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INDIA INTERNATIONAL CENTRE v o l u m e X X IV. No. 1 january-february, 2010

IIC Annual Day EXHIBITION, FILM and TALK: To Mark the Centenary of Dr. Homi Bhabha, January 22

The IIC Annual Day was celebrated as a centenary tribute to the legendary physicist, Dr. Homi J. Bhabha. This included an exhibition, a film and a special lecture by Professor M.G.K. Menon. The exhibition, with photographs from the TIFR, brought alive the close personal bond between Nehru and Bhabha. Established during a visit to England by ship, when Indira Gandhi was also present, this bond led to the formation of the TIFR and the propelling of India into the nuclear age. Indira Gandhi once said that no matter how busy her father was, he always had time for Homi Bhabha. The film In Love with India revealed the multi-faceted Dr. Homi J. Bhabha personality of Homi Bhabha. This was followed by Professor Menon’s lecture, titled ‘Homi Bhabha—A The arts he enjoyed, but science was what he wanted Modern Leonardo da Vinci’. He observed that, like to do professionally. He realized early on that he Leonardo da Vinci, Bhabha was a polymath. He also wanted to study Physics and his role model was spoke of the strong link between Bhabha and C.D. Paul Dirac. In Cambridge, Bhabha achieved the Deshmukh and C.V. Raman, who said that ‘Bhabha explanation of relativistic exchange scattering called is a great lover of music, a gifted artist, a brilliant ‘Bhabha scattering’, among other works. But when engineer and an outstanding scientist’. he came to India, he realized the role of science in national development. Born on October 30, 1909, Homi Bhabha’s life had five distinct phases. The first phase (1909-1927) Professor Menon listed the characteristics of consisted of early studies in India; the second phase Homi Bhabha as intensity, deepest commitment to (1927-1939) included studies at the University of nationalism, realization of the importance of energy Cambridge; 1939-1945 was the continuance of for development, and vision of abundant economic outstanding research at Bangalore’s Indian Institute nuclear power. Underscoring the role of science, the of Sciences. From 1945 to his tragic death in an importance of new areas, of institution building, aircrash in1966, Bhabha dedicated himself to building and determination were some other remarkable institutions, setting up the atomic energy programme characteristics. and focused on the development of electronics.  RACHNA JOSHI history diary

past. This paradox underscores the importance of Pakistani Punjab cultural policies for national identity formation. TALK: Language and Nationalism in This was the crux of the presentation as she actually Pakistan – The Case of Punjab investigated the language-culture-nation linkage Speaker: Dr. Alyssa Ayres through the paradigmatic case of Pakistani Punjab, the hub of ‘Punjabiyat’ (Punjabi culture), adopting Chair: Professor Alok Rai, January 7 ‘Urdu’ and forsaking Punjabi. Contrary to its Indian counterpart, the Pakistani Punjab is hegemonic, Even though Pakistan was founded in 1947 as a militarily as well as politically, a fact that makes cultural homeland for South Asia’s Muslims, it has been accreditation an imperative for them. beset with conflict and multiple fissures since its inception. Dr. Alyssa Ayres examined the Like several pacifists on both sides of the border, historical vicissitudes right down to the current Ayres advocates the usage of cultural commonalities spectre of Talibanization, and also explored the as a mode to forge peace. In this context, she importance of culture to political legitimacy. As mentioned ‘Ajoka’, a theatre group that stages Punjabi she went over the history of the region, she said plays highlighting commonalities on both sides of the early leaders selected the Urdu language to craft a border. In his concluding remarks, Alok Rai praised national identity, although it was the language of a Nehru who allowed India to be split up into linguistic miniscule percentage of Pakistanis mainly because territorial configurations. it was synonymous with the great Islamic cultural  GURPREET MAINI

