culturama february 2015

your cultural gateway to india February 2015 Volume 5, Issue 12 Rs 40

culturamaculturama

2 February 2015 culturama

3February 2015culturama

Get your copy of Culturama as a hard copy oras an e-magazine -

visit www.culturama.in to subscribeFor other enquiries, e-mail us at

[email protected] or call us on +91-44-2461 7902

culturama – Subscribe Now!

Dear Readers, It is getting excitingly close to Global Adjustments’s

20th ‘birthday’ – a milestone that will be upon us next

month. As we bring you this 228th issue of Culturama, I

am reminded of an early inspiration: ‘Do what you love

to do and do it so well that the world can’t take its eyes

off you’. The team that brings this magazine to you was

delighted when one reader picked up Culturama and felt

compelled enough to compliment us during his one-

day visit to India. He said, “Picked up your magazine

at Raintree Hotel. Nicely put together. The article on

Ramachandra Guha’s book caught my attention; the other

articles such as ‘Indian Harvest Festivals’ shows quality

curation.” His signature led us to scurry off to discover

on the Internet that he was the founder of a top class

advertising agency in New York, who represents brands

such as Bulgari and Tag. We felt truly validated.

What we love to do is promote Indian cultural

understanding and also support women’s causes. This

comes together in our annual charity concert, Aikya,

which will take place this year on March 7, in Chennai

(http://www.globaladjustments.com/aikya/). When we

began the series six years ago, people asked us why we were

trying to reinvent yet another show in Chennai, the capital

of classical music and dance in the country. Our idea was

to bring stalwarts together in a themed concert.

Aikya has a goal – weaving genres into a 90-minute

programme, linking generations and leaving a lasting

thought for anyone who appreciates music A tear in

the eye and an upliftment of the mind at each year’s

performance has led to halls becoming packed to capacity.

Now in its sixth year, Aikya is poised for a historic union

of unusually talented artistes coming together on stage

for a first time world premiere. Ganesh and Kumaresh,

the world famous violin maestros, are known to thrill

audiences with the speed of their flying fingers, and their

music will be enriched by the lilting vocals of renowned

vocalists Sudha Ragunathan and Bombay Jayashri. Come,

watch us infuse values into violins and voices in this year’s

concert. (For more on this, turn to ‘In Focus’ – Page 14.)

The photos for the special cover of this Culturama

was shot by nationally acclaimed photographer and our

advisory board member Venket Ram, and we are most

grateful to him. The AIKYA logo, which captures our

appreciation for music and our ‘oneness’ was created by

Padma Shri Thotta Tharani, the wonderful artist, in 2010.

We rededicate ourselves to doing, super well, what we

love to do. So please don’t take your eyes off us.

Thank you.

Ranjini Manian

Editor-in-Chief

[email protected]

Credits

Editor-in-Chief ranjini Manian

Associate Editor yamini Vasudevan

Business Head Sheeba radhamohan

Sub-Editor Shefali ganesh

Senior Designer Prem Kumar

Finance Controller V ramkumar

Circulation S raghu

advertising Bengaluru Meera RoyChennai Amritha Suresh Delhi/NCR Neha Verma Mumbai/Pune Tasneem Sastry

to subscribe to this magazine, write to [email protected] or access it online at www.culturama.in

chennai (Headquarters) 5, 3rd Main Road, R A Puram, Chennai – 600028 Telefax +91-44-24617902 Email [email protected]

Bengaluru 17/16, Ali Asker Road, Off. Cunningham Road, Bengaluru – 560 052 Mobile +91 99869 60316 Email [email protected]

delhi-ncr 1414, DLF Galleria Tower, DLF Phase IV, Gurgaon, Haryana – 122009 Mobile +91-124-4389488 Email [email protected]

Mumbai #1102, 11th floor, Peninsula Business Park, Tower B, SB Road, Lower Parel, Mumbai – 400013 Tel +91-22-66879366 Email [email protected]

Published and owned by Ranjini Manian at #5, 3rd Main Road, Raja Annamalai Puram, Chennai – 600028, and printed by K Srinivasan of Srikals Graphics Pvt Ltd at #5, Balaji Nagar, 1st Street, Ekkattuthangal, Chennai – 600032Editor-in-Chief Ranjini Manian

disclaimer Views and opinions expressed by writers do not necessarily reflect the publisher’s or the magazine’s.

Violinist-duo Ganesh and Kumaresh will be joined by vocalists Sudha Ragunathan and Bombay Jayashri for AIKYA 2015 (details on Pg 14). Cover picture by

G. Venket Ram,

a member of

Culturama's Advisory

Board.


Letters to the editor Dear Editor,

“I happened to read the January 2015 issue of Culturama recently – I was reading the magazine for the first time. The magazine is very nicely put together. The articles are well done, and the column ‘Indian Harvest Festivals’ shows some level of quality curation.”dilip Keshu, uSa

Dear Editor,

“I find the magazine very interesting. The layout is eye-catching, and the photographs are very nice. Even though I am an Indian (albeit one living in the United States), Culturama opened my eyes to a lot of things I did not know.”Sandhya, uSa

Dear Editor,

“The Jaypore advertisement (in the January 2015 issue) is most attractive and their website didn’t disappoint either. Bravo on the recommendations you make through Culturama.”Phil Brown, uK

Dear Editor,

“It is nice to see the (former) President of India’s comment that Culturama was doing service to the nation. What he said all those years ago is true even now. Culturama is even better and most unique.” Martha Staton, uK

Dear Editor,

“I am a longtime reader of Culturama. It occurred to me recently that over the years the magazine has acquired a strong and robust character. Your team excels in ferreting out minute details about India, researching it well, and turning it into a story that is interesting to both Indian and overseas readers. It's a tough balancing act and Culturama does it very well. The features are almost always appended with practical and useful information. That and the beautiful photographs on rich paper make your magazine almost a collectible.”Suguna Swamy, india

07 N. Ram is an award-winning journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu. He is Director of Kasturi & Sons Limited, publishers of The Hindu.08 Suzanne McNeill lived in India for seven years, first in Chennai and then in Delhi. She has now returned to Scotland, where she works as a freelance writer and graphic designer.

09 Babette Verbeek is a correspondent for BNR Nieuwsradio who previously worked in Amsterdam and Milan. Now she joyfully explores the beauty of South Indian culture.10 Marina Marangos is a lawyer by profession but enjoys travel and writing. She lived in India for four years before moving to Australia. She blogs at www.mezzemoments.blogspot.com

11 G. Venket Ram is an acclaimed photographer and the creative mind behind many a Culturama issue. To know more about his work, log on to www.gvenketram.com12 Kathelijne van Eldik, from Holland, has been in Mumbai since 2004. Her employment with an airline is not a surprise, considering she has been raised in different countries and has it in her DNA to travel.

13 Marcel Van Mourik is a Dutch photographer living in New Delhi for the past three years. Together with his cameras, he is passionate about discovering Indian culture.

Culturama’s contributors

Advisory Board members

07

08

09 11 13

10

01 Susan Philip is a freelance writer based in Chennai, and the editorial coordinator of Culturama’s various coffee table books.02 Prerna Uppal is a London-based freelance writer who also lends her prose to help raise funds for charity. A new mother, she is also taking a crash-course in learning to love and live each day as it comes.

03 Harini Sankaranarayanan is an ardent foodie and a professional chocolatier. She has a degree in Hotel Management, English Literature and Theatre.04 Preeti Verma Lal is a New Delhi-based freelance writer/photographer. If God had asked her what she wanted to be, she’d tell Him to turn her into a farmer who also writes lyrically; her fingers stained with wet clay and deep blue ink. www.deepblueink.com

05 Eknath Easwaran (1910–1999) was a spiritual teacher, an author, and a translator and interpreter of Indian literature. In 1961,. he founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation and Nilgiri Press in northern California. Easwaran developed a method of meditation – silent repetition of memorised inspirational passages – which came to be known as ‘Passage Meditation’.

06 Devdutt Pattanaik is the Chief Belief Officer of the Future Group, and a writer and illustrator of several books on Indian mythology. Visit www.devdutt.com

01

04

03

05

06

02

12


Contents

32 FeatureCricket may be the national favourite, but there are several indoor and outdoor sports that originated in India to choose from as well.

INDIA’S CULTURE

12 Short Message ServiceShort, engaging snippets of Indian culture.

32 In your KitchenTry your hand at ‘mande’ – a Madhwa Brahmin favourite.

62 Festival of the MonthJoin in the festivities for Maha Shivaratri.

66 Myth & MythologyStories from India’s mythology, reinterpreted for practical living.

JOURNEYS INTO INDIA

50 Seeing IndiaTake a ride across Pune in a hot air balloon or head to Vagamon – a hidden jewel in Kerala.

58 Picture StoryTake a picturesque walk – literally – through some lesser known parts of India.

68 Holistic LivingEven in our day-to-day lives, there are plenty of opportunities to return the favours that are bestowed on us.

REGULARS 16 In FocusViolinist-duo Ganesh and Kumaresh, along with vocalists Sudha Raghunathan and Bombay Jaysahri, talk about their experiences in the music circuit, and their expectations for AIKYA 2015.

24 India NowA recap of events, people and places that made news in the past month.

26 India WritesA space for discussing the best from India’s world of literature.

28 Curtain RaiserRanjini Manian and Joanne Grady Huskey, founders of Global Adjustments, are all set to release a new book on cross-cultural links between India and the United States.

30 Ten for the RoadTrivia about an Indian state – featuring Karnataka this month.

42 Look Who’s In TownExpats in India share their stories on a practical theme for everyday survival in this country.

44 Calendar of EventsSee what’s going on in the main metros and suburbs.

60 The Lighter SideWhoever told you that India is hot and hotter did not tell you about the deadly fog that envelopes it every now and then.

64 Give to IndiaFeaturing worthy NGOs and charitable organisations across the country.

70 At Global AdjustmentsPoornashakti – a programme for silver citizens takes off with gusto.

RELOCATIONS AND PROPERTY

72 Space and the CityProperty listings across the metros.


by Suzanne McNeill

SHORT CULTURAL SNIPPETS FOR AN EASILY DIGESTIBLE INDIASMS


Food and Drink Puran poliPuran poli is shallow-fried bread with sweet filling. It is a

classic Marathi dish made for dessert and for festive occasions

such as Holi, but it is also popular across southern India. The

filling is made from chana dal, soaked overnight then boiled

for 20 minutes and ground to a paste, which is mixed with

jaggery, ground cardamom and nutmeg. The paste is shared

between rolled out portions of soft, springy dough made from

whole wheat flour and oil, which are then folded and fried in

ghee until golden brown.

Watch popular cook VahChef make Puran poli:

http://tinyurl.com/GA-PuranPoli.

Words Sikh vs SeekhA Sikh, pronounced ‘sic’, is a follower of Sikhism – the faith

that originated in the Punjab region during the 16th century

and was revealed through the teachings of Guru Nanak

and the nine gurus who followed him. ‘Sikh’ comes from a

Sanskrit word that means ‘disciple’ or ‘student’.

‘Seekh’, which is pronounced ‘sheek’ or ‘seek’, is the Urdu

word for a metal skewer that is used to hold pieces of food

together, usually meat, while grilling or roasting them. The

most famous dish cooked on a seekh is the kebab, which is

prepared with ground meat mixed with spices and served with

naan bread and yoghurt. Both words are useful for visitors

travelling around India!

Art, Textile and Craft Usta Kaam–Gesso Painting from BikanerUsta Kaam is decorative gold lacquer work that ornaments the walls, pillars

and ceilings of the palaces of the Mughal emperors, most famously at the

Junagadh Fort in the Rajasthan city of Bikaner. The Usta were a community

of craftsman from Multan, now in Pakistan, who specialised in painting on

gesso, the dense, chalk-white base that was coated onto wood as a ground

for artwork and decoration. The intricate designs were traced onto the

gesso and then a raised effect was created through repeated applications of

clay to produce an embossed appearance. This was painted gold, whilst the

background was painted in radiant, contrasting colours. The technique is

also applied to leather goods.


He Lives On P.C. SorcarThe ‘Maharaja of Magic’ was born in Bengal in 1913, the

seventh generation of a family of magicians. He graduated as

a mathematician, but magic was the passion of his life and he

devoted his career single-mindedly to it. P.C. Sorcar created a

colourful magic show of opulent sets, mysteries and illusions

called ‘Indrajal’ that he performed around the world during

the 1950s and 1960s, which both mystified and delighted

audiences, reinventing illusions from previous ages such as

rope tricks and flying carpets and performing with precision

and showmanship new illusions of vanishing motor cars and

flying rockets. P.C. Sorcar founded the All India Magic Circle

and authored many books on magic. He died in 1971. In

2010, India Post issued a five-rupee stamp in his honour.

Interpretations TrisulaThe trisula, or trident, is the weapon associated with Lord

Shiva, and is always present in Shiva iconography. The

trident represents the three powers of knowledge, desire and

implementation, and it is the weapon with which Lord Shiva

destroys evil and restores order, symbolising his control of

the world. Limes and turmeric-soaked fabric are offerings to

the Divine.

