With the construction of housing for employees near the Gole Market area, the real population of New Delhi grew exponentially during World War II. New Delhi needed a civic body to take care of its growing needs.

The beginning of a municipal body for New Delhi took place way back in 1913, when the Imperial Delhi Committee was formed. The British deemed it necessary that instead of the Delhi Municipality, the control of construction and management of the Capital should be with a central authority. In 1916, the Raisina Municipal Committee was formed. The new Capital was christened New Delhi in 1927 and that is when the committee was named New Delhi Municipal Committee.

In 1916, the municipality's responsibility was limited to catering to the sanitation requirements of the construction workers building the Capital. By 1931, the committee was expected to take care of buildings, roads, sewers, medical and public health arrangements.

NDMC's major function remained providing facilities to government buildings. House tax formed a major part of its revenue. It also earned sizeable rents from the shops at Baird Road Market and Connaught Place and by leasing cricket, football and hockey grounds.

After the Capital's inauguration, its roads were widened for the growing traffic and arterial roads like Lower Ridge Road, Hailey Road, outer and inner circles of Connaught Place, Hanuman Road etc. were strengthened.

To keep the city clean, 11 trucks used to pick garbage and dump it at the Jor Bagh nursery. The sewerage used to be drained at the farmhouses in Kilokari.

In 1932, electricity distribution and water supply also became the civic body's responsibility. Soon, it became one of the few municipalities in the country to have its own power generation plant. Water was supplied to government offices and 'clerk quarters' from a reservoir at Talkatora.

Public transport, however, was in private hands as people relied mainly on tongas and the bus services of the Gwalior and Northern India Transport Company.
 

The Indravan, already open to select customers, will be formally launched in September. Room rates start at Rs. 8,500. Full occupancy – a near certainty given the prime location and shortage of rooms in Delhi – will bring in approximately Rs. 70 lakh every month. In return, the hotel's promoters need to pay IGNCA only Rs. 10 lakh per month.

Occupying a prime location over 23 acres at 1, Janpath – minutes away from the National Museum and India Gate — the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts was established in 1987 as a centre for research, academic pursuit and dissemination in the field of the arts. The autonomous institution originally came under the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development; today, it is under the Union Ministry of Culture.

A quarter of a century after opening, the Centre's academic and cultural activities remain at a low level. And its premises are now being used to host the Indravan hotel, run by Sewara Hospitality and Development. The group also runs the Lodi Garden Restaurant in Delhi, apart from resorts in Rajasthan and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Sewara claims it has the marketing rights to run the Indravan hotel on government land for the next five years. However, according to the IGNCA Trust Deed signed between by the Centre's trustees and the Government of India, the land was given to IGNCA on a lease of 99 years for purely cultural and academic activities.

Under the sub-head “Use of Trust Fund”, the Deed clearly says: “The income and property of the Trust, howsoever derived, shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the objects of the Trust.” The objects listed in the Trust include research in arts, humanities and cultural heritage, creating tribal and folk art collections, bridging modern and traditional art forms, developing linkages with international art and culture centres, and serving as a resource centre and forum on Indian art, and producing an encyclopaedia on the subject. Nowhere do the Trust's objectives allow for commercial activity such as a hotel.

The IGNCA seems to be exploiting a loophole in the Trust Deed which only prevents its property from being leased for a period of more than ten years. Under the sub-head ‘Disposal of the IGNCA Property', the Deed says: “No immovable property (such as land and buildings) of IGNCA shall be sold, leased for a term exceeding 10 years or given out on hire or otherwise disposed of by the Trust without the prior written approval of the Government of India.”

Given these rules, the Memorandum of Understanding signed by IGNCA and Aresko Estates representative Inderpal Singh Kochchar, who is the managing director of Aresko's subsidiary company, Sewara, on July 1, 2010 only refers to the “IGNCA guest house.”

It gives Sewara the job of “managing, running, operation and maintenance of the guest house” of IGNCA and makes it clear that Sewara will not be allowed to use this “guest house” for marriage or birthday functions, commercial functions, functions which may cause noise or those which don't get clearance from IGNCA. The MOU says the “guest house” may be used by Sewara for “meetings of national and international societies, conferences of national and international standards, small gatherings of art and culture or associated professional clubs, and art exhibitions and related functions.”

However, on www.sewara.com, the Indravan is clearly termed a “boutique hotel”, not an “IGNCA guest house” and there is no mention that potential guests need to be part of any conference or meeting. Online reservations are open, and the hotel has been listed on international travel reservation and review sites. It also offers three conference rooms and eight committee rooms as business spaces, which may violate the explicit “no commercial functions” clause of the MoU.

“The grand opening of the property, which is now ready, will happen during the first week of September,” confirms Sewara Group representative Premjith Endassary. He says unknown “guests on special references who couldn't be refused” have already been staying there frequently. For the ordinary public, however, rooms will be available after the inauguration. In fact, the Sewara website seems to be allowing bookings only from October 1.

The building in which the Indravan is located used to be the “Scholars' Residency” meant for academics attending IGNCA functions, and was turned into a guest house a few years ago. Now it has undergone a complete internal design makeover to transform it into The Indravan, even while the exterior remains the same.

The standard, deluxe and suite are called the Harappa, Mughal and Golden Era rooms respectively, with furnishings and decor to match the art and culture of that particular period in Indian history. The daily tariffs have been fixed at Rs. 8,500, Rs. 10,500 and Rs. 15,000 respectively. A club room and multicuisine restaurant on the premises will also be operated by Sewara.

The rate card itself seems to violate the MoU signed with IGNCA, which stipulated tariffs of Rs. 3,800, Rs. 4,200 and Rs. 5,000 for the three types of rooms.

Sewara has agreed to some concessions to cater for IGNCA needs. Under the MoU, IGNCA will have access to the hotel's rooms at 40 per cent of the tariff rate for up to 50 days every year.

IGNCA joint secretary Pyare Lal – who is an appointee of the Union government – initially denied the existence of a hotel on IGNCA grounds. “IGNCA is a trust on the government property, how can a hotel come up there? There is no question of a commercial activity happening there. IGNCA is a research and cultural activity institution. Even if we run a hotel here, we will be at a risk because we will not get tax exemption on this land. We have nothing to hide. There is no ‘hotel' being run within the premises of IGNCA,” he asserted.

When presented with specifics by The Hindu, he backtracked, saying that he had joined IGNCA only six months ago and still does not understand all the rules and regulations. In a subsequent email, he admitted: “There is a Guest House Block in the IGNCA which is a part and parcel of the overall Building Plan of IGNCA. It is not yet operational. It consists of 24 rooms … IGNCA, being an organization with no experience in operating and maintaining a Guest House, decided to invite Expression of Interest through newspapers (dated 16.10.2009) from the eligible entities/vendors/operators for management, maintenance, operation and running of the Guest House Block of IGNCA. The job was entrusted to one M/s. Aresko Estates Pvt. Ltd. [that is, Sewara's parent company] who was the successful bidder after completion of the entire process and evaluation by a duly constituted committee.”

Mr. Lal said the handing over the “guest house” to Sewara was not a problem since the IGNCA's current activities did not pose a “substantial” requirement for rooms. “The Guest House Block containing 24 rooms has been designed as part of the overall … complex of 8 buildings, including Concert Hall, National Theatre, etc. At present, only one building … has been completed. Therefore, the present requirement of rooms is not substantial and the optimum utilization can be achieved only after all the remaining buildings … have been constructed and made operational”.

But even if the Sewara lease is “temporary”, former Additional Secretary Basant Kumar — who has been associated with IGNCA since its inception — alleges that the Delhi Master Plan does not allow for a hotel on the IGNCA premises. Kapila Vatsayayan, a founding trustee of IGNCA who worked to build the institution to its academic and cultural zenith in the late 1980s, moans about its decline from those glory days. “I was thrown out of IGNCA by police forces eleven years ago so I don't go there anymore. I can only say that the Trust Deed doesn't allow any commercial activity on its premises,” she says.

Curiously, the current trustees also seem to have been kept in the dark about the commercial activity on the premises. “I don't know what is (The) Indravan at IGNCA,” says Chinmaya Gharekhan, president of the Board of Trustees. “As far as I know, The Indravan is not a hotel. It was modelled on India International Centre in its soul,” says another IGNCA trustee, Salman Haider.

Citing “legal” issues, Sewara MD I.S. Kocchar and the public relations agency representing him declined to answer questions. A few days after The Hindu started working on the story, the signboard displaying the hotel's name at the IGNCA was quietly removed. Its absence today is a hint that everything is not above board.
 

This was the time when the Great Uprising of 1857 was at its peak. On September 10, four days before the British stormed into Delhi, in one of their first successful actions to regain control of India, Nahar Singh, the king of the princely state of Ballabgarh, penned a letter to Lord Ellenborough, the Governor General of India from 1842-44. He sought refuge. Offering his services to the East India Company, he promised “to explain many unspeakable matters and unsupportable calamities into which India is involved”.

More than a century later, that letter, handwritten on a neat sheet bordered with a floral pattern in gold, is up for auction. It will go under the hammer at the Bonhams ‘Photography and Travel: India and Beyond’ auction in London, on October 4 and is expected to fetch an estimated £ 1,000-1,500.

“The owner of the letter approached us. We regard this as the most important sale of its type since that of the collection of photographs of Kanwardip Gujral in 2008,” says Francesca Spickernell, book specialist at Bonhams. Gujral was a Hamburg-based businessman and his collection comprised of 420 photographs from the 1850s to the 1940s. “The letter,” a press release issued by the auction house, notes, “it seems was written as a ruse to deceive the British in the event of his capture... as he was fully committed to the cause of Indian Independence”. Nahar Singh is remembered as the right-hand man of Bahadur Shah Zafar, who was declared as the Emperor of India by the rebels.

The letter is one of the 550 lots on sale at Bonhams. The other highlights include one of the first printed depiction of the Taj Mahal, which appears in a volume of aquatint views of India by William Hodges, who travelled through the country in the 1780s. His drawings were executed on the spot. The books are estimated to fetch £ 30,000-35,000. A rare set of photographic albums of the Dutch East Indies by the pioneering Victorian photographers, Walter Woodbury and James Page — featuring 248 images, including portraits of notable Indonesian figures, ethnographic studies, Dutch colonial life and topographical views from Sumatra to The Moluccas — is estimated to go at £ 40,000-50,000. “The response for this auction has been very positive. We have more registrations — people expressing interest in buying — than ever before for an India and Beyond sale,” says Spickernell.
 

The meeting of the BASIC ministers in Brazil was to be attended by environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan but she missed it owing to the Anna Hazare crisis on the domestic front. India was represented by its senior negotiators.

At the last formal talks, India had taken the lead in putting back on agenda the discussions on equitable share of atmosphere, the need to cut intellectual property rights on green technologies and banning trade barriers advocated by developed countries using green indicators such as carbon footprints of products as trigger.

The BASIC countries face a difficult time at Durban where the Europeans are expected to pound more pressure on emerging economies to formally agree to binding emission reduction targets in future.

At the two-day meeting in Brazil, the BASIC countries backed the demand to keep Kyoto Protocol alive beyond its first phase which ends next year, but the four key emerging economies also discussed how far the developed countries are likely to go with their threat to withdraw from Kyoto Protocol unless emerging economies commit to hard targets to cut down greenhouse gases.

They stated their position against the rich countries junking Kyoto Protocol claiming they were doing so to list their commitments under a new regime. “It is hardly conceivable that a country would leave the Kyoto Protocol to do more,” their statement read. They said such a move smacked of reduced political will in developed countries to cut emissions.

Armed with this, Natarajan would be now attending the ministerial round called by the hosts South Africa as a precursor to the super jamboree at the end of the year.
 

At that time, its policemen wore khaki shorts and were equipped with Brown Bess rifles, rattles and bicycles provided to it by its erstwhile masters, the East India Company. But in 1911, its administration, just like the city it policed, was formally taken over by the Imperial British Crown. The Delhi Police even assisted its new masters in organising the opulent Delhi Durbar.

So far, the Crown had considered Delhi a mere provincial town. The police functioned from six stations and a handful of scattered outposts on arterial roads. However, given the novel status that the city would soon enjoy, this too was about to change.

“The very concept of Delhi being a seat of colonial power, as illustrated by the shifting of the Imperial capital, is wedded to it being a city of VIPs,” said Deepak Mishra, a 1984 batch IPS officer. Mishra was on the advisory committee of the coffee table book ‘Delhi Police: History and Heritage’ and is currently posted as Special Commissioner of the Delhi Police (Operations).

Those wielding imperial power, said Mishra, were required to reside in physical proximity of each other, not only for security but also to maintain “a horizontal network allowing free intermingling of administrative ideas for an emerging metropolis”.

Till the end of 1911, about 78 officers stationed at six ‘major’ police stations, carried forward from the Mughal era, had augmented the strength of the British Indian Army, albeit in the slightest manner. It was the British Indian Army that was chiefly responsible for maintaining law and order in the city at that time, and had played a minor role in policing an estimated population of about five lakh people.

Before New Delhi became the capital, there had been successful attempts at assassinating the local wielders of Imperial power — William Fraser, the first Divisional Commissioner and head of the police had been murdered by a local Nawab in late 1834. However, it was an unsuccessful attempt on the life of Viceroy Lord Hardinge on the ‘perfect morning’ of December 28, 1912, that changed the way the Capital was viewed, and policed.

This spurred the nascent British-Indian administration to increase the strength of the police to around 1,152 officers of varying ranks till the end of 1912 — the year when Delhi was formally detached from the Punjab and placed under the charge of a Chief Commissioner to ensure that it met the ‘requirements of the imperial Capital’. The chief commissioner was also, though informally, the ex-officio Inspector General of the police.

Between 1912 and 1926, alongside a steady increase in the numbers of the force, the Birmingham-made police whistle had replaced the rattle, the Enfield .303 rifle had taken the place of the Brown Bess. New police stations — including the New Delhi Police Station (now called Parliament Street police station) which came up to ‘protect’ the Raisina Hills in 1913 — were also set up.

The others were Daryaganj (1913), Shahdara (1914), Delhi Cantonment (1915). Tughlak Road and Mandir Marg police stations followed in 1941 and 1944, respectively.

The existing strength, that of two head constables and nine foot constables previously on duty at the Raisina Hills police post, was augmented over the years. Delhi Police started recruiting and promoting its own men instead of drawing them from the Punjab.

Meanwhile, the beat system of policing in the city became firmly entrenched in the policing system. Mounted on bicycles, horses, and a handful of motorcycles, the policemen went to the rural pockets around New Delhi, noting the particulars, criminal records of the villagers and their perception of the police in their Village Crime Register.

In 1935, the Kotwali police station was subdivided and one of the station’s chief tasks was to maintain a notebook of the city including details of its size, population and, most important of all, the ‘names of the influential persons’ residing in it. That same year, Hugh Oitway de Gale, Delhi’s Superintendent of Police, suggested the force should have a branch of female officers.

Four years later, it became the first force in the country to have its women police battalion.

As per an HT report published on January 14, 1931, Delhi Police had conducted at least four mock drills by detaining and searching ‘Indian Passengers’ on tongas. The cars belonging to VIPs like members of the Executive Assembly, however, got flags with red dots in the middle to prevent them from being stopped ‘unnecessarily’.

The Viceroy’s House was inaugurated and occupied by Lord Irwin on January 23, 1931. And the officers protecting the Viceroy’s House were the first ones to get their hands on .455 bore revolvers as early as 1939 as the papers of the time treated the slightest incident to be reported from the ‘Vice-regal household’ special. These ‘special’ incidents could range from the murder of the house’s chowkidaars, the accidental toppling of roof(s), and thefts of items ranging from spoons to gold watches from Connaught Place.

The Delhi Police formally got its own traffic branch, with its own radio control cars and trucks, in 1950. A strength of 212 officers was formally detached and rechristened Traffic control men to manage a vehicular population of a surging 19,321 even as the city got its first traffic lights between 1950 and 1952.
 

In the summer of 1913, Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (Dadasaheb Phalke), a draftsman with the Archaeological Survey of India and assistant to noted painter Raja Ravi Verma, sold his wife’s jewellery to make Raja Harishchandra, India’s first feature film. The film, based on the story of the righteous king who sacrifices everything to honour his promise, was screened at Mumbai’s Coronation cinema. A huge crowd gathered to watch this little miracle that had been shot with a moving camera.

Only two of its four reels are now available with the National Film Archives of India, and even the authenticity of those is in question. Pune-based private collector Subhash Chedda claims that “those are the prints of a 1917-remake”. But all is not lost. Some stills from the original film, photographs retrieved from negatives and those of Dadasaheb Phalke at work, which are part of 3,000 pieces of memorabilia, were carefully locked up in the old-fashioned cupboards in noted film historian and documentary filmmaker Bhagwan Das Garga’s sea-facing house in Goa. Along with them were other equally important historical photographs, slides of some short films, books on world cinema, magazines, handbills and a series of posters.

The Pandora’s box is now open. A project, initiated by the Delhi-based Indira Gandhi National Centre for Archives (IGNCA), aims to preserve and digitise this collection over the next few months and make it available for research and display. IGNCA has bought it from Donabelle Garga, the historian’s wife.

“Given the environment, there was a constant fear of damage. However, the meticulous man that Garga was, he had carefully stacked everything in cardboard boxes and done all he could do to take care of these, be it the material from Indian cinema or world cinema,” says Basharat Ahmed, Controller, IGNCA, pointing at a 1952 edition of a rare book on Charlie Chaplin. Ahmed assisted the committee that went to Goa to value the collection. A sum of Rs 2 crore has been paid to Garga’s wife for it.

Garga, who assisted V Shantaram on a series of projects, made over 50 documentaries and worked with various film units in Europe in the 1950s. He also served as the member of the Indian Film Advisory Board. His efforts to screen the second part of Russian film, Ivan the Terrible, are still considered admirable, as the film was banned by Stalin.

This meticulous collection was also sought by the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and a host of other museums abroad. “This collection is 60 years of work put together. It was used as a reference point for his writing and filmmaking. I know it was wanted by many museums abroad but my husband wanted the collection to stay in the country,” says Donabelle, who has also donated 10 cartons full of photos and other memorabilia to the Satyajit Ray Archive. The latter was housed at Nandan in Kolkata, and has now been moved to the Centenary Building there.

The restoration work is at the cataloguing stage right now. Before display, some footage from the collection, will go through physical and chemical cleaning to get rid of the dust on the film.

“We will be responsible for the preservation of the collection once the restoration is done,” says Ahmed, who is also excited about the possible surprises that the cataloguing process could throw up. “There might be some unseen photos, books and magazines,” he says.
 

The beauty of mother nature was casting a magical spell on us in the entire route. The entire area was draped in a thick cover of mist, and continual calls of peacocks echoed in the air. Birds chirped and flew around us in all directions. Our rickshaw-wallah doubled up as a guide.

This fantasy of feathers has exceptional scope for birding and is the country’s best water bird sanctuary for serious ornithologists, bird watchers, naturalists, wildlife photographers, landscape painters, and writers on nature and researchers. It is also an ideal getaway for honeymooners to get lost in the pristine beauty of natural wonders.

The park is home to pythons 10 feet in length, our guide told us. Blue bull, feral, cattle, spotted deer, jackals, hyenas, civets, cats and mongoose also inhabit the park in large numbers, not to mention the lizards and other snakes. Migratory birds from Central Asia and different parts of the world visit it in large numbers. These include ducks, larks, eagles, cranes, flycatchers, hawks, geese, pipits, pelicans and warblers. It is the second home of the rare and highly endangered Siberian cranes in winters. The local birds like the cormorants, herons, snakebirds etc., build their nests in August in the park. At least 400 species of birds can be seen in the winter season.

The park has wetland systems with varying types of microhabitats having trees, mounds, dykes and open water with or without submerged plants.

It has three major seasons: wet monsoons, cold winters and hot summers. During monsoon, water is released into the park through a canal. It brings life forms at various tropic levels, making the reserve reverberate with activity. During the post monsoon and early winter periods, the park resounds with the cacophony of the voracious chicks. The nesting of the herons, cormorants and storks progresses and simultaneously the number and variety of birds of prey increases. Thousands of migratory waterfowl arrive for wintering in September and it is filled with maximum bird population.

You can see diverse species of birds and animals at different times of the day. Water birds prefer broad daylight but if you wish to see night birds like owls, you have to stay after sunset.

As we continued our trek inside the park, little parakeets fluttered around us unmindful of our presence. Far ahead, a group of white ibis birds were sitting on their eggs. The lakes were full with a host of water birds. Large migratory birds like pelicans had also arrived in large numbers.

Keoladeo Ghana National Park is the only sanctuary of our country that was created artificially. Initially it was only a natural depression that was flooded. Maharaja Suraj Mal, the then ruler of the princely state of Bharatpur, had constructed the Ajan Bund (west of the park) in 17th century.

The inundation resulted in the production of large aquatic vegetation, which attracted a very large number of migratory birds. The marshes of Bharatpur soon developed into a duck shooting reserve and it was formally inaugurated in 1902 by the then Viceroy of India Lord Curzon.

On 12 November 1938, a shooting party headed by the then Viceroy of India, Lord Linlithgow, shot many birds in the park. Keoladeo Ghana was notified as a bird sanctuary in 1956. Hunting rights remained with the Maharaja of Bharatpur, his guests, and a few state guests till 1965. Conservation efforts initiated by ornithologist Dr Salim Ali yielded fruit and the area was deemed a national park in March 1982. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1985. The Park is open throughout the year. August-October is the breeding season, so the birds are best left alone then. The best season for visiting this place is from October to February when the migratory birds come to visit this park from all over the globe.
 

Archaeologists unearthed the implements while excavating mudstone banks on the shores of Lake Turkana in the remote north-west of the country.

