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 A new book, Maharaja, recreates India’s regal past. Excerpts...
Royalty revisited
SIGNIFICANT aspects of
what we in the twenty-first century would consider to be the ‘private
life’ of the maharajas — marriages, familial relationships, life
in the zenana, the status of palace women, and the structure
and scale of royal households — were intensely public and political.
A sense of this is conveyed in a work called the Pratapa Prakasha
(The Glory of Pratap) by the court poet of Jaipur, Krishnadatta,
dating from about 1802. In this work, Krishnadatta extols his patron,
Sawai Pratap Singh (r. 1778 — 1803), to the rival Maratha chief,
Peshwa Baji Rao II (r. 1775 — 1818), by elaborately describing his
daily routine.
A depiction of the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh
The kite runners
Hues of 34 nations dotted Ahmedabad skies during the International Kite Festival,
says Azera Rahman
Varied colours symbolic
of 34 countries, including Britain, Germany, Greece, Lithuania,
Singapore and Malaysia, dotted the clear blue skies in Ahmedabad as
the 20th International Kite festival ‘Uttarayan’ was formally
inaugurated by Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
Where women call the shots
Ima Market in Imphal reflects the spirit of independence and self-belief of Manipuri women, writes
Bijay Sankar Bora from Guwahati
Manipur is one place in
India where women have a towering presence in life in different
spheres ranging from art, culture, literature, agriculture and
sericulture to leading mass protests — a regular feature in the
troubled state — from the front. But an unparalleled example of
overwhelming women dominance is Ima Market, or Khwairamband Bazaar, in
Imphal city.
The city of kings
The cosmopolitan city of Lima is a goldmine of fascinating cultural experiences,
writes Nivedita Choudhuri
Peru packs all sorts of
cultures and landscapes into a surprisingly compact area, making it
one of South America’s most tempting destinations. Its capital,
Lima, is a city of contrasts and commotion. Street-sellers scamper
through traffic that idles down streets, flanked by colonial mansions,
pre-Inca ruins, historic churches and museums, full of treasures.
Unfairly undervalued, Lima is a warm and vivid city that has much to
offer.
Truck art
Pakistani artists have found a new medium for the traditional craft of painting on trucks — by transferring the images on items of everyday use
Lanterns, mugs, cups, kettles and jugs painted in colourful floral patterns are just a few examples of Pakistan’s well-known truck art tradition that were showcased by an NGO from the country that participated in the recently-concluded annual Dastkari Haat Samiti festival in New Delhi.
Poison
on the Platter
Mahesh Bhat’s film sheds
light on the frightening impact of genetically modified crops and food
on all living beings, particularly human beings, writes Shoma
A. Chatterji
Eight-year-old
Sunita’s day begins at eight in the morning where she performs
acrobatic feats on Delhi streets at traffic lights. That is her sole
source of living. She continues at her job till the sun goes down.
Moonsoon
Wedding
to be a musical
Madhusree Chatterjee
Those who enjoyed Mira
Nair’s hit movie Monsoon Wedding have something more to look
forward to. The filmmaker has started working on a Broadway musical
version of her film. The musical will feature an Indian cast and will
combine circus acrobatics, aerial acting, theatre, music and dance.
The filmmaker said "she was glad to be back to crossover movies
after her Hollywood sojourn".
Action
for action’s sake
Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock
Holmes lacks cumulative build-up and the absence of suspense is
glaring, writes Ervell E. Menezes
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective Sherlock
Holmes has been endowed with a new image "revealing fighting
skills as lethal as his legendary intellect."
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The Happy and
Harmonious Family
Have Some Chilli
Snakes