1 Volume XXXII No. 4 Price Re. 1/- July – August 2018 After the 1960s and 70s, those who wore saris to college were soon to become part of an extinct generation—at least, among certain social groups in the big metropolises. In those days, it was not unusual for Indian girls to cycle around the streets of Oxford, hanging on to pleats, lest these got entangled in the wheels. It is also a generation that has moved on to comfort clothes for daily wear—but one that also harbours a great fascination for a beautiful Of Designs and Motifs EXHIBITION The Story of Vimor 12 to 17 July 2018 sari. It was just this nostalgia that the recent exhibition by Bengaluru-based Vimor reached out to. Established in 1974 by Chimy Nanjappa, Vimor focusses on reviving traditional weaves and designs; and often, the founder’s daughter, Pavithra Muddaya, does a bit of creative tweaking. She also documents designs, motifs and weaving techniques. Her children—Arup and Vipra—too have become the third generation to be involved in this unique venture that has helped weavers become successful business persons. On display at the exhibition were 56 saris, a few with the well-worn original displayed, along with the contemporary weaver’s version. Some were Pavithra’s adaptation and revival of local saris, as well as those from Assam and Rajasthan, and the delicate chanderi from Madhya Pradesh. This sari, named Bangalore Nanjappa Sari by textile aficionado Martand Singh, is a temple sari in interesting hues and the diamond weave design. The pallu combines variations of this weave and, according to Vimor, it is `the subtle progression of that element in the weave that makes this a master piece’. There was no shortage of masterpieces at Vimor’s tastefully curated display, the gorgeous magenta with unusual fish and paisley motifs being another. Brief notes on the saris provided an appropriate history and contexts for these beauties of our textile wealth. ■ MALAVIKA KARLEKAR Bangalore Nanjappa Sari
Transcript
1
Volume XXXII No. 4
Price Re. 1/-
July – August 2018
After the 1960s and 70s, those who wore saris to college
were soon to become part of an extinct generation—at
least, among certain social groups in the big metropolises.
In those days, it was not unusual for Indian girls to cycle
around the streets of Oxford, hanging on to pleats, lest
these got entangled in the wheels. It is also a generation
that has moved on to comfort clothes for daily wear—but
one that also harbours a great fascination for a beautiful
Of Designs and MotifsEXHIBITION
The Story of Vimor
12 to 17 July 2018
sari. It was just this nostalgia that the recent exhibition by
Bengaluru-based Vimor reached out to. Established in 1974
by Chimy Nanjappa, Vimor focusses on reviving traditional
weaves and designs; and often, the founder’s daughter,
Pavithra Muddaya, does a bit of creative tweaking. She
also documents designs, motifs and weaving techniques.
Her children—Arup and Vipra—too have become the third
generation to be involved in this unique venture that has
helped weavers become successful business persons.
On display at the exhibition were 56 saris, a few
with the well-worn original displayed, along with the
contemporary weaver’s version. Some were Pavithra’s
adaptation and revival of local saris, as well as those from
Assam and Rajasthan, and the delicate chanderi from
Madhya Pradesh. This sari, named Bangalore Nanjappa
Sari by textile aficionado
Martand Singh, is a temple
sari in interesting hues and
the diamond weave design.
The pallu combines variations
of this weave and, according
to Vimor, it is `the subtle
progression of that element in
the weave that makes this a
master piece’.
There was no shortage of
masterpieces at Vimor’s
tastefully curated display,
the gorgeous magenta with
unusual fish and paisley
motifs being another. Brief
notes on the saris provided
an appropriate history and
contexts for these beauties of
our textile wealth.
■ MALAVIKA KARLEKAR
Bangalore Nanjappa Sari
2
Celebrating the Past and Present of Indian Classical DanceFESTIVAL
Manasa—Art without Frontiers
25 to 27 July 2018
A Remnant of Ancient Sanskrit TheatrePERFORMANCE
A Kutiyattam Performance—Surpanakhankam from Saktibhadra’s Ascharyachudamani
COLLABORATION: Sahapedia; Parekh Institute of Indian Thought, CSDS; and Seher
16 to 21 August 2018
True to its name, the main vision of the festival ‘Looking
Back to Move Forward’—the ‘Manasa: Art Without
Frontiers’, was to look back to the past of Indian
performing arts, to study how it has been and can be
successfully transmitted to subsequent generations. The
event, which ambitiously put together performances,
seminars, workshops, photographic exhibitions and a film
screening, saw an impressive turnout of both performers
and scholars alike. The list included big names in the
world of Indian performing arts, as well as academia.
