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volume XXIX. No. 2 March–April 2015

Popular poet Munawwar Rana said that the tradition of

Mushaira hasn’t changed much over time. However, he

regretted the growing trend of bad and shallow poetry

and stressed the importance of preserving the highly

developed tradition. The genesis of this tradition, its

cultural value and relevance in modern times were the

main points of discussion.

During the discussion, Munawwar Rana noted that

this tradition is being increasingly politicised. It has

become a norm for politicians to organise Mushairas to

campaign for votes. He also spoke about the anonymous

and not so easy lives led by poets. Poetry and Mushaira

is passing through a bad phase.

JASHN-E-REKHTA FESTIVAL : CELEBRATING URDU

Satyapal Anand said that there has never been any tradition similar to that of Mushaira in Europe and America. There, poetry is ‘read out’ rather than performed.

Munawwar Rana added that these days in Pakistan, not many people watch or listen to Mushairas. Speaking from personal experience, he said that the harmful competitiveness of poets who at times attempt to degrade one another is not appreciated and it is precisely this which deters people from attending Mushairas. He also pointed out the differences in the same tradition practiced in India and Pakistan. In India, even today Mushairas are very popular, but that is no longer the case in Pakistan. Ravish, at the same time, regretted the deterioration of this tradition.

Towards the end, the session was opened to questions. The witty responses, sometimes also in the form of beautiful couplets by Rana and Natiq won the audience’s hearts and the powerful poetry by Satyapal Anand touched everyone.

Mushaire ka Badalta Rang-RoopSpeakers: Munawwar Rana, Akbar Natiq and Satyapal AnandChair: Ravish Kumar, March 14

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Tetwal ka Kutta – a play based on some of Manto’s short storiesPresented by Wing’s Cultural Society, March 15

Urdu Adab Ki Taanisi AwazSpeakers: Azra Abbas, Sukrita Paul Kumar, Amjad Islam Amjad and Tarannum RiyazModerator: Baran Farooqi, March 14

On the second day of Jashn-e-Rekhta, Tetwal ka kuttta (Tetwal’s Dog), a play written by Danish Iqbal based on certain episodes of Manto’s life and a few of his short stories was enacted.

A disillusioned and dishevelled Manto, given to smoking and drinking and roaming the streets of Lahore in the cover of darkness is the starting point of the play. He is shown as unable to come to terms with the fact that India and Pakistan are different countries. Manto is introduced to the audience as a famous writer by way of a self-introduction by the actor Tarique Hameed.

Manto’s visit to a psychiatrist on court orders and the interesting conversation which unfolds between him

At the panel discussion, the first speaker was Sukrita

Paul Kumar. She discussed the works of Ismat Chughtai,

especially her convention-breaking (and controversial)

short story Lihaf. Her introduction of Begumati Zuban

(a female gendereolect of Urdu) through some of her

characters into the world of Urdu literature and its

significance was further discussed.

and the doctor who is an avid reader of his works is the second act of the play. The patient shows some of his writings to the doctor who, still unaware, ridicules the pessimism in it. The psychiatrist I.M. Shareef is shocked when he gets to know who his patient really is and changes his attitude. Normal doctor-patient conversation is interspersed with dialogues which portray the philosophy of Manto’s writings.

The second part of the play is the enactment of two of Manto’s famous later short stories. The story of Thanda Gosht (Cold Flesh) is presented in three lines through Manto’s narration to the doctor during their conversation. The third act of the play is the enactment of Kali Shalwar (Black Trouser). Manto, at the end of the act, asks the doctor and audience if they found anything pornographic about the story.

The last and major part of the play is the enactment of the short story Tetwal’s Dog, which is also the play’s title. The story is set in Tetwal village of Kashmir during the first war between India and Pakistan. A dog which strays from one side to the other is petted by the soldiers and at the same time suspected to be the informer of the other. The dog becomes an ignition point for the soldiers and they fire at the dog for different reasons, which then dies a ‘dog’s death’ in between neither side. This is then conveyed as a metaphor of humanity and also Manto’s own life.

Moderator Baran Farooqi then threw in a point about the necessity for writers to remove the layer of cultural conditioning (and thus male-centred prescriptivism) and observe the world like a child to see through things which Ismat Chughtai perfectly did in Lihaf.

Tarannum Riyaz followed by speaking mainly about poetry. She made a distinction between loud feminism and subtle feminism and appreciated the latter. She quoted Ada Jafri as a perfect example of subtle feminism and prescribed that poetry should be such to be appreciable. She then said that though the poetry of Parveen Shakir, Kishwar Naheed and the like were milestones, there was an element of shrillness in them.

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An analogy was drawn between Kiran Desai and Ismat Chughtai for their blunt use of language. She quoted facts that female writers and poets in the beginning wrote in the name of their fathers, husbands or brothers. She appreciated Bano Qudsiya and Qurratulain Haider for their subtle feminism in their works like Raja Gidh, Agle Jana Mohe Bitiya Na Kijo and Sitaharan, and placed them in the highest category.

Sukrita expressed her views about the requirement of aesthetic restraint, especially with regard to protest and feminist literature. She rather viewed Shakir and Kishwar’s ‘shrill voices’ as an equilibrium reaction to

increasing conservatism. It is important that their voices be heard and not ignored, she said. She added that women-specific experiences like menstruation or pangs of child birth should and have been converted into poetry without which the experience would be left unknown. Amjad said that what happened in the West hundred years back is only now visible in Indo-Pakistani literature.

Baran expressed hope for Urdu literature to reach the state where things like vagina monologues become common and such openness becomes a part of poetic convention here. Sukrita commented about the lack of creativity in the critical sensibility of writers. There is a lack of theoretical literature which is why unconventional things take too long to be accepted. Tarannum reaffirmed that she considered all these things an aping of the West and said that some indigenous wave should begin. Baran concluded the session by letting it be known that there is a dire necessity of feminist theorising in India to open up closed spaces and blur differences.

 WIKALP

 NANDLAL

Argentine MusicPERFORMANCE: An Evening of Argentinian Music Piano recital by Mariano Alberto VasquezCollaboration: Embassy of the Argentine Republic March 2

Artiste Mariano Alberto Vasquez, well-known pianist

and also tango dancer, presented a piano recital that

was almost an exclusive celebration of Argentine

tango music. Except for one zamba (an Argentine folk

dance) and a couple of numbers featuring the chacarera (another Argentine folk dance that is considered the

rural counterpart of the cosmopolitan tango), all the

numbers performed showcased the tango or its variants

(tango, tango vals and milonga).

The major composer featured was Astor Piazzolla,

who is considered the foremost Argentine composer of

tango music.

The tango is a dance that is exquisite to watch when performed well. It originated in the 1890s along the Rio de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay, and spread first in Europe and then in North America during the early 20th century. It is now part of the standard ballroom dance repertoire.

Mariano Alberto Vasquez impressed with his piano playing, displaying a very good feel and a good understanding of dynamic range. An interesting impromptu touch was the performance by a pair of dancers who essayed the tango itself on two numbers.

The recital concluded with a rendering of probably the most well-known and widely performed tango standard—La Cumparsita—a song written by Uruguayan composer Gerardo Matos Rodriguez in 1916 when he was just an 18-year old student. Interestingly, it also uses a portion of the song Miserere from Giuseppe Verdi’s famous opera Il Trovatore.

 S. CHIDAMBAR

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FESTIVAL : 11TH IAWRT Asian Women’s Film FestivalCollaboration: IAWRT, India Chapter; Max Mueller Bhawan-Goethe Institute; the Japan Foundation; Sangat South Asia; Jagori; Zubaan; PSBT, March 3–5

The 11th edition of the IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival showcased the work of women filmmakers of Asian origin, bringing together a rich and diverse collection of films from 18 countries. The festival included a selection of 60 films and sound works, a seminar and exhibitions. These are excerpts from interviews with some filmmakers.

