Exotica November 2015

VOL10NO1

EXOTICANOVEM

BER2015

B a n k A i s a D o s t J a i s aCIN: L65190MH2004GOI148838

Hands that neverlet go are the handsof a true friend.In happiness. In sorrow. In success. In failure.A friend will hold you tight, no matter what. And we know that well. After all, friendship isall about being there for each other.

IDBI Bank Limited, Regd. Office: IDBI Tower, WTC Complex, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai - 400005.Call: 022 66937000. Call Toll Free: 1800 22 1070 / 1800 200 1947.www.idbi.com

F

estivals and rituals are making a comebackpropelled, perhaps, by the alienation andstress among big city dwellers. I am,

however, delighted at the revival of popular winterfestivals like Lohri, celebrated on the eve of MakarSankranti, to mark the resumption of the sun’snorthward journey, that is, the commencement of Uttarayan.

Usually observed on January 13 according tothe Roman calendar, Lohri is supposed to mark theyear’s coldest night; thus the conclusion of winterand heralding of spring. That explains people sittingaround bonfires singing earthy numbers to mark thelaunch of the sowing season for the rabi crop. In myearly years in Delhi, not only was I unaware of suchlocal festivals but they were also never observed inupmarket families. Lohri was pretty muchcelebrated in the countryside or by people who hadmigrated to cities relatively recently. Many years ago,fascinated by the idea behind observing thisvivacious festival, I organised a Lohri party on theterrace of the Vasant Vihar flat where I then lived.My Punjabi friends were pleasantly surprised by aBengali wanting to observe what they regarded as adistinctly Punjabi event. I recall Mr K P S Gilldancing with verve, joined by invitees cutting acrossIndia’s linguistic and ethnic diversity. Over the years,Lohri has moved upmarket and is nowadayscelebrated even in hotels.

On occasions like this, I marvel at the “silkenbonds” that have bound India together for 5,000years as Nehru wrote in The Discovery of India. Ifthis is not the best expression of culturalnationalism, what is? Regrettably, the mereutterance of that phrase leads to secularfundamentalists frothing at the mouth. Lohri isfollowed by Makar (or Pous) Sankranti, which ismarked by ritual baths across India to mark the

arrival of spring and conclusion of an inauspiciousmonth when no new ventures (includingmarriages) are undertaken. In my childhood, thatwas the day pancakes, known in Bengal as pithay,were invariably cooked and eaten with liquidjaggery — nolen gur, extracted from palm juicerather than the standard sugarcane. Sandesh, theprized Bengali sweet, is prepared in this season withnolen gur and that lends an irresistible flavour to it.All the way down to South, the same day isobserved as Pongal. If such festivals are undergoingrevival thanks to popular culture, it’s something tobe commended because they only help strengthenthose silken bonds that bind this civilisation.

The magnificent season of spring will end withHoli — yet another festival devoid of religiousconnotations — that heralds the onset on summer.In between, we have Vasant Panchami, observed byBengalis as Saraswati Puja. That’s anothercelebration meriting wide popularisation becauseinvocation to the Goddess of Learning can have nosectarian boundaries. I remember not being allowedto start writing till I had gone through the ritual ofhaathey-khodi, always performed for children tocoincide with Saraswati Puja. That’s the day I wasmade to pick up a piece of chalk (khodi) andscribble something on a slate to mark my initiationto the world of education. A child must be at leastthree years old for haathey-khodi to be observed. Inthis age of intense competition to get into school,such ground rules have understandably been giventhe go by. Indeed, most of these traditional ritualshave been modified to keep pace with the demandsof a rapidly modernising age. Nothing wrong withthat, as long as we don’t abandon the spiritunderlying the traditions. The revival of thesefestivals, however, brings through a powerfulmessage: India’s cultural unity is secure.

[ C H A N D A N M I T R A ]

Printed and published by Chandan Mitra for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd, printed at Lustra Print Process Pvt Ltd, Killa No. 51/21, Village: Rohad, District: Jhajjar,Bahadurgarh, Haryana and published at 2nd floor, Patriot House, 3, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi 110002. Editor: Chandan Mitra. Entire Contents Copyright (C) 2006

CMYK Printech Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation in any language in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Requests for permission should bedirected to CMYK Printech Ltd. Opinions carried in Exotica are the writers’ and not necessarily endorsed by CMYK Printech Ltd. The publisher assumes no responsibility for the

return of unsolicited material or for material lost or damaged in transit. All correspondence should be addressed to CMYK Printech Ltd; 2nd Floor, Patriot House, 3, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110002 Phone: 23718296/40754136 Fax: 23755275 Email: [email protected]

EditorChandan MitraEditorial board

Vice-chairman &joint managing director

Amit GoelChief Executive Officer

Abhishek Saxena09818600128

Editor-in-chargeRinku Ghosh

Managing EditorNavneet MendirattaConsulting Editor

Ritu Pandey

Chief DesignerAnand Singh Rawat

Senior DesignerSantosh Kumar Yadav

Pre-press ManagerSyed Nawab Raza

Production ManagerDhiresh Gaur

Staff photographerPankaj Kumar

Sales & Marketing[Group President]

Aparna Sengupta 09958000128

General Manager Kumar Gurudutta Jha

Deputy General ManagerRavi Khatri

Manager Bharat Singh Sajwan,Prabhakar Pathak

Assistant Manager Neeta RaiMedia Coordinator

Neelu SharmaGovernment & PSU

General Manager Tapan Ghosh

Mumbai OfficeGeneral ManagerDevendra Adhikari

09867575933Senior Manager

Jaya Mokal

Kolkata OfficeVice President

Suzanna Roy 09830197332Chief Manager Arindam Gupta

General Manager (Circulation)Rajeev Gautam

EDITOR’SL E T T E R

A FEST

CALLED

INDIA

DISTRIBUTED BY: LIVING MEDIA INDIA LIMITED

S

F E A T U R E S : F E A T U R E S :

Interiors

Green-house effect p14

Wellness

Breathe easy p15

Style

Layer it right p16

Music

Rooted riffs p18

Wideangle

Desert song p28

Travel

Easy in Bhopal p34Taste buds bloom in

City Beautiful p40On Viking trail p56

OUR PARTNER HOTELS

TOTAL NUMBER OF PAGES 92 INCLUDING COVER

FESTIVITIES

All things bright

& beautiful p20

Travel

Soul dip in wonder

bay p44

CONTENTSN O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5 V O L U M E 1 0 N O 1

BE IT THE

WORSHIP OF

THE SUN OR

CELEBRATIONS

OF LIGHT,

THE MONTH OF

NOVEMBER IS ALL

ABOUT GETTING

AWAY FROM

DARKNESS

Art

Warped for good p64Elephant in the room p74

Shopping

Twinkle treats p69

Threadbare

With needle to thread

and songs in heart p70

InConversation

Nobel fare p72

Drinks

Get a li’l glass

conscious p78

Diet

Fest drive p86

S

10 EXOTICA / NOVEMBER 2015

H

e who celebrates lifestays forever young.My grandmother

would often say that to haveus participate in each andevery festival that ourtradition upheld.

She would make sure weall dressed up in new clothes,had our hair done nicely andwore happy faces for the restof the day. Our house wouldbe decorated with freshflowers, the fragrance ofcamphor wafted through anda feast would be prepared toensure our stomachs too werewell taken care of.

Looking back, I realisethere is a great logic to how

our forefathers perceived life.They believed in living in themoment and living everymoment for what it had tooffer. And festivals were anintegral part of thosemoments — with there beingone for every season andevery reason. Like in winter,when the days would get

dreary, occasions were pickedto shake one out of lethargyand infuse some excitement.

This issue of ours is alsoabout such ‘cool’ occasionsthat spread cheer. LikeDiwali. And just like mygrandmother, we have usedthe festival of lights as anexcuse to dress this issue upwith things that excite you.Be it doing up your interiors,preparing traditionaldelicacies, dressing up or justbuying glassware for yourhome. For some of you, itcould mean travel — sothere’s a celebration ofdestinations. From the desertexpanse of Jodhpur Riffwhere music spells the charmto virgin New Zealand whichbegs a visit. For the lovers ofart, there’s an exploration ofembroideries, textiles andtraditional forms and howthey get reinterpreted orattached to a cause.

This, and so muchmore. Happy reading!

INSHORT

O U R C O L U M N I S T S

Diwali could bejust theopportunity toreflect upon thedarkness within usand let theradiance ofwisdom guidethrough, saysspiritual guru Sri Sri RaviShankar

Fragrant lightdesserts with aneye candy appealare a goodreplacement forgreasy treats inwinter, says foodand nutritionconsultantSangeetaKhanna

Crystalware andits type and shapehave historical andtactile significance.It does affect ourperception of thesubstance it holds,says sommelierMagandeepSingh

NAVNEET MENDIRATTA

[email protected]

MAKE LIFE

YOUR

FESTIVAL


THELITTLEBLACKBOOKF A V O U R I T E H A U N T S O F S T Y L I S H P E O P L E

Born in Greece,

Eliana Koulas

grew up in

Australia and

moved to India

about a decade

ago to redefine

luxury fashion

here through her

brand, Luxus

Retail

The Greek Islands top my vacation list. The warm hospitality,

the pristine waters, the freedom of jumping off a yacht in the

middle of the Aegean Sea and straight into a cave and the

gorgeous evenings... nothing beats the Greek experience.

I really love minimalism with a

touch of femininity about my

handbags and Chloe beautifully

fits into it. Celine and Hermes

are my other favourites.

I love wearing my Patek

Philippe watches. This

brand is for the true

watch connoisseur,

something you buy as an

investment to love and

admire. The magnificent

hand-movement and

craftsmanship is truly a

work of art.

I have the largest collection of

Ferragamo shoes. It is the only brand

which offers shoes with a choice of foot

width other than foot length. From

buying into luxury for pure aesthetic

value, my style evolution is moving

more towards comfort now.

My preferred meal hangout in London is Oblix at the

Shard, the highest skyscraper in London offering the

most spectacular view from the 32nd floor that money

can buy — overlooking the glittering river and the bridge.

I am crazy about Jaipur

block prints and Khadi

fabrics. The vibrance,

contrasts and beautiful

organic imperfections of

the designs are amazing.

And I love the way the

fabrics breathe.

My favourite shopping

haunts are Bungalow Eight

for eclectic clothing and

interiors, Bombay Electric

for offbeat jewellery and

Good Earth for textiles.

While the Nation is facing a greatchallenge to meet the requirement ofelectric power in various spheres of

daily life due to the increasing population,students of Ajay Kumar Garg EngineeringCollege Ghaziabad have found a novel solutionfor alleviating the shortage of electricity. Theinnovative idea conceptualized by these youngengineers utilizes each step of growingpopulation for generation of electric power. Thegrowing population which was considered acause for depletion will soon become a source ofgeneration to meet the growing demand ofelectric power.

The students of B.Tech (Mechanical) of AKGEChave conceptualized, designed and fabricated an"Energy Tile" which produces electric power witheach step on it. The Piezo Energy Tiles usesPiezoelectric material that convert themechanical stress, caused in it by peoplestepping on it, to electric energy which can bestored and used. The "Energy Tile" has beenfunctionally tested for its purpose and also

demonstrated at Metro Bhawan for its wide spread use at various metro stations of DMRC. The "Energy Tile" will find itsuse at Airports, Shopping Malls, Hospitals, Bus Stands, Concerts and at any place where frequent movements of crowdingpopulation takes place. The innovative efforts by the young engineers of AKGEC is an inspiring step towards Skill India &Make in India.


T

o counter the pollution that hangsheavy in the air post Diwali, it is agood idea to move your plantsindoors. There are plants that arenot just visually appealing but also

eliminate harmful substances from theirsurroundings with minimum care andmaintenance. Here are a few simple tips to beautifydifferent corners of your house while eliminatingsignificant amounts of benzene, formaldehyde andother harmful substances.

Take Sansevieria for instance. Also knownas the Mother-in-law’s Tongue, this plant is one ofthe best options for filtering out formaldehyde,which is commonly found in cleaning products,toilet paper, tissues and personal care products. Putone in your bathroom. It thrives on low light andsteamy humid conditions while helping filter out air pollutants.

Draceana Marginata (or the red-edged Draceana) is optimum forremoving xylene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde, which pollute the airthrough lacquers, varnishes and gasoline. The red edges of this plant add apop of colour to any dull corner of the house.

Ficus Benjamina asks for attention. But once you get the light andwater conditions right, this plant can be a powerful filter in your livingroom for pollutants accompany carpeting and furniture.

O

ther easily available and aesthetically-appealing plants that are highin oxygenation include Areca Palm, Lady Palm, Draceana JanetCraig, Bamboo Palm, Ficus Robusta, Philodendron and Ficus Alii.

Plants can be also worked into gardens and landscapes in a creativemanner. Another helpful technique is to use coco-peat as a planting/pottingmedicine. It is a myth that gardens consume “too” much water. Logicalwatering patterns not only safeguard the natural resource but add to theecological growth of a garden. No plant likes excessive water anyway.

Use of eco-friendly potting techniques in an aesthetic manner both for indoor and outdoor purposes is the need of the hour. The air has somany pollutants that the best we can do is to turn natural and activate thegreen power.

INTERIORS

Luxury exteriors

specialist

SHABNAM

SINGH tells us

how to use

plants with high

oxygenation as

indoor air filters

Green-house effect

WELLNESS

1Brush and floss after every meal to reduce

plaque build-up. Carry a toothbrush and

toothpaste to work, so you can brush your

teeth after lunch. Flossing will remove food

from in between the teeth that the brush

can’t reach.

2Low-carb diets may be good for your waistline but

they aren’t for your breath. When carbohydrates

aren’t readily available, the body starts using other

fats and proteins as your source of energy, releasing

ketones in the process. As a result you get a breath

problem which can be tackled with a change in diet.