The largest of the tools are around 20 cm long and have been chipped into shape on two sides, a hallmark of more sophisticated stone tool making techniques probably developed by Homo erectus, a long-dead ancestor of modern humans.

The stone tools, made for crushing, cutting and scraping, gave early humans a means to butcher animal carcasses, strip them of meat and crack open their bones to expose the nutritious marrow. Researchers dated the sediments where the tools were found to 1.76 million years old. Until now, the earliest stone tools of this kind were estimated to be 1.4m years old and came from a haul in Konso, Ethiopia. Others found in India are dated more vaguely, between 1m and 1.5m years old.

Older, cruder stone tools have been found. The most ancient evidence of toolmaking by early humans and their relatives dates to 2.6 million years ago and includes simple pebble-choppers for hacking and crushing. But the latest collection of stone tools from Kenya belong to a second, more advanced generation of toolmaking. Known as Acheulian tools, they are larger, heavier and have sharp cutting edges that are chipped from opposite sides into the familiar teardrop shape.

Most Acheulian stone tools have been recovered from sites alongside fossilised bones of Homo erectus. Writing in the journal Nature, a team of researchers led by Kent’s colleague Christopher Lepre describe finding the stone tools in a region called Kokiselei in the Rift Valley. The site is close to where several spectacular human fossils have been found, including Turkana Boy, an early human teenager who lived 1.5 million years ago.
 

IGNCA, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture, said it was surprised to see reports that the hotel group it had asked to run its “guest house” had been advertising room rates that were more than double of what was explicitly mentioned in their Memorandum of Understanding.

“We have come to know that the hotel group has been making claims on its website that are in violation of the MoU it has signed with us. We have therefore sent them a notice asking them to explain,” IGNCA joint secretary V B Pyarelal said. He did not specify what were the violations apart from the rents.

Pyarelal said provision for a guest house was included in the original building plan. The idea was to have a decent boarding facility for scholars and academics coming to the IGNCA for their research work. But since IGNCA did not have any expertise in running a guest house, it decided to give it to a private party.

“We had earlier approached the ITDC (India Tourism Development Corporation) and the IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) but their offers were not good. We then had to invite a private party through a transparent bidding process. This is not meant to be like other commercial interests,” Pyarelal said, quoting the MoU.

The MoU, however, does not explicitly debar the hotel operator from renting its rooms to the general public. It does prevent it from letting the hotel host marriage or birthday parties, or any other function that is likely to create noise, or any activity that IGNCA objects to. IGNCA maintained that the hotel had not started its operations and no guests had stayed there till now.

Sources in the IGNCA said the hotel was part of the institution’s plans to raise its revenue. They claimed that the Trust that governs IGNCA had last year decided to take steps to increase its revenue on its own.

The Culture Ministry said it was not in the picture since the IGNCA was an autonomous body and managed its own affairs. “If there is any misgiving, we are confident that the IGNCA will quickly take remedial action,” Culture Secretary Jawhar Sircar said.

Sometime back, the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA), a strategic thinktank funded entirely by the Defence Ministry, had also faced criticism for involving a private firm to run ‘IDSA-Residency Hotel’.

The protection of the Great Pied Hornbill and the Malabar Pied Hornbill has received a boost with the State government declaring an area of 52.50 sq km in Uttara Kannada, connecting Anshi Dandeli tiger reserve, as a conservation reserve for the birds.

Since the launch of the hornbill trail by the Tourism department three years ago, the wood depot located in Dandeli midtown attracts hundreds of tourists every day. This will now be a part of the conservation reserve to protect the rare birds characterised by their long, down-curved bill.

“We can sight these birds all along this stretch. They are the residents here and over a hundred roosts (a branch of a tree, where birds rest or sleep) have been recorded here,” says Manoj Kumar, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), Mysore, who began the process to declare it a conservation reserve during his posting at Dandeli.

The reserve is aimed at protection, propagation and development of flora for the breeding and survival of these birds. According to the Forest department, the hornbill reserve will be the first of its kind in the country. 

Four species of hornbills — Common Grey Hornbill (Tockus birostris), Malabar Grey Hornbill (Tockus griseus), Malabar Pied Hornbill (Anthracocereros coronatus) and Great Pied Hornbill (Buceros bicornis) — are sighted in Dandeli. Among the four species in the State, the Great Pied Hornbill and the Malabar Pied Hornbill are protected under the Wildlife Act (Schedule One).  The Malabar Pied, endemic to the Western Ghats, has also been declared near-threatened by the Birdlife International — a body that lists the endangered and red-listed birds across the world. Declared as a reserve on May 31 this year under Section 36(A) of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, the boundary of the reserve spreads across the two taluks of Joida and Haliyal of the district.

The L-shaped reserve starts from the Supa dam and extends to Kali near Mavaling village and again extends up to Kali river, Dandeli town, Dandeli timber depot and Dandakaranya. Along the eastern boundaries, it starts from Dandeli-Kulgi Road, reaches Kulgi Circle and touches Dandeli- Anshi tiger reserve until Phansoli and the Supa dam. 

The region, according to Manoj Kumar, is full of fruit-bearing trees and suitable for roosting and survival of the birds.  This is the second conservation reserve in the State after the Bankapur Peacock Sanctuary.

Apart from the four sighted in the State, nine species of hornbills are found in India. 
The White Throated Brown Hornbill, the Rufous Necked Hornbill, the Wreathed Hornbill and the Indian Pied Hornbills are found only in Northeast India and the Gangetic Plains..

For Prakop, Jack and Deepa, who lie yawning in the sun, this is the second time their lives have been saved. The first time was when they were rescued from a life as “dancing” bears. The second time was more recent — about 10 days ago — when the Yamuna spilled out of its boundaries and entered their enclosure at the Agra Bear Rescue Facility located on the Mathura-Agra border.

The three sloth bears are among the 271 living at the centre located in the Sur Sarovar Bird Sanctuary. The centre was established in 1999 to rehabilitate these bears used for “street entertainment” by the nomadic gypsy tribe “kalandars”.

It was on August 3 that the water level in the Yamuna, that flows through the centre, began to rise and entered the bears’ living area. Sanctuary workers found the bears, who are fond of water, playing in the mud, oblivious to the danger.

Wildlife SOS, which has been instrumental in rescuing the bears and getting them here, and which runs the sanctuary, evacuated the animals to save them from contamination and disease and, worse, death due to drowning. Nearly 76 bears whose enclosures got filled with water were lured into cages and shifted to higher ground.

However, the sudden surge of water spoilt 5,000 kg of food at the centre as well as an ultrasound machine in a hospital on the premises.

With heavy rain lashing Northwest India, states such as Haryana and Delhi have been releasing water, causing the water level in the Yamuna to rise. This is the second year in a row that the bear facility has witnessed floods, though last year’s was much worse, leaving the hospital half-submerged.

The bears kept at the facility are mostly rescued “dancing bears”. Poachers take bears from forests, most of which are then sold to a nomadic tribe called Kalandars that trains them to perform.

T he officers of the Raj, their families and friends started the practice of staging religious and social plays in English in Delhi in the 19th Century. Among these was the ‘Dance of Salome'. One was reminded of it this past week when the feast of the beheading of John the Baptist was observed in the Capital's churches. Salome was the daughter of Philip and Herodias, who had later deserted her husband and become the wife of his brother, King Herod of Jerusalem. John the Baptist, who was Christ's cousin, had admonished Herod for the incestuous relationship and was jailed by him in retaliation. Once on Herod's birthday Salome gave a dance performance which enthralled the king, who swore that he would give her anything she demanded even if it were half his kingdom. The girl asked her mother who told her to seek “the head of John, the accuser Herod could not go back his word and so the beheading took place and Herodias exulted in her triumph

This theme was the focus of the play enacted at the Delhi Club in Ludlow Castle in 1896. Cedric Vance, who was 80 years old in 1960, and lived in the Civil Lines, remembered that as a young man he was present on the occasion. The play was staged during the Christmas week and drew a large crowd of English men and women. The performance began with the entry of King Herod and his courtiers, dressed in period costumes ordered from Calcutta. The part of Herod was played by Joe Bald, a thickset man with a beard and moustaches. Herodias was Mrs. Jonathan, plump but still a youthful woman. Salome's role was enacted by Heather Graham, a pretty girl in her late teens, “with long legs and thunder thighs”, which were visible though her dress. She had taken dancing lessons from a Swiss couple Steward Grant; a tall, well-built man appeared as John the Baptist. He had to put on a false bushy beard and a wig.

Period costume

The soldiers who beheaded him also wore period costume and the sword used for the grim deed belonged to a military officer. Salome danced with gay abandon while the king and his courtiers ate and drank to a point when Herod became tipsy and called out for Salome to come near even as Herodias, seated next to him, watched expectantly. Salome had just finished her dance and was still breathing hard with a flushed face. He asked her what present she wanted. The girl and her mother then tiptoed out of the room and when they re-appeared there was a big grin on Herodias' face. Salome blushed when Herod put an arm around her waist and asked if she had made a choice. The girl nodded and said “I want the head of John the Baptist on a plate here and now”. The king withdrew his arm and looked shocked shaking his head and mumbling something. He then said “You could have asked for something better dear girl. Why this macabre gift? But since that's your wish I will honour it though it hurts my conscience”.

Herod ordered that the head of John be brought to him forthwith. After several minutes a man came with a tray with something covered by a cloth. The king did not lift the cloth but passed on the tray to Salome, who gave it to her mother. Thus the play ended and soon after the hungry audience trooped into dining room. Vance remembered all these details and remarked that the girl who had played the part of Salome eloped with the man who had acted as John not long after New Year's Day. He didn't know if they eventually got married but the play was never staged again at the Delhi Club.

The men literally threw themselves in front of our speeding jeep as the driver deftly swerved to the left, almost averting an accident on the highway. Jolted out of our wits, we looked at the calm driver, rather astonished as he remarked nonchalantly, “Be prepared for more such nakhras.” Another man almost brushed his arm against the rear view mirror as the empty highway spread out in front of us.

We were still a few kilometers away from Emperor Akbar’s erstwhile capital, Fatehpur Sikri, as the driver inducted us a bit into the ways of the world here. We learnt that the men were guides attempting to stop the vehicle forcibly so that they could be hired by the tourists . I thought that it was rather a desperate attempt, but when we reached the site, we were just mobbed. The guides flung themselves upon us, shouting their lungs out, almost threatening us to hire them.

We managed to get away, but they followed us, meekly as lambs when they realised aggression led them nowhere. Finally, out of sheer desperation, we hired the most soft-spoken guide out of the lot. And he did turn out to be a storyteller.

Sikri, the ancient town, was the home of the Sufi saint Salim Chisti who lived in a cavern here. Legend has it that Akbar visited him in the 16th century to seek his blessings for a male heir. And it was in answer to those prayers that Jahangir was born here, as Salim. Akbar went on to forge a bond with the town and built his capital town here in dazzling red sandstone. Fatehbad, which took more than 15 years to be constructed, eventually became Fatehpur Sikri, a ghost town abandoned by Akbar after 14 years, probably due to shortage of water.

We were in Salim Chisti’s dargah listening to some of the musicians perform, their voices getting louder as they saw tourists pouring in. We wandered towards the Jama Masjid and Buland Darwaza, a 54m high gate built to commemorate the victory over Gujarat. Looking around at the edifices, palaces and assembly halls sparkling in red against the blue sky, I was still drawn to the music, drowning the murmurs and voices around. It was probably the expression on my face that the guide abruptly stopped his monologue and asked us to follow him.

And there I saw it, an ornamental pool filled with water with a central platform connected by bridges to many monuments. Standing in front of the Anup Talao, it seemed for a moment that Akbar’s court had come alive, as I imagined the legends of Birbal, the minister, and Tansen, the musician.

The guide later told me that this was where Tansen regaled the court with his music. Seated in the island in the centre of the pond, he used to sing four different ragas during the day. The musically-inclined guide broke into a song himself, and we laughed over the stories of Birbal and Akbar. Suddenly history was forgotten amidst lore. Did Tansen charm Akbar’s daughter Mehrunissa and marry her eventually? Did he really make the clouds melt with rain with raga Megha Malhaar? Did he really die when he was engulfed by the fire that broke out when he was singing raga Deepaka?

History doesn’t really answer these questions, but very often these are the stories that linger in our minds. I came here to see the capital town of Akbar as my history textbooks had painted it, but left with images of Tansen from Amar Chitra Katha.

It is hard to imagine the Mumbai art scene without the frail, smiling Jehangir Sabavala. A painter of his reknown could well have stayed aloof, adding to the aura of fame, but his deep engagement with the art fraternity and in particular with younger artists, singled him out as perhaps the most remarkable humanist of his generation of artists.

Jehangir was always at the many art talks and discussions that have become so popular in Mumbai, till his health prohibited his attending. I met Jehangir at such a talk in the early 1990s when I moved back to Mumbai from London, fresh with a degree in modern art and an urge to explore India’s yet nascent contemporary art scene. It was a discussion at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) on contemporary forms of representation, and I remember expressing a view divergent from Jehangir’s. It was a cordial exchange and I introduced myself after the talk. A few days later, I received a handwritten note commenting on what I had said. Jehangir had thought about it and wanted to further the exchange. That’s how our friendship began. I was young and green and he was by then famous and much-acclaimed. I was profoundly touched by his gesture. It did not matter that we disagreed. What mattered was his willingness to be open, to understand the other, to accommodate a different point of view, something that is increasingly unusual in our day.

Once found in abundance around human habitats, the good old house sparrows are vanishing at an alarming rate. To save this humble bird from getting wiped out, Gallery Threshold is hosting a five-day public art project at Visual Arts Gallery in India Habitat Centre here beginning this Wednesday.

Tunty Chauhan, whose decade-long journey with Gallery Threshold has helped her understand contemporary Indian art and its impact on bringing social transformation, says the exhibition will feature paintings of seasoned and contemporary artists including Anjolie Ela Menon, Manu Parekh, Jayashree Chakravorty, Sebastian Varghese and Chameli Ramachandran.

“Waking up to the chirping of sparrows is a part of everyone's childhood memory. However, it has become increasingly difficult to spot sparrows these days,” she says.

Unlike the way a gallery normally functions, Gallery Threshold has come out with this out-of-the box initiative to get the word out on the street via children. “We are also conducting an awareness workshop with seven schools to create a ripple effect to sensitise the public to the cause of the ‘lost sparrow'. Our goal is to help create awareness and start a conservation movement to save our birds which are a vital part of our eco-system.”

Titled “The Lost Sparrow”, the workshop seeks to bridge the growing disconnect between humans and nature. It will give the participating students a chance to interact with some artists and exhibit their works alongside.

Bombay Natural History Society will provide content for the talk and slide show. Dilawar Mohammed of Nature Forever Society, a non-government organisation specialising in sparrows, will deliver a talk.

The schools participating in the workshop are Vasant Valley, Pathways (Gurgaon), The Mother's International School, Modern School (Barakhamba Road), Mirambika, The Sri Ram School and Delhi Public School. The idea is to give children an opportunity to take on the role of spreading the word.

A carpentry and pottery project to create and distribute bird houses is also on the cards.

Tunty Chauhan's daughter Sahiba, who has conceptualised the public art event, says she came up with the idea to initiate a public art project two months ago. “There is a whole generation of urban children growing up without seeing a sparrow. I wonder how many of us have realised the implications of this. I discussed the idea with my mother and we have now succeeded in roping in selected art and eco-club students from Class VI to IX.”

Nelliampathy, the second biggest abode of the most endangered lion-tailed macaque after the famous Silent Valley National Park, is facing destruction of its habitat due to “unregulated plantation activities, fragmentation and conversion of forest land.”

A recent study on “ecology and behaviour of the arboreal mammals of Nelliampathy” found a total of 13 lion-tailed macaque troops with 200 individuals in the area.

Thus it is the second biggest population of one of the most endangered primates. The Silent Valley has 250 members of the species.

Mass campaign

One of the main reasons for preserving the Silent Valley evergreen forests as a National Park — after a decade-long mass campaign led by leading environmentalists and spearheaded by the media against construction of a hydel project — was to protect the habitat of the lion-tailed macaque.

The study by K.K. Ramachandran and R. Suganthasakthivel of the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) said the total population of the animal in the wild is estimated to be less than 4,000 distributed in the forests of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Being habitat specialists, the animals are much restricted to moist forests.

Commercial plantations

Commercial plantations of tea and coffee and hydro-electric dams have resulted in habitat loss and fragmentation of the once contiguous forests, and this has directly affected the population dynamics of the primates.

Limited connectivity

The study found that “nearly two-third of evergreen formation in Nelliampathy plateau was cleared for tea cultivation almost 60 years ago. The remaining natural forests on either side, to the south-west and the north-east, are connected by a mosaic of coffee and cardamom. The land use practices resulting in a mosaic type of vegetation offer limited connectivity through canopy. Coffee plantations are often heavily manipulated to create gaps in canopy for more sunlight, which gives a better yield.”

Alterations in canopy

“Though not drastic as coffee, cardamom plantation is also subjected to alterations in canopy. What has resulted is creation of more gaps in canopy, which has directly affected the arboreal pathways of the lion-tailed macaques, the Nilgiri langurs and the Malabar giant squirrel.”

Moreover, trends in current land use practices are that cardamom plantations are either abandoned or converted into coffee.

Felling practices

The study found that the lion-tailed macaque “had to traverse vast unsuitable patches to find a new food resource and hence more time was spent for finding food. The evergreen forests at some patches in the plateau near coffee and cardamom plantations had undergone two selection felling series. This could have been negatively affecting the feeding behaviour of the macaques with availability of quality food resources-trees selected and removed by the felling practices in the past.

Recent evidence (Sigh et al - 2010) suggests that the macaque males have a bonded and aggressively organised social system unlike what was previously thought.

The present study by the KFRI also shows that macaque troops in Nelliampathy spent a relatively larger time in social interactive activities such as playing, grooming and mating.

Among sub-adult and juvenile males, homosexual behaviour was also observed several times.

The sub-adults males engaged in same sex courtship and mounted several times during the study period.

This particular same sex-mating behaviour of female and male sexes was earlier observed directly in macaque societies with several lines of evidences (Vasey and Jiskoot - 2009), the study said.

Amid growing clamour by Resident Welfare Associations against the ‘harsh’ provisions of the archaeological act — that bans construction within 100 metres of a protected monument — the Delhi government is contemplating an ‘exclusive for Delhi’ change in the law.

Properties in several 

plush colonies, especially in south Delhi areas such as South Extension I and II, Green Park, Panchsheel Enclave, Safdarjung Enclave and Malviya Nagar have been severely affected since the amendment in March 2010 (See box).
Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit told HT, "We are contemplating steps for it. There can either be an amendment (to the existing law) or a new law specially for Delhi."

The government is in the process of identifying known monuments to work out modalities. "There are 147 known prominent monuments. Most of the colonies affected are around these monuments," Dikshit said adding, "We will either do (it) ourselves or write to the Centre for it (bringing in the change)."

Meanwhile, Delhi residents, whose houses are located near ASI-protected monuments, are having a tough time as permissions for construction in regulated areas have been put on hold and property rates for those in the prohibited area are headed south.

RK Jain’s house (N-1, Green Park main) is just 68metres from Biran Ka Gumbad.

After buying it in 2003 and pulling down the old structure, ASI denied him permission for re-construction.

He went ahead, prompting a notice by ASI.

"If the government is really interested in preserving heritage, let it take over our properties and pay us adequate compensation," Jain said.

Representatives of Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) have already submitted a memorandum to Sheila Dikshit in this regard.

Called the Government Oriental Library or Jubilee Hall because it was built to commemorate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria’s reign in 1887, the Oriental Research Institute in Mysore will complete 125 years in 2012. It houses 33,000 palm-leaf manuscripts and 35,000 books, reports Preethi Nagaraj

Just as one gets close to the imposing building, built in classic European style, the smell of lemon tea sends a strong message to your olfactory nerves. You are almost on the verge of ‘beg, borrow, or steal’ this delicious-smelling-aptly-sweet citrus tea when you come face to face with a man in his late fifties, seeking to know the reason behind a stranger’s presence in the premises, his voice almost sure that you are here by mistake.

The citrus smell lingers on and you tell him you came looking for the Oriental Research Institute, the 125-year-old institution that houses some of India’s best kept manuscripts and is still continuing to do great work. Still looking puzzled, the man leads you into the place where manuscripts are neatly arranged and preserved. The smell gets progressively thicker. 

Source of the aroma

Under the lights, a woman sits with a bowl of dark oil beside her, dips the brush and lightly applies the oil on the palm leaf that has something engraved on it. So, the citrus tea aroma is actually the bowl of dark oil, called citronella oil.

The letters are visible when she wipes it with cotton as the oil settles into the grooves, and darkens the letters. From experience, she can say whether it is Kannada, Sanskrit, or Devanagari or Nandinagari or even Tamil, Telugu or Malayalam. Further interpreting it is the job of a research scholar. The manuscript is then set aside, awaiting the arrival of its reader. 

This century-and-a-quarter-old institution is home to some of the most priceless palm and paper manuscripts in the country, including Kautilya’s ‘Arthashastra’ (discovered and brought in 1909) and Jayantha Bhatta’s ‘Nyaya Manjari’ (on judiciary),  Though the precise number of manuscripts and books still remains a big question, currently the institute is said to house about 33,000 palm-leaf manuscripts and about 35,000 books. 

All of these have been collected and collated by researchers and scholars who travelled the length and breadth of India to make this institute richer with passing time and adding to its trove of priceless treasure. 

Renamed twice 

Established by the Mysore Maharaja Chamaraja Wodeyar as Oriental Library in 1891, the institute was later renamed Victoria Jubilee Institute. In the 1940s, courtesy University of Mysore, it was renamed the Oriental Research Institute.

Legend has it that most manuscripts were given to the institute by rulers of Mysore, the Wodeyars. Versions differ with the circumstances under which Vid S Shamashastry discovered, interpreted and edited ‘Arthashastra’ before publishing it later.

