india perspectives march 2012

II NN SS II DD EE PARTNERSHIPSIndia-ASEAN Ties

PROFILEThe Missile Woman

FESTIVALColours of Revelry

INDIAVOL 25 NO. 12 MARCH 2012

PERSPECTIVES

MARCH 2012INDIA THIS MONTH

March 1-7THE INTERNATIONALYOGA FESTIVALOne of the largest yogagatherings in the world,it offers classesby eminent teachers.On its sidelines arediscussions andvegetarian cookinglessons.Where: Parmarth NiketanAshram, Rishikesh

March 8VASANT UTSAVDuring this spring festival,introduced by NobelLaureate RabindranathTagore at Visva-BharatiUniversity, studentssmear each other withcoloured powders andtake part in dance andmusic performances.Where: Santiniketan,West Bengal

March 2CHAPCHAR KUTIt is one of the oldestfestivals of Mizoram, astate in the north-east ofthe country. Also knownas the Festival of Joy, itcelebrates the arrival ofspring. Highlights are thecheraw or bamboo danceperformed by women.Where: Mizoram

March 7ELEPHANTA FESTIVALEminent classicaldancers and musiciansperform against thebackdrop of theElephanta Caves,a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site.Where: Elephanta Island,Mumbai

March 7JAIPUR ELEPHANTFESTIVALOn the eve of Holi, thefestival of colour,elephants are decoratedand paraded around thecity. A polo game and atug-of-war between theanimals and peopleare the other attractions.Where: Jaipur, Rajasthan

March 25-26GANGAUR FESTIVALIn Jaipur, a sweet calledghewar is typical of thefestival. Womenaccompany a clay imageof Goddess Gauri in aprocession through thecity, which is finallyimmersed in water.Where: All overRajasthan

March 9HOLLA MOHALLAStarted by Guru GovindSingh, it is marked bydisplays of martial arts.Poetry readings andmusic competitions arepart of this Sikh festival.Where: Anandpur Sahiband Kiratpur Sahib inPunjab

March 25ATTUVELA MAHOTSAVAMDuring this annualwater carnival, theMoovattupuzha rivercomes alive with aprocession ofilluminated canoescarrying colourfulreplicas of theElankavu temple.Where: Vadayar,Kottayam

March 8DANGS DARBARHundreds of tribals intraditional attire fromacross the district gatherfor the three days offestivity, which includemusic, dance and drama.Where: Ahwa, Gujarat

03MARCH 2012 � INDIA PERSPECTIVES

editorialnote

arch 8 is observed as International Women’s Day the world over. It celebrateswomen and lauds their economic, political and social achievements. It is anoccasion to review how far women have come in their struggle for equality,peace and development. In India, the endeavour to ensure a better world for

women is not about one day on the calendar; it is a continuous commitment.Increasingly, Indian women are striding out to meet new challenges and breaking glass

ceilings that have hindered their growth in the past. All over the country, women withaccess to health, education and productive resources are achieving success and arewalking into varied professional spaces – from boardrooms and newsrooms to laboratoriesand Parliament. Unfortunately, their sisters from the weaker sections of society and fromthe rural areas continue to exist on the margins. Hopefully, this too will change, and changesoon. In this issue, to mark Women’s Day, we profile Tessy Thomas, project director ofIndia’s ongoing strategic weapons programme, Agni V.

Coincidently, Holi, India’s festival of colours is being celebrated on March 8 as well.This spring festival is celebrated with great gusto, especially in north India. Herald of theseason is the tesu (flame of the forest) flower; in full bloom it turns the forests a fiery orange.The flower has inspired many songs and poems written by Nobel Laureate RabindranathTagore, and is an intrinsic part of spring celebrations in Santiniketan, where Visva-Bharati,a university founded by Tagore, is located. The cover story in this issue captures the colourand vibrancy of the festival.

A hundred and fifty years ago a boy was born in Kolkata, he was named NarendranathDutta. Those who watched him take his first steps could not have known that one day hewould propel Vedanta and Yoga on to the world stage and come to be known as SwamiVivekananda. He was only 30 years old when he addressed the World’s Parliament ofReligions in Chicago in 1893. Quoting from the Bhagvada Gita he told the gathering, ‘‘Asthe different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in thesea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take, through different tendencies, variousthough they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee. He died before he could reachhis 40th birthday, but by then he had established the Ramakrishna Mission, which eventoday works tirelessly in the spheres of healthcare, disaster relief and education. A featurein this issue is a tribute to the great philosopher.

Happy Holi.

Navdeep Suri

M

March 2012 � VOL 25 No. 12/2012

INDIAPERSPECTIVES

Editor: Navdeep SuriAssistant Editor: Abhay Kumar

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COVER STORYCOLOURS OFREVELRYEminent personalitiesrecount their favouriteHoli memories6

AFP

MARCH 2012

COVER PHOTO: MYRIAD OF COLOURSCOVER DESIGN: BIPIN KUMAR

05

Essay: Guiding Light 14

Profile: Tessy Thomas 20

Snapshots: Kalachakra 22

Global Perspectives: India-ASEAN Ties 30

Partnerships: An Incredible Learning Experience 34

Travel: Pearls, Palaces and Paradise 36

REVIEWS:

An Affair with Craft 42

Film: On the Wings of Courage 44

Art: India Art Fair 45

Verbatim: Narain Karthikeyan 46

MARCH 2012 � INDIA PERSPECTIVES

46

36

22

COVER STORY

COLOURS OF

REVELRYHoli, the festival of colours, is an occasion to have fun withfriends and family. A harvest festival, it is celebrated allover the country with bonfires and bonhomie. As we drenchourselves in songs and celebrations, some eminentpersonalities recount their favourite Holi memories

GulzarA lyricist,scriptwriter,he won theOscar for the BestOriginal SongJai Ho in thefilm SlumdogMillionaire.

