Powered by nature

Taiwan's tribal culture provides a boost to its tourism. Relishing the tribal flavour, suchayan mandal fishes in Matai'an Wetland and takes the cable car to Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village

The old man in gumboots, reminding one of Santiago of  The Old Man and the Sea was walking down by the greenish stream. Casually holding a river carp gasping for air, he flung it for a while. The adult carp refuses to give in. The old man, maybe in his 60s, had a heavy gaze in his eyes. The fish was like a victorious trophy for him. As he crossed the wooden bridge and walked towards his hut, dark cloud gathered across the sky above the mountain. 
What we got was a glimpse of the Amis tribe of Fat'an in Taiwan. Till date this tribe has a unique style of fishing, which is less violent than the regular fishing methods one is familiar with.  
Fishing lessons

This unique method of catching fish in Matai'an wetland, called Palakaw in the local language, involves the use of hollow bamboo poles, common tree fern trunks and branches of the subcostate Crepe Myrtle tree to build a three- layered structure that is placed in water to provide a habitat where fish and shrimps can live and propagate. After some days the Crepe Myrtle branches are raised above the surface and the shrimp adhering to them are shaken off into a triangular net. The eels, catfish and other bottom dwelling creatures, hiding in the lower layer of bamboo poles, are caught easily by just immersing the triangular net. 
 On reaching, the Matai’an Wetland, our tour guide Francis "commanded" all of us to fold our trousers till the knees. Group members in shorts were soon inside the mountain brook, where the fishing was to begin. The knee deep water currents were strong. A local fisherman, who was in charge of the tour through the village, spoke in Mandarin about the fishing technique. While most words sounded Greek to us, we kept nodding our heads in anticipation. Most of us were busy posing with the fish that the old man had caught. The deal was, more the fish caught, more one got to eat! Unfortunately, our dedicated efforts didn't yield much result. One fish was almost caught, but then the carp tried some salsa and some bhangra and it was back in the water. A catfish caught after 40 minutes by one of our group members seemed to have been forgotten when it decided to take a gigantic leap from the basket to get back into the water. When Facebook status and photos having been updated with the caption "Fishing is fun", we felt hunger pangs taking over.  
 In one of the huts in the village, a delicious meal of roast duck meat, pumpkin fry and rounded rice was underway. Santiago of Matai'an, excitedly informed Francis that cooking will also be done in the tribal way. Barks of palm trees were folded and shaped like a pan. Fire will destroy this natural pan. So rocks were heated and the pan placed on them. Marinated in rock salt and minimal spices, one of us placed the fish in boiling water. One of the tribal women, dressed in traditional attire plucked some leaves from mustard-like plant and put them in the pan. Steam released from the pan informed our olfactory nerves about a forthcoming delicacy. Witnessing an organic culinary in process was equivalent to watching a Masterchef in action! 
Once the fish was cooked, our teammates insisted on sampling it. Soon, just the skeleton was left as evidence of the delicious taste. One of members of the group, busy clicking pictures, missed the fish and ended up munching the herbs.  The lunch was light with green tea, rounded rice, duck and tender chicken with some mashed pumpkins and lots of salad. Nature has its own taste and that's much much better than processed food, was the conclusion our chopsticks drew as we sampled food at Matai’an Wetland.   
Aboriginal village 
Our next day's plan was to visit the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village. Unlike Matai'an, this has been moulded into an amusement park. Located at Yuchi Township, Nantou County, one can find tribal souvenir shops and tribal shows here. The dance performance, objectifying men (you read it right) was somehow too loud. More art could have been blended in the performance that was presented on a floating stage. The aboriginal village employs Taiwanese aborigines from nine tribes, with whom visitors can engage in living history. Activities include sculpting, weaving, pottery making, cooking, knitting, exercising, handicraft making, playing and dancing in the tradition of the aboriginal tribes. 
We toured the look alike tribal villages of different communities, Paiwan being a major tribe there. Visual illustration of Paiwan village chief and marriage rituals have been well displayed with rock structures and carvings. The enemy heads rack is a stone rack, which is generally built at the entrance of the village with skulls of the enemies killed in raids. Paiwans also worship human penis, which is to them the god of creation. Besides relishing the flavours of almost 200 years of civilization, we embarked on a cable car journey to sun moon lake, which was our next destination. 

Republic of Hunger

India’s policy addressing hunger and malnutrition in all age groups has a feast of questions and a famine of answers. India’s hunger, being worse than any sub-Saharan country, needs crisis management and a long term vision. With a new government at the Centre, is the expectation too high, wonders suchayan mandal

The change of guard at the Centre after the general elections has prompted expectations and high hopes from every nook and corner of the country. Manohar Das of Tewri village in Jharkhand, Shib Baksha of Amlasol village in West Bengal and Anita Devi in Maharashtra have no idea about the "Modi Sarkar" at the Centre, yet they hope some government will arrange for two full meals for them a day. India’s overall GDP growth at 4.7 per cent in 2013-14 due to low industrial growth and inflation, is expected to rise thanks to pro- industry steps by the present government. However, election promises for the downtrodden people and development blueprints have a vast difference, which was visible over the last few decades.

 One of the basic needs of the people, be it poor or rich has been food. And India isn’t a country that does not produce sufficient food. Rather, storage of surplus food has always been a problem. Yet, Manohar, Shib and Anita go hungry day after day and Anita’s two sons died of malnutrition before they could be sent to school. 

While development in many sectors is acknowledged, what is less known is that India has also made considerable progress on many social fronts, such as fertility decline, expansion of schooling and bridging the gender gap in education, especially at the primary and lower secondary levels. However, there is one area of human development, where India has not fared particularly well: tackling hunger and malnutrition. 