3Reduce intake of

garlic, onion and any

strong-odoured food or

use a mouthwash after having them. Smelly

sulphur compounds in garlic and onions linger

in your mouth and are absorbed in the

bloodstream and expelled when you exhale.

4Avoid tobacco, smoking, alcoholic drinks

and coffee which create a favourable

environment for oral bacterial growth. They

also have a drying effect, which allows foul-

smelling bacteria to linger longer.

5Dehydration also causes bad breath, so

stay hydrated and drink plenty of water. Keep sipping water all

day. It will keep your mouth clean and odour-free.

6If you have dry mouth, try sucking on a

piece of sugarless candy or chew

sugarless gum for 15-20 minutes but

avoid sugar mints to stimulate saliva

flow. The saliva will help to wash away

food debris and bacteria that cause

bad breath.

7Visit your dentist every six months for scaling and

checkups. You may not realise but common maladies

like gum disease and tooth decay can also be a source

of bad breath.

— The author is an orthodontist

Halitosis or bad breath can be embarrassing and

tough on those around you. Fortunately, the problem

is easy to fix, says DR TANVIR SINGH

Breatheeasy


W

omen refrain from piling onclothes to avoid lookingbigger than they actually are.But layering can sometimesmiraculously transform your

appearance to complement your curves and createan illusion of a more proportional silhouette.o Start with a basic and lightweight top andadd another layer to it in the form of a softcardigan or sweater. Then add a jacket, blazer or

an overcoat. Don’t forget to wear a square scarf ora fluffy long one tucked in your jacket well. Keepthe under-layers more fitted to keep your bodycontours looking slim.o If you’re concerned about your waistline, try to top off your look with something that canbe worn with a huge belt. Over a lightweight top, wear a warm enough knee-length cardiganand team it up with a wide buckled or a knottedbelt that flatters your figure. If that’s not enough

STYLE

LAYER

IT

RIGHT

Don’t dread the

winter. You can beat

the chill while

looking elegantly

slim. Fashion stylist

DIVYA SISODIA

tells you how

PH

OT

OS

: W

WW

.B

LO

G.S

TIT

CH

FIX

.C

OM

17NOVEMBER 2015 / EXOTICA

for the weather outside, go with jacketsthat have a wide waist or a drawstring-waist belt.o Length and proportion are the keyto perfect layering. With a voluminousblouse or a loose jumper, pair somethingfitted below. Or if you’re wearing a maxiskirt or wide-legged trousers, pair it witha more tailored jacket or a fitted sweater.In case of length, do the pairing right.Long coats, tunics or blazers look perfectif paired with a shorter hem below andvice versa.o Play with texture. It’s best to slip ina mix of materials when donning alayered look. Using all the layers of thesame fabrics will make your look comeoff as heavy and massive, adding up tothe unwanted bulk.o Summer clothes are made of lighter materials, which make themperfect for layering during coldermonths. Try pairing your leggings with a lighter summer cardigan and a cozyvest. You can also wear your summershorts over the leggings to funk up your look. However, make sure that thecolour of these summer clothes aredarker in shade, disguising them as coldweather clothes.

STYLE

QUICKTIPS

Mix lengths: A long sleeve top can be matched

with a short cardigan or a vest.

Limit layers: Three layers are probably ample

to avoid looking bulky.

Create contrast: Mix different lengths, colours,

patterns and fabrics to give a personal touch.

Mix different styles: Avoid mixing pieces of

same style like a fringe skirt with a fringe t-

shirt.

Watch your height: Overlayering can make

you look shorter if you’re petite.

Balance layers: Mix your layered top with a

pair of slim fit leggings or skirts and high boots.

riff18 EXOTICA / NOVEMBER 2015

�From music to dressing, everything about your band is very rooted. Is it anadvantage or a burden?I definitely think it is an advantage. Our music and attire have resonatedvery well with people of all ages and backgrounds from around the worldand I am yet to see it as a burden!

�For your kind of alternate folk music, what are your inspirations?My inspiration has always been the history and culture of this greatcountry. I’ve remained musically unique, I think, by not being overlyinfluenced by any particular style of music. I have always tried to do justiceto what I am singing about and make a song that stays true to the message.

�How important are roots to any kind of experimental artiste?It’s not just for an artist, roots are important for EVERYONE. Our uniqueidentities and personalities come from our roots and our experiences in oursociety. I think it is important to factor that in when you create art.

�Singing or composing — what do you enjoy more? And why?I don’t think I can choose between the two. I love singing, like I keepsaying, it is the best feeling in the world to just be able to breathe in thin

MUSIC

Rooted

RAGHU DIXIT, composer and frontman

of multilingual alternate folk band

the Raghu Dixit Project, gives out his pet chords

by RITU PANDEY

Rooted

riff


air and throw out a melody or a song. But the compositionslive forever.

�Is the response to your musicabroad, different from what it isin India? Why?Not really. I think my music isproof that music is universal. Itgoes beyond language, race andother such man-made barriers.Yes, it is difficult for people whodon’t speak my language tounderstand what I am singingabout but that is the case inIndia as well. I’ve received a lotof love and adulation for mymusic from across the world andI am truly blessed in that regard.

�You’ve composed for two Hindifilms. How challenging wasmaking music in Bollywood’srestricted musical environmentwhere there’s little scope forexperimentation?I don’t think making music formovies means there is littlescope for experimentation. Ittakes great creativity to be ableto deliver music with a massappeal while sticking to andenhancing a movie situation.That said, it is very challengingand one has to understand that you are not just makingmusic for yourself but for the film and there are a lot of stakeholders that need to be on board with you when you compose.

�You’re giving online guitartutorials. How did that happen

and do you see any musician likeyou coming up from these? I have received a lot of requestsfrom fans who wanted to learnhow to play my songs. So whenwe approached Gibson with theidea to teach people how toplay our songs in my own style,they loved it and thanks tothem, we have these videos out.

I don’t know if anymusician like me will arise outof these videos, and frankly thatis not the idea. The intention, isto tell people without a doubtthat there is no one way to learnmusic. That playing the guitarand singing and making musicitself is rewarding. So just goout there and play aninstrument, you will be in formany days of fun and laughter.And if you want to do that withmy songs, here is how.

�A self-taught artiste who gaveup a career in microbiology formusic with success? Would youadvise such a dare to young self-taught musicians?That depends on what youwant to do with your life. Ifyou want to be a musician, treatit like you would treat any othertraditional career. Invest time,effort and even money and takeit very, very seriously. If thatmeans having to move careers,then that is just a small part ofwhat needs to be done.Whatever route you take, don’t do it for the glamour. It’smore than just the headlinesthat matter.

MUSIC

&


FESTIVITIES

DIWALI: As the name

suggests, the

beginning of the Hindu

New Year is celebrated

as Festival of Lights

and marks the victory

of light over darkness.

Clay lamps and

candles are lit and

placed in houses

decorated with rangoli

and fireworks are let

off. People also gamble

and give each other

gifts and sweets.

WHEN: November 11

WHERE: Across

India, except in some

parts of southern India

WANGALA FESTIVAL:

Also known as the 100

Drum Festival due to the

ritualistic beating of drums,

blowing of horns and

traditional dancing,

Wangala is the biggest

festival of Meghalaya’s Garo

tribe in northeast India.

Held in honour of the Sun

god, the festival marks the

end of the sowing season

and agricultural year.

WHEN: November 6

WHERE: Garo Hills,

Meghalaya

ALL THINGS BRIGHT

Be it the worship of the Sun or celebrations of light,

the month of November is all about getting away from darkness


FESTIVITIES

GURU NANAK

JAYANTI: Commemoration

of Guru Nanak’s (the founder

of the Sikh religion) birth

anniversary. Gurudwaras are

beautifully illuminated and

the holy Granth Sahib

carried out of the temple in a

huge procession,

accompanied by music and

drummers.

WHEN: November 25

WHERE: Across Punjab but

especially so at the Golden

Temple in Amritsar

DEV DEEPAVALI: Kartik

Purnima, the full moon night

of the Hindu month of Kartik,

is when the gods are

believed to descend on Earth

to bathe in river Ganga. More

than a million clay lamps are

floated down the river at

dusk amid chanting of Vedic

hymns and cultural

programmes for

their welcome.

WHEN: November 22-25

WHERE: Varanasi,

Uttar Pradesh

CHHATH PUJA: Devoted

to the worship of sun,

Chhathh is traditionally

celebrated by the people of

Bihar. People flock to river

banks and offer prayers to

the Sun god. Hymns and

folk songs are sung and

women fast and pray for

the well-being of their

family and friends.

WHEN: November 17

WHERE: River banks

across Bihar, Varanasi,

Delhi and Mumbai


TRAVEL

BANARAS

I

f Diwali marks the

homecoming of Rama,

Lakshman and Sita to

Ayodhya, the banks of the

Ganga in Varanasi are a unique

place to be on the day. On the

dark new moon night, all the

ghats are lit up with a thousand

earthen lamps in their welcome

turning the riverside into a City

of Lights. Fireworks can be seen

and heard all night long. To

truly be a part of this

spellbinding landscape, rent a

hotel on the banks and make

sure not to miss the day’s

special Ganga aarti on the

illuminated ghats. It is an

unforgettable experience.

SEELIGHTGOA

S

etting effigies of demon Narakasura

on fire is the Naraka Chaturdashi

tradition in Goa and is also one of the

major festivals of the state. A day prior to

Diwali, a big competition is held in every

village and town to see who can make the

biggest effigy of Narkasura. These effigies

are then set ablaze at the dawn of Diwali

day, which symbolises the triumph of good

over evil. Spend the day before watching

these celebrations and then during the day,

go and try your luck at gambling at many

casinos in the city.


TRAVEL

AMRITSAR

A

Punjabi adage goes “Dal roti ghar di Diwali Amritsar

di.” (There’s nothing like homemade food and Diwali

in Amritsar.) To see if it’s indeed true, celebrate Diwali

in the city where it is marked as Bandi Chhor Divas, the day

Sikh Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji secured his freedom along with

56 Hindu kings from the prison of Mughal ruler Jahangir in

Gwalior fort and their arrival thereafter at the Golden temple

in 1619. The temple premises as well as the pond inside are

illuminated with countless oil lamps and candles. Special

prayers are held along with a day-long langar.

Diwali in India is a great time

to catch regional expressions

of radiance and their distinct

legends in full glory

D

iwali down south is little to talk about but for

anyone looking for a quiet celebration, clearly

this is the place to be in. With every temple in

the city having special events on the day, there’s a lot

to see and take part in. If you’re staying close to a

residential area, visit a local home early morning to

see the colourful rangolis being made outside. In the

evening, take a walk around the illuminated Mysore

Palace and past the shops near Town Hall, buy a few

firecrackers and celebrate with the city. If you’re lucky,

you can catch the special Diwali show at the Palace

as well.

M

Y

S

O

R

E


W

hat are the bets like whenyou’re courting Lakshmi? Thewise would say the sky is thelimit — to propitiate thegoddess of prosperity, the

stakes better befit her stature. At the Diwali cardparties of loaded Indians in cities like Delhi,Mumbai and Kolkata, that could mean a Cartierwatch, a Bentley or a Lamborgini, some timeseven a penthouse.

The rich in India take their rituals veryseriously. At least one of them. Gambling, like thelighting of earthen lamps and worshippingLakshmi, is an essential Diwali tradition. A legendalso relates it to Goddess Parvati, who is believedto have played dice with her husband Lord Shivaon the night of Diwali and won. The 8th century

Kailash temple in Ellora immortalises this cosmicgame of dice between the supreme deities in stone.

The tradition continues even now, thoughthe dice has been replaced by cards, virtual gamesand other such modern inventions. And thoughtraditionally the emphasis, more than winning orlosing, was on the spirit of the game, now thebottomline is how much you can win.

VIRTUAL BETS

C

ashing in on that lure will be onlinerummy sites such as ace 23, JungleeRummy and ClassicRummy whose

popularity has soared since last year’s SupremeCourt ruling that made skill card games like rummyand poker even for stakes exempt from gamblinglaws. They are only likely to peak around Diwali.

SPECIAL

DIWALI

GAMEPLAN

by RITU PANDEY

Party you will. But

strategise well to

appease the deity of luck

on the festival of lights


If rummy is not your type, try online pokerwhich is on a boom since the ruling. More thantwo dozen sites like Adda52, Poker Guru andKhelo365 are vying for a share of the Diwali pokerpie with new games, high value prizes andpromotional tournaments. Says Lina Wang,marketing director of Cyber Gaming launching itsnew card room StarPoker.in, “This is a measure ofour confidence in the market. We’ve timed it withthe festive season in India because it’s a great timefor happiness.”

Teen Patti, the old Janmashtami and Diwalifavourite and the Indian game that comes closestto poker, is the alternative on the digital platformto bring together family and friends acrossgeographical distances for a fun night of cardplaying. But things get even better on Diwali whatwith the app setting up two Premium DiwaliTables that allow players to win virtual chips andearn a place on the special Diwali leader board.

REAL DEAL

H

owever, for those who still want the realthing, staying cued in to the inner circlesof the well-heeled in our metros might be

of some help. It’s not easy getting an invite to thesereally secretive card parties though.

So network well and with some genuineplayers. Else you can head to Goa to try your luckat the floating casinos and then party on the beach.Or to Kathmandu next door, which has reopenedits casinos in time for Diwali after an 18-monthhiatus. For an exotic gamble, there’s always thechoice of Macau, Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore andLas Vegas.

Or if you can wait till next Diwali, Sikkim ispreparing to open its first betting shops soon. Ithas recently cleared a legislation allowing operatorsto offer online sports betting, casino and pokergames via “intranet gaming terminals” that areonly accessible within Sikkim borders.