Holi is hindustani rang (the colour of India). It is about colours. It isbahaar (spring) in our cultural ethos. We burn bonfires the day beforeHoli, symbolic of burning of a demon, Holika, which is the mythologicalbase of this festival, signifying the victory of good over evil. Green chana(fresh chickpeas) and heads of wheat are roasted in the bonfire andeaten. Holi is also about beauty and aesthetics. The red colour of gulal(coloured powder) is considered very auspicious. Then there is theorange of tesu ke phool (flame of the forest). Holi is also about emotions.Holi has nothing to do with religion. It’s always been about culture likeRaksha Bandhan or Rakhi. I remember my mother tying rakhi (a sacredthread) on the wrists of some of my father’s Muslim friends because itsymbolises protection and care. Holi spreads the message of aharmonious and colourful society. It is also the festival of love, the timewhen people shed their inhibitions. At home, we eat jalebi-samosa(popular sweets and savouries). Bhaang, a beverage made from theleaves and buds of the cannabis plant, makes for a heady drink. The roadoutside my house is soaked in the colours of the day.

INDIA PERSPECTIVES � MARCH 201206

Actors Rani Mukherjee and Aamir Khan in a still from Mangal Pandey

Holi celebrations at Mathura

Holi has always been an occasion to sing and dance. Itis a festival that breaks boundaries between religionsand cultures. Traditionally, dhrupad, dhamar and horisongs were sung during the celebrations of spring. Thelove between Radha and Krishna is central to themusic of Holi. We have many songs centring on themeven in khayal and light classical genres. The bandishithumris such as Dekho ali hori khelata Nandalal re(Come see Krishna play Holi) have enthralled musiclovers for centuries. The spirit is best expressed in theragas of spring such as the quintessential BasantBahar, Paraj Basant and Kedar.

DebashishBhattacharyaGuitarist

DeepikaGovindFashion Designer

Holi has been played for a long time at the R.K. Studios in Mumbai.My grandfather, actor Raj Kapoor, brought together the entire familyon this occasion. An artificial pool was created in which all the menwere dunked. Lezim, a folk dance of Maharashtra in which dancerscarry a musical instrument that has small jingling discs, wasperformed all day. The highlight was a dance performance by well-known Kathak dancer Sitara Devi. Celebrations would begin early inthe morning and continue till about five or six in the evening.Family, friends and even distant relatives joined in the fun. Therewas a lavish spread of mostly Indian food and a good deal ofPeshawari cuisine thrown in. And who can forget the sweets?

RiddhimaKapoor SahniFashion designerand socialite


Holi brings with it colours and jubilation. It is this spirit that I haveincorporated in some of my collections. The spirit of this spring festivallies in the feeling of love and romance and embodying them in the formof colourful motifs helps to recreate the magic. My most memorableHoli was in Chennai, where I was a student in a hostel. The girls on myfloor decided to initiate me into the ritual. When I returned from mymorning walk on the campus, I was greeted with a shower of water. Iwas opportunely poised at the foot of the stairs, conversing with a first-year student and a bucket of water came down on my head fromabove. And I stood drenched. But in the true hostel spirit, my friendsrallied forces, and quickly gathered artillery. And all of us fired backwith colours. Soon it was a hilarious battle between the floors witheveryone drenched in colour and laughter by lunchtime.


ManjariChaturvediSufi Kathakdancer

Holi is like music and dance. It is celebrated in spring and dance andmusic are like spring, bringing happiness and colour. The great Sufisaints wrote a lot of poetry on spring. They even danced to celebratelife. In one of my concerts, Beyond Boundaries, I performed to theqawwali, Hori re, written by the famous Pakistani singer, UstadShafqat Ali Khan. In this sequence I play Holi with three identities —Krishna, Khwaja Garib Nawaz and Nizamuddin Auliya — eachmerging into one other. Holi is celebration and that is what Sufi kathakis. It celebrates the mystical union of the soul with the divine. Thedance and the song are the colours of love and the soul is drenched inthe colour of the Almighty.

AlkaRaghuvanshiArtist and art Critic

In the Ragmala, Basholi and Rajput miniaturepaintings, Krishna is seen playing Holi with Radhaand the gopis (milk maids). He sprinkles all withpichkaris (water guns) full of beautiful colourssuch as the yellow of tesu flowers and the red ofvermillion — the colour of fertility, passion, loveand life. In Jodhpur, the pagdi (turban) peoplewear at this time is either yellow or satrangi (onewith the colours of the rainbow). Photographershave brilliantly captured the festive spirit. Thecolours of Holi stretch to the performing arts too.

Hazrat HasanSani NizamiDescendant of SufiSaint NizamuddinAuliya

Sufi saints — Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya and Amir Khusro — loved thefestival of Holi. They sang songs in the language of the people.Famous Mughal emperors — Bahadur Shah Zafar, Shahjahan, Akbarand Jahangir — played Holi. During Bahadur Shah Zafar’s reign, Holiwas known as Eid-e-Gulabi (the pink Eid) or Aab-e-Pashi (shower ofcolourful flowers), and was a time to rejoice for both Hindus andMuslims. The season of spring, when the world around is full ofcolours, was celebrated by the sufis. Continuing this tradition for thelast 700 years, we have a jash-ne-bahaar (festival of spring) at theNizamuddin Dargah in Delhi. There is a mehfil of sufis, qawwalis andpeople from all walks of life join the celebrations, which are enrichedwith flowers, music and dance. This is the time when people bondand forget the things that create barriers.