Yumiko Hayakawa, Japan

Q: Tell us about your career. How did you become a filmmaker?

A: I began my career in journalism and moved to the UK to study. I had a small video camera and I started filming everything in my daily life. One day I came upon a man protesting in front of the Parliament, objecting to troops being sent to Iraq and Afghanistan. I made a film about him and that is how it started.

Q: What is the philosophy behind the art?A: The first film here is an anti-war campaign in the

UK. My second film is about public housing because I thought housing in Japan is a very important issue since rents are exorbitant. Another film describes the structure of Japanese society through the example of a woman whose son was working in a nuclear plant. Her political activism was not encouraged by her husband.

Q: What do you think is the power of a film festival like the IAWRT?

A: I like the selection of films. It brings together people from all across the Asian countries. I think they get inspired and take back the spirit from this festival to their own country.

Lajaward Haqiqi, Afghanistan

Q: What was the idea behind your two animation films,The Reel and The Play on Play?

A: The Play on Play speaks about the world today. People living in it are in play with another, who is in play with

another, and the cycle goes on. The Reel shows a person who lives with the war, in the throes of an unending war. It shows that while music is a basic need, war does not permit it.

Q: What do you think of this festival?A: That school students came to watch the film. That is

very unusual.

Lin Li, UK

Q: You began your career in filmmaking later in your life. Tell us something about the transition.

A: I studied psychology at university and then taught for many years. But I really wanted to do something visually creative. I started learning to paint and decided to explore a different medium. I did some sculpture, and eventually bought a camera with the facility to take moving images. I started making short video pieces.

Q: Can you tell us more about the work you do today? A: At the moment the core elements of my creative practice

are sound and moving image. Apart from making films I also do stand-alone sand pieces. Some of my earlier work includes more meditative short video pieces. At the moment I am working on experimental documentary films about peace activists in non-violence and direct action against nuclear weapons.

Q: How has your experience at this Festival been? A: It’s wonderful. I have learnt a lot from the diversity of

films.

Humaira Bilkis, Bangladesh

Q: Tell us how you became a filmmaker and what inspired you?

A: I am not sure if I can call myself a filmmaker because it is a process. I was engaged with film society movements and that is how I think the engagement started with filmmaking.

Q: Could you share something about your experience during the shooting of Maine Dilli Nahi Dekha?

A: This is my diploma film. I came to Delhi to join a course on ‘Creative Documentary’. It is not about the city of Delhi, it is about me and the experience which I had in the last one year. One thing is very important : that a film is the tool through which we know about a culture, about a country. In a way, films give a message.

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Films of Norman McLaren FILM: Norman McLaren Centenary Year 2015Introduction: Jessie CurellCollaboration: Canadian High CommissionMarch 17

About Aam Aadmi PartyFILM: An Ordinary ElectionDirected by Lalit VachaniApril 1

Eleven films by the Scotland-born Norman McLaren were screened courtesy Jessie Curell of the National Film Board of Canada.

Opening Speech: McLaren is a witty, bizarre live-animation film and a forerunner of the genre. There is its predecessor, Neighbours, which is masterly in technique and prescient in its reading of violence as being integral to human nature. The treatment is again funny and bizarre. Other examples of live animation are A Chairy Tale about a man trying to sit on a chair that wouldn't let him, and relents only when suitably 'wooed'. And there is the exquisite Pas De Deux, a black-and-white dance film like no other where a male and a female dance together and gradually in multiple images

The Aam Aadmi Party, a political progeny of ‘India Against Corruption’ made a remarkable debut in the Union Territory of Delhi, blitzing the big guns, proving their mettle, not just once but twice. To document this extraordinary political revolution that took the country by storm, Lalit Vachani has intricately covered their winning streak in his film An Ordinary Election. The screening was followed by a lively discussion.

The film details the work of the neocrats inside out. Following the party candidate Shazia Ilmi along with the other ‘Aam’ party workers in the constituency of R.K. Puram, the director pictures how they turned every stone to bring about the much needed change in Indian democracy, which once seemed like a wild

of themselves, synchronised with haunting music, build up a nimbus, till they become one again at the end.

He tried his hand at many types of animation. Begone Dull Care is a lovely work in which he painted directly on film and set it to jaunty jazz music. C'est L'aviron is a riveting black-and-white work created in a studio to simulate the forward movement of a boat on water going past cliffs, rock formations, mysterious distant islands accompanied by a folk song on the sound track.

Among other films shown were Blinkity Blank about birds caught in an act of seduction; Le Merle in cardboard cut-outs, about a disintegrating bird; Spheres, an experiment in changing geometric shapes; Synchromy, an attempt to achieve an exact movement of sound and image.

Norman McLaren's achievements are all the more formidable because he worked in film (analogue) animation, by far a more laborious process than digital animation.

 PARTHA CHATTERJEE

goose chase. The film closely follows the campaign from the air-conditioned war rooms to the dusty streets, from the clumsy slums to the systematic upper class neighbourhoods. Probing the party’s resume, Lalit Vachani captures their ideology, ambitions, principles, perspectives, anxieties and struggle on the election battleground. We also hear straight from the horse’s mouth who the Aam Aadmi, or the common man, is. Can the Aam Aadmi Party live up to its own ideals of decentralisation and swaraj or self-rule? What is the fine line that distinguishes political sincerity from political expediency? Lalit Vachani, an alumnus of St. Stephens College, Delhi University, has directed several other films which have won not one but many awards. An Ordinary Election is yet another masterstroke, a diligent artwork on the jhadu-carrying revolution which promises to sweep the nation of its flaws and make it a better one.

 DAISY DEKA

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Cuban Golden Classics!!PERFORMANCE: Jazz Concert – Cuban Golden Classic By Van Merwijks Music Machine Collaboration: Embassy of the Netherlands, April 1

Remembering ZohraFESTIVAL: Happy Birthday Zohra! – A CelebrationCollaboration: Pallavi Odissi Nritya Sangeet Vidyalaya and Women Unlimited, April 27

What happens when one of the finest European and Latin jazz drummers in the world today get together with a charismatic Cuban pianist, a well-grounded Venezuelan bassist and a dynamic Dutch trombonist? The result is swinging uptempo, foot-tapping Cuban jazz by the Van Merwijks Music Machine ensemble from the Netherlands. Putting together the finest selection of Cuba’s best known songs such as El Manicero, La Comparsa, Tres Lindas Cubanas, A Mi Que and the famous Chan Chan in fresh contemporary perspectives, this jazz band’s riveting performance on their inaugural tour of India was, beyond doubt, an incredibly delightful experience.

Led by the immensely-talented drummer Lucas Van Merwijk, who has been at the forefront of the European jazz, Latin and percussion scene for over 30 years, the group belted out classic Cuban jazz standards in a wide array of perspectives and interpretations. Van Merwijk’s brilliant mastery of complex and irregular beat structures, with seemingly no room for error, was sheer symphony

Is it possible to encapsulate and celebrate the life and times of a star that refuses to fade, especially when it continues to shine for what seems like eternity? Is it possible to pour stardust into an hourglass and ensure that not a single speck flickers its way to the ground? The answer to both these questions is a definitive ‘no.’ Notwithstanding these daunting challenges, friends and family of the doyenne of Indian theatre Zohra Sehgal (‘Ammi’), paid a fitting tribute to her gloriously multi-faceted life on her birth anniversary in a series of spectacular presentations of music, dance and theatre in a manner that touched the heartstrings of its rapt audience.

Compered by reputed Odissi dancer Kiran Sehgal, the evening started with a western classical guitar presentation by the young talented Yogi Ponappa who

in motion as his drumsticks flew with finesse over the skins. Cuban pianist Ramon Valle’s seasoned veteran fingers danced effortlessly over his ebony and ivory piano keys, creating intricate story lines without words. Samuel Ruiz’s clear and solid double-bass support made it easy to understand why he is, undisputedly, one of the most sought after Latin bass players in Europe. He has played with just about every major international artist in Latin music from Issac Delgado to Cheo Feliciano. Trombonist Bert Boeren, one of Europe’s finest jazz soloists, is a professor at the Amsterdam Conservatory and is recognised worldwide for his beautiful tone and well-rounded musical ideas.