The diverse group was assembled in such a fashion,
that the discussions would inevitably veer towards
enabling intersections between the different art forms—
visual and performing—in both the traditional and the
contemporary format.
The event showcased some 60, rare, never-seen-before
photographs of Indian classical and folk dancers, clicked
by renowned Odissi dancer and guru, Sharon Lowen,
on her Nikon camera during the 70s and 80s when
she was in India as a Fulbright Scholar. Photographs of
dancers/dance-forms—both well-known as well as lesser
known—captured at various places in India formed part
of this series. The week-long exhibition entitled ‘A Dancer
Looks Back: Sharon Lowen’s 45 Years in India’, curated
by Sanjit Devroy, was inaugurated on the first day of the
festival by Ashok Lavasa, photographer and Election
Commissioner of India.
Seminars were simultaneously held on all three days
to discuss various aspects of continuity and change
in the domain of Indian classical dance. The panels
were designed with utmost care to make sure that they
were reflective of the various dimensions of the field—
be it performance, distribution or reception. Eminent
personalities, stalwarts in their own fields, were selected
to represent their respective areas as part of these
panels. Among them were Pt. Birju Maharaj, Raja Reddy,
Karnalim Dutt, Rupi Mahendroo and Justin McCarthy, to
name a few. The brilliance of these sessions was further
enhanced by the presence of deft moderators who
managed to keep the discussions compact and pointed.
Each day ended on the grand note of dance
performances—traditional, contemporary or a mixture
of both—by dancers from India and abroad. On the first
evening, there was a Mohiniattam performance by Brigitte
Chataignier from France; the second evening saw the
coming together of a group of young classical dancers
including Carolina Prada (Chhau), Divya Dikshit (Kathak),
Vasudevan, Katyayani (Bharatanatyam), and Purva
Dhanashree (Vilasini Natyam); and on the last evening,
there was an Odissi recital by Vishwanath Mangaraj,
Nitisha Nanda, Arunima Ghosh and Madhur Gupta.
■ ANURIMA CHANDA
surviving remnant of ancient Sanskrit theatre is not able
to command even on its own soil of Kerala, with mostly
excerpts of plays presented from time to time. An ancient
theatre form, but with actors of a contemporary world,
notions of tradition/ modernity are thrown asunder in this
spectacular language of theatre, where one chosen verse
from the Sanskrit text can unfold in multiple layers of
interpretation through the actor’s elaborate language of
gestures and facial expression. Immersed in a world where
the tyranny of the clock has no meaning, in the non-linear
narration with a back-and-forth of past, present and future
not existing in independent time zones, the actor moves
between being a narrator and/ or representing a special
character, frequently switching gender roles. A minimal
tucking up at the waist, of a side rim of the skirt turns the
performer into a female character, and the knotting up of
the tasselled uttareeya in front signifies reverting into a
male character. With complete interpretative freedom, the
Watching a complete rendition over six evenings of a
Kutiyattam performance of Surpanakhankam, the second
act of Shaktibhadra’s Sanskrit play Ascharyachudamani,
by Kerala’s Nepathya Theatre, was the rarest of rare
experiences. The dream-child of Sudha Gopalakrishnan
of Sahapedia, enabled what this still miraculously
actor each evening) is vulnerable, making a plaything
of Surpanakha, sending her to Lakshmana after refusing
her advances, with an untruth that the brother unmarried
is available. The Nepathya team head Margi Madhu, in a
retrospective as Lakshmana, building with myriad details
the Parnasala; and the amazing power of his Ninam
scene as the mutilated Surpanakha, entering splattered
in blood and gore, evoking mixed disgust and pathos,
were unforgettable. Wife Dr. Indu’s abhinaya depth and
brilliance as Lalita in the Nirvahanam on the fifth evening
(Nepathya Yadukrishnan as Rama and Anjana Chakyar as
young Sita) stood out. So too, the Uttara Rama Charitam
Nangyar Koothu, when Indu, visualising Sita, tenderly
interacts with the baby elephant and peacock. Nepathya
Rahul Chakyar as Lakshmana, tempted by Lalita’s
beauty till good sense prevails;
Vishnu Prasad recapturing the
grief and sorrow of Dasharatha
‘s arrow shooting the young
boy of blind parents; Nepathya
Yedukrishnan’s exchange as
Rama with Sita; and above
all, the young master Srihari
Chakyar as Rama in the first
scene conversing with Sita, and
on the last evening as a feisty
Lakshmana showed himself as a
great hope for the future.
