A woman poses for a selfie during the heritage walk and (right) the poor state of the road leading to Kashishwar Mahadev temple
Lucknow :
A journey called ‘Yatra’ to lesser-known yet important landmarks of Lucknow on the city outskirts was organized on Sunday by INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage.
The ‘Yatra’ started from Chatori Gali near Gomti Riverfront and had four stops, Kashishwar Mahadev Temple at Mohanlalganj, Shivala and Kakori Memorial at Kakori Road and Kudiya Ghat in Old City.
“The idea was to explore the monuments in Lucknow that are not much talked about. The tourism department doesn’t keep them in its itinerary despite their historical and architectural value. For instance, Kakori Memorial, it is one of the landmarks that tells so much about Lucknow’s association with the freedom struggle but it’s nowhere on the list of places to visit in Lucknow,” said Vipul Varshney, convener of INTACH’s Lucknow chapter.
She added, “Mostly when people speak about Lucknow, they talk of Imambada or Tunday Kebabi. Not even all Lucknowites know that these places exist. So, we want people to get acquainted with these monuments and give them their due importance.” The ‘Yatra’ was attended by 50 people, including 25 architecture students. Several among them visited these monuments for the first time.
“The most interesting stop of the trip was Kashishwar Mahadev Temple at Mohanlalganj. Built in 1860, it is a perfect example of Vastu Shastra. It has eight ‘Shivalayas’ and the top of the main compound has a ribbed dome on a rectangular base with inverted lotus finial and metallic pinnacle. It was fascinating to see anything so architecturally wonderful,” said Shweta Singh.
Expressing concern over the poor upkeep of monuments, Vipul said, “Despite their historical importance they are in shambles, be it Kashishwar Temple or Kakori Memorial. Despite getting lakhs of rupees for Kudiya Ghat’s beautification, river there is full of water hyacinth; even the stairs are not cleaned properly.”
“Kashishwar temple is ASI protected, but the approach is not cemented. Garbage was strewn everywhere,” said Aparna Mishra.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / by Vidita Chandra / TNN / December 04th, 2017
Chetan Chauhan, former Indian cricket team opener and sports minister of Uttar Pradesh, has announced Olympic medal winners will be given an additional Rs 3 crore in addition to the one they receive from the Central government and has said the state of Uttar Pradesh is undertaking special efforts to promote women sportspersons. Chetan Chauhan has announced that the additional Rs 3 crore for Olympic medal winners apart from the one that they receive from the Central government is a bid to encourage sportspersons across the state.(PTI)
Former Indian cricketer and sports minister of Uttar Pradesh, Chetan Chauhan has announced that Olympic medal winners will be given an additional Rs 3 crore apart from the one that they receive from the Central government in a bid to encourage sportspersons across the state.
Chauhan was speaking at the closing ceremony of the sports meet in Agra where he declared that the state government had been planning to pump up the rewards in tune with that of the Central government. He also stated that necessary arrangements are being made to step up the quality of football in the state as well.
Urged youngsters to stay fit and healthy, Chauhan said: “The ODI format came in when I was almost at the end of my career. These days there’s Test, ODI, Twenty20 and then the Indian Premier League and so on. It’s very important to stay fit. Back in my days a bowler could bowl at the same speed in the first hour of the day and the last. These days, you can’t see this anymore.”
He further went on to add that the state and the central governments were working in unison to promote local talent, and were driving special campaigns in rural areas.
Referring to women cricketers Deepti Sharma and Poonam Yadav, Chauhan further went on to add: “Special efforts are being undertaken to promote women players, the result of which could be seen at the previous World Cup. The players stated that they want women sportspersons to get opportunities in every discipline and not cricket in order to boost their morale. I would want the governments to support these players financially to help them in the process. The Union Sports minister has stated that there are a few areas that require supervision. We have charted out a few plans and will soon implement it as well.”
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Cricket / by HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times – Mumbai / December 01st, 2017
‘Freedom’ in Varanasi ring: A day in the life of women’s wrestling at ‘benaras kesri’ The first woman ‘Benaras Kesri’ is national-level wrestler Freedom Yadav. (Express Photo by Anand Singh)
Vasundhara Yadav, 12, sporting a closely cut crop of hair and dressed in a red tracksuit, says she usually trains at the Sigra Stadium in the heart of Varanasi. But this is no ordinary Thursday for the 12-year-old, part of a group of young women wrestlers who’ve turned up at the five-centuries-old Tulsi Swaminath Akhara, Varanasi’s oldest mud wrestling gymnasium for men, at the Sankat Mochan temple on Tulsi Ghat.
