ART & CULTURE
Keeping alive a dying art
Suparna Saraswati
KNOWN as an ustad kalakar of Devasthanakala (an ancient art of paper-cutting in which the cutouts are made without any previous drawing), Prabal Pramanik is a multi-faceted artist. He does water colours and sketches, besides being a poet and a thinker with philosophical leanings. However, his most consuming occupation is that of a puppeteer attempting to keep alive a dying form of art that once dominated the art and culture of the ancient world. In keeping with his ideology and conviction, Prabal established his gallery in an obscure rural area called Bhamalada, nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas. It is from here that this art hermit contemplates and executes his innovations in the medium of paper-cutting and shadow puppetry.

Bradman, Budget & Hazaribagh
Amita Malik
IT has, indeed, been a heady week, with a choice of programmes which does not often come our way. There was the Budget, with telecasts and broadcasts running according to form, it is the anchoring which mattered. Then the passing of the greatest batsman of all-time, the much-admired and loved Don Bradman. And, of course, there was the India-Australia test in Mumbai.

Architecture of Kasauli churches
Ambika Sharma

ESTABLISHED as a retreat for the British armymen and their families in 1842 this cantonment, Kasauli, houses some of the most tastefully done buildings reminiscent of the erstwhile English architecture. Prominent among these are Christ Church and the Chapel of Lawrence School, Sanawar, built on a spur amidst the placid environs.

Located near the town’s bus stand, Christ Church stands out as a magnificent creation drawing the visitor’s attention with its imposing appearance. A grove of chestnut and fir trees surround this 159-year-old structure. Built in the shape of a cross, the church was built by the British families who also laid the foundation of Kasauli town in 1842. About 30 families, belonging to the Protestant sect of Christians, worship here besides the tourists visiting the town. This historic church was previously under the organisation of the Church of England when it was known as Anglican Church. In the year 1970, it was taken up under the organisation of the CNI (Churches of North India) and is presently managed by the diocese of Amritsar.

The most outstanding feature of this ancient church are the elaborately done stained glass paintings on the main wall above the altar depicting Joseph and Mary on either side of Jesus Christ these leave the visitors spellbound. The glass of this painting was imported from Spain and Italy.

A brilliant resplendence illuminates the church when the sun’s rays fall on these stained glasses. Another pair of stained glass paintings of Saint Barnabus and Saint Francis, attired in a gown with one hand gesturing towards God and the other towards the earth, occupy the left side of the altar.

Adorned with an equally ancient furniture, comprising the well-carved pulpit — where the priest delivers his sermon and the lectern where the Bible is placed for reading — forms the chancel. Pews occupying about 300 persons beautify the nave. Despite lack of proper care, the wooden furniture is still intact and unspoilt speaking highly about the excellent quality of the wood used. Four small pillars at the entrance together with larger grey ones on both sides bearing delicate sculptory decorate the tomb-shaped aisle. A wooden staircase leads to a special balcony meant for higher British officials attending church sessions.

Spaciously built, Christ Church is surrounded by a big garden. Once a lush green, the garden is now a weedy outburst of callousness. A historical sun clock showing the latitude and longitude perched on a stone structure, which was used for measuring time in those days, is still present at the church’s entry. An old clock affixed on top of the church is also seen, though it is not functional any more.

The church now in a dilapidated condition, with cracks appearing in the walls and the white-wash wearing away, cries for proper upkeep and maintenance. The funds which are meagre are unable to pay even for a gardener. The priest, Rev Raghbir Massey, says if the church is adopted as a heritage building by the government, it can go a long way in preserving its architectural value.

A visit to this cathedral enthrals one with spiritual and mental peace which seems to pervade every nook and corner of the church. As the priest exclaims, “The church is a beautiful piece of the 19th century architecture where visitors feel the presence of God everywhere”.

The other cathedral is located amidst the salubrious environs of Lawrence School, Sanawar, about 5 km from Kasauli. Located on a spur, the grey stone structure with fittings of cedar pine emulates a pointed gothic architecture style. Designed by Rev William John Parker in 1850, it was completed a year later.

The imposing structure described as “most English” stands grand amidst the sprawling school building and is representative of the spirit in which the school was conceived. Sir Henry Lawrence, the founder of Lawrence School, contributed richly to the chapel’s construction. A sum of Rs 19,000 was incurred on its construction.

Erected as a memorial to the founder and his family, the Lawrence corner in the north aisle of the church bears a stained glass window erected as a memorial to Honoria, wife of Henry Lawrence. A marble bust of the founder, is the other attraction of the chapel. The walls are replete with memorials of the early Principals of the school as well as old students who had laid down their lives in the two World Wars.

In 1860, the chapel was consecrated as the Holy Trinity Church by Bishop Cotton, Bishop of Calcutta.

Stained glass paintings were the highlighting features those days. A number of such paintings can be seen in this chapel also. This includes a painting on a window above the altar depicting major events in the life of Jesus Christ. It is an example of excellent artistic endeavour. Besides this, Hunt Memorial depicting the birth of Christ, Honoria Lawrence Memorial window and Cecil Line Memorial window add to the chapel’s grandiose.

A visit to these artistically done cathedrals is a must for those appreciating the architectural genius.

ART & CULTURE
Keeping alive a dying art
Suparna Saraswati

KNOWN as an ustad kalakar of Devasthanakala (an ancient art of paper-cutting in which the cutouts are made without any previous drawing), Prabal Pramanik is a multi-faceted artist. He does water colours and sketches, besides being a poet and a thinker with philosophical leanings. However, his most consuming occupation is that of a puppeteer attempting to keep alive a dying form of art that once dominated the art and culture of the ancient world. In keeping with his ideology and conviction, Prabal established his gallery in an obscure rural area called Bhamalada, nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas. It is from here that this art hermit contemplates and executes his innovations in the medium of paper-cutting and shadow puppetry.