Child malnutrition rates in India are extraordinarily high ~ among the highest in the world, with nearly one-half of all children under three years of age being either underweight or stunted. Indeed, child malnutrition rates are higher in India than in many countries of sub-Saharan Africa, even though income levels are significantly higher and levels of infant and child mortality are lower in India. 

Pediatric malnutrition 

 Prevalence of child malnutrition in India has remained stubbornly high even after nearly a half-century of respectable agricultural productivity growth and two decades of post-reform economic growth and prosperity in the country. This is puzzling, since rising prosperity appears to have improved other social indicators in India, such as fertility, mortality, schooling and literacy. Adding more support to the view that child malnutrition is weakly correlated with income is the finding that among children of mothers with 10 or more years of schooling as well as mothers from the top income quintile, around one-quarter are underweight. Even in a relatively prosperous and dynamic state like Gujarat, child malnutrition rates have been stagnant over the past decade. 

The National Family Health Survey in 2005-06 showed that almost 50 per cent of Indian children aged six years or below were stunted and more than 40 per cent of children in the same age group were underweight. Moreover, almost 80 per cent of children aged six months to three years were anaemic. 

As India and the world have long known, malnutrition in young children is likely to have long-lasting functional deficits, affecting intelligence and other cognitive abilities, creating a susceptibility to various diseases and even affecting their reproductive health. Ironically, much of this pioneering research was done in India itself. 

The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) found that a significant number of adults in India suffer from malnutrition. Almost 58 per cent of pregnant women aged 15-49 were found to be anaemic. 

This reveals how the nutritional status of young children is being adversely affected from before they are born ~ stunting in children under the age of three years begins with their mothers, who are undernourished or anaemic during pregnancy. The Global Food Security Index also revealed that Indians lack adequate quantities of iron, Vitamin A and protein in their diets. 

 Public health specialist and activist, Dr Binayak Sen said, “Half of the children who die before five years of age have malnutrion as a cause in their pathogenesis. If we look at proportion of weight at birth, 23 per cent of children weigh less than 2.5 kg, which is below normal. This low birth weight has its reason in the womb, which is where they are malnourished already before being born. Low birth weight increases over time and so by the time they are three-years-old, half the children are malnourished. Because of poor sanitation we have widespread faecal oral contamination. Water and food sources have high degrees of contamination and it results in diarrhoea and other gastro intestinal illnesses, which increases the child mortality rate. 

State of famine 

In 1943, three million people died in the infamous Bengal famine. There was no shortage of grain in Bengal at that time, yet people had nothing to eat. Today, there is so much excess grain that the government is hard put to store it yet there are millions in this country staying hungry. In Amlasol, West Bengal, people eat ant eggs, earthworms and snails to stave off hunger. Interpreting the Famine of 1943, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen suggested that the reason for it was the breakdown of the social arrangement in distributing food. However, a critic of Sen’s opinion, Amrita Rangasami's had written, “The sudden collapse into starvation that has been identified with the famine condition is only the final phase of famine, when the stigmata of starvation become visible, and the victims have collapsed. Famine is not, however, an event marked by the death of the victim. The basic failure in the understanding of famine is the inability to recognise the political, social, and economic determinants that mark the onset of the process. We need, therefore, to redefine famine and identify the various factors ~ political, social, psychological and economic ~ that operate to keep large classes in the population under continuous pressure." 

Nandi Foundation had performed an assessment of children's nutritional status, covering around 44 per cent of all under-five victims of malnutrition. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh had said while releasing the study report that it was a "national shame". Of that there is no doubt ~ but the shame is familiar. Similar data are available from the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau ~ part of the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) ~ for many years, and they are also corroborated by the findings of NFHS-III, carried out in 2005-2006. Meanwhile, the NHFS-III tells people that around half of all deaths in the under-five age group were closely associated with their poor nutritional status. The CIA World Fact Book puts India's IMR (infant mortality rate) at 46 ~ 14th highest in the world, higher than that of every South Asian country except Bangladesh, which is at 49. 

 To put the matter in a world context, every three seconds somewhere around the world, a child dies of causes related to avoidable malnutrition. "In those three seconds, the world armaments industry spends 120,000 dollars in order to keep the system responsible safely in place,” Binayak Sen told The Statesman. 

Sen further suggested, “The BMI (body-mass index) is derived by dividing the weight in kilogrammes by the square of the height in metres. The critical value of the BMI is 18.5. Values below 18.5 are indicative of chronic energy deficit ~ hunger. Pednekar from Pune has demonstrated through epidemiological studies that death rates increase as BMI falls below 18.5. If the death rate above 18.5 is taken as unity, then roughly, death rates from 18.5 to 17 are about 1.33, those from 17 to 16 are about 1.5, and BMI values below 16 are associated with a death rate that is double the 'normal' death above 18.5. WHO recommendations are that any community that has more than 40% of its members with a BMI below 18.5 should be regarded as a community in famine. For which, many Indian states should fall in the criteria.” 

Rising food price 

Skyrocketing potato and onion prices spell more woe for the masses, who are already paying "too much" to survive. International Fund for Agricultural Development’s (IFAD) Rural Poverty Report-2011 states, “While international food prices have declined since mid-2008, they are still substantially higher than prior to the price surge, and they are likely to remain at 2010 levels or higher for the next decade.” The report has suggested that about 100 million of world’s rural and urban people have to remain hungry. 

