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What’s the idea of India?
It is time we stop brandishing the “Idea of India” as a weapon in ideological or electoral warfare and begin to savour its many flavours
Pushpesh Pant
In
the elections just decided, the "Idea of India" was often
invoked as the deterrent to Modi’s juggernaut. The argument was how
can a man who doesn’t share "The Idea" be allowed to
occupy the august office of the Prime Minister of our Republic? The
glibly articulate English-speaking urban elite has long monopolised
the definition and interpretation of the "Idea of India,"
oblivious of the idea(s) of India that people unlike them cherish or
how the "original" idea has evolved through millennia.
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By the seashore, in Mahabalipuram stands the Pandava ratha carved out of monoliths. It revives
memories of the legendary battle of Mahabharata in Kurukshetra. |
Arts
The French connection
St. Tropez Celebrates India gives a peep into the private lives of the Europeans, particularly the French in the Punjab
B.N.Goswamy
St.
TROPEZ , that seductive seaside resort on the French Riviera —
celebrated for its leisured beaches, located not far from Cannes, home
at one time to great musicians and artists and later to the glitterati
of Europe — is not associated in our minds with having any
connection with India. The place has a long history which goes back at
least to the sixth century BC: Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, even the
Japanese, and naturally the French, figure in it. But India? One does
not even pause at the thought. All that the place remains linked with
is names like Coco Chanel and Brigitte Bardot and Pink Floyd and, of
course, with topless sunbathing.
BroadBrush
sports
‘We are ready for the challenge’
Amit Kumar
He is regarded as one of
the best drag flickers. India's Vice-Captain for the forthcoming World
Cup (May31-June15) to be held in the Netherlands, Rupinder Pal
Singh has improved vastly over the last year. Central to the team's
plans, his strong tackling and accuracy are his forte. With 83 caps
already under his belt, he is confident of a good showing but does not
want to be over confident.
Packing a mean punch
A core group of 42 boxers has been selected ahead of the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games
Gagan K. Teja
With
the Indian Boxing Federation announcing the 42-member core-group
probables for the upcoming Commonwealth Games and Asian Games,
the stage is set for a fierce battle not only at the
international level but in the domestic circle as these
probables will now have to fight a tough fight among themselves
to make final cut for these tournaments.
Society
Charge of the Women Wordsmiths
Women may have special concerns but as writers it is unfair to view them only through a gender lens. Like-minded women authors have got together to share their experiences
Ranjita Biswas
There
are several women writers in India today who feel strongly that their
body of work should not be viewed only from a gender lens but be
acknowledged as part of the larger world of literature. But this does
not mean they are not proud of the singular perspective that women
bring to the space of writing
Travel
Of wanderlust, wilderness and wildlife
With Savannah grasslands stretching endlessly, Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya is a perfect blend of adventure and escapism
Manpriya Singh
Where
on earth do you experience the high of an adventure and the joy of
escapism? An African safari holds every promise that a life far from
the madding crowd and maddening routine can possibly offer. The Masai
Mara National Reserve in Narok Country, Kenya, is more than mind
boggling statistics or countless species of animals and birds.
Globetrotting
Entertainment
An unusual
celluloid document
Partition Stories, a
feature-length documentary, has been shot in three different
countries, on two continents
Shoma A. Chatterji
Professor
Vazira Zamindar calls the
Partition the "wound within, the mother of many millions of
individual identity crisis that seem never to go away." She is
among those affected by the Partition. Mara Ahmed with her roots in
Gurgaon in India whose family migrated to Pakistan after Partition,
currently in Rochester, New York and Surbhi Sharma, with her roots in
Lyalpur (now in Pakistan) whose family migrated to Delhi in 1947 met
in 2008 at a film screening in Rochester, New York. As children of
parents and families deeply affected by the Partition, they decided to
make a film on Partition narratives. The result is a feature-length
documentary called Partition Stories.
“The
fire in me is still blazing strong”
Lyricist and poet Irshad Kamil
has given us memorable songs in films like Love Aaj Kal, Rockstar,
Aashiqui 2. The versatile writer says the biggest challenge in the
film industry is to keep one’s talent intact
Nonika Singh
His
songs are on everyone’s lips. Only unlike ‘here today gone
tomorrow’, Irshad Kamil’s wondrous lyrics stay with you long after
these cease to be on the chartbusters list. An average listener might
be perplexed — what is this Ph.D in Hindi, essentially and
intrinsically a poet, doing in films?
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