india perspectives - september 2012

INDIAVOL 26 NO. 6 SEPTEMBER 2012

PERSPECTIVES

INS IDE GLOBAL PERSPECTIVESIndia-ASEAN Ties

TRIBUTEMother Teresa

LEAD STORYVibrant Wall Art Traditions

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SEPTEMBER 2012INDIATHISMONTH

September 15-17MAGIC FESTIVALAround 30 magiciansfrom India and abroad willparticipate, visitors canalso buy handicrafts andenjoy food and musicalongside. Where: Dilli Haat, New Delhi

September 17-18MUSSOORIE WRITERS’FESTIVALThis edition will focus onauthors writing forchildren, teens andyoung adults. Illustrators,publishers and story-tellers will also attend. Where: WoodstockSchool, Mussoorie

September 19-21TARNETAR FAIRIt is a meeting place foryoung tribals looking formarriage partners.Intricately embroideredumbrellas (chhatris)embellished with mirrorsare a special attraction. Where: Thangadh,Surendranagar, Gujarat

September 27-30SOUTH ASIAN FILMFESTIVALDedicated to 100 yearsof Indian Cinema, it is aplatform for filmmakersfrom South Asia toshowcase their films anddiscuss social, culturaland political features ofthe region’s cinema. Where: Goa

September 1-15LADAKH FESTIVALIn the monasteries thereare lion, yak and maskdances through thefortnight, elsewhere thereare folk songs, handicraftson sale, a polo-match andpainting exhibitions. Where: Leh andsurrounding villages

September 8-October 6EXHIBITION OF J. SWAMINATHAN’S WORKS Transits of a Wholetimerwill feature vignettes fromSwaminathan’sautobiographical notes,some early drawings,family photographs andearly catalogues spanning1952-1964.Where: Gallery Espace,New Delhi

September 19-29GANESH UTSAVColourfully dressed idolsof the Lord Ganesha areinstalled in homes andpublic places. After 10days the idols are takenout in processions amidstsinging and dancing andimmersed in water. Aspecial sweet, modak, isprepared as an offering. Where: Across India

September 15NEELAMPEROORPADAYANIShowcases an ancientritual dance; performerswear elaborate headgear,music is provided by aone-sided drum. Effigiesof swans are carried inprocessions. Where: Kottayam, Kerala

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03SEPTEMBER 2012 � INDIA PERSPECTIVES

editorial noteeople have been decorating walls and floors of living spaces for thousands ofyears. In fact, the history of man can be traced through cave painting, theearliest — a simple red dot — some 40,000 years old and has been recentlydiscovered in Spain. In India, the earliest art can be seen in the rock shelters

of Bhimbetka in the foothills of the Vindhyas. Some of the paintings here go back tothe Paleolithic Era about 30,000 years ago!

On looking at them, images of dense jungle populated by fearsome beasts like thetiger, the bison and the elephant come to mind. These and other animals have beenimmortalised in the paintings that adorn the walls of the caves. The dwellers have alsoleft behind impressions of their life and times, their beliefs and dreams and scenes ofeveryday life — from hunting, and drinking to dancing and marriage. The colours arefew, the lines simple, the artists unknown, the canvas open to the vagaries of the sunand the wind, the art itself transient.

History tells us that the hunter-gatherers of Bhimbetka, and others like them allover the country, gave up the nomadic life to settle down to village life. But they seemto have kept alive the ritual of painting their homes. From Madhubani in Bihar toPithoro art in Gujarat, the tradition is alive even today. Simple and functional it hassurvived the march of time, being handed down from one generation to the next. Thelead story this month looks at a living canvas that is village India.

For women and men in rural parts of our country, wall art is a reminder of thetransience of all things material; a rite of renewal. In most part, painters prefer toremain anonymous, since the purpose is not to create a permanent “work of art” butto purify the earth and their home. For them, the act of painting is often moreimportant than the finished product. Once complete, the painting waits to give way toanother and another and another.

In Global Perspectives, we take a look at India’s evolving partnership and itsengagement with ASEAN. Recently, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna travelled toCambodia to attend a series of meetings, a precursor to the Special ASEAN-IndiaCommemorative Summit to be held in December in India. The visit highlighted thesignificance India attaches to its partnership with ASEAN and set a positive note forthe future of the partnership.

Riva Ganguly Das

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September 2012 n VOL 26 No. 6/2012

SEPTEMBER 2012

INDIAPERSPECTIVES

Editor: Riva Ganguly DasAssistant Editor: Ashish Arya

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05SEPTEMBER 2012 u INDIA PERSPECTIVES

COVER PHOTO: Madhubani Painting of Bihar COVER DESIGN: Bipin Kumar

06COVER STORY

THE WALL IS MY CANVAS India Perspectives takes a look at some vibrant folk art traditions that have stood the test of time in different parts of the country

India This Month 2

Global Perspectives:India-ASEAN: Road to Bonding 20

Partnerships:International Conference: Passage for Connectivity 26

Tribute:Mother Teresa: Face of Love 28

Travel:Discover India’s Coastal Cities from the Sea 34

Exhibition:Vignettes from J. Swaminathan’s works 42

Review: 45Film: Unstitched Glory

Verbatim:Theoretical Physicist Ashoke Sen 46

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CanvasFor generations, paintersin rural India have beenadorning the walls of theirhomes. Now, this act of worship has moved onto more permanent andportable media, grabbedthe world’s eyeballs andbecome money spinners.India Perspectivestakes a look at somevibrant folk art traditionsthat have stood the test of time in differentparts of the country

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This is a journey to the land of painted havelis(palaces). My base for the three-day expedition tothe Shekhawati region is Mandawa. The havelis in

this cluster of towns and villages, in northeast Rajasthan,are so profusely painted that the entire region is known asthe largest open-air art gallery in the world.

Walking into the baithaks or meeting rooms of haveliafter haveli, I am awestruck by the intricate paintings on thewalls and ceilings. The themes vary from family portraitsand mythological themes to Rajput and Marwari ceremonialprocessions. Most common are myths related to gods likeShiva and Vishnu, Krishna and Rama. Folklore, portraitsand floral patterns also make an appearance.

