Spread over a weekend, this memorable festival celebrated the spirit of the poet-philosopher Kabir in ways seldom seen or heard. The festival's core was a quartet of films by Shabnam Virmani on the world of Kabir, a complex network that encompasses music, faith and philosophy. The result was a unique event that brought alive the compelling magnetism of Kabir's poetry down the centuries. Ultimately this journey was fully understood by those who dared to experience the empty nothingness (Shuf!JIa) that lies at the centre of the land (des) that beckoned Kabir. This mood was elaborated in the soulful music of Prahlad Tipanya (from Malwa) and Mukhtiar Ali (from rural Rajasthan) in the evenings. Immersed in the spirit of Kabir's poetry, their mutation of this profound philosophy into their regional folk idiom is probably how Kabir's poetry has marked its space in every major Mllkhtiar Ali singing religious belief of this country - Hinduism, Islam the best example of our cultural plurality. From the and Sikhism. Similarly, Shabnam's films convincingly rural heartland of Central to Sind in , showed that till today Kabir's immortal message is Shabnam captured the voice of Kabir so vividly that time and space became secondary to experience. In the lively interviews with Linda Hess, Purushottam Agarwal and Shabnam Virmani, conducted by Vidya Rao, Dilip Simeon and Suman Keshari, the audience got several opportunities to question scholars who have explored the undying .Kabir heritage in their works. By the end of the festival, each person took home an echo of Kabir's immortal voice that speaks to each in a language that transcends words . • lRAPANDE Prablad Tipasya and ParfY Calicut. Daruwalla said that in writing a historical ForPepper and Christ- novel, one started by dealing with the differences TALK: For Pepper and Christ: Writing a between history and fiction. A novel about today would become a historical novel fifty years hence. History, Historical Novel he said, deals with facts-multiple perceptions of Speaker: Keki N. Daruwalla truth, while the novelist's job is to tell a story. Chair: Professor Madhavan Pal at, September 24 Daruwalla felt that the most important partabout an historical novel is to bring alivethe past-how people Professor Madhavan Palat opened the evening by introducing Keki N. Daruwalla, the author of the ate and dressed, and recreate the tastes and sounds and smells of that period. In recreating the Middle novel For Pepper and Christ, which deals with a great Ages, the author has to describe the fear of possession encounter between two cultures that occurred in by djinns or by the devil, and by millennium fears. the fifteenth century. He also spoke of the historical Sometimes, historical events, like the Mutiny, are significance of Vasco da Gama's arrival on Indian so sensational that the novel gets overrun. He said shores for this led to great political upheavals later. that this novel goes against the theorists of fiction The arrival of the Portuguese signaled the beginning in the sense that he has stuck to facts. However, the of the European domination of the world, and characters and subplots are fictional. showed how the European traders and adventurers became colonial imperialists. A livelydiscussion with historians, litterateurs and art The main players in this novel are the Christian world, historians followed. the Arab world, and the Samudri Raja and court at • RACHNAJOSHI

to show with the help of some cheeky images, the quirkiness that is such a vital part of this city's life. Adventures in a Megaeit, From a track that declared 'Dilli hai diwanon ki Dilli', LECTURE: - FurtherAdventures in a Megacity the video tried to encapsulate all the madness of Speaker: Sam Miller, author of Delhi: Further everyday life. A clip from the Shashi Kapoor-Leela Adventures in a Megacity, Penguin, 2009 Naidu starrer, The Householder effectively brought in Chair: RoshanSeth, September 25 the then-and-now aspect of this city. Elaborating on the 'mega city' aspect, Miller spoke In an illustrated talk with mUS1C,videos and of the sheer size and scale of Delhi that can seem photographs, Sam Miller took off where he left us daunting, especially to a foreigner. Citing his own in Delhi: Further Adventures in a Megaciry, his hugely experience of overa decade, he spoke of how rapid entertaining account of life in Delhi. The stories and rapacious growth has crept up and caught the that made the book such an entertaining and lively city virtually unaware. The highpoint of the evening, account of life in Delhi spilled over into the talk- however, was Miller's hilarious description of the first through a video on different aspects of the mega Phantom Squirter and the Miraculous Shoe Shine city, followed by an interaction between Roshan Seth Man, two conmen who target foreign tourists. 'What and Sam Miller. are the mechanics of squirting excreta?' Miller The short video film was not just a montage of the wondered. 'Does he use a turkey baster perhaps, or a usual Delhi shots-grand but crumbling monuments, syringe? And, most of all,what does he tell his family jostling crowds and dramatic contrasts of the old and that he does for a living?' the new, existing cheek by jowl. Instead, it attempted • RAKHSHANDAJALIL a field of study emerged during the last two decades and was mainly prompted by UNESCO's concern Enlllnl8radlapluaaes about viewing linguistic rights as human rights. SfMlNAR: lote/nationa/Seminar on According to the Atlas, 196 Indian languages are now fndllfflJered Languages 10/lIdi8 endangered, some on the point of vanishing altogether, CoUabor,tioo; II\ITAC6r Gil, NUEPA, while others are in various degrees of attrition. These Sabitya Akademi,Octofie1'22 languages are usually spoken by small communities, some of them in danger of extinction themselves. Several eminent international and Indian scholars The number of such languages is far larger than the presented papers at this important seminar. After an powerful mainstream languages. This is borne out by introduction by S. K. Misra and Kamalini Sengupta the fact that four per cent of the world's population of INTACH, Dr. also addressed the speaks ninety six per cent of the languages of the participants. The key note speech by Dr. Christopher world. These languages are dying at the rate of about Mosely, a linguist who has been working with UNESCO one every fortnight. In India, although these languages to produce the latest and third edition of the Atlas are found in every part Of the country, the majority on the World's Languages in Danger, was a detailed are found along the Himalayan belt, the northeastern account of the formulation and methodologies of states, and Jharkhand. With language loss are also lost this important interactive atlas, easily accessible on the vast amounts of knowledge of environmental and UNESCO web site. As Professor Udaya Narayan Singh medicinal practices, of music, lore, wisdom, as well as explained, the concept of 'language endangerment' as the identity of the speaking community.