While one says ‘Arthashastra’ was part of the manuscripts brought in from the Amba Vilas Palace, given by the Wodeyars, another version says the original manuscript was discovered by Shastry in Tamil Nadu.  

Sometimes called the Government Oriental Library and the Jubilee Hall owing to its history of being built to commemorate the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria’s reign in 1887, the building was opened in 1891. Standing distinct in the otherwise flat surfaced surroundings, ORI, which also housed the Department of Archaeology, saw well-known historian B L Rice working on its premises. It was during the tenure of Rice that 9,000 inscriptions in 12 volumes of ‘Epigraphia Carnatica’ were published. 

The Institute continued to be under the wings of the Department of Education till 1916. With the setting up of the University of Mysore, the institute was handed over to the university for better administration. The monument served as the library for the university during its early years. In 1966, ORI shared works pertaining to research in Kannada. As the Kuvempu Institute of Kannada Studies was set up, Kannada manuscripts were transfered.

Even now, ORI has kept its doors open for both scholars and the general public (with a fee) to use the resources amidst a stringent framework. “We had to put our foot down since some of the rare books were borrowed by people who didn’t return it,” says the current Director Vidwan M Shivakumara Swamy. 

125 years; 125 books

With grandiose plans of publishing 125 books to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the institute next year, Director Shivakumara Swamy is striving hard with a set of select scholars to achieve that goal.

Urging that the institute needs to sharpen its focus and be better equipped to preserve all the manuscripts for future generations, the Director also feels the need to get the younger generation interested in this trove of knowledge. 

“At ORI, we collect, collate, edit, preserve and conserve the manuscripts and rare printed books. Research is also carried out on literary texts across south Indian languages,” he says. The institute also welcomes donations of rare manuscripts preserved by families or institutions.

The institute will then carry out the due process to save the priceless piece from being spoilt by the march of time. The institute has departed from its conventional method of preserving manuscripts and now captures them on microfilm, which then necessitates the use of a microfilm reader, for both viewing or studying. Digitisation of manuscripts is currently a work-in-progress at ORI.

The Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh stated that the rapid growth of mining activities in some Indian States has caused loss of corridors for elephants, resulting in isolation of their population.

Ramesh has also raised concern over the issue, blaming illegal and unplanned mining as the main cause of elephant habitat destruction. According to Secretary to Ramesh, R Vineel Krishna, Ramesh has identified coal mining and iron ore mining as the two “single biggest threats” to elephant corridors in central India.

Jharkhand Principal Chief Conservator of Forest AK Singh admitted that Ramesh earlier mentioned that mineral rich states like Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh are suffering from illegal mining in the elephant corridor areas.

Singh believes that the resources should be extracted without disturbing the elephant population and corridors. The future of elephants is constantly under threat in the State as almost half of their traditional corridors have been occupied by human beings.

According to wildlife warden AK Gupta, “Jharkhand is one of the mineral rich States but it also has a high number of elephant corridors in the country. The traditional corridors have been disturbed by mainly two reasons, first the Operation Green hunt and secondly the coal mining and iron ore mining. Singh added that one of the major threats to the Indian elephant is the destruction of its habitat by humans. Elephants need extensive grazing grounds and most reserves cannot accommodate them.

There is also a serious poaching problem, as elephant ivory from the tusks is extremely valuable. Environmentalists have long been raising concerns over decreasing numbers of the Asian elephants, but they have largely failed.

Gupta mentioned about a documentary film on elephants which had shown that trucks carrying iron ore in Jharkhand were often stopped by tusker for some food. Indiscriminate mining in these States have destroyed hills, forests and water bodies of the area, forcing wild beasts to come out of the forest area.

After the monsoon, herds of wild elephants move out to the nearby forests and migrate out to Odisha, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. There are fourteen intra and inter State migratory routes of the tuskers. The elephants return to the region during the months of February-March in search of food. In the quest of relocating themselves in the jungles of higher latitudes of the State i.e. in Hazaribagh district causing maximum confrontation.

Singh said sufficient water is available for the elephants in the sanctuary. “We have also conducted deepening of the 50-60 seasonal water holes. Along with the water supply, adequate quantity of salt also has been spread at strategic locations inside the sanctuary,” he added.

It was almost dawn when we first alighted at Hospet, the little town closest to Hampi with the train and bus stations. Hampi, one of the most important cities in the 14th century, had been on my travel list for more than a decade. Hampi is a mere 350 km from Bengaluru, and was an important part of the 14th century Vijayanagar Empire. By the time I made it, the town had been marked as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

As we left the train station from Hospet to Hampi, the place seemed to lack the roads that one expects of a UNESCO site. But as we got closer to the historic site, it became clear why this is such a majestic place. Two huge rocks flank the road, marking the beginning of the beautiful temples and architecture this city was known for a few centuries ago.

For historians and architecture buffs, the city has much to offer. Its history dates back to the 14th century, when it was first included as a core area of the Vijayanagara Empire, one of the most prominent dynasties in South India. The invasion of the Deccan Muslim Confederacy in the 16th century added a new dimension of architecture and culture to the city.

The tour begins from the centre of the city that is dominated by the Virupaksha Temple — one of the only temples in the area still used in worship. Dating back to almost the 7th century, the temple narrates the tales of every major ruler in the area as they added their culture and extension to the temple. Some of the structures in the temple were destroyed by invaders but the temple was less damaged compared to the others around.

It becomes a little difficult to choose a direction from here. There are a couple of monoliths of Ganesha, which at 15 feet, are the tallest in Hampi. The Krishna Temple, now mostly destroyed, gives a glimpse of the culture of the city.

The tour continues onwards to the most famous bazaar during the 14th century. If the guides are to be believed, there were diamonds sold like groundnuts in this bazaar. All that is left now is a broken walkway and shelters where the stalls used to be. Excavations are still on in some parts of Hampi. It was only after the site was declared a World Heritage Site, the Indian government tried to protect the monuments.

As you move ahead, the style of architecture slowly begins to change. The Lotus Mahal, a part of the Mughal king’s harem, is a beautiful example of the architecture of that era. There are the elephant stables within the compound, and a Ranga temple with a slab with the God Hanuman. The slab is supposed to be the largest of its kind in the area.

The most fascinating temple in the region is Vittala Temple. The idols in this temple have been moved away by the Archaeological Society. However, the famous Chariot lies in the courtyard of this temple. The architecture perhaps gave 3D artists of today a hint about how it was done. Intersections of various walls have sculptures that would not have been thought possible during the 13th century, without the help of modern technology. The temple has several wings — for dancers, for marriages and other functions.

Yet another marvel of that era is the ‘musical pillars’. Lining each entrance of each section are several pillars that were played by the king’s musicians. The musicians used sandalwood sticks to beat on these pillars to produce music which could be heard all over the city due to the location of the temple. Lest you think this is pure myth, the local guides used to play a short tune as you put your ear against the pillar. They used to be louder and better, with the right technique, the guide tells us.

The remains of national heritage animal are continuing to make way to adorn the living rooms of the elites. In two consecutive raids, intricately carved statues of ivory and long tusks valued in crores have been found and worse still, stools made of chopped legs of jumbos have also been recovered much to the shock of animal lovers.

And all this even after it has not only been bestowed with the National Heritage animal status but also enjoys protected status of Schedule 1 species. Two arrests have been made in this regard under Sections 9, 39, 44, 49b and 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

The raids were carried out by the People For Animals (PFA) with support from local police. Of the two houses raided in Delhi, one was that of former diplomat.

Former environment minister and animal activist Maneka Gandhi expressing shock said, "while ivory items were known, the stools from the legs of jumbos is truly shocking heading the raid team, of all the items raided, stool made of elephant feet was not common". About two-three feet of the leg had been chopped, the flesh, bones etc cleared and the hide alongwith the claws were used for the leg of the stool, said Saurabh Gupta, Wildlife Officer PFA, heading the raid team.

To add to the above at least four statues about three-four feet tall and at least six carved tusks have also been found. The raiding team also laid hands on zebra skin, remains of lion and endangered species of ducks.

Maneka regretted that the jumbos continue to be poached unabated despite all the protected status they enjoy. Not to mention of the rampant deaths caused due to electrocution or train accidents.

For the elites it is still considered a status symbol to put on display articles of such priceless ivory. This has given rise to a well organized ivory trade extending from India to other countries across the world, pointed out Maneka. "It is time that the future of the animal be seriously considered beyond just giving it a series of glorifies tags and status", she added.

Karnataka government will first acquire the property for the work to start, says Law Minister

Saved from demolition by the Karnataka government's decision to declare it a heritage building, the house that belonged to noted writer R.K. Narayan in Yadavagiri, Mysore, will be restored “at the earliest,” Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs S. Suresh Kumar told The Hindu .

SOME PORTIONS DISMANTLED
The Kannada and Culture Department has been designated the nodal agency in charge of the restoration and maintenance of the house, he said. For the work to start, the government should first acquire the property, the Minister said. While the guidance value of the property is around Rs. 1 crore, the market value is around Rs. 3 crore to 4 crore, according to him. “In the next few days, the Minister for Kannada and Culture and I will take a decision on the matter.” The Minister said he was willing to meet any member of the late writer's family who wished to meet him.

It was on the intervention of the Commissioner of the Mysore City Corporation, K.S. Raykar, that the demolition of the two-storey house was stopped on September 5, but not before workers had already started dismantling the doors and windows, and a part of the roof.

The property had been acquired by a developer. The house was subsequently notified as a heritage building by the government under the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act.

“Mysore city itself has over 200 heritage structures,” Mr. Suresh Kumar said.

“Usually, it is the family that makes a representation to us to declare a house of a famous person a heritage building. The homes of Jnanapith award winner Kuvempu in Kuppalli (Shimoga district), and the noted singer Gangubai Hangal in Dharwad are heritage buildings now,” he added.

SOURCE OF INSPIRATION
Although the State government has not made plans on what to do with the property once the house is restored, Mr. Suresh Kumar, just back from a trip to England and a visit to Shakespeare's house in Stratford-upon-Avon, said that the importance of heritage preservation was brought home powerfully to him. “I will make RKN's house a source of inspiration to all…and with the flavour of Malgudi.”

Gandhi joking with photographers. Maulana Azad and Nehru in a chummy mood. Diya Banerjee spots many such rare vignettes at an exhibition that raises awareness about the need to preserve such pictorial legacy

Imagine a moment in the 1930s. Jawaharlal Nehru is about to address a huge gathering. There is a bevy of press photographers waiting for him to arrive. As he comes down a flight of stairs, there is a sudden explosion. Nehru screams. The photographers are covered in soot and there is confusion all around. Is it an attack? Not really. Turns out that the assistant of one of the photographers had set alight a huge quantity of magnesium powder – which in those pre-flash days was used to produce enough light for a shot – thinking that more powder was required to produce sufficient light for the large number of photographers.

A picture may speak a thousand words but behind each picture, there are countless stories like these. And like a seasoned raconteur, Aditya Arya loves recounting them. Arya recently put on display a private collection of old photographs left to him by his uncle Kulwant Roy – a veteran photojournalist of the 1930s, known for capturing historic and intimate moments of political figures like Nehru and Gandhi.

A look at the old photographs – now carefully restored – is like taking a stroll down history. From the signing of India's Constitution, to candid pictures of Gandhi, Nehru and Jackie Kennedy – a range of events, moods and emotions are on display. Besides ogling the beautiful black-and-white prints, history buffs can admire the craftsmanship of antique cameras like the wooden-cased Thorton Pickard that was used from 1904 to 1926.

Trivia seekers might also revel in nuggets like how Gandhi would often joke with the photographers that they owed him money because he needed cash for his Harijan cause. And for those who like to notice the fine print, there are a few that have scribbles like 'proof copy' in the photographer's own handwriting. "He (Kulwant Roy) was a finicky man. He was extremely cautious of the prints that went to the press," Arya says, pointing to his uncle's corrections.

Vintage prints have often held a fascination for their ability to speak about times long gone but equally interesting are the processes that were employed to get the right results. In those times there was no such sophisticated image editing software like Photoshop. But the lens man was bound to deliver his best shot. So, he would manually paint the background and try to make it look better. Similarly, glazed sheets were required to make glossy prints.

A large number of images – which are a great source of information of the past – are now languishing in neglect in homes and institutions. With his recently set-up public charitable trust called India Archive Foundation that aims to attract attention on the restoration of original photographs, their digitisation and preservation, Arya is hopeful about the future of archiving.

Photo enthusiasts would be hoping this is one idea that really clicks.

In a dimly lit room near Turkman Gate, 19-year-old Megha rehearses her lines, taking her audience through the bylanes of Shahjahanabad, narrating their history pieced together from folklore. Megha’s audience for the rehearsal is a group of 12 other volunteers, all residents of the Walled City, who have their parts neatly chalked out and take turns to chip in for what is called ‘qissa-goi’, a traditional storytelling form.

The group— TALENT (Team and Association in Learning Education and Natural Theatre)— brought together by local youth Irshaad Alam Khubi, has been working over a decade now, compiling the living history of Old Delhi. After years of anonymity, the vast corpus of information compiled by Irshaad and his team, now forms an integral part of documenting the intangible heritage of Old Delhi in the nomination dossier for the UNESCO’s World Heritage City status for the Capital.

The nomination dossier, which has been drafted by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), on behalf of Delhi Tourism, and is slated to be submitted to the UNESCO by the Archaeological Survey of India in a week’s time, is the first step towards applying for the World Heritage City status. While drawing out different heritage zones in the city and their universal significance, the dossier aims to bring out the tangible and intangible heritage of the Capital.

“An important part of documenting the heritage of these demarcated zones, one of which is Shahjahanabad, is cultural mapping of the zones. When we got to know of TALENT and the vast corpus of information that they had compiled over the years, right from the detailed maps they had drawn out for the area to the tales they narrate through qissa-goi, we decided to incorporate a major part of their documentation in the dossier,” said a INTACH official working on the project. “However the documentation done by Irshaad and his team is informal and needs to be structured. The maps, though are detailed and quite accurate, need to be put into the requisite computerised format. Similarly the other components of the cultural mapping done by them such as recording the trades, food, customs and languages spoken in the traditional households, all need to be structured and put into a format for the dossier.”

TALENT, with members ranging from Irshad's three-year-old nephew (the youngest member of the team) to Irshad (31) himself, has brought together invaluable pieces of history in terms of centuries old coins, folklore from nonagenarian great grandparents and sometimes jostled through the same narrow congested bylanes to be able to chalk out an exact route map.

Isha Bhargava, 23, who dropped out of school after Class X because of financial reasons and joined Irshad’s team hoping to gain hands on knowledge of computers, let open her house near Chandni Chowk that operates as TALENT’s heritage centre. The centre anchors heritage walks, workshops and rehearsals for qissa-goi and other documentation work.

The team has also documented the many dying traditional forms of work in the Old City. “In order to build awareness of these crafts, youths get a firsthand look at how some fields are still being practised. These are vocations such as katibs (calligraphers), gharisad (makers of custom-made watches), kalaysaaz (blacksmiths), atkaree (artisans whose fine embroidery embellishes clothing and footwear), jiltsaazi (bookbinders who put together pages by hand) and traditional sweet makers,” explains Irshad, who conceptualised TALENT over a decade ago.

Members of the team have all pieced together folklore from their grandparents and other elders in the community and compiled ‘Qissay Hamari Galiyo Ke’ (Stories From Our Streets). “The content was then dramatised into a performance of qissa-goi. The setting for this performance being Shahjahanabad and the stories explore the historical sites and characters that were central to the area’s past,” says Irshad.

The team’s initiative has now been extended to 50 Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) schools in the City Zone, where workshops are held by TALENT team members, to familiarise school children with the lost traditions of Old Delhi.

Millions of devotees throng the famed shrine of Balaji in Tirupathi every year. But, how many do take time to visit the historic fort at Chandragiri that's hardly 11 km away?

Or, how many even know of it is a point to be pondered over. For, this nondescript town in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh has a hill fortress steeped in history.

According to a popular legend, Chandragiri, which translates as ‘Hill of the Moon’, was named so after the Moon God undertook a penance here to please Lord Shiva. But the historic account of the place is more recent and eventful.

The fort was built in 11th century, during the reign of Yadavarayas, who ruled for nearly three centuries. By 1367 AD, the kings of Vijayanagar empire shifted their capital here from Penukonda which was attacked by the Golconda sultanates. Chandragiri thrived under the rule of the Saluva lineage of Vijayanagar kings, especially Saluva Narasimha Raya, who by virtue of his able and wise administration earned the title of Mahamandaleshwara. This was the golden period when the empire reached its zenith.

The fort was reinforced and new structures were added to make it one of the most powerful bastions. The granite hill, rising to 183 meters with the upper fort, was well protected from attacks by building an enclosure for the lower fort in which the Raja Mahal and the Rani Mahal for the king and queen respectively were built.

To guard it further from intruders, a cyclopean wall and a deep moat were also constructed all around the fort. In 1646, the fort was annexed and held by the Golconda chiefs who lost it to Mysore rulers subsequently. Hyder Ali took control of the fort in 1783 and 10 years later it was ceded to the British.

Thereafter, the importance of the fortress waned and it went into oblivion. But the imposing and attractive edifices built by the kings of yore have stood the test of time as monuments of history. Being connoisseurs of art and architecture, the Vijayanagar rulers had also built as many as eight temples, some Shaivite and some Vaishnavite, within the precincts of the fort.

Today, the cynosure of the place are two structures, viz., the Raja Mahal and the Rani Mahal. Raja Mahal, as the name suggests, was the palace where the kings lived. Constructed with lime, mortar and brick with minimal usage of timber, the three-storeyed palace was raised in an Indo-Saracenic style with the façade lined with pointed arches. The pillars too were decorated with stucco images and leafy designs which are intact even today. The roof is crowned with three-stepped pyramidal towers.

Though its historical significance faded, the palace began to gain more importance when the Archaeological Survey of India converted it into a museum. The three floors house various artifacts from vases to weapons to coins and costumes. True to the name of the palace, the Durbar Hall houses the life-size image of the illustrious Vijayanagar king, Sri Krishnadevaraya, with his consorts, Chinnadevi and Tirumaladevi.

A few galleries are earmarked to exhibit stone sculptures and historic documents. In fact, documents regarding the granting of a site at Fort St George in Chennai to the British East India Company was signed here. The museum collection has been enriched with numerous artifacts like microliths, pottery shreds excavated from nearby sites and idols made from bronze and panchaloha, an alloy of gold, silver, copper, brass and lead.

Outside the museum is an array of herostones, sculptures and cannons. The two-storeyed Rani Mahal, though meant for the queens, appears more like a stable with its upper floor being the commander’s quarters. This is less extravagant in appearance. A small tank with boating facility and sprawling lawns have made this a picnic spot too. The sound and light show in the evening will surely take one back in time.

Bent over a small canvas spread over a wooden table, brush-like pen in his hand, Subramaniam is a picture of intense concentration.

The rays from the sun are streaming in from the window behind him and lighting up his work area as he skillfully makes fine lines on cloth. The outlines take shape and gradually unfold as goddess Lakshmi’s figure and a lotus on which she is seated.

He looks up finally and acknowledges our presence. “Now that I have finished this part of my work, I can talk,” he says with a smile. There are indeed several parts to his work, we soon find out. The world-famous Kalamkari work of Srikalahasti involves several painstaking stages of production and requires a high degree of skill and experience.

Kalam means pen in Telugu and kari translates to work, hence this name for the exquisite 3,000-year-old art of painting with pen on cloth. These paintings find expression in scrolls, wall hangings, bedspreads, tablecloths, kurtas, dupattas, kurtis and sarees, all in silk and cotton.

They are also used on bags, desktop objects, stationery items and hordes of décor objects. Besides, strips or large stretches of Kalamkari are picked up by established designers and boutique-owners across India.

Subramaniam explains the various stages of art to us, taking us around his modest home in Srikalahasti near the famous Srikalahasti Temple, which draws lakhs of pilgrims to this small town in southern Andhra Pradesh. There are no retail showrooms or formal schools for the art here. Kalamkari is taught, practised and sold from homes of about 350 artistes like Subramaniam.

Kalamkari, as practised in this town, is an elaborate, laborious and slow process involving several stages — resist-dyeing, sketching and hand painting. Much of this time is taken up by the treatment required on the fabric before and after the painting is completed. The staple colours are red, black, blue and shades of brown including ochre, yellow and mustard. Only thick-woven cloth is used as only this can withstand repeated washing, often in boiling water, that the making entails.

Pochampally and Mangalgiri, the famous weaves of Andhra Pradesh, and raw silk are the popular base materials. Nowadays, Mysore crepe silk, Kanchipuram, Peddapuram and Dharmavaram silks are also used, explains senior artist S Narasimhulu.

These products find their way to big showrooms and boutiques in metros. Individual customers also bring in their fabrics for customised creations. No chemicals are used, which makes this art all the more valuable but a little difficult to maintain. Kalamkari uses vegetable dyes sourced from tree bark, flower and root. Mango bark, myrobalan (karakkai), pomegranate seed or Indian madder root, jaggery and rusted scrap-iron are some of the raw materials. Kalamkari expert, teacher and one of the few Indian craftsmen to have won a Padma Shri (besides several other honours) Jonnalagadda Gurappa Chetty says: “It is no doubt a very painstaking process but the beautiful end result is our reward.”

Kalamkari has another school where art by the same name is made, but using a different process — block printing. It is used in Machilipatnam (aka Bandar) in western Andhra Pradesh. These products are comparatively cheaper.

Kalamkari products were originally created for temples as narrative murals. They narrated stories from epics — the wedding of Rama-Sita and Shiva-Parvati, and Krishna’s exploits were (and still are) popular themes. Being a port, Machilipatnam’s work was heavily influenced and this art acquired more general and nature-inspired motifs under Dutch and later, British rule. Another difference, which is blurring now, at Machilipatnam are the motifs used in the art such as trees, creepers, flowers and animals as well as birds like peacocks and parrots.