The significance of murals in Shekhawati is linked withthe history of the Marwaris, a business community. In fact,some of the large business and industrial houses, among

them the Birlas and Dalmias, trace their roots to this region.The rich Marwaris constructed grand buildings in theirhomeland, Shekhawati. And as status symbols decoratedthe façade, gateways, walls, parapets and ceilings withfrescoes. Many of the merchants have migrated to big citieswhere their business interests lie, but continue to maintaintheir ancestral homes in Shekhawati.

Each haveli is unique in ornamentation but very similarin basic layout and design. The level of craftsmanshipvaries, but almost every inch is covered with paint. Theoutside has large figurative motifs, the more intricate workis reserved for the interiors of the houses.

Most of the mansions in Shekhawati have been builtbetween the 18th and early 20th centuries, therefore it is nosurprise that sahibs and memsahibs make an appearancein the paintings, as do automobiles and airplanes.

THE THEMESl Floral: Use of fewer colours. In later periods, floral work was mostly reserved forarches and pillars.l Historic: Tales of valour depicting scenes ofbattle and portraits of well-known rulers.l Religious: In the interior spaces and aroundthe main entrances. Also included themesbased on mythology.l Secular: Represented aspects of life thatwere truly aspirational or a commentary on thelifestyle of the people.

GETTING THEREBy Air: The nearest airport is at Jaipur. By Rail: The main line joining Delhi, Jaipur andBikaner passes through Shekhawati.By Road: Shekhawati has a good network ofroads connecting it to other cities in Rajasthan.Private and public transport is available.

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Blue or IndigoThe palaces here are so profusely painted that the entire regionis called the largest open-air gallery in the world

TEXT: ANSHUMAN SEN

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Madhubani, means forest of honey, and this regionin Bihar derives its name from the hundreds ofbeehives that once dotted its jungles.

The painting tradition that has made Madhubani famoushas been practiced by generations of women. They paintthe freshly plastered mud walls of their homes to markfestivals and rites of passage of their family. All Madhubanipaintings are based on two central themes — love andfertility. Scenes from Ram-Sita swaymavara (the ancientpractice of choosing a husband from a list of suitors) orRadha and Krishna in amorous poses are some of the motifs.

Fertility is depicted by motifs like fish, parrot, elephant,turtle, sun, moon, bamboo and lotus. Often the deities areplaced in the centre of the mural or canvas, with theirconsorts and flowers forming the background. The humanfigures are linear and often the profiles are painted.

There is no preliminary sketching, everything is done withthe brush. Although a lot of synthetic colours have made theirway, in the beginning only natural dyes were used. Powdereddyes were mixed with the resin of banana leaves to makethem stick to the wall surface; now powdered colours areavailable off the shelf and are often mixed with goat’s milk.

Initially, Madhubani was the sole preserve of women, butfollowing commercial success and increase in demand thewomen needed extra pairs of hands, and men joined thebandwagon. By then the paintings had moved on to fabric,paper, ceramic and canvas so as to reach a larger market.The temporary and anonymous nature of the paintings wasreplaced with permanence and ownership.

The region’s paintings have maintained their distinctivestyle and content over the centuries earning them thegeographical indication (GI) status.

NATURAL DYESl Red: Beetroot juice is extracted, dried and mixed with glue. l Green: Hibiscus flower is dried, boiled with lemon juice before adding glue.l Black: Rusted iron is kept in jaggery for 10 days and boiled thereafter. l Yellow: Turmeric is used.l Golden: Alum and pomegranate skin areboiled to get the colour

GETTING THEREBy Air: Patna is the nearest airport.By Rail: It is linked to the rest of India by expressand superfast trains. By Road: Being the take-off point for theBuddhist circuit, it is connected to Kathmandu,Gaya, Bodhgaya, Rajgir and Nalanda. BiharState Road Transport Corporation plies busesthat depart at regular intervals from Patna.


Ancient LegacyOnce the sole preserve of women, commercial viability has meant

that men have also taken up the folk art

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My first whirlwind tour to Kutch was a perfectexcuse to have a look at a cross-section of thedistrict’s attractions. But what stayed etched in

my memory were the picturesque villages in the Bannigrasslands with their circular houses called bhungas inhamlets called vandhs. Set on low platforms, thesebhungas have circular walls built from rammed earth andbrick, crowned by a conical thatched roof. The walls areplastered with lippan, a mud and cow dung mixture. Duringfestivals the owners, especially women, decorate them withfloral, geometric and abstract motifs, some are inlaid withmirrors, others look distinct with human stick figure formsdone in reds, blues and yellows. The windows and doorsare often laced with line work, paintings and mirror work.

While the paintings on the bhungas of Kutch primarilyserve a decorative purpose, they acquire a completely

different idiom in the pithoros of southeastern Gujarat.Pithoro has been an inherent part of rituals, symbolising lifeand all that comes with it. Walls are painted to usher peaceand prosperity or to vanquish illnesses and bad luck. Whena person makes a wish, tipna (five dots) are marked on thewall and if the problem is resolved happily, the pithoropainting ritual begins.

The process starts with treating the walls with cowdungand white chalk powder, usually brought by unmarried girls.Images of everyday life, figures of bulls, horses, birds andtigers are part of each pithoro.

Today, the Rathwas are bringing pithoro into themainstream at craft fairs. But, the tradition of wall art with natural colours lives in the villages of eastern Gujarat as a ritualistic form, an art and a ritual that perhaps willnever die.

THE ARTISTSThe pithoro painting is executed by the Lakahara,a group revered as witch doctors and trained bythe community as pithoro artists. Only the malemembers are allowed to learn the art with thebadva officiating as the head priest for the rituals.The presence of Pithora Baba (tribal lord) isconsidered as a panacea for ailments and evil.Legends and events related to this revered triballord dominate the pithoro. These days thedrawings borrow heavily from modern life — guns,televisions, cars, trains, planes, oversized locks onstorage units are common.

GETTING THEREBy Air: Bhuj is the major airport of Kutch district;another airport is at Kandla (Gandhidham). By Rail: Gandhidham is the most important railhead. By Road: You can hire cars at Bhuj orGandhidham for visits to the villages.


