A Time To Reflect

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Ladies first class

charukesi September 21st, 2007

This happens everyday on the train between Vashi and VT - school kids, none of them over 12 get on to the ladies first class compartment somewhere near Kurla (or Wadala on the way back) - and one or more of the woman start shouting at them to get off - hey, don’t you know this is ladies? first class? (yeah, right - what are boys of 8 and 10 doing with ladies anyway? and what are they doing traveling in first class? gasp!). I watched for a couple of days (very new to the train business having been out of touch for some years, not wanting to get pushed off or something) and then started protesting. What do you lose if they travel for few stations in this coach? Let them stay.

But they don’t have first class passes, pat comes the answer.

So what? Let them travel. What do you lose? (aapka kya jaata hai).

Then this gem - par aap jaante nahi hain - yeh loge chori karte hain (oh you don’ know - these kids steal) - heard more commonly than I would have believed. School kids in uniform, who can hardly stand straight up, their backs bent under the weight of their bags and books and lunch boxes.

Why? Why are people so petty? I know just how much my pass is subsidized by the poor government - why should school kids be made to pay anything at all to travel to school by the local train? And why is it that anyone who cannot actually afford the pass suspect?

Faith or religion?

charukesi September 18th, 2007

When we went on our holiday, we had no idea it would turn out to be a pilgrimage of sorts… first a too-short day at Amritsar, a few days at Mcleodganj and then a weekend in Delhi, time divided between a hasty visit to the Ganpati temple and a more leisurely hour at Juma Masjid. And we came away surprisingly refreshed, mind more peaceful than it had been just a week ago, from each of these places - not something I ever expect from religion. And then looking at the photographs, I think I saw the reason, faith and not religion. Inward looking, introspective, peaceful and soothing - not violent, agenda-driven, aggressive or loud. Not driven by the idol or the even the physical presence of the place of worship itself but the spirit that seems to envelop everyone inside. (I am not expressing myself well here, but see these photographs to know what I mean…). I could have sat at any of these places for hours on end (and actually did), never wanting to let go of that buzz.

At Amritsar…

At Mcleodganj…

At Juma Masjid…

Hampi celebrates Independence day

charukesi August 17th, 2007

Patriotism takes on a different dimension in small town India - while we jaded urbanites sigh in delight over a midweek holiday (or if lucky, the prospect of a long weekend), real India brings out the tricolor and all the colors of patriotism. My fondest memory is of an Independence day procession on the road, early morning, in a village en route Mangalore from Bangalore, a hundred tiny tots moving their hands up and down, fists closed, in rehearsed frenzy, shouting Van-de Mata-lam,. And a tiny tot Bharat Mata in the middle of the group, trying to wave with one hand and trying to hold the escaping white-with-orange-border sari with the other. Loved it.

This is from Hampi, where I saw young India celebrate Independence day this year in many many ways :

Independence day at the local school

The colors of freedom

Patriotism written all over the face

Flag-waving future generations

Keeping the tricolor flying

For a well-groomed baby

charukesi July 8th, 2007

Mumbai Mirror carried this brief piece yesterday under ‘Fashion’ - South Mumbai salon opens exclusively for kids (will post link when I find it). Starting with - kids really have it good these days, the article goes on to describe Tears to Cheers, a salon launched in Mumbai to cater to the beauty and grooming needs of children from age 1 to 16. It is never too early to begin the grooming process, I understand. But a one year old in a beauty salon? Can you imagine a one year old going in bawling and walking out all smiles, utterly satisfied with the shape of her eyebrows?

Among the services offered, besides hair-cuts, are manicures, pedicures, shampoo, blow dry, oil massage and basic hair-setting. it’s good to be little right now. This sounds to me the 2.0 version of ‘go out and play dear (and let me take a break while you are at it)’

Does anyone else immediately remember the Friends episode in which Rachel’s sister baby-sits? And her chosen career path - being a baby-stylist… And while on this, does anyone else know that wikipedia has a page devoted to every single episode of Friends with detailed plot description and comments? Wikipedia never ceases to surprise - man, this is going to be one long day.