Alliance Francaise “Le Corbusier” de Chandigarh held a week-long rendezvous with this great humanist at their art gallery from February 22 to 28. It was an art assemble consisting of Prabal’s spot sketches from his recent stay in France, a book launch and a shadow puppet festival.

It was Prabal’s Ekanak Natikas introduced puppet enthusiasts to an extremely creative and intellectually stimulating art event, probably one of its kind presented in the city. These were theatrical depictions delivering a varied canvas of themes and ideas that were brought forth with the art of shadow puppetry.

“These (the natikas) are bringing out the fine dissimilarities between the old and new style of this traditional art. The contemporary situation deals more with new themes like more of psychological drama as depicted in “Delusion of Time” than a mere lyrical presentation as shown in “Radha Krishan Lila”. Also the minimal material used in today’s modern form of this art is reflective of the sort of dangerous experimentation that I as an artist often perform and like to promote.”

It is the subtle nuances of these recent trends in the medium of shadow puppetry that are responsible for conceptualising the art form from its tradition to modernity. As the artist himself states: “The little points of my recent presentations evoke the flavour of drama in the intellectual way. Let the audience think. Why should I disturb that mental flow by providing a dialogue or any major prop material in the show? Each movement matters and brings out an idea and a response that is spontaneous and yet aesthetic. Experimentation with shadow puppetry is very dangerous and I am a traditional artist, hence, the task becomes even more complex.”

Prabal’s “Delusion of Time” was an interesting abstract presentation of a simple narrative told at the beginning of the show with a short performance time of only 15 minutes and only black chart paper puppets as the material used in the performance. The tale was of a man who travels back into time only to experience the reactions of society and individuals of two different periods that of the French feudal times and the modern day society.

But the cherry on this weeklong delight came with the last day’s show called “Chandi Mahishasura Mardani”, a 40-minute folk-cum-mythological presentation done on the lawns amidst the lamps and mashals, with the rhythm of drums. Just the sort of ambience needed to enjoy such a melodramatic light and sound show. And about the intricately cut puppets dancing behind the screen, it might suffice to say they appeared to be miniature life forms actually coming alive on the screen.

Prabal is indeed a missionary with an artistic zeal and an obsession to rescue the lost tradition of shadow puppetry. “I am taking puppetry to the modern level of theatre that essentially provokes thought because I am of the firm belief that something that creates shock, appeal and also causes disturbance has certainly made its entry into the circuit of success.” Now that is a confident crusader of art! 

Bradman, Budget & Hazaribagh
Amita Malik

IT has, indeed, been a heady week, with a choice of programmes which does not often come our way. There was the Budget, with telecasts and broadcasts running according to form, it is the anchoring which mattered. Then the passing of the greatest batsman of all-time, the much-admired and loved Don Bradman. And, of course, there was the India-Australia test in Mumbai.

But if you were to ask me which programme gave me the most pleasure as well as lifted my spirits in what has become a largely routine media scene, it was ESPN’s timely telecast of the famous interview by Don Bradman on his 90th birthday. If you remember, it was the only long interview he gave, it lasted two hours and has passed into history as precious archive material. What was most apparent throughout was the man’s modesty, sense of humour and integrity. Including as it did generous footage such as his last duck and missed average of 100 runs, he spoke with amazing detachment, saying that not only was he not fully conscious of the importance of the moment until it happened, but that he felt the bowler was also perhaps unconscious of it and certainly did not deliberately spoil his record. His account of his first meeting with Lady Bradman at something like the age of 12, to whom he was married for more than 50 years, was another episode which showed the warmth of the man. On top of the world wide tributes that came to him, this interview, I think, is his best epitaph.

The Budget coverage ran to form and there is little new that one can say about how the various channels and anchors, including Prannoy Roy, covered it. With Star it is always experts speaking to experts at a high level and very well done. I was also a little surprised that “Aaj Tak” with its new-found success, did not carry the Budget speech live from Parliament. But what was new and a pleasant surprise was anchor Shireen, of “Good Morning India” and “Business Report”, fame, anchoring the Budget programme single-handed for Zee News. Shireen is young, bright, articulate, very telegenic and poised. But her greatest strength is her deft anchoring. Unlike some cultural anchors we know, she does not try to out-expert the experts, but, with a firm grasp of her subject, keeps the discussion smoothly rolling by asking intelligent questions and following up comments by the experts. She had splendid panels throughout, as did most channels and sometimes they were the same people, studio and channel-hopping, with, of course, the common man and woman thrown in.

But, with such a good anchor and fine panels, Zee, which presumably planned the format and produced the programme did their best to botch it up. First, there were too many long breaks and interruptions which broke up the flow and the concentration of viewers, which is fatal in such a serious programme. Also totally unnecessary was that long publicity statement by Vivek Kumar of Marg, which was repeated ad nauseum and stated what anyone could see for themselves. He had a weak voice, a very weak TV presence, was long-winded and should have been dismissed in two minutes on the first day. Even more of a disaster was the obsession with Hazaribagh. Vivek had already stated that he had covered North and South Indians as if Indians from the East and West did not exist. But conceding it was amusing up to a point to include Hazaribagh as the Finance Minister’s constituency, to give it prolonged star treatment for four long days at the expense of hundreds of other small cities and towns all over India was nothing short of ridiculous and a grave error of judgement.