Small Screen, large lures: look before You Leap

                                           

With the advent of cable television, the small screen is now gained almost as much stardom as the big screen. Last 15-20 years saw a revolution in the essential character of the small screen. From the sedate national channels to the flamboyant cable ones, television has metamorphosed it self in the last decade. This metamorphosis has resulted in severe competition as well as success for the small screen artists.
Taking a candid and intelligent approach
Lot is heard now-a-days about people leaving their successful careers in respective fields in order to be small screen artists and get recognition, success and stardom. With the exponential success of the TV serials more and more young stars are joining this field and emerging as celebrities. While it sounds rosy to hear about the stardom and success of these hitherto ordinary people, the pathway of this kind of success has always been mildewed. Both the film and television industry are infested with cons waiting on prowl to take advantage of the aspiring actor/actresses. The inexperience and hunger for instant recognition and success of the wannabe actors and actresses often land them into the traps skillfully laid by the cons. So it becomes very important for the aspiring artists to be very cautious while embarking on an acting career. A proper homework on the whereabouts of the reputed and authentic persons in this field can prove to be quite handy to people choosing acting as their career. Any lucrative offer at the inchoate of one’s acting career must be treated skeptically as those kinds of offers normally bamboozles in the end.
Reality shows: the inside story
While talking of cons, it must be said that the reality shows are inundated with them. The reality show business in itself is somewhat shrouded, as the reality factor of such shows are to be doubted. The singing and laughter shows are still ok. But the ones that deal with the very idea of trying to make money at the cost of humiliation and suffering of others itself sound immoral. In such cases it becomes the responsibility of the contestants who volunteer and sign in such shows to be sensible about what they are opting, and whether that can spell trouble (physical or mental) to them or to others. The reality shows at times prove to be a threat to the participant’s lives. In their quest for money and popularity the organizers of such shows even put the participants at danger, at times even life threats. It’s also important to be aware of the reputations of the channel and the production house before signing the contract. Total understanding of the contract before signing it is also of utter importance.
The art of balancing                     
Once the acting career of any actor gets rolling, problems of completely different nature come to the fore. The change that comes over an artist’s life leaves the people close to him at an emotional crisis. The hitherto close friend or companion suddenly appears remote and this feeling results in stress in both the person’s life. Such situations are to be tackled very sensibly and with utmost sensitivity. Loved ones are always very special in everyone’s life and they should be treasured life long. No amount of success can replace the warmth and love of the friends and relatives. So it must be kept in mind that success is instant but relationships are forever: while basking in the success of recognition and stardom one has to keep their feet firmly on the ground. Success or moving ahead in life is definitely something to be coveted, but it must be kept in mind that the success should on usher in pain or trouble to people who are close to us. In our country this kind of situation occurs predominantly among women, as we live in a predominantly male dominated society. When a woman gets more success than her male counterpart, the vicious male ego immediately starts working, thus creating a stress in the relationship. An intelligible handling of the situation by giving as much time and comfort level as possible to one’s partner can solve such issues easily.
The secret of success
Every career has its own professional hazards, and professionals in their respective fields need to deal with them. In today’s world of rat race and cut throat competition no amount of success comes easily. Film or television industry is no exception. Rather the stardom involved in these fields makes it a more tough and competitive place. Most of the apparent success stories have a gruesome story to tell. But that doesn’t mean that people in this field have only negative things to share. The very fact of emerging a celebrity from an ordinary person is in itself gripping and worth taking the way however rocky it might be. Besides, with an intelligent, focused and sensible approach towards one’s career and success and also with proper understanding between individual job and personal relationship, anyone can emerge successful both in professional and personal lives. 



 
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Heritage Tourism in Purulia

    

Imagine a pied panorama of pristine splendor unfolding itself in myriad multitudes: a repertoire rich in variety and essence manifested through nature, people, culture and heritage. This is Purulia, a tropical district of West Bengal, which lies in the westernmost region of the state. Rocky hills defining the landscape uphold the wild and unassuming nature of the land and its people while the serene water bodies embody the intangible wealth intrinsically inherent in them. The Pandora’s Box of Purulia remained encased till banglanatak dot com in conjunction with the Government of West Bengal and UNESCO, took the first step to explore the opportunity for an alternative community-led tourism in Purulia, West Bengal, using the traditional artistic skills of local population as primary resources. To achieve the goal effort has been taken to understand the local population and their skills in addition to inventorying heritage places and buildings. The focus of the effort was to make the community the real and the principal beneficiary of tourism development.

The natural attractions of Purulia include flat green agricultural lands or barren arid fields dotted with ponds and transected with rivers are bordered by hills and mountains. The ponds are full of Shaluk and Lotus blooms. Wild flower bushes grow alongside the roads. Subarnarekha and Damodar rivers define the boundaries of the District. Three main rivers of West Bengal have their origin here, namely Kansabati or Kansai, Dwarakeswar or Dhalkishore and Shilabati or Shilai. Hills like Ayodhya, Panchakot and Joychandi stand sentinel to the beauty and treasure of the region. The lakes look beautiful in contrast to the rocky, hard, uneven terrain and are of great attraction to tourists. Another major attraction here is the Built Heritage. History manifests itself in the built heritage of Purulia. Palaces and temples reflect the royal past. The classic architectural splendors primarily constitute of temples of Jain origin and design. The vast treasure house of sculpture and carvings showcase excellent creativity and craftsman-ship of the artisans. The master craftsmanship depicted in the architectural brilliance of the temples of Rekh Deul, Deulghata, Telkupi, Chelyama, Baromasya, Pakbirrah and Garhpanchakot leaves one awestruck.. Kashipur, another integral part of Purulia is famous for the Panchakot palace, a brilliant edifice of architectural wonder.