■ LEELA VENKATARAMAN
Kutiyattam being performed in the Fountain Lawns
Artist applying makeup
4
Each year, Travelling Film South Asia brings a set of very
interesting documentary films. Amdavad Ma Famous by
Hardik Mehta, a 30-minute short, manages to convey the
passion and total commitment to kite-flying of eleven-year-
old Zaid and friends. An amazingly fluid camera captures
the sheer pleasure of the activity and its dangers, as the
boys chase after kites brought down ‘in battle’, that get
stuck on the wires of electric poles, or even drift into the
speeding traffic on the street. The director captures
effortlessly the joy and spirit that guide Zaid and his
companions in their innocent quest.
In sharp contrast is the tragic Demons in Paradise
by Sri Lankan filmmaker, Jude Ratnam, a Tamil
based in Canada. It is about the aftermath of the
two-and-a-half decade long civil war between the
Tamils of Indian Origin in the Jaffna Peninsula,
and the native Sri Lankans. The army ultimately
overwhelms the breakaway Tamils, and the various
armed factions representing it. The landscape after
war is bleak and desolate. Ex-revolutionaries of
different factions talk about the reasons for their
failure, and infighting emerges as the prime reason.
The senseless cruelty and sadism that a war brings
with it comes through poignantly.
Rasan Piya by Niharika Popli is a loving tribute to the
memory of Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan (1909–2016),
a deeply knowledgeable exponent of Khayal in
Hindustani vocal music. The Ustad was discovered
by Vijay Kichlu, along with his brother Ravi Kichlu
of the Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata, an
institution sponsored by their former employers,
Indian Tobacco Company. Abdul Rashid Khan was
in his early 90s when Kichlu heard him on one
talent search tour, and was astonished to hear
him sing his repertoire of compositions in different
Travelling Film South Asia—2018FILM FESTIVAL
DOCUMENTARY BEARS WITNESS: Travelling Film Southasia 2018—A Festival Of South Asian Documentaries Organised with Film Southasia, Kathmandu; and in collaboration with New Imaginations: Jindal School of Journalism and Communication, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonepat
1 to 4 AUGUST 2018
Raagas. Ustadji gave concerts till he was 105 years
old. Hearing him sing some of his own compositions on
camera as a centurion, one is moved by their profound
aesthetic beauty. Popli must be thanked for recording
this valuable part of a great master’s life, albeit, its last
decade.
Lock and Key (Director: Shilpi Gulati) is also worthy of
attention. It is a quiet, compassionate record of victims
of drug addiction in Punjab, the concern and support of
their respective families, and the doctors and counsellors
at the rehabilitation centre where they are treated. The
interviews with all the parties concerned express their
fears, hopes and aspirations.
There was an onstage conversation on ‘Documentary as
Protest’ between filmmakers Pankaj Butalia, Sanjay Kak,
Vani Subramaniam and Nakul Sawhney.The problems
of making documentaries relating to the burning issues
of the day, like communalism or any other, inimical to
the current political dispensation, were highlighted. A
possible way out of the impasse was sought.
■ PARTHA CHATTERJEE
Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan
5
to discuss the origin and the evolution of the text. This was
followed by a panel discussion in which Martha Selby and
Kumkum Roy participated.
Selby commended Patrick Olivelle, a life-long student
and scholar of Sanskrit texts, for his poetically rendered
translation of Vis. n. uSmr. ti. She pointed out that while the
Vaishnava Dharmasastra was not a popular text when
it was first produced around the 7th century CE, it was
widely referred to in later commentaries. It is the only
Dharmasastra that can be geographically located, and
also displays a deep influence of the bhakti tradition.
This was followed by Roy’s comments on the book,
which had high praise for the rich appendices, and for the
multivocality of the translation that allowed for a variety of
interpretations of the word. For her, this book is significant
as it is a timely reminder that the Brahminical tradition is
not monolithic, and also because through it the author
revisits and rethinks his own earlier positions.
■ ISHITA SINGH
country. Once the East India Company established itself
and setup the banking system, the indigenous Gujarati
bankers lost their hold. Gujarati businessmen invested
in the burgeoning textile industry. This overlay of the
ancient and the modern manifested itself in architecture
too.
