The Art & Craft of Coffee Making

By

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January 20, 2014

coffee culture

I know many friends of mine who drink coffee regularly but do not know that coffee exists in different forms other than instant coffee. There are many who swear by Nescafe Classic or Bru Gold, which they consider premium coffee. I may sound offensive but instant coffee is not the only way; in fact it’s a very bad way of making coffee! Instant coffee cannot match up to brewed coffee’s flavour nor does it have Arabica beans. It uses Robusta beans that are lower in flavour. Don’t know the difference?! Read on…

Is that plant a genius?

That plant might be a genius! It created a chemical that would keep pests away. Fortunately for us and unfortunately for the plant – that plan did not work the way it intended to. The chemical might have averted a few pest attacks, but attracted far greater threat – human beings. The plant I am talking about is coffee and chemical is caffeine.

To begin from the beginning – coffee is from a more mature part of the tree – the seed – unlike other stimulants. The ripe berry is picked and de-pulped leaving us with a seed called ‘green bean’ or ‘green coffee’. Green bean is uncharacteristically bland with a taste nowhere close to that of coffee, but it is valued for its higher antioxidant levels.

It’s an interesting phenomenon to see how this bland green bean turns to a flavourful coffee bean. Coffee bean is a seed and like any other seed is rich in proteins, fats and all necessary ingredients for giving birth to a new plant. When exposed to heat, the fats and carbohydrates in the bean turn into essential oils, which give the characteristic taste and aroma to the coffee bean. The degree of roasting depends on the need or purpose of use.

Grind – These beans are ground so that the surface area of the bean is increased, which makes extraction easier. The bean can be ground or crushed but making the particles uniform will ensure equal extraction, or else the smaller particle will get over extracted and the larger one under extracted. Hence, the burr grinder is used to ensure that the coffee bean gets ground in a uniform way in which all particles are of similar sizes.

Pause – Does under extraction give a lighter coffee and over extraction a stronger one? No. For a lighter or stronger coffee less or more coffee powder has to be used. Why? Under extraction will not get all the flavours of the coffee as the water runs too quickly. It will not get what you want – It will taste sour. Over-extraction will bring out all unnecessary flavours rendering the taste bitter.

Resume –There are numerous ways of converting ground coffee powder to the coffee we can drink. Let’s look at a few of those popular ways:

South Indian Filter

Coffee Filter | Courtesy: Mukesh_Thiru — Coffee-Filter | Courtesy: Mukesh_Thiru

– This is a versatile piece of kitchen equipment, but we restrict its use to making only one type of coffee. It is a simple four-piece equipment – a bottom vessel, a top-perforated vessel that fits on top of the bottom one, a plunger-cum tamper that goes into the top vessel and a lid. Fix up the top and bottom vessel; put grounded coffee (1-2 teaspoons) tamp it down with a plunger. Pour hot water on top. The plunger separates the coffee and water from getting into direct contact with each other. This will regulate water flow and prevent over-extraction. Gravity does the act of pulling water to the bottom vessel. Time consuming process but the decoction is strong and flavourful.
French Press – A beautiful piece with a cylinder, plunger and lid. Put in coffee ground and pour hot water. Fit the plunger and push it down after 2-3 minutes and enjoy the coffee. Coffee grounds come in direct contact with hot water so it has to be at the right temperature. French press is not capable of giving a strong decoction as it does not utilise gravity or pressure to extract it in a concentrated way. So only black coffee!
Espresso Machine – Put coffee grounds into the brew basket. Tamp and fit the brew basket to the machine, and switch it on. The water from the machine’s tank heats and turns to steam. This steam is pressurized and pushed through the tamped coffee grounds. The hot pressurized steam extracts the coffee and flows out. There are different versions of coffee machines – steam-based espresso machines (common) and real espresso machines that pressurize steam (rare).
Instant Coffee – Instant coffee is made by freeze drying decoction extracted from coffee grounds in a factory. Why is it bad? – Generally, low-grade Robusta beans are used as the better quality beans are exported or sold. Freeze drying kills all the essential oils and the coffee flavour. So it is made up with either artificial flavours or other methods. So it mainly has caffeine but loses much of its taste.

Apart from the coffee making process, there is a difference in the type of coffee bean too. Instant coffee uses Robusta beans, while brewed coffee mainly uses Arabica beans. Arabica has a milder, more aromatic taste, while Robusta possesses a stronger, harsher flavour. Most of the brewed coffee varieties we get in the Indian market are blends of Arabica and Robusta.

Specialty Coffee

These are high quality coffees that differ from normal coffee in terms of visual quality or taste. It is a type of coffee that is specifically grown in specific conditions such as altitude, climate, soil, shade grown, plant type, etc. Since all the best conditions come together we get a better tasting coffee and the taste is consistent unlike in blending. Obviously, it is costly too. Categories of specialty coffees are:

Single Origin Coffee – Coffee grown at a single geographical location or estate. E.g. Dark Forest by Coffee Day
Organic coffee – Coffee grown without using chemicals and pesticides are in great demand
Variety Coffee – Certain varieties are known to possess good inherent quality due to the genetic make-up of the plant.

Coffee making is very enjoyable act personally to me and I believe it would be to you too. Take it up and try it. I am sure you would love the buzz, the excitement in the making of a cup and everything else.

Factfile –
http://www.indiacoffee.org
http://www.coffeebeansblog.co.uk
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Alok Nath in Cyber Tsunami?

