, the temples ofMansa Devi, Chandi Deviand Dhari Devi, and the Sikh shrine ofHemkund Sahib are otherholy sites.


TEMPLE TRAIL

AN EPIPHANYIN MARBLE


Snuggled in the Aravalli Hills, in Rajasthan, andsituated on the banks of river Maghai lies the 15th-century marble dream of Ranakpur, one of the fiveholiest places of Jain pilgrimage and worship.

Unlike other religious places, the four-temple complex hasno congested bazaars and hustle and bustle of crowd, buta distinct character of prayerful peace, soul-satisfyingserenity and a marvelous architecture.

The sense of seclusion and the pacific ambience of theplace is in quiet harmony with the ascetic ideology ofJainism. An inconspicuous inscription on a wall in the main

Every year, thousands of devotees visit Ranakpur, the reveredcentre of Jain worship in Rajasthan

TEXT: DON ALNEY

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temple tells us that Dharnaka, a rich and reputed Jainmerchant, built it. Legend has it that he drew inspirationfrom a dream featuring a heavenly vehicle mentioned inJain scriptures. Deeply moved by this vision, Dharnakadecided to build a similar structure, in the form of a temple.He requested land from Rana Kumbha, the ruler of Mewar,on which to translate his dream into a temple ofunparalleled beauty. In 1394, Rana Kumbha donated alarge tract in the foothills of the Aravalli range for theproposed temple. The creation of Dharnaka’s marble marveltook all of 50 years. On completion, it was dedicated to thedeeply venerated Lord Adinath, the first of the 24 JainTirthankaras, or enlightened sages.

The conceptual magnitude and aesthetic grace of the

Adinath temple has transformed it into an epiphany inmarble. Enshrined in the sanctum sanctorum is theChaumukha, or four-faced image of the first Tirthankara.The temple sprawls over 48,000 square feet with its 29halls, 86 chapels, five spires and 20 domes. It is widelybelieved that these are supported on 1,444 magnificentpillars, each carved distinctly different from the other. It isalso believed that there are nine cellars under the maintemple for safe storage of the temple’s sacred images, incase of any emergency. The ingenuity of the architect’sdesigns is evident from the positioning of these 40-foot-highpillars; from any of the four corners of the temple, thevisitor’s view of the central, four-faced image of Lord Adinathremains unobstructed. Curiously, one of these pillars bears

(Previous page) Jain devoteesduring a ceremony; (current page,

clockwise from right) a womanselling flowers; a priest; and a

man making sacred sandalwoodpaste inside the temple

GETTING THEREBy Air: The nearest airport is

Udaipur (80 km away).

By Rail: Falna (35 km away) isthe nearest railhead on theDelhi−Ahmedabad sector.

By Road: A good network of busservices joins Ranakpur with

many places in the state.



an inscription relating how a Jain monk persuaded MughalEmperor Akbar to ban hunting, sale and consumption ofmeat on days of religious significance for the Jains.

Images of the 24 Tirthankaras are sculpted on theporticos around the shrine, with each mandap (coveredstructure with pillars) possessing a spire adorned with littlebells on top. With every gust of breeze, the temple corridorsecho the tinkling of the bells, creating an illusion of etherealmusic. The carvings of the temple of Lord Adinath give theimpression of a lace-like effect with floral scrolls, dancinggoddesses and scriptural scenes.

There are three other smaller temples; two of these arededicated to the Jain saints, Parsvanath and Neminath.Both face the main temple. The fourth, Surya Mandir, is

dedicated to the Sun God. Its polygonal walls areembellished with opulent carvings of warriors mounted onhorses and solar deities riding splendorous chariots.

A breathtaking sight, the temple is a masterpiece ofintricately carved motifs. The most remarkable thing of the complex is the wonderful play of light and shade on its exquisitely cut pillars. It is believed that each pillar changes colour from golden to pale blue after every hourduring the day.