SPECIAL

JHANDI MUNDA: A

traditional betting

game of Arunachal

Pradesh, Jhandi Munda

is played with a six-

sided dice. There are

six different icons on

each side of the dice

and the players bet on

which symbol will

appear the most.

COWRIE: The dice here are 21

cowrie shells which are thrown to

check your luck in the coming year.

Combinations of upside cowries in 1,

7, 9, 18 and 21 are believed to signal

good luck.

CHAUPAD: The granddad of the

Ludo and similar dice games. The

'board' is traditionally an embroidered

cloth in the shape of a cross. Each

arm of the cross is divided into three

columns and each column is divided

into eight squares.

T R A D I T I O N A T P L A Y


INGREDIENTS

o Split black gram skinless (dhuli urad dal)

150 gm o Rice 40 gm o Edible orange

red colour optional o Sugar 750 gm

o Saffron 5 gm o Rose essence 5 ml

o Green cardamom powder 1 teaspoon

o Vegetable oil (for deep frying)

o Kiwi, Papaya and Melon 1

CUSTARD CREAM

o Whipping cream 75 gm o Custard powder

20 gm o Milk 200 ml o Sugar 40 gm

METHOD:

o Soak dal and rice together for 60 minutes

o Drain and grind with the colour to a soft, spongy

mixture with a coarse texture.

o Boil sugar with 3 cups of water till a syrup of single-

thread consistency is reached

o Remove from heat and strain the syrup.

o Add saffron, rose essence and green cardamom

powder. Keep the syrup hot.

o Heat sufficient olive oil in a shallow flat

jalebi kadhai.

o Take one ladle full of batter in a cotton cloth, hold

I M A R T I F L A N W I T H F R E S H F R U I T S


FOOD

Home-made sweets are a good

way to keep a check on calories

during festivals. How much fun

and health can you pack in lies

in your own creativity. Here are

two simple delights to try your

hand at

tightly and press the batter through the hole

into the hot oil. Make small batches and

deep fry on both the sides till crisp and light

golden brown.

o Drain the hot imarti and dip into the sugar

syrup. Let them remain immersed till they

have absorbed enough syrup. Drain and

place the imarti on a flat plate.

o Let it stand so as to allow it to come down

to room temperature

o Top it with custard cream and fresh

sliced fruits.

P A A N B A R F I

INGREDIENTS

o Gulkand 100 gm o Cashewnut 50 gm

o Raisins 50 gm o Almond 50 gm

o Pista 50 gm o Khoya Pindi 800 gm

o Sugar 200 gm

METHOD

o Mix khoya, sugar and heat in a thick

bottom pan.

o Let the mixture cool.

o Prepare the stuffing with gulkand,

chopped dry fruits.

o Make balls from the mixture and pinch

with stuffing.

o Lend your shape.

— Vijayant Rawat, Executive Chef,

Latitude, Mosaic Hotels, Noida

CUSTARD CREAM

o Boil milk in a heavy bottom pan.

o Take off 100 ml of milk and cool.

o Add custard powder to make a slurry while still warm

o Add sugar to boiling milk.

o Now add custard slurry to the boiling milk.

o Keep stirring and cook till required consistency is

obtained. Keep aside and chill

o Whip cream to the stage where it starts to form peaks.

o Add cream to the chilled custard mix.

— Sandeep Panwar, Executive Chef,

The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa, New Delhi

WIDEANGLE

They say you have to tune your sensesfinely to read the magic that is wovenon a full moon night. And whathappened on the night of SharadPurnima at Mehrangarh Fort wasnothing short of that. World famousmusicians jammed with Rajasthanifolk and traditional artists to celebratethe bond of music. This has been atradition for the past nine years now.Jodhpur Riff, the annual music and art festival, provides an open stage tofolk artists and musicians from Indiaand around the globe. Snapshots fromthe event

Desert

song Photos by KAVI BHANSALI

WIDEANGLE

PH

OT

OS

©JR

IF

F/O

IJO


DIVYA KUMAR BHATIA

[Festival Director]

The royal patronage: It’s a partnershipthat has withstood the test of time. Elevenyears ago, in 2007, when John and FaithSingh approached Maharaj Gaj Singh II of Marwar-Jodhpur, who was also a trusteein Jaipur Virasat Foundation, little didanyone envision that this would be apartnership that would not only last butgrow multifold. Selection of musicians: We are constantlytrying to bring in new talent and voices.Two hundred and sixty Rajasthani artistsperformed this year. But what is interestingto note is that there is a sense of ownershipamong the local artists, who view it as theirown product. This is what lends that touchof intimacy to the festivalGrowth of a tradition: The growth ofRIFF over the years has been very organic.Being a not-for-profit organisation, oureffort is to pass as much advantage to thefolk artists. And why not? We aim topositively impact their income in general,while the festival provides them thenecessary exposure to reach otherplatforms. Our artists have played at severalinternational festivals including Spain,Australia, South Africa, and the UK.

In 2016, we celebrate a decade of ourmusical tradition and if all goes as planned,it will be one grand affair.

— As told to Navneet Mendiratta

(Top): Meghwals of Marwar perform at Jaswant Thada

(outside Mehrangarh Fort) for Riff Dawns. A Hindu

community from the Marwar region in Rajasthan, the

Meghwals are an occupational group engaged in

tanning of hides and work as agricultural labour. They

sing bhajans for their deity, Ram Devji, in villages. This

was a beautiful performance set to a tanbura (a

stringed instrument) and a jhanjh (cymbal).

(Centre): This was the annual special. Three

generations of Manganiyars came together in a

performance, dubbed The Manganiyars of Marwar. The

performance was dedicated to Sakhar Khan

Manganiyar by the artists of the community, who

worked magic on vocals and traditional instruments

such as kamaycha, dhol, morchhang, dholak, khartal

and murli). Late Sakhar Khan was a kamaycha master.

(Bottom): The Manganiyar musicians were led by

Kheta Manganiyar and Sakarji’s sons Firoz, Ghewar

and Darra


WIDEANGLE

For the first time, this year, Jodhpur RIFF brought two Grammy award winners, Wouter

Kellerman (winner 2015) and Yossi Fine (winner 1991) to the festival. So if the finale

offered electrifying main stage performances by Indian and international Reggae artists

(Ska Funk and Papa Julius and Zion Nexus), the dawn broke to the mellifluous notes of

the flute by Kellerman. He was accompanied by Dilshad Khan and Mahesh Vinayakam


Multi-award winning bassist, Grammy winner,

and the godfather of hip-hop, reggae and

world music sounds, Yossi Fine presented a

solo set followed by a confluence set with

Rajasthani musicians. Also performing for the

first time at Jodhpur RIFF were the Fiddlers —

Emilia and Suvi from Finland — and chromatic

harmonica maestro Antonio Serrano along

with Josemi Carmona on the Flamenco Guitar


WIDEANGLE

Other than the

main stage

performances,

there were

events aimed

at bringing

the music

community

closer with

interactive

sessions and

impromptu

performances.

The visitors

also got to see

their lives

up close

EASY IN BHOPAL


I

n peak Indian summer, Ramzan canbe a trying time for the devout.Ironically, it is also a time when anamazing smorgasbord of flavoursspreads out in places with a

significant Muslim populace. But what ifyou find yourself in a Muslim strongholdnot known for any great culinary tradition?Well, you try and console yourself withtidbits on the city’s fasting culture.

But even that can become a task, if theday happens to be the first Friday of Ramzanand the mosques and other religious hubsare out of bounds for the non-religious.Understandably then, all you’re left with is toseek an audience with local history. Andthat’s exactly what I did as I went around theold city in Bhopal — a maze of residentialbuildings, shops stacked closely in narrowalleys heaving with life. Curiously however,at this hour the bylanes looked prettysanitised — the masses having dissipatedinside small neighbourhood mosques thatlittered every single bylane, sometimes twoor three of them in close proximity, for theZuhr Namaz. The mantra, “work is worship”is what kept the remaining few, includingme and my photographer, out.

So checking out small ittar, sharbat andaccessory shops selling Ramzan essentialslike rosaries and much in vogue Turkish andAfghani caps, we reached the Chowk Bazaar,right at the entrance of which sits thearchitectural marvel of Shaukat Mahal. Saidto have been designed by a decadentFrenchman who claimed his lineage to theBourbon dynasty of France, the almostchurch-like building is a combination ofGothic and post-Renaissance styles in pinkand white alabaster. It is known to havebeen constructed in 1830s as a wedding giftfor Sikander Jehan Begum, the daughter ofQudsia Begum, the first woman ruler of theprincely state of Bhopal.

TRAVEL

From food to culture to people,

the Madhya Pradesh capital

is about not letting lineage

sit heavy on your head

by RITU PANDEY

Photos by SANJEEV KUMAR


LIBERATED BEGUMS

T

he city stands out as an oddity among theIndian Muslim principalities — the onlyone to have been ruled by women, and a

rather liberal and liberated lot at that with Afghanancestry. In fact, an illiterate Qudsia Begum tookover the reins of the kingdom after theassassination of her husband in 1819 but refusedto follow the purdah, declared her two-year-old asher successor and proved herself an able ruler whocared for her people.

Sikander Jehan Begum succeeded her motherin 1844. Without bothering about the veil, shewent a step ahead to get herself trained in martialarts and even fought several battles during herreign. Their successors — Shah Jahan Begum andthen Kaikhusro Begum — followed into theseegalitarian conventions to thereby nurture a verytolerant and mixed culture in the city.

Bhopal got a male ruler only in 1926 withthe ascension of Nawab Hamidullah Khan, the

son of Kaikhusro Begum. However, post-independence, since Khan’s elder daughter Abidamoved to Pakistan and the younger one, Sajida,got married into the Pataudi royalty, the head ofthe royal family of Pataudi, is also regarded as thehead of the Bhopal royalty. So technically now,actor and the nawab of Pataudi, Saif Ali Khan, isthe nawab of Bhopal. In keeping with itsegalitarian and liberal tradition of rulers, Bhopal inrecent times, became the first city to elect a

TRAVEL

ROYAL LEGACY

M

erely witnessing past glory is

getting just half the story. Only an

experience of being a part of it

can give a full sense of life under the

Nawabs. And that’s made possible at the

Noor us Sabah palace, a heritage hotel.

Literally meaning “the Light Of Dawn”,

Noor-Us-Sabah was built in the 1920 by

Hamidullah Khan for his eldest daughter

Begum Abida Sultan. After Partition, Abida

migrated to Pakistan, leaving the palace to

be inherited by her younger sister Begum

Sajida Sultan. Perched on top of a hillock

facing the Bada Taal, the hotel still maintains

its historical character with high dome-like

ceilings and arches. Old photographs of the

original palace, palanquins and carriages

placed at strategic points add grandeur to

the atmosphere. Zaika, the restaurant,

serves authentic recipes from the royal

kitchen, alongside modern amenities like a

spa, a hamam and a gaming zone. The

hotel’s proximity to studios also makes it a

favourite with film crews shooting in Bhopal.


transgender as member to its state Assembly.But the Islamic penchant for great buildings

was as pronounced among the begums as theirmale counterparts elsewhere despite theconstraints of a small kingdom. In fact, some ofthe most magnificent monuments in Bhopal —like Taj-ul-Masajid, the largest mosque in thecountry; Moti Masjid, architecturally akin toDelhi’s Jama Masjid; and Qaisar-e-Sultani, nowSaifia College — came up during their reign.

TRAVEL


TRAVEL


IMPRESSION BUILDING

T

he gorgeous Gohar Mahal beside theUpper Lake was built by the very firstQudsia Begum in 1820 as a perfect

blend of Hindu and Mughal styles. Itsbeautiful façade and arches are vividreminders of its past glory. But my personalfavourite turned out to be Taj Mahal, the120-room residence of Shah Jahan Begumbuilt in Indo-Saracenic style, which is now inthe process of being converted into a heritagehotel. Though the building is open to public,the guard at the entrance let us in after muchcajoling, strictly on the condition that wewon't click any pictures. We still managed afew of the beautiful six-storey front façadeand canopies. Built over 13 years, from 1871to 1884, the Taj Mahal was part of a complexof buildings along the three lakes, the breezefrom which kept them cool. Taj-ul-Masajid,the largest mosque in India and third largestin the world, sits adjacent. Its white domesshone bright in the warm afternoon glow thatgot reflected off red sandstone façade as wearrived. The mosque also houses a residentialmadarsa but following Ramzan holidays therewere just a handful of devotees.

The roots of the Bhopal royalty and itsarchitectural heritage extend beyond. Aboutan hour’s drive from the main city on BerasiaRoad is Islamnagar. Once known asJagdishpur, this hamlet was part of theterritory of the Gond royals. In 1707, amidthe confusion following Mughal emperorAurangzeb’s death, Afghan commander in theMughal army Dost Mohammed Khanusurped it to establish Islamnagar, of whichBhopal became the capital in 1727. ChamanMahal and Rani Mahal are two magnificentstructures in the premises, both relatively wellkept with gardens and greenery and crowdedby amorous couples whose love declarationsfill the walls. You only wish some one showedas much love for these monuments.

TRAVEL


FOODTRAIL


BREAKFAST: BACKPACKERS’ CAFÉ

S

tarting your day here is imperative whenyou’re in Chandigarh. Situated in thecity’s upscale neighbourhood of Sector 9,Backpackers’ Café is famous for itsEnglish-style breakfast since 2007. The

décor appeals to the widely travelled, with artworksand pictures of faraway destinations adorning thewalls. Travel books and guides lie stacked in theracks, tempting the visitors to linger over for just abit longer.WHAT TO ORDER: Its All-Day Breakfast selectionranges from farm-fresh eggs with bacon, cinnamonand raisin pancake stack, BBQ chicken, bangers andmash (grilled sausages), country potato wedges andsauted veggies. Love your omlette? You can choosefrom Spanish or Indian masala stuffed with sautedonion, ham or pepperoni. There’s also a choice ofsalads, sandwiches and amazing cold coffee.