By

Priyanka Rele

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January 17, 2014

11

All those sports enthusiasts who love going to the stadiums to watch the game are secretly waiting for one other thing. No, it isn’t the popcorn and soda, it’s the “WAVE”. So basically a group of people get up from their chairs raising their hands up in the air, and quickly lowering them back and retiring back to their seats, then the group next to them repeats the same thing, this happens all through the stadium making a wave sort of illusion. It is like a mass hysteria that takes over the crowd and suddenly everyone wants more. The social media too has its own version of waves. Every once a while there comes this huge surge of absolutely hilarious jokes related to one particular individual or incident and takes everyone by storm, something like the trending topics in twitter but this wave is everywhere right from FB, whatsapp, messages, tweets, memes and in some cases videos too. It is just impossible to ignore them; they are like an annoying Bollywood song that slowly grows onto you.

If you still haven’t understood what we are talking about then here it is plain and simple:

Do you remember those CID jokes? Almost everything from ACP Pradhyuman’s hand gestures to Daya’s antics were hilariously illustrated, and then came the ‘Thalaiva’ himself: Rajnikanth, this wave was more of a tsunami and the effects are still felt in a lot of places.

Today it’s all about Alok Nath, no one really knows how and why these particular characters suddenly get so much publicity but you can’t stop laughing your guts out every time someone forwards one to you. Have a look at these one-liners:

Alok Nath believes in ‘Aashirwad at first sight’.
Alok Nath believes the ‘F’ in FTV stands for Family.
Alok Nath carried Hanuman-Chalisa to school instead of notebooks.
Alok Nath eats Prasad as starters.
Alok Nath goes to KFC to eat his favorite ‘Gaajar ka Halwa’.
Alok Nath had all the Senior Citizen privileges since he was 6 years old.
Alok Nath has requested for an ‘Aashirwad’ button to Twitter.
Alok Nath has zero friends because he always turns ‘Dosti into Rishtedaari’.

We found some really funny memes too..

In fact it is not just about funny one liners and memes. These insanely creative people actually write a whole song.. Check these out:

Presenting Lungi Dance in Alok Nath Version..

Dhoti ko thoda round ghumake,
Pandit ke jaisa tika lagake,Coconut ko rassi lagake
Aa jao sare mood banake.. All the Babuji fans;dont miss the chance-
Kanya Daan,Kanya Daan,Kanya Daan,Kanya Daan
Mandir me jab ye bhajan lagega,
havan ke paas aana padega,
Dhoti ko uthana padega,
Aarti karke dikhana padega.. All the Babuji fans;dont miss the chance-
Kanya Daan,Kanya Daan,Kanya Daan,Kanya Daan
Night jaagran me aya mai to,
mujhko rokega kon aur kayko
Mera mood mai Kanyadaan karega-
kisi ladki ke daddy se nahi darega.. Jisko aashirwad lena hai le lo-idhar hi mai khada pair
pakad lo..
Mandir me jake pujari ko puchlo,
mere bare me ‘Alok Nath Memes’ pe padh lo..
Kanya Daan Kanya Daan Kanya Daan Kanya Daan

Today, Neil Nitin Mukesh with his plural names is trending and Nirupama Roy with her soul wrenching sobs is soon catching up. Wonder whats in store tomorrow, lets just hope that these waves never die down..

Image Source
http://www.indiatimes.com

History of Indian Coffee – Baba Brings the Beans

By

TGICB

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January 16, 2014

5

IndianCoffee — Image – Charles Haynes / Flickr

It is said coffee culture is growing in India these days. Is it true? Surprisingly, if we flip the pages of history, we realise that there is a history to coffee culture in India that many of us are unaware. Indian Coffee has had an international journey and has political colours to it as well!

Middle East –> India –> Italy –> Europe –> Indonesia -> America
The coffee plant is evergreen and grows at high altitudes in places close to the equator as it hates frost. It bears berries that are green in colour, which slowly turn crimson when ripe. The seeds inside these berries are the coffee beans we know. Coffee was first discovered in the Middle East. There are various myths on its discovery but the most popular one is the 9th century discovery by the Ethiopian shepherd Kaldi whose goat ate the berries and became energetic and started prancing around. This raised the shepherd curiosity, who felt a rush when he consumed the seeds.

Coffee drinking slowly became popular in the Middle East where it was mainly used for spiritual purposes. Dervishes (Sufi Muslim saint) used to drink the black potion to help them reach religious ecstasy. These Sufi saints used to drink pounded, boiled coffee during spiritual gatherings and the humble café’s in Arabia in early 16th century.

The world did not know much about coffee then. Arabian traders exported coffee only in a roasted/salted format so that they do not germinate anywhere else. An Indian Sufi saint named Baba Budan, went to Mecca for pilgrimage and was fascinated by this dark drink he saw in Mocha, Yemen. He tied a few beans to his belly with a cloth and smuggled the beans out of Arabia. Legend has it that Baba Budan planted seven saplings in South India in 1670 where they grew to become coffee plantations on Baba Budangiri hills in Chickmagalur.

From the Middle East, coffee also went to Europe where it became fairly popular though with some opposition as it was termed a Muslim drink. Only after the Boston Tea Party in and the war in America in the 18th century when tea was scarcely available in America that coffee took over and then never looked back. The global coffee consumption over the years rose to reach 7,358,897 metric tons in 2008. To reach to such crazy volumes, there has to be something in it that drives people to drink it.

Cafe culture in Europe, especially Italy and Austria has been associated with socializing with people. Daily workers used to gather in the morning at the coffee bar. Talk to friends, read the newspaper and drink a shot of espresso to start the day. That’s where the culture of Starbucks originated from and now is used world over by many of the cafes we know. From the spiritual gatherings of Sufi saints coffee moved onto social gatherings in humble Café’s in Europe during the 17th -18th centuries. There were cases like in the Ottoman Empire where coffee was banned solely for the reason that people gathered at cafes and hatched rebellious plans against the ruler. The association of coffee with social gatherings and meeting people is strong, which is a prime reason for people to drink coffee.

