India's future is its people

It has been quite a week of celebrations in India full of pagentry, history, colour and contrast.

My own tribute is to the people of this country who are so remarkably inventive, stoical and resourceful.This country's strength is their sheer beauty and diversity and this blog entry celebrates them.

Beating Retreat 2010

That is what troops did at sunset- they disengaged from battle, clocked off for the night, beat a retreat and so the tradition remains.

In India this is done against the backdrop of the north and south blocks of Lutyens famous Rajpath and in the distance the Rashtrapati Bhavan the presidential palace.


We sat at the bottom and looked up this splendid avenue and the magnificent buildings which were showing off their colours of red and yellow sandstone in the fading pink hue of dusk.


On the north and south blocks, the camels,standing on the ramparts, decorated and immobile as statues. In the cupolas, horsemen with stiff uniforms standing silently.

The programme- from 500pm to 600pm was a wonderful collection of marching bands, the Pipes and Drums bands, the Navy and the Air force Bands, the Military bands.


Pipes and Drums in yellows, greens, reds and blues. Coloured  turbans but also flowing capes reminiscent of Scottish traditional dress but with the unmistaken flair of India.


The navy and Air force with smart, sharp and dark uniforms. They played the “Nocturnal Cry” by Capt SA Anchees NM that moved all the participants.


The Massed Bands in formation at the end played “Abide with me” and the bugle calls coming from the north and south block were eerie and wonderful.

As the light faded and the Indian flag was lowered the north and south block and the Rashtrapati Bhavan are lit up and are a sight of true wonder and beauty.

The President's tea party

Driving up to the Rashtrapati Bhavan is always a thrill when you see the star of India and then in the courtyard the wonderful pair of brass cobras curling upwards. Water flows from their mouths and sitting on the  head of one was a mynah bird dipping for drinks as we drove in. The Presidential palace is a very special building, built by Edward Lutyens, but this time we had a chance to enjoy the Mughal gardens, instead of the great state rooms.
The fountains and the water ways were all in perfect symmetry as they were planned, flowing freely their burbling drowned out on this occasion by the dignitaries and the sound of the bugles signalling the arrival of the President in the gardens.The gardens are at their best at the moment and you could close your eyes and picture the emperors and the viceroys enjoying their beauty. There are more than 250 rose varieties and 60 kinds of Bougainvillea. Lutyens wanted Indian varieties to suit the climate and so the gardens have the best and largest collection of Indian Marigold flowers with 13 different varieties. Dahlias of all colors such as shades of pink, mauve, golden rust, red, white, yellow and even red and white striped are blooming now.What was lovely though were the rows of neatly grown vegetables that were also planted in the gardens.

Dignitaries, the military,ambassadors and high ranking civil servants mingled, and snacks and tea were served.The President went on her walkabout and so did we, eager to explore this wonderful haven while we had the opportunity.  
 
PS Instructions accompanying invite :
 

Dress: Service Officers Winter Ceremonial Dress With Full medals,less sword !

Republic Day Delhi 26th Jan 2010

The Republic Day of India marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India and the transition of India from a British Dominion to a republic on January 26, 1950.The main Republic Day Parade takes place at the Rajpath, in the national capital New Delhi, where the President views the parade but state capitals also have their own celebrations.
We were invited along to the Rajpath celebration. We were in our seats by 9.30 am and the fog was so dense it was not possible to see across Rajpath.


Then the announcer said:


"While the atmosphere may be a little foggy today,freedom flows freshly through the air".

That statement captured it all.In 2010 Indians come out to celebrate the day their country became a republic and I was among them.Perhaps it is our colonial past, perhaps our justified feelings of achievements in the democratic process but it is moments such as these where I am moved in a way that catches me by surprise. I hear and see the Indian air force flying in formation out of the mist and the thousands of people who have come out to greet them turn their faces to the skies and I feel their pride and share in their joy.


It was a magnificent parade which went off with the kind of military precision which had Anthony saying maybe they need more of the military in their daily life. I smiled and said look at Pakistan- they are never a good idea.


No cameras, no phones, no bags – nothing in fact- security was very tight and very efficient which means I have no pictures to share with you but want to describe the scenes that stayed with me.


