Skywatch Friday - Balancing under the Parisian sky

I was in Paris a few weeks ago and we had gone to see the Sacre Coeur Basilica. Sitting on the steps, I saw this performer enthralling the audience with his balancing acts against an evening sky which threatened to rain any moment.

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The boats and boat builders of Chellanam

Xavier doesn�t remember when he made his first boat . He says he was probably a teenager when he learnt the craft  from his father more than four decades ago  .� In those days, every family in Chellanam used to make boats � he reminisces , looking wistfully into the small canal that borders his house and flows along the village. Small wooden boats float aimlessly in the waters, tossed by the winds. But Xavier�s Kerala has changed over the many decades. Now there are just a handful of people eking a livelihood through this small scale industry in Chellanam, a small hamlet located close to Kochi.

Synonymous with boats and backwaters, no picture post card from this part of the country is ever complete without the quintessential portrait of the fisherman in the backwaters . These country boats or vanjis have been the lifeline of the locals living here. Kids going to school, vegetable vendors selling their fares on the boats, fishermen with their nets , almost every house had a boat .� It is not the same anymore, � says Xavier.� Only fishermen come to us these days, most villagers have left for towns, hardly anyone needs them anymore , � he adds . Xavier makes about four to five boats a month and manages to earn  just a few thousands from them .

A parakeet screeches close by as bright orchids light up his shed. Planks of wood, coir threads are scattered around unfinished  structures of boats  .  Only one of them is almost ready and is waiting to be polished with � fish ghee� which keeps it water proof. The remaining small boats are in various stages of completion.

 Xavier explains that an average boat is about 12 feet long  with a width of three feet and he shows me the hull . Planks of local wood called Aanjili� or Artocarpus hirsutus are tied together with coir and coconut fibre , which are stuffed in between to prevent water from coming inside. He says that the boat would take about a month to be ready .

 

A few houses away from his shed is John�s unit which specializes in making large boats based on orders .There are more hands here as John proudly shows his biggest boat, a 40 feet long with a width of nine feet . Nestling inside is a very tiny boat.� Just a showpiece, do you like it , I can sell it for Rs 3000,� he says.  I politely decline as John explains that the bigger boat will fetch him two and a half lakhs, but the costs he says are fairly expensive.

Elsewhere John�s grandchild is wailing, as his daughter distracts the child by showing him around the unit. � It is our family tradition and we will continue to make boats ,� sums up John as his grandson picks up a small plank.  As we drive past Chellanam, a group of kids wave out to us while  they sail away on their boats.

This story was published in my column Inside Story in The Hindu.  

Say it with flowers - Onam Greetings to all

Happy Onam folks. It has been a while since I visited Kerala and here are some beautiful orchids  from there. I was walking around some small villages around Kochi when I saw some lovely gardens and most of these orchids grow wildly and naturally there

Cambodia - where trees and trunks tell a tale

Roaming around the Angkor complex, I was taken in by the ancient trees that surround the temples. It is the trees that add so much character to the monuments. Like Ta Prohm, for instance. The trees add to the drama here. Here is a story on Ta Prohm that was published in Yahoo recently .

The guide book says that you would need an hour to look around, but I can spend an eternity here. The roots of the silk cotton trees which have an ageless sense around them entwine around the ruins, giving them a sense of mystery. The temple itself may be around 1000 years old, but the trees with their trunks entrenched deep inside the walls take you to a different era. The brown and the green merge with the fallen leaves as the breeze comes calling. 

You do not just look at the structures or the sculptures carved on the walls . Instead your eyes gaze upon  the branches of the ficus trees that curve around the carvings, some of them sturdy enough to hold the entire structure in place , while the others have collapsed, taking in the stony edifices with them.  The leafy branches dangle casually as the birds find a perch. This is Ta Prohm � the 12^th century temple in Cambodia, left in its � natural state.�

For a lot us , Khmer civilisation and the state of Angkor begins and ends with the Angkor Wat , but there are several temples in the region that catch the tourist�s attention. Be it the Rolous group of monuments, at ancient Harihalaya where king Jayavarman II built his early capital or the city of Angkor Thom, which became the later capital of Jayavarman VII, the temples here speak of a civilisation that flourished for several centuries. Ta Prohm is one of the monuments that live to tell a tale.  

