Monthly Archives: March 2015

ASI-protected 14th century tomb gets a whitewash

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, Travel & Tourism
Defaced- Tomb of Khan Shahid, located inside the Mehrauli Archaeological Park. (TOI photo by Rajesh Mehta)
Defaced- Tomb of Khan Shahid, located inside the Mehrauli Archaeological Park. (TOI photo by Rajesh Mehta)

New Delhi  :

A 14th century monument, Tomb of Khan Shahid, located inside the Mehrauli Archaeological Park was defaced and whitewashed some days ago. The monument, protected by the Archaeological Survey of India, used to be brown in colour. Now it has been painted white. Other smaller monuments in the park have also been encroached upon.

“This monument was notified as ‘protected’ in 2008-09,” said an official with INTACH.

Khan Shahid was the son of Ghiyas-ud-din Balban, the ninth Sultan of the Mamluk dynasty during the Delhi Sultanat period. There are around 60 monuments in the Mehrauli Park, spread over 200 acres. The park’s land is owned by Delhi Development Authority but officials say their responsibility is only to maintain the park. “These monuments are ASI’s responsibility, not ours,” a DDA spokesperson said.

ASI officials were not aware of the monument’s status. “We don’t know whether ASI, Delhi Wakf Board or DDA is responsible for it,” said Deepak Bhardwaj, a surveyor with ASI Delhi.

The tomb could well become a cause of contention between different institutions. As per ASI, DDA is the land-owning agency and even outside the park DDA boards have been put up. However, on the freshly white-painted walls, one could see Delhi Wakf Board written in black.

“We didn’t send any painter to this site. But if it is Delhi Wakf Board property then we have the right over it and repair work can be carried out,” said Rana Siddique, chairperson, Delhi Wakf Board.

The tomb is supported on 12 Delhi quartzite columns and is covered with a vaulted roof of brick and plaster. The enclosure measures 4.85m by 3.85m. Hidden by thick vegetation, it isn’t easily accessible. It is easy to miss the turn leading to the tomb as the small plants market on Anuvrat Marg has encroached upon the pavements and the road leading to it.

The structure had undergone conservation work in 1998 as a part of the INTACH Delhi Chapter under the project on 20 monuments within the area. The columns have engraved capitals and the ceiling has inscriptions, geometric and floral motifs in plaster. All this is now hidden under the white coat of paint. Even the tomb is in shambles and needs immediate repair.

“Last week it came to our notice that the tomb and other small monuments in the enclosure are all painted white. It isn’t even maintained well,” the INTACH official said.

There is a mosque and a graveyard in the same compound. One could see people drying clothes on the roof of another small monument next to the mosque. Some people also live inside the mosque. “We are living here for some years now,” said one of them. The encroachers confirmed that last week two painters came and daubed it in white.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Delhi / by Maria Akram, TNN / March 17th, 2015

DOWN MEMORY LANE – Talk about a tomb

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, Travel & Tourism

SafdarJungMPOs16mar2015

Nawab Safdarjang’s tomb used to be a place of halt for the Tazia procession from the Walled City before it ended at the Karbala in present-day Jorbagh

Many have admired Safdarjang Tomb as the last flickering lamp of Mughal architecture but it was left to Dulcie Hamilton, a passing-by travel writer from Melbourne, to remark that it was like “an inverted lotus, just the opposite of the latter-day Baha’i Lotus Temple” (in an age when the Lotus symbol is politically abloom). Both the structures incidentally have an Iranian link as the founders of the Baha’i faith, the “Bab” and Bahaullah belonged to Iran while Nawab Safdarjang also had Iranian antecedents. For this reason, his last resting place occupied pride of place in Jorbagh, the Shia cemetery that extended up to it at one time and was second in importance only to the (Hazrat Ali) Qadam Sharif shrine set up by Qudsia Begum, the wife of Mohammad Shah in the 18th Century. Safdarjang was the Vazir at her husband’s court and later that of her son. It should be no surprise, therefore, that the tomb took pride of place during the Moharrum mourning for Imam Hussain.

The tazia processions that came from the Walled City made their first halt at the palace of Mahabat Khan, behind his contemporary Abdun Nabi’s masjid in the present ITO area and the next one at Safdarjang’s Tomb before finally ending at the Karbala. Mahabat Khan’s mahal does not exist now but his grave is there in Jorbagh.