The first Indian coffee house came up in Calcutta in 1780, of course to serve the British. Another came up in Madras later. Slowly as the British spread across hill stations and to rest of India coffee plantations went along with them. The earliest coffee plantations in Chickmagalur and Coorg were established in late 19th century. Renowned Kannada folklorist H.L. Nage Gowda has chronicled the legends of early coffee plantations in his “Bettadinda battalige – Coffeeya kathe”.

While the spread of coffee culture was confined to small pockets in South India, its wider acceptance happened after the Coffee Board of India was established in 1942. All major cities had an Indian Coffee House were intellectuals of all kind converged. However, the modern phenomenon of Starbucks cafe culture begun only in 1996 the first Cafe Coffee Day outlet was set up in Bangalore. It catered to the youth as a place to hang out and surf the internet, rather than as a coffee connoisseur’s place.

Meanwhile, Bangalore is set to host the fifth edition of India International Coffee Festival, the flagship event of the Indian coffee sector, from January 21-25, 2014. Do check out this event, which the Coffee Board of India has organised to showcase India as an emerging global coffee destination.

Factfile –
http://www.indiacoffee.org

Day of the Non-Returning Indian? [Infographic]

By

Levine Lawrence

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January 10, 2014

3

NRI Resident Indian Captain Sunil James | Change.org — Captain Sunil James | Change.org

Today India celebrates “Pravasi Bharatiya Divas” or the “Day of the Non-Resident Indian”. Organised under the aegis of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, the event is aimed at engaging the Indian Diaspora across the globe. It is a big day for the government of India – international conferences, elaborate statements by dignitaries, signing of accords, grand cocktail dinners, hobnobbing of the bigwigs, etc. The government puts in its best efforts to showcase the country for returning NRIs and PIOs, encouraging them to set up businesses with large investments.

The theme of this year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is “Engaging Diaspora: Connecting Across Generations”. Quite touching and insightful! However, one look at the recent events can bring down the grand jumbo jet of NRI pipedream and slam it to ground reality! The arrest of Indian sailor Captain Sunil James and Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade are still raw in our collective memories. Particularly, shocking is the difference of treatment in getting these two NRIs released!

In July 2013, Captain Sunil James was wrongfully arrested in Togo on false allegations of helping pirates who had attacked his ship, MT Ocean Centurion. While his family made desperate attempts to secure his release since then, only the death of his child arouse the nation’s consciousness. Soon the government woke up to this personal tragedy and made some efforts. In contrast, the reaction to Devyani Khobragade’s arrest was violent. Both the government and the political opposition were frothing in anger against this injustice meted out by the careless US federal government!

Anyway, let’s return to the larger issue of who are NRIs and PIOs, and how well are they living abroad. While the rest of the world calls them as expatriates, we prefer to call them Non-Resident Indians! An NRI is an Indian citizen who holds an Indian passport and has temporarily immigrated to another country for six months or more. A Person of Indian Origin (PIO) is a person of Indian ancestry born abroad whose ancestors emigrated from India long ago. A PIO is not a citizen of India who has subsequently taken the citizenship of another country.

According to the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, there are around 10 million NRIs living abroad as on 31 December 2012. Similarly, there are 11.9 million PIOs who have settled in 205 countries since the 18th Century when one of the earliest Indian immigrants left the country for greener pastures. Some of their stories are really interesting!

The Great Indian Diaspora Infographics

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Then came the large wave of migrants who were taken as bonded labourers by the British across their vast empire in the 19th Century. Sugarcane farms in Mauritius, Guyana, East Africa, the Caribbean and Fiji islands were filled with cheap Indian labourers indentured by debt. More prominent immigrant communities across the world were:

Gujarati Banias who went to Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, and South Africa
Malabari Moplas who went to Saudi Arabia, Oman and the Emirates
Tamil Chettiyars who went to Singapore and Malaysia
Bihari Bhumihar and Kayasthas who went to Mauritius
Punjabi Sikhs who went to Canada

Despite their widespread presence, the largest concentration of PIO communities are found in a few countries. Being fourth to fifth generation descendents, most of them have lost touch with Indian language, culture and religious rituals. They are:

Malaysia and Sri Lanka with nearly 3.5 million PIOs residing there (mostly Tamilians)
The US comes next with the most diverse set of PIO communities – 1.3 million
South Africa also has a diverse set of PIO communities – 1.2 million
Canada comes next with large number of Punjabi Sikhs farmers – 0.8 million

Surprisingly, the NRI population that has been settling abroad since 1947, has grown rapidly to be on par with the PIO communities. The biggest NRI populations are seen in:

Saudi Arabia – mainly skilled workers and engineers for oil industry – 1.8 million
The UAE – mainly skilled workers and engineers for construction industry – 1.7 million
The UK – mostly well qualified doctors and engineers – 1.5 million
The US – mostly well qualified doctors and engineers – 1 million

While we are not concerned about PIOs since they are well settled in another country, the current state of NRIs is of utmost concern to us. Not only because we love our expatriate brethren, but also their money! The most noteworthy aspect about NRIs is their remittances to India. It would be surprising to note that NRI remittances in 2012 matched the total export revenue of the entire Indian IT industry!

According to the World Bank’s Migration & Development Brief-2013, India was the world’s largest recipient of foreign remittances, earning $71 billion. It was followed by China with $60 billion and the Philippines $26 billion. Obviously, the GCC countries (the Gelf money, boss!) had the lion’s share with 48%, with the US following way behind with just 13%! Again our IT guys have fallen behind. I had expected our Andhraite and Kannadiga IT engineers in the US to be minting dollars!

First published with our media partner – the Indian Republic

Factfile –
http://en.wikipedia.org
http://en.wikipedia.org
http://www.worldbank.org

Global Indian Mindset – what’s that?