Srikalahasti products reveal a greater religious influence considering the town has the eponymous Shiva temple and is close to one of the world’s most-visited temples, Tirupati. To add to it, a plethora of smaller temples in the area. This also explains why many bedspreads and table-cloths were traditionally made in Machilipatnam since they sported ‘non-religious designs’, while the religious motifs of Srikalahasti were considered inappropriate for such purposes, so here, one found more of scrolls and wall hangings.

These non-Hindu elements were used in the art form in the early 20th century when Christian missionaries commissioned artists to do murals based on the life of Christ. Soon, even Persian themes like the famous Tree of Life besides exotic birds and fanciful fish motifs got included. Today, you will see even Egyptian princesses and Chinese-style lanterns and figures on the Kalamkari products of both schools.

Like many traditional Indian crafts, Kalamkari is a family occupation passed on from one generation to another. Therefore, often, you find entire families involved in the business. Despite the products’ high price tags in glitzy showrooms and the increasing interest among fashion designers, artisans here have a modest lifestyle as they lack basic education. They are even exploited by middlemen.

Also, till a few decades ago, Kalamkari was a dying art. This was due to the artisans’ lack of marketing skills and the apathy of the government. The very nature of the art itself — use of vegetable dyes and an intricate, complex process of dyeing which resists mechanisation — also made it difficult to sustain.

Fortunately, a few social workers like Anitha Reddy of Dwaraka are helping these artists improve their living conditions. They have realised that Kalamkari artists are immensely talented and all they require is marketing and financial know-how to help sell their products better.

Here is a book that traces the growth of Vishnu within the Hindu pantheon.

The book bears the title of an exhibition that was opened in North America and coordinated by the First Center for the Visual Arts drawing from at least 45 collections in the U.S. Going by the book, this seems to have been a superb exhibition and the text and the photos of the exhibits do full justice to what seems to be a mammoth and ambitious undertaking.

The various images of the exhibits are intermingled across three important and well-written themes that governed the layout of the objects.

Part 1: The image of Vishnu, his attributes, his consorts, his female form, Garuda and legends associated with him.

Part 2: Deals with his avatars and the various images of Vishnu.

Part 3: Deals with the worship of Vishnu.

In all parts the text is lucid, yet packed with information. Joan Cummins, in her introduction, offers an excellent analysis of the Hindu religion and presents the uniqueness of the religion with a variety of choice for the spiritually inclined and the plethora of sub cultures the religion contains. She believes this is because of its age and because, it is a religion that has no single prophet/founder and has therefore grown in a cumulative process so that, “two people might find themselves praying next to each other in a Vishnu temple, repeating the same words and looking at the same sculpted icon, while holding radically different visions of the god and completely divergent spiritual objectives.”

Two epics
The chapter also looks through the development of Vishnu as a relatively minor god in the Vedas (compared to Agni or Indra), on to a more powerful god in the two epics about him and then post that in the Bhakti movement as an important and the “only” god for several communities.

The earliest recorded image of Vishnu is from the first centuries of the Common Era; the temples to him from the 4{+t}{+h} to 6{+t}{+h} centuries CE.

Doris Meth Srinivasan's “Becoming Vishnu”, traces the role of a Vedic deity of Vishnu who grew larger with the merging of a deified sage, Narayana and a group of deified clan heroes called the Vrishni Viras. Vishnu was a Vedic deity associated with Surya but as centuries progressed, Surya and his worship himself became a part of the Suryanarayana cult. These processes of assimilations and incorporations were over several centuries in various levels of intensity and, to say the least, very complex! The text navigates this with precision, lucidity and accuracy. An interesting twist we also read is the incorporation of Buddha as an avatar of Vishnu. The incorporation is not new but it is suggested that it may have been a way for mainstream Hinduism to accommodate back the many Buddhists who converted to Hinduism.

The Panchavira cult that brought Vasudeva to prominence is discussed in detail and we have a superb illustration of the five heroes: Samkarshana/Balarama, Vasudeva/Krishna, Pradyumna, Samba and Pradyumna. In the middle is Narasimha with the body of a lion. The relief is from Kondamotu, AP, dated early 4{+t} {+h} century.

Vishnu's manifestations in the Tamil country get a separate essay, justifiably given the age of the Tamil language. The references to his form and attributes in the Alwar's hymns and the Silapadikaram come for scholarly discussion but surprisingly not the Paripadal. The worship of Srinathji and the following of Chaitanya are discussed in detail with many excellent illustrations. The worth of the chapter is the detailed account of how, “the sensory combination of art, theatre, and religion is concentrated and powerful” and makes the few minutes of viewing the deity a powerful and lasting one.

The images of Vishnu especially those from the 4{+t}{+h} century CE (Gupta dynasty) are stunning. The larger one is armed with the conch and the butter ball on either hand and age and time have not withered away the sublime peace from the face. A special treat was the many splendid images from West Bengal and Bangladesh, the earliest from the 5{+t}{+h} century in terracotta. Tamil traditions are represented by Pallava and Vijayanagara stone and bronze images.

Vishnu's attributes and consorts are also well represented with images from the east, north (Kashmir especially) south and west; a 7{+t}{+h} century North-Eastern two-sided stele of Vishnu and Durga flanked by attributes being a particularly fine specimen.

Substantial parts of the book, understandably, are the images in the exhibition on the avatars of Vishnu. The introduction tantalisingly lists more than the 10 we are familiar with but sadly doesn't mention them. Each avatar has a note with the stunning artefacts. Buddha and Balarama are counted in and there is a special set of images dedicated to Hanuman.

Miniatures from Punjab, Rajasthan, bronzes from the south, including a splendid image of Varaha from Kerala, stone and bronze works from the west and north make the pages a sumptuous feast with the captions being pertinent and informative. An 18th century Tanjore painting with doors and an image of Shivaji II, a Pala statue of Vamana from the 13{+t}{+h} century, a 5{+t}{+h} century terracotta Gupta plaque of Balarama, a multi-faced Vaikunta Vishnu from Kashmir from the 8-9{+t}{+h} centuries are some of the many superb images. A 17{+t}{+h} century Lampas woven fragment from Assam and jewellery were some of the rarer exhibits not made of stone/bronze.

The book concludes with a note on the worship of Vishnu especially as Jaganatha and Srinathji. Disappointingly the Salagrama worship rituals are not mentioned. The book on the whole for the price of Rs.3,500 does justice to the vast topic and the illustrations are superb and with many of them probably never displayed, are well worth admiring in this tastefully designed tome.

Michael Turner, vice chairman of UNESCO world heritage committee, tells Ritika Arora that the National Capital has the potential, owing to its historical background, monuments and culture

He lives in Israel. But his heart rests in India. He is passionate about Indian architectural heritage and this makes him visit the country again and again. Michael Turner, vice chairman of UNESCO world heritage committee was in the Capital recently to conduct an interactive session with students learning architecture. On historic Delhi — exploring its deserving future, he said, “India and Israel, both ancient civilisations gained Independence at the same period. Vibrant democracies, both countries are looking at the future, striving towards mutually acceptable solutions to a vast array of challenges. The strengthening of this relationship will not only benefit the two societies but will also foster freedom and stability in the region.”

Turner, who also heads the UNESCO Chair in Urban Design and Conservation Studies at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, claims he has been to numerous historic sites and archaeological sites across India. “I have read a lot of about Indian history, architecture, its culture and traditions. Some of the places that really interest me are Old Fort, Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Taj Mahal, the old streets and market at Chandni Chowk and the Nizamuddin Dargah. I am greatly impressed with the history behind the sites. Apart from Delhi, I always visit cities like Mumbai and Ahmedabad,” he informed.

Could New Delhi be a world heritage city? Turner said, “Delhi has tremendous potential and the expertise. There are very interesting historical facts associated with the sites and the famous pillars, like iron pillar at the Qutub complex. Then, the Parliament constructed by the Britishers, the temples, market places and monuments speak of the history that makes the city. It’s where people of different castes, creeds and religions stay together in peace and harmony. The city invites and loves one and all.”

Turner, however, feels there are a few heritage sites in Delhi that are losing the charm. Some are crumbling with time. He added, “There is a need for maintaining and preserving heritage sites in Delhi. The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) is doing a fantastic job, but the public needs to show its concern towards heritage. People, especially youth, should understand its relevance and importance. They should have comprehensive knowledge on heritage, authenticity of texts, drawings and religious manuscripts. They should be able to identify related facets and aspects.”

R.V. Smith recounts those days when crocodiles roamed about freely in the Yamuna river, posing a threat to the lives of washermen and fishermen alike

We wait for the monsoon every year to see the Yamuna full of water but even around 1947 the river was not so dry in the post-rainy months as now. In the 19th Century Bahadur Shah Zafar was fond of river excursions even in the months of April and May. The historian Percival Spear in his “Twilight of the Moghuls” quotes the palace diary of Zafar that he found in the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India which mentions the last Emperor's daily schedule.

The extract for 12 May, 1851, which is worth repeating, says: “At 4 p.m. it was reported that Mirza Kalan, son of Mirza Kaus Shekoh, aged 17 years had been carried off by an alligator while fishing in the Yamuna. His Majesty was much grieved”. You can imagine the hue and cry in Shahjahanabad when this tragic news was received because many young men were fond of fishing in the river on summer afternoons. They were from the families of noblemen.

In 1883-84, the Delhi Gazetteer reported that crocodiles infested the river to such an extent that they could be seen basking near the Purana Quila and made good sport for British soldiers who shot them at leisure. Earlier Zafar had said during a dispute between washermen that his rule did not extend to the other side of the river. The dispute had arisen after a boy had been pushed into the Yamuna by a group trying to monopolise the bank for washing clothes. To make matters worse, the boy was carried away by a crocodile.

BIG MENACE
Hunting crocodiles was common those days as they were considered a big menace for both the washermen and fishermen. A man named Fazlu and his two companions were killed by crocodiles when their fishing boat overturned in the flooded Yamuna. The shikari George Harrington (was a great one for shooting fish in the Yamuna at Poya Ghat as it flowed towards the Taj Mahal and also near the ruined palace of Birbal beyond Akbar's tomb at Sikandra) did not come to Delhi often. Once he came with a party of young men, including two Nawabzadas. His friends decided to attend a mujra. The year was 1932 and the courtesans of Delhi still attracted customers from far and near, even Englishmen. Since Harrington was not the type to enjoy such company he decided to go fishing in the river.

Looking for fish on the Yamuna bank he heard the cries of a washerwoman which made the shikari hasten towards her. The hysterical women told him that a crocodile had carried away her husband as he stood knee deep in water. Harrington saw some movement in the river and some blood too. He fired with his rifle at the moving object and then with a shriek a man emerged on the surface, struggling for breath. It seems Harrington had succeeded in hitting the crocodile, which was forced to release its prey. The dhobi had lost a leg but survived. George Harrington used to relate this incident whenever he heard that crocodiles were scarce in the Yamuna because of indiscriminate shooting during the post-Partition years.

However dhobis in Delhi are now comparatively safe on the river bank. Incidentally, wildlife photographers like the Bedi brothers have to go to places like the Chambal area to make films on crocodiles. Last month an undertrial being escorted by a constable from Madhya Pradesh jumped into the Chambal but his escape bid ended when he was devoured by a crocodile.

The Delhi Zoological Park, which had to shut its doors indefinitely for visitors on Saturday due to excessive waterlogging, is expected to open on Monday. Friday’s heavy downpour forced the zoo to close its doors for the first time in its history since it was set up in 1959.

The Zoo records the highest number of footfall during the weekends. Riaz A Khan, curator of the Delhi Zoological Park said, “Over 5,000 tourists visit the park during weekends during which the zoo was forced shut. This has resulted in loss amounting to lakhs. We might open it on Monday, if the weather conditions are normal. Right now, all the excess water has been flushed out from the zoo premises.”

Khan blamed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Delhi Jal board (DJB) for the mess created. He said, “Our pumps can handle the water that collects in the zoo. However, since last year, water from the nearby areas like Bapa Nagar and Sunder Nagar has been trickling into the low-lying areas of the zoo, which gets difficult for our pumps to handle. Compounding the problem is the overflowing of the DJB’s sewer channels running parallel to the zoo’s premises that connect to Okhla.”

He added that the zoo officials have been holding meetings with MCD every Monday since several months, but the problem is yet to be addressed. “The MCD is preparing a drainage system, which will still take a few months to be completed. We had provided the requisite space long time back to get relieved of the waterlogging issues,” he said.

Blame game was apparent when MCD officials were contacted for the issue. Deep Mathur, director, press and information, MCD said, “It is the zoo authorities who should be blamed for such a mess. We had cautioned them way in advance to install water pumps to handle such problems. We are working on a stormwater drain for the area, which will solve the drainage problems. But that will take four to five months and zoo officials will have to manage till then.”

Nalanda was one of the first great universities in recorded history. Today it lies in ruins, almost forgotten. But all is not lost. Phoenix-like it may rise again.

For the future
Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has explained how he came to think of the concept of “a unique institution in Nalanda”. He called it a project designed for a unity of minds in the 21st century that would draw inspiration from the rich and historical traditions of Nalanda, Bodh Gaya, where Buddha got enlightenment, and other spiritual centres in Bihar.

A Government of India announcement says:

1. Parliament has approved the Nalanda University Bill 2010 which ensures that the Nalanda University is to be set up at an approximate cost of Rs.1,005 crore.
2. A project office for the university has been set up in New Delhi.
3. The university is to have schools of: Buddhist Studies, Philosophy and Comparative Religions; Historical Studies; International Relations and Peace Studies; Business Management in connection with development studies; Languages and Literature; and Ecology and Environmental Studies.
4. The campus is to be spread across about 1,000 acres (500 acres at Rajgir, near the site of the original university, and 500 acres where the new one is to come up.)
5. It is to have students and scholars from across the world. It will also associate itself with some 200 villages in its vicinity.

There is a Nalanda Mentor Group under the chairmanship of Nobel Laureate Prof. Amartya Sen. It has representatives from Singapore, China, Japan and Thailand who will help in running and governing the university.

Apart from India, it will get funding from Singapore, Thailand and Australia. Singapore has indicated that it is willing to provide funds for the library.

Prof. Amartya Sen has said that Nalanda (the first one) was unique as it is the only educational institution outside China where the Chinese had gone for studies before the 17th Century.

Nalanda is a familiar name that comes up in history class but, unfortunately, its importance is narrated in the past tense. Think Nalanda, think Buddhism, … an ancient seat of learning that just vanished.

In an article in the New York Times, Jeffrey E. Garten, former dean of the Yale School of Management, wrote about the greatness of Nalanda University. He says: “Founded in 427 in north-eastern India, not far from what is today the southern border of Nepal, and surviving until 1197, Nalanda was one of the first great universities in recorded history. It was devoted to Buddhist studies, but it also trained students in fine arts, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, politics and the art of war.”

The article continues: It was an architectural and environmental masterpiece, with eight separate compounds, 10 temples, meditation halls, classrooms, lakes and parks. It had a nine-story library where monks meticulously documented books and articles so that individual scholars could have their own collections. It had dormitories for students, perhaps a first for an educational institution, housing 10,000 students … and providing accommodation for 2,000 professors. Nalanda was also the most global university of its time, attracting pupils and scholars from Korea, Japan, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Persia and Turkey. It might have been the first to conduct rigorous entrance exams. It had world-class professors who did groundbreaking work in mathematical theorems and astronomy. It produced interpreters and translators of religious scriptures in many languages.

Waning enthusiasm
The university, he says, died a slow death around the same time as some of the great European universities, including those in Oxford, England, and Bologna, Italy, were just getting started, and more than half a millennium before Harvard and Yale was established. This was perhaps because of the waning enthusiasm for Buddhism in India, declining financial support from successive Indian monarchs and corruption among university officials. The final blow was the burning of the buildings by Muslim invaders from what is now Afghanistan.

Prof. Garten continues: Nalanda represents much of what Asia stands for — a great global university that has deep links with Asia's rich cultural heritage.

Thus, we have a clear idea of how great it was; its disappearance coinciding with the rise of the grand old universities in the West.

But we needn't despair. Nalanda is rising again. This time it is the result of an international venture. In 2007, at the Second East Asia Summit, in the Philippines, officials of the Association of South East Asian Countries (ASEAN) that included members from India, Singapore, Japan discussed the revival of the university. In 2009, at the Fourth East Asia Summit, on the “Revival of Nalanda University”, officials from the ASEAN, Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, and New Zealand decided that there must be regional educational cooperation. They noted that Nalanda was “an ancient centre of intellectual activity,” and that there was a need to support a university that would “bring together the brightest and the most dedicated students from all countries of Asia — irrespective of gender, caste, creed, disability, ethnicity or social-economic background — to enable them to acquire liberal and human education.” They also wanted it to be built as a “community of learning” where “students, scholars, researchers and academicians worked together”.

Since then things have moved quickly. Nalanda will rise again to fulfil much of this vision.
 

Leading ecologist Madhav Gadgil, heading the Western Ghat Expert Ecology Panel (WGEEP) constituted by the ministry of forests and environment (MoEF), in his report, has emphasised that forest land in this densely-forested areas should not be used for mining purposes.

In his report, submitted to the MoEF in August this year and accessed by THE Asian Age, the panel had stressed that the sanctioning of large-scale mining leases in these eco-fragile area would destroy the rich bio-diverse eco-system and also jeopardise a wide spectrum of animals living in these forests.

In what would bring forth one of the worst ecological disasters was the Maharashtra state government’s decision to grant 49 mining leases to excavate iron and bauxite ore in the eco-fragile area of Sindhudurg.

When asked how this mining would affect the animal life in this region, including tigers known to be present both in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve comprising the Chandoli National Park and Koyna wildlife sanctuary and the Bhimshankar Wildlife Sanctuary, Gadgil replied, “While I have visited the Bhimshankar wildlife sanctuary, my panel members and I did not have the opportunity to visit the Sahyadri tiger reserve. Our report has made specific suggestions on how this ecologically sensitive area can be preserved. But the Western Ghats is a huge area and it was not possible to visit it all.”

Mr Gadgil declined to comment on the controversial subject of the construction of hundreds of windmills inside the Koyna sanctuary stating, “Our report has made specific suggestions against the construction of windmills in ecologically sensitive areas around a sanctuary. No one can justify construction inside it.”

The Bombay high court had in October 2010, in its order, directed that the state not be allowed to build new windmills or new structure, including resorts inside the Koyna sanctuary.
 

Kodava King Lingarajendra was assisted by his trusted soldier Thathanda Subbayya on several hunting expeditions to please British officers. A famous painting, depicting the king offering Subbayya a gold bracelet, a gun and a sachet of gold coins, is still in the ancestral home of the Thathanda family, discovers C P Belliappa

Lingarajendra was not meant to be king. However, a series of lucky breaks landed him on the throne of Kodagu in 1811.

It was a combination of luck and chicanery that propelled him from being the timid younger brother of Dodda Veerarajendra to finally usurping the kingdom of Kodagu by cleverly dislodging the eleven-year-old daughter of his brother who had been named successor to the throne.

After the demise of Dodda Veerarajendra, Lingarajendra started asserting himself, and within a short time took complete control over his domain.

He was wise in maintaining good relationships with the powerful British who had established a strong presence in neighbouring Mysore after overthrowing Tipu Sultan.

One of the attractions Lingarajendra offered the British officers was organising elaborate hunting expeditions in the dense forests of Kodagu, which had abundant wildlife. As a protectorate of the British, there was no external threat to his kingdom. He diligently presented two elephants every year to the East India Company as a tribute.

Lingarajendra had a very loyal and trusted lieutenant in a young Kodava soldier called Thathanda Subbayya. Lingarajendra, though short in stature, was physically very tough. Also, he was very agile and athletic. He was an excellent horseman, a sharp shooter and an able archer. Subbayya was one of the few who could match him in marksmanship. This brought the two closer and Subbayya was Lingarajendra’s constant companion on every hunting trip of the raja.

Thathanda Subbayya rose rapidly in the court of Lingarajendra and was promoted to the post of kariakara which was equivalent to the position of an Army Commander. In a well-documented hunting trip of Colonel Welsh and Lieutenant Williamson in March 1811, it was Thathanda Subbayya who was in charge of all the arrangements for the elaborate shikari. Colonel Welsh who later became a General was extremely pleased with the sizeable booty of trophies he collected after the hunt. He promised all support for Lingarajendra and also requested the raja for another hunting adventure during October the same year.

After the departure of the guests, an immensely pleased Lingarajendra presented Subbayya with a gold bracelet, a gun and a sachet full of gold coins. He then announced a gift which was awarded only to very special subjects. It was to be painted in a portrait along with Lingarajendra.

This painting depicting a reverential Subbayya in front of Lingarajendra is still in existence at the ancestral home, or the aynmane of the Thathanda family in Kukloor village near Virajpet. When I visited the aynmane, the present residents allowed me to take a photograph of the painting which is placed in a recess of the wall next to the traditional hanging lamp known as thook bolucha. This is a sacred place in Kodava homes meant for offering regular obeisance to ancestors.

Taming the tiger
All the attention that kariakara Subbayya was receiving generated great envy amongst other members in the court of the raja. They felt threatened, and feared Subbayya would soon be promoted above some of the senior officers.

Few of his rivals waited for an opportunity to damage the reputation of Subbayya in the eyes of Lingarajendra. A few months later, Lingarajendra received an appeal from nearby villagers about a tiger that was terrorising the area and they wanted the raja to help them eliminate the beast.

Lingarajendra asked Subbayya to make all the arrangements and also set up a machaan (platform on a tree) for him to stalk the tiger. A live bait was tied in the vicinity to attract the big cat.