The gods must be hungry

charukesi May 24th, 2007

First they drank milk, then they turned sea water sweet. Now they want to eat fruit - at the local Foodland store.

Glory to the gods.

Subject World Cup

charukesi April 14th, 2007

Alistair gets 6 months for killing 7 people - front page - Times of India (link when it gets uploded on their website - for now, log into their e-paper).

Dilip in country you know - But please do not worry particularly about public reaction to this sentence. Because — so lucky! — it came down when people are occupied with a far more vital discussion in the same country: about patriotism that may or may not flow from cakes and instrumental versions.

Come now, Dilip the TOI does ask for reader responses - do you believe justice has been done? - in mytimesmyvoice, no less…

So what if they expect readers to express their reaction under the subject : World Cup - surely supporting the country’s cricket team is patriotic too? I guess this is just ToI’s way of showing what they have learnt over years and years - there are some subjects which are sure to gain public attention and some which never do. Insults to national honor and a losing sports team belong to the former.

Indiawatch , - Print
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Timeless cartoons

charukesi April 9th, 2007

Front page Times of India today - this photograph of the Femina Miss India contest…

And then later in the day, going through R K Laxman’s collection (for perhaps the hundredth time) - The common man goes to the village, I came across this…

If she manages to stop smiling for just a moment, we can get an idea of what she looks like!

Laxman’s cartoons are truly timeless. Each one of them relevant now as they were when made years, even decades ago. And scarily for India, will perhaps always remain relevant. (I love the common man’s wife - she is so sharp!)

In the same collection, this too…

You folks in remote villages, must learn somehow to manage as we city-dwellers do! We don’t have water and electricity either these days!

Read Rashmi Bansal’s Lights, Action… Cut! to know what this means to us “Rest of Maharashtra” dwellers.

[Note: these cartoons are photographs I have taken of pages from the book since I could not find them anywhere online]

Moved by rhythm

charukesi January 26th, 2007

I have never believed that it is possible to be moved by rhythm - I am a melody person myself - melody that is soft and lingers inside your head long after you have heard it… wispy feathery tunes, pale ghosts that follow you through the day and night, slipping away just as you reach out to it… as opposed to rhythm that is here and now, a sudden quickening of the pulse, a rush of blood to the head, a momentary sway of the senses.

I was at Horniman circle garden on Tuesday night listening to the thayambaka performance led by Mattannur Srikanth and Sriraj. I watched spellbound as the performers started off with the rhtyhm slow and steady, now mild, now rising for the first hour; performing for themselves, immersed in the rhythm.

And the last hour, performing for the audience, their fingers now caressing the drum slowly, very softly, and then suddenly rising to fever pitch; the audience clapping and cheering and in the last ten minutes, all on their feet, crowding around the stage as the artists took the crowd with them on a rhythm trip, sweating with the effort of two hours and smiling with the response of the crowd.

From this, .. to this…

Wiki says of thayambaka - thayambaka is a solo Chenda (drum) performance that is unique to Kerala state of south India, where the performer uses one stick and the other hand to play the instrument (Chenda) instead of the usual two sticks.

Thayambaka is generally performed by a lead drummer surrounded by about 3-4 assistant drummers(Veekku Chenda) , and 3-4 Elathalam players. It is a concert like performance of percussion instruments alone lasting approximately 90-120 minutes
.

Imagine 120 minutes of non-stop drumming; I found my hands tired after 30 seconds of clapping high in the air…

The performance was organized by Keli, a Mumbai-based organization dedicated to the preservation, development and propagation of the traditional classical art forms. More from the Keli website…

…there were also others for whom traditional values were sacrosanct and compromise was unthinkable. They were an endangered species, so to speak, of absolute aesthetics and creative integrity, intolerant of mediocrity and arrogance. Keli felt the need to trace them and bring them to the world outside their familiar hamlets.