—With inputs from Ambica Gulati, Tithi Sarkar, Pallavi Singh, Sudipta Biswas

A shop with a myriad of colours

12 INDIA PERSPECTIVES � MARCH 2012

SanjeevKapoorChef, author andtelevision host

Holi is a celebration of life, love, happiness and good spirits. The riot of richcolours, combined with high spirits, rejuvenates life on earth. The mostcolourful of festivals, it falls on the full moon day in the Hindu month ofPhalgun, which is the month of March as per the Gregorian calendar. Likeevery festival, it is associated with many traditional sweets and savouries.Holi calls for a lot of activity, which leaves one hungry. If one travels

across India, one could probably have a taste of various regional sweets.Come to the Northern states. Holi is a boisterous affair with people comingonto the streets early in the morning. Most prefer to dress in white so thatthe colours show brightly. You can find groups of friends going from houseto house, applying gulal and dousing acquaintances with coloured waterfrom pichkaris (squirters) and shouting ‘‘Holi hai!’’ (it’s Holi!).One can have gujiyas that are crescent-shaped fried pastries filled with

rich mawa (dried whole milk) and nuts. Or one can also have crisp, friedgud paray that are made with flour and coated with jaggery syrup. Onecan also be offered chilled dahi vadas — fried dumplings made withlentils dunked in sweet yoghurt and covered lavishly with sweet and spicychutneys. Unbelievably tasty, it is a wonderful nutritious snack and givesthe Holi revellers energy to carry on with the festivities.In Gujarat, Holi is marked with basundi, which is a thick milk dessert

flavoured with saffron, nutmeg, sunflower seeds and nuts. This is servedafter lunch with small soft puris (fried bread). In Maharashtra, puran poliis prepared in most homes. It is a sweet bread, the papery thin coveringis filled with a stuffing made with Bengal gram and spices. It is servedwith melted ghee and relished by all.A beverage enjoyed all over the country is thandai. It can be in two

versions: one that has bhang (cannabis) and one without bhang.The buds and leaves of the cannabis plant are squashed and ground into

a green paste in a mortar with a pestle. Milk, nuts and spices are added.Sometimes the leaves are added to fried savoury dumplings called pakoras.So there’s always plenty to eat, drink and be merry about on Holi.

FLAVOURS OF

HOLICUISINE

(Clockwise from left) Gujiyas (crescent-shaped fried pastries);thandai (a beverage of milk, cannabis leaves and spices); anddahi vadas (fried lentil dumplings dunked in yoghurt)

A beverage enjoyedall over the country isthandai. It can be intwo versions: one thathas bhang (cannabis)and one without bhang.

ESSAY


Guiding Light

BALMIKI PRASAD SINGH

Great men are seldom born. It is our sheergood fortune that in a single decade of the19th century, three great men were born inIndia: Swami Vivekananda on January 12,

1863; Rabindranath Tagore on May 4, 1861; andMahatma Gandhi on October 2, 1869. Each onebecame a formidable figure in his sphere of work:Swami Vivekananda in religion and spirituality, GurudevTagore in literature, and Mahatma Gandhi in freedommovement and public life. Swami Vivekananda was thefirst leader among these three outstanding persons tomake a major impact on the Indian consciousness bothin his time and thereafter.Narendranath Dutt (Swami Vivekananda) was born

into a Hindu family in Kolkata. During a short span of39 years he gave a newmeaning to the Hindu philosophyof tolerance. He built the Ramakrishna Order to propagatethe values of the Vedanta philosophy and to work tospread quality education and healthcare throughout India.Swami Vivekananda’s contribution has three inter-

related perspectives. First, he brought religion to thecentre-stage and gave a new meaning to it. Second, hestressed on the need for harmony among faiths. Third,his teaching continues to be of relevance.A contemporary of Swami Vivekananda, famous

German thinker Friedrich Neitzsche (1844-1900) madean outstanding statement declaring the ‘death of god’.Subsequent scholars and writers went on to highlightthe fact that people were no longer as interested in Godas they were earlier. Swamiji felt that science andrationality were guiding human affairs more decisivelythan religions. This was not acceptable to him and hewent on to give a new meaning to religion.Swami Vivekananda maintained that service to God

should mean service to the poor. Discarding monks andpandits, temples and mosques, churches and satras,which were traditionally the centres for religiousdialogues that enjoined on the participants the need topursue higher values of renunciation and moksha,Swamiji emphasised something new, and that was tohelp the poor. He coined a new word DaridraNarayana – God in the poor and the lowly – as areligious axiom. Daridra Narayana brought in the senseof duty which was enjoined on men and women toserve the poor if they wanted to serve God.Like Buddha, Swami Vivekananda highlighted the role

of rationality in human conduct. He believed that whateverwe do must be justified and supported by reason. Manmust learn to live with a religion which commends itselfto intellectual conscience and to the spirit of rationality.

India celebrates the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda,a man who gave a new meaning to the philosophy of tolerance

PHOTO:INDIAPICTURE

Religion should also be the sustaining faith thatinsists on the intellectual and spiritual development ofevery human being irrespective of his caste, creed,community, or race. Any religion that divides man fromman, or supports privileges, exploitation, and warscannot commend itself.Swami Vivekananda emphasised that every religion

must serve the poor and should aim at removing poverty,ignorance and disease among the downtrodden. Hefurther stressed that there should be no discriminationbetween man and woman, between the sects andprofessions. He, in fact, raised service of the poor to thelevel of worship, and at that level, harmony amongdifferent faiths automatically became a pre-condition.Such an environment demands reconciliation amonghuman beings. In order to overcome enemies andanimosity we need to renounce hatred and cultivate loveand compassion for all.Swamiji’s earnest prayer was, ‘‘May I be born again

and again and suffer thousands of miseries, so that Imay worship, my God, the miserable, my God, the poorof all races, of all species’’.Today, it is no longer possible to live an isolated life.

People of different faiths live side by side. It is therefore,necessary to understand each other: their needs andaspirations, faiths and belief practices.A close examination of Swamiji’s teachings and

practices reveals that he thought ahead of his time. Hisideas emphasising dialogue among faiths and justification

for plurality of faiths and belief patterns are of greatrelevance to today’s strife-torn world.Swami Vivekananda explained that the Vedanta

philosophy was not Brahmanic or Buddhist, Christian orMuslim, but the sum total of all these. In his historicaddress to the Parliament of Religions in Chicago onSeptember 11, 1893, Swamiji clarified:

The Christian is not to become a Hindu or a Buddhist,or a Hindu or a Buddhist to become a Christian. Buteach must assimilate the spirit of the others and yetpreserve his individuality and grow according to his ownlaw of growth.Swamiji also saw this relevant in the Indian context.