The immense, and I mean immense tanks and warheads. Impressive and daunting for India’s neighbours but interestingly a measured amount of them on display.The biggest one was called Agni, like an aunt of mine.


The camel cavalry – if you can call camels that – splendidly decorated with neck sparklers and tassles. They were followed by the even more impressive Camel Band. Try playing the trumpet on top of a swaying camel.


The army contingents were all beautifully attired and in perfect synch.


The female cadets who seemed to be wearing mini kilts and berets.Fetching.


The mad motorcyclists, standing up on a machine that seemed to travel on its own, closely followed by one where the driver was facing backwards reading a newspaper !

From the cultural pagents, the two I liked best were Maharashtra's float of the Debbewala – literally meaning a person with a box. This is a highly specialized service that seems to have flourished in Mumbai and it delivers thousands of lunches to thousands of businessmen around the city, Approximately 200,000 lunch boxes are sent out, delivered and collected every day. Now that is enterprise for you.

The other one which took my fancy was the float of Indian music instruments. Having just come from Jaipur the number of specialized instruments which are still in use is truly impressive.
More on the presidents tea party tomorrow.

The Jaipur Literature Festival 2010

This is an entry that conceivably could take up many pages, there was so much on offer, so I have promised myself that I will try and convey as much as I can succinctly.

Energizing, egalitarian and exciting – that is what it was for me.

The marquee

Energizing because it was full of the great and the good and we were so privileged to have the chance to be inspired and energized by their presence and sometimes their humbling struggles to print their thoughts and their words. They spoke eloquently and movingly from the likes of Ayan Hirsi Ali "Infidel", to the honesty of Sister Jesme's account of the failures of the Catholic church, to OM PURI reciting passages from TUQLAQ.

The first Dalit writer to write a novel, Sivakami, spoke of the need to create a collective public conscience by Dalits to enable them to fight against the caste conscience. Steve Coll, author of the “Bin Ladens" and“Ghost Wars” for which he won a Pulitzer Prize  spoke of the impelling need he felt after 9/11 to try and explain why it happened and he was able to draw upon his experience as a foreign correspondent in Delhi and in other parts of Asia.

Steve Coll and William Dalrymple

Sadia Shephard a writer and documentary film maker paneled a discussion with Hanif Kureishi , “My beautiful Laundrette” and "The Buddha of Suburbia" and Tania James, with her debut novel “Atlas of the Unknowns” speaking of their mixed identities, which were an impetus for them to explore their roots and to understand them.

Ma Thide, a Burmese writer who movingly told her story of her imprisonment in a Burmese jail where she stuck to her principles and her convictions while near death which made even her jailers say that she was the free person as she was free in her thoughts but they were not.

Shazia Omar, Malashri Lal and Ma Thide

India's changing face was discussed by Lord Desai who was emboldened by the changes and Nayantara Saghai, related to Nehru, who was disheartened by the culture of getting rich quick and the absence of "wonder" for the young.

The compelling story of Lawrence Wright and the “Looming Towers” and how he set about to write the human story of the 9/11 tragedy. The life changing moment for Shazia Omar who also witnessed 9/11 that investment banking was not for her and which made her rethink her priorities and her convictions and her subsequent involvement and support of a group of recovering heroin addicts in Bangladesh which became the subject matter of her first novel “Like a diamond in the Sky.”

Lawrence Wright and Shazia Omar

Egalitarian because this must be the only place in India where it does not matter who you are and what you do. You are no different from the person next to you who walked in off the street. I found this hugely invigorating, democratic and a fantastic opportunity for all those participating to enjoy what was on offer for free. This was of course due to the many many sponsors who support the Literature festival and who deserve heartfelt thanks as do all the organizers.

The likes of Rahul Bose,Vikram Chandra, Shabana Azmi and Suresh Kohli mixed with Tina Brown, Wole Soyinka, Roddy Doyle and Christophe Jaffrelot and adoring fans and children from schools and universities in the area for whom such opportunities are far and few between. The venues were often crowded but it was first come first serve and if you were a celebrated author or an actor and there was no chair you sat on the grass like everyone else. How refreshing that was. I met a young man who was one such inquiring citizen, a young professional teaching engineering at one of the universities of the region who came to enjoy all this with everyone else. This is Gaurav.

