Enormous nesting aggregations of the Olive Ridley turtles occur at three sites in Orissa, Gahirmatha, Devi and Rushikulya. From October till May, the waters here become the feeding and breeding ground of these turtles. However, the beaches are becoming increasingly uninhabitable for them with each passing day, observes Atula Gupta

Millions of years ago, an Olive Ridley turtle hatched from its egg laid on a beach in Orissa. It then began its arduous seaward journey and later the struggle for survival in the marine world. But years later, spanning thousands of kilometres, it returned, to the land of its birth to nestle eggs in the safe sands and bring forth the next generation.

Centuries have passed, but this annual behaviour of hundreds of Olive Ridley turtles returning to their birthplace and themselves nesting en masse has remained unchanged. The only change that has occurred is that of Orissa’s beaches, no longer considered safe.

The endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles constitute the smallest but the most numerous of the seven species of sea turtles, and are famously known for their unique annual behaviour of mass nesting, a phenomenon known as “arribada” (Spanish for arrival).

Along the Orissa coast of India, such unique, enormous nesting aggregations occur at three sites viz., Gahirmatha, Devi and Rushikulya. Of these three, Gahirmatha provides the site for the largest congregation of nesting turtles. In fact the state government is sure that the Gahirmatha rookery represents about 50 per cent of the world population and 90 per cent of the Indian population of the sea turtle.

In coastal Orissa, the area of confluence between a river and the sea is a fascinating ecosystem. Also called the inter-tidal area, the land here is constantly under the influence of salty sea tide and also of the sweet river water. Thus, it is covered with mangroves and is the breeding ground of several marine forms such as fish, molluscs and prawns.

It is in search for this food that sea turtles come and spend a significant part of their life annually in the region. From October till May the waters here become the feeding and breeding ground of the Olive Ridley turtles. Although sporadic nesting carries on all through the year, it is during these six-seven months that an entire generation of the turtle is born simultaneously.

However, behind the rose coloured glasses is a picture far grimmer and uglier. The mass nesting of Olive Ridley turtles at Gahirmatha takes place between December and March and the first arribada is sometimes followed by a second one of much lower intensity after a gap of 35 – 60 days. However, recent trends in mass nesting here indicate a failure of the second arribada. What once was a phenomenon that stretched along 15 km of the mainland beach has now restricted to a four-km long beach.

At the Devi rookery mostly sporadic nesting occurs. The Rushikulya rookery is the southernmost nesting point for the turtles and though the arribada occurs here each year, neither this nor the Devi rookery are protected areas, much to the dismay of conservationists.

Problems galore
Unknown to the sea-faring turtles, the beaches are becoming more and more uninhabitable for them each day. From the time they start feeding in the water, till the hatchlings emerge after 45 to 60 days of fertilisation inside the nesting pits, the turtles fight threats from all directions.

The most significant of the problems is fisheries, where accidental catch and the use of trawlers and gill nets, lead to death of many turtles. Modification of the beaches through plantations and through development of ports, etc too adds to the threat. Strong illumination around nesting beaches greatly disorients the adult turtles as well as the hatchlings.

Pollution of on-shore ground and off-shore waters by the discharge of effluents from industries and commercial establishments only leaves the area in a more derelict state. Natural calamities, soil erosion, climate change, and the danger of predators like feral dogs, jackals, hyenas etc. are the dangers that turtles have to naturally cope with.

Divided interests
There are many forces in Orissa today that are working in favour and also against the presence of Olive Ridley turtles. What is of graver concern is those who wish to conserve the beaches are a divided lot.

While conservationists like the international NGO, Greenpeace are against the modifications of the beaches in any way for the sake of the turtles, the fishermen lobbying against government led urban and industrial developments think it will hamper their marine fish trade and are fighting not for the turtles but for their own interest.

The core issue really is the lack of systematic coastal management that capacitates turtles protection, fish production and also infrastructure strengthening. Turtles have immense mythological importance in Indian culture and their coming back to the Orissa shores, year after year, is nothing less exclusive than the Taj Mahal we are so proud of.

What then is of extreme importance is to give these creatures of habit the little they ask for from humans- some peace, some space and clean and clear waters where they can pass on the traditions of their ancestors in the most unhindered way. For the avatar that took the burden of an entire mountain on its back for the benefit of humanity, turtles really ask for just a bit of material sacrifice from humans.


The Deccan Herald, 1st November 2011

Any narrative of the State's history is incomplete without the mention of the famed Halmidi inscription or Dharwad's Sadhanakeri, apart from the cultural and historical legacy of Mysore or Hampi. Lakshmi Sharath lists out five places which don't have much to offer in terms of 'sightseeing', but have a rich cultural heritage.

This is a story about dusty hamlets and their dusty legends. They may not find a place on tourist maps, but may find a spot in the itinerary of many a discerning traveller who is looking for a cultural experience or wants to get a feel of history.

These are places which probably have nothing to show you in terms of “sightseeing” but will let you soak in the cultural heritage of the State. These are places like Karwar which had once inspired Rabindranath Tagore to write, or the rocky fort of Chitradurga which tells the brave story of Onake Obavva who fought Hyder Ali’s forces, or Begur, where an inscription mentions the name Bengalooru for the first time. So, if you like to journey down to nondescript villages and experience art and literature, then add these destinations to your itinerary.

Halmidi
In many of our journeys, we find small jaded inscriptions and hero stones that lie scattered and neglected alongside temples or under trees . But they tell you the story of a dynasty that thrived and eventually ended in that village. Reading these inscriptions and putting together the history of a place is often like solving a jigsaw puzzle.

Head to Halmidi, a small village near Belur for one such experience. Villagers tell you about a small inscription in sandstone with a Vishnu Chakra on top that was found near a mud fort in the area and was later housed in a temple.

The Halmidi inscription, as it is known, lends an identity to Kannada language as we know it today. It is believed to be the oldest record of an ancient Kannada, called Purvada halagannada and the first time it was used in administrative communication. Historians have dated it between the fifth and sixth centuries (around 450 AD), but of course, there are several debates on it.

Some claim that it was written during the period of Kadamba ruler, Kukusthavarman, while others differ. Some historians even claim that there are other inscriptions older than the one found in Halmidi written in Kannada, while others cite older inscriptions which have halagannada words. Nevertheless Halmidi’s place in the linguistic history of the State is important. While the original lies in a museum, a replica is in the village. Head to the town and listen to the people tell you stories about the inscription.

Kuppalli & Mattur (Shimoga dt)
While on the subject of languages, let us visit Mattur, a village located barely 10 km from Shimoga on the banks of the River Tunga, where the residents believe that Sanskrit is no longer a dead language. It is the language of the masses here, as people speak the language in their day to day communication.

The Sanskrit grama has made every farmer a scholar as even students are taught Sanskrit in schools. Home to over 3,000 people, Vedic classes are not new here as the Sanskrit movement started barely three decades ago. Even though Sanskrit is spoken here, the village is a rich contribution to Karnataka’s cultural heritage. Self-assured and classical Kannada offers space for Sanskrit learning, and both the languages are accorded respect here.

Any talk of Kannada and poetry and one cannot but miss Kuppalli, the birthplace of Rashtrakavi Kuvempu. The Rashtrakavi Kuvempu Pratishthana has turned the home of the great poet into a museum, where the life and times of the great man comes alive, in the form of several pictures, and other memorabilia.

Sadhanakeri, Dharwad
There is a saying in Dharwad that if you throw a stone anywhere, it may land in a poet’s house. And so, it’s a great place to head out to on a weekend trip for a literary tour. This is the home for several poets, writers, musicians and artists including the legendary Da Ra Bendre.

Visit Bendre Bhavan and Shree Matha, the memorial and house of poet Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre, Jnana Peetha award winner, and stop by at Sadhanakeri, the lake which apparently inspired the poet to pen Baaro Sadhana Kerige. You can see some rare photographs or pick up some books here. The entire town of Dharwad is culturally stimulating if you would like to immerse yourself in some poetry and music.

Kitturu
The ruins of a fort and palace in this town located in Bailhongal taluk of Belgaum speaks of a queen who defied the British. Karnataka’s own Kittur Rani Chennamma fought the British in the 19th century when they did not accept her adopted son, Shivalingappa as heir to her throne. After a fierce battle where the British Commissioner was killed, she was however imprisoned in the nearby Bailhongal fort where she later died.

A memorial still stands there at Bailhongal town. A festival is held annually here in her honour and the museum has some wonderful paintings showcasing her life and times.

Kaidala
In a small village called Kaidala near Tumkur is a Chennakeshava temple, lost amidst the wilderness. The temple lacks the magnificence of the Belur Chennakeshava temple but the six-feet idol dedicated to the deity is almost the same.

It is believed to be the hometown of the master sculptor, Amarashilpi Jakanachari who had carved several Hoysala monuments, including the Chennakeshava at Belur.

The deity here is flanked by Sridevi and Bhoodevi. Another tall sculpture with folded hands holding a dagger is possibly the master sculptor himself or the local chieftain.

The outer wall has a small image of a couple, who the priest says could be the parents of Jakanachari.

Even as historians wonder if Jakanachari truly existed or was he just a reference to a Yaksha or a talented sculptor, the priest here narrates a tale of miracles. Locals say that while the sculptor left his hometown in his early days, his son later followed him to Belur.

Although he was not aware that his father was the sculptor, he pointed out a flaw in the idol of Chennakeshava. Jakanachari refused to accept that there could be a blemish and proclaimed that he would cut off his hand if a defect was found.

But a test later showed that a live frog was found inside a cavity in the statue. Jakanachari went on to cut his right hand only to find out that the young sculptor was none other than his own son.

The story does not end here as folklore usually has happy endings. It is said that Jakanachari got a vision from the lord himself asking him to return to Kaidala and build a Chennakeshava temple there.

Both father and son sculpt the idol here and carve the sculptures together in the temple and it is said that his right hand was restored as soon as the temple was built.

The Pioneer, 1st June 2012

Exactly 90 years ago, a Malabar musaliyar (cleric) issued a fatwa against British rule, exhorting Muslims in the region to rebel against the Raj. This came to light at the ongoing workshop on Arabic and Persian manuscripts organized by National Manuscript Mission in association with Calicut University's Arabic department.

The fatwa, written in Arabi-Malayalam (Malayalam in Arabic script), a style prevalent then, was issued by a cleric from Kondotty in 1921 against the backdrop of the popular Khilafat movement. Liberally sprinkled with quotes from the Quran, the fatwa was also an extended critique of British policies of the period.

"The fatwa reveals the resentment of Muslims against British rule. During the time, the nationalist movement was strong and Muslims were asked by their leaders to join the movement," state coordinator of National Manuscript Mission and noted historian, K K N Kuruppu, said.

Several scholarly articles supporting the fatwa have also been found. "We will be translating these works to Malayalam and will preserve them in a digitalized form," Kuruppu said.

The Times of India, 2nd November 20111

Heritage first: Metro steps back from monuments

At 100.8 metres from Delhi Gate, the station there on Delhi Metro's extension of the Central Secretariat-Kashmere Gate line is an interesting example of technology taking care of heritage. It was originally just 15.8m from the protected monument. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) claims it has accepted the suggestions of the heritage lobby and relocated not only this station but others on the line too.

The law regarding protected monuments says that no construction can take place in a 100m radius around the structure. "Let's go by the spirit of the law," says Kumar Keshav, director (projects), Delhi Metro. Interestingly, Keshav admits that the proposed tunnel of the line is still within the 100m prohibited radius. "But that's 18m under the ground and will not affect any structure in the way," he says.

The heritage line of Delhi Metro - going through Janpath, Mandi House, ITO, Delhi Gate, Jama Masjid, Red Fort and Kashmere Gate - may turn out to be one of the most delicate projects that the agency has undertaken till date. With several prominent heritage structures, including a world heritage site - Red Fort - on the way, the line not only abuts these protected monuments but will also cater to a mammoth ridership when the corridor comes up. As Keshav puts it, "In Phase I, we have gone more closer to some of the protected structures than we are doing now. The benefits of the corridor need to be juxtaposed with the importance of our heritage as well."

With newer technology available, Delhi Metro claims it is better equipped to handle the complexity of the construction now. Says Keshav, "We will construct the tunnel using state-of-the-art technology, which is widely accepted and adopted the world over." Besides the use of a sophisticated tunnel-boring machine (TBM), which will do its job without causing any damage to the structures above ground, Delhi Metro also plans to extensively use instruments for monitoring at the time of construction. "Continuous monitoring will be done, including impact assessment, during the course of work. Every vibration and measurement of noise will be calibrated," says Keshav. He cites the example of the metro in Vienna, where the metro station shares a wall with the grand Opera House.

With the tunnel of Line 6 (Central Secretariat-Kashmere Gate) going 15-19m under the ground, Delhi Metro says it has been following suggestions of the Competent Authority for Delhi heritage circle, including having the entry/exit structures match the surroundings of heritage structures and create special photo galleries to depict the historical importance of the monument along with an informative map on the heritage of Delhi.

It has also moved four stations - Delhi Gate, Jama Masjid, Red Fort and Kashmere Gate - from the original positions to beyond 100m.

The Times of India, 2nd November 2011

The first thing I saw on entering through this gateway was a large Ganesha cut on a huge rock. This is a dancing Ganesha with six arms clearly visible and two more possible ones which looked lost in the tangle. Further inside the fort are a large number of rock cuts.

Within the fort, the silence was absolute. As I walked through the fort, the only sound that could be heard was that of dry leaves crunching under my feet. Never mind human presence, even the chatter of birds was conspicuous by its absence. Unlike Kalinjar, there is not too much intact in Ajaigarh. The most significant spot is the Ajaipal ka Talao, named after a local saint to whom a temple is dedicated on the banks of the talao.

Nearby stands a building that could only have been an Islamic tomb but is now missing the gravestone. The talao was probably the ritual tank to a temple that once existed here. Remains of what was once a huge temple lie scattered on all sides of the talao. At the edge of the talao is a shed containing some large Jain Tirthankara idols.

A short walk through the trees brought me to an area enclosed in barbed wire. The area houses four more temples, which though ruined, are at least standing. On the back of the fort is another gateway called the Tarhaoni Darwaza with more rock cuts nearby. Both forts give a tremendous view of the countryside around for miles. Where there was once fire and death, there is now silence. The battles have ended and the two old forts are gradually fading, much like old soldiers.

Getting there: Kalinjar is 104 km from Khajuraho and lies in Banda district of Uttar Pradesh. Ajaigarh is about 70 km from Khajuraho and is located in Panna district of Madhya Pradesh. From Khajuraho, drive eastward towards Panna and take the bypass short of the district headquarters towards Ajaigarh.
To get a feel of the forts, watch videos of the forts @

http://tinyurl.com/kalinjar
http://tinyurl.com/kottirth
http://tinyurl.com/ajaigarh

The Economic Times, 3rd November 2011

Kalinjar abounds with ancient and medieval remains, many of which have been aggregated into a museum in the fort. The museum is housed in a palace, built on the banks of a pond called the Kot Tirth, considered a revered spot to bathe in by locals.

There are several such water bodies in the fort, some or all of which may be fed by an underground stream present in the hill. One such water body is a tank located above the Neelkanth temple inside a natural cleft in the hill's rocks.

No story about Kalinjar can be complete without a mention of its twin fortress, Ajaigarh. Located about 30 km away, this fort is more difficult to access than Kalinjar. While Kalinjar can be climbed via a motorable road, it takes a climb of over 400 steps to get to Ajaigarh.

In today's modern India, a state border separates Ajaigarh from Kalinjar, with the former being in Madhya Pradesh while the latter is in Uttar Pradesh. But artificial borders such as these can never separate the joint history of the two forts.

Legends hold that an underground passage connected the two forts allowing access to men and material in times of siege. On a clear day, it is possible to see one hill from the other.

In an earlier era, signals too could have been seen between the two forts. The main entrance gate into the Ajaigarh fort is called the Kalinjar Darwaza as it faces that fort.

The Economic Times, 3rd November 20111

Historians have described Kalinjar as being a fortress unparalled in strength. Seen together with its twin fort at Ajaigarh, Kalinjar formed a formidable line of defence of centralIndia from any attacks from the north. In 1019, Mahmud Ghazni ravaged much of north and west India but had to turn back in the face of stiff opposition from the Kalinjar garrison.

The year 1022 saw a repeat with Ghazni having to stay content with a few gifts from the Chandella ruler but no fort. Had Kalinjar fallen, it is unlikely that Khajuraho would have survived. Today, Khajuraho is a thriving tourist hub, while Kalinjar is a grey area tourists seldom venture into.

The Chandellas were sapped by their conflict with the Chauhans. After the defeat of Prithviraj Chauhan at the hands of Mohammad Ghori in 1192, the weakened Chandellas were the next to face the invaders. In the face of a long siege by Qutab-ud-din Aibak's forces in 1203, the fort's water supply ran dry and the garrison was forced to surrender.

It is a tribute to the fort and its garrison that the invading force did not have the strength left to carry on further conquest and yet again, places like Khajuraho were left alone. Over time, the Chandellas regained control of the fort and it stayed with them till the invasion of Sher Shah Sur in 1545. Another siege followed and this one ended dramatically.

A missile-like weapon set off by the invading force bounced off the mighty walls and landed in a gunpowder dump near Sher Shah. The resultant explosion saw him suffer fatal burns.

Kalinjar eventually fell to the attackers in a battle that extinguished the Chandella dynasty. Had Sher Shah not been killed at Kalinjar the Mughals may never have come back to power in India. The walls of the fort literally changed India history.

In 1569, the Mughals occupied Kalinjar which became part of the jagir of Birbal. The next interesting turn in the fort's history took time to come. In 1688, Bundela hero Chhatrasal took control of the fort. Warding off Maratha attacks, the fort stayed with the Bundelas for over a century eventually falling to the British.

Like a soldier come home from the wars, the fort of Kalinjar gradually faded after this. Violence of a political nature gave way to occasional spurts of criminal activity with criminals finding shelter in the abandoned walls of the fort at times.

Today, two companies of the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constalbury ( PAC) provide security to the fort, apart from private security guards provided by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

While its location and its physical setting on a 900-foot high hill gave it strength in military terms, Kalinjar drew spiritual power from being described as the abode of Shiva, in the Koorma Purana. The Neelkanth temple in the fort is a symbol of that spiritual past. The temple is in a corner of the fort and is accessed via a long flight of steps that lead to it. On either side of the steps and throughout the entire courtyard around the temple is a range of rock cut figures of gods and goddesses, with Shiva in his myriad forms being the dominant theme.

The actual temple bears the marks of assault but has survived. The mandapa of the temple has only pillars standing and no roof. Each pillar has wonderful rock cut designs and that only indicates the grandeur of the temple in its prime.

The temple is built in a cave with two dark lingas inside - one each to indicate Shiva and his consort Parvati. Temple priests are quick to point out that the throat of the linga always stays moist even if no water or milk is poured for weeks on it. What seems to be the case in this temple is that a small shrine existed inside the cave.

Later years and royal patronage saw layers of rock cuts being added on all sides. The most significant of these is an amazing depiction of Shiva in his Mahasadashiva form, a rock cut that stands nearly twenty five feet high.

The Economic Times, 3rd November 2011

Stories, so they say, must be told from the beginning. Therefore, much as I am inclined to cut to the chase and talk about the Neelkanth temple, I shall refrain from doing so until I have described the context.

Not that the context is uninteresting. It is most certainly not, given that in this case the context happens to be an ancient fort - probably India's oldest extant one - that has battled everyone from Mahmud Ghazni to the British.

Kalinjar, to give the fort its name, is a bit like an old soldier. And quite like old soldiers, old forts don't die, they just fade away! I remember reading some passing mention of the fort in school text books but those childhood history lessons had faded. Until one day in 2005. A traveller's tale on Khajurahohad a mention of Kalinjar being in the vicinity. What intrigued me was the description, 'a frightening embodiment of Hindu power', which had not been used for any other fortress in India.

But the fort seemed like a bridge too far, given its remote location. It was at least a 100 km from the nearest airport or railway station with any sort of connectivity to the national capital. Moreover, current descriptions of the fort were anything but encouraging. A government official who had served in the vicinity described it as the hangout for Uttar Pradesh's notorious kidnapping-and-ransom gangs. Another acquaintance spoke of its evil reputation, as a place where human sacrifice had been conducted in the past, a practice which - so he said in a hushed tone - may have not died out entirely. As you may imagine, such descriptions do not deter but only spur a person to get to the place. That's how it worked with me.

While driving towards the hill on which the fort stood, all I could see from a distance was a massive outcrop of rock. Getting closer, the sharp outlines of the ancient battlements became more clear. Time and the elements have done a great job of giving the fort walls a colour identical to that of the hill rocks which serves as a wonderful camouflage.

For a fort that has a prominent place in not just Indian history but also in mythology, Kalinjar does a very good job of camouflaging its significance. The hill on which the fort stands is seen as an important spot for pilgrimage. The Vedas describe it as a place for penance. The place even gets a mention in the Mahabharat. But that is mythology.

To cut to recorded history, Kalinjar hill is believed to have been first fortified around 2,000 years ago though there were earlier settlements here. In the 10th century, the fort was the heart of the Chandella kingdom whose administrative capital was Mahoba.

The Economic Times, 3rd November 2011

Residents of a Jharkhand village show the way to protect the environment without waiting for official help, writes Naushad Alam

The thick forests in the tranquil village of Jirwa in Simariya Tehsil of Chatra district in Jharkhand hide a gloomy past. With bare land where lush cover once stood, the forests had been felled over the years by indifferent and greedy hands.

A magic wand seems to have changed all that. A magic wand held up by several hands. The miraculous makeover was not achieved in the blink of an eye but over a long period of time, backed by unity and hard work of the various communities that came together to create it.

The unique experiment of collective forest management was initiated by the Jirwa Panchayat. “About a decade ago, our rich forests had turned to barren land with no pasture left for the cattle. Some stumps and shrubs were the only reminder of what had been,” remembers Indranath Bhokta, a member of Jirwa Panchayat.

“Villagers were facing several problems caused by the loss of forest cover. Less bamboo meant no beams for roofs of our houses. That is when villagers realised what they had done,” he adds.

Community meetings were organised under the leadership of the panchayat to work out what was needed to be done. Everyone agreed to come together to stem the crisis. That collective realisation set the tone for the present day voice of the community.

The initial work gained momentum without any outside support, not even of the Forest Department that was expected to sustain the natural wealth with its access to knowledge and resources. Later initiatives of the department led to the creation of forest committees in these villages. The Joint Forest Management was launched in 2001 to make villagers aware about the protection of forest resources.

The Southern Forest Division, under which the Jirwa Panchayat falls, has succeeded in its efforts in some parts of Chhatra District but Village Jirwa continues to work independently, blissfully unaware of the Joint Forest Management programme or the committees.

The determination and will of the people helped overcome the difficulties that cropped up, and problems were solved effectively. Here, dwellers of seven villages have joined hands to protect the forests in an organised manner. A systematic distribution of the forests in different divisions has been done by the villagers with each group taking charge of the protection of the adjacent forest area.

Explaining the methodology adopted, Manoranjan Singh, the panchayat head says, “Every forty-five days, the local communities meet to discuss the security of the forests. The main agenda of such meetings is to tackle a variety of issues like laxity in protection of the forests and identifying threats to the harmony of the forests.”

As a result of such meetings, people come up with innovative and strict measures to punish the guilty. Imposing a fine of up to `500 on the culpable was one such step.

“These people have learnt the art of sustainable development which is indicated by the fact that they use a certain amount of forest products which could be naturally gained in a specific time-frame”, he added.

The people follow an annual ritual of worshipping the forest Goddess. In a country where emotions and religious beliefs play a central role in the lives of people, the idea of worshipping the forests was an intelligent way to establish a sensitive relationship between people and forests.

At the festival, ceremonies include offering prayers and chanting mantras. The most intriguing ceremony at the festivities is the tying of a security thread around the tree which, like the popular festival of Raksha Bandhan, symbolises a commitment to protect.

The communities relied on rustic and effective means. Of the seven villages, Kathara, a nativeadivasi village, played a central role. The close relationship that tribal communities share with water, forest and land became a source of inspiration for the people of Jirwa panchayat. They shared with villagers the traditional art of protecting and invigorating the forests, helping them to renew the green cover.

“The tribal communities participated in the discussions in large numbers. Their contribution in regenerating the forest can't be ignored,” says Singh.

Joint efforts by various communities to save the forests, starting with awareness, have become an integral part of the lives of its people. The success of the Community Forest Management is evident from thousands of teak, Asan and Chakodi trees that stand tall today, adding to the natural wealth of the village. Such steps taken by communities living outside the urban compass defy all the divisions set over time. Taking a leaf from Mahatma Gandhi’s wisdom, they became the change they wished to see around them, this time for their environment.

The Pioneer, 3rd November 2011

A committee formed to look into the privatisation of management and rejuvenation of lakes in Bangalore has strongly recommended against the commercial involvement of the private sector in the activity.

The committee was set up by the Principal Division Bench of the High Court in response to a public interest litigation that had challenged the privatization of management and rejuvenation of lakes in the City.

It was mandated to formulate a long-term plan to conserve and manage lakes in Bangalore, and was headed by High Court judge Justice N K Patil, and involved top officials of nine agencies connected with lake management. The committee formulated a comprehensive plan for the ‘Preservation of Lakes in Bangalore’ with inputs from the petitioners and the respondents.

This report was submitted to the High Court which accepted it on March 3, 2011, and has been monitoring its implementation every quarter.

The court had observed that the report “satisfies all the prayers sought by the petitioners in the writ petition, except the one pertaining to leaseholders who have made constructions on the periphery of the lake, or are in the process of making such construction,” referring to the already privatised lakes. The committee held five meetings after the court issued an interim order on July 7, 2011, to deliberate the nature of the policy that would be most suitable to the long-term sustenance of the lake systems.

Report submitted

After hearing all the parties involved, it submitted its report before the High Court on October 12, 2011.

The report explicitly states that “commercial exploitation of any lake cannot be allowed under any circumstances.” The committee observed that “the private entrepreneurs to whom the lakes have been handed over for maintenance failed to complete justice to ecology.”

Ultimately, “profit motive” prevailed over “public interest” and “public trust.”

“Hence, it is necessary that the participation of the private sector in the rejuvenation and development of lakes and tanks in the City has to be highly discouraged, if not eliminated.”

The High Court will deliberate the submissions of the committee on Thursday.

The Pioneer, 3rd November 2011

In order to sensitise people about the history, art and culture and the different aspects of the Walled City area, the Heritage Walks to the seven historic gates of Shahjahanabad (the Walled City) was initiated on Saturday. It will showcase various monuments, their era, emperor who built and also to inculcate the feeling of protecting and preserving the historic monuments among people in the Capital.

The first day walk was organised by the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRC) for historic monuments Khooni Darwaza and City of Ferozabad near Feroz Shah Fort adjacent to Feroz Shah Cricket Ground, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in the Capital. A large number of people from all walks of life, including senior citizens, tourists and city denizens apart from the young people and the school children of different schools of the Capital participated in the walk. The story-teller, SRDC consultant Dr Naveena Jafa and Chief Programmer, Pooja Trehan narrated the history, background, significance and other aspects of the monument their art, culture, era and emperor.

The Khooni Darwaza was constructed during era of Sher Shah Suri and it was used as a place where people were executed by beheading.

The bodies of Bhadur Shah Zafar’s sons were exhibited here during the first war of Independence in 1857. Ferozabad the fourth city of Delhi was founded by Tughlaq ruler Feroz Shah Tughlaq in 14th century. Among the ruins of city left is the Ashokan Pillar quarters of the king, step well and Jami Masjid.

The Managing Director of the SRDC Rita Kumar informed that the Delhi Government had planned to organise the Heritage Walk towards seven gates leading to the Shahjahanabad (the Walled City). “With the start of the first walk with Khooni Darwaza, we will proceed towards the other gates of the walled city and apprise people about the history and significance of these gates,” she said.

Kumar said seeing the overwhelming response of the people, the authorities are planning to expand the scope of the heritage walks to involve more and more people, students of different schools, colleges, people from RWAs and NGOs too to further make it a huge campaign.

The Pioneer, 5th November 2011

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Friday reacted to the Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI) stop-work notice and wrote back to the heritage body, seeking its withdrawal. DMRC cited the recommendation for clearance of the project by the Competent Authority for the Delhi circle, and added that further delay would only result in escalation of project cost.

Earlier on November 1, the ASI had issued a stop-work notice to the contractor of the Janpath Metro station for allegedly violating heritage laws. The station is part of the proposed Central Secretariat-Kashmere Gate heritage corridor of the Delhi Metro.

Incidentally, Vijay Singh, the Competent Authority of the Delhi circle, doesn't see eye to eye with the ASI on this. While the ASI has claimed the work being undertaken by the DMRC is within the regulated zone, Singh says construction is outside the 300m zone. In fact, he questioned the legitimacy of the ASI notice, since it's out of the heritage body's purview.

"Work undertaken by the Delhi Metro, as per plans discussed with me, is beyond the 300m zone. The barricades put up may be within the protected zone, which is why the ASI may have sent the notice," Singh said.

To this, ASI joint director general B R Mani said: "The notice has been served to DMRC on the basis of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act. The competent authority is not the final authority and a nod can only be given by NMA. As per the law, DMRC has to wait till they get NMA consent."

This is not the first time that the ASI and DMRC have clashed over the heritage corridor, which will go through Janpath, Mandi House, Delhi Gate, Jama Masjid, Red Fort and Kashmere Gate. The proximity of the corridor to several protected monuments, including the world heritage site of Red Fort, has been a bone of contention between the heritage custodian and DMRC since the corridor was conceptualized. The ASI's notice comes in a series of face-offs between the two organizations.
But the Delhi Metro claims it started work on the site only after it got clearance from Singh. Singh, as Competent Authority, had given his recommendation to the National Monuments Authority, the body proposed by the government to look after protected monuments, for the Delhi Metro project in July this year.