In the discussion with Ashis Nandy, it was mentioned that the Green movement—very prominent in the Gandhi and Iran June elections—is connected with the colours of Islam and Shi’ism. This civic movement comprises three TALK: The Gandhian Movement in Iran main groups: the intellectuals, students and women Speakers: Dr. Ramin Jahanbegloo; and and has gained a moral legitimacy. Iran is presently Professor Ashis Nandy divided between the moral legitimacy of this civic Chair: Professor Shail Mayaram, January 6 movement, and the illegitimate or coercive power of the theocracy. This is why the Green movement may become politically strong in the future. A well-known Professor of Philosophy from the University of Toronto, Dr. Ramin Jahanbegloo is Iran-India relations are centuries old and Gandhian an ardent admirer of Gandhi. He began his lecture thoughts have an Islamic and Shi’ite connection, by pointing out that the principles of the Islamic said Jahanbegloo. Gandhi had once declared that Republic of Iran are an outcome of a revolution Pathans were the best satyagrahis. The spirit of and popular sovereignty. Since justice and freedom Shi’ism in today’s Iran is non-violent and the present are Republican ideals, political authoritarianism, language of resistance comes from Iranian rituals economic stagnation, a high degree of corruption, and Islamic theology. Modern technology, such as and growing violence have eroded popular support the internet, help to widen these Republican feelings for the theocratic regime in Iran. This is why the among civil society groups and this development Gandhian movement has special significance in may lead to change. Iran today.  BERYL ANAND 2 diary art

free to mix. New exchanges occurred between Urdu and (variants of) Hindi, even as reformists tried to Frontiers of History establish their separate paths: poems oscillated between Talk: Print and Pleasure – Bazaar Poets and Urdu and Braja; barahmasas appeared in Urdu, kissas in Bestsellers of Nineteenth Century Hindi/Urdu Devanagari; the two scripts were sometimes printed in Speaker: Dr. Francesca Orsini parallel. The democratization of reading came through Chair: Professor Vasudha Dalmia, January 15 vividly, from Sayyid Ahmad Khan mocking the pretensions of those with mere chapbook literacy, to a Whetting listeners’ appetites for her new book, Print reader noting how a serial like Fasana-e Azad benefited and Pleasure, Francesca Orsini described how in the those who would not otherwise read newspapers. late nineteenth century registered books formed but Chandrakanta’s investment in wonder over character- islands in a sea of cheap songbooks, barahmasas and building may have meant it later failed Ram Chandra tales. They became critical in expanding the reading Shukla’s criteria for literature, but not, Orsini public, and feeding new forms like theatre, as seen contended, that it relied purely on the ingredients of from Radheshyam Kathavachak’s autobiography. the dāstān to hold readers. It drops dilated description Impressive reprint figures, notwithstanding the in brief, fast-paced chapters—arguably influenced challenges of attracting predominantly illiterate by the new theatre, naturalizes and familiarizes the audiences attuned to performance, suggest a process strange by providing mechanical explanations for of cross-fertilization: ‘women’s songs’ were now tilism or naming local trees, and effects a Hinduization circulated among bazaar poets, in a supra-local dialect. and domestication of the dāstān with caste framing Books brought genres together, stimulating, as with romance and inheritance driving plot. Parsi theatre, eclectic tastes, that the self-educated felt  NIHARIKA GUPTA

new wave, parallel cinema, item number, infotainment, Annual C.D. Deshmukh and so on. Lecture Quoting cinema historians and social thinkers of TALK: Tradition, Modernity and Post Modernism today, as well as Tagore in Indian Cinema who had recognized it as a Speaker: Shyam Benegal new art with great potential; Chair: Professor M.G.K. Menon, January 14 Shyam Benegal constrained then by technology and financial limitations, Benegal defined stereotypes of tradition (Indian, good), and modern This annual flagship lecture was given by film (Western, evil) in early popular cinema, which was director Shyam Benegal, who, like his mentor Satyajit meant for mass entertainment. Modernism brought Ray, inspired a whole new way of looking at and big ideas—equality, industrial growth, democracy— interpreting the content of Indian cinema, almost as that motivated him and would engage more serious far back as the seventies. Recalling the start of his audiences. Today, the ‘modern’ has been propelled personal journey, which followed Nehru’s view that into the ‘post modern’ with the deluge of mass communication must carry a hidden message and be media, and a market-driven economy that motivates a catalyst for social change, Benegal analyzed Indian the content of Indian films. Moral distinctions have cinematic trends from the perspective of his own failed. Success is the new buzzword, and rural life has consistent ‘socialist’ agenda, wryly commenting on been pushed aside by a glamorous urban culture. the labels that have become part of the vocabulary:  RAZIA GROVER 3 eco diary

elaborated Latin America’s authoritarian tradition by categorizing it as: personalized, institutionalized and Violence and Memory populist authoritarianism. TALK: Violence and Memory in the Andes: The The second part of his lecture was devoted to the Case of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission violence perpetrated by the Shining Path in Peru. in Peru. Even though the Shining Path claimed to work for Speaker: Professor Felix Reategui-Carillo their rights and dignity, it was the Kechua people who bore the major brunt of Maoist depredations. The Chair: Dr. Nandini Sundar. February 24 Peruvian state fought terror with terror, making it the worst violator of human rights.