Exciting because it was truly that –meeting so many impressive authors and poets, columnists, journalists and activists was such a treat and to hear them close up and enjoy their thoughts, readings and sheer wit. Exciting because you never knew who you might be sitting next to at lunch or dinner as you say "excuse me I am not sure I have met you before" and look sheepishly down at the badge to discover that you are talking to no less a mortal that Steve Coll the author of Ghost Wars or the ever delightful and prolific Alexander McCall Smith.Exciting because Niall Ferguson is as sexy a speaker as you will ever come across and his ability to make the history of money come alive on television was a phenomenal success. His "Ascent of Money" and a "Financial History of the world" were betsellers. 

There were so many amusing moments in the festival beginning with the liveliest of conversations between William Dalrymple and Alexander McCall Smith where the latter explained that he is also the creater of the RTO, the Really Terrible Orchestra which has gone on three successful tours already. He writes 3-4000 words a day and rarely revises his writing and even has a daily column in one of the Scottish newpapers weaving in and out of characters' lives and plots. He is of course very famous for the creation of the series "No I ladies Detective Agency" about a well appointed woman detective from Botswana a country that is dear to him.”Willie" and "Sandy" as they are known to their friends engaged in banter and jokes like a pair of naughty school boys and had the audience rolling around with laughter. Authors like Geoff Dyer, Isobel Hilton and Brigid Keenan captured their audiences with readings from their works which were riotously funny and poignant.

William Dalrymple and Alexander McCall Smith

It was not just about the written word. We listened to Ali Sethi singing in a tribute to the Pakistani Poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Darohar in the Rajastani Oral Tradition while Susheela Raman who is an acclaimed Tamil performer got the audience up and dancing to her beats. I loved the band Rajastan Roots who mix traditional instruments like the khamaicha and the algoza with the guitar and the saxophone. I absorbed the atmospheric readings of William Dalrymple from his excellent new book “Nine Lives” accompanied by the Bauls from Bengal . The Bauls according to the programme “venerate feminine energy, decry the caste system and the fanaticism of the mullahs". Kanai Das Baul and Debdas Baul are real characters from the book in the story of the Blind Minstrel.

The Blind Minstrel

The festival is lively and colourful, free and challenging,and I have covered only a small part of what was on offer each day.For all these reasons, now in its fifth year, it is becoming a victim of its own success. I have no idea of the number of people who attended all I can say is that they came in their thousands and they will keep on coming as this is a true celebration of all that is wonderfully uplifting and creative in the world of literature, music and tradition under a warm and welcoming Indian Rajastani sky.   

Indian seed pod

This is what I saw walking in my green haven today. More on that place in another blog but just to say I am off to Jaipur for a few days and who knows what that will germinate.

My magic carpet

It is not often that a shopping expedition can transport you away.

You usually come crashing to the ground when you hear the price but this morning was a beautiful exception as we were lead into the den of carpets that is the kingdom of the now world famous Mr A Saboor. “Saboor” to his friends and Justine Hardy is among them, while Hillary Clinton was also a guest, is the most engaging carpet seller in the whole of Delhi, perhaps the world.

Hillarys letter of thanksSaboors wall of fame

He looks at you with a glint in his eye, while adjusting his white cap on his head and says stroking his beard thoughtfully:

“Three things have to be the best in life

Your partner

Your house

Your carpets

Because you don’t want to have to go changing any of them do you?”

He showed us the difference between silk on silk and silk on rayon. He burnt threads and held them under our noses. He had the ability to make all of us adopt the most compromising positions as we counted the knots per square inch on these exquisite carpets and then showed us the difference between one of 24 knots compared to the world record of 87 knots per square inch.

He unfurled silk on silk and silk on cotton, wool on cotton and wool alone and we sat there transported to distant kingdoms and magic lands where they are painstakingly produced with the most exquisite colours and patterns, drinking Kashmiri tea which was like manna from heaven complete with petals, cardamons and almonds. Heavenly !

So were we brought back down to earth with a resounding thud I hear you ask?

Well frankly no we were all allowed to float and hover and hum and ha and work out the rupee, dollar, euro equivalent of it all and in all honesty I felt the man was able to make many a girl happy on this day. Need a little warmth and luxury underfoot? Visit Saboor, it is quite the way to start the week.

By appointment only saboor@ncerugs.com