Mud and MirrorsWall art is part of a festive celebration or a ritualfor a special occasion in the state

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Atypical Oraon home in Jharkhand is usually a goodexample of the ancient art of comb-cut painting inwhich the ordinary comb is run over fresh paint to

give it a definite style. The colours are assiduously pickedout from everyday things — the grey from ash of the hearth,black from pounded charcoal, red from red soil or thevermillion plant, blue from indigo, yellow from the driedpumpkin or squash flowers, orange from palash (flame ofthe forest) flowers, white from ground rice and when a newcolour is required on the palette they pour one colour overanother in the earthen pot, blend it with a twig and the wallgets an unusual tinge.

All tribal homes in Jharkhand are not as monotonous asthe urban homes. A generic categorisation woulddemarcate tribal wall art into kohvar and sohrai. Kohvar isa marriage art obviously replete with fertility motifs, while

sohrai is a harvest genre that abounds in designs andpictorial narratives propitiating deities. The motifs are notcommon either, they are so tribe-specific that if you knewthe nuances of Jharkhand wall art, you would know thetribe of the home owners by merely looking at the wall. Notjust motifs, even colours are picked scrupulously.

Tribals are very innovative about the brushes, and theirbest brush is their fingers, which they dip in paint and etchtheir designs. The Munda, Birhor and Bhuiya tribals onlyuse their fingers for wall art. For other tribes, it could beanything from a piece of cloth tied on a stick or a thin fabricheld in the hand like a mop.

As I drove away I thought of that gorgeous mural on themud wall in the middle of nowhere and as inspired to give thefour walls of my home a new sheath this Diwali. My walls willthen look stunning and my urban home shed monotony.

DISTINCT PATTERNl Mundas: Instead of brush, they use their fingers to paint their favourite motifs ofsnakes and plants. l Teli: Known for their comb-cutting technique of wall art. l Oraon: They use the comb to etch geometric designs, squares, circled lotus, arches on their mud walls. l Turi: They only use earth tones and their motifstake inspiration from flowers and the forest. l Santhal: Warring figures in black are theirsignature style.

GETTING THEREBy Air: The nearest airport is Ranchi. By Rail: The nearest railway stations areBarkakana and Koderma.By Road: State transport and private buses plybetween Hazaribagh and major towns and cities.


Motif on the WallTribals here paint with natural colours using their fingers as a

brush; each tribe picking its distinctive design

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The backdrop of the Sahyadri mountains studded withverdant greenery form the perfect background toKalmipada village of Thane district, Maharashtra.

Here all you see is rice. Not just as staple diet but also asthe sole alibi to eke a living. But rice is not what givesKalmipada its eminence, it is the simple, yet exquisite tribalart form called warli. The art of mixing powdered rice inwater to depict agrarian life is not a new phenomenon;scholars date it as far back as 2500-3000 BCE. Warli comesfrom the word warla, meaning a plot of land or field.

Kalmipada is the only place in the country wheresanctity, passion and originality of the art exists; for herelives the legendary warli artist, Jivya Soma Mashe, 78.When Jivya picks up the finger-length brush made out ofbamboo which he has chiselled with his teeth to give it theapt smoothness and sharpness, the dainty lines and dots

slowly metamorphose into stunning men, women, animals,trees, birds, fields, fire and water.

Warli art would have faded in oblivion and treated like amundane community art, had it not been for the Governmentof India, which revived various tribal arts in the 1970s.

Warli is traditionally painted only during two occasions— marriage and harvest time. “It is our cultural traditionnot an art,” says Sadashiv Mashe, Jivya’s son. Warli paintingwas the exclusive prerogative of women, who were speciallyinvited before wedding ceremonies to paint the walls.Surprisingly, women no longer hold the brush.

The purity of warli manifests in the use of naturalcolours. The paintings have only three backdrops — red,green and black; the red from the red earth; green fromcow dung and black from charcoal; with the sticky ricepaste as the base.

LINE-DRAWN HUMAN FIGURESThe paintings depict multitudes of tiny humanforms hunting, dancing or cultivating landagainst the backdrop of huts, plants and trees.The human figures are typically line-drawn. Theyare shown performing daily chores or singing anddancing. Unlike other folk paintings in India, theartists rely more on line than colour. There is agreat degree of angularity in the faces of bothmen and women. The head is a small circle anda woman is distinguished from a man by a smallcircle drawn next to the bigger one. With just thisbasic form, the warli painter is able to conveyevery activity of life.

GETTING THEREBy Air: The nearest airport is in Mumbai. By Rail: Surat-Mumbai Express links DahanuRoad, 30 minutes away from KalmipadaBy Road: Gujarat highway is the best option.


Depiction of LifeIt is mainly done to celebrate weddings and isessentially a stylised activity of the tribe

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For hundreds of years, Raghurajpur was just any othervillage — cooped amidst jackfruit trees, palm frondsand lush mango orchards. It lived its banality

monotonously and it could have been any place else and noone would have added it on the map. Such was itsordinariness. But when Indian National Trust For Art andCultural Heritage (INTACH) chose Raghurajpur to create acrafts village it turned into the chosen land for artists fromacross the state. The initial motive was to revive patachitra,the ancient wall art of Odhisa.

Today, in Raghurajpur hundreds of artisans live andpractice different kinds of art — palm leaf inscription,sodhai work, mural painting, cowdung toys, coir, filigree,appliqué, terracotta and bell metal work. Name it and youwill find everything in this coconut palm shaded village.However, it is most famous for traditional patachitra painting

in which pictures of animals, flowers, gods and demons arepainted on a specially prepared surface.

In ancient times, patachitra was Odhisa’s most famousart, but with time it lost its sheen and the buyers. By theturn of the century, not many were left to carry forward thetradition. It took the efforts of an American, Halina Zealey,to promote the art and gradually patachitra regained its lostglory. The chitrakars (painters) are closely associated withthe famous Jagannath Temple in Puri where they are calledto decorate the holy chariot during the annual Rathayatra.