The ambit of Purulia’s attraction remains deficient with out its people. Nearly one million people living in Purulia district belong to scheduled tribes and castes (36% of the population). While Santhals are the largest tribal group, other tribes are Kurmi (Mahato), Munda , Kheria-Shabar , Ho, Birharh,  Oraon,  Mal, Mahali, Ghasi etc. Some of the tribes like Birharh, Mal or Bedia are quite primitive and lead a nomadic lifestyle. Despite assimilation of diverse cultures, with the passage of time, many tribes still retain their distinct identities in their traditional cultural and religious practices. These comprise their various customs, ceremonies, religious rites, languages, performing arts etc.  Each tribe has its own 'totem' or symbol. Tribal people are extremely poor and are highly dependent on the forests for their livelihood. Kitchen utensils are made with Sal leaves. Timber is collected from the forests. Bidis are made by rolling tobacco in Kendu leaves and is a common livelihood at Jhalda-I and Jhalda- II blocks. This is an extremely unhealthy livelihood leading to the spread of tuberculosis.  The Forest Department is encouraging forest fringe dwellers to adopt sustainable livelihood options based on non timber forest products like lac and Tassar cultivation, eco-tourism etc.

The tribes of the area practice myriad festivals all through the year and each festival is unique in its essence. The traditional dance forms of Purulia like Chau Naach, Jhumur songs and dance, Pata Naach (Line Dance), Bhuang Naach, Kathi Naach, Ghora Naach, Dansai, and Machhani are so rich and vibrant that if presented properly can have a global appeal. This potential was rightly identified by banglanatak who took initiative to safeguard these folk forms by imparting proper training to the artists and also forming resource centers at the area where the form now gets incubated and thrives with flair. Resource Centers at Chelyama and Bamnia were built with the support of European Union as part of the project Ethno-magic Going Global. They offer workshop, exhibition and rehearsal space. They also have rooms for the casual-visitor. The Chau dancers have been capacitated to perform both nationally and globally and that has created interest about the art forms and today a number of visitors visit Purulia to learn more about the cultural and traditional heritages of the region.

Since the past two decades, poverty alleviation and economic development initiatives of the Government have successfully mobilized local population to be conscious about the potential of their natural and cultural resources and work collectively to better manage them. The availability of such local human resources constitutes a promising basis for a community-led cultural tourism. 122 SHGs of folk artists formed and art skills are strengthened. Art forms are revitalized and there is growing interest among local youth to learn their traditional folk arts for augmenting income opportunities.  Folk Art Hubs have been established and are being managed by the folk artists. Art is becoming a means of livelihood. However, the place being economically poor and the people being unaware about the potentials of the intangible cultural heritage of the place, a number of challenges were faced. Banglanatak successfully handled them by creating mass awareness and building capacity for local entrepreneurship that included:

• Training of SHGs (self help groups) to overlook the protection of heritage sites, work as tourist guides, manage tourist lodges etc.
• Skill building of crafts person and artisans to create souvenirs and mementos out of local handicrafts.
• Developing the local performing art groups to be more functional, skilled and professional.
• Strengthening Community Based Organization by strengthening linkages and forming formal networks like SHG Federations, Activity Clusters, and Cooperatives.
• Facilitating access to Government Schemes by mobilising Panchayat participation.
• Encourage Sustainable Pathways of Development

Once the community was aware about their potential, efforts were taken to promote community festivities and rituals replete with grandeur and pomp which gradually built a sense of pride among the people. The local cultural activities of the inhabitants were made an agenda for building up a mainline economic activity involving tourism as the pivotal point. Promoting festivals as heritage tourism destinations highlighted the fact that, shows of cultural performances are not about instant gratification nor one-off commercial events  for  single audience but a round the year activity and a way of life for the people. New contexts and events were created to revitalize the social functions which are being naturally obliterated with changing times. The Holi Festival has been a roaring success. The festival is gaining huge popularity among locals and outsiders since last nine years. The fair is organised by local organizations like Anneshwa and Lok Sanskriti Mancha. It is held at Deulghata of Garhjoypur on the bank of Kansabati river for three days starting from a day prior to Holi (in the month of March) when the red 'Palash' flowers are in full bloom. It is one of the most colourful, vibrant and entertaining festivals that have attracted more than 12000 rural and around 200 urban tourists.  About 300 folk artists come from various districts of West Bengal and perform Chau, Jhumur, Nachni, Natua, Baul-Fakiri, Gambhira and Domni throughout the night at different locations of the fair ground. During the day, tourists celebrate 'Holi' with 'Abir' on the banks of Kansabati or at the local royal palace. Stay arrangements for boarding and lodging are made on site, at the tents.  The concept of tourism here is unique as the Tourist here can participate in tribal way of life, lac cultivation, mask making or Tassar weaving processes will develop a niche market and promote unique participatory tourism. It may be developed in the model of 'mushroom picking' or 'berry picking' (common in U.S.A) that are popular among tourists as well as local residents. The leisure Activities include learning steps of Jhumur or Chau., Making natural colours from leaves, flowers and barks, Playing ethnic instruments, Making paper-mâché masks., Making  strands of silk yarn. Visitors can have comfortable stay in village homes (bed and breakfast style) with proper sanitation, electricity (solar) and other essential amenities.