A temple made famous by the Angelina Jolie film , The Tomb Raider, Ta Prohm today is often referred to as the Angelina Jolie Temple and guides take you to the site where the roots and the branches of the trees create a vivid impression of the wild, even as tourists pose for cameras. The temple was called Rajavihara or the royal monastery, also referred to as Old Brahma built with concentric galleries, corner stones, gopuras and courtyards.

Walking around, I see the dwarapalakas and the devtaas carved on the walls, even as the trees frame them. I am told that the temple was built for more than 250 deities and the principal deity, Prajnaparamita , referred to the Perfection of Wisdom was carved in the likeness of the king, Jayavarman VII�s mother. The sun�s rays light the dangled roots that lend an eerie air to the temple.

Deep inside the forests, it is hard to believe that the outer area around Ta Prohm was once an inhabited city with more than 3000 settlements. It is deliberately left in its natural state although boards say that restoration work is in progress with the help of Indian archaeologists and officials. This however does not seem to have gone down with the locals, as I hear a guide complain to a group of foreign tourists that the Indian consultants have suggested removing the trees and restoring the temple. As you walk along some of the galleries, you do come across certain restored structures that seem to be bereft of trees.

Walking along the east, we make our way along a path lined with trees to a structure built in sandstone across the moat. Some of the bass reliefs in the shrines can be seem amidst all the ruins around. The roofless structure of the hall of the dancers with the tree trunks winding around it beckon you as you watch in awe at nature�s design over man�s art. And then you realize why Ta Prohm leaves you breathless with wonder. It is nature and man�s hand at its best and you would not like to change it for anything.

Skywatch Friday - An evening in Paris

A beautiful evening by the Siene, I was in Paris barely a few weeks ago..The memories are so fresh that I feel like it was yesterday .

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Madras Day special - Post cards from Madras

It is Madras Day today- the day, a settlement called Madras aka Fort St George was born more than 350 years ago, courtesy the British. Personally I do not think it is a defining moment in the city's history, but it is interesting to see the way the settlement eventually became the city, adding villages that even date back to the 4th century. It is a city that is both old and new , a city to me that is forever in transition.

Every year around this time, I am happily roaming around the streets of Madras (Chennai), the city I call home , walking with a group or solo, soaking in the ambiance and taking some random photographs .Madras to me is not just about a city or its history, the people and their culture .

It is about a place that nurtured me, gave me an identity and a sense of belonging.  It is about a spirit that can never be explained but can only be felt.

If you would like to read some more posts on Madras Day, then you can check Thirty things to do in Madras,  The Birth of a City and other Madras Day Special Posts. 

Eid Mubarak - The Wallajah trail in Madras

Eid Mubarak folks.It is also the beginning of the Madras Week celebrations and my thoughts go down to Chepauk down Wallajah Road. Well it has got nothing to do with cricket though. I did a heritage walk with my friend Anvar around the locality last year and wrote this story on the House of Arcot, which was published in Sunday Herald. On the occasion of Eid and Madras Day, I would like to share this story with you.

Think Carnatic and what plays in your mind is divine classical music. However besides the ragas and thalams, Carnatic also refers to the geographic region in South India, which was once a hot seat of power among various dynasties from the Mughals to the Marathas, from the British to the French and is often associated with the Nawabs of Arcot . A dynasty that started with a siege between the Mughals and the Marathas way back in the 17^th  century , it lasted for more than 200 years ,but the royal house continues till date with the present Prince, Nawab Mohammad Abdul Ali ,who keeps up the tradition till date .Arcot may have been their seat of power, but Madras or present day Chennai is where their home is.