Raghurajpur owes its fame to the idea of preserving andreviving the wall art of the state. So beautiful is the wall artthat if you walk into the crafts village now, you would thinkyou have walked into an art gallery. Even on an ordinaryday, you might see an artist hunched over a palette,assiduously selecting colours for his wall. n

ART REVIVEDArt is not the sole leitmotif of this uniquecrafts village, it is synonymous with Gotipuadance, an earlier form of Odissi, as well. Itwas in this village that Guru KelucharanMahapatra picked up the basics of Gotipuaand later enhanced it with his ownabhinaya (art of expression). To takeforward the tradition, Maa DasabhujaGotipua Odissi Dance School has beenestablished in the village under theguidance of Guru Maguni Charan Das.

GETTING THEREBy Air: The nearest airport isBhubaneshwar, 50 km awayBy Rail: It is 10 km from Puri, the nearest railhead. By road: Hiring a cab from Puri orBhubaneshwar is the best option.


Picture this One!Raghurajpur has a unique crafts village that has revived wall art and

preserved hundreds of ancient traditions

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21SEPTEMBER 2012 u INDIA PERSPECTIVESINDIA PERSPECTIVES u SEPTEMBER 201220

ndia, host of the Special ASEAN-India CommemorativeSummit in December, has a busy calendar of ministerialmeetings, cultural programmes and people-to-peopleinitiatives in the run-up to the event. The Summit is

significant for two reasons, it marks 20 years of ASEAN-India relations and, also, 10 years of ASEAN-India Summitlevel partnership.

India’s relationship with ASEAN countries has beenprogressing positively over the years, nine ASEAN-IndiaSummits have already been held. To foster this evolvingpartnership and further build on it, External Affairs MinisterS.M. Krishna attended the 10th ASEAN-India MinisterialMeeting, the second East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’Meeting and the 19th ASEAN Regional Forum MinisterialMeeting all held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in July.

The relationship with ASEAN is a cornerstone of India’s

foreign policy, as also its ‘Look East’ Policy. It is nocoincidence that both its ‘Look East’ Policy and its Dialoguerelationship with ASEAN were initiated in the early 1990s.Though driven by economic considerations initially, thepartnership now encompasses a wide array of sectors.

In October 2009, at the 7th ASEAN-India Summit, Indiahad announced that it would make a contribution of US$ 50million to the ASEAN-India Co-operation Fund to supportASEAN-India projects across various sectors, includingtrade, science and technology, agriculture, new andrenewable energy, telecommunications, transport andinfrastructure and tourism and culture. In 2011-12, S.M.Krishna pushed to utilise the fund towards implementationof the ASEAN-India Plan of Action 2010-15, suggestingmultiple projects across sectors to the ASEAN countries.

At the annual ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting, foreign

Road to BondingThe 10th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting helped foster India’s evolving

partnership and strengthened its engagement with the region

TEXT: MEENAKSHI KUMAR

India’s External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna (extreme right) during the opening of the East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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ministers of the member countries took stock of thepartnership and deliberated on its future direction. Themeeting, held in Phnom Penh, acquired added significanceas it was held prior to the Commemorative Summit, a forumwhere the leaders of ASEAN and India are expected to chartthe future vision of the partnership.

Speaking at the meeting, External Affairs MinisterKrishna highlighted various efforts made by India to developpeople-to-people interaction: “The civilisational strengthsand historical linkages between India and ASEAN countriesneed to be extended to further improve road, sea, rail,digital and people-to-people connectivity. This is animperative if we are to reinforce the economic foundationsin our region for collective progress and prosperity”.

In keeping with this thinking, during Prime Minister DrManmohan Singh’s visit to Myanmar this May, India hadundertaken the task of repair and upgradation of 71 bridgeson the Tamu-Kalewa Friendship Road and also upgradationof the Kalewa-Yargyi Road segment to highway standard aspart of the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highwaywhich would help establish connectivity from Moreh in Indiato Mae Sot in Thailand.

Expressing satisfaction at the growth of trade betweenIndia and ASEAN, S.M. Krishna said: “The story ofeconomic growth in our partnership is meeting expectationsdespite the global economic downturn. Two-way trade in2011-12 reached US$ 80 billion”. Minister Krishna hoped

that “the early conclusion of the ASEAN-India Services andInvestment Agreements would give a strong fillip to oureconomic engagement”. He also welcomed the RegionalComprehensive Economic Partnership initiative whichwould help “accelerate regional economic integration”.

The highlight of the Phnom Penh meeting was therelease of the ASEAN-India logo. It represents energy,motion, progress, connectivity and dynamism, reflecting theexpanding canvas of ASEAN-India partnership. TheASEAN-India website (www.aseanindia.com) and ASEAN-India pages on the social media domains such asFacebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Google+ were alsolaunched at the event.

A much-discussed event was the ASEAN-India Car Rally2012 to be flagged-off from Yogyakarta, Indonesia, onNovember 26. It will pass through several capitals andcultural and commercial centres and traverse nearly 7,500km before reaching Guwahati, Assam, on December 16.The other event is the expedition of INS Sudarshini. Thesail training ship of the Indian Navy is retracing ancient andcurrent maritime routes. Flagged-off from Kochi onSeptember 15, it will cover over 12,000 nautical miles over121 days and visit 13 ports in 9 ASEAN countries.

In addition to the trade and development partnerships,India is keen on constructive dialogue on the political andsecurity co-operation in the region. India attachesimportance to the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the

India’s relationship with ASEAN is a cornerstone of its foreign policy, and also the

foundation of its ‘Look East’ Policy

(Top) Foreign Ministers of ASEAN Regional Forum meeting the Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Sen, in Phnom Penh; (above) S.M. Krishna greets Hun Sen



largest dialogue forum in the Asia Pacific Region which wasset up in 1997 and has 27 members. At the 19th ARFmeeting, S.M. Krishna called upon the member states towork together to meet the challenges, instability andinsecurity. Terrorism he said was a ‘grave threat’. To tackleit, he suggested: “It must be addressed by all the Statesthrough a comprehensive global approach andstrengthened commitment to combat it in all its formsanywhere. The global regime against terrorism needs to behinged on a holistic framework for which theComprehensive Convention on International Terrorism atthe United Nations requires early conclusion.”