“In India, from 2000 to 2005 food grain prices declined with inflation rate in rural areas coming down from 8.1 per cent in 1993-2000 to 1.90 per cent in 2000-05. In 2007 when the Planning Commission prepared the poverty estimate for the country, the decline in poverty was attributed to low food inflation. But since 2006 food prices have been rising. Food inflation was about 14 per cent in December 2010. Indeed, rise in food prices in the past two years has been higher than in any period since the mid-1970s. From 2005 to 2010, the average wholesale price index for food articles went up by 40.76 per cent,” reads a report in Down to Earth magazine. 

“It will remain high, the era of cheap food is over," asserted Richard Mahapatra, managing editor of Down to Earth. "This is because productivity of agriculture is low and thus impacts production. This is the supply side issue. Also the rainfed areas that contibute a signifcant amount of foodgrain is not getting the policy focus. Even though the new second Green Revolution is aimed at that, it seems to be flawed. Now, the demand side. Demand is increasing but we don't have robust distribution mechanism. So, it creates further price rise. Also, there is huge diversion of agricultural lands to other uses. Combined with low productivity, less lands and absence of distribution mechanism, we are set for high price rise.” 

 According to Mahapatra, because growth per se is meant to reduce hunger, it helps a particular group of people. For the poor and food insecured people we need a different model of growth. But we unilaterally focus on growth model, he added. Due to the PDS and the public wage programmes starvation deaths have definitely come down, he contended. "Often we call cheap foodgrain programmes as populist. They are indeed popular as poor find them useful and their starvation is avoided with this entitlement,” he added. 

Adult malnutrition 

“Malnutrition in children is a horror story and malnutrition in adult is equally horrendous," said Binayak Sen. "Roughly 33-35 per cent of the entire Indian population have a BMI below 18.5, which is indicative of calorie malnutrition.They aren't getting enough food to eat. More than one-third of India is on a chronic basis not getting proper food to eat. Low BMI is also restricting people’s immunity.”  

“Wthout addressing nutritional status, there can be no adequate development. Food Security Act does nothing for betterment of nutritional status of the poeple as such. The Bill is like 'something is better than nothing'. Five kilos of wheat per person per month make two chapattis per day. With two chapatis the nutritional question isn’t answered. This terrible nutritional deficit is yielding polarization in society,” he added. 

Urban malnutrition 

With migration and job prospects, people from the country-side are settling in cities. A complex attitude that makes a farmer hate farmland and dream of industry has also resulted in problem of migration. In villages, people stay in close bond with each other, who can be approached for help in times of crisis. Migrating people in cities start living in slums and ghettos, where they have to live with people unknown and untrustworthy. Moreover, people fight here to make ends meet, which actually leads to self-centric attitude. 

Most of the urban food is really not nourishing and leaves even rich kids under-nourished. Over nourishment or obesity is also hindering growth in urban society. 

Red corridor hunger 

“People who are in chronic situation and stable famine are able to withstand only because of their access to natural resources like land, water and forest," opines Binayak Sen. "Access to this resources was unrestricted. Designating the common properties as commodities that can be owned by corporates is restricting poeple’s right to access and in a way right to live. Any form of resistance is labelled  as insurgency. First they try civil ways and then take recourse in military measures. People have to confront. Application of eminent domain needs to be questioned. Under 5th schedule, govt has to ensure people’s access to natural resources but there is not a single instances of government intervening.” 

According to Mahapatra, over 1.3 million tribals and forest dwellers got rights over the land they had been using for years under the Forest Rights Act. "But six years after the Act was enforced, lives of the forest dwellers have not changed much," he pointed out. "Not one state has initiated concrete steps to officially register the title holders in the state land records. Without this they remain what they used to be ~ officially non-existent.”  

“They have mapped it as red corrridor but poeple’s deprivation hasn't been mapped yet," said Sen. "We need to relook at the arm forces and UAPA laws. Whole discourse in election has become restricted to attitudes to development. Development is about accessing resources. Nobody is saying there are vital issues involved. What is going to happen to the poeple whose right has been denied? State will not be thwarted in its course. There needs to be a contestaion in the level of people. They need to raise the issue.” 

Feast of questions 

So what needs to be done? The conclusion of most studies is that, taken together, these programmes have not made much of a dent in either protein-energy under-nutrition or child malnutrition rates in the country. Richard Mahapatra suggested, “Agriculture contributes around 16 per cent to GDP; it is coming down over the years. But still 60 per cent people depend on this. What does this mean? It is reliable as a source of livelihood or people don't have any other source thus depend on agriculture. In both the cases, shifting people out of agriculture is going to be a tough challenge. Industries or the service sectors have their own limitation and can't absorb such a huge number of people. Strategically, this will be a blunder as we kill out food self-sufficiency.”

Drum e Buzz

Insane drumming and great visuals made a deadly combo in Loop Zero. As Ben Walsh tours India,suchayan mandal asks him for his magic wand 

