Professional Documents
Culture Documents
sundaymagazine
Eaterine Kire,
shortlited
2
5
for The Hindu
Prize a second
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SLICE OF LIFE
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THIRTEEN WAYS OF LOOKING
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Our wate,
our responsibility
Scholars have warned that if Swachh Bharat does not focus on changing
hygiene behaviour, it may go the way of previous campaigns that focussed on
meeting toilet construction targets. In the picture, a resident sweeps around
a toilet in Hirmathala village, Mewat district, Haryana. PHOTO: AFP
physical and mental wellbeing. This puts
diarrhoeal deaths, malnutrition and
stunted growth at the forefront and
makes safe sanitary conditions primary.
Second, the message needs to be driven in
that it is not someone elses responsibility
to clean your waste, but your own.
A recent news report told a horrifying
story of a young Dalit boy being asked to
clean up a schoolmates excreta. Manual
scavenging persists, despite laws banning
it. All of it is due to the age-old notion of
individual purity being maintained by the
labour of others. A recent paper by JNU
scholar Amit Thorat and the Rice Institutes Dean Spears talks of how our
sanitation habits are deeply rooted in
caste and untouchability practices.
One way to address this would be to
ensure the presence and participation of
Dalits and other communities, who have
CM
YK
cover
arly in September
this year, the legendary Prof. Robert
Chambers visited a
village in Uttar Pradesh to survey the
progress
of
the
Swachh Bharat Mission. In one home, he
went down on his knees and put his hand
in literally to inspect the contents of the
twin pit latrine there.
The idea was to allay the fears and scepticism of the villagers and show them that
the human waste in the five-year-old pit
had changed completely into compost,
with no odour or contaminants, and was
ready to use as fertiliser.
Few of us would do what Prof. Chambers did, and he in turn was merely following in the footsteps of Gandhi. But with
World Toilet Day just going by on November 19 and the government now levying a
Swachh Bharat cess on our incomes, it is
time to think of not just superficial ways to
improve cleanliness but to go deeper and
jolt us out of our deeply ingrained notions
of purity and pollution.
Rehabilitation of
manual
scavengers is on
nobodys priority
list. And the
business of
cleaning up
someone elses
waste continues
unabated.
KI-X
sundaymagazine
02
FRINGE CINEMA
ts a hot day for a Delhi October, but 36year-old Prem Kumar, who has been
working since 5 a.m.,
does not have the liberty to tweak his work
schedule to suit the
weather. Today, his
dilapidated wooden handcart is piled ve
feet high with notepads and he is pulling
on it with all his might with his toned dark
brown arms. The air is lled with the scent
of paper and glue as he pulls his load along
the narrow streets of Yamuna Bazaar.
The stretch, for which he is paid Rs. 10
per trip, culminates at the other end of the
149-year-old iron bridge known as Loha
Pul. Back from his trip, Kumar stops at the
service lane along Mahatma Gandhi Marg,
drinks water from a tap at the Hanuman
temple, washes his face, and then looks at
the temple clock. He cant help but smile.
It is 3 p.m. and its a Sunday.
Kumar, who migrated from Nepal when
he was 12, begins to climb down the garbage-strewn slope, the lthy river bank of
the black Yamuna that ows lazily by. He
soon reaches a shanty made of discarded
A teenager sits beside Rahul and borrows his bidi. Prabhat is 14, and Rahuls
younger brother. He goes to school at
times, and runs the hall in Rahuls absence.
Another teenager comes out of the hall
to smoke. He doubles up as rickshaw puller and a worker at a cement factory. Too
shy to say his name, the boys eyes gleam
when asked to name his favourite actor.
Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar. Prabhat dreams of being able to watch lms in
air-conditioned halls someday.
The sound of applause comes from inside. Rahul says that Baahubali and Bajrangi Bhaijaan earned him good money.