Indiawatch , - Cities and places
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Winter in Bombay…

charukesi January 22nd, 2007

January is a wonderful time to be in Bombay. The weather is just right… cool enough to encourage walks during the day and open air events in the evenings… and to stay under the rug in the morning (with the excuse of the sun hasn’t risen yet, so why should I) and pretend for a minute that you are in Delhi… to wave away the cold bhelpuri and give in to temptation just this once with that steaming plate of ragda pattice…

and not cold enough to let you ignore that slight foolish feeling when you want to cover yourself up with a sweater - or a shawl at the very least - after mere minutes out in the open. Slight nip in the air, you tell your friends sheepishly. You who, alas, live in Bombay, and not Delhi, for all that late morning pretense, and are not used to “winter”..

If December is full of year-end closings and chasing up on those elusive client payments and even more elusive tickets to your away-from-it-all place for that new year’s eve long weekend, january is all about soaking in the smoky smells of garam bhutta and channa chor garam, and starting the year on a festive note.

Sankranti comes and goes, kites hover in the air two weeks hence, lost and forlorn, not too happy with the no-strings-attached state. All of Bombay sweats and cheers for the Marathon (the world huffs and puffs while the Kenyans walk their way to the first few places, no sweat). The Strand Sale calls out enticingly to those of us with the strong spirit and weak credit history. The Banganga festival (which I always intend to catch, and always miss) takes place - music in the open, seemingly from the deep.

The IMG janfest happens late in the month; the weekend saw L Subramaniam on Saturday night and Sunday evening with Kumar Mardur’s Yaman and Hamsadhwani, Shubha Mudgal, her smile as dazzling as her music and finally Pt Jasraj. IMG also had, as part of their photo-exhibition, an audio visual feature on Ustad Bismillah Khan - bright eyes, childlike glee mein paanch saal ka tha jab mere haath mere mamu ki shehnai lagi… main kuch toh baja raha tha par mujhe maloom nahi tha ki yeh kya hai… phir mamu ne poccha, bacche tum kya baja rahe ho…?

Then the Mumbai Festival goes on from 14th - 28th January… Bandra Reclamation grounds has Maharashtra Maaza, an open handicrafts and food fair… here I need to say that eating aforementioned ragda pattice, with a live shehnai concert for background music is a not-to-be-missed experience.

We caught the dance festival on Saturday at the Land’s End ampitheatre in Bandra; there is something magical about watching music and dance performances in the open… Short performances of Odissi, Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Mohiniattam. And at each break in the performance, just cheeel cheeel filtering in loud and uninvited from the hotel disco…

Feet that speak…

… sometimes aruge with the tabalchi

… and are sometimes silent too

Rukmini Jaiswal, one of the prettiest dancers I have ever seen, all the way from Lucknow… Kathak, a narrative dance form characterized by fast footwork (tatkar), spins (chakkar) and innovative use of bhav in abhinaya. It has today a form that has been influenced at various times in the past by mythological narratives by kathakas, temple dances, the bhakti movement (both Vaishnavism and Shaivite), and Persian influence of the Mughal courts in the 16th century onwards…

Bharatanatyam, a modified form of the sadir, the traditional dance of the temples of Tamilnadu…

The word Bharata is interpreted as the dance form created by sage Bharata, has within it the essence and uniqueness associated with Bharatanatyam:Bha for Bhava or abhinaya and expression, Ra for raga or melody, and Ta for tala or rhythm

Sujatha Nair, performing Mohiniattam, the dance of the enchantress

The vocal music of Mohiniattam involves variations in rhythmic structure known as chollu. The lyrics are in Manipravala, a mixture of Sanskrit and Malayalam. The mohiniattam dance is performed to this accompaniment by the subtle gestures and footwork of the danseuse. The performer uses the eyes in a very coy yet sensual manner, the purpose being to enchant the mind without enticing the senses

Here Shabari tastes the fruit before offering them to rama wandering in the forests…