deity in 966 AD, to which most of the rituals are offered; Tbelord of tbe Seven Hills and by the Vijayanagara Emperor, Sri Krishnadevaraya (1509-1529), who got the roof paved with gold in TALK: The lord of the Seven Hills- Tirumala 1518; and finally, the evolution of the pattern of the Temple rituals of worship and the role of the great Vaishnava Illustrated lecture by Dr. Pappu Venugopala Rao saint, Ramanujacharya (1017-1137) in installing the Collaboration: American Institute of Indian typical symbols of Vishnu and in the codification of Studies, September 8 the procedures.

The enduring appeal of the presiding deity at Inspired by intense devotion, Annamacharya (1408- Thirupathi, variously referred to as Venkateswara, 1503) had composed more than 30,000 songs Srinivasa, Balaji, Kaliyuga Varadha, is a unique ('sankeertanam-s) in praise of the Lord, of which about phenomenon. The eight feet tall idol is widely believed 14,000 preserved in copper plates were retrieved. A to be a 'swqyambhu' (self-manifested). dedicated project for the identification of the music content, teaching and propagation, was undertaken The salient features, legends and practices relating to and these songs are now a part of the Carnatic music Tirupati were explained in a scholarly illustrated talk that concert repertoire. spanned several aspects: historical evidence including literary references and inscriptions, the gradual addition Among the world's richest religious Trusts, the of structures after 900 A.D. when the sanctorum was set income of this well managed temple is used to run . up; the endowments made by different rulers, particularly educational institutions, hospitals and various other the Pallava Princess, Samavaayi, who had got the idol welfare activities. of Bhoga Srinivasa installed at the feet of the principal • 'MANNA' SRINIVASAN admiration for the meticulous research of the book., Taking the discussion forWard,· Romila Thapar Remembering Meenakshi recalled her long and affectionate association with Mukheriee Meenakshi, who had persuaded her to read Dutt's work. This is how she became interested in a certain An Indian For All Seasons BOOK DISCUSSION: genre of nineteenth century writing on ancient - The Many Lives of He. Dutt by Meenakshi India, Thapar's own field of interest. She praised Mukherjee (, Penguin, 2009) Meenakshi's understanding of history and felt that Panelists: Professor Romila Thapar, such historical work, if undertaken by other scholars Professor Sudhir Chandra; Or. Malavika Karlekar of literature, would enrich both disciplines. Chair: Professor Sabyasachi Bhattacharya Sudhir Chandraalso began with a warm personal Collaboration: The Book Review Literary Trust, tribute to Meenakshi and her late husband, Sujit, September 17 by recalling their long association. He then drew attention' to the contradictions that bedevilled What should have been a discussion of the life and nineteenth century colonial' intellectuals, specially works of R.e. Dutt became instead a tribute to Bengal's Brahmo Samajis. On one hand, they were author and critic Meenakshi Mukherjee's life and Anglophiles while on the other they were fierce work. Tragically, Meenakshi collapsed of a massive nationalists. This resulted in a conflict between heart attack at the airport in Hyderabad, minutes their concept of secular nationalism vs. religious before she was to board a flight for this function. and cultural nationalism. He proposed that Dutt However, her family, publishers and the admirers and his contemporaries did not view these as decided to go ahead with the discussion as a contradictions at all, a fact also brought out ill tribute to Meenakshi. Meenakshi's biography. The room was full of her friends, admirers and Sabyasachi Bhattacharya brilliantly summed up students and her publisher, Kamini Mahadevan, the discussion, when he said, ' ... [in the nineteenth set the tone for the evening as she read out a note century] within the ambiguities of the middle from Meenakshi's daughter and expressed her own classes, if there was any consensus, it was in the economic domain .. .it was here that any definite position was taken by these intellectuals ... '. In fact, Dutt's Economic History of India had a greater impact than anything else he ever wrote. Earlier . that evening Malavika Karlekar shared some unusual portraits from the family album of the illustrious Dutts and gave a brief history of the Dutt clan. Finally, Professor Harish Trivedi paid a warm tribute to Meenakshi on behalf of gathered friends and colleagues to conclude this moving function.

The late Meenakshi Mukherjee • NEETA GUPTA Among the cornucopIa of this exhibition. She pointed exhibitions, performances, out the special details, films, seminars and book significance and myths behind releases celebrating the many each mural and sculpture as forms and aspects of our rivers, only someone of her erudition was an island of such peace and dedication to art history and tranquillity that it drew can. Her special brand of wit, viewers again and again. This along with interesting personal was a small space, designed to anecdotes, brought these stone resemble a temple to our river goddesses aliveto the viewers. goddesses. A magnificent It also added poignancy to the doorway, with Ganga and questions she raised about the Jamuna as dwarpalikas, led ecological concerns that now into a womb-like darkness, vex our environmentalists. illuminated by brilliantly Perhaps until we restore our digitized photographs of rivers to their original purity, exquisite sculptures lent by River Goddesses Exhibition we shall never be able to fully the American Institute of inauguration, was another treat: aguided lecture- understand the divine status they once enjoyed. Indian Studies. For those who tour by the renowned Indologist and scholar, were fortunate to attend the Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan,who had conceptualized • IRAPANDE