By

Levine Lawrence

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January 6, 2014

2

Global Indians Photo courtesy – DFID – UK

“Beloved younger brother,
Greetings to respectful parents. I am fine at my end. Hoping your end is fine too. With god’s grace, and parents’ blessings, I am arriving safely in America and finding good apartment near university. Kindly assure mother that I am strictly consuming vegetarian food only in restaurants, though I am not knowing if cooks are Brahmins. I am also constantly remembering Dr.Verma’s advice and strictly avoiding American women and other unhealthy habits. I hope parents’ prayers are residing with me. Younger brother, I am having so many things to tell you, I am not knowing where to start. Most surprising thing about America is it is full of Americans!”

That was the great Indian immigrant as depicted in the “The Inscrutable Americans” written by Anurag Mathur way back in 1991. The protagonist Gopal Kumar’s comical discovery of America begins this way. He is bewildered by American girls, new gadgets, naked women billboards, vegetarian cats, mobile telephone and multi-channelled colour TV!

Thaipusam Singapore – Image Courtesy Nestor Lacle

That was the era of the ABCDs – American Born Confused Desis – where Indians who travelled or born abroad were not sure to adopt Indian culture or Western. Way back in the pre-liberalised India, the clash of Indian culture with the Western was the hottest topic debated in the media. However, over the years since liberalisation and globalisation, these cultural differences seem to have faded away. Or have they?

The evolution of a Global Indian is aptly portrayed by the NRI poster boy Shahrukh Khan in “Pardes” where he brings the two cultures to meet each other, in a well settled overseas Indian family in “Kal Ho Naa Ho”, an NRI eager to return to India and work towards its development in “Swades” and as an Indian Muslim trying to get acceptance in America in “My Name Is Khan”.

Thaipusam in Singapore – Image Courtesy William Cho

Today, you can be a burger eating, jeans-clad yuppie, who loves heavy metal, but yet remain an Indian at heart. On the other hand, our culture guardians are seriously concerned about dilution of our culture due to Westernisation of our education and entry of corporate business in every aspect of life. Many Indians are confusing Modernisation with Westernisation. Do you think that being a part of the modern society in India needs you to adopt western culture? Modernised countries like Japan and Korea have held onto to their strong cultural roots even today. Do you feel urban India is somewhere losing its cultural identity and giving way to western mix?

Global Indians – Image Courtesy Harsha K R

We at Caleidoscope seek your opinion about the emergence of a “Global Indian” amidst us. The global mindset is too complex to define. Its essence lies in a sense of curiosity and openness to learn about cultures and business environments beyond the familiar. People who have a global mindset are open to actively challenging themselves to operate beyond their comfort zone.

Living and working in a foreign land does not automatically build such a mindset. Several Indians who have lived in another country seek out the familiar even after they have been in their adopted country for years. The people they socialise with are all from the home country. Being immersed in an unfamiliar world frightens most of us. Familiarity is a warm blanket. A global mindset is about actively seeking the unknown, says Abhijit Bhaduri.

So the question is, do we have a Global Indian mindset? Why should we have it and does it help us in enriching our culture?

Youth Power Can Transform the Nation

By

Priyanka Desai

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December 24, 2013

7

Source

Don’t hate me but even I was one of those people who used to say “Iss desh ka kuch nahi ho sakta” until few months back. Nobody can blame me for thinking so as our country is plagued with social evils such as corruption, unemployment, inequality, and what not. I bet none of us can say “Sare Jahan Se Achcha” without a bit of hesitation.

Shockingly, something drastic happened recently, which altered my views. I came across some college students who were involved in politics. I asked one of them “Do you think all your hardwork will pay off? Isn’t it wastage of time?” He replied calmly, “I don’t know whether my efforts will bear fruits or not, but I do know that instead of blaming others I actually tried to make India the nation of my dreams. The satisfaction of trying is enough for me.” He is a common man like us.

Gone are the days when people used to buckle down in the face of injustice, corruption and other social evils. No, I am not saying that we are completely free of them, but the truth is that this fight against them is gradually gaining momentum. For this we should really be thankful to one man for showing us that the ultimate power lies in the hands of a common man.

Anna Hazare, the renowned Gandhian social activist, single-handedly started an anti-corruption campaign, opening up a flood of activism across India. While people from all parts of the society supported his Satyagraha movement, it’s a matter of pride that the maximum support came from the youth belonging to 18-40 age group. Team Anna has already achieved the first stepping stone of getting implemented the Lokpal Bill in the Parliament.

Candle light march for Lokpal Bill – YFS Hyderabad

Inspired by this movement, Arvind Kejriwal, an IIT Kharagpur graduate left his career with the Indian government to form Aam Aadmi Party, which aims to make India free of corruption. Kejriwal, a winner of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, tasted the sweet fruit of success when his party defeated Congress in the Delhi Legislative Assembly election, 2013. Barely over a year old, Aam Aadmi Party defeated the Indian National Congress, which had held office in Delhi for over a decade. So, one man’s voice brought down “The Hand” in India’s political heartland. This is enough to prove that the common people i.e. we are done with the age-old ideas and incompetency of the present ruling parties.

It’s not just Arvind Kejriwal but many other young and educated people harbour this dream of glorious and progressive India. I was pleasantly surprised to observe a number of young and responsible leaders who are serving towards bringing about a change. Many of them belong to political families yet have retained the spirit of common man within them.

youth power indiaPhoto courtesy| commons.wikimedia.org

Agatha Sangma, who holds Masters in Environmental Management from the Nottingham University, UK as well as a LLB degree from Pune University, became the youngest minister in the cabinet council of ministers of the 15th Lok Sabha. Then there are those who are expanding their noble intentions beyond politics to reach out and help the needy. Priya Dutt, apart from being a Secretary of the All-India Congress Committee also runs the Nargis Dutt Memorial Charitable Trust, which played a major role in bringing medical aid to villagers affected by Bihar flood in 2008. Milind Deora, the youngest member of Lok Sabha, runs SPARSH, which aims to educate students in computers.