Chandigarh being a city of early risers, it is notunusual to see people meeting over breakfast. Theportions are king-size given the hearty appetite of thelocals and for a price that it comes at, you’d wish youcould drive down to the city on a daily basis.

FOODTRAIL

A political hotspot of North India, a stopover fortravellers headed to the hills

and an established student hub...

The multiple identities ofthe Punjab and Haryana

capital have prompted it todevelop its own brand offoodie culture. Here are

three must-try hangouts onyour visit to Chandigarh

by

NAVNEET MENDIRATTA


LUNCH: NABOBS

A

lso situated in Sector 9, Nabobsis an Indicafe inspired by theBritish who carried back withthem the Raj hangover. Spreadover two floors, it houses a café

with an open kitchen at the ground level andpub-style seating on the first. The décor is quirky and holds an Anglicised charm with funelements thrown in like a drunk-o-metre, whichpegs Punjabi as the highest level of drunk thatone can get!WHAT TO ORDER: Gosht Bhalla for sure! It isthe non-vegetarian take on the popular Punjabisnack, dahi bhallas, with mutton balls replacingthe original lentil ones in the traditional. We alsostrongly recommend their Masala keema scotcheggs for the egg-lovers and Dahi ke kebab for thevegetarians. For sandwich lovers, there arenaninis or naan-sandwiches and nan pizzas.Another must-have for meat lovers is the muttonharissa. For drinks, go for Desi Sangria and PaanMartinis. Who said afternoons need to be dry?


DINNER: MALT & CO

T

his one’s the highlight of the citythese days. Located in the city’sPiccadily Hotel in Sector 22-B, it’sthe first microbrewery in the UnionTerritory. Malt & Co is actually a

microbrewery-cum-gastronomic kitchen for beer isbest enjoyed with pub grub. The décor is easy andfriendly, meant to cater to a happy mix of diners,including families.WHAT TO ORDER: As of now, themicrobrewery offers two ready-to-serve brews — aLager and an unfiltered wheat one. In the pipelineis a dark craft beer as well as a specially brewedginger speciality, ready to be served close to thefestive season. Want something different? Checkout their Beer Sangria. You would be pleasantlysurprised. In food, we recommend you check outtheir crab cakes, veg mezze, caramelised Frenchfries and lobster platters. There is also the optionof some great appam and stew for those who lovesouth Indian flavours. A big plus is its goodportion size.

FOODTRAIL


TRAVEL


TRAVEL

I

n the last fortnight or so, I almost kissed theAntarctic Circle, walked on ground with activevolcanoes just a kilometre or so below my feet,witnessed an entire city in the steamy smoke oferupting natural geysers, soaked in the therapeutic

acidic and alkaline waters of mother Earth while thetemperature was zero degrees or so outside, swung downJack’s beanstalk kind of trees on sheer rope across 170 plusmetres, got thrown off a cliff in a no-bars swing that mademe learn the real value of life and, finally, held the originalLord of the Rings ring (and boy it’s heavy and big enoughto go round your waist) in my bare hands.

And when I was not being jolted into this vibrantadrenaline fever, I walked through the largest man-madeforest in the southern hemisphere, watched the milky wayjust an arm-raise away, breathed air so fresh that I mightjust fall ill of cleanliness and went down the azure andtranslucent ocean waters of two water bodies — theTasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

A

ll this was when I was not four-wheeling downthe most rugged coastline ever, spotting sealsbasking on its jagged red and black rocks, raising

their necks to kiss the laden skies even as the wind keptpumping up the sea to be naughty enough to rise abovethe mundane.

It’s the coolest little

unspoilt hotspot. But to

experience The Lord of

the Rings vistas and

Maori adventures

of New Zealand,

you better forego the

big city lure

by MEENAKSHI RAO


New Zealand right now is cold. It has the icywinds freezing up your ears, it has snow in placesand it has the ocean waters inviting but cold justin case you risk a dip. It also has a lot of rain-giving verdant green cover to its wantonpasturelands lounging across gentle mounds, cutthrough by streams gurgling down in slow motionand sheep dotting the ethereal landscape whereone Mr Peter Jackson has deemed that Hobbitswill roam freely in more than 80 places with alltheir quirks and works.

But, between 0 degrees and 5 or so, NewZealand still is that coolest hotspot you missed if

you decided against it. It’s a misnomer really to sayZealandia is a summer destination. Yes it tonesdown in the winters, downsizes its itineraries a bitand kind of takes a holiday for a month or so inJuly and August but off the beaten track, it is stillthe place to be.

A

uckland and Wellington are big cities youcan find with some differences across theglobe. But it is the beauty within that is

stunning and to experience that you need to goofftrack to this country’s insides, to places likeRotorua, Nelson and maybe Wellington, the


coolest little capital in the world. Take Rotorua,for example. A geyser town nestling over volcaniclava underneath, it is known for its iconic geo-thermal activity. It is stunning, varied, organised,clean and has that little bit of everything thatother destinations in Kiwi country have to offer ina single file. People all over the world talk aboutRotorua’s geysers but to me it was a gem of a placewith best of all worlds, truly the Bay of Plenty as itis named.

Its lakes and national parks, its hot springs,its streams and its biking trails (listed among thetop 10 in the world by Red Bull recently) team up

with the core of the Kiwi land — its penchant for adventure, be it extreme, moderate or evenchild-like.

S

pending a week in Rotorua may not beenough. After all, you would need torecover from the realisation that you were

brave enough to have been thrown in a raft downa 162-metre vertical waterfall as your heart kind ofmakes its way out of your body through abreathless windpipe!

They tell you it is 100 per cent safe. Theymean it too. You know security standards are

much above the required safety limit. And yet when you staredown that gurgling, white-pearled waterfall from down below,courage keeps deserting you. But once you do decide to go upthere for the exhilarating fall, and once you reach the river belowunharmed, you look back and learn to respect yourself. You are inawe of what you just achieved besides, of course, palpitating inthe excitement of that thrilling downfall you never thought youwere capable of.

T

hat’s just one of the many adrenaline pushers you have,not just in Rotorua but also in other parts of this country.The Sky Swing dangling over Rotorua’s highest cliff

station does not even bother to look innocuous. It’s positioningtells you it will take the life and breath out of you in case youdare to dangle on it. It’s a 180 degree free-fall experience goingsomething like this: You climb a platform and are tied to a scantchair with your body dangling in the air horizontally, tummydown. Then an electronic rope pulls you up through a pulleywhich takes you (body dangling down) 500 feet up to a hook

TRAVEL


overlooking the valley, the majestic Rotorua lakeon one side and the deep blue sky on the other(which you can’t really see because you are hangingupside down). All you can see below you is thenothingness of a vast space dotted with trees andthe lake far, far away.

A

nd then you pull a rope and go hurtlingdown in a 45 degree arch, hundreds offeet down and then rise to the horizon.

You are thrown backwards down and up and asyou think this is sheer death, you keep swingingpraying for life for around half a minute whichseems like hours! This is as near as you can be tothat near-death experience you had only heardabout and never believed in.

As the speed lessens, you finally breathe andthank God for still being alive. And as you areunhooked, you are a new person, someone whohas just learnt the real value of life.

Though Queenstown, the more touristydestination down south, has a similar pumpstation on the hill from where paragliding andshort bunny jumping sports are propelled, it is the

Sky Swing at Rotorua which is the original in thisconcept and infrastructure and prides itself ofbeing the provider of the experience inQueenstown. For the moderates, there are dos likethe luge ride and over-the-hill eating experience inwell-equipped hilltop cafes like the Stratosphere.

Having a lush spread of seafood, pastas andOriental cuisine, topped by a bevy of freshproduce desserts and local wines, and overlookingthe picturesque valley and lake down below isenervating. Rotorua adds up with an in-housewine cellar where the vineyard owner (who brewshis wines just under the hill) regales you with aheady cocktail of jokes and vintage.

I

f Queenstown has its gliding ski slopes, thequaint blue lake and a reputation morealluring than Rotorua, the latter has the

exclusive greens just round the corner. The densestrain forests you can get in the southernhemisphere, a place where unending trees form acanopy under the sky. It’s here that you get toswing a bit less dangerously for your perceptionbut as thrillingly as it gets.

TRAVEL


TRAVEL


T

he Canopy Tour, as it is called, issomething that a moderate, life-fearingtourist would love. Meant for

everybody, this activity is gentler on your soul.The occasional chirp of the bell bird is musicto your ears when you swing down twogigantic trees over a valley of shorter trees.Talking of birds, New Zealand has a storyaround these angelic creatures. Once upon atime, when the Brits had not arrived here withall their paraphernalia and when the Maori hadnot canoed in from their mystical land morethan a 1,000 years ago, the Kiwiland birds hada territory to create music. They werecolourful, exotic, big, small and came with alot of heart. But then with the Maori and theBrits came the stowaways, deadly stowaways —the rodents, the stoats and the rats. None of itsvulnerable bird population had thewherewithal to fight for survival.

T

he birds, all varieties of them,including the now endangered kiwi,could not really fly. Their nests were

raided, their eggs and chicks eaten up and theirpopulation started dwindling even as thehighly fertile rodent population increased.

Today, the Kiwis long for twitter and areengaged in the biggest conservation project ofall times — to get rid of the rodents and tobring back the birds to spin magic in theirabundant forests. Some, like the bell bird, areresponding even as touristy organisations likethe Canopy Tours actually hand-feed themworms and are engaged in an earnest rehabproject of their winged population. They showyou the pictures of the 1,000 rodents trappedand killed in just one night. They are hopefulof getting their forest rodent-free in some timeeven as the bigger bird conservation forest inWellington has created a sanctuary, all guardedand fenced deep down, into the earth todeclare the first rodent-free zone for callingback the birds.

TRAVEL


TRAVEL

B

ut Rotorua, or for thatmatter Nelson orWellington, are not just

about bird conservation. Thethree cities, unique in their ownways for tourism prospects,make for a heady 10 or moredays circuit for any visitor withany interest.

While Wellington, theworld’s most touristy Capital, isall about urban cafes, fooddelights, art galleries and somerugged outdoor activities likeseal-spotting along its 20-kmrock and sea coastline, Rorotruabasks in the therapy of itsnatural geysers, the alkalinewater dips and volcanic mudbaths. Natural spas are thebuzzword here with the worldleader Polynesian Spa leadingthe brigade. At this tony retreat,


there are heated pools of various natural mineral waters whichgive your body an almost celestial rest from all kinds of stressand pains.

E

ven if the temperatures are sub-zero, these open airsteaming pools are inviting enough, not just becausethey are overlooking the Rotorua lake with all its

seagull population flying now and then in a white mass, butbecause of their inviting fluorescent water colours. There’sgreen, turquoise and rust-coloured water pools where you cansqueeze out all your stress, and then go for a leisurely thoughhigh-priced individual body massages and mud wraps.

When not relaxing in these amazing waters, there’s a lotof Maori heritage you can get to savour at Te PuiaGeothermal Valley where a stunning and exotic Maoriprincess escorts you around the facility sprawling acrossnaturally heated rocks, volcanic mud pools and white, foamygeysers erupting every now and then, including the worldfamous Pohutu Geyser. But this place is not about naturalbeauty so much as it is about the vibrant efforts to keep theMaori culture alive. And this brings you to wood-sculptingworkshops and hemp-sewing studio. Now these were the two most famous activities that the Maoris indulged in andthis facility does everything it can to keep the two trades aliveand kicking.

T

he showstopper here is the earth oven dinner, whichis prepared the traditional Maori way with meats andveggies marinated and buried in a huge cooking box

deep inside the earth. They are cooked in the lava and geysersteam over which the entire city nestles. The result? A uniqueearthy flavour to steaming hot juicy meats and other staplessavoured under falling stars, freezing temperatures and hotrocks to sit and warm yourself up even as a Maori father andson regale you with country music live on the guitar amidsips of champagne.

It is an evening to remember at Te Puia where you go inas a curious visitor and return as a family person of the bigand warm Maori community.

Then there’s Wai-O-Tapu. To say it is surreal would bean understatement. It is ethereal, it adorns celestial watercolours, it is enveloped in steamy beauty and it has lakes thatyou may have spotted only in the illustrated Aesop’s Fables. It’shere that I learnt that the rust is for iron ore, purplish-pink

TRAVEL


for manganese deposits, sea green for arsenic and fluorescentgreen-yellow for sulphur.

I asked my tour guide if this was really real, naturalcolour and he looked at me amazed. “What else ma’am,” heasked nonplussed. Adding artificial colour for tourismpurposes? New Zealand and its bay of plenty don’t believe in this.

S

o Wai-O-Tapu is a chunk of natural beautysurrounded by these stunningly coloured lakes, allsteaming up with geo-thermal activity as they dot the

majestic Whakarewarewa forest stretch. It’s a natural wonderso different that it borders on being an unbelievable volcanicwonder. Any trip to New Zealand would be unworthy if thisis missed out.

New Zealand’s tourism itinerary is very carefully curatedand has paid them rich dividends. Take, for example, the socalled big houses of Kiwiland. For the high-end tourist,especially for those needing anonymity (like Brad Pitt andAngelina Jolie) there are these plush — and remote — resortsnestling far, far away from any kind of human population forseven to 10 day breaks. Not only do these houses (mostlydone up old bungalows) have their own helipads, orchards,spas, pools, transport and private bartenders, they also boast acarefully hired bevy of staff which does not speak about thepeople coming here for a vacation.