The Competent Authority's recommendations, incidentally, are quite wide ranging. He says the project, during construction stage, will have no "adverse effect". He adds: "The tunnel will be built with state-of-the-art technology without causing any damage through vibration to structures over it on the ground level."

According to Singh, the Metro project is a "boon" for the Old City and the city's heritage. "It's a public utility that will revive the area. Delhi Metro has also realigned stations that were within the protected zones, and the existing alignment can be constructed," said Singh.

Times of India, 5th November 2011

The venue was the Lalit Kala Akademy in New Delhi. I was at an exhibition of Tanjore paintings by Ravi Raj, an artist from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. I had met him first when he made a national record in 1994 for having created the largest ever Tanjore paining.

That had been the starting point of my getting interested in Tanjore art which I had never seen before. His magnum opus, ‘Rama Pattabhishekam’ (the crowning of Rama) was 9 ft by 6.5 ft and had 50 characters in all, with Lord Rama as the central figure. Like all Tanjore paintings, Raj’s abhishekam painting was embossed with gold leaf and encrusted with semi-precious stones, synthetic stones and crystals, which gave it a three-dimensional look. In addition, he also used a paste of gum and powdered chalk to heighten the effect. Mounted on an elegant teak frame, the painting needed half a dozen people to lift it! I had asked him then how long it had taken him to complete the painting.

“A whole year,” he had answered. He has been holding exhibitions of his work regularly ever since, sometimes at Lalit Kala, sometimes at the AIIFACS, or else at the Tamil Sangam. And I attended whenever I could make it because he always had something fresh to offer – the same favourite gods and goddesses but presented differently, my favourite being a painting of dancing Ganesha with a playful smile lurking on his lips that still adorns the wall of my study.

Tanjore art is very different from other forms of traditional Indian art. This does not imply, of course, that all Tanjore paintings are large. The size can vary between works that cover a whole wall and miniatures that are no bigger than 6 inch squares. It gets it name from Thanjavur (shortened to ‘Tanjore’ by the British), a town about 300 km from Chennai. That is where the art originated, evolved and flourished in the 16th century during the reign of the mighty Chola rulers. They were not just great warriors but also important patrons of art and culture. These beautiful paintings adorned the walls of their palaces and the simpler, smaller ones found a place in every household within the empire. Later, the Maratha princes, the Nayaks of Vijayanagar dynasty and the Naidus of Madurai also patronised Tanjore Art until the 18th century.

Tanjore painting is one of the most popular forms of traditional Indian art. What sets it apart from other Indian paintings is the way it is embellished after the basic painting is done. The liberal use of rich and vibrant colours, heightened by gold leaf, the abundance of precious and semi-precious stones, pearls and glass pieces, are its distinctive hallmarks. These days, semi-precious stones and pearls are often replaced by synthetic stones and crystals that look quite as beautiful. But the gold leaves are still used extensively, giving the paintings a sheen that does not get dull with time. Crafted with meticulous care, each painting is a unique piece of art and has a three-dimensional look.

Many of them are panel paintings done on solid wood and known as palagai padam in local parlance. The themes of the paintings are mainly religious and mythological.

Evergreen favourites are Lord Krishna and Lord Rama in various stages of their lives; Ganesha; Kartikeya; Ambika and so on. I was surprised to find that in many of the Tanjore paintings, Krishna does not appear in his traditional blue complexion but is as fair as Radha, even when he is depicted as Bala Gopala.

Creating a Tanjore painting involves many stages. At first the preliminary sketch of the image is made on the base which consists of a cloth pasted over solid wood. Then powdered chalk or zinc oxide is mixed with a water-soluble adhesive and applied on the base. Sometimes a mild abrasive is also used to make it smoother. Once the final drawing is made, the jewellery and the apparel of the figure is made with stones (semi-precious or synthetic) and sometimes threads and laces are also used to give the cloth a realistic look. Then the gold leaves are pasted. Finally, bright colours are used to give the painting a finished look. The gold foils used are of high quality so that the painting remains bright for generations.

Where does one learn Tanjore art? I remember asking Ravi Raj when I first met him. He was an alumnus of the Chettinad School of Art, located in the Chettinad palace grounds at Chennai, then run by Meena Muthaiah. Raj was initially a student of fine art and followed it up with a course in metal sculpture. But more than anything else, he had been impressed by the distinctive style of Tanjore paintings to which he was exposed while at the school of art. He loved the clean lines, the smooth yet firm finish and the delicacy of details which are the special features of Tanjore Art and realised that herein lay his forte.

Raj’s paintings have won the heart of many a connoisseur and art lover from across the country and abroad because of their individualistic quality. There are several learning centres that specialise in teaching Tanjore art in all the major cities, including Bangalore. It appears to be equally popular as a hobby. In fact, there are quite a few websites where you can pick it up online, step by step.

Deccan Herald, 6th November 2011

Vettangudi villagers observe Deepavali by lighting lamps and shunning crackers

The Bishnois of Rajasthan, religiously protecting animals and birds for over five centuries now, may be delighted that a fragment of their ecological faith has wafted across the Vindhyas to a remote village in Tamil Nadu’s Sivaganga district.

Step into the lush green canopy of two proximate villages- Vettangudi Patti and Kollukudi Patti in Tirupathur taluk that encompass three “Kanmaai’s” (large irrigation tanks), the “mantra” in everyone’s lips is not any esoteric or sacred chants, but a speech-act that delivers “silence”.

If the Vettangudi Bird Sanctuary that nestles on two of these tank beds spread over 38.4 hectares, is still pleasant to thousands of migratory birds from around the globe for over four decades now, it is thanks to a golden rule the people of these two villages have passionately upheld, a la the Bishnoi community’s creed to preserve all life forms.

Good or bad times, it is scarcely believable that in these days of high-decibels excitements, about 800-odd people of these two village Panchayats, namely

Vettangudi Patti and Kollukudi Patti, closest to the sanctuary, have given a permanent holiday to fire-crackers. Even beating a small drum badgering native pride is a taboo for a profoundly environmental cause.

While Vettangudi was officially declared a bird sanctuary in June 1977 by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, for long years before that an amazing variety of migratory birds have been gravitating to the “Kanmaais” of these two villages to make it a nature’s receptacle for nesting and breeding.

The Vettangudi Bird Sanctuary, located about 51 km from the temple city of Madurai, tucked away a wee bit inside as you drive down the Madurai-Melur-Tirupathur Highway in Sivaganga district, is not just an ornithologist’s delight for its rich miscellaneous croons. It also mirrors how humans live in harmony with nature setting aside cultural compulsions.

It is not that the villagers do not celebrate a universal festival like “Deepavali”. Little bright lamps dot the homes in these two villages for the occasion. But “for the last 43 years, as I know, nobody has burst a single cracker here to celebrate the festival as we don’t want the loud noise to disturb or unsettle the birds that flock here,” says Chinnaih of Vettangudi.

Typically, the birds from distant lands reach the sanctuary by September-end every year and stay on till March, said Mr Palanichamy, Forest Ranger, Tirupathur. By that time, the birds would have hatched and the young ones eager to take wings. This year, 5000 birds have already homed in so far.

As rest of India celebrated “Deepavali” with a variety of deafening crackers, from the sturdy “Red Fort double”, ‘thousand wallahas’ to ‘atom bombs’, the locals play host to these birds observed as usual, a quiet, self-imposed moratorium on all crackers in a noble quest to protect the sanctuary.

“The people here do not use even fire crackers at a funeral procession or beat the traditional drum as it can scare away the birds,” says Sivaganga District Forest

Officer Sampath Lal Gupta. The migratory birds come for “nesting and breeding”, mostly from the Trans-Himalayan region, including some of the erstwhile Soviet Republics like Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, Tibet, besides from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Maldives.

Giving birth to new life is so sacred in the Eastern traditions that nobody wants to inconvenience these birds with even a sharp rustle, adds Gupta, explaining how the villagers of Vettangudi Patti and Kollukudi Patti are, “somewhat like the Bishnois practicing this self-restraint to protect wildlife.”

The people in these two villages may not be total vegetarians like the Bishnois, but when it came to ensuring a comfortable, noise-free ambience for the birds to nest and breed, the people caringly bond with them.

“It’s a concern we show for the birds as we would do for our children by ensuring all is silent here,” says, Ms Karunambikai, a resident. “To give up a custom may seem no big deal, but people do it for the birds,” she adds, explaining the importance of being earnest in saying ‘no’ to crackers.

From the “open bill stork”, “tarter”, “Indian cormorant”, “night heron”, “grey heron’, ‘pond heron’, ‘cattle egret’, ‘great egret”, “Asian open bill”, “glossy ibis”, “common coot”, “green peafowl”, to the “white-breasted water hen”, the veteran bird watcher of the village, K R Veeriah lists 25 such exotic winged ones who come calling to Sivaganga District every year.

The Forest Department also reinforces the keep-silence people’s creed, routinely sensitizing people right from school children upwards. “Even a kid here will tell you why not to burst crackers,” chuckles Veeriah, adding, the birds can be viewed in a close natural setting without need for binoculars.

As a reciprocal gesture to the villagers, “we pass on the proceeds of the sale of bushes-like growth as firewood to the Village Forest Committee” to encourage their conservation efforts, said Gupta, adding, the funds so transferred averaged Rs.75,000 per year in the last three years. One small step by the people has meant a leap for wildlife protection at Vettangudi.

Asian Age, 18th November 2011

In south Delhi’s Kotla Mubarakpur, an area that has evolved from a medieval village and is located a few hundred metres away from the upscale Defence Colony, lies a dense hodge-podge of buildings.

At the end of a narrow, winding lane cutting through this modest settlement stands the tomb of the Sayyid dynasty’s Muis ud-din Mubarak Shah, who ruled over a small region on the banks of the Yamuna in the 15th century and from whom the area gets its name.

Said to be the second octagonal tomb to have been built in Delhi (the first was the 14th century tomb of Khan-e-Jahan Tilangani in Nizamuddin), the roughly three-storey-high structure is hemmed in on all sides by apartment blocks. An iron fence erected a decade ago by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the organisation responsible for looking after this monument, is the structure’s only protection.

This lack of security is one of many problems that experts say beset the ASI, whose two main tasks are to conserve monuments and to excavate ruins. (See ‘What’s hampering the ASI’). Before the Commonwealth Games last year, the ASI spruced up several monuments in south Delhi, but this Sayyid dynasty structure was not among them.

It is consequently a picture of neglect. Plants, including at least half a dozen peepul trees, are growing on and around the dome and in other niches. Inside, a lone electric bulb illuminates the central chamber containing several tombstones, including Mubarak Shah’s. Dust covers the floor of a two-feet-high verandah going around the tomb.

Paper, rotting food, nails and metal scrap line the strip between the veranda’s outer wall and the iron fence. “An ASI attendant comes here once in a while,” said Ganga, a local resident. “I do most of the cleaning and also help the crowds who come here on Thursdays.”

He is referring to locals who consider the tomb a dargah, a holy shrine, and come to light candles and lamps. They call it Ghumat.

“Young men from this area come here to pray before they get married,” said Chaudhary Khajan Singh, 97, who has lived here all his life.

Given the significance locals attach to the tomb, the ASI might have involved them in its upkeep. This is not an

exception: The ASI has not done enough to engage with local communities in general, say experts.
“What can we villagers do?” asked Ravinder Chaudhary, the locality’s

councillor, referring to the upkeep of the monument. “I will write to the ASI.”

When asked about the tomb, ASI’s KK Muhammed, in charge of Delhi’s monuments, replied, “We have a huge staff shortage. Also, we generally clear the plants only after the monsoon.”

Another fairly typical problem is the absence of information. The winding road has no signs directing you to the tomb. At the site itself, except for the ASI’s trademark blue board that says the tomb is a protected monument, no details are available, including basic facts, such as what the structure is.

Khazan Singh remembers a time when Kotla Mubarakpur had just around 50 houses surrounded by fields. Now, as it continues to expand, the ASI’s job will only become harder.

The Times of India, 6th June 2012

Even the yuckiest things become art in our creative land. Most parents and guardians would hesitate to do it now, but when we were children, at home or in the convent, a monthly dose of castor oil was as obligatory as going to church every Sunday.

We had to swallow that treacly, distasteful fluid because it was “Good for you!”, no questions asked.Sometimes it was followed by a spoonful of honey “to make the medicine go down” as they sang in The Sound of Music. Ever since then, whenever we saw castor plants growing at the side of the many roads we have travelled on, the terrible, gluey taste of that obnoxious oil would well up in our throats.

Until, that is, we met the Khatris of Gujarat’s Nirona Village.

Not that the village was very appealing. In fact, its narrow lanes were among the most noisome we’ve encountered in that largely efficient state. Hopefully, things will change if Narendra Bhai chooses it for one of his high-profile fasts. But, grimy or not, we are very glad that we visited the home of Khatri Sumar Daud in Nirona.

According to him, he and his family are the only people in the whole world who have preserved and developed the intricate art of Rogan. The intricacy was clear at first sight.

Sumar brought our lengths of black silk and cotton with panels of stylised trees that resembled the illuminated capitals of ancient manuscripts. Teams of artist-monks often spent lifetimes sitting in silent scriptoriums, grinding minerals, boiling flowers, melting resins, collecting soot from oil lamps, laying paper-thin gold and silver leaf, burnishing it with a tiger’s claw, creating letters that glowed, for centuries, like the stained-glass windows of cathedrals. These fabric panels looked like stained glass glowing against their dark background. At first we were convinced that they were embroidered and when we reached out and touched them, the designs had a raised texture. But that was almost imperceptible. The patterns had certainly not been created by coloured threads. Also, they had definitely not been printed or even painted as batiks are.

“How have they been made?” we asked. “What is Rogan?” “It’s made from castor oil!” Sumar said.

Our initial reaction was that nothing so beautiful could have been created out of something so distasteful. But, as we listened, we grew more and more fascinated.

“We boil castor oil for two or three days,” the National Award winner continued. “It has to be watched very carefully to make sure that it does not catch fire.” Too great a heat, we gathered, would make it flame; too little and it would not be reduced to the right consistency. We were reminded of a Swiss friend hovering over fondue cheese simmering on a spirit lamp, ensuring that its tackiness was just right.

Another member of the Khatri family entered with a bowl of the heated oil and a palette of coloured powders in little bowls on a tray. He held a tiny metal stylus, sat on the floor and spread a cotton cloth over his lap. The tacky substance in the bowl wafted faintly resinous odour into the room, pleasant and oddly familiar. We knew that it was reduced castor oil but it didn’t trigger any of the revolting reactions of our childhood. Clearly, the hours of boiling had exorcised the devils in it! “We have made those powders from natural substances,” Sumar explained. The black was soot, the other colours were ground-down minerals and semi-precious stones. We thought of the old monks in their scriptoriums labouring away at their ancient art.

The burly young artist with the black beard tested the consistency of the gummy reduced castor oil, rolled the stylus in it, picking up a blob. He then dipped the blob into one of the powders and spread it on the palm of his hand. From there he drew out a thin strand of the coloured substance and began to lay it in a small floral design on the cloth. It was slow, painstaking, freehand work and if his hand had shaken while he was doing it, the pattern would have blurred. But it did not shake and the design stood out clearly: a red pattern against the dark cloth. So did the next and the next and the next. Then, since only a single colour was required, he folded the other half of the cloth over the design while it was still wet so that the pattern was replicated on it. If multi-coloured designs are needed, however, each one has to be created separately. Once again, its similarity to an illuminated manuscript struck us. There, too, each stroke in every illuminated letter had to be calligraphed separately as every piece of coloured glass had to be inserted separately in a stained glass window. We were looking at an art-form that must have had its genesis in medieval times when life had a much, much slower cadence and such hand-wrought creations could ransom a king.

As if he had sensed our thoughts, Sumar said, “Our art nearly died out because, in the old days, it was meant for saris like this one.” He held out an understated, old-gold sari embellished with delicate Rogan patterns. “We could not compete with machine-made stuff. We abandoned our art and went to work in restaurants as labourers. Then...” he smiled at the recollection, “our father decided that since ours was an art, we should re-position it as an art, not as saris for everyday use but as panels to be framed and as unique walls hangings to be admired and sought after."

He looked at some of their creations with pride. “Every piece is unique because every line, every single pattern has been hand-crafted and, therefore, no two designs can ever be the same.” He looked up at us. “Besides, every Rogan piece has to be bought from this house... it is not sold anywhere else."

We thanked the Khatris, wished them goodbye, and stepped into the street. Outside, the village of Nirona was still grimy. But the castor plants, growing against stone walls, seemed to hold their heads up with great, and justifiable, pride.

And the memory of castor oil did not seem to be so yucky anymore.

Deccan Herald, 6th November 2011

A feast for the heart of those who crave a fresh structure of historic significance rather than the same old familiar monuments, Agrasen Ki Baoli proves to be a marvel of beauty and fusion architecture. It is believed that it was built by King Agrasen from the Mahabharata period, after whom this baoli has been named. A heritage walk, under the guidance of a few young enthusiasts, proved to be truly enriching. As we entered, a magnificent sight of a stairwell of around 104 steps welcomed us, going deep below. There were arches and hidden staircases on either side, and hundreds of pigeons flew around. It made us daydream about the kind of life that existed before. Upon entering the inconspicuous staircases on the sides, we could not help but feel an adventurous euphoria. The mosque on the northern side fascinated us as its origin is unknown. This mystery was truly intriguing. A place so well hidden amid Connaught Place, a visit made us realise the relevance of such historic beauties. The place is well maintained by the ASI, inspiring us to be more environment sensitive. It was a visit that we will always cherish.

*Anmol Bhatnagar, XI-D
The heritage walk to Agrasen ki Baoli, organised by Birla Vidya Niketan, was indeed an enriching and learning experience for students. The monument, formed centuries ago, is situated near Connaught Place. Even as we entered it, the exotic sight of hundreds of staircases going downwards into a well left all of us wrapped in amazement. Numerous birds flying from one corner to the other enhanced the beauty of this exquisite monument. The eerie hollow space behind the arches gave the ancient monument a tranquil look. The people guiding us were young enthusiasts, who were generous enough to answer all our inquisitive queries. After a brief introduction to the monument’s history, students were free to explore the peculiar facts about the place. The unique mélange of Persian and Indian structures carved on the walls were undoubtedly par excellence, which revealed more astonishing facts about the epic monument. The trip ended on a joyful note and left the students with a zeal to contribute to the national heritage.
*Arushi Malhotra, XI-D

A school excursion was planned to the Agrasen ki Baoli, which proved to be an astounding experience. It is a heritage site concealed in the midst of various multistorey buildings in Connaught Place. It was believed to be built by king Agrasen during the mahabharata era, and was rebuilt in the 14th Century. Protected by the Archaelogical Survey of India (ASI), it is a marvellous example of stepwells built at that time. It is characterized by steps that lead to an actual well, and the brilliant stonework symbolizes its architecture. As one descends, the sound of hundreds of bats can be heard. It gave me an insight into our history. Its beauty is remarkable, and is a treasure for our country. It gives hands-on insight into the life of the people living in that era. The stepwell has its own significance and importance, and is a symbol of peace and contentment. Though it is beautifully built, it fails to be acknowledged by the people. Although it is located in the heart of Delhi, the monument remains unknown to many and continues to be neglected.

*DIVYA PURI, XI-D
Agrasen Ki Baoli. Does the name ring a bell? It should have but the cruel real estate built around it has wiped out the aura that surrounded the once-majestic monument that still exists in the central part of Delhi, a cosmopolitan city. An excursion to explore the long forgotten realms of the capital was an initiative that our school — the Birla Vidya Niketan — took. Agrasen ki Baoli was one such evidence of the long-lost glory of the Hindu kingdom. Built by a Hindu king, Agrasena, the monument is influenced by architectural styles of two different cultures, Islam and Hinduism. The monument is a depiction of the practical idea of digging a baoli, which is a step well, with a beautifully crafted staircase of 103 steps reaching extending till the end. It is covered with a roof. But what justice has been done to the beauty of the idea, the beauty of the architecture behind the standing monument, which has been left as broken, degraded ruins? These monuments, which once were a badge of pride on the nation, have become hollow dark ruins because of negligence of the authorities assigned to preserve them. The youth of India have to become more active and start participating in conservation work. Nitin, a student, is an example of somebody who works for the reconstruction of the lost beauty of monuments. Also, there is a need for such heritage walks to sensitise people to the architecture of ancient India.

*Gurleen Kaur, XI-E
On October 17, our school arranged for us an educational jaunt to one of the heritage sites in Delhi, billed as Agrasen ki Baoli. The visit was exclusively arranged for Class XI students of commerce for obvious reasons. Agrasen Ki Baoli is located near Hailey Road on Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi. The monument looked small, but most of it is built below the ground level. Baoli as the name suggests step well, went 103 steps down to the bottom. Agrasen Ki Baoli, designated as a protected monument by the Aerchological Survey of India (ASI) is a 60-metre-long and 15-metre-wide rectangular shape structure. This historical well, a short walk from Jantar Mantar, is believed to be originally built by celebrated legendary king Agrasen during the Mahabharat era. It was rebuilt in the 14th Century by the scion of the Agrawal community. It was again rebuilt during the Tughlaq period, and a mosque was added. Most of the water has dried due to depletion in water levels of the city. The monument has 103 steps and three levels, having a minimum of seven arched niches that increase by the rate of two on each level. The structure is simple, yet effective and impressive. The stone walls are made of Delhi quartzite. This is the reason the walls of the building appear to be slightly red, rocky and unsmooth. The stone walls are stark, yet beautiful. The beautiful walls are interrupted by dark black passages that lead to the upper level, allowing the visitors to explore various alcoves and rooms that once could have been used as sites for retreat and puja (worship). The premises of the monument were not clean, and cans of cold drinks and wrappers of packets were seen lying around. Pigeons and crows, which made the monument their home, had spoilt the natural beauty of the monument. Inside the dome, on the ceiling, one could easily spot many bats. The same was the condition of the mosque. Our guide had told us since this monument is a protected monument under the Protection of Historical Sites and Monuments Act, nobody is allowed to clean the walls of the monument with any chemical. Hence, the last time the beauty of the monument was enhanced was during the Commonwealth Games 2010, and that was after quite a while.

*Virat Tiwari, XI
Hastinapur, the capital city of the Pandavas and the epicenter of the Mahabharata, is currently known as Delhi. Also the capital of our country, it is an archaeologist’s dream-come-true, with its myriad monuments and artefacts. From mighty forts to serene shrines and century-old markets to the stories that all of these hold in them, Delhi has it all. One such edifice is the Agrasen ki Baoli, which is located on Hailey Road, Central Delhi. Surrounded by high rises and other buildings of this area, the baoli or step well with its 103 steps, as counted by me and my friend on our recent visit to the same, is believed to be built during the Mahabharata period by Maharaja Agrasen and rebuilt by wealthy Aggarwal community merchants, to whom Agrasen was an ancestor. The Baoli or Vav, as it is called in Gujarati, shows the influence of Persian architecture. Locally available rose-coloured quartzite rocks have been put together by using a mixture of sand, clay, pulses, jiggery, etc. to build this marvel. Though not very popular, it still is beautiful, and an interesting place to be in with its narrow but clever passages that are spread across the three levels into which the baoli is divided. An old pulley system, lots of bats on the ceiling and hordes of pigeons in every nook and cranny complete the baoli's atmosphere, along with a small mosque that was later built as an addition to the Baoli, probably in the Mughal era. The Baoli no longer has water to serve its real purpose as a summer house or decorative building, but it still stands tall to show its significance and importance in the history and culture of our country to every passing generation. With the renovation and reconstruction work undertaken by the ASI, the day isn’t far when the Baoli will get its old world charm back again. The trip organised by our school (on 17/10/11) compelled me to not only write this, but also inspired many of us to actually help ASI and other organisations in restoring and maintaining our inherited artefacts and edifices.

*Niharika Dubey, XI-F

A Heritage walk is an interesting idea in itself. And what we saw during this one was magnificent. Buried in the midst of high-rise buildings at Connaught Place, is the beautiful site — Agrasen ki Baoli. This historical gem might not be as famous as its counterparts but it’s been here since ancient days and sure deserves a visit. And that is what we,the commerce students of Class XI got an opportunity to do. Our bus halted at KG Marg, and we wondered what heritage was being hidden by the cluster of tall buildings. But what we found was more than an illusion, and definitely not what we had expected. The effortless divinity in the beauty of the Baoli enchanted us from the very beginning. We had no idea how this ‘citadel of peace’ came to be present here in the heart of the Capital, and only a handful of people were aware of its presence. Built of dressing stone, the structure had no roof. The Baoli was a well, which stores water, constructed in a manner whereby one could get water by climbing down the numerous steps. We, at once, got out our cameras to capture the quaint view in front of us. The pigeons, rejoicing in the calm surroundings and cuddling with each other, added to the elegance. Soon, it was time to say good-bye to this extraordinary site and the novelty of its concept. We heartily thanked our lovely teachers, who brought us vis-a-vis with the long forgotten era. And away we went, taking a last glance of the place, which will remain etched in our hearts forever.

*Vernika Jain, XI E

The Indian Express, 7th November 2011

Archaeological monuments and important buildings across the national Capital will be bathed in blue on the eve of World Diabetes Day on November 13 as part of a campaign to raise awareness about the disease.

According to International Diabetes Foundation’s Diabetes Atlas, over one million people — of the 50 million plus affected — died due to diabetes in India last year. There are likely to be another 100 million people on the verge of being affected by diabetes in the country, it said.

‘Diabetes Blue Monument Lighting Challenge’ will be one of the main activities of Abbott Diabetes Blue Fortnight 2011, wherein major monuments and buildings across Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Bangalore will be illuminated in blue.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has consented for illumination of six of its monuments, including the Purana Qila, Humayun’s Tomb and Qutub Minar. Lotus Temple in Kalkaji and Metro Bhawan, off Barakhamba Road, too, will be illuminated, organisers said.

“Monuments illuminated in blue symbolise unity in the fight against diabetes, something akin to blue sky uniting the world,” said Dr CS Pandav, head, Centre for Community Medicine, AIIMS.

This is in line with the international practice of illuminating important buildings and monuments to showcase solidarity for the cause. Other buildings and monuments in India include CST Station in Mumbai, Britannia Garden of Bangalore, City Palace Ground at Udaipur and Victoria Memorial in Kolkata.

Some of the monuments to be lit up in the world are — Argentina’s Basilica de Guadalupe (Santa Fe); Australia’s Parliament House (Canberra), Canada’s Bluewater Bridge (Sarnia, Ontario); Denmark’s Little Mermaid (Copenhagen), Japan’s Tokyo Tower, UK’s Emmanuel College (Cambridge) and USA’s Harold Hamm Diabetes Centre (Okhlahoma). The campaign will span activities from November 1 to 14.

Hindustan Times, 7th November 2011

Prompted by a Delhi High Court directive, the 'competent authority' for Delhi will present draft heritage byelaws for Sher Shah Gate and Khairul-Manzil mosque on Mathura road, next week. The byelaws for these monuments will pave the way formore than 170 Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected monuments of Delhi bringing relief to hundreds of property owners residing within 300 metres (regulated area) of the protected monuments.

As per the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment & Validation) Act 2010, all construction within 100 metres of a protected monument is banned while there are several restrictions on repair/construction for properties within the regulated area. The permission/rejection in the regulated area is to be based on monument-specific heritage byelaws.
"The high court has directed the competent authority, Vijay Singh, to submit draft byelaws on November 16," said AS Chandiok, president, Bar Association.

The court's intervention was necessitated after it was found that the 2.77 acre land on Zakir Hussain road, allotted for the court's expansion in 2007, fell within the regulated area of these two monuments. The land is needed for judges' and lawyers' chambers, an auditorium and a library.

Hundreds of properties, especially in plush south Delhi colonies such as Hauz Khas, Green Park, South Extension and Safdarjung Enclave have been affected since the March 2010 amendment.

Using the topographical sheets/ maps for 550 metres area around all monuments, the competent authority would launch a website wherein 100 metres and 300 metres radius area would be earmarked.

"The actual field survey which will help incorporate each building/structure type, the land use and other points in the site plan will be carried out then. The monument-specific byelaws would be possible only after this survey," Chandiok said.

He, however, said he would first complete the draft byelaws for Sher Shah Gate and Khairul-Manzil mosque and send a copy to the National Monument Authority for ratification.

Hindustan Times, 7th November 2011

Prompted by a Delhi High Court directive, the 'competent authority' for Delhi will present draft heritage byelaws for Sher Shah Gate and Khairul-Manzil mosque on Mathura road, next week. The byelaws for these monuments will pave the way formore than 170 Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected monuments of Delhi bringing relief to hundreds of property owners residing within 300 metres (regulated area) of the protected monuments.

As per the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment & Validation) Act 2010, all construction within 100 metres of a protected monument is banned while there are several restrictions on repair/construction for properties within the regulated area. The permission/rejection in the regulated area is to be based on monument-specific heritage byelaws.
"The high court has directed the competent authority, Vijay Singh, to submit draft byelaws on November 16," said AS Chandiok, president, Bar Association.

The court's intervention was necessitated after it was found that the 2.77 acre land on Zakir Hussain road, allotted for the court's expansion in 2007, fell within the regulated area of these two monuments. The land is needed for judges' and lawyers' chambers, an auditorium and a library.

Hundreds of properties, especially in plush south Delhi colonies such as Hauz Khas, Green Park, South Extension and Safdarjung Enclave have been affected since the March 2010 amendment.

Using the topographical sheets/ maps for 550 metres area around all monuments, the competent authority would launch a website wherein 100 metres and 300 metres radius area would be earmarked.

"The actual field survey which will help incorporate each building/structure type, the land use and other points in the site plan will be carried out then. The monument-specific byelaws would be possible only after this survey," Chandiok said.