movement, and the presentation was largely an angika salutation beginning with the divine origin of the river from a drop of nectar from Shiva's head, the ritual of the adivasis nurtured by her waters reflecting Narmada's oneness with Nature, the ritual peregrinations, the grandeur of the waterfall 5 ahasradharand the final prayer based on Adi Sankara's Narmadaashtakam. In the occasional segments where three dancers came together, (piyali De and Deeply revered in Indian culture, Narmada Somali Bose Atrey) the performers tended to which means literally 'the goddess that get too close to each other and spatial accents bestows joy' is the only river which can boast got smudged. The best part of the performance of a tradition of ritual circumambulation was the excellently reposeful music devised by or parikrama through its 1,300 kilometre Meera V. Rao and Abhay Phagre, sung with length. right tone by Vishal Moghe with sur-filled melody. Abhay Phagre's mellifluous flute, Bindu Juneja's (senior disciple of Sunil Saxena (Sitar) and Prashant Madhavi Mudgal) dance visualization Maharana on Pakhawqj with with Sanskrit Professor Ajita Shambhunath Bhattacharya Trivedi as concept advisor and composer on maf!iira provided excellent of lyrics (Rewa ke teer; Sohe dhara), was support. The compering in in keeping with the meditative and English and Hindi by Bhawna dedicatory theme. With a serenely Pankaj set the tone beautifully. pleasant expression, not given to much change, Bindu moves with • LEELA exquisite grace and feel for Odissi Bindu Jung" VENKATARAMAN Lal's works exuded a silent charm through a subtle blend of wood and metal, interpreting the river in anthropomorphic form, as did the works of Singh, referencing the folklore and mythology that celebrates the Ganga. Gupta's voluptuous, marble sculptures were an ode to the river, the pristine white of the material aided in expression by poetic captions. Katt's Displayed in the open yet intimate confines of bronze works were by far the highlight of the show the Gandhi-King Plaza, these sculptures and along with the River God by Caur, narrating the paintings were beautifully complemented by the life that the river sustains-the nature it nurtures, pilgrims and devotees at the ghats, even plants, the lotus pond and the majestic trees that dot the plaza, lit by the dappled the environmental damages that we have sunlight filtered through their leafy wrought around it. branches. Together they engaged in a The exhibition explored the myriad facets dialogue, with each other as well as the of a river, which through its gradual, natural surroundings of the ambience, ceaseless flow has indeed fashioned the much like the river would as it flows sense of time and being for communities through the land. across the country, an inspiration that we stand to lose to the times we have Curated by Keshav Malik, art critic and poet, the exhibition expressed the rapidly created today. theme in varying modes and material. • AKSHAYA TANKHA

walk us through all the major towns and landmarks the river flows past. We are virtually transported to the picturesque and spirituallysignificantregions of Madhya Pradesh which make it such a specialregion. The riverin this case is a source of hope and mysticism,inspiration and sustenan ~, a place where people go to meditate A visual feast, part of this exhibit included Along the and purify themselves. One can imagine that a visit to Banks of the Vo(ga: Masterpieces of Russian Photograpl?J Madhya Pradesh would be incomplete without a visit to from the second half of the nineteenth century, from at least one, if not all,of these stunning locales. the collection of the National Library of Russia, St. Petersburg. Lovingly called Mother Volga, the river is • NANDITAJAISHANKAR a glorious symbol of Russia's vast landscape, and has been an inspiration to writers for hundreds of years. River Exhibitions Starting from 1839, the photos captured a gamut Two exhibitions on the People of Majuli Island in of spaces of the erstwhile Russian Empire and its the Br~maputra, and along the Irrawaddy River people-towns such as Myshkin and Uglich have - Pagan, Mandalay and ¥angon were held during been photographed in their stark glory, and the many theIIC Festival of the Arts. faces of Russia, including portraits and group photos of peasants, countryfolk, Moldavians, and a beautiful The cultural,heritage of Majulirevqlved around the collection of hand-painted Tartar portraits, along Sattras, and the Namghar~ which became centres with the start of the industrial movement in Russia. of learning, the arts - painting, dance and music. In bright contrast, Rajendra Janglay's Narmada In the Pagan exhibition, archival photographs Parikrama exhibition was a burst of warm colours and from the collection of the Archaeological Survey lush landscapes. Starting with the origin point of the Of India; andNavin Sakhuja were displayed. /6 holy Narmada River at Amarkantak, the photographs ~yy Khan-i-Khanan , RasKhan,. and Malik Mohammad Jaisi, along with the thumri culture of Awadh made for Ganga/Jamuna a rare experience of communal unity. were Contluence specialists and Muslim poets wrote verses on Krishna like Hazrat Bibi telling the parrot to search DANCE: Confluence of Cultures - Thslo Man for Ali sahib in Brindavan, and the Sohar singer Ganga Jamuna Tu' during a young girl's confinement singing to 'Allah Recitation by Saeed Naqvi, by Pt. Birju Mia' that he bestow the boon of a son like Krishna. Maharaj and his students, October 14 Starting with Naqvi's stirring recitation and selection of poetry 'ChaloMan Ganga Jamuna Tir' began with 'Cbalo Man GangaJamuna Tir' a poetry /Kathak dance a couplet by Mohsin Kakori followed weave by Birju Maharaj and by the bonhomie of Id to his troupe portraying the composite verses of NazirAkbarabadi culture of North India, made the ideal to whose Krishna verses curtain call for a week's celebration Jab Muralidhar ne Muraliko of 'The River' as the theme for the apane adhar dbari', Pandit Birju Experience. Water, the life and ne Maharaj performed solo. He later nourishment of civilization down danced to Padmakar's sensitive poetry the ages, is now Earth's imperilled also. Nazir's Pyaro Suno' saw Saswati Sen resource, and not all the water as the nayika portraying the pranks of on the Moon will save mankind Krishna.'Abhi hai sabera kuanbhi hai if water on Earth starts drying up. akela, phir na cryegiteri bari bbarlo pani,' From the Rig Vedic hymn to water, says Das Nayeen-the scene captured specifically to resplendent sculptural /. by two girls in togetherness. representations of River Goddesses, (I the ancient Indian mind and arts Deepak Maharaj portraying the Brindavan have expressed reverence for !f scene with cowherds to Ras Khan's poetry Earth's irreplaceable bounty. I~,fj 'so wove dramatic rhythmic flourishes The week long celebration to ;~':' while interpreting Nazir's 'Sesha Mahesha' 'The River' has been throu~h , ..• verses sung in a chant like form with films, paintings, photographic dramatic silences. Raas saw all the exhibitions, sculpture, music r dancers together and in the Sufi Doha and dance-of various:J; poetry segments Mamata Maharaj, genres, Indian and foreign. the daughter of Pandit Birju Maharaj stood out in her highly expressive Commenting on the Ganga- dancing. Another evocative poem in Jamuna riverine belt as a,' great a Sanskrit/Hindi/Khadiboli blend was Abdur cementing force between communities, Rahim Khan-i-Khanan's. The finale of merriment Saeed Naqvi's introduction referred in Holi was done to Bindadin's lyric. While the male to the 'the sbair; the bband, the qawwa4 the dancers were elegantly turned out, the costumes miryasi/miryasin, the zankha (eunuch) and for the female dancers in Holi could have been in the tawaif... ' (Mushirul Hasan) reflecting lighter colours. the rare intermingling of Hindu/Muslim philosophies in interweaving Sufi ethics With dancers familiarizing themselves with this and the Hindu bhakti movement. And sensitively conceived, off-the-beaten track thematic Pt. Birj« Mabaraja presentation, this production should travel far. Kathak based on the rich poetry of sixteenth century poets like Abdur Rahim • LEELA VENKATARAMAN