The Indian idea was to make man find the best that hecould in his environment, and live up to it in all sincerity.The Hindu concept has been what was described byParamahansa Ramakrishna in the form of an aphorism:Jato mat, tato path, meaning, ‘’As many opinions somany ways’’. Swamiji greatly valued plurality of approachin human affairs and spoke against uniformity.Swamiji was in favour of harmony among religious

beliefs and against one religion for all. As SwamiVivekananda records:

The greatest misfortune to befall the world would beif all mankind were to recognise and accept but onereligion, one universal form of worship, one standard ofmorality. This would be the death-blow to all religiousand spiritual progress.There are two aspects of Swamiji’s teachings and


The Christian is not to become a Hinduor a Buddhist, or a Hindu or a Buddhist to become

a Christian. But each must assimilate the spirit of theothers and yet preserve his individuality and grow

according to his own law of growth.

(Above) VivekanandaRock Memorial,Kanyakumari; (below)Swami Vivekanandatemple at Belur Math,West Bengal

(Above) Schoolchildrengarland Swami

Vivekananda’s statueduring the 150th birth

anniversary celebrationsin Ahmedabad;

(below) 3, Gour MohanMukherjee Street,

Kolkata, where theSwami was born

MARCH 2012 � INDIA PERSPECTIVES 19

practice which are of particular relevance to India andthe world today.Swami Vivekananda was one of the great founders

of the national freedom movement of India. Manypeople in his time and later who took an active part inthe freedom struggle drew inspiration from him. Personslike Ramakrishna Paramahansa and Swami Vivekanandaprovided a way of life to the people not only in regardto their spiritual uplift but also in their approach towardssociety. The stress on rendering service to the poor isnot only a social obligation to be discharged but a pathof salvation as well.Indian democracy is facing a serious challenge in

view of our inability to keep public servants away fromtemptations. The Ramakrishna Order set up by Swamijisince its inception has taken care of their members in amanner that they continue to be symbols of integrityand devotion to duty. How has this been accomplished?The order takes care of every member’s food, clothing,shelter, and healthcare needs. There is considerableequality in treatment in respect of food, clothing andhealthcare provisions. It motivates its personnel throughtraining and idealism. On the other hand, political partiesdo not have any system to support or sustain theiractive members. Time has come for political parties todraw appropriate lessons from Ramakrishna Order.We are living in a world which is marked by hatred

and violence, terrorism and suicide squads. The terrorists

are using religious slogans to justify their evil deeds. Thereare many people who believe in the dictum: ‘‘My god issuperior to yours’’.How could a man of religion be a terrorist? How

could a religious person join a suicide squad if hebelieves in service of the poor? Swamiji had answer forall these questions as well as justification for plurality offaiths and harmony among religions.Swami Vivekananda had rightly declared in the

Parliament of Religions: ‘‘If anybody dreams of theexclusive survival of his own religion and thedestruction of others, I pity him from the bottom of myheart, and point out to him that upon the banner ofevery religion will soon be written, in spite of resistance:‘Help and not Fight’, ‘Assimilation and not Destruction’,‘Harmony and Peace and not Dissension’.’’Swami Vivekananda was handsome in looks, in

thoughts, and in deeds. Such a combination of beauty israrely seen in an individual. His short span of life andmonumental deeds constitute a rare example of anindividual’s earnestness and endeavour in human history.As India celebrates the 150th birth anniversary of

Swami Vivekananda, let us focus on and work formaking India a strong nation and an equitable societyand the world a better place to live in.

—Balmiki Prasad Singh is the Governor of Sikkim and adistinguished scholar, thinker and public servant. His latest book is

Bahudha and the Post-9/11 World.

The greatestmisfortune to befall the worldwould be if all mankind were to recognise and acceptbut one religion, one universal form of worship, onestandard of morality. This would be the death-blow toall religious and spiritual progress.


PROFILE

Always dressed in simple, elegant saris andwearing a smile, Tessy Thomas, popularlyknown as the ‘‘missile woman’’, is the firstwoman at the helm of the country’s strategic

weapons project. In the near future, once India testfires Agni V, she will have propelled the country to anelite group of nations — among them the US, Russiaand China — with the ability to produce their ownlong-range Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).

Thomas, who lives and works in Hyderabad, hasbeen associated with the Agni programme for closeto two decades — first as associate project director forAgni III and then as project director for Agni IV andAgni V at the Advanced Systems Laboratory. Accordingto her, Agni IV, India’s most advanced long-rangemissile, which was successfully test fired lastNovember, was the most challenging. Says she: ‘‘If Ihad to pick the most challenging phase it would beAgni IV. Totally new from nose-tip to bottom, Agni IV –with a range of 2,500-3,500 km, and a 20-year shiftin technology – was realised with a new design, newset up and new testing environment.’’

An engineering graduate from Thrissur EngineeringCollege, in Kozhikode, she was among the 10 personschosen for the Defence Research and DevelopmentOrganisation (DRDO)-sponsored M. Tech programmeon guided missiles. Thomas is an expert in ‘solidsystem propellants’ which fuel the Agni missiles.

Even as a child, she was interested in physics and

mathematics, so much so that she would leave noproblem unsolved. If she was not a rocket scientist,she would have been happy teaching science ormathematics. ‘‘We are what we are because of ourteachers,’’ she says.

For Thomas science has no gender. ‘‘Defenceresearch and development is a knowledge-based fieldwhere there is no question of a he or a she. It is oflittle importance if he said it or she did,’’ sheemphasises. She has proved her mettle in the arenaof rocket science on the strength of her own merit.With many honours, including the DRDO Agni Awardfor Excellence in Self-Reliance (2001) and DRDOAward for Path-Breaking Research/OutstandingTechnology Development (2007), to her credit, sheis certainly not one to be swayed by her success. Shemaintains, ‘‘The challenge after achieving growth andsuccess is to sustain it, without getting carried away.’’