Guha said that there are three unique families in 20th
century India—the Tagores, the Sarabhais and the
Tyabjis. In the Tagore family, the first generation were
businessmen and landowners; the second, social
reformers; and the third distinguished themselves in art,
architecture, music, education, etc. The Sarabhais and
Tagores followed a Marxist teleology—the base gives
rise to superstructures. There was also seamless fusion
of the best of the West and the East.
However, Guha felt that the institutional legacy of the
Sarabhais has not been replicated by any Indian family.
They have contributed to physics, space, architecture,
design and management. It is a combination of the
pragmatic Gujarati entrepreneurial instinct coupled with
the selflessness of the Jain ethos. Also noteworthy was
the emancipation of women in their family. They also
contributed to Gandhi’s freedom struggle, and his efforts
to free the untouchables by saving Kochrab Ashram.
■ RACHNA JOSHI
The Story of the SarabhaisDISCUSSION
As Times Change, The Story of an Ahmedabad Business Family: The Sarabhais 1823-1975 by Aparna Basu
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS: Dr. Mrs. Kapila Vatsyayan
BOOK RELEASE by Ramchandra Guha followed by a dialogue with Aparna Basu
CLOSING REMARKS by B.N. Goswami
COLLABORATION: Sarabhai Foundation
3 July 2018
Starting with the subject of economic and social history,
Guha said that Basu had challenged the Bengal-centric
view of historians, and described Ahmedabad as a
crucible of modernity, or a centre of economic innovation
and entrepreneurship, growth and social transformation.
She had also located the Sarabhais in the larger social
and economic history of Ahmedabad.
The answer to what is special about Ahmedabad is that it
was an ancient city before it became modern. It is different
from the Presidency towns and medieval towns, in that it
was a centre of business and textile production before
the British came. The mahajans gave loans all over the
Patrick Olivelle’s The Law Code of Vis. n. u, a critical edition
and annotated translation of the Vais. n. ava-Dharmaśāstra,
was released at the Centre along with a discussion.
Anne Feldhaus introduced the key features of the book,
and the significance of the translation in its contribution
to Dharmasastric studies. Following this, the author of the
book, Patrick Olivelle, Professor Emeritus of Sanskrit in the
Department of Asian Studies at the University of Texas,
Austin, connected with the audience, via video conference,
his gratitude to the educationist, socialist and journalist
Rosalind Wilson, who was deeply engaged in Indian
culture and values. He said, ‘she believed in the beauty
of poetry and education and the unique part of both to
change the society with a deep and abiding connection.’
Karan Thapar’s hard-hitting and provocative style of
journalism is well known. After 35 years in journalism,
he has chosen to take a break, and feels perturbed by
certain trends repeatedly noticed. He now feels a moral
compulsion to speak up; not to do so would in a sense
let down the profession he loves. And in his lecture he
successfully analysed Indian television critically.
Rosalind Wilson Memorial Lecture
Durgabai Deshmukh Memorial Lecture
7
Air Marshal (Retd) Naresh Verma opened the discussion
by elaborating on the Pakistan Army’s dominant role
in the nation’s power structure, which ranges from
commercial ventures to manipulating the elections.The
larger question he put forth was, what made the military
in Pakistan so powerful?
Maroof Raza explained the difference between civil–
military relations in India and Pakistan, despite their
militaries having common historical and institutional
origins in the colonial era. A key explanation was the passing away of Jinnah soon after Pakistan’s creation, as opposed
to Nehru’s long tenure which gave the much needed stability. A weak civilian leadership ceded space for the military to
emerge as a strategic player in Pakistan’s national security initiatives, unlike the Indian military which has had no say
in the larger security considerations. This was further consolidated by the Pakistan army’s strong ties with the US. The
role of the military–business complex in the military’s domination over the nation’s politico-economic landscape was
also discussed.
The military’s motivations have been endemic to Pakistan’s internal political structure as well, with its earliest attempt to
seize power from the civilian leadership dating back to the Rawalpindi conspiracy case of 1951.
In conclusion, Raza discussed the military’s monopolisation of the Kashmir policy, which also became the basis of its
Madrasas Pillars of Refuge?DISCUSSION
Madrasas and the Making of Islamic Womanhood by Hem Borker
SPEAKERS: Ashis Nandy, David Mills, Mohammad Talib, and Aseem Prakash
COLLABORATION: Jan Pahal Trust; and Oxford University Press
28 July 2018
Power and DominanceTALK
The Military in Pakistan
SPEAKER:Maroof Raza
CHAIR:Air Marshal (Retd.) Naresh Verma
19 July 2018
the dominant representation of madrasas as outmoded
religious institutions.