Another interesting fact that few know about is that Safdarjang’s first Urs or death anniversary saw many Shia divines arriving in Delhi from Oudh and surprisingly enough, a qawwali was also held at the behest of his son and successor, Nawab Shujauddaulah who was reputed to have the longest moustaches in the Mughal empire. He aided Ahmed Shah Abdali in the third Battle of Panipat in which the Maratha confederacy led by the imperious Sadashiv Rao “Bhau” lost. After that Shujauddaulah’s clout in the Mughal durbar increased with the arrival in Delhi from Allahabad of Shah Alam (designated emperor by Abdali).

Safdarjang’s mausoleum, designed on the pattern of Humayun’s Tomb, is a poor imitation. The three-storey tomb in fawn-coloured stone also bears a faint resemblance to Akbar’s mausoleum at Sikandra, but lacks the magnificence of the latter. Even so it is an interesting monument, situated amidst a garden of 300 square yards, and enclosed by a wall at the corners of which stand octagonal towers and a central dome, rising above a 16-sided drum.

Arcaded pavilions, named Moti Mahal, Badshah Prasad and Jangli Mahal, have been, constructed on the northern, southern and eastern sides, like the pavilions in the outer quadrangle of the Taj. It is believed that these were meant for the accommodation of nobles who visited the mausoleum. The tomb has a carved cenotaph in the central chamber within which is another chamber containing two unmarked graves, both with earthen mounds above them. In it lie buried Mirza Muquin, Abul Mansoor Khan Safdarjang, and his wife Banu Begum. The monument was built by Shujauddaulah at a cost of Rs.3 lakhs with a lot of marble and other material being pinched from the mausoleum of the Khan-e-Khanan and other Mughal buildings.

Safdarjang was the head of the Shia Irani Party at the court of Ahmed Shah (1748-1754). His opponents were the leaders of the Sunni Turani party headed by Imtiaz-uddaulah and Imadad-ul-Mulk. Safdarjang, who had succeeded Burhan-ul-Mulk as Nawab of Oudh, died at Faizabad in 1754 and his body was brought to Delhi, for though he had to leave the Mughal court in disgrace after trying to play kingmaker, he nevertheless pined for his days of grandeur in the Capital and desired to be laid to rest there. His mausoleum has a mix of Mughal, Rajput, Iranian and Egyptian architectural patterns jostling for space.

Even so, it attracts a lot of tourists but these days, the water channels – a notable feature – are dry which is a turn-off. The renovation work has been done only on some portions with others are still badly in need of repairs. When one visited the tomb recently under overcast skies, one wondered if yesteryear music ‘mehfils’ could be revived and tazia processions made to converge on it either at Moharrum or Chhelum for the halim dish break that used to replenish the fatigued ‘Akharas’ or sword and lathi-wielding squads in the past. One thing that Safdarjang couldn’t have dreamt about is that 261 years after death his memory would be enshrined not only in the Maqbara but also in the airport, road, hospital and enclave named after him by a generous posterity which only has a nodding acquaintanceship with him.

The author is a veteran chronicler of Delhi.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by R.V. Smith / March 15th, 2015

Abhiram bags Pin Strikerz Bowling Championship

Sports

Local resident Mr. Abhiram clinched the singles title in the Pin Strikerz Bowling Championship held here on March 8 and 9. Mr. Vivek from Hyderabad and Mr. Pasha from Vijayawada bagged the second and third places respectively.

In the doubles category, the team of Mr. Abdullah and Mr. Vamsi from Vijayawada won the championship, while another local team of Mr. Pasha and Mr. Dilip Jain from the city bagged the second place.

In all, 32 participants from different parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana States participated in the two-day championship.

Andhra Pradesh Ten Pin Bowling Association general secretary Smitha Chowdhary was chief guest for the prize distribution ceremony. P.S. Charan, general manager Planet Fun and Praveen Tungala, president Pin Strikerz Group, distributed the trophies, said a press release.

In the doubles category, the team of Mr. Abdullah and Mr. Vamsi from Vijayawada won the championship

source:http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Special Correspondent / Vijayawada – March 10th, 2015

Strands of belonging

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues
Malini Bhattacharjee and Nazrul Haque
Malini Bhattacharjee and Nazrul Haque

In a research paper presented at Jamia Millia Islamia, academics Nazrul Haque and Malini Bhattacharjee highlight why Assamese Muslims are now asserting their ethnic identity alongside their religious identity

The ethnic violence in Bodo Territorial Council areas of Assam has been in the news for some years. Particularly bloody and recurring has been the conflict between the Bodos and the largely Bengali-speaking Muslims, leading to many from both the communities living in uncertainty and fear in camps for some time now. The accusations of the Bodos against the Muslims as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh who occupied their fallow land — and therefore ‘outsiders’— have been at the core of the conflict.

