Rambharosey’s old mother gave him a pot of honey before leaving for Varanasi and asked him to keep it carefully. “Guard it well,” she said, “this is good honey, it will keep me healthy after I get back.” Rambharosey kept it in the corner of the barn. Next morning, when he went in to get some hay, he saw that the pot had cracked and some ants had found their way into the honey. “Oh dear,” he said, “now what should I do?” He stood in the barn and thought hard. Then he got a big, shallow pan from the…
Author: oiop
A visionary policeman (1916-2003) Rustamji was born on 22 May 1916 in Kamptee near Nagpur, and had his early education at St. Francis de Sales school. He later passed M.Sc. (Zoology) in 1936, standing first in the Nagpur University, and worked as Demonstrator in the same college for two years. He topped the examination for selection to the Indian Police (also sometimes referred to as the Imperial Police) in 1938 from the State of Central Provinces (presently known as Madhya Pradesh). As Assistant Superintendent of Police in 1942, he courageously dealt with the riots during the Quit India movement and…
The King of Melody (1928-2015) Manayangath Subramanian Viswanathan who passed away recently was known to the film industry as M.S. Viswanathan or simply by his initials MSV, and was hailed as ‘Mellisai Mannar’ (King of Light Music). He held sway over the world of film music and worked as a composer in over a thousand Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi films, though most of his compositions were for Kollywood, as Tamil cinema is often called. A self-taught musician who had a keen ear for music right from birth, MSV gave his first performance on the harmonium at the age of…
With the increasing assaults and violence against women in India, it is heartening to note that justice was finally done in a gang rape case in Odisha, even if it was delayed justice. Rakhi Ghosh writes about the incident and how the victim is today a strong pillar of society. HShe is a hardworking government school teacher and an attentive mother and wife today, but she has been through her fair share of hell. The incident that changed Seema’s (name changed) life forever happened over 17 years ago on July 2, 1996. She had just taken up a job as…
Food and rituals are an intrinsic part of India. But with many complicated rituals making way for simpler ones, and in some cases dying out, are the foods associated with them also getting lost? Rinku Bhattacharya hopes not and says that there seems to be an interesting revival of at least some traditions and food practices. Food and tradition are intertwined, and as the world changes, we often change our beliefs and ideology around food. The Indian culinary legacy spans several thousands of years, and with this heritage is a culinary culture that is replete with traditions, some which are…
The Centrestage Theatre lineup in Mumbai featured plays mostly by women writers and directors, a coincidence, says Deepa Gahlot, the Curator of the festival. The festival featured interesting and varied themes and subjects, with some splendid acting, stage production and direction. TThe focus of the NCPA’s (National Centre for Performing Arts) annual Centrestage Theatre is the freshness of the line-up. So, a question asked by a particularly diligent journalist, made one notice that yes, a large chunk of the 15 plays in 2015 were written and/or directed by women, and no, it was not deliberate. (The curator (myself) and supporter…
How do you feel about meeting strangers over a sumptuous Bohri meal in the sprawling home of the chef? Disha Shetty visits The Bohri Kitchen and writes about this new trend of housewives cooking multi-course, traditional meals for you in their homes, at a cost. You get good food served with doses of culture, and the home chef shares her traditional recipes, while being commercially compensated. It’s a win-win for all! Ienter the sprawling living room, home to the Kapadias, in a residential corner of Mumbai’s Colaba where old British era buildings and tall modern sky-scrappers co-exist. Early morning sunlight…
In the beautiful valleys of Kashmir, villagers are entertained by a traditional form of folk theatre called ‘Bhand Pather’. Bhand means performer in the local language, while pather refers to a dramatic performance. They are performed in the open around Sufi shrines and Hindu temples by bands that travel from village to village during harvest time. Bhand Pather traces its origins to medieval times when Kashmir saw many foreign invasions. The plays expressed the people’s feelings of alienation and oppression at the hands of their foreign rulers. In modern times, the plays are usually satirical or humorous in nature, highlighting…
When rains are erratic, especially in areas which practice rainfed farming, and with negligible state support, what do the affected farmers do? Is dire poverty and extreme hunger the end of the road for them? Gahabra village is located in Naugavan Panchayat (Naraini block) of Banda district (Uttar Pradesh). This village is inhabited mainly by small farmers. The previous rabi crop was ravaged by untimely heavy rains at the time of crop ripening, causing around 70% crop loss. This was followed by an almost complete loss of kharif crop. The time for sowing the current rabi (winter) crop has almost…
Food is an intrinsic part of travel in India. As you travel, you tend to seek out food along the way, in small shacks, remote villages and roadside eateries, where the best food can be found, says filmmaker Bidyut Kotoky. His experiences confirm what we all know – that food is one of the main ingredients which makes travel in India such an enriching, unforgettable and life-changing experience. Let me start with a confession – I’m not exactly a ‘foodie’ in the typical sense of the term. I mean, food does not really play a central role in my existence…