My tryst with the royal house of Arcot started on a wet Saturday morning in Chennai when I went on a Wallajah trail , led by noted documentary film maker Kombai S. Anvar. The skies were covered with a thick layer of rain clouds waiting to drench the wind swept city. The seas were choppy and the Marinalooked vacant and washed out . As we walked towards the Chepauk palace, Anvar traced for us the history of the dynasty.

It was towards the end of the 17^thcentury and the Marathas were trying to establish their base in the South. Aurangazeb, the Mughal emperor sent Zulfikar Khan , an army general to Arcot to contain the Marathas .� The siege was supposed to get over in a few  months, but it prolonged for over six years,� said Anvar, adding, � it is probable that Zulfikar Khan was actually in collusion with the Marathas. � He narrated a story.

�A local chieftain ,Yachamma Nayak .wrote in fact a note to Aurangazeb saying your man was fooling you, if I was given the responsibility,I would  defeat them in a week�s time. � The letter however was incepted and Zulfikhar Khan invited him over for a meeting without revealing his knowledge of the letter and killed him.� He made it look like an accident , by cutting off the ropes of the tent when the chieftain walked in.�  said Anvar. The story however did  not end here. Aurangazeb apparently did get to know about the incident after the siege was over and asked Zulfikar Khan to put the young successor of the chieftain on his rightful throne .

The story in many ways is the beginning of the House of Arcot . Zulfikar Khan was appointed as a Nawab of Carnatic , a title given to him by Aurangazeb and is today officially recognized as the first ruler of the dynasty . � We still refer to the Carnatic as Arcot is yet to feature prominently on the political map then ,� added Anvar.  �Over the six years, the camp slowly developed into a town and the successors eventually made Arcot their capital.�

The dynasty grew  even as the British East India company slowly established its hold in Madras from Fort St George . The Nawabs and the British seemed to share an unlikely friendship, often mutually beneficial to each other . � The stories go that the British used to supply expensive liquor and gifts to the Nawab Daud Khan Panni who in an inebriated state often gave away villages to the British . Sometimes he used to become sober and demand them back too,� said Anvar.

However, his successor Saadatullah Khan or Mohammad Saiyid  was a little cautious and preferred to contain the British and wanted to build a rival fort in Mylapore .I learnt that he eventually built one in Kovalam, on the outskirts of Chennai and invited several merchants ,including  Armenians and the Belgium East India company. �These were revenue states and they needed to earn money to fund wars and welfare schemes , so trade was really important.. � Anvar explained. Saadutullah Khan also found Saidabad  which is today known as Saidapet .Even today if you walk around the area , you will find a mosque, named after him, located  right in the heart of the locality.

Anvar continued with a bit of history as we admired the Indo Sarcenic style of the Chepauk Palace.Internal feuds in the royal house took a bloody turn as the British and the French took sides in the war for succession. Robert Clive and Dupleix clashed in these Wars of Carnatic, but eventually , the British succeeded and the most important ruler of the dynasty, Mohammad Ali Wallajah, commonly known as Wallajah came to the throne .

� Wallajah prefered to move to Madras to stay closer to the British and his wish for a palace in Fort St George was granted eventually by the local governors , but the directors in Britaindeveloped cold feet,� explained Anwar ,adding that there is still a Palace Street in Fort St George . Finally, the area around modern day Chepauk was offered to them and a palace was built for them. Even today you can see parts of the palace called Kalas Mahal and Humayan Mahal where the darbar was held .

Our next stop on the trail is the 18^thcentury mosque built by Wallajah in Triplicane in Chennai. It is the first time I am entering the premises of the mosque and I see a natural pond formed in front of it .We seemed to be completely cut off from the urban strapping and the chaos of the city as we learnt that this is the second mosque to be built in the city. The dargah of  Bahrul Uloom, a highly revered scholar invited by Wallajah to teach  in his madrasa is adjacent to the mosque . �Wallajah personally carried the palanquin of the scholar when he entered the city.�said Anwar, drawing our attention to the chronogram which is right in the centre , above the Mihrab .� Wallajah was one of the most secular Nawab. The chronogram that he selected was written by his Hindu Munshi, Makan lal Khirad. . �

The trail took us right into the heart of Mylapore , where Anvar said that the tank of Kapaleeshwar temple was gifted by the Nawabs of Arcot to the temple and even today Muslims use the tank . Wallajah himself was connected to Mylapore in many ways. Wallajah wanted to be buried in Meccan or Trichy, where another sufi saint, Nather Wali�s dargah is located.� However, he was temporarily buried in the dargah of a renowned scholar, Dastageer Sahib , in Mylapore.�

We finally landed at our last point of our trail, at Amir Mahal, the home of the present Prince of Arcot., a sprawling mansion in the heart of the city. After the death of the last Nawab in1855, the house was heavily in debts . The British eventually confiscated their palace and properties and the Nawab�s successors were moved to Shaadi Mahal. �Eventually the Crown recognized the house as Amir I Arcot or Prince of Arcot and they shifted here to Amir Mahal., � said Anvar, adding that the current Nawab still enjoyed certain privileges such as the rank of a state cabinet minister.

The legacy of the house is still left behind in their arts, culture, secularism besides just their  monuments . The library built by the Nawabs even today stocks books that were gifted to them by the then Governors of Bengal and kings of Egypt. � There was a time when Triplicane danced to the tunes of courtesans and a street  called Ghanabad used to be here where Hindustani music flourished. Why, there is even a story of Nawab . Saadutullah Khan and his noblemen conducting an impromptu mushaira in a church near St Thomas Mount where they wined and dined with the Armenenians, � concluded Anvar as we headed back to the Marina beach.

Skywatch - A sunset in Warsaw

Last week we were walking around in Warsaw old town, around sunset when I saw the sky above and it was so dramatic. We were late for dinner but I could not resist taking a picture.

For more beautiful skies around the world, visit Skywatch .

Travel update - Europe 2012

Well, this trip almost never happened. The doctor decided I needed another surgical procedure a week before the scheduled departure and just as she agreed to postpone it, the husband's office created confusion.  Poland Tourism had invited me to visit their country and I decided that I needed a break and hence had planned a last minute trip to a few other European countries before landing in Poland. Just as I thought I defeated Murphy's intentions by landing in Paris as scheduled, he struck just as we were leaving Amsterdam. The husband's office called him back and lo, after much chaos and confusion, he left for India, while I continued travelling solo to Barcelona and then onward to Krakow. The trip did have its highs and lows...Paris was beautiful as ever...it drizzled a bit as the sun warmed us up. Amsterdam looked colorful , although it rained. Vienna was quiet and unassuming  but Barcelona was sunny and vibrant. We had to give Prague a miss though . Poland was a surprise. It was quaint and the old towns were charming. The castles, however fairy tale like, resonated with tragic historic tales as we walked, explored and took in huge doses of history, revisiting wars and battles lost and won. I am now back in Bangalore..reminiscing and recouping and will post longer updates in a bit.

Skywatch Friday - Boulders in Tiger's Cave

I love Tiger's Cave near Mahabalipuram. Also referred to as Saluvankuppam,  it is barely five kilometres before the main site at Mahabalipuram. While the temples and the mandapas take all the attention here, I am fascinated by these boulders

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Conversations with monks in Bylakuppe

Cosy , picturesque and quiet � Bylakuppe looks like another village lost to the world. Flanked by mountains, dotted with corn fields, the little settlement combines both the ordinary and the exotica as it stands out in the coffee country of Coorg. First impressions change,  as a riot of colours greet the unsuspecting traveller. The waving flags, red robes, golden Buddhas, prayer wheels, colourful paintings and smiling faces give you a glimpse of a mini Tibet in Coorg.

Nestled amidst the verdant landscape , Bylakuppe or the �place of rains� is one of the first Tibetan settlements of Karnataka. The story began more than 50 years ago, during the Chinese aggression, when the Tibetan refugees flocked to India. Karnataka was one of the states to open up settlements for the Tibetans in villages like Bylakuppe, Hunsur, Mundgod and Kollegal.