The Andean region has witnessed a plethora of violent This was the background for Peru’s setting up a Truth civil wars, Maoist movements and gross human rights and Reconciliation Commission, which adopted a violations. Reategui-Carillo provided the historical victim-oriented approach. What the Commission did context of this institutionalized violence, or the was to set the record straight, provide dignity to the ‘violence of voicelessness’. Though Latin American victims and restore truth with memory. Sadly, what States gained independence by the 1820s, power merely the country has achieved is peace without justice, as changed hands from the caudillos to the oligarchs who the attitude of the state has been what can be summed regarded the life-style of the indigenous people as up as ‘we accept but will not comply.’ ‘barbarian’ who had to be ‘civilized.’ Reategui-Carillo  ASH NARAIN ROY

significantly shaped his career. While serving in the India Office during his tenure in the civil services, Remembering Keynes Keynes wrote his first major book India-Currency BOOK DISCUSSION: Keynes – The Twentieth and Finance, which even today serves as the base for Century’s Most Influential Economist the Gold Standard. Keynes’ strong interests in fine by Peter Clarke arts, painting and ballet are reflected in his approach Speakers: Professor Pulin B. Nayak, and to economics wherein he looked at the subject not merely as a technical discipline, but one with strong Dr. Rajiv Kumar links to other fields of study: sociology, culture and Chair: Dr. Shankar N. Acharya January 5 psychology. The reason why Keynes has resurfaced and still widely This book discussion provided an insight into the life regarded as the ‘Father of Macroeconomics’, is because and works of Lord Keynes and explained his current he was a proponent of government spending and importance. While Professor Nayak, provided intervention, as well as a great supporter of public policy the salient features of the entire life of Keynes, making, and globalization. After the global financial Dr. Rajiv Kumar spelt out what makes Keynes the crisis of 2008, these have emerged as important most remembered and followed economist today. topics of study. However, Keynes was opposed to Keynes received the best education from premier revenue deficits, and urged that governments should schools and colleges: Eton and King’s College, strive hard to reduce ‘uncertainty’, which is the main Cambridge. In addition, he received private lectures characteristic of any economic system. from the noted economist Sir Alfred Marshall, which  JYOTHI KRISHNAMOORTHY 4 diary literature

this that he was given the London International Book Fair Lifetime Achievement award in 2006. Crime and Literature MacLehose spoke with humour of his personal TALK: The Shape of an Elephant experiences in the course of his association with – The Publishing Over Long Years of famous writers and publishers but the thrust of his Translations of Literature talk was on how important it is for publishers to be and Crime good editors as well. It was interesting to learn that Speaker: Christopher MacLehose just three per cent of British publishing is devoted to Chair: Mukul Kesavan, January 18 translations. This is why Britain remains so isolated from Europe, he felt. He also expressed his anxieties about the recent mergers of small but important A heart-warming talk on a cold day is perhaps a good publishing houses and the fallout of this on the description of Christopher MacLehose’s amusing future of publishing. His own life is a reflection of recollections of his long publishing life. Regarded as a this trend, for after many years of working for small doyen in his field and blessed with an unerring instinct publishing houses that were merged or shut down, for picking winners, MacLehose has a long line of he started his own imprint. His special fondness for famous authors behind him. From P.G. Wodehouse crime fiction because he believes that good crime to the current cult crime fiction writer, Stieg Larsson, fiction is a mirror to the social world of that country, he has handled the work of such brilliant writers was another interesting thought he left his audience as Bernard Malamud, Toni Morrison and George to mull over. Macdonald Fraser, among others. It is perhaps for  IRA PANDE