They went mad watching the two movies
and the hall was overcrowded. They sang
along with Salman bhai and danced. Mythological movies like Ramayan and Mahadev have to be screened at least once as
they are in demand throughout the year,
he says.
A man with a food cart has come into the
hall calling out Cream roll, patties A
few hands with ve rupee coins reach out
and he gives them a cream roll each even
as their eyes stay xed on the television
screen.
Suddenly, the room turns dark as the TV
set abruptly shuts off. Everyone lets out a
sigh of exasperation; several men get up
and begin leaving. Its a power cut. It can
last hours I will go back to my rickshaw
and earn something, says one man, climbing back up the slope. Some follow, many
continue to sleep. One blanket of the wall
is rolled up to let some light in.
Irritated by the interruption, Hafeez
and Tarachand hop into another cinema
hall about 400 meters away. Here, under a
young banyan tree, three men are busy
shoving plastic trash into gunny bags.
They earn their living from the garbage
thrown into the river.
The entrance to this hall is through an
eatery with wooden benches. The rice
froths on one stove; another has a red
curry sizzling. As the cook stirs the curry,
several scrawny chicken claws rise to the
surface.
This is a lavish lunch. Four claws for Rs.
20, plus Rs. 10 for the rice. We eat and earn
from what you reject, she says smiling.
The movie is
10,000 BC, terribly
dubbed in Hindi.
But the audience is
loving it.
intermittently, as it ows along with owers, oil, earthen lamps and human ashes
from Nigambodh Ghat, the citys oldest
cremation site. A man comes out of the
movie hall and relieves himself in the river.
Twenty-eight-year-old Arjun Dev has also come out. In 2009, he ran away from his
home in Bihar and is now a daily wage
worker in a paper mill in outer Delhi earning about Rs.4,500 a month. Sitting on the
sloping river bank, he says, This is the best
place to spend our free days. We eat, sleep,
watch movies. Those big halls take hundreds of rupees but you cannot even
stretch an arm.
The manager of this hall one of the
eight situated along the Yamuna is Rahul Singh. Before taking up this job, he
used to work in a toy factory in Sultanpur
Majra, where old plastic toys are melted to
make new ones. He says these movie halls
are mostly owned by the men who rent out
cycle rickshaws. This one is owned by Sher
Khan, who runs a garage as well as a cycle
rickshaw business.
Kalpana Sharma
is an independent
journalist and
columnist based
in Mumbai
CM
YK
Bird on a branch
As birding becomes popular, the Bombay Natural History Society revives
the Salim Ali Bird Count after 20 years, writes Samrat Chakrabarti
slice of life
Kalpana Sharma
Birding as an activity has moved out of the bird sanctuary and into our
cities. PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
the behaviour of birds, says Kasambe.
However, Kasambe reserves the most scorn for
those who the birding community calls twitchers.Birding, like most hobbies, can often bring
out competitive obsessiveness in people, but here
it takes on a gloried form. Birders love lists. They
make day lists, year lists and life lists. Each birders list checks off the species of birds spotted
over a day, year and a lifetime. As will happen with
birds, many are hard to spot, either because they
are shy or because they are found in inaccessible
places or simply because they have become rare
to nd. Bragging rights then accrue around these
lists (the most sighted, the rarest spotted) and the
competition can take on the nature of an obsession. There are no prizes, no institutional awards,
just bragging rights and recognition from fellow
birders. Birders are known to go to extraordinary
lengths to chase down a single elusive bird.
In India, such obsessive birders, called twitchers, are fewer but not unheard of. Perhaps the
most well known among them is Delhi-resident
Atul Jain. His life list is 1,089 out of the 1,300
known species of birds found in the Indian subcontinent. Atul has lost count of the number of
times he has taken a ight at a moments notice to
some far corner of India because he received a
message that a certain elusive bird on his list may
have been spotted there. One such trip was to spot
the rare night bird Hodgsons Frogmouth. A very
rare sighting in India, Atul followed a rumour
overnight to Arunachal Pradesh, where he
emerged bruised from thickets and soaked from
rain after an all-night search only to nd the bird
sitting peacefully on a branch the next morning.