Women’s education in the Islamic world is not new; it was
inspired quite early by Muhammad’s wives: Khadija, a
successful businesswoman, and Aisha, a strong leader
and the first interpreter of his prophecies. Researchers at
the Oxford Centre for Islamic studies are putting together
40 volumes on muhaddithat or women scholars, and have
audited texts by 8,000 women already. According to
the Sunni scholar Ibn Asakir, women in medieval Islamic
societies not only read or wrote in private, but attended
lectures, public discussions in mosques, libraries, and
earned higher academic degrees, called ijazahs.
The Arabic word madrasa means a school, and it includes
learning subjects like astronomy, history, literature,
algebra or medicine, though in India we seem to associate
madrasas erroneously with only Quranic teachings. As
Ashis Nandy pointed out in the discussion, madrasas are
also more than just schools; in distressed societies, they
are like pillars for people to build their lives and value
systems on.
■ SABA HASAN
Hem Borker began the discussion with an introduction to
her book, released on this occasion, entitled Madrasas
and the Making of Islamic Womanhood. Her study of girl’s
madrasas in India is based on vivid ethnographic portraits
of young women’s lives, as they journeyed from madrasas
to the social world outside. Many of these students found
that their horizons widened as a result of their interactions
in the madrasas, and raised questions regarding certain
idealised notions of religious piety. These heart-warming
and thoughtful ethnographic portraits clearly challenge
During his talk, he didn’t forget to mention the other dark side of Indian news media, which haunts one every now
and then. ‘The older I grow the more I learn to value those qualities; the truth is that while some of us have them, the
majority probably don’t. As no other medium can, it sickens you, it stabs at your conscience and all of that is very
welcome, but what television does not do is to explain why this happened’, he exclaimed.
■ M. SHAHID SIDDIQUI
8
combat doctrine, along with the use of irregular warfare to compensate for conventional disadvantages vis-à-vis India.
The extent of the Pakistan Army’s obsession with India is also evident from this doctrine, which also encompasses
political destabilisation of Afghanistan, to use the Afghan territory as a fall-back option in case India invades Pakistan.
■ PRATEEK JOSHI
The debate began with acknowledging the systemic
failure of growth models in job creation and employment.
While acknowledging the impact of technology, artificial
intelligence, robotics and automation, what are the ways
forward to both secure jobs and income. There is vast
uncertainty involved in making predictions about the
emerging giga economy of the future. Even the most
effective growth models of the past, even the China growth
model of the 1980s, cannot be replicated today and cannot
be relied on to provide ‘full employment’. This is a fact
known to policymakers, economists and the government.
Reference was made to the sobering conclusions of the
World Development Report of 2019 and the International
Labour Organisation report of 2018: that governments
should look at measures to protect people, not jobs, and to compensate for earnings difference by reducing costs. The
level of employment is determined by interventionist macroeconomic policy, and despite the continued role of the state,
there are growing numbers of job seekers and growing dissatisfaction among those in employment. With the nature of
work being reshaped by technological progress, as living standards improve, there is inevitable disruption forcing new
production methods, expansion of markets and social evolution. There is need to smoothen the transition, to guard against
rising inequality, and to protect those in vulnerable employment. The investment in human capital must increase through a
person’s lifecycle, to retool skills to enable them to stay competitive and relevant.
Prime Minister Modi has spoken of a crisis of data of job creation and not job creation itself. We need consistent definitions
of jobless growth, self-employed, contract workers, and structured jobs in the changing nature of work. This will mean
investments in human capital and improved private sector policies to encourage start-up activity and competition. There
is urgent need for more information and better measurement of human capital in terms of health and education, better
measures of wages, employers, employees and retirement to enable social transfer to families as part of the social
protection systems.
Policy makers and governments will need additional revenues to fund the investments demanded by the changing
nature of work, ageing populations, growing gender gap, and the increasing numbers of those in vulnerable employment.