Drum drama. That's the best way to define Australian percussionist Ben Walsh's new show Loop Zero, which is an audio visual explosion exploring humanity, technology and reality. Melodic, rhythmic and purely scientific, this new performance plays with varying notions of how we shape and are shaped by technology in our world. Designed especially for Indian audience, it took the audience between the worlds of multimedia installation and live performance.
As the grey visuals and blue LEDs at Blue Frog Delhi started adding to the monotony of the ambience, Ben's trembling of symbols and hard hitting base drum flavoured the auditory nerves with all colours of the rainbow. Zero Loop through visuals and drum beats showed an office goer's return in a crowded local train ~ all stranded and weary. Alike this, the visuals ranged from his childhood, rejection in auditions and many more life events. With the electronic drum resounding in the music market with the thud of technological renovation, a worried Ben didn't support "electronifying" music initially, reminding one of the topsy turvy world of handicraft artists during the great industrial revolution. 
But once it got imbibed in him he realised how variety in technology added spice to his genre of performance. Talking about the inception behind Loop Zero, Ben said, "Whenever I premiere a new work there is an energy that is hard to replicate in a seasoned work. The audience will be watching me at a very new stage of exploration and that will mean I will be giving it my all."
This show is predominantly inspired by the many odd instruments that spring forth from Ben's imagination and delivers a solid dose of Walsh's trademark high energy drumming style. Ben performs upon instruments of his own creation with technological innovations designed by Kim O'Sullivan.
Necessarily inspired by Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane and Chuck Norris, the 37-year-old has been playing since age of two, when he used sticks to beat on cake tins. At the age of six he was gifted a drum kit and the journey began. He uses carton, tins and iron pipes to create music. 
A cheerful Ben says how thinking of a career out of the box was difficult to pursue but fortune has smiled on him.
Ben, who toured India many a times and has also worked with Shubha Mudgal, said, "I cannot bring anything new to India. The music here is unique and rich. Indians understand music, drumming and technology", while playing an empty barrel in the Bhangra beats, which made the entire audience try out the popular Punjabi dance move.
About music piracy Ben felt, "Internet is a good source of information and downloading for free is a good sign that at least people are interested in your music. Let people hear you, piracy or buying EP doesn't matter. You have other options to earn. Music isn't a product to be sold."

Subaltern voices

With issues playing a vital role through motifs, the recently concluded Wills India Fashion Week was a silhouette of the marginalized people.  suchayan mandal pushes through the glitter and glamour of the ramp

When an untimely rain last Friday evening drenched the city, one of the designers at the Wills India Fashion Week Autumn Winter '14 was heard discussing how this rain in early summer was harmful. Farmers growing mustard suffer a lot as the hailstorm destroys the buds and wheat harvest gets delayed. And what this rain, accompanied by hail, contributes to the fashion industry, is a hike in the price of textiles. Cotton bolls get destroyed due to torrential rain. Silk cotton is another crop hit by the rain. Farmers are unable to harvest the crop as the rain causes delay in the bursting of dry pods. Growers believe this delay owing to dampness will affect processing. With farmer-designer-buyer forming a candid nexus, Wills India Fashion Week AW '14 that ended last Sunday at Pragati Maidan provided a platform for the designers to support this cause. Right from standing against crony capitalism to empowering the women and giving power to the tribals in Orissa, the mega fashion trade event ahead of the elections could have been a well-knit manifesto. 

Her power 
Kolkata-based designer, Paromita Banerjee's latest collection Tana Bana was a tale of hand made clothing woven by women. While hand made might seem clichéd, the edge on the collection was contributed by shades of midnight blue, bright olives and all natural hues of rust, cherry and maroon. The fabric used by Paromita in her collection was hand-woven by women weavers from the charitable trust Women Weave from Madhya Pradesh. This trust has been sustaining employment of women in handloom weaving. Banerjee said, "We are probably the only brand that is consistently working on handlooms. While many have made a shift to handloom only recently we are doing this from the beginning." 
Regarding the women weavers, Banerjee has been using fabrics from Women Weave for a couple of years now. Two different woven fabrics have been joined together in the weaving stage to create the textured surfaces that tends to have a denim sort of texture. Woven by Narmada Ben and Shahnaaz Ben from Madhya Pradesh, Tana Bana not only set the trend of autumn-winter but also how fashion can go miles in empowering. 
Using mulberry silk, hand spun cotton and Azo-free vat dyes, Banerjee's range uses two-coloured ply and twisted thread to add texture to the woven surface. Each colour is woven into 7-8 inch blocks making checkered fabric blankets, creating a wonderful colour interaction. Anisha Ben, Anju Ben were the weavers in this range. Setting the ramp ablaze with kurtas, jama, short capes, draped silhouettes and men's style kurtas along with checkered palazzo pants, 
the collection is apt for evening. 

Going wild 
Designer duo David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore selected wild silk from northeast India for the collection. "Our collection is inspired by empowered women and wild silk of northeast," Abraham said after the show. Muga, Tussar and Eri are fabrics woven from wild silk, which was used to create the line. The collection with a palette based on the golden hues of wild silk, evoked various shades of khaki. Tussar with animal print took the front seat. There was less skin show and winter outfits like trench coat over a sari, military inspired blouson jacket with kurta and even shawl and scarves were displayed. 