Subbayya who was an expert in setting up machaans immediately got on to the job and made all the necessary arrangements for the hunt. His foes took advantage of this event to discredit Subbayya. They surreptitiously sent their men to sabotage the machaan on which Lingarajendra was to camp overnight. The ropes used to tie the machaan were cut half-way to make it weak and unsafe.

Subbayya’s sacrifice
Lingarajendra got on to the machaan and Subbayya sat on another machaan set up atop another tree. A little after midnight, the tiger made its appearance where Lingarajendra sat waiting. There was no escape for the tiger with Lingarajendra’s accurate gunshot.

But, with the recoil of the powerful gun, Lingarajendra’s machaan gave way as the weakened ropes snapped. It was entirely the agility of the raja that enabled him to hold on to a branch and get down using the rope ladder.

Lingarajendra was furious and wanted Subbayya to be brought to him immediately. Subbayya who heard the gun shot got down from his machaan and was walking towards where Lingarajendra camped. He met the soldiers on the way who were looking for him. The soldiers narrated what had happened.

Subbayya who knew the raja’s explosive temper was sure he would be killed on sight. He told the soldiers that he would follow them. He then sat under a tree and shot himself in the chest with the gun that Lingarajendra had presented him months earlier.

When Lingarajendra learnt about Subbayya having taken his own life, he was most upset. He had complete faith in Subbayya and had no intentions of harming his loyal kariakara. He vowed to investigate the incident and punish the culprits.

Subbayya was still a bachelor and was planning to get married soon. He was a rising star among Kodavas at the time. Lingarajendra bitterly grieved Subbayya’s untimely demise. He built a memorial (in Lingayat style) in honour of his trusted kariakara in Kukloor village. This monument is well-maintained by the Thathanda family even to this day.

Lingarajendra ruled Kodagu for nine years. The economy of Kodagu improved during his tenure and there was no threat of war. For the battle-weary citizens of Kodagu, this period of peace came as a great reprieve.

Lingarajendra, however, turned despotic during the later part of his reign. His son and the last raja of Kodagu, Chikka Veerarajendra succeeded him in 1820. In 1834, the British dethroned the unpopular Chikka Veerarajendra and Kodagu came under the direct rule of the East India Company. Chikka Veerarajendra was ingloriously exiled to Benares.
 

While Banavasi attracts hordes of visitors, Gudnapur receives next to none. And yet, it has all that heritage buffs could ask for...from greenery and antiquity to ruins and romance. More importantly, the site has an inscription that talks about Kadamba ruler Ravivarma, the temple here and society in general during the Kadama reign, writes Meera Iyer

A king left a message for posterity 1,500 years ago. But we didn’t get to know about it until about 40 years ago.

In 1971, two of Karnataka’s most respected archaeologists, BR Gopal and A Sundara, were exploring the region around Banavasi when they discovered an inscription that had been recorded sometime around 500 AD.

The place was Gudnapur, about five km northwest of Banavasi, and the inscription they happened upon was instrumental in piecing together the genealogy of one the most important dynasties of Karnataka, the Kadambas. It was also among the oldest inscriptions to use Kannada.

Gudnapur was once a secondary city, a tier-II city if you will, of the Kadambas, who had their capital at Banavasi. But while Banavasi still attracts hundreds of visitors because of its beautiful Madhukeshwara temple, Gudnapur receives next to none. And yet, Gudnapur has all that heritage buffs could ask for – greenery and antiquity, ruins and romance, scenic vistas and grand old trees, all topped up with the thrill of discovery.

The inscription at Gudnapur was recorded during the reign of the Kadamba ruler Ravivarma, who was crowned in 485 AD and ruled for 35 years. It is inscribed on a pillar about 20 feet long that now lies on its side, its top broken off. To me, it looked majestic even in its felled and broken state.

A beautifully incised script adorns all four faces of the square pedestal of the pillar. I learnt later that it is meant to be read from the bottom up. Each line goes right around the pillar; each new line starts above the previous one.

According to H S Gopal Rao, noted epigraphist and former General Secretary of the Kannada Ithihasa Academy, though the language of the inscription is Sanskrit, the script uses early Kannada characters. Gopal Rao explains that stone inscriptions were meant to be read by the public and so often used the language of the people.

The first part of the inscription gives a detailed genealogy of the Kadamba rulers, beginning with Virasarma, a Vedic scholar whose family came to be called the Kadambas and who shone “like the sun’s disc on earth.” After giving accounts of the kings who followed, it dwells a little more on Ravivarma, the ruler who had the inscription installed.

In the colourful hyperbole so characteristic of most inscriptions, it describes him as one whose good deeds were like a dam on the River Ganga and whose thighs were like a fort! It goes on to describe the construction of a temple dedicated to Manmatha or Kama. To the right of the temple, says the inscription, was the palace. To the left were dancing halls and the ladies’ apartments.

Controversial inscription
The inscription generated a bit of controversy among historians. Some scholars pointed out that a correction had been made in the stone record and that the original reading was Kama Devalaya, implying the construction of a temple dedicated to Kama, the god of love.

Many others believe that the record clearly refers to a Kama Jinalaya, indicating that it was obviously a Jain temple. They also point out that Manmatha is another name for Bahubali, which would make the Gudnapur temple one of the oldest shrines dedicated to him.

The part of the inscription dealing with the temple was what I found most interesting because you can actually see portions of this temple just a few feet away from the inscription. Today, this site is known as the Virabhadra temple, because a temple dedicated to that god was built here a few hundred years later, sometime in the Chalukya period. But all around the little Virabhadra temple are the remains of a far-older, sprawling temple complex.

Archaeologists from the Archaeological Survey of India worked on this site in the early 1990s and found, just as the inscription describes, the foundations and parts of walls of what was evidently once a grand temple, a palace, dancing halls, guard rooms, pavilions and courtyards.

Ravivarma’s inscription also describes the festivities that were to be performed at the temple, particularly the Vasantotsava, which was to be celebrated during springtime. Interestingly, archaeologists unearthed a lot of pottery during their excavations.

Apart from the usual storage pots, they also found lots of sprinklers and spouted vessels, which they say were probably used during these festivals. They also correlate some of the structures they found with the Vasantotsava festival. For example, just north of the Virabhadra temple is a little platform that was probably where the royals watched the dances from, during the festival.

The inscription then is somewhat like an incomplete guidebook – there is the palace as it mentions, but given the passage of time, it is now up to you to understand how it looked.

I reflected that there are probably not too many places where you could try and figure out the plan of a 1500-year-old palace by walking along its foundations. Or where you could see post-holes that once held wooden pillars and imagine what the rooms might have looked like all those centuries ago. You will find square pillar bases too, which meant that large pillars must have once adorned an impressive entrance hall to the temple.

Every once in a while, you will also come across relics that are at once evocative and thrilling in their abandonment – broken but still beautiful statues of serene Jain tirthankaras, inscriptions recorded for posterity that have eroded so much that their message is lost forever, others that lie almost hidden by the grass that grows wild around them. And of course, lots of potsherds and pieces of terracotta roof tiles.

The temple complex is incredibly scenic, being perched on a little hill that overlooks the vast Gudnapur lake, one of the largest in the district. The inscription refers to this lake as the Guddatataka, and says it was built by Ravivarma; all the lands that came under cultivation of this lake were donated to the temple.

The temple Ravivarma built is now in ruins. The drums and music of the Vasantosava have long since ceased to be heard here. But the lake the king built still delights. Although we didn’t linger on for the show, the temple provides a wonderful vantage point from where to see the sun set over the lake, accompanied by an orchestra of birdsong.
 

As many as 40 fresh water fish species in Karnataka are under 'threat' and urgent conservation measures are needed to ensure their survival, says a study by Environment Management and Policy Research Institute (EMPRI).

However, the number of species under serious threat due to anthropogenic interferences could be higher, as numerous reports indicate decrease in numbers as well as diversity in various river systems. As a response to the problem, Pilikula Nisargadhama at Vamanjoor near Mangalore has come up with a Rs nine-crore conservation project to protect the fresh water fish species of the Western Ghats range.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Pilikula Nisargadhama Society Executive Director J R Lobo said the project would be implemented in two phases. The first phase, called ‘Conservation of Western Ghats species and display,’ will concentrate on creating an artificial eco-system for collecting fresh water species and these will also be displayed for the public.

An area of two acres has been allotted on the banks of the Pilikula Lake for the project. Aquariums, artificial ponds and flowing water would be combined to create the breeding atmosphere. The tender for the first phase will be floated within a fortnight and the project is likely to begin by January 2012, he said.

The Nisargadhama intends to complete the project by end of next year, informed Lobo. The first phase will cost Rs one crore and the funds have been allotted by the Centre, he added.

Phase II of the project will have aquariums for various species and will concentrate on breeding fish. The proposal will be sent for approval by this year end to the government, says Lobo. He adds this phase will continue for a span of three years and will cost Rs eight crore. As many as 201 fresh water species of fishes have been recorded from rivers, lakes and wetlands of Karnataka according to EMPRI (in 1999).

The fish will be collected by experts from different fresh water bodies using non-destructive shore seine nets to have minimal damage on the fish. Minimal numbers will be collected and any undesirable fish and non-required sizes will be released back into the habitat, Lobo said.

Benefits
Lobo says, the project will give an insight into the biodiversity of the habitat in protected areas, lead to probable discovery of new fish and plant species, give an insight on anthropogenic effect on the habitat and help in identifying the presence of invasive species. Based on the success of the project, an annual ranching programme of the fish could be undertaken to boost the species’ population in the wild, he says.
 

Five permanent welcome arches at all the main entry points to Mysore will be built to commemorate four centuries of Dasara festivities and the centenary year of Mysore Palace scheduled next year, S A Ramadas, Minister for Medical Education said.

Addressing the mediapersons here on Monday, Ramadas, who is also the district in-charge minister of Mysore, said the design and estimate of the arches would be finalised soon.

Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda will lay the foundation for the arches during the first day of festivities. The arches will be completed in time to celebrate 100 years of the Mysore Palace in 2012, he added. He said the government has completed the formalities of constituting sub-committees to organise programmes for the Nadda Habba. Gowda has convened a high-level meeting on September 15 in Mysore to review the preparations for Dasara festivities.

Dasara Authority
He reiterated that the government is keen to constitute a Dasara Authority to plan and organise the festivities in an orderly manner and give a greater thrust to tourism, culture and heritage of the region.

The role of the authority would not just be confined to preparing for Dasara but also similar events elsewhere in Mysore division. It is proposed to bring tourism, heritage, art and cultural components too under its ambit, he said.

A separate enclosure for foreign tourists will be set up near the Palace gates to watch the Dasara procession, he said.

The district administration had commenced the task of identifying heritage buildings in the city, he added.

Rural dasara will be inaugurated on September 28 much before the main event, he said.
 

Paying homage to the apostle of peace Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary, the veena will reverberate across the globe on October 2 to foster harmony among peoples across religious denominations and man-made boundaries.

Organised by Bharat Veenalaya, the veena will also reverberate in carnage-hit Oslo and riot-hit London. In Oslo, Jayanthi Kumaresh will perform, while Sivasakti Sivanesan will play in London.

In Melbourne the Iyer Brothers, Ramnath and Gopinath, will perform, while Malathi Nagarajan will perform in Sydney. Yuko Matobha will play in Tokyo.

Besides Singapore and Malaysia, the veena will also be played in various cities in the U.S. including San Francisco, Chicago, New Jersey and Los Angeles.

Chennai will be the main city in the country in which maestros from the North and the South will perform either individually or as a duet during the nine-day festival titled Harmony of Strings for Human Harmony, which will be held at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha beginning October 2. This will be organised by Veena Mahotsava in association with Sri Krishna Gana Sabha under the chairmanship of Justice M. N. Venkatachaliah, head of Bharat Veenalaya.

Describing the veena as one of the oldest ancient musical instruments in the country, V. Raghurama Ayyar of Bharat Veenalaya says the Veena Navarathri will be a unique and momentous celebration of the ancient acoustic innovation and the musical sound and resonance of India. “Central to our heritage of music, the veena represents the confluence of the science of musical sounds and the Indian philosophy of harmony and tranquillity.”

In Delhi, veena recitals will be held at Vasant Kunj, Vasant Vihar, Mayur Vihar Phase-II, Kalkaji and R. K. Puram. Performances will also take place in Bangalore, Mysore, Hyderabad, Thanjavur, Thiruvananthapuram, Coimbatore and Mumbai.
 

The Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC) organised a heritage walk through the recently opened Replica Museum of the Archaeological Survey of India at Siri Fort here on Sunday.

The walk was attended by around 70 people who were shown replicas of masterpieces from across the country. Among the works of art on display were Didarganj Yakshi from the Mauryan period, Sarnath Buddha from the Mathura Museum, Meditating Buddha from Lahore, Natraj from Badami, Pashupati Shiva of Chhattisgarh, Ashoka Emblem taken from Sarnath Pillar, Trimurti from Elephanta caves and Narsimha Avtar of Lord Vishnu.

People were taken round the museum and informed of the rich history of the replicated works by ASI Delhi Circle superintending archaeologist K. K. Muhammad and SRDC heritage consultant Dr. Navina Jafa.

In a heritage walk through a museum it is very important to bring out the context from which the exhibits have come,” said Dr. Jafa. Using story-telling and her knowledge of the performing arts, she dramatically brought alive the mythology associated with the sculptures.

The 22 fibre glass replicas at the museum were sculpted by students of Banaras Hindu University and Patna University.
 

After a particularly long and trying month at our city jobs, we all wanted the perfect getaway. My friends were rooting for a beach holiday. Some wanted pampering at a spa vacation and the others clamoured for the hills. In the end we all agreed on a common destination and went into a flurry of secret planning, deciding to pack light clothes and good walking shoes. Wayanad suited us all.

The home-stay my friend had chosen was perched on the top of a coffee estate. A large house loomed at the end of a curving driveway, where our hosts, the owners of the estate, welcomed us in. It was a traditional Kerala homestead, with gorgeous high ceilings and polished wooden rafters. We had arrived just in time for lunch, and as we were served aapams right off the pan with creamy, peppery chicken stew, the meat falling meltingly off the bone, our hosts gave us a personalised introduction to the district and all its delightful possibilities.

The best way to get around Wayanad is to hire a jeep by the day. You will have a local driver who knows exactly where to take you — and will sometimes show you the best little places to stop at for tea.

We boated in the waters of Pookote Lake and did some bird-watching along its shores. We went to try and make sense of the petroglyphs in the Neolithic Edakkal caves. For a little history, there are centuries-old mosques, temples, churches and forts. And of course, there were massage centres, plenty of hills for all of us to climb and several waterfalls to make me happy.

Chembra Peak, 2,100 metres above sea level, is a good target for a day trek. At a steady pace, it should take a morning’s climb to reach the peak. We took far longer because we kept stopping to stare at the panorama unfolding below. About halfway up is a natural heart-shaped lake that is said to stay limpid in the harshest summer. All around are hills that lighten from dark green near the base to blue and lilac summits hiding among clouds. We descended from a different side of the mountain and rolled down one sloping stretch of knee-high wild grass, much to our guide’s dismay. We were told that one could, with permission, pitch a tent on top of the peak and camp overnight. That went straight onto our to-do list for the next time we were there.

There are several breathtaking waterfalls to explore. At Meenmutty the waters dash spectacularly over three levels before reaching the ground. Sentinel Falls are far less elaborate, but ensconced in a magical setting of grey boulders and leafy canopy. After a sun-baked day of climbing, our limbs sank gratefully into its comforting freshness.

If you have gregarious hosts like we did, you could even get a tour of the plantations in a four-wheel drive, with estate managers who will tell you all about planting cycles, farming processes and markets. Winding streams trickle downhill between the plantations along dirt roads of dark red earth. And if feasting on these views all day weren’t enough, the night skies are blanketed with stars.

We had not really planned a stop at the Muthanga Sanctuary, but as our bus to Bengaluru left only the next day, we decided to stay the night. It was an incredible experience of wildlife at close quarters, which requires the telling of a whole other story. I’d definitely recommend that you give Muthanga plenty of time while planning your holiday.

Wayanad gave each of us what we wanted, including ayurvedic massages and hot oil treatments. We enjoyed the trek up Chembra; and the view of the mountains from deckchair even more. I splashed about in plenty of water, the shallow rock pools around the waterfalls offer perfect repose between showers under the cascade. With so much to see and do, it is likely you will want to come back a second time to try and do it justice.
 

Two more bridges on Yamuna will be constructed by the Delhi Metro in the NCR as part of its ambitious Phase-III project.

The bridges are part of the Mukundpur-Yamuna Vihar and Janakpuri-Kalindikunj corridors as part of the Delhi Metro’s Phase-III that would add another 103 km of the capital to its network.

In phase 1 and 2, the Delhi Metro built two bridges on Yamuna river — Shastri Park and Yamuna Bank stations. The Delhi Metro has invited bids for the construction of the two bridges across the river.

The bridge on the Janakpuri-Kalindikunj corridor will have 14 spans across Yamuna along with Okhla Barrage at Kalindi Kunj and will be constructed about 85 metres downstream of the existing Okhla Bridge, the tender document states.

The bridge piers will be such that these do not obstruct the water way of the existing Okhla Barrage bridge upstream.

The bridge on the Mukundpur-Yamuna Vihar Metro line will have 15 spans and will be constructed about 83 metres downstream of the existing Nizammudin Road Bridge.

Decks for the implementation of the Phase-III were cleared when the EGoM cleared the project, bringing comfort to a number of unconnected areas and the busy Ring Road.

The empowered group of ministers on urban infrastructure had on August 9 cleared the proposal at a cost of `35,242 crores, including Central taxes.

The Janakpuri-Kalindi Kunj corridor provides connectivity to the south eastern parts of Delhi with the western part and will integrate existing stations at Janakpuri West, Hauz Khas and Nehru Place enabling commuters to go to Dwarka and Gurgaon.

A major portion of this corridor will run along the Outer Ring Road. The Mukundpur-Yamuna Vihar corridor will provide connectivity to northern, western and eastern parts of Delhi.

The route also provides integration with DMRC’s other existing lines of Phase I and II.
 

Rejecting demands that India’s voluntary actions on climate be brought under an international legal framework, Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan said the first necessary step towards negotiating a global climate agreement must be to extend the Kyoto Protocol for a period beyond 2012 when it is currently slated to expire.

At an informal ministerial meeting in Pretoria, South Africa, last week, Natarajan said negotiating the legal framework for an agreement whose contents were not yet finalised was akin to “putting the horse before the cart”.

Natarajan, attending her first international climate meeting, insisted that the targeted result from the annual climate conference, to be held in December, should be to extend the Kyoto Protocol, which puts legally-binding emission cut targets on about 40 rich and industrialised countries that are responsible for the bulk of emissions in the past 150 years.

“There can be no guarantee of effective stabilisation (of temperature rise) unless the developed country parties who have the largest share of historical stock of emissions agree to reach their peak. Stabilisation of climate is based on the actions taken to reduce the stock of emissions,” she said.

Many of these countries want nations like India and China, which have emerged as big emitters in recent years, to also take targeted emission cuts even though they are not mandated to do so under the Kyoto Protocol, or to place their voluntary actions — both have announced targets for reducing emissions — under an international legal framework. Both, and many others, have refused.

Natarajan clarified that Jairam Ramesh’s remark at the Cancun climate meet last year that “all countries must take on a binding commitment under an appropriate legal form” — this had led many to believe India was ready to place voluntary actions under a legal framework — must be seen in the “context of balanced and comprehensive outcomes” from negotiations on a global climate agreement. “The second commitment period (beyond 2012) under the Kyoto Protocol is a very important part of this balance,” she said. “The issue of legal form should therefore be addressed after we have reached a consensus on the outcomes (in negotiations).”
 

Our ancestors saw the birth of many religions that soon spread to the rest of the world, and Buddhism in particular was adopted by many countries including Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Russia where Buddhist shrines have managed, in part, to withstand the ravages of war and time.

Eminent art historian, film-maker and photographer Benoy K. Behl, who has been documenting Buddhist sites and art in countries like Siberia, China, Japan, Bhutan and Sri Lanka for many years, recently visited Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kalmykia province of European Russia which claims to be the only European region with a 400-year-old Buddhist tradition.

The Bamiyan site, dating back to the 6th Century in war-torn Afghanistan, was once home to the brhad Buddha or the larger-than-life statues of the Buddha. Today there are only niches where these brhads once stood. The tradition of these giant statues originated in 5th Century India and spread across Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhist faith. The grandeur of these statues was meant to reflect the grandeur of the human spirit.

Mr. Behl was so enraptured by the sight that he captured the absent deity in a photograph as if to say that though the statue may not be present in form, having lost the fight against man's cruelty and intolerance, it is definitely present in spirit.

Although the Buddha statues no longer exist in Bamiyan, Mr. Behl says there are remnants of the site which is conclusive proof that although Bamiyan was at a crossroads of culture, seeing major Persian, Greek and Roman influences, the Indic philosophy prevailed and the people decided to honour the Buddhist tradition by building numerous caves and monasteries, some of which are still in the process of being discovered like the site of Mes Aynak where fully-intact Buddha figures bearing a serene inward look have been discovered recently.

The famous Silk Route, once the bridge that connected the ancient world, also stands witness to the journey of Indian philosophy and ideas..

Uzbekistan's national museum in Tashkent houses a fine head of Lord Shiva, a few Buddha figures and remnants of mural paintings that serve as indicators of the country's ancient culture and its links with India. Kalmykia province of European Russia also falls on the Silk Route, and a newly built Buddhist temple, “Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni”, rests in Elista, the capital of Kalmykia. The temple is surrounded by seated statues of the 17 Acharayas of Nalanda University, credited with developing the philosophical traditions of Buddhism.Mr. Behl will soon exhibit his photographs tracing India's contribution to the culture of the world.
 

The BJP Government in Karnataka has not only saved the house of noted English author and creator of Malgudi, RK Narayan, from demolition but also declared his house in Mysore as a heritage monument.