With the temples reclaiming the glory in the last threedecades, devotees and tourists continue to stream in fromdistant places. Some visit to express gratitude, a few in questof solace and hope for the morrow, and many attracted bythe architecture. n

Blessed with beautiful sculptures,the temple complex is appreciatedby devotees and tourists alike

IN THE NEIGHBOURHOODSadri: Visit the old shrine ofKhudabaksh Baba, andVarahavtar and ChintamaniParsvanath Jain templesGhanerao: Jain and Hindutemples of Gajanan Desuri: Temples of Lord Shiva, Lord Hanuman and NaviMata, and an ancient mosqueMuchhal Mahavira: A templethat has a statue of LordMahavira with a moustache


Derived from the words ‘instrument’ and ‘formula’ or ‘calculation’, the Jantar Mantars wereconstructed between 1727 and 1734 by Maharajah Jai Singh II of Jaipur in his native territory ofwest-central India. A spectacle of India’s scientific heritage, one might ask why these were requiredover a century after Galileo had invented the telescope. In all probability the Indian ruler knew of the

telescope, but the Jantar Mantars were different. The traditional instruments employed here were designed tocalculate the precise positions of celestial objects, crucial knowledge of which was required to determinehoroscopes and to pinpoint auspicious days.

Jai Singh was passionately interested in mathematics and astronomy, and adapted and added to the designsof earlier sight-based observatories to create architecture for astronomical measurement. Primarily influenced bythe Islamic school of astronomy, his designs incorporated elements from early Greek and Persian observatories.But the instruments of the Jantar Mantar were more complex, and in certain instances, were completely uniquein design and function. Though there were five such observatories originally built at Delhi, Jaipur, Mathura,Ujjain and Varanasi, all but the Mathura observatory still exist. We visited the two main observatories at Jaipurand Delhi, besides the latest India has got, to know how significant is this heritage today.

THE TIME-KEEPERSHERITAGE

Though centuries old, the significance of India’s astronomical observatorieshas not eroded with the advancement in scienceTEXT: DEEPIKA KHURANA

Sun Dials:Layout 1 03/06/13 11:52 AM Page 2


Jantar Mantar, JaipurInscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List as“an expression of the astronomical skills andcosmological concepts of the court of a scholarlyprince at the end of the Mughal period,” theJantar Mantar at Jaipur first seems like acollection of weird buildings contorted beyondbelief. On a closer look, the genius of theconstruction becomes apparent. One of thehighlights of the Jantar Mantar are the 14 majorgeometric devices on the ground for measuringtime, predicting eclipses, tracking stars anddetermining the celestial altitudes and relatedephemerides. The most imposing is themammoth sundial, known as Samrat Yantra, inthe centre of the observatory. It is the world’slargest sundial that can tell the time with anaccuracy of two seconds. Its triangular gnomon,90 feet high, is angled at 27°, the latitude ofJaipur. A staircase rises 27 metres (88.5 ft) to asmall cupola where notable readings like that oftiming of eclipse and the arrival of the monsoonseason were announced. If used correctly, thegiant sundial can predict accurate time with just a0.6 second margin of error.

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Jantar Mantar, DelhiThe Jantar Mantar, located near Connaught Placein New Delhi, differs from its twin at Jaipur. Apartfrom the fact that it is built of the local redsandstone, the observatory is a giant version of aspherical sundial. The other two major instrumentshere are Jai Prakash and Mishra Yantra. The JaiPrakash was used to find sun’s position through theshadow cast by two intersecting wires on a concavehemisphere. The hemisphere was marked withaltitude and azimuth circles, tropics and declinationcircles. On the other hand, Mishra Yantra —meaning mixed instrument — combined differentdevices in one and indicated ‘noon’ in variousglobal cities. Mishra Yantra was the only structurein the observatory not invented by Jai Singh II, whowas well versed with the advances in Europeanastronomy while he was building the Delhiastronomical observatory.

Students of astronomy and Vedic astrology often visit this scientific wonder to take somelessons, and it won’t be wrong to say that the observatory is the single most representativework of Vedic thought that still survives, apart from the available text.