Against crony capitalism 
Christened V, Gaurav Jai Gupta collection was a visual fight for the rights of the Dongria Kondh tribe of South West Orissa, which has resisted the corporate takeover of Niyamgiri Hills for bauxite mining by Vedanta Resources. Hand-woven with natural yarns, the collection consists of separates and draped pieces referring to industrial work wear and the local's way of dressing. Outwears in wools along with Pashmina-like cottons in earthly browns creates conflict with warm pop colours like purples and bright yellows. Coal blue has been used to make the base of the warp, referring to mining. Kondhs used music in local Oriya and Kui tribal languages as an act of protest. V spreads the idea of development at the cost of crony capitalism and celebrates India's first environmental referendum, wherein the judiciary decided in favour of the Kondhs. Engineered hand-woven fabrics have been developed in monofilament silks along with cotton, stainless steel and wool. 
"We have made the cotton fibre with wool to make it look like Pashmina and the silk threads were treated to look like organza," said Gaurav. "The collection is for a woman with brains, who gives a damn about fashion, and is comfortable donning her own style. It's all about standing up for your rights and fighting for it." 
Off the ramp, boxer Vijender Singh visited the venue on Day-3 to spread word about Peta's save the circus animals cause. "Animals cherish their freedom every bit as much as we do, but circuses deny them their freedom and every other form of natural expression," Singh said. 
"Fashion is an effective tool to create awareness about issues, which we tend to overlook," ", said Sunil Sethi, president of FDCI (Fashion Design Council of India). "We are teaming up with Peta to protect and respect animals and giving them the right to live unreservedly." Inspired by a very colourful tribe ~ the Maoris of New Zealand ~ Nachiket Barve presented a collection focusing on tattoos and predominant motifs like silver ferns, which are an important part of Maoris iconography. From flowing gowns to dresses and saris to trousers, Barve gave a new rendition of the natives. The Maori originated with settlers from eastern Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of canoe voyages some time between 1250 and 1300. Over several centuries in isolation, the Polynesian settlers developed a unique culture that became known as the "Maori", with their own language, a rich mythology, distinctive crafts and performing arts. Early Maori formed tribal groups, based on eastern Polynesian social customs and organisation.

Revival  on  runway

Parmoita Banerjee's Tana Bana also had block prints using the natural dyed technique of Ajrakh on Gajji silk. This ancient print technique, dating back to at least 4000 years in the Sindh area, uses geometric forms along the lines of the Islamic grid structure to create print surfaces in hand-block printing. Traditional Ajrakh designs have been modified to create silk surfaces in placement block prints. Colour palettes of Indigo, Harda, Alizarin, Kat /black have been used as part of this range. Paromita has also explored with wool for the first time in the form of merino wool stoles inspired by Kinnaur motifs from Kangra valley. The footwear have a base of Canabis grass that is only found in the Kangra valley. Other footwear like jutis have multi-coloured wool on top. 
Arjun Saluja's Between Time had print motif taking a bow to the geometry of Pakistan's Khais, a dying tradition of weaves from Sindh. Arjun has used wool, georgette, cotton, silks, Jacquard silk and self-plaids to create simplistic and clean silhouettes. 
Charu Parashar revived the age-old Indian embroidery techniques and presented them in a westernised way. The various embroidery techniques which she used were: Resham work, Kasab embroidery and patterns with intricate applique work. "I do embroidery but in different forms every time. This time it is concentrated on the Resham work. I just wanted to do something which has Indian roots but you can wear it on a Hollywood red carpet," Parashar said after the show. Her untitled collection comprised kaftans, sarees worn over fitted jackets, tops and dresses in the hues of cobalt blue, black and red.

http://www.thestatesman.net/news/47556-subaltern-voices.html 

‘Tryst with Tagore was fascinating’

Allah-Rakha Rahman better known as AR Rahman is among the world's leading musicians. He has two Oscars, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, four National Film Awards and 15 Filmfare Awards to his credit, among many other honours. Having worked in India's various film industries, international cinema and theatre, Rahman is one of the world's all-time top selling recording artists.In a career span of two decades, Rahman has been acclaimed for redefining contemporary Indian film music and contributing to the success of several films. Born in Chennai, Rahman began his career in the 1990s with Tamil film Roja. A road at Markham in Canada has now been named after Rahman. The 'Mozart of Madras' spoke to SUCHAYAN MANDAL about his inspiration, creation of music and his opinion of current trends in Indian music.

You have been widely dubbed as a "music maestro" and even a "genius". How would you assess your work?
In my opinion, everybody has the same soul from God and that unites us. Externally, our bodies and faces are different, but inside we are all the same, we share the same feelings of sadness, love, pain… My music comes out of these feelings.
Whether it is Japanese music, African music or a Qawwali, if it touches your heart, it becomes important for me.

How would you rate music standards in Indian films as compared to those in the world cinema?
Music and sound production are growing by leaps and bounds. Every kid is aware of international sound.  Unfortunately there are very few extraordinary musicians out here. For the kind of demand that we have here we don't even have 10 per cent of the supply. If we want to do orchestral music, we have to go abroad but there is a change that is evident and many things are beginning to happen here.

What are your current projects and what is your agenda for the future?
Besides my film projects which include Kochadiyan, Imtiaz Ali's Highway, Shankar’s I and a few projects in Hollywood, I'm presently focused on my K M College of Music and Technology. We have some of the best faculty, from England, USA, from Europe, Russia and India, of course. I'm so jealous. I wish I had something like this those days.

What is the process of your work? How do you create music, how do you start and finish?
It is a continuous process. Sometimes an inspiration for a composition can help create a song in a few hours while sometimes it may take a few days or even weeks. I mostly  don't write to specifically defined cues. I watch the film a couple of times, stop watching it then write something that comes to my mind from the film. This way when I try to sync the music, the results are that much more wholesome. The music is much more organic this way, not jumping cue to cue.

Bollywood is now indulging in the trend of copying music from other songs whether Arabian or the Beatles. What is your take on this trend?
I think Bollywood has some amazing talent. I hear Amit Trivedi, Pritam, Sachin-Jigar, Salim-Suleiman, Vishal Shekhar, etc., and each one is doing amazing work with their own distinct style and sound.

Would you like to give credit to some people for encouraging, guiding and inspiring you, and for nurturing your talent in music?
My mother played a very key and decisive role in me taking up music when I was a kid. My family, including my wife and kids, have always supported me and encouraged me in everything that I have done and the guidance of all my spiritual teachers has been the force behind the music.