The need of the hour is that more such educated young people with broader perspective and definite line of action should take leadership among political parties, since it is their zealous approach and determination which is likely to bear success.

More young people from the society’s working class need to stand up and take responsibility. I am not against young leaders from political background taking the lead, but in my opinion they are somewhat sheltered from the harsh reality, which blinkers them. If these people and a representative from the working class of the society work together, trust me the results will be pleasantly surprising!

I would like to bring to your notice the youth movement that is presently active in almost all colleges across the nation. Students’ union is the first step towards achieving this larger goal. It is among students that energy meet ideas and aggression meets inspiration. What could start as a discussion soon turns into a mass movement. India has already witnessed a student union led movement entering the political scene – Asom Gana Parishad led by a student leader, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, the All Assam Students Union became the ruling party way back in 1985!

Remember neither Gandhiji nor Sardar Patel had a political background in their upbringing yet they were able to free our nation, so why can’t we? So next time friends, when you see a young girls and boys speaking passionately about the nation and politics do not take them for granted!

Lost Capitals of the Deccan – Small Towns, Big Hearts

By

Anannya Deb

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December 20, 2013

2

Rediscovering Forgotten Towns of India

Across the vast stretches of Indian history, lie some forgotten little towns. These small towns were once the sprawling capitals of mighty empires, but are today lost in the pages of history. Our in-house Ibn Battuta, Anannya Deb has gone across the Deccan to rediscover these gems.

The Deccan: A Land of Powerful Dynasties

In the period between the waning of the Gupta Empire in the 5th Century till the arrival of Muhammad bin Tughlaq in the 12th Century, the Deccan region served as a revolving door for a series of large dynasties. The Kadambas, the Chalukyas, and the Hoysalas of Karnataka; the Rashtrakutas, the Shilaharas and the Deogiri (Devagiri) Yadavs of Maharashtra; and the Kalachuris, the Ikshavakus and the Kakatiyas of Andhra Pradesh were some of the most prominent ones.

Legacy of Art and Architecture

Sasivekalu Ganesha Hampi — Tungabhadra Crossing Hampi

While many of these empires were later subsumed by the succeeding empires of the Bahmanis, the Vijayanagarans, the Marathas, and ultimately the Mughals, the legacy of these empires in art, architecture and culture is immense. To truly understand the scope of these empires, we must necessarily travel to some innocuous looking small towns of the Deccan.

Banavasi: Karnataka’s Hidden Historical Gem

Madhukeswara Banavasi — Madhukeswara Temple, Banavasi | Anannya Deb

For starters, we could go to Banavasi in the Uttar Kannada district of Karnataka, about 100km south west of Hubli. The tourist literature on most travel sites say this is a base for heading into the forests or to go to the Jog falls. It is even marketed as a rural tourism project with a eco-tourism oriented holiday centre. For a leisure-seeking tourist like me, that is a charm by itself.

Banavasi’s Importance in Indian Culture

Lost Capitals Madhukeswara Temple Banavasi — Madhukeswara Temple, Banavasi | Anannya Deb

However, for those enquiring into Indian culture, Banavasi is an important place. It is the capital of the Kadambas, the first major empire to spring up in the Deccan region. The Aihole Inscription of Pulakesin II describes Banavasi as “Vanavasi, which for a girdle has the rows of hamsa birds that sport the high waves of the Varada as their play place and which by its wealth rivalled the city of the gods” (Source: Epigraphica Indica, 1901).

Banavasi Today: A Quiet Village with a Rich History

Now inscriptions are known to be hagiographical in nature and hyperbole is an accepted literary quality. However, even discounting the exaggeration, we can reasonably conclude that that this town was fairly wealthy and prosperous as befits a large capital city. And this is how it looks today…

Banavasi’s Rustic Ambience and Historical Roots

Banavasi looks like any other village with its completely rustic ambience. Anyone passing by would have no idea of its history. Established in 345CE by Mayurasharma, the Kadambas were the first ones to use Kannada as a medium of official administration. The Kadambas were later defeated by the Chalukyans. In the 8th Century, they built the Madhukeshwara Temple, which has been built over many centuries by various dynasties including Chalukya and Hoysala kingdoms. Madhukeshwara Temple has all the typical Chalukyan elements – ornate pillars, the shikaras, etc. however, the dancing hall in the front of the sanctum sanctorum was built during the Hoysala period, which has some exquisite carvings on pillars and on the ceiling.

Badami: Another Landmark in Karnataka’s History

Badami Cave temples — Badami Cave Temples | Amit Rawat

To understand the Chalukyan legacy, we must visit another small town in Karnataka. Badami located in Bagalkot district – a three-hour bus ride eastwards from Hubli – is a slightly more urbanised version of Banavasi.

Badami: The Capital of the Early Chalukyas

This was where the Early Chalukyas (Badami Chalukyas) led by Pulakesin I established his capital. Vatapipuri, as it was was called then, stands on two rock outcrops on either side of the lake that are named after the Asura brothers – Vatapi and Ilvala. The lake is named as Agastya Tank, which is a reference to a mythological tale, where Agastya a revered Hindu sage neutralised the powers of the demonic brothers.