Urban Adventure Mutton Street – MumbaiVintage clocks, antique gramophones, Bollywood

memorabilia, coins, furniture and metal artefacts – these

are some of the treasures to be found in the Chor Bazaar

on Mumbai’s Mutton Street. It was known to previous

generations of Mumbaikars as the place to go for old-style

spare parts for radios, motorbikes and cars, and the street

market, which takes over the bazaar on Fridays, was once

rumoured to live up to its name as the ‘thief market’. It is

a vibrant experience, with streets crowded with shoppers

examining goods and bargaining loudly with vendors. Dress

conservatively, do not pay more than half the initial asking

price, and sample the street-side lamb biryani!

PHoto: Bart Bradley, USA

PHoto: J.D. Lenoir, France


In Focusby yamini Vasudevan

AIKYA 2015 WILL PRESENT A FIRST TIME EVER CONCERT OF VIOLINISTS GANESH AND KUMERESH. INDIAN AUDIENCES WILL BE ENTHRALLED BY THE DUO, WHO ARE HARD TO CATCH AS THEY ROAM AROUND AMONG WORLD AUDIENCES. OUR FAVORITE OTHER DUO, BOMBAY JAYASHRI AND SUDHA RAGUNATHAN, HAVE MAGICAL MOMENTS IN STORE FOR THE AUDIENCE

connectingchords


“Do you know that our soul is composed of harmony?”

So said Leonardo da Vinci. And Ganesh and Kumaresh, the

famed violinist-duo, would agree with him. Regarded as

eminent violinists in India and overseas, they are best known

for the prowess in Carnatic (South Indian classical) music, but

their strings have also been tuned to notable collaborations

with artistes from the Hindustani music genre (such as

Zakir Hussain) and with western musicians (including

John McLaughlin).

Their music will resound through the Music Academy

on March 7 for AIKYA – the annual CSR concert organised

chordsby Global Adjustments. This year’s concert will be based on

the theme of ‘Violins, Values and Voices’ and will touch on

the need for a conscious appreciation of the greater good in

all that we do. Fashioned as a musical monologue, based on

three prominent characters from the Mahabharat – Karna,

Drona and Bhishma, the 90-minute concert will serve as a

delight for the senses and tonic for the soul.

In what is a first-time collaboration, they will be

joined by eminent vocalists Bombay Jayashri and Sudha

Raghunathan, who will share the stage as special guests. “It

is an amazing opportunity, and we have a special treat in

Kumaresh Rajagopalan (left) and Ganesh Rajagopalan. PHoto: G. Venket Ram

Watch Ganesh and Kumaresh

peform at the Ethno Port

Poznan Festival, 2014:

http://tinyurl.com/pejg4rt



store for the audience,” Ganesh says with a smile. Kumaresh

adds that the “challenge would be to compress all we want

to do into just 90 minutes!” Padma Bhushan awardee Sudha

Ragunathan and Oscar nominee Bombay Jayashri performed

for AIKYA in 2011 and 2012 respectively, and have fond

memories of the experience. Sudha, who collaborated with

famed vocalist T.M. Krishna, recalls, “It was fun, but it was

also a challenge. Singing with Krishna was a wonderful

experience. We had to create a format based on the theme

of ‘duality’, whereby it was lighter than a hardcore classical

concert, but retained the tenets of Carnatic music.”

The following year, Jayashri presented a ‘Kaleidoscope’

of songs. “Three or four years before Aikya, I had the desire

to share all my learning from different genres in some form

with the audience. Aikya 2012 was based on the idea of how

melody can be a friend at different moments in our lives. It

was a fascinating experience!”

Winds of Change

This may be the first time they are performing on

the AIKYA stage, but Ganesh and Kumaresh are veterans

when it comes to performing for Indian and international

audiences. Their musical journey began when they were

less than five years old. Their first public appearance was

in 1972 at the All India Radio pavilion of ASIA ‘72 at the

Pragati Maidan in New Delhi – a rare achievement as

performances were usually reserved for older, more

‘experienced’ artistes. Ganesh was 7 years old and

Kumaresh was 5 at that time. Needless to say,

they soon joined the music circuit in their

own right and were asked to perform in

various concerts in the cities as well

as in smaller towns and villages as

well. Today, they split their time

between cities that span the globe

– Delhi one day and Denmark the

next, so to speak.

With over three decades of

experience behind them, they

have been active participants

in, and observers of, the

music scene in India

and around the world.

Classical South

Indian music, they

say, has retained

its stronghold

in the Indian

and global Ganesh Rajagopalan. PHoto: G. Venket Ram



scene over the years. In fact, in recent years, there has been

a surge in interest – not just in Chennai (the ‘culture capital’

of India), but also in other countries. A common sentiment

echoed by musicians across the board is that there has been

a parallel growth in the opportunities for performances as

well. “Twenty to 30 years ago, when I was just entering the

performing space, there were fewer sabhas (concert halls),

fewer vocalists and instrumentalists, and fewer opportunities

for performing. You could literally count the number of

performers and events on your fingers. Today, it is countless,”

says Jayashri.

Notably, while the famed December music season in

Chennai draws crowds from countries across the world,

musicians are being invited to perform in different countries

all year-round. “Over the years, there seems to be a general

shift towards a preferance for vocals. When we started out,

music was seen as all-encompassing. We must remember that

Carnatic music cannot be restricted to one form alone. It is as

contemporary as any music globally, and can compete with

any form of music from anywhere in the world. It allows for

collaboration with different forms of music and to create a

listening experience for any audience,” says Ganesh.

Sudha draws on her own experience and adds to that

comment. “People ask me, ‘When you go to France and sing

for an entirely French group, how do they understand?’ Their

applause and appreciation is testimony to that. Music is like

a broad canvas, and I feel that everything can fit in within the

saptaswaras (seven notes).”

However, while there is a surge in interest, there is a

growing tendency for concerts to be confined to major cities

and metros. This, in turn, says Kumaresh, results in some

invisible lines being drawn. “Twenty years back, we used to

have full-fledged concerts in small towns and villages and

hundreds of people would come to hear us play – and

even request for pieces in specific raagas. They were

the true connoisseurs. Today, these places hardly

see any concerts.” Ganesh wholeheartedly

agrees with the sentiment and recalls an

incident from their early days. “We were

once playing in a small town in

southern Tamil Nadu, around

25 years back,” he says. “The

concert was in the evening,

and we were practising in

the morning. Some village

folk were walking around

near the guest house where

we were staying. An elderly Kumaresh Rajagopalan. PHoto: G. Venket Ram



gentleman was peeping over the wall and

listening to us. We told him, ‘Ayya (Tamil

for ‘sir’), we will be performing this evening,

so please come then.’ He nodded and said,

‘You played the Kannada Gowla raaga so

well! I heard Madhurai Mani Iyer (a famed

vocalist) sing this long back – and now I am

hearing you both play it.’ We were shocked

to hear that! We asked him to come inside

and played the raagas of his choice for half-

an-hour. Even now, when I remember that

incident, I get goosebumps!”

What is the reason behind this change?

“The level of cultural literacy, so to speak,

seems to have declined over the years. Over

the last decade or so, we have observed a

growing misperception, whereby some people

feel that only those who can identify raagas

or taalas best appreciate Carnatic music.

People who were hitherto enjoying music

were intimidated by the jargon associated

with it,” says Kumaresh.

The ‘Real’ Picture

There is hope, though, especially since

there are several youngsters who are entering

the field of Carnatic music in recent years. A

notable channel of entry has been instituted

with the music-based reality shows that

feature participants from the age of three

years onwards. With boys and girls from

across India and other countries (notably the

United States, Canada and Southeast Asia) to

participate in them, there is a sharp rise in

the number of people who aim to establish

themselves in this art form.

“I welcome reality shows,” says Ganesh,

who has been a judge on ‘Carnatic Idol’.

“It completely depends upon the ability of

that musician or young student to perform

without any backing. He/she is getting a

platform and an audience as well. Is he/she

is good, they are taken up, and there are a lot

of young singers who have come up over the

past five or six years. And that is really good,

because you are immediately raising the

bar.” He adds that his brother and he have

both recommended that there be an effort to

Sudha Ragunathan. PHoto: G. Venket RamMake-up for Sudha Ragunathan by Limelite

Watch Sudha Ragunathan and T.M. Krishna

at AIKYA 2011: http://tinyurl.com/m6yqz4p


STRUNG THROUGH THE AGESThe violin, regarded by many as a ‘western’ instrument,

has some strong Indian parallels too. Sonnerat (1782), a

French scholar, said that a bowed instrument by name

‘ravanastron’ existed in India about 5,000 years ago. The

ravanastron, in its simplest form, consisted of a long

cylindrical block of wood covered with a skin. It had two

strings and was played with a curved bow. Those familiar

with Hindu mythology may recognise that the name

is derived from Ravana – the anti-protagonist of the

Ramayana. Ravana is said to have been a very talented

musician, and the ravanastron is considered his invention.

Evidence of instruments similar to violins being played in

India is found in temples as well. The oldest part of the

Nataraja temple at Chidambaram has figures of musicians,

one of which plays a bowed instrument resembling the

violin. The Mallikarjuna temple at Vijayawada carries a

sculpture portraying an instrument played with a bow

amidst other musicians playing flutes, drums and cymbals

as they accompany a dance by a group of women. Despite

the presence of this instrument through India’s musical

history, it was only during colonial rule that the violin first

made its entry into the annals of Carnatic music. It was

made popular in this genre by four people – Varahappa

Iyer, Balaswami Dikshitar, Vadivelu and Krishnaswami

Bhagavatar. Gradually, the violin became the main melodic

accompanying instrument to vocal music and even

established its own right in solo performances.

organise reality show that encourages instrumentalists

as well.

Contrary to what this may imply, it is not all a numbers

game. Sudha, who has been a judge on some of these shows,

adds, “Each artiste goes through a journey before he/she

becomes established as a musician. It is not just about talent,

but also whether the audience is able to accept and resonate

with your music. You have to be excellent – and that comes

with pursuit and perseverance.” Jayashri touches on the fact

that this ‘journey’ cannot be rushed. “You also need to give

that child the time to grow under a teacher, to practice, to

observe the seniors in the field. Rather than say ‘What next?’,

we should cultivate patience and observe their progress.”

No matter how strong the winds of change, Carnatic

music is strong enough to weather them – and flourish.

No matter how diverse the influences that prevail upon it,

the genre will embrace them, but maintain its core tenets.

This flexibility does not apply to musicians alone, but to

the audience as well. “We tell this to even the biggest rasika

(connoisseur) of carnatic music – have an open mind. Only

then can you appreciate the music fully,” says Kumaresh.

Bombay Jayashri.

Watch Bombay Jayashri at AIKYA 2012:

http://tinyurl.com/lnhscq7

India nowby Susan Philip

the monththat wasAS WE ENTER A NEW MONTH, WE TAKE A qUICK RECAP OF EVENTS, PEOPLE AND PLACES THAT MADE NEWS IN THE PAST MONTH


Business Matters opportunities unlimited

Vibrant Gujarat, a biennial investment summit held in

Gujarat, brought a galaxy of world leaders to the state in

January, including United Nations Secretary General Ban ki

Moon and United States Secretary of State John Kerry. Ban

ki Moon was all praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s

‘Make in India’ policy. Addressing the august gathering, Mr.

Modi called for joint efforts towards progress, prosperity

and peace. Describing India as the land of opportunities,

he promised that his government would take active steps to

make it easier to do business with India.

To get a broad understanding of the business roadmap in India, read

‘Doing Business in India for Dummies’ by Ranjini Manian. And

look out for the new book she has co-authored with Joanne Grady

Huskey – ‘Make It in India’ – a collective wisdom of the trail from

12 CEOs, ranging from Ford to Facebook, Microsoft to Biocon,

and more, which works as a powerful instrument for Indians and

Americans to achieve a productive and smooth working relationship.

Policy Planning gets a Makeover

A new government organisation has taken shape in India –

the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Ayog.

The policy think tank will replace the Planning Commission,

which was hitherto the nodal body at the Union Government

level for planning for future developmental needs. The new

entity, which has the Prime Minister as Chairperson, offers

greater involvement to states in the planning process. One

of the stated aims of the new body is to seek to provide a

critical directional and strategic input into the development

process. Indications are that the focus of planning could be

the market, going forward.

Arty Happenings celebrating art

The Indian art community has been growing and finding

international recognition. The Kochi-Muziris Biennale

at Kochi, Kerala, has become a talking point, nationally

and internationally. This international exhibition of

contemporary art features artists and their works across

a variety of mediums, including painting, sculpture, new

media and performance art. The Biennale has grown into

a platform for cultural and artistic engagement. A series of

informative seminars, talks, screenings, music programmes

and workshops are also being held. The inaugural edition of

the Kochi-Muziris Biennale opened on December 12, 2012.

It became the country’s first event of this nature and scale.

The second opened on December 12, 2014, and will be on till

March 29, 2015.