The scientist draws inspiration from none otherthan the “missile man” and former president of IndiaDr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, whom she considers her role-model. ‘‘When I joined the DRDO, Dr Kalam was thedirector, and I consider myself fortunate to have hadthe opportunity to learn from him. He brought abouta change in the work culture; insisted one cannot workin isolation and encouraged openness of ideas andsharing of knowledge,’’ she says.

Thomas is an inspiration for all women who aspire tomake it big in fields considered the domain of men. �

TEXT: LAKSHMI PRABHALA

RocketDr Tessy Thomas is the first woman at the helm ofthe country’s strategic weapons project

Science for the Lady

It is all


Totally new from nose to bottom,Agni IV – with a range of 2,500-3,500 km,and a 20-year shift in technology –was realised with a new design, new setup and new testing environment”‘‘

TEXT & PHOTOS: VIJAY KRANTI

FaithFrames

of

KALACHAKRASNAPSHOTS

Bodh Gaya hosts world’s largest Buddhist congregation


Devotees from60 countries atKalachakra,Bodh Gaya

BodhGaya, the city where Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment 2,550 years ago, was host, earlierthis year, to the largest ever congregation of Buddhists in the world. Dalai Lama, a Buddhist leader, gavethe Kalachakra initiation to hundreds of thousands of devotees from 60 countries. This was the 32ndKalachakra since 1954 and the fifth in Bodh Gaya. Other cities where similar events have been held

include Washington D.C. last year and Los Angeles, Ulan Bator, Barcelona, Sydney, Graz and Toronto.Kalachakra, meaning ‘wheel of time’ in Sanskrit, is the highest Buddhist teaching. It opens the gates of

Shambhala, an ‘awakening‘ in Buddhist parlance, to a large number of devotees en masse. To guide devoteesa Mandala painting which depicts the passage to Shambhala is drawn by a team of monks with fine colouredsand. At the conclusion of the 12-day ceremony, the Mandala is ceremoniously destroyed and the sand


immersed in a river. When I asked the Dalai Lama the reason for destroying the piece of art, he replied, ‘‘Beautycannot be a license to permanence. Even the most beautiful thing on earth has to have a specific life span.’’

Another feast for the eyes was on display under the Bodhi Tree. This comprised butter sculptures madeby monks from the famous Jonang school of Mahayana Buddhism. Delicately made with butter in endlesscolours and shades, the sculptures depicted popular events from Buddha’s life and figures of famous Buddhistteachers from the Nalanda tradition.

The Kalachakra at Bodh Gaya was a reflection of the emerging importance of India in the Buddhist world.Kalachakra initiations by the Dalai Lama in Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh, Leh and Zanskar in Ladakh, Lahaul,Spiti, Tabo, Kalpa and Jispa in Himachal Pradesh, Salugara in West Bengal, Gangtok in Sikkim, Amaravati inAndhra Pradesh, Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh and Bylakuppe in Karnataka have been instrumental in spreadingthe faith among Buddhist communities across India.


(Clockwise fromextreme left) Abutter sculpturemade by monks;

visitors atKalachakra


Monks creating agigantic sand

Mandala; (inset)fine colouredsand for theMandala


The initiation was conducted in many languages, including Hindi, Sanskrit, Pali, Japanese, Korean, Chineseand English. The proceedings were simultaneously translated and broadcast in 17 languages which includedTibetan, Chinese, Portuguese, German, French, Russian and Japanese. These broadcasts were handled byvolunteers who are experienced Dharma practitioners in their respective countries.

For many of the Buddhist devotees, especially those who came from distant Himalayan villages or fromoverseas, Kalachakra provided a chance to pay tribute to the Dalai Lama, the Mahabodhi Temple and thesupreme gurus of their respective sects all at one place.

Ela Gandhi, granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, specially flew in from South Africa to present the MahatmaGandhi International Award for Reconciliation and Peace to the Dalai Lama. �


(Clockwise fromextreme left)Richard Gereat Kalachakra;The Dalai Lama;and a devotee


Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (5th from left) and the 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations during the ASEAN-India Summit in Nusa Dua, Indonesia

India and ASEAN celebrate their 20 years of dialogue and10th anniversary of their summit-level talks

Thriving TiesTEXT: N.C. BIPINDRA

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES


Giving a renewed thrust to its two-decade-oldLook East Policy, India has been pushing forgreater integration, be it physical connectivity,economic links or cultural and educational

ties with the 10-nation Association of South East AsianNations (ASEAN). To further the objective, India andASEAN will commemorate 20 years of dialogue and the10th anniversary of their summit-level talks this year.The year-long engagement began in February with the

Delhi Dialogue-IV, a track 1.5 forum, hosted by theMinistry of External Affairs in association with the IndianCouncil of World Affairs and the Federation of IndianChambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Before theprogramme culminates at the annual India-ASEAN

summit at the end of the year, there will be meetings ofministers for New and Renewable Energy and Agricultureand an India-ASEAN business fair, apart from high-levelmeetings on space and culture sectors. Cultural activities,such as the ASEAN-India car rally, are also lined up.India’s Sail Training Ship, the INS Sudarshini, will

undertake an expedition to ASEAN countries along themonsoon trade winds route in September. The ship willtouch 18 ports in eight countries before concluding itsexpedition in April 2013.The India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement for trade in

goods has come into effect in all member states andIndia following its ratification by Cambodia last August.The two sides are now working closely to conclude a

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during a bilateral meeting at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations andIndia Summit in Nusa Dua; (below) External Affairs Minister of India S.M. Krishna with ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan in New Delhi

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commercially meaningful Services and InvestmentsAgreement. This is expected to create a positiveclimate for an India-ASEAN Comprehensive EconomicCooperation Agreement as envisaged in the FrameworkAgreement of 2003. Trade between India and ASEANwitnessed a record increase of 41.8 per cent in 2010 ascompared to 2009, and touched ` 2,731 billion mark.The two sides have set their eyes on achieving theirtrade target of ` 3,444 billion by the year-end.At the Ha Noi summit in 2010, India and ASEAN had

called for developing a long-term vision for a strategicpartnership and constituted the ASEAN-India EminentPersons Group that is tasked to draft an ASEAN-IndiaVision 2020 document. Following the successfulimplementation of the ASEAN-India Plan of Action for2004-2010, the two sides have adopted an 82-pointPlan of Action for 2010-2015.India has pledged ` 2,460 million to the ASEAN

Secretariat for the 2010-2015 Plan and the ASEAN-IndiaCooperation Fund. Several projects are being implementedunder the ASEAN-India Science and Technology Fund.The two sides have several projects in the pipeline

for both land and sea connectivity. These include theIndia-Myanmar-Thailand Highway that is to be extendedto Laos and Cambodia.