Four to five hours from Kolkata, Purulia waits for you, to unfold its intricate tapestry, dappled drawn with exotic bounty and unadulterated bliss!!

Modeling as a Career

Modeling is the most fascinating and lucrative career in today’s world. The sheer glamour that’s quintessentially associated with this profession has always attracted the young generation all over the world. Initially dominated by women, modeling has now become a common field for both the sex. With the upsurge of the fashion industry, this profession has gained immense importance and popularity. Other attractions of being in the modeling world are the scopes for traveling various places within and outside the country. Another interesting attraction that’s there in this field is getting the chance of meeting various classes of people. Ostensibly rosy, this profession involves lot of hard work, dedication and perseverance to be successful. Being a short lived career it is a highly competitive. Besides, stress factor is very high here and the hours are erratic. The job also requires a lot of grit and patience. Another important thing that’s to be kept in mind before deciding on this career is one’s mindset. The comfort level at the work place is imperative. It’s essential to decide what you can do and what you cannot. Modeling is essentially embroiled with dress codes. Its repertoire is from lingerie to saris and it needs different mind sets for the two. Jumping into the career without setting the mind can spell trouble. One has to think of his/her family background before deciding on a modeling assignment, especially at the initial stage. The small town people are still skeptic about this industry, as it’s surrounded by lot of grape vine. It’s better to be pragmatic from the beginning and taking up things gradually so that the sentiments of one’s family and friends don’t get hurt. Once they get used to the world of this professional, they will be able to accept things that they perhaps would have failed to, at the earlier stage. There are no hard and fast rules as such in this profession. Besides over the years the profession has gained an honorable position in the society. There are so many professionals in this field now that taking a professional approach from the beginning minimizes the chances of being conned. Some finds going to professionals costly and so they look for the less reputed one. Most of them end up getting disappointed and the effort and money that were involved go down the drain. It must be kept in mind that there are no short cuts to success, and the more the money and glamour the tougher it gets to reach the zenith. Once in this business there has to be absolute mental preparations for sweating and waiting. Any abrupt decision can back fire badly. Being a lucrative and glamorous job, provocations and lures will always be more than one, so self restrain is very important. While getting their first lessons for test matches, batsmen are taught which ball to play and which to duck. Same is true for this profession. One has to be skeptical in picking and choosing offers. Being candid and taking a discerning, intelligent and sensible approach towards one’s career is what is required; that done rest will fall into place.

The Number Wizard

Kolkata-based Gaurav Tekriwal (42) is a man with a mission. He is hell-bent upon abolishing the fear of mathematics aka maths-phobia which is ubiquitous on school and college campuses across the country. A numbers and calculus wizard is his own right this postgrad of the University of Calcutta and certified chartered financial analyst believes that maths phobia can not only be made history but also substituted by love of this “exact and stimulating science”.

According to Tekriwal this mental and psychological miracle is possible through the study of vedic mathematics. This ancient method enables a learner to make mathematical calculations 10-15 times – over 1500 percent – faster than in normal mathematics. The sutras of this branch of mathematics are easy to understand, easy to apply, easy to remember and develops left and right sides of the brain by increasing visualization and concentration abilities. Most important Vedic maths is fun to learn eliminates math-phobia which millions of students suffer because they’ve been taught this joyful science the wrong way. “Vedic Maths is also lot different from traditional maths. You just have to remember some formulas called "Sutras" and with it you can do your calculations speedily. Vedic Maths helps in creating an interest in Mathematics. It can also be called Magical Maths as the methods seem so easy and simple that it looks like Magic!” informs Tekriwal.

Founder president of the Kolkata based Vedic Maths Forum India. A full-time vedic

maths educator and motivational speaker, Tekriwal decided to be an entrepreneur form the beginning. “When I was preparing for my MBA Entrance Exams I came across Vedic Maths which was a quicker way to lots of calculations in a stipulated time. I was blown away by it's potency in calculations and was spell bound by its sheer simplicity and ease. I shared it with few friends and taught this to them. They too were infected by its speed which brought lots of other friends who wanted to learn it too. I noticed there weren’t any teachers around who were teaching it. One fine day I got an invitation from a school principal to do a workshop in her school. I was shy and did not know how to handle the same. But I did it anyways as I was not doing anything concrete. This workshop got some reviews in the press and it brought some more invitations from schools who wanted to organise workshops. It was at this point I decided to become an entrepreneur rather than become a MBA. I then took steps in the direction to become good in the field. I learnt from the masters the current Shankaracharya of Puri and Shakuntala Devi. Made a Website and authored a book and a DVD set. This started selling and then one thing led to another. After a couple of years I decided to set up a full fledged institution and teach vedic maths professionally. This gave birth to Vedic Maths Forum India. Later, I realised that there was tremendous scope of this abroad where Math literacy rate is low. In these countries where Math literacy ratio is low, students are looking for alternative solutions to Maths. Vedic Maths fits in this category perfectly,” enunciated Tekriwal, who has authored a ten-hour, five DVDs set of High Speed Vedic Maths audio-visual programme. Since 2006, Tekriwal has been conducting seminars and workshops all over India to re-kindle students’ and professional interest in mathematics and developing their mathematical skills. Thus far 7,000 students have participated in his workshops and tutorial classes. The Vedic Math Forum India has already spread wings outside India and has operational bases in seven countries now. Of late Tekriwal’s brain child been entrusted by the South African government to teach High Speed Vedic Math Methods across 9000 schools in South Africa.