To get an idea of what’s on show, look up http://

kochimuzirisbiennale.org/

Sports Spots captain cool bows out from tests

M.S. Dhoni, one of

the greatest captains

of the Indian cricket

team to date, shocked

fans all over the world

by announcing his

retirement from the Test

format of the game. For

the uninitiated, the game

of cricket has many

avatars, the longest of

which is the Test match, which spans five days. Dhoni, who

made his announcement during a series in Australia, will,

however, continue to lead the ‘men in blue’ in the one-day

and 20–20 versions of the game.


different Strokes

Twenty-five-year-old Bhakti Sharma has set a world record

by swimming 2.5 km in the Antarctic Ocean in 52 minutes,

with the water at a freezing one degree. She is the youngest

swimmer in the world and the only Asian girl to achieve

such a feat. Bhakti started to learn swimming when she was

just two-and-a-half years old. Despite many constraints,

she took to open water swimming, and has conquered

all the five oceans of the world. She has already been

awarded the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award

by the Government of India in recognition of her earlier

achievements, which include crossing the English Channel

in 13 hrs and 55 mins in 2006, and swimming 1.8 km in the

Arctic Ocean in 2010.

Q. Can you name another prominent woman swimmer from

India, who was the first woman to swim across seven seas in five

continents?

A. Bula Choudhury

End of an Era B.g. Verghese, riP

One of the doyens of Indian journalism, Boobli George

Verghese, is no more. At various times during the eventful

87 years of his life, Verghese edited three of the best-known

newspapers in the country – the Hindustan Times, Times of

India and Indian Express – served as Information Advisor to

the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was part of several

fact-finding missions set up by the Editors’ Guild of India,

and authored a number

of books. A gentleman

among journalists and

an untiring activist on

developmental as well as

civil rights issues, he was

a stickler not only for

quality journalism but

for journalistic ethics as

well. He was a recipient

of the prestigious Ramon

Magsaysay Award. The

citation serves as the

best description of the

man and his achievements. Excerpts: “An optimist with

critical integrity…professionally and personally, Verghese

has few peers among a generation of Asian journalists…

Journalism for him is zestful, yet his sense of public duty

is strong.”

For interesting insights into India’s ancient heritage, dip into B.G.

Verghese’s ‘Post Haste: Quintessential India’, and for a vicarious

front-row view of modern Indian history, read his autobiography,

‘First Draft: Witness to Making of Modern India’.

This and That coin of Honour

The Government of India has released a commemorative coin

to mark the 175th birth anniversary of Jamsetji Nusserwanji

Tata, acknowledged as the father of modern Indian industry.

Two coins were released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi

on the occasion – one with the denomination of Rs. 100,

which is a limited edition, and the other with a value of

Rs. 5, to be used as currency. Both coins carry the image of

the industrialist on the reverse side. This is the first time the

Government of India is honouring an industrialist in this

manner. Jamsetji founded the Tata Group, which is India’s

largest business conglomerate today. The group has diverse

interests, including science, health care, automobiles and

power. It also makes steel!

Q. Lord Chelmsford, Viceroy of India, named a city after Jamsetji,

way back in 1919. It is today a thriving industrial centre, known for

its steel plant. What is this city, and which state does it belong to?

A. Jamshedpur, in Jharkhand.

While on the subject of coins, India is a veritable treasure trove for

numismatists. Those wanting to know more about the field will find

http://www.bharatcoins.com/indiancoins.html an interesting site.

India writes

iREADMadras, Chennai and the Self by Tulsi Badrinath

Reviewed by Yamini Vasudevan

Once regarded as the conservative cousin of the other major metros,

Chennai has, in recent times, come into its own. The city’s historic legacy,

its reputation as a cultural stronghold and the fact that it has maintained

its traditions while embracing modernity have given the city a unique

character – one that is now garnering respect and appreciation. This change

in outlook, and the fact that Chennai celebrated its 375th year of founding in

2014, has led to the publication of several books on the city – with many of

them penned by longstanding residents of the city, who add a personal touch

through their memories and impressions.

Why then, one would rightly wonder, should we have yet another book

on Chennai?

I started reading the book with the same question in mind – and ended

up realising how mistaken I was in believing that a couple of books could tell

me all there was to his enchanting city.

This book is a set of stories – of those who have made a deep mark on the

city. Some, I had heard of (such as actor Vikram and IAS officer P. Sivakami);

some names were new to me (such as Prince of Arcot and karate expert

Seshadri). All of their stories had me spellbound. I was seeing the city as being

defined not by its characteristics alone, but as a living, breathing entity that

gained its identity from the collective stories of its residents. The brahmin lad

who defied his tradition to learn karate, the woman who rose from poverty

and social discrimination to become a high-ranking government official, the

man who established the landmark Woodlands Drive-in restaurant, a man

who combined his dual passions for cricket and carnatic music – their lives

were acted out in the city we call home.

Peppered with personal instances and historic facts, the book makes for

an easy yet interesting read. Tulsi literally takes the reader along with her on

a journey of rediscovery through the lanes of Chennai to meet the different

people. By the end of it, you will fall in love with Chennai, for the first

time, or all over again – all the more reason for you to add this book to your

collection.

about the authorTulsi Badrinath was born in Chennai in 1967. A classical dancer who

trained under the eminent Dhananjayans, she graduated with an MBA from

Ohio University in the United States. Her works of fiction were long-listed

twice for the Man Asian Literary Prize (in 2007 and 2008). ‘Master of Arts’,

her first non-fiction work, was named as one of the Top 10 books of 2013 by

Hindustan Times. Visit her website at www.tulsibadrinath.com



Curtain Raiserby Team Culturama

The

has Landed In India

EAGLE AS THE UNITED STATES AND INDIA FORGE CLOSER RELATIONS, A BOOK THAT AIMS TO IRON OUT THE SEEMINGLY SMALL CULTURAL SPEED-BREAKERS COMES AS A TIMELY READ AND HANDY GUIDE

As the India–United States business

relationship deepens, the opportunities

available to business executives from both

countries are many – as are the challenges

that confront them. Both groups have their

grouses. The need of the hour is to develop

a more nuanced and deeper understanding

of each other’s cultures, working styles and

professional concerns.

Ranjini Manian of India and Joanne

Grady Huskey from the United States, who

Ranjini Manian (left) and Joanne Grady Huskey, founders of Global Adjustments, have compiled the collective wisdom of CEOs worldwide in this handy guide to better relations between people in the United States and India.


together founded Global Adjustments – India’s premier

relocations firm, believe that today, more than ever, the

merger of the best from both India and the United States

makes good business sense. To commemorate the 20th

anniversary of their firm, they have taken the initiative to

iron out the cultural speed-breakers that significantly affect

work success on both sides. In their book, aptly titled Make it

in India, they present the wisdom of leaders, both of the East

and the West, of men and women who have led global teams

successfully in India and United States.

What the book is about Ranjini and Joanne asked 11 CEOs who have led

corporations from IBM to Facebook, from Ford to Microsoft

and more, questions about coping with behavioural

differences that have frequently rankled on both sides of

the business divide. And the twelfth man, N.R. Narayana

Murthy, founder of Infosys, shares snippets from his own

experiences in an insightful Foreword. The authors also

share tips and pointers they picked up along the way – as

individuals who adapted and bonded in the other’s culture,

and as the experts they have become in cross-cultural

relations by interacting with 76 nationalities through Global

Adjustments. This wisdom of the trail prepares the reader

from India, the United States or anywhere in the world,

to work on multi-cultural teams with renewed sensitivity.

Given the recent meeting between United States President

Barrack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi,

this book is most timely.

Make It in India is unique because• It is a treasure trove of collective wisdom about doing

business successfully in India and abroad.

• Rarely, if ever, have such questions been asked of such

high-level business personalities.

• All questions are authentic ones asked by Americans and

Indians, and all answers are genuine, anecdotal advice

given by the CEOs with honesty and even humour.

• The book addresses questions on a variety of subjects from

both sides in one place.

• It gives both sides an idea of how the other side perceives/

misunderstands it.

Topics covered include • Making a good first impression

• Getting the most mileage out of meetings

• Managing human resources and human relations

• Negotiating to advantage

• Gender augmentation

• Succinct takeaways to springboard the reader into a ‘global

business citizen’

Here’s a sneak peek into the book.

What have you found to be the most challenging Human

Resource issues in building a bi-cultural team of

employees?

There were quite a few things to learn about human

relationships particular to India. While interviewing people,

we learned that if we were interviewing a single person

in an Indian joint family, there was reluctance to relocate

due to family obligations. While they may move initially,

they would want to return to their home because ties and

responsibilities to siblings were prominent in their lives.

We adjusted our interviewing techniques and asked about

family matters upfront; that way we could adjust our HR

packages to the family needs of the person.

How can I be a good team member or team lead without

losing my Indian culture and style?

If you are a good team member or a team lead – you are

just universally good, you lose no part of your ‘Indianness’.

For example, time adaption is good to do whether you are

American or Indian. Indians, when asked to come on time

for a meeting, may see it as adapting to the American work

style, but frankly, it is good overall for any organisation to

build this into the culture of their work style, isn’t it? So, lead

your team fairly, don’t do the ‘them vs. us’ thing. I find it

useless to think this way. There is no ‘us’ and ‘them’.

Why don’t expats involve us in the bigger picture?

I think you earn your way to be involved in the bigger

picture, by going to them with your thoughts on where the

company should be going. It’s asking questions at the right

junctures, it’s often not what you know but what you share.

It’s often the questions you ask that make the difference.

Have your own ideas and ask and share. Don’t go in there

passively and say, ‘I want to be in the bigger picture!’

How can we help Indian team members if they don’t ask

questions at meetings and later during implementation,

we find they didn’t understand instructions?

In a one-room meeting scenario, it’s hard to get people to

speak up in India. People will leave the meeting without

getting their questions answered, thinking they will figure

them out later, while it is much easier to get the answers

right there. I find it effective, when there is someone who

understands that and asks, ‘What questions do we have

that have not been asked, let’s put them out now.’ This helps

to understand the cultural biases.

The book is priced at Rs. 250 per copy. For advance

booking or bulk orders , contact Krishna Kumar at

+91-99400 58774 or [email protected]

Ten for the Roadby Susan Philip


1. How the Land Lies: The seventh largest state in terms of area, Karnataka, in the south of India, has a long coastline, verdant hills, dense forests, breathtaking waterfalls, ancient palaces and temples, and also a thriving software industry. Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore) is the capital, and goes by the sobriquet of the ‘Silicon Valley of India’.

2. Political Pressures: Originally home to several powerful empires and princely states, the region was once known as the State of Mysore. It was renamed Karnataka in 1973.

3. Past Glories: The area now called Karnataka has always been rich, not only in minerals and precious metals, but also in culture and philosophy. Gold found in the ruins of the Indus Valley Civilisation has been traced to this part of the country, while literary and spiritual movements which originated here sustain to this day.

4. Ethnic Fingerprint: The majority of the people in Karnataka are Kannadigas. The state also has a significant population of tribes, such as the Tuluvas, Kodavas and Konkanis, and minor ones like the Soligas, Yeravas and Todas. It also has the largest Tibetan settlement in southern India.

5. Culture Quotient: Musicians from here have risen to world fame in the Carnatic and Hindustani schools of classical music. Yakshagana is a vibrant form of native traditional folk theatre, while the modern Indian literary scene has been enriched by stalwarts such as Girish Karnad (pictured on extreme left), U.R. Ananthmurthy and K.V. Puttappa (‘Kuvempu’).

6. Personality Plus: Among the men and women from Karnataka who have left their mark, Tipu Sultan (sketch on left) tops the list for flamboyant courage. Known as ‘Sher-e-Mysore’ (Tiger of Mysore), he halted the march of British colonialism in South India, managing to emerge victorious in two wars. The Mysorean Missiles, a rocket developed by his father, Hyder Ali, and improved by him, form the basis of the famous Congreve rockets devised by the Royal Arsenal in England.

7. Sights to See: Explore the rolling hills of Coorg, the stunning fingerprints of the erstwhile Vijayanagar Empire at Hampi, the majestic Mysore Palace, the beautiful Brindavan Gardens, the Renigunta and Bannerghatta wildlife sanctuaries, and, of course, the shops on Bengaluru’s Brigade Road.

8. Tasty Treats: The Dharwad pedha (a sumptuous sweet of thickened milk and sugar) has a geographical indication (GI) tag, while others like the Mysore pak (a decadent, ghee-soaked dessert made of gram flour and sugar), and the crispy savoury maddhur vada are identified by their places of origin. But Karnataka’s signature dish has to be bisi bele bath – a spicy, one-pot comfort meal of rice, daal and vegetables.

9. Crafted with Care: Mysore paintings embellished with gold leaf, intricately worked Bidri artifacts in metal and sandalwood handicrafts are all unique to Karnataka. There’s even a ‘Toy Town’ – Channapatna. The lacquered wooden toys made here have been awarded the GI tag. There is not a whiff of lead in the bright vegetable dyes used to paint them.