You recently worked on Tagore's "Where the mind is without fear". Earlier, it was "Jana Gana Mana". How was your tryst with Tagore?
I loved the whole vision behind the poem. And to think that he wrote this almost a hundred years before which means he foresaw what our nation needed and still needs. That to me is amazing foresight and inspiration enough and the reason why I wanted to embrace it. It will be exciting also for listeners who have not yet discovered Tagore.

How is the working environment in Hollywood different from that in India?
In India we love melodies in the background of scenes. In the West there is a sense that soundtracks should not distract, and hence there is a greater preference for ambient sounds and plain chords. When I work in the West, I get excited. When I work here, I get excited.
After a while you learn to compartmentalise and use all the inputs to create a new kind of product. As long as I create music anywhere, I'm in great spirits.

Can you list some Indian movies whose music you found to be first-rate and world-class?
There are quite a few of them and like I said before, some of the guys are doing some great work.

http://www.thestatesman.net/news/28612-the-saturday-interview.html

God of all things

A symbol of male masculinity, Shiva is macho and compassionate. If Krishna is the perfect lover, King of Kailash is definite marriage material. On Maha Shivaratri, suchayan mandal rediscovers an Elvis Presley in religion, who is also an epitome of eroticism and smokes pot

If official record is to be believed, in 2012, 5,48,166 devotees had visited Kedarnath Temple and the same year Amarnath Cave saw a footfall of 6,22,223. The total count amounts to 11,70,389. While in 2002, a total 2,15,270 pilgrims visited Kedarnath, the number of Shiva devotees increased by almost 154 per cent in just 10 years! The roads and other tourism infrastructure haven't changed much, though. Since there is no possibility of a rise of 250 per cent in sudden religiousness, one can only assume desire, uncertainty and crisis have contributed to this surge. As the wheel of destiny chooses to turn, society's process of becoming subaltern has commenced. And as more Innovas and Boleros make their way to the Devbhoomi, He has become a consumable for all.  
Shiva has  mass appeal. The monsoon devotees at Sultanganj in Bihar, who queue up after walking 100 kms barefooted to pour water on the Shivling at Baidyanathdham near Deoghar certainly do not belong to the same social strata as the techies in Gurgaon, who plan to get a tattoo of Shiva tomorrow to celebrate Shivratri. Both segments of people have a devotion and dedication that is unquestionable, but yes, the means of reaching is different. Someone had said reaching god should be the sole motive, whatever the route maybe. 
What we look at are two things: The rise of Shiva and the god of cool things. One clearly remembers, during Doordarshan days, family elders were a huge fan of a TV show ~ Om Namah Shiva. The channels used to be limited and, like or dislike it, ane hardly had an option. The Shiva then was a god to be held in awe! But now, he is someone who sells. If Krishna is a strategist, Shiva is cool and saleable, taking in account the urban mentality. At a time when people are finding it difficult to make relationships work, he is a devout family man. A symbol of male masculinity, Shiva is macho and compassionate. In contrast to the urban youth, who rush every morning, driving crazy just to swipe the office access card on time, Shiva isn't bothered about punctuality. 
Even with matted hair and animal skin (read animal print), he is good looking and attractive. An epitome of eroticism, he smokes pot giving the "iPhone age dudes" a cut-throat competition. 
 
Shiva's regal style 
With a trident in the right arm and wearing a crescent moon (read Bandana) on his head, Shiva is said to be fair like ice-clad mountain. With a third eye, often attributed to him, Shiva has burnt desire (Kama) to ashes. It has been mentioned that when Shiva loses his temper, his third eye opens, which can destroy most things to ashes. Wearing the moon is for his self-control and anger management. Talking about style statement, Shiva redefines style ~ signature fashion. He is the ultimate. Growing up with BR Chopra's Mahabharata and Ramanand Sagar's Ramayana, one knows god meant someone who smiles sweetly and wears jewellery like a male actor enacting a woman. 
Believing they can never become "hero" they would stand with pinkish cheeks and Kajal laden eyes. With the book Meluha and TV serial Devon Ke Dev Mahadev gaining popularity, one discovers the thrilling Godfather and Mills and Boons hero well cocktailed in Shiva. Shiva's matted hair is his distinctive style. Tiger represents lust. His sitting on the tiger's skin indicates that he has conquered lust. If Mumbai-based designer Debby is to be believed, "No matter how much animal print is in, the trend is set by the Mahadev. At least for my collections to promote PETA, my choice was Shiva because he is the one who has started wearing animal print. I have a 'Shiva saree' with white base and yellowish animal print on the torso area with Trishul or Damru on the choli." 
Unlike Krishna's flute, which can be interpreted as aphrodisiac or a tempting rhythm to woo a woman, Shiva's damru makes a noise that is not only manly but helps to establish Shiva as Bohemian. Rudraksh that he wears is a super style statement and is hippie in that sense. 
 
Marriage material 
If frivolity gets a kick-start, the heart throb of Vrindavan has always been the prefect choice to be a Valentine. But unlike the love and mushiness, Shiva stands out as complete marriage material. And for that reason, on the eve of Shivratri, from Shiva idol in temples to the flower-bedecked black stone under a Peepul tree, none gets relief from "operation flood" (offering of milk). The only wish the women devotees make that day is to get a groom like Shiva. Whatever tornado that evolution or revolution has tried on Indian mentality, Shiva is still the "role model" for "Bharatiya nari". Going by the societal norms and tradition, women in India skip a heartbeat and burp a little before uttering about their sexual choices, but pouring milk on the Shiva linga ~ it's more like celebrating desire in a camouflage called Shivratri. 
The desired sex symbol of Indian women, Shiva is actually the versatile man. He wears the "rudrarup" (angry avatar) in Vedas. When rage sparks off, it's difficult for anyone to withstand his anger. And the next second he is as calm as the lowest point in deep sea, just like a piece of stone. This "mood swing" and "contrast" make him enigmatic to the fairer sex. 
 
