Impressions and Images of Banaras

The book “Time in Banaras – A visual journey” by Sumit Basu (published in 2016 by Supernova Publishers, New Delhi -- hard-bound, priced at Rs. 1250) has come into my hands only recently. This comprises 92 black-and-white pictures of Banaras, the eternal city of India (affectionate called ‘Bana- Ras’ by Sumit, quoting that icon of the city, Ustad Bismillah Khan) as it largely was in 1980s and 90’s. Black-and-white picture nowadays are rare, and rarer still are these images that Sumit has taken over the last thirty or thirty-five years. They serve as a documentation of the city as well as a rich fare of images that serve to provide the ambience of Banaras, as seen through the eyes of a dedicated photographer.

As to the pictures themselves, a good number stand out. I found the following pictures particularly attractive - “Mass rites at Scindia Ghat” (1988), “Overflowing Banks” (1998) “Bharat Milap festival” (2001), “Sonarpura sehnai” (2008), “Raga Bahriravi” (2012), “Harijan cremation” (2009), “A widow in back alley”(2007), “A zarda shop” (2010), “A hpto-session at Assi Ghat” (2012), “Sunlight and shadows” (2012). These have brought out the richness of black-and white prints besides interest in the images themselves. But especially satisfying is the “Afterword” by Sumit that touches on everything that has attracted Bengalis to Banaras, from Swami Vivekanda to Saytajit Ray. That was a clear bonus.

"Theyyam" ritual of Kerala

Practically every state of India has its special and peculiar folk rituals and ceremonies. Kerala has its Theyyam ceremony that is undertaken in many parts of the northern, or the Malabar, coast in the state. Much of it is bound up in myths and legends about some folk god, e.g. Muthuappan, or of some animist god, or it could be an invocation of a traditional god like Siva or Bhagavathy. The ritual takes several hours in preparation with the wearing of a special dress made up from coconut leaf fronds, many repetitive and stylized movements, chanting of "Mantras", offering of libation of wines, beating of drums and playing of other musical instruments, and so on.

Many scholars have held that the purpose was to enable a low caste priest progressively through the various stages of the ritual to assume the spirit and powers of the god who has been invoked and thus communicate the message of the gods to other persons also of lower castes - often on a one-to-one basis - thus helping bypass the prevalent caste restrictions and improving social intercourse.

Usually the theyyam ceremony is part of the rural life of northern Kerala and is held away from urban centres. The dress, the stylized dances, the drumming and music make for colourful yet solemn ceremony.

At long last, "at home" in India

As one works through one's life, all sorts of notes, observations, bric-a-brac and photographs tend to accumulate. Some have only a personal aignificance but a good number have archival imortance.

There are, for instance, the pictures and songs recorded in the "bachelors" dormitory among the Muria tribe in Bastar way back in 1970s. It is just not possible to get the original songs any more due to extensive change in the way of life of these tribes in recent years. Then there are the pictures of wildlife since 1972, when one could still walk about along the jungle paths and tracks. Many of these pictures in black and white are still appreciated by many.

Thanks to the personal interest of my good friend, Raza Kazmi, these notes, ranging from description of pale-geological sites going back about fifty million years to the Indus Valley sites that are just about five thousand years old, and the rock pintings starting from ten thousand years are now housed in the archives of the Ashoka Unversity. The link to this collection is at --https://archives.ashoka.edu.in/paper_details/96

Fort St. Angelo - a landmark in Kerala

Kerala has many things going for it. There is the great landscape, a wonderful culture and an interesting history. Tucked away somewhat far from the public eye and the usual tourist circuits, is the Fort St. Angelo located a little to the north of the town of Kannur, in North Kerala.