Not just in the Bodo areas but across Assam, the fight against illegal immigration from Bangladesh has been long, and at times bloody. A porous international border, unfulfilled promises of the Assam Accord and both State and National parties perennially playing vote bank politics, have contributed to the protracted problem. The emergence of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) — on largely religious lines — has added to the complexities.

In this din, a critical voice seems to have gone unheard — that of the Assamese Muslims, locally called Goria, Moria or Desi. Many political and religious groups, time and again, have tried tying them to the Bengali-speaking Muslims highlighting their religious identity. However, lately, the community is seen to be asserting its ethnic identity as equally important as its religious identity, thus situating them in a peculiar position in the politically charged and religiously polarised milieu of the State.

The complexities of the topic got rare attention at a recent conference in New Delhi on the North East. Nazrul Haque and Malini Bhattacharjee, from Bangalore’s Azim Premji University, presented a paper — Identities in Quandary: The Complex Narrative of ‘Assamese Muslims’ — at “Reimagining the North East: Narratives, Networks and Negotiations”, hosted by Jamia Millia Islamia’s Centre for the North East. The research paper stood out for throwing light on an important slice of Assam history, often overlooked.

Haque and Bhattacharjee expounded on the advent of Islam in Assam through the invading Muslim armies since the 13th Century; their defeated soldiers taken captive by the Ahom kings creating, first, the Gorias, and later the Morias in the mid-16th Century. While Desis are people from the Koch and Nath communities converted to Islam, they highlight that many others became Muslims in Assam at the call of the Sufi saint Azan Fakir in mid-17th Century.

The Bengali-speaking Muslims, the paper points out, emigrated from erstwhile East Bengal to Assam during the British rule from 1826 to 1947. It “reached its peak during 1971 with the creation of Bangladesh”, leading the 1971 Census to record a 34.98 per cent increase in Assam’s population from the 1961 Census. However, Assamese language and local culture continued to be the binding force for the rest of the communities across religions.

In this interview, the duo states that language being the defining factor of the 1980s Assam Students’ Movement against illegal immigration, Assamese Muslims took part in it but “later became suspicious in an increasingly communal environment.”

Excerpts from the interview:

What attracted both of you to the topic? How long you have been researching on it?

Haque: We both are from Assam and have grown up witnessing the syncretic nature of our local culture (irrespective of religion and in spite of it) and also the changing narratives of that ethnic bonding. For the last few years, we could also sense a tension among indigenous Muslims of Assam and the various reasons for that — rise of global Islam, increasing religious intolerance in India, demand of democracy and politics, controversy surrounding the issue of ‘immigration’, etc. That made us interested in the topic as this case study speaks to a very important and global phenomenon. We did our first field interviews last November.

What is the size of their population?

Haque: There are no government figures, for obvious reasons. However, organisations like All Assam Goria, Moria, Desi Jatiya Parishad quote a number of around 30 lakhs. Some academics point out that in 1901, there were 2,48,842 Muslims in the Brahmaputra valley. The count, as per 1951 Census, was 19,81,859 (15 lakh were estimated to be of East Bengal origin).

In this identity war of ethnicity versus religion, how much are Assamese Muslims under pressure to side with religion? How much of it is political pressure?

Haque: The force of religion is quite powerful, as almost everyone we interviewed had admitted. There are changes in important social ceremonies, food habits, folk music, literature, the way people dress and conduct their daily life. There are political pressures too and more so because of the rise of the BJP and AIUDF in Assam politics, almost simultaneously.

How representative of the community are organisations like AAGMDJP?

Haque: It seems there are too many contradictions even within organisations ‘representing’ indigenous Muslims of Assam. Who are ‘indigenous’ and who are not? However, one fact is important — of all such bodies, AAGMDJP is the only one well accepted by all other ethnic organisations (Tai Ahom Students Union, Ahom Royal Society, Moran Students Union, Motok Students Union, Dimasa Students Union, Sonowal Kachari Parishad, All Bodo Students Union) and for some years, they are almost working together. That was evident in some public meetings we attended.