To further its overall objective of a secure and prosperousAsia, India has been an important participant in the East AsiaSummit (EAS). At last year’s Bali Summit, Dr Singh had said:“The resurgence of Asia is dependent on the evolution of aco-operative architecture in which all countries are equalparticipants. We will work with all other countries towards thisend.” EAS brings together 10 ASEAN countries and eightdialogue partners and aims to foster broader political andeconomic strategic dialogue, promote co-operation inpolitical and security issues, boost economic growth andintegration, and secure financial stability. Keeping theseobjectives in mind, India has actively contributed to the sixpriority areas in EAS, including connectivity.

Speaking at the second EAS Foreign Ministers’ Meet,Minister Krishna highlighted the progress at the first EAS

Education Ministers’ Meeting in Yogyakarta this July where“India has taken on three of the thirteen projectsrecommended by the EAS Educational Task Force”. OnNalanda University, he said: “The Nalanda Mentor Groupand the governing board held regular meetings. Theuniversity’s website and logo have been launched and itsstatutes have been published in the Gazette of India. Thevarsity has appointed a steering committee to oversee theGlobal Design Competition” and companies from the EASmember states would be invited to participate in thecontest. He also announced that India would host an EASConference on “Building Regional Responses to DisasterManagement” in New Delhi this year, bringing togetherNational Disaster Management Authorities of EAS membercountries to share expertise and experience, as well as tobuild capacities.

Calling for a “collaborative approach which transcendsindividual limitations on capacity”, S.M. Krishna emphasisedthe need to focus on food and energy security, including theuse of energy efficiency technologies, towards a sustainabledevelopmental architecture.

The series of dialogues and conferences that the ExternalAffairs Minister attended during his visit to Cambodia, whichis the current ASEAN Chair, has further strengthened India’sengagement with the Group, reiterating India’s emergingimportance in the region while highlighting the significanceIndia attaches to its partnership with ASEAN. n

(Top) S.M. Krishna meets Secretary General of ASEAN at Phnom Penh; (above) attends a session at the Summit

The highlight of the ASEAN-India Ministerial meeting in Phnom Penh was the launch of the ASEAN-India logo

by S.M. Krishna and his ASEAN counterparts


The Northeastern state of Manipur, called the ‘Jewelof India’ by Jawaharlal Nehru, played host lastmonth to an international conference thatdiscussed India’s relations with its neighbouring

countries — Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, SriLanka and Maldives. For India, good relations with itsneighbours are central to its foreign policy. Stressing thisfact, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said: “We believe apeaceful periphery will enable us to focus on the essentialtask of development. A stable and prosperous South Asiawill contribute to India’s own prosperity.”

The two-day conference, “India and her Neighbours:Revisiting Relations with Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, SriLanka, Maldives and Bangladesh”, was hosted in the idyllicsurroundings of the Manipur University, located in the state’scapital Imphal. The University is spread over an area of 287acres in the historic Canchipur, the old palace of Manipur.

The choice of venue, Manipur, was significant. SaysPinak Ranjan Chakravarty, Special Secretary, PublicDiplomacy (PD): “The PD division of the Ministry of ExternalAffairs (MEA) has supported such conferences earlier indifferent cities across the country. This year, we decided onManipur recognising the fact that our Northeastern statesshare borders with our neighbours and hence, have viewsand various issues with our neighbouring countries. Also,the Northeastern states provide the bridge for connectivityto Myanmar and other ASEAN countries and are, therefore,pivotal to India’s ‘Look East’ policy.”

Mathai, too, highlighted the same point when he said, “Ibelieve that in Manipur there is particular interest on how

India’s relations with Myanmar develop. Myanmar is theonly ASEAN country with whom we share a land boundary.When we talk of a ‘Look East’ policy – we obviously knowthat we first look at Myanmar. From my own experience inthe region in the 1990s, I am aware that in Manipur youwere already looking East and wanted a policy of greaterengagement from decades ago…”

The two-day conference provided insights into severalkey aspects that concern India’s relations with itsneighbours. Bilateral trade and development partnershipsare the main areas guiding the relations. Nepal, forinstance, gets 60 per cent of its foreign trade from India,and the development co-operation programme covers abroad canvas, including infrastructure, health, civil aviationand so on. Similar programmes are on with otherneighbours too, and as the conference highlighted, manymore are in the pipeline.

The conference saw an active and intellectuallystimulating participation from countries such as Myanmar,Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. During one of the sessions on India’s relationship with Myanmar, DawYin Yin Myint, Director General, Training, Research andForeign Language, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Myanmar,acknowledged the importance of the Northeastern regionin deepening India’s ties with Myanmar.

A collaboration between Jadavpur Association ofInternational Relations (JAIR) and the Public DiplomacyDivision, the conference also brought alive the vibrantculture and heritage of Manipur, a treat indeed for theparticipating nations. n

INDIA PERSPECTIVES u SEPTEMBER 201226 SEPTEMBER 2012 u INDIA PERSPECTIVES 27

THE CONFERENCEHIGHLIGHTED THEIMPORTANCE OF THENORTHEASTERN STATESIN STRENGTHENINGINDIA’S TIES WITH ITSNEIGHBOURS

The international conference explored the significance of building substantiveco-operation and engagement between India and its neighbours

TEXT: MEENAKSHI KUMAR

PASSAGE FORCONNECTIVITY

Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai (left) and Special Secretary, Public Diplomacy, MEA, Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty (centre), with Chief Ministerof Manipur Okram Ibobi Singh; (facing page) enjoying traditional lunch at Manipur University

PARTNERSHIPS

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People from all walks of life have fascinatingexperiences to relate about Mother Teresa. Iunderstand these anecdotes to be lessons in faith,peace, tolerance, goodness and compassion. Her

work — indeed the continuing work of the Sisters andBrothers of the Missionaries of Charity — became possiblebecause she saw a manifestation of God in each person sheministered to. Deeds such as adopting an abandoned infanton a Kolkata street or helping a destitute sleeping in acardboard box on a cold wintry night under London’s WaterlooBridge, were possible because of her deepest conviction thatshe was ministering to God. Otherwise, as she often told me,

“You can look after a few loved ones at the most. It isnot possible for you to help everybody. Our workbecomes possible because to me and my Sisters, theyare all God.”