 DEEPAK CASTELINO

performed five short guitar pieces. From the soft and contemplative strains of ‘Gymnopedie No. 1’ to guitar standards such as Heitor Villa-Lobos’ ‘Prelude No. 4 in E Minor,’ Yogi Ponappa’s mature restraint received due appreciation. This was followed by a short talk by Ammi’s niece, Dr. Salima Raza, who recounted short and humorous anecdotes from Zohra Sehgal’s life. Dr. Raza brought to life several incidents and experiences that had the audience in splits as they remembered Ammi’s tomboyish nature and incredible zest for life. Ammi’s grand-daughter Madhyama Sehgal gave a spirited Odissi dance presentation, and the evening ended with an original play which described how Ammi emphasised the importance of the memory of a play’s message to the audience rather than the play itself.

Zohra Ammi was an institution in herself and the evening made her life immensely real to everyone in the hall, especially the memory of her chuckling voice as she sang, ‘Abhi toh Main Jawan Hoon’ with a twinkle in her eye.

 DEEPAK CASTELINO

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RishabhayanDISCUSSION: The First King and the First Ascetic – A Poetic Retelling of Acharya Mahapragya’s Rishabhayan Introduction to the book by Sudhamahi Reghunathan. Readings in Hindi and English, April 20

Dance CelebrationsFESTIVAL: World Dance Day Celebrations 2015April 25–26

Rishabhayan is the story of King Rishabha who organised society for the first time and transformed wandering human beings into the subjects of a kingdom. In this sense, it also presents the biography of social organisation, narrated in verse. It’s an epic that seems to be telling us the story of the birth of patriarchy in India. It unravels the mystery of pre-historic times where many universes lay hidden. But the telos of social organisations is not its perpetuation in the given form; rather, individuals are shown the path and logic of overcoming it. King Rishabh ultimately renounces the world and goes for nirvana, admonishing his sons to take the same path.

The point of the reading and discussion of this book on 20th April, 2015 was that Rishabhayan, published by Harper Collins publishers with a Foreword by Shivraj Patil, has been translated by Dr. Sudhamahi Regunathan

The Annual World Dance Day celebrations of a two-day festival held by Geeta Chandran and the Natya Vriksha in collaboration with the IIC, attracted a large turnout, with even the aisles filled with squatting people, right from the curtain raiser of a book release.

Very fittingly, the evening concluded with the screening of the sensitive film Vara directed by international film maker (Rinpoche) Khyentse Norbu from Bhutan. Woven round the life of the devadasi, the story poignantly caught the sacred/profane dilemma of these women, exploited by society while secretly sought for their sensual art. Amidst excellent editing and fine acting by the seductive daughter of the devadasi are the bhava-soaked singing of Geeta Chandran as devadasi.

from Hindi to English, who has been the vice-chancellor of Jain Vishwa Bharati University in Rajasthan. The fact that her translation reflects her deep understanding of Jaina philosophy—its central spirit, the Anekantavada, makes it a book of contemporary significance. As a translator she knows that ‘Between one full stop and the next sentence, a kingdom can be built’. Though loyal to the original text, like a professional translator she has at times given the intended meaning a free play. This adds to the spontaneity of the text and a beautiful aswad (aesthetic taste) is generated for the reader.

The reading and discussion were enriched by the rendering of the verses with interpretation by Samani Charitrapragya, vice-chancellor, Jain Bharati Institute (Deemed University) and Shailaja Chandra, former Chief Secretary, Delhi. Prof. G.C. Tripathy, Director, Bhogilal Leherchand Institute of Indology, summed up the discussion by saying that in a nutshell Rishabhayan is about dharma–the laws of maintenance and sustenance of the order of which one is a part.

  SAVITA SINGH

The hallmark of Lakshmi Viswanathan’s talk/demonstration on ‘Rasa in Dance – Inspiration and Imagination’ was the humour, making a heavy theme easily understandable to young learners. Veering away from obsessive sastra classifications, with quaint translations of Sanskrit texts into English with words like ‘Horripilation’, rasa, she underlined, has its birth in poetry. The craft of interpreting this (permitting countless fresh revisitations to the poetry) to evoke aesthetic delight or rasa was the

aim of abhinaya, requiring imagination to build up the sense of ‘beauty’, the first ingredient of

rasa (even the proud snake slinks away unable to stand beside Parvati’s dazzling beauty).

The demonstration of excerpts from Padams, Javalis, verses concluding

with Geetagovind verses Vadasiyati kinchitapi (Music in misra Pilu by

sister Charumati, sung by Subasri on tape) had the typical Lakshmi panache.

Both the young dancers chosen for the festival did their Gurus proud.

LEELA VENKATARAMAN

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Conserving DelhiEXHIBITION: The Grand Programme – Gordon Sanderson, New Delhi and the Architecture of India, 1911-1915 Curated by Deborah Sutton and designed by Siddhartha ChatterjeeCollaboration: Sanderson’s family; Lancaster University; ASI; National Archives of India; and The Leverhulme Trust, April 2–12

Gordon Sanderson, ASI’s Superintendent of Delhi’s Sultanate and Mughal monuments, died at the young age of 28 in a fierce battle in 1915 during the First World War, leaving behind his beloved wife Agnes and his baby daughter Jean. A hundred years on, this Exhibition celebrated his poignant life and dedicated work in protecting and preserving Delhi's historic structures. Sanderson’s original sketches and documents provided by his three grandchildren, Niall and Duncan Campbell and Fiona Macleod, formed the most dramatic core of the exhibition. Some of Sanderson’s satirical drawings lampooned the mindset of the colonial Public Works Department. Countering his British colleagues, he argued that Indian master-builders could teach more of

the true art of building than could be learnt from all the textbooks of Europe.

During his work with the ASI, from 1911 to 1915, he visited and documented monuments all over northern India and also supervised the conservation of sites in and around Agra. An old photograph at the exhibition showed a blurred image of Sanderson escorting the tall and regal Queen Mary seemingly on the ramparts of Fatehpur Sikri on 18 December 1911. This was a few days after the grand Delhi Durbar on 12 December where her husband, George Vth, proclaimed himself Emperor of India and announced that a new city, adjacent to the old Mughal Delhi, would be built as the British imperial capital of India.

The British very clearly attempted to establish that they were the imperial successors to the Mughals whose monuments they wished to preserve. Sanderson and the ASI were energetically involved in this enterprise, as displayed in this fine exhibition which was inaugurated by the historian, Shahid Amin. The initiators of the exhibition project were two Delhi friends of Sanderson’s family, Bharati Bhargava and Narayani Gupta.

  JAWID LAIQ

Charlie HebdoDISCUSSION: Charlie Hebdo – Looking Beyond the Dilemma of Absolute or Limited Freedom of Expression Speakers: Sona Khan; K.P. Fabian; Come Carpentier de Gourdon; Harsh Kapoor; Sister Mary Scaria Moderator: Suhas Borker Collaboration: Working Group on Alternative Strategies March 2

In the talk, 'Charlie Hebdo: Looking Beyond the Dilemma of Absolute or Limited Freedom of Expression', the idea was to discuss the duality between the demand for absolute freedom of expression—and the dangers it holds—and a freedom of expression tempered by certain censors.

All the speakers at the event, moderated by Suhas Borker, convenor, Working Group on Alternative Strategies, seemed unanimous in the larger view that freedom of expression, though essential in a democracy, might turn out to be dangerous if left unbridled.

K.P. Fabian, the opening speaker, highlighted the difference between the right to defend one's freedom

of speech and the right to offend others. Even as he condemned the killing in Paris, he said he would fight with his life to protect the right to defend but could not bring himself to support the right to offend.

Similarly, Come Carpentier dwelt upon the various divides that existed in pluralistic societies across the world, and Harsh Kapoor explained through an insight on French society and its composition what outraged Muslims in that country. He also expressed his surprise on how the political scene in India could digress from the issue of communalism.

Sona Khan said the world needed to understand the difference between Muslims and Islam. While each person practising Islam was a Muslim, Islam, as was clearly said in the Qoran, condemned hurting any innocent person for any reason.

Sister Scaria raised more examples, such as the recent inflammatory statements of some political leaders, to drive home the point that absolute freedom of expression could be dangerous for both the social fabric and individual human rights.

 REETESH ANAND

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From the MountainsEXHIBITION: The Himalaya – A Timeless Quest(People and Environment), April 15–30

The IIC in collaboration with Pahar, American Institute of Indian Studies, Intach and Doordarshan put up their third and final exhibition in the excellently produced ‘Himalayan Series’. This was inaugurated on 15th April at the Art Gallery by Shri Chandi Prasad Bhatt, Gandhian environmentalist, who gave an introductory talk.

The emphasis this time was on the people and environment of the region and relied on the surveys and material collected by Pahar's Ashkot Arakot Abhiyan Study Manch in Uttarakhand, amongst others.

The Exhibition had three segments, the first, pictorial (photographs, maps, text); the second, three talks/discussion; and lastly, visual (five short films).

The photographs by renowned photographers Anup Shah, Deb Mukarji etc., were on display at the Art Gallery along with an informative text by environmentalist Shekhar Pathak and others, and maps. The photos depicted mountainscapes, habitation—both towns and villages—people from across the region. The beautiful flora and fauna were exquisite, being more paintings than mere photos. Scenes depicting various aspects of rural life gave a vivid insight into the lives of the Himalayan villager. Specially poignant was a set of photographs showing various temples, towns and landscapes—before and after the recent devastating floods that ravaged the region. Temples across the region from Ladakh to Nepal depicting different styles and influences and the worship along with maps and text explaining the environmental, ecological and water situation in the region. A comprehensive collage of the environment and the people of the Western, Central, Eastern Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau were vibrantly depicted.

A discussion held on 18th April examined the various areas of conflict between development and existing heritage and culture and the scope of coexistence between the two. This was followed by a talk by Dr. A.K. Gupta of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun on the existing status of the ecology, environment and geology and the dangers posed to it by development.

The last was an illustrated talk by Dr. Anjali Capila on women in the folk songs of the Garhwal Himalayas. These were used as a vehicle to express and communicate

their hopes, experiences, desires and lives. These folk songs covered all aspects of life, viz, the topography of the land, life cycle events, social relations, work roles and activities performed, aesthetic descriptions of beauty, dissent, protest and social change. They were a spontaneous and a powerful method of public expression all over the region despite modernisation.

The short films screened on 25th and 27th April carried forward the same theme. Following the Rhythms on the lives of the Van Gujjars of Uttarakhand and their problems of having to adapt to the modern world. A Question of Tomorrow —The Brogpas of Ladakh was a eulogy to the vanishing tribe of the descendants of Alexander's army.

Apna Aloo Bazar Becha dealt with a remote Garhwal village—Jardhar—coming to terms with a modern market economy.

Ambi Jiji's Retirement dealt with the Garo hills, Meghalaya, where Jhum cultivation (burning forest) and communal ownership is fast giving way to individual holdings and orchards (kaju and areca nuts) and an end to an old way of life. Ambi jiji as the last custodian of the village Jhum land views this change with forebearance and humour.

Reviving Faith tackled the relationship between nature as represented by the forest, and development, represented by dams/roads and seeks to make the point that despite the ravages brought about by modernisation, the sacred forest groves and sanctuaries of the Himalayas (specifically Himachal and Uttarakhand) are still venerated by the people.

It was a thought-provoking exhibition that celebrated the Himalayas.

 SIDDHARTH KAK

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A Journey into the Heart of BuddhaLECTURES: BuddhismCollaboration: National Monuments Authority and Indian Archaeology, April 14, 16, 17 and 18

IIC recently organised a series of four exciting lectures on Buddhist Archaeology with special reference to Gandhar. The first lecture, 'Sarnath: Recent Excavations and Discoveries' by B.R. Mani in the series ‘Indian Archaeology’ was on the archaeological remains of Sarnath, well known for the first sermon that Buddha delivered, one of the four important sites related to Buddha. A fresh excavation was carried out from 2013 to 2014 after a gap of 85 years. For the first time, stratigraphy of the site was carried out to establish the cultural sequence of events from Buddha's first sermon to the time of Ashoka and beyond, for which excavation was carried out to the natural soil level. Dr. Mani has found continuous activity as early as 385 BCE to late 5 CE to early 12 CE. He gave interesting glimpses of sculptures and objects found at this site.

'Buddhism in Niya on the Southern Silk Road' was an informative lecture by Stefan Baums, one of the few scholars in the world who has read the ancient Kharoshti and Brahmi scripts. He gave a fascinating overview of the Taklamakan desert and the Southern Silk Road with emphasis on the ancient site of Niya and the

cultural export from India to these far off places. Due to the extreme temperature, this area is unique in that it has houses, mummies and objects well preserved for almost 1,300 years. Dr. Baums spoke on the daily life of Buddhist monks and people living in this region. Around 800 tablets written in Kharoshti script have been found in excavations. Some of these manuscripts are actually in Sanskrit text which have parallels in Mahabharata, Jataka Tales, etc. Many of these tablets pertain to daily life, administration of the region and topics such as adoption, divorce, and general commands given by the king. Dr. Baums pointed out that some monks were actually householders who did not necessarily wear robes and performed common activities as well as writing of these tablets.

Dr. Pia Brancaccio's lecture, 'The Buddhist Caves of the Western Deccan in the Late 5th and 6th Century: Where the Silk Road and the Indian Ocean Meet', gave a detailed presentation of the strong oceanic trade that existed during that period between India and far-off countries. The Ajanta Caves flourished under the rule of the Vakatakata Dynasty in the latter part of 5 CE to early 6 CE. She gave a new insight into the murals and statues of Ajanta by pointing out details that showed the existence of trade between these countries. Evidence of designs of cotton dresses in far-off countries like Egypt is depicted in the paintings of Ajanta as also what appears to be a Persian ambassador drinking wine. She proposed that the paintings also suggest wine trade with Persia and evidence that nuns were involved in the weaving of cloth.

The last lecture by Dr. Juhyung Rhi was on 'The Enigma of Gandharan Buddhas' where the focus was on statues from various excavations of Buddhist monasteries. Dr. Rhi showed many examples of Buddha statues and classified them stylistically into five different forms. Rather than enunciating the chronology of the statues, his main concern was emphasising the purpose of these different statues. Though he mentioned that statues were built by artisans for patrons to gain merit, he found it mystifying that many statues displayed a hole on the Ushnish (crown of head). He proposed that the purpose in the statues from the Gandhar area in the Peshawar Valley was perhaps that the holes were filled with Buddha relics, a practice also prevalent in other parts of the world like Southeast Asia.

 RISHI JINDAL

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diary culture

A Touch of SpringSPRING FESTIVAL: Music and Dance, April 9–10

Printing TextilesEXHIBITION: Kachchh Ji Chhaap – 500 Years of Block printing and Batik Collaboration: Khamir; Soorvani; and Craft Revival Trust, April 8–14

The Spring Festival of classical music and dance commenced with a melodious flute recital by Pravar Tandon. Keeping in mind the theme of spring, Pravar opened his performance with raga Vasant-Pancham. He must have learnt this lovely creation of Pt. Ravi Shankar from his present Guru, Pt. Barun Pal, a senior disciple of Pt. Ravi Shankar. Pravar’s remarkable tunefulness and blowing technique spoke of his sound grooming under Pt. Bholanath Prasanna from an early age. Listening to his elaborate and sensitive treatment of the rare raga, it was difficult to believe that Pravar was a software engineer by profession. He was ably accompanied on the tabla by Shailendra Mishra.

Anand Upakash, a disciple of Pt. Bholanath Mishra, started his vocal recital with raga Marwa, but the aggressive treatment of the somber raga through Sargam and Aakar Taans indicated his inclination towards showing off virtuosity. Naayaki Kanhada also left much to be desired. His training seems sound but Upakash needs time to mature. The superb Sangat on the harmonium by Zakir Dhaulpuri and on the tabla

Textiles have always fascinated people. The varieties of techniques that can be used to embellish a fabric are absolutely amazing.

The craftsmanship on the textiles displayed in the exhibition Kachchh Ji Chhaap was astounding. So meticulously are the blocks transposed on each other that the textile becomes a prayer and each complete piece is imbued with a beautiful meditative quality. The works are in such harmony with the environment… you can see the sun, animals, river, trees and mud, all as a part of what went into the making of the finished textile. Surely this could not be the work of ordinary mortals!

Ajrakh is derived from the Arabic word azrak, which means blue. Ajrakh is the traditional attire of the Maldhari Muslims. Apparently the Ajrakh cloth is printed on both sides because the Maldhari men got dressed before sunrise to herd their livestock, and

by Subhash Kanti Das were the saving grace.

The second evening devoted to dance opened with captivating Kathak by Gauri Divakar. Groomed under Pt. Birju Maharaj, Jai Kishan Maharaj and Aditi Mangaldas, Gauri is a versatile and energetic performer. She thoughtfully conceived her performance around the theme of spring and opened with Vasant Varnan from Kalidasa’s Ritusamhaar in rag Vasant. The vibrant spirit of spring prevailed in Tala Vasant of the pure dance segment and the sensitive Abhinay on the poetry of Bulle Shah and Nirala depicting Holi and Vasant, accompanied by musicians like Samiullah Khan, Yogesh Gangani and Mahavir Gangani on vocal, tabla and Pakhawaj.

The Festival concluded with a brilliant Bharatanatyam recital by Urmila Sathyanarayanan.

 MANJARI SINHA

because it was dark, there was no fear of the cloth being worn inside out!

There are four different types of Azrakh cloth: Bepoti for the aged, Dedhi for a person less than 15 years of age, Savedi for those less than 10 years, and Paniyu for a boy less than 6 years old.

About block making, which is so integral to the making of a fine textile, it is said that you can only learn this craft between the age of 8 to 12, after which the fingers lose their flexibility. The craftsmen carved the designs directly on wood, and the printers could actually taste the indigo and tell the shade and quality it was going to be.

Apparently, one Khatri block printer was named Mohammed Gulabi by the king of Kachchh. This was because he made an Ajrakh in a bright shade of pink. No one knows how he made it.

 POONAM B. SAHI

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Children’s ConcernsTALK: Mental HealtH – Children and Challenges of Modern Day ExistenceSpeakers: Sarita Sarangi, Heenu Singh, Anju Dhawan Moderator: Dr. S.K. Khandelwal Collaboration: All India Institute of Medical Sciences March 24

Frontiers of History TALK: The Architecture of Delhi –Modern to Contemporary Speakers: Anupam Bansal and Malini Kochupillai Chair: Itu Chaudhuri, April 6

Current newspaper reports of six-year old children hanging themselves, or suicides due to academic pressure have made child well-being a central concern. Dr. Khandelwal of the Department of Psychiatry, AIIMS, said that about 45 per cent of India’s population is below 16, and soon India will be the nation with the largest population of the young. This set the stage for the invaluable relevance of understanding the challenges of childhood. The discussion focused on the diversity of children’s life situations, contexts and experiences that pushed them to the margins.

This talk with a panel of experts with hands-on experience of issues of concern related to children’s mental health, delineated the necessary state assistance in terms of laws, policy and methods devised for the support for children.

Few cities can boast Delhi’s architectural richness and variety. They say one stumbles on an architectural marvel at every dozen steps. Architects Bansal and Kochupillai celebrate this fact in Architectural Guide Delhi, which covers over 250 buildings from Mughal tombs to Gurgaon high-rises, providing brief overviews of structures complemented by beautiful photographs.

Drawing from their book, the speakers discussed landmark buildings of the last 60 years. The focus was on the works of government-approved architects who attempted bold things, creating their own signatures. It was a trip down memory lane for many present, with the rich archive of photographs by Madan Mahatta and Ram Rahman.

Members of the audience expressed the view that buildings of our times seem to interfere with the

Sarita Sarangi from the Delhi Commission for Child Protection and Child Rights lucidly explained the need for prevention, treatment and promotion, highlighting the need for a rights approach in working with children. Heenu Singh, Incharge Helpline Foundation, conveyed a strong message for the public to be alert to the infringement of children’s rights. She emphasised that there are 24-hour helplines to rescue children who are in vulnerable situations. Anju Dhawan from AIIMS stressed on the rising use of drugs, especially among the poor, whose lives are complicated by neighbourhoods, poverty and illiteracy. Common contentious issues of neglect and corporal punishment abound despite child protection guidelines, innumerable state legislations such as Children’s Policy, Juvenile Justice Act and the newly devised Protection of Children from Sexual Offences. All stakeholders jointly need to generate awareness. Along with this, the Right to Education if properly evoked can radically alter the vulnerability of children that could lead to the absence of mental illness, positive emotions and positive psychology.

 ASHA SINGH

character of Delhi, and that structures have lost their ‘Indian-ness’. This fuelled concern as to whether Delhiites even cared for the aforementioned ‘character’. The people of what is primarily a city of migrants seem to be too busy to bother about the new concrete structures rising around them, that too without a tryst with modernity. Others rejected the notion of a monolithic ‘Indian’ architecture, given the different architectural legacies of the country. As A.G.K. Menon writes in the Foreword, to the book, Delhi’s architectural legacy is remarkable not only for its antiquity but also its diversity, but few legatees acknowledge its worth.

The speakers opined that Delhi needs to ‘stop building and start reusing.’ Instead of demolishing existing structures to build new ones, alternative uses of existing heritage could meet the aspirations of the times. Showing successful executions of this theory in developed countries, they suggested one might rethink high-density office complexes, and use them for institutions or even housing.

 ADITYAN G. BHARATI

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Air Force OrchestraCONCERT: Special Concert in honour of Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh. Mr. Soli J. Sorabjee felicitated Air Marshal Arjan Singh. Air Warrior Symphony Orchestra led by Squadron Leader G. JayachandranConcept: Suhas Borker, March 18

Young Voices, Old MastersFESTIVAL: Purandara Dasa Thyagaraja Festival of Music, April 11–12

The upholding of service traditions in the country’s defence forces is a hallmark of their system. Though it is customary in every walk of their lives in the three wings, it comes into the public eye when the bands of the three services make a public display of their musical acumen at opportunities such as on the Raj Path for Republic Day. The current rendition by the Air Force Symphony Orchestra was on a special platform at the Fountain Lawns of the IIC, where they presented their distinctive symphonic compositions. These pieces, one noticed, had kept in mind the strengths of the orchestra. However, the concert tended to be overstretched, although the variety of music conveyed an original air, such as the composition Rejoice in Raisina to the well-tested hymnal piece Abide With Me. The concert showed that there was more on offer for listeners than just a copycat production of compositions from Western sources. Naturally, the

The Ramakrishnapuram South Indian Society presented us with two young artistes, G. Abhilash, disciple of A.S. Murali, and Aishwarya Shankar, disciple of Suguna Varadachari. The Society has chosen to focus on Purandara Dasa and Thyagaraja together in recent years. There are some parallels between the two great composers. Both eschewed royal patronage and narastuti for bhakti. Thyagaraja’s opera Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam contains praise of the earlier composer and his Dvaitamu Sukhama echoes Dasa’s Dvaitavu Sukhava, for example. The two young artistes singing their compositions were a welcome reminder that the widespread following for Carnatic music has surprisingly survived modernity’s onslaught and has a bright future. Abhilash has a strong voice, good stamina and considerable self-assurance. His singing is robust and energetic.

orchestra played to a packed house as a special tribute concert for Air Marshal Arjan Singh.

The amalgamation of Indian instruments like the tabla and the ghatam alongside Western drums gave space to each performer without a clash of sounds, making for perfect compositional acumen. A wholesome departure from the earlier practice of playing only Western compositions was the inclusion of several numbers based on Indian ragas like Shammukhananda, intertwining Indian instruments with Western counterparts with melodious ease.

Overall, what the group lacked in their finesse at highlighting the uncanny musical feel of classical presentations, it made up with its razor sharp rhythmic specificity. Conclusively, what the concert indicated was the immense potential of these fusion experiments to highlight the robustness of the orchestra.

 SUBHRA MAZUMDAR

However, it seemed at times that power overshadowed grace. As a torchbearer of the Semmangudi bani, he would do well to remember that the master’s style, while a vigorous and even percussive one, was remarkably tuneful and imbued with great delicacy. In this reviewer’s opinion, Abhilash would benefit from a focus on slow, ‘soft’ compositions and clarity in bringing out the beauty of each individual note. For his kind of ringing voice, Madurai Mani would be another good example to listen to. The tempo variations in Nambi Kettavar Illavo were well executed and the Behag piece was particularly pleasing. Aishwarya Shankar came across as a more accomplished artiste, a credit to her self-effacing guru, Suguna Varadachari, who has done Carnatic music yeoman service for decades now. Ma Janaki, Mokshamu Galada, the RTP in Kharaharapriya with Ramapriya and Kokilapriya in the pallavi were all well rendered. At a time when her guru would be lamenting the tragic loss of her singing companion, Suguna Purushothaman, she may well take comfort from Aishwarya’s performance; her legacy is in good hands.

 MAHADEVAN RAMASWAMY

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Whither Sri LankaPERFORMANCE: Seasons of Change – Sri Lanka’s New Found OptimismSpeakers: Professor Pradeep Jeganathan; Professor Shweta Singh; Padma Rao Sunderji, Amit Bharua and Professor S.D. Muni Chair: Professor Sasanka PereraCollaboration: People’s SAARC and IIC, March 16

Muslims in Sri LankaTALK: Muslim Identity in Contemporary Sri Lanka by Dr. Dennis McGilvrayCollaboration: American Institute of Indian Studies April 7

Sasanka Perera initiated the discussion by sketching the broader political context in which the discussion could continue, beginning with the Presidential Election in Sri Lanka held in January 2015. He noted that the unanticipated result giving victory to President Maithripala Sirisena offered a much needed democratic space for Sri Lanka. He noted, however, that the sustainability of very disparate groups of people from the United National Party, Sri Lanka Freedom Party and various civic groups and individuals working together which made this transition possible remains to be seen, given their lack of a history in collective action.

The backdrop to the talk was given by His Excellency Sudharshan Seneviratne, Sri Lankan Ambassador to India. As Dennis McGilvray pointed out subsequently, the Muslims of Sri Lanka are a beleaguered community today. Even as they assert their Muslim religious identity through the adoption of conservative Islamic practices, they are rapidly becoming the target of groups such as the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS). Tracing the troubled search for collective identity among the Sri Lankan Muslims, he threw light on how the minority community has distanced itself from both racial and linguistic politics to assert their current generic religious identity as Muslims.

The question of whether they could be defined by their race (as Arabs or Moors), or linguistic identity (Tamil), held both advantages and disadvantages for the Muslims of Sri Lanka. For instance, said Dennis McGilvray, the pros of being an Arab race linked the community with

Pradeep Jeganathan offered a ‘biography of the Jaffna Tamils’, giving a detailed history of this very important community in Sri Lanka. Padma Rao Sunderji offered a snap-shot view of Sri Lanka’s civil war and post-war situations, and talked about the disparity in international media reporting on Sri Lanka and the perspectives of local people on events that have unfolded.

Shweta Singh talked about the election result in terms of conflict transformation and situated the newly emergent possibilities in Sri Lanka in the broader context of India’s relations with Sri Lanka as well as with regard to South Asia. Amit Bharua talked about the broader possibilities of democracy in Sri Lanka and India’s role as a guarantor of Tamil rights in the context of the recently concluded tour of Sri Lanka by the Prime Minister of India.

S.D. Muni reiterated the need to find new ways of looking at Sri Lanka due to changed circumstances, and emphasised the need to change the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution.

a major world civilisation, provided a plausible ‘origin story’, and conformed to the British colonial definition of ‘race’ in colonial Ceylon.

One the other hand, the definition of the Muslims in Sri Lanka as a race was fraught with danger—it identified the community as alien, reinforced stereotypes of them as traders, whereas they were engaged in a wide spectrum of occupations.

Likewise, labelling them by their ethno-linguistic identity as ‘Muslim Tamils’ didn’t work either because of high caste Hindu and Christian arrogance and the fact that a Tamil identity put them at risk of communal violence in the Sinhala majority regions of the island.

Today, the Muslims in Sri Lanka are pushed into a corner by the BBS because they choose to assert their Muslim identity. There are fears of communal violence breaking out, though with a change in government there could be hope of reconciliation, said Dennis McGilvray. But he also pointed out there was an attack recently on a Muslim shrine near Balangoda by a Sinhala Buddhist militant group called Sinhala Ravaya. An ominous development.

 KAVITA CHARANJI

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Everest AscentTALK: India's Historic Triumph of Mt. Everest 1965Speakers: Captain M.S. Kohli, Col. N. Kumar, Major H.P.S. Ahluwalia, Brig. Mulk Raj, Maninder Kohli and H.S. ChauhanCollaboration: The Himalayan Club and Indian Mountaineering Foundation, April 8

Fundamental RightsTALK: Enlargement of Fundamental Rights and their Protection by the JudiciarySpeaker: Mr. Soli J. Sorabjee Collaboration: Transparency International, April 9

On the 8th of April the main Auditorium at IIC started to fill. At first, one could have mistaken the line of people seeking places as no different to the snake dancing queue of porters and members starting towards the Everest Base Camp in the Spring of 1965 as seen on the film screening of the historic first Indian ascent of Everest through the ‘voie normale’ through the Khumbu icefall and South Col route.

A digitally enhanced version of the film shot on Everest, albeit with a few wind sound effects in a studio, was the event that caused much admiration for the team's great effort in sending up nine team members to stand on the summit in successive waves. The team was adroitly led by Capt. M.S. Kohli, who has now become legendary for much of the impetus for adventure tourism and in recent years, his efforts to invoke eco consciousness amongst climbers and trekkers to minimise the impact of mountaineering and adventure tourism in

The lecture by Mr. Soli Sorabjee was scintillating, stimulating, and revelatory of many aspects hitherto unknown. Contrary to the general feeling that human rights are a product of western thought and articulated by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, he traced the genealogy of fundamental rights to the Constitution Bill, 1895, inspired by Lokmanaya Tilak, and pursued by the Indian National Congress in 1918, the subsequent contributions of Mrs. Annie Besant and Motilal Nehru, and the Sapru Committee, 1944-45, and the final adoption by the Constituent Assembly in 1949.

The second important and main aspect of the exposition was that rights which later on were considered fundamental did not find any express mention in Part III of the Constitution. Mr. Sorabjee delineated these rights as the right to freedom of press which was an extension of the guarantee of freedom of speech, rights to travel

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the fragile Himalaya.

Of course, the Expedition had its share of challenges and at one point an avalanche swept over a high camp where the oxygen bottles got buried. Almost wanting to give up in the interest of safety and low chance of recovering the oxygen bottles under avalanche debris, Capt. Kohli was reminded by Maj. Ahluwalia that if they stopped now, with six men already on top, they could only equal the record of the Americans who put up six climbers on the summit in 1963; so it was worth letting the last summit team take a shot to create a new record.

The oxygen bottles were recovered in a stroke of luck and the rest is history. With nine men on the summit, it was a new record and they all returned to a hero’s welcome as if from battle. And battle it was—the elements, crevasses, elementary equipment, heavier oxygen bottles made it all a story of taking the rough with the smooth, careful planning and lots of camaraderie with the ever so often breakouts into ‘bhangra’—both within the multicultural team of Sikhs, Hindus and Buddhists and the Nepalese.

But at one hour, this movie is the Test cricket version and if it were to be edited to 18 minutes I guess it may qualify to be the IPL version!

 MANDIP SINGH SOIN

abroad and return to one’s country, to education, to privacy, to legal aid, to speedy trials, to compensation to a victim of violation of fundamental rights, freedom from sexual harassment of women at the place of work, to an environment free from pollution, etc. This remarkable feat was achieved by the Supreme Court that ‘forged new tools, devised new methods, and adopted new strategies’, especially the public interest litigation that ‘departed from the traditional requirement of locus standi’. Most of the decisions were inspired and given expansive and creative interpretation by Article 21 which Mr. Sorabjee called ‘an inexhaustible reservoir’.

The test of reasonableness in framing laws that must be ‘right, just and fair’ (Maneka Gandhi) and establishing the basic structure of the Constitution as democracy, secularism, federalism, rule of law, and an independent judiciary (Keshvananda Bharti and I.R. Coelho) are seminal decisions of the apex court that have strengthened the foundations of governance. Modesty, perhaps, prevented Mr. Sorabjee from mentioning his contribution in seeking these judgments.

Three cheers for the Supreme Court of India.

 P.S. BAWA

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Suleiman CharitraTALK AND LAUNCH: Suleiman Charitra By Kalyana Malla, translated by A.N.D. Haksar, April 9

The Scientific SageTALK: Buddha, the Scientist Speaker: Professor Robert Thurman Chair: Dharmacharya Shantum Seth Collaboration: Ahimsa Trust and Buddhapath, March 21

The release of A. N. D. Haskar’s English translation of Kalyana Malla’s Suleiman Charitra, an early 16th century Sanskrit text commissioned by the Lodhi Prince Lad Khan, and the reading of selected passages by broadcaster and actor Sunit Tandon with the National Commissioner of Linguistic Minorities Akhtarul Wasey on the dais, jointly ensured a bow to the vibrant coexistence of languages and peoples.

While three-quarters of Suleiman Charitra concerns the Biblical story of the adultery of David and Bathsheba and ultimately after atonement, the birth of Solomon, the fourth chapter after fulsome praise of Suleiman’s reign, is appended with a set of cautionary tales drawn from the Arabian Nights (Alf Layla wa Layl), making it the only known Sanskrit rendition of any part of them.

When the text first appeared in print in 1973, editor V. Raghavan identified the text as ‘the story of the biblical hero Solomon, the son of David, but based here in the Islamic tradition’. These Old Testament

Modern science proudly lays claim to such discoveries as the theory of Evolution, the theory of Relativity and Quantum theory. And these are attributed to great minds such as Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr.

But Robert Thurman, Professor of Indo-Tibetan Studies at Columbia University and a Buddhist scholar and author, says that nearly 2,400 years before these scientists, the Buddha had explained these ideas in his path-breaking teachings. Through his deep penetrative analysis, he had realised that the experiential understanding of the true nature of reality can cure pervasive suffering.

In an illuminating talk, Thurman told a packed auditorium that Western scientists in their arrogance ignored the experiential realisations of many masters of India. The Buddha taught that all phenomena arose out of causes and conditions, and not as a revelation of a god figure.

kings figure as the prophets Dawood and Suleiman in the Quisas al anbiya, the Arabic digests of the lives of Muslim prophets.

The description of Bathsheba’s beauty and her lovemaking with David, the translator tells us, has no equivalent in the Biblical or other versions of the story. Imbued with shringara rasa, it should be kept in mind that Kalyana Malla was known more for his treatise on the ars erotica, Ananga Ranga. What Minkowski terms ‘the distinct Sanskritic imprint’ of the text has Bathsheba delivering a discourse on the perishability of the body and the necessity of chastity to David’s first messenger, his wife suitably named Sukhada, the seduction brought to fruition only through stratagem; further, David delivers a Raja Bhoja like speech after the child born in adultery is put to death, the adultery itself attributed by the author to the curse of an angry sage!

The universal story of the fallibility of the upright king and the need for penitence by one and all, retold by Malla through aesthetic and metaphysical categories familiar to him, comes to bear the unmistakable look of Indian drama.

 PUNAM ZUTSHI

As his witty sarcasm against the materialistic views of most Western scientists drew peals of laughter, he reminded the audience that the Buddha’s discoveries are now finding increasing resonance in modern science. For example, the Buddha’s discovery of shunyata, roughly translated as emptiness or void, in other words, objects or phenomena lacking an independent essence, reflects in Quantum theory. He discovered karma as an evolutionary theory, including the mind among the forces of nature, not as a mystical or blind-faith belief.

The speaker, once an ordained Tibetan Buddhist practitioner and a frequent visitor to India, said the Buddha had found that interdependence is the law of nature and we all exist interdependently, and efforts to find an unchangeable, permanent identity are futile. Such experiential truths have found resonance in the scientific study of the sub-atomic state. His discovery that all that appears as solid and permanent is actually unstable and impermanent led to his understanding of relative truth and absolute truth. His profound wisdom of the interconnectedness of all existence created in him boundless compassion.

 SUDIP MAZUMDAR

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exhibition/noticesdiary

Annual Subscription

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Robin Passi's exhibition Salvaged Shadows reflects his firm and enthusiastic views regarding the importance of recycling. Robin has sourced with diligence and a keen eye, old scrap metal parts found at various scrap yards. He has then gone on to transform, and 'energise a new life and purpose to discarded materials'.

This is clearly visible in the vast eclectic selection, from the strategically placed old rusted iron sticks which have a gleaming white automotive paint sheen, bulbous metal plates suspended from thread, to functional pieces such as the cleverly constructed array of differently designed

lamp stands and candle holders made from metal clutch plates, old metal springs, wire scrubs and rods. A side table for resin and disused scrap metal has more of an industrial feel but makes for an interesting juxtaposition alongside the whimsical glass-topped coffee table made out of inner bearings.

In Salvaged Shadows, Robin uses the concept of re-purpose, giving the material new life and meaning.

EXHIBITION: Salvaged Shadows by Robin PassiJanuary 4–13

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Highlights for May-June 2015Lectures

20 May 2015 at 6:30 pm in Annexe Lecture Room II

Music AppreciAtion proMotion

Taal and Percussion in the Sattriya Tradition The Sattras of Assam reveal a rich taal and percussion performance tradition, built around the Khol and the Cymbals. This illustrated lecture by Dr. Arshiya Sethi and Dr. Bhabanand Borbayan reveals the origins, and some of the patterns, and intricacies of Rhythm in the Sattriya culture

Dr. Arshiya Sethi, a well known writer on cultural issues, has studied Sattriya Culture for her doctoral dissertation. Bhabhanand Borbayan, a practising monk from the Uttar Kamalabari Sattra, Majuli, competed his Doctoral dissertation on 'Tala Patterns of Sattriya Dance', from Rabindra Bharati University

Discussion

19 May 2015 at 6:30 pm in the Multipurpose Hall, Kamaladevi Complex In Search of Freedom – Journeys through India and South-East Asia Readings and discussion around Sagari Chhabra’s new book on India's unknown and unacknowledged freedom fighters and the concept of freedom

Launch of book by Smt. Momota Mehta, freedom fighter and Shri Kuldip Nayar, democratic rights’ activist and eminent journalist

Dr. Vibha Chauhan will be in conversation with the author followed by readings

25 May 2015 at 6:30 pm in Seminar Rooms II-III, Kamaladevi Complex

MentAL HeALtH

Media, Mad Tales, and Mental Health

Speakers: Ziya Us Salam, film critic, author; and Anusha Rizvi, Film and Theatre personality (Director of Peepli Live)

Moderator Dr. S. K. Khandelwal

There are many striking similarities between cultural and temporal parallels between cinema, theatre and mental health. Over the years, the depiction of psychiatrists, or a mentally ill person has been treated simplistically or sensationally. Although print media now regularly publishes articles on mental health, the approach is to sensationalise. Of all the stigmatised conditions in society today, mental illness is nearly at the top of the list and should remain at the forefront to help the cause of mental health.

26 May 2015 at 6:00 pm in Seminar Rooms II-III, Kamaladevi Complex IIC Quarterly Journal Release Thirty Years of SAARC: Society, Culture and Development

Edited by Rajiv Kumar and Omita Goyal

Dr. Karan Singh, MP will release the special issue of the IIC Quarterly (Winter 2014-Spring 2015)

Followed by a panel discussion

ObituaryL-0117 Dr. Rajaram Jaipuria

A-0948 Shri R.K. Jain

A-2044 Smt. Perin R. Chandra

A-2583 Shri K. Venkataraman

A-4107 Ms Shanti Rana

M-1615 Prof. Ishwar Dayal

M-2175 Dr. Kailash Vajpeyi

M-2720 Prof. M.N. Joglekar

M-3306 Dr. Surinder P.S. Pruthi

M-3956 Shri Shyam Chowdhary

OA-541 Shri Rakesh Kumar Sinha

Member/Non-Member Rs. 750.00 $ 55(Institutions)

Bank charges for outstation cheques Rs. 50.00 $ 15

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exHibition

22-28 May 2015, Annexe Art Gallery, 11:00 am to 7:00 pm

Hola Mohalla An exhibition of black and white photographs by Jagdev Singh from Delhi

3-9 June 2015, Annexe Art Gallery, 11:00 am to 7:00 pm

Aura – The Mystery An exhibition of paintings in Chinese black ink By Rajendra K. Saini from Delhi

10-21 June 2015 in the Art Gallery Kamaladevi Complex When the Pleats Dance! An exhibition on the history of Bharatanatyam costumes in the last four decades beginning with the devadasi’s costume, to the Kalakshetra costume to the more contemporary versions that project the dance

Curator: Sandhya Raman

perforMAnces

Summer Festival of Music and Dance 24-25 June 2015 at 6:00 pm in the Auditorium

24 June 2015 at 6:00 pm

cArnAtic VocAL

By B. Lakshmy Surya Teja from Vishakhapatanam, disciple of Isai Peroli and Dr. Pantula Rama

Hindustani Music – Santoor Recital By Shruti Adhikari from Bhopal, disciple of Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma

25 June 2015 at 6:00 pm Manipuri Recital By Suman Sarawgi from Kolkata, disciple of Smt. Priti Patel and Smt. Sruti Banerjee

Kathak Recital By Ashavari Rahalkar from Pune, disciple of the late Pandita Rohini Bhate and Guru Pt. Rajendra Gangani

16-17 July 2015 at 6:00 pm Monsoon Festival of Dance – Purushaakaram: The Male in Bharatanatyam

16 July at 6.00 pm Bharatanatyam Recitals By Praveen Kumar from Bangalore, disciple of Guru Smt. Narmada and Prof. C.V. Chandrashekar

7:00 pm By Renjith Babu from Chennai, disciple of Prof. C.V. Chandrashekhar and the Dhananjayans

17 July at 6.00 pm Bharatanatyam Recitals By S. Vijay Kumar from Chennai, disciple of Smt. Sujatha Parameswaram

At 7:00 pm By Lokesh Bharadwaj from Delhi, disciple of Shri Justin McCarthy

Film Festival The Justice Project – Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

Under the Justice Project, more than a dozen researchers and five filmmakers from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have worked over the past two and a half years to research the theme of justice and conflict. The project aims at building a series of dialogues across the five project countries through films and research papers that map a range of contests on the idea and practices of justice as they shape in different sites of South Asia. The project has been co-ordinated by Aakar, a Delhi based trust and with the support of IDRC

Screenings will be held on 25 and 27 May 2015 at 6:30 pm; and 29 and 30 May 2015 at 6:00 pm. Directors of each of the films will be present to introduce their films and lead a discussion after

Films produced by Rahul Roy who will introduce the project

Castaway Man (Nepal 2015) Directed by Kesang Tseten who will introduce the film

Dor Bahadur Bista, Nepal’s most controversial intellectual of modern times, disappeared without a trace in 1996. The documentary investigates his disappearance

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futuresReg. No. 28936/77

The issue of the Diary has been assembled and edited by Omita Goyal, Chief Editor, Rachna Joshi, Senior Asstt. Editor and Ritu Singh, Senior Asstt. Editor. Published by Ravinder Datta, for the India International Centre, 40, Max Mueller Marg, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi-110 003, Ph.: 24619431. Designed by Viba Press Pvt. Ltd., C-66/3, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-II, New Delhi, Ph.: 41611300/01, 9810049515)

diary

and in doing so unravels the caste based injustices in Nepal

27 May 2015 at 6:30 pm Silence in the Courts (Sri Lanka 2015) Directed by Prasanna Vithanage who will introduce the film

Two women from rural Sri Lanka, raped by a Judge nearly two decades ago, try in vain to seek justice. As their plea is turned down and subverted by the country’s highest authorities, noted journalist Victor Ivan begins to write investigative stories highlighting their plight. The film is an investigation into the familiar state of impunity that marks almost the entire region of South Asia

29 May 2015 at 6:00 pm A Walnut Tree (Pakistan 2015) Directed by Ammar Aziz who will introduce the film

An old man reminisces about a distant homeland. He wants to return. Internally displaced from Swat as a result of the ongoing conflict between the Pakistan army and the Taliban and forced to live in a camp, the family is caught between memories of what life was, an insecure present and a bleak future

30 May 2015 at 6:00 pm The Factory (India 2015) Directed by Rahul Roy who will introduce the film

147 workers of India’s biggest automobile manufacturing company Maruti Suzuki are on trial for the murder of a senior manager and 2500 workers dismissed. It has been two and a half years and the case drags on. The film follows the fate of the undertrial workers, families and dismissed workers to investigate the underbelly of industrial conflict and the elusive nature of justice

Summer Sonata – Films on operas and ballets Curator: Dr. R.P. Jain who will introduce the screenings

6 June 2015 at 6:30 pm Don Pasquale Gaetano Donizetti’s well-known opera with John del Carlo, Mariusz Kwiecien, Matthew Polanzani, Anna Netrebko, Bernhard Fitch

The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus Conductor: James Levine

8 June 2015 at 6:30 pm Manon Music of Jules Massenet Choreography: Kenneth MacMillan With Jennifer Penny, Anthony Dowell, David Wall, Derek Rencher The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden Conductor: Ashley Lawrence

12 June 2015 at 6:30 pm Thaïs Jules Massenet’s opera With Renée Fleming, Thomas Hampson, Michael Schade The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chorus and Ballet Conductor: Jesús López-Cobos

15 June 2015 at 6:30 pm Die Kamiliendame (The Lady of the Camellias) Ballet by John Neumeier Music by Frédéric Chopin With Marsha Haydéé, Ivan Liska Hamburg Ballet, NDR Sinfonie Orchester Conductor: Heribert Beissel

22 June 2015 at 6:30 pm La Fille du Regiment (The Daughter of the Regiment) Gaetano Donizetti’s opera With Juan Diego Flórez, Patricia Ciofi Orchestra and Coro del Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova Conductor: Riccardo Frizza

26 June 2015 at 6:30 pm Don Quixote Ballet by Mikhail Baryshnikov With Cynthia Harvey, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Richard Schafer, Brian Adams

Choreography: Mikhail Baryshnikov Music: Ludwig Minkus Conductor: Paul Connelly