Governments must create revenue surplus from existing taxes, increased tax rates and widened tax base, new taxes, and
improvements in tax administration. Perhaps it is time to revisit Hyman Minsky’s work on redistribution with growth during
post-war development and the precursor to what would become the war on poverty!■ MEKHALA SENGUPTA
Joblessness and GrowthPOLICY AND INCLUSION CONVERSATIONS
Long Shadow of Joblessness in the High Noon of Growth
DISCUSSANTS: Montek Ahluwalia, Jayati Ghosh, Renana Jhabvala and Atul Sood
CHAIR: Harsh Mander
COLLABORATION: Centre for Equity Studies, the India International Centre and the Wire
13 August 2018
The speakers in the discussion pointed out that the
metamorphosis of ‘Asia-Pacific’ to the wider lexicon ‘Indo-
Pacific’reflects the geopolitical convergence of countries
that lie in the region, stretching from the US Pacific Coast
to Australia and beyond, to India. While this idea of Indo–
Pacific accords the international community’s recognition
of India as one of the world’s fastest growing economies,
it also spells the need to close ranks at a time when
there are major worries about the assertion of economic
powerhouse, China, in the region.
It is through this prism that the India–Australia
relationship can be viewed. Moreover, the Quadrilateral
India and AustraliaDISCUSSION
India–Australia Relations in a Changing Geopolitical Landscape in the Indo–Pacific
PANELLISTS: Stephen Smith, Peter Varghese, and Gordon Falke
CHAIR: Shri Shyam Saran
COLLABORATION: Perth USAsia Centre
21 August 2018
9
Historic Music RecordingsTALK
UNLOCKING OUR SOUNDS: Historical Recordings from the Indian Subcontinent
Illustrated presentation by Janet Topp-Fargion and Shubha Chaudhuri
COLLABORATION: The Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology, American Institute of Indian Studies; and British Library, UK
10 July 2018
A History of PostcardsTALK
PAPER JEWELS: Postcards from the Raj. Discussion and launch of the book by Omar Khan (Mapin Publishing & The Alkazi Collection of Photography, 2018)
COLLABORATION: Mapin Publishing; and The Alkazi Foundation
27 August 2018
Historic music recordings of Indian music came to the fore
in the presentation ‘Unlocking our Sounds’, an illustrated
presentation by Janet Topp-Fargion and Shubha
Chaudhuri. A very valuable collection of ethnographic
wax cylinder recordings, dating back to the early years
of the last century, provided an interesting look back into
the early days of recorded music from the subcontinent.
The selections were remarkable in their detail as they
contained instrument descriptions, the category of the
music on record, and even technical problems such as pitch
fluctuations that faced the recorders who had travelled to
the grassroots level for this purpose. What struck us lay
listeners is the fact that, these pioneer recorders were
not professionals in the contemporary sense, for Edgar
Security Dialogue, also known as the Quad—a four nation strategic alliance between the US, Japan, India and
Australia—can be a careful balance against the growing influence of China. India and Australia can do their own bit to put
such checks and balances in place by strengthening regional institutions like the East Asia Summit process. Ultimately,
the need is to create a more inclusive region.
■ KAVITA CHARANJI
Introduced by Rahaab Allana, curator of the Alkazi
Foundation, Omar Khan, summarising his book Paper
Jewels: Postcards from the Raj, gave a fascinating
overview of the transcultural and transnational history
of picture postcards, winding it up with a detailed and
illustrated talk on the postcards of Delhi.
The first postcard was printed in 1869 in Austria, and the
first one designed in India was also printed in Austria.
The popularity of these picture-messages can be gauged
from the fact that at the end of the 19th century, 1.2 billion
postcards were being circulated globally. The itinerant
photographers and globetrotters who took pictures to send
as postcards lent the cards a photo-journalistic character.
Though the postcards were first popularised by the
colonisers, Indians played an important role, giving them a
subcontinental identity. These cards were complicated art
work, printed on lithographic press, with multiple colours
and a bit of white space on the front to write on. The back
was only used for the address and the stamp.
The first postcards printed in India were done on the Ravi
Varma Press. The other well known painter of postcards
was M.V. Dhurandhar. H. A. Mirza & Sons became the
first All-India publishers of postcards. A common theme
of images on Indian postcards was that of people
riding the bicycle. The ones from Delhi were of course
easily identifiable with images of the Durbar of 1903,
Kashmere Gate, Jama Masjid and the Qutab Minar. So the
representation was as much subaltern as upper crust.
