The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

An honest act
Sikh driver sets an example

IN a world riddled by corruption and dishonest practices examples like that of a Sikh taxi driver who returned 110,000 Australian dollars, nearly Rs 65 lakh, to passengers in Australia do gladden one’s heart.

Tempting it might be to dismiss Lakhwinder Singh Dhillon’s act as just another random and isolated case, it’s indeed a reminder that not all is lost with the world we have inherited. Certainly this isn’t the first incident of its kind. In Singapore a taxi driver returned $US900,000 in cash to a vacationing Thai couple who had left the money in his cab. Even in India where honesty is considered a dwindling virtue, in Delhi CISF personnel made sure that the bag containing cash of Rs 95,700 found its rightful owner.

However, Dhillon’s act assumes greater significance for it happened in a country where prejudices against Indians run high and where reports have underlined the dismal plight of drivers. The incident, one hopes, would not only send right signals to those in Australia who harbour racial discrimination but even among Indians who sadly have all but written the epitaph of time-tested virtues. As scandal after scandal has exposed the nexus among business houses, ministers and bureaucrats, as India continues to fare poorly on honesty and transparency index, let it be remembered that an average Indian or at least a Mumbaikar has retained good old noble values. A recent survey pointed out that Mumbai is the second-most honest city in the world. An average Mumbaikar returned nine out of 12 wallets he or she found lying.

In times when the country is debating the need for a Good Samaritan law that would provide immunity to those going out of the way to help others, there is an urgent need to build a culture of honesty. A society can find ways and even develop a system to reward Samaritans and build firewalls for honest people. The fifth estate too should stop sensationalising bad news and give due importance and coverage to exemplary acts that can serve as an inspiration for others.

Save libraries
To save democratic values

THIS can happen only in our country. A religious place would continue to stand on a highway, but a library can be demolished on the excuse of widening of an inner road, almost without resistance. Libraries are as such gasping for life in India.

Establishing new libraries has become impossible and maintaining the old ones is a challenge. In such a scenario, it is shocking that the administration of Karnal has thought of demolishing an existing library to widen a road. When the need to widen the road is not as urgent as laying down of a rail track or a highway, other means should be explored to save the library.

The library was established in the memory of a poet whose significance cannot be undermined in this region. Avtar Singh Paash, stood for values of freedom and raised his voice against oppression of all kinds, defying the arithmetic of gain and loss. He lost his life but the poignant honesty of his words survived. It is important for the people to know about their community, collect information from a well-stocked library available locally. Reading in a library is a community-oriented exercise, which should be retained at all costs.

Incidentally, Haryana passed the Public Libraries Act, in 1989. Provision of public library service is a natural corollary to the democratic way of life, for free communication is essential for the preservation of a free society and creative culture. Perhaps, people of Karnal can get some inspiration from the peacefully organised public protests of book lovers against the Brent Council in UK, where neighbourhood libraries were being shut after the cut in budget. Protestors would sit on the doorstep, putting together a pop-up library, in defiance. The pop-up library comprised of books in cartons arranged around the periphery of the library wall, collected from donated books of the supporters for the cause. And they raised £30,000 to fight the case against closure of neighbourhood libraries in the courts. Having libraries is a right of the citizenry and should be resisted if violated.

Thought for the Day

Ours is a world where people don’t know what they want and are willing to go through hell to get it. — Anonymous

ARTICLE

Illegal migrants in Europe
The public mood in all EU members is anti-immigration
by S. Nihal Singh

Illegal migration – those seeking a better life – is a problem that will remain with us for all time, whether they are Bangladeshis coming to India or, on a larger scale, Middle Easterners and Africans seeking shelter in the prosperous West. The flood has concentrated European minds lately because of the scale of the tragedy in the deaths of hundreds of migrants trying to reach the Italian island of Lampedusa.