A meeting between Karnataka Urban Development Minister S Suresh Kumar and Narayan’s granddaughter, Bhuvaneshwari Srinivasamuthy in Bangalore, has helped resolve the issue.

In a statement, the Minister said, “RK Narayan’s family has expressed happiness over the Karnataka Government’s decision to declare the late writer’s house in Mysore a heritage monument. As they live in Chennai, they expressed their inability to maintain the house in Mysore.”

Suresh Kumar said he assured the family that the Government would offer them an alternative housing site in Mysore or compensate them monetarily, and a decision to this effect would be announced soon. Family members and experts would be consulted when the building, to be named ‘Malgudi’, would be restored.

Mysore MLC G Madhusudan, adviser to the Chief Minister on urban development A Ravindra and Urban Development secretary SD Meena were present at the meeting.

In the wake of a public outcry, the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) had last week halted demolition of the residence where he penned his masterpieces, conjuring up the fictional town of Malgudi.

In fact, it was on the intervention of the Commissioner of the Mysore City Corporation, KS Raykar, that the demolition of the two-storey house was stopped on September 5, but not before workers had already started dismantling the doors and windows, and a portion of the roof. The property had been acquired by a developer. The house was subsequently notified as a heritage building by the Government under the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act.

Narayan, regarded as one of the greatest anglican novelists, had lived in this 100 x 120 foot structure from 1950 till he moved to Chennai in 1990s due to ill health. The writer penned his masterpieces from the oval-shaped ‘bay-room’ with massive windows that gave a full view to the inspiring greenery outside. A group of writers, who had visited the house during a seminar held on his birth centenary in October 2006, suggested it be converted to a museum.

RK Narayan (10 October 1906 - 13 May 2001), is one of three leading figures of early Indian literature in English, along with Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao. He is credited with bringing Indian literature in English to the rest of the world, and is regarded as one of India’s greatest English language novelists.

Narayan broke through with the help of his mentor and friend, Graham Greene, who was instrumental in getting publishers for Narayan’s first four books, including the semi-autobiographical trilogy of Swami and Friends, The Bachelor of Arts and The English Teacher. Narayan’s works also include The Financial Expert, hailed as one of the most original works of 1951, and Sahitya Akademi Award winner The Guide, which was adapted for films in Hindi and English languages, and for Broadway.
 

The year-long celebrations for ASI's 150th year anniversary will kick-off with an exhibition, Rediscovering India, which will highlight the achievements of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The ASI, which completes 150 years in December this year, plans to showcase its achievements including excavations, popular monuments and successful conservation projects carried out from 1961 till 2011. The organisation had held a similar exhibition in Delhi in 1961, when it completed 100 years.

The main inaugural function will be held in the last week of December in Delhi.

Before that, on December 1, a modest function will be organised for the foundation stone laying ceremony of ASI's headquarter building on Tilak Marg.

The custodian of India's built heritage takes care of 3,675 heritage monuments and archaeological sites across the country, including 174 in Delhi.

Sources said that a national level committee had been holding weekly meetings to plan the celebrations, which will feature three international seminars in Delhi and five regional level seminars across India. Besides this, various circle offices across the country will also hold exhibitions during the yearlong celebrations.

"The international seminar will be held on the themes of Archaeology of Buddhism in Asia, Agro-Pastoral Communities and Indo-Islamic Architecture," said Dr BR Mani, spokesperson, ASI.
 

The Singh Twins, two Indian-origin miniaturists, will be awarded ‘Member of the Order of British Empire’, an order of chivalry, at the Buckingham Palace

Dressed in their trademark identical salwar kameezes, the Singh twins are excited about being in India for two mega exhibitions in Delhi and Mumbai. However, the real reason why artists Rabinder and Amrit Singh are ready to pop the bubbly, is because they will be awarded the Member of the Order of British Empire (M.B.E.) at the Buckingham Palace, in December by Queen Elizabeth. “We are being honoured for our contribution to art and culture through our work as Indian miniaturists. It is great that Indian art is finally getting the acknowledgment it deserves,” says Amrit.

For those who have not yet heard of them, the two London-born girls are extremely talented women who paint intricate miniatures, and work on the same painting at the same time. Their work, even though it follows the miniature style, has several contemporary themes woven into it and has evolved beyond the traditional painting. “We are passionate about representing a positive image about the Liverpool art and cultural district, but we are happier to bring it to an Indian audience,” says Amrit. “Through the miniature format, we are embracing our traditional heritage rather than moving away from it. We found that our paintings and the animation film project have a universal appeal even though it is so specific to the city of Liverpool,” says Rabindra, whose film The Making of Liverpool had its India premier at the stall of Art Alive Gallery, at the India Art Summit in January. The exhibition in Delhi that opened on September 17, will showcase mixed media works, priced at Rs 4.75 lakh each, a book that is an in-depth study of their style, working processes and artistic references. It will also include a DVD of their film (priced at Rs 800) apart from signed and numbered edition of prints at Rs 20,000 each.

“ We were commissioned to make this animation for ‘Liverpool at 800 festival’, that marked the city’s transition from being a Maritime port to its status as the European cultural port in 2008. The film is based on the 20x30 inch painting that we did for public display,” says Amrit. The video is layered with a plethora of paintings with details, that move from the central image of Poseidon to the Greek God of the seas and then to Triton. On the seafront are the three important buildings, the Liver Bird Building, the Cunard Building and The Customs House. The works have intricate details like a banner carrying the portrait of Guru Nanak, that marks 500 years of Sikhism, and a Bollywood theatre projecting scenes from Mughal -e- Azam and King Kong via a projector on the Empire State building that has been replicated in Liverpool. “We wanted to stress that Liverpool is more than just the Beatles and rugby,” says Amrit. The twins researched for the painting and the film for over six months before they even began to paint it. They also worked on the animation with musician Steve Mason and performance artist Mark McGowan. The two also roped in cinematographer Andi Cooper, who has worked behind the scenes in films like Lord of the Rings and East is East.

“Before we were painters we were researchers,” says Rabindra, who lets it slip that they actually had intentions of studying medicine, but an adamant art teacher packed them off to the University College of Chester. “We are glad that we did not study medicine as was planned earlier. Now we cannot think of anything but painting and animation,” says Amrit. Their Mumbai show at Sakshi Art Gallery, comprises a series of paintings that refer to the science of tarot card readings. If this is anything to go by, the future looks bright for the twins.
 

Over a hundred sculptures from connoisseur Siddharth Bhansali's collection were on display at the New Orleans Museum of Art recently. The collection covers a time-span of 1,500 years.

Some people are born collectors like Siddharth Bhansali, who has been a hoarder ever since he can remember. As a boy he collected sticks and stones, and didn't have the heart to discard them even when he graduated to stamps and coins. Later he went on to niche items: Welsh furniture, Art Deco and Nouveau, and English sporting paintings, particularly of horses.

His “eureka moment” came when he encountered an early Jain bronze from Andhra Pradesh at an auction and became an unashamed addict. Over 35 years he has collected a thousand sculptures of copper or its alloys. A hundred and four of these “Elegant Images” were on display at the New Orleans Museum of Art, and are catalogued in this book. Apart from two items all have originated from the Indian subcontinent, and excepting three ancient weapon-like objects, they have a religious connotation. Dimensions vary from two ft. in height to three inches, but all are crafted with equal care, for anything less than perfect was considered sacrilegious. In the ancient text cited by the author the artisans were given meticulous instructions: The image should have a head like an umbrella for wealth, good crops and prosperity; well-drawn eyebrows for good fortune; a leonine body signifying plenitude and strength, and so on. Imperfections on the other hand could have dire consequences, deficient proportions resulting in famine and revolution, poorly depicted eyes or limbs in loss of fame, crops and wealth. This eclectic collection of Hindu, Jain and Buddhist figurines, each one of a kind, covers a time-span of 1,500 years. Wood and terracotta were the standard materials for early devotional objects, and metal probably came into use in the 4th century BCE when Alexander the Great brought Hellenistic practices to the subcontinent.

The catalogue is divided into two parts: North India, and Deccan and South India. The date and provenance of each image is deduced with a wealth of references to subject, iconography, stylistic comparisons, and changes of taste in the major historical periods. The three Gandhara objects show a clear Greek influence in the drapes of the clothing, as in the serenely beatific Buddha seated in the meditation pose wearing a robe covering him in soft folds from the neck downwards.

Since Bhansali himself is a Jain there are several such images in the collection, the earliest being that of Jina Parshvanatha from Bihar, attributed to the Kushana period. It is the ancestor of several exhibits, the last of which is from 11th century Tamil Nadu. This Chola statuette is not a slender ascetic but a solid seated figure, broad-shouldered and powerfully built, hooded by a nine-headed snake, scaly and knotted, curling down its back.

An 11th century North Indian ensemble shows five jinas with Rishabanatha in the centre, longhaired, enthroned, and haloed. Several figures are in attendance: celestial garland bearers, two yakshis, elephants bathing the jina, flywhisk bearers and much else in this extraordinarily rich composition. The Eastern subcontinent is well represented, particularly with Gupta figurines rated by Bhansali as his rarest finds. Outstanding among them is one that will delight the heart of feminists, showing the goddess Ambika sitting on a lion, actually her husband reborn in that form as a punishment for banishing her.

In the Buddhist canon bodhisatvas are the embodiment of compassion leading sentient beings to enlightenment. There are several on display in the softer, gentler forms of the Mahayana tradition that the collector prefers to the more complex, powerful figures of Vajrayana iconography. A Manjushri from Bangladesh, youthful and handsome, sits enthroned on a two-tiered lotus, making the gesture of charity and holding a long-stemmed lotus atop which is a rolled manuscript symbolising knowledge or wisdom. The large aureole is edged by leaping tongues of flame. An exquisitely sculpted figure from Andhra graces the cover of the book. Slender but voluptuous, she is almost certainly one of a pair, seen with her twin on loan from the Metropolitan Museum, New York. Probably they were part of a triad showing Vishnu flanked by his wives, or Surya similarly attended. But whoever they may be, these 1,400-year-old ladies in elegantly understated clothing and jewellery are stunners!

Sun worship
Surya himself (rarely worshipped in the South) is the subject of a remarkable Chalukyan ensemble. Seven subsidiary figures are grouped around the central one standing on a pedestal that is also his chariot, complete with seven horses and a charioteer. There are his wives, male attendants, cherubs, geese, and two lions vanquishing elephants; the whole topped by a foliated arch. Impressive in size this composition, though elaborate, is remarkably uncluttered. Since Sun Worship originated in Babylon and came to India through Iran, the magnificent statues of Surya at Konark are dressed in central Asian style, wearing an ornamental girdle, a short, close-fitting lower garment, and high boots. Here the boots are retained but the god wears a traditional dhoti, a nice indigenising touch.

Chola bronzes, always sculpted in the round, are justly regarded as the finest in the genre. A variety of these beauties is on display; jinas, an endearingly pudgy Ganesha, and Shaiva saints Appar and Sambandar. The latter is an adorable toddler gloriously unclothed standing in the traditional pose, cup in one hand, the other pointing heavenwards. Undoubtedly the loveliest is a large, late Chola sculpture of Shiva with an arm around Parvati. Regally bejeweled, their clothing of a gossamer lightness, they stand slightly apart, their bodies depicted in a rhythmic swaying stance as beautiful from the back as from the front. The grace and tenderness of feeling in this exquisite image draw you to it again and again.

To bring out the all-inclusive nature of the collection the display is rounded off with figurines from Vijayanagara and 14th century Kerala. Vishnu, Ram, Kali, Murugan are depicted in the ornate, high-relief style of bronze casting similar to the deep cut wood-carving we identify with the temples and palaces of old Travancore.

Pratapaditya Pal, known as much for his awesome erudition as for his abiding passion for South Asian art, has done full justice to an exceptional collection, and has gone far beyond it to create a rich tapestry of history, legend, and the skill of the metalworker. Further, the book has been meticulously compiled. The dimensions of each object are given in both inches and cm., and this reviewer rejoiced to see an Index, an invaluable tool for cross-referencing not generally found in catalogues. Dr. Bhansali was away from home when Hurricane Katrina struck, and was seriously worried over the fate of his bronzes. Needlessly so, for they were untouched, standing serene and untroubled amid the surrounding devastation. How could it be otherwise? After all they were gods, hundreds of them, Hindu, Buddhist and Jain, and no disaster, whatever its magnitude, could have been a match for them.
 

Even after a decade, the New York City skyline is found bland and empty without the iconic twin towers that were razed to the ground during the 9/11 attacks. As we observe its 10th anniversary, we show you the other magnificent landmark structures of the world.

Chrysler, New York
The Chrysler building designed by architect William van Alen is one of the last skyscrapers in the classic art deco style. The distinctive ornamentation of the building is based on features that were then being used on Chrysler automobiles. When the ground breaking occurred in 1928, there was an intense competition in New York to build the world's tallest skyscraper, and the building that stands at 1,047 feet, was built at a frantic pace at an average rate of four floors per week. It was the world's tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931. After the destruction of the World Trade Centre in 2001, it was again the second tallest building in New York until December 2007, when the spire was raised pushing Chrysler to third position.

Expert speak: Ravi Sarangan, Architect
"The marble floors and many art deco patterns including those on the stylish elevator doors make Chrysler one of the most iconic office towers. In fact, the Manhattan skyline would appear insignificant if it was not for this imposing structure."

Lotus Temple, New Delhi
The design for the house of worship that has won numerous architectural awards, encompasses 27 freestanding marble-clad 'petals' arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides. The nine doors of the Lotus Temple open into a central hall slightly more than 40 metres tall that is capable of holding up to 2,500 people. The surface of the temple, designed by the Iranian architect Fariborz Sahba, is made of white marble from Penteli mountain in Greece. Along with its nine surrounding ponds and the gardens, the Lotus Temple property stands in 26 acres of land.

Expert speak: Vikas Dilawari, Conservation Architect
"It is like technology blending with tradition. Lotus Temple has that monumental quality, which is quite rare these days. Because of its design, the use of marble, garden setting and large open spaces, the structure is outstanding."

CCTV, Beijing
The headquarters of China Central Television (CCTV) is a 234 m (768 ft), 44-storey skyscraper in the Beijing Central Business District. Ground-breaking took place in June 2004 and the building's fa?ade was completed in January 2008. It is one of the several bold new designs done by the Pritzker prize-winning Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. Constructed for the Beijing Olympics, the CCTV building is one of the largest office buildings in the world. It has studios, theatres, production facilities and lot of space for entertainment-related activities.

Expert speak: Nishant Gupta, Architect
"Striking style, complex engineering and breathtaking form create an ultimate expression of design. It is one of the most powerful works of architecture I have seen in recent times. The unconventional Z crisscross feels incredibly modern. Although criticised by certain section of Chinese society and architectural critics at one time, I feel it roars out of the Beijing skyline."

The Louvre, Paris
The Louvre Museum is the national museum of France. It was originally one of the largest palaces in the world. As a former residence of the kings of France, it exemplifies traditional French architecture since the Renaissance, and it houses a magnificent collection of ancient and Western art. The most recent addition to the Louvre was the construction of the glass pyramid, which functions as the museum's main entrance. The pyramid allows sunlight to penetrate the underground floor.

Expert speak: Hafeez Contractor, Architect
"Louvre is a well-defined heritage precinct. It is also very contemporary and powerful."

Turning Torso, Sweden
With a height of 190 metres, the 54-storeyed skyscraper is the tallest building in Scandinavia and was selected as one of the seven wonders of Sweden. Turning Turso is constructed in nine segments of fivestorey pentagons that twist as it rises; the topmost segment gets twisted 90 degrees clockwise with respect to the ground floor. However, the building doesn't move. The building houses both offices and luxury apartments.

Expert speak: Nishant Gupta, Architect
"It is an interesting piece of architecture with nine cubes placed one over the other and they twist as they rise. It is believed that architect Santiago Calatrava derived the concept from his own creation of a white marble structure of a twisted human being.
 

Bharatpur It is not only a paradise for bird lovers, the place also has plenty of flora and fauna like sambhar deer, neelgai, antelopes, pythons and more, notes N. Shiva Kumar

K eoladeo National Park is an exceptional World Heritage site located 200 kms from Delhi in the desert State of Rajasthan. It is more commonly called Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary but the locals simply utter the word Ghana, meaning dense forest. Until recently this hotspot used to be the Mecca for birdwatchers from across the world. Today this status has diminished a little even though the foreign tourist arrivals to India showed a remarkable increase of over five million in 2010. As an avid birdwatcher one can vouch that this 29-sq.km. is an ecological storehouse where drama in real life can be encountered at every turn you take, every move you make.

Apparently the blend of many marshlands, grasslands and woodlands of Bharatpur bird sanctuary seem to have a unique attraction to both Indian and foreign birds. An astounding 370-plus species of birds have been catalogued in this spectacular sanctuary. What is that attracts thousands of “bundles of feathers” and considered one of the best marshes for birds in the world? It is also described as “one of the most magical places for bird watching.” According to experts, it's the concoction of aquatic life in conjunction with moist earth that cultivates plenty of snails, tadpoles and frogs, beetles, crustaceans, molluscs and multitude of micro-organisms.

About 70 years ago fun with the gun was a pastime and on any given day 2000 to 4000 ducks were slaughtered in the name of sport. This figure was meagre when compared to the millions of ducks that converged in the lush wetlands of Bharatpur. Members of the royal family armed with shotguns took pot-shots at the flying ducks that arrived in the winter season from distant lands. While the birds came into tropical India to escape the bitter cold from the northern hemisphere, royal folk basking in the warm winter sun gleefully brought down the flying birds with rapid bullets. If that was not enough, many servants dutifully gathered dead ducks and assembled them in rows, not merely to be counted but also proudly posing for photographs. Duck shooting is a difficult sport but when the numbers are large any shot fired in the air was certain to bring down a few birds. This fun-fury unleashed in the bygone era is fortunately no more in vogue because killing wildlife is prohibited today.

This paradise for birds was declared a sanctuary in 1956, elevated to National Park in 1982 and finally declared as World Heritage Site in 1985. After the last sighting of the rare Siberian crane in 2004 in Bharatpur marshes, regular clientele from aboard who are accomplished ornithologists have stopped coming. It was a quirk of luck that one happened to photograph the last pair of Siberian cranes that visited India and now there are none.

Prime nesting sites
Come September and copious rain and water triggers nesting for resident birds. On a recent visit, herons, cormorants, egrets and storks were all competing for prime nesting sites. Open-bill storks and painted storks nesting close to each other caused constant bickering and it was a delight to see them quarrel. In the coming months, on show will be an assortment of performances in the process of building nests, mating, egg laying, brooding, hatching, feeding the young and finally the art of flying. For four months, until December this live concert will take place and then it will be time for large number of migratory birds to arrive in hordes.

The Bharatpur Bird Park heavily depends on sufficient supply of water for its flat patchwork of marshes artificially created in the 1850s. This intricate water system is still maintained by a system of canals and dykes. Water is fed into the marshes twice a year from flood waters of the Gambir and Banganga rivers, which are impounded by a small dam called Ajan Bund. However in recent times, the local farmers demanding more water have put the bird sanctuary in jeopardy. Inadequate monsoons have not helped the cause; hence there is paucity of water in some seasons. In September first week, ten solar systems worth Rs.one crore have started functioning with bore wells to pump out water and help fill the marshland with adequate water. Hopefully this will sustain the wonderful wetlands.

Late Salim Ali, the father of Indian ornithology, was happiest here in Bharatpur, amidst nature, making copious notes on bird behaviour. For those who are not aware, this is one of the world's best documented wetland ecosystems. Many species have been painstakingly studied by researchers for their ecological and morphological virtues to understand the magical mechanisms of nature at work. Though the sanctuary is mostly known for a variety of wild birds, there is also plenty of flora and fauna like sâmbhar deer, neelgai antelopes, large pythons, jackals, hyenas, mongooses etc.

Bharatpur bird sanctuary is the only natural reserve in the country where the maximum numbers of options are available to explore wildlife. Rambling or simply lingering in the sanctuary is exceptionally conducive both for the casual visitor and the keen observer. However one can hire a tonga, cycle rickshaw, a bicycle, a battery operated bus or even the official gypsy used by the field staff. Another unique way is to go in slow motion on the placid waters in a boat. The best way of course is just to amble and ramble at will with binoculars and cameras shooting birds.

Bharatpur is best visited from October to February when the weather is mild and accommodating.
 

Wall of conquest in the parlour of royal palaces was where the show of strength took place. This was where visiting royalty were shown the size of tigers, boars and deers that the royal family had hunted alongwith the stories of these conquests. Also displayed were portraits of royalty in their elements who too were accompanied by illustrious tales of pride and valour. The photographers\painters had to ensure that the portraits looked as good as the stories that were told about them. This collection of portraits dating between 1900 and 1930 will be a part of the exhibition by Tasveer Arts called Vintage Photographs of the Maharajas.

Most of these portraits are by known photographers, such as Jehangir Sorabji and K.L Syed. Some have also been shot by overseas photographers and studios, such as Vernon & Co., Johnston & Hoffman and Van Dyk, London. Though not many of these were “court photographers”, but Abhishek Poddar of Tasveer Arts tells us that the careers of many of them centred around photographing high society individuals and royalty. “For instance, K.L. Syed’s father was the hakim of the royal family. In the 1900s Syed came in contact with the then Nawab Shri Taley Mohammed Khan, who was suitably impressed with the photographs Syed took of his family. Soon Syed began accompanying the Nawab on all his trips, and eventually became the official photographer of Palanpur State.”

These portraits were partly for documentation, partly for sharing and partly for vanity and were often signed and given to members of the sitters' extended families.