10. Worshipfully Yours: The towering statue of Gomateshwara Bahubali (left), a Jain saint, at Shravanabelagolais said to be the world’s tallest sculpted monolith. It attracts lakhs of pilgrims, particularly during the most important festival of Mahamastakabhisheka.

ExPLORE THE 29 STATES OF THIS FASCINATING SUBCONTINENT. THIS SEGMENT WILL SET OUT A COLLECTION OF INTERESTING, BITE-SIZE FACTS FROM EACH STATE – THIS MONTH, WE LOOK AT KARNATAKA

KarnataKa

PHoto: Ran Levy, UK


Unbroken Traditions

In Your Kitchenby Harini Sankaranarayan

PHoto: www.holycowvegan.net


Pramodh can trace his family’s origins all the way back to Chatrapathi Shivaji

(a well-known king who ruled an area around present-day Maharashtra from

1674 to 1680). The story goes that Shivaji’s half-brother was put in charge

of certain parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu – and with him moved a

whole lot of Marathi-speaking people who settled in these parts. Pramodh’s

ancestors settled in Thanjavur in South India (in the state of Tamil Nadu). It is

interesting to note that many Tamilians also migrated to Maharashtra around

the same time. Pramodh’s family were Madhwa Brahmins, who brought with

them the customs and rituals from their native region, and of course their

language – Marathi.

“Today, we have integrated so well into the Tamil culture that it is

difficult to separate the two,” says Pramodh. “We still speak Marathi, but with

a generous amount of Tamil thrown in.” As Madhwa Brahmins, they follow

the teachings of Sri Madhvacharyar (a religious Guru) and, as Brahmins, they

have an elaborate number of prayers and rituals. “We are expected to start the

day with prayers and this is to be done on an empty stomach.” By the time the

morning prayers are done, it is quite late into the morning, so most Brahmin

houses prefer to have brunch. It is a given that the food they eat has already

been offered to the Gods. It is usually a simple meal of rice accompanied by

sambar, rasam, buttermilk and a vegetable.

Traditionally, Madhwa Brahmins were allowed only one meal a day.

So after the brunch, if you got hungry, it was usually a glass of milk, some

buttermilk or fruit. “Our life was supposed to be spent in prayer,” says

Pramodh with a half-smile and confesses that very few follow that rule these

days. “But we are strict vegetarians and prefer to avoid onions and garlic,” he

adds. There is more – the restrictions also apply to most roots and tubers that

grow underground.

Despite the dietary restrictions, their food is delicious. Simple and

fresh, they are usually based on locally available produce. Lest one thinks

that all food is influenced by the local cuisine, there are still a lot of the

Maharashtrian traditions to be seen. Poha (beaten rice) is a firm favourite as

is the use of certain spices. Like every self-respecting Indian, sweets are an

integral part of the cuisine. The mande is a crisp fried sweetmeat made as part

of a celebratory meal. “At weddings, this is usually one of the sweets served,”

says Pramodh. “One can have it plain (it tastes delicious!), or experience a

richer version, which is served with saffron and almond flavoured milk.” Try

the recipe and see which one you prefer.

THE MADHWA BRAHMINS OF MAHARASHTRA MIGRATED TO THE SOUTHERN STATE OF TAMIL NADU A COUPLE OF CENTURIES AGO, BUT HAVE KEPT ALIVE ELEMENTS OF THEIR CULTURE – ESPECIALLY IN THEIR FOOD HABITS

Ingredients:For the dough:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp vegetable shortening

Water (as needed)

For the stuffing:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp powdered cardamom

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

2 tbsp shredded coconut

DirectionsFor the dough:

Add enough water to the ingredients and knead into a pliable, soft, elastic dough that is not too hard but does not stick to your fingers either. If you are kneading this in a food processor, pour the water in with the blades running until a dough ball forms. Cover the dough in a plastic wrap and set aside for at least 15 minutes.

For the stuffing:

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Making the mande:

Heat enough oil in a pan to deep fry the mande. (You want your oil to be at 350 degrees F, which is a perfect temperature for frying so that the mande does not get soggy.)

Divide the dough into 10 pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball and, using just as much flour as you absolutely need, roll into a really thin disc, around 5–6 inches in diameter. Put the disc into the hot oil and fry either side for about 15 seconds or until the disc is all bubbly and begins to stiffen ever so slightly. You need to get a good feel for this – if you take out the disc too fast it will not be cooked enough; if you leave it in the oil for too long, it will stiffen up before you have a chance to fold it.

Place the disc on a plate covered with a kitchen towel to absorb excess oil. Working fast, sprinkle about a tablespoon of the sugar mixture over one half of the mande, then fold over the other half to form a semi-circle. Sprinkle a couple more teaspoons of the sugar mixture over half the semi-circle and fold over once more. Set aside to cool, preferably on a rack. You have to let the mande cool thoroughly for the crispy, crackly texture.

Heat a cup or two of milk. Add some crushed almonds and saffron for flavour. Add sugar to taste. Place the mande in a cup and top with some of the fragrant thickened milk. Enjoy.


GAMESFeatureby Suzanne McNeill

A list of the sports most popular in India starts,

unsurprisingly, with cricket, includes soccer, field hockey,

badminton and tennis, and concludes with Formula One

motor sport, table tennis and basketball. Only 2 of the 10

have indigenous roots: chess and wrestling. Older generations

of Indians grew up playing a variety of indoor and outdoor

games and sports that were part of the country’s rich cultural

heritage. Many appear to have been side-lined or forgotten in

recent years, whilst others continue to thrive at the local and

national level. Here is an introduction to the home-grown

games and sports of India.

CRICKET IS OFTEN REGARDED AS THE ‘NATIONAL’ GAME OF INDIA BECAUSE OF ITS IMMENSE POPULARITY, BUT IT IS DEFINITELY NOT THE ONLY CHOICE – THERE ARE SEVERAL INDIGENOUS INDOOR AND OUTDOOR OPTIONS. AND SOME OF THESE GAMES HAVE BEEN AROUND SINCE ANCIENT TIMES

INDIANSPLAY


India gave the game of chess to the world. Chess grew out of a sixth-

century tactical board game called chaturanga, a Sanskrit word that describes

the four divisions of an army – elephants, chariots, cavalry and infantry. The

pieces thus represented would evolve into the modern bishop, rook, knight

and pawn. Different pieces had different powers, and victory depended on

the fate of one piece – as it does to this day. The creator was said to be a

mathematician called Sessa, who presented his king with a board divided

into 64 squares and two sets of pieces, one set to represent the king’s army,

the other his enemy. He taught the king the lesson that he needed to sacrifice

valuable pieces to win the end game. (There is an interesting story associated with

chess – given in the box on the right.)

From India, chess moved to Persia and then to Europe. The game beloved

of emperors (it is said that Akbar played live chess in the courtyard of his

palace in Fatehpur Sikri where, seated at a high vantage point, he directed

real animals and soldiers around a giant board) has grown in popularity at all

levels of Indian society because of the success of grandmaster and world chess

champion Vishwanathan Anand and the rising number of Indian men and

women who hold top world rankings.

Mughal Emperor Akbar is also associated with the board game pachisi,

the first descriptions of which were written at his court in the 16th century,

although it dates from 1,000 years earlier. An enthusiast of the game, Akbar

laid out a huge ‘board’ on the flagstones of his courtyard where he and his

courtiers could play (using, it is said, slaves as the ‘pieces’). The game is a

indoor gaMeS

The king was so impressed by chess

that he granted Sessa whatever he desired.

Sessa’s clever answer was to request

one grain of wheat for the first square

on his board, two grains of wheat for the

second square, four grains of wheat for

the third, eight grains of wheat for the

fourth, and so on right up to the sixty-

fourth square, numbering an extraordinary

18,446,744,073,709,551,615 grains in total

– far more than intuition would suggest

(and far, far more than the king was able

to give). This fable is known as the ‘Wheat

and Chessboard Problem’, and presents

an example of geometric progression

that highlights ancient India’s prodigious

aptitude for mathematics.

The Chessboard Conundrum

Pallankuzhi, a game from the South, uses dried tamarind seeds as chips. PHoto: www.desinema.com


somewhat similar to draughts. The board is shaped as a

symmetrical cross, usually embroidered on cloth, and each

player has four wooden pieces, which move around the board

based on a throw of six cowrie shells – the number that fall

with their openings upwards indicates how many spaces the

player may move. The objective is to move all four pieces

around the board before an opponent does. More than one

piece may occupy a single square, but a piece may not move

onto a ‘castle’ square if it is already occupied by an opponent’s

piece. Pieces may be captured according to where they land,

and players learn strategies that allow them to conclude a

game with the exact throws required. Chaupar (or chausar) is

a similar game, with stick-like dice instead of cowrie shells.

A 17th century watercolour held by the Metropolitan

Museum of Art shows Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati

playing chaupar.

India is the last country to produce ganjifa playing cards.

These mini, but lavish, works of art came to India from Persia,

and were enthusiastically adopted by the Mughals. Circular

or rectangular in shape, the cards were hand-painted and

made from materials such as ivory or tortoise shell. Cheaper

sets were made from wood or palm leaf. The suits are crowns,

gold and silver coins, swords, servants, harps, documents and

stores. Each suit has two court cards – a King and a Vizier. The

objective of ganjifa is to win the most cards by taking tricks.

At its simplest, on every turn

each player discards a card, and

the player who plays the highest-

ranking card takes the trick –

with one rule: the player holding

the highest-outstanding card in

any suit is obliged to lead with it.

This was just one of a number of

games played with ganjifa cards,

but many of them have vanished

as the rules were never

written down.

Gan

jifa

card

s PH

oto

: ww

w.co

hand

s.com


Kho kho is one of the most popular games in India

and demands speed, strength and stamina. Played on a

rectangular pitch outdoors, it is essentially a game of tag

that has evolved into a tactical team game of nine players

each. Eight players from the ‘chasing’ team kneel in a row

across the centre of the pitch, each player facing the opposite

direction from the player next to them. The ninth is the

‘chaser’, and they take position at the end of the row, ready to

pursue the ‘defender’, who must last the seven-minute innings

without being tagged. The defender can run anywhere around

the pitch and through the central row of kneeling chasers.

The chaser, though, can only run in one direction around the

row, cannot change direction or cut through the row. Instead,

the chaser changes position with a kneeling team-mate by

touching them on the back and shouting ‘kho’ – the attack

is built up through a relay of ‘khos’, the chasers changing

position fast and furiously as they pursue the defender. The

game is won by the team that tags all their opponents in the

shortest possible time. Kho kho is played by boys and girls, and

inter-school and national championships are now held.

Likewise, strength and agility are required to play kabaddi,

which includes elements of wrestling and rugby tackles in

this team contact sport. It is said that a military operation

that takes place in the Mahabharata is based on kabaddi,

and the modern-day objective is still to raid the enemy’s

territory. Two teams compete, with seven players on the

court, and five held in reserve. They occupy separate halves

of the court. One team sends a ‘raider’ into the other team’s

half, chanting ‘kabaddi-kabaddi’ and he must tag any of his

opponents and return to his half before he runs out of breath.

The referee keeps close to ensure he doesn’t take an extra

breath. His opponents, meanwhile, unite to try and capture

the raider, and prevent him from returning, by tackling and

wrestling him to the ground. Each team alternates in sending

a raider to their opponents’ half. Players are declared out

if they run out of breath, are tagged, or step over the court

boundary, although there are regional variations to the

rules. Kabaddi has undergone a major revival in recent years,

and international tournaments have sprung up with teams

competing from Pakistan, Canada, the United States and the

outdoor gaMeS

A game of kho-kho in progress. PHoto: www.desinema.com


United Kingdom. (Here’s a match being played in Canada: http://

tinyurl.com/GA-sports01.)

Gilli danda can be played by any number of participants.

One team bats and the other fields. Two wooden sticks are

required: one is short, about four inches long and tapers at

each end. This is the gilli. The other, the danda, is longer,

around two feet. The rules aren’t necessarily the same around

the country, but here is one version: The batter places the gilli

in a small hole, then, using the danda, in two quick moves

flicks the gilli up and then strikes it hard out towards the

fielders, who try to catch it before it hits the ground. If caught,

the batsman is out. If the gilli isn’t caught, then the batsman

drops the danda, and the nearest fielder tosses the gilli back

to the batsman, aiming for the danda. The game is scored by

measuring the distance from the batter to where the gilli has

fallen with the danda (each length of danda equals one point).

(This is a popular game amongst children in India, and their older

siblings cannot resist it either: http://tinyurl.com/GA-sports02.)

Lake in Alleppey. The oarsmen are urged along by crashing

drums and cymbals on board each gorgeously decorated boat,

and watched by thousands of locals and visitors.