VYVVVyyyyyyyyyyyy-' . Ek Ragas Round the River HINDUSTANI MUSIC: Invocation to the Rivers by Bhuvanesh Komkali, October 8 TheMusic of Banaras by Purnima Chaudhuri, October 11

River, the symbol of eternity and the ceaseless flow of life was the theme of the lIC Experience-2009; hence ragas reverberated around it during the thoughtfully

conceived classical and semi-classical Hindustani Bhuvanesh Komkali Music concerts of Bhuvanesh Komkali and Purnima by the following Tarana. Bhuvanesh concluded his Chaudhuri, who performed on the inaugural and the vocal recital with a Nirgun Bhajan 'Mori neeke neeke morning session of this much awaited annual event. chaalan lagi najyya... ' taking care to connect even this The strumming of a finely tuned pair of taanpuras devotional number to the theme of the river. He had and the melodic canvas of raga Yaman, the most commendable support on the harmonium by Suyog melodious evening raga, were the perfect props Kundalkar and tabla by Sanjay Deshpande. for invoking the holy river Narmada in Narmada- Purnima Chaudhuri from Benaras gave a tremendous Ashtakam'with which Bhuvanesh opened his moving treat of the Purab Ang Gaqyaki during her semi- vocal recital on the inaugural evening. The grandson of classical concert of Tbumri, Dudara, Cbaiti, Kqjri et Pt. , Bhuvanesh had the fragrance al on the Sunday morning session. She opened her of the legendary maestro throughout his concert that concert with an invocation to the river Ganges 'Ganga comprised a slow and a medium tempo Kbayal in the t'!Jhepranaam ... 'in raga Bhairavi set to Deepchandi Theka main raga, a Bandishi Thumri in raga Kaafi followed by and treated it in typical Thumri style with the emotive a Tarana in the same raga and the concluding Nirgun 13ol-Banaav' of the devotional lyric. Next came a Bhqjan. delectable Dadra, warning Radhe not to go alone to The leisurely delineation of Yaman during the Bara the banks of riverJamuna 'akelijinjaiho Radhe Jamuna ke khqyal set to slow Ektala, developed the raga with allits teer... " that had liltingly deployed melodic variations. beauty and poise. The popular Chhota Kbayal 'Kinaare If the Thumri and Dadra revealed her well cultivated kinaare daria .... ' set to Teen-tala, was rendered with a artistic approach to classical music, the following refreshing difference when he shifted the rhythmic Tappa underlined her technical virtuosity during the stress of the lyric, on different beats of the time cycle. effortless rendition of its typical intricacies. The Thumri in raga Kafi 'main kaise bharoon paani ... ' The soulful rendition of Ganga Stotra of A& was rendered simply like a Bandish in medium tempo Shankaracharya in raga Yaman was followed by the de v 0 i d of the conventionally concluding charmingly contrasting variety of Chaitis and Kairis, La g g i , although its missing rhythmic the folk songs of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, adopted into joy was somewhat compensated the semi-classical vein. Apart from the Banarasi Kqjri, Purnima also offered the Mirzapuri Kajri and a folk song invoking river Ganges in 'He Ganga majyya tohe pjyari charhaibe.... '. The well cultivated musicianship of the vocalist charmed music lovers with its finer nuances. Purnima was ably accompanied on the harmonium by Deboprasad Dey and on the tabla by Ujjwal Bharati.

