volume XXVIII. No. 6 November – December 2014

INDIA INTERNATIONAL CENTRE

diaryPrice Re.1/-

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EXHIBITION: Jazz in India

Inauguration by Soli J. Sorabjee

November 26—30

MUSIC APPRECIATION PROMOTION: A Short History of

How Jazz Became an Indian Music

Presentation by: Naresh Fernandes

Collaboration: Archives and Research Centre for

Ethnomusicology, American Institute of Indian Studies

November 26

'All That Jazz...and More’

Jazz!! The very sound of the word evokes visual imagesof self-taught African-American instrumentalists, someformally trained, and odd individuals of immigrant anddilettante classes playing a wide range of startling andvibrant music in the smoky bars of burgeoning ports, rivercities, labour camps and industrial centres of early 20thcentury America. Tracing the history of jazz in India fromthe time the first American jazz bands visited the countrywas a remarkable audio and video exhibition curated bywriter and curator Naresh Fernandes from his ownpersonal collections and the archives of renowned jazzenthusiast, Niranjan Jhaveri.

Naresh's extensive presentation recounted how jazzbecame the world's first pop music assisted by theinvention of the phonograph and the spread of radio.Spreading quickly to distant corners of the world, jazzmusic caused both excitement and alarm. By the mid-1920s, bands in Indian cantonment settlements, railway colonies, hill stations and residency towns were beltingout ‘hot music’ as jazz was called in India in those days.Indian musicians took to jazz with a passion, as did theiraudiences. From the mid-1940s, the music of the ghettoesof New Orleans was to be heard in the subcontinent, andjazz became an important ingredient in Hindi film music,putting the swing into evergreen favourites such as Sunday keSunday (Shehnai, 1947), Mera Naam Chin Chin Choo andIna Mina Diga (Asha, 1957), and Howrah Bridge (1958).

Using carefully preserved coloured and sepia-tonedphotographs and archival recordings, Naresh Fernandesdemonstrated how, within a decade, jazz became animportant ingredient in Hindi film music. In addition tothe functional fusion of the Hindi film studios, Indian

musicians also worked to find a way to create a fusion of Hindustani classical music and Western jazz. From thelate 1970s, the greatest jazz musicians found a warmwelcome in India at the bi-annual jazz festivals held inMumbai, Delhi, Goa and Bengaluru, in a series ofpresentations that continued till 2003. These 'jazz yatras'also helped facilitate many Indo-Western jazzcollaborations between traditional Indian classical andWestern jazz musicians.

Today India is home to a host of third-generation jazzmusicians who help to ensure that jazz continues to have avigorous life in the subcontinent, another example ofIndia's ability to grab influences from around the worldand transform them into a music uniquely its own. Itreally is a case of ‘it don't mean a thing, if it ain't gotthat swing!’

DEEPAK CASTELINO

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The film on water harvesting in Barmer in Rajasthan,When Every Drop Counts looked at the ways in which localcommunities have come together to fund and makeequitable forms of water preservation for the dry and hotsummer months in the Thar desert. The film showcasesthe ways in which traditional modes of rain waterharvesting such as the underground public and privatetankas (tanks) are slowly making a comeback aftermodern methods of water generation have failed. Here,the film documents one of the successful projects of theMahatma Gandhi National Rural EmploymentGuarantee scheme wherein BPL families worked ontankas for the village and got funding to make their ownprivate tankas as well. The result: fresh and clean drinkingwater in the harshest months of the year.

The lyrical and beautifully filmed Song of Niyamgiridocumented a folk song of the Niyamgiri tribe throughanimation. The brush strokes followed the voice andvocal strains of the song sung by one of Niyamgiri’sfamous folk singers about the birth of the earth and theNiyamgiris and the destruction of their habitat by

outsiders. The song and film echoed the fears of bauxitemining that threatens to destroy the habitat and localcommunity of the Niyamgiris.

Wildlife preservation policy was the focus of the filmForgottenTigers. It tracked the ways in which ProjectTigerfails to protect tigers as per its mandate. The filmdocuments the lived negotiations amongst people livingin and around natural habitats and the ways in which theytry to understand and respect wildlife, sometimes at hugepersonal cost. The bureaucratic and political machineryhowever is not similarly tuned into the ways in which theforests and tigers need protection and understanding.

This festival invoked the Earth through the theme of theenvironment and its protection. The 24 films screenedshowcased a wide variety of issues related to theenvironment, ecology and the politics of conservation.The festival was inaugurated by the classical danseuseGuru Shovana Narayan. In the inaugural address, shespoke of the ways in which the earth is being poisoned byhumans akin to the ways in which Kalki, the mythologicalsnake poisoned the river and was subdued by Lord Krishna.

The film screenings on the first day were linked through apanel discussion on the ‘The role of media in shapingcontemporary environmental discourse’. The discussioncentred on how the media was caught in its role within a

market economy in its efforts to generate environmentalissues and create effective awareness around it. In itsurban-centric and political approach, the media waswilling to showcase only those stories on the environmentthat fit in with its readership and its larger agenda.However, against such a bleak image of the media’s role inenvironmental awareness and action were also stories ofthe media’s activism in pushing through emotive, action-oriented reportage regarding issues of wildlifeconservation, toxic waste, river conservation and leadpoisoning. It was also highlighted in the discussion that itwas often the local media rather than mainstream newsthat were more conscientious and holistic in theircoverage of environmental issues and conservation.

Films on the EnvironmentFILM FESTIVAL: Quotes from the Earth – An Environment

Film Festival

Collaboration: Toxics Link

December 5–6

ANINDITA MAJUMDAR

film

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Much feted author and screenplay writer Ruth PrawerJhabvala (1927-2013) used to shut herself away from theworld a few hours everyday to do what she loved. Heroutput was tremendous—13 novels, eight collections ofshort stories and 23 screenplays. India-centric books likeThe Householder and Heat and Dust are as legendaryas her original screenplays and adaptations of literaryclassics for film producer Ismail Merchant and directorJames Ivory.