■ SWATI DASGUPTA
Postcards from the Raj
10
Thurston, for instance, was a medical practitioner, and had built up the Madras Museum as a centre for anthropological
research, which had led him to the task of recording songs and instrumental music from the region.
Besides technical asides, one was drawn to the music presented in them. The contrast in styles of singing, the rawness of
the content, helped listeners connect with the rooted quality of the performers. The Baluch rendering, for instance, dating
back to 1911, is well documented with the name of the instruments, included in the cylinder boxes, being proof of the
thoroughness behind their research; but the selection of music, which is a serenade of high and low monotony at best,
clearly indicates that the recorder was short of choices for his work. Similarly, the lullaby from the south by a woman
singer was done at her home, and merits inclusion as a lullaby, rather than a musical rendering. However, it is the 1920s
recording of Chitralekha Choudhury singing a Rabindra Sangeet that brings the clarity of the tone and the steadiness of
the frequency to professional standards.
■ SUBHRA MAZUMDAR
Dr. (Mrs.) Kapila Vatsyayan, Life Trustee of the IIC and Chairperson
of International Research Division, unfurling the national flag at
the IIC on the 72nd anniversary of India’s Independence.
Dr. Karan Singh spoke on the contemporary relevance of
the philosophy of Vedanta. Today, humanity finds itself
poised between a disappearing past and an uncertain
future. It is at a time like this that we look into our scriptures
for light and guidance, but not in order to go back in time.
We have a whole range of scriptures, from the Vedas, the
Brahmanas, the Aranyakas and the Upanishadas, down
to the Shrutis, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and the
Puranas. Among these, the Upanishads stand out. They
are the Vedanta, and represent the high watermark, not
only of Hindu, but of world philosophy.
Dr. Karan Singh placed before us five key concepts
that he considers to be essential and of considerable
importance to us now: the concepts of the Brahman; the
Atman; four-fold Yoga; Vasudaiva Kutumbakam or Ekam
Satt Vipraha Bahuda Vadanti; and Bahujan Sukhaya,
Bahujan Hitaya.
Brahman is the unity of all existence. Whatever exists or
has existed is all permeated by, inhabited by, the same
divine light. It is about cosmic time and cosmic space.
The second concept, Atman, is that the divine which
permeates the universe also exists in every human being;
the inner light. And joining these two, the all-pervasive
Brahman and the Atman within, is what is known as Yoga.
There are four main paths to Yoga: Gyan Yoga, or the
way of the mind; Bhakti Yoga, or the way of devotion;
The Essence of VedantaTHE SECOND PROF. M.G.K. MENON MEMORIAL LECTURE 2018
Vedanta Today
SPEAKER: Dr. Karan Singh
CHAIR: Shri N.N. Vohra
28 August 2018
Karma Yoga, or the way of work dedicated to the divine;
and Raja Yoga, or the royal path.
The fourth concept is that of the world as a human family,
or Vasudaiva Kutumbakam. What is also very important
is the essential unity of all religions as mentioned in the
Vedas, Ekam Satt Vipraha Bahudha Vadanti. The truth is
one, the wise call it by many names.
The last concept is the welfare of all beings: Bahujan
Sukhaya, Bahujan Hitaya. It involves the welfare of
all humanity, and of nature. What better definition of
socialism could there be, Dr Karan Singh asked. He
closed with a beautiful verse from the Kathopanishad
which exhorts us to awaken our eyes, and walk across
the razor’s edge to the goal.
■ RACHNA JOSHI
11
Once again, we are pleased to inform Members that a Buffet-Lunch facility has been introduced in the Main Centre
Bar, w.e.f. 11 June 2018
Timings 12.30 p.m. to 2.30 p.m. (Every day)
Rates
Vegetarian `225/-
Non-vegetarian `300/-
(Taxes & Guest fee extra)
Change in System of Billing w.e.f. 1 July 2018
Members are informed that w.e.f. July 2018 the monthly bill will not be sent by post. Instead a statement of account
will be sent on-line on the registered email address of the Member. Consequent to implementation of this system
the original vouchers would be handed to the member at the time of using the facility.
The on-line statement would contain the charges in respect of the usage of the Centre’s facilities and any old
outstandings.
Members are requested to kindly update their registered e-mail addresses with the Membership Department.
ObituaryHM-017 Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee
L-0362 Dr. Bhishma Narain Singh
M-0081 Shri Kuldip Nayar
M-0749 Shri S.S. Moorthy
M-0957 Shri Somnath Chatterjee
M-1340 Shri M. Bhaktavatsala
M-2786 Shri Rajendra Mohan
M-3021 Shri Ashok Pahwa
A-1934 Shri R.K. Dhawan
A- 2084 Ms. Bindu Batra
A-2634 Dr. Shakuntala Mahawal
A-2917 Smt. N.T. Unnikrishnan
A-3611 Shri Surindar Kumar Singla
A-4363 Smt Kamla Kapur
A-4752 Shri Kanu Gohain
A-7022 Prof. (Smt.) Roopa Vajpeyi
OA-209 Shri Ved Brat
NOTICE
12
Reg. No. 28936/77
Director’s Note
As the schedule of the annual IIC Experience 2018 draws close, the preparations for this grand event are gaining momentum. I wish to give you a glimpse of the activities during the five-day festival from 27th to 31st October, 2018.
Festival 2018, titled ‘People of the Northeast: Memory, Inheritance and the Contemporary’, will focus on India’s North Eastern States—Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. The audiences will be presented an awesome range of performances: music concerts include the renowned Shillong Chamber Choir; Moirang Sai and Lai Haroba Songs (Manipur); Jazz, Funk, R & B and Blues (Nagaland); Contemporary Rock Music (Sikkim); and Ras Leela (Manipur). A Play titled ‘A Being – Human; being Human Beings’, presented by Lapdiang Syiem from Meghalaya, will also be staged. Exhibitions will include Focus on Tripura; Contemporary Art from across the region; and Unbroken Threads, an exhibition of textiles which symbolises the Naga communities. Apart from documentaries and contemporary feature films, the Film Festival will celebrate the work of Aribam Syam Sharma, the renowned Manipuri film director.
And can we leave out cuisine? Certainly not. The Food Festival, featuring award-winning Chefs drawn from across the region, will present traditional and contemporary twists in the cuisines of Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Sikkim.
One event in August, which I want to particularly highlight, was the two-day Conference on ‘Rethinking Cultural Heritage: Indo–Japanese Dialogue in a Globalising World Order’, organised in collaboration with the Institute of Chinese Studies. Relevant to note: this Conference discussed the legacy of 19th and 20th century dialogues between Japanese and Indian thinkers, not just from the historical angle, but from the perspective of contemporary diplomacy between the two countries.
The Library has accomplished its ambitious project of digitising the Dr. C.D. Deshmukh Collection of about 10,000 pages which contains his valuable collection of cartoons and newspaper clippings; his correspondence and information contained in his diaries; a collection of articles; and about 1,000 photographs. The collection has been uploaded on ‘DSpace’, the internationally known Database Management System, and can be accessed through computers installed in LAN environment available in the Library, Hostel and Annexe by using the Web address: http://192.168.1.57:8080/jspui/
We are indeed very happy to inform our readers that the IIC Film Club has yet again won the Pritiman Sarkar Memorial Award 2017–2018 for being the Best Film Society in the Northern Region. It is awarded by the Federation of Film Societies of India (Northern Region). It is the fourth time that our Film Club has received this honour.
The Centre is sensitive to the need for conserving energy and, towards this end, an in-house Energy Audit was recently carried out to analyse the pattern of power consumption over the past four years. Among the measures which we have so far implemented to achieve energy conservation are: replacement of conventional lights with energy-efficient LED lights; installation of BLDC fans (which consume 66 per cent less energy); and conversion of urinals to systems which do not consume water. We are also presently examining the feasibility of installing a roof-top solar PV panel energy system.
President Vohra is back after over a decade-long stint as the Governor of J&K, the longest tenure enjoyed so far by any Governor of this troubled State. During a recent visit to the Centre he went around the entire estate to identify areas where improvements/upgradations require to be made. He particularly inspected the lawns and gardens and guided us about the selection of various categories of flowers and blossoming shrubs and creepers, and the areas in which these should be planted. This winter, we are looking forward to presenting our Members with attractive gardens.
Air Marshal (Retd.) Naresh Verma
This issue of the Diary has been assembled and edited by Omita Goyal, Chief Editor; Ritu Singh, Deputy Editor; Rachna Joshi, Senior Asstt. Editor. Published by Rohit Khera, for the India International Centre, 40, Max Mueller Marg, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi - 110003. Ph.: 24619431. Designed and printed by Niyogi Offset Pvt. Ltd., D-78, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase 1, New Delhi-110020; Phone: 49327000.