Sun Dials:Layout 1 03/06/13 12:09 PM Page 6

Modern Day SundialThe latest addition to India’s attempts with thesundials is the giant gnomon at the Barapullahflyover in New Delhi, believed to be the biggestone made in brass and steel. “Brass has beenused to give it a longer shelf life and mild steelhas been used for its strength in the innerstructural frame,” explains the sculptor artistGagan Vij.

Conceptualised by Delhi DevelopmentAuthority and floated into a working 3D sculptureby Vij, it is built under the structural guidance ofIndian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee. Afterapproximately three years and `21.1 million, thesundial — weighing 42 tonnes and measuring12.7m high and 24.5m long — shows correctsolar time. “It does not show the lunar time orzodiac time like the Jantar Mantar at Delhi andJaipur. Opposed to your clock time, it shows thelocal time, or the Indian Standard Time (IST), ascalculated in Allahabad. For example, it is noonby the sundial when the shadow of the gnomondisappears. But your watch set to the IST willread 12.21pm at that time, as Delhi is 21 minutesbehind Allahabad,” says Vij.


PHO

TOS:

NIT

IN J

AIN

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All thatJazz

MUSIC

AN INTERNATIONALFESTIVAL BRINGSTOGETHER JAZZMUSICIANS FROMACROSS THE GLOBE TO DELHI

The spectators at the green environs of Nehru Park,in New Delhi, stood enthralled as musicians at theThird Delhi International Jazz Festival (March 15-18) showcased their talent, weaving together a

mesmerising performance that transcended the boundariesof lands and identities.

Organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations(ICCR) annually, the event is by far the largest jazz festivalin India. It was first conceived in 2011 by the ICCR as apresent to Delhi on its centenary, considering it to be a toolof cultural contact. Popular across Asia, Africa, NorthAmerica and Europe today, the festival establishes jazz as acommon language among varied cultures.

“Global cities such as Montreal, London, Stockholm andEdinburgh have a world-class jazz festival that is not justnamed after the city, but almost defines its cultural ethos.With a truly international jazz festival, Delhi too has beenincluded in the list,” said Dr. Suresh K Goel, Director General,ICCR, adding, “The festival this year had well-known namessuch as New Bone Quintet from Poland, Sindi & Mimi fromSouth Africa, Ararat from Israel, Sachal Vasandani from theUSA, Imany from France, and Malcom Braff Trio fromSwitzerland, among others.”

The festival was free to the public and featured teninternational and four Indian bands. A participating band,Radha Thomas Ensemble presented an eclectic mix of jazzsprinkled with Indian influences. Thomas grew up listeningto jazz and learning Indian music, but preferred to stay inthe West to develop her jazz fusion band. Anotherparticipant and a pioneer of jazz vocals in Bogota, GinaSavino believes that the new Colombian jazz is all about itspeople. Savino can sing in Spanish, English and Portugueseand does her own music and improvisations that are notswing or traditional jazz. “I try to tell a story through mymusic. In my new project, A Place, I tell about the Gerejapeople,” she said.

The festival for the first time witnessed participation fromthe USA, as Sachal Vasandani, an American jazz singer ofIndian origin, gave a noteworthy performance. The irresistibleline-up also included well-known Indian artists such as LouisBanks — the man who ignited the jazz movement in India,Dhruv Ghanekar, Toshanbar and Spanish saxophonist JorgePardo, who has a personal style of flamenco jazz.

The Delhi International Jazz Festival 2013 was webcastlive on all four days, making it available to a worldwideaudience, truly making the affair international. n

TEXT: PALLAVI PAUL

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Minister of Commerce and Industry, Anand Sharma at the exhibition

While baskets are routine, underestimated entities in ahousehold, what caught one’s attention at the BasketryDialogues: Connecting Cultures exhibition was anexquisite basket with an Indian-style ikkat pattern, made

by an artisan from Zimbabwe. Not just this basket, but the lamp in thecorner and the kitchenware displayed in the adjoining room narrate theexchange of ideas and heritage between India and Africa, giving theskill of basket weaving and basket weavers a global appeal and vision.