Henpecked husband 
If the above was an inference from Vedas, folk tales about Shiva is something different. The folk Shiva (as mentioned by the medieval poets) is not at all a family guy. He roams around with ghosts and spirits. Rebuked by Parvati, he would try his hand at agriculture and creates a complete fuss out of it, all credited to his inexperience and ineligibility. Common mass should have been influenced by these stories. But the charisma of this Kailash resident has made women fall for him since time immemorial. No matter how much perfection is lacking, the intellectual hunk's "simple living, high thinking" is no less a charm to women. And women always have a preference for indifferent casual men than a perfect conscious one, say psychologists. In one word, being henpecked is what women would like Shiva to be. Again, drawing a comparison to Krishna, who is a perfect lover, Shiva is the complete package to get betrothed to. 
 
Woman sutra 
Shiva's respect for women and commitment to wife is admirable. While Krishna left Radha to head to Dwarka for better prospects, Shiva created a ruckus with the body of his wife when Daksha Raja's mockery makes Parvati leave her soul. He is the "angry young man" of the '70s. With a tiger hide and serpents, he has shown a thumbs-down to established facts with his "care for none" attitude. He isn't the goody boy type or a chocolaty lover like the beau of Mathura, rather a bohemian addicted to ganja. He will show that he isn't bothered even if the earth stops rotating. But for some others' benefit he will drink poison and become Neelkanth (blue throated, an avatar of Shiva). 
 
Rise to fame 
It's almost 1,900 years before the birth of the Christ, the place which bears a connection to Indus Valley Civilisation ~ it was originally called Meluha. Centuries back an indomitable statesman, Ramachandra established his  empire there. River Saraswati that flows through Meluha is getting dried up. This river resembles the life of the SuryaVanshi. Besides drying up of the river, the anxiety lied in Suryavanshi's dangerous enemy, Chandravanshi teaming up with the 'Nagas'. Though Nagas are cursed and have a deformed physical structure ~ they are great warriors and everyone is scared of them. Nobody till date could have defeated the Nagas. At this difficult time, the only relief is the assurance of a saviour. But the day when defeat is evident, the saviour will make his presence then only and not before. But who is that Hercules who will save Meluha! Is he the matted hair, casual Shiva? But that man has no ambition. If he doesn't want who will make him play the Atlas to the Meluha! The daughter of Daksha, Sati is married to Shiva. May be Shiva's love for Sati will make him reach an undecided future. And the day will arrive when Neelkanth Shiva will be the rescuer of Meluha! "Just like designation ~ Dalai Lama or Shankar Acharya, Mahadev is a position or title," Amish Tripathi has opined in his book, Immortals of Meluha. 
Interpreting the Puranas is nothing new! But most of them were limited to Puranas conscious or Puranas loving people. But Amish's Shiva Trilogy has successfully pulled in new readers, changed the mode of entertainment. Old, crazy, forgetful Bholanath has become cool, sexy and happening! 
Amish's first book Immortals of Meluha became a bestseller the instant it hit the stands in 2010. In just six months, from February, the book had sold 45,000 copies. In the age of social network and morning shows, a success of a book, that too not a slim one, is an exception indeed! With an MBA from IIM-C and a lucrative job of investment banker, Amish said, "A TV show was once showing Asura and Devta in Hinduism is completely different from Zoroastrianism. For the latter, Daiva or Devta is evil and Ahura or Ashura is god." An eye opener for Amish, he understood there must have been some war between the two civilizations, which has made one villain another's hero! He decided to write a book on Asura. But his family suggested to write something good! 
Amish, whose grandfather was a Pundit in Varanasi, combined his favourite subject, history, and "repackaged" the Puranas. But his language or style was nowhere near to the conventional Purana tales and he was refused by almost 30 publishers. Finally, using his managements skills, making an audio visual trailer and a web version of a part of his manuscript helped in getting popularity. And publishers roped him in. 
First reading of Meluha is striking. As amusing as a Sci-Fi, one finds an aimless youth, drug addict, a citizen of a lost country being taken to another nation! Devdutt Pattanaik, Ashok Banker and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni have tried their pens on Puranas. But this new kid in the block, Amish not only changed the packaging but also the flow of his narrative. This book is neither for Puranas lovers nor for the Sci-Fi lovers. Meluha is a thrilling romance bottled in a Puaranas can ~ where Puuranas becomes a playback and Shiva a "cool dude"! 
Life OK's flagship show Devon ke Dev Mahadev went on air on 18 December, 2011. Its first promo didn't show the face of Mahadev. A tiger skin, six packs and trident made up for the purpose. Former Mr India Mohit Raina was "desirable" in the role. " In the wrapper of religion, who won't wish to see a six-pack sexy hunk?" said a Delhi University professor as she gulped down her excitement. 
Over the years, Shiva hasn't changed but evolved as youth icon. The cool dude smokes pot and gets high! Last year on a trekking expedition at Dharamkot in Himachal Pradesh, one found on the tough terrain plenty of cafes openly selling marijuana. And each café bore a larger than life poster of Shiva! Screenplay writer and professor at a college in Delhi University, Rupleena Bose beleives," Shiva is not infallible.He is odd, in his expression of anger, intoxication and sexuality. But young people do tattoos just for the pot. They are trying to find Shiva and relate to the God which itself is very interesting because then a symbol takes a dimension which is more secular than religious."


http://www.thestatesman.net/news/41475-god-of-all-things.html

Suitable girl’ will have current backdrop

One of India's best known writers in English, Vikram Seth has received laurels abroad and at home. A recipient of the Padma Shri, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, WH Smith Literary Award and Crossword Book Award, his world of writing strikes a fine balance between fiction and poetry. While 'A Suitable Boy' (1993) contributed to Vikram's success as a writer, his oeuvre includes 'The Golden Gate' (1986), 'An Equal Music' (1999) and poetry collections, 'Mappings' (1980) and 'All You Who Sleep Tonight' (1990) among others. 