The jewel of the performance was the ‘Song of Genesis’. This composition resulted from her search Yearning into the ‘vibratory nature of the sounds of language THEATRE: Yearning, presented by together with the musical modes of the Middle East.’ Ruth Wieder-Magan Ruth expanded in song, letters from the Hebrew Collaboration: Theatre Company alphabet. ‘Mem,’ she said, ‘is the complete letter... Jerusalem, The Israel Ministry of Foreign Mem emerged from ...Mother... the sound Mem lives Affairs, The Israel Lottery Council for in our wombs.’ This sound drew the audience deep the Arts, and the Embassy of Israel in within and the sound of ‘hey, hey, hey’ as it rose in an echoing crescendo transported us from our earthly India, January 30 moorings, giving our spirits flight. Mark Eliyahu-Dagestan on the Kamance provided a There is a sound that is human and is the subtext perfect counter point, as he merged Hebrew songs of any language. It lingers in folk traditions across with Middle Eastern melodic modes. The sound was the Earth, from the Bauls of Bengal to the chants ancient and contemporary, at times evocative of a of the American Indians. When Ruth Wieder-Magan Western violin solo, at others an Eastern sarod. The took the stage, she was the very centre of this sound, clarinet played by Daniel Yakobsan provided a steady, the primordial source of a human cry. Declaring that tanpura like drone. underpinning all emotion is ‘Yearning’, she held the audience spellbound by giving it a powerful voice. Ruth’s ‘cry from the heart’ found an echo in the low Visually too, her presence—with her cascading hair voice of someone sitting behind me, and for once I and robes evocative of an ancient Greek tragic figure didn’t mind—he was crying out for us all. —was riveting.  MALATI SHAH 5 films diary

Reading History FILMS: Reading History – A Festival of Documentaries, January 15 —17

There was a time when documentaries were regularly shown in cinema halls just before the screening of the feature film but today, it is no longer so easy to view a well-made documentary film. This interesting festival was thus a treat with a wide range of documentaries (from a personal eulogy to the city of Liverpool by Terence Davies, to Iran’s rebel voices and lessons from the life of Robert McNamara), interspersed with talks and discussions. The festival highlighted several new developments in the genre with an emphasis on particularly innovative, seminal films. The making of documentaries now presenting—rather than representing—chosen includes archival material, cartoons, paintings and the themes. He stressed that there was a lot of good reconstruction of specific events by using actors on work going on in the UK and the USA, often location; the aim is to hold the audience by enhancing unseen in India. Such work was so original in its the dramatic quotient. approach that it was worthwhile to hold a festival Several films certainly succeeded in this aim. In of these documentaries, he said. The standards for such presenter-led films have been evolved over the Michael Woods’ The Story of India, Woods was almost one of the main actors, often visible as he years by maestros, such as Jacob Bronowski, David went from one location to another, even taking part Attenborough and Kenneth Clark. There was always in holi celebrations to illustrate the diversity and more than one authentic narrative to choose from, though there may well have been disagreement about wealth of Indian culture. Simon Schama’s A History their relative authenticity; it was for the presenter of Britain, on the other hand, kept a certain distance as befits a professor. Understandably, not all films to decide which one to depict. Indeed the debate about interpretation versus authenticity continued were of the same quality as these two. The Last Days and is bound to rage on. of the Raj, to mention one, was particularly weak and rather shoddily constructed. This intelligent combination of films, discussions The discussions and talks were a fascinating and and talks proved to be an intensely engaging insightful counter-point to the films. And here experience, not just for film buffs, but for all those Christopher Mitchell, curator of the festival, who have over the years taken an incidental but took the lead by highlighting in some detail how continuing interest in the documentary as form. precisely the makers of these films went about  I.P. KHOSLA 6 diary culture