It is dawn in the holy city, and there is palpable excitement among the group. The girls hope to pack in a practice session on the mud akhara before the main event of the day — the finals of the three-day Benaras Kesri, the city’s premier wrestling competition. For the first time in the event’s 30-year history, women, including girls as young as Vasundhra, are eligible to compete.
The Sankat Mochan temple trust, which holds the event, has this year split the Benaras Kesri title into two: one for men and the other for women.
At around 5 am, the practice session begins in earnest, with the girls silently folding hands in reverence to the wrestling deity, Hanuman, and the earth, the theatre of their sport, before stepping into the arena. Complex danv pech follows over the next two hours, amid instructions from the sidelines. At around 7 am, the girls pack up.
As she walks down the sloped cobbled lanes leading to the main road, Vasundhara says she began training six months ago after her parents agreed to let her pursue the sport professionally.
“Everyone is now inspired by movies like Dangal and Sultan. I too was inspired. I want to bring my country a medal,” she says. By 9 am, Vasundhara says, she will be at Assi Ghat, where the Benaras Kesri is to be held.
At the ghat, a large area has been cleared near the Ganga. Volunteers from akharas across the city have already laid out the yellow mat to wrestle on, plugged in and tested mics and arranged chairs, while former district and national-level wrestlers are set to double up as referees.
Varanasi’s wrestling fraternity had tested the waters for women’s wrestling last year, when they introduced a few friendly bouts between the girls at the competition. Favourable reception, shaped mostly by the Aamir Khan-starrer Dangal, emboldened the organisers to introduce a women’s championship this year.
“Women and girls have been wrestling in stadiums and even mud akharas in Varanasi for the past few years, but this is the first time they will fight at the open-air ghat before men who have never seen women wrestle. This will encourage women wrestlers of Varanasi and there will be many more grapplers next year,” says Prem Mishra, general secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Association. The crowd places bets as the wrestlers take to the yellow mats. (Express Photo by Anand Singh)
As the finals kick off, spectators gather around, taking their places on the ghat steps or the ground. Bets are placed; money is handed out to the winners. Tea sellers make hay and tourists stop to watch. “What is happening here today?” asks Lea Neller, a young filmmaker from Berlin. She and her partner stay to watch the competition after being told that girls are wrestling professionally here for the first time. The crowd swells through the afternoon.
A group of women wrestlers from Bengaluru, including Pooja Yadav (18), who the organisers play up as “international player Pooja Yadav”, warm up as the men begin their bouts. There are a few surprised stares as the women unzip their jackets, take off their pants and stretch in wrestling singlets akin to that of the boys.
It’s these universal singlets, reckons Siya Ram, a 64-year-old coach at the Swaminath Akhara, that has eased the passage for women onto the mud, traditionally the sole preserve of male grapplers clad in the langot or loincloth. “Women were never allowed to set foot in the mitti ke akhare till as recently as 15 years ago, but now we realise what we have been doing to the girls is very wrong. They can also get our country medals; they are no less than boys,” says Siya Ram.
At the venue, there is further vindication for the organisers’ decision, with purists later marvelling at how well behaved the crowd was. There are hearty cheers with raucous bursts of advice each time a grappler is pinned down or locked in a stranglehold; a cut chin and blood elicits concerned hushed murmurs. “No one whistled or misbehaved. Every one was on their best behaviour though the audience was made up of locals from across the city,” says Vishwambhar Nath Mishra, the mahant of the Sankat Mochan temple, who is also a professor of electronics at the Benaras Hindu University (BHU).
The bouts involving women, particularly Pooja and Freedom Yadav (18), a national-level wrestler, draw less intense reactions, but even here, quick points and strong pin-downs extract howls of excitement and gasps from the crowd.