Malla-yuddh is a Sanskrit word that translates as

‘wrestling combat’. Competitive wrestling has existed in

India for at least 5,000 years, and professional wrestlers, who

represented their kings in matches between rival kingdoms,

were held in high esteem. Hanuman, the Monkey God, is

worshipped as the patron saint of wrestlers, and there are

literary descriptions of wrestling matches in the Ramayana

and Mahabharata. These fights would have been extreme

versions of the modern sport, encompassing grappling, the

breaking of joints, biting, choking and striking pressure

points. During the colonial period, malla-yuddh, and its

northern derivation, kushti, were regulated. Traditionally,

wrestlers lived and trained together, followed strict rules

outdoor SPortS

Think of canoe racing, and you will no doubt envisage

a fast sprint in a one- or two-man kayak. Now re-imagine

that sprint conducted between traditional war canoes that

hold 110 oarsmen each, pounding along the usually tranquil

backwaters of Kerala, and you have the Vallam kali, or Snake

Boat Race, part of the annual Onam festivities in the state.

There are four main Snake Boat races, along courses up to

40km in length, which are the highlight of the competitive

events that take place on the waters. The most fiercely

contested is the Nehru Trophy Boat Race, held on Punnamada

Kabbadi and polo (below) are among indigenous Indian games.


of diet and lifestyle, and devoted their lives to the cause.

Matches took place in a clay or dirt pit. The sport has since

become marginalised, with tournaments remaining in a few

strongholds such as the Punjab, yet these attract competitors

from all round the world. (A blog devoted to preserving and

promoting traditional Indian wrest ling can be found at http://

tinyurl.com/GA-sports04. Through photos and postings, it presents

an insight into the modern-day version of this indigenous sport.)

India has its own home-grown style of gymnastics, called

mallakhamb. The main type of mallakhamb is performed

on a vertical wooden pole, but variations include hanging

mallakhamb where the performer is suspended, and rope

mallakhamb, where the performer strikes various yogic poses

without knotting the rope. It was devised by a master wrestler

during the 17th century, who responded to the challenge

of two unbeaten wrestlers from a neighbouring state by

introducing the wooden pole into his training regimen in

order to learn from the agility of wild monkeys. The exercises

are complex, requiring the performer to turn, twist, stretch

and balance, and tournaments are held across the country.

Mallakambh has so increased in popularity in recent years

that it has been performed on television talent shows and in

a Bollywood movie. (Watch Rajesh Apparao Mudki, considered

one of the finest mallakambh performers in India: http://tinyurl.

com/GA-sports05.)

Let us conclude this brief overview of India’s indigenous

sports with the game of kings – polo. A team sport played

at speed on horseback, polo was introduced into India from

Persia in the 13th century, where it had developed as a

training game for cavalry units. Called sagol kangjei in India

(literally ‘horse and stick’), polo was enthusiastically adopted

by the British tea planters who discovered the game being

played in the north-eastern state of Manipur on the region’s

indigenous ponies. The Calcutta Polo Club was established

in 1862, from where polo spread across northern India – it

enjoyed particular patronage from the royal house of Jaipur

– to Britain and across the world.

The Club created the first rulebook for the sport, and

to this day runs the oldest polo competition in the world,

the Ezra Cup. Not only did the British endorse the game,

they adopted the traditional style of Indian trouser called

the churidor in which to play it. Tight around the calf and

baggy at the hips, this design was worn and perfected by a

younger son of the Maharaja of Jodhpur, himself an avid

and successful polo player. To this day the modern form of

‘jodhpurs’ are worn for horse riding.

THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF SPORTS

• The official tournament calendar of the

All India Chess Federation lists national

competitions at http://www.aicf.in/

calendar.

• Visit the website of the eight-city Pro

Kabaddi league at http://prokabaddi.com

for details.

• Look out for The Nehru Trophy Snake

Boat Race, which is always held on the

second Saturday of August. Visit http://

nehrutrophy.nic.in for details.

• View the fixtures list 2014–2015 of the

Indian Polo Association at http://ipa.

co.in/Fix.htm.

• Visit www.kreedagames.com for a wide

range of traditional Indian board games. PHoto: Basia Kruszewska

Snake boat race (top) and malla-yudh.


Look Who’s In Town Pune

When Sarah is not to be found at her favourite chaat corner in Pune, the Dutch woman is at her computer – updating her blog (www.dutchndesi.com) with her latest discoveries in India. Her move from hometown Maastricht to Pune happened a year ago, when she married Deepak, an Indian. She reminisces, “In the beginning, the chaos of traffic and the enormity of the city got to me. Now, after one year, I can confidently say that I made Pune my home. I’m starting to know my way around the city using all the known eateries and restaurants as my point of reference.”

Sarah enjoys cooking as much as she enjoys eating out, “In India, dinners are not so much different in comparison to the Netherlands – a major difference is eating with the hands (right hand). It was hard to get used to in the beginning, leaving a trail of dirty napkins on the table. Practice made me improve this.”

Pune FavouritesHere are my favourite restaurants in Pune (not listed in any particular order).

• Copa Cabana – The menu has everything you can wish for. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. The kosha murgh is mouth watering!

• Sukanta – The thali you get here is to die for! The menu changes every day, you never know what you will get, but satisfaction is absolutely guaranteed.

• Little Italy – Whenever I am in the mood for Italian, this is the place I go to. Most of the pasta is freshly made. The tiramisu is their best offering and is not to be shared!

• German Bakery – The sachertorte served is the perfect medicine for homesickness – with just the right amount of chocolate (and calories!) to take my mind of things.

Pick the Right PlaceWhen I am looking to try out a new restaurant, my approach in India is no

different than anywhere else.

• Is the restaurant busy? That usually means that the food is good and freshly made.

• If you cannot handle spices, ask for a less spicy version of the dish you’re after.

• Do not shy away from the local food. Try the chaats (snacks) stands serving pani puri, sev puri, ragda patties, dabheli and missal pav on the streets as well.

When in MaastrichtIn Maastricht, I love going out for dinner to one of the many restaurants or

pubs and watch the people walk by. Summer is a lovely time to sit outside. Must-try restaurants include

• La Bodega – My all-time favourite! The place is really tiny, so reservations are a must. Everything is Spanish, including the handsome waiter!

• Ristorante quattro Mori – The best Italian restaurant in the city centre, with the best pizza outside of Italy.

• Coffee lovers - Without my daily dose(s) of caffeine I don’t function. The Dominicaner Church had a make-over and serves now as a coffee shop and a bookstore.

The Pune FoodieSARAH VASTERLING-TULSANI FROM THE NETHERLANDS BELIEVES THAT FOOD IS THE BEST CURE FOR HOMESICKNESS, AND TAKES US AROUND HER FAVOURITE CURE-SPOTS IN PUNE

3 FebruaryPRESENTING THE BEST OF INDIA’S EVENTS IN DIFFERENT CATEGORIES ACROSS DELHI, MUMBAI, BENGALURU, CHENNAI AND NEARBY SUBURBS

Calendar of events


Exhibition of Terracotta sculptures Delhi

‘Postponed Poems’ is a solo show of terracotta

sculptures and drawings by Delhi-based artist

Manjunath Kamath. The artist’s distinctive

imagery is rich with the narratives of

everyday life, interwoven with mythologies

and stories. Visit www.galleryespace.com for

more details.

date: January 16 to February 28Venue: Gallery Espace, 16, Community Centre, New Friends Colony time: 1100h to 1900h

Art & Exhibitions

Indo-Korean Ceramic Exhibition Chennai

‘Ceramic Connect’ is an Indo-Korean ceramic

exhibition showcasing the work of Indian

and Korean ceramic artists. Indian artists

who have either trained, or are living,

in Auroville, and Korean artists will be

participating in this exhibition. The event

will be a precursor to the Auroville Festival

in Chennai in the month of March.

date: February 23 to March 5Venue: Lalit Kala Akademi


Events

Kala Ghoda Arts Festival Mumbai

The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, in its 16th

edition, will herald vibrancy, drama and

colours of Mumbai’s historic precincts –

the Kala Ghoda art district. The festival

will feature a kaleidoscope of music, dance,

theatre, literature, street stalls, films, heritage

walks and workshops for adults

and children. The festival is open to all and

is free of charge. Funds raised from the

festival go towards the restoration and

upkeep of the area. Several heritage buildings

and institutions in the area have benefited

from this.

date: February 7 to 15Venue: across Mumbai’s Kala Ghoda district

Sale of Limited-edition Art prints Chennai

Tara Books, an independent publisher of

picture books for adults and children, will

host a sale of limited-edition art prints.

The publishing house is known for

pioneering work with the folk and tribal

traditions of India. The themes covered in

these limited-edition prints include nature

and scenes from everyday life of the artists.

The sale will provide an additional source of

income for the artists. Visit www.tarabooks.com

for more details or call +91 44 42601033 for

more details.

date: Till February 28Venue: Tara Books, Book Building, Plot no: 9, CGE Colony, Thiruvanmiyur time: Monday to Saturday, 1000h to 1930h

Music and Dance show Bengaluru

Bhoomija Trust presents a jugalbandhi of

two veterans from the music and dance

fields. Carnatic singer Aruna Sairam and

Bharatanatyam dancer Malavika Sarukkai

will come together for a unique concert.

The show, titled ‘Sammohanam’, is a rare

event combining two eminent talents and a

treat for the senses. Book your tickets on www.

bookmyshow.com

date: March 6 and 8Venue: MLR Convention Centre, JP Nagar, South Bengaluru/Chowdiah Memorial Halltime: 1900h


Dance Theatre Chennai

Eminent dancer Vani Ganapathy will present

her new production, Dwaaram – a musical

dance theatre, with artist Sathyanarayana

Raju. The name translates to ‘door’ in

Sanskrit and the production tells the

autobiography of a door and its fascinating

impressions and reminiscences. All

are welcome.

date: February 6Venue: Narada Gana Sabha, TTK Road time: 1900h

Music Festival Delhi

The Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra is

hosting the 68th edition of its annual

Shriram Shankarlal Music Festival. The

festival features artistes from the Indian

classical performing arts, mythological,

contemporary and folk productions too.

This year’s line-up includes a santoor

concert by Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and

a flute concert by Hari Prasad Chaurasia.

Passes for the concert will be available at the

Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, Delhi from

February 15 onwards. Call +91 11 43503333 for

more details.

date: February 20 to 22Venue: Kamani Auditorium, 1, Copernicus Marg

Attakalari India Dance Biennial Bengaluru

Attakalari India Biennial is South Asia’s

largest contemporary dance festival and acts

as an international hub for encounters and

exchanges between artistes, organisations

and ideas. The seventh edition of this event is

centred on the theme ‘Dance Connect’, with

cutting-edge works from across the world.

Visit www.attakkalari.org for more details.

date: February 6 to 15Venue: Across Bengaluru city

Theatre for Children Chennai

Helios Theatre from Germany will present a

theatre programme for children above two

years of age. The show, directed by Barbara

Kolling, is called ‘Ha zwei ohh/ H2O’ and

will be about water and the surprises that

remain to this day a mystery to scientists.

The duration of the show is 30 minutes. All

are welcome.

date: February 14Venue: Spaces, 1, Elliot’s Beach Road, Besant Nagar time: 0430h

French Film Festival Bengaluru

Alliance Francaise de Bangalore will organise

a screening of selected French films as part

of ‘My French Film Festival’. The festival

is an innovative concept, with the goal of

showcasing young generation of French

filmmakers and enabling Internet users all

over to share their love of French cinema.

In its fifth edition this year, the festival will

include 10 French features and 10 French

short films.

date: February 2 and 16Venue: Alliance Francaise Auditorium


The Khajuraho Festival of Dance is an annual celebration

of the most beautiful dance forms of India. The weeklong

extravaganza will showcase the rich cultural heritage of India

through dance performances.

Khajuraho was the capital of one of the most powerful

Rajput dynasties of Central India. The temple town has

groups of temples that are made in sandstone and have

enchanting sculptures. The dance festival is held in an open

air auditorium, usually with the Surya temple (dedicated to

the Sun God) in the backdrop.

Indian mythology is full of stories of Gods who are

versatile in different forms of dancer. Lord Krishna is for

his graceful moves, while Lord Shiva expresses all emotions,

including anger, through this medium. Indian dance forms

have been inspired by all aspects of these mythological

stories, and every style of Indian dance is represented at the

Khajuraho dance festival. Leading artistes from different

genres such as bharatanatyam, kuchipudi, odissi, kathak and

even contemporary dance forms stage their performances

here. Along with the performances, there is also an open

air market selling local crafts, so there is truly something

for everyone.

while in Khajuraho...- Catch the sound and light show that narrates the history

of the Khajaraho group of temples to classical Indian

soundtracks.

- Shilpagram at Khajuraho is a place to visit for cultural

performances and shop for tribal handicrafts.

- The Panna National Park is just 25 km away from

Khajuraho and is a must visit from here.

Spotlightby Team Culturama

Khajuraho dance Festival February 20 to 26

PHoto: Bart PagodaPHoto: Avehi Menon


Seeing Indiaby Preeti Verma Lal

somewhere over the RAINBOW

Will you fly if I tell you that your flying machine is made of fabric and not

hardened metal? That engineers do not hunch over it in a Boeing factory

hangar. Instead, 6,500 metres of fabric is stitched by a seamstress – on a

sewing machine, the kind on which your pyjamas are sewn! This flying

machine has no seat belts. No seats either. You stand in it. Unharnessed. Wait

– no toilet either. No cabin crew to serve munchies and tomato juice. Only a

pilot. And two colossal LPG cylinders. That’s jet fuel – not in a hidden-in-the-

belly tank, but right by your feet. And yes, the runway is not macadamised.