metre in which he later composed the great epic Tagore’s Valmiki Pratibha Ramayana. PERFORMANCE: Valmiki Pratibha, an opera by This musical drama documented the complete Rabindranath Tagore spiritual transformation of the dacoit Ratnakar into Presented by the Tagoreans, UK the saint Valmiki. The back drop of the stage and the music created an appropriate atmosphere for Directed by Gairika Gupta changing emotions throughout the drama, in its Collaboration: Impresario India, January 31 different episodes. The music was a judicious blend of foreign and native melodies that ranged from The Tagoreans from UK brought back the Tagore era Irish to Indian classical music, and from folk to in this immortal opera. Directed by Gairika Gupta, Rabindra Sangeet. The whole gamut of Rasa-Bhava who kept its vintage flavour intact, it was a ‘house (such as anger, sorrow, joy and wonder) during the full’ show. dance-drama were depicted with a cascade of musical Valmiki Pratibha (The genius of Valmiki) is based emotions gushing forth, by loosening the chains on the story of the epic poet Valmiki, originally the of melodic forms and making them adaptable to a robber chief (Ratnakar), who was moved by the grief variety of treatments to match various situations. The of a crane on witnessing its mate being killed by a well-trained dancers did full justice to the poetry and hunter. His compassion breaks out into an impromptu music that kept the audience spellbound. metrical lament, an ‘Anushtup Sanskrit shloka’ the  MANJARI SINHA

begun a fascinating process of visually documenting Danielou and Burnier Indian society. FILMS, EXHIBITION and DISCUSSION: India Their oeuvre was well represented in this exhibition, Through the Lenses of Alain Danielou and a selection of black-and-white photographs from the Raymond Burnier (1936 – 1960) Alain Danielou/Raymond Burnier photo collection Collaboration: Alain Danielou India Committee, to represent the various phases in the life of the two artists. It also showcased what were perhaps among January 20 – 28 the earliest photographs of Khajuraho and other In 1932, Frenchman Alain Danielou and Raymond temple architecture. Burnier from Switzerland came to Shantiniketan Interestingly, not a single image that featured a with their cameras, paints and woman or girl was visible in this sketch books, where they spent display. Apart from providing four years at the invitation of a microcosmic view of each Rabindranath Tagore. While phase of the photographers’ Burnier concentrated on work, the exhibition was a fine photography, Danielou actively example of the evolution in collaborated in a musical styles of representation. Above enterprise of the transcription all, in many imaginatively and arrangement of some of composed portraits, it was as Tagore’s songs, ‘so that they could though the individuals were be performed by Westerners’. seeking engagement, if not By the end of the 1930s, when conversation, with the viewer. the duo moved to Varanasi  MALAVIKA from Shantiniketan, they had KARLEKAR 7 focus diary

Khursheed Bano, Suraiya—actors themselves. A Golden Age Singers in those times shared a sense of camaraderie FILM: What’s behind the song in Hindi films? amongst themselves—divisive caste politics was an Screening of a film followed by a presentation alien concept—and voice and persona became firmly – The Golden Years of Indian Cinema. A film by identified with individual actors, such as Mukesh and Raj Kapoor. Nasreen Munni Kabir Chair: Prof. Shohini Ghosh, February 3 Lyricists and composers were a varied group too: the political activist, the humorous ever-youthful The screening of this five-part documentary and the poet-lyricist, or the simple worshipper of words lively discussion that followed resurrected the times immaculately clad in melody. Matching musical metre when melody, lyrics, composition and rendition were to lyrics was no mean feat for composer and lyricists, an act of love, faith and conviction. A compilation nor was eliciting the right delivery and diction from of interviews with the best talent of Hindi cinema a singer always easy. And beyond the score and and song extracts from the golden years of Hindi song lay the vast uncharted territory of spoken or cinema, Kabir’s documentary highlighted a time emoted lyrics and the equally significant canvas of when filmmaking was driven by social concerns, background music. and the films’ protagonists were extensions of the By the ’80s the ‘discofication’ of song and melody masses involved in the gruelling, albeit joyous, task of threw up the impossible challenge of fitting the nation-building. Indian musical, especially folk, ethos into a range of Many of these memorable songs that still return Western beats. to haunt us were sung by KL Saigal, Noor Jehan,  DIpa Chaudhuri