A study on a Mekong-India Economic Corridorconducted by the Economic Research Institute forASEAN and East Asia proposes the linking ofcorridors in the peninsular, and possibly the Northeastregions of India with the East Asian region. Thisinvolves integrating the four Greater Mekong countries— Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam — withIndia through its east coast, that is by connectingHo Chi Minh City, Dawei, Bangkok and Phnom Penhwith Chennai.It has been proposed that the way forward is the

virtual networks and e-connectivity for which ASEAN andIndia have the potential to partner each other. India hasalready offered to assist in the ASEAN Information andCommunications Technology Connectivity Master Plan,particularly on the establishment of an e-network in theCambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam for tele-medicine and tele-education.In the cultural and educational spheres, seeds have

been sown for the revival of the Nalanda University, amajor initiative for which India gave a statutory approvalin 2010. This university in India is expected to devote amajor part of its academic research activity to Buddhiststudies, a major religious factor that links India with theASEAN region. �

BUSINESS ALLIESIndia and Thailand, a key ASEAN nation, are set to elevate their business ties byexpediting a Free Trade Agreement in goods, services and investments from thisJune-July; this was decided when Thailand’s first woman prime minister, YingluckShinawatra, came to New Delhi this January as the chief guest on Republic Day.Shinawatra held discussions on bilateral, regional and international issues with PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh during the three-day visit.

During the visit, India and Thailand signed six pacts in defence, security and tradeand decided to step up cooperation in combating terrorism and piracy. Theagreements included a crucial treaty on transfer of sentenced persons and aMemorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defence cooperation. The two nationsalso signed an agreement on cultural exchange programmes for 2012-14 and anMoU between Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University and the Indian Council forCultural Relations for setting up a Chair at the India Studies Centre of the university.

Bilateral trade is expected to touch ` 492 billion next year. Indian companieshave invested ` 98 billion in Thailand and Thai companies invested nearly ` 49billion in India. India underlined the need for a bilateral legal framework to deal withnon-state actors and subversive elements that pose a common threat to bothnations. The nations decided to expedite the ongoing negotiations on an extraditiontreaty and the mutual legal assistance treaty on civil and commercial matters.


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PARTNERSHIPS


ICCR scholarships facilitate foreign students to come to Indiaand learn more about the country, its culture and heritageTEXT: MEENAKSHI KUMAR

LearningAn Incredible

Experience

Every year, thanks to the Indian Council forCultural Relations (ICCR), thousands of foreignstudents get an opportunity to visit India. For over30 years, ICCR has been offering scholarships to

students interested in coming to India to learn about thecountry’s culture and heritage.Ali Kamil Jebut, from Iraq, is here on an ICCR scholarship

to pursue a Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering at Jamia MilliaIslamia, New Delhi. A teacher, he has availed of the facilityto improve his career prospects. “I was inspired by a friendwho had come to India on a similar scholarship and he gota good job after he returned,” he says.Set up in 1950, ICCR promotes Indian art and culture

across the world. Scholarships form a small but significant partof this larger objective: To begin with there were a modest35 scholarships for training in Indian cultural traditions, nowthe number has grown to over 3,000 scholarships in variousdisciplines except medicine. Under its Cultural ScholarshipScheme, ICCR offers 100 scholarships to foreign students tolearn about Indian culture. Students can choose to study atrecognised cultural institutions such as Santiniketan in WestBengal and Kalakshetra in Chennai or opt for an ancientIndian style of learning and train under the guru-shishyaparampara (teacher-student tradition).In addition, ICCR has a general scholarship scheme –

with about 545 slots each year – and scholarships undervarious cultural exchange programmes and theCommonwealth Scholarship programme, which allowsstudents to study at an Indian university, right fromundergraduate courses up to doctoral studies.

ICCR does a lot of country-specific agency work. SaysAnita Nayar, Joint Secretary and Deputy Director General,ICCR: ‘‘Around 60-70 per cent of our scholarships are forother agencies. Most of it comes through the Ministry ofExternal Affairs.’’‘‘Grants which are country-specific generally have a higher

utilisation rate. For instance, 600 scholarships were offeredin 2011 to Africa. This year, the number has gone up to 900.Afghanistan, Africa, Nepal, Bangladesh, Latin America havethe maximum takers,’’ says Nayar.Akelita Marisa Pesega from Tuvalu, the third smallest

country in the world, availed of an ICCR scholarship to studyBiochemistry at Burdwan University in West Bengal. After shecompleted her course, she wrote in a newspaper: ‘‘Learningis interesting as resources are available and even if they arenot, there are substitutes.’’Today, the demand to study engineering, management

and information technology is rising rather than to learnabout Indian arts and culture. Nayar feels that it has more todo with the fact that courses that offer a career prospect arebeing preferred. Another reason for the plateauing of culturalscholarships in India is that over the years ICCR has openedcultural centres in various countries cutting down the needto travel to India. “So we have not felt the need to expandour original scholarship offering cultural studies,” says Nayar.Today, over 4,000 students are pursuing different

degrees across the country; this is a big achievement forICCR. Says Nayar: ‘‘Our effort is to make the programmemore user-friendly and promote India as a destination forhigher education.’’ �

(Facing page) A foreign student learning to play the sitar at Kalakshetra,Chennai; (above) playing Holi at Santiniketan