The hardy mountain folk were not used to the heat. They cut through the wilderness , cleared the forests and created a village. Most of them became farmers, cultivating barley and corn. �By the grace of the Dalai Lama , we have lived a contended life,� says Norbu a farmer who has lived here for the last sixty years.  One of the earliest settlers, Norbu braved the cold and the Chinese to come here. � But most of those living here today were born here and have not even had a glimpse of Tibet,� he adds.

Walking around Bylakuppe, I see a Tanka artist , Namgyal, a second generation Tibetan who was born in Bylakuppe. � I try to imagine what Tibet would look like- the nomads, the scenery,� he says, adding ,� and then I paint the images. � Namgyal makes his living selling his paintings to monasteries, restaurants and to foreigners, while his family sells sweaters and woollen clothes during winters.  I look around and see some beautiful paintings of Gods and Goddesses, embellished with small pieces of gold that comes from Nepal.

I stop by at a small caf� owned by a small family and order a plate of momos. The elderly lady, Tsering sits with me as we talk about her life in Tibet . � Its been a hard life, we left everything in Tibet . But yes, we are now busy with our day to day routine ,� It is business as usual for her, as she speaks to me about educating her daughters and helping them find jobs in Bangalore. Tucking in her apron, which she says is a sign of a married woman, she gives me a toothless grin and says,� It is like your mangalsutra or sindoor.�

In Bylakuppe, time seems to stand still. Pottering around the narrow slushy lanes, life seems to follow a pattern of its own. Children playing at school, old women meditating with their prayer wheels, men playing shopara with marbles and the youth listening to some Tibetan music at local cafes � no one is in a hurry to get anywhere. You look up and see colourful flags fluttering everywhere.  The village seems like any other , with medical centres, community halls, schools, playgrounds, shops and eateries. Tourism has however created a steady flow of income for these people as tourists flock to the monasteries.

Tall shimmering Buddhas smile at us from the Golden Buddha Temple. A miniature Tibet in itself,  a visit to the Lama camp is all that it takes to realize the true essence of the settlement. Scores of boys and men in bright yellow and red robes pour forth from all directions and converge here. This is the centre of Buddhist studies as thousands of monks come here from all over the world . But it is not their story, but the tales of the boy lamas who had walked all the way from Tibet to India that touches our hearts.   

 I meet them while they are returning from their schools , their backpacks flung carelessly around their shoulders, holding their red robes. We meet a 13 year old , Sherab who says he hates Maths . His subjects include English and Science besides Tibetan History and Buddhism . Ask him about Tibet and the playful grin disappears.� My father died in Tibet and I haven�t seen my mother for years. My brother and I escaped and came here a few years ago with many other people. We ran away and walked in the cold..I was scared..I do not remember much ..�

His friend Tenzen has more vivid memories. � I was five when we left Tibet. It was very cold. We walked through the mountains, hid in the snow and it took us more than 20 days to reach Nepal .� A group of boys are playing cricket. Suddenly the conversation veers around Dhoni and Tendulkar.  It�s a different world out here. The boys say that they take their vows when they are eight. � We sometimes take as many as 200 vows .� they laugh , taking it very lightly. I learnt that celibacy is just one of them. 

Some young monks however merge in very easily with the Indian youth.  They discuss Shah Rukh Khan and we speak about Bollywood. � Sometimes we wear casual clothes when we watch a film in theatres, otherwise we often hear ,� hey look, His Highness is watching a film !� laughs one as they say they are a wee bit tired of the holy tag.

Amidst all the laughter is the unspoken word that strongly echoes around � freedom. Tibet for some lies only in their imagination and dreams. As I leave Bylakuppe, I spend a few minutes with Norbu who holds a prayer wheel in his trembling hands and tells me , � I am old, I cant see clearly, my legs are aching . But my last wish is that I hope I will see Tibet at least once more before I die .I am praying everyday.