To celebrate the life and work of Ruth, a retrospective wasorganised that encompassed an exhibition, discussion andfilm screenings. At the core of the exhibition werememorabilia—collections of photographs (1951-2012),films scripts, her old typewriter, notebooks, film postersand sketches drawn by her architect husband CyrusJhabvala. The photographs offered vignettes of hermomentous life. Juxtaposed with a striking photograph of

Ruth and her husband was one of Ruth, her daughterRenana and grandchild. There were images too of theJhabvala family: Ruth with Shashi Kapoor, Ruth in easy camaraderie with Merchant and Ivory at Ivory’s home inClavarack, upstate New York.

The discussion, ‘Ruth: Destined to Write’, brought outthe psyche of Ruth and her uneasy relationship withIndia. The evening began with a brief introduction toRuth‘s life and work by her daughter Renana Jhabvala,followed by a film where Ruth, Merchant and Ivoryengaged in playful banter about the making of Heat andDust. Then came the highlight of the evening—aninsightful overview of Ruth and her early work byacademic and novelist Aruna Chakravarti. Well-knownpersonalities Averee Chaurey and Minoti Chatterjee readexcerpts from Ruth’s A Backward Place, Heat and Dustand An Experience of India. The readings were reflectiveof Ruth’s repugnance for fake godmen and the misplacedobsession of Indian men for white women. Yet somewhere there lurked her affirmation of India.

Rounding up the evening was a short discussion of Ruth’slater works by academic Ramesh Shah.

KAVITA CHARANJI

Ruth’s World EXHIBITION: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala Memorabilia

December 8–18

Readings and Discussion: Ruth – Destined to Write

December 15

The Merchant Ivory retrospective conceptualised andcurated by Renana Jhabvala and Meera Dewan has been areal treat for film connoisseurs and literary aficionados.Ruth Jhabvala’s screenplays based on famous novels arememorable. The adaptations remain true to the originaland are made even more vivid with superb visuals andbrilliant performances. In her Neil Gunn Lecture entitled‘Disinheritance’, Jhabvala observes: ‘… I stand before youas a writer without any ground or being out of which towrite: really blown about from country to country,culture to culture. As it happens, I like it that way. It’smade me into a cuckoo, forever insinuating myself intoothers’ nests. Or a chameleon hiding myself in false orborrowed clothes.’

Commenting on her years in India, she says: ‘I still can’tdescribe the impact that India made on my innocentmind and senses.’ Jhabvala’s last 35 years were spent inNew York observing human behaviour.

In The Householder, a young teacher, Prem finds himselfmarried to Indu, an exquisite but trying girl. There isfriction and conflict to start with in the marriage butfinally Prem settles for domesticity. Shakespeare Wallah isabout a group of English-led travelling players striving

hard to keep Shakespeare alive long after the Raj.The filmwas inspired by the experiences of the Kendal family andwas shot by Satyajit Ray’s cameraman Subrata Mitra. ARoom with a View is a faithful rendering of E. M. Forster’scelebrated novel. The story of the awakening of youngLucy Honeychurch, thanks to the liberating effect of theTuscan countryside and the Latin temperament istranslated with perfect judgment and Forster’s dry sense of humour.

In Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, Mr. Bridge, an autocratic KansasCity lawyer, refuses to move with the times. Stunninglyphotographed interiors and exteriors recreate the 1930sto perfection. In Remains of the Day, Stevens is theinarticulate butler, a man so fanatically devoted to selflessservice that he continues with his duties while his father lies dying and refuses to question the Nazi sympathies ofhis master Lord Darlington. There is the love elementbetween Stevens and Miss Kenton, the housekeeper.Jefferson in Paris focuses on America’s first ambassador tothe court of Louis XVIth. There Thomas Jeffersonobserved the decadence which was to ignite the FrenchRevolution. Dramatic tension centres on the conflictbetween love and convention, or, as Jefferson famouslyexpressed it, ‘the head and the heart’. The Golden Bowlbased on the novel by Henry James recreates the periodevocatively. The seemingly innocent New World showsthe scheming Old World a thing or two in matters ofstrategy. We are struck by the visual opulence and themetaphor of the beautiful but flawed objet d’art.

JEHANARA WASI

In Three ContinentsIIC FILM CLUB RETROSPECTIVE: Ruth Jhabvala – Her

Three Continents – 50 Years with Merchant Ivory

December 8—22

exhibition and films

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exhibition diary

The Himalaya: A Timeless Quest—Monks, Traders andTravellers is the second exhibition of a four-part series thatcelebrates the eternal beautyof these mountain ranges.

This series looks at the regionthrough the prism of itsgeography, culture, myths,religion and people. It enrichesthe palimpsest of theseformidable mountains, subtlylayering the historicity ofhuman civilisation. They areseen through the eyes ofexplorers, travellers, monksand traders. Their story is toldt h r o u g h p a i n t i n g s ,photographs, maps, objects,texts, audio recordings andfilms accompanied by talks anddiscussions. The objectivethrough this endeavour is tosensitise the viewer to ourHimalayan heritage and seth i m t h i n k i n g o f t h eenvironmental damage beingcaused by modern man.

Deb Mukharji, diplomat,trekker and photographer-exemplar, displayed tenphotographs along with write-ups on eight Indian travellers,pilgrims and Western explorersof the Himalayas. Some werethe quintessential map-makersof Tibet—the Pundits; otherswere Sarat Chandra Das, Younghusband, Moorecraft, etc.The section also featured a black and white image of the Nathu La Pass, taken in 1959; Taktsang, one of Bhutan’ssacred sites of Taktsang Senge Samdup cave where GuruPadmasambhava is believed to have meditated in the 8thCentury; Lo Gekar, believed to be the oldest Tibetanmonastery and the birthplace of Tibetan Buddhismlocated in Upper Mustang in Nepal. Four antique mapsshowing the route taken by Buddhist monk Dipankarafrom Kathmandu to Tho-Lin (Ladakh); cartographerPandit Nain Singh’s journey from Ladakh to Assam(1877); the routes of Babu Sarat Chandra Das throughSikkim and Tibet (1879/1882), and a ‘Bhotia Map’ of

commercial routes from Lhasa to Assam via Tawang and Narigun added interest to the exhibits. These wereaccompanied by photographs by Vidura Jung Bahadur onthe traders of Darjeeling and Kalimpong.