To spot the Narcodian Hornbill, he sailed three
days to the tiny volcanic island on the eastern
most part of the Andaman Sea, the only place in
sundaymagazine
SCREENING ROOM
REEL CHANGE
Baradwaj
Rangan is
The Hindus
cinema critic
CM
YK
With many innovations and a strong commercial push, the Childrens Film
Society stands at the cusp of a much-needed makeover. Satish Nandgaonkar
Stills from Gattu (left) that won Special Mention at the Berlin International Film Festival, and (right)
the much-acclaimed Kaphal, which was screened commercially in Austin, U.S., and the British Institute.
n July 20, 2012, the Rajan
Khosa-directedGattubecame the
rst commercially-released lm produced
by the Childrens Film
Society of India (CFSI)
through Rajashree Pictures. After its theatrical release, we tried to do all its marketing.
We appointed a world sales agent for its overseas release. It travelled to many international
festivals, and we charged screening fees for the
rst time, says Shravan Kumar, CEO of CFSI.
Much like the Film and Television Institute of
India and the National Film Development Corporation, CFSI also played a signicant role in
the growth of Indian cinema before systemic
problems bogged it down in the 1990s. Prominent Indian lm-makers such as Shyam Benegal, Tapan Sinha, M.S. Sathyu, Mrinal Sen and
Sai Paranjpye in their time, and younger directors such as Santosh Sivan, Rituparno Ghosh
and Pankaj Advani made several childrens
lms, before low budgets and the lack of visibility began to plague CFSI.
On November 14 this year, CFSI opened the
19thedition of Golden Elephant, the International Childrens Film Festival of India (ICFFI), in Hyderabad. This biennial festival and
the annual National Childrens Film Festival
have done a great deal to showcase childrens
cinema and improve its visibility. And now,
Shravan Kumar is pushing the envelope further, chiey in terms of boosting the outreach
programme and opening up fresh revenue
streams.
For instance, CFSI has launched a smartphone app that can connect childrens cinema
with its audience. Recognising that CFSIs intrinsic strength lay in its vast network of
schools, Kumar has also started to screen its
Quintessential
star moments
allow us to
go beyond
the script and
converse
with star
personas
HIGH NOTES
Pitched perfectly
Mumbais Subin Sebastian could well be Indias first authentic
countertenor, a rare male operatic voice. Rahi Gaikwad finds out more
culturati
Baradwaj
Rangan
03
And this was a musically inclined person. Sometimes there is stigma attached,
says Doctor. Sebastians dilemma was like
that of the young boy in the movie Billy
Elliot, who had to suffer all the negative
stereotypes attached to boys taking up ballet. The culture shock his parents felt
sundaymagazine
04
literaryreview
POWER PLAY
Amanda Wilson, a
deputy head teacher in
Greenwich, is publishing
a collection of letters by
successful black British
women to inspire young
black girls. Wilson is
releasing Letters to a
Young Generation on
December 5 through her
own imprint, 9:10
Publishing.
CM
YK
FACE TO FACE
No division between
spiritual and physical
Mini Krishnan
bibliophile
Poisoned Bread;
ed Arjun Dangle,
Orient Black Swan,
Rs.450.
.. ... .... .... .... .... .... .... ... .... .... .... ...
Touchable Tales;
S. Anand, Navayana,
Rs.400.
.. ... .... .... .... .... .... .... ... .... .... .... ...
Mini Krishnan
edits literary
translations for
Oxford
University Press
I am very excited. I feel grateful to everyone who believed in the book, my editor and my publisher at Zubaan,
and my readers. I feel humbled
at the way my readers are celebrating the shortlist. It
shows me how much it
means to them as well. Its a
wonderful way for Northeastern writing to gain visibility and exposure in a
wider audience. So all that
is good. I love it that a book
I so enjoyed writing has
been acknowledged among
the best writing coming
from India in 2015. I am
deeply thankful to God
for that.