The exhibition, held at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts,New Delhi, from March 2 to 6, was the first milestone achieved by thejoint efforts of basket artisans of Zimbabwe and National Institute ofDesign (NID), Ahmedabad, under the India–Africa Forum Summit II,supported by Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry ofCommerce and Industry, and Ministry of External Affairs, Governmentof India. Rooted in the motto, Crafting a Better World through Design,the design intervention project by the NID aimed at empowering thewomen basketry weavers of Zimbabwe.

The objective of the nine-month-long association between theartisans and NID designers was to make products that have tremendousmarketing and export potential, and so empower the weavers makingthem. “Essentially, what has been woven through this endeavour is notsimply baskets, but dreams and hopes for an empowered future for thebasket weavers of Zimbabwe,” said project head Shimul Mehta Vyas.

TEXT: JYOTI VERMA

... gave India–Africa relations a creative direction

EXHIBITION

Dialogues...Basketry

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were produced from the sisal and bamboo fibres sourced from Masvingo andHonde Valley, in Zimbabwe

The items

Visitors at the exhibition

The items were produced from the sisal and bamboo fibressourced from Masvingo and Honde Valley, in Zimbabwe. The productsnot just displayed the skills and hardwork of the artisans and creativevision of NID designers, but also a new way of collective growth in theglobalised world. As Rajiv Sethi, head of The Asian HeritageFoundation, aptly put, the bilateral effort and resulting showcase was‘cultural diplomacy’.

“We are now in the second stage of the development of theseproducts, where we will market and retail the baskets,” added PalashSingh, a designer part of the project, “Apart from creating designs thatcould enhance incomes, the project helped us understand the life ofwomen in Africa. We worked closely with 25 of them and watchedtheir progress throughout. The most satisfying aspect was the senseof empowerment they communicated.”

The exhibition was the culmination of the first part of a programmeannounced at the Africa–India Forum Summit II in Addis Ababa in2011 in terms of which the NID would work with women basketweavers in five countries in Africa. The programme involved threestages of workshops: two in Zimbabwe and one at the NID campus inAhmedabad. During these meetings, the Indian designers workedclosely with skilled weavers to expand their techniques and apply themto new products and ranges. After Zimbabwe, the developmentmission will be carried out in four other African nations. n

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Indian Cinema celebrates its 100-year-oldlegacy with a six-day-long festival

If it was Ramesh Sippy and Vishal Bhardwaj from the Hindi filmindustry, there were Nagarjuna Akkineni and Rana Daggubati fromthe Telugu film industry. In a show of solidarity, representatives fromIndia’s multi-billion dollar, dynamic cinema world came together for

the inauguration of the Centenary Film Festival in New Delhi on April 25.The six-day extravaganza, organised to mark the 100 years of IndianCinema, was inaugurated by Information and Broadcasting MinisterManish Tewari and Secretary Uday Kumar Varma, amidst actors and filmmakers, all proud of the legacy they inherited from luminaries such asDadasaheb Phalke and Satyajit Ray.

Southern star Nagarjuna made a poignant point. “From the time I got intothe film industry, I used to wish the line between north and south wouldvanish; and as we have approached the 100th milestone year, I see actorsfrom south going to north, and those from north coming to south. It is thesame with directors, who are increasingly picking from southern stories andvice versa. I think that is incredible,” said the actor.

Meanwhile, Tewari said the idea behind the festival was to create an

(From left) Information& Broadcasting MinisterManish Tewari; a paneldiscussion on 100Years of IndianCinema; and actorNagarjuna and directorRamesh Sippy, duringthe celebrations in New Delhi

LANDMARK

CELLULOIDDREAMSTEXT: RADHIKA BHIRANI

PHOTO: HARSHIT

100 YEARS OF CINEMA:Layout 1 03/06/13 12:21 PM Page 2


event, which “truly epitomises the ethos of the country”. He spoke abouthow efforts for single-window clearance for foreign filmmakers and forlevelling the “playing field” for Indian filmmakers are underway. The Ministersaid the government was committed in restoring the rich heritage of Indiancinema for which the National Film Heritage Mission had been launched.Praising the film industry, Tewari said that Indian Cinema had a unique andunmatched identity, and the medium had undertaken a technological leapfrom the black and white silent era to 3D.