So, the work that I witnessed over years —dressing the ulcerated hands of leprosy patients inTitagarh, or comforting those dying at Kalighat inKolkata, or just reaching out to one’s neighbour — notonly became possible, it was often joyful. This alsohelps to explain the ease with which the Sisters smile.

During our 23-year association there were manythings Mother Teresa would explain to me in her

Face of LoveOn Mother Teresa's 15th death anniversary,Navin Chawla, who authored MotherTeresa: The Authorised Biography,remembers the Mother who saw the faceof god in everyone she met

TRIBUTE

THERE WAS NODIFFERENCEBETWEEN HERWORDS AND HERDEEDS, BETWEENHER PRECEPTSAND HERPRACTICE

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simple and unaffected way that became more meaningful astime went by. My relationship with her grew into one of trustand confidence, often deepening with increasedunderstanding. In the beginning, when Mother Teresa spoketo me or spoke in public, it seemed she was talking abouteveryday truths, and they seemed much too simple. My mindaccepted them because of the respect in which I held her —that intensified as there was no difference between her wordsand her deeds, between her precepts and her practice andthe fact that she could understand the poor because sheherself was poor. But over the years, I began to apply themeaning of her words in their spiritual sense in my daily lifeand they began to affect my inner being.

Soon after 1992, when my biography on Mother Teresawas published, I thought of using the book’s royalty, which Iwas beginning to receive, for social causes. I believed that abook selling in her name should not enable me to keep all theincome for myself. I posed my dilemma to her. She suggestedI must at least keep aside some amount for my daughter’seducation. She had encouraged my elder daughter tostudy overseas and provided a reference to auniversity in the UK. The rest of the royalty I coulddevote to charity if I wished to, for the marginalised,the disabled and, especially, the leprosy-affected, whohad a special place in Mother Teresa’s scheme ofthings. One day, I asked her what numbers I shouldbegin with. She said, “Don’t get lost in numbers.Begin humbly. Begin with one or two. Even if theocean is less by one drop, it is still worth doing.”

While writing her biography, I sometimes wentthrough frustrating moments that any biographer will

Mother Teresa comforting the sickat Mother House, Kolkata

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understand. I would sit with her on a bench outside her officeat Mother House, her ashram in Kolkata. Sometimes, in thecourse of several hours, I would pose many questions, butwould hardly be able to get one or two satisfactory answers.Each question would be frequently interrupted, for she wouldreach out to someone waiting to meet her. That morning shesensed my frustration and said: “This is my apostolate, theycome from far and I must comfort them.” When I thought I wasfinally able to get her undivided attention, she received amessage that a cyclone had hit the Bangladesh coast, killingmany and rendering thousands homeless. She immediatelydecided to go to Dhaka. I reminded her that her doctors had notpermitted her to step downstairs, let alone go to Dhaka, andthat her pacemaker needed to be changed the following week.But she would heed none of that and proceeded to get readyto leave. That was not a particularly fruitful morning for me.

Mother Teresa never ever imposed her religion. She neveronce, even by inference, suggested any such thing. She knewI was at best vaguely spiritual. Like many other persons I know,

I only prayed in times of trouble. With a smile, shewould often say she prayed for me everyday, and yeturged me to learn the power of prayer. Sometimes,when she distributed what she called her ‘businesscard’ (on which a prayer was printed), she would alsohand one to me, and with a twinkle in her eye, wouldsay that maybe this would help me to learn to pray.What an unlikely biographer I was then — not born intoher religion and only occasionally spiritual, but a personlike several others to whom she gave so abundantlywithout any expectation of return. n

—Navin Chawla is the former Chief Election Commissioner ofIndia and biographer of Mother Teresa


Mother Teresa in Kolkata, 1977

MOTHER TERESANEVER IMPOSEDHER RELIGION.WITH A SMILE,SHE WOULDOFTEN SAY SHEPRAYED FOR MEEVERYDAY



TRAVEL

A journey from Kochi toKandla is a chance to catchthe charm of some of India’scoastal cities from the sea TEXT: KANKANA BASU

One of the most beautiful ways tostep on Indian soil is by takingthe sea route and disembarking

in Kochi in Kerala. One minute the ship issailing under endless blue skies, withnothing but the azure ocean as far as theeye can see, the next the sea narrowsdown to an inlet that cuts through a largesection of the city, verdant foliage springsup on both shores, mainly bananaplantations, and the ship glides pastgracious villas and country clubs withwhite walls and red-tiled roofs. The lush,sprawling lawns abutting these colonial-style bungalows are as green as thebanana plantations. Almost before onehas finished taking in the riotouscompetition between every conceivableshade of green, one comes upon thefamous Chinese fishing nets —mammoth nets strung on tall poles that

JEWELSOF THEWEST

CHINESE FISHING NETS, KOCHI

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dip into the sea ingeniously and come upwith a wealth of sea food.

Cantilevers, I learn later, with largestones suspended from ropes ascounterweights to the outstretched nets.Lining the banks, very close to theChinese fishing nets are little shackswhich sell the freshly caught fish andone can make a hearty meal of squid,crabs, mussels, clams, ladyfish andoysters cooked in typical Kerala style.

In sharp contrast is the approach toGoa from the sea. Mounds of rust-redore and a dusty landscape greet thevisitor. On exiting the port oneencounters a fleet of two-wheelers andcars for hire, in most cases manned bygarrulous drivers who double as guides.One can visit St. Francis’ church, theflea markets, some popular beaches

IN GOA, ONE CANVISIT ST. FRANCIS’CHURCH, THEFLEA MARKETS,THE POPULARBEACHES ANDMUCH MORE IN ASINGLE DAY

FISHERMEN OUT ON THEIR BOAT IN GOA



and much more in a single day. Sea-side shacks are great for dinner, on offeris spicy surmai (kingfish) curry, Goan-style lobster, pork vindaloo and manyother regional delicacies. The best wayto wash down this feast of flavours, isfeni (a local spirit made from coconut orcashew), the locals will tell you. Back onthe ship, one can see the shore dottedwith lights twinkling like little stars in thefar distance.