But women athletes sitting beside the veterans ringside have a grouse — “The men’s winner gets Rs 11,000 and a bike. For us, it is Rs 5,000 and a cycle,” one of them complains loudly. Kallu Pehalwan, the local pradhan and a former wrestling star of Varanasi, publicly admits it is a mistake. “Next time the prizes will be equal. Forgive us,” he gets the anchor to announce over the mic, to laughter in the audience.
Poonam Pal, an 11-year-old wrestler who crashed out of the competition the previous day, talks about how there were no weight-specific categories for the girls, unlike the boys. “It was not intentional. Actually, the decision to include women was taken at the last moment; only a few days ago. From next year onwards, the prizes will be the same and equal. And the competition will be conducted on a grand scale,” Prem Mishra now reassures.
Gopal Sahni, a local boatman who has been watching the wrestling for the last three decades, however, doesn’t agree. “The prize money cannot be equal and should not be equal because girls and boys are not equal,” he says. “Girls simply don’t have the same strength and fighting skills.”
As the day progresses, Vasundhra falls by the wayside, losing her bout. At around 3 pm, with the semi-finals for both the men and women having concluded, there is a sense of urgency. Who will the winners be? The men’s title is decided first, with Mukesh Yadav, a brawny young man, emerging the winner to take home the title of Benaras Kesri.
At 4.30 pm, it is the turn of the women. The title is to be decided between Freedom Yadav and Pooja Yadav. There is a hush as the bout begins. After six minutes of intense kushti, Freedom manages to pin down Pooja long enough to win the match. As the referee declares her winner, Varanasi gets it first woman Kesri.
Following a brief prize distribution ceremony, Mukesh Yadav proudly rides out with his prize — a blue motorcycle. Freedom, whose parents named her so because she was the youngest and “they wanted me to be free”, is thrilled at her bicycle. She mounts it as her fellow female wrestlers are arranged around her to pose for a group photo. Soon, the city’s ‘strongest woman’ is mobbed by the local media and spectators.
With the event done and dusted, mahant Vishwambhar Nath Mishra is a content man in his temple office. “I was apprehensive that I would be lampooned for making women fight in an open-air competition. There are so many people who could have voiced their opposition. But we must move with the times. Our culture is a living one. Only a dead culture does not adapt to the needs and wants of the society it serves and exists in,” he says.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> India / by Sarah Hafeez / December 03rd, 2017
Buddhist monk Bhadant Galgedar Pragyanand, youngest among the seven priests who had initiated Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar into Buddhism in 1956, died here at Lucknow’s King George’s Medical University (KGMU) on Thursday morning.
Just about 18 days short of this 89th birthday, the Sri Lanka-born ascetic had been undergoing multiple age-related medical problems, including diabetes and high blood pressure.
Head of Lucknow’s Buddh Vihar near Risaldar Park in Lal Kuan area, monk Pragyanand had come to India at the age of 13 and was visited by Ambedkar in Lucknow twice, in 1948 and 1951.
Pragyanand was only 20 when Ambedkar first met him.
Disciples of the ‘gururji’ claimed that it was after his visits to Lucknow to seek blessings from Bhadant Boddhanant and Bhadant Pragyanand that Ambedkar was inspired to embrace Buddhism.
Bhadanta Pragyanand (File Photo)
Final rites in Shrawasti after procession in city.
A procession carrying the body of Bhadant Pragyanand in an open vehicle will leave Risaldar park situated Buddh Vihar at 9am. Following the Husainganj, Burlington, Odeon cinema route, the procession will reach Ambedkar Mahsabha where the body of its founder president will be kept for 15 minutes. The procession will then reach Hazratganj situated Ambedkar statue where a halt of 30 minutes will be made for tributes to be paid, when finally at 12 noon the body will be carried to Shrawasti for last rites as per Buddhist rituals.
‘Guruji spoke little but talking about Ambedkar would always energise him’
He was brought in on November 26 after complaints of fever and chest pain but had multiple age-related medical conditions,” said Prof SN Sankhwar, chief medical superintendent, KGMU.
Pragyanand was born on December 18, 1928, and had nephews and nieces in Sri Lanka who were in regular contact with monks in Lucknow, but could not come to India on Thursday. Followers and wellwishers of the old monk, including UP minister Swami Prasad Maurya, poured in at Buddh Vihar where his body was kept.
Bhikshu Pragya Saar, the oldest of Pragyanand’s disciple at Lucