India Is Heritage!
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MORPARIA’S PAGE E-mail: [email protected] Contents JANUARY 2017 VOL.20/6 ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ THEME: Morparia’s page 2 India’s Heritage Past is the new Now! 5 Nivedita Louis Long live heritage 6 Managing Editor Vithal C. Nadkarni Mrs. Sucharita R. Hegde India is heritage! 8 Akul Tripathi Editor Naturally yours 10 Kedar Gore Anuradha Dhareshwar Restoring culture 13 Gargi Mashruwala Assistant Editor Slow food 16 E.Vijayalakshmi Rajan Kavita Mukhi Flowing since time 18 6 Design Vithal C. Nadkarni H. V. Shiv Shankar The story behind the story 21 V.R. Devika Know India Better Marketing Nothing official about it! Mahesh Kanojia Inheriting the unsung 23 Akul Tripathi OIOP Clubs Co-ordinator Face to Face 37 Vaibhav Palkar Priya Poduval: A. Radhakrishnan Subscription In-Charge Sanskritaya namaha!40 Shoma A. Chatterji Nagesh Bangera A balancing act 42 23 Shoma A. Chatterji The art of Broto Alpana 45 Advisory Board Manjira Majumdar Sucharita Hegde A building like no other 47 Justice S. Radhakrishnan Mythili Kowshik-Shetty Venkat R. Chary Features Dear Prime Minister... 49 Dr. P.M. Kamath Printed & Published by Mrs. Sucharita R. Hegde for Who will define Hindutva? 50 Prof. Avinash Kolhe One India One People Foundation, Mahalaxmi Chambers, 4th floor, Column 52 22, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Rural Concerns : Bharat Dogra Mumbai - 400 026 Priya Poduval Economy : Anuradha Kalhan Tel: 022-2353 4400 37 Young India 54 Fax: 022-2351 7544 Great Indians 56 e-mail: [email protected] [email protected] Printed at: Graphtone (India) Pvt. Ltd. A1 /319, Shah & Nahar Industrial Estate. S. J. Marg, Lower Parel (W) Mumbai – 400 013 visit us at: Lt. General S.K. Sinha, Prof. M.G.K. Menon M. Balamuralikrishna www.oneindiaonepeople.com PVSM www.facebook.com/oneindiaonepeoplefoundation LETTER TO THE EDITOR “Why harass the common man?” should produce receipts are entirely baseless. In the first place, why restrictions on withdrawing one’s own money Black money is often invested in land, gold and other from one’s own bank account? It is our own hard-earned things and deposited in tax havens such as Switzerland. money which we have earned since the time we were 18 This sudden announcement has certainly led to chaos and years of age and not Narendra Modi’s money. Why harass confusion all over the country. It would have been ideal to the common man? On the other hand, demonetisation of announce the date of demonetisation in advance, as was `1000 and `500, though had been introduced to wipe out done in 2014 regarding notes printed before 2005. This black money, the fact is that more than good, it has proved would have saved the common man from the chaos inflicted to be a bad decision for the common man/woman and hence upon him. The demonetisation move might, at first glance, to the nation. appear to be a good way to control black money and crack down on fake notes, but it is hindering people’s day-to-day – Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai lives. The rich and powerful people, whose money is stashed away in tax havens, are having a hassle-free time while the Letters should be addressed to common man/woman like you and me are suffering. The Editor One India One People Foundation It is also a very good decision by the Central Government Mahalaxmi Chambers, 4th Floor, that ` 2.5 lakhs can be withdrawn from one’s bank account 22, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Mumbai - 400 026 if a marriage is performed in the family by showing adequate Tel: 022 - 2353 4400 Fax: 022-2351 7544 proof like a wedding card, etc. But the restrictions that one e-mail: [email protected] 4 ONE INDIA ONE PEOPLE January 2017 SATIRE Past is the new Now! We must hark back to our legacy, even as we guzzle down a cola or gobble up the triangular wedge of junk, declares Nivedita Louis. Are you listening? ERITAGE – the new fad that is in. Most people who our own Pushpak Viman? Anything that is remotely labeled I meet these days are ‘cool’ as they talk about millet as ‘Indian heritage’ sells at a premium. Hdosas, finger millet porridge, foxtail millet kheer and There is another team of jet-setting women who are the various paraphernalia that go with these dishes. The trying to ‘revive’ the saris of India. Look around for these names and the supposed medicinal qualities of these newly fashionistas who make a killing, mediating between sellers embraced greens and millets are all Greek and Latin to me. (who still suffer in abject poverty), and the eager buyers. As I raise a toast to the