He, however, said he would first complete the draft byelaws for Sher Shah Gate and Khairul-Manzil mosque and send a copy to the National Monument Authority for ratification.

Hindustan Times, 7th November 2011

It is going to be a rebirth soon for the maota or the moat in front of the historic 16th Century Amber Fort near here. After years of lean seasons, the good old water body is to be filled to the brim now with supplies from the Bisalpur dam, situated in adjoining Tonk district. With this, the Amber maota joins select water bodies in Rajasthan, besides the famous Pushkar Lake near Ajmer and the wetlands of Keoladeo National Park near Bharatpur, which are filled artificially -- with water from outside, that is.

Rajasthan Minister for Tourism, Art and Culture Bina Kak on Monday inaugurated the project for refilling the maota along with traditional water sources in and around the historic surroundings that were once the Capital of the erstwhile rulers. The inaugural programme took place near Kesar Kyaari, the ornate terraced Mughal-style garden where, according to local historians, the rulers once grew saffron.

Jaipur Mayor Jyoti Khandelwal, Principal Secretary (Tourism) Usha Sharma, local leader Braj Mohan Khatri and a large number of stakeholders — people of Amber, tourist guides and the owners of the famous Amber elephants -- were present.

Supply of water to Jaipur colonies from Bisalpur dam, situated some 140 km away, stared last year, though the Amber Fort area, on the outskirts of the city, is yet to be connected by a pipeline. For laying a 5.5-km pipeline from the nearest Brahmapuri pumping station to the maota , the Government has sanctioned Rs.2 crore. The work is scheduled to be completed in 45 days.

Ms. Kak explained that the project to fill the moat was not merely an attempt to create a picture postcard-like scene in front of the fort but also to help improve ground water level in the locality. It will not only take the water level up but also recharge the water sources in the surrounding areas which have been dry for a long time.

Ms. Kak said the filling of maota and other water sources will not have any adverse impact on the supply of drinking water to local citizens. This year the rains were copious, she noted. The demand for filling the maota with Bisalpur water was raised by the locals when Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot visited Amber a few months ago, she pointed out.

The Minister, talking about other projects being initiated to rebuild the old city, said the Ghat Ki Guni side — along the Jaipur-Agra road — was being developed in a way to enable one spot antelopes and other wild creatures along both sides of the road. The State Tourism Department will also coordinate with the Forest and Education departments respectively for repairing the road to Nahargarh and for setting up a school at the Elephant village, she added.

-The Hindu, 8th November 2011

The Travel Operators for Tigers (TOFT), an international group of wildlife tourism operators, wants tourism to be allowed in the core zones of tiger reserves - areas where tigers breed - because it benefits both conservation and tribals. However, TOFT wants tribals to be shifted out of national parks and sanctuaries and is against the implementation of the Forest Rights Act there.

The representatives of TOFT along with some wildlife enthusiasts and scientists on Monday demanded that the government allows tourism to continue in the core areas of tiger reserves across the country. They were reacting to a petition filed in the Supreme Court asking for tourism to be stopped in the core zones of tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh as mandated bythe National Tiger Conservation Authority under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

They presented Sonsai Baiga , a tribal displaced from Kanha National Park, at the press meet as a case study of how tourism helps the local population. Thrown out of the national park in 1973 without any compensation for the land his family and the community lost, Baiga became a daily wage-earner for the forest department. Now, he is part of a cooperative to perform 'tribal dances' at hotels near the national park 'to preserve and sustain their traditional culture'.

When asked, Baiga said, "If I had got compensation I would have got land even today." But Vishal Singh, head of TOFT India, and Belinda Wright, who heads the Wildlife Protection Society of India, said, they were against the implementation of the Forest Rights Act in tiger reserves and sanctuaries.

-Times of India, 8th November 2011

Finest handicrafts of Old Delhi like Zardozi, Minakari and Lacquer will be the theme of Delhi pavilion at the annual India International Trade Fair (IITF) at Pragati Maidan beginning November 14. The pavilion, to be named as 'Dehleez- The Magic of Gifted Hands', will showcase various

handicrafts of Old Delhi -which was known as Shahjahanabad during the Mughal era.

Workshops will be organised at the pavilion during course of the IITF from November 14 to 27 to demonstrate the making of various products.

The second highest price achieved in the Bonhams sale was a work by M F Husain titled The Blue Lady which made £97,250. It was from the private UK collection of John Hay, having been presented to Hay's mother Elizabeth Partridge by her sister as a wedding present in India.

Hindustan Times, 8th November 2011

The Sanskaar Rang Toli (Theatre-in-Education Company) of the National School of Drama will host its weeklong cultural mela, “Bal Sangam-2011”, at the Crafts Museum on Bhairon Marg here beginning this Tuesday.

This year, TIE is focusing on revival of the dying cultural art forms of the country. “Bal Sangam” will feature diverse traditional art forms presented by children from different States.

According to NSD Director Anuradha Kapoor, the aim behind the biennial event is to initiate a dialogue between artistes living in rural areas and those residing in cities. “Most of the participating artistes are products of our country's age-oldguru-shishya tradition. Some children have learnt folk art from their families and institutions. Besides appreciating the folk art styles of the participants, the audience will get a chance to familiarise themselves with cultural and sociological aspects of these groups. It is heartening to see so many art forms thriving in this country."

As the Delhi Metro railway is undertaking work near its premises, the NSD has decided to hold the event at a different venue.

Recounting the history of TIE, former NSD Director Kirti Jain said it was formed more than two decades ago to perform creative, curriculum-based and participatory plays in schools designed for children of different age groups.

"Through this creative programme we encourage children to ask questions and take decision. Education in schools should not be one-sided with only teachers imparting knowledge and students becoming mute spectators. Children must be given a chance to ask questions and use their imagination to the fullest,” said Ms. Jain, also a senior professor at NSD.

According to TIE chief Abdul Latif Khatana, the participants were chosen in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games last year but as they could not perform then they have now been give a chance.

“This year, we have eight old groups and an equal number of new groups. For the first time, a tribal school from Gujarat will also give a performance. A majority of the participants are children."

“This year, we have eight old groups and an equal number of new groups. For the first time, a tribal school from Gujarat will also give a performance. A majority of the participants are children."

Interestingly, the first edition of “Bal Sangam” was also held at the Crafts Museum.

“Teeming with statues and aesthetic huts, the place has a feel-good factor to it,” adds Mr. Khatana.

The Hindu, 8th November 2011

St. Francis Xavier’s Cathedral has its origins in a church by the same name, which has a history of nearly 165 years. In 1905, when the cross from the old tower of the church fell, it was interpreted as a sign to build a new structure. Father Servanton raised funds for the new edifice which was opened in 1932. In 1940, the church was designated a cathedral, writes Pushpa Achanta

Bangalore Cantonment conjures up images of defence establishments, railway lines, diverse communities, minarets and one cannot ignore, towering steeples! It is to this last category that the beautiful blue and grey domes and spires of St. Francis Xavier’s Cathedral belong.

The cathedral, which saw its platinum jubilee in 2007, is located near Coles Park in Cleveland Town. This place of worship is dedicated to Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552), believed to be one of the original seven Jesuits. These men included St. Ignatius of Loyola and were apparently the co-founders of the Society of Jesus in 1534 in a chapel on Montmartre (a hill in present-day Paris).

The traffic junction close to Bangalore’s St Francis Xavier’s cathedral is called Father Servanton circle, after the French parish priest of this church. He was primarily responsible for revamping the building and expanding its outreach. It is believed that he served this Catholic institution for 50 years without resting even for a day.

“This is the only photograph that you would find of the great Father Servanton,” revealed the friendly Msgr. T S Amrutha Raj, the current parish priest of St. Francis Xavier’s Cathedral. He said this as he pointed to a framed black and white picture of a calm yet intense faced man, that was hung on one of the walls of his office.

In the beginning...

St. Francis Xavier’s church dates back to around 165 years ago. On June 19, 1845, Father I A Chevalier and Father I I Aulagne of the Foreign Mission Society of Paris bought a piece of land that measured 550 square feet from Ms Zulime Watkins. This is the place where St. Francis Xavier’s cathedral stands at present. (A French Catholic, the lady was the widow of an English commander named Captain Watkins of the Seventh cavalry).

After St. Francis Xavier’s parish was founded in 1846, Father Chevalier undertook charge of the construction of the church in 1851 which was inaugurated in 1854. He became the first parish priest of St. Francis Xavier’s church. But it was after the appointment of Father J B Servanton as the parish priest in 1898 that the size of the congregation grew from a mere thousand members to 15,000. This number rose to around 21,000 around four decades ago.

Due to the bubonic plague that had occurred in 1898, Father Servanton had a chapel erected in 1909 in honour of St. Rock, the patron of the plague stricken with a prayer to the latter to care for the parish. The priest also had the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes erected in the church apart from starting two primary schools, namely St. Rock’s and St. Anthony’s, chapels, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (a charitable organisation that works for the welfare of destitute women and financially backward families) and the Catholic Workers’ Association. All these institutions have their headquarters within the campus of St. Francis Xavier’s cathedral now.

Church now a cathedral

As the size of the population grew, the old building of St. Francis Xavier’s church was unable to accommodate too many people. Further, in 1905 when the cross from the old tower of the church fell, it was interpreted as a sign to create a new premises. For this, Father Servanton began to raise funds actively from individuals and through fund raising concerts and plays.

This resulted in the laying of the foundation stone in 1911 and the opening of the new edifice on May 26, 1932. When Bangalore was declared a separated diocese in 1940, St. Francis Xavier’s church was designated as a cathedral through an Apostolic letter (from the Pope or Vatican) dated February 13 of the same year. Later, on January 24, 1948, Rev. Dr. Thomas Pothacamury, the first Indian Bishop of Bangalore consecrated it. The cost of remaking the cathedral was about Rs one lakh at that time.

The structure of St. Francis Xavier’s cathedral is made of granite stones and has an arch shaped concrete roof covered with Mangalore tiles. Inside, it has massive pillars with carvings and exquisitely done stained glass windows that depict mysteries of the Rosary and general themes from the Holy Bible. This space also contains beautiful paintings and statues of the patron saint Francis Xavier, Joseph (father of Jesus), St. Philomena and Blessed Mother Teresa (who visited this cathedral on October 24, 1995) apart from those of Mother Mary and Jesus Christ. The capacity of the church is around 5000 persons as of now.

Other additions

The parish priests who followed Father Servanton contributed to the enhancement of the edifice, presbytery, youth services and facilities within and surrounding the cathedral such as the public address system, seating area, electrical and water supply, solar lighting, gardens, asphalted roads, rainwater harvesting, vehicle parking space, et al.

While some of these men improved the condition of the schools attached to the parish, others introduced the practice of donation of books, medical assistance, clothes and Christmas gifts to low-income children and families in the congregation. A few of the priests initiated the observation of the feast of St. Francis and procession of Corpus Christi outside the cathedral compound. Celebration of Mass in languages like Kannada and Tamil was also begun.

On May 13, 2009, Reverend Father John Solomon, the previous parish priest of St. Francis Xavier’s cathedral had obtained a sacred relic from the skin of saint Francis Xavier whose body lies in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa. The holy item was installed in the altar of the Bangalore cathedral in the same month. Also, it was during the tenure of Father Solomon that the long-pending activity of the raising of the domes on the belfry (the bell tower) was completed after much effort.

If you are on St. John’s Church Road or its vicinity next time, you might want to consider stepping into one of the magnificent churches there for a few moments of peace and some glimpses of history.

Deccan Herald, 8th November 2011

The multi-crore lake rejuvenation programme of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) may have failed miserably in the Uttarahalli ward, but the Palike does not mind venturing into developing a new lake in the vicinity.

The Palike will spend an estimated Rs one crore to develop a lake near Happy Valley at Poorna Prajna Layout in the Uttarahalli corporation ward.

Corporator Ramesh Raju is quite enthusiastic about the project. “At a time when land sharks are grabbing civic amenities (CA) sites and lakes, we have taken an initiative to develop a new lake on a CA site,” said Raju.

The lake will come up on two acres. “The lake is being carved out of seven acres of a CA site. Surrounded by a tree park, it will be one of the most attractive lakes in the area,” said Raju.

Ironically, the ward has two lakes the Palike has turned a blind eye to, even after spending crores of rupees in the name of ‘lake rejuvenation’.

The Palike undertook rejuvenation of Dorekere three years ago following instructions from District In-charge Minister R Ashoka. The initial cost of the project was Rs 6.28 crore three years ago, of which Rs 4.25 crore have already been spent.

As per plan, the Palike was supposed to divert sewage flowing into the lake from a stormwater drain to a sewage treatment plant that was to be built on the tank bed. Chain-fencing the lake and developing a walkway, increasing greenery around the lake with native breed of trees and an immersion tank for Ganesha idols were also planned.

Despite spending crores of rupees, the inflow of sewage water could not be stopped. The Palike could partially divert one stormwater drain to the sewage treatment plant but it failed to stop other sewage water gushing into the lake.

De-silting the lake spending lakhs of rupees has not yielded the desired result as a thick layer of silt has again settled in the lake due to the inflow of sewage from other sides. The whole lakebed is full of weeds, including parthenium, and the walkway is used by slum-dwellers for answering the call of nature.

Another water body in the same ward is the Subramanyapura Lake, which too is a victim of the Palike’s apathy. Once known for its pristine water, the lake today stinks and is choked by water hyacinth, thanks to the encroachment of the stormwater drain by a builder who has let sewage from his multi-storey apartments in the vicinity directly into the lake. The water body has shrunk from 12 acres to six acres due to encroachment of its embankment.

A local resident Shankar Narayana says, “It’s a paradox that the Palike is developing a new lake, but is blind to the historic lakes on which it has already spent crores of rupees."

Another resident of the area, Mahesh, was very critical about the way the lake rejuvenation programme is carried out. “Development of lake is a kind of annual ritual where loopholes are intentionally left so that the same kind of work could be carried out again and again.”

A Palike engineer dealing with the lake development work said the Palike needed three months’ time to give a new look to Dorekere. “Wait till January and you will appreciate the work we have carried out,” said the engineer. He added that he would take up the rejuvenation of Subramanyapura Lake seriously.

Deccan Herald, 8th November 2011

Channarayana Durga, a hill situated between Koratagere and Madhugiri, has a fortress on its summit. History has it that Channappa Gowda, a chieftain of Madhugiri, built the fort. The fort changed hands between the Marathas and the Mysore kings often. After a brief siege by the British, the fort was abandoned, writes B V Prakash

The south interior region of the State is largely a flat plateau. But the seemingly level landscape is punctuated with numerous hills. The moderately high hills with steep granite slopes, huge boulders and caves were most suitable for building fortresses from where rulers and chieftains could stay safe and rule their provinces. Some of these rocky hills also turned out to be famed hill temples such as Shivagange, Siddagange and Devarayana Durga to name a few.

Channarayana Durga is a tall shapely rocky hill situated between Koratagere and Madhugiri about 95 km from Bangalore. Standing at a height of 3,734 ft, it has steep slopes, making it rather tricky to approach it. A formidable fortress was built here somewhere during the middle of the 17th century.

According to records, Channappa Gowda, a chieftain of Madhugiri, built the fort. The hill fort has probably been named after him. The fort changed hands frequently and alternately between the Marathas and the Mysore kings.

After losing one such battle to the Marathas, the local chief had to seek refuge at nearby Madhugiri for two years before he could annex it again and rule for about eight years. Later it was won over by a general of the Mysore king, Komaraiah. After a brief siege by the British, the place was abandoned.

Still standing tall

The solid stone fort stands tall and strong. The conical outline of the hill with the fort at the top, much like a crown, catches the eye. Without proper steps or a clear path, the initial climb is no easy task. The only way to reach the top is by scrambling up the moderate slope from the southern side. You can ask anyone from the little village at the base to show the way.

The outermost wall of the fort has well-built rectangular ramparts with one of them having an entrance from the west. It is followed immediately by another gate leading to an open area with two paths. The trail to the left takes one up to an exposed structure in the west while the other path goes to the fort. Though the fort is by and large sturdy, a few pillars and stones have crumbled and block the entrance.

Passing through this gate with some effort, I came to a very wide rocky plateau with a lovely tank of green transparent water. The vastness of the area and the water body must have easily supported a small population within the fort in the days of yore. On the western bank is a fine temple without any idol. The huge circular granary here was used to store water.

On the left is another gate with a floral design above leading further into the fort. On the right are many ruined rectangular mantapas that look like houses.

All along, the path is guarded by a massive stone wall. When you reach the summit through a northern gate, there is an open space with ruins of what must have been the residence of the chief. There are also a couple of niches with passages designed as an escape route.

The southern wall at the top has three sides with artistic window openings. The valley view in the north with hills and bushes is an amazing one. To the south is a lovely lake and the village. On the way down, you can see a temple on the right side which is ruined not so much by the elements as by the vandals who have dug up all over in search of treasure.

In the village is a shrine of Annapurneshwari and Murarimatha, where padukas of a saint are worshipped.

Getting there

Drive on Tumkur Road (NH 4) to Dobbspet; take a right to Koratagere and further to Tumbadi village. Here, take a left for four km and a further two km to the right.

Deccan Herald, 8th November 2011

A five-star hotel in Gurgaon has been accused of constructing a road in the picturesque Aravali hills without taking due permissions from the authority.

The hotel, which is yet to open, has been built at DLF Phase-1, and lies just a few yards away from the road. This road has been cut through the hills to link the facility with the Mehrauli-Gurgaon (MG) road and the Gurgaon-Faridabad road.

The Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) seems to have woken up only after

Ward No. 34 councillor, RR Rathee, lodged a complaint. The civic agency is yet to take any action in the matter despite having admitted that the road is illegal.

“We have initiated action against the hotel owner. We will not allow any movement through the illegal link road cut by the hotel,” said Raman Sharma, executive engineer (enforcement), MCG.

The official also said that the hotel owner had sought permission to construct the road, but the application has been pending at the concerned office in Chandigarh .

“We had visited the site and told the hotel owner to wait till the Chandigarh head office responds,” said Sharma.

The councillor has also written to the MCG commissioner, forest department as well as the deputy commissioner, seeking action against the hotel owner.

“We are shocked to see this autocratic act of the hotel authorities. What was more shocking was MCG officials’ ignorance on the issue. It is unbelievable that MCG was not aware of the illegal road,” Rathee said.

When contacted, the hotel representative refused to comment on the matter.

-Hindustan Times, 9th November 2011

Kashmiri cartoonist and artist Malik Sajad, who started working as political cartoonist for Great Kashmir newspaper in Srinagar since he was 14 years old, is keen to revive the lost forms of art and culture of the Valley.

The 24-year-old, with the face of a teenager, is studying in London for his masters’ degree in image and communication at the prestigious Goldsmiths College, where Indian graphic novelist Sarnath Banerjee was a student earlier. Sajjad graduated from Institute of Music and Fine Art in Srinagar.

The cartoonist, who is working on a graphic novel on the life in Kashmir, had exhibited his cartoons and an installation, called Endangered Species, during the Second South Asian Literature Festival in London in October. The black and white cartoons and installations depict the reality of life for young Kashmir through a human with the head of Hangul, an endangered deer found only in Kashmir, who is just a witness to the life, without speaking.

The influence of classic graphic novel Maus, by Art Speigelman, is heavy on Sajad’s work and he credits Kashmiri writer and journalist Basharat Peer for mentoring him and helping widen his artistic horizons by buying him books and graphic novels. He also credits Kashmiri writer and filmmaker Abir Bazaz with inspiring him intellectually.

Sajjad, son of an embroidery designer, took to art very early in childhood, initially just to emulate his father. However, his skill of drawing caricatures soon pushed him towards contributing drawings and cartoons for the children’s pages in the local newspapers. He explains the jump from the children’s page to the front page as a political cartoonist by pointing out that the children in Kashmir become politicised at a very young age due to the circumstances in the region. “I still work for the newspaper, and draw the cartons every day. Drawing cartoons is a routine for me as regular as breathing,” says Sajad, who is studying in London on the Inlaks Scholarship.

“For young people born in the late 1980s, Kashmir has always been the area full of the Army camps, burnt down cinema halls, curfews and restrictions on normal life. Life has always been like that, but the Kashmiri language and all the cultural aspects of life are fading,” says the young cartoonist, who was born in 1987.

“People know about Kashmir only through the news stories. Violence is what defines us now for others,” he says, adding that the experiences of young Kashmiris, who are routinely viewed as “terrorists” in the rest of India, are harrowing. Sajad, with like-minded Kashmiri youth, now wants to revive and update local art and cultural forms, which are rapidly fading away in Kashmir. Artists have always taken the lead in helping repair the cultural and religious harmony in Kashmir, says Sajad, using the example of poet and singer TibbetBakal and adds that he wants to revive art and cultural heritage of Kashmir to be able to do that once again. The long and arduous period of militancy has led to a marked decline in local art forms like Baand Pathar, a humorous, poetical and satirical street drama about contemporary issues, and story-telling, explains Sajad, and they have become irrelevant, especially for young Kashmiris.

“We are losing the bridge that connected us to our past, our rich past. The bridge between the earlier generations and our generations to pass on the cultural heritage is crumbling now. My generation has never seen or experienced a normal life, but we don’t realise the loss. For us, this is the reality, we know of no other reality.”

“I want to revive the artistic heritage, the cultural heritage, that my generation has lost touch with,” says Sajad, who has exhibited his art work and installations in many cities in India.

“Young Kashmiris have a voice with the new media like blogs, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. They can now express their reality,” says Sajad, who is keen to fully explore cartooning and animation once his graphic novel is finished.

His work as a cartoonist, however, has influenced him in using just black ink, instead of colours in his artistic work. “When I use colour, I feel it confines my imagination and that of the reader,” he says. Sajad, the youngest sibling in his family, is impressed by the cultural vitality of London and wants recreate that in Srinagar. He has also documented the neglect and destruction of historic architecture and the wooden bridges on the Jhelum River in photographs and paintings.

-The Asian Age, 9th November 2011

Punaji Thubal, a farmer in Kharpud village, about 80 km from Pune, points at a mass of gravel that has entered his paddy field. He says it came from a road laid uphill to transport parts of a series of windmills. Some of these are being set up 3.5 km from the boundary of Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary, home to the Indian giant squirrel, or shekru, state animal of Maharashtra.

Destruction of the shekru’s habitat is among the concerns expressed by environmentalists, besides the impact on other species and soil and water resources. The Rs 770-crore, 113-MW Andhra Lake Wind Power Project, spanning 196 hectares and scattered across 14 villages in Khed and Maval, has come under scrutiny of the Western Ghat Expert Ecology Panel. The project is being undertaken by Indo-German venture Enercon India Pvt Ltd.

Following an RTI query, local activists have found that a range forest officer, D B Bhalerao, had filed a report that the project would affect the green cover and wildlife. But then chief conservator of forests, Pune A K Sinha filed a report that the squirrel’s habitat would be unaffected.

Bhalerao’s report on December 28, 2008, said, “Though the windmills are going to be set up in only 87 hectares of the total 3,629 hectares under the villages, the roads for transporting the parts will affect the ecosystem. One cannot deny the possibility of destruction of habitat of mammals, reptiles, insects and birds.”

Documents received from the forest department show that Sinha’s report, dated November 19, 2009, said, “This is not likely to affect the (protected area) as the key species of the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary is the giant squirrel, which is restricted to the sanctuary only.”

But Bhalerao, now transferred to Chakan forest range, cites sightings of the animal near the project area. “As per records, forest department employees have spotted four to five shekrus in Kharput, Kude and Wandre... Nests too have been seen,” he told The Indian Express.

The forest department’s census report of 2008 counted three specimens in the small area in Kharpud. The species is listed as “near threatened”.

Environmentalist Madhav Gadgil, WGEEP head and a member of the National Advisory Committee, said, “A researcher from IISc-Bangalore, Renee Borges, did an extensive study on giant squirrels and recorded its presence in the forest that is now being destroyed for the project. I myself have spotted the shekru and its nests in the area where work is on,”

IISc’s Borges had filed a report to the MoEF, saying the project “has been supposedly sanctioned based on information provided by the forest department that there is no significant wildlife including giant squirrels here. However, in the visit to Wandre and Kharpud, where windmills have already been erected, [Borges] showed the department nests of giant squirrels along the new roads that have been constructed. This is clear indication that giant squirrels were present in these forests before the project was commenced. These forests have now been destroyed.”

Father-son activists Dattatray and Atul Kale have been filing RTI applications with various government offices since 2009 to find out how the project got Central sanction last December. Atul Kale says Enercon got permission to cut 26,000 trees, “but in reality not less than 2 lakh trees have been cut for the construction of 72-km approach roads on the hills. We went to the Bombay High Court in December 2010 and the court asked them to stop. But later the company approached the Nagpur Bench and the forest department said they did not have any objection to the tree cutting.”

When The Indian Express contacted Enercon about alleged excessive felling, a manager, Rahul Mirge, said, “This is all wrong.” He did not respond to later calls.

Indian Express, 9th November 2011

Roughly 25,000 years ago in what is now southwestern France, human beings walked deep into a cave and left their enduring marks. Using materials like sticks, charcoal and iron oxides, they painted images of animals on the cave walls and ceilings - lions and mammoths and spotted horses, walking and grazing and congregating in herds. Today, the art at the Pech-Merle cave, and in hundreds of others across Europe, is a striking testimony to human creativity well before modern times.

But what were these cave paintings, exactly? Were prehistoric artists simply sketching what they saw each day on the landscape? Or were the images more symbolic, diverging from reality or representing rare or even mystical creatures? Such questions have divided archaeologists for years.

Now, a group of researchers has used distinctly modern techniques to help decipher the mystery , at least in the case of Pech-Merle's famous spotted horses.

By comparing the DNA of modern horses and those that lived during the Stone Age, scientists have determined that these drawings are a realistic depiction of an animal that coexisted with the artists.

The research grew out of an effort to discern the coat colors of ancient horses to help figure out when the animals were domesticated , a pivotal moment in the development of human societies.

In general, domesticated species exist in a far greater variety of colors than wild ones, so understanding color variation in fossil animals can help pinpoint the timing.

Previous research on DNA from the bones and teeth of horses that lived 7,000 to 20,000 years ago showed that those animals were either black or bay (a brown coat with a black mane and tail). That work was published in the journal Science in 2009.

Since then, geneticists have deciphered the underlying code for the spotted pattern, known as leopard, in modern horses. So the scientists went back to their samples , looking for the leopard sequence in horses that lived in Europe 11,000 to 15,000 years ago.

"There is a striking correspondence between the coat-color patterns of horses painted in Paleolithic caves of France with what geneticists found in the genotypes" - the specific genetic sequences - "of color genes," said Hopi E Hoekstra, an evolutionary biologist at Harvard who studies pigmentation. Dr Hoekstra was not involved in the study but called it "very convincing."

An author of the study, Michael Hofreiter, an evolutionary biologist at the University of York in England, said, "Why they took the effort making these beautiful paintings will always remain a miracle to us.

Times of India, 9th November 2011

Britain's Cambridge University, one of the world's leading seats of learning, has embarked on a landmark exercise in 'linguistic archaeology', which is expected to unearth greater knowledge of India's ancient intellectual and religious traditions.

The effort will involve completion of a comprehensive examination of the South Asian manuscript collection at the university's library, which includes the oldest dated and illustrated Sanskrit document in the world.

The estimated 2,000 manuscripts in Cambridge's collection are said to reflect South Asian thinking on astronomy, grammar, law, philosophy, poetry and religion. Some of these are written on now-fragile birch bark and palm leaf.

Heading the project will be Sanskrit specialists Dr Vincenzo Vergiani and Dr Eivind Kahrs. The former said: "In a world that seems increasingly small, every artefact documenting the history of ancient civilizations has become part of a global heritage to be carefully preserved and studied." He added: "Among such artefacts, manuscripts occupy a distinctive place-they speak to us with the actual words of long-gone men and women, bringing their beliefs, ideas and sensibilities to life."

He, then, explained: "One reason this collection is so important is because of the age of many of the manuscripts. In the heat and humidity of India, materials deteriorate quickly and manuscripts needed to be copied again and again. As a result, many of the early Indian texts no longer exist."

A discovery made in 1883 represents treasures like a 10th-century Buddhist Sanskrit manuscript from India - the oldest dated and illustrated Sanskrit manuscript known anywhere. Some of the oldest holdings were discovered in Nepal.

These now priceless cultural and historical artefacts were rescued in the 1870s from a disused temple, where they had survived largely by chance.

"The word Sanskrit means refined or perfected. From a very early stage, its speakers were obsessed with handing down their sacred texts intact," Vergiani elaborated. "Out of this developed an attention to how the language works. A grammatical tradition arose that produced, around the 4th century BC, the work of Panini, an amazing intellectual achievement and arguably the beginning of linguistics worldwide, which made the language stable and transmissible."

It is this robustness that Dr Vergiani believes explains how the language became so prevalent in South Asia - a situation that has been likened to the spread of Latin across Europe.

Times of India, 9th November 2011

With the onset of winter, birds from Siberia and other parts of Europe have started arriving in large numbers at the Sultanpur National Park in Gurgaon.

This is an annual phenomenon when the lakes and mountains in Siberia get covered with snow and the birds flock to India in search of food. Apart from greenery and water, they also like the salty lake soil.

According to wildlife officials, every year they float fish seeds of species such as Rahu, Katla, Murathee and Mirgal, which are ideal feed for the winged guests.

Birdwatchers also come in large numbers to see the flock of grey leg goose, pintail, whistling teal, gadwall and other species. The flying visitors come during the night to avoid falling prey to bigger birds. They do not forget their directions when returning home six months later.

The Sultanpur Lake is spread across 250 acres with an average depth of 1.5 feet. The annual average water congregation here is about 100 acres.