Mumbai port can only be describedas stunningly spectacular. The view ofthe Maximum city from the sea ismajestic. At dusk, skyscrapers andheritage buildings are no more thansilhouettes against the fast darkeningsky. Not for long, soon neon lights andthe sparkle of bulbs from thousands ofwindows sets the night ablaze, a sightthat has to seen to be believed. There is

THE ENTRY INTOMUMBAI PORTCAN ONLY BEDESCRIBED ASSTUNNINGLYSPECTACULAR,PARTICULARLY IFDONE AT DUSK

GATEWAY OF INDIA, MUMBAI



gentle irony in the lonely swish of thewaves and the vitality of the city merelya few miles away. Many a Mumbai-based sailor has experienced a stab ofnostalgia, a tug at the heartstrings whenthey see the city receding in thedistance once they set sail.

The approach to Kandla in Gujarat isradically different. Miles and miles ofbarren wasteland dotted with shrubs liesalong the banks of the inlet, theseuncannily change from blue-green toochre before one’s very eyes. Thehypnotic effect of the mirage leaves theviewer strangely charmed by theinhospitable terrain.

There is an inexplicable charm ofseeing places from the coast, a fleetingfeeling of having captured the soul of aplace, even though the body may havegiven one the slip. n

IN GUJARAT, MILES AND MILESOF BARRENWASTELANDDOTTED WITHSHRUBS LINES THE BANKS OF THE INLET

SOMNATH TEMPLE, GUJARAT


thus a Creator. How can there be progress in infinity?” heargues in his unfinished autobiographical notes.

In his painting, too, perhaps by intent, he completedthe circle as it were, by returning to the kind of pictorialimagery at the end of his life that he had started out within the early 1960s. So, to trace the arc of his oeuvre, thisshowing has a few examples of his paintings from the lastand more well-known stylistic period of his life, which havebeen described as his tribal/folk inspired abstracts.

NATIONHOOD AND IDENTITYThese two decades (1950-70), were not only seminal towhat is now somewhat facilely called NehruvianModernism but also to Swami’s own becoming and oeuvre.These were the decades when with his often contrarianpolemic and his rapidly evolving art practice he was settingabout to impact the Indian art scene as a self-proclaimed‘stormy petrel’ in a heady and tempestuous binge. Hecalled it ‘clearing the field of scrub before planting it anew’and he went about it with an aggressive passion andacrimonious anguish that, in retrospect, prompts GeetaKapur to describe him as a “commissar in camouflage”.He has himself confessed in his catalogue of 1969: “If Ihad an artist’s scruples in politics; I perhaps broughtsomething of the revolutionary’s ruthlessness into art.Quarrelling, contradicting myself, blowing hot and cold atthe same time, I have enjoyed it all these past few years.”

COLOUR GEOMETRY OF SPACE1966 was also the year when Swami took a pictorial leap inhis painting. Gone were his pre-historic cave-paintinginspired bison horns, left behind was the neo-Tantric phasewith sperms and serpents of 1963-64. He now embarkedon what he called The Colour Geometry of Space. It was agem of a phase where he explored flat geometric planes of

Transits of a Wholetimer is a wedge from myfather’s archive. It takes its title from the phrase‘Wholetimer’ used primarily by communist cadreto describe those who give all their time and

energy to work for ‘The Party’. The phrase also plays onthe word ‘whole’ as in complete. The exhibition, however,is not a full-scale retrospective of J. Swaminathan’s works,but instead, it offers a small window focusing on thehighlights of the crucial two decades of his life when hemakes the transition from being a leftwing political activistto a journalist-critic-artist and then to a fulltime artist.

This is essentially an art historical display. Itcomprises vignettes from his autobiographical notes,some early drawings, illustrations and sketches from hisexercise books, some family photographs, some letterswritten to him by his colleagues and friends, some earlycatalogues and photographs of works — all spanningroughly two decades from 1950 to 1969. It also includesa few original examples of J. Swaminathan’s paintingsfrom the early 1960s.

Swaminathan was fond of quoting Gandhiji’s famoussaying “My life is an indivisible whole”. The quote ties upwith his favorite sloka (couplet) from the Isa Upanishad:“Purnam adah purnam idam/purnat purnam udichyate,purnasya purnamadaya/purnam eva vashishyate. (That iswhole, this is whole, whole comes from the whole. Thewhole subtracted from whole, remains whole.)

Swaminathan, or Swami, as he was called, was quitetaken by this metaphysical concept of the ‘whole’ or‘totality’. It came handy when he mocked the notions ofProgress and History. “Progress assumes a beginning and

INDIA PERSPECTIVES u SEPTEMBER 201242 SEPTEMBER 2012 u INDIA PERSPECTIVES 43

(Clockwise from above) Portrait of writer Nirmal Verma, circa1956, drawing on paper; portrait of Swaminathan’s wife Bhawani,circa 1957, drawing on paper; Jawaharlal Nehru withSwaminathan and sculptor Raghav Kaneria and Harshavardhan(child) at the Group 1890 exhibition, 1963, archival photograph

Transits of a Wholetimer, curated by Swaminathan’s son and art critic S. Kalidas, focuses on the crucial two decades of his life

EXHIBITION

PORTRAIT OF THE

ARTISTTransits of a Wholetimer, J. Swaminathan: 1950-1969The exhibition provides vignettes from the artist’sautobiographical notes, some early drawings, illustrations and sketches from his exercise books, some family photographs and some earlycatalogues — all spanning roughly two decades from 1950 to 1969.

When: September 8-October 6Where: Gallery Espace, New Friends Colony, Delhi

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INDIA PERSPECTIVES � SEPTEMBER 201244

colour in a manner that was quite original and different fromthe geometric abstraction in the West.