rediscovered heritage foods, in all Heritage sells. It is the new ‘packaging’ of a product. Tout earnestness I agree – the taste buds in my tongue rebel and anything as Indian and a legacy – the sheep blindly follow. jump off my tongue in utter disbelief. The only sane inheritance that I have is The sight of banana flower vadas look probably my plus size figure. There, I said it! The sight of banana so enticing, all crispy and rich texture, but fl ower vadas look Overseeing the money-minting part, can I say the same for the millet dosas that it is indeed refreshing to see youngsters so enticing, all resemble grandmother’s handmade cow in quest of heritage. The love for anything dung patties? We Indians have specific crispy and rich that is antique is a thirst by itself. It pushes tastes. South Indians can go to the moon texture, but can I one beyond one’s normal limits in search and back if they get piping hot sambar and say the same for of the past. I still can’t get to my roots – up North, the childhood diktat learnt is roti, the millet dosas has anyone tried to get the names of our kapda aur makaan, always in that order. that resemble forefathers two generations back? I bet, Give us burgers, give us pizzas, we gulp grandmother’s we cannot go beyond three or say four them down in the malls as if the apocalypse handmade cow generations. Following what they ate, how is approaching. The moment we set foot dung patties? they worked, science behind their practices into our homes, the first thing that we ask – it is all interesting. We have been aping We Indians have – “Mom, where is my sambar?” We believe the West for a long time and by now, we a bowl of rice can only complete our day, specifi c tastes. have started realising the world didn’t exist not a round, sticky, expensive ‘dosa’ called in London alone, few centuries ago. pizza. Our moksha lies in licking our fingers The tales and fables told by our high and dry off the last drop of mom’s fish curry, not the grandmothers and grandfathers, the native harvest songs, ‘finger licking good’ mutant chicken that had hatched in the local deities and the story behind each of them, the lone Pennsylvania five years ago! pillars in remote areas that were raised centuries ago, temples We guzzle down Pepsi and Coke with equal fervour as our and their history, architecture of bygone era – everything kattanchaaya. A sulaimani after a hearty biryani on any given fascinates us. It is time we kindle the same interest and keep day would be our choice, after a diet coke, of course. We it alive, document whatever we have and pass it on. Legacy have become gluttons – the fad of the new millennium is still is of course what our children get pushing colas and Macs down our throats in public spaces. from us in the passing. Let them not To appease the Mother God we do dutifully gulp down think the whole world ate pizzas and whatever is handed over to us in a platter. There is a new read Homer! generation of backpack wielding heritage enthusiasts who go Nivedita Louis is a writer, blogger and hunting for a little bit of history and heritage. Few walks and social activist by choice. Bitten by the travel bug, and smitten by nature, she lot of talks later, they still would be trying to figure out who loves travelling and cooking. She blogs at made the first flight – the prototype of Wright Brothers or www.cloudninetalks.blogspot.com. ONE INDIA ONE PEOPLE January 2017 5 HERITAGE LongLong livlivee heritageheritage What is heritage? Is it a habit, a monument, a song, a story, a vintage dress, photographs, a ritual or just a tale handed down over generations? Vithal C. Nadkarni tells us it is all this and more. It is humanity’s collective birth right, he says. O you thought genes were the only things you inherit? should, however, remember that what’s `heritage’ for one What about those vintage jeans (pun intended) you generation may not necessarily be so hoary or meaningful for S‘inherited’ as hand-me-downs when your sibling flew another. off to Lady Liberty’s Land? The word `Heritage’ comes from Also, it would be impossible to save all (heritable) things the old French word heriter which refers to “that which may for all time. For Time is a mighty leveler. How mighty can be be inherited”. seen from Percy Shelley’s well-known poem Ozymandias: In As applied to an individual, heritage would cover your 13th century BC, the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II calling father’s antique pocket watch, your mother himself “King of Kings”, ruled over a vast tongue and grandmother’s heirloom empire. By Shelley’s time, nothing remains jewellery.