Vikram, who is also known for his travelogues 'From Heaven Lake: Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet (1983)' and 'The Rivered Earth', identifies himself as a bisexual and has been very vocal about the Supreme Court's recent order recriminalising gay sex. In an interview with SUCHAYAN MANDAL, Vikram Seth talks about this, politics  and his writing.

The Supreme Court recently recriminalised gay sex  between consenting adults. You have rejected this judgment. What can be done in your view to negate this verdict?
It needs to be remembered that judges are human too. It's difficult for them to admit that they are wrong. They won't say that, yes, they have done something unjust, unprincipled, and unconstitutional. I wasn't utterly surprised. But it was a residual hope that the people will do a decent thing.
The law cannot come between love of two people. But what it can do is make people's life miserable, self-hating and suicidal. Love should be a course of happiness and fulfillment. It's not something that you would sneer at. You cannot do anything about that. These are very deep-seated attitudes. The gays who can be bullied by their peers and religious fanatics shouldn't lose faith in themselves and the power of love. Life is hard ahead. This behaviour is perfectly natural. And they shouldn't lose faith in the possibility of justice.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak believed Swaraj is the right to choose the Indian way of behaving. You see, Ayappa was born out of the sexual congress of Shiv and Vishnu. Everything from the 3000 year tradition of Hijras to Kamasutra to Khajuraho to Baburnama to poems of Mir is Indian, and not this 1861 law that came from the British and which is now not only being applied by the judges in the name of Bharatiya Sanskriti but also the so-called patriotic decent party, BJP. Homosexuality is very natural across the world. No one who is straight will turn gay or vice versa but to take something that is foreign and abase you before it and to impose cruelty on 60 million Indians is unconscionable.

You studied economics. What made you start writing fiction?
(laughs) Well, do you choose your profession or does your profession choose you? It's like love! All my training was in economics but I just wanted to write. The fact is, I feel blessed! I am not a very decisive or determined person, but I'm obsessed. If poetry comes to me, it's very difficult not to write. I have spent 11 years in not getting a PhD in economics. I don't think economics has influenced my writing style but it has certainly influenced the content of what I write. An emotional quotient of a character is as important as how an economic condition of the character can be changed. If you look at the way the world changes, both in macrocosm and in microcosm, economics is vital.
Take for example, in 'A Suitable Boy', the Zamindari abolition had a huge effect on many people. Like the patronages, the musicians and everything related to this suddenly disappeared. The land holders when they went to claim their lands were put off from the Patwaris' records. So economics in a way has helped to shape my ideas.

You were born in Kolkata. How much do you think the city has changed or evolved?
I went there recently. My name is Amit in my birth certificate as 'Shesher Kobita' had an effect on my mother. I shouldn't have felt happy going to Calcutta but I feel happy. Since I was conceived there and born there, there must be some umbilical nexus with Calcutta. When I go there, people fondly greet me but I don't deserve it! And it hasn't changed much.

You are working on the sequel to The Suitable Boy. Is your new book titled The Suitable Girl, and would you mind telling us a little about it?
I won't like to talk much on that. But yes unlike 'A Suitable Boy', which starts in 1952, 'Suitable Girl' won't start in 1953 but will be based in present day. It might be 2010 or 11 and end when I put my pen down, who knows may be after the general election! (laughs)
Talking about sequel, there will be characters from 'A Suitable Boy', like if someone was 10 then is 40 now and someone who was 30 might have died. Lata, who got married at 20-21, is now 80, but that doesn't mean she will go backward. There are characters who are dead but are discussed like, 'Babuji kaha karte the' (Babuji used to say). Life expectancy has increased, so a 70-year-old is taking care of his 90-year-old parents. So there's a kind of continuity.
It took many years to come into 'A Suitable Girl' because I don't want to be bored. Publishers had asked me to write A Suitable Girl, then an Unsuitable Boy and an Unsuitable Girl ~ but it would have surely bored the reader. I wanted to think what would Lata think if she was in present now.

How did your relation with music grow?
You see, whether you listen to a raag for 4 hours or you read a book of 1500 pages, it doesn't feel like being heavily imposed. I am carried away by music. I was trained in Indian classical music. But I became more and more interested in Western classical singing. In the evening, when I wanted to be by myself, I found that the moment I started playing an Indian musical instrument or singing an Indian song, I was drawn back into the world of my novel. It wasn't a form of relaxation, but work by other means. That's when I began singing Schubert songs. I didn't know them well then, but I love them now.

What do you think of the current state of Indian writing in English, particularly the corporates turned writers like Chetan Bhagat who are ruling the fiction market in India?
I have read one of Chetan's books and liked his writing. But I have no clue how he can possibly like the great supremo leader of the BJP. I simply don't get it! But I personally like him! But that doesn't mean I subscribe to the politics of someone who is in support of a party which takes the most inhuman position on matters that are intrinsic to being an Indian.

http://www.thestatesman.co.in/news/45666-the-saturday-interview.html