Central-Asian scholar Chhaya Bhattacharya-Haesnercurated photographs and text based on the cultural andspiritual interactions between Kashmir, Ladakh andKhotan. Her talk on the ‘Intimate Artistic LinksBetween the Art of Ladakh and Central Asia with

Special Reference to Alchiand Khotan Respectively’highlighted this.

Short story writer, critic andvisual ethnographer ManjuKak explored the terrain of theUttarakhand Himalayasthrough her documentary,They Who Walked Mountainsbased on the erstwhile SaltTrade between Tibet and theJohari Bhotia communities ofKumaon. She also curated thesection on ‘Woodcarvers ofKumaon’, using acclaimedNainital-based photographerAnup Sah’s extraordinaryvisuals of wooden chaukhatstaken from villages as remoteand high as Garbiyang in Kala Pani to the valleys aroundA l m o r a . A Hi m a l a y a nlandscape by, and a banner on,Ni c k o l a i R o e r i c h , t h erenowned Russian painter-explorer and spiritualist whomade Naggar, Kullu (HP) hishome lent élan to theexhibition. The banner wasdesigned by Mohd. Zeeshan.

The Western Himalayas sawrepresentation through a magnificent display of artifacts,documents and objects of trade from the collection of theMunshi Aziz Bhat Museum of Central Asian and KargilTrade Artifacts. These included silver coins, camel saddlesand riding gear, foot/head wear, ornaments, clothes,books and prayer items collected by the family of theDirector, Muzammil Hussain Munshi, and set up in theirold family Serai in Leh. Also included were a series ofevocative 1930s black and white photographs of Ladakh by CRT Wilmont (1897– 1961), a British army officer.

EXHIBITION: The Himalaya: A Timeless Quest – Monks,

Traders and Travellers

December 19—30

SIDDHARTH KAK

The Himalaya

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diary dance

Going SoloFESTIVAL: Ek-Anant — The Unendimg One

November 21–22

Subas Pani set the tone at the seminar by explaining thetrends in the present day dance scene. Solo dance formswere heading towards group dances, and group danceswere turning into solo dance forms. He emphasised theneed for preserving the solo dance form against thepreference for group dances. Ashok Vajpeyi gaveexamples of musicians like Kumar Gandharva andMallikarjun Mansoor who never lost faith in their solorenderings of Hindustani music.

Kiran Seth explained the concept of Alpha Zone interms of mathematics. Speaking of Kathakali artistKalamandalam Krishnan Niar, who once stayed withhim at his modest apartment, he saw his sadhana andunderstood what concentration meant. Without that sort of devotion, solo dancers cannot aspire to make amark. Malavika Sarukkai’s spartan life was an exampleof sadhana. Till a solo dancer surrenders to the form,she said, he/she cannot achieve the goal. AditiMangaldas, describing her journey as a solo dancer,mentioned broadening the base of one’s passion fordance. She said that both solo and group dances can bemastered, and if one decides to, one can perform both.

Leela Venkataraman gave the example ofBalasaraswati, and quoting Birju Maharaj observedthat a dancer is essentially trained as a solo dancer, butcan also do group work. However the essence is in soloexposition. Sujata Vijayaraghavan limited herobservations to the south, in particular to Chennai.

As the moderator, Sunil Kothari drew attention to thefact that solo dance performances require smallauditoriums where abhinaya expressions can be seen.Otherwise, barring nritta, pure dance, audiences donot enjoy presentation of abhinaya when seated toofar. Like Vishnu Digambar Paluskar used to say, wemay not have many ‘tansens’ (musicians), but we needto have many ‘kansens’ (admirers and appreciators ofmusic). Similarly, we need informed audiences toappreciate classical dances. Though Spic Macay hasworked towards it in a meaningful manner, it isnecessary to train audiences for classical dances. Therewas a consensus of opinion regarding the preservationof the solo dance form.

From among the dancers who performed solos on twoevenings, all placed their best foot forward. ShagunButani presented, in Odissi, Ramakant Rath’scontemporary poem Radha which required betterexplanation. Priya Venkataraman has shown maturity in

Bharatanatyam. Her abhinaya in ashtapadi wascommendable. More animation would make herexpressions communicative. Neena Prasad displayed hercommand over abhinaya in enacting the story ofDraupadi in Mohiniattam. Bimbavati Devi in spiritedManipuri, in particular in her own choreography ofShakti, stole the show. Bharatanatyam by A. Lakshman(groomed under K. J. Sarasa) revealed old world charm. It

would have helped connoisseurs in appreciating hissancharis more if he had edited them. Prashant Shahperformed Kathak with the salient features of KumudiniLakhia’s style. For abhinaya, he would do well to selectsongs which would highlight the strength of a maleperformer instead of a nayika.

SUNIL KOTHARI

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Tribute to Khushwant SinghBOOK DISCUSSION GROUP: Suneet Mani Iyer; Patricia

Montalto; and Professor Harish Trivedi discussed two books

on Khushwant Singh

Khushwant Singh: Unforgettable Fiction, Non-Fiction,

Poetry and Humour (New Delhi, Rupa Publications, 2014)

by David Davidar and Mala Singh, and

Khushwant Singh: The Legend Lives On... (New Delhi: Hay

House, 2014) edited by Rahul Singh

Chair: Professor Mushirul Hasan

November 10

‘There can be no meaningful discussion on a book if youdon’t know the author and his assets of writing, his visionsand literary channels along with the idiosyncrasies.’ It wasthe thought shared at the launch of two books on the lifeand works of the legendary writer, Khushwant Singh.The two books cover his writings and give meaningfulglimpses of his personality, vision of the times he lived in,his religion, beliefs and secular outlook. Also, his incrediblehumour and the mark he left on three generations.

The panel not only discussed the general beliefs of theauthor on the socio-political situations arising in thecountry, but also how it affected his life and work.Mushirul Hasan related how the decline of a professionalhistorian inside of Singh led to the eminence of hisjournalistic pick up. An Anglo—Indian writer,Khushwant Singh was an eminent novelist, lawyer,politician and journalist. He was best known for histrenchant secularism, his pungent sense of humour andabiding love for poetry.