Reaching out to the soul

"My master has planted in my heart the Jasmine of Allah’s name.
Both my denial that the creation is real and my embracing of God, the only reality, have nourished the seedling down to its core.
-When the buds of mystery unfolded into the blossoms of revelation, my rntire being was filled with God’s fragrance.
-May the perfect master who planted this Jasmine in my heart be ever blessed."

This is the psychedelic quest of Murshid or God which is the ultimate philosophy of Sufism. Recently Kolkata witnessed a three day musical quest for the ‘Murshid’ in the first ever International Sufi festival in Kolkata, held at Nicco Park, on Feb 4-6, 2011. Named as ‘Sufi Sutra’, the event was a grand success with more than 100 artists participating from Afghanistan, Egypt, Syria, Tajikistan, Iran, Bangladesh and India (6 states participated, Rajasthan, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur and West Bengal). The Performances enthralled more than 30, 000 audiences with their scintillating performances. During the day, the workshops between the various music groups from the different countries led to exchange and sharing of their music, instruments, and philosophy, which was attended by more than 2500 audiences including youth, music lovers and musicians. An exhibition was also organized on Sufism.

The entire event was conceptualized by celebrated percussionist Tanmay Bose. “It was long timed planned. Sufi has strong connection with Bengal. Sufi Muslims used to sing bangla kawali at dargas. But we didn’t value the treasure and gradually it got relegated to oblivion. I wanted a revival of Sufi in Bengal as well as an international exposure for the Indian Sufi singers. My experience of international music helped me shortlist 14 countries who would perform at the event of which seven finally came and presented their music at Sufi Sutra together with the Indian musicians. It was once again proved that music transcends all barriers irrespective of language and region,” accounted Bose.

Participants included celebrated Sufi musicians and bands from both India and abroad. International performers like Baran Music Ensemble from Iran, Egyptian Mawlawyiah Troupe, team from Bangladesh led by Ms. Anusheh Anadil, team from Afghanistan led by Mr. Nawab Khan, Tahleeleh Troupe from Damascus, Syria were the cynosure of the soiree. While the home players like Mir musicians from Bikaner (Rajasthan) led by Vasu Khan, seven members Qawwali team from Rampur (UP) led by Haji Modh. Ahmad Khan Warsi, Warsi brothers from Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), six members team from Delhi led by Dhruv Sangari and Baul & Fakiri, Bangla Qawwali from West Bengal had the audience humming the popular Sufi numbers with them and swaying in the ecstasy of the intoxicating intonations.

Mr. Amitabha Bhattacharya, the director of Banglanatak.com, the chief organizer of Sufi Sutra, regards the endeavor as a platform for the Bauls Fakirs of India for a proper scope to exchange, collaborate and open of a new global market through the International Sufi musicians. “This was a part of our initiative "Art for livelihood", which started in 2004 with the objective of making folk art primary sources of livelihood for the artists and through national and international exchange and collaboration.  EU came as partner in Dec 2009, when they supported our entire initiative, including this festival,” enunciated Bhattacharya.

The festival was a big hit in Kolkata as thousands of people thronged the grounds of Nicco Park to be a witness to the grand occasion. The audience saw the world’s best Sufi musicians performing live at a truly international festival with real international taste and flavor. “'Sufi' is important from both music and philosophy point of view and Kolkata being the 'leader in cultural plurality’; we feel there cannot be a better place than this city to host such festival. This evolved as a people's festival, rather than just another program, that's the success of this festival in Kolkata,” recollected Siddhanjan, a member of Banglanatak.com. “At this hour of political unrest we wanted the Bauls and Fakirs, the sufi musicians from the East, to convey the message of peace, love and brotherhood through their music. Their philosophy of rejecting the division of caste, creed, religion etc. and knowing God with profound admiration by self sacrificing and belief, is what needed to be proclaimed in today’s world,” further illustrated the young organizer.

Gulam Fakir, a resident of Murshidabad, worships music as his almighty. Proficient in Lalan Geeti, Murshidi and Darbari school of folk music, Gulam was a proud participant of the Sufi Sutra. “It’s the first of its kind in Kolkata, and we are fortunate to be a part of the music extravaganza. It was a great of my life to play the dotara while the international

Sufi artists sang the most divine Sufi numbers. Equally entertaining and learning was experience of singing while the global players accompanied us with their musical instruments. What enthralled me most is the predominance of the tune of ‘Ajan’(the Muslim call for prayer) in the songs that were sung by the international performers.” recalled Fakir. 

Avradip Saha, a fashion photographer and script writer by profession, has long association with Sufi as he says the music transports him to another level of ecstasy and realization. His love for Sufi brought him to Sufi Sutra on the last day of the event. “I got intoxicated listening to the Sufi numbers at the event. It was a grand occasion and I saw the performance of Bangladeshi Sufi singers. The group named Ajerbaijan rendered some scintillating numbers that stole the hearts of the listeners. The audience shook their legs in joie-de-vivre and I also joined them. But it would have been great if we could get to hear some Bengali Sufi songs. However the music was incredible,” enthused the young Sufi aficionado. .

While the Egyptian Mawlawyiah troupe enchanted all at the spot with their vibrant show of music and whirl dance, the Indian singers intoxicated the crowd with some popular numbers. In its process the event, instead of being only a string of performances triumphed to be an ultimate search to touch the divine light.