Purnima Cbaudbun • MANJARI SINHA a form of Vinayaka, installed on the bank of Tribute to the Kaveri the river. MUSIC: Songs to the Kaveri A verse from the poem in Kannada, of a modern by Sudha Raghunathan, October 12 poet, DV Gundappa, describing the flow of Kaveri at Sivasamudram in Karnataka, was followed by a composition again in Kannada, of Purandaradasa, 'Cbandracbooda Siva Sankara' Sudha Ragunathan, the much presented in ragamalika, dedicated accomplished Carnatic musician to the Lord in a temple at with an enchanting voice, presented Kumbhakonam, on the banks of a tribute to the river Kaveri, the same river; a verse of the poet, selecting songs from different Urutthirankannanaar, from 'Pattina- genres, viz. poetry, art, music, folk p-paalai' (Tamil sangampoetry), expressions and the like, skillfully alluding to the perennial nature of weaving them into a conventional the river was sung; a 'paasuram' also concert format. 5udha Raghunathan in Tamil, of Thondaradi-p-podi Aazhwar, comparing Sudha's repertoire in the short duration programme, Ganga and Kaveri; a 'kummi', type of folk song in was representative, including: chanting of Tamil set in a particular rhythmic pattern. excerpts from 'ashtotthara sata naamaauali', (108 The concert concluded with a 'mangalam' names) addressed to the river; two 'kriti-s' in invoking prosperity to all present or absent. The Telugu, of the immortal bard Thyagaraja, who accompanying artists, Embar Kannan (violin), Neiveli had spent his life at Thiruvaiyaru on the banks Skandasubramanian (mridangam) and R. Raman of Kaveri; and a 'kriti' of Muthuswami Dikshitar, (morchang), played an embellishing role. Xarikalabhamukham' in Sanskrit, set in 'Saveri' rhyming with Kaveri, in praise of 'DhundhiGanesa' • MANNA SRINIVASAN Music from New Orleans JAZZ: Mississippi Blues and Jazz from New Orleans Presented by Sunny Side Up from Delhi, October 10

Sunny Side Up had as their source of inspiration the Mississippi river and the city of New Orleans, Ja't(. concert on stage the particular histories of which created the blues of Le Jazz et laJava ry Claude Nougaro. Another track and jazz. Vasudhara Vidalur revealed herself to be that was really swinging was Sista by Rachelle Ferrell, a wonderful singer with the sort of rich voice that is it had a great groove going. Deep Water saw the band perfect for jazz, with a technique that left everyone come together well as a unit. amazed. Backing her up were Adil Manuel on the The bassist, Abhishek Mangla, did a good job despite guitar, Rainer Pusch on the saxophone, Abhishek being a last-minute inclusion. The one thing that Mangla on the bass and Joshua on the drums. bothered me was the sound, which I felt could have They began with Stella ry Starlight, following it with been clearer. It was often slightly muddy, and didn't Basin Street Blues, which had agood swinging rhythm to do justice to the music. That being said, I hope we get it with a great solo by Rainer Pusch. Vasudhara sings to see more of good jazz in the city. well in French as well, and they did a nice rendition • SHYAMANT BEHL 9 Sensualitv and Sensuousness DANCE: Confluence of Cultures - Flamenco 6ala, October 11 Folk Dance from Egypt, Presented by Aswan Folklore Group, October 9

In keeping with the theme of this year's festival, The Flamenco artists nc Experience, the two performing arts events under review were faithful to The River. theme expressed in a different manner: The River not as a physical manifestation but as a metaphorical The Aswan Folklore Group from Eygpt reflected confluence, a river of connection. the unique melting pot that is Nubia in Upper (or Southern) Eygpt: a mingling of ancient Nubian, The Flamenco Gala from Andalusia gave a bravura Sudanese and Egyptian cultures. Aswan, it's been said, performance of this art, an interplay between local, seems to close the doors on the Middle East and to Arabic, Gypsy and Sephardic cultures. In Flamenco open those on Africa. This folk and tribal tradition , music, we can often hear much that is familiar to the cultural heritage of the Nile Valley, was amply our ears, unsurprising considering that its roots lie (amongst other origins) with the nomadic tribes of brought to life by the group in music and dance. Rajasthan who trekked vast distances into southern The selection of dances reflected the. familiar joys Spain to leave an indelible imprint on Gypsy culture. of societies; folk dances centred around weddings, Flamenco guitarist Antonio Rey (acclaimed alike by marriage proposals, the ritual application of henna during weddings, the liveliness of the souk or bazaar, Nuevo Ballet Espagnol and master film-maker Carlos and playfuland rhythmic popular games. The simplicity Saura) began the concert with two solos, a Taranta and Rondena, the latter a form that predates the flamenco. of the choreographed movements was more than made up by the robustness and vivacity of execution This was evidenced by a musical quality that can only by the dancers in their colourful 'costumes and by be described as 'European' as opposed to 'Gypsy', and it is to Rey's credit that his delicate handling the full-throated vocals by Omar Mostafa Mohamed Abdel Sayed. The throbbing percussive rhythms by brought this out. Adel Wahby Abdou Abdel-Maguid, with their distinct However, the star of the evening was undoubtedly African tones, were much enjoyed by the audience. ' dancer Farruco, who even at this early age (he's barely twenty-one years old) knows how to hold an If the Nile was at the centre of the Aswan Folklore audience spellbound with his dazzling footwork and Group's performance, the next evening saw the the machismo he exudes. Perhaps he was born with this knowledge: Farruco traces his' flamenco roots back through six generations. In his solo, Seguiriya, Farruco worked the stage from one end to the other, shaking its foundation with crystal-clear taps and dizzying spins. If there is one regret from that riveting evening, it is not getting to hear enough of the remarkable Bernardo Parilla's violin, damped down by a mike that didn't function as it should have.