KI-X
sundaymagazine
05
literaryreview
IN CONVERSATION
Yes an author has to be responsible, especially when he's a middle-aged, middle-class male
who wants to write in voices that are light years
beyond his immediate experience.There are issues of cultural arrogance and gender arrogance
and economic arrogance at play. The author
must delve deep and learn how to portray difference as deeply as possible and be true at the
same time.Whenever I create a character other
than a white Irish male, I always make sure that
I consult as many experts as possible.I have
dozens of people read the work for authenticity.
I am just as responsible to my ctional characters as I am to those who are real.
Bloomsbury, Rs.499.
Certainly time is the central element in ThirPoetry informs a large part of the titular story in teen Ways of Looking.The time that was, and
this book. You take your cues from Wallace Stevens of the time that is, both of them helixed around
course, but there are also echoes of Heaney and one another.And then there's the time yet to
Muldoon. Why is poetry important to you, and what do come. I think a good writer uses time like a
you think a poem can do that a story cant?
musician uses his saxophone. You know when
From the age of 12, I was reading Dylan Tho- and where to blow the note, whether triummas.I discovered Gerard Manley Hopkins phantly or plaintively, and you create a rhythm
when I was about 13.Poetry has been vital for that changes the world, if even only tempome.And I probably read more poetry than c- rarily.
tion. I've only written one poem however and it
You write in your authors note every word we
was pretty awful.I was far too conscious of write is autobiographical, perhaps most especially
rhythm.I like to bring poetry into the c- when we attempt to avoid the autobiographical. Why
tion.I'd like to think that the books are long is it that the word autobiographical can sometimes
poems.But poetry is not a better form.It's just a make readers of ction so suspicious?
Because when we write about ourselves we're
different form. I don't privilege poetry over,
say, playwriting, or ction, or journalism almost guaranteed to lie. Autobiographies are
even.The good word needs to be properly lled with lies.Memory has been shaped and
placed in any available form.That's all that mat- re-shaped. But when we avoid autobiography
at least direct autobiography we are much
ters.
How do you decide that youre going to write in the more likely to tell the truth about the human
voice of a 68-year-old Romani woman, or Rudolf spirit, or to reveal something profoundly true
Nureyev, or Philippe Petit, or any of the real life people about ourselves.
.... ....... ........ ........ ........ ....... ........ ........ ........ ....... ..
ANTI-FAIRYTALE
Midnight
of freedom
While being essentially
autobiographical, Chronicles of
Time and Chance narrates the
political and social history of
India during its most important
period. K.R.A. Narasiah
We cannot un-punch, we cannot un-kick, we cannot un-rape.This was part of your victims statement
when you were assaulted last year in Connecticut.
Does writing or reading about violence help with
understanding how violence is experienced?
Women, unbound
Why, wonders Mita Ghose, does the book
remind us of those New Wave European films
of yore with their eerily nebulous worlds, their
angst-ridden protagonists?
him on his return from Simla can hardly be regarded as anything but 99 per cent his very own
invention.
Isar asserts, Most commentators (with the
exception of V. Shankar) have remained either
silent or extremely discreet about the heart of
the matter: What was the need for Mountbatten
to descend from Simla and get involved in executive action that, as he himself correctly explained, was no longer his business? According
to Isar, the top executive proved that they could
control the situation, headed by H.M. Patel the
then Cabinet Secretary
Discovering Delhi is another chapter that
draws riveted attention of the reader. When India became independent, nothing changed, as
far as the administrative and legal structure was
concerned. Indians merely occupied the rooms,
chairs and benches of the British.