Hindustan Times, 9th November 2011

The Union Environment Ministry on Wednesday gave clearance to the first phase of the Lavasa hill city project on the Western Ghats in Pune, but with categorical riders aimed at undoing the environmental damage already caused by the project. As part of the riders, Lavasa will have to “restore” the environment in a time-bound manner to the satisfaction of a yet-to-be-formed high-level monitoring committee of government officials and independent experts.

The ministry cleared the 2000 hectares of construction work as the first phase after noting “credible action” taken by the Maharashtra government, which recently filed a complaint against Lavasa in the court of the chief judicial magistrate for alleged illegal constructions in a 681-hectare area called Dasve Sector in the project. The ministry had last month refused clearance citing the absence of this move by the state government.

The clearance came with over 50 preconditions, mainly based on inspection report and recommendations of an expert committee headed by noted urban planner K T Ravindran.

The environmental damage includes re-profiling of soil in a way that raises the possibilities of land slides, adversely affects the animal migration paths and food-chain cycles. “All conditions set are required to be fulfilled as part of the environmental clearance,” said a senior official.

Lavasa will also have to deposit an amount equal to 5 per cent of the expenditure incurred — as on the date the construction activities ceased — to be kept with the Maharashtra government to be used in case it fails to carry out the necessary restoration works within a specific time frame.

On October 14, the ministry had denied clearance to the Rs 3000-crore project citing the lack of credible action, which was the first pre-condition set by the ministry’s Expert Appraisal Committee, a 12-member panel to look into environmental-clearance disputes.

Indian Express, 10th November 2011

Nearly two months after the Chandni Mahal building collapse, MCD has constituted a 'Dangerous Building Cell' in the city zone to carry out a survey of unsafe buildings. The agency has posted three junior engineers - trained in checking for structural safety - to the city zone. MCD has received over 80 requests from residents of the Walled City to check for structural stability and dangerous buildings in the area. But due to staff cruch, the body has not been able to expedite the process.

 "We have posted three junior engineers to the Cell. The officials will join on Thursday. They have experience in detecting dangerous buildings," said Manish Gupta, additional commissioner, engineering. The Cell will not only process residents' requests but also carry out a door-to-door survey in the Walled City.

With rampant unauthorized construction in the area, residents say, there is an urgent need to take action. "We have issued demolition orders for eight properties in the Walled City ,'' said an MCD official.

Times of India, 10th November 2011

People in the city are getting the whiff of two different worlds: one that lives along the Yamuna; the other, which is enlivened by the Elbe.

Visitors to 'The Yamuna-Elbe - Public.Art.Outreach Project' on Wednesday were actually offered two bowls that had water from both these rivers. They were asked to smell the water and then share their feelings with a German artist, who later put them down on the canvas.

The location of the exhibition - the Yamuna bank - has created an impact. It's happening in the area that will be developed into the Golden Jubilee Park. The entire span of the Old Yamuna Bridge is visible from the banks; the soft, uneven ground has patches of tall grass, and an attenuated form of the Yamuna (replete with filth) flows by. "This is a historic setting. The bridge was built in 1866. It's a complete span and it is still there. You should see it at night. It is itself art," says curator Ravi Aggarwal.

An initiative of the Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan (New Delhi), the City of Hamburgand the Delhi government, the project will include an art exhibition with the two rivers as theme, and a range of activities, including walks, music shows and discussions.

Artists Sheba Chhachhi and Asim Waqif placed their works on the river itself. Chhachhi places a 'form' - "It can be anything, a seed or a human body" - made of thermocol and iron wrapped in bandages. "The idea is of a wounded organic form," says Chhachhi, "A metaphor for wounded river." In the dark, flames (created with the help of a projector on the bank), engulf it.

"Water that has a lot of toxins can catch fire," she adds. Her work is best viewed from atop a staircase put together with bags of sand with excerpts from the Yamuna Ashtakam, a 14-century hymn to the Himalayas. Waqif's work included a row of plastic bottles tied to a rope that was dragged through the river by a motor-boat.

Bottles also featured in the work of Atul Bhalla, who has also participated in the Hamburg part of the Yamuna-Elbe project. Giant bottles were embedded in the ground and had questions from the 54 questions Yaksha asked Yudhisthira in the Mahabharata. It invites viewers to contemplate their treatment of the river, the attempts to "control the river", the waste, and the "ecological catastrophe" it could all lead to. Gigi Scaria's "Fountain of Purification" - a 24-foot tower representing an apartment complex - draws water from the Yamuna, runs it through a few levels of purification, and dispenses clean water from the top.

There's also a lot for the visitors to do at the exhibition. Visitors to the exhibition will be asked to sniff the water of the Yamuna and the Elbe and express what they feel for "research for an Elbe-Yamuna perfume" that Berlin-based artist, Ines Lechleitner, is developing with the help of Vienna-based Indian perfumer, Yogesh Kumar. "I've brought Elbe in a bottle," says Lechleitner. She conducted the same exercise in Hamburg and recorded the reactions of those who'd tried it. "I'm working on a perfume that combines my associations with the two rivers," she says.

Lechleitner is one of the five German artists featured at the exhibition; Jochen Lempert, Michael Clegg, Martin Guttmann and Nana Petzet are the others. Petzet has created a biodiversity patch using an existing patch of grass and planting photographs of birds, insects and flowers in them. "A patch is not just a patch, it's full of life," says Aggarwal. The event in Hamburg, says curator Nina Kalenbach, was different in that it included artists from countries other than India and Germany. "There are a lot of artists in Europe, who are working on research-art," says Kalenbach.

Golden Jubilee Park was chosen by Aggarwal. Toxics Link is his day job and this is his first shot at being a curator. There are bamboo benches and light poles and an amphitheatre made of piles of gunny bags with soil from the riverbank. "This place is a cusp between Old Delhi and New Delhi. New things are coming up here. It's like the city is seeking a new proposition," he says. The exhibition will continue till November 20.

Times of India, 10th November 2011

The Union health ministry and anti-diabetes activists have managed to convince the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) to give permission to light up the Taj Mahal to spread awareness against a disease that affects nearly 51 million Indians.

The ASI has cleared a proposal to illuminate the Taj Mahal in blue on November 13, the eve of the World Diabetes Day. While a red ribbon is symbolic of HIV, a blue circle is the universal symbol of diabetes.

The ASI has also allowed two other world heritage sites - Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri - to be draped in blue. Indudhar Dwivedi, superintendent archeologist of ASI, Agra, said, "This is the first time the ASI has shown such a gesture to light up these three world heritage sites. We wanted to support the drive to raise awareness against diabetes that affects so many of us."

Dr Anoop Misra from Fortis Hospitals, which is part of the Diabetes Blue Fortnight programme being supported by the health ministry, Heal Foundation, Project Hope, N DOC and WHO, said, "Taj Mahal draped in blue will spread awareness about diabetes. The world's most recognized monument to be lit in blue will send a global message. It will help multiply preventive efforts several times."

Several other monuments will be lit up in blue to commemorate the World Diabetes Day. These include Old Fort, Red Fort, Qutub Minar and Humayun Tomb in the national Capital; Imambada in Lucknow; Manek Chowk and City Palace Ground in Udaipur; Sidhivinayak Mandir and CST Station in Mumbai; Sahniwada Fort in Pune, 13 Gates of Ahmedabad; Konark Temple in Orissa and Victoria Memorial in Kolkata.

Globally, several other iconic monuments will be lit in blue, including the Inverness Castle in the UK; Fountain Teatro Valli and Reggio Emilia in Italy; Bomb monument in Hiroshima; Union Square in San Francisco and CN Tower and Niagara Falls in Canada. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) said last year, over 900 monuments and buildings in 84 countries were lit up in blue on the World Diabetes Day (November 14).

Diabetes was recognized as a serious threat in 2006, and in a landmark resolution passed by the UN General Assembly it became the first non-communicable disease to be recognized as a global threat back then. Till then, only communicable diseases had captured the world's attention despite non-communicable diseases accounting for over 60% of morbidity and mortality in the world.

For the first time, the UN also asked all member states to establish national policies on the treatment, prevention and care of diabetes.

Times of India, 12th November 2011

With its iconic lotus-shaped facade, the Baha'i House of Worship in the city is easily one of the most recognized, and architecturally complex, structures in the world. Surrounded by 26 acres of perfectly manicured lawns - landscaped with an extensive variety of trees, shrubs and plants - this striking white marble and concrete structure behind Nehru Place continues to attract thousands of visitors everyday since its inauguration 25 years ago.

Over 5,000 members of the international Baha'i community are meeting this weekend at theLotus Temple, which was inaugurated in December 1986, to celebrate its silver jubilee. "We will have prayer services, traditional music, dance performances, films on the House of Worship, book stalls, a procession of people dressed in traditional clothes from all parts of India, and an award ceremony where we will honour those who have contributed to the fields of education of the girl child, youth empowerment and communal harmony," said spokesperson Shatru-Ghun Jiwnani.

The Baha'i faith, however, is not so young. It is rooted in the 19th century Persia, when Bab proclaimed to be a messenger of God. He announced the arrival of an even greater manifestation, and in 1863 Baha'u'llah revealed himself to be the one. He suffered a life of imprisonment until his death in 1892 but his message of "unity of God, religions, and mankind" spread, with about 6.5 million members in the worldwide community today. And with a third of them in India, it seems only natural that Asia's House of Worship is here.

There is one House of Worship in each continent, built entirely from funding by the Baha'is. Each has two common features - nine sides and a dome. The 27 immaculately crafted petals - each with about 10,000 pieces of white marble - that shape the look of the temple give way to nine entrances, each with its own lotus-leaf shaped pool of water and a round patch of red-leafed poinsettia plants. "Nine is the largest single number and includes all the others, so it is a symbol of unity and comprehensiveness," says Jiwnani.

Architect and project manager Fariborz Sahba says the concept of using the lotus flower came almost by chance, "I wanted to design something new and unique, yet familiar, and visited hundred of temples to discover a suitable concept. By chance I had to change my route, and that's when I met an Indian who first brought up the idea of the lotus flower." Because the flower is so ingrained in Indian culture, Sahba faced the challenge of making sure the temple didn't look trite or ordinary. But with all its architectural complexity, that was never an issue.

"The structure functions as a skylight, and light enters the hall just as it would pass through the inner folds of the lotus flower. Even external illumination was designed to create the impression that the lotus structure floats on water, with the light focused brightly on the upper edges of the petals. Apart from their aesthetic purpose, the pools of water also cool down the temple as it has no air conditioning," says Sahba.

Despite their common features, each House of Worship has its own charms, and features aspects of the region it belongs to, showing unity in diversity, which is what the Baha'i faith is founded on.

Baha'is believe that God sent messengers at different points of time, and in essence all religions stem from the same God.The four daily prayer services at the temple - 10am, 12pm, 3pm and 5pm - give evidence of this belief. The services are short, barely seven-minute long, but apart from Baha'i prayers in English, Hindi and Persian, they also include readings from the Bhagvada Gita, the Quran, and the Bible. The people inside the prayer hall, too, embody the inclusivity of the faith - women in burqas and hijabs meditate next to men in kurta pyajamas, youngsters in slogan tees sit alongside women in saris, and toddlers barely able to walk share space with the elderly. With the focus entirely on spirituality, there are no idols or religious pictures in the hall either.

At every step there are volunteers - about 40 of them from different countries like USA, Austria and Australia - to guide visitors. Kimiya Missaghi (20) has chosen to spend time volunteering at the temple's public relations office before she begins her undergraduate studies at a Canadian university. "I think that by volunteering here and helping others selflessly, I can learn more than I ever can at college," she says. Kimiya has also learnt "thoda thoda" Hindi in these two months that is "enough to haggle with the auto drivers at least".

Both her parents are Baha'is, and but the choice to accept the faith was hers when she turned 15. "We believe that everybody should investigate their own truth. I studied all the religions. The Baha'i faith seemed the most logical to me."

Believers say it's driven on logic purely because it is a fairly new religion. One of the main principles of the faith is an agreement of science and religion. "Science without religion is materialism, and religion without science is fanaticism. For example, nuclear power can be used for both destruction and construction, but spiritual principles will help decide what one uses it for," says Jiwnani.

All through the year, the community participates in certain core activities - daily prayer, children's classes, junior youth classes, devotional meetings and study circles. They also practise fasting for spiritual cleansing, most importantly from March 2 to March 20 each year, when they do not eat anything from sunrise to sunset and after which on March 21 they celebrate the Baha'i New Year.

Although there are no dietary restriction, Baha'is are prohibited from consuming any mind-altering substances such as alcohol. But as everybody is encouraged to decide for themselves what they perceive as the "truth", there are no compulsions.

Times of India, 13th November 2011

What’s new in Udaipur, you would wonder? What’s there that you haven’t read about or been to already? Ajay Khullar takes you to a journey beyond the picture perfect

Heritage in Rajasthan is often embedded in the lonely cenotaph, in ruins that are yet to be discovered, in restored palaces that have rescued some part of ancient glory and most importantly, of tiny moments in time that have been stitched up to form the big picture.

Often in the road most travelled, you tend to be less searching of its smaller delights. So, in Udaipur, I decided to stop, listen and look for anything that had been swept outside the purview of technology, by which I mean no trip advisories on the Net. Clearly, Udaipur’s backyard didn’t feature in digital scans except for being mentioned as localities for future real estate expansion of an ever-burgeoning city. Good for me. For this is how I wanted to slow down, in the middle of nowhere, reclaiming my own place as the first traveller.

Sardargarh Fort: Elegantly defensive

It took the travails of invasions, displacement, a journey that involved crossing the Arabian Sea and relocation once again. It has been a long and perhaps a difficult journey for the Dodiya family. But they found their home. And the journey of the traveller who sets out for the Sardargarh Fort might not have the same gravity of difficulty, but it is nonetheless unpredictable.

The NH-8 from Beawar to Deogarh leads you to believe that heaven is ahead but what lies ahead of Deogarh is a jungle that would be dark even during the day. And after an 11-hour journey from Delhi, you reach the fortress, a journey that took the Dodiya family 12 centuries to cover. As you enter the gates of the 300,000 sq ft fortress, you suddenly realise that the journey was worth it.

And that journey was made possible because of the vision of one man — Thakur Sardar Singh. Not much is known of him but as you walk through the fortress, you know everything about him — or at least what needs to be known. He had vision. And the skill of Songaras artisans from Maharashtra at his disposal.

It was the same man who built the famous Lake Palace in Udaipur. But that came later. Long after the last stone of the Sardargarh fortress had been laid. Every stone of the fortress is elegantly defensive. Like most forts and palaces of Rajasthan, this too has been turned into a heritage hotel. Ten generations after Sardar Singh, elegance is not lost to the family.

Mahipal Singh and his wife Dharitri Kumari gave a new life to the fortress when they turned it into a hotel. The `5 crore given by them and the `21,08,799 and 11 annas of their predecessors is well spent.

The fortress is not imposing, either in its majesty or splendour. The entry and parking to the hotel is austere, but the moment you step into the main building, you walk into the Ganesh Chowk — a tastefully done lawn on the right of which lies what was earlier used as the darbar. Now here, at the entry of the former darbar lies a picture of Lord Ganesh.

Up ahead is the Khush Mahal, a sort of entertainment and dining area which earlier served similar purposes. Connected to it is the Wadi Mahal with a small swimming pool which was earlier a water reservoir.

As you walk forward you come to the Ravla or the royal home, which earlier served as the women’s quarters and have now been turned into 21 suites. The rooms are comfortable and sufficient, not overpowering you with luxury and not starving you for comfort. The doors were, however, built low for strategic reasons, and yes while the enemy would have been delayed in making an entry, the guests could end up with a bump on the head if not careful — but then you are in a fortress.

For sheer size and drama, Sardargarh Fort is unbeatable, while the intimate size of the hotel itself makes for an exclusive stay.

Gogunda Rawala: The soul of Udaipur

Sometimes history is more important than restored grandeur. It always has a way of rescuing the present. A sandstone specimen, it is Maharana Pratap’s spirit that resides here. One of the rooms shown to us is where he held his first meeting after his coronation.

Such is its sanctity that no designer or architect has yet decided on playing with its original sobriety. The fortress, which was built in the early 16th century (though basement structures and other findings date back to previous times).

It was built on the tableland of the Aravalli mountains to protect the way leading from the north to Udaipur and it was later on transformed into a watch station. Rana Pratap held his final war council here prior to the battle of Haldighati (June 18, 1576), which is sometimes called the battle of Gogunda, although the town is several kilometres south of the township of Haldighati.

The alternative name possibly came about because following the battle, Mughal commander Man Singh of Amber captured Gogunda and made it his temporary headquarters. Around 1611, while Maharana Amar Singh was regrouping his forces in the Aravallis, Mughal emperor Jahangir captured Gogunda, along with other areas and Udaipur, in a desperate effort to crush Mewar resistance. In 1615, Amar Singh met Mughal prince Khurram (later Shah Jahan) and negotiated a peace treaty at Gogunda. This became the first instance of Mewar submitting to the Mughals.

Earlier in time, Akbar did send a peacemaking mission to Udai Singh, suggesting a matrimonial alliance. In reality, it would be a political alliance, with Mewar becoming the empire’s vassal, the same ploy of peaceful subjugation Akbar had used to annex Marwar. Maharana Udai Singh indignantly and proudly refused matrimonial relations with the Mughals and this independent attitude was too much for a man of Akbar’s ambition. He resolved to subdue the proud Maharana. In 1567, the ultimate showdown arrived, and the Maharana received the news with a mixture of regret and renewed bravado. Immediately, he sent out a call for all loyal Mewari chieftains to assemble at the capital.

Though the emperor admired Maharana Udai Singh’s courage, nothing would stop him now. Before Akbar arrived on the scene, Udai Singh and his family retired to Gogunda, laving Udaipur to be guarded by four Rajput chiefs — Jaimal, Patta, Kalla and Sain Dass — all of whom were killed in the subsequent battle. Many historians have labelled Udai Singh II a coward for deserting Chittorgarh in its hour of peril; others insist he acted wisely to protect the family line. Had he not, of course, the magnificent city of Udaipur would not exist today. And this little fortress wouldn’t have been dug up for many secrets.

The Pioneer, 13th November 2011

The line does not join the dots. Instead, it curves around them making intricate and infinitesimal patterns.

These configurations, known as the kolam or rangoli, have adorned household courtyards and thresholds for ages. The late dancer-choreographer Chandralekha left behind some 40 notebooks of kolam patterns she had drawn. They were to inspire her later work, including the 10 major dance productions she choreographed in a burst of creative energy from the mid-1980s onwards, beginning with ‘Angika’ in 1985, which sought to contextualise the human body, to her last composition, ‘Sharira’ in 2001, which celebrated male/female energy.

As Sadanand Menon, one of India’s foremost art commentators, who was Chandralekha’s companion and associate for over 30 years, explains, it’s clear that all the work of the late dancer emerges from these kolams. “She devised a pedagogical method on how the line moves through the dots,” he says.

Today, Chandralekha’s kolam notebooks are part of a valuable collection of material associated with the feminist dancer-choreographer’s life that presently occupies a backroom in her Chennai residence at 1, Elliot’s Beach Road. It includes up to 40,000 photographs; innumerable newspaper clippings, some dating back to the 1950s; around 300 video documentaries; interviews; enormous amounts of writing and drawings, posters and costumes. Taken together, these varied effects could potentially make up an important archive on the times and genius of a woman whose work sought to re-interpret, liberate and energise the human body.

But there is a central problem that lies at the heart of such an enterprise: An unwilling subject. Chandralekha was a rebel. Not only did she battle stultifying interpretations of classical Bharatanatyam, she was constantly defining modernity on her own terms while infusing it with the energy of an indigenous martial art form like Kalaripayattu or the therapeutic values of yoga.

“Chandralekha was not just suspicious of the idea of institutions, she hated them. She also detested the idea of leaving behind a legacy,” says Menon. This made her naturally hostile to audio-visual documentation — which she saw as two-dimensional recordings of a three-dimensional form.

Dealing with memorabilia

So, how can such a life be archived? That is the conundrum faced by people close to her. On the one hand, they knew there’s a deep interest in her work; on the other, here was a woman who chose to travel light. As Menon puts it, “The idea of an archive is a counter-Chandra idea.”

He shares an amusing tale of how Chandralekha herself coped with the task of dealing with memorabilia. Once, when she had to move house and had to decide what to do with her old love letters, she and a friend sat before an old iron tub temporarily converted into a furnace.

Chandralekha asked her friend to read out the first line of every letter. On the basis of that first line, the decision on which letter was to feed the flame in the tub was made efficiently.

Those that began, “Dear Beloved Chandra”, were immediately consigned to the fire!

But for Menon, there was no getting away from working on a Chandralekha archive. “I remember, a couple of weeks after Chandra had passed away in December 2006, and after an obit on her had appeared in The New York Times, someone from Princeton University called me, indicating that the university was keen to have all the material on her. I was assured that it would be very well preserved. I just said, ‘Yes, yes’, and forgot about it. But later, there was another call from Princeton, and then another one. That began a buzz in my head. I thought to myself that while people at Princeton were so keen to gather all the material on Chandralekha in one place, our own Sahitya Natak Akademi — of which Chandralekha was a fellow — hadn’t even sent a condolence message.”

So a point of reference on Chandralekha’s work was obviously needed and the responsibility of ensuring it fell on those left behind. Just as obviously, such an archive needed to be located, not in some distant land, but in the space Chandralekha had called home, in a city she had lived in since she was 17. For her, 1 Elliot’s Beach Road was more than a home, it was her working stage.

Around 1979-80, Chandralekha, Menon, and artist, design pioneer and close associate Dashrath Patel, got together along with other associates, and began building it as a place where dancers and performing artistes could train and showcase their work, with Chandralekha herself staging her major works. Only by locating the Chandralekha archives here would it become an organic part of her life and work.

Subversive role

Menon, who is of course an intrinsic part of this archive, also feels that the resource could provide a fresh lease of life to her body of work. “Currently, only her last work, ‘Sharira’, is still being performed. The others don’t exist except in the minds of those who had danced them.

So, with an archive, there is the potential of the original performers recreating her work,” he says. He also believes that besides bringing together all the material associated with her, an archive can play a subversive role by highlighting the ‘constant rupture’ that marked her work.

“Take the idea of western dance choreography, cast in a geometric grid. She knew all of that, but she looked to kolams, curvatures instead of lines, for her own compositions. So, at some point, when there is a debate on this, there will be material to join that debate,” explains Menon.

Given the compelling arguments for a Chandralekha archive, Menon got down to the task, despite serious constraints, including a conspicuous lack of funding for archival documentation. Neerja Dasani, who is assisting Menon in this, is excited about the project. “I had only heard about Chandralekha, never met her, so I see it differently, almost as an outsider. Clearly, what emerges is the sheer interdisciplinarity of her work. The feminist idea was, of course, a strong element. She used her body almost like a weapon. As a woman, for her, it was a special thing, a liberating thing. Then there is her notion of time and space. The slowness you see in her work is not seen in today’s world, but it was integral to her philosophy of dance,” says Neerja.

Walk around her home and visit its central theatre space — now re-christened the Chandra-Mandala — and its clean-lined elementariness comes across powerfully. The trees around it have acquired impressive proportions despite the sandy soil from which they grow — including the neems the late dancer had loved, and a banyan, all of 30 years. There is also a sunken amphitheatre with a Kerala roof constructed in the style and proportions of the kalari — the traditional stage of Kalarippayattu artistes. Also, in one corner of the campus is a small samadhi for Chandralekha and Dashrath Patel, who died in 2010.

The complex takes you part of the way to Chandralekha; the archive, once it takes form, promises to take you closer. In her last interview before she died, she was asked by Menon how she responds to those who attack her work for ranging on the obscene. Her response was characteristic of a woman who never lacked either courage or cool — “I would like to tell the audiences: ‘I have walked half the distance. Now you should walk half the distance towards me. Because, I have finished my walk towards you. Now you have to come walking towards me. Then only we will understand each other’.”

Chandralekha has finished her walk. Now, those who seek to comprehend her would have to walk towards her. An archive would help in that walk to understand one of India’s great modernists.

Deccan Herald, 13th November 2011

The government has earmarked Rs 15,000 crore more to make the river pollution free

Thousands of people took a holy dip in the Ganga river at Patna on the occasion of one of the most auspicious festival Chhath this year, but an equal number avoided the sacred river in the wake of reports that the water was unfit even for bathing. As a consequence, many devotees opted for a makeshift arrangement on their rooftops and offered arghya (obeisance) to the Sun God on the occasion.

The reports that the Ganga is still polluted appears to be disturbing given that a whopping amount of Rs 916 crore was spent on cleaning it through an ambitious project-- Ganga Action Plan -- launched in 1985. As if that was not enough, the United Progressive Alliance government in 2009 decided to spend an additional Rs 15,000 crore to make the Ganga pollution-free by the year 2020.

Despite spending huge amounts in the last two decades, the river still remains one of the most polluted one in the world.

There was a time when one could see a sea of humanity rubbing shoulders to offer “arghya” to the Sun God on the banks of the Ganga. After all, it is one of the most revered river. Until the reports pointed out the failing health of the Ganga River due to chemical wastes, sewage, idol immersion and even human and animal remains.

According to a report of the Central Pollution Control Board, the total coliform count in Patna downstream has been calculated at 1,60,000 most probable number (MPN)/100 ml, nearly 60 times higher than the permissible limit of just 2,500 MPN/100 ml. The faecal coliform count is also alarmingly high at 50,000 MPN/100 ml, 100 times more than the permissible limit of just 500.

“Forget drinking, the water is dangerous for even bathing,” said noted environmentalist RK Sinha. “To expect that the river retains the mythological traits intact, is sheer wishful thinking.”

Most Hindus consider the river as sacred and a large number of them believe that a dip in the river will help to wash of their sins. A few decades ago when the transport system had not improved, people would undertake arduous journey to have a dip in the holy river. Now, most people loathe the idea of taking a bath in the river.

To stem the rot, the Prime Minister constituted National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) shortly after designating Ganga as the national river. The Chief Ministers of five states, including Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal are members of the Authority.

The Ganga river basin is the largest in India, constituting 26 per cent of the country’s land mass and supporting 43 per cent of its population. It has an average population density of 523 people per sq km, making it one of the most congested river basins in the world. The basin covers 230 cities and towns.

The 2,510-km long Ganga, which originates from the Gangotri glacier in Uttarakhand in the Central Himalayas and drains into the Bay of Bengal, enters Bihar at Buxar and leaves the State at Bhagalpur. Perceived to be one of the most sacred rivers, the Ganga enjoys the position of reverence for millions of Hindus who worship it in its personified form as the goddess.

But, of late, the river water near Patna has been declared unfit for drinking and even for a holy dip. Water samples tested in different research laboratories here have revealed that the high presence of coliform bacteria is mainly due to the indiscriminate discharge of untreated sewage into the river.

According to another research study, t Patna town, with a population of about 18 lakh, generates about 200 million litres of sewage every day. The Bihar Rajya Jal Parishad, the nodal agency, has the capacity to treat only 100 million litres of waste per day. The rest 100 million litres of untreated dirty water enters the river every day through 30 drains in the city.

Earlier this year, the then Union Minister for Environment and Forest Jairam Ramesh had pointed out that there was a sewage treatment capacity of only about 1,000 million litres per day (mld) as against 3,000 mld sewage being generated in the towns along the Ganga, “but no untreated industrial effluent and municipal sewage would be allowed to flow in the river after 2020.”

We have no option other than to wait and watch till then.

Deccan Herald, 13th November 2011

About 37 kilometres south-west of Agra, on National Highway 11, lies the celebrated town of Fatehpur Sikri — a place of pilgrimage because of Salim Chisti’s mazar (tomb) situated right in the middle of The Emperor’s Courtyard.

The history of the place, which was once a small, nondescript village called Sikri, goes back to the 14th century when it was held by the Sikarwar Rajputs hailing from Dholpur. It became a Turkish settlement once the Sultanate of Delhi got established. Babur, after defeating Rana Sangha in 1527 AD in the battle of Khanua, renamed the village as Shukri, meaning, ‘thanks to God’.

My very knowledgeable guide, Prasad, gave me a good dose of history with Akbar as its main architect. In 1564, Akbar built a resort named Nagarchain, near Sikri. It is said that Akbar used to visit Sikri to seek the blessings of the great Sufi saint, Salim Chisti, in order to have an heir to his throne. The saint prophesised that he would have three sons. As per his instructions, Akbar erected a beautiful palace, now known as Rang Mahal, for his Rajput queen. It was in this very same palace that Prince Salim was born in 1569, and the queen was given the title of ‘Maryam-uz-Zamani’.

Akbar planned a new capital and selected the site on the Sikri ridge, which had a view that stretched as far as Bharatpur. Red sandstone was chosen to be the base of all construction. The capital city, originally designated as Fatehabad, after Akbar’s conquest of Gujarat, came to be popularly referred to as Fatehpur Sikri.

While palaces were built to the east, the city was planned below the palace site, along the border of the ridge. The walls were fortified with rubble and covered with lime plaster. It was enclosed on three sides by walls and on the west, by a large artificial lake. It had nine gates, namely: Delhi Darwaza, Lal Darwaza, Agra Darwaza, Surajpol or Birbal Pol, Chandra Pol, Gwalior Darwaza, Terha Darwaza, Ajmeri Darwaza and Hathi Pol, besides a Chor Khirki. There was also the Naubat Khana or Chahar Suq, the market place. On the right side of the road was Taksal, which once served as an imperial workshop where coins were struck.

Diwani-I-Aam, the hall of public audience, is a huge, rectangular, walled-in courtyard where petitions were heard, proclamations made, visitors received and celebrations held. The royal balcony, set within a frame of jail screens, appears on the western front. In front of the royal seat, a stone hook can be seen embedded in the ground.