110 Aswan Folklore Group • ASHARANlMATHUR I first saw The African Queen as one of the most fascinating soon after its release in 1951, stories of an obsessed opera and as a child it was the drama lover wanting to build an opera and suspense of the adventures house in the Peruvian jungle. along the Ulango-Bora river of It depicted the grandeur and an unlikely screen pair played mystery of the Amazon river and by two legends of American its bordering communities, and cinema-Humphrey Bogart and the impact of man's madness on Katherine Hepburn-that has the natural world. remained forever etched in my Two films made twenty years memory. Last week, 18 films at apart featured the Nile-the the lIC Festival allreinforced the Egyptian A Struggle on the Nile notion of the river-sometimes (1958), starring a very young as landscape, sometimes as Omar Sharif, and the English protagonist, sometimes as just a Death on the Nile (1978), Agatha metaphor for life's meandering Christie's whodunnit, with turns and jagged corners-as an I Peter Ustinov and Bette Davis. invaluable motif in cinema and Further to the east four elegiac, the arts. realistic films from India and This rich feast of award winning Bangladesh looked at the classics in world cinema began lives of fishing communities, with one of the greats of the divisive political events and the silent films era-Steamboat Bi/l,Jr disintegration of traditional (1928), featuring the inimitable cultures, all symbolised by both Buster Keaton. Hilarious the nurturing and destructive episodes aboard a steamboat on power of river waters. japan's the Mississippi-and stunts to Ugetsu Monogatari, was a 1953 rival a James Bond of today- , stunning visual tour de forte were enacted with an economy using two sixteenth-century of expression reinforcing the ghost stories, while an equally sense of physical comedy. spectacular Buffalo Bqy (2004) The Mississippi, of course, is was a poetic evocation of rural often synonymous with that I Vietnam in the 1940s, where the gem of children's stories-The annual flooding of the river plain Adventures if Huck Finn-that dictates relationships-between cannot be seen (or read) often man and man, beast, and nature enough. From America to itself. Passion, determination, Scotland, with a more recent love, sorrow, intrigue, were production (2003), Young Adam captured in this feast of films made by David Mackenzie, a by the genius of directors, psychological thriller played actors and script writers as they out aboard the claustrophobic exploited the gamut of human confines of a coal barge on emotions against the leitmotif the River Clyde. On to France, of the river, its flow and follies. Germany, Portugal, and Poland. What a pity there wasn't a larger audience for each show! Fitzcarraldo (1982), directed by must stand out • RAZIA GROVER 11 poems: ' .. .lamp-lit boats, dream-lit boats/ that move RiverSutra with the river's endless dreaming .... ' Sudeep Sen read from his series of river poems in English. J.P. POETRY: River Sutra - An Evening Das recited a translation of his poem from Oriya of Poetry, October 13 as well as -a poem by Sachi Routray; translated by Jayanta Mahapatra. This programme was aptly preceded by Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan releasing a book on Water/ culture/politics. Ashok Vajpeyi shared his poetic reflections thus: 'A Rivers have been the source of life, and rivers and . thirst unattended is a river too.' K. Satchidanandan oceans have brought different cultures together. read from his Malayalam poems: 'The Fire-Tender at 'Manikarnika' (rich with black humour); 'Cool Hot' (a The Poetry Sutra, coordinated by Professor K. memory of his dead mother); and 'The Boatman of Satchidanandan, was an evening of pure magic where the Dead River' - 'There is a door in the memory of poets recalled and celebrated the flow of rivers, the dead .river... '. memories, experiences and realizations of the way rivers enter our inner lives, and extend our horizons Ashish and Ruma Ghosh read some fine recitations and dreams. from Bengali poems. Mahmood Farooqui presented poems in Urdu, as did Rahman Musafir. Vanita read Raji Ramanan read a thrilling Sanskrit hymn from the in Punjabi, and Shantiveer Kaul in Kashmiri. RigVeda which carried us back to the beginning of Time, the sacredness of the source of Life. Kunwar With the swirl and flow of many languages and the Narain, leading Hindi poet, read from River Shadow~ babble of rivers, the evening brought alive the unique and a love poem in which 'the river does not grow language of the rivers of the world. old.' Keki Daruwalla (English), read from his River • ANNA SUJATHA MATHAI

their delicate cuisine, of fish, rice and a variety of Food Festival: October 8-14 lightly flavoured vegetables. Jazz, New Orleans and the Mississippi! Cajun food As the lights dimmed in the Fountain Lawns and represent the ybrid culture of the Mississippi, a the last notes died away, the Rose Garden awoke to combination of Creole of the African slaves and Cajun the glow of fairy lights and candles. The River Food of the Canadian settlers. lIC's Chef, Vijay Thukral, Festival commenced with the hearty cuisine of the presented this delicious dinner as also the Thai land of the Punjab, presented by ITC Consultant, dinner, the flavours of the Mekong river, aromatic Salma Husain. The flavours of Egypt were brought with lime leaves, lemon grass, galangal and tempered to us by Magda Singh in a delicious dinner of meze, with coconut milk. 'Dining along the Kaveri' from vegetable dolmas and chicken shish kaba~ Koushari, and Kodagu to Thanjavur was prepared by the Centre's the classic dessert, Om Afy. From the Brahmaputra kitchen and a special mention must be made of river, the Assamese Women's Association presented Hariharan. Madhya Pradesh's Bundelkhandi and Malwi food was prepared by Chef A.K. Sen of M.P. Tourism. Influenced by Rajasthan, UP, Maharashtra and the Nawabs of Bhopal, this dinner offered great variety. The closing dinner was the Nawabi food of Rampur presented by Chef Munna, giving us a taste of this sumptuous cuisine. Cheers to the Kitchen for presenting this varied and delicious fare! 12 • PREMOLA GHOSE question by one's belief in what is perceived by one Theatre Meets Religion as duty. Guy Biran said that Israel is a theatre in itself. TALK: Theatre Meets Religion - The meeting Everyday there are situations which seem to spiral points and clashes of theatre and religion in a vortex of confusion' and chaos. As an example Speaker: Guy Biran of some of his experimental work, he showed the Chair: Bhaskar Ghose audience a film of a 'Try Out' of a play titled 'Ahavat Collaboration: Embassy of Israel, September 29 Olam' which he had directed and written from some of the research he had done on the writings of the Guy Biran said that the backbone of all good theatre Jewish Rabbi, Moses Hayyim Luzzatto. He was a man is that it revolves around conflicts and attempts to who had revelations, and wished to share the secret resolve them, or deals with them in some way. In knowledge of the Kabalah. For this he was tormented this way, theatre emulates life itself, for all of human and persecuted, and eventually his teachings ceased to life is one of struggling and overcoming situations be spread because he believed that one should love which emanate from historic circumstances. Religion even one's enemies and forgive them. continues to have a strong pull in both India and Israel. The first five books of the Bible, the Torah are A line in the play caught this reviewer's attention. the bedrock of Jewish beliefs. One of the characters says, 'all the sages of the world are for me the pearls of garlic.' As if to say, all the These books are as full of stories and ethical conflicts paths to understanding the human condition are one, very much akin to what we witness in the Mahabharata and to resolve differences 'all you need is love,' as The and the Ramqyana. Some of the confusion in man's Beatles sang out in the '60's! thinking remains much like Arjuna's on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. It is as if life itself were a battlefield, But then, perhaps, you won't get interesting theatre. where ethical and moral positions are called into • MALATI SHAH