The books contain several articles which discuss Singh’scomparisons of social and behavioural characteristics ofWesterners and Indians, laced with his acid wit. ProfessorHasan reflected that the reason why he liked the twobooks in question is the fact that they discuss Khushwant’sidentification with Gandhi and Nehru and his inclusivevision. The book goes on to discuss his systematic andassiduous secular outlook on life.

diary

SUBHRA MAZUMDAR

arts

Kumar GandharvaCentenaryFESTIVAL: On the Occasion of the 90th birth anniversary

of the legendary musician, Pt. Kumar Gandharva

Collaboration: Raza Foundation; Sangeet Natak Akademi;

Sanskriti Pratishthan; and Gandharva Mahavidyalaya

November 10–12

moving on to the lighter offerings such as lok sangeet, thepadas of Gorakhnath, the bhajans of Meera.

In all these varieties, the artists created an aura ofmelodious composure through intelligent interpretationof the words, with the mood of the music.Thus, there wasan explicit, studied and innovative presentation using themadhyalaya tempo in most cases so that the listeners wereable to engage with the meditative aura of the music.

The second day of the two-day celebrations was markedby a solo concert recital by Kumarji’s senior disciplePandit Madhup Mudgal. Though a few of thecompositions in his chosen repertoire identified closelywith the format of the previous evening, the matureapproach to the singing added a singular dimension to themusic. Of note was the tarana chosen by Pandit Mudgalthat coordinated the vocal exposition withaccompaniment to match. His choice of presentation inthe madhyalaya tempo gave space for a widerunderstanding of Kumarji’s artistry.

The release of a volume alongside the musical homagerounded off the occasion.

The centenary of the late Pandit Kumar Gandharva wasmarked by the joint performance of the maestro’s greatestinheritors, namely his daughter Kalapini Komkali andson Bhuvanesh Komkali. The duo regaled the audienceswith a pick of the late master’s immortal compositionsacross a wide choice of genres and ragas. RevisitingKumarji’s inimitable style of presentation, the artistscharmed listeners with their expertise in using a singlephrase of the composition and painting a complete image.Through the classic short, crisp and succinct approach todelineations that Kumarji had initiated, they presented awell composed evening of music, explicitly mapping out Kumarji’s oft heard raga compositions in Bahar, duo-ragadelights such as Sohini-Bhatiyar among others, before

DAISY DEKA

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OM GUPTA

Celebrating the BirthCentenary of Octavio Paz (1914-1998)TALK: Living and Creating in Light of India

Speakers: Krishen Khanna; Prayag Shukla; Professor

S.P. Ganguly; Professor Minni Sawhney

Coordinator: Professor Vibha Maurya

December 1

students and teachers have been taking in Paz inparticular, and Latin America in general. The Spanishdepartment at the School of Languages at the JawaharlalNehru University has produced generations of Hispanistswho have made a valuable contribution to LatinAmerican literature studies. It is not pure coincidencethat about half a dozen Latin American writers have beenawarded the Nobel Prize in literature after the SecondWorld War.

Professor Ganguly discussed the issue of identity in thewritings of Paz with particular reference to Indianidentity. He delved deeply into Indian philosophyincluding Hinduism, Buddhism, Tantra and many otherrelated aspects and issues. Paz also reinterpreted Mexicanhistory in his writings.

The celebrated Indian painter narrated his encounterswith Paz when he was staying at 12, Prithviraj Road inDelhi as the Mexican ambassador to India. The notedHindi poet Prayag Shukla recited his Hindi translationsof Paz's poems.

Glowing tributes were paid to the leading Mexican poet,author, diplomat and India-watcher Octavio Paz at agathering of Indian Latin Americanists. This is also thebirth centenary of this prolific intellectual. Scholars, poetsand artists remembered Paz with personal anecdotes andincidents from his life in India and elsewhere.

The highlight of the discourse was a profoundpresentation by the erudite former professor of Spanishlanguage and Latin American literature, Shyama PrasadGanguly, a sine qua non of the keen interest Indian

MANDIRA GHOSH

Bengali CuisineTALK: A Very Bengali Passion — Food beyond the Kitchen

Speaker: Chitrita Banerji

Chair: Dr. Pushpesh K. Pant

December 9

said that she through her writings of Bengali food hastransported the readers to a magical world. Ms Banerjidiscussed Bengali food with anecdotes, folklore, historyand literary references.

Poets wrote vivid and loving descriptions of food.Buddhist literature provided a sense of the prosperity ofthe age with the description of elaborate food. Theconjugal love between Shiva and Parvati wasdemonstrated in the works of the medieval Bengali poet.And in Chaitanya Charitamrita, food prepared in variousstyles by his disciples depicted the devotion of thedisciples towards their guru. Bankim Chandra’s AnandMath on the background of the famine talked ofsumptuous food. Rabindranath Tagore's Chira KumarSabha blended humour, food and satire. Love for foodmakes its presence felt in Bengali songs too. Specialmention wasmadeof Hilsa fish, a favourite of theBengalis.

In art and paintings, Bengali food has left its mark. Patachitra on palm leaves and 19th century Kalighat paintingsdepicteddaily social life with foodas amajorpart.

It is a universal fact that Bengalis suffer from a foodfixation. But Chitrita Banerji intensive research on thesubject of Bengali food and cuisine beyond Bengalikitchen and homes and how it permeates into Bengaliconsciousness and makes it's presence felt in Bengaliliterature, songs, idioms, religion and secular rituals isindeed praiseworthy. Food is an intrinsic part of Bengali culture, particularly of the culture of women´s lives.Beyond the meals prepared and cooked for everyday life,food offerings blessed by the gods are shared by devoteesin daily ceremonies as Bhog.