The Architectural Legacy of the Chalukyas

Badami view from cave — Badami View from Cave | Rakhee

From a cultural point of view, the Badami Chalukyas were pioneers of temple architecture. All the great classical architecture of temples in the Deccan and southern India owe their origins to the Chalukyan architecture. As many art historians have reckoned, Badami and the nearby sites of Aihole and Pattadakkal were the design studios for sculptors to try out new forms of expression. The temples of Kanchipuram, Mammallapuram, Hampi and many others draw heavily from the Chalukyan style.

Kannada Literature and Chalukyan Patronage

Besides temple architecture, the Chalukyas of Badami brought in another tradition – they wrote many of their royal inscriptions in Kannada. The Kadambas were the first to patronise Kannada as evident from some 5th Century coins found there. But the Chalukyas took it to another level. This marked a breakaway from the traditional seat of honour given to Sanskrit. The inscriptions in Badami dating back to the 6th Century are considered to be the earliest available literature in Kannada. Thus, as historians like Romila Thapar writes in her book Early India, the royal patronage for a people’s language like Kannada marked a new beginning as people could now express themselves without having to study Sanskrit. It empowered the lower castes who were denied access to Sanskrit, to create their own literature, which many centuries later would evolve into the beautiful Bhakti movement poetry.

Takeaway

Endowed with such rich heritage, these two towns – Banavasi and Badami – within their diminutive state hide some important gems in the making of Indian culture. The lost pages of Indian history can be rediscovered in these quaint little lost capitals of the Deccan.

Factfile –

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Indian_history
http://archive.org/stream/EpigraphiaIndicaVol6/Epigraphia%20Indica_Vol%206_djvu.txt
https://maps.google.co.in/maps?
http://evenfewergoats.blogspot.in/2013/06/a-day-out-from-badami.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agastya#Vathapi_legend
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16338935-early-india?from_search=true

Are you a Hindu liberal?

By

Caleidoscope

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December 16, 2013

4

Are you a Hindu? Do you consider yourself as a liberal? So are you a Hindu liberal? What is it about “Hindutva” that is un-secular or un-liberal? Can you lead a Hindu way of life and still mingle easily with your secular friends? Why should anyone get to call a Hindutwavadi a “Hindu-Taliban”? Pertinent questions for any Indian who is concerned about our ever-evolving constantly transforming society!

Ashwini, a well traveled liberal poses these questions on the Indian Republic, a popular news portal. Ashwini begins with defining the term ‘liberal’ as applicable in a global context. Then he moves onto defining what exactly is ‘Hindutva’. This reminded of the earliest attempt made by the renowned philosopher and teacher, S Radhakrishnan in his book, “The Hindu View of Life” way back in 1926.

Radhakrishnan wrote, “The challenge of Christian critics impelled me to make a study of Hinduism and find out what is living and what is dead in it. My pride as a Hindu, roused by the enterprise and eloquence of Swami Vivekananda, was deeply hurt by the treatment accorded to Hinduism in Christian missionary institutions.” Today in the post-modern context, when everything is irreverent and everything is questionable, it is high time to make an attempt to define Hindutva and come terms with it. Read on…

Who is a liberal?

A quick Wikipedia search will show you that the idea of liberalism is based on two concepts – liberty (the right of individuals to control their own actions) and equality (self-explanatory). I call myself a liberal because, like most liberals, I believe in:

A clear separation between governments and religion (Secularism)
Equality of all people before the eyes of the law, irrespective religion (Secularism)
A lady’s right to choose whether to have an abortion or not irrespective of what her family thinks (Prochoice)
That the LGBT community should have the same set of rights as the rest of us including the right to be in a legally recognized marriage (Gay rights)
A fair and reasonable amount of affirmative action to enable the underprivileged to catch up with the others, but not at the cost of quality (Mildly proaffirmative action)
The legalization of euthanasia subject to reasonable regulation (Proeuthanasia)

What is Hindutva?

Hindutva, not to be confused with Hinduism-the religion, according to the Supreme Court, is “the way of life of the Indian people and the Indian culture or ethos” and is “not to be equated with or understood as religious Hindu fundamentalism”. The same Supreme Court judgment ruled that it is a fallacy to infer that the use of the word “Hindutva” per se depicts an attitude hostile to all persons practicing any religion other than the Hindu religion.

The vilification of Hindutva by pseudo-secularists

Hindutva has, of late, been vilified by pseudo-secularists who have been branding it as the philosophy of “right wing terrorists”, as the philosophy of the “Hindu- Taliban” and other such nonsense. As a liberal, I refuse to allow people to speak baloney on my behalf. As a liberal, I see no contradiction between liberal values and Hindutva.

What is it about “Hindutva” that is un-secular or un-liberal? Why should anyone get to call a Hindutwavadi a “Hindu-Taliban”? One argument often cited by pseudo-secularists is that Hindutwavadis seek to establish a “Hindu-rashtra exclusively for Hindus (those practicing Hinduism) at the expense of Muslims/Christians and other religious minorities.”

This argument is ridiculous on so many levels. To start off with, the word “Hindu” in this context does not mean a follower of Hinduism-the religion. In fact, Veer Sarvarkar, the freedom-fighter who coined the term “Hindutva” was a rationalist and defined the term to mean “any patriotic inhabitant of Bharatvarsh (India)”. (Source: Savarkar, Vinayak Damodar: Hindutva, Bharati Sahitya Sadan, Delhi 1989 (1923)). Besides, this school of thought had its roots during the time of the British rule of India and the notion of a “Hindu rashtra” was in contrast to a nation of Indians being ruled by the British – which was what India was under British rule.

What are the key issues championed by the Hindutvawadis?

The key issues championed by the Hindutvawadis are:

Uniform Civil Code- A uniform set of laws for all Indians irrespective of religion
Abolition of article 370- Article 370 grants a special status to Kashmir that gives it powers that other states don’t have.
Building a Ram Temple at Ayodhya- Ayodhya is believed to have been the birthplace of Lord Ram and is one of Hinduism’s most holy sites.