Tasveer put the collection together over time from private individuals, galleries, dealers and auction houses. And the gallery that is well-known for its contemporary photography, is showcasing historic work for a change. It had a lot to do with the sudden spurt in the number of people interested in photography, with almost everyone involved in photography — be it on their camera phones, point-and-shoot digital cameras or professional SLRs. “We wanted to show this new, technology savvy crowd of enthusiasts something about the history of photography, and also something about the history of the country too,” says Abhishek.
 

Belongs to the Vajrayana period of Buddhism, dating back to 6th and 7th Century A.D.

A hemispherical Buddhist stupa belonging to the Vajrayana period of Buddhism dating back to 6th and 7th Century A.D. was by chance unearthed by the Department of Archaeology of Andhra Pradesh last week following sighting of a large brick in the vicinity of a large mound in this village.

The 10-metre (diametre) main stupa is now in a dilapidated state, but is yet another Buddhist site to get added to the four major ones in the district. Due to tilling activity some of the outer structures like aramas and ayakas have vanished. Some of the sculptures, bearing a distinct resemblance to the Amaravathi School of sculpting designs, now adorn some common places of the villages as Hindu deities such as Jambala (Kubera).

Vintage temple
The villagers considered it a vintage temple of Lord Shiva in a barren land of about 1 acre on the village outskirts. The stupa with Ayaka pillars in a hemispherical shape was found adjacent to the Zilla Parishad High School. The village derives its name from Buddhist bikshus, whom the locals used to call ‘Munulu' (sages) and thus the name Munuluru which over the years turned into Munjuluru.

Additional Director of Archaeology and Museums K. Chitti Babu, who visited the site along with The Hindu team, said that the stupa belonged to the last phase of the Buddhism (Vajrayana Buddhism practised in Tibet and Mongolia).

He said the barren area, covering many acres close to the stupa, was littered with Buddhist cultural remains.

Conch shells
The archaeologist also collected a number of red and black pottery, including rims in different shapes and sizes. The black, red and scarlet buffed ware, along with conical shaped bowls with heaps of lime conch shells used for plastering during the construction of the stupa, were collected and recorded by Mr. Babu.

The stupa is built with bricks made of husk measuring 23 cm width, 7 cm height and 28 cm length — a typical Buddhist construction material of that period. One of the ayaka pillars, which is in octagonal shape, was perched on a square base. However, for the locals it is a dilapidated Shiva temple. The government will soon issue a notice seeking objections from the public to declaring the stupa a protected national monument.
 

The Bandipur National Park in Chamarajnagar district of southern Karnataka is home to many species of wildlife including tigers, elephants,sloth bears and antelopes. Nearby is the scenic Himavad Gopalaswamy betta. Pushpa Achanta travels to the region.

Wildlife sanctuaries in India - what do they remind us of? Vast expanses of verdant beauty full of varied types of fauna? Or dwindling reserves of nature thanks to indiscriminate logging, speeding vehicles and other animal unfriendly attitudes and activities? Well, a recent trip to the Bandipur and Mudumalai national parks and Gopalaswamy betta revealed all this and more.

Geography and history
The Bandipur National Park is situated at the foothills of the Western Ghats in Gundlupet taluk of Chamarajnagar district, in southern Karnataka. It is around 220 kilometres south of the State capital and 80 kilometres from Mysore on the road to Udhagamandalam (Ooty)

Bandipur is contiguous on its south-western side with the Wayanad Wildlife sanctuary in Kerala and Mudumalai National Park to its south in Tamil Nadu. All of these along with the nearby Nagarhole National Park in Karnataka to the north-west of Bandipur are part of the Nilgiri biosphere, forming the largest protected area in southern India. While the river Kabini (a tributary of the Cauvery) skirts the northern boundary of Bandipur, the Moyar flows to its south. The altitude of the place varies from 680 to 1,454 metres and its temperature is anywhere between 10 and 28 degrees Celsius.

According to historical records, a wildlife sanctuary was established in the Bandipur reserve forest in 1931 over an area of 90 square kilometres.

As it was considered to be too small for effective conservation, the Bandipur National Park was formed by extending the Venugopala Wildlife Park.

Named after the presiding local deity, the latter was created by the then Maharaja of Mysore and spread across 800 square kilometres.

In 1973-‘74, when the Government of India launched Project Tiger for the conservation of the national animal, it identified Bandipur as one of the key locations. At present, the national park covers an expanse of around 870 square kilometres.

“The ban on traffic after dark seems to have reduced the fear in some animals. That is probably why more of them are visible,” a forest watcher remarked as I was overjoyed at spotting langurs and rhesus macaques (monkeys) at almost touching distance.

These creatures seem omnipresent in India. But observing them in their natural habitat warding off insensitive people who threw half-eaten packets of potato wafers or made faces at them from their cars and buses, was a different experience. As our bus drove on slowly, we saw groups of chital (spotted deer) of different sizes busily eating or simply moving around gracefully. Next was a sambar (large hairy deer) walking into the woods, silently. Animals seemed comfortable with us for we soon found the gaur (Indian bison) and some elephants gently going about their work. Of course, the big cat proved elusive!

Crossing over to Mudumalai towards the evening, we trekked past tea gardens, touch-me-not plants, silver oaks, butterflies and umpteen shrubs and flowers in heavenly hues with misty hills in the environs.

The government statistics released between 1997 and 2011 state that there is a minimum of 75 tigers and over 3,000 elephants in Bandipur. The forests are also home to species like sloth bears, pea fowl, crocodiles, antelopes, pythons, mouse deer, panther and osprey.

Bandipur’s tall pea
While returning, we stopped at the scenic Himavad Gopalaswamy betta (translates to foggy hill of Lord Krishna in Kannada) near Hangala village about 10 kilometres from Gundlupet and 75 kilometres from Mysore.

At a height of around 1,454 metres, this is the tallest peak in Bandipur. It houses a Krishna temple believed to have been built in 1315 AD during the reign of the Hoysala king Veera Ballala III and maintained by the Vijayanagara rulers and Wodeyars of Mysore.

A single-tiered gopura (ornate tower) rests on the boundary of the structure while the parapet wall of the façade of the mukha mantapa (inner porch) contains a sculpture of dashavatara (the ten incarnations of the Hindu God Vishnu) with the centre-piece portraying Krishna. The garbha griha (sanctum sanctorum) contains an idol of Krishna in a dance posture under a tree, holding a flute, with his consorts, Rukmini and Satyabhama and friends on either side.

The panel also has many figures contemporary to Krishna’s avatar including cows and cowherds, towards the right. Legend has it that Vishnu blessed the place and promised to reside there due to sage Agastya’s intense penance.

Grassy slopes dotted with ponds surround the spot which is supposedly frequented by pachyderms.

Importantly, visitors must deposit edibles and plastic with forest department officers who check vehicles and bags thoroughly before the ascent. Atop the hill, people are allowed for only 1.5 hours per head.

Movement is restricted to the vicinity of the shrine which is usually open from 9 am – 4 pm. “These rules help to ensure safety, cleanliness and prevent unlawful activities,” a policeman points out
 

The ancient temple on the bank, a huge tree guarding it like a giant umbrella, stood empty.

The place is close to Srirangapatnam, the ancient fortress city, once the capital and stronghold of Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan. The place was the site of two of the most famous sieges of the Anglo-Mysore Wars in 1792 and 1782. But now it is one of the most tranquil spots you can imagine. The place got its name from the historic temple of Sri Ranganatha Swami, located at the western end of the town.

The Cauvery, known as ‘Dakshina Ganga’, is one of the Sapta Sindhu or ‘seven sacred rivers’ of India. In spite of being the smallest of the five major rivers of India, it forms perhaps the most important watershed of the South, serving as a lifeline to Karnataka as well as parts of Tamil Nadu. The river originates in the Brahmagiri Hills in Kodagu in a place called Talacauvery. As it flows along gently it is joined by two streams - Sujyoti and Kanake – and the three meet at Bhagamandala, thenceforth going on its 760-km-long journey through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu before merging into the Bay of Bengal.

There are several legends about how the River Cauvery was born. According to the Skanda Purana, when the Mighty Ocean was churned by the devas (gods) and the asuras (demons) in order to obtain amrita, the elixir of life, Lord Vishnu created Mohini to distract the asuras and restore the elixir to the devas. Goddess Lakshmi also sent a young damsel called Lopamudre to assist Mohini. The elixir was successfully restored to the devas and Mohini departed. Lord Brahma gave away Lopamudre to a childless sage named Kavera who adopted her as his own daughter and renamed her Cauvery.

Cauvery was very keen that her adopted father have happiness and prosperity. So she prayed to Lord Brahma that she might turn into a river and flow through the country, turning the land green and fertile. She also prayed that her waters might be so holy that all those who took a dip in it might be freed from all their sins. Brahma granted her both the boons.

But something else was to happen to her before the boons could be fulfilled. Sage Agastya happened to see Cauvery when she was deep in meditation. He fell in love with her and asked her to marry him. Although her heart was set on turning into a river of blessings, Cauvery could not refuse sage Agastya. But she made him promise that if ever she left her alone too long she would have the right to forsake him and go her way. Agastya promised and kept his word faithfully for some time

But one day he got busy in a theological discussion with his disciples and lost track of time. Cauvery waited patiently for a while. After many hours had passed and there was no trace of the sage she jumped into Agastya’s special holy tank and flowed from there like a river. As soon as the disciples of Agastya saw what had happened they tried to stop her from flowing away. But Cauvery promptly went underground and appeared again. And she has been worshipped as a sacred river throughout its course ever since.
 

Close to 200 freshwater species in the Western Ghats, including fish, flies and snails, are facing extinction and the threat is maximum in the southern part of the Western Ghats, including Karnataka.

Close to 16 per cent of the 1,146 freshwater species are threatened with extinction, whereas a further two per cent can be categorised as near-threatened, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said on Friday in its latest assessment, which covers major river catchments such as Tapi, Krishna, and Cauvery systems.

The endangered Deccan Mahseer (Tor khudree) is one of the most sought-after food fish in the region. But due to over-harvesting, invasive species and pollution, it has declined massively in the past decade.

Another iconic fish species, Miss Kerala (Puntius denisonii), is also classified as endangered as it is targeted and collected indiscriminately for ornamental fish trade. Its habitat is also being threatened by water pollution from plantations and urban areas.

The report projects freshwater fish as the most threatened group in peninsular India with more than a third – 37 per cent to be exact – at risk of global extinction.

Aquatic plants and fish are the most utilised freshwater species. According to the assessment done by IUCN, along with two other international ecological outfits Species Survival Commission and Zoo Outreach Organisation, as many as 28 per cent of the aquatic plants are harvested for medicinal purposes, whereas 14 and 13 per cent are used as food by people and animals respectively.

Incidentally, the assessment comes days after an India ecological panel headed by Madhav Gadgil, ecologist of the Indian Institute of Science, submitted its report on the Western Ghats to the Union Ministry of Environment, which will have to take a call on the future of many developmental projects based on the Gadgil panel recommendations.

The IUCN report suggests more than half of all fish species are harvested for human consumption and there is a growing tendency of using captured fish for aquarium trade. Of late, 37 per cent of the fish species are caught for aquarium trade. Eighteen percent of mollusc species are used as food by humans.

The threats include pollution, fishing and aquarium collection, construction of dams, invasion by alien species, energy production and mining. The worst impact, however, is by the urban and domestic pollution.

“This biodiversity hotspot contains the greatest number of threatened species in peninsular India, pointing to an urgent need to give higher priority to environmental sustainability in economic development,” said Kevin Smith, an IUCN officer.
 

In Roland Emmerich's apocalyptic thriller 2012, an American geologist (Chiwetel Ejiofor) visits an astrophysicist in India, Dr Satnam Tsurutani (Jimi Mistry), just before a cataclysm thrusts the world into chaos. The geologist learns from the Indian that neutrinos from a solar flare are causing the temperature of the earth's core to increase and that it would lead to massive earthquakes and giant tsunamis. At the end of the movie, as rupturing tectonic plates and huge walls of water wipe out cities across the world and a tiny minority takes shelter in specially built arks in Tibet, Dr Satnam and his family go under a wave in eastern India. "It's because of him, we are all safe here today," Ejiofor tells the heads of state in the command centre of an ark. Dr Satnam's character did a great PR service to India: it reinforced a myth that Indians are excellent in science, mathematics and predictions.

Days before September 18, when a faultline beneath the Sikkim-Nepal border ruptured and sent shockwaves that swallowed villages, shook cities and made Delhi nervous , there was no Dr Satnam to warn the people of the Northeast about the disaster. True, earthquakes can't be predicted but seismologists and geologists can pick enough warning signs and make calculations about the likely period a temblor may strike particular regions. Do we have enough geologists with enough seismic data that can prepare us for future shocks? Unlikely. In January 2001, after Bhuj was hit by a 7.7 quake that killed thousands and left millions homeless across Gujarat, the tragedy revealed a truth about the state of Indian geology: across the country, there were just 19 scholars pursuing PhD in the subject.

The jolt of Gujarat was a massive wake-up call that's probably gone unheeded. Since then there has been a rise in the number of institutes teaching geology and students pursuing the discipline, but it's not good enough. "The number doesn't matter. What matters is the ability of our geologists to make an impact and we don't have that ability," says Dr C P Rajendran of Centre for Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. "For a country of India's size which is earthquake prone, we are not doing enough research and producing papers or helping in creating awareness about the dangers."

The absence of awareness is quite visible with a complete lack of building norms and urban planning in India's chaotic cities and towns. "People are not killed by earthquakes, they are killed by buildings and our houses are most unsafe," says a scientist with the Geological Survey of India. "From the data available and signs in recent years, it's clear that a big earthquake of magnitude 7/8 is long overdue in north India, but we are not prepared. The government geologists are happy monitoring the Richter scale and announcing the intensity of the quake when it happens. That's it," says the expert who doesn't want to be named.

The apathy, according to top scientists, runs deep down the system. "Earth sciences are not taught in schools; we don't have enough departments in universities; we don't get high-quality students, and those who join the stream want to work for oil firms because of the money," says Rajendran. "When there is a tragedy, we wake up and then go back to sleep."

There seems to be a method in this lethargy. In July 2005, after Mumbai was deluged following a cloudburst, there was a lot of hue and cry over the state of weather forecasting in the country. The voices soon died down — till a cloudburst in Delhi a few days ago flooded the showpiece Terminal 3 of the international airport. But the weathermen seem to be in deep slumber. In the past decade, the Indian Meteorology Department (IMD) hasn't recruited a single Class I officer, says an expert who has worked in the department. "It's supposed to have 500 officers, but it has only 200. We used to have a staff of 8,500; it has been reduced to 6,000. What's the point of having machines when the human resources are so poor? Compare this to China, which has 80,000 met staff."

With freak weather looking more and more like a normal phenomenon and climate change an accepted scientific truth, the weatherman has become a rock star in the west and nature the main villain in Hollywood thrillers. Even in TV studios, the guy who reads out the weather report is often more popular than the anchor and gets the most fan mail.

India, though, is still living in the past. "Classical meteorology has gone beyond traditional boundaries to encompass aviation meteorology, marine meteorology and disaster management. We need good-quality manpower to improve weather forecast," says Dr Ajit Tyagi , director of IMD. The result: while short and medium-range forecasts are often correct, long-range predictions are almost always inaccurate, and the Indian weatherman remains a butt of jokes.

India, though, is still living in the past. "Classical meteorology has gone beyond traditional boundaries to encompass aviation meteorology, marine meteorology and disaster management. We need good-quality manpower to improve weather forecast," says Dr Ajit Tyagi , director of IMD. The result: while short and medium-range forecasts are often correct, long-range predictions are almost always inaccurate, and the Indian weatherman remains a butt of jokes.

The problem is serious. Lack of human resources — well-educated, trained and motivated professionals — continues to plague India's struggle with the elements. Often the damage is high, but not much is being done to train people in specialized courses. Some 10 years ago, 12 tigers perished at the Nandankanan zoo in Bhubaneswar after they were given wrong medicines by veterinarians not trained to handle tigers. Nothing has changed. "We don't have specialized courses for the treatment of wild animals. The people who graduate from veterinary colleges are trained to treat dogs, cats, cows and horses. But they are appointed in zoos and national parks. Sometime back the government had announced it would appoint specialized vets in zoos and national parks...there's still a huge number of vacancies," says Biswajit Mohanty, wildlife expert and member of the National Board for Wildlife. No wonder, wild animals continue to die in "protected" areas.

Animals, of course, are low on the government's priority list despite the fact that they play an important role in maintaining the ecological balance that's going haywire in parts of India. This crucial point is missed by policy planners. Owing to government apathy and political unrest, the Eastern Forest Rangers' College in Kurseong (Darjeeling district) has been without any pupil for the past four years. Founded in 1974, the college was one of the finest places of learning in the hills. "We used to get students from as far as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bhutan,'' says an official. The college, located at the picturesque St Mary's Hill overlooking the Kanchenjunga and the Nepal hills, offers a rigorous 18-month course in forest and wildlife management. "We learnt everything — from rifle training to rock climbing to elephant taming to law — that makes one a good, committed forester," says Arup Chanda, who graduated in 1987. Now, personnel from the Border Security Force and West Bengal Police run shooting classes on the campus as it declines into oblivion — and with it vanishes a generation of rangers who could make India's hill forests safe. Preservation is not a quality encouraged in government institutions. And the reason for it is the lack of trained professionals. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, is a case in point. Despite years of work, the ASI has been able to protect only 3,676 historic sites, leaving an estimated 7,00,000 heritage structures unattended. In 2009, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke of the urgency of pooling "our wisdom and experience to revitalize this great organization" and his words were repeated by the ASI director-general in 2011, but nothing much happened after that. "We don't even have a good laboratory for dating archaeological samples. We don't have technical support and we are losing archaeological treasures of great historical importance," says an ASI expert who is "frustrated" with the state of affairs. "How many students want to study archaeology ? It's not glamorous. Everybody wants to become a doctor or engineer and go abroad. As a people we don't respect knowledge that really helps society."

In such a scenario, people with real knowledge and expertise are becoming rare in these testing times, just like the tragic figure of Dr Satnam in 2012.

Some lessons from Chile
An earthquake measuring 8.8 hit Chile in March 2010, just a few weeks after Haiti was hit by a 7.0 temblor. While the Haiti toll was more than 250,000, just 600 people died in Chile. The 2001 Bhuj quake of 7.7 magnitude claimed 20,000 lives, according to official figures. Though 9% of Chileans became homeless as their houses developed cracks, the toll remained low as the buildings didn't collapse. The reason is Chile's strict building codes. After a massive 9.5 earthquake in 1960 (the strongest ever recorded), the Chilean government developed a seismic design code for all new buildings. It was revised in 1993 to include advances in technology. The system that keeps Chile's buildings standing firm is called the "strong columns, weak beams" system.
 

It’s only a stitch done with a silk thread that creates intricate floral patterns on cotton cloth.

Phulkari — phul (flower) kari (growing) — is a traditional embroidery art form from Punjab. It covers its base material so densely that you cannot see the cloth underneath and it transforms a simple, plain cloth into a baugh, which means garden in Punjabi. In Punjab, it is believed that even if you don’t want to wear jewellery, you can still adorn yourself with phulkari, which is equally ornamental. No wonder it is likened to growing flowers.

Created with an unspun silk thread called pat, the colours of phulkari revive the magic of emerald green rice fields that you can still find scattered around rural Punjab and smiling yellow mustard fields trembling in the winter breeze, wafting in from neighbouring Himachal. Besides all the paeans sung to its rustic beauty, the phulkari also acquires a divine sanctity as an art form because it forms the canopy over Guru Granth Sahib, the religious book of the Sikhs.

While the origin of phulkari has never been traced, it has been immortalised in poet Waris Shah’s epic poetry that recounts the romantic story of Heer-Ranjha, the doomed lovers of Punjab, who have also inspired Sobha Singh’s paintings and the sweet and sentimental folk songs of Asa Singh Mastana and Biwi Surinder Kaur.

While some say that the embroidery was brought to Punjab by Gujar nomads from Central Asia, others insist that the alabaster-skinned, sharp-nosed Persians, who settled in Kashmir, are responsible for it. It is believed that the embroidery became famous in the 15th century, during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. But it was not for sale at that time. The art form was passed on from mothers to daughters in households just like any other skill or family heirloom. Women used to embroider these dupattas at home for themselves, and they were an integral part of the bridal trousseau.

Traditionally, each of the marriage ceremonies in Punjab is connected with wearing a particular type of stitch. A baugh or phulkari, therefore, is not only a beautiful art but a part of culture and tradition, which makes it really special. By the 19th century, the accomplishment of the bride and her mother as well as the affluence of the family were judged by the number and finesse of the phulkaris that she received as a part of her trousseau.

Phulkari is traditionally done on handspun khadi cloth with simple darning stitches using the unspun silk floss yarn called pat. Single strand threads are used for the purpose. Horizontal, vertical or diagonal stitches are used to impart shading and variation to the design. Technically, phulkari consists of long and short darning stitches. It is a unique method of embroidery that is worked entirely on the wrong side of the cloth and the pattern takes shape on the other side. The design is neither drawn nor traced.

A variety of phulkari styles are used for different occasions and purposes. Chope is the phulkari done on a red cloth with embroidered borders. It is presented to the bride by her grandmother before the wedding. Vari-da-baugh (garden of the trousseau) is a pattern of golden yellow flowers done on a red cloth to symbolise happiness and fertility, ghunghat baugh has a small border on all four sides while bawan (52 in Punjabi) baugh has as many geometrical patterns on it.

After long being ignored, phulkari is once again being promoted in Punjab. Hand-embroidered phulkari works from villages like Thuha are making it big on foreign shores. A few years ago, a cluster of 12 villages, under the Patiala Handicraft Workshop Co-operative Society Industry Limited, in collaboration with the Khadi Village Industry Commission, launched a project on phulkaris aimed at women’s empowerment. Today, they are exporting the phulkari to China, France, England and even a few Arab countries. Phulkari is blooming again in the land of mustard fields.
 