Of the more recent past, the last two chapters
give the best description of the political scenario of the times. Having reverted back to his
cadre in Tamil Nadu, after he was relieved from
his foreign service that was allotted to him after
independence (because of his marriage to a foreigner) the author says of Rajaji, There was a
taciturn ruggedness about him, a sturdiness of
character rare among Indians to be an object of
respect and admiration. He regards Kamaraj as
an effective Chief Minister, unwittingly drawn
into the Kamaraj Plan as devised by Nehru to be
a devious manipulation directed against his rivals. He considers it bad luck for India that Patel
was older than Nehru; Patel the bte-noire of
the staunch Nehru-ites could have achieved
much more as a Prime Minister. Unfortunately,
Kamaraj, the author asserts, known as the kingmaker twice once when Nehru died in May
1964 and next when Shastri died on January 10,
1966 ended by preparing a thralldom for the
country, much beyond his own imagination.
The book captures the political manoeuvrings of the last years of Nehru as well as the
prime ministerial life and times of his undervalued successor, Lal Bahadur Shastri. He explains
how corruption set in: Backstairs inuence
with key politicians of the Congress party and
the higher bureaucracy was established and
maintained by payments in cash or kind or in
both. The Little Sparrow as he was named by a
Bombay editor, Shastri, according to official reports, died of heart failure in Tashkent, but on
December 26, 1970, his widow declared in an
interview that her husband had been poisoned.
The author is sceptical; he ends the story with
Either way, the result of that particular death,
was the return of the Nehru dynasty. Indira
Gandhi scuttled the demand for an enquiry.
KI-X
sundaymagazine
GLAD WAGS
06
TIPPLER TALES
Experiencing the open spaces of an Indian vineyard; (below) White grapes flourishing in the vine.
Riesling
from our
backyard
Pashmi means hairy. The fur on the ears is their distinct identity.
PHOTO: THEODORE BASKARAN
Pashmis are
originally from
Afghanistan, and
were brought in by
the Pathans
and Rohillas who
came into India
a few centuries ago
As I refill my glass
for a second, I
decide to make it a
bit more personal
and intimate. The
fruity aroma
confuses me a little.
I can smell honey
and green apple
Down
CM
YK
SNAILS PACE
It may be slimy...
but snail caviar is becoming increasingly popular among food buffs
in Europe
1 Cheers received by
Communist leader, quiet
man in terrible event (11)
7 Grouse, not name for
flightless bird (3)
9 Lavish smear filled in by
artist (7)
10 Work silly dopes
resisted (7)
11 Striker, cross about
conflict, following
heart (6,7)
13 Travel around, beginning
to identify Polynesian
language (5)
14 Trim coach having a
change of colour (9)
15 Stern mind in
conservative element (9)
17 Part of lesson, a
humourless book of the
Bible (5)
19 Pompous man is left
rambling about
wine (4-9)
22 Blushing, decline to be
symbol of
revolution (3,4)
23 Song packed with zest
initially about part of
USA (7)
24 Occasional rum (3)
25 Hot in spell, yet more
shivery not unknown
indicator of fever? (11)
Aspersa Muller Madonita snails on a farm near Palermo, Sicily; (right) Escargot pearls.
It has an earthy taste with hints of grass and
mushroom. Snail caviar is a growing trend in
Europe, the delicate white eggs sprinkled on
everything from canaps to beef dishes and
beetroot. But, while the production cycles at
other organic companies from Italy to France
and Spain can last up to three years, one
Sicilian start-up has cut the time down to
eight months. Their secret? Cereals.
We feed the baby snails a vet-approved
diet of cereals, calcium and vitamins which
the Elder raving about snails fattened on donkeys milk and wine. The delicacy became
hugely popular among the wealthy, leading to
the creation of the first snail farms in Pompeii.
Italians ate an estimated 40,000 tonnes of
snails in 2014, ahead of France where annual
consumption is around 30,000 tonnes. And
snail caviar, which made a first unsuccessful
appearance in the 1980s, is also winning over
European taste buds.
AFP
KI-X