yet again ... getting lost ... then enjoying self-discovery ...

A Mouthful of Heaven A slightly edited version finds place in TheHindu Sunday Magazine . Thank you : The team at The Hindu, Richa and Kumar.   Image: Nimesh Ved Sometime last year, during a book launch, I got to interact with the author after listening to his eloquent talk. He, a European, in turn, asked me if my name meant ‘that yellow coloured soft sweet which is had in the mornings’. I was already a fan of Malaiyo, which fits the description, but could not figure out what he meant!   A few weeks later, a friend asked if my name meant a Lucknowi dish available only during winters. A sweet similar to the Daulat ki Chaat she had had at Old Delhi. Vir Sanghvi’s account of the street food festival , at Delhi, where Banaras took the honours, had prompted her question. By this time, I was intrigued and looked up more on Malaiyo, Daulat ki Chaat and of course Nimish. It turns out the dish also has a fourth name – Malai Makhan.   Ashish Mamgain in his article ‘ If you could eat...

a tree Adopted from the poem by Klara Kottner-Benigni Art by tribal artists from India Published by: Katha Year of Publication: 2019 ISBN: 978-93-88284-14-1 Price: 195/- Acknowledgements: Katha The art work makes make an impression from the cover itself. It is stunning - to put mildly. Richness of the art work matches that of the subject. Nature is vibrant and colourful as brought out by the art work.   These images, by 10 different artists, span across distinct indigenous art forms. They bring out, like indigenous art forms do, the interconnectedness of various life forms. From elephants to fishes, they are all there – and look happy to be with the trees. They remind us that human lives too revolved around trees – from food to religion to dance and more. They also convey that when a tree dies it is not just a tree which dies – a lot goes away with it, a lot more withers away. The art work will make you fall in love with trees and if you are already a tree...

Bir . . Cafes, Monasteries and more . .  A fun place to walk and cycle is how I would describe Bir in a line. I treasure my walks in and around Bir the most. Slow and aimless walks where both the mind and feet wander. The phone stays shut. The gentle slopes and friendly smiles too have a role to play.   The first time I read of Bir was a few years ago in The Outdoor Journal . I recall being stunned by an image that showcased humans and birds in the same frame – both up in the air. I understand Bir’s reputation as THE place for paragliding in the country, and beyond, has only strengthened since. It is an experience to lie languorously on one’s back and look at people glide towards what is referred to as the ‘landing site’. Billing is where the take-off spot is.   By Dave Kleinschmidt - https://www.flickr.com/photos/dklein/2281407256/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15455538 Let me chat about the Bir beyond the flying and landing hum...

Friends, Conversations and A Bookstore in Banaras  Warm thanks to the Purple Pencil Project .  Why does he not stock books in Hindi and those for children? A friend I had gone with to the Harmony Bookstore asked me. I pointed her to Rakeshbhai - the curator and owner of this deceptively quaint bookstore. “If I keep Hindi books I need to have a range and number that does justice to the customers and the collection; it makes little sense to have only few books in Hindi,” – Rakeshbhai responded. Similar for books meant for children. “I can suggest bookstores” he added. The Lonely Planet refers to Rakeshbhai’s labour of love as ‘The best bookshop in Varanasi, with a particularly good selection of titles on Varanasi and the Mughals’. Another website praises the ‘poetry collection’. Dayanita Singh too, referred to it as ‘a story in itself’. Illustration: Prashant Mirinda After one of my initial visits (which was incidental) I came across an article by Rakeshbhai where h...

Breaking the Gender Barrier: Not as tough as we assume A slightly edited version of this piece finds place in the Deccan Herald  here . Thanks are due to the team at Deccan Herald. Thanks are also due to Richa for inputs on the first draft.  Indebted to the colleagues for their support.     This discussion is based on recent experiences at a peri-urban school (up to 8 th standard and approximately 300 students) in eastern Uttar Pradesh.   Few months ago we had members from a sister unit come and enquire why the school had asked female students to practice sports at weird times. This, they added, would not go down well with the students’ families and could also lead to unpleasant situations. Teachers discussed the issue and then did what many a time works well in such situations – abstain from reacting. These members were not the only ones to offer such advice!   One of the teachers had encouraged students to practice kabaddi. These students beg...

Notes from Laat Bhairav And edited version of this piece appears in the Hindu Sunday Magazine . Thanks are due to the team there.  I am indebted to Ajay Pandey, Rakeshbhai and Shagufta Siddhi for taking out to help with the images. And of course the photographers – Devendra Singh and Beat Niederer.  Image: Devendra Singh Newspaper reports had got me intrigued of the place. They had images of Ramleela being played on one side and prayers being offered at the idgah on the other. Descriptions went like ‘To the east of the platform Ramcharit Manas ’ chaupais were sung while to the west Namaz took place’ and ‘on the one hand azaan took place and on the other Narayan muni went on with his Narayan, Narayan as the Ramleela played’. This is the Laat Bhairav in Banaras. Couple of colleagues I talked with had never been there. Both of them stayed less than 5 kms from the compound! The third colleague I asked conveyed that I could access it from the road that branches towar...

Towns and books  I have been fortunate to have been based at multiple locations. Couple of these I have enjoyed reading about, couple I have cycled and walked around and a couple I have little idea of.  When I moved to Banaras I was keen to read up. There is, of course, no dearth of written word(s) on the town.  Banaras has over years inspired people (to write) and continues to. Perhaps it touches people and brings out their hiding selves from cocoons. Perhaps it is else.  Getting books too is not difficult.  Few books that I have put time with so far.  Tawaifnama  Keen to read more on Banaras I got this book. The idea was to enjoy yet another facet of Banaras - one which was absolutely fresh for me. The book stood nicely in the cupboard for a few months before I read it.  As I turned pages I dived deep into music, caste, the town, the landscape, their history and how they all connect with each other. And, of course,...

Life Beyond Barriers ~ Published ( with minor edits ) at The Hindu here  ~ ~ Thanks are due to the team there ~ If there is one subject or activity or theme that we could pursue at school what do you suggest it be?   This is a question I have faced couple of times, or more, during recent years. And, one that that on each occasions has got me to think on each occasion. Answers to some questions change as we travel on the road to life, read evolve. This is one such question. Today my vote would go to exposure.   What is this exposure? How will it pan out?  The students can walk the villages, towns and cities located in different parts of our country. Visit homes at these places and interact with more and more people. People who live lives different from those of the students. People who wear clothes of colours and shapes different from what the students are familiar with. People who show their love and affection in a different manner....

Thanks are due to the team at Raiot. Published at Raiot here .  Adults are not reading books. Children are not reading books. These 2 lines one comes across frequently. These are, on most occasions, followed with gyan encouraging one to read. To read more. Most of this gyan also lays the blame – for fall in reading - entirely or almost entirely on technology. In other words, televisions and mobile phones are the reason for people going away from books and reading. Roald Dahl too famously written, “ So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install a lovely bookshelf on the wall ”. Reading has surely come down – irrespective of age. There is little to debate on this. We now see lesser people with books – at their homes or elsewhere, book-stores and magazine-stalls are closing one by one, increasingly books are less and less part of our conversations and so on. However, let us explore the topic furthe...