In Nelson, there is the Eden House run by an Aussie-weds-Kiwi couple of English leanings. Taking you through hisgreen apple orchard (he had reserved one tree for just thebirds to feed on its fruits) he tells you how he left a millionacres in his Australian Outback to buy this very Englishbungalow in the middle of the Tasman forest and sea whereaccessibility has a strict pedigree.

J

ust four couples at a time can be here and the bookings($2450 a night all inclusive) are done almost twoseasons in advance, this time that “special visitor being

a Hollywood celebrity whose name I can’t reveal.” Sitting in the Nelson Abel Tasman region, ringed by

cerrulean bays and blessed by its superb produce,winemakers, artists, wild mountains, trout-fishing rivers, andthe golden, postcard beaches, Eden House is an exclusiveretreat for the well-heeled. Preferably, this should be the endof your explorer’s journey.

TRAVEL

Vikingtrail

On the

Vikingtrail

On the


B

etween 800 and 1050 AD — whenthe Indian subcontinent was justabout ushering in the medievalperiod in its history, post its goldenClassical age — the Vikings were

conquering and exploring other parts of the world.From Scandinavia, these hardy men sailed downthe seas in their long boats to Iceland, Greenland,Russia and across the northern Atlantic to Canada,going as far down as Spain. And despite theirimage of being fierce warriors, drinking out ofskulls and plundering cities, fact is that they wereexplorers, craftsmen and even administrators,whose cultural influence continues to be present inso many parts of Europe even today.

The more recent popularity of the Vikings incomic books, movies, TV shows et al means thatthe most common stereotype most of us associate

with the culture is Thor — the fierce, lusty god ofthunder, wielding a hammer much like Indra in theHindu myth. But it is really Odin, the one-eyedfather, whom I am thinking about as we embarkupon our own Viking trail — the prototype forGandalf, the wandering wise wizard in The Lord ofThe Rings. JRR Tolkien, of course, borrowed somuch from Norse stories that should you be a fanlike me, it is inconceivable that you won’t befascinated by this region, its tales and culture.

F

or a glimpse of the Viking way of life, therecan be no place to begin like the VikingShip Museum at Roskilde in Denmark. An

old Viking settlement, Roskilde, just under half anhour from Copenhagen, is also said to be the siteof some of Beowulf ’s Adventures (one of the oldestepic poems in the English language that literature

TRAVEL

The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde and another one in Oslo give

you a glimpse of life – and travel — from a 1,000 years ago

by ANOOTHI VISHAL


students should recognise even in India). Acathedral here overlooking the town is the burialsite for Denmark’s royals. But more than that, youcan sense that this town must have been a naturalsanctuary for the seafaring tribe, who built someof their strongest boats here and hid thetechnology for sailmaking, ropemaking andboatmaking — far ahead of its times — from theircontemporaries — ensconced by the calm watersof the fijord.

Today, the museum here is the main draw.Ships sunk by the Vikings were raised from thefjord here in the 1960s and these, plus the restoredcargo and war vessels, form the heart of thissplendid museum. Interestingly enough, you canalso go sailing in replicas of the Viking ships andlong boats, rowing your way through the beautifulwaters, learning to raise, move and lower the sailin the traditional way as you chart your course..

T

he long ships, as we call them now, weretypically narrow, light, wooden boats witha shallow-draft hull designed for speed and

easy navigation. Light enough to be carried, thesewere also double-ended, allowing it to reversedirection without needing to turn around. This wasa major advantage in a sea filled with concealed ice.Long ships had oars along almost the entire lengthof the boat and later versions combined rowingpower with sailing power. In good conditions, along boat under sailing power could reach a speed

TRAVEL


of 15 knots. The wood of only specific trees couldbe used to make these boats, and as we grapplewith the huge oars, we realise what a task it musthave been to ferry entire armies in these across theoceans. But undoubtedly, it was these boats thatled to the Viking conquest and the establishmentof settlements such as Dublin and Normandy, and even those in North America, so far away from Scandinavia.

Handling the Viking boat is no mean task fora first-time crew, as we find out. But itnevertheless makes for an entertaining afternoon atthe sea. And then, for lunch and for about an houror two after, we embark on a much easier sailingplan. The Sagafjord is a beautiful boat with teakinteriors and you can go on a short cruise onRoskilde Fjord aboard it, settling down to acomfortable buffet lunch en route. In fact, with itscapacity of about 150 people that can fit in, this

also makes for a lovely party venue — celebratinga special occasion, a wedding, an intimate momentor two...

I

f you are interested in the Vikings, Norwayhas to be another stop on your itinerary. Andone of the most comprehensive places to get a

glimpse of the history of the people is the VikingShip Museum at Bygdøy in Oslo. It is part of theMuseum of Cultural History of the University ofOslo and houses archaeological finds from Tune,Gokstad (Sandefjord), Oseberg (Tønsberg) and theBorre mound cemetery.

You can see various old ships (fully orpartially intact) and other Viking Age displays,including sledges, beds, a horse cart, woodcarving, tent components, buckets and othergoods recovered from the graves. But themuseum’s most famous artefact is the completelywhole Oseberg ship, excavated from the largestknown ship burial in the world.

There are other stops that you can make onthe trail, sometimes getting a taste of Viking life.At the Lofotr Viking Museum, for instance, youcan see a traditional long house and alsoparticipate in Viking festivals and events. Or, youcan try sailing on the Vefsnfjord in NorthernNorway on a Viking ship. One thousand years ofsolitude, here!

TRAVEL

Rogue

Rishikesh


by NAVIN M RAHEJA

The story of Narendra, the tusker that killed nine people before it was

shifted to another part of the Rajaji National Park, is proof that humans

need to allow space to other species for harmonious co-existence

Rogue

Rishikesh

T

ravelling on the Haridwar-Rishikesh-Dehradun Expressway, as you enterHaridwar city, a very long bridge onriver Ganga takes you to a circularcrossing with a sign board pointing

towards Bijnor and Najibabad. Across this bridge isthe Chilla forest range of the Rajaji National Park.Lest you don’t cross the river, to your left are the

Ranipur, Beribada, Dhaulkhand and Motichurforest ranges of Rajaji National Park. Ahead are thetowns of Raiwala and Doiwala, to whose left is theBarkot forest range of the Dehradun ForestDivision. As you go further on the Rishikeshbypass, river Chandrabhaga separates this divisionfrom the Narendra Nagar forest division. It is herethat our story of a rogue tusker begins.


WILDLIFE

NAVIN M RAHEJA,

Chairman & Managing

Director, Raheja Developers

Ltd, is a wildlife enthusiast

and an avid photographer.

In the past 35 years, he has

made several contributions

in the field of conservation

of wildlife and environment

at various levels — be it the

fight to rehabilitate Gujjars

of Rajaji National Park in

Uttarakhand or picking up

vital issues in other parts of

India. A former member of

Project Tiger’s Steering

Committee, under the

Ministry of Environment

and Forests, he has worked

tirelessly to ensure that the

big cats survive in India.

One of the leading

developers in the country,

Raheja believes in inclusive

development and

protection of flora and

fauna in the country.

The presence of elephants is periodically observed inand around Haridwar and Rishikesh towns. Elephants areusually peaceful by nature and left to themselves, tend tomind their own business. It’s only after repeated encounterswith humans that they tend to lose their cool. Even then,most of their charges are mock ones, meant just to frighten.At times, a musth elephant — a periodic condition amongbull elephants with a continued draining of body fluids fromtheir temple glands — poses a big threat to humans. Thephenomenon occurs once a year but as long as the musthperiod lasts, the elephant is unusually aggressive. This is thestory of one such male tusker.

It was the morning of February 10, 2011, one of thecoldest of the year. Sita Devi, a native of the area, hadconcluded her usual household chores and gone into the

forest to collect fodder for her cattle. Unaware ofthe presence of a wild elephant, she busied herselfin cutting grass. She turned hearing a peculiarnoise but before she could react, she was blownaway and smashed by the raging bull. This was thefirst victim of this giant.

For the people living here, terror had arrivedwithout any warning. Over the next 11 months,nothing was more terrifying than death bytrampling — nine people, including six women,were killed during this period. Nobody venturedout alone on the road, particularly after sunset.For they didn’t know when and from whichunseen corner, the killer would strike.

O

ften, the residents spotted it with a smallherd of elephants which would appearregularly near a herbal garden on the

outskirts of Rishikesh. The state forest departmentplayed down the first two killings. These werepassed off as mere mishaps. After all, suchincidents do happen in forest stretches of thisparticular sub-Himalayan belt. And it’s notuncommon for elephants to cross over from onestretch to another within a kissing distance ofRishikesh. It was only after the elephant hadclaimed its seventh victim on October 3 — AwwalSingh — that the gravity of the situation dawnedon the authorities, stirring them into action afterthe media became hysteric.

Initial efforts to catch the rogue proved futile.Often, the animal disappeared into the forest andeveryone heaved a sigh of relief. But the peace wasshort-lived. Like the proverbial ghost fromdarkness, it reappeared after a few days andresumed its rampage. When all efforts to capturethe killer tusker failed, the Uttarakhand forestdepartment turned to another state for help.Dipen Kalita, an expert elephant-catcher fromAssam and a veteran of numerous encounters withthe rogue elephants of the Northeast, joined theoperations along with a trained mahaut, Rawa.They reached Rishikesh in the first fortnight ofNovember. It was at this time that Digvijay Singh

Khati, Chief Wildlife Warden, Uttarakhand, calledup my office for help and I immediatelydispatched a team comprising Kishan Dev,Shivender and Abhinav to provide whateverlogistic support was required.

Three trained elephants were summonedfrom the nearby Corbett National Park. Apartfrom this, senior officers of Rajaji National Park, along with some two dozen forest guards,camped in the area for over a month, making itone of the biggest operations of its kind. It soontranspired, however, that the rogue was smarterthan the trained force as it afflicted serious injuries on Pawanpari and Gomti — two of the elephants brought from Corbett Park for the operation.

On November 22, the team was able to put atranquiliser dart on the elephant but by then,darkness had engulfed the area and it could not bepulled out of the dense thicket.

B

y the end of November, Khati andBijendra Singh were supervising theoperation on a day-to-day basis. Experts

and volunteers from the Wildlife Institute ofIndia, Raheja Productions, Wildlife Trust of Indiaas well as the man who had put the dart into theanimal’s body, Dr Parag Nigam, a senior scientistfrom the Wildlife Institute of India, camped in thearea for several weeks. Camera traps were put upat several places and patrol parties formed tosearch for the elusive tusker. At times, the teammanaged to get close to the elephant but wasoutsmarted by it at the last minute. The elephant


WILDLIFE


WILDLIFE

kept on playing hide-and-seek with an army of 50-plus forest guards, senior forest officials,doctors, mahouts and others. It was turning intoan exasperating operation. The authorities eveninvited a local hunter, Sanjay Singh, fromMoradabad, who scoured the forest with his teamfor about a week but in vain.

W

hile the elephant had nine victims toits name, many fortunate ones had alsomanaged to escape in the nick of time

to tell hair-raising stories of bravery and luck.Forest experts and volunteers from the WTI, WIIand Raheja Films held interactive sessions with theresidents to keep them out of the wild and onways to protect themselves from elephant attacks.

Success, though much delayed, arrivedsuddenly and swiftly on January 4, 2012. Thatmorning, the tusker came ambling to the herbalgarden as if to challenge the authorities andcharged at the forest staff. But this time, havingacquired a fair knowledge of its behaviour, theteam were well prepared. Dr Parag lost no time inputting the dart into the tusker, promptly sedatingit. Everyone in the team quickly assumed its role.Covering its face, the first thing the officials didwas to cut off the pointed ends of its tusks —necessary to reduce its aggression towards humans.

Capturing an elephant was one thing butputting it into a truck turned out to be anelephantine task. It took more than an hour for theauthorities to lift it up using JCBs and a hydra lift.An elephant in a truck is a very unusual sight, evenon Indian roads and as the vehicle passed through

the busy streets of Rishikesh, crowds gathered tohave a last look at the killer ghost who had hauntedthem for months. The elephant was namedNarendra and was taken across the Ganga, 30 kminside the Chilla range and set free with the hopethat it would will start life afresh in its new home.

The elephant vanished into the forest with notrace till February 2015 when Khati happened toclick its photo in the Motichur Chila range. Its cuttusks had started re-growing and widening inangle. It is now scared of human presence andcarefully keeps itself away.

F

or centuries, the forest stretch connectingthe Rajaji Park with Corbett Tiger Reservehad been a natural corridor for elephants,

allowing them free movement from the foothills ofthe Shivalik to Terai in the sub-Himalayan beltreaching up to Bihar, Nepal and the far east. Butmindless construction in and around the park —that of the Ganga canal, the Raiwala ammunitiondump, ashrams, farms, residences colonies andindustries around Rishikesh and Haridwar — hasfragmented the corridor at several places. Humanadvancement and growing encroachment of theirnatural habitat has only led to more man-animalconflicts while also adversely affecting the genepool of the animals. It is time, we give them theirright of way and the right to live.

(For already published stories and films onwildlife which have run on National Geographic

channel, Doordarshan National channel andDoordarshan (India), please log on to

www.rahejagroup.org)


ART

Eleven artists collaborate with

weavers from a Panipat-based furnishing

house to create a unique exhibition

by NAVNEET MENDIRATTA

Warped for

good


ART


T

he jingle of the bangles fades into theclickety-clocks from the loom andeventually factory noise, creating the audio imagery in one’s mind. As one sitsquietly listening to artist Abeer Gupta’s

carefully woven soundpiece using the ambient noisesfrom a factory producing home furnishings, one realisesthis is the kind of music the workers get to hear on adaily basis.