Veteran film-mak~rArvind Sinha, felt that a concerted The Future Status 01 neglect of dhrupad had forced performers to carry their art abroad. Besides a space in the classical music Dhrupad circuit, Sinha felt that the documentation of the senior maestros and their contribution to dhrupad FESTIVAL: Dhrupad Samaroh, was necessary for preserving this unique genre. September 9,10 & 11 The non-Indian angle was provided by Dr. Dagmar Bernstorff, German scholar and dhrupad patron. She Regarded as the oldest surviving form of classical traced the contributions of musicologists such as music, Dhrupad today is due for some soul-searching Alain Danielou among others, to dhrupad's popularity among experts. Organized by the Dhrupad Society, in the West. the speakers at this forum offered interesting inputs The Dagar spokesperson Wasifuddin Dagar, of the on the future of this genre. Ranging from a quip by a next generation, rightly pointed out that where huge Dagar elder that in future dhrupad would be an item sums of money were doled out by sponsors for a exported back to India, others like Mrinal Pande, college fest, dhrupad received less than one per cent contended that dhrupad needed to move away from of the total revenue. its dependence solely on the performance ambit. She stressed its pan-Indian character and its appeal The speakers thus impressed that dhrupad could not among dignified audiences. For its propagation, be brought to a mainstream status easily. Concerted her contention was the holding of conclaves of action was needed from divergent quarters to boost musicians and music lovers, where dhrupad was its propagation. discussed extensively. • SUBHRA MAZUMDAR economic growth, are generally seen as antithetical, but the time has come for politicians to stand up and be counted. The minister maintained that legal infrastructure is important in that it aids judicial intervention to overcome the executive's inaction. He attributed' some of the recent decisions such as introduction of CNG not as much to the executive as to judicial 'Green federalism' is an idea whose time has come, activism. He hoped that the National Green Tribunal Union Minister of State of Environment and Forests will become a reality soon, and it will pave the way for Jairam Ramesh said. 'Environment is not only the specialized environment courts, with their regional responsibility of the Centre. The States must be Benches, to deal with civil cases. brought into the picture,' he added. Ramesh lamented that India has extensive laws and Jairam Ramesh advocated five I's of governance as it regulations, yet it lacks institutions for implementing relates to ecological security: Ideology, Infrastructure, the laws. Consequently, compliance (of standards) Institution, Incentive and Innovation; which if suffers. He also argued for incentives for ensuring adopted in equal measure, would act as a force conformation to ecological security,given that penalty multiplier in combating the environmental challenges for non-compliance is 'laughable'. facing the nation today. A question and answer session followed the lecture. He said that government and people, ecology and • RAMESH RAMACHANDRAN

ethnicity, self-determination, identity politics and multiculturism, well before they confronted the Poet 01 Patriotism modern Indian. BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP: Sri Aurobindo - A Shri referred to Aurobindo's anguished Contemporary Reader by Sachidananda Mohanty response to Partition and rued that India had not (New Delhi: Routledge, 2008) fulfilled its destiny. India could have been the Panelists: Shri Jagmohan and Dr. Kavita Sharma epicentre of the spread of eternal religions with its Chair: Or. , September 29 reservoir of spirituality, and has, unfortunately, not recognized the need for 'architects and engineers of the soul'. This would have negated the prevailing Why is it that Sri Aurobindo-'finest flower' of culture of confusion, chaos, corruption, petty politics Indian renaissance', lyricalpoet, philosopher, spiritual innovator, freedom fighter-is so marginalized and and instead fostered one of creativity, compassion, commitment, and catholicity instead. irrelevant in contemporary India, reduced to a cult figure, and relegated to obscurity? Mohanty's Kavita Sharma chose to reflect on the academic book, and the debate it generated, explores these world's reluctance to engage with Aurobindo, notions, as well as Aurobindo's startlingly futuristic attributing it to the current politicization of university ideas and their relevance in the light of the crisis of campuses where any spirit of enquiry, in its honesty contemporary culture that confronts us. and objectivity, becomes impossible. Rounding off the discussion, the author-who credited Aurobindo Dr. Karan Singh, paid rich tribute to Sri Aurobindo as the inspiration behind his oeuvre-acquainted as a prophet of nationalism and a lover of humanity. The notion that Aurobindo was merely a Hindu icon is the audience with his endeavor to take a completely marginalized Aurobindo to a larger constituency. belied by his sustained engagement with the perennial issues of our times: concerns of state, language, • RITU SINGH LECTURES DISCUSSION 30 November 2009 at 6:30 pm 15 December 2009 at 6:30 pm Copenhagen Conference: Alternative Approaches That Must be Considered Iran Analysed: Thirty Years Later Speaker: Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Vinod Saighal Panelists: H.E. Mr. Roberto Toscano, Ambassador Chair: Dr. Kavita A. Sharma of Italy; Ms Ruchira Gupta. Women Apne Aap; and Professor Ramin Jahangeloo, Iranian philosopher 2 December 2009 at 6:30 pm FILMS Indian Police, the Citizen and National Security 27 November 2009 at 6:30 pm Speaker: Dr. KS. Subramanian, IPS (Retd.) Bhavai...Fading Memories (37 min; dvd; English Chair: Shri Suhas Borker subtitles) 3 December 2009 at 6:30 pm Kalakshetra (37 min; dvd; English & with subtitles) Films by V Packirisamy who will introduce the Antarctica screening, produced by Films Illustrated presentation by Dr. Sudhir K Division Khandelwal, Professor of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences EXHIBITIONS