In the front line of European members seeking the European Union’s intervention are the southern states of Italy, Greece, Spain and Malta, the nearest EU territories to get to from North African shores. These countries’ demand is that all EU countries should share the burden of hosting migrants, rather than leaving the most exposed states to fend for themselves.

Apart from the endemic conflicts in Africa, the civil war in Syria has vastly exacerbated the problem, with more than two million Syrians seeking shelter in neighbouring countries. The situation is getting more desperate in Syria each day and some Syrians are seeking air routes to EU countries to seek asylum.

The crisis of hordes of illegals could not have comes a worse time for the unfortunate fleeing to safety or seeking a better life. The rise of the extreme right in one EU country after another stems from the deep recession Europe has suffered over the last few years, with Brussels-imposed austerity budgets slashing welfare support leading to rising levels of unemployment. The classic case of the rise of the right is in Greece with the Golden Dawn movement gaining electoral strength.

It took the murder of a Leftist rock Greek musician, rather than the frequent murders and intimidation of migrants, that made the Greek government sit up and prosecute and imprison members of Golden Dawn. It has also gathered the courage to strike the party from the state funding Greek parties receive. But this is far from a Greek problem.

In the prosperous Netherlands, the right party of Geert de Wilders is making waves. Germany itself, with its sad past, is not free from the virus of extreme right factions, with a neo-Nazi faction making waves.

In France, the National Front ‘s Marine Le Pen recently won a great symbolic victory at the local level and in Britain, the widespread anti-European integration mood is apart from the recent victories of the UK Independence Party. The most disturbing aspect of this mood in the EU is that it is merging with new waves of resentment against “the other”. The popular concept on the street in European towns and cities is that migrants do not integrate, take away jobs from locals and bring squalor and crime to them.

This is far from the truth because migrants often do dirty jobs and are exploited by employers who offer them low wages while born nationals scoff at doing the jobs migrants do. In a sense, it is human nature to blame “the other” for one’s misfortunes. The worst affected are the Greeks, living as they have been in conditions of severe depression, with sky-high levels of youth unemployment and lifestyles having had to change by the unemployed going to their parents in the countryside to survive. Greeks do not like to talk about their governments entering the euro currency zone under false pretences by cooking their books and the national culture of feather-bedding with armies employed by state enterprises and agencies.

Against this background, the prospect of continuing hordes of the unfortunate arriving on the shores of southern European countries in leaky unsafe boats looks bleak. The recent EU summit was dominated by the leaders’ outrage over US spying agencies hacking the telephone conversations of their leaders, apart from snooping mountains of other data, with the migrants’ problems taking second place.

What can the EU do to cope with armies of the deprived or endangered people landing on their shores to countries that are already coping with their own crises? For one thing, northern European countries have to be more generous in sharing he burden with their southern neighbours. But major EU members need to go beyond the immediate problem to devise a long-term plan to settle and train vast numbers to newcomers to make them useful members of society.

Democratic leaders are vulnerable to popular perceptions because they have to go back to their electorates, and the public mood in all EU members is anti-immigration not only against Africans and Middle Easterners but also in relation to new southern European members who will soon be entitled to seek employment anywhere in the Union.

An attempt at a real solution to the problem can only come from an international effort under the supervision of the United Nations. It is a fact of life that in times of adversity human beings become more selfish and think of their own narrow interests to the exclusion of the welfare of others. The golden era of the European dream is over – hence the temptation of offering a false golden dawn – and the current debates in member countries are laced with scepticism.

In Britain’s case, it has never got over its necessity of knocking on European doors. The germ of revving the glory days of British supremacy in the world will always find adherents to propel the likes of Independence Party, with Prime Minister David Cameron forced to appease his hard line conservatives by offering a referendum on whether the UK should stay in the EU.

Notwithstanding these real doubts among member states, the essence of the European Union is destined to last because it serves a very useful purpose in giving weight to a Europe past its glory days and there is sufficient logic to the euro currency to get the dominant German economy largely subsidising the currency through vast amounts of grants and loans. In a sense, Germany is acting in its own enlightened self-interest because it greatly benefits from the common currency.