How much have Assamese Muslims suffered in the Bodo-Muslim violence? How strong is the tendency to club them with Bengali-speaking Muslims because of religion?

Bhattacharjee: There are many layers to this question and they are complex. One thing is distinct — the Bodoland violence was not (only) because of religion. Even now, the stands taken by various groups (including the BJP, the RSS or Hindu Yuva Chatra Parishad) are clear and publicly so — that one can’t club all Muslims in Assam under one religious umbrella. However, interests representing people from East Bengal origin (even Na Asomiyas) definitely try to make it a Hindu-Muslim issue and our sense is that so do intellectuals who don’t have first-hand knowledge of the region.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty / March 11th, 2015

How he built a biryani empire

Business & Economy, Travel & Tourism
Y. Aasife Ahmed, managing director of Aasife Biryani. Photo: M. Vedhan / The Hindu
Y. Aasife Ahmed, managing director of Aasife Biryani. Photo: M. Vedhan / The Hindu

From a pushcart to a chain of plush restaurants…the author gets a whiff of Y. Aasife Ahmed’s success

Y. Aasife Ahmed was not much for bookish learning. “I knew what I was passionate about, and I set about pursuing my dream,” he says. And so at 18, he apprenticed with a biryani cook and later started his own wedding catering business.

Even then, he had his eye set on something much bigger, something he hardly dared to dream of, but he set about working towards it anyway.

What started with five kg of biryani on a thallu vandi (pushcart) on Butt Road in St. Thomas Mount 15 years ago has now grown to 500 kg of biryani per day, served out of four Aasife Biryani Centre outlets all around the city, the latest one being on Anna Salai.

“From the pushcart we moved to a hole-in-the-wall. We still serve take away from that shop. We then expanded across the road,” says Aasife, seated in the well-appointed lobby of the Alandur branch one evening.

I tell him I have fond memories of cycling down the road on my pink Ladybird to pick up biryani and kothu barotta for lunch.

His face lights up as he says, “You must have seen me there then; I was always behind the counter! It is good to meet old customers. In fact, there is one person who has been a regular from the beginning, and he still dines at our outlet frequently. It is the most satisfying feeling.”

While the shop was established as Aasife and Brothers, they have now parted ways. “My two brothers have diversified into other businesses. They do not share the same love for biryani or the potential I see here,” he shrugs, gesturing to the restaurant filled with chattering diners and customers waiting for their take-away orders.

He has hired the same architect and design firm to work on all his upcoming restaurants. They open in Kilpauk this month and in Nungambakkam the next.

But his pet project is the one on OMR. The 39-year-old’s soft-spoken and calm demeanour is replaced by a palpable excitement when he talks about it: “We have five floors, each with a different concept. The kitchen will take up an entire floor, and another will have a floating restaurant. There will also be a large play area for children. I want it to be the biggest restaurant in the country when we launch in May or June this year.”

Aasife’s mantra for both his cooking and his business is quality. “The ingredients should be of the best quality; even if one ingredient is not good, it will ruin the taste. Also, diners want to see a well-maintained restaurant. They care about the ambience, and so my staff are trained to ensure that every nook and corner is cleaned throughout the day. I am lucky to have such a great team of managers who know exactly what my expectations are and carry it out to perfection,” he says.

It is a good thing his favourite food is biryani, mutton in particular, and although he does not cook as much as he used to when he started the business, he does several taste tests a day.

“I go to the gym for an hour every morning. After that I visit the centralised kitchen in Guindy, and each of the outlets. I ask for whatever negative feedback has been received, and we set about rectifying them as quickly as possible,” he says.

Walking around the Anna Salai branch just before opening time on a weekday afternoon, Aasife draws my attention to the wall.

“Our speciality is that we use wood fire to make our biryani. As a tribute to that, we cut up our firewood logs and incorporated that into our decor,” he says proudly, running a hand over the now varnished wood.

“Although this is the newest branch, I feel like I have arrived on the scene with this restaurant. It is just the beginning for me.”

Apart from biryani, Aasife’s other love is cars. “Right now, I drive an Elantra. I would love to get some of the best and fastest cars available,” he says with a grin. But those can wait: right now, his plan is to take over the Chennai biryani market by 2016.

He does, of course, talk of his three children — a girl and two boys — with a lot of tenderness.