The festival was celebrated in Siri Fort Auditorium and venues such asJamia Milia University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and India HabitatCentre. The Siri Fort Auditorium was well-lit and done up with posters ofold films to suit the occasion. The foyer area saw a display of old cameraswith descriptions, which clearly gave one an idea of the progress the Indiancinema has made over a century since silent film Raja Harishchandra wasmade in 1913.

The celebrations began with an exhibition, Indian Cinema 100(Celebrating a Century: an Audio Visual Voyage), followed by the screeningof silent film Throw of Dice with a live musical orchestra by maestro NishatKhan. Over the days, the festival hosted screenings of eminent classics andcontemporary Indian films by master directors such as Bimal Roy, GuruDutt, Shyam Benegal, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and their ilk.

The celebrations included a three-day workshop conceived by themembers of Central Board of Film Certification, a special Satyajit Rayretrospective and display of his artwork, and a play on the life and times ofDadasaheb Phalke. The centenary celebrations culminated in the NationalFilm Awards ceremony at Vigyan Bhavan on May 3.

—The writer is Senior Correspondent (Cinema and Lifestyle) at IANS

(From left) PresidentPranab Mukherjeepresents the BestActress Award to UshaJadhav and Best ActorAward to Irrfan Khan atthe 60th National FilmAwards ceremony atVigyan Bhavan; andvisitors at the Siri FortAuditorium

PHOTO: HARSHIT

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A WOMANBRINGS A SENSE OFCOMPASSION ANDA BALANCEDPERSPECTIVE TOJUDICIARY, AS SHERUNS HER HOMEAND DEALS WITHDOMESTIC JUSTICEEVERYDAY.”

VERBATIM

THE LEGALEXPERT

orn in Lucknow to an engineer of the railways in British India, Leila Sethwas the first woman to top the London Bar exams in 1958. After handlinglegal cases across specialisations in India for coming two decades, shewas appointed the first woman judge of the Delhi High Court in 1978 and

the Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh in 1991. She served on the LawCommission of India till 2000 and was responsible for the amendments to theHindu Succession Act. Smita Singh interviews the veteran and a mother to threeequally celebrated children, on her glorious career and life.

Q. As a law professional, what do you think can herald a just society?A. The most important thing is changing the mindset. Laws are a springboard.They lay down a way, a vision, a target. Implementation takes time. First, thereis a law, then there is awareness, then comes assertion and then action. It takesvarying amounts of time among different categories of people (to assert the law).In some cases it is the more educated and more affluent who assert, but in somecases they are the worst.

Q. Do you think a woman in judiciary is good news?A. Yes. Definitely, women look at things differently. A woman brings a sense ofcompassion and a balanced perspective because she runs her home and dealswith domestic justice everyday.

Q. How did you balance your career and family?A. As my father once told me, “Remember that change of occupation is relaxation”.So when I got tired of doing legal work I relaxed by doing housework and vice versa.But I must admit that balancing between career and family has been tough. Inrelationships, the most important thing is to give people space. Love is finding aperson who helps you become the best person you can be.

Q. You are a famous parent to your equally talented children. Tell us about them.A. My children had chosen their path and they were happy wherever it wouldlead them. Yes, I was worried that Vikram might end up as a penniless poet insome garage. But anyone who knows him would vouch that if A Suitable Boyhad not been a success I am sure he would have been happy leading the life ofa penniless poet. Shantum is a Buddhist teacher; he also takes tourists toimportant Buddhist pilgrimage sites. My daughter Aradhana is a film-maker. Shehas worked on films like Deepa Mehta’s Earth and Fire and Wes Anderson’s TheDarjeeling Limited. n

“

B

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