to develop a state apparatus and political legitimacy. City of Conflict The records revealed patterns of land use and property ILLUSTRATED LECTURE: Mumbai – Theatre of transactions based on religious tolerance and political Conflict, City of Hope security, which laid the standards for creating a market Speaker: Professor Miriam Dossal, author of in land. The eventual development of Bombay’s civic infrastructure—its cotton mills, docks and railways and Mumbai – Theatre of Conflict, City of Hope–1660 its rise as a colonial city, rather than a colonial port— to Present Times (Oxford University Press 2010) were based on these standards. Chair: A.G.K. Menon, February 5 Using rare maps, drawings, sketches and archival photographs to illustrate her arguments, Dossal briefly It is a truth universally acknowledged that in order to discussed the three seminal land revenue surveys, and plan the future, we must understand the past. Dossal’s specifically the hitherto unknown and earliest survey of compelling narrative—and her book—attempt to do its kind conducted by Thomas Dickinson from 1811- just that by examining the serious challenges before 27 that is distinguished by its sheer retrieval of history the city, and how the politics of land use has impacted of the period. All three, including the two conducted in Mumbai and Mumbaikars. 1865-72 and 1912-15, are used to arbitrate land disputes Dossal’s presentation tracked the history of Mumbai even today. She also touched on the contributions from its beginnings in 1660, to show how seven small of Mumbai’s earliest communities, the importance islands developed into an industrial megapolis. Her of reclamation in its expansion, the development of research took her into the past, especially the archives business districts, and its distinctive architecture. of the Land Records Office, first set up by the British  RITU SINGH 8 diary global

historical linkages and political foundations of India and Africa that go back centuries to the time when India and Africa maritime trade first brought the two land masses on INAUGURATION: International Seminar on either side of the Indian Ocean together. Today, this India and Africa – Partnership for Capacity exchange has expanded to embrace issues such as Building and Human Resource Development education, food and energy security, climate change Collaboration: African Studies Association of and healthcare, he pointed out. These are areas of India, and Indian Council for Cultural Relations, mutual concern and such interactions are bound to February 9 promote greater cooperation and understanding. With the ICCR opening India Centres all over Asia and Africa, and more scholarships to African countries, This international seminar was a follow up of the the bond had strengthened. India-Africa Forum Summit held in New Delhi Professor M.G.K. Menon, President of IIC, spoke in 2009. of the deep relationship of the Centre and university Dr. Karan Singh, President of the ICCR, welcomed faculties and welcomed the participation of members the participants, who included a number of diplomats, who were interested in education. He concluded heads of institutions from Africa and India, as well by saying that it was a unique honour to have a as academics and social scientists. He traced the meeting on Africa.

Sexuality was visible at home and the family. There was evidence of it in sanitation and health. If there Frontiers of History was sexuality, there was also proof of its suppression TALK: Sex and the Archive in Colonial India in the gossips and rumours of the day. Speaker: Dr. Charu Gupta The colonial imposition of the Victorian code Chair: Dr. Brinda Bose, February 19 of morals, particularly on caste-Hindus, could be seen, though of course there was no single code of Charu Gupta, assistant professor of history at Delhi morality. The implicit relationship between sexuality University, gave a lecture on ‘Sex and the Archive’ at and power was identified, and expressed in diverse the IIC on February 19. ways. Sexuality often permeated caste hierarchies. The lecture dwelt on the topic of sex and what Here sexuality refers not just to male-female could be known about it from the archive in the relationships. The Jails Enquiry Committee had first decades of the twentieth century. The term referred to male-male bonding, which led to ‘moral ‘archive’ here refers to libraries and similar institutes contamination’. Author Pandey Bechayan Sharma in cities such as Benares, Allahabad, Kanpur, and wrote a book called Chocolate, which had young good- Lucknow. looking boys as homosexual partners. The book sold The item was largely woven around sexuality well but was banned. Mahatma Gandhi had criticised and obscenity. Gupta revisited and studied what the book, however. constituted peripheral sources of this topic. Yashoda Devi, a woman ayurvedic doctor, wrote The subjects of her investigation were women, forty books in Hindi on the subjects of family, homosexuals and lower castes, all in a colonized gender and sexuality. There were representations of set-up. The running theme was the intersection of Dalit women in didactic sexual terms. However, they sexuality and colonial identity. remained a footnote in the writing of the day. 9 review diary

Telling Tales Under Trees TALK: Telling Tales Under Trees – Storytelling, an environmental quiz, a nature walk with Ranjit Lal Organized with Deepa Agarwal and Devika Rangachari, February 20

An interactive session for children was held at the Gandhi-King Plaza at IIC on February 20. Deepa Agarwal and Devika Rangachari, both popular children’s writers, conducted interesting sessions with the students. Ranjit Lal, who is an expert on birds in Delhi, led a nature walk around Lodhi Gardens. on a nature walk with Ranjit Lal, where they spotted The event started off with an environment quiz various birds such as bulbul, brown-headed barbet, by Devika Rangachari. It incorporated questions Indian Moor Hen and also learnt about their habitats. such as ‘Is plastic biodegradable?’ and ‘What kind While telling the students how wrong it is to cage of rain is made up of chemicals and is harmful to birds, Ranjit Lal told them, ‘I think people cage birds us?’. The children, who were from schools such as because they are jealous they can fly.’ Bluebells and St. Mary’s, were extremely enthusiastic After these educative sessions, there was a fun and responsive. Some had even dressed up as leaves, magic show for children by Ishan Shivkumar, an clouds or the sun and were given prizes for each eleventh grade student at Sardar Patel school. It correct answer they gave. was a spectacular show and the children loved This was followed by an interesting book reading by it. It was a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a Deepa Agarwal, where she talked about her new title, Saturday morning. The Mango Birds. Simultaneously, some students went  MOHINI GUPTA

Obituary A-4654 Shri Ram Gopal Nayar A-5200 Ms. Santosh Malhotra L. 0266 Shri S.K. Singh M-1012 Dr. Rajendra Awasthy M-1288 Shri S.K. Banerji M-1376 Shri Y.R. Mehta M-1902 Shri S. Grover M-2114 Shri P. Upendra M-2305 Mr. Simon Digby M-2638 Shri Gopi K. Arora M-3141 Professor R.C. Sharma Medical Emergency The IIC Staff have been trained to administer first aid in emergencies. However, members who require specialized medical attention in an emergency are requested to furnish relevant information and contact numbers to the Centre of the family members who are to be contacted on their behalf.

Feedback The IIC welcomes suggestions and feedback from its Members every month. 10 diary futures

Highlights for March-April 2010

Le c t u r e s Choreography: Debamitra Sengupta Water: The Stuff of Life: Lecture Series Production: Mayur Lalit, Kolkata 12 May at 6:30 pm in Conference Room – I On 3 April at 6:30 pm Wetland Ecology and the Yamuna Biodiversity Park Recitation of Bengali Poems “Banglar Kabita” Speaker: Prof. C.R. Balu By Bisakha Mukherjee from Kolkata 11 June at 6:30 pm in Conference Room – I An Evening of Bengali Songs “Banglar Gaan” Water for Food, Water for Life By Srikanto Acharya from Kolkata Speaker: Mr. Bharat Sharma, Head, International Water Management Institute On 4 April at 6:30 pm Anamni Angana Performances A play based on a story taken from the Mahabharata 26 March at 6:30 pm in the Annexe Auditorium Directed by Bijolakshmi Barman Anhad Naad - Pakhawaj and Tabla Duet Followed by Presented by Arun Muktir Path Kumar on the pakhawaj, Dance choreographies with live music from Tagore’s and Madhuresh Bhatt on creations: Bhanusungher Padabali, Chitarangada and the tabla. Taser Desh Choreography: Kalavati Devi 23 April at 6:30 pm in the Auditorium Hindustani Classical Music – Sitar Recital By Subho Chakrabarty from Kolkata, disciple of Guru Debiprasad Chatterjee and Partha Chatterjee Film 19 April at 6:30 pm in the 1 April at 6:30 pm in the Auditorium Auditorium Kathak Recital Films on Spirituality and Faith By Alakananda from Delhi, disciple Adi Shankaracharya of Guru Munna Lal Shukla (120 min; dvd; English subtitles) Panorama of Bengal’s Art A film by G.V. Iyer Heritage: A Festival – 2nd to The only film ever to be made in classic Sanskrit, this 4th April 2010: At the Gandhi- multiple award-winning film is based on the life of King Plaza one of the greatest thinkers the Indian sub-continent On 2 April at 6:30 pm has ever known, Adi Shankaracharya The Great Sentinel 8 to 13 April in the Foyer outside the Auditorium A compilation of Tagore’s songs and writings with The Stilwell Road English narration An exhibition of photographs taken during the Presented by Rabigeetika, Delhi expedition which traced the road created during Direction: Sudhir Chanda World War II from Kunming in Yunan Province in South West China through Upper Myanmar to Raas Leela Dance choreography based on Padabali Kirtan Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in India (Odissi Style) Photographs by Dileep Banerjee. 11 Reg. No. 28936/77 miscellany diary