“I hope that one day they will take over what I have started here. I want this to be my legacy to them. Although it is my passion, I am doing this for their future as well.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Susanna Myrtle Lazarus / March 08th, 2015

From Bean to Cup

Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Green Products, Leaders, World Opinion

The Coffee Board of India serves as the friend, philosopher and guide to the coffee sector in the country covering the entire value chain

CoffeeBeansKF12mar2015

The saga of Indian coffee began on a humble note, with planting of ‘Seven seeds’ of ‘Mocha’ during 1600 AD by the legendary holy saint Baba Budan, in the courtyard of his hermitage on ‘Baba Budan Giris’ in Karnataka. For quite a considerable period, the plants remained as a garden curiosity and spread slowly as back yard plantings. It was during 18th century that the commercial plantations of coffee were started, thanks to the success of British entrepreneurs in conquering the hostile forest terrain in south India. Since then, Indian coffee industry has made rapid strides and earned a distinct identity in the coffee map of the world.

The Coffee Board

During 1940s, the coffee industry in India was in a desperate state due to the World War II resulting in very low prices and ravages of pests and diseases. At this time, the Government of India established the Coffee Board through a constitutional act – Coffee Act VII of 1942 – under the administrative control of the ministry of commerce and industry. The Board comprises 33 members including the chairman, who is the chief executive and appointed by the Government of India. The remaining 32 members represent the various interests such as coffee growing industry, coffee trade interests, curing establishments, interests of labour and consumers, representatives of governments of the principal coffee growing states and members of Parliament.

After pooling was discontinued in 1996, Coffee Board serves as the friend, philosopher and guide to the coffee sector covering the entire value chain. The core activities are primarily directed towards research & development, transfer of technology, quality improvement, extending development support to growing sector, promotion of coffee in export and domestic markets. The activities of the Board are broadly aimed at (i) enhancement of production, productivity and quality; (ii) export promotion for achieving higher value returns for Indian coffee and (iii) supporting development of the domestic market.

Research and Export Promotion

Organised research in coffee was initiated during 1925 by the erstwhile Mysore Government by setting up the Mysore Coffee Experiment Station near Balehonnur in Chikmagalur district. After formation of the Coffee Board, the research station was brought under its administrative control. Presently the Research Department of the Board with its headquarters at the Central Coffee Research Institute and five regional stations has a sanctioned strength of 113 scientific personnel and is involved in development of improved varieties with tolerance to major pests and diseases and standardisation of technology for improving production, productivity and quality.

CoffeeAreasKF12mar2015

After liberalisation in 1996, the marketing functions were deregulated. The Coffee Board plays the role of facilitator and promoter of Indian coffee exports. However, registration of exporters is the responsibility of the Coffee Board. Under the Export Promotion scheme, exports of value added coffees in retail packs and export of coffee to high value far-off destinations are incentivised to offset the transaction costs to some extent and enable the Indian exporters to be competitive in the export market. These incentives provide opportunities to expand the footprint of Indian Coffee in higher value destinations like USA, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc on one hand and reinforcing presence in traditional markets i.e., European Union/ Russia and CIS etc.

Besides, the Board regularly participates in leading coffee trade shows/ exhibitions held in major consuming countries to promote awareness about quality of Indian coffee to the overseas roasters, traders and consumers. The Board also conducts Flavour of India – The Fine Cup competitions to select fine coffees and expose them to the export market. It also promotes coffee consumption in the country through 12 India Coffee Houses located in major cities across the country.

In India, coffee is traditionally grown in the Western Ghats spread over Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Coffee cultivation is also being expanding rapidly in the nontraditional areas of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha as well as in the North East states. Coffee is predominantly an export oriented commodity and 65 per cent to 70per cent of coffee produced in the country is exported while the rest is consumed within the country. Indian coffee industry earns a foreign exchange to the tune of about Rs 4000 crore. In the international market, Indian coffees earn a high premium, particularly Indian Robusta which is highly preferred for its good blending quality. Arabica Coffee from India is also well received in the international market.

Arabica is a mild coffee, but the beans being more aromatic, it has higher market value compared to Robusta beans. On the other hand Robusta has more strength and is, therefore, used in making various blends. India is the only country that grows all of its coffee under shade. Typically mild and not too acidic, these coffees possess an exotic full-bodied taste and a fine aroma.

India cultivates all of its coffee under a well-defined two-tier mixed shade canopy, comprising evergreen leguminous trees. Nearly 50 different types of shade trees are found in coffee plantations. Shade trees prevent soil erosion on a sloping terrain; they enrich the soil by recycling nutrients from deeper layers, protect the coffee plant from seasonal fluctuations in temperature, and play host to diverse flora and fauna.