The ‘O’ Word is Spreading

Some call it liquid wisdom; some call it cup of life while others prefer to call it a religion of the art of life. In which ever way one takes it, tea, the oriental antiquity, still continues to raise storms over its cuppa. Moreover, to quote from Henry James’, The Portrait of a Lady, “there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.”

Tea being a common and popular beverage in India, stalls selling the potion is ubiquitous in the country. Earlier the tea stalls used to be nondescript joints where the tea lovers thronged for a typical cup of hot tea and adda. Many such joints have emerged as the breeding grounds of great political, social, cultural and literary ideas. Many famous personalities frequented these stalls with their friends and peers. Some of those joints are still there while a new concept called Cha Bar is gradually emerging as a preferred destination of today’s youth. 

Triparna (30), a lecturer in English communication proclaims the cha bar inside the Oxford Book store at Park Street, Kolkata, to be her favourite joint for an evening adda with friends or colleagues. “The smell of the different brews at the Cha bar acts as a stimulant to my weary soul at the end of the day. Nothing can be more refreshing than a cup of Darjeeling tea. For me each cup of tea represents an imaginary voyage. Besides, I am very much for the ‘Go Green’ catchphrase and that’s another reason I prefer to drink tea, organic tea to be precise, as I believe by doing it I am taking care of both my health and my environment.” chirps the young lecturer. Sayan Chatterjee, a 3^rd year engineering student is a regular visitor of the cha bar at the City Center Mall of Salt Lake. “As the weekends draw close I get this habitual urge to spend a couple of hours of my evenings at the cha bar with friends and sometimes even alone. The mere chink of cups and saucers tunes my mind to happy repose and the aroma uplifts my spirits. But I prefer my brew to be an organic one as it is believed to be grown without artificial or chemical inputs and hence good for my health,” quipped the young music lover.

Making most of this trend is the big industry players. Big groups like Ambuja Realty owns a country wide chain of tea stalls called Tea Junction. However, they offer ‘mashala cha’ (a kind of spice tea) and are yet to foray into the ‘O’ world. The Apeejay Group which owns a chain of tea joints called Cha Bar with outlets at Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore is one of the pioneers of the concept of cha bars. The calm, soothing, refreshing, healthy environment of the joint helps one to recharge. According to a spokes person of Apeejay group the ‘cha bar acts as the perfect foil to the busy world outside – it is a space of perfect calm amidst chaos’. If studied carefully the craze for the going organic can be perceived in the bars quite easily. And vouching the fact, Ms Renu Kakkar , Vice President,  Corporate Communications, Apeejay Surrendra Group, said, “Organic herbal teas are extremely popular today due to method of growing and processing them and there has been a visible switch in the last decade towards consumption of organic tea , which in all its exotic varieties, is now not only just fashionable but very healthy. Fitness and health are a major concern for the urban Indians especially the youth, and organic tea flavors score well with youngsters too. Our cha bar has a regular demand for many types of organic tea, including green tea, black tea and white tea. In addition, many different flavors exist including ginger, lemon and basil and all of these help in preventing or fighting different diseases and illnesses. Including organic tea in your diet helps boost the immune system imparting a feeling of wellness and health. Based on the kind of customers we serve, its our observation that a typical youngster enjoys all kinds of beverages but is getting more inclined towards health and fitness and thus experiments with new offerings like various flavours of organic tea.”

However, Dolly Roy, the professional tea aficionado and the first woman tea auctioneer of the world, feels that organic tea is less publicly popular in India compared to its popularity in the West due to the limited production with much higher production-cost and less appeal to the taste-buds of the tea-connoisseur of Kolkata. “From a tea-taster's point of view, there is not much prominent difference in the brew of organic and chemically manured tea. Within permissible limit, organic one is often found to be qualitatively poor and un-economic,” articulated the tea writer and researcher.  Dolly owns a unique tea shop named Dolly’s Tea in south Kolkata which offers 24 different infusions and as many iced flavours. Approximately 55-60% young customers visit the boutique daily and that has helped Dolly's achieve the highest position in the list of most popular tea-Joints in the Metro. “So far as our experience says, young customers of our boutique chiefly order Ice-tea of various flavour within certain price-range, therefore care more for brisk, tangy liquor than a quality health-drink Till today, there is no such trend found amongst the teenagers but ads and awareness programme on reduced caffeine-content and health-benefits of organic tea may have some impact on future generation in near future,” emphasized the regal matriarch.  

Nonetheless, the tea world is now abuzz with the O word. Organic tea is grown with utmost care and sincere efforts are taken to maintain the quality. Tea bushes get their nutrition from vermiculture (the use of specially bred earthworms to regenerate soil) and large-scale application of composts, neem cakes and castor cakes to the soil (the last two are natural insect repellents). And the Tea Board monitors the soil in organic estates at regular intervals throughout the year to ensure strict compliance with organic norms.

The young who are forging a new India are primarily leading this new wave switch to go green of which organic is a big part. The youth today is very aware and is confident to practice their belief in their lives. The demand for organic tea is growing everyday and the big players of the tea industry are increasingly engaging themselves in the production of the organic variety even though it is expensive than the other hitherto popular brands. Rajah Banerjee, the fourth generation scion of the family that runs the world's oldest single-owner tea estate (Makaibari Tea Estate) believes that though costly, organic tea is going to emerge as a strong brand in India. “We pioneered organics to global tea to be certified in 1987. At Darjeeling district 40 per cent is organic certified. Eco agriculture is certainly addressing two burning issues today, safety to health and safety to the environment. Essentially going organic does means an escalated cost, but not outrageously so. Also, consuming pure foods results in better health, higher levels of energy that increases one's efficiency, improves the environment and creates grassroots entrepreneurs. Organics results in holistic sustainable synergies to be released that ensure long term gains and today’s youth are aware of these facts and hence endorse the concept  The short term increased costs are easily compensated in the long term. This is the true way to India really shining as 70percent are farmers,” remarked Banerjee.