You take off from a barren patch of land and do not know exactly where you

will land. The wind could take you (the flying machine) miles away from the

scheduled landing point.

I had all this and much more hot air balloon ‘fear factor’ running in my

head as the car burnt tyres on the Old Pune road in Lonavala, a hill station

that sits almost equidistant between Pune and Mumbai. It was 4.30 in the

morning and I had rubbed sleep off for a hot air balloon ride – the only

one of its kind in southern/western India. The world was still asleep, so was

the sun behind the Sahaydri mountain range. Generally, that is how early

one steps out for a hot air balloon ride. The balloon takes off with the early

morning sun. On the way to the takeoff point, I noticed a million ‘Maganlal

chiki’ (peanut and jaggery brittle) signboards that lure many sweet-toothed

into Lonavala. But all that was on my mind was a gigantic balloon. Sangram

Pawar, Maharashtra partner of Skywaltz, the only fully licensed commercial

hot air ballooning company in India, was prepping novices and spewing facts

about the first hot air balloon ride – conducted in 1783, which had a duck, a

TAKE A BALLOON RIDE OVER THE SAHAYDRI MOUNTAIN RANGE, CHEW ON CHIKI AND WATCH THE CLOUDS GO BY. OH, AND LOOK OUT FOR ANGELS!


PHotoS: Preeti Verma Lal


WHAT TO DO IN LONAVALA

Visit the Celebrity Wax Museum, Tiger’s Point. Aamby

Valley, Duke’s Nose, and Karla Caves. Have a vegetarian

meal at Kumar’s. Pick up Maganlal chikis.

Where to stay:

Sahil Sarovar is a very good option. High-end

accommodations include Fariyas and Machan.

PRICE FOR A BALLOON RIDE

Hot air balloon rides are available at Jaipur, Pushkar,

Ranthambore and Lonavala. For details and discounts, go

to www.skywaltz.com. Couple/group/corporate discounts

are available. You can also book on bookmyshow.com

(sports section).

rooster and a sheep as passengers. The animals landed safely

in Paris. So would we. Sangram was drilling courage into first-

timers. This certainly was not my first balloon ride – a first in

the Western Ghats, surely.

The car screeched to a halt in the middle of nowhere.

Literally. It was barren patch of land in Kamshet. All I could

see was a careened LPG cylinder spitting fire into the balloon

fabric that lay horizontal. Next to it was a massive fan to help

inflate the balloon. While the balloon bloated gradually, a

Skywaltz employee served tea and coffee and cookies from a

makeshift table.

Minutes later, the blue balloon looked gargantuan against

the pink rays of the near-dawn sky. Skywaltz men were

holding down the balloon, which was still tethered to the

ground. But, where was the pilot? We wouldn’t fly on our own,

would be? Before that question heralded the return of fear, a

silhouette emerged out of thin air. He was Hatem Shoheb, the

Egyptian hot air balloon pilot – a trained aircraft engineer, he

has flown hot air balloons in several countries. This is not his

first season in India; he has flown in Jaipur, and during the

cattle fair in Pushkar.

“Please pay attention,” his voice tore through the

silence of Kamshet. “It is a balloon, not a car. There is no

manoeuvring wheel. I cannot steer it left/right at will. It all

depends on the wind. During landing, bend your knees. Hold

on to the ropes. The landing could be bumpy, so pay heed to

my instructions during landing.”

I bravely hopped into the wicker basket. Hatem cranked

the LPG burner to pump in more hot air and I could feel the

ground missing beneath my feet. The ascent was so smooth

that I forgot I was unfastened. Just standing in a wicker basket

made of willow and cane. The balloon was sailing with the

wind and we had already touched roughly a 1,000 ft. The

world below me was getting smaller, the sun bigger and the

air more rarefied. At 3,000 ft, I was not bothered about the

no-oxygen-mask fact and a battered lung. Instead, I felt like

an eagle flapping over the Indrayani River. The balloon was

sailing at a speed of 70 kmph, but it was incredibly efficient.

As the balloon glided over villages, children waved excitedly,

startled dogs barked raucously, men still in their pjyamas

photographed with their phones and two dark horses in a

stud farm galloped randomly.

In an hour, we had done 10 km away from the take-off

point. Now was the tricky bit – the descent. When Hatem

started the descent, I recapped my knee-bending lesson and

held on to the basket loop. The closer the balloon got to the

ground, the more excited children from the village cheered.

They waved and screamed and clapped as if aliens had come

home. We landed with a thud, but the balloon dragged on

a little on the dewy ground. I held on to the loop tight. The

wicker basket had turned turtle. If all the nine passengers

alighted at the same time, the semi-deflated balloon would

have flown away. We took turns to slide off the basket.

Without a disaster. Without a bruise.

I hopped out and looked up at the sky where I was sailing

a few minutes ago. It felt like heaven, just that I did not catch

any angels up there. On a hot air balloon, I had waltzed in

the sky. I will do it again. Only if the angels promise to waltz

with me.


Travelling with an infant limits your choice of holiday

destinations – it should be child friendly, easy to reach, close

enough to civilisation but not so much that all you get is

a vacation in name. Maybe things change when you gain

confidence as a mum, but, for now, I wanted to play it safe.

We wanted a break from the stifling heat, so my family of

three headed to the hills…something not too far, convenient –

well, you get the gist.

When you think of vacationing in Kerala, the picture

that comes to mind is one of lounging in one of the many

houseboats that dot the clear backwaters lined by lush

greenery. There is more to this picturesque state – the

beautiful Western Ghats that offer a cool respite from

the muggy heat and chaotic city life. One such idyllic spot

is Vagamon.

This small tea plantation town in Kerala’s

Idduki district is good for a laidback holiday. A fresh

green crisp bite of green replete with rolling meadows, an

undulating landscape punctuated by slivers of gushing

waterfalls. It was even dubbed ‘Scotland of the East’ (which is,

admittedly, a bit of a stretch).

Located on the Western Ghats at an altitude of 1,100

metres above sea level, it gives you comfortable temperatures

of no more than 23 degrees C during summer and it is much

cooler otherwise. If you are travelling by car, the road up hill

is scenic as it is curvy. Thankfully, the road has been laid

PHoto: www.teambhp.com


Kerala'S Hidden jewel

Kerala'S Hidden jewel

Seeing Indiaby Prerna Uppal

VAGAMON IS A CLOSELY GUARDED SECRET WHEN IT COMES TO FAVOURITE HOLIDAY DESTINATIONS – WHERE NATURE AND URBAN LUxURIES COME TOGETHER IN A COMFORTABLE COMBINATION

well and the drive is comfortable. A word of caution – though

the road may be fine, the people plying on it may not be so.

Proceed with caution.

One of the first things we did as we entered the town

was hire a local guide. While you can always plan ahead by

looking up things to do and places to stay in, a local guide,

especially in a smaller place like Vagamon, helps, as there

may not be enough information available online; and the

guide will have a plan prepared for your visit, cover a large

area in optimal time, allow you to decide whether you want

to see to see a certain destination/activity, will know the best

routes possible and, my personal favourite; regale you with

the local legends.

En route to the pine forests in Kolahalamedu, we stopped

to see a beautiful waterfall – the Shiva-Ganga waterfall, or

so our guide informed us (which, I suspect, is known as the

Vagamon falls). While I am sketchy on the nomenclature,

what I can confirm is that it is a beautiful sight, with water

gushing down nine steps before ending up in a pool. Given

that I had a little one squirming in my arms, we could only

see this natural phenomenon from a distance. I am told the

fun thing to do is visit the more well-known Marmala falls –

seven kilometres from the Teekoy rubber estate; the falls can

be reached after a trek through the estate. The falls are called

the enchantress of the jungle, where water gushes down from

a height of 200 feet.


Anyway, back to our itinerary – we were headed to the pine forests

after passing the Vagamon meadows, which are an assembly of 11 hillocks

bereft of any vegetation except for light green grass. A great picnic spot, it is

also a popular site for film-making – of the commercial kind. Vagamon, in

general, is a popular location with the southern film industry, offering an

array of location for shooting – hills, greenery, barren land, forests, waterfalls

and the rest.

Before I digress yet again, let us steer our attention back to where we

were headed – the pine forest. These trees were planted by the British in the

18th century. Wood from here was used for both domestic and commercial

purposes, heating and to fuel the tea plantations. The forest is quiet, contrary

to the name of its location (kolahal in some Indian languages means ‘noise’),

and, unlike a forest, trees are set in straight lines, making it more of a

plantation than a forest. Strapping the kid on, we wandered for a while

around the slopes.

Sure-footedness is recommended as the slopes are covered in fallen pine

needles, making it slippery. As the sunrays filter through the leaves, the light

at the bottom is mellow and diffused, giving the place a slightly eerie feel.

The mood is compounded when the mist creeps in silently. Unfortunately,

the mood does not linger for long. As the mists clear, evidence of human

arrogance (read waste) is made apparent. The forest floor is littered with plastic

and waste – a shame, as otherwise the sylvan retreat is a great place to wander,

sit or have a quiet read. Our guide did, however, inform us that plans were

afoot to make the pine forest a protected area, which would, hopefully, mean

cleaner forest floors and probably an admission charge.

Outside the entrance, there is a row of shops selling tea leaves, chocolates

and knick-knacks. The tea is said to be from nearby plantations and the

chocolates are home-made. The cardamom tea is excellent and the chocolates

lovely. There is not much to say about the local cuisine; there is nothing

special on offer that is not available elsewhere in southern Kerala.

Our final stop was Suicide Point – a V-shaped gorge offering a bird’s eye

view of acres of green land below. It is also the venue for paragliding. It has

played host to the International Paragliding Festival since 2006. Every year in

April, paragliders from India and abroad gather here for a spot of flying. On

our visit, it was quiet, with just a few people pottering around. We could just

about enjoy the spectacle as the mist was threatening to close in again.

Speaking of the mist – very beautiful when you see it arranging itself over

valleys and gorges; very scary when you are caught driving through it. As we

were nearing our resort, the mist caught up with us, rendering us more or less

blind. Thankfully, we were less than a kilometre away from our abode and

luckily saw a couple of familiar faces on the way down. They guided us to the

resort – something we may not have been able to manage on our own.

We headed back home to the foothills the next day, although we would

have loved to stay another day to visit more places. Then again, the lovely hill

town is just a short car ride away. We will be back. Soon.

TOP SPOTS IN VAGAMON

Kurisumala Ashram: The Kurisumala

Ashram is a Catholic monastery sitting in

40 acres of land of spectacular greenery.

The Cistercian Abbey here was built in 1958

by Abbot Francis Acharya of Belgium and

Fr. Brede Griffiths of England.

Visit a tea plantation: The major tea

estates here are Pulikkanam Estate and

MMJ Plantations. A visit to these can be

arranged with prior permission.

Vagamon is also great for adventure

sports and outdoor activities such as

mountaineering, trekking, paragliding and

cycling. An Internet search will put you in

touch with relevant operators.

Three hills representing the Hindu, Muslim

and Christian heritage of Kerala are located

in Vagamon:

Thangal Para: A pilgrimage for Muslims, the

durgah here is the resting place of Husrath

Sheikh Fariduddin Baba, a Sufi saint, who

is believed to have come to Kerala from

Afghanistan about 800 years ago.

Kurisumala: Located about eight km

from Vagamon, the hill bearing the Cross

is a Christian pilgrimage spot. Especially

popular during Easter, Kurisumala attracts

thousands of devotees to the church.

Murugan Para: To the east of Kurisumala is

Murugan Para, a hill that houses a rock-cut

temple dedicated to Lord Muruga. Hundreds

of devotees visit the place every year.


ADVERTISEIN THISMAGAZINE


The Rosary Church in the town of Shettihalli Hassan rises each year like the Phoenix – not from ashes but from the waters of

the Gorur Dam. This nearly 150-year-old church, built on the banks of the Hemavathy River, remains under water for most of

the year, and rises every summer.

Every year, Global Adjustments’ Beautiful India Expatriate Photo Competition throws up beautiful images of this multi-

faceted country – each of them tell a unique story from the eyes and views of the visitor. Some of these may be oft-seen places,

people or things, but many are little known or even forgotten. We have curated some images that are from places off the beaten

track – some of which will make you sit up and wonder how you never noticed these little gems. Explore, enjoy.

Picture Story by Team Culturama

TRAVELLEDThe Road Less

Shettihalli Hassan Karnataka

PHoto: Bipin Khimasia, Canada


In one of the oldest areas of Mumbai is the first museum for Rudyard Kipling of The Jungle Book fame. Inside the JJ School of

Art lies a 150-year-old bungalow where the writer spent his childhood. The rundown place also has some curious sights to see –

like the one in this picture.