At the northern corner stands a small but grand single-storey structure of Diwan-I-Khas, with a magnificently sculptured stone column at the centre of the hall. It bursts forth into a set of 36 closely placed, vaulted and pendulous brackets, supporting a circular platform from which radiate four passages. It is supposed to be the famous Ibadat-Khana where Akbar initiated religious discourses amongst diverse religious groups.

Occupying the highest point of the ridge is the grand Jami Masjid and with its lofty portal, the celebrated Buland Darwaza. Here, one can see the most gorgeous ornamentation in the floral arabesques and ingenious geometrical patterns in brown, red, turquoise, black and white. The spacious courtyard adds a stately charm to the place. At one time, it could accommodate 10,000 men for a prayer service. Akbar was so enthusiastic about this mosque that he occasionally swept the floor and gave azan (call for prayer).

Sheikh Salim Chisti’s mausoleum was the place we were looking for. We wanted to tie the red thread there. The story goes that in 1580-81, eight years after the saint had died in 1572, Akbar had built his tomb in red sandstone. In 1606, Qutubuddin Khan Koka, on orders from Jehangir, had the edifice covered in white marble.

The magnificence of the splendid jali screens carved out of huge marble slabs show a rare perfection of craftsmanship. The dramatic serpentine brackets supporting the wide chajja on all four sides of the edifice have an amazing grace. The real grave lies in an undisturbed repose in the crypt, closed to visitors. Devotees, especially women longing for children, come here and tie coloured threads in the jalees.

Soon, we were in front of the Buland Darwaza, the colossal triumphal arch which dwarfs all other buildings in the neighbourhood. The towering portal is 176 feet tall from the ground level and 134 feet over the top step. The grand recessed central arch is the most magnificent of its kind in the entire range of Mughal architecture in India. I was quite intrigued at the inscription on the inner side of its walls, Jesus Christ’s famous line: “The world is but a bridge: pass over, but build no houses on it.”

We called it a day at the Hiran Minar, which was 80 feet in height, and said to be the tower from where Akbar used to aim for deer. According to Prasad, Akbar’s favourite elephant is supposed to have been buried under it.

Fatehpur Sikri’s glory is reflected in the feel of rich red sand stone. The city puts you in a time warp, reflective of Mughal splendour. A World Heritage Site as per UNESCO, Fatehpur Sikri is today one of the greatest prides of the Mughal era.

The Asian age, 17th June 2012

If one takes a look at the wide range of Indian handicrafts, it appears there is hardly anything, any material, which gifted craftsmen have not explored to fashion it into a significant piece of art.

Be it metal, wood, stone, leather, thread or glass, everything is turned into an extension of their creativity, adding to the richness of the handicraft industry.

Beadwork is an art that dates back to over 5,000 years in India and was even practised by the people of Indus Valley Civilisation. Along with many other amazing artifacts, the unearthing of beads made of gold, copper, clay, ivory and wood from the ruins authenticates the skillfulness of ancient people.

During the Mughal era, many forms of craft were patronised and bead work was one such art that found appreciation and recognition from the royal courts. Jewelry designed with stringed beads made of precious and semi-precious stones was seen as the choice of the affluent class.

Studies show that although local tribesmen were skilled in using wooden, stone and metal beads for making ethnic jewelry, they were introduced to the uniqueness of glass beads by European craftsmen who came to India from East Africa in the late 19th century. It is said that bead work saw more advancement and refinement because of the European influence as they introduced local artisans to transparent and semi-transparent beads. New ideas and inspirations added more versatility to the art that was showcased in the form of decorative pieces, jewelry and embroidery.

In current times, many tribes from various regions across the country have found ways to use beadwork to enhance the beauty of their myriad handicrafts. It is said that in Rajasthan the Mochi tribe is perhaps the first one to utilise beads in embroidery done on dresses, bags and other creations. Beadwork is usually done on bags, door hangings, clothes, belts, jewelry, footware, bed spreads and numerous accessories for household and personal use.

However, beadwork these days is free from the erstwhile European influence and has evolved as an indigenous art displaying the inborn talent of local craftsmen. In fact, India is one of the largest producers of glass beads. Varanasi, Purdilpur and Mathura are known for manufacturing and exporting glass beads of refined quality, whereas Karnal city in the state of Haryana is famous for its silver beads.

The other regions famed for beadwork are Saurashtra and Kutch. The distinctive style of beadwork done in Ferozabad, Agra and Meerut are well renowned across the country.

Not just glass beads, but an array of other kinds of beads — made of plastic, terracotta, ivory, wood, bone and various metals — in various shapes and sizes, are used by artisans to create amazing objects of beauty and style.

The Hindu, 18th June 2012

For more than six decades, the First Information Report on Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination gathered dust in the dingy record room of the Tughlaq Road police station in New Delhi. Until, Madan Gopal came across it.

Realising the importance of the FIR written in Urdu hours after the assassination, Station House Officer Gopal has got it preserved, translated, laminated and put up for display in his office. A Hindi translation has been placed right below the original.

According to Gopal, it is a “small tribute” to the Father of the Nation.

“Gandhi gave us freedom, a new sense of direction. So, I thought it was important for people to see this FIR. I got it translated and displayed. Tughlaq Road is a historic police station and we must do all to preserve its contents,” he said.

FIR No 68 was registered at 9.45 pm on January 30, 1948 after eyewitness Nandlal Mehta lodged a formal complaint with police about the shooting.

“Mehta was present at Birla House and had explained the incident in great detail. He used to live in Connaught Circus and claimed to be a follower of Gandhi,” Gopal said.

Mehta’s account states that Gandhi left his chambers at 5.10 pm with Abha Behn and Kumari Behn and walked across the Birla House lawns, leaning on their shoulders for support. Two more girls and an aide, Brij Kishan Chandi, were walking alongside, followed by women from the Birla family and their staff.

“Mahatma Gandhi approached the steps leading to the prayer hall and greeted everyone around with folded hands. Suddenly, a man appeared from the crowd and standing 2-3 feet away from him, fired three rounds from his pistol, which hit the Mahatma in his stomach and chest. He started bleeding profusely and mumbling ‘Hey Ram’, fell backwards,” the FIR quotes Mehta.

As per Mehta, it was later learnt that the assailant was Narayan Vinayak Godse, a resident of Poona, and that he too collapsed immediately after he shot Gandhi dead. A case of murder under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code was registered.

Lauding the “effort taken to preserve” the FIR, Additional Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) K C Dwivedi said nobody from any institution had ever approached him to discuss the FIR. “Gandhiji laid down his life for certain ideals. It is our duty to preserve his legacy. The decision of maintaining and translating it was purely the effort of the SHO,” Dwivedi said.

Mani Mala, Director of Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, told Newsline that the museum had not “given the matter a thought yet” but said it was a good “idea” to display the original FIR there.

“I took over (as director) a year ago and since then, we have been busy with a number of other programmes. Though it is a long and complicated effort, I will definitely take steps to get the FIR here,” Mani Mala said.

The Birla House where Gandhi was assassinated is now the Gandhi Smriti, a museum.

The Hindu, 18th June 2012

It's hard to believe but Humayun's Tomb is nearly as expensive today as Greater Noida's shiny new F1 circuit that cost Rs 1,700 crore. When it was built, the 16th-century tomb cost Rs 15 lakh, but at today's prices its construction would cost more than Rs 1,500 crore, according to a book for children compiled by the Archaeological Survey of India.

To be released on Children's Day, the site-specific guide promises to enliven visits to Delhi's world heritage sites. So, next time you visit one of these sites with family, your child could well be your guide around the place, armed with not only interesting trivia but also details like history, architectural features and significance of the site.

With colorful illustrations and simple narrative, the guidebook reads like a storybook for children. The first guidebook on Humayun's Tomb will be released by culture minister Kumari Selja on Monday in the presence of children from 15 schools.

"This is just the start. The minister has mandated that a series of guidebooks be brought out on all world heritage sites and also monuments frequented by children. This is part of our outreach programme; every citizen right from childhood should feel a part of the city's history and understand it. We particularly want to make our monuments come alive for children,'' said a culture ministry official. The series has been called 'I Explore' and the first edition releasing on Monday is called 'I Explore Humayun's Tomb'.

The book is the first of a series commemorating 150 years of ASI. Prepared by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and published by ASI, it is part of the Humayun's Tomb-Nizamuddin Basti Urban Renewal project, a not-for-profit public-private partnership initiative.

The guidebook is written by historian Dr Narayani Gupta and illustrated by Anitha Balachandran. Officials claim it will significantly enhance the understanding of Humayun's Tomb for more than three lakh children who visit the tomb annually. The guidebook is priced at Rs 50 and will be available at all ASI book counters as well as at monuments. Officials said 30,000 copies, both in English and Hindi, have been published by ASI.

The book, vividly illustrated, brings to light several little known yet interesting facts. For instance, the location of Humayun's Tomb was chosen keeping in mind the proximity of the dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, and the interior chamber of the tomb, now plain, was historically covered with ceramic tiles and gilding on the ceiling.

Times of India, 14th November 2011

Roughly two decades after the British-built New Delhi was unveiled to the world in 1931, the Capital witnessed another slew of hectic construction activity. The public buildings and mass housing projects that came up in the first decade after India got independence, gave shape to the Delhi we know today.

Delhi saw a huge population explosion after Partition and also became a magnet for migrants from across the country looking for better opportunities in the independent nation’s Capital. The old part of Delhi was already bursting at the seams and New Delhi was not built to accommodate this multitude of people. Also, the Capital needed new institutional and public buildings to accommodate the increasing number of government offices and officials.

Apart from the challenge of creating this infrastructure, there was also a need to create indigenous architecture that would express the ethos of the time.

“The period after independence was that of hope and the feeling that we can determine and develop our own architecture, instead of a colonial power building for us,” said noted architect AGK Menon.

The post-independence Capital saw a complete deviation from the architectural philosophy that marked the colonial building. When Lutyens was planning a new Capital for British India, the idea behind the grand, imposing buildings was to firmly establish the imperial suzerainty of the colonial power. The independent nation’s Capital needed an architecture that would showcase its faith in modernity and progress.

“The need to create our own architecture was expressed in two ways,” said Menon. “Some wanted to revive the past, as seen in buildings like Ashoka Hotel that were modern structures but with Indian characteristics. Others advocated modernism, which was the rage internationally at that time and examples of such buildings are Rabindra Bhawan and the CSIR building at Rafi Marg,” he said.

Independent India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru took a keen interest in the architecture of the new constructions, which he believed should portray the country’s commitment to development and progressiveness. So, utilitarian modernism became the template for almost all government buildings that came up in the 1950s and dot the area between central secretariat and at ITO.

Another reason behind the austere facades of these buildings was the acute crunch of funds. All embellishments were done away with and the prominent features of these buildings were horizontal massing of large windows, freestanding staircases and cantilevered porches.

Mass housing projects, mainly meant for government employees, had an even more severe look. Housing complexes that came up in areas like Sarojini Nagar (then Vinay Nagar) and Laxmi Bai Nagar were just simple structures with a lime finish with the only visible features being sun shades over windows and accentuated stair towers.

Spacious houses were built for senior officers in areas like Kaka Nagar and Bapa Nagar. Private ‘colonies’ came up in Malviya Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, Karol Bagh and New Friends Colony in the 1950s and 1960s also saw a deviation from the conventional style of houses. Living and dining rooms were joined, courtyards were out and bathrooms were now attached with bedrooms.

Hindustan Times, 15th November 2011

Gandhi's Post

The Jim Corbett National Park, mainland Asia’s oldest, has turned 75 with plans to improve surveillance and protection of the tigers that it has already been conserving in one of the biggest success stories of Project Tiger in India. On Tuesday, it will officially launch its platinum jubilee when all five zones of the park will be opened for the tourist season till mid-June.

The park’s tiger population, 40 when Project Tiger was launched here in 1973, is now 214 — out of the 1,411 Royal Bengal tigers left in the wild in India, according to the 2011 wildlife census. The success story, however, makes these tigers a poacher’s target; as recently as 2010, poachers were caught trying to set traps for tigers inside the reserve.

The park now plans a new, unmanned anti-poaching surveillance system and a new tiger protection force. The 24-hour surveillance system, part of a project supported by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, will consist of nine unmanned watchtowers with infra-red and thermal cameras. The new, 112-strong force is another NTCA initiative; recruitment is in progress.

Three of the nine watchtowers, all fully solar-powered, are already in place. The project will also help gather data on wildlife movement and this will be monitored from a central station located in the reserve’s Kalagarh area.

These measures are improvements on a defence system that currently involves patrolling by forest guards, with the vulnerable southern region of the reserve patrolled by an existing tiger protection force consisting of former Army men.

“Poaching is a very real threat, along with increasing man-animal conflict,” says Corbett Park warden U C Tiwari. “Last year, five people lost their lives in tiger attacks in the nearby Sunderkal village. These incidents, especially when they get politicised, make people hostile to conservation efforts. Our biggest challenge is maintaining the atmosphere for conservation,” he said.

While tigers are the centre of its conservation efforts, the park is also home to a variety of birds, including over 50 species of birds of prey, among them highly endangered vultures, and aquatic animals such as otters, with all three species known to the subcontinent found in the Ramganga river that flows within the park.

The park’s largely unexplored floral diversity includes many rare species of orchids.

It also has one of the healthiest populations of elephants in India, and is one of the last remaining strongholds for highly endangered gharial that flourishes in the Ramganga. While the male-to-female ratio of elephants in India’s reserves is as mismatched as 1:20 in some southern states, Corbett’s 700 elephants are split 1:2, making it a viable population according to the warden.

The rush
The park’s growth has come at a price. A construction boom is on in areas around it to meet the increasing rush of tourists every year. The influx has affected the surrounding ecology in a way that has generated a set of ironies common to most tourist hotspots. Villages on the fringes have to rely on a single pump for water for daily use, while hotels next door exploit this scarce resource mindlessly to maintain their lawns and swimming pools.

Near Ramnagar that lies between the reserve and the Kosi river, the stillness of winter nights is often disturbed by loud Punjabi hip-hop music played from dance halls at roadside hotels, even as guards warn visitors not to venture out after dark as wild animals including tigers are known to come out on the roads. This happens particularly in summers, when water sources dwindle inside the reserve.

Visitors are yet to exceed the park’s annual carrying capacity of 240,000 — 85-90 per cent of this visited last season — but their increasing numbers have still put considerable stress on the surrounding ecosystem that is so vital to the park’s existence, says Corbett Park director Ranjan Misra.

“The resorts and hotels located close to the park are not under the jurisdiction of the park administration but they are a concern as they cause noise and light pollution, and pollute the adjoining Kosi river which is essentially Corbett landscape. Increased traffic on the roads is a danger to animals which often cross over,” he says.

The park authorities have made several attempts to include the surrounding areas under the park’s control as a buffer, Misra said. “Tigers are excellent breeders but we need to provide more space where young tigers, which are forced out from core territory as they grow, can move to,” he said.

If three surrounding areas as identified by the authorities are added, the park will grow by 1,000 sq km to about 2,400 sq km.

The region adjoining Corbett, and Uttarakhand as a whole, needs strong policies to govern growth if it is not to fall victim to the commercial pressures that threaten its forests, says Sumantha Ghosh, a conservationist who has been closely associated with the park for more than a decade, and who has founded Mahseer Conservancy to protect the golden mahseer, a fish that is the best known inhabitant of the Ramganga.

“There has been a growth in unsustainable tourism, especially in the last two years. When I first came here, all hotels used to employ experts who could guide visitors and explain things to them. Now almost 95 per cent have no guide in their employ,” he says. “Their interests are different and there is no part for the local community and its culture in such ventures. The park’s proximity to Delhi and its corporate culture is a reason such establishments have come up.”

Beyond the tiger
Much more needs to be done in documenting the park’s biodiversity and focusing conservation efforts on species largely ignored, say park authorities and conservationists.

Since it was established, the park has seen the local extinction of at least three species – Indian fox, wild dog and swamp deer — due to unrestricted hunting before that was banned, and habitat destruction by activities such as farming on surrounding areas.

“The presence of these animals in the park’s early days can be seen from the Shikar journals of the time but they haven’t been spotted at the reserve and have been declared locally extinct,” says the warden.

The latest large-scale loss is that of the hog deer. The submergence of more than 80 sq km of the park, following the commissioning of the Kalagarh reservoir for which construction started in 1964, has left it the most threatened animal in the reserve with only about 300 remaining from a population once thriving.

Of the five zones, Jhirna is open to visitors through the year, Bijrani opens in mid-October, and Dhikala, Durgadevi and Batanbasa in mid-November. On Tuesday’s occasion, Chief Minister B C Khanduri and other prominent figures will be present.

Landmarks
1936: The park, then called Haleys Park and spanning 323.75 sq km, opens on August 8

1964: Construction begins on Kalagarh reservoir

1966: To compensate for submergence caused by reservoir, land from adjoining area added, taking total area to 520.82 sq km

1973: Project Tiger launched in Corbett Park

1991: More areas added as buffer zone to protect core forest area, taking total to 1,300 sq km

2010: Park declared a tiger reserve, its core areas a critical tiger habitat

Indian Express, 15th November 2011

On the occasion of Children’s Day, a guidebook for children on Humayun’s Tomb was released by Union Minister for Culture, Kumari Selja on Monday. The guidebook prepared by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture will help students explore the monument in an interesting manner.

Three lakh students who visit the monument every year will benefit from the book, she said. She further added that the ASI should come up with more such books for all the monuments of the country. “Its an investment in the future,” she said.

The minister also spoke about the manpower shortage in the ASI and said the problem will be met by both outsourcing and recruitment of more people. Ministry of Culture Secretary Jawahar Sircar said ASI should provide such guidebooks for all the monuments of the country and “leave behind the Delhi-centrism”.

The book written by Dr Narayani Gupta took almost a year to be published, since it was first proposed. Anitha Balachandran who provided the illustrations for the book said, “The story of Humayun’s Tomb and the area surrounding it has been written in a conversational style. We looked at references and miniature paintings from that era and tried to make it interesting for the kids.

Written in Hindi and English, and priced at Rs 50, the book will be available at all ASI counters.

In the first phase 70,000 copies of the book have been printed. Director General ASI, Gautam Sengupta said the heritage body plans to bring out more guidebooks for children in the 150th year of its establishment. The next book to be released will be based on Attirampakkam, Chennai.

A student of Class IV said: “I’m looking forward to reading the book, it’s nice to look at.”

Indian Express, 15th November 2011

The Jammu and Kashmir government's proposal for mining 12,40,000 tonne per annum of high-grade magnesium deposit in land owned by the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board near the pilgrimage site, and setting up of a 30,000-tonne per annum magnesium plant have got the Centre's nod.

The go-ahead came after the state government advocated a proposal to de-notify the 31.40sq km Trikuta wildlife sanctuary in the vicinity of the project site, and the Union environment ministry ratified it in April.

The existence of the wildlife sanctuary nearby had made it mandatory for the state to approach the National Wildlife Board's standing committee seeking clearance for mining. Supreme Court orders require that all projects falling within a 10-km radius of any wildlife sanctuary or national park be cleared by the standing committee of the PM-chaired NWB.

In a two-pronged move, the state government first asked for the sanctuary to be de-notified in April. The NWB's standing committee permitted the de-notification of the sanctuary with a rider: the state government should notify twice the area elsewhere as a sanctuary. Then, in October the state government moved another proposal to set up mining operations near the delisted sanctuary.

Minutes of the April meeting of the standing committee record that the state board for wildlife and the state's chief wildlife warden had recommended the proposal.

However, some non-official members on the standing committee objected to it. Prerna Singh Bindra, one such member, said: "This de-notification sets a bad precedent."

The panel cleared the project during former environment minister Jairam Ramesh's tenure. The project was part of several dozen clearances for using wildlife sanctuaries and national parks for ventures that got the nod in April despite non-official members' stiff resistance to them.

In October, with Ramesh's successor Jayanthi Natarajan in the saddle, the state government put forth another proposal before the standing panel. This time around, it proposed to run mining operations at a site near the wildlife sanctuary that had got the clearance to de-notify in April.

Minutes of the October meeting reveal that the proposal was to mine in non-forest private land under the ownership of Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board. Mining was proposed for only 17.92 ha out of a total mine lease area of 485.30 ha of private land. The lease agreement is between the shrine board and the Jammu and Kashmir Mineral Development Corporation. The proposal was cleared by the state wildlife board and the state's chief wildlife warden, and did not require any felling of trees. J&K chief wildlife warden said at the meeting that the state government had already started the process of identification of areas to be notified as new sanctuary in lieu of Trikuta Wildlife Sanctuary.

Having already agreed to de-notify Trikuta in April, the standing panel had little option but to clear the mining operations as it can only scrutinize projects that impact demarcated wildlife zones.

Times of India, 15th November 2011

Before Independence, New Delhi was far from being the cultural capital of the country that it is today. The city's cultural scene was dominated by Western music recitals, attended by anglicised elite of the city, who were besotted with the classics of Beethoven and Mozart; ballroom dances in hotels, clubs and restaurants; and the Regal Theatre in Connaught Place that occasionally hosted Shakespearean plays, performed by the likes of Geoffrey Kendall. Upwardly mobile youngsters of the city flocked to the ballroom dancing classes run by a woman named Dina Rodda in Connaught Circus.

While Regal Theatre and New Delhi Town Hall (where the NDMC headquarters are today) occasionally saw Indian theatre, classical music and dance performances by the likes of Prithviraj Kapoor and Uday Shankar; Indian classical arts were on the periphery of the Capital's cultural landscape before Independence.

"Such was the craze for western dance and music before Independence that Indian classical music and dances were looked down upon in the city," says SS Backliwal, 85, a city-based businessman. His wife, Sharan Rani, a Delhiite, was one of the foremost Sarod players of the country.

"When we came to Delhi in the early 40s, the city did not have any exhibition hall or an auditorium worthy of the capital city. The usual venue for exhibitions was either the New Delhi Town Hall or, after 1946, the abandoned wartime church on Parliament Street, which was later taken over by All India Fine Arts and Crafts society," says DN Chaudhuri, author of Delhi: Light, Shades, Shadows. He came to Delhi with his father - the legendary Nirad C Chaudhury - in 1942.

Residences as cultural centres
Before Independence, in the absence of auditoriums, most classical music performances - called 'music conferences' - were organised either at ancient monuments such as Firoz Shah Kotla and Qutab Minar, or the houses of individuals, who patronised Indian performing artists.

Many such performances began in the evening and ended at dawn. Dr NC Joshi, an eminent surgeon those days, hosted cultural performances at his Karol Bagh residence. Writer Satyawati Malik also hosted eminent writers, performing artists, poets and musicians.

But the Curzon Road house of industrialist Shri Ram, the founder of DCM group, was the biggest venue of Indian classical music and performing arts those days. The house saw evenings of classical music with as many as 1,000 people in attendance. Sheila Bharat Ram and Sumitra Charat Ram, the daughters-in-law of Shri Ram, were instrumental in organising these evenings and played charming hostesses at these cultural events.

Sumitra Charat Ram, started Jhankar Music Circle, a society in 1947. Soon, some of the biggest names of Indian classical music and dance - Siddeshwari Devi, Ravi Shankar, Hafiz Ali Khan, Allaudin Khan, Shambhu Maharaj, Sunder Prasad, Birju Maharaj, Durga Lal, Aminuddin Dagar - were associated with it.

"Most of the country's legendary musicians were part of the extended family of my mother. They often visited our home and stayed with us. In 1947, when India attained Independence, my mother hosted a whole-night soiree featuring several top-class artistes," says Shobha Deepak Singh, 68, director, Shri Ram Bharatiya Kala Kendra (SBKK), which was founded by her mother, Sumitra Charat Ram, in 1952.

Cultural renaissance post Independence
After the country attained Independence in 1947, the city's cultural scene got a great boost, thanks to the patronage provided by Pandit Nehru. He took a keen interest in promoting Indian classical arts. In fact, the 1950s saw the building of several top class auditoriums and setting up of several institutions such as Sangeet Natak Akademy (1952), Lalit Kala Akademy (1954), Sahitya Akademy (1954), and National Gallery of Modern Art (1954), and National School of Drama (1959).

The auditorium of the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) at Pusa was a venue for music and dance performances from 1948 to 1955, the year Sapru house was built. In fact, Sapru House marked the beginning of Mandi House as the cultural hub of the city. "The capital's art movement started in the mid-1950s in right earnest, with the building of several auditoriums. Sapru House's auditorium had the best acoustic and projection instruments and hosted musical and theatre performances as well as regular screenings of foreign films," says Chaudhuri, who covered many art and cultural events as a photographer in the 1950s and 60s - inarguably, the defining decades of New Delhi as the cultural capital of the country.

Vigyan Bhavan, built in 1956 and the new building of the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), at Rafi Marg, which also came up in the 1950s, also boosted the city's cultural scene a great deal. The new AIFACS building had top class exhibition halls and hosted major events such as the International Exhibition of Contemporary Art, which saw the works of artists from all over the world being displayed in the Capital. Charles Fabri, a Hungarian, who had moved to Delhi from Lahore, was the most influential art critic in Delhi those days.

Then Rabindra Bhavan, which opened in 1961, attracted artists to the Capital from all across the country. In fact, Pandit Nehru took a lot of personal interest in the design of the building, which was built to mark the birth centenary of Rabindranath Tagore.

With increasing governmental patronage, many artistes started pouring into the city from all parts of the country in the 1950s to 60s. Legends such as classical singer Siddheshwari Devi, Shambhu Maharaj, Ali Akbar Khan, Uday Shankar, Ravi Shankar, Hafiz Ali Khan settled here during this period. Sumitra Charat Ram and Nirmla Joshi played a key role in bringing many classical artistes to the Capital.

Besides, many artistes came to Delhi to work for the All India Radio (AIR), which under the stewardship of the then Information and Broadcasting minister Dr BV Keskar, employed many artists and regularly sponsored concerts of vocal music in the Capital. Many artistes who came to Delhi in the 1950s and 1960s were settled in an artists' colony called the Ferozeshah Hutments, built by the government.

In 1960s, such was the resurgence of Indian classical music in the Capital, that Godin & Company - the famous music instrument store in Connaught Place, that as a matter of rule sold only the piano - now bowed to the market demand and started selling Indian instruments such as the sitar and tabla.

When theatre became popular in the city

Unlike Kolkata or Mumbai, Delhi did not have any significant presence on the theatre map of the country until the 1960s.

In the 1950s, while the Indian People's Theatre Association brought a number of plays to Delhi, Habib Tanwar moved to the city and Bhartiya Natya Sangh in Shankar Market promoted theatre, it was not until the early 1960s, when Ebrahim Alkazi moved to New Delhi from Mumbai and made theatre popular and more glamorous in the Capital.

Alkazi's production of Dharamvir Bharati's Andha Yug at Firoz Shah Kotla broke new ground. Jawaharlal Nehru came for the Andha Yug premiere in 1964, as did the who's who of the Capital.

Sheila Bhatia came to the Capital from Lahore. She started the Delhi Art Theatre and made Punjabi opera extremely popular in the 1950s and 60s. Her plays Heer Ranjha, Ghalib Kaun Tha, and Dard Ayega Dabe Paon were instant hits.

All these artistes played a key role in the national cultural enterprise, the epicenter of which was the Capital.

The Assam Tribune, 19th June 2012

The Jim Corbett National Park here on Tuesday opened its gates to wildlife enthusiasts for a landmark season, having turned 75. To mark the platinum jubilee, a function was organised at the park’s Aam Danda gate, where Uttarakhand Chief Minister B C Khanduri inaugurated a newly introduced online reservation system for visitors.

Visitors looking to book passes for entry to the park can now log in to corbettonline.uk.gov.in to make their reservations. The park will now remain open to visitors till June 15 next year.

Khanduri spoke of the challenges that Uttarakhand faced in balancing growing development needs of the state’s population with environmental conservation. “Even a small initiative takes years to be approved by the Centre. As population increases, conflict with nature will increase. I appeal to those responsible for protecting wildlife to work alongside ordinary people,” he said.

Top wildlife and environment officials of the state, including state Principal Chief Conservator of Forests R B S Rawat and Chief Wildlife Warden S S Sharma were present at the occasion.

“The resorts in the area are important to the park but I request them to keep ecosensitivity of the area in mind,” Rawat said, echoing conservationists’ concerns on the recent spate in development of tourism-related infrastructure in the fringes of the park.

While Corbett has succeeded in recent times in making the surrounding community active stakeholders in its activities, there was a need to frame central-level policies on tourism to solve problems related to sustainable tourism that is currently faced by parks all over India, including Corbett, said Rajeev Bhartari, Chief Conservator of Forest (Eco Tourism).

“Overall investment into conservation must increase. Even one flank of a mall gets more investment than Corbett,” said Bhartari, a former director of the Corbett national park.

Chief Wildlife Warden S S Sharma said man-animal conflict was set to increase as population of the state grows due to factors including migration. “We’re addressing these issues through extensive patrolling and involvement of the local community in conservation,” he said.

The function also attracted many long-time friends of Corbett, especially wildlife photography enthusiasts. Mohammad Aslam, a businessman from New Delhi well-known for his photographs of Corbett’s tigers, said, “I have been coming here every year for 30 years. I have spotted a tiger on all of my visits here.” He visits the park at least thrice every season. He said in his experience, Khinnauli is the best place to spot tigers within the park.

Indian Express, 16th November 2011

Resentment was already simmering amongst the members of National board For Wildlife (NBWL) against their gradually diminishing role in the wildlife vs development issue. Now with the Environment Ministry officials raising their voices for further clipping its powers, the Board that is headed by the Prime-Minister now stands face to face against the forest bureaucracy.

According to well-placed sources in the Ministry, a proposal has been mooted before the Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan on the circumvention of the mandate of the Board to decide on the clearance of projects pertaining to tiger and elephant reserves. The Ministry should go ahead on its own, the proposal noted. Jayanthi is however yet to take any decision on it.