Astonishing methods of preparing foods that are carefullymade by the women reveal not only a rich culinary culturebut also a social structure in which ordinary folk had torelish just panta bhath while the rich enjoyed elaboratemeals.The noted food critic and historian, Pushpesh Pant

talks

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diarydiscussions

DISCUSSION: CULTURE AS CONTINUUM – Health Culture

as Continuity

Speaker: Ritu Priya Mehrotra

Chair: Professor Savyasachi

Collaboration: Lila Foundation for Translocal Initiatives

December 11

‘Health culture is not just medical culture. It is larger,wider. Ritu Priya Mehrotra argued for ‘Health Cultureas Continuity’.

‘This is how we moved along, growing a sense of healthcare. Communities evolved, developing technologies tocomplement the environment in support of basic healthrequirements. Only then did power structures and socialstratification take place.’ In this long process, phases ofbiological plateaus permitted further developments:‘slowly, a biology-culture balance is arrived at. Thecommunity benefits from a low endemicity… till newdisturbances arrive: revolutions, invasions’. In our world history, those disturbances have reached the level of

cultural symbols: ‘the quasi-total eradication of AmericanIndians with viruses; industrialism bringing new illnesses;the globalisation of HIV-AIDS.’

An approach connecting and enlightening both the pastlegacy and the present challenges of humanity, the prismof health culture remains underestimated as three specificangles divide and weaken its scope. ‘British colonialanthropology limited health culture to the primitivebackwardness of traditional formulae. The hospitalculture of today’s middle class is sceptical of the effects oftraditional medicine. And many traditional experts of a“holistic’’ medicine are resistant to chemical medicine.’

The policy-makers of Independent India have extendedthis triple division. ‘India is the country that recognisesthe highest number of medicine systems. But it is asituation of undemocratic pluralism: certain approachesget more attention, more funding and more recognition.Today, it is a dialogue between those various traditionsthat is urgently required.’

Ritu Priya Mehrotra presented a dense picture, suggestingthe possibilities of bringing together the many facets thatform our health culture(s).

SAMUEL BUCHOUL

Sindh and PartitionDISCUSSION: The Post—Partition Experience of Sindh and

the Sindhis

Panelists: Nandita Bhavnani; Rita Kothari; Tarun Saint;

Priya Kumar; and Rakhshanda Jalil

Chair: Dr. Subarno Chatterji

Collaboration: Centre for Studies in Violence, Memory and

Trauma, Department of English, University of Delhi

December 12

The idea behind the seminar was to bring into limelight an aspect of Partition studies that has long beenneglected—the displacement of Sindhis. The papersexamined the nature of displacement, memory, trauma,and the experience of resettlement. Nandita Bhavnani,author of The Making of Exile: Sindhi Hindus and thePartition of India, elaborated upon the social andeconomic factors that allowed for rapid Hinduascendency over Muslims, the former being a minority yethaving an upper hand in land-owning and money-lending, leading to resentment. The incoming Muhajirsfurthered the minority status of the Hindus, eventuallyleading to the pogrom of January 6. Rita Kothari spokeabout how, in engaging with the Kutchi Sindhis, she hasbeen made aware of an intensely personal relationshipbetween the Hindus and Muslims of the region. She

urged for a reappraisal of Partition studies, to temporallyrelocate the trauma of displacement post 1947 and toremould the narratives of trauma.

Thematically resonant of Kothari, Tarun K. Saint's paperfocused on Shashi Deshpande's story ‘IndependenceDay,’ which illustrates the experience of a Sindhi migrantin Bangalore. At the forefront lay the disjunction betweenthe jubilation of independence and the incoherence ofviolence and displacement. That personal histories arejuxtaposed with the public history of nationalcommemoration, and their fragmentation, partly due to retaining sanitised versions, formed the crux of his paper.Priya Kumar's paper examined the notions of home,hospitality, diasporic consciousness, and the term muhajirwith relation to Qurratulain Hyder's Sita Betrayed andKamila Shamsie's Kartography. She illustrated how a lostgeneration was created as a result of Partition epitomisedin Sita and how nativist claims clashed with muhajirclaims of right to land and ownership. Continuing withthe theme of the city and its inhabitants, Rakhshanda Jalilshared her observation on Intizar Hussain's AgeySamundar Hai, set in Karachi, and her translation of it.Extending Kumar's argument, she pointed to howHussain constructs the conflict between a people's claim over a city and a city's claim, if at all, over its people.She also disputed the essentialist view of muhajirs andtheir experience.

TRISHA LALCHANDANI

Health Culture

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diary talk/discussion

TALK: INDIAN ARCHAEOLOGY – The Plunder of India’s Past

Speaker: Dr. Kirit Mankodi

Chair: B.M. Pande

December 10

The talk on ‘The Plunder of India’s Past’ delivered by KiritMankodi, an eminent art historian, was inspiring and eyeopening to heritage lovers of the country. The effortsmade by him to trace illegally exported art objects inforeign countries and their retrieval is really appreciated.The Mithuna figures of Attru, the female figurines of theNagda, Rajasthan, the stone image of Bharhut, MP andthe Natraja image of Badoli, Rajasthan are a few for whichDr. Mankodi has made efforts to bring back to their placeof origin.

These objects are stolen from centrally protectedmonuments and fortunately in most of the cases, thedocuments required for their retrieval are available. But alarge number of objects are stolen and smuggled fromunprotected sites and no complaints are registered at thetime of their theft. The claim of ownership of suchantiquities for their retrieval has become a majorchallenge to the country.

This is in spite of the UNESCO convention on Means ofProhibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import and Exportand Transfer of the Ownership of Cultural Property,Article 7 of which says that the State party of theconvention has to take necessary measures to preventmuseums and institutions from acquiring illegallyimported cultural property belonging to another Stateparty. However, the guidelines of the convention do notseemtobe implemented in proper spirit by the Stateparties.

The ASI is making its best efforts for the retrieval ofillegally exported cultural property and quite a goodnumber of them referred to by Dr. Mankodi in his talk arein the process of retrieval.

The basic issue is, how these priceless antiquities arestolen and illegally exported in spite of having several legalprovisions in place. However, there are clear indicationsthat we are not in a position to safeguard antiquities, andat the same time, there is no proper vigil while passingthrough customs. It is possible, however, to discouragesuch activities simply by being more vigilant andsensitive. A proper coordination between the lawenforcing agencies and creating awareness among themasses, would automatically prevent the illegaltrafficking of Indian antiquities, which would ensure itssafety for posterity.

D.N. DIMRI

Insurgency and IntegrationDISCUSSION: Restructuring the Northeast

Speakers: P.P. Shrivastava; Falguni Rajkumar;

Professor Bhagat Oinam and R.S. Pandey

Moderator: B.G. Verghese

November 13

At the outset, Falguni Rajkumar said that one mustunderstand the concept of the Northeast region in threeways. Firstly in the formal sense, in a geocentric manner asa geographically defined place; then in a functional senseas states; and finally in the vernacular sense, as more of aphysical dimension than the fact that it has humanbeings. A group acquires cohesiveness under externalpressure. When people of the Northeast come outsidetheir region they are grouped as one, but when they live inthe Northeast, they go into their burrows. Ethnic identitybecame politically necessary when Nagaland was createdin 1963. Regions were divided by the Reorganisation ofStates in 1972-73. This was politically desirable, buteconomically a disaster. Economically, the Northeast needsto combine within itself.

P. P. Shrivastava said that while the Northeast is seen as abackward area, it is in fact one of the richest regions ofthe country. It has forests, water and land. The problemis one of mindsets. There is a tribal Panchsheel oftruthfulness, honesty, transparency and communityfeeling, and consensus decision-making. Thecontradictions of identity/progress, insider/outsider,grievance/blame need to be sorted out. Finally, the trustdeficit has to be corrected.

R.S. Pandey said that restructuring has been going on inthe Northeast. There are grievances against India andwithin the Northeast. The problems that engenderedinsurgency still remain; it is not a problem ofdevelopment, but a problem of perception. TheNortheast does not feel politically present in India.

Bhagat Oinam tied together the threads of the discussion.He emphasised that mindsets get translated into violence.Finally, the communitarian aspect of societies in theNortheast needs to be emphasised.

RACHNA JOSHI

Retrieving Antiquities

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The main presentation at the Mid-Year Review of theIndian Economy by NCAER's Mythili Bhusnurmathdwelt on key aspects of the economy to drive home thepoint that India's economy had begun the year on a firmfooting, but might have been losing steam on certainparameters lately.

In agriculture, Bhusnurmath said a deficient monsoonthis year could lead to a drop of 2-3 per cent in khariffoodgrain output. On industrial production, herpresentation highlighted the fact that a welcome 4.2 percent growth in the first quarter had been followed by adisappointing near-flat expansion of less than 0.5 per centin both July and August. The manufacturing sector wasseen as the biggest drag, while gross fixed capitalformation as relief. Also, better growth in coreinfrastructure industries in the months to come wasviewed as bolstering overall industrial output.

Mid-Year Review SEMINAR: Mid-Year Review of the Indian Economy 2014 –15

Main Presentation by Mythili Bhusnurmath

Theme papers by Dr. Seema Sangita, and Dr. Indira Iyer

Discussants: Dr. B. B. Bhattacharya and Dr. Ajit Ranade

Chair: Dr. Bimal Jalan

Collaboration: NCAER

November 1

The presentation lauded some of the recent steps taken bythe government and the Reserve Bank to support theeconomy while keeping a leash on inflation. The servicessector, which had grown at a good 6.8 per cent rate in thefirst quarter,was seen expanding much less than potential.

Money and credit markets had mostly been stable in the first six months of the year—while the equity and bondmarkets saw some excitement, credit was a little subdued.However, the stock market rally in the first half wasmainly driven by foreign institutional investor flows.

On trade and commerce, Bhusnurmath pointed out thatIndia's export growth had slowed after a strong show inMay and June. The trade balance, too, had improved inthe first quarter, but a 26 per cent import surge inSeptember again pushed trade deficit to an18-month high.

The recent taming of inflation, though, was seen as a bigpositive. GDP growth in the April-June quarter of thisyear, at 5.7 per cent, was one percentage point higher thanthe same quarter last year. Concerns were also raised onthe front of fiscal deficit, which the Union Budget hadestimated to be 4.1 per cent of GDP over 2014-15.Three-fourths of the estimate for the deficit in the entireyear had been hit in the first six months itself.

The review also had two special papers: on financialinclusion by Indira Iyer and on India’s bilateral trade inservices by Seema Sangita.

REETESH ANAND

The British Council, India and the BBC collaborated to present a panel discussion and debate on ‘The War thatChanged the World : India and Imperialism’ , observingthe centenary of World War I. The legacy and historicalsignificance of World War I (1914-1919) which wasundoubtedly a catalyst of change and altered the course ofthe modern world, was discussed passionately among thepanelists and audience alike.

The special debate saw a packed house with Razia Iqbalfrom BBC World service radio as moderator. She sought to get the Indian perspective on the great war by urgingthe audience, including students, researchers and warveterans, to share their poignant stories, hidden behindthe statistics, and participate in the lively discussion led by

World War I CentenaryDISCUSSION: The War that Changed the World

Collaboration: British Council Division and BBC

November 1

eminent panelists and historians Mridula Mukherjee andSrinath Raghavan. Shashi Tharoor was a guest speaker andpresenteda specially commissionedessay on the theme.

There was reminiscence and commemoration of thecontribution of nearly 1.5 million recruits from India in the war, at Gallipolli, Egypt, Mesopotamia and Africa.The gallant actions of these soldiers who were the first tobe killed in the trenches was acknowledged and applauded.

Srinath Raghavan explained British troops as being verydiverse, a sort of melting pot bringing in forces fromAfrica and India. Though India’s contribution was key toallied victory, Indian soldiers were unprepared for theharsh cold climate of Europe and even the uniforms werealien to them.

Mridula Mukherjee rightly put forth the view that thesoldiers were not fighting a war for their own country, andstated that it would be romantic to discuss this as apatriotic army as soldiering was a profession.