Is there any merit to the issues that Hindutvawadis take up?

Uniform civil code – When people claim to believe in equality of all people irrespective of religion, race, caste and gender, shouldn’t it be a no-brainer that all people of India should follow the same set of laws? Yet, India has a different set of personal laws for Hindus, Muslims and Christians. The rules and laws governing Hindu marriage, Hindu divorce, Hindu inheritance and Hindu adoption are different from the rules governing Muslim marriage, Muslim divorce, Muslim inheritance and Muslim adoption. And yet, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains have to follow the rules governing Hindus. Does this make any sense at all? Does it make sense for the government to allow a Muslim to marry twice but to prosecute a Hindu or a Christian for doing the same? Doesn’t this put the term “equality before law” to shame? What would a liberal say?

Abolition of article 370 – Article 370 of the Indian constitution accords a special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It implies that except in matters pertaining to Defense, Foreign Affairs, Finance and Communications, the Central government cannot make any laws that apply to the state of Jammu & Kashmir without the State Legislature’s concurrence. Therefore, the residents of the state of Jammu and Kashmir live under laws that are different from those applying to the rest of India. I don’t know how this sounds to you, but it sure sounds pretty ridiculous to me.

Ram temple at Ayodhya – I am not really a practicing Hindu and don’t remember going to a temple to pray in the last year or so. Yet, I believe that all religions are equal and should be accorded respect. Therefore, I find it very strange that Hindus don’t get to have a temple at Ramjanmabhoomi in Ayodhya- one of Hinduism’s most sacred sites. Whether Lord Ram was indeed born in Ayodhya or not is immaterial here since religion is about faith and belief rather than anything else. Most Hindus believe that Ayodhya is the birthplace of Lord Ram and their beliefs should be respected. What is wrong about having a place of worship at a place that is considered sacred by almost a billion people? Wouldn’t it be strange if Jerusalem did not have a Church or if Mecca did not have a mosque? So, why should Ayodhya not have a temple?

So, am I a liberal or a Hindutvawadi?

Going by my views on the above issues, I would be dubbed as a Hindutvawadi by pseudo-secularists. However, going by my views on core questions pertaining to secularism, equality, liberty, abortion, stem-cell research, immigration, separation between government & religion etc., I would be considered a liberal. So, am I a liberal Hindutvawadi? You decide for yourself.

Remember MiG 21… Remember Rang De Basanti!

By

Levine Lawrence

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December 12, 2013

8

Few years ago, during my journalistic career, I remembered my friend having a serious argument with my news editor about a story on HAL LCA Tejas that was inducted into the Indian Air Force. Although he had written a positive story, he did mention that an aircraft designed in mid-1980s is now being inducted into the Indian Air Force in late 2000s due to numerous delays in the aircraft’s development. Obviously, my friend’s story was sidelined and was replaced by a standard press release from the IAF. Then I wondered why such matter-of-fact news ruffled the editor’s feathers.

Today, when I read glowing tributes paid to another aircraft the MiG 21 that was retired, I realise how touchy we Indians are about our armed forces. I went through news reports from the Economic Times, Hindustan Times, Indian Express, India Today, etc., and none one of them mentioned anything about the accidents involving MiG 21s. The numerous peace-time accidents involving MiG 21 fighters that gave it the ignominious nickname “Flying Coffin” were conspicuously missing!

Surprised by that omission, I searched online for more info and found that there was meagre media coverage on this subject. Particularly noteworthy was a website named indianmilitarynews.wordpress.com, which listed all the crash-related news from the IAF. To my shock, the site had a blank page stating “This blog has been archived or suspended for a violation of WordPress Terms of Service”. However, there is another website named AirforceChat that provides all these plane crash details.

MiG 21 Fighter — IAF MiG 21 fighter in 1971 | Bharat Rakshak.com

Mikoyan-Gurevich-21 or MiG 21 was India’s first supersonic jet fighter aircraft manufactured in the Soviet Union in 1955. It is considered a second-generation jet fighter, which was first inducted in the IAF in 1963. MiG 21 was the IAF’s backbone, playing a stellar role in the 1971 war against Pakistan. It was also used in 1999 during the Kargil War, where one IAF MiG 21 was shot down by ground fire. However, after capably serving the airforce for three decades, the 1,200-strong MiG 21 fleet increasingly showed signs of wear and tear. The IAF was forced to continue using this outdated warhorse, eventually leading to numerous accidents.

According to answers given by various defence ministers in the Parliament, 177 air crashes took place in the IAF during the 1990-2001 period, out of which, the MiG 21s were the biggest casualty with 66 crashes. A high-power committee on Fighter Aircraft Accidents headed by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, went into the issue and submitted a report in 1997.

In the last three years, the IAF lost 29 fighter planes in crashes including 12 MiG 21s, in which six pilots lost their lives. Since 1970, around 170 Indian Air Force pilots have been killed in MiG 21 accidents, which also resulted in the deaths of 40 civilians. While the IAF officially claims that pilot error was the major cause, internal reports conclude most of the crashes were caused by technical defects and engine flame-outs — strengthening fears that India’s MiG fleet may have outlived its service life.

Our great Indian media, which creates a ruckus on every trivial issue, has managed to play it safe on controversies involving our armed forces. On the contrary, Bollywood, which generally avoids portraying any major social-political issue, took up the cause of IAF pilots who have lost their lives. Renowned director Rakeysh Mehra assembled an eclectic panel of actors led by Aamir Khan to produce a masterpiece named “Rang De Basanti”.