Gupta is only one of the 11 artists who have cometogether to lend their creative interpretations to what isotherwise a very dry technical production process. Theentire exercise is part of a collaborative project betweenthe artists and weavers, called Transcending Weaves, thathas been presented by one of the oldest exporters of home furnishings in Panipat, Raj Group, and curated byShailin Smith.

So here we are sitting in the factory compounds inthe historic and now industrial city of Panipat, trying todecode the journey of the artists over the past one year.Helping me understand their journey is Smith, who hasworked even longer with the group — six years, she tellsus — curating an exhibition last year. This collaborationis the first of its kind. The team is getting ready for amonth-long show at Stainless Gallery in New Delhi fromNovember 21 through December 30.

A

long with Gupta, other artists, namely BrahmMaira, Dhvani Behl, Durga Kainthola, NidhiKhurana, Nikheel Apahle, Puneet Kaushik,

Sahaya Sharma, Sandeep Biswas, Shivani Aggarwal andVibhu Galhotra are lending final touches to theirartworks that have been created using the variousweaving techniques employed by the factory. Thesetechniques include the pitloom, kilim, tufting andbraiding with the help of the master weavers.

Their works, inspired by the rich history of Panipatand the ethos of the region and craft that continues tothrive here, light up a clean hall in the factory premises.Carefully guarded by the workers, it doesn’t take youlong to figure the sense of ownership and pride they havenow begun to associate with the project.

“It’s a collaboration that began almost a year ago,when the group decided to do something special to mark

ART


its anniversary. This something had to beinclusive of everyone who was involved in theproduction process,” says Smith, an alumni ofthe National Museum. “The artists have usedall the different techniques used at the factoryand created works of art, includinginstallations, video and sound pieces, that bringout the essence of the process. Interestingly,none of them have repeated what the other hasdone. They have all used different permutationsand combinations,” she adds.

L

ooking around, one sees interestinginterpretations of the labour that goesinto the process. For instance,

installation artist Puneet Kaushik has createdthree art works, each using a differenttechnique, decoding human identity. So if thereis this installation that is woven on the kilimloom using metal wire mesh and woolrepresenting roots, another one literally getsunder the skin in search of identity. “This pieceof work has been created using a hand-tufting


gun and comprises wool, metal wire, mirrors andmetal mesh as material,” he shares,

“It is all steel woven,” he says, going back tohis work. “The roots symbolise our eternal quest toknow where we come from and where we standtoday,” he shares. Getting the weavers to work witha new medium was not easy. According to Kaushik,initially the weavers found it tough to comprehendwhy someone would want to weave metal. But asthey got the grip of the concept, theyenthusiastically participated in the process.

M

ap artist Nidhi Khurana always got lostas a child. So she ended up turning herhandicap into creative inspiration as she

grew up. Khurana has created a 26x16 foot map ofPanipat incorporating all the techniques of weavingthat are employed in the factory.

Be it the works of Durga Kainthola, who hascreated amazing tapestries inspired by the threebattles of Panipat, etching out portraits of theemperors who drove these historic events — Babur,Akbar and Sadhashiv Rao Bhau — using the hand-tufting gun and chromojet printing on pitloom orNikheel Aphale’s calligraphy that uses thetechnique of yarn wrapping for his sculpturalworks, there is a deep connect indicating thebonding a weaver shares with his tradition. Aphale’shand-tufted sculptures form the words “tana bana”in the Devnagari script and use dohas of Kabir.

Playing with the contemporary effects are photo installations by photographer Sandeep Biswas; the instrument by musician Vibhu Galhotra and photo manipulation by Brahm Maira.

Shares Sumeet Nath, managing partner, RajGroup, “As an industry that survives on the art ofweaving, it is imperative to find a way to createtangible memories from a tradition that may ceaseto exist in the future. And while we pride ourselvesat being in Panipat, the centre of where it allhappens, it is important for us to find the rightchannel to communicate our concern. What betterway than art.”

ART

treatsTwinkle

SHOPPING

Delight your friends and

family with something

thoughtful this gifting season

Recycled candles for the

festival of lights from Kavi

The Poetry-Art Project.

Price: On request

Available at:

www.kavipoetryart.in

Episode’s handcrafted silverware and silver-plated

range of office desk accessories and other objects d’art.

Price: on request Available at: Episode, N-10, Greater

Kailash 1 Market, New Delhi

Frazer and Haws’

Ganesha and

Lakshmi idols, pooja

accessories and

home décor items.

Price: on request

Available at: F&H

showroom, A 265,

Defence Colony,

New Delhi

F&H showroom,

Shop No. 11,

Main Market, Lodhi

Colony, New Delhi

Diwali lights range by Ishatvam.

Price: On request

Available at: www.ishatvam.com

Nupurh J’s pure silver tea lights in

multiple sizes and designs.

Price: On request

Available at: www.nupurhj.com

THREADBARE

A

few years ago, at the Indira Gandhi National Centre forArts in New Delhi, I met Prito Aunty aka Pritam Kauramd some other women who did Phulkari embroidery.These women had travelled from Tripri, the modern-dayhub of Phulkari-work in Punjab, to demonstrate the art

of their nimble fingers. All of them said that they had learnt Phulkariembroidery out of choice, to fulfil an aspiration butthat they worked out of “majboori” to earn and keepa roof over their heads. Each had stories to tell abouterrant husbands and hardships borne. Bakshi Ranaand Parvati Maasi had come to India from Pakistanat the time of Partition and had stories to tell aboutthat too, even though they were very young at that

time. The embroidery done by them during the demonstration was verysparse and mostly used the Holbein stitch employed in Chope ratherthan the fuller darning stitch of the rich Bagh embroideries of yore.

Phulkari and Bagh are colourful, embroidered shawls worn by thewomen of Punjab that were enormously popular from 1850-1950 AD.Their origin is lost in time but it is thought that the tradition came intoIndia with the migration of the Jat people from Central Asia, and couldhave drawn inspiration from the Gulkari embroidery of Iran.

On a recent visit to the Sangrur district in Punjab, I met 75-year-old Karnail Kaur, who recounted doing Phulkari as a young girl, along

SONG ON THE LIPS AND

Phulkari, literallymeaning flowerwork,

was once thecelebrated art of ruralPunjab. However, theedge of excellence inour traditional craftshas been lost in time

and to the manysocial shifts

encountered in thechange from a rural

economy to anindustrial, and now,a digitally-driven one

by

GOPIKA NATH

THREADBARE

with her cousins and sisters, while seatedin the village courtyard “Pind ke gate kepeechhe”, singing and sewing. Even today,the girls who were being trained to doPhulkari work by an NGO were singingwhen I walked into their workshop.

W

ith a song on their lips, thewomen of Punjab haveembroidered throughout

history. Imagine them singing “Meh bhulgayi, Meh ous di yad vich dub gayi” ((Ihave lost myself, I have flowed into hisbeing” as they embroidered the mysteriouslabyrinth or Bhul Bhulaiya Bagh — arichly coloured shawl [48 x 98 inches]from 19th century Punjab.

Immersed in creating a complexrectangular-like coiling form, the songvoices a sentiment that reflects a longingto merge with the Divine. A plaintivevoice, soulfully speaking of losing herselfand flowing into his or its being, is thealmost audible whisper of threads, tenderlylaid, so closely together. Embroidered withuntwisted silk in colours off-white, saffron,yellow and a pinkish-red, more magentathan crimson, it is a reflective piece.

The labyrinth is not just a simplecoiling form that starts from one point,around which lines and then more lines areencircled. This sharp-edged, almostrectangular-shaped coiling form actuallyhas three parts, all of which commence at acentral point in the shawl and each lineworking its way around it. The three-pronged coil makes one consider if this wasindeed the work of a solitary maiden or if

three women had worked upon it together.A dramatic change in colour, of the lines,from red to white or yellow to white, at thesharp angle where the lines turn, adds tothe complexity of the labyrinth. And, intrying to fathom which begins where, theviewing eye does in effect lose its focus,compelling a moment of almostinvoluntary reflection upon the self.

T

he Chope, with its double-sidedarchitectonic pattern, motif oftemple and bold, stylised peacocks,

is quite distinct from other Phulkari andBagh embroideries. Despite the absence ofthe resplendent hues of the peacock in themaroon and gold Chope, its pattern recallsthis folk song, “Saun da mahina, mor kareshor vay; jiya mera aisa nache, jaise nila morvay” (In the month of rain, the peacockcries incessantly; my heart dances, notunlike the blue peacock.) [The longing forunion with the beloved is implied]

Embroidered with golden yellowthread on a maroon khadi background,the resplendent peacock, associated withmarital love, longing and desire, calls outto its mate and to the dark, hoveringclouds to bring rain and fertilise the earth.It’s more than likely that this verse wassung by the women as they sat togetherworking with needle and thread, eachcreating their own tapestry of desires to befulfilled or expressing a longing thatmatched that of the yodelling peacock.

— The author is a Gurgaon-basedtextile artist, art critic, blogger, poet

and teacher

NEEDLE TO THREAD

(Top) Bakshi

Rana from

Tripri, doing

Chope

embroidery.

(Centre and

bottom)

Nisha doing

Bagh

embroidery

and Karnael

Kaur aka

Bebe, 75

years,

Balran,

Sangrur

district

Punjab


I

t’s one of the world’s most coveted dinners — prepared for 1,350guests by 40 chefs over four days and served by more than 200waiters in gilded porcelain cutlery amid fireworks and telecast liveto millions across the world. As Sous Chef of Stockholm CityHall, where the gala dinner takes place, Mark Phoenix is one of

the people leading this elaborate gastronomical exercise. He has beenassociated with the Nobel banquet since 2006, when he was headhuntedto lead its team of chefs.

ROOT CAUSE

S

weden is the land of a long coastline, great lakes, forests and longwinter, for which reason its cuisine is largely sea food, mushrooms,game meat, berries and root vegetables. Vegetables and spices are limited

and hard to find. There is not even a single Swedish dish which is vegetarian.I am a British who graduated in Swedish fusion cooking. But

over the years, I’ve started appreciating culinary roots more thanexperimenting. I believe in maintaining the authenticity ofcuisine. Reason why I’ve never been able to incorporateanything Indian in my menus despite being totally in lovewith the subtle flavours of Roghan Josh and Dal Makhni.

FOOD ORCHESTRA

P

lanning for the Nobel banquet in December begins inMarch when selected international chefs present threemenus each to the Nobel Foundation for tasting and

testing. The final menu is approved in May followingwhich the ingredients are sourced from across the

CELEBCHEF

NobelfareHe has Nobel laureates eating out of his hands. Almost.

At a master class as part of Sweden India Nobel Memorial Week 15

at the Embassy of Sweden in New Delhi recently,

CHEF MARK PHOENIX served up some interesting insights

into the world’s most sought-after dinner

by RITU PANDEY


country. Three days before the big day, work beginsin the kitchen according to a strict schedule. It takesnine hours for my team just to lay out the food onthe final day. Ingredients are used with such army-like precision that nothing more than two trays offood are left at the end. The Nobel committeespends 5 million Swedish Kronas (`39 million) onthis one-day gala.

PREMIUM GOES COMMON

P

remium is the keyword for Nobel menu.Everything has to be expensive andexclusive, so much so that during the world

wars, though the stress was on frugalilty, bananaswere sourced for dessert because they weren’treadily available then. Though the menu was veryFrench for a long time, since the 1970s, it has beenstrictly Nordic with a lot of wild game, shell fish,caviar, root vegetables and berries found in theScandinavian forests. There’s no dish from anyother country, not even those of the award winners.

For commoners who wish to get a taste of theNobel dinner, the City Hall in Stockholm takesorders for a Nobel dinner from any year since thefirst such banquet in 1901. Only one must makethe order a week in advance.

CELEBCHEF


T

hey’re bright and colourful. Monochromeand vibrant. Fibreglass jumbos, though aremuch smaller in size than their realcounterparts. Delhi’s Art Alive Gallery iscollecting these miniature artworks as part

of a fundraiser that it is organising together with UnionWomen and Child Development Minister ManekaGandhi and her People For Animals for India’s very firstElephant Conservation and Care Centre in Mathura.

Elephant is an animal with deific significance to threemajor Indian belief systems. It is worshipped as Ganeshaby the Hindus. The Jains symbolise their secondTirthankar Ajitnath with it. And the Buddhists believeBuddha to have descended in the form of a white tusker.

The pachyderm is in the puja room. It is sacred. Andyet it continues to suffer on our streets and in our temples.“There are only 22,000 elephants left in the country. Ofthese, at least 6,000 are in brutal and illegal captivity.Around 600 elephants die every year of starvation,drowning and ill treatment. Many are killed for insurance.They are taken to festivals several times a year, in Kerala,Tamil Nadu, Mysore, Jaipur, walking dozens of miles onhot tarred roads, without food or water and poked with asevere iron prod on the most sensitive parts of their head.

ART

People for Animals

brings together artists

and art lovers for the

cause of the tuskers

by RITU PANDEY


They are used for begging and many arehit by trucks and buses,” says SunainaAnand of Delhi’s Art Alive Gallery.

M

any temples keepelephantschained to

concrete, making themperform degrading andunnatural actions suchas kneeling and liftingtheir trunks 300 times aday to bless thedevotees. They have noaccess to wallowing inwater, a life essential. They are trained bystarvation, beaten and poked withspears and hooks that dig into theirhides and are often given thewrong food. They swing betweenno exercise or too much exercise,prolonged periods of sedentaryconfinement when they are not“on the job” and over-exertionunder unnatural andunhealthy conditionswhen they are.Elephants therefore, oftensuffer from severe health problems likearthritis, foot rot, joint pains, and veer betweenobesity to unnatural weight loss depending on thewhims of the temple authorities and theirmahouts, adds Anand. The Asian elephant isincluded in Schedule I of the Wildlife ProtectionAct 1972, which technically means that it has thehighest degree of legal protection. But no onerescues these poor mistreated animals simply forlack of any rehabilitation centres.

