Uniquely Indian – Moustache Contests

Uniquely Indian – Moustache Contests

If the names Handlebar, Walrus, Mutton Chop and Imperial don’t ring a bell, head over to the Pushkar Camel Fair in Rajasthan next month for a crash course in facial hair. Traditionally, a luxuriant moustache was regarded as a sign of virility and worn as a badge of honour among Rajasthani men. At the Pushkar and other such rural fairs, a contest is held where Rajasthani men flaunt their moustaches with great pride to win a prize. There are many types of moustaches on display, the humblest being the Handle-bar and its denser version, the Imperial. Some are mutton-chop, merging the side-burn and the moustache, leaving the chin clean-shaven.Some moustaches are all about size, grown to great lengths and kept in a manageable coil in the turban or with a chinstrap. Incidentally, in November itself, across the world in Las Vegas, the Beard Team USA National Beard and Moustache Championships are also being held. For more on the subject, read Hair India: Bizarre Beards and Magnificent Moustaches of Hindustan, by Richard McCallum and Chris Stowers.

An edited version of the article was published in Culturama’s October 2012 Issue.
SMS – Music – Traveller

SMS – Music – Traveller

What is this album about?
Traveller traces the route of ancient Indian gypsies from Punjab and Rajasthan in India to Andalusia in Spain. It attempts to find synergies between Spanish Flamenco and Indian Folk and Classical music traditions, while also highlighting the distinctiveness of these genres..
Who is it by?
Anoushka Shankar is a composer and Sitar-player, who has followed in the footsteps of her father, the internationally acclaimed composer and musician, Pandit Ravi Shankar.
Why should listen to it?
The compositions place the Sitar instrument in the midst of the Flamenco structure, accompanied by the sounds of palmas, cajon, ghatam, tabla and vocals from both traditions. The title track is a celebration of the two percussive traditions, with the Sitar and the Shehnai providing a melodic thread through the composition. In the feisty Buleria con Ricardo, the Sitar and the piano represent the sounds of the East and West, accompanied by the palmas (a hand-clapping typical to Flamenco). Boy meets Girl is a delightful melding of the Flamenco Granaina and the Hindustani Raaga Maanj Khamaj.

An edited version of the article was published in Culturama's September 2012 Issue.

SMS – Games Indians Play – Archery

SMS – Games Indians Play – Archery

One only needs to skim through Indian mythology to understand the reverential place that the ancient sport of archery holds in India. Whether it is Arjuna’s shooting the fish-eye in the Mahbharata or Rama’s breaking the unbreakable bow in the Ramayana, the bow and arrow are more than just tests of strength for a prospective warrior groom of yore. Tribal communities, that have been traditionally skilled at archery hail from many Indian states including the Indian North East and interior regions of Odisha, Jharkhand and Rajasthan. One of the most notable names in the world of modern Indian archery is Limba Ram, who hails from a tribal community of Rajasthan and is currently one of the coaches for the Indian archery team at the Olympics 2012. Some of the other Indian archers who have represented India in the sport include Tarundeep Rai, Satyadev Prasad, Jayanta Talukdar, Dola Banerjee, Rahul Banerjee, L. Bombayla Devi, Chekrovolu Swuro and Deepika Kumari, who, at the time of going to print, is ranked world No. 1.

An edited version of the article was published in Culturama's September 2012 Issue.

SMS – Indian Languages – Marathi

SMS – Indian Languages – Marathi

Marathi (Ma-raa-tee) is spoken predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The word ‘Marathi’ itself is presumed to be derived from ‘maharashtri’ meaning ‘the language of the great land’. It is written in the Devanagari script, just like Hindi. However, as compared to Hindi, it has a heavy influence of Sanskrit-derived words.
The most fascinating literary traditions in Marathi language is the contribution of philosophers and saint-poets like Moropant, Dnyaneshwar, Eknath, Namdev, Chokhmela, Samarth Ramdas, and the prolific Tukaram who composed thousands of abhangs – Marathi devotional poems in praise of the Hindu god, Vittal sung during an annual pilgrimage called Warkari
Contemporary writers, poets and playwrights include Sane Guruji, P.L. Deshpande, Ranjit Desai, Mangesh Padgaonkar, Kusumagraj, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Vijay Tendulkar and Dilip Chitre.
According to the 2001 Indian census, there are 71,701,478 speakers of Marathi in the country with as many as 42 dialects.

An edited version of the article was published in Culturama's September 2012 Issue.

Em and the Big Hoom – Jerry Pinto

Em and the Big Hoom – Jerry Pinto

What is the book about?
At the heart of the story, is the quirky, irrverently funny Imelda Mendes, also called Em, who is also suicidal when in the throes of bipolar disorder. Her husband, Augustine, also called the big Hoom, is the bulwark of the family. The children – Susan and the narrator son, who stays largely unnamed – are given free access to their beloved Em‘s letters and diaries wherein we discover more of her story, particularly preceding and following her falling in love with Augustine. Somewhere in the midst of Em‘s flurry of words and the big Hoom’s quiet presence, we sense the deep love and regard they have for each other.
Who is it by?
Jerry Pinto is a poet, writer and journalist, and has edited several anthologies of essays and poems. He is especially known his pieces on Bollywood and his book, Helen: The Life and Times of an H-Bomb, that studies the roles played by Bollywood actor Helen to draw a study of morality and sexuality, particularly in the 1960s, as perceived in Indian cinema and society.
Why should I read it?

This defining account of mental illness in a family, is written with such lucidity, humour and great affection that it could only come from a deeply personal space. 

An edited version appeared in the September 2012 Issue of Culturama

SMS – Music – Laya project

SMS – Music – Laya project

What is this album about?

The Laya Project is dedicated to the survivors of the Tsunami of 26th December, 2004. It is a confluence of contemporary sound with originalrecordings of folk music traditions from the South East Asian coastal communities ravaged by the Tsunami.

Who is it by?
The album has 11 tracks featuring folk musicians and vocalists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar and India. It is produced by Earth Sync, a Chennai-based record label that combines the classical, the folk and the contemporary, and boasts of some unique musical collaborations from different parts of the world.

Why should listen to it?
The album not only documents musical traditions but also maintains the essence of each regional musical tradition within the larger contextual framework of a world music album. The voices of the folk artistes are raw, untrained and soulful in tracks like Ya Allah, Touare and Nium Nium, while the instruments, especially the percussives dominate in tracks like the vibrant Tapatham and Prem Jam.

Available in formats such as CD, DVD as well as downloadable digital audio files.

An edited version of this article appeared in the August 2012 Issue of Culturama

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