Women Writers Association, Reba Som, Director, Book Launch Tagore Centre, Kolkata and Dr. Kavita Sharma, Director, IIC also spoke at the function. Six contributors The IIC-Asia Project, as a culmination of its earlier to the volume from abroad who were present for the initiatives and programmes, had released three launch - Donia Gobar (Afghanistan), Kishwar Naheed publications in March 2009. One amongst these was (Pakistan), Kunzang Choden (Bhutan), Manju Tiwari ‘Speaking for Myself: An Anthology of Asian Women’s (Nepal), Putsata Raeng (Cambodia) and Shun Ling Writing’. The publication had been well received and Agnes Lam (Hong Kong), read out their poems. The there were several reviews. Another launch of this book launch was preceded in the forenoon by a round publication took place in Kolkata on January 31, 2010 table discussion on Asian Women’s Writing, moderated at the initiative of the Prabha Khaitan Foundation, by Director, IIC. Participants included some eminent a social NGO devoted to the betterment in the area writers of Bengal, such as Mahashweta Devi, Amalendu of education, culture, art and literature. Sundeep Dey, Bani Basu, Bharati Ray, Dibyendu Palit, Geetesh Bhutoria, Trustee of the Foundation, had widely Sharma and Jasohdara Bagchi, as also contributors circulated copies of the volume amongst scholars to the volume from abroad. The editors of the and institutions. volume—Professors Sukrita Paul Kumar and The book was launched by Mrinal Sen, eminent Malashri Lal—also spoke at the functions. film maker, with Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan in the Chair. The Anthology, a collection of stories and poems by Sunil Gangopadhyay, President, Sahitya Akademi, women writers from thirty-two Asian countries, was Nabaneeta Dev Sen, Founder President, West Bengal highly appreciated as a unique one of its kind.

view of the shifted, the absent, and the dead; and Jewel in the Crown compulsory identification of the voter before voting. TALK: The Diamond Jubilee of the Election Its moral code for the parties and the candidates is Commission of India – Retrospect and Prospect stringent. Its control over the official machinery is total and unquestioned. Its recent innovations in Speaker: Dr. S.Y. Quraishi, January 20 the form of booth level officers and agents, use of One of the most respected and credible institutions electronic-tracking, micro-observers, video-recording, of India, the Election Commission has played a satellite-phone, and webcasting as weapons of sterling role in conducting polls for the largest surveillance,—all with a view to purifying the process electorate in the world at 6,87,407 polling stations. of its possible infirmities—are commendable. The journey from the use of separate boxes for Not content with its achievements, the Commission political parties to the use of one box, and then the is constantly pursuing reforms by dealing with issues electronic voting machine in order to preserve the of surrogate advertising through the use of paid secrecy of identity and prevent malpractices was news; preventing criminals from contesting elections; delineated by Dr. Quraishi, member of the addressing the apathy of urban electorates; providing Commission, while celebrating the golden jubilee of for the rejection of all candidates; elimination of the institution. money power; seeking powers to deregister fake The Commission has endeavoured to undertake political parties, and finally by proposing false constant reforms in updating electoral rolls by declaration by a candidate as a criminal offence. the process of computerization, issue of photo These measures are likely to purify the process. identity cards; ensuring the fidelity of the rolls in  P.S. BAWA

This issue of the Diary has been assembled and edited by Ira Pande, Chief Editor; Rachna Joshi, Senior Asst. Editor; and Ritu Singh, Asst. Editor. Published by Ravinder Datta, for the India International Centre, 40, Max Mueller Marg, New Delhi-110 003. Designed by Poonam Bevli Sahi at FACET Design, D-9, Defence Colony, New Delhi - 110 024, Ph: 24616720, 24624336 and printed by Mastan Singh at I.G. Printers, 104, DSIDC Shed, Okhla Phase-I, New Delhi - 110 020. 12