|
The path India chose
How can one account for
India’s astonishing diversity? The one word that symbolises diversity
is freedom. It was freedom of the mind and freedom of the senses which
led to India’s diversity, and contributed to the richness of its
civilisation. No other civilisation, not even that of the Greeks, could
have enjoyed the freedom that we had. Remember, Socrates was forced to
drink hemlock! The Christian apostates were burnt at the stake during
the Inquisition and Islam beheaded dissenters. Our ideal can never be
the "melting pot." It can only be the garden of varied
flowers, says M.S.N.Menon.
Using
plays to forge bonds
by Kunal
Khurana
WHEN
social activist and one-time cine actress Mita Vashisht (remember Mani
Kaul’s Siddeshwari) was asked to conduct a theatre workshop for
rescued commercial sex workers at the National School of Drama (NSD) in
Delhi, little was she prepared for what she saw.
Mizoram:
A land as enchanting as its people
by V.
S. Mahajan
IT
is a rare delight to be in this far eastern corner of the country, in
the land of the Mizos. Dotted with hills and thick forests with the
beautiful background of blue mountains, this land is indeed one of
mystery and grandeur.
Antique
furniture makes an old-world statement
by Raaja
Bhasin
IT
seems to be boom time for the Indian antique and art market. Sotheby’s
seems to be purring contentedly and kabariwallahs are well on
their way to becoming socialites — and suddenly, that long neglected
table in the corner is a prized possession.
In the
firing range of feminine wit
by R.K.
Murthi
SOME
beliefs are hard to kill. They are so steeped in our blood that we go
through life with the blinkers the mistaken beliefs provide, remain
blind to the fact that truth lies elsewhere.
There
was divine magic in his voice
by Pran
Nevile
REMEMBERED
as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century, K.L. Saigal was an
outstanding artiste who brought music to the masses. Earlier, enjoyment
of music was a privilege of a few who had access to baithaks or
courts of the aristocracy and the native princes.
An
era of heroic heroines
by M.L.
Dhawan
POPULAR
cinema has since long been dominated by heroes. Rarely has the heroine
in Hindi cinema been depicted as an iconoclast who is willing to stand
up against the established mores. But the heroines are always there.
The
diary down the ages
by D.C.
Sharma
DIARIES
have flooded the markets once again. The word diary originates from the
Greek ephemerides meaning "lasting for a day". The
origin of the diary thus takes us back to the days when this word
indicated the day to day positions of heavenly bodies.
|