The story raises the issue of frequent MiG 21 crashes that had led to the death of many young pilots and the alleged collusion of politicians in murky arms deals. Incidentally, the filmmakers took no help from the IAF to make the film and they visualised the MiG 21 crash scene through computer graphics. The virtual aircraft they created was so realistic that the IAF called them to check whether the producer had the permission to use an actual MiG 21!

MiG-21 - Rang De Basanti — MiG 21in RDB | Courtesy: uiowa.edu

Rang De Basanti arrived as a breath of fresh air amidst the staleness of Indian current affairs and the youth were reinvigorated by its message. India’s urban, educated gen-next, which was detached from the national context and was more interested in maximizing its material well being, suddenly became aware of a range of social issues plaguing the society.

Eminent market analyst Rama Bijapurkar states that this movie was the spark that set ablaze the Indian social activism that we are witnessing today. It began with Laloo’s rout in Bihar, then the outcry over the Jessica Lall verdict, the Supreme Court’s activism on all manner of issues, the spread of naxalism, student protest against the education minister’s imperialism on reservations and more. “If one were to look carefully, hopefully these events have a pattern to them. Maybe the politician rulers are underestimating the fed-up-ness and the activism potential of the middle and upper sections of the society. Maybe it has spread to the lower sections as well,” wrote Rama way back in 2006 when the movie was released.

Today when we look back, it is clear that the nostalgia of MiG 21 valiantly serving the IAF during the war is swept aside by the activism sparked by Rang De Basanti!

Factfile –
http://india.blogs.nytimes.com
http://www.indianexpress.com
http://www.frontline.in
http://archive.deccanherald.com
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com
timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Documenting Wildlife at its Best

By

Hrishikesh Somani

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December 9, 2013

22

Our 4X4 vehicle was our lifeline

We have all watched on National Geographic or Discovery Channel how the lion hides in the yellow grasslands of Africa and leaps for its prey; a ferocious predator mercilessly tearing through the flesh of an animal. Or to see an eagle swoop down to the ground and catch its prey in its claws and fly back again. It leaves you in awe to be able to see these predators in their natural habitat. While such sights do look amazing and tend to gather viewers’ gasps, but it is, at the same time, a highly challenging task to capture such actions.

In the March of 2013, while I was still in Delhi completing my undergraduate degree, I got an enticing opportunity to shoot a documentary for the Government of Kerala at the Periyar Tiger Reserve. It was highly exciting, but we had absolutely no clue as to how tough it could be to make a wildlife documentary. The most important thing about documenting wildlife is to capture action. Showing beautiful scenery and landscapes to the viewers over and over again can make them disinterested very quickly. To keep them hooked to a 30-minute documentary film, showing them some kind of action was a must.

Dense tropical rainforest of Western Ghats near Thekkady

The biggest challenge that a wildlife documentary film maker faces is the uncertainty of spotting animals. You go with your camera into the forest, select a vantage point and just wait, hoping that animals would come there soon and give you a good shot. Such views are a rarity in such a vast expanse of forest. What is the probability of spotting even 1 out of 45 tigers in a jungle that is spread across 900 square kilometers?Pretty slim!

We had to divide ourselves into two groups, so that each group would go to a different region everyday and cover it. We would go in those open 4X4 vehicles (Mahindra Bolero or Thar jeep with open tops), standing with the cameras ready. However, to capture wildlife, it was important to be “one with the jungle”. Silently blend into the forest in such a way that our presence wasn’t even noticeable. That meant tens of kilometers of trekking every day. Any alien intrusion made the animals run away and leave the area in an utter silence again.

Trek along with heavy cameras

Remember scenes from Madagascar, the animated film, where a herd of animals would run and the whole ground would tremble? It’s not exaggerated! At one time, while exploring the forests, we found a herd of at least 50 Indian Gaurs (Bisons). There had to be absolutely no movement, so much so that every breath felt like a loud sound that might drive them off. Eventually, they did run away and the ground trembled as 50 beasts, each weighing around 900 kilos, scuttled away.
I spent a few nights with the 3 local forest rangers in tents in the middle of the jungle, a location 2 hours of boat ride away from Thekkady (a town in Kerala where we were based), and another 2 hours of trek from the boat. It was so deep in the forest that you could trek for hours in any direction and find not a single trace of humanity, but only dense jungles and wilderness.

Sitting around a bonfire in a pitch dark forest, we interviewed those rangers. The only source of light, apart from the fire, was the moon. In a black and yellow ambience, we sat down on the mats in the open jungle and set up our cameras. Joining broken English words and limping on Malayalam quite frequently, the rangers recounted their past as smugglers and poachers in these forests; about their lives when they would smuggle spices and tree barks, and hunt animals as tribesmen; and later how the government intervened and gave them jobs using these same talents to protect the forests. Today, they work for the wildlife protection from any human disturbances. After all, nobody knows the forests like they do!

Easy to find wildlife!

They were really brave old men, dressed in simple green uniforms and chappals (sandals), carrying nothing but a few oranges to quench their thirst and satiate their hunger. In contrast, we carried one backpack each filled with biscuits, chips, wafers and water bottles, while wearing expensive shoes and what not. Their unsophisticated mannerisms and the expertise of being a ranger was an arresting duo of qualities in them. One of them was called Baby by his colleagues, and he was quite the contrary of a man as his name would suggest! He was a short, dark guy with white hair, speaking broken English with a never-to-leave sea of calmness in his expressions.

Hard-to-find wildlife!

A big advantage of being a documentary film maker is that you get to meet such diverse set of people, all with immensely interesting pasts that leave you dumbfounded. And then there is, of course, the travel; to a new place, a new adventure, new people and new cuisines. To make good documentaries, you have to do your research well and to do that, you have to live among the people, mingle with them, understand their customs and traditions, and experience their lifestyles. Believe me, I have ever since wanted to relive that experience; to once again go into the forests and tune myself to that rhythm!