8 December 2009 at 6:30 pm 3 to 10 December 2009 . Nonsense Poetry: Sanskrit Translation 11:00 am to 7:00 pm daily in and Anticipations of Lewis the Art Gallery (Annexe) Carroll's Jabberwocky Sind Haath Heart Speaker: Prof. Ashok Aklujkar, Indologist and An exhibition of textiles, renowned Sanskrit scholar fabric, and costumes using traditional Japanese I techniques. Created by Ryoko Haraguchi. 18 December 2009 at 6:30 pm Inauguration by H.E. Mr. Hideaki Domichi, Shopping for Sabzi Ambassador of Japan on 2 December at 6:30 pm Readings by Nitin Deckha from his debut collection of short stories 16 to 23 December 2009 11:00 am to 7:00 pm daily at the Art Gallery(Annexe) 19 December 2009 at 6:30 pm Inscapes: An exhibition of paintings by Meera Religion, Violence and the (Im) possibility Dayal and Pierre 'Boris' Hannoyer of Peace Speaker: Professor Aditya Malik, Professor of Indian Religion, University of Canterbury, New Zealand

21 December 2009 at 6:30 pm The Quest for Genghis Khan: Travels in Secret Mongolia Illustrated presentation by Ravi Bhoothalingam on the sites associated with Genghis Khan's life through some of the most spectacular and isolated landscapes on the planet of the evening, Mohammed Idris, who presented Albert Howard lecture the Islamic perspective, in which he shared the fact that one of the basic tenets of Islam is the sharing LECTURE: The Right to Food, The Gift of Food of food with those who are hungry. Father Susai Panelists: Mohammed Idris, Father Susai Sebastian shared the Christian perspective, discussing Sebastian, Jatinder 8ajaj, Vasavi Kiro the important role that food, and the sharing of food, Collaboration: Navdanya, October 2 plays throughout the Bible. The Hindu perspective was discussed byJatinder Bajaj. Bajaj talked about the The tenth annual Albert Howard Lecture Series, . religious and cultural components of sharing food, presented by Navdanya, took place at the India including the importance of the concept of yajna. International Centre on October 2. The lecture this The evening was completed by Vasavi Kiro, who year was entitled 'The Right to Food, The Gift of discussed the tribal perspective on foods, biodiversity, Food', and included discussions on this topic from and their cultural relationship to the tribal people. four diverse faith-based perspectives. Dr. Vandana Shiva gave the opening remarks, where she discussed The lecture this year was dedicated to the memory of Edward Goldsmith, a strong defender of the the history of the lecture series, and highlighted some of the many issues facing India today in terms of food environment, and a former Albert Howard lecturer. security. Dr. Shiva was followed by the first speaker • KATE MILLER

a point to state that it is a myth that the river is fine till Wazirabad (There is no river between Hathnikund Blue·Print for Yamuna and Etawah for a large part of the year). Not just the ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH LECTURE river, but even the WJ.c. carries polluted water. All SERIES: Rejuvenation of the River Yamuna - A escapes exist only in name and used only during flood Blue-Print for Action times, when all canals are closed. The river is recalled Speakers: Manoj Misra; Ramaswamy R. Iyer; and used as an emergency safety valve only in times HimanshuThakkar of floods, they declared. Several such critical aspects were discussed. Chair: Samar Singh Collaboration: Toxies Link, September 18 • SUPARNA DUTTA

Some Other Programmes Despite efforts to rejuvenate it under the Yamuna Action Plan (YAP), the Yamuna is today one of Discussion: NobelWomens PeaceInitiatives washeld on the most polluted and threatened river systems October 29, 2009 at nc Auditorium at 4:00pm in the country. Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan (Y.J.A.), a research based campaign run by a consortium of Speakers were Ms. Jody Williams (1997 Nobel NGOs and individuals in the city, have studied the Peace Prize), and Ms. Mairead Corrigan-MacGuire river for over two and a half years now, and arrived (1976 Nobel Prize) at an understanding about the ills facing the river This was organised by Bureau of HH The Dalai and possible solutions that can facilitate the river's Lama, Foundation for Non-Violent Alternatives rejuvenation. and India International Centre In a panel discussion, the presenters strongly made

This issue of the Diary has been assembled and edited by Ira Pande, Chief Editor; Rachna [oshi, 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 -110024, Ph: 24616720, 24624336 and printed by Mastan Singh at I.G. Printers, 104, DSIDC Shed, Okhla Phase-I, New Delhi - 110 020.