“Though we are shocked to learn of such a proposal from the forest officials, the move has not caught us off-guard”, said a NBWL member on condition of anonymity. The fact that the NBWL was getting reduced to a clearance house and rubber stamp of the Ministry was already evident when as many as 40 proposals were cleared in two hours in the 21st Standing Committee meeting of the Board on April 25, he pointed out.

The meeting was a mere formality and was conducted in great haste and less 72 hours were given to study the proposals for assessment. Exasperated several members had written letters to the then Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh expressing their dissent.

The flashpoint according to the sources came after the wildlife experts in the standing committee had objected to a number of projects cleared by the Ministry during the tenure of Jairam Ramesh, overruling the objections of the former.

The embarrassed forest officials had somehow managed to defend themselves at the meeting aggravating further bitterness.

The mandate of the NBWL had been decided by a Supreme Court order which states that all such projects that can impact protected areas, national parks and sanctuaries, need to pass through the scanner of the standing committee of the NWBL before the Government can give them clearance. The demarcated tiger and elephant reserves that add up to 71,000 sq km of some of the best forests of the country are being eyed for several mining and other projects.

Hindustan Times, 16th November 2011

Piqued over the response of Uttar Pradesh government and the archaeological survey of India to its notice regarding the threat posed to ‘Taj Mahal’ due to drying up of the Yamuna, the Supreme Court on Monday wondered if it was duty of the court to ensure safety of the 17th century monument of love. “The monument is in your state. But this is how you take care of your monument? Is it the duty of the Supreme Court to take care of it? No one seems to be interested,” a bench headed by justice DK Jain said. The SC has been passing orders for conservation of the Taj since the 1980s.

One of the seven wonders of the world, the famous monument of love was built between 1632 and 1653 by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died while giving birth to their 14th child in 1631.

A British daily had reported that the foundation of the monument had been damaged and the wood used in the wells had rotten. It was reported that the river was crucial in moisturizing the wood used in the Taj’s foundation, and that it could collapse soon.

The bench that had on October 14 taken cognizance of media reports about the danger posed to Taj Mahal and asked the Centre, ASI and the Uttar Pradesh government to examine the issue, expressed “dismay” at the state of affairs.

Terming the affidavits filed by the Mayawati government and the ASI as “far from satisfactory”, the bench said, “We do not understand anything from your (state’s) affidavit.” It expressed regret over the Centre not filing its response in the matter.

The bench also pulled up the ASI for claiming on the basis of an old report that there was no threat to the Taj.

“The CBRI (Central Building Research Institute), Roorkee has carried out Geotechnical and Structural Investigation Survey at Taj Mahal in 2005 and submitted its report in 2007 which shows no visible distress or dislocation is seen at the joints of floor and walls in the basement below Jasmine Floor,” the ASI stated in its affidavit.

Not convinced with the report based on data collected six years ago, the bench remarked: “We are sorry, rather dismayed to say that after 2005 there has been no attempt to examine the Taj…This 2007 report relates back to inspection done in 2005. Nobody has gone deep into the matter. It needs to be examined by experts.”

The court directed the ASI to file a fresh affidavit in two weeks placing on record the latest report of CBRI and Survey of India regarding Taj’s safety and fixed December 7 to further hear the case.

The court was told that the depth of water in the Yamuna near the Taj was just one-meter, four meters less than the required level.

Availability of certain level of water in the Yamuna was essential to maintain the massive foundation that supported a complex system of wells, arches and wooden-spoked wheels and the dry ambience could fragment and disintegrate the massive ‘saal’ wood, it was reported.

According to the report, the foundations of Taj Mahal got rotten and had become fragile as the Yamuna, which feeds the building’s mahogany, (evergreen trees), is running dry owing to deforestation and pollution.

Acting on a public interest petition filed by environmentalist MC Mehta, the SC has been passing orders, including closure of polluting industries in Agra, for conservation of the Taj since the 1980s.

To save the monument from ill effects of pollution, the Centre has set up the Taj Trapezium Zone, a 10,400-square-kilometre area around the monument where strict emissions standards are in place. The ASI too is working on a major facelift for the Taj Mahal since 2007.

Hindustan Times, 16th November 2011

Delhi Public Library
The story of the Delhi Public Library - one of the city's most important institutions - began in 1944. General Sir Claude Auchinleck, then commander-in-chief of the Indian Army, was keen to have a library with a magnificent building. He approached industrialist Ramkrishna Dalmia to help with funds to construct a building for the library. Dalmia readily agreed and donated all or most of the amount for the library building that was constructed on Queens Road (SP Mukherjee Marg).

It was called the Delhi Public Library in 1951, after the Delhi Library Board acquired the building. In the beginning, the library had only 8,000 books in three languages - Hindi, English and Urdu. Today, it has around 18 lakh books, and boasts of several branches across the city. It also has a fleet of mobile vans, which serve in every nook and corner of the city.

All India Institute of Medical Sciences
Built in 1956, AIIMS is not only one of the most prestigious medical colleges in the country, but also offers cutting edge medical care. It was built with a generous grant from the government of New Zealand. AIIMS was established in New Delhi after former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's initial proposal to set up the institute in Calcutta was shot down by then West Bengal CM Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy. The institution was the vision of Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, the first health minister of India. In its report published in 1946, the Health Survey and Development Committee recommended the establishment of a national medical centre to serve as a nucleus for nurturing excellence in all aspects of health care. An act of Parliament in 1956 established it as an autonomous institution.

Delhi Zoo
It was in 1952 that the need to have a zoo in the national Capital was felt by the Indian Board for Wildlife. The site between Purana Quila and Humayun's Tomb was approved in 1953 to build the zoo. Major Weinmann, director of the Ceylon Zoological Garden, Colombo, was invited to help draw a coordinated plan for the development of the park. Finally, a general layout plan of waterways, roads and paths, animal enclosures and sewage system was formulated in March 1956. With the announcement of the establishment of a zoological park in Delhi, gifts of animals started coming from states and individuals. Till the zoo was built, the animals were kept in temporary enclosures around Azimganj Sarai, an enclosed courtyard built for halt for travellers during the Mughal days.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
The concept of the IITs was first introduced in a report in the year 1945 by NM Sircar, then member of Education on Viceroy's Executive Council. Following his recommendations, the first Indian Institute of Technology was established in the year 1950 in Kharagpur. This was followed by IITs at Mumbai, Chennai, Kanpur and Delhi. For IIT-Delhi, the government of India negotiated with the British government for a collaboration. The British government agreed, but only for a modest beginning. It was therefore agreed that a college of engineering and technology would be established at Delhi with their assistance. This college was later declared an Institution of National Importance under the Institute of Technology (Amendment) Act 1963 and was renamed Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. It was then accorded the status of a university.

India International Centre (IIC)
The idea for the India International Centre (IIC) was first mooted by John D Rockefeller III. He suggested setting up of an international house on the model of Tokyo's International House of Japan. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who immediately liked the idea, took a lot of interest in the selection of a site for the building, adjacent to Lodi Gardens. Eventually, Joseph Allen Stein was selected to design the building. The building comprises two wings - one for accommodation, while the other houses public facilities including auditoriums, conference room and library.

Sir Ganga Ram Hospital
The Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in west Delhi was originally founded in 1921 at Lahore by Sir Ganga Ram (1851-1927), a civil engineer and leading philanthropist of his time. The current hospital was built at the site after the partition of the country in 1947. The land allotted to the hospital was approximately 11 acres. The foundation was laid in April 1951 by the then Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru and inaugurated by him on April 13, 1954. The hospital, one of the premier medical institutions in the Capital, continues to maintain its charitable character, as per the wishes of its founder. The money generated from the hospital services are partially utilised for providing free health care to the poor and needy patients.

National Museum
The National Museum was founded due to a chance happening. An exhibition of Indian art was held in Burlington House, London in 1947-48. At the end of the event, it was decided that the same collection would be exhibited in New Delhi.

The exhibition was held in the state rooms of the Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi, in 1949. The event was a huge success and led to the creation of the National Museum, which was inaugurated at Rashtrapati Bhawan on August 15, 1949, by the governor-general of India, C Rajagopalachari. The museum was moved to its current location at Janpath in 1960. Today, the museum boasts of approximately 2,00,000 artifacts that go back to more than 5,000 years.

Hindustan Times, 17th November 2011

In an effort to restore the original tree plantation scheme in the Central Vista and the rest of Lutyens’ Delhi, the civic agencies concerned have sought the help of British horticulture expert, Patrick Bowe. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Central Public Works Department (CPWD) have asked Bowe to prepare a concept note, including remedial measures for tree plantation in Lutyens’ Delhi.

Bowe was in the Capital to deliver a public lecture on ‘Uniqueness of the Landscape of Delhi’. This was part of highlighting its universal significance as Delhi vies for the World Heritage City status. He met senior officials of the two civic agencies on Monday.

“In Lutyens’ Delhi, the overall unity in tree plantations has gone and re-planting has been done on an ad-hoc basis. Also, the trees are aged, and if not tended to soon, they could start falling and pose a danger to passersby. Roads and trees form the skeleton of a city, while buildings are the flesh. Great importance is laid on tree planting schemes as it forms an integral part of planning,” Bowe told Newsline.

“I have been in talks with the civic agencies and it was concluded that there is an immediate need for a long-term plan in this area, including the Central Vista and the surrounding avenues,” the horticulturist said.

New Delhi is the ultimate expression of the concept of the ‘Garden City’, an aspect that had relevance in city planning of the early 20 th century, he said.

“Edward Lutyens devoted as much attention to the tree planning of the city as he did to its structural planning and architecture,” he added.

Bowe suggested clearfelling (a practice in which most or all trees in an area are uniformly cut down) of trees, followed by re-plantation as the most viable and responsible plantation scheme for the area. He also mentioned alternatives such as second avenue plantations, where a second line of trees are planted alongside the existing line.

Shiv Kumar Sharma, Director (Horticulture) NDMC, said, “Most of the trees in the NDMC areas are overaged and we have already tried the option of second avenue plantation, but it has not been so successful. There is barely any space for growth and also very little sunlight and air with the existing trees covering most of the area. We have asked to Bowe to send us a detailed proposal for the NDMC areas. Once we receive it, we will look at the viable suggestions.”

However, Sharma was of the opinion that clearfelling of trees cannot be an option in India, because, according to the Trees Act, largescale felling of trees is not permissible, that too, without a solid reason — for instance, a major public works project.

B C Katiyar, Director (Horticulture) CPWD, said “Tree plantation along the Central Vista has been a major challenge and though the trees have become overaged, little can be done. For about four months of the year, stretches of the road are blocked in preparation for Republic Day and nothing much can be done during this period. Also, there is space constraint in the area, so plantation along the second avenues also cannot be done. Discussions are on with Bowe and he could suggest some alternatives."

Indian Express, 17th November 2011

Hit by paucity of funds in the conservation of wildlife and management of wild habitats, the Environment Ministry has made a strong case for a four-time increase in Central outlay for the next Plan period.

In its correspondence and recent meetings with the Planning Commission on the 12th Plan, the ministry has sought around Rs 3,600 crore in the Plan period — up from a relatively measly Rs 900 crore — for Project Elephant and Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH), the two of the three Central schemes.

The third scheme, Project Tiger, however, has no complaint of scarcity of funds.
Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan too, it is learnt, has written to the Finance Ministry for increase in funds.

Sources said while no one actually believes that 100 per cent of what is being demanded will be granted, the ministry has submitted point-by-point justification for each demand.

The IDWH received only 45.25 per cent of its approved outlay of Rs 800 crore in the ongoing Plan period. This money is proposed to be increased to Rs 3,000 crore.

Project Elephant received only Rs 20 crore per year — or Rs 100 crore — in the current Plan period. The proposed amount now is Rs 600 crore.

The Hindustan Times, 20th June 2012

Last year this time, Tagore stole the limelight at the Sotheby's Asian Art Sale. Indian Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore headlined the Sotheby's South Asian Art Sale in London, not with his famous manuscripts, but with 12 paintings that fetched $2.37 million, massively exceeding their $370,000 estimate. This year, Sotheby's announces the sale of a rare manuscript of poems.

The auction house has announced the sale of an Unknown Manuscript Notebook by Tagore on 13 December 2011 in New York. "The notebook contains twelve poems and song lyrics, some being heavily amended drafts of Tagore's subsequently published works," said Dr Stephen Roe, worldwide head, books and manuscripts, Sotheby's London.

"The poet and artist presented this extraordinary work to a family friend and early patron in the mid-1930s, and their descendent is the consignor. The friendship between the Tagore family and that of the present owner can be traced back to the mid-1800s and it was brought to North America in the 1950s," he added.

Dating to the fall of 1928, the notebook contains 12 poems and lyrics for 12 songs in Bengali, some being heavily amended drafts of subsequently published works. Tagore wrote thousands of poems from his early childhood until his death in 1941, many of which were inspired by nature and the simple lives of pastoral people he met during his extensive travels through India and around the Eastern and Western worlds.

Each of the poems in the notebook is a draft version of pieces that would later be published. Twelve of the verses from this notebook went on to be included in a collection entitled Mohua in 1929. The notebook is estimated to fetch between $150,000 to $250,000.

Economic Times, 17th November 2011

During the early 1950s, a young artist from Andhra Pradesh made history when he changed the way colour prints were made in the world of art.

Krishna Reddy, who revolutionised graphic art and printmaking at Atelier 17 studio in Paris, is acclaimed internationally for his path-breaking work in printmaking and sculpture. As an acknowledgment of his vast contribution in enriching the world of art, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts is hosting a two-month retrospective of the artist at its Mati Ghar premises here beginning this Sunday.

For the first time, Indian art connoisseurs and fledgling artists will be able to witness over a hundred sculptures, paintings and sketches besides Mr. Reddy's pictures. The comprehensive exhibition titled “The Embodied Image: Krishna Reddy, a retrospective” will showcase his works from his early art training at Santiniketan to his later works in Paris, London and New York.

Though the US-based artist has been living outside the country for more than five decades, his work and life were shaped by his early years in the country and his approach to life has been influenced by our philosophical traditions.

“We inherit the universe but we do so little with our inheritance. The earth so subtle and enduring is an unimaginable marvel. As our understanding of life processes of the earth's organism grows in intensity, our existence in it gains a deeper significance,” says Mr. Reddy explaining his outlook towards art.

Born in 1925 at Chittoor, Krishna Reddy went to Santiniketan to study art under the tutelage of Nandalal Bose. Thereafter, with the help of his lifelong friend J. Krishnamurthi, he travelled to Europe where he spent his most impressionable years in London, Paris, Rome and Milan.

“Mr. Reddy's philosophical preoccupations and recurring themes will be highlighted by interfacing of image and text to contextualise the exhibition and make it more meaningful to the viewing public. His persona and spirit to seek out new innovative art technologies drew artists from across Atelier 17 to learn and innovate techniques of printmaking to expand the possibilities of aesthetic expression and communication,” says curator Roobina Karode.

A catalogue on his art and life with colour illustrations and contributions from printmakers and artists from India and overseas along with a curatorial essay will complement the exhibition.

The Hindu, 17th November 2011

The Delhi high court on Wednesday directed the Centre to notify the names of the members and chairperson of the National Monument Authority (NMA) within 30 days. The order brings relief to hundreds of property owners and also a number of public infrastructure projects awaiting permission for construction as they fall within 300 metres of centrally protected monuments. The court has further directed that if the government fails to appoint the chairperson and members within the stipulated time, the powers under this authority would be executed by the competent authority for Delhi.

A bench headed by Justice Pradeep Nandrajog cited a June 2011 Bombay high court judgment, which had directed the competent authority there to carry out functions of the NMA till it is formed.

The matter came up when the court was hearing a case for infrastructure development and expansion plans for the Delhi High Court complex. A portion of the land for the proposed expansion was falling within the regulated area (101-300 metres from a protected monument) of Sher Shah Suri Gate, an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected monument.

The court had asked the competent authority to come up with heritage bye laws for the Sher Shah Suri Gate. When the court was informed that competent authority’s Vijay Singh had not complied with the court directives, it gave him three more weeks to prepare heritage byelaws.

When Justice Nandrajog was informed that the government had failed to appoint the chairperson and members of the NMA even after one-and-a-half-years of the amendment, he immediately directed the Centre to appoint the chairperson and the members within 30 days.

Hindustan Times, 17th November 2011

Change: New Delhi in the 1950s and ’60s was a Capital in a hurry to grow up. And so the additions continued — a university here, a milk plant there, a civic centre, a supermarket, a cinema hall, a Golf Club...

1958
Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) came into existence in 1958 when the erstwhile Delhi Municipal Committee and different local bodies in the city were merged together. The corporation — which is amongst the largest municipal bodies in the world — came into existence on April 7, under an act of Parliament. Initially, Town Hall in Chandni Chowk, which was built in 1866 by the British served as the MCD headquarter. Later, in 2011, the headquarters were shifted to the Civic Centre on Minto Road. The body has jurisdiction over the entire area of Delhi, barring certain areas that fall under the New Delhi Municipal Committee and the Delhi Cantonment Board. The agency covers 96% of the city and caters to 97% of the population.

1951
Delhi Milk Scheme
Queuing up early in the morning outside the Delhi Milk Scheme (DMS) booth to buy bottled milk is one ritual that generations of Delhiites have grown up with. Earlier known as the Delhi Milk Supply Scheme, it was renamed DMS in 1959 and its primary objective was to supply hygienic milk to Delhi citizens at reasonable prices, and provide remunerative prices to milk producers. Starting from tin sheds where cows were milked and the product put in sealed cans to be distributed in trucks across the Capital, now DMS provides 5 lakh litres of milk everyday in plastic packs to Delhiites. Apart from supplying milk, DMS now also manufactures ghee, table butter, yoghurt, paneer, chhachh and flavoured milk. DMS now procures milk from the State Dairy Federations of neighbouring states.

1950
Delhi Golf Club
Spread over 220 acres of land in the heart of the Capital, the Delhi Golf Club — one of the oldest golf clubs in Asia — is home to many professional tournaments, including the Indian Open. The Club became a corporate entity on February 24, 1950 and its course was redesigned by golfer Peter Thomson through 1976 to 77. The course was originally laid out by the British as Lodhi Club, integrating existing Mughal structures and tombs into the course. In the 1950s, the foundering member of the club — Dharma Vira — requested then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to ensure that the club stayed put, bringing glory and prestige to the Capital of India. Last month, the club celebrated hundred years of playing golf in the Capital. The club has a pub, a lounge, dining hall, swimming pool, health club, card room, club halls and banquet.

1966
Super Bazar
The now defunct Super Bazar, which only has a closed building and a nearby bus stop named after it as its remnants, was once a part of the every day life of Delhiites. The Delhi-based Super Bazar was established in 1966 to provide quality products to the citizens of the Capital at reasonable prices after the acute scarcity of day-to-day goods seen during the 1965 India-Pakistan war. The retail outlets and mobile vans that supplied household goods and foodstuff across the Capital were very popular with Delhi’s middle class. As a result of financial mismanagement, however, the supermarket started accumulating huge losses in the 1970s. It was finally closed down in 2001 and efforts to revive it are yet to fructify.

1961
Shiela Theatre
Opened in 1961, Shiela Theatre on DB Gupta Road, Paharganj, was the country’s first cinema hall with a 70mm screen. In fact, constructing the theatre’s building was quite a challenge. There were no architects or technicians having any previous experience of designing a theatre with such a large screen. So, the owner — DC Kaushish — who had seen the successful commercial trials of 70mm in New York and wanted to bring this new system to India, sought the services of Ben Schlanger, world authority on motion picture theatre and auditorium design. Schlanger, as chief consultant, collaborated with professor Cyril Harris of Columbia University to design the acoustics of the theatre. He also helped in installing a six-track sound system. This iconic theatre — which is still going strong in these times of multiplexes — has boasted of several famous patrons, including then President Zakir Hussain and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

1969
Jawaharlal Nehru University
A research-oriented postgraduate university, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) today has approximately 5,500 students. It was established in 1969 by an act of parliament and was named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister. The objective of the founders was to make the university an institution of higher learning and promote research and teaching that would lead students as well as teachers to a higher level of academic work and national and international policy making. G Parthasarathy was the university’s first vice-chancellor. JNU’s building, located in south Delhi, is an example of the new red brick universities built in the mid-twentieth century.

Hindustan Times, 18th November 2011

Two different shows present rare folk art traditions that are not much known outside of their State

The world of Web can only tell us as much. It holds true for a country like India which still has probably much more hidden and unknown than what has been revealed in terms of its heritage and culture. Customs, traditions and practices abound in this part of the world and though scholars, patrons, art enthusiasts are working to preserve them, we are yet to be privy to so many of them. It’s sheer coincidence that the Capital city is hosting two art exhibitions of such rare folk traditions that they are still largely unknown even in these times. While a collection of Pinguli chitragithi from Maharashtra is on display at Arts of the Earth at Lado Sarai, Arpana Caur’s Academy of Fine Arts and Literature is presenting Godana art of Bihar

Pinguli chitragith

While so many folk art traditions like warli, pabuji ki phad, kalighat paintings and patachitra have survived the brunt of time, this one didn’t. Extinct almost 20 years ago, the areas of Pinguli and Paithan are bereft of the storytellers who roamed around from village to village holding the scrolls that depicted tales from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Meena Varma, Director of Arts of the Earth, had visited the village 20 years ago and acquired the works, which she is exhibiting now. The tradition, she informs us, was already on its last legs

Straight lines, not very decorative and simplistic imagery drawn from the epics, are the mainstay of this genre. A performing tradition, the hand-made paper paintings provided the visual support as the nomadic puppeteers of the Thakar Adivasi community, doubling up as musicians and singers, regaled the viewers with their show

According to Jyotindra Jain, a renowned scholar, Pingulis are also known as Paithan paintings and the actors narrated not the standard Ramayana stories but the local Marathi Ramayana called “Pandav Pratap.” “The tradition is completely extinct and perhaps its biggest collection can be seen in the Kelkar Museum in Pune. This bunch of singers and musicians would carry these paintings like a placard — two different paintings on each side and they would just turn it with a change in the story. Pinguli puppets bear some kind of similarity to the shadow puppets of Andhra Pradesh.

(The exhibition is on at Arts of The Earth, Lado Sarai, New Delhi, till July 16.Godan)

When paper reached Madhubani village in Bihar, courtesy Pupul Jayakar, womenfolk of the Dusar community felt tempted to shift the unique iconography of tattoos engraved on their bodies, to it. It’s surprising that even though the developments in Madhubani and Godana were taking place simultaneously, one acquired a cult status and another remained hardly known. It was primarily done by women but when the art form reached the market like in the case of Madhubani, men also took to it. Sat Narayan Pandey was one of them. Arpana Caur met him sometime in the ’80s at a craft exposition in Delhi and that’s how began a long association between the two which was cut short by the sudden death of the folk artist. Eight years ago, Pandey fell off a bus and died. Ironically, his paintings touched an aspect that was related to living in the city

“He was doing the typical Godana stuff but I saw a possibility of departure from the typical imagery. So I told him to do trees for me. He got back with those trees and they looked very different. From then on, he just kept on doing trees but each tree looked different from the other. They are quite imaginative. He would play with the intensity of cow dung,” explains Arpana, who is showcasing 50 of his works. A collector of tribal and folk art, Caur concenrates on one folk form every summer. This time, she got the paper painting stitched on to a cloth and mounted on a canvas. “I would tell him to do trees or depict traffic signals as trees so once he did a traffic signal and a tree shown inside the signal. The idea was about how traffic and pollution are choking the environment of the city. We worked together on many canvases and co-signed it. He once made it to the Crafts Museum’s exhibition with great difficulty and that too in the month of June when it hardly gets any visitors.

The Hindu, 22nd June 2012

The hilly and somewhat backward Morni and Pinjore regions of Haryana falling in Panchkula district would be developed on priority basis as the government has approved a special package of Rs. 3 crore and the emphasis would be on projecting them as tourist destinations

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced the package after visiting Tikkar Tal Tourist Complex at Morni

Senior officers disclosed that development works would be carried out in 20 Morni and eight Pinjore villages. Also, a three-km road would be constructed from Belwali village to Sergujran and from Meerpur to Tikkar which would benefit residents of about 50 villages

Instructions were issued to maintain the natural scenic beauty of Morni especially the Tourist Complex by de-silting the water body and constructing a retaining wall to prevent landslides during the rainy season

Officials of the Tourism Department said that the old Thakur Dwar Temple located close to the Tourist Complex would be renovated through Shri Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Board

Meanwhile, the State government has agreed in principle to provide 25 acres of land in the National Capital Region near Delhi to the Union Tourism Ministry for setting up an Indian Culinary Institute

The land would be provided on the condition that 50 per cent seats in the institute would be reserved for the students of Haryana

Moreover, the Haryana Tourism would rebuild the Surkhab Tourist Complex, Sirsa and Bulbul Tourist Complex, Jind. Also, an Integrated Tourism Resort would be developed at Madhogarh Fort in Mahendergarh district under Public Private Partnership mode

The Hindu, 22nd June 2012

The grand pianoforte was ordered for the 10-year-old Victoria by her uncle, King William IV, in 1829

The authorities at Victoria Memorial Hall unveiled a nearly 200-year-old piano that was used by Queen Victoria herself, on the occasion of World Music Day on Thursday

The instrument had been locked up for nearly two decades, ever since the Royal Gallery at the museum was closed for renovation

The grand pianoforte was ordered for the 10-year-old Victoria by her uncle, King William IV, in 1829. It is the instrument on which she learnt how to play from her teacher Mrs. Lucy Anderson, according to records at the memorial hall

During the unveiling at the Queen’s Hall, compositions by J.S. Bach, Frederic Chopin and Franz Schubert were played in a short concert by students of the noted pianist Jyotishka Dasgupta, albeit on a piano far more modern

Made of rosewood with an ivory keyboard, Queen Victoria’s piano has an ornamental wooden harp on its base. “Our research suggests that the piano was probably kept in Windsor Castle before it was brought here,” said Piyasi Bharasa, Education Officer of Victoria Memorial Hall

A certificate from the French manufacturers of the instrument, S & P Erard, that confirms that the piano (N. 69) was made by them in 1829 “for the use of Her Late Majesty Queen Victoria, when a girl” is also on display

Although museum authorities have not been able to dig out any information on Queen Victoria’s abilities as a pianist, it is well known that she was very fond of music. She often accompanied her husband Prince Albert, who was a talented organist, Ms. Bharasa said

The piano, along with the writing desk and chair used by her for her daily correspondence at Windsor Castle, were presented to Victoria Memorial by her son King Edward VII. These personal effects occupied the centre of the Royal Gallery

The famed “Jaipur painting” that depicts the entry of King Edward VII (then Prince of Wales) into Jaipur in 1876, believed to be the largest oil painting in India and the third largest in the World, and Queen Victoria’s last letter to India dated December 14, 1900, are among the exhibits lying in the Royal Gallery that is still closed for renovation

“At the time of the tercentennial celebration of the city [in 1990], several artefacts were moved around to make space in the museum’s galleries and many treasures lie locked up today. Some, like this piano, have been restored and brought back into public display, but there is an urgent need for modernisation of the museum,” said Professor Swapan Chakravorty, Secretary and Curator

The Hindu, 22nd June 2012

In an alliance with scholars and linguists, the Internet powerhouse introduced an Endangered Languages Project website where people can find, share, and store information about dialects in danger of disappearing

"People can share their knowledge and research directly through the site and help keep the content up-to-date," project managers Clara Rivera Rodriguez and Jason Rissman said in a Google blog post.

"A diverse group of collaborators have already begun to contribute content ranging from 18th-century manuscripts to modern teaching tools like video and audio language samples and knowledge-sharing articles."

The website at endangeredlanguages.Com is designed to let users upload video, audio, or text files and encourages them to memorialize recordings of rare dialects.

Only half of the approximately 7,000 languages spoken today are expected to survive past the end of this century, according to an Endangered Languages video posted at Google-owned video-sharing venue YouTube.

"Documenting...Languages that are on the verge of extinction is an important step in preserving cultural diversity, honoring the knowledge of our elders and empowering our youth," Rodriguez and Rissman said.

"Technology can strengthen these efforts, by helping people create high-quality recordings of their elders (often the last speakers of a language), connecting Diaspora communities through social media and facilitating language learning."

Google's philanthropic arm seeded the project, leadership of which will be ceded in coming months to the First People's Cultural Council and the Institute for Language Information and Technology at Eastern Michigan University

The Asian Age, 22nd June 2012

To provide quality services to visitors in and around tourist destinations, the union tourism ministry will Tuesday launch a pilot project under 'Clean India Campaign' at Qutab Minar in the capital

The campaign has been initiated by the tourism ministry to increase tourist arrivals to the country and to improve quality of services and provide a hygienic environment in and around tourist destinations across the country

According to ministry, in the first phase of the campaign, 36 monuments have been identified by the tourism ministry and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)

Under the pilot project, all issues regarding the heritage site are taken care of including providing drinking water facilities, renovation of toilets, maintenance of parking lots at Qutab Minar, conversion of Qutab Minar complex into friendly zone for physically challenged persons

'Clean India Campaign' is a multi-pronged action and comprehensive strategy to ensure an acceptable level of cleanliness and hygiene practices at tourist destinations for an inclusive and sustainable development of tourism through ownership and involvement of private and public sector stakeholders

"This initiative aims to create a collective mindset that promotes cleanliness and hygiene by a balance of persuasion, education, sensitisation, training, demonstration, regulation and involvement of every individual," the ministry said in a statement

The Times of India, 22nd June 2012

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Thursday expressed “deep concern” over the slow pace of renovation work in Connaught Place (CP), saying it looked unlikely at the moment that the project would be able to meet its December deadline

She said Delhi’s Chief Secretary would meet officials in the petroleum ministry to discuss the issue. “Since project consultants, Engineers India Limited (EIL), comes under the petroleum ministry, the Chief Secretary and the NDMC chairperson are expected to meet officials in the ministry to discuss the delay. We will seek their advice. I have visited CP several times and it does not seem possible that all work will be completed by December 2012, as promised by EIL earlier,” Dikshit said

Stating that CP should be cleared of the mess as the area “is the heart of the city and has historical importance”, she said: “The renovation plan was supposed to be completed by the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Two years on, there has been little progress.