Coffee plantations in India are essential spice worlds too: a wide variety of spices and fruit crops like pepper, cardamom, vanilla, orange and banana grow alongside coffee plants.

Training courses in coffee culture and management

The Central Coffee Research Institute, popularly known as CCRI, has grown as an internationally recognised, state-of-the-art research centre for carrying out research on all aspects of coffee cultivation. CCRI is committed to introducing emerging technologies and sustainable package of practices to benefit the coffee farmers. It plays an important role in the development and growth of the coffee agricultural sector. CCRI has 133 dedicated scientists working for the development of newer technologies in close association with a number of international institutes, reputed national institutes and pure science and agricultural universities.

The CCRI, apart from the development of new technologies, is involved in imparting training on scientific coffee cultivation to the benefit of all the stakeholders since 1953. The institute is recognised as an international centre of excellence for training in coffee culture by the FAO, Rome. Candidates from several coffee growing countries are being sponsored for these training programmers by the world organisations like UNDP, FAO or by their respective countries.

CHART

Coffee regions of India

Anamalais (Tamil Nadu): Wildlife sanctuaries in this region are the abode of spotted leopards,while the plantations are home to fine, high-grown Arabicas, including the exotic Kents.

Araku valley (Andhra Pradesh): Home to colourful parrots, it is not unusual to see a flock of chattering red and green birds, darting through trees in this scenic valley.

Bababudangiris (Karnataka): Bababudan brought seven ‘magical’ beans from Yemen and planted them in the lofty hills of this region. Deer is often spotted, grazing alongside plantations abundant with full-bodied Arabicas.

Biligiris (Karnataka/Tamil Nadu): Besides full-bodied Arabicas, this region is noted for the sambar – the largest Indian deer with huge antlers.

Brahmaputra: The mighty Brahmaputra which flows through the North Eastern states is the lifeline of this region which is home to the one-horned rhinoceros. This sturdy animal is found in large numbers at the Kaziranga National Park in eastern Assam.

Chikmagalur (Karnataka): Chikmagalur’s forests and wildlife sanctuaries are abundant with beautiful peacocks, India’s national bird. The peacock loves to show off its colourful feathers, especially during its elaborate courtship dance.

Coorg (Karnataka): Lush coffee plantations are bustling with honeybees which yield the delicious Coorg Honey, collected by nimble-footed tribals

Manjarabad (Karnataka): Gentle sloping terrain with small streams and coffee plants provide a natural habitat for the jungle fowl. This yellow-headed bird with a red comb and multi-coloured plumage is generally seen in pairs, close to the coffee plantations.

Nilgiris (Tamil Nadu): The plantations are home to fine, high-grown Arabicas, including the exotic Kents.

Pulneys (Tamil Nadu): A well-known feature of this region is the bright, bluebell-like Kurinji flower that makes a dramatic appearance, once in 12 years. The high-grown Arabicas however, are a predominant sight, year after year.

Sheveroys (Tamil Nadu): The magnificent Gaur or Indian bison is an embodiment of vigour and strength, much like the boldsized Arabicas grown here. This massive animal with its huge head and sturdy limbs grazes on the lower hill tracts of this picturesque region.

Travancore (Kerala): The national flower of India, the lotus symbolises purity and beauty. These bright, fragrant flowers with floating leaves and long stems, grow in shallow waters in this region noted for its Arabicas and Robustas.

Wayanad (Kerala): Wayanad is home to the Indian tiger, India’s national animal – a symbol of valour and courage.

source: http://www.financialexpress.com / Financial Express / Food & Hospitality World / Home> Cover Story / March 05th, 2015

A celebration of Urdu

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, World Opinion

Urdu’s finest poets, authors, performers and artists from India and other countries like Pakistan, US and Canada come together to bring alive the lyrical beauty and resonating eloquence of the language.

Eminent names such as Javed Akhtar, Rekha Bhardwaj, Gopi Chand Narang, Zia Mohyeddin, Intizar Hussain, Rakshanda Jalil, Ashok Vajpayee, Musaffar Ali, Nida Fazri, Purshottam Agarwal are set to participate in two-day festival, ‘Jashn-e-Rekhta’ that begins here March 14.