Another leader in tea, the Lohia Group also approves the rising demand and popularity of the organic brand of tea. Tea has been a tradition in the Lohia family for close to a century. Beginning in 1916 with the acquisition of its first garden in Assam, the Chamong group now owns 13 estates in Darjeeling and 5 in Assam. Speaking on the issue, Mr Ashok Kumar Lohia, Chairman, Chamong Tee Exports (P) Ltd said, “The trend for Organic tea first started in India in the late 1980s. Organic tea is very popular and successful today. The success is mainly because it’s a healthy beverage, having been grown and produced in natural conditions. The younger generations is taking to Organic tea in a big way, as they are very health conscious and so obviously would prefer drinking a healthy brew than the aerated and artificial drinks.”

With ‘Go Green’ becoming the watchword of present day India, organic tea going to add an extra tinge and tang to the campaign. We expect more and more storms over the tea cups with ‘O’ written over it. 

Unique ID Cards: Boon or Bane?

How safe is it to hand over our personal data to a group of people? How can we trust them when we all know that most of the bank frauds are done by people inside the organizations?  Isn’t it quite likely that one with such a huge pool of information will be tempted to misuse it? And that will result into fake ID cards or multiple cards in the name of one individual. Besides, suppose that person quits the job, but then the information, even if selected ones, will be with him. And if that person has any personal grudge against some one he can use the information against that person and cause him trouble. So, who is going to guarantee that? Also is it practicable to check the whole database at each new enrolment to ensure that a biometric just registered is not already on the database? As India is waiting for its Unique ID cards, some experts are raising certain ethical issues and issues pertaining to individual privacy.

The IDcards are a project of Unique Identification Authority of India or the UIDAI, an agency of the Government of India responsible for implementing the envisioned Multipurpose National Identity Card or Unique Identification card (UID Card) project in India This Project is intended at providing a unique identity to the targeted population of the Government's flagship schemes like the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan and Bharat Nirman. Nandan Nilekani Infosys Technologies Ex Co-Chairman is heading this project with the grade and position of a Cabinet minister.

When asked about his take on the ethical issues related to the ID cards, Mr Nilelani, said, “Protection of the individual and the safeguarding their information is inherent in the design of the UID project. From having a random number which does not reveal anything about the individual to other features listed below, the UID project keeps the interest of the resident at the core of its purpose and objectives”. He further illustrated his plans as follows:

•The UIDAI is collecting only basic data fields - Name, Date of Birth, Gender, Address, Parent/ Guardian’s (name essential for children but not for others) photo, 10 finger prints and iris scan.

• The UIDAI policy bars it from collecting personal information such as religion, caste, community, class, ethnicity, income and health. The profiling of individuals is therefore not possible through the UID system.

• The UIDAI will not reveal personal information in the Aadhaar database – the only response will be a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to requests to verify an identity

• The UID database is not linked to any other databases, or to information held in other databases. Its only purpose will be to verify a person’s identity at the point of receiving a service, and that too with the consent of the aadhaar number holder.

The UID database will be guarded both physically and electronically by a few select individuals with high clearance. The data will be secured with the best encryption, and in a highly secure data vault. All access details will be properly logged.

However, there still remain some doubts and concerns about the validity of such cards. Partha Das Chowdhury, CEO, eMotions Infomedia (P) Ltd. (a security software company), is not too sure about the authenticity of such cards. According to him the utmost strength of a system is as strong as its weakest link. Partha has done his PhD in the area of anonymity, privacy and trust in the electronic world and has watched the whole ID card debate closely in the UK. “Like the birthday paradox (if there are 28 people in a room it’s highly probable that two of them will share the same birth day) it’s also probable that finger prints of two people can be similar when encoded (physical finger prints of any two people however, can never be similar). Then there is the question of connectivity? What happens if the server is down while undergoing identification? Is it possible to do it manually?” queried the electronic security professional.

On the other hand Abhirup Sarkar, Professor ISI, Kolkata feels that while such cards can be used for many useful purposes like it’s done in UK and US and can also prove useful in future to individuals in making other ID cards or going through procedures that involve identification. “Besides, what is most important is that it will be an extremely useful tool for the government for identifying each and every citizen of India, if and when required,” pondered Sarkar. However the prof. also mentioned that the chances of the information getting misused, as in making fake passports, cannot be overruled.

Prasun Mukherjee, ex-commissioner of Kolkata Police who was also The Director General of The Bureau of Police Research and Development, seemed very optimistic about the UID project. “Though an ambitious one, the project if and when materializes will prove to be a useful one for the country. It’s being done for the larger good of the country. Financial transactions will hence forth be much more transport as every transaction will have to be done through the unique ID cards. This will put a curb on the exponential rise in black money,” mused a concerned Mukherjee. The ethical issues according to him are associated with almost all projects that deal with people’s identity. “Banks, hotels, airlines and even email accounts involve documenting personal details. And all over the world people are trusting individuals in different systems with their personal data. The question of mishandling of data is always there in every system but cannot stop a system from operating. There are multiple instances of fake passports, so shall we stop making passport then? Same is true with the unique ID cards. We have to trust the state with our personal data for the larger good. And if one is confident about his/her financial deals then what’s the trouble in making it known to the state?” opined the ace ex IPS officer.