The Pamban Bridge, India’s first bridge on the sea, was built

a century ago. It connects the island of Rameswaram with the

mainland. Rameswaram plays an important part in the epic

Ramayana, and includes ‘land’s end’ or Dhanushkodi, where

the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal meet.

While the Taj was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan

for his wife, this monument was commissioned by his

son, Aurangazeb, for his wife. Regarded as a ‘poor cousin’

of the Taj, the Bibi Ka Maqbara, located in Aurangabad,

Maharashtra, is only partially made of marble.

Kipling Gardens Mumbai

Rameswaram Tamil Nadu

Bibi Ka Maqbara Aurangabad

Tranquebar Tamil Nadu

PHoto: Rod Hudson

PHoto: Prashanth Mangal

PHoto: Jean Denis Lenoir, France

Tranquebar or Tarangambadi was an active international trading point. The quaint seaside town boasts of many heritage

buildings from the time of Danish settlements. It also is the place where the first copy of the New Testament in the Tamil

language was printed in the early 18th century.

PHoto: Culturama archives


The Lighter Sideby Marina Marangos

the Fog warS

PHoto: Brian Jolley


In the United Kingdom, column inches are devoted to the

weather. People bridge any divide at the bus stop moaning

about how wet it is or how dry it has become. The weather is

the national past time – and perhaps deservedly so, as there

isn’t much good weather around so people resort to a good

outpouring of emotion on it. Painters depict scenes of winter

blues and fog shrouding the town.

You see it and definitely feel it, so perhaps I was expecting

that I would have a similar reaction to the weather in India.

Half expecting, perhaps, that I would engage my vegetable

seller in some banter about the forecast or my driver about

how wet the roads were. This simply does not happen though.

I don’t know any Indian painters who have painted wintry

desultory scenes of cold and mist. In fact, if anything, I could

say the painters set out to paint a very different picture –

water gardens, sitting under the shade of the Bodhi tree,

wearing scant clothes. You get my drift.

So, let me quickly disabuse you of a myth. India is hot –

yes, sometimes. quite a lot of the time, in fact, but there are

seasons that somehow don’t feature on the calendar at all.

One is the cold season I spoke about in a recent article but

the other one, which no one prepares you for, is the soup that

descends on Delhi round about January/February.

You throw open the curtains or draw up the blinds, and

there it is a whole lot of soup staring at you, provocatively,

thickly and menacingly. You stare back – if only looks

could kill – but, sadly, it is too opaque, too thick, too

menacing to be effective.

What happens on the road is what I can happily or

eerily regale you with, which is that setting off anywhere

on anything is like taking your life into your hands and

throwing it down one of the unsuspecting open sewers

THE POPULAR MYTH IS THAT INDIA IS HOT, YES, BUT THERE ARE SEASONS THAT SOMEHOW DON’T FEATURE ON THE CALENDAR. AND NO ONE PREPARES YOU FOR THE ExPANSE OF GREY THAT DESCENDS ON DELHI ROUND ABOUT JANUARY/FEBRUARY

you will inevitably come across. Dark, damp and a little

disconcerting.

Forget the Hunger Games or The Texan Chain Saw Massacre,

this is far more frightening and you are completely at the

mercy of the elements – or, should I say, element. The fog

grounds most flights, disturbs trains too, although less so, is

terrifying on a bus or vehicle of any description and is open

to encounters of the third or even fourth kind.

So, with the driver firmly gripping the wheel and lights

full on, he confidently reassures me that we shall get to our

destination in due course, albeit a little slowly. How slowly,

of course, was not elaborated on nor were the frequent

encounters with bikes, trikes and the occasional elephant.

You see it is practically impossible to see an obstacle ahead in

the soup before you are firmly upon it. The elephant didn’t

take it too kindly and proceeded to trumpet its disapproval.

Honking of course is all the rage in Delhi and I never thought

I would say this but hooting was definitely the preferred

option of survival on days when the fog descends on Delhi.


Festival of the monthby Team Culturama

Among many stories as to why Maha Shivaratri is celebrated

(refer to Myth & Mythology on Page 66 for some of these), the

most popular one is the marriage of Lord Shiva and Goddess

Parvati. The marriage symbolises the union of passive and

dynamic energy that the two represent. It is believed that

fasting through the night and spending the time in prayer

will release one from the karmic cycle of life. Hence, devotees

stay awake and chant verses from the scriptures in praise of

Lord Shiva.

The Mahabharata, the world’s longest epic, also mentions

the Shivaratri, thus making it a centuries-old ritual.

Here is a glimpse of how India celebrates Maha Shivarathri.

Himachal Pradesh: The town of Mandi in Himachal Pradesh

is known for the annual week-long fair that begins with

Shivaratri. Idols of gods and goddesses from more than 80

temples across Mandi are taken out in a procession as part of

this event. The main deity of the festival is, of course, Lord

Shiva, in the Bhoothnath Temple in Mandi.

Maha Shivaratri February 17

Kerala: The bank of the river Periyar in Aluva is where the

grand celebration takes place. The idol of Lord Shiva, made

from sand on the river’s bank, is worshipped by thousands

of pilgrims. The festival is attended by devotees and tourists

alike, who partake of the rituals and patronise the makeshift

shops that are set up along the beach. The Shivaratri

procession at the Thrikkurati Temple is known for its

spectacular display of sound and fireworks.

Tamil Nadu: The Rameswaram Temple in the southern

tip of the state is one of the venerated Shiva temples in the

state. Another major event is the Isha Yoga Foundation’s

celebration of the sacred night at the foothills of Velliangiri

Mountains in Coimbatore. The celebrations begin with

worship at the unique Dhyanalingam Yogic Temple at the

foundation. More details can be found at www.ishafoundation.org.

Karnataka: The Sri Sri Ravishankar Ashram in Bengaluru,

Karnataka, holds a special meditation session called ‘Rudra

Puja’. More details can be found at www.artofliving.org.

Central India: Ujjain’s Mahakaleshwar Temple is one

of Central India’s most significant Shiva temples where

Mahashivaratri is celebrated with religious fervour. Some of

the other famous temples where the festival is held are the

Tilwara Ghar in Jabalpur and the Math Temple in Seoni.

PHoto: Ran Levy, UK


This image is from Little Lambs School

in Chennai, where I found that students

were very eager to learn. I remember

taking a bunch of pictures on this

occasion and in retrospect, they do

give a good idea of a regular day at the

Little Lambs School. However, I like this

particular image because of the angle, the

colours and the light. The picture shows

us what the kids actually see. And I like

the fact that this picture is true; there’s

no polish of real life.

– Elin Wedin, Sweden

Postcard from india


Give to Indiaby Shefali Ganesh

At the intersection of three southern states of India – Andhra

Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu – lies a serene campus

of 172 acres in a place called Kuppam. The serenity belies

the fact that the campus is the nerve centre of creativity and

development. The green expanse holds one of the world’s

most advanced yet indigenous science centre for children

– the Agastya International Foundation runs this unique

hands-on learning programme. Significantly named after

Sage Agastya (who is said to be the ‘father’ of Tamil language),

the foundation aims to provide a new dimension to grassroots

learning for disadvantaged children.

THE AGASTYA INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION, BASED IN BENGALURU, HOLDS THE KEY TO TRANSFORMING THE EDUCATION SCENE IN RURAL INDIA

The Agastya Foundation was founded in 1999 by social

entrepreneur Ramji Raghavan in a bid to foster creativity and

curiosity in children. This is now the core philosophy of the

Foundation. Ramji’s ambition to mould future leaders from

these children by igniting the creative spark in them and

transforming their thinking is seen in action at the Centre.

The chief beneficiaries of the programme are children

from economically weak backgrounds, mostly from rural

India. In the age group of 6 to 18, these children study in

government schools and have no access to technology or

science labs. The Kuppam Centre is one of the few ‘science

museums’ in India that train children through science

models, arts, ecology and astronomy. The Centre’s science

models have been developed over the years by leading Indian

scientists and are designed to complement the government

schools’ curriculum. Initially a large piece of uninhabited

land, the Foundation has created a natural eco-lab out of

the Kuppam Centre, where children can study Nature and

her miracles.

The Kuppam Centre is accessible to children studying in

government schools located within a 50 km radius. Children

from urban private schools also visit the Centre for scientific

learning and to get a glimpse of rural India. For those who

may have discontinued their studies, or are living too far

away, there are mobile science lab vans – there are 150 vans

spread over 15 states, and they carry more than 100 low-cost

The Firefly Fellowship


science experiments to children in remote places. The Agastya

Mobile night labs reach out to children as well as their parents,

who are primarily labourers, carpenters and construction workers.

The parents have to be convinced of the need for education

outside the school. The Foundation also hit upon the idea of

mini science labs-on-motorcycles – with ‘experiments in a box’

that are taken to schools or distributed among government

school teachers.

To help keep up this massive network of activities, Agastya

relies on an uber-enthusiastic instructor force. Because they help

these firefly-like children to sparkle, the instructors are called

‘igniters’. Ramji elaborates on the ‘qualifications’ they look for in

these ‘igniters’: “They need to have a B.E.E degree – Bachelor of

Energy and Enthusiasm! The igniters are people who are inspired

and genuinely believe in spreading curiosity and learning, with

joy.” The igniters are monitored and supported by a master

training group of senior instructors.

Agastya has pioneered an effective model of ‘Young

Instructor Leader’ (YIL) – senior children who are handpicked to

be trained as instructors and spread their learning to the juniors

in their community/village. All experiments are low-cost, live

demonstrations of aspects of science that children can easily

connect to.

The Agastya Foundation reaches more than one million

children through 20,000 teachers each year. Many a budding

scientist has been nurtured by the Agastya Foundation in rural

India. A YIL today, Geetha, who is from a neighbouring village,

discovered her talent for observation at the Agastya Centre –

she found out that the ‘energy drink’ farmers carry to fields,

a mixture of jowar and buttermilk, does not spoil for a week.

Her experiments revealed that the mixture contained a natural

souring agent that acts as a preservative! While Geetha may find

her future in the food technology industry, there are many that, as

Ramji would put it, are on the way to “discovering their ‘Ha! –Aha!

– HaHa!’ moment”. The Agastya Foundation is rewriting the ‘3 Rs’

of education to the ‘3 Ha’s’ of igniting sparks.

Visit www.agastya.org for more details.


Myth and Mythology by Devdutt Pattanaik

The Eternal BalanceSHIVARATRI IS ALL ABOUT CONTEMPLATING ON HOW TO ACHIEVE THE BALANCE BETWEEN MORTAL DESIRES AND IMMORTAL BLISS, MATERIAL NEEDS AND SPIRITUAL DEMANDS

PHoto: Cassia Reis, Brazil

The Eternal Balance


Why is Shivaratri one of the few Hindu festivals to be

celebrated in the not-so-auspicious dark half of the

lunar cycle? Why is it celebrated just as winter draws to a

close? These are questions to which ‘real’ answers may

never be known. However, one can always speculate.

Speculation helps one explore sacred mysteries and thus

gain insight into the Divine.

The traditional story is that, on this night, a thief climbed

a bilva tree, which is sacred to Shiva, to give his pursuers the

slip. He spent the whole night on the tree, plucking leaves

that – unknown to him – fell on a Shiva linga. This act of

unintended piety earned the thief an eternal place in the

lord’s heart. Stories running along these lines are narrated

on Shivaratri as devotees hold an all-night-vigil in Shiva

temples. But these narratives tell us why Shiva should be

worshipped during Shivaratri. They do not tell us what makes

Shivaratri sacred.

One story, popular in some parts of South India, says

that it was on this night that Shiva drank halahala, the cosmic

poison churned by the gods and demons from the ocean of

milk. The goddess Parvati did not want the poison to enter

her husband’s body, so she caught hold of Shiva’s neck. The

gods did not want Shiva to spit the poison out. So they began

singing songs in praise of Shiva. With bated breath, the gods

stayed awake wondering how Shiva could save the world

without annoying his wife. Finally, at dawn, Shiva locked

the poison in his throat for eternity until it turned his

neck blue. The all-night vigil on Shivaratri commemorates

Shiva’s benevolence.

The unconventional tradition of worshipping Shiva in

the dark half of the lunar cycle is not surprising considering

there is nothing conventional about Shiva. He is the only

god who does not adorn himself with flowers or jewels. He

smears his body with ash, wraps himself with elephant hide

and tiger skin and bedecks himself with serpents, wild dhatura

flowers and rudraksha beads. He intoxicates himself with

hemp, is surrounded by wild and fearsome Ganas and lives on

icy barren mountains. The crescent moon on his head – the

same moon that can be seen in the skies on Shivaratri – offers

another possible reason why the 13th night of the waning

moon is sacred to Shiva.

The moon god Chandra was married to the 27 nakshatras,

lunar asterisms, but he preferred only the company of Rohini.