Following the visit of Vasco de Gama, the Portuguese navigator to that area, the local king granted land at the site to the Portuguese in 1505 and a wooden fort soon came up there. Afonso de Albuquerque became governor at the fort in 1509. This helped in the later Portuguese occupation of Goa. The original wooden fort was soon replaced by a fort built of laterite blocks and brick and mortar. Later in 1663, the fort was occupied by the Dutch and a few years later by the British. It remained as the principal British miltary centre on the Malabar coast till 1947.

This is a view of the Arabian Sea from the ramparts of the Fort Angelo. Since this is located quite near Kannur, one can take a bus or a vehicle to this site quite easily.

Sanchi - a wonderful Buddhist site

A good part of the history of India, and several of its neighbouring countries,such as Sri Lanka, Tibet and Myanmar, is inter-twined with the life and teachings of the Buddha. Fortunately, India has many places that are closely associated with the Buddha, both where he delivered his sermons and where some relics of the Buddha are enshrined in a "stupa", or a massive reliquery. One of the finest such "stupa" is located at Sanchi, which close to the city of Bhpoal in Madhya Pradesh. Besides its religious sanctity, Sanchi has some of the finest sculptual work, dating back to the 2nd century BCE.

This picture shows a a "torana"or a gateway to the stupa that has excellent carvings on it, some showing events from the life of the Buddha.

The details of this gateway show the large royal retinue that came to visit the Buddha and receive his blessings.

Walking around the stupa and enjoying the sculptures so finely made, one comes upon this statue of the Buddha deep in his meditations. It is a time to pause and think for a while on the teachings of the Buddha.

The Kinnaur Kailash in Himachal Pradesh - a fascinating journey

The month of October in 2012 saw me travelling with a group of friends to the Kinnaur Kailash region of Himachal Pradesh. The idea was to see some of the typical temples of that area besides making a visit to one the farthest outposts on the Indo-Tibetan border at Chitkul. We went initially by train via Kalka and Simla and then by road up the valley of the River Sutlej via Rampur Busheir, at one time one of the key points in Indo-Tibetan border trade.

After night halts at Sarahan, Rekong Peo and Kalpa it was on to Sangla, and then up the valley of the Baspa River for a quick visit to Chitkul, which was at about 11,000 feet. All along the way, the scenery was extremely beautiful, with snow-clad peaks showing up at almost every turn of the road, above and beyond the jagged hill ridges along the river valleys.

This was also the season for apples and other fruits, and one could pick them up from the road-side and fields with the permission of the land-holder, but only two or three at a time. Even baskets-full of apples were going cheaply in the local markets. An typical apple orchard may be seen below.

Considering the proximity of Himachal to the western edge of Tibet, it is small wonder that Buddhist "gumphas" and temples to Hindu gods and goddesses have co-existed in Himachal for long. One of the most fascinating temples was that of Bhimakali at Sarahan, with its unique architecture the picture of which is given below.

Another interesting temple was the Narayani at Kalpa. Of course, Chitkul, which was almost at the end of the valley of the Baspa had a special attraction.

So, this Kinnaur Kailash trip with its mix of wonderful scenery, excellent views of the Kinnaur Kailash from Kalpa, temples and plenty of fruits will be remembered for many years.

Bird-watching in Sattal, Kumaon Hills

A recent visit to Sattal, in the Kumaon Hills, located about 20 kilomteres from Nainital, for bird-watching was most enjoyable. While there are a number of lodges in the town (more a large village), the accommodation at the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam was very central and not crowded at all. More to the point was the ease of access to some of the birding areas in and around Sattal. One of the notable features was the trusting nature of the birds in the neighbourhood. One Grey-winged Blackbird practically came upto my feet and was photographed with a 25 mm lens from about 4 feet away.

The White-throated Laughing Thrush was equally trusting (though laughing thrushes are generally quite suspicious of men) and came and sat on a branch of a tree near my head.

It is possible that a person sitting still does not usually disturb the birds and animals. Here a barking deer, normally a shy animal, stood at a distance of about 20 feet, without feeling nervous. This experience was quite enjoyable.