With a population of 1,155,347,678, India is a vast country and to make a unique ID card for all her citizens is a gigantic task. While it’s important and relevant in the country’s present perspective of terror attacks and recurrent scams, to have control over the identity of its people, the ethical issues cannot be ignored. We can just hope that Nandan Nilekani with his team will be diligent enough to come up with a full proof and credible solution which would not only prevent India from becoming a database state but at the same time the purpose of ID cards would be fulfilled without compromising the goals of authentication and authorization.

Gorbhanga: The village of soul-stirring music

Simplicity has its own charm and the essence of such charm pirouettes on a purity that’s sublime to the core. A single stroke at the string of the ‘Ektaara’, the age old musical instrument of the ‘bauls’, is enough to tug at one’s heart strings. The bauls or the wandering minstrels profess the ultimate philosophy of life through the lilt and cadence of their simple lyrics. The philosophy propagates the thought that God resides amongst us and we humans should search our soul for finding the God within.

Baul in Bengal has been synonymous to Bolbur and Barddhaman till the emergence of Gorbhanga, a village in Nadia district of West Bengal, which is home to a band of baul singers whose compositions have an essence of ‘Sufi philosophy’ embedded in them. But lack of exposure and market linkage gradually etiolated the genre. Beleaguered with basic needs of life, the artists were being compelled to leave their inherent vocation. The baul songs were getting confined to the fairs and festivals or in their own ‘Akhras’ where few connoisseurs of the music assembled to appreciate it.

Such was the situation when a much needed intervention was made towards the revival and revitalization of folk art culture as a means of sustainable livelihood for the artists of Gorbhanga. The focus was to bring the young folk artists and their indigenous folk form in league with the other performing arts across the globe and withstand competition from them. To attain this, they were trained to make their art presentable to a global audience. They were made to understand their strength and weaknesses. Importance of retaining originality was emphasised so that the artists do not give in to the market forces. Traditional Gurus, contemporary musicians, singers, theatre specialists, percussionists, instrument players have also been involved in the basic skill development trainings. Support was extended in the form of instrument, costume and accessories.

Workshops with international performers like Sabina Rakcheyeva, a violinist from London, Kathleen Taag, a pianist from New York and Attab Haddad an Oud player from London helped immensely in building the capacity of the artists. Tanmoy Bose’s Taal tantra created unique confluence of different cultural influences endowing a modern nuance to the traditional baul music.

Media support was mobilized for promotion and propagation of the art form. Training on musical instruments as well as exposure to diverse traditional and modern instruments made the artists capable of taking the international arena. Training in audio and video recording in studio setting was imparted.

Baul and Fakiri songs are oral traditions and had a strong influence on Tagore. The songs in tune with baul music were promoted which helped in creating an appeal to a large section of audience who gradually started taking interest in Baul Fakiri songs. 740 such songs were recorded to create a digital archive of songs. Audio CDs were released from these recordings. The songs are also uploaded into the web based digital archive folklibrary.com.

Workshops created an understanding of the dynamics of culture, place and society in different environments. Space was created for development of new music and the artists have been empowered to develop and perform orchestration of folk music. The bauls today have proved their mettle and are now instrumental in bringing out an overall growth of their village. They are change makers who are now being idolised by their fellow villagers. Both men and women artists benefited from the trainings and both emerged as world class performers. Women minstrels are taking tours abroad and creating a niche market for them.

The Annul festival at Gorbhanga witnesses a huge congregation of connoisseurs of folk art forms from Kolkata including students interested in folk forms of Bengal and also those from UK and USA. The popularity of the festival has made Gorbhanga emerge as a destination for cultural tourism and today the village boasts of about 30,000 visitors during the 3 days of the annul festival.  Once the bauls were empowered the world was their stage. Transcending the boundaries they traveled abroad to destinations like London and Paris. The festivals were a platform for creating pubic awareness about the different singing styles of Baul Fakirs of Nadia and were also a vital component of marketing. It also helped the artists to understand the expected quality standards of performance. Performances were aimed at schools and colleges to attract the future audience.

Promotional activities ensured new partnerships at India, UK and France. Leading patrons of folk art and organisers of folk festivals like the Tagore Society of London, Asian Music Circuit, Milap Fest, Alliance Françoise, Impresario, ICCR, Maison des Cultures du Monde, organizers of Festival Les Orientales and Festival De L’Imaginaire are interested in showcasing the folk performances at India and abroad. A new height was achieved by the artists when they took part in a movie, named Moner Manush, and acted with ease and natural flair. However, the most defining moment came with Sufi Sutra- the first ever international Sufi festival in eastern India. Sharing the stage with international performers from Egypt, Syria, Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh set a new milestone for them and also proved the potential of their compositions by harmonizing seamlessly with the world music.

As we watch the film the ‘bauls’ are busy making last minute preparations to enchant the audience in their upcoming 5 city tour to Europe and also in Japan.