British photographer Linnaeus Tripe’s photographs of architectural and landscape views of Mysore in 1854 are being auctioned in London November for an estimated price of up to £200,000.

The photographs of Mysore are 56 albumen prints, including one 2-part folding panorama, individually mounted on card and nearly all signed by Tripe in ink. The set comprises of architectural and landscape views at or near Hullabede, Belloor and Stranan-i-Billikul in Mysore. The images were made by Tripe during a private expedition from Bangalore in December 1854, in which he was joined by fellow amateur photographer Dr A.C.B. Neill. The only other set of Tripe’s Mysore views, containing 22 photographs, are in the J. Paul Getty Museum in California.

Tripe, who died in 1902, had presented the photographs to the then Governor-General of India, the 1st Marquess of Dalhousie.

The auction of Tripe photographs includes 220 newly-discovered photographs of India and Burma in the mid-1850s, including 42 images of which no other prints are recorded, and five previously unknown photographs.

The auction will be held by Sotheby’s in London on November 15.

The photographs have not been seen by scholars for 150 years and are being offered for sale for the first time by the present owner, who got the photo collection by descent.

“This is a ground-breaking discovery and represents the largest group of photographs by Linnaeus Tripe ever to be offered for sale. These rare and beautiful images, printed by Tripe from waxed paper negatives, will rewrite the scholarship on his work. The images are among the first photographs taken of Mysore and Rangoon,” Sotheby’s specialist Richard Fattorini said.

The first printed depiction of the Taj Mahal will be auctioned by Bonhams in London on October 4. The print is part of an album, which is expected to sell for £30,000-35,000, by William Hodges who travelled through India in the 1780s executing drawings on the spot.

Interestingly, a letter written just four days before the British Army stormed Delhi during the First War of Indian Independence by Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar’s close aide Jat Nahar Singh, Raja of Ballabhgarh, will be sold at the auction in October.

The letter, expected to sell for £1,000-1,500, dictated in English to a secretary, was written on 10 September 1857. In the letter, Nahar Singh seeks the protection of Governor General of India, Lord Elllenborough, whom he had met as a young man. However, Nahar Singh was taken prisoner and hanged by the British in 1858.
 

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is ready with the final draft of the nomination dossier for putting Delhi on UNESCO’s World Heritage City list. The document is expected to be sent this week.

The national capital will now be in the run to become one of the first Indian cities to get the status of World Heritage. At present, UNESCO has 226 cities on its list of World Heritage Cities list, none from India.

Given Delhi’s historicity and international importance, it has often been compared to cities like Rome, Cairo and Damascus — all on UNESCO list.

A 91-page nomination dossier, drafted by Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), on behalf of Delhi Tourism, was submitted to the ASI. The ASI will now forward it to UNESCO, Joint Director General of ASI B R R Mani told Newsline.

Though the nomination is for Delhi as a World Heritage City, four areas have been shortlisted — Shahjahanabad, Nizamuddin, Mehrauli and Lutyens’ Bungalow Zone — for the heritage tag.

A G K Menon, convenor of INTACH (Delhi chapter), said, “Initially we had worked out nine zones as nominated areas, but when their outstanding universal value had to be determined, only four qualified. The application marks out in detail how Delhi has been the centre of a syncretic culture, both in terms of tangible and intangible heritage.”

“Syncretism is explained through markers such as Indo-Islamic and Indo-Saracenic architecture, town planning, evolution of Urdu language and Sufism,” he said.

According to the final dossier, “Two significant aspects that caused the syncretism of cultures are: Successive waves of invaders who made Delhi their capital and brought with them new ideas and technologies to build their forts, palaces and religious edifices.... Secondly, the sustained interaction over a long period of time, between various cultural communities, mainly Rajputs, Gujars, Turks, Afghans, etc, and to some extent the British, which produced a syncretism of cultures.”

Underlining the importance of the four zones of Delhi, the dossier states: “Material manifestations of the legacy of many centuries live on in Delhi in several historic precincts. Four urban zones of Delhi that exemplify this legacy are being nominated as the World Heritage city of Delhi.”

Meanwhile, seminars and conferences have been planned in the city starting October 4, where various stakeholders and experts will be invited to develop the concept of Delhi’s “outstanding universal value”.

In March, the nomination for Ahmedabad was sent to the UNESCO for World Heritage City status.
 

Mysore has hundreds of historical structures, including its landmark clock towers. Situated near the Town hall, opposite Chamarajendra Circle near Balarama Gate of the Mysore Palace is a 75-ft-tall clock tower built in 1927 to commemorate 25 years rule of the Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV.

This ‘Dodda Gadiyara’ (big clock) is said to have been built in the Indo-Saracen architectural style. The dial with Kannada numerals is the notable feature of this heritage clock. One more heritage clock, known as ‘Chikka Gadiyara’ (small clock) is located atop the two storied Devaraja Market constructed in 1880 in memory of Devaraja Wodeyar. The lock tower was built in honour of Lord Dufferin, who was the Viceroy of India for four years from 1884-1888.

Regional railway museum
Mysore Railway Museum which celebrated its silver jubilee in 2004 was the first regional Railway Museum founded by the Indian Railways. This museum started in the year 1979 has two popular galleries named Chamundi Gallery and Sri Ranga Pavillion. Chamundi Gallery has a good collection of paintings, photographs and exhibits showcasing the development of the Indian Railways beginning from pre-Independence years.

The Sri Ranga Pavilion has many exhibits of heritage value like the royal train compartments in which the Mysore Maharaja used to travel. Another feature of the Museum’s Pavilion gallery is the Maharani’s salon carriage, the royal luxury coach with elegantly designed kitchen, bath room and also a dining car unit.
 

Another proposal to usurp a substantial part of the Yamuna floodplain has raised the hackles of environmentalists.An RTI query has revealed Noida Authority is planning to build an embankment on the left bank of the Yamuna,stretching from NH-24 to the Chilla Regulator.While the proposal to the Yamuna Standing Committee claimed it is a flood control measure,senior officials of the Authority accept that it is only a bid to reclaim land.

Interestingly, the Authority has not even decided what to do with the over 15-lakh sqm land that it will gain through this. It will take about three years for the embankment to come up and only then will we decide how to use the land. Flood control measures are not required as the Noida link road serves that purpose. The project is under consideration, said a senior official. He was unable to explain why the Authority is eyeing the land even though it has no use for it at present. 

The proposal was mooted by the UP government in August 2008 and sent to the Yamuna Standing Committee in 2009.The committee cleared it conditionally, asking the government to ensure that all required environmental clearances were obtained before work started. The Authority has already marked the area on ground using poles and barbed wire.

It was by sheer chance that we learnt about the project. We first managed to access the minutes of the YSC meetings through RTI and then applied once more to get details of the project. The LG has been apprised of the situation and we hope some action will be taken, said Manoj Mishra of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan.
The project report states that the length of the embankment would be about 4km,stretching from 280m at NH-24 to 660m at the Chilla Regulator in width. The embankment will be 6m high with a 6m width on top and about 40m wide base.The project is worth Rs 92.1 crore.The area under consideration is the only relatively secure floodplain we have in Delhi and it is highly important for groundwater regeneration. In the 2010 floods, there was 3-4 m water in the area. The right side of the river has already been concretized under Commonwealth Games Village and the Akshardham Temple. This will be the death of the river, added Mishra.
 

Dust was still rising from the collapsed building,833,when neighbors and other volunteers started tearing away at the debris to find survivors. Neither blocks of brick and mortar nor heavy household effects like room coolers could deter the effort. Every able-bodied man in the locality had rushed out to help the moment the three-storey building in Old Delhi's Chandni Mahal locality came down with a rumble.

While the majority of rescuers rushed to remove the debris and save lives, others succored the survivors with water, or lit up the rescue site with torches as the power supply was turned off to avoid electrocution in the jumble of wires and twisted metal.

Rehman,25,a tailor living two houses away from the collapsed building, rushed to help with two of his friends. There was a deafening sound. I rushed out to see what had happened. I saw dust flying everywhere and the building reduced to a heap. We rushed to help in whatever way we could, said Rehman.

He said the rescue operations were held up for around 15 minutes due to fears about possible electrocution. We could not move into the building as metal parts of it were charged and the overhead wires had caught fire. We waited for the power to be cut off before moving in, said Rehman.

Locals said government rescue teams reached the spot after about an hour. The area is too congested during the evening and is located in the interior. It was the neighbors and people nearby who provided the initial relief, said Mohammed Salim, another resident of the area.

Till the time of going to press, five persons were reported killed and 31 injured. Sources said around 40 people resided in the building. However, many passersby and vendors sitting below it were also trapped in the debris.

Besides the immediate neighbors, people from even a kilometer away joined the rescue effort.Zubair,20,came with six of his friends. I saw the news on TV and got my friends together to come here, he said. Zubair and his friends had formed a human chain to control the crowd that was pouring in from every end of the street. Hundreds of volunteers from groups like Civil Defense and Shah Satnam Ji Green Swell Force, too, joined the relief operation.
 

The building collapse in Chandni Mahal has once again highlighted the rampant unauthorized constructions in Old Delhi and the MCDs failure to uphold the law. This is the second building collapse more than 70 people died in the Lalita Park incident in less than a year. According to MCD officials, a notice to stop the ongoing construction work in the adjacent building had been given to the builder last week.

Construction work was going on in the adjacent building. Following a complaint from local residents, we had issued a stop work notice to the builder last week. The building, which collapsed, was very old. In this area, one has to be very careful while constructing as digging can damage the neighboring buildings, said a MCD official. Commissioner Mehra has ordered an inquiry into the collapse. The deputy commissioner, City Zone, has been asked to submit a preliminary report by tomorrow and a comprehensive report within three days, said Deep Mathur, director, press and information,MCD.

For its files, MCD had issued a notice, but there was nobody to check whether the work had stopped or not. There are several such buildings in the Walled City where unauthorized construction is going on but there is no one to keep a check on them, said Ubead Iqbal, area councilor's had raised the issue regarding unauthorized building in the last ward committee meeting and had also told the deputy commissioner.

With the special area redevelopment plan still on the drawing board, councilors say little can be done to stop such incidents. The government is merely extending protection to the special area and as a result no redevelopment plan can be undertaken. We cant do much for this area, as there is no special area plan. The needs of the people are increasing and illegal construction is rampant, said Jagdish Mamgain, chairman, works committee, MCD.

Though MCD issues building plans in the Walled City, officials admit that not many people take the necessary approvals. Taking sealing and demolition action in this area is also difficult as all the buildings are very close. If we demolish a building, chances of other buildings getting affected are very high. We have to be very careful while carrying out demolitions, said an MCD official.
 

On World Tourism Day on Tuesday, the district tourism department seemed to be lacking in its zeal to promote distinct tourist attractions.

Reason: Shortage of staff and poor infrastructure

The department has not been able to exploit the district’s potential of tourism, 14 years after Haveri was carved out of Dharwad district.

It doesn’t have even a building of its own and functions from the deputy commissioner’s office premises. It has only an in-charge officer and a clerk.

Ill-equipped, the department has not been able to initiate development of the tourist spots across the district.

An almirah, a table and a chair are all that the department has as its paraphernalia.

Assistant director of the tourism department of the Karwar district has been appointed in-charge officer. He visits the department once in three or six months and leaves, unable to do anything.

Cultural heritage
Haveri has a rich natural and cultural heritage. The district that shares the features of both the lavish green Malnad and the plains of dry-land area, is unique for its diverse flora and fauna

Each of the seven taluks — Hanagal, Shiggaon, Savanur, Haveri, Byadagi, Hirekerur and Ranebennur — has a share of the distinctive features of the district.

Haveri, the district headquarters, is famous for oil, cattle and cotton markets. Heggeri lake in the taluk hosts birds migrating from different countries during winter.

Byadagi is known for its chilli, and Bankapur of Shiggaon has a sanctuary for peacocks, a rare in the State. Rattihalli in Hirekerur taluk has the famous Kadambeshwara temple.

Popular as the thousand-pillar Jain ‘basadi’, Nagareshwara in Bankapur, the 12th-century Purasiddeshwara temple, Galaganatheshwara temple with its unique architecture, Tarakeshwara temple in Hangal, Mukteshwara temple in Chowdadanaiahpura, add to the district’s cultural and historical significance.

Ranebennur houses a blackbuck sanctuary with over 6,000 blackbucks, wolf, wild boar, fox, jackal, mongoose, hare and pangolin.

Kaginele is known for Kanakadasa, the saint-poet of the Bhakti tradition, Abalur for the philosopher-poet Sarvajna and Shariefgiri of Shishuvinala that became famous because of the mystic poet Shishunala Sharief.

Literary heritage
Starting from one of the early Kannada novelists and pioneers of Kannada nationalism, Galaganatha, to the 20th century poet Subbanna Ranganatha Ekkundi, the district has its share of literary heritage.

The government has spent crores of rupees on developing these heritage centres as tourist spots.

A Rock Garden which has been set up to showcase the vivid cultures and traditions of rural areas has recently become a major tourist attraction. Even a handbook on tourist places in the district has been published. But the absence of a full-fledged tourist department has made the facilities inaccessible for tourists. There is not even a signboard or a map to direct the tourists to these destinations.
 

The ministry of environment & forests (MoEF) have cancelled the environmental clearance (EC) to the Vedanta-owned Sesa Goa Ltd for an iron ore mine located in Pirna in North Goa on grounds of suppression of vital information.

The move was based on the findings of the National Green Tribunal which has accused the firm of concelaing data in its environment impact study (EIA). Also it did not take the consent of the local people there. Vedanta is already in trouble for extracting more iron ore than permissible limits. The mining firm had applied to the MoEF on March 20, 2009 for an EC to extract 0.20 million tonnes per annum in an area of 43 hectares in Pirna and Nadora. Environmental activist Claude Alaveres, who has been on the forefront of this anti-mining crusade, said “It has taken a long time for the MoEF to admit that many of the ECs that have been granted in Goa were based on fudged data and falsification of facts. This happened in other cases also with another mining lease having been cancelled by the National Environmental Appellate Authority.”

Fingers are also being pointed towards Goa chief minister and to A. Raja for giving clearances to 136 mines in Goa during the latter’s tenure as environment minister. Ninety of these mines continue to be operational at present.

Vedanta wanted an EC for Pirna on the grounds that there were no wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, heritage sites, or biosphere reserves within 10 km of the mining area. But when the Expert Appraisal Committee visited the place, it found discrepancies between the claims as the river Chapora flows to the north of the mine. This entire area comprises of dense forests but this was not indicated in the maps submitted to the EC.

Many of the mines granted clearance in Goa did not receive the compulsory wildlife clearance.
 

The plaster is chipping away, and the walls have cracks. The building of this school is in a decrepit state. 

As children run up and down the narrow stairs, the principal and teachers look concerned. In fact, students have been advised to walk slowly on these stairs.
The Fatehpuri Muslim Senior Secondary School at Ballimaran in Old Delhi is in a dilapidated state. And Tuesday’s building collapse has the parents and staff worried.

“This school building is almost 80 years old. There are cracks on the walls and pillars,” said a teacher of the government-aided school. “Yesterday’s incident is a grim reminder. God forbid, if anything untoward happens, many lives will be lost.”

The weight of the two newly constructed classrooms on the first floor has lead to new cracks on the pillars.

The school was established in 1929.

Most schools in the Walled City are situated in congested areas and the buildings are in a decrepit state. Not much has changed for these schools, even though the government launched a Roopantar Scheme, for the beautification and upgrade of school buildings.

In another corner of Old Delhi is the 60-year-old Shafiq Memorial Senior Secondary School at Bara Hindu Rao in Chandni Chowk.

“We have asked the government to improve the building. It is in a bad shape,” said a parent whose child is a student at the school.

Adding to the worry of the teachers and parents are the electric wires that hang low over these school buildings. According to MCD records, there are more than 40, 000 buildings in Old Delhi area that are more than 60 years old. This includes the school buildings as well.

Another government-aided school at Ajmeri Gate, Anglo Arabic Senior Secondary School, has similar problems. No construction work has taken place on the building since long.

Although fire safety equipment has been installed, no other safety measures are in place. The school principal Islam-ud-din could not be reached for comment.

The only school in Old Delhi area where some action was taken by the government is the Government Senior Secondary School that was running out of the Old Cheshma Building in Ballimaran. The PWD had declared the building unsafe and renovation work was started on the school. The school building was more than 60 years old, according to residents.
 

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, who visited quake-hit Sikkim on Thursday, announced a relief package of Rs. 1,000 crore for the victims of the fatal incident.

Dr. Singh, who took off on an aerial survey of the worst affected areas of Sikkim after his arrival here, termed it to be tragic incident and promised the Centre's full assistance to meet the requirement of the situation of relief and rehabilitation in the aftermath of the tragedy.

"The Central Government will help the people and Government of Sikkim in every possible way. We will ensure that every possible assistance is given to the Sikkim Government to reconstruct and rebuild their lives in the aftermath of this tragedy," said Dr. Singh.

"My honoured colleague, Shri P Chidambaram (Union Home Minister) had already visited and announced an amount of 50 crore to be made available to the State Government and today I have announced a sum of 1000 crore from the Central Government to meet the requirement of the situation of relief and rehabilitation in the aftermath of this tragedy" he added.

Dr. Singh earlier met the victims in the hospital and discussed the general situation with the concerned state officials.

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram had last week assessed the ongoing rescue and relief efforts in quake-hit Sikkim.

Chidambaram, who made an aerial survey of the worst affected north Sikkim areas, had then said that the Centre would give Rs 50 crore immediately as grant for relief and rehabilitation work.

A powerful earthquake with a 6.8 magnitude hit Sikkim and several areas in the eastern part of the country and neighbouring Nepal on the evening of September 18.

The epicentre of the quake was located in the Mangan and Sakyong areas, over 50 kilometres from Gangtok on the Sikkim-Nepal border.

Tremors were also felt in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chandigarh and Delhi.
 

A new show at the Met tells the story of India’s greatest painters

THE chameleon on the branch looks with nervous boldness at the viewer. He seems rather pleased with himself, and why not? His engaging portrait was created just before 1600 by Ustad Mansur, a Mughal miniaturist who was so highly regarded as a natural-history painter that the emperor Jahangir called him the “Wonder of the Age”.

That title has been borrowed for an ambitious new survey of 800 years of Indian painting that is about to open at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The chameleon is one of some 220 images by more than 40 artists. Many are small and exquisite, made to be held in the hand and admired at leisure. But some are as large as two-and-a-half by five feet. Masterpieces are commonplace in this show and rarities are not scarce. A 17th-century miniature of the Persian-trained Farrukh Beg as an old man is one of only a handful of self-portraits from the Mughal period. It shows the artist leaning on a staff, his hands tucked under his white bearded chin. Slashes of crimson peep from the lining of his ochre coat, suggesting, perhaps, that there is life in the old fellow yet.

The paintings come from the Met’s own collection and the Rietberg Museum in Zurich (where the show originated), as well as from a number of other public and private collections. Mansur’s chameleon is one of six loans from Queen Elizabeth. The City Palace Museum in Udaipur has sent works never loaned before. Although diplomatic complications prevented the miniatures from Tehran and St Petersburg that were shown in Switzerland from travelling to America, the Met’s version of “Wonder of the Age” has added works from the Aga Khan’s collection and the Bodleian Library in Oxford. The Freer Gallery in Washington, DC, has sent its treasured 17th-century masterpiece, “Humayun Seated in a Landscape”, which was painted by Payag for Jahangir’s son, the emperor Shah Jahan.

Curated by John Guy of the Met with the Rietberg’s Jorrit Britschgi, this show celebrates the efforts of a small group of passionate scholars who, several decades ago, embarked on a mission to identify individual painters. Indian scribes signed their manuscripts but the artists who illustrated them were often anonymous. Eberhard Fischer, director of the Rietberg for more than three decades until 2006, began the art-historical hunting expedition to name names. “It is the person behind the painting whom we care for,” he says. Mr Fischer soon had the co-operation of two colleagues and friends, Milo Beach, former director of the Freer Gallery, and B.N. Goswamy, an art historian at Punjab University at Chandigarh.

The three wise men of Indian painting attracted other scholars to the project. Many began searching palace archives, pilgrimage registers, account books and land registries in an effort to do for Indian art what Bernard Berenson had done decades earlier in giving names to those painters who had previously been lumped together as Italian primitives.

The scholars found signatures embedded in many paintings just waiting for someone to take the trouble to look. More often, connoisseurship was their tool. This combination of a good eye, intelligence and intuition, combined with long experience of looking at Indian art, led to the identification of dozens of artists. Links between generations have become clear, as have the influence of brother upon brother, the place of an artist in an atelier, the travels from one court to another and the influence of imported European art. This research, which appears in a two- volume survey, provides the show’s scholarly background.

This is the first time that an exhibition of this scale has concentrated on particular artists, their families and ateliers, rather than on the regions of India or particular patrons and rulers. The Met show begins with examples of the earliest surviving portable images in Indian art. Between the 12th and 16th centuries these manuscript illustrations, painted on palm leaves, were miniaturized versions of the vast murals that decorated Jain and Buddhist monasteries. The images, painted in flat, primary colours, are often the only surviving visual record of those murals.

The exhibition continues through the Hindu Sultanate (beginning around 1500) and into the golden age of the Mughals. One of the last images is a portrait of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II of Jodhpur. The photograph was hand-coloured by an artist named Shivalal. The sitter’s pearls and emeralds, his gold sword hilt and black bristling moustache dazzle in a way that no undecorated sepia print could duplicate. Alas, it did not dazzle enough. The arrival of cameras ended painting commissions.

The most important Indian painting exhibition for decades, “Wonder of the Age” has much to engage, delight and educate specialists and is as inspiring an introduction as a neophyte could hope to find. If you cannot go in person to New York, be sure to buy the catalogue. It is an education and a treat.