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TRAVEL

PalacesPearls,

andParadise

The area around theCharminar in Hyderabad is

a delight for the foodie,shopper and the history buff

TEXT: RAMCHANDER PENTUKER


Hyderabad, the capital of the state of AndhraPradesh, is the city of nizams, mosques andpalaces. Built in1590, it is one of the earliestplanned cities in India. The Charminar, an

ornate structure with four towers, is its focal point.Recently, I took a walking tour of the city’s bustling

bazaars and alleys. My journey took me to some oldbuildings, crowded cafes and colourfully stocked shops,which continue to breathe life into the centuries-oldhistory and culture of this place. My starting point: theCharminar. Built in 1591 by Sultan Muhammad QuliQutub Shah, an erstwhile ruler of the region, it islocated on the east bank of the Musi river. The ancientclock just above one of its arches shows 8 am. Thebusinesses are yet to open. But the Farasha Cafe, inthe shadow of the minarets, is already crowded withthe tea-holics. All I can hear as I sit sipping my morningtea is the occasional sound of the bells from theHindu temple nearby. The cafe is one of the oldesteating joints in the city and serves the best Irani tea.

Hyderabad is as famous for its Irani tea as it is for itsbiryani (a dish of rice, meats and spices).

The muezzin can be heard calling the faithful toprayer from the Makkah Masjid nearby. I follow thedirection of the sound and enter the masjid’ssprawling courtyard. The city has dozens of mosques,but the Makkah Masjid is the most important. It isbelieved that the merit of prayers said here match thespiritual benefits of a pilgrimage to Mecca. Themosque gets its name from the fact that the sultancommissioned bricks to be made from soil broughtfrom Mecca and used them to construct the centralarch of the structure. The three arches that make upthe mosque’s facade have been carved from a singlepiece of granite, which took five years to quarry.

This part of Hyderabad is a foodie’s paradise. PistaHouse on Shah Ali Banda road is an excellent place togorge on a Hyderabadi speciality, haleem (a stewmade of meat, pounded wheat, spices and clarifiedbutter). For biryani, head to Hotel Shadab and Madina,

(Previous page) The Charminar; (clockwise from above)Golkonda Fort; Makkah Masjid; Chowmahalla Palace; and tombs

of the seven Qutub Shahi rulers at Ibrahim Bagh


not far from the Charminar. During the monthof Ramazan, the area comes alive in the evening,with foodstalls mushrooming to cater to thoselooking to break their fast and offer prayers at thenearby mosques.

It is believed that Hyderabad gets its name fromHyder Mahal, a beloved of Quli Qutb Shah. HyderMahal was a title bestowed on Bhagmati, a Hindupeasant girl, Quli married. He built Hyderabad aroundthe village of her birth Chechlam. A legend has it thatthe Qutub Shahis built a secret tunnel, the location ofwhich is still unknown, connecting the fortress city ofGolkonda with the Charminar.

The area is also the centre Hyderabad’s bangleindustry. Traditional Hyderabadi bangles, or goots, madeof lac and studded with pieces of glass in a myriaddifferent designs and a thousand bewitching coloursadorn the shops in Lad Bazaar. Look hard and you mayspot an antique from the age of the nawabs. Antiquesand local handicrafts are worth taking home.

A short walk from Lad Bazaar takes me to theofficial residence of the former nizams of Hyderabad,known as the Chowmahalla Palace, which built aroundthe early 1800s. Chowmahalla is said to resemble theShah of Iran’s palace in Tehran. The lavishness of itsinterior décor reflects the exotic and extravagant tastesof the Asif Jah monarchy that ruled Hyderabad statefor around 200 years up until Independence in 1947.

My journey ends at Madina Hotel. But before I callit a day I nip into a shop selling attar (perfumes). Theshelves are lined with tinly glass bottles filled withalcohol-free, natural, oil-based fragrances. Floral attarsare very popular, it is said that the favourite of thenizams was jasmine attar.

Hyderabad is known as the City of Pearls for goodreason. On my way home, I walk past shops aroundGulzar Hauz, each one of them has a king’s ransomworth of pearls in all shapes, sizes and colours. I longto stop, but I guess this pleasure will have to wait formy next visit. �

Navigator:By Air: Hyderabadis well connected tonational andinternationaldestinations.By Rail: It is theheadquarters forIndian Railway insouth India. Regulartrains from differentstates connectHyderabad to otherparts of the country.By Road: It is wellconnected to thenearby states ofKarnataka, TamilNadu, Maharashtraand Orissa.

(Clockwise from left) A girl checks out some bangles at a shop in LadBazaar; a stones and beads vendor; and an attar shop

REVIEW


PHOTO

S:ASHWAN

IVER

MA

The music of Assam filled the air at the 26thSurajkund Mela that brought togetherhundreds of artisans, craftsmen and weaversfrom across India, SAARC and other countries

to showcase their handicrafts for a fortnightbeginning February 1. This was because Assam,a state in the North-East of the country, wasthe theme state for this year’s fair, which isheld in Faridabad, near Delhi.

The region is famous for crafts madefrom cane and bamboo, these include intricatelywoven baskets and strikingly designed furniture. Italso has a rich textile tradition, especially famousare silks like muga and pat. Assam is known all overthe world for its tea, and, also, as the home of the one-horned rhinoceros. A life-sized stone replica of theanimal was an attraction as was Apna Ghar, a model ofa traditional rural Assamese home, complete with aloom, livestock and a bullock cart.

An open-air theatre situated on the fair grounds hadperformances by folk singers and dancers through theday. Among the highlights were dances from Assam likeBihu, Xatriya and Boata.

Thailand was the partner nation for this year’s event.Stalls selling crafts from the country made from silk,palm leaves and rattan were popular with visitors. Othercountries which had a presence were Tajikistan,Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Congo.