GAURIKA KAPOOR

diary lecture/discussion

Irfan Habib spoke on the ways in which Jawaharlal Nehruinfluenced the nationalist movement. In his view, Nehru’sinvolvement in the national movement was at two levels.At one level, he carried forward the work done by the 19thcentury nationalist leaders and Gandhi. At another level,however, Nehru’s involvement was in the nature of amajor intervention which helped change the character ofthe movement in significant ways. When he returnedfrom Europe in 1927, he noticed a lack of radicalism inthe movement and brought about a major breakthroughin many ways. One, as against the celebration of religionby Gandhi in his Hind Swaraj, Nehru clearly celebratedreason and took it to the people. Two, he also began topopularise the ideas of socialism and a welfare state.The

The Indian Modern and NehruDISCUSSION: THE INDIAN MODERN AND NEHRU – Nehru

and the National Movement

Speaker: Professor Irfan Habib

Chair: Professor Mushirul Hasan

November 22

Karachi resolution of Congress passed in 1931 wasNehru’s brainchild and it constructed an alternativepicture of independent India, in which the State would bethe major agent of social transformation. Even Gandhirealised that people supported Nehru’s vision of Indiacodified in the Karachi resolution. A commitment to theuniversalist understanding of secularism was part ofNehru’s vision of independent India.

However, Irfan Habib took issue with Nehru’s role in the1940s. After making his ideological preferences clearly infavour of the Allied powers, why did Nehru agree to fightthe Quit India movement at a time when the Alliedpowers were being threatened by the Axis powers? It was also in the 1940s that Nehru wrote his third major bookDiscovery of India in which there was a clear regressionfrom internationalism to narrow nationalism and fromrationalism to a celebration of religion However, the year1947 was important as the Gandhi stream and the Nehrustream, that had run parallel to each other, got united.The Indian Nationalist Movement is easily the greatestcontribution of the Indian people so far, and both Nehruand Gandhi contributed to its greatness.

SALIL MISRA

Professor Anil Gupta delivered the 13th Annual BCFlecture to a full house of 240 persons in the C.D.Deshmukh Auditorium with audiences drawn frommanagement schools, faculty members, people fromdifferent sectors, Civil Society, Corporate, NGOs etc.His insightful session was full of examples of newinnovations made by common people, who came upwith new ideas to make innovations accessible and work for the common person while giving them recognitionand respect.

He talked about the potential in people and spoke abouthis network (Honey Bee) which is celebrating its silverjubilee. He spoke of how people learn from their ownexperience, and shared his learning while he travelledacross the country having covered 6,000 km on foot inShodhyatras. Most of his learning came from common

Small InnovationsTHIRTEENTH BCF ANNUAL LECTURE: Innovation, Honey

Bee Network and Grassroots Work

Speaker: Dr. Anil Gupta

Collaboration: Business and Community Foundation

November 28

issues and practical situations necessitating low costsolutions: for example bridges in Meghalaya made byvillagers by tying together roots of trees; bicycles whereboth the driver and passenger can pedal helping oneanother, etc. Talking about innovations, the smallentrepreneur, the sustainability of small innovations, heshowed different examples of small innovations which areknown worldwide after getting due recognition. ‘If youare unique, you need to do something unique’ was theoverall theme. His aim was to connect, solve theproblems of the unorganised sector, SMEs, and the smallrural entrepreneur.

He also spoke about the need to change our culture tocome up with new innovations and ideas, and that jugaadshould not be celebrated as this leads to a temporarysolution. This was an inspirational session especially forstudents as most of his examples and innovations aresolutions for ordinary people solving common problemswhich people have just learnt to live with. The lectureended with an open house with many questions from theaudience and a standing ovation.

PRAVEEN SINGH

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Dr. Ajay Gondane was the first speaker at the paneldiscussion on ‘SAARC: Kathmandu and Beyond’ whonarrated in detail the negotiation process that precededthe SAARC Summit. He pointed out that while regionaleconomic integration has achieved great success inEurope, South East Asia and other places, we remainbackward. The SAARC Motor Vehicle and SAARCRailways agreements were expected to be signed at theSummit but were not as some member countries opposedit. He remarked that India has unilaterally taken steps toboost intra–regional trade, including providing duty freeaccess to goods from SAARC LDCs, but this will onlysucceed if other partners also dismantle their tariff andnon-tariff barriers. However, one achievement of theSummit was the Framework Agreement for EnergyCooperation that will facilitate development of a SAARCmarket for electricity.

P. Lama spoke about the achievements and the missedopportunities during the Summit. He began by focusingon issues that arose for the first time at any SAARCSummit. It was for the first time that: the membercountries thought about the future of SAARC, goingbeyond national opportunities and looking at the bordersas opportunities rather than security threats; andcountries talked of education and people-centric policies.He said that SAARC is still plagued with structuralweakness, politics, non-democratic institutionalprocesses, and no accountability of conventions discussedbut not implemented.

Eric Gonsalves was sceptical about the relationshipbetween the media and SAARC as the media does notunderstand what SAARC is doing. He pointed out thatone cannot ignore the Chinese presence in the regionsince it is spending extensive money in many countries inthe region such as Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.He remarked that a grouping around the Indian Ocean isrequired but has to be backed by the political will,allocation for trans-border working, elimination ofsecurity threat perceptions, cooperation in intelligencesharing, and a change in the attitudes of the private andthe public sectors.

discussion

MAHADEVAN RAMASWAMY

Molecular Mix and MatchDISCUSSION: DNA@70. DNA—Not merely the Secret of Life

Speaker: Professor Nadrian 'Ned' Seeman

Collaboration: Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance

December 22

Avery’s path-breaking research was celebrated with a talkby this distinguished and equally original scientist onusing DNA’s chemical information for the bottom-upnanoscale control of matter. Seeman made this complexand rather technical subject highly accessible withfascinating examples from sources as diverse as the Pariscatacombs, a chandelier in the Capuchin monastery inRome, the tiled flooring of the Pergamon Temple exhibitin Berlin and the amusingly absurd idea of marshmallowsbeing impaled by uncooked pasta! His work is interestingin two ways: as engineering for its own sake, it explores allthe ways in which a topologically linear molecule whoseconstituents have specific tensegrity characteristics can berearranged using sticky-ended cohesion to make anythingfrom knots, chains and lattices to microscopic smileyfaces, text messages written with molecules and tiny,self-propelled synthetic objects that walk likeearthworms. As the basis for applications that couldtransform our lives, it has profound implications fornanorobotics, DNA-based computing, targeted drugdelivery, materials science and much else.