I

n 2009, Wildlife SOS, an Agra-based NGOrun by Kartick Satyanarayan, made abeginning by setting up the Elephant

Conservation and Care Centre in Mathura.“However, running a rescue centre for blind, lame,

crippled and discarded elephants,requires a lot of money, speciallyin the absence of anygovernment help,” saysSatyanarayan. The Art Alivefundraiser has been planned to

contibute to this cause.With more than 75artists from across thecountry, including the

likes of SH Raza, Ram Kumar,Jogen Chowdhury, Subodh Gupta,Anjolie Ela Menon, ThotaVaikuntam, Manu Parekh, YusufArakkal and celebrities such asAmitabh Bachchan, Salman

Khan, Akshay Kumar and ShahRukh Khan working onelephant artworks, theexhibition is expected to openthis month after Diwali.“Paresh Maity hascontributed a life-sizeelephant artwork to thecause,” reveals Anand. The

exhibits will later be putup for sale and theproceeds will go to

the ECCC.

ART


TRAVEL

POINT

FAIR

The full moon night of Kartik

Purnima has a special significance

in Hindu, Jain and Sikh philosophies.

It’s also the day when the spiritual

intersects the zoological with

some folksy outcomes

KOLAYAT (KAPIL MUNI MELA)

T

he largest fair of Bikaner in

Rajasthan combines a huge

cattle fair with a pilgrimage to

the town’s holy lake. It’s quite a

spectacle as buffaloes, camels, horses

and cattle are traded along side the

52 beautifully decorated ghats on the

lake where the pilgrims bathe,

perform religious rituals and then

float oil lamps.

WHEN: November 23-25, 2015.

WHERE: Kolayat, near Bikaner,

Rajasthan.

PUSHKAR

O

ne of the world’s largest camel fairs

sees an astonishing 50,000 camels

converge on the tiny desert town of

Pushkar for five days from the Ekadashi to

Poornima of the Hindu month of Kartik. The

camels are dressed up, shaved, entered into

beauty contests, paraded, raced and traded.

An entertaining sight indeed!

WHEN: November 19-25, 2015.

WHERE: Pushkar, Rajasthan.


TRAVELCHANDRABHAGA

C

attle market meets

mass bathing

ceremony. The

Chandrabhaga river is holy to

Hindus and it attracts many

pilgrims for the ritual bath on

the occasion of Kartik

Purnima. The fair is also quite

a big one, with buffaloes,

camels, cows, bullocks and

horses on sale.

WHEN: November 24-26,

2015.

WHERE: Jhalawar,

Rajasthan.

SONEPUR

I

f the fairs in the desert focus on the trade of camel, in water-fed

Bihar the livestock trade is largely about elephants. On the

confluence of the Ganga and Gandak in Sonepur, tuskers join the

devotees for a holy dip after which rituals are performed and livestock

traded. There is an array of shops selling all kinds of merchandise.

WHEN: For a month, starting November 24

WHERE: Sonepur, around 25 km from Patna, Bihar.

W

e often debate wine and prices and evenwonder how it can get so expensive butrarely do we pay attention to theaccessories around it. One such mostimportant tool is the glassware. In fact,

not only with wine but with any drink, the type and shape ofglass have a historical and tactile significance.

Small wine glasses (the ones with a small bowl) are idealfor simple wines. Modest wines that we buy for a price thatdoesn’t pinch and with the aim to drink in the next few daysare best consumed in such glasses. Sure, they aren’t as elegant,nor is the stem as long and slender, but they are hardy andcan be used everyday and if you occasionally break one, youdon’t have a sleepless night over it.

The long-stemmed, big bowl types, often hand-madeand mouth blown and in lead-free crystal, are the kind thatwe reserve for the big wines, wines that we’ve invested in andparked in our cellars and then patiently waited for a goodpart of a decade or maybe longer to get ready. And then oncethe time came, we waited encore some more for the rightoccasion and mix of people to do the final reveal and share.

But what if one day you served the cheap wine in thebig glass? Would the level of appreciation change? Would the

DRINKS

MAGANDEEP

SINGH

Sommelier

Glass

conscious

Crystalware

and its type

and shape

have historical

and tactile

significance. It

does affect our

perception of

the substance

it holds


wine taste better? Conversely, if we served ablockbuster wine in a small glass, would we detractfrom its richness of flavours?

The answer to all these questions is, yes. The glass can affect our perception of the liquidcontained, which just goes to show thatappreciation of any fine beverage is a relativeprocess, one that depends on many factors,including but not limited to the beverage beingtasted. Which is why, it is good to invest in good stemware.

F

or wines, a few brands lead the way. ScottZwiesel is the German master glassmanufacturer. It boasts an extensive range

across shapes, styles, (and prices!) Another bigbrand is Riedel, Austrian and equally reputed.Zalto, a rarer Austrian brand, is perhaps a bit morehigh-end and its stemware is among the thinnest Ihave ever set lips to. And then we have the

aesthetic and yet very durableChef & Sommelier series from Arc, a French

glass-making giant, one which can churn out moreglasses in an hour that any single man canphysically break.

But this is not the end of the spectrum, itextends in either direction with cheaper yetreliable options from brands like Ocean at thelower end and then the big daddies of crystalwarelike Baccarat at the stratospheric other.

A

ll in all, there is a glass for every occasionand pocket. Safe to invest in onemedium-sized style and to buy enough to

make sure that if everyone at your next gatheringdrank wine, then you wouldn’t have to relegateone or a few to a water glass or worse still, thewhisky tumbler.

Don’t invest too much for then you’ll bescared of breakage every time you have to servewine. And don’t invest in too cheap a range either,or else you will never know the true joys of a great glass.

And perhaps this “what glass is right” issomewhere part of the conundrum called wineenjoyment. So dive in and just enjoy the wadingabout without overthinking it all.

DRINKS

Diwali could be just the opportunity to

reflect upon the darkness within us and let

the radiance of wisdom guide through


L

ife has many facets. To express it in totality, it isimportant to throw light on each one of them. Justunderstand this: When we are discontented, restless andmiserable, our vision is veiled. We are facing away fromthe light of God, which is why we feel surrounded by

darkness. At such times, our shadow appears large and we’re scared ofeven looking at it. In fact, the feeling of fear at any point in life is theresult of the shadow that we see, and we keep fighting against thisshadow. What do we need to do to overcome this? Well, simply turntowards the light. The moment we do that, the darkness around usdisappears and the shadow that we are fighting against vanishes. Hereare a few ways to light up your life as well as of those around you.Light many qualities: There are good qualities in every humanbeing. Some have forbearance, some have love, strength, generosity;others have the ability to unite people. Awaken and light up all thesequalities. Don’t be satisfied with lighting just one; light a thousand.Awaken all the facets of your being.Let go: In life, you often become like a firecracker, waiting to explode with your pent-up emotions, frustration and anger. Whenyou keep suppressing your emotions, then the cravings and aversions are bound to reach a point where they explode. When you

GURUSPEAK

SRI SRI RAVI

SHANKAR

Spiritual guru


let go of these suppressed emotions, the light ofknowledge dawns.Be in the present: To be in the present you haveto drop the regrets of the past, the worries of thefuture and live in the moment. Even if one personaround you is shrouded in darkness, you cannotbe happy. You need to kindle wisdom in everymember of your family. Extend it to everymember of society, every person on the planet.Spirit of service: Whatever we have received fromthe Divine, we should share it with others, for it isin giving that we receive. Take a vow and light alamp. Of love, compassion and knowledge to serveothers to express gratitude for the abundance thathas been bestowed on you.Throw light on your own life: Life has taughtyou so many things — what you did wrong and

what you did right. If you don’t throw light onyour own life, then you cannot honour thewisdom that life has offered you. When we stop honouring wisdom that is when darknesstakes over. Utilise your blessings: How often do you closeyour eyes and gallop away on your desiresdishonouring all wisdom? I want this, this, thisand this — you go on. The giver gives you andyou start believing that it is your achievement. Usethe blessings that have come your way to gooduse. Not for yourself; but for the society, for theworld. You have good speech; use it for goodthings rather than blaming, complaining andtalking ill. If you have intellect, use it well. If youhave strength, do seva. Awaken the Guru in you: Throw the light of


wisdom on the Guru inside you. What isreal and what is unreal? What is right andwhat isn’t? Why we chose that which is notright, what tempted us to do that? You don’thave to ask somebody. Something inside youtells you that.Be righteous without assertingrighteousness: Suppose someone gives you agift and keeps reminding you about it.Would you want such a gift? Assertingrighteousness only brings annoyance. Trybeing right without asserting righteousness,generous without showing off yourgenerosity, wise without blowing your owntrumpet. This will bring a lightness of being.Rise above your thoughts: When do yourealise that a thought is good or bad? Nountil it has come to you. You cannot stop athought or know if it’s good or bad before itcomes. And when it comes, if you are a merewitness to the thought, it simply drifts awayand vanishes. But if you hold on to it andchew on it, then it stays with you. Thoughtscome and go but their base, the atma (soul),stays. You are like the sky and thoughts arelike clouds. Clouds come and go in the sky,but do they disturb its vastness? No, theydon’t. That is what happens in meditation.When you get into sakshi bhaav, startwitnessing thoughts without attachingyourself to them, you rise above them.Reflect on Life: Our mind creates its ownbubble and we keep going around in ourown bubble. We see the whole worldthrough our own glasses and assume thateverything is that way. This is calledViparyaya or coloured vision. The light ofthe wisdom is what makes you wake up andsee, “Oh that is how it actually is!” Howlong are you going to sleep? How long areyou going to keep complaining and wailing?WAKE UP. Life is short. And precious.Honour it. Go into the source of joy andlight that lies within.

GURUSPEAK


FOOD

SANGEETA

KHANNA

Food and

nutrition

consultant

D

ussehra ushers in a seasonchange and Diwali announces itwith a light and sound show. Thesun has softened its rays and thereis a slight nip in the air. The harsh

summer sun is slowly giving way to balmy morningsand pleasant evenings filled with fragrant Maulsaryblooms. As I await winter, my lime tree is ladenwith plump green lemons ready to turn yellow.

No one asks me what I do with all thesefragrant tart limes, for many of my friends havehad lime-infused teas and desserts at my place.Yes, I find some aromatic seasonal ingredientsreally helpful in making the desserts moreappealing even without too much cream,butter and sugar. Fragrant lime with purevanilla do a delicate tango in many a subtlysweet desserts. The trick is in making the dishmore fragrant than sweet, more elegant thangreasy and you have a winner at any party. Oreven a winter brunch since it is that time of theyear when people have started looking for excusesto meet and greet during the day.

W

hich brings in the potential danger of over-eating even when you just taste the variety offood served at these gatherings. My observation is

FRAGRANT LIGHT DESSERTS WITH AN EYE CANDY

APPEAL ARE A GOOD REPLACEMENT FOR

GREASY TREATS IN WINTER


that most people eat healthy in the main coursebut give in to temptation when it comes todesserts, and that tips the scale completely if one istrying to manage weight. Eating healthy whilesocialising is the most difficult task but we canplan better and make something light, healthy andyet delicious for the guests. Something that’s lighton the eyes as well as on the tummy.

Fragrant light desserts with an eye candy appeal like my lime and vanilla phirni can

be a good replacement to browniemuffins, cheesecakes and gulab

jamuns. It is a great example ofhow taste and elegance in a dessert

can speak louder than the calorie and sugar high.Phirni is a thick custard like pudding that is

made in different parts of India in many differentways. It is essentially a rice and milk-basedpudding whose technique of cooking is almost likemaking a good custard. Use fragrant short grainrice or good quality Basmati to make phirni andthen infuse it with some lime and vanilla for afragrant high. Use elegant shot glasses for the easeof chilling and serving small practical portions.You’ll be surprised how easy it is to win over guestsat your Diwali party, or the post-Diwali brunch.

— The author is a gardener, birder and photographer

FOOD

RECIPE OF LIME AND VANILLA PHIRNI

[MAKES 12 SHOT GLASS SERVINGS]

INGREDIENTS

o 50 gm rice flour or rice soaked in 50 ml milk and then made

into a fine paste o 400 ml cold reduced milk made by reducing

800 ml whole milk till it gets half its original volume o 100 ml

single cream (25 per cent fat) o 5 drops of pure vanilla extract o

60 gm sugar o 2 limes + 10 gm sugar o 15 ml fresh lime juice o

Pinch of lemon zest

PROCEDURE

o Slice the lemons thinly, keep the slices in a bowl and pour

100 ml boiling hot water over them, keep aside for 10

minutes.

o Discard the water and seeds of the lime slices,

spread the slices on a flat base pan, add lime juice,

sprinkle sugar over it and simmer covered for a minute

to make candied lime slices. Be careful not to burn

them as there is very little liquid in it. Sprinkle water

if required.

o Mix the milk, cream and rice flour or paste in a pan

and whisk to make a thin slurry.

o Now place this pan over stove on medium heat and

keep whisking while it heats up and starts bubbling

lightly. The slurry will start coating the sides of the pan by

now; if you dip a spoon in the phirni the spoon will also get

coated like the custard.

o Add the lime zest, vanilla extract and sugar and whisk

again, cooking it for a couple of minutes more.

o Pour the hot phirni in shot glasses or serving bowls immediately

as it starts jelling quickly.

o Top each shot glass of phirni with a slice of candied lime, chill and

serve when required.