The festival is organised by Rekhta Foundation, a non profit body, in collaboration with India International Centre (IIC) to bring the glorious past, the beauty, power and versatility of Urdu.

All the genres of the language can be found in one place through live performances, panel discussions, film screenings and interactive sessions, organisers said in a statement.

The language of lovers, idealists and poets will be celebrated through qawwalis, gazal renditions, mushaira and the 16th-century Urdu oral storytelling art form – Dastangoi.

“Marking its debut year the festival aims to bring the quintessential spirit of Urdu – its inclusive ethos and creative richness and it an annual affair,” organisers said.

National award winning playback singer Rekha Bhardwaj, is set to open the festival on March 13 with her melodious songs.

Other days will see vocalist Vidya Shah and Danish Hussain pay tribute to Begum Akhtar on her birth centenary. A qawwali performance by Dhruv Sangari and an evening dedicated to ghazals by Radhika Chopra and Hamid Ali Khan are in the line up.

Among the debates lined up at the festival is one titled “Changing Face of Mushaira”, which is set to feature Kumar Vishwas of the Aam Aadmi Party with Munawwar Rana, Satyapal Anand and Ravish Kumar.

“The World of Women in Urdu Literature” would see Azra Abbas, Sukrita Paul Kumar and Tarannum Riyaz debate and moderated by Baran Farooqi.

One of the interesting debates include “Internet ke Duniya mein Urdu” moderated by Pervaiz Alam and features Ajmal Kamal, Ali Madeeh Hashmi, Lalit Kumar and Rana Safvi.

“Urdu and Hindi: Convergence and Divergence” would see Ashok Vajpeyi, Kedarnath Singh and Shamim Hanfi in discussion.

Lyricist Javed Akhtar will be in conversation with Sukrita Paul Kumar on the first day which will also see the screening of the film “Garam Hava”.

Book exhibitions, calligraphic art and street plays are among the other highlights of the festival.

Organisers say they want to make the festival a “one stop destination” for Urdu admirers.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> PTI Stories> National> News / PTI / New Delhi – March 10th, 2015

The last LUNA moped in city showroom sold

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Transport

City hotelier Nadeem buys the moped for Rs. 12,000

NadeemMPOs12mar2015

Mysuru :

Luna, the much sought moped by many in earlier days, will now remain as memories as the last moped was sold at a showroom in city recently.

Nadeem Ahmed Khan of Taj Biriyani on Mysuru-Bengaluru highway, out of love for the moped, bought the Luna TFR 49CC moped manufactured by Kinetic Engineering at Kangtani Motors on Chamaraja Double Road bearing Engine No. CJ 13028771 and Chassis No. CJ 03023920 for Rs. 12,000 which included Rs. 1,610 lifetime tax and has got it registered at RTO (East).

In the mid-1980s, the Luna moped from the Pune-based Kinetic Group was a popular brand on Indian roads – a low-cost two-wheeler that helped bicycle riders upgrade to a better mode of transport. It was sleek, stylish, sported a chrome body and had both a regular as well as a pedal kick start.

It was a much sought moped for middle income group as it was giving a mileage of about 40 to 50 km per litre with a speed of 50 km per hour. The customers had to wait for months for the moped to be delivered to them after booking it.

With the advancement of science and technology in automobile sector and new vehicles with latest technologies being launched, the demand for Luna decreased or almost stopped which made the manufacturer stop producing the moped.

Nadeem, speaking to Star of Mysore said that he bought the moped out of love towards it and added that money was not a concern to him as the moped would not be available in the market anymore.

He said that he would keep the moped at his house and would use it occasionally.

It may be recalled that Nadeem had got a sheep from Australia during last Bakrid, had also purchased a huge sea fish and lobsters to serve for his customers at Taj Biriyani.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / March 10th, 2015

Biriyani that Royalty relishes

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Travel & Tourism

Created at Sri Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wadiyar Sports Club, Mysuru

Narayan is seen preparing the famous mutton Biryani at Mysore Sports Club
Narayan is seen preparing the famous mutton Biryani at Mysore Sports Club

by S.N. Venkatnag Sobers

In his recent interview to The Sunday Times, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, who has been adopted to the Mysore Royal Family of Wadiyars, when asked about his favourite food said, ‘‘I cannot say I have a favourite. But, if cornered, I would probably have to go with the famous Biryani from the Mysore Sports Club.”

In fact, he is not alone. Thousands of Mysoreans have been relishing the famous mouth-watering mutton biryani at the Mysore Sports Club over the past few decades.