THE STORMY PETREL ROOSTSOn a personal plane, these decades were also a time ofgreat penury, passion and alcohol aggravated anguish.There was no market for art and Swaminathan keptshuttling in and out of journalism. He is offered the post ofart teacher at Laurence School Lovedale and Rishi ValleySchool. He visits Rishi Valley but does not take the job. Onhis way back from Rishi Valley, though, he notices theamazing rock formations in the Andhra-Karnataka regionand they soon surface in his paintings of the resplendentBird-Tree-Mountain series.

In the winter of 1968, he was awarded the newlyinstituted Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship. During theFellowship, Swaminathan toured the remote regions ofKinnaur (Himachal Pradesh), Bastar (Madhya Pradesh)

and Kutch (Gujarat) extensively in search of what he calledthe ‘Traditional Numen’.

After Betul of 1955 this was his more studied andextensive encounter with the tribal and pastoral peoples ofIndia. The plight of these indigenous peoples in ‘Free andDemocratic’ India moved him deeply and there is a notewritten around ’69 where he laments: “What is the price thatcivilisation extracts from the so-called backward communitiesfor the dubious benefits it forces upon them?” This deepempathy with the tribal and pastoral communities lasted forthe rest of his life and in 1982 he went on to set up theBharat Bhawan in Bhopal where he juxtaposed folk and tribalart with the best of modern Indian art. His understanding ofthe term ‘contemporary’ was almost literal, encompassing allthat existed under the sun at the same time.

No longer quite the revolutionary, though still politicallycombative, J. Swaminathan was by 1970 confidentlynegotiating the turbulent currents of the Indian art scene. �

Exhibition catalogue with poem by Octavio Paz who was later awarded the Nobel Prize for literature

REVIEW

he sari is the only garment that celebrates you the wayyou are, because it adapts itself to you,” says actressVidya Balan towards the end of this 23-minute

documentary. Clearly there’s more to this unstitched garmentthan meets the eye. As it winds itself around the female body, thesari makes a cultural statement, it could be “a visiting card”giving you information about the wearer’s regional identity (as oneexpert in the film explains) and, as Vidya indicates, it’s a feministstatement too.

Six Yards of Grace delves into the history of the sari whileexamining its many contemporary avatars, through the voices ofhistorians, fashion designers, revivalists and female celebritieswho have served as its brand ambassadors.Constraints of length have perhaps dictatedthat every Indian state does not get a mentionin the film, but the research on the regionsvisited still makes this a useful beginner’sguide not just for foreigners but also forenthusiasts in the subcontinent. You may bea Kanjeevaram acolyte, but do you know thatthis heavy silk sari’s unique properties areattributed by some to the waters of two riverswhich are used in the bleaching andcolouring processes? Who revived the TeliyaRoomaal in sari form? Which state boasts ofthe maximum number of sari varieties?

Fortunately too, the documentary doesnot point fingers at modern city-bred women who may considerthe sari impractical, but points us instead in the direction ofcontemporary adaptations. Steeped in both tradition andpragmatism then, Six Yards of Grace is a well-produced envoy forone of the world’s most beautiful garments. It’s available inEnglish, Russian, French, Spanish, Arabic and Portuguese.

—Anna M.M. Vetticad (The writer has authored The Adventures of an IntrepidFilm Critic. She is on Twitter as @annavetticad)

YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KIl-GSy6is

FILM

Delving into the history of the sari while examiningits many contemporary forms

Unstitched Glory

SIX YARDS OF GRACEGenre: DocumentaryDirector: Dheeraj PiplaniDuration: 23 minutesProducer: PublicDiplomacy Division,Ministry of ExternalAffairs, India

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ASHOKE SEN, 56, a theoretical physicist andprofessor at Allahabad’s Harish ChandraResearch Institute, has become one of therichest professors in the world. The reason: he

is the winner of the first Fundamental Physics prize of US$ 3 million for his work on the string theory. Awardsand recognition are not new for the professor, amongthem is the Padma Shri, one of the country’s highestcivilian honours. He tells Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jrabout his work.

How significant is the award?I hope it will encourage students to take up basicresearch as a career.

How would you explain the string theory to a layman?String theory is an attempt to understand the most basicconstituents of all matter and the forces which operatebetween them. It is based on the idea that the elementaryconstituents of matter are not point particles, but onedimensional objects — strings. This theory combinesquantum mechanics and general relativity — Einstein’stheory of gravity. It also has the potential to explain theother known forces of nature — strong, weak andelectromagnetic forces.

How does this theory affect our daily lives?At present, it is purely theoretical. However, it is hard topredict how it might affect our lives 100 years from now.

Are facilities for theoretical physicists in India adequate?

In theoretical physics one can in principle work from anyplace as long as one has a computer and Internetconnection. Also, India has many excellent peopleworking in string theory. The facilities and the researchenvironment are more than adequate.

What is your special contribution to the string theory?The contribution that was cited in the prize is strong weakcoupling duality. In the mid 1990s I devised strategies fordiscovering and finding evidence of symmetries in thestring theory. This was used by others to discover otherduality symmetries, and eventually led to the realisationthat the five consistent string theories known at that timeare all related by various duality transformations, andhence are different limits of a single underlying theory.

Will the discovery of the Higgs Boson particle help intaking forward your theoretical work?Although this is not directly connected to string theory, thediscovery of Higgs boson demonstrates the power oftheoretical reasoning. We had to wait for almost 50 yearsfor its discovery after it was predicted.

What do you do when not working on the string theory?I like walking around in new cities and occasionally go tomuseums. Other than that I like cooking.

Is India doing enough to encourage research?During the last few years funding for science hasincreased significantly, in our area at least. I do not seethe lack of funds as an obstacle for first class research. n

’’

I plan to continue working on various aspects of string theory in the coming years. Although during the last 30 years we havelearned a lot about this theory, there is still a lot to be learned.‘‘

VERBATIM

“I HOPE THIS AWARDENCOURAGESSTUDENTS TO TAKE UP BASIC RESEARCH”

PHOTO: DIJESHWAR SINGH/TEHELKA

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india perspectives - september 2012

Documents

new delhiseptember

magiciansfrom india

earliest art

nomadic life

scenes ofeveryday life

lines simple

years old

huntergatherers of bhimbetka