The neglected wives complained to their father, Prajapati

Daksha, who ordered Chandra to change his ways. When the

moon god did not, he was struck with the dreaded wasting

disease. As the days passed, Chandra’s lustre waned. No one

came to his rescue for fear of incurring Daksha’s wrath. In

despair, Chandra turned to Shiva who placed the moon god

on his forehead where Daksha’s curse had no effect. The

crescent-moon on Shiva’s head is a reminder of how Shiva’s

grace saved the moon god from oblivion. Those who fear

death, those who cannot come to terms with the fleeting

nature of existence therefore take refuge in the cosmic ascetic

who has transcended the eternal cycle of birth and death.

In Tantra, the moon represents the cooler, submissive

and fleeting aspect of Nature. The sun represents the warmer,

dominating and eternal aspect of Nature. Together they

represent the totality of life, the union of opposites. While

Shiva represents lunar energy, Vishnu represents the solar.

Shiva transcends worldly life, Vishnu actively participates

in it. Shiva did not want to marry but Vishnu coaxed him

into the cycle of existence. In Shiva’s willingness to be Devi’s

groom one finds the reason why Maha Shivaratri is celebrated

just before the arrival of spring. It must be remembered that

in the Hindu calendar, the festival that follows Shiva’s holy

night is Holi, the festival of fertility, love and joy.

Shiva’s marriage to Parvati is a major theme of Shaiva

lore and is often narrated during Shivaratri. The union

transforms the hermit into the householder and couples

world-rejection with world-affirmation. With the Devi by

his side, the yogi becomes a bhogi (loosely translated to mean

‘householder’). A balance is achieved between the spirit

and the flesh, the ego and the infinite. Maybe that is what

Shivaratri is all about. A time to stay awake through the night

contemplating on the dualities of life – of mortal desires and

immortal bliss, earthly obligations and heavenly aspirations,

material needs and spiritual demands. When the balance is

met, when Shiva is in the arms of Shakti, when the dance is

in perfect harmony, there is truth, awareness and bliss – sat,

chit, anand.

Published on February 15, 1999, in The Speaking Tree. Reprinted with permission from www.devdutt.com


Holistic living by Eknath Easwaran

The The NobleNoble

Path Path WHEN IT COMES TO OUR RELATIONS WITH THE GUIDING PRINCIPLE OF THE UNIVERSE, GOD IS KIND ENOUGH TO SPELL OUT TO US, WHO TEND TO BE FORGETFUL OF THESE THINGS, JUST WHAT WE CAN DO TO RETURN THESE MAGNIFICENT FAVOURS

PHo

to: C

arlo

Sem

, Ita

ly


5 join us every Saturday

India Immersion Centre in Chennai facilitates a weekly spiritual fellowship group following Easwaran’s Eight Point Programme of Meditation. E-mail us for more information at [email protected]. If you are in other cities, visit www.easwaran.org for e-satsangs.

“At the time of creation,” the Bhagavad Gita says, “the Lord

gave humanity the path of selfless service.” In other words, we

are not given life for our own enjoyment. Our highest duty is

to give back to life. Life is a trust, and each of us is a trustee

whose job is to use the assets entrusted to us for the greatest

benefit to all. It follows that the real mark of an educated

man or woman is not university degrees but how much they

contribute to the welfare of others, and the question to ask at

graduation is not “What job will bring me the best salary or

the most prestige?” but “How can I help to make the world a

little better for my having lived?”

In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna tells Arjuna, who

represents you and me, “I have asked the sun to give you life,

the sea to give you water, the clouds to give you rain, the

winds to purify the air you breathe, and the trees and plants

to give you food. I have asked all the forces of nature to give

you everything to satisfy your needs. Therefore, if you try to

live for yourself without returning this to me – drinking my

water, eating my food, doing everything with my energy all

the twenty-four hours – what is the difference between you

and a thief?”

When the Lord hits hard like this, I imagine Arjuna

scratching his head self-consciously like Laurel of Laurel

and Hardy used to do. It is as if he were thinking out loud,

“I never thought of it like that before!” It is easy to identify

with Arjuna’s embarrassment. Sri Krishna is appealing to our

sense of dignity and self-respect in order to encourage us.

Nobody likes being a parasite. Everybody likes to contribute

something. When people do you a favour, you like to find

a way of doing them a favour in return. And when it comes

to our relations with the guiding principle of the universe,

Sri Krishna is kind enough to spell out to us human beings,

who tend to be forgetful of these things, just what we can do

in order to return these magnificent favours. We can use the

energy he gives us, he says, to live for all, thereby promoting

the cause of unity among all creatures.

This is far more than a subtle hint. In no uncertain terms

the Lord is letting us know that this is his law, the underlying

law of life. To the extent we live in accordance with this law,

everything will tend to work in our favour, and thus to favour

the whole. All we have to do is live by the rule.

In this sense, none of us is ever unemployed. We always

have a job to do. We are sent into life for one task: to enrich

the lives of others.

First, Do No Harm

The very first criterion for a good job in the Gita’s view,

then, is that it not be at the expense of others. The Buddha

considered this so important that he made Right Occupation

part of his Eightfold Noble Path. It reminds me of the

physician’s oath: “First, do no harm.” I think that is a very

good oath for all of us to swear by. If we want to improve the

quality of our lives, the very first step is to be sure that our

livelihood is not gained at the expense of life. Any job that

brings injury or suffering to any other creature should be

shunned as unworthy of a human being.

“All creatures love life,” the Buddha says. “All creatures

fear death. Therefore do not kill, or cause another to kill.”

Even if we only lend support to activities that bring harm

to other people or other creatures, we are violating the most

basic law of life. I am a vegetarian, for example, not merely

because of age-old custom, but because I know that the

divinity that is present in my heart and yours is present in

every living thing.

When we begin to look at life this way, we may well find

that we have got ourselves involved unwittingly in work

that the Buddha would call “wrong occupation”. This can

be a distressing discovery with very awkward consequences.

There is no point in blaming ourselves if we find that in

ignorance of the unity of life, we have taken up a job that is

at the expense of life. Yet once we realise this, it is incumbent

on each of us to withdraw from such activities, even if that

entails a cut in pay or a turbulent period of looking for work

where we can use our skills in more beneficial ways.

Reprinted with permission from ‘Spiritual Revolution’, an article by Eknath Easwaran from The Blue Mountain Journal. Copyright The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, P.O. Box 256, Tomales, CA 94971, www.easwaran.org. (Extract from http://www.easwaran.org/spiritual-revolution.html)


The India Immersion Centre, the NGO arm of Global

Adjustments recently initiated a special initiative in Chennai

for senior citizens, called Poornashatki. This monthly forum

will act as a club and platform for elderly citizens to meet and

greet peers. Interacting with like-minded people, learning and

inspiring each other alongside entertainment and listening

to expert speakers have been set as the agenda for the first few

months. The forum was launched by Ilango, a multi-faceted

personality and achiever who is visually impaired. The

second session included games and activities that brought out

thought-provoking messages. Poornashakti, with its motto to

‘Link, Learn and Leave a legacy’ is set to make a difference to

senior citizens and through them to the younger generations.

The upcoming Poornashakti events will be held on February 13 and

March 13. If you wish to join, please call Usha Ramakrishnan at

9840520394 or Brinda Iyer at 9840495367. Email queries can be

sent to [email protected].

the Silver lining

WHAT THEY SAID“I have had the pleasure of coming to

the two Poornashakthi sessions that

have been held under the auspices of

Global Adjustments. Both were enriching

experiences for me. Not that we do not

meet persons of our age in our day-to-

day lives, but they are usually chance

encounters where mere smiles or a few polite words are

exchanged. These sessions, on the other hand, promote

among the members of the group a sense of belonging and

enable them to meet in a convivial atmosphere, taking part

in guided activities conducted by interested and perhaps

trained personnel and altogether spend time agreeably.”

- C.G. Rishikesh

“Poornashakthi creates an opportunity

to meet, observe, understand and gain

the very valuable virtues of very great

personalities from different walks of life.

The sessions are interesting, informative

and make us feel very comfortable and

intimate with the participants and also with the

organisers. Thanks to Global Adjustments for giving me

this wonderful opportunity.”

- Dr. Shyama Swaminathan

At Global Adjustments by Team Culturama

Poornashakti was inaugurated by visually-impaired motivational singer-speaker Ilango; members participate in a wide variety of activities.


Global Wellness Series

Thyro – CareThe mention of thyroid conjures up

images of a swollen neck and lifelong

medication. However, thyroid problems

are easy to diagnose and treat.

The thyroid is a butterfly shaped

gland in the front of our neck. The

thyroid produces two important

hormones-T4 and T3 (thyroid

hormone) which circulate in the blood.

The thyroid gland is controlled by

the pituitary gland in the brain by

producing a hormone called Thyroid

Stimulating Hormone (TSH).

The hormone controls our

metabolism and has an impact on

all our cells and body functions. It

is necessary for memory, energy

levels, bone marrow function, proper

functioning of the heart and proper

movement of our intestine. A common

reason for hypothyroidism is auto-

immune thyroid problem. Sometimes,

the gland may not have formed well

at birth or may have been removed

surgically. Also, the pituitary gland may

be under-active and produce insufficient

TSH. Diagnosing thyroid problems

usually requires a simple blood test.

Women tend to have thyroid

problems more often than men. If

untreated, this can lead to difficulty with

conception and miscarriages. Children

can also develop thyroid problems – they

should be given thyroid supplements. A

person with a thyroid problem can grow,

marry, have children and lead a very

normal productive and long life.

CLEARING THE MYTHS ASSOCIATED WITH THYROID AND THE TREATMENT TO BE TAKEN


Teynampet in Gated Community in the city for rent

3 ensuite • Bedrooms, 1500 sqft, Fully furnished • with nice furniturePool table, • Squash Court, GymSwimming Pool, • Parking, Generator

Kottivakkam Luxury Villa for Rent

4 bedrooms • + Study, 4 bathrooms2700 sq.ft., • Exquisite finishlarge living • rooms with an open kitchenParking, inverter•

ECR Serene Villa for Rent

3 Bedrooms • + Study3 Bathrooms • 3000 sq.Ft. Private lawn, • Private car park, GeneratorSwimming Pool, • Excellent Views

Boat Club Lxurury City Apartment

3 Bedrooms,4 • Bathrooms2800 sq.ft. • Sea facing villa, garden, swimming • pool, Gymall rooms • air conditioned, full generator back-up

4 Chennai Property

For more properties, call Global Adjustments at +91-44-24617902/+91-72999 12605 (Chennai) or e-mail [email protected]


4 Bengaluru Property

4 Delhi Property

4 Mumbai Property

For the above sample and many more such properties call +91-80-41267152 /+91-9986960315 or email [email protected]

For the above sample and many more such properties call +91-124-4389488 or email [email protected]

For the above sample and many more such properties call +91-22-66104191/+91-9769001515 or email [email protected]

Bandra West Fully Furnished Apartment for Rent

4 bedrooms, • 2,500 sq.ft.Marble flooring, • modular kitchen, car parking • space, swimming poolgym and • servants quarters.

Bandra West Furnished Apartment for Rent

2 bedrooms, • 1100 sq.ft.Furnished, modular • kitchenMarble flooring, • Car parking space.

Powai Fully Furnished Apartment for Rent

2 bedrooms, • 1050 sq.ft.Fully furnished • apartmentModular kitchen • car parking • space

Powai Fully Furnished Apartment for Rent

3 bedrooms, • 1790 sq.ft.Modular kitchen, • parking spacelake view, • free membership for Forest Club Servants quarters •

East Bengaluru House for Rent

row Houses• Built-up area • of approximately 4800 sq.ft.,4 bedroom • plus study roomSemi-furnished with • white goods

North Bengaluru Apartment for Rent

gated community• 4 bedroom, • 3800 sq.ft.,Semi-furnished with • white goods

Central Bengaluru Apartment for Rent

apartment near • UB CityBuilt up • area of approximately 6500 sq.ft.,Semi-furnished with • air-conditioners and white goods

Central Bengaluru House for Rent

row Houses • in a gated communityBuilt up • area of approximately 3800 sq.ft.Semi furnished • with white goods

Chanakyapuri Independent House for Rent

6 bedrooms• Brand new, • fully air-conditionedduplex with • lift, spacious living roomFront garden, • park facing

Gurgaon Palm Springs Villa for Rent

5 bedrooms• Back garden, • splash pool.100% security • and power back-upclubhouse, gym, • bowling alley and a movie theater.children’s play • area.

Delhi Kapasera Farmhouse for Rent

5 bedrooms, • separate living and dining areaSwimming pool, • well maintained gardenair-conditioned with • 100% power back-up.good location•

Gurgaon Aralias Duplex penthouse for Rent

5 bedrooms• new, fully • air-conditionedlarge terrace • and living room100% power • back-up, security, clubhousetennis, swimming • pool, spa and restaurant

Registered with the Registrar of Newspapers for India RNI No.TNENG/2010/32752. Postal Reg.No.TN/CC(S)Dn./396/2013-15. Licensed to post without prepayment under WPP No. TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP-268/2013-15. Date of Publication:1st of every month.

culturama february 2015

Documents

copy of culturama

issue of culturama

years concert

aikya logo

capital of classical

years performance

themed concert

indian cultural understanding