In Nature’s Lap

Imagine a panorama of teeming green with undulating landscape encompassing your

horizon. Or a slice of nature still unscathed and unexplored, somewhere, where your

soul will find its ultimate solace in a silence, gravid with divine eloquence. While the

music of rustling leaves and wild birds will assuage the languid geometry of your travel

wary body. If you want to experience these natural rhapsodies book your tickets to the

North East bound flights of India. The eastern part of India is scenically blessed primarily

because of the Himalayas-the king of mountains. The eastern Himalayas are a treasure of

natural wealth, many of which are still unveiled. Initiatives are now being taken to bring

these idyllic spots within the reach of travel and tourism in order to give the travelers a

taste of sublime beauty as well as to develop the regions and the life of the inhabitants.

Efforts have been taken to enter the virgin areas using tourism, as tourism is a tool that

opens the global window in the highly neglected areas. The arrival of tourists helps to

eradicate the feeling of isolation and poverty, and the appreciation from visitors develops

a sense of pride in the local people for their local natural & cultural resources. The

economical benefit and administrative attention brought in by the visitors balances the

rich traditions and conservation initiatives by the local communities. While the process of

balance in resources initiate peace.

Most of these destinations are located near protected areas and are managed by the local

people and many such projects are in politically sensitive, naturally rich and cross-border

natural heritage sites:

Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam – contiguous to Bhutan: Innovation - Terrorism to

peace through Tourism.

Singalila National Park, Darjeeling hills – contiguous to Nepal: Innovation – The Red

Panda Trail – Eco Tours, volunteering & conservation holiday.

Namdapha Tiger Reserve, Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary in Eastern Arunachal Pradesh

–contiguous to Myanmar: Innovation – Community conflict to community cooperation

and peace for conservation through Tourism.

Neora Valley National Park, Kalimpong hills – located at the tri-junction of West

Bengal, Sikkim and Bhutan: Innovation – Neora Valley Community Buffer Reserve to

reduce forest dependence of the local communities and thus pressure on the core area of

the park and open up avenues for nature-based tourism. Today Neora Valley attracts bird

and butterfly watchers from all over the world who bring a sustainable and alternative

livelihood opportunity to the locals.

Chilapata Wildlife Sanctuary, North Bengal Dooars – contiguous to Jaldapara

Wildlife

Sanctuary and Buxa Tiger Reserve: Innovation – Set up tourism demonstration project

and motivate and assist local communities to set up their own tourism business and

engage them in protection of corridor forests for range extension for wild animals and

restore the degraded migration passage for the animals.

Doing a commendable job in this area is Help Tourism, set up in 1991; the company

is a familiar name for eco- conscious tours and conservation efforts in the East and

Northeast India. Speakingon their initiatives, Asit Biswas, MD, Help Tourism said, “Our

initiatives have turned declared poachers and terrorists into protectors of nature and social

leaders for change towards better. Biodiversity protection has confirmed better habitat

for the wild. A radical change in the youth force, which now takes pride in conserving

their traditions & relate themselves globally, hence the end of isolation. The visit of

international travelers attracts the attention of local administration, who tries to bring

in development activities for the destinations.” Help has recently started a novel project

of implementing ‘tourism peace parks’ and have already established few such parks,

namely: Mount Narsing Peace Park in Sikkim, Guru Padmasmbhabha Peace Park in West

of Manas Biosphere Reserve, NCT(Noam-Chail-Teesta) Peace Park in North of Bengal,

Lalon Fokir Peace Park near Chilapata Wildlife Sanctuary in North of Bengal, Namdapha

Nalanda Peace Park in Eastern Arunachal Pradesh. These peace parks were launched in

order to promote Community Based Tourism (CBT) in the East Himalayas.

“The unique landscape and biodiversity of the East Himalaya, the several communities

of different origins and hence diverse cultural encounters, the destinations managed by

the local communities and the participation of the visitors in the day to day activities

of the local communities usually create an attachment of the visitors locally and reduce

the scope for negative outside influence on the local society. The visitors return as

brand ambassadors for the destinations,” enthused Mr.Sanjib Saha, Co-Founder of Help

Tourism, while illustrating on the scope and success of tourism in these remote areas.

Travelers from both India and abroad are increasingly taking interests in these still

uncharted naturals hubs and that’s resulting in both social and economic development

of the areas. M.S.Srinivasan and Sumitra Srinivasan of Mumbai are just enamored by

the virgin beauty of the Eastern Himalayas. “Both Kaziranga and Sunderbans were a

great experience. So were Nameri & Cherrapunjee. Any amount of reading about this

region or seeing films on it cannot do justice to it, as I believe it is something that has

to be seen and experienced to appreciate its unique grandeur. The rustic Jungle Camp in

Manas, Kaziranga jungle lodge, and your camp at Bali island just over the bund ( dyke)

on the banks of the river and in the village, were ideal and very charming and added to

the experience of being in the three world heritage sites! The way you have engaged the

Bodo people in protection of the wildlife in Manas deserves to be replicated in other parts

of India,” recalled the spirited duo. While Betty Meissner feels, “Manas and Kaziranga

were most magnificent; we enjoyed exploring the parks and were lucky to spot a number

of rhinos, elephants, deer, etc. We especially liked being at Florican with the young men

who are working so diligently to better themselves and their community.”

Historically, India has been a land of magical charms, in many capacities more than one.

But its natural wonders have baffled people from all over the world since ages. And now

with the new travel destinations in the Eastern Himalayas, the intrigue and assets of the

land of exotic natural beauty are just manifested in multiple measures. So, if your heart

yearns for solitude and solace, quietude and peace, the East Himalayas are waiting to take

you in its lap and balm you to bliss!!!