SPACES

The shift in the

season this year

has been marked

by an explosion

of pop-up food

extravaganzas in

Delhi. All

predictably

similar-looking

but trying very

hard to stay

distinct

by

RITU PANDEY

SAAG FOOD FOR THOUGHT FEST

(SAARC ON THE PLATTER)

[OCTOBER]

I

ndians may have acquired a taste for Southeast Asian food but

there’s very little we know about flavours from our immediate

neighbourhood. The South Asian Association for Gastronomy

(SAAG) sought to end the lacuna with its first Food for Thought Fest

that brought to the fore the culinary diversity of the SAARC nations —

India, Nepal, Pakistan,

Bangladesh, Bhutan and

Afghanistan. Says founder

Maneesh Baheti, “This was

an event to bring food

scholars, chefs, policy

influencers and food lovers

of the region together for a

holistic perspective on our

food. The Thought Fest had

talks, interviews and

discussions on gastronomy

and its evolution; the Food Court had stalls from the participating

nations and cooking demos; the Gastronomy Bazaar showcased organic

products and books along with a cultural showcase of music and art.”

FESTDRIVE


SPACES

10 HEADS FESTIVAL (CARNIVAL TIME)

[OCTOBER]

T

he 10 Heads Festival at Dhanchiri

Camping Resort in Gurgaon as the name

suggests, was planned as a Dussehra

crowd-puller away from the city with 10 key

attractions including music,

food, magic, fashion, art and

technology. Says director

Anshuman Gulati, “The food

festival scene is at a nascent

stage in India. And things are

heavily skewed towards music.

Since my team specialises in

music events, we decided to

mix food with music and a few

more elements to create a

platform where the entire

family could have a good time

together away from home. For

a Rs 300 ticket, two elders and

two kids could participate in

all our activities including

exclusive pop-ups by Ibiza’s

Bar Barlovento, Berlin’s FluxBau and London’s

Mavericks Pizzeria, 23 Grosvenor Gardens and

Atlantic Bar and Restaurant as well as a

performance by ‘Laserman’ from Italy.” The

festival will travel across India through the year.

THE GRUB FEST 2.0 (CARNIVAL TIME)

[OCTOBER]

B

uoyed by the success of the first Grub Fest

at the capital’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

in April, its organisers took the event to

Gurgaon on a grander scale (the number of

participating restaurants in the second instalment

has doubled from 30). Says founder Chaitanya

Mathur, “Grub Fest is like a

carnival. And for us, Delhi and

Gurgaon are two separate markets.

We knew we could repeat our Delhi

success in the neighbourhood, more

so after the Navratras, when people

were done with the fasting and in a

festive mood. They wanted to enjoy

with the family. For a `200 ticket,

they could spend all day at the

lawns, trying out all kinds of food at

discounted prices and activities like

live cooking, wine tasting and

performances by Raghu Dixit, Nikhil

Chinapa and Vir Das.” Next the

festival travels to Pune, Chandigarh,

Bangalore and Mumbai. “As an

event planner, I like creating

experiences and Grub Fest was one,

which we plan to take to Dubai and

London,” he adds.

W

ith the best Asian

restaurants of Delhi as

participants, this one

brought high street flavours from

across Asia under one roof at

Select City Walk in Saket. Says

Sid Mathur, food consultant and

director of the event, “Asian food,

particularly Souteast Asian food,

has great acceptance in India.

But over the past few years, the

clientele has evolved. It is more

adventurous and open to

exploring and trying new things.

But going to a speciality

restaurant would mean getting

to try only one type of cuisine.

An event like this, on the other

hand, is an opportunity for it to

try out small portions of different

types of gourmet street food

across restaurants that they

might not otherwise have had a

chance to visit.”

Adds fellow organiser and

Chef Tanveer Kwatra, “This is

also an opportunity for the

participating restaurants to

showcase their signature dishes

to a new audience and

experiment with new menus.”

Expectedly, many participants

has new menus and special

dishes for the festival, which

also boasted 12 different genres

of music, games, live graffiti

artists and one surprise act on

each day of the event. From

Delhi, the festival travels to

Mumbai and Kolkata.

ASIAN HAWKERS MARKET

(HIGH STREET FLAVOURS)

[OCTOBER]


SPACES

I

t may well be called the pioneer of the food

festivals in the national capital. The three-day

Palate Fest that celebrates Delhi’s culinary

attempts at world cuisine is held in March at the

Nehru Park in Chanakyapuri. The only festival

organised in collaboration with the New Delhi

Municipal Council, this gives visitors an

opportunity to explore a variety of food

experiences, including international cuisine

through the participating embassies as well as

hotels and restaurants. There are food markets,

cookery workshops and demonstrations by top

Indian chefs, food-tastings, live music

performances, a market square showcasing

gourmet products and entertainment programmes

for children.

Says organiser Ruchi Bansal, “Being a

government collaboration, our festival is not a

private property. Rather it aims to promote the city

and its hospitality industry and is, therefore, not a

ticketed event and has offerings at discounted

prices. Following the success of our Delhi event,

we’re now taking the Palate Fest to Goa (just

before the IFFI) and Chandigarh. But the fact that

within a year, our brainchild has so many

imitations is pure flattery to us.”

I

f the fests this far were

all about Delhi’s belly,

going ahead there’s a

promise to celebrate the

city’s “underbelly.” The

first edition of Teamwork

Arts’ Delhi Live that is

planned at the Nehru Park

from December 18 to 20,

brings together street

artists, alternative music

and lifestyle trends

alongside independent

retailers and restaurateurs

to showcase its amazing

subcultures. The festival

will have food alongside

artists, curators and

galleries creating

installations, music, graffiti

and public art; alternative

designers and their unique

products; adventurers,

fitness enthusiasts and

young visionaries who

spend hours to make Delhi

a better and safer city.

The festival is being

organised together by Food

Talk India, Kitsch Mandi,

artists’ collective Portret

Project, Adventure 18 and

other organisations from

across Delhi.

Says Anjali Batra of

the digital food community

Food Talk India, also an

organisers, “Delhi Live will

celebrate the vibrant and

diverse specialities of our

city from its cuisine to

musical talent, artists,

technology-driven start-ups

as well as alternative mode

of fitness and other

innovation.”

PALATE FEST (CITY AND THE WORLD)

[MARCH]

DELHI LIVE (DELHI UNDERBELLY)

[DECEMBER 18 – 20]


ATLEISURE

CULTURE CONNECT

[CALENDER OF EVENTS]

TAJ BALLOON

FESTIVAL 2015

F

ancy a peaceful

bird’s-eye view of the

Taj Mahal, away from

the crowds? Don’t miss the

first Taj Balloon Festival,

hosted by Sky Waltz (the

premier hot air ballooning

company in India) in

conjunction with Uttar

Pradesh Tourism from

November 14 to 16 at Agra.

Hot air balloonists from 15

countries around the world

will grace the skies. In the

evening, enjoy live music

performances under the

warm glow of the hot air

balloons. Luxury package

tours, including balloon

flights, are available. For

details log on to

www.skywaltz.com

WANDERLUST

[FESTIVALS &

HAPPENINGS]

o International Yoga and

Music Festival Fifty of the

world’s best professional

yoga teachers, Ayurvedic

doctors, nad yogis, yoga

lecturers, musicians, and

philosophers are a part of

this annual event organised

by the Nada Yoga School.

The festival features

classes, workshops, lectures

as well as a daily classical

music concert. When:

November 1-7 Where:

Rishikesh, Uttarakhand

o Bandra Wine Festival

Sample the best wines in

India with some gourmet

delicacies, enjoy live music

and dance and take part in

activities like grape

stomping. When: November

7-8 Where: D'Monte Park,

Bandra (West), Mumbai

N

ew perspectives on mythology is a tightrope walk. One, it’shard to break set notions. Two, if you do manage to, where doyou draw the line how far to go. In book II of his acclaimed

Ajaya series, Anand Neelakantan breaks away from the establishedMahabharat narrative to see it from the Kauravas’ perspective...withoutgiving it a stretch. Duryodhan (here Suyodhan or the great warrior) thusbecomes the hero of the Rise of Kali, a man with a modern appeal andnaked ambition, who questions old norms of caste and dharma andlooks for reason in things. And his supporters — Shakuni and Karna —get a more humane hearing, so as to be seen as people with flaws ratherthan out and out bad men. Such attempts have been a norm in Hindi.In English, it’s a first. Worth a read. — Ritu Pandey

WORLD OF ART [WHAT TO EXPERIENCE]

T

he fourth edition of the Dharamshala International FilmFestival opens in McLeodganj from 5 to 8 November with acutting-edge line-up of independent cinema. There’s Joshua

Oppenheimer’s 2012 documentary The Act of Killing and his latestfilm, The Look of Silence; Japanese documentary maker Kaoru Ikeya’s

Lung Ta as well asdebutantes Maw Naing’sThe Monk and HoangDiep Nguyen’s Flapping inthe Middle of Nowhere.Initiated by theDharamshala-based Indian-Tibetan filmmakingcouple, Ritu Sarin and

Tenzing Sonam, the festival aims to bring high quality independentcinema to the hills to encourage local talent and create a platform forengaging communities in the area. Apart from the screenings, thefestival will see mastersclasses, workshops and mentorship programmesby visiting filmmakers and film professionals, an exclusive cocktailparty and a musical night. For details log on to http://www.diff.co.in.

BOOKWORM

[WHAT A TRAVELLER IS READING]

RISE OF KALI: ANAND

NEELKANTAN


P

erhaps it is good that actor-director Rakesh Bedi’splay, Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha, came home toDelhi in the autumnal glow of November. For long

after Tumhari Amrita (which was an adaptation anyway),once delicately woven by Farooq Sheikh and ShabanaAzmi, we have a heart-warming original play pivoted onhuman relationships and spun with simple but potentwords that span today’s digital distance.

Helmed by Anupam Kher as producer and its maleprotagonist and bonded by a powerhouse performancefrom Neena Gupta (she is returning to stage after nineyears) it had nostalgia and longing written all over it. Setin Delhi, brought to life by artistes who began theirjourney in this city and on stage at Kamani Auditorium, itwas meant to be. So despite the reviews in Mumbai andthe US, where the play was staged before, it truly becameslice of life and lent itself to the immediacy of emotionand passion here.

The story revolves around the meeting in LodiGarden of former lovers Preetam Singh Chopra (Kher)and Hema Roy (Gupta) to reassess each other and give aclosure to their unrequited love of 35 years. Hema, wecome to know, is to move to the UK permanently andseeks a meeting, not for a reunion but to give a “cleanchit” to a man who circumstance proved had let her downbut for whom her faith was unwavering, believing he musthave had a reason for doing so. The play works onlybecause of these self-probes into the recessesof the mind of two people who arerefreshing with their open admission offrailties and their abiding soul-seatedunderstanding of each other.

The leads then embark on an emotional recountingof their lives on the shared space of a park bench and thenslip into the easy familiarity of a well-worn couple whocan scan, scratch and comfort each other, down to theirdeepest, ugliest crevices, and rescue each other back.Something that eluded them in their compromised maritallives. In their intervening years, Preetam was trapped by amanipulative spouse while Hema writhed in an abusivemarriage. Parental opposition and a clever concealing ofletters and phone lines by two culturally different familiesmake you thank that you are better off in digital times.But it also points to a generation which was beholden tothe tradition of being responsible to the roadmap of elders,yet who communicated with each other with all theirangst, ardour, sincerity and desperation. Theirs is an odeto the tested epistolary tradition of romance, a literary tool

which unfortunately limited Preetam and Hema’s practicalpursuits, except fuelling their longing for each other. Thetitle has much to do with Preetam’s caginess andinhibitions, of keeping things to himself and, therefore,leaving himself open to misinterpretation. The twist comes in the end when the straightforward and fieryHema, the other polarity, becomes unsure and cagey abouther own future and mouths the same line.....much toPreetam’s alacrity.

Needless to say Kher and Gupta, both of whomhave a cinematic body of excellence, give this play their allas stage performers. Their intensity and tautness neverflags as they traverse the graph of emotions, from thecalmness of afterthought to the explosion of rage, from thesepia-toned lookback to the immediacy of the present,from the immensity of their past lives to the everydaynessof current moments. Both Kher and Gupta swim throughthese tides with seamless ease and perfect timing. And ofcourse special mention must be made of Gupta, who evenrole-plays the character of Nigar, Preetam’sunaccomplished wife, in a flashback sequence andimmediately swings back to the present in see-saw scenesof the second act. It made the contrast between the twowomen stark and perhaps led you to sympathise with thenot-so-gutsy Preetam. This brilliant role reversal is one ofthe highlights of the spectrum of womanhood.

Kher and Gupta will obviously be talked about asmuch as people did of Farooq Sheikh andShabana Azmi. Kher himself said at the endof the play that he hoped this could runanother 25 years. But the true star has to be

writer-director Rakesh Bedi who engages the audiencewith the right balance of poignancy and humour, his owncomical interludes between dramatic moments and hismasterful and easy-to-ear dialogues. For this play is aboutthe power of words which indeed takes our hearts away. Itis the clever interplay of dialogues that not only makes thecharacters endearing but makes the play relatable despitethe seriousness and depth of content. A few jewels standout like, “Memories are sweet but they are painful whenyou recall them” or the one about “following yourdestination or destination itself will be lost wondering whoits characters are meant to be.”

In the end, kudos to the director for analysing thedelicacy of first love, its assumption and reality, changingrelationships that have an intimacy beyond physicality andnot giving up the chase. Ever. Love is what it takes towarm up a Delhi winter.

SIGNOFF

by

RINKU GHOSH

WARMTH

OF LOVE

RNI NO. DELENG/2006/18084POSTAL REGN. NO. DL (C)-01/1151/13-15Posted at NDPSO on 10th, 11th & 12th of same month Published on 30th of Advance Month

Documents

Exotica November 2015