Raja is not a word, it is a state of being. Raja aadmi means dil se raja – large hearted. Not merely royalty. Merely? Them royals might kill me and the story of Seraikella killings come to mind. Seraikella Chhau on cover of Surya mag (March 1977) of Maneka Gandhi Seraikella is a small principality which […]Read More
Culture is often defined by symbols. So Indus had that dancing girl from Mohenjodaro, which some later day historians claimed wasn’t even really Mohenjodaro or a dancing girl but a girl with hip problems! (Since it is bent at hip). France has Eiffel Tower. Italy has pasta and Leaning Tower of Pizza, err, Pisa. America – such […]Read More
It is considered impolite to begin a sentence with I, me, myself and thereby hangs a tale. The tale of two cities, two cultures. India and Bharat. Modern and ancient. Yesterday and today. I, me, myself is a new malaise effecting us Indians. A new virus. Another virus is calling anyone up anytime just because […]Read More
The year-end always becomes a time for stocktaking. This year let us examine where arts and culture is headed as a nation. Are we a nation? Or an assembly of different states, all knit together with one thread of being Indian. What is even Indian in India of today? Food, fashion or faltu things. Faltu […]Read More
Let’s face books. Not time pass facebook or data, meta, peta. What’s a book? Paper, cover, print and photos? Or, between two covers there are ideas that can change world, inspire individuals or help motivate society? Even move governments or make them fall. But, books today are like the radio of a bygone era. A […]Read More
India being larger than Schengen countries (they have 26 countries, we 28 states plus 8 union territories), how does one even plan or think of one policy for the entire country? Well, we have one on agriculture then why not culture, aver many? Or we have on economic, social, financial and even maybe one on coal and mines! […]Read More
Happiness Class or Curriculum. What an idea, Sir ji. Whose? HH the Dalai Lama, no less. Where? Delhi govt. schools, as models. And thanks to the most sauve Delhi culture-scene broadcaster Rajiv Mehrotra – he of the PBS fame – a documentary got made on the subject, recently screened at the IIC, Delhi. Dr Binay […]Read More
Team L&M Bangalore showed how to dance. It mounted the single-largest gathering on World Dance Day anywhere in India, with over a hundred dancers. It had done this for seven years before Covid times too organised by ace cultural personality, author and critic Ashish Khokar. After two years of very cautious activity and none indoors, […]Read More
Team L&M April 29 is UN designated International Day for Dance. Why it chose a lesser-known French ballet master Jean John Nouverre shows euro-centricism of these agencies, as if rest of the world and its dance cultures don’t matter! India has biggest dance culture: nine main forms, over 100 folk , tribal, ritual forms, add […]Read More
Ashish Khokar A for amiable. C for camaraderie. Ashwani Chopra was a jovial, happy, helpful, happening photographer who served Delhi’s art field, selflessly. Pay him, don’t pay him but he continued to smile. He always had a good word for most. Came to halls to take photos of dancers and musicians unobtrusively. Others do drama, […]Read More
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