The man behind the famous mutton biryani is Narayan, who has been working at the Mysore Sports Club for the past 32 years. Wanting to discover the man who created a Biryani that satiated the royal palate, Star of Mysore went to Sports Club to talk to this master chef. He is Narayan.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Narayan said that members of the Royal Family including late Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, Chaduranga Kantharaj Urs, Gayathri Devi, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar and others were fond of the biryani cooked by him.

Mysore Sports Club introduced Mutton Biryani to its guests in 1989 and since then, it has been relished by many. Earlier to this, cooks from outside were invited to prepare biryani during events organised at the club.

Narayan said that he learnt the art cooking biryani through his guru Abdul Sattar, who lived in Mandi Mohalla.

“When I joined the Sports Club as a kitchen assistant, the then Secretaries B.A. Nanaiah and Dr. N.M. Srinivas encouraged me to learn the art of cooking biryani and since then, I have been cooking the delicacy,” he said.

Speaking about his cooking style, Narayan said that he starts preparing for biryani at around 12 noon by marinating mutton and adding necessary masala. Once the mutton is cooked, the half cooked basmati rice is added to mutton and is kept for blending for about one-and-a-half hours. Later, the hot biryani is served to the guests at the Club from 7.15 pm.

Everyday around 15-20 kg mutton biryani is prepared at Mysore Sports Club and not bit of it remains in the end. In fact, the biryani is so famous that even the non-members of Mysore Sports Club do not miss out a chance tickling their taste buds whenever they get an opportunity to visit the club. In fact most of the non-members demand the club members not to book them rooms at the Club but for a parcel of mutton biryani.

Given an opportunity, one must visit the Mysore Sports Club to savour this gastronomic delight.

source:http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / Thursday – March 05th, 2015

American ‘bansuria’ revives his Bong links

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion

Kolkata :

He was born in Woodstock and became a raga exponent in Kolkata, his bansuri featuring in a Grammy-winning album and Oscar-winning film along the way.

Flautist Steve Gorn is in town to perform at a concert presented by Calcutta Classical Guitar Society in association with Flute Lover’s Association on Wednesday.

Gorn had first come to India in 1970. He visited Kolkata a year later. “I had a Western music background. My father was a pianist and I played jazz saxophone and Western flute. During the late 1960s, though, many in our generation got influenced by Ustad Bismillah Khan’s shehnai. I came to Varanasi to explore Indian classical music and even tried the the shehnai. But since I was already playing the flute, I shifted to bansuri,” he said.

Gorn next travelled to Kolkata and began learning bansuri from Gaur Goswami, a disciple of the legendary Pandit Pannalal Ghosh. “I stayed around Gariahat and would take a tram to Shyambazar. That year, 1971, was a troubled time because of the Bangladesh war. Bombs were going off, curfews were imposed and thousands of refugees strea- med in. But I was young and couldn’t gauge the political situation. Now of course I know things better,” he told TOI.

“But back then, the music used to be a lot different from what it is now. Kolkata had an old-world charm and the music I love comes from that era — the music of stalwarts such as sitar maestro Pandit Nikhil Banerjee. For me, it is the ‘bhav’ or ‘ras’ of Indian classical music that is more important than anything else,” he said.

By 1972, Gorn and his wife had spent about 16 months in India. Then came a long gap and he returned again in 1986. “But Indian classical music continued to influence my compositions for films, dance shows and theaters,” he said. It also took him around the globe. Last year, he performed in China, Japan, Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Holland. “That’s why I speak only smattering of Hindi and Bengali,” he says apologetically.

Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia heaps praises on Gorn. “He is a very good musician and a nice human being. We are very good friends and I have visited his home many times,” the flute maestro told TOI on Tuesday.

In 2004, Gorn played the flute for “Born Into Brothels” which was shot in Sonagachi and bagged an Oscar. “One scene is very close to my heart — a boy flies a kite and the flute melody also rises with its flight,” he said.

In 2011, he featured in the Grammy-winning album “Miho – Journey to the Mountain”. “Dhruba, the nephew of Pannalal Ghosh, played sarangi in the album. Miho is a museum in Japan and the music director was invited to visit and create music reflect the Asian artworks that were on display,” he told TOI.

Gorn has also been a part of several Grammy-nominated albums, including two this year.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / by Shounak Ghosal, TNN / March 11th, 2015