Seventy years after Oswald Avery showed that DNA,rather than cell proteins, was responsible for themysterious ‘transforming principle’ of heredity, sciencehas used this discovery in myriad ways to advance ourunderstanding of and intervention in biologicalprocesses. But in the 1980s, as crystallographer NadrianSeeman sat in a campus pub looking at a woodcut by theremarkable graphic artist M. C. Escher showing aseamless 3D arrangement of fish, he realised that DNAcould also be synthetically manipulated to form latticesand other structures by cannibalising and rearranging its constituents. Seeman founded the cutting edge field ofstructural DNA nanotechnology, which works withDNA as a nanoengineering construction material ratherthan a genetic molecule.

DISCUSSION: SAARC — Kathmandu and Beyond

and Eric Gonsalves

Chair: I. P. Khosla

December 3

Speakers: Dr. Ajay Gondane; Professor Mahendra P. Lama

INDRAJIT

Aspects of SAARC

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diary lecture/discussion

Asia’s Burgeoning CitiesHIMAL LECTURE 2014: Between the People and the

Polis – Southasia’s Mega Cities and the Urban Future

Speaker: Arif Hasan

Chair: Kanak Mani Dixit

Collaboration: Himal Southasian, Kathmandu

November 7

During his talk, he didn’t forget to mention the role of keyarchitects and planners who had a huge impact on urbanand rural people’s lives. According to him, in 2011 it wasestimated that the total urban population of South Asiawas 243 million, of which 34 per cent lived in megacities.But in today’s figures, it is already 40 per cent. And in thiscase he finds it very difficult to believe but evidencesuggests that this is so.

While delivering his lecture, he also didn’t forget to citethe most important reason for the increase in migrationand marketisation taking place in and around rural areasacross the South Asian region. And last but not the least,he also mentioned Gandhi’s admiration for villages.While quoting him, Hasan said, ‘the village todaydepends entirely on urban produced goods and is nolonger self-sufficient, a self-sufficiency that Gandhiadmired very much.’

While delivering the lecture on the growth of mega-citiesin South Asia, renowned urban philosopher and teacherbased in Karachi, Arif Hasan, expressed his views from a different perspective.The current socio-economic changeand the state’s response towards the immediate change ininvestment terms was the main focus of the lecture.

At the beginning, he cited the example of three fastgrowing capitals of South Asia. The Indian capital, Delhiwith a population of more than 24 million; Dhaka, thecapital of Bangladesh, projected at 18 million for 2015,and Karachi, which has grown at a phenomenal rate. Itwas 11 million in 1998, but today it is about 21 million. M. SHAHID SIDDIQUI

Naxalism and DevelopmentBOOK DISCUSSION: Countering Naxalism with

Development – Challenges of State Security and

Social Justice

Edited by Dr. Santosh Mehrotra (Sage Publications)

Panelists: Santosh Mehrotra, Rahul Pandita,

Prakash Singh and P.V. Ramanna

December 20

Mention was made of the dissent of previous politicians:that of P. Chidambaram’s policy of ‘clear, hold anddevelopment for the region’ being countered by DigvijaySingh. The need for a holistic approach to thedevelopment of the region, that embeds inclusion of thecommunities there, that deals with land displacementconsequences and the distribution of rewards fromdevelopment was reiterated. Finally, the need to deal withthe violence and to negotiate with the guerillacommanders was discussed. The current forces in chargeof security in these regions were unclear about theirmandate. The comment that the government wassurviving without significant terrorist attacks throughsheer luck with the real threat of a massive terrorist attacklooming large was debated, along with comment on thefavourable effects of the Land Acquisition Act 2013. Theclosing comment was that if not addressed holistically, theproblem of Naxalism may minimise and/or be resolved inthe next four to five years but with some pain and withsome uncertain consequences.

The speakers discussed the reasons for the sustained andrecurring rise of violence being an unequal redistributionof mineral wealth in the region along with development,the lack of political consensus resulting in the increaseduse of the CRPF by the government to counter violencein the region. There has been an explosion of violence inthe regions which are now covered by Maoist guerillas.The nexus of the guerillas with the PLA, criminalelements and dissident and separatist factions in Jammuand Kashmir, the Telengana and ULFA of Assam is adisquieting trend. A concerted political, economic andsecurity aligned consensus approach is required from thegovernment at the centre. MEKHALA SENGUPTA

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Highlights for January – February 2015

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Reg. No. 28936/77

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The issue of the Dairy has been assembled and edited by Omita Goyal, Chief Editor, Rachna Joshi, Senior Asstt. Editor and Ritu Singh,Editor. Published by Ravinder Datta, for the India International Centre, 40, Max Mueller Marg, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi - 110 003,Ph. : 24619431. Designed by Sanjay Malhotra at IMAGE PRINT, N-78, Kirti Nagar, New Delhi-110015. Ph. : 41425321, 9810161228

Senior Asstt.

Annual SubscriptionAll members are requested to pay annual subscription for the year 2015-2016 in time.

An extract of Rule 9 of the Memorandum of Association and Rules and Regulations is given below for information:

‘Subscriptions towards membership are payable in advance for each financial year and shall be due for payment on the1st April of each year. It shall be the responsibility of the members to ensure due and timely payment of subscriptions.’

Do please write your Membership number and ‘Annual Subscription for the year 2015-2016’ on the back of thecheque. In case you choose to make electronic/online payment, please inform the accounts department that theamount deposited is towards annual subscription for the year 2015-2016.

ObituaryL-0004 Shri R.K. ChhabraM-0366 Shri J. K. KhannaM-3061 Smt. Birjees KidwaiA-0658 Shri B.G. Verghese

A-2082 Shri M. VaradarajanA-3964 Shri R.B. WadhawanA-4615 Smt. Sushila Mehta

notices

New FacilitiesThe inauguration of the new Self-service Lounge overlooking the Fountain Lawn as well as the new Staff Cafetaria andGymnasium took place on December 5, 2014. The new facilities were inaugurated by the President of IIC,Mr. Soli J. Sorabjee.