These problems do not make the prospect of illegal migrants landing on European shores any easier. The hope is that the essence of European civilisations is profound and humane enough to withstand the selfish winds blowing across the Union.

MIDDLE

Rewinding cherished memories
by Ramesh Luthra

Nostalgia, wow sweet nostalgia. Very aptly do they say it sticks to the innermost recesses of the human mind and resurfaces now and then in glimpses of the past. “The best journey”, as Somerset Maugham puts it rightly “is the one you take by your fireside.” I do love to wander in the days goneby and am richly rewarded with certain images and faces deeply ingrained in my mind, deriving immense succor from them.

Whenever I sit alone the carefree days of my childhood swim before my eyes. How relaxed and slow-moving they were, sans any tension or cut-throat competition. Carrying lightweight schoolbags, gossiping and laughing, we went to school. Getting up with the lark was what my parents believedin.

My mother would hum, “Uth jaag musafir bhor bhai, ab rain kahan jo sovat hai.” We would be up and awake and given a “neem stick” to clean our teeth. Am glad for that because the obnoxious denture is not in my lot even today.

Peeping into the open tin box (rarely left open by napping grandma) of the treasure- trove of silver coins, old rupee notes, pepper-mints and countless knick-knacks, was sheer joy. It made our day whenever she gave us pocket money by opening the knots of her dupatta.

Those were not the times of packed food but of home-made delicacies like delectable pinnis, gajjar ka halwa, besan ki barfi et al. One cannot forget the sumptuous sarson ka saag prepared on the traditional chullah and the makki ki roti with a big blob of white butter on top in winters. Their taste still lingers in my mouth. I feel miserable seeing the children’s craze for junk food now. Scorching summers too would lose their harshness with homemade sardai and kaanji. Blessed were the times when we didn’t have cola drinks.

We brothers had an irresistible fondness for Ovaltine and Horlicks. I heartily laugh recollecting how we tiptoed to kitchen stealthily when our parents would be enjoying their siesta. Childlike, we presumed ourselves to be little Lord Krishna stealing butter. Somehow the left loose lids of the tins or our smeared faces betrayed us. Mother’s charming face beamed with a smile and she gave us a warm hug. Which, with moistened eyes, I can experience even now.

Memory takes me down to holidays. There was the time when we looked forward to a gettogether of relatives, especially cousins. Playing pranks and games like the guli danda and stapu (hopscotch) cannot be erased from my memories as can’t the tapka aam, followed by chilled kachhi lassi.

Equally enjoyable were the much-awaited winter holidays. Cherished hours were evenings around the hearth. It made the hearts warmer than the room itself. Songs on father’s antique HMV gramophone enriched the atmosphere all the more. Enjoying a rich feast of dry fruit and gachak, we muttered and giggled endlessly. It is sad that my grandchildren love to savour only pizzas and burgers.

Uncomparable were the moments when granny related stories under the open skies and the twinkling stars. We would coax and cajole her to go on till slumber took its hold upon us. Grannies have been replaced by ipads and CDs in the “pigeonholes”. Such were the joys of those days, indeed.

OPED

Rekindling traditional music with modernity
Between the classical and Bollywood music, there are many other traditions of music whose potential for commercial success has remained unexplored. The roots music is truly global in scope and approach, if only it is provided with the right platform
Vandana Shukla

RUSTLE: A unique musical dialogue between participating artistes of Jodhpur RIFF, conducted by Cedric Leonardi (extreme right) on the concluding day. Photos: Kavi Bhansali, Jodhpur RIFF

A festival of sounds, in all its myriad shades that we call music, encompassing the music of the roots, of the earth, of rains, and of life's journeys, merges at Jodhpur RIFF(Rajasthan International Folk Festival), to cross borders of genre and geography. Collaborations between different systems of music and cultures create a new synergy. This synergy has produced many stars in the last seven- year- journey of RIFF, from the folk traditions of music.