Her statement came amid protests by CP traders, who said the situation could go out of hand once the monsoon hits the city

“The monsoon is approaching. The sewage lines have not been connected in several places. This is going to compound the mess. Electricity lines are lying exposed,” New Delhi Traders Association president Atul Bharghav said

After six years of “digging” in the area, the NDMC has nothing to show but dug-up spaces, exposed electrical wires and pipelines, the traders alleged

NDMC officials, however, said they were hopeful that the majority of work would be completed by December

The Indian Express, 22nd June 2012

Green activists in Delhi mobilize support to breathe fresh life into Hauz-e-Shamsi that has been part of Mehrauli’s heritage

Writing for this column last week, I had wrongly identified an organisation as the initiator for the citizen’s intervention in defence of the Neela Hauz, near Kishangarh. In fact the public interest group before the Delhi High Court was moved by the Neela Hauz Citizen’s Group. I have come to learn that the Citizen’s Group had approached the court once again to draw attention to the slow pace of work in the restoration of the hauz and the court has now fixed a deadline of February 2013 for returning the hauz to its original state

All concerned, including The Citizen’s Group, the Delhi Development Authority and the Delhi Jal Board, meet once a month to monitor the progress. The water hyacinth cover spread over the lake’s surface is likely to be removed towards June-end. There is hope that the Neela Hauz will be saved and if that happens, it will be a rare victory for the forum and all conservationists in the city

The mistake that I made last week has come as a boon for me, because interaction with the Neela Hauz Citizen’s Group made me think of another initiative at the Hauz-e-Shamsi (next on the forum’s list). Though not as organised as the Neela Hauz Citizen’s Group but certainly as well-meaning and as creatively imagined and executed as the Neela Hauz initiative

Abhinandita Mathur, a photographer by profession, and her husband Vishal Rawlley, an artist, live next to the Hauz-e-Shamsi and have over the last three years been running around, contacting various agencies and also trying on their own to prevent their neighbours from throwing their trash in the hauz. They have managed to get the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to build a drain that now carries domestic waste from the surrounding apartments away from the hauz. One of the projects that the couple developed struck a chord with everyone who has heard the story of how the hauz came into being. A recounting of the tale will help in appreciating the project better

The Hauz-e-Shamsi was built on the orders of Shams-ud-Din Iltutmish or Altamash (1211-1236). It is said that one day, he asked his nobles to accompany him to a site. Once there, he pointed to a stone and informed his nobles that the night before, Prophet Mohammad had appeared in his dream; He was astride his horse and the horse’s hoof rested on that stone. Altamash claimed that the Prophet then instructed him to build a hauz on that site in order to improve availability of water for the residents of Mehrauli

It is believed that the lake was then excavated with that very rock as the centre-point. A few rain-fed streams and perhaps now extinct tributaries to the Yamuna were diverted to fill the lake that at one time covered an area of more than five acres. Overflow from the lake was passed through a channel, called the Jharna, to a stream known as the Nau Lakha Nala. The Nala deposited the excess to the Yamuna

During the 16 century, a pavilion was erected above the rock and a pleasure palace known as the Jahaz Mahal was built on the eastern bank of the hauz. Mohammad Bin Tughlaq carried out repairs on the hauz, while additional buildings like a pavilion and a baradari were added near the Jharna by Ghazi-ud-din Ahmad, a commander of Aurangzeb and by Akbar Shah II, the father of Bahadur Shah Zafar. The Jharna and the Hauz are the sites around which the annual Phool Walon Ki Sair is organised

The locals treat the water as sacred and there is a tradition among both the Hindus and Muslims to release live fish in the hauz as thanksgiving for wish fulfilment

Drawing upon all these factors and the tale of the Prophet’s horse, Abhinandita and Vishal floated a talking horse in the hauz. The horse could be called on a mobile number and you could leave your messages about the lake, about pollution and about environment with the horse; the number was circulated through leaflets and the talking horse became a big hit with the youth of this part of Mehrauli, leading to many youngsters becoming protectors of the hauz

The Neela Hauz Citizen’s Group that can be reached at plans to mobilise opinion and support to save and revive the Hauz-e-Shamsi; in the meanwhile, the young couple that lives next to the hauz would certainly be a part of this campaign

The Hindu, 23rd June 2012

The hottest city in India seems unaware of the blistering heat and its vanishing history

Churu, floating on the surface of the sand bowl of Thar, is a modest town with immodest weather. The weather gods speak more for Churu than the townspeople. The twin peaks of searing heat and numbing cold have put this otherwise nondescript town on a map of notoriety year after year for being the hottest place in India, with temperatures dallying in the late forties. It is surrounded by other equally hot districts — Bikaner, Sriganganagar and Hissar, which experience intense solar radiation and sport temperatures northwards of 45 degrees Celsius for most of summer. The peak this summer at Churu was 49 degrees on May 31

Yet, there’s more to Churu than what meets the weathered eye. Under the veil of modesty lies a boiling and parched town containing valuable personal histories of important families — merchant classes that developed trade from a town that was once known as “Ajmer se Kabul ka chauraha”

The doors of Dr Bhanwar Singh Samaur’s house are open to anyone seeking to discover Churu. A local legend himself, Dr Samaur doesn’t waste any time on introductions before retelling Churu’s place in history

According to him, the origin of the town goes back to the Mahabharata. Samaur, the elder, receives us in a room decorated with his history. Here he is joined by his son who supplies Samaur with related threads and dates. At five-minute intervals, the door opens, a head peeks in to add a fact. By the end of the hour, the room is complete with S, the elder, his son, two daughters and three grandchildren with only the wife wedged behind the mesh door. Dr Samaur’s biographical sketch of Churu reveals the importance of merchants and trade. The first trader families to venture out from Rajasthan came from Churu. The town is littered with havelis built by these business families — Oswal, Bhagwandas Bagla, Goenka, Poddar — families that have succeeded and settled elsewhere

Thirty-six kilometer away from Churu, is the village of Dudhwa Khara. From the ramparts of the Nathani family seat, an old man waves at us vigorously. As we get closer, his waving gets more energetic. It’s not a welcome. It’s a get-off-my-property gesture. While we skulk around, the old man’s son appears. We persuade him to let us see the insides of the Nathani Haveli, saying that we’d read a lot on the internet about it. Reluctantly, he lets us in. There were three Nathani brothers — Hazarimal, Sagarlal and Rameshwar — then the viceroys of the region for the British. Three large havelis for each stand as desolate as the tijoris, Rangoon embossed trunks, four-poster beds, their personal histories settled with dust and time. Children from the village play cards outside and the caretaker knows precious little to show us around, comfortable in the white heat

In Churu, the haveli du jour is Malji ka kamara. It’s perhaps the first haveli to have restoration work done to it and will soon open for the benefit of firang tourists. Behind tall fortified doors lies a depressingly restored haveli clad in coats of mint paint. The very thought that this could be Churu’s “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the beautiful and elderly” is grotesque. Grander schemes to develop family seats into heritage hotels in Churu have seen some talking but little action, thankfully

In December, 2011, Pratik Agarwala had visited Churu to retrace his family’s footnotes in history. Son of Jyotiprasad Agarwala, the famous Assamese playwright, he left behind a thank you note to Nagarsri Museum, Churu for all the information it provided. Nagarsri is a family run trust, surviving to keep the numerous personal histories of this town alive. The museum-cum-library-cum-haveli has a large collection of photographs of the families, handwritten account books of the city, artefacts from Kalibangan, Ganjifa cards, and a predominantly Hindi library. Of the few English books that survive, Scottish explorer T George Scott’s ominously titled Burma as it was, as it is and as it will be catches the curious eye — a reminder of the trade ties that extended from Churu all the way to Rangoon. Three volumes of guest books are filled with touching testimonies, like Pratik Agrawala’s, some to the trust’s efforts, and some simply to the discovery of this charming place

As Geeta Samaur, the elder so rightly points out, Churu, in all its modesty, is a dwarf among Rajasthan’s historical destinations. It is a town that has benefited from the largesse of families that left its shores, but it has never bothered to preserve these family histories that give Churu its own story, and its own place in time. As the mercury docks another new high for the month of June, this modest town plods on slowly, almost safe in the comfort of heat and unaware of history

Across the Churu district, the dusty landscape is dotted with medieval water conservation structures called joharas to collect and preserve rain water. Locals bring their flocks and 400 litre tanks to these joharas to collect drinking water. The depth of the joharas can go up to 60-70 feet. When water projects fail, these joharas have become a source of constant drinking water, albeit dependent on rainfall. Situated on the shifting sands of the Thar desert, the town is subject to extremes in weather. Despite the burning heat wave conditions, people of Churu have coped with the extremities, even the gadha rehdiwallas don't mind the heat as much as the lack of work

Fifty, sixty years ago, these donkey carts were used for transport. The earlier camel carts were replaced by donkey and horse carts. Grain, metal, bricks and people, any load upto a weight of five quintals, all hitched a ride on this quaint little cart called “minister ki gaadi”. These gadha rehdis run on “hawai jahaaz ke tyres”. Second-hand, but airplane tyres nonetheless. The tyres have been bought in auctions for many years at markets in Delhi by businessmen from Ladnun and stocked by shopkeepers in Churu for the rehdiwallas. These airplane tyres suit the terrain, give good value for money, have longevity and add more bite to the title of “minister ki gaadi”. Still on the streets but no longer in vogue, these minister ki gaadis, like Churu itself, are fighting a tough battle to stay relevant. Upstaged by autos and not helped by the searing heat either, the 500 odd rehdiwallas in Churu have little work. Their days are numbered but they insist that their carts will always be plied, that their trade will continue as friendly shopkeepers call the rehdiwallas to cool their heels in the shade

The Indian Express, 24th June 2012

She was short and pale, yet stunningly beautiful. She danced like a dream and loved like a romantic but what people don’t know about Begum Samru was that she was one nautch girl who rose to be a hardened ruler, a strict administrator and a shrewd politician, managing her estate with an iron hand. Three centuries after her death, this unsung powerhouse of multiple liaisons and intrigue in Indian history is all set to reclaim lost territory in director Tigmanshu Dhulia’s next period film. DEEBASHREE MOHANTY visited her dilapidated haveli in Chandni Chowk to give you a peep into her life & times

At four feet-one inch, Farzana was not just another nautch girl born to a tawaif. She was charming and witty, someone who knew how to spin a web around her men; she was tactful and flirtatious. And, as she rose to become the ruler of Sardhana, a nondescript township near Meerut, she took over like a seasoned master

Rechristened Begum Samru, this 15-year-old ruler knew all the tricks of the trade — she was a perfect administrator, a keen accountant and a ruthless leader. She used brute force against all those who deigned to rise against her

Begum died at age 53, and her tomb is in London, but very little is known about this colourful personality. But now that Kareena Kapoor will be giving her screen life three centuries after her mysterious death, the Begum is back to rule yet again — and this time she has her sights set on public imagination

The Begum had a very long and lasting relationship with the gallis of the Capital. Ruins of her palace in Chandni Chowk bear credence to this. As you meander through the congested bylanes of what is now known as Bhagirath Place, enquiring about her from samosa vendors, furniture shop-owners and kiosk owners selling traditional lamp shades, no one seems to know what we are talking about

We ask around for Begum Samru’s palace which has since been renamed Bhagirath Place since and is now a hub for electronic goods. People have no idea whatsoever who Begum Samru was but they have heard of a haveli of the same name “somewhere”

Situated at the corner of this lane is a two-storeyed dilapidated building in urgent need of repair. The architecture is ageold, replete with traditional jharokas. Our rickshaw pulls to a halt. “Yeh baaki hai haveli ka... iss begum sahiba ka koi naamo nishaan nahin raha...,” he tells you

We find ourselves standing next to a board with very sketchy information about our subject — Begum Samru, a Muslim nautch girl Farzana, born in 1760, brought to Delhi from her birthplace some 50 miles away, by her tawaif mother. The mother died with giving birth but the child survived and was brought up and trained in a kotha in Chawri Bazaar

“A star pupil, Farzana grew into a rare beauty with flashing eyes, pearl complexion and lively wit. She performed at a mehfil and a day later was given away as a concubine to Austrian adventurer Walter Joseph Reinhardt of Luxemburg,” is how author John Lall describes Begum Samru in his book Begum Samru, published by Roli Books way back in 2005

Though Lall is now ailing and cannot remember much about his work, it is his friend and co-author Andrew William tells us how interesting a subject Begum Samru was

“I vividly remember how ecstatic Lall had been to have discovered Ishaa and Kamal Rani, twotawaif girls whose family knew the Begum. They were much younger than Farzana but had heard about her in detail. Lall spent days with these two girls to get the physical description of Samru in place. As for the emotional strains, Lall had to rely on the available background,” William tells you from New York, answering an email query

As history has it, Farzana finally married Reinhardt in 1765 AD and her association with him lasted for 13 years till his death in 1778. Meanwhile, her husband who had assumed the title of Sombre, had been granted a jagir in 1776. After his death, the jagir was transferred to Farzana by the then Mughal emperor Shah Alam in 1779. Ever since, Farzana came to be known as as Begum Samru, a variation of her husband’s title, Sombre

“She was a very complex subject to study. She was beautiful and, being a nautch girl, had mastered the art of using her charm on men. What most people don’t know is that she was equally good at administration. Land tariff had shot up during her period and farmers tell you it turned out to be the most fruitful period for her,” Bollywood director Tigmanshu Dhulia says about his forthcoming period film on Begum Samru. He adds that although nothing much has been decided about the movie thus far, the title is going to remain the same

“Begum Samru needs to be re-discovered because she was an exemplary woman and a great achiever,” he says, explaining why he felt the need to make a film around a subject as unknown as Begum Samru

Although Farzana had spent a good 15 years in her haveli in Chandni Chowk, very little information is there about her. The haveli has since then changed a lot of hands — from the Rajas to the Dhaliwals who have been owners of this property for the last 100 years or more. “Many generations of Dhaliwals have been coming to collect the monthly rent of Rs 1.5 lakh from the Central Bank branch office which operates from the haveli’s premises. Many years ago, the bank acquired this property for a paltry Rs 2 lakh,” Satish Kundu (66-year-old) who sells carbon papers just outside of it, says. Kundu is an old timer in this area having spent most of his days in the galis of Chandni Chowk

“My chacha told us that this haveli, at one time, was surrounded by nine ponds. The dungeon below leads all the way to Agra Fort. No one has ever travelled the length but, at one time, Begumsahiba would use this as her getaway,” Kundu tells you

Begum Samru had a very colourful life something that historians have enjoyed writing about. “Farzana was converted to the Roman Catholic faith in 1781. She was baptised as Joanna. An old church in Sardhana obtained by Reinhardt who wanted to rebuild the premises. After his death, Farzana completed the job and it has remained a monument in her memory,” history professor Asad Alam, who teaches research scholars at Delhi University, tells you

Prof Alam adds that Begum Samru would be an excellent ingredient for a movie. “She is the ideal heroine. She is pretty, smart and had no qualms about her character. She was very good to people of her estate,” he says

There was much more to Farzana than her eclectic kotha performances and her innumerous flings, including a marriage with Le Vasoult, a French cavalier, in 1793. This had led to a revolt by her officers and troops. She was captured and tied to a machine gun for several days before being saved by an old admirer

“She was a passionate queen. When she loved, she would go to any extreme. But the period between 1773-78 took a heavy toll on her. Her own troops turned mutinous and would no longer take her commands. There was a time when Farzana even considered running away from Sardhana with her French lover. However, it was her warrior bent that did not allow her to do so and she soon became the subject of much scorn. Farzana was thrown into a prison in her own estate and denied proper food and water for four months before an old admirer rescued her from that hell,” historian AK Akbar from JNU tells you. Akbar has studied Begum Samru extensively as a part of his thesis

But will the movie do justice to the complex character? “I really don’t know. We will try to bring forth all aspects about Farzana,” Dhulia says, earnestly

The director, who earned a lot of acclaim for his last movie Paan Singh Tomar, is relying heavily on research for this epic. “What I found most fascinating about this lady was the fact that she was a multi-talented persona. We know that the Begum was a good administrator. Her staff was always paid on time. She was interested in agriculture and, under her rule, the land revenue went up from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. She was also known to be a hard taskmaster who dealt severely with rebels,” Dhulia tells you

Author Lall has cited innumerable instances of Farzana unleashing her brutal side too. In a chapter dealing with her administration skills, he writes that Begum once had two of her faithful slaves buried alive for intrigues against her. Then there are other instances of physical violence when she had commanded that her principal officers hand be severed because he had faulted in keeping accounts

“Although it did not gel with the personality we had in mind, it was essential in her times that the warrior be tough. Women did not enjoy a great position in society and when they became rulers, they had to be fighters. Begum Samru was just that — she was a beautiful fighter. Lall had enough evidence from her past to make this conclusion in his novel,” William says

As for Begum’s conversion to Christianity, was it the result of belief? “We learn that the conversion made little difference to her. The court continued to be run in the Muslim style with some changes with respect to Christian rituals on special occasions. She observed all Muslim festivals with fervour and would not take in anything against her original religion. In fact, the church she did up in Sardana is ensconced in Muslim architecture and looks more like a masjid than a church,” Akbar points out

Today, however, all that remains of Begum Samru are two dilapidated palaces and some remnants of a mosque near Sardhana. Very little is known about her later years and death. “It is as if she disappeared into nothingness. Her entire clan is missing from any kind of records. She had only one friend during her nautch girl days but she also finds no mention in history books,” Prof Alam tells you

But one thing is indisputable. The Begum died immensely rich. Her inheritance was assessed at 55.5 Million Gold Marks in 1923 and 18 Billion Deutschmark in 1953. Her inheritance continues to be disputed till this day

An organisation called “Reinhards Erbengemeinschaft” based in London still strives to resolve the inheritance issue. Although officials of this organisation refused to share any details about this hefty inheritance, they did accept in an email that an account in Reinhards’ name exists till today and there have been no claimants so far

Back home and on the silver screen, whether Kareena Kapoor plays the Begum or will the director be able to flesh out history’s most elusive yet colourful woman remains to be seen. Historians though are rejoicing that a forgotten heroine is finally getting her due. And, William is the most excited of the lot. He says on behalf of John Lall: “Begum Samru’s name is not found in many history books. Her life and achievement were relegated to obscure records in archives in India and London. Her kin were scattered in distant lands. Even her great wealth became the subject of a famous law suit which gave it away to a scheming English woman by declaring her heir insane. All was lost and gone. A dark and even tragic legacy,” he tells you. It is believed that after her death her heir was not recognised and were denied the possession of the wealth. “We don’t have conclusive evidence but the Britishers tagged her as a mad woman and also didn’t recognise her heir,” Williams tells you

For those who stream into the church at Sardhana, and the thousands who gather at the adjacent majid as pilgrims for the annual urs on every second Sunday of November, wonder who the marble figure at the entrance represents — a ruler of yore, a forgotten heroine or just a great woman. They will find their answers very soon when Dhulia lifts the curtains on this historical figure, little known and totally unsung

The Pioneer, 24th June 2012

Agatha Christie sits next to Roget’s Thesaurus, and Japuji Saheb is placed next to a translation of the Torah. More than 3,000 books — both old and new — on subjects as diverse as ancient architecture, literature, geography, health, religion, metaphysics, hobbies and even journalism, are neatly stacked in a cosy library that also boasts of some replicas of ancient Indian art

It’s an excellent collection, and the man who manages the library is equally impressive — Dr Janki Ballabh Jha — a medical practitioner fluent in at least three languages has translated the Gita into archaic English verse that the US-based International Gita Society has uploaded on the Net. The most interesting aspect of the library is, however, its setting — an old age home

Godhuli, the senior citizens’ home run by the Servants of the People Society, has become a landmark in Dwarka. Neat and clean with modern amenities, facilities such as gym and parking, and pleasing environs, it is home to around 60 people, who, like 80-year-old Dr Jha, have chosen to stay here post-retirement

The library is located on the first floor of the building, next to a sitting area with comfortable chairs and sofas and overlooking a garden

“While most of the titles are in English, we have around 300 books in Hindi and 150 in Bengali — mostly literary works,” says Jha, who speaks all the three languages. He is self-taught in library science, and in literature his personal favourites are Shakespeare and Arthur Conan Doyle

Using the universal decimal code, he has catalogued the entire collection under various heads, including something as unusual as ‘Death, Funeral & Obituary’

“It is neither unusual nor morbid,” he counters. “It is a biological inevitability and also at a higher plane, the final question,” philosophises Jha, who retired as chief medical officer, CGHS, and practised in his native village in Jharkhand for a while before joining Godhuli. “I was the fifth resident to join this place,” he says while showing us a 1954 second edition Kemsley Manual of Journalism

The voluntary work of a resident-librarian is, however, not without regrets. The well-stocked place gets few visitors. “One of the residents, a PhD in Sanskrit, was a regular reader here, but now with failing health and poor eyesight she is unable to come to the library. A 93-year-old lady borrows books quite regularly. Apart from them, you can say that I am the sole reader and keeper of this place,” he says with a wry smile

Says Alka Mathur, Godhuli’s manager, “Health and interest are the two key factors; it’s up to the residents to use the library.” She adds that a large number of books have been donated by individuals. “We are careful not to accept too many old books as they are difficult to maintain,” she says

Perhaps opening the library to the general public or even local senior citizens, for a nominal fee, would have ensured that people use it. “But the library is meant for residents of this old age home, so that they can read in privacy and peace. Opening the library for others would also mean security and other related issues for Godhuli,” adds Mathur

Jha, meanwhile, is happy spending time in this little library when he is not surfing the Net for the latest medical news

The Indian Express, 24th June 2012

It is the only structure from Babur's era in Delhi and is among the 174 monuments protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in the Capital.

The 16th century structure is an ancient mosque at Palam village and lies in a congested urbanised village. As per an inscription in

mixed Arabic and Persian on one of the three arches in the mosque, Ghazanfar built this mosque in 1528-29 during Babur's reign. The dome went missing during the Partition, local residents said. And over the years, the mosque itself has changed drastically (see box)

"None of the ASI officials come here. We have been living here for decades and carried out the additions with donation," said a person, who did not wish to be identified. The ASI's answer was that the mosque has "lost its antiquity value"

Another structure facing a similar situation is the tomb of Razia Sultan. Squeezed between modern buildings, the tomb of Razia (AD 1211-36), the only woman to have ruled Delhi's throne, can be reached by navigating a narrow lane in Bulbuli Khana mohalla near Turkman Gate.

But nothing can be worse than the fate of Jogabai mound on the banks of the Yamuna. Jamia's Zakir Nagar and Batla House colonies are located right on top of the mound, which had archaeological remains under it

The question that comes to the mind is that why isn't the ASI de-notifying these monuments and removing from the list of protected monuments if they have lost their "antiquity value"

The proposal for de-notification has to go from the circle office. "Our proposal for de-notifying Jogabai Mound is already pending," said DN Dimri, head of ASI's Delhi circle. "But we have not considered anything about Palam Mosque or Tomb of Razia Sultan.

"De-notification becomes an administrative necessity to re-strategise protection policies. The very fact that these have undergone so much of change means the ASI is not protecting them" said conservation architect AGK Menon

The Hindustan Times, 24th June 2012

As Unesco's World Heritage Committee deliberates on 38 nominations for the World Heritage Site status at its fortnight long meeting beginning today in St. Petersburg, Russia, India is most likely to come out of it drawing a blank. The two Indian names that were up for consideration — the natural heritage site of the Western Ghats and the seven hill forts of Rajasthan — had failed to impress the respective evaluation bodies, IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and the ICOMOS (International Council of Monuments and Sites). While the decision on the former was deferred, the latter was not recommended for inscription in the list.

The heritage fraternity across the country has already begun nit-picking and trying to pin down those responsible for the failure. But then, the truth is that it's a tough call for any heritage site to make it to the list. Each country is allowed only two nominations annually and India already has 34 names in the tentative list. The dossiers for most of those sites are under preparation . Even if two Indian nominations were to be accepted each year, it would still take 17 years for all these sites to make the cut. And to say nothing of the new names jostling for nomination in the prestigious list

The immense international prestige that comes with the World Heritage Site tag cannot be overemphasized. But besides the prestige, what is it about this label that we must rush for it and spend enormous funds and manpower to prepare the detailed dossiers conforming to exacting Unesco standards? It's the guarantee of the preservation of these sites for posterity, argue most heritage experts. But that itself is debatable — can we not guarantee that without an expensive tag, which doesn't come easily any way

Author, filmmaker and heritage conservationist Sohail Hashmi says, "It's crucial to put our sites on the world heritage map as that spurs many people from India and abroad to visit those sites, makes our own people better informed and ensures conservation. It also prevents disfigurement of the site as happened with the Mahabalipuram temples which would have otherwise been disfigured by a flyover." Hashmi's illustration is seminal — it takes more than common sense in India to prevent obvious damages to anything historically important . If a site doesn't have a World Heritage Site label, it is most likely to be blemished by the lawless as well as those on the safe side of the law, often in the name of development

But the World Heritage Site status comes for a heavy price — a figure that none of the people involved with preparing the sites for consideration are willing to reveal. While one can only guess how much funds are needed for such an exercise, Saima Iqbal of INTACH Jammu & Kashmir, who is working on the documentation for the nomination of six Mughal Gardens of the state — Nishat, Shalimar , Achabal, Chashma Shahi, Verinag and Pari Mahal (on the tentative list since December 2010) — says, "Such projects are mostly supported by the government. We've been sending out funding proposals to both the central and state governments for further research and documentation." Often, it's the local government that funds the preparations. It is a heavy drain on the resources considering that when a site gets rejected, the money not only goes waste but more is needed to re-prepare

Abha Narain Lamba, Mumbai-based heritage consultant who was part of the documentation team for the nomination of three Qutb Shahi monuments of Hyderabad — Golconda Fort, Charminar and the Qutb Shahi tomb (on the tentative list since September 2010) — however, argues, "It's is not money wasted but invested. Even as a site is prepared for the nomination, a lot of improvement is undertaken in and around the site, which itself upgrades its status." Lamba has a point, but it's a pity that only a handful of sites that get pitched as potential World Heritage, get this makeover. The rest continue to languish in neglect and abuse

AGK Menon, convenor of the Delhi chapter of INTACH that is undertaking the documentation for Delhi's inclusion in the list as a World Heritage City (on the tentative list since May last year), says, "Of course, we must take care of our heritage even without the tag. But that is asking for a lot in a country where basic civic amenities too are not in order. The heritage status ensures that things improve at least around the site.

The Times of India, 24th June 2012

Settled outside Jaisalmer, in a village called Bhaiya, the Manganiyar community has an age-old tradition of men singing the story of the Ramayana through poetry of saints such as Kabir, Surdas, Mirabai and Tulsidas, which have been passed down orally through generations. In another world, London-based storyteller Vayu Naidu performs Vayu’s Ramayana, a reimagining of the epic in an English setting as a “transcultural experience through storytelling and music”. In Tamil Nadu, Kattaikkuttu Sangam, a residential theatre school in Kanchipuram for Kattaikkuttu performers, a theatre form practised in rural Tamil Nadu only by men, has merged the ancient story with a modern breakthrough. Its production, Ramaravana, for the first time, has women actors and the storyline recreates the epic with characters of Sita, Lakshmana, Ravana, Surpanakha, Hanuman and an absentee Rama

Now, an organisation based in Pune, Open Spaces, is documenting various creative retellings of the Ramayana in a website and an offline location in the city through a project called Kiski Kahani: 300 Ramayanas and Counting. Their documentation includes fine art, theatre, posters, calendars, films and photographs from India and abroad. Imran Ali Khan, the “Ramayanafied” head of the project, says, “Apart from being an archival project, we aim to reclaim the text. We want to open a way for new interpretations and tie-up with people who look at the Ramayana closely to recreate it in a more contemporary way.

A book on the project, with “around 200 pages of stories, essays, commissioned works, cartoon strips and academic writings from authors among others” will be released later this year. The project, which started in November, has on board Arshia Sattar, who translated Valmiki’s Ramayana in the 1990s as an advisor, and Ujwala Samarth as the programme coordinator. The team has dug into archives, libraries, the internet and commissioned works to ensure that the project includes both contemporary and traditional interpretations of the Ramayana. “We also look at folk stories which have a huge demographic and are mostly oral,” says Khan. One interesting story comes from Himachal Pradesh about how Sita was making laddoos in her kitchen when a crow flew away with one. He dropped it in Ravana’s lap in Lanka and, when he tasted it, he resolved to have this woman for himself. That, according to the story, is why she was abducted. “Many of these stories bring forward notions of the spaces of home, women and everyday life. I think that’s what the Ramayana really is, about people,” says Khan

Among the living legends is a Dalit community in Chhattisgarh called Ramnami Samaj who, when barred from the temple, tattooed themselves with the word “Ram” in Hindi. Another section talks about Montpellier (France)-based artist Hita Hirons who has created The Ramayana Clock, with the story painted on a circular sheet of metal. Yet another one comes from a Kolkata-based Kathak dancer, Ashavari Mazumdar, whose piece highlights the character of Surpanakha with several interpretations, from a vindictive demon to a young girl who challenged patriarchy. “At present, we’re trying to acquire material from the huge archive of the Oriental Institute’s library in Baroda,” says Khan, adding, “We have our ears to the ground for more. It’s a very small world, Ramayana’s.