The annual Surajkund Mela is a cultural cocktail thatis gaining in popularity year after year. �

CraftThe Surajkund Mela is an ideal platform to discoverthe culture and cuisine of the country

An affair with

TEXT: AASHRUTI KAK

REVIEWS

The India Art Fair provided an opportunity to enjoy worksof art from across the globe under one roof

Art of the Matter

Aficionados, dewy-eyed students, serious buyers andcasual visitors were all greeted by colour, craft,sculpture, installation and moving and performance

art at the fourth edition of the India Art Fair held in Delhifrom January 25-29. The fair, which is among the world’smost attended art fairs, confirmed India as the destinationfor modern and contemporary art.

On show were ninety-one exhibitors from 20countries — including Portugal, the UK, Spain, the US, andFrance — presenting 1,000 of the “most exciting modernand contemporary artists”. The India Art Fair is a, “part ofthe largest network of art fairs” worldwide, says itsfounder director Neha Kripal, who announced acollaboration with the Hong Kong International Art Fairand Will Ramsay, founder of the Affordable Art Fair andfamed London gallery, Will’s Art Warehouse.

The crowd flocked to see the works of contemporarygreats such as M.F. Husain, Yoko Ono, Ravinder Reddy,Bikash Bhattacharya, S.H. Raza, Anish Kapoor, Englishartist Damien Hirst, Wim Delvoye from Belgium andWaqas Khan from Pakistan.

The fair showcased collections from blue-chip galleriesfrom across India, the rest of Asia, Europe, North andSouth America, Africa and Australia. Guided gallery walkswere popular with the uninitiated; all of whom cameaway with a greater appreciation of the trends in theworld of art. Huge Installations and works in 3-D awedviewers. Film screenings, panel discussions and debateswere not restricted to the venue, but were held ingalleries scattered all over the city. These helped to buildbridges between creators, buyers and critics.

Says Roshini Vadehra of Vadehra Art Gallery: “This is acultural venue unlike any other for balancing national andinternational contemporary art”. —Sudha G Tilak

EXHIBITION


It deals with issues pertaining to global peace and progress,both of which have suffered because of terrorism

The Horror of TerrorFILM

Captain Rajiv Ojha chooses to expand the scope ofhis 23-minute documentary to take in muchlarger issues pertaining to global peace and

progress, both of which have suffered debilitating blowseach time terrorists have struck at the heart of humanityin any corner of the globe.

On the Wings of Courage goes all the way back to thevery roots of terrorism that erupted in 18th centuryEurope fuelled by “feudal suppression of commonpeople” by exploitative monarchies.

Has the civilised done enough to rein in the globalterror network? Capt Ojha enlists the considered views oficonic political activists, social thinkers and philosophers ofdifferent eras to understand what it is exactly that thepresent-day perpetrators of terror seek to achieve throughtheir heinous acts.

In the modern era, many nations around the worldhave been hit by terrorism but few have borne its bruntquite to the extent that India has. So it is in the fitness ofthings that a significant part of the film turns the spotlighton the sources of terror relevant to the subcontinent. Thefilm spells out how a cynical “distortion of Islam” hasyielded a brand of religious extremism that has pushedthe world to the edge.

Paul Wilkinson, one of the world’s leading experts onterrorism who passed away last August, poses a pertinentand chilling question: How long can a liberal nationremain liberal in the face of repeated terrorist attacks?Indeed, if peace remains elusive in a world plagued byterror, desperate counter-measures might only make theworld a more bloodied place.

YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VprXqaR6B8Q&feature=relmfu

—Saibal Chatterjee is a film and media critic

ON THE WINGS OFCOURAGEGenre: DocumentaryRunning Time: 23 minutesDirector: Captain Rajiv OjhaProducer: Public Diplomacy Division,Ministry of External Affairs

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46 INDIA PERSPECTIVES � MARCH 2012

VERBATIM

Formula 1 driver, Narain Karthikeyan, 35, has putIndia on the world map of motor sport. Last year,at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, he was theonly Indian on the grid. Karthikeyan, who made

his F1 debut in 2005, has won two races in the A1GP andis the first Indian to race in the Le Mans Series in 2009.He is busy preparing for the 2012 FIA Formula One WorldChampionship, which is scheduled to begin later thismonth. He spoke to Urmila Marak on life on the fast track.

In a country where racing is practically non-existent,you have become an F1 driver. Comment.Making it to FI was an uphill task. I had to go through theranks that European drivers go through, starting with theBritish F3 championship. It wasn’t until 2005 that thingsfell in place, including the funding to compete in a fullseason of Formula 1.

What was it like to race at the Buddh InternationalCircuit in the first-ever Indian Grand Prix?It was a surreal experience. The feeling was different fromthe other races I’ve been to. I was overwhelmed and thefirst few laps of the practice session were incredibly special.

Just before the race, during the drivers’ parade, thecrowd was rooting for me. Cricket idol Sachin Tendulkarcame to the grid to wish me luck and it was reallymotivating. I was able to drive a good race, despite afew hitches. It was definitely one of the high pointsof my career – right up there with my first F1 race atMelbourne in 2005.

Motor sport is fast gaining popularity in India, whatneeds to be done to groom young drivers?Post-the Indian Grand Prix, the number of enthusiastshas gone up, but many forget that racing begins at agrassroots level. Only the most determined drivers areable to progress through the domestic ranks andonwards. We have some training academies, but theyare not enough.

With the Buddh International Circuit in the north andtwo other race tracks in the south, young people havegreater access to world-class facilities. To produce driversof international quality, we need purpose-built racingfacilities, modern racing machinery and professionalguidance. Once these things are in place, transition tointernational racing will be easier.

Can other sports find a place in the hearts of ourcricket-loving nation?Always, India has been a sport-loving nation, even if amajority of its affection is reserved for cricket in the pastfew decades. But things are changing now and there is alot of scope for athletes from other fields to goprofessional. Now, we also have more corporate support.I also see parents encouraging their children to take upsports at school. The basis of excellence in any sport issimple – the earlier, the better.

What do you do if you are not on the racing tracks?I enjoy tennis, watch movies and take an interest inwildlife whenever I get the opportunity. �

“The Indian GrandPrix was a surrealexperience”

india perspectives march 2012

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