This year, the genre-independent festival that offers musical sounds in a distinct informality that allows the audience to get involved and feel close to the sounds being played had 250 musicians from across globe. People pay Rs 6500 for a season ticket to attend a festival of folk music! This is something unheard of. And yet people come in hordes from different states of India and from abroad. While NZCCs and other government bodies, 'burdened' with the task of protecting folk traditions cry hoarse for not getting audience, the audience spectrum grows at RIFF for various factors.

Locations rhyme

Maya Kamati

The festival is organised in locations that rhyme with the spirit of the music of the roots — from dawn to dusk. The famous 'Desert Lounge' is held under the full moon sky, on Sharad Purnima night, and is free of electronic interventions of the mike and lights. The natural acoustics of the desert reverberate notes of Rajathani musicians on their instruments, this year they were accompanied by the volcanic eruptions of Bhanwari Devi's vocal dynamo, made famous by her Coke Studio musical dialogue with Hard Kaur in “kattey.” Bhanwari's songs are not 'rendered', in measured notes, they spring, never losing the aesthetic balance. Dawn concerts begin when it is still dark at 5.3o am, letting the musical notes of traditional instruments like sarangi, sitar and kamaycha welcome the sun from Jaswant thada, a vantage point that offers the view of the blue city and beyond. If the days begin with devotional concerts, the hip club nights and exciting collaborations between Rajasthani and Nordic, British, West Asian and Australian artistes conclude the day, and interactive daytime sessions with artistes offer a peep into the unique traditions of music. Film shows make for a complete musical experience.

Banned music

Daud Khan Sadozai

The celebratory notes of Rajasthani folk music may not share any similarity with the angst of Maloya music of Reunion, a small island near Mauritius ruled by the French, but this genre of music, close to the blues of America, found reverberations in the old zanana courtyard of Mehramgarh fort. Maloya was banned until the sixties because of its strong association with creole culture, performances by some maloya groups were banned until the eighties by the French state. But, when Maya Kamati sang maloya songs in a language audience could not comprehend, responding to the beats, to her alaap like renderings, by joining in her song, her music found a new sanctuary. Maya belongs to the sixth generation of migrants who left India as labourers to work in sugarcane plantations in the then Portuguese colony. When they left Indian shore, they carried memories of their songs and rhythms of the drums. Maloya music is said to have African influence, but recently, influences from the sacred drumming of Indian religious festivals has been identified. When the rampart of the fort reverberated with the sound of kayon, an instrument made of sugarcane reeds Maya plays along with her songs, in a way Maya's music had returned home, after a long journey to find a reception that surprised her.

If Maya sang in French, Manu Chao's globally popular Spanish songs made the audience addictive to the rhythm of his fast and furious notes that came accompanied with the sounds of a chugging train, not letting go of nostalgia, of movement, and of migration. His music, with strong influences from salsa, reggae and flamenco, laden with radical political ideology turned the courtyard into a thumping dancing floor.

Music of common roots

RIFF places the best folk musicians from Rajasthan next to the best in the world, from contemporary as well as traditional genres of music, to let them know the worth of their skills. It also helps them keep a tradition alive by infusing new influences. Other folk musicians from the country also join, and a new musical tapestry is formed.

Through the year, representatives of Mehrangarh Fort Museum Trust and Jaipur Virasat Fund, hunt for local talent by visiting villages, listening to artistes and discovering unsung heroes of local traditions. The talents thus discovered are then showcased at RIFF. Many dying art forms are thus saved, by assigning the senior artistes with the task of training the young in their respective genre of music. Bhanwari Devi was discovered two years back by RIFF. This exposure got her invited to foreign music festivals and it changed her life style to enhance her confidence.

This year Dode Khan Fakir, 80, mesmerised the audience with his amazing prowess by playing the wind instrument algoza with extreme élan and grace. The perfection of the tonal quality of Hakim Khan's kamaycha and the range of his trained vocal cords kept the audience in abeyance. Babunath Jogi introduced the audience to the now dying art of impassioned telling of epic stories. He plays the jogiya sarangi while narrating mischievously ironical tales of Raja Bharthari's renunciation, sung by the Nath Panth yogis in the folklore of Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, UP and Chattisgarh.

The legacy of Bhikari Thakur, known as the Shakespeare of Bhojpuri, was introduced by Kalpana Patowary, the reigning star of Bhojpuri popular music industry. Kalpana comes from humble origins, as daughter of a folk musician from Assam, her journey itself is reflective of the transformation of folk music into modernity. It also shows the way how folk music can become a means of earning livelihood by allowing modern interventions and collaborations.

Her Bhjojpuri numbers are not only chartbusters, they make the ringtones of mobile phones of millions of migrants across country. The legacy of Bhikhari Thakur is also the legacy of social change brought forth through popular music, dance and drama. Bhikhari Thakur wrote hundreds of plays aimed at bringing about social reform on dowry, child marriage, caste system, exploitation of women etc.

Musical journey to the North

The roots music travelled away from India to continents with migrants, when these roots reunite with fresh influences of their respective lands, they create global music. When Daud Khan Sadozai of Afghanistan played the heart stirring music on the Robab, associated with Bhai Mardana in the region, joined by Dilshad Khan on the sarangi and Joseph Tawadros on the Oud, an Arabic stringed instrument, the strains of the strings mingled, keeping their distinct tonal quality. The trio played raga Kirmani and an Arabic muqam, to receive thunderous applause. Robab, sarangi, kamaycha, oud or the new age guitar find similarities in the way the instruments are made and strings plucked. They are different stations arrived at on a musical journey.

The journey North took one to the Nordic folk, sounds of the accordion, diatonic accordion and strings introduced by Linda Gytri, Kristoffer Kleiveland and Vidar Berge of APAL, which means an apple tree. If highly popular musicians like Manu Chao bring a storm of sounds that sweep people off their feet, Gytri's music sits close like an intimate friend, holding hands, reassuring solitary moments. The sounds of her music would generate a melodic response anywhere in the world. So, people clapped and tapped just the way they would on bhangra beats.

Collaborate for diversity

Kaela Rowan is gifted with one of the most compelling voices one has ever heard, after performing at RIFF last year, her Scottish folk ensemble that includes drummer James Mackintosh and Ewan Macpherson and Pasty Reid who play highland fiddle, mandolin and jaw's harp(like morchhan played by the Rajasthani folk musicians) collaborated with a selected group of Rajasthani folk artistes and produced some of the most endearing compositions of loss and love and life's celebration. May it be gaelic tunes, thumping ballads, English folk songs or Rajasthani popular folk numbers, instruments or genres of music lost their limitations, the depth and breadth of both systems was enhanced by this collaboration. And it added diversity on the platter for the audience. An impromptu dialogue between jaw's harp and morchhan made the audience ecstatic with the joy that springs from spontaneity in art.

No wonder Jeff Lang, the singer, songwriter and slide guitarist of the Australian roots music, observed, "Their music infused a new life in my songs", on his collaboration with Asif Langa and other Mangnyars of Rajasthan. Roots music from different continents grows organically, because essentially it shares beats and sounds of the earth.

A musical route to scientific discovery

The Roma gypsies had traced their roots to India on the basis of linguistic similarities. The European gypsies found many similarities in their voice culture and musical instruments with the folk musicians of Rajasthan. Now, it has been scientifically proved that all gypsies of the world had migrated from Northwestern India. Molecular studies on the basis of disease causing mutations and haploid DNA markers, collected from 10,000 global samples, supported the view. The STR based network of haplogroup lineage found closest connection of Romani haplotypes with traditional schedule castes and scheduled tribe population groups of Northwestern India. The finding of the study was published in CCMB (Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology) Journal R2R.