The Indian Express, 25th June 2012

Archaeologists have unearthed what appears to be the foundation of a massive, ancient structure, possibly a bridge leading to an artificial island, in what is now southeast Wales

The strange ruin is unlike anything found before in the UK and possibly all of Europe, said Steve Clarke, chairman of the Monmouth Archaeological Society, who discovered the structural remains recently in Monmouth, Wales - a town known for its rich archaeological features

"It's a real mystery. Whatever it's, there's nothing else like it. It may well be unique," Clarke was quoted as saying by LiveScience. Clarke and his team unearthed the remnants of three giant timber beams placed alongside one another on a floodplain at the edge of an ancient lake that has long since filled with silt. After being set into the ground, the pieces of timber decayed, leaving anaerobic (oxygen-free) clay, which formed after silt filled in the timbers' empty slots, Clarke said

The team initially thought the timber structures were once sleeper beams, or shafts of timber placed in the ground to form the foundations of a house. However, the pieces appear to be too large for that purpose

While a typical sleeper beam would span about one foot across, these timber beams were over three feet wide and at least 50 feet long

The archaeologists are still digging and don't yet know how much longer the timbers are. Clarke said the structure's builders appear to have placed whole trees, cut in half lengthwise, into the ground

"One other thing that is striking that might be relevant is that the timbers seem to be lined up with the middle of the lake," Clarke noted, suggesting that the structures may have been part of a causeway to a crannog, or artificial island, constructed in the middle of the lake

Though they aren't sure when it was built or even if it came before or after the lake formed, the archaeologists said the structure, at its oldest, could date to the Bronze Age around 4,000 years ago

Beneath the beams the researchers also found a burnt mound of rock and charcoal fragments, alongside of which they found a hearth and trough. They believe people in the Bronze Age heated stones in a fire and threw them into a filled trough to boil water

The Indian Express, 25th June 2012

Archaeologists have unearthed what appears to be the foundation of a massive, ancient structure, possibly a bridge leading to an artificial island, in what is now southeast Wales

The strange ruin is unlike anything found before in the UK and possibly all of Europe, said Steve Clarke, chairman of the Monmouth Archaeological Society, who discovered the structural remains recently in Monmouth, Wales - a town known for its rich archaeological features

"It's a real mystery. Whatever it's, there's nothing else like it. It may well be unique," Clarke was quoted as saying by LiveScience. Clarke and his team unearthed the remnants of three giant timber beams placed alongside one another on a floodplain at the edge of an ancient lake that has long since filled with silt. After being set into the ground, the pieces of timber decayed, leaving anaerobic (oxygen-free) clay, which formed after silt filled in the timbers' empty slots, Clarke said

The team initially thought the timber structures were once sleeper beams, or shafts of timber placed in the ground to form the foundations of a house. However, the pieces appear to be too large for that purpose

While a typical sleeper beam would span about one foot across, these timber beams were over three feet wide and at least 50 feet long

The archaeologists are still digging and don't yet know how much longer the timbers are. Clarke said the structure's builders appear to have placed whole trees, cut in half lengthwise, into the ground

"One other thing that is striking that might be relevant is that the timbers seem to be lined up with the middle of the lake," Clarke noted, suggesting that the structures may have been part of a causeway to a crannog, or artificial island, constructed in the middle of the lake

Though they aren't sure when it was built or even if it came before or after the lake formed, the archaeologists said the structure, at its oldest, could date to the Bronze Age around 4,000 years ago

Beneath the beams the researchers also found a burnt mound of rock and charcoal fragments, alongside of which they found a hearth and trough. They believe people in the Bronze Age heated stones in a fire and threw them into a filled trough to boil water

The Indian Express, 22nd June 2012

India’s campaign renewed at the 36th session of the World Heritage Committee at St. Petersburg

Verdict soon:India has been campaigning for the inscription of 39 serial sites of the Western Ghats on the World Heritage List since 2006.— File photo: K. Murali Kuma

The campaign for the nomination of 39 serial sites of the Western Ghats as a world heritage site will be renewed at the 36th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) which will begin at St. Petersburg on Sunday

A decision on the nominated sites will be taken by a 21-nation panel including India. The task of the panel will be to “identify the cultural and natural properties of Outstanding Universal Value which are to be protected under the Convention and inscribe them properties on the World Heritage List.

India has been campaigning for the inscription of the sites on the list since 2006. The 35th session of the WHC held in Paris last year had deferred its decision on nomination after considering a report of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which evaluated the sites

In its report, the IUCN had suggested that India “review and refine the scope and composition” of the sites and consider the recommendations the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP). It was asked to “further refine the boundaries” of the sites to ensure the “exclusion of disturbed areas” and “enhance the contiguity and buffer zones of the nomination” based on the WGEEP recommendations

India will take the position that the WGEEP recommendations shall not be linked to the evaluation of the ghats as the government has not taken a final decision on the report, which is kept in public domain for consultation. The recommendations on land use and controls on development would be applied to the sites once the decision is taken, according to a dossier to be placed before the WHC

It will be stressed that the panel has not made any recommendation to refine the scope and composition of the nominated sites, which include national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves and reserved forests. Hence the question of compliance with the panel recommendations does not arise, the document said

The Indian delegation to Russia include Jagdish Kishwan, Additional Director General (Wildlife), and S.K. Khanduri, Inspector General (Wildlife) of the Ministry of Environment and Forest, and V.B. Mathur, Dean, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun

Sans settlement

On the IUCN suggestion for exclusion of disturbed areas from the nominated sites, India will take the stand that “the existing reservoirs, plantations and surrounding agriculture lands are in no way impairing the identified Outstanding Universal Values (OUV) of the nominated property and it continues to be an evolutionary ecotone.

The continuous and purposeful engagement of the local communities and indigenous groups has been ensured at all phases of the nomination. The exclusion of the existing settlements from the nominated property would “lead to their displacement and would work against the bona fide interests of the local communities,” it will be argued

It will be stressed that a “comprehensive three-tier mechanism for the improved coordination, integration and management of sites and safeguarding its OUV” is in place. The mechanism “fully meets the intended requirement of the overarching management framework proposed by IUCN” and “ensures continuous and increased engagement of all stakeholders including the local communities” in the management of the sites, according to the dossier

The Hindu, 25th June 2012

The environment ministry’s bid to seek US $ 30 million from the World Bank to checking poaching in around 600 national parks and sanctuaries could mean making India’s wildlife laws compliant with the bank’s norms.

The Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) for the proposed

project circulated by the ministry speaks about the need to review relevant environmental and land acquisition legislation comply with World Bank’s environmental and social safeguard policies

“Adhering to the principles and procedures and using the checklist of potential environmental and social issues laid out in this ESMF will help the implementing agencies to ensure compliance with the World Bank’s environmental and social safeguard policies,” the ministry has said in the document

India is seeking a loan of US $ 30 million from the World Bank to adopt an integrated national and international approach to checking wildlife poaching, which is now rated as third biggest illegal trade in the world after drugs and weapons. Nepal and Bangladesh have taken funding from the bank for adopting similar approach.

The bank is emphasizing on integrated wildlife protection for entire South Asia, which accounts for 13- 15% of the world's biodiversity and is considered a lucrative target of the trade

Illegal wildlife trade from South Asia is perceived to be on rise. “Victims of the trade include the iconic tiger and elephant, the snow leopard, the common leopard, the one-horn rhino, pangolin, brown bear, several species of deer and reptiles, seahorses, star tortoises, butterflies, peacocks, hornbills, parrots, parakeets and birds of prey, and corals,” the ESMF document prepared joint by the ministry and the bank said

Within south Asia, Nepal has emerged as a hub for illegal wildlife trade destined for China. Myanmar is another important route for transporting wildlife body parts to Laos and Vietnam, two major global transit hubs for illegal wildlife trade.

The ministry is seeking a loan of US $ 30 million from the bank to strengthen wildlife protection measures across 600 national parks and sanctuaries in India, many of which share boundary with neighbouring countries

The funds are likely to be used for cross border landscape management approach between the countries, relocation of people living in parks and sanctuaries to create inviolate wildlife areas and satellite based monitoring approach. India would also use the funds to strengthen Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, setting up of Virtual Regional Center of Excellence (VRCE) for wildlife conservation and research projects in wildlife conservation

“The project will focus on a selected set of country-specific initiatives as well as key mutually agreed regional activities that are crucial to attaining the regional strategic goals,” a ministry official said

The ministry, however, admits that the World Bank funding can impact implementation of environmental laws such as Environment Protection Act of 1986, National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy, 2007, Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 with applicability of bank’s five policies on environmental protection, natural habitats, forestry, involuntary resettlement and indigenous people

The Indian Express, 25th June 2012

Northern Railway's plan to build a new bridge near world heritage site Salimgarh Fort will take off after being held up for almost a decade. This will be the first public project in Delhi to get a no objection certificate (NOC) from the National Monuments Authority(NMA).

The authority gave the railways the go-ahead taking into consideration the heritage value of the old iron bridge. It said the rail portion of the old bridge should be preserved as a museum.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Northern Railway got embroiled in a long-drawn battle as work on the new bridge would have caused damage to portions of the Salimgarh Fort. The project was given approval only after the bridge was realigned to ensure that construction took place outside the 100m prohibited zone.

Railways sought ASI's permission to build a new bridge in place of the 150-year-old iron bridge connecting Shahdara and the Old Delhi railway station. However, ASI refused permission as construction of the proposed bridge involved demolition of a portion of the ancient fort. The railways was asked for a revised plan. In the meantime, the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2010, was passed and National Monuments Authority came into being— which would now grant permission.

By this time, railways had a heritage impact assessment report prepared by Intach, which also proposed an alternative alignment in which the rail track through Salimgarh Fort would be diverted to north, passing over Yamuna through the new bridge. The diversion, which was outside 100m radius of the monument, would have ensured that the new construction was in regulated zone. "The construction will now be carried out 30m upstream, parallel to the existing road-cum-rail bridges over the Yamuna,'' said an official.

"The new plan is in line with the Act as construction would take place outside the 100m prohibited zone; the heritage impact assessment report also supported the plan,'' said an NMA source

The Times of India, 25th June 2012

This book is a collection of 10 essays that aims to provide an understanding of tribal history and narratives.

The chapters are in a sequence from overarching material, such as the possible constructions of the word ‘tribe’, and the implied existence in mainstream texts, to the intricacies of problems, patterns and conflicts that have affected many people of tribal communities.

The essays, by different authors, thus do not seem disjointed. The changes in the topics discussed are rather gradual, with many chapters often containing the same names. For instance, John Hoffmann wrote the detailed and still referred to Encyclopaedia of Mundica (based on his observations of the Munda community) and he is also featured in chapters that concern negotiation with the British government for improvement in agrarian aspects of tribal life as well as the setting up of schools for the Santhal parganas.

While at first it feels repetitive, sometimes with different chapters using the same quote, this form points to the inextricable interweaving of the different issues. Agrarian reforms, education, land rights, conflicts were all connected, influenced, acted upon and suffered/reaped benefits of by the same people.

Given that a topic’s discussion is restricted to a certain geographical area, any other analysis of an issue related to the place follows the same references by and large.

This is history made personal to the reader, often by way of anecdotes. A Christian missionary is asked by an elderly tribal if Christianity permitted one to get drunk twice a week. To this the missionary said no, and the manjhi turned heel and said: “Teach our children, but leave us alone!”
Power relations and absorption of each other’s cultures by the defeated and the victorious are seen in the chapter concerning Rajputs and Bhils. In other places an attempt to understand the point behind the painful logistics involved in large scale migration is made, where the ease of control over an uprooted people is seen as the reason for tea plantation owners preferring migrant workers.

Debunking stereotypes
While it is of essence to mention the constant debunking of stereotypes in the chapters, the authors’ research stays faithful to facts. Adequate mention is made of narrow-mindedness, the ill-advised use of Victorian morality in interpreting a tribal community’s customs, ruptures, fall outs and finally an antipathy that came to exist between groups by way of rebellions and uprisings.

While a large part of the book is dedicated to the colonial era, some of the later chapters examine the same myths that were debunked by the British researchers as now being very prevalent in post-independence India.

Finally, there exists a steadfast self-awareness in the writing that is underscored in the penultimate chapter that tries to create links between the importance of these findings of the past with adivasi movements of the present.

NARRATIVES FROM THE MARGINS: Edited by Sanjukta Das Gupta and Raj Shekhar Basu; Primus Books, Virat Bhavan, Mukherjee Nagar Commercial Complex, New Delhi-110009. Rs. 995.

The Hindu, 26th June 2012

A recently-launched first-of-its-kind Virtual Museum, takes the viewer through aspects of temple architecture and other examples of local heritage. Its director,Vandana Sinha, spoke to Ila Sankrityayan

The Centre for Art and Archaeology, and the Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology, both departments at the American Institute of Indian Studies, recently developed a virtual museum of Indian heritage, music, culture and temple architecture.

“Virtual museums are still new. Their very definition is evolving. But already, the term contains different meanings. The Indian virtual museum is not different from those in parts of the world . While most Indian museums are in the process of digitisation, and many don’t have their own website, several sites have been created to virtually showcase materials of museum collections,” explains Vandana Sinha. She is the director, (academic), at the Centre for Art and Archaeology, AIIS.
The virtual museum includes sculptures, paintings, drawings, sketches, coins, photographs, recordings, video shoots, articles, publications, transcripts and other items.

“It features 10th century material. Like drawings, photographs of monuments, sculptures, architectural fragments and an exhibition on temple architecture. Some materials were contributed by collections from Delhi’s National Museum and UP’s Allahabad Museum, UP.”

She adds, “The Virtual Museum of ‘Images’ has four wings — Exhibition, Collections, Sites (Timeline) and Resources. There is for example, art and architecture from 10th century India. It is exhibited to provide an overview of the artistic and cultural environment of that period. All the wings are connected to each other, though easy navigation paths, designed to provide a sense of virtual walks.”

Exhibition: This wing shows 12 panels on, ‘What Makes a Temple,’ that were digitised for creation of the online version. “Three dimensional models of temple structures are used to describe parts of the building and placement of sculptures on temple walls. A walk through the temple, helps visitors gather interesting details. The visuals and drawings used, are drawn from the CA &A’s collection of a 10th century Ambika temple in Jagat in Udaipur,” she explains.

Collections: This has pieces dating as far back as the10th century, from museums collaboration with the Virtual Museum. “One sees Carmel Berkson’s documentation of Ambika temple for instance.

The section allows visitors access to reserve collections/artifact galleries of the Virtual Museum.

“Each holding is labelled with brief information about its geographical and historical context,” says Vandana.

Sites: These allow one to view monuments and artifacts in chronological, historical and geographical contexts, through interactive maps. “The larger context of world art in the same era is shown within a timeline in ‘sites’. For example, while visiting Sarnath, one will view monuments at the site with sculptures, inscriptions, coins, pottery and textile, preserved in museums across India. Any sculpture taken from Ambika temple at Jagat and housed in a museum in India, or outside, will be accessible to visitors there, through the virtual museum,” she tells us.

Virtual Museum of Sounds: “We plan recordings, accompanied by visuals that show the background of these traditions – with text and images. So its more attractive than when you merely access archival holdings,” states Vandana. She compares the virtual museum with traditional ones,commenting, “While possible to show the actual setting of ceiling sculptures stolen from Bahu temple in Nagada in, Rajasthan, in the virtual museum where both subjects can be juxtaposed virtually, one will not get the same experience one goes through in a traditional museum.”

The Pioneer, 26th June 2012

With the forests of Jharkhand shrinking, many species of birds and animals are threatened with extinction, says Amrendra Suman

The State of Jharkhand, Land of the Forests, celebrates 11 years of existence this November. But the forests that give it its name offer no cause for celebration. For, while the State continues to make elaborate plans for industrial development using its rich mineral resources, indigenous and endangered species of flora and fauna in the forest ranges of the Santhal Pargana region are fast dwindling, and some are on the verge of extinction. The reasons are not difficult to find. Careless and illegal human activity tops the list. The dense mountainous forests have become the target of man’s insatiable greed.

The huge expanse of 5470 square miles has been home to several tribal groups for centuries, communities with wisdom who lived in harmony with forests that sustained them through generations. These forests have also been home to hundreds of rare species of birds and animals, making them the destination of numerous bird-watching enthusiasts and researchers worldwide. Dumka and Godda districts alone boast the largest number of animals and birds in the state, assert locals, though there are no statistics available to substantiate the claims.

L S O’Malley West Bengal Gazetteers, published in 1910, was the first book to bring to light the large presence of wild animals in Dumka, Godda, Pakud, Sahebganj, Devghar and Jamtada forests. The clash between man and animal, he asserts, started around 1790-1810, when the Santhalis began to settle in the forests.

The last 11-12 years have seen instances of damage caused by wild elephants reported from the region, but this also goes to show that the forests of Santhal Pargana were once home to these gentle pachyderms. Standing testimony to this today is the 11ft huge Skeleton of Asian elephant from Pattabadi forests of Dumka dated 1934, now exhibited in Kolkata Museum, one of the most renowned museums in the world. According to the available documents, about 300 years ago, the elephants of Santhal, referred to as Makuni elephants were of relatively smaller size. The house of Late Dev Kumar Pandey in Godda district is a living example of this.

According to the villagers of Rani Bahal, Asanbani (Bhaya Asurdaha, Dumka division), wild pigs, bears, rabbits, wild cock, royal peacock, wild cats, hyenas, jackals and bucks still inhabit these forests. This, despite the fact that rabbits, wild pigs, cock and other animals continue to be hunting game today.

It is a matter of grave concern that hunters no longer use traditional weapons for hunting. Modern weapons make the killing of pigs in large numbers in the Panjan Mountain, for instance, fairly easy. Reports of encounters between a bear and a tiger often trickle in. But the death of a white tiger near Badi Ranbahiyar village, Ramgadh division, after a gap of 16 years, created a stir in various government departments. This was a dark and sad day not only for Santhal Pargana, but also for the entire nation.

Rampant hunting of wild animals has put them in danger of becoming extinct. Making matters worse is the increasing demand for skin, teeth, bones and meat of rare species in the international market. A few days ago, a hyena lost its way and wandered out of the forest in Dumka and found itself on the busy road. It was grievously injured by terrified people in the locality.

What happened next is uncertain: officials of Dumka’s Forest Department declared that it was treated and released into the forest, but the villagers claim that it had died the next day. Ironically, when the hyena was breathing its last at Nonihat, Jharkhand was celebrating Wildlife Week (October 10-16, 2011).

Research into the immense variety of birds and animals in the forests of Santhal Pargana are bound to astound wildlife enthusiasts. Those familiar with the forests believe that Government officials are in the know about the illegal killing of these animals and birds. Recently, the killing of a leopard created a stir in Chopa Bathan of Raneshwar Division. What happened to the poor animal; more importantly, to its prized skin?

Wild pigs are found in large numbers in Mahhuagadhi and Sogel forests of Kathikunda, Singli and Champa mountains, besides the mountainous region of Shikaripada (Gopikandar). This region is also home to bears. A few years ago, in Chiharbani village, villagers saved two bear cubs that had fallen into a well. Later, they were left in the forest.

Godda district is believed to have the largest number of hyenas in the state. In Santhal forests, small and big mouthed hyenas are called Hadlakar. These forests also take pride in a large number, and variety, of peacocks. They live in the mountainous forests of Kathikund, Gopikandar, Ramgarh and Jama. Hunting these, our National Bird, have put their very survival at risk.

Action taken under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, is a mere eye-wash. Civil Society Organisations, strapped for funds, have proved ineffective. With no support from the State and an indifferent Forest Department, the extinction of several rare species of birds and animals from these green forests is only a matter of time.

The Pioneer, 21st November 2011

Even as the painting of the Pearl Mosque by a Russian artist is going up for auction at Sotheby's, R.V. Smith traces the history of the Masjid

The Moti Masjid or Pearl mosque of the Red Fort is in the news these days as a huge painting of it by the Russian artist Vasili Vasilievich Vereshchagin is up for auction at Sotheby's in New York. Measuring 13ft by 16ft, it is estimated to fetch five million dollars, probably much more than what the mosque itself cost when it was built by Aurangzeb in 1662 (some give the date as 1669-70) near the Shahi Hammams or royal baths for his use and that of his seraglio. It's 40ft x 30 ft standing at a height of 22ft. This mosque was an imitation (a miniature one) of the Pearl mosque in the Agra Fort constructed by Shah Jahan in 1647 also for personal use and that of the harem inmates for whom special enclosures were made. Standing on a high elevation, its courtyard is 158ft by 154ft and has a tank of 37-odd ft for ablutions. It is said that a priceless pearl hung suspended from a gold chain, giving it the name of Moti Masjid. Aurangzeb did not want his father to offer namaz here during his captivity in the fort and built the Meena masjid for him, near the Macchi Bhavan or fish tank mansion. The mosque is of pure marble and just 22ft by 13ft, with a 22ft courtyard. On the north-west corner of the Macchi Bhavan is the Nagina Masjid constructed by Shah Jahan for the exclusive use of the ladies of the fort.

Personal royal mosque
The question arises: why did Aurangzeb build a Moti Masjid in the Red Fort. The answer could be that he wanted to emulate the feat of his father and also fulfil a long-standing need for a personal royal mosque in the fort. It was situated near the baths so that the emperor could enter it soon after bathing in the hammams with its fountain of perfumes. Why the Russian painter, who came to India in 1874 with his wife, picked on the Red Fort masjid to make his grand painting in preference to the original one in Agra is not known. He also did not attempt to paint the other Pearl mosque in Delhi, at Qutab Sahib's dargah in Mehrauli, built by Aurangzeb's son, Bahadur Shah in 1709.

Incidentally, in the Lahore fort too there is a Moti Masjid built by Shah Jahan. The Moti Masjid of Aurangzeb is not as beautiful as the famous one in Agra. Its three bulbous domes were originally copper-gilded. Though small and architecturally deficient it has somehow attracted painters. Probably (because of its domes) it gives the appearance of three huddled up women seeking companionship and communion with God.

Besides the Russian painter, a Eurasian artist, Maurice Donne (some identify him with the Anglo-Indian Eugene Dunn) also painted this mosque during the years preceding World War II. The latter was an orphan boy of St. Peter's College Agra, where he made a beautiful reproduction of a Renaissance work showing the Christ blessing little children while sitting on a mound under an olive tree. Eugene, believe or not, fell in love with the Moti Masjid in Delhi. To his eccentric mind it personified a beloved who invited him to pay obeisance. He would sit there the whole day (entrance to the mosque was not barred then) in a sort of trance until by good luck a former warden of his school found him in a miserable state and took him away to Calcutta, thus breaking the hypotonic spell of the building. The Russian artist, Vasili Vasilievich Vereshchagin, probably also came under some such spell and but for his wife may well have stayed on to court the lady of the mosque. But then probably we may have been deprived of a sight of the painting now making waves in New York.

The Hindu, 21st November 2011

The environment ministry’s approval to Lavasa Corporation’s lake city project stipulating stringent conditions will now be a norm than exception. The ministry has decided to amend the Environment Protection Act (EPA) to include a new provision of furnishing bank guarantees for specific of the environmental damage caused by project proponents.

In case of Lavasa, the ministry on November 9, had asked the Lavasa Corporation to deposit 5% of the project cost with the Maharashtra government as a guarantee for completing the environmental restoration work.

The ministry had imposed the condition that companies which damaged the environment while building high-end real estate projects would have to pay for its restoration. But, any condition of environment clearance can be challenged in the court and to prevent it, the ministry wants an explicit provision on “polluter pays principle” for damaging environment in the existing law.

For future environmental violators, the ministry wants to enhance the penalty from the present R1 lakh to R10 crore. To fast track imposition of penalties, the ministry seeks to change EPA to have a “civil administrative adjudication system”.

Some other conditions imposed on Lavasa of self-regulation and an effective monitoring mechanism would also be part of EPA. “Industrial self-monitoring, reporting and verification process needs to be refined and appropriate provisions are needed in the act,” said a ministry’s document.

Hindustan Times, 21st November 2011

Abraham Eraly's book seeks to show how this golden age found its realisation in the millennium

One of the refrains in the historiography an earlier generation was used to is that of the golden age. Historians of the nationalist era identified such ‘golden ages' in Periclean Athens, Imperial Rome, Elizabethan England, and so on. Several elements went into the making of it. One thing that was common to all is that the ‘golden age' would appear and disappear with an empire, plunging the country in darkness when the empire unravelled.

In the case of India, the Gupta Empire was particularly favoured. Interestingly, it served at once to legitimise the British Empire (“India can experience golden ages only under empires”) and to support the anti-imperialist struggle (“We have done it in the past!”). However, this mood of celebrating the past did not survive the British Empire for long: there were few takers for it in the post-Independence period, as historians started looking at the sources closely and finding out evidence of glaring contradictions of varied kinds, oppression, and suffering for a bulk of the population. The real golden age of the country, they recognised, lay in the future. The theme seems to be enjoying a well-earned rest now.

Abraham Eraly's book takes us back. For the author, Indian history “evolved in roughly thousand-year phases”. This book is about one such phase — from “around the middle of the first millennium BCE to around the middle of the first millennium CE” when India was a “marvellously creative civilisation.” Inevitably, this Garden of Eden is followed by the Fall, “centuries-long cultural hibernation and decay.”

Realisation
Divided into 12 parts, it seeks to show how this golden age found its realisation in the millennium. After a quick overview, Eraly discusses political history, polity, economy, society, family, everyday life, the sciences, philosophy, literature, the arts and religion. The tone is celebratory throughout.

Reading the book, one gets the impression that, in the past, life and culture meant those of a microscopic minority, of those sections of society that are represented in the expressions of high culture. To be sure, all ages have been golden for them. A vast majority of people have no place here.

Not only is the frame unacceptable, there are contradictions as well. “Sudden rise and fall of numerous dynasties” is, for the author, indicative of an “anarchic state.” What were, pray, these dynasties doing there? In one place, the Cholas, Pandyas, Satiyaputras, and Keralaputras mentioned by Asoka are “ethnic groups,” while in another, they were “rulers in the time of the Mauryan emperor Asoka.”

There is no sense of evolution or change: for instance, the three kingdoms of south India — Chola, Chera, and Pandya — would endure “for many centuries”, with only a new entrant, the Pallavas, there to break the monotony. The structural and processual changes that had taken place in these realms do not seem to worry Eraly. There are factual errors too. More than half a century of research in the history of Kerala is just brushed aside. Speaking about the rule of the Perumals, the author says that it is plausible, and jibes that “in any case, it is no more unbelievable than many of the other ‘facts' about Kerala's early history.”

Crowning it all is the statement that “the reign of the Perumals was followed by that of the Kulasekharas, a dynasty of unknown background”; this should be news to any student of Kerala history.

Ideal and real
Statements in the prescriptive texts of various points in time are cited as evidence of what things were like, unmindful of the changes in social formation. Thus the Mahabharata, the Jataka stories, Arthasastra, Tamil Sangam texts, Manusmriti, Tirukkural and Cholaprasastis are summoned to testify to an ideal as if it was the reality. This kind of mixing the ‘ideal' and the ‘real' is seen throughout, whether it is in relation to polity, economy, society, or culture. Irreconcilable concepts such as ‘imperial centralization' and ‘village democracy' coexist with an abandon that is almost existential.

As one closes the book, one is left fuming with anger — anger at the way in which the discipline of history is insulted by disregarding more than half a century of research. The wine that is presented in this old bottle is not just old, but stale.

The Hindu, 22nd November 2011

Benoy K Behl will be screening his film this Sunday

The Chola dynasty which ruled most of South India till around the 13th Century is known for its rich legacy of exquisite art sculptures and temples in stone whose mesmerising beauty and attention to detail still has the power to take one's breath away.

However, there was one king whose fondness for conquest was equalled only by his devotion to the enigmatic Lord Shiva: Rajaraja Chola. The God-fearing king commissioned the most magnificent temples whose earthly grandeur he hoped would ensure him a place in paradise. Eminent historian, photographer and film-maker Benoy K. Behl will be showcasing his film, Dance of Shiva, on the magnificent legacy of the Cholas in stone at India Habitat Centre here this coming Sunday at 6-30 p.m.

“The temple is an embodiment of the divine in each one of us. In the garbha griha or womb chamber, we are born again in knowledge of the formless eternal. Through niches in the walls of the temple the deity is made visible in different forms to the devotee. Through these images, the divine is given a personality which the worshipper can relate to. The deity is made human, yet always filled with a luminosity which awakens the finest qualities in us,” says Mr. Behl.

The film touches upon almost the entire range of temple architecture that came up during the Chola rule of around four centuries. Around the 9^th Century, a Chola chieftain named Vijayalaya took control of the town of Thanjavur and ushered in an era of unsurpassed prosperity.

At Narthamalai in Tamil Nadu is what may be the earliest temple built by the Cholas, the Vijayalaya Cholishvara dedicated to Lord Shiva. Dvarapalas or guardian figures stand at the entrance to the ardhamandapa or hall with a half-turned stance and with one hand displaying the gesture of vismaya or wonder. Wonder at the perfection of the craftsmanship perhaps?

“The temples of the early Chola period were not very large. The purpose was not to inspire awe through size and grandeur. It was to take us to the world of gentleness which can be found within us,” adds Behl.

Another temple which marks the extraordinary quality of early Chola sculpture is the Brahmapurishvara at Pullamangai.

Mooverkoil temple at Kodambulur has a sculpture of Lord Shiva in his famous Nataraja stance where he is seen dancing atop the demon of ignorance.

Another special feature in the temples of the Cholas is the depiction of the Ganas , the followers of Shiva, whose features depict human emotions like glee, sorrow, mischief and also devotion.

King Rajaraja Chola is credited with building the tallest and largest temple in the country, ‘Brihadishvara', dedicated to his favourite god, Shiva.

The temple also serves as an expression of the king's power and was a centre of cultural activities.

It is said that 400 dancers were brought from 91 temples all over the empire to dance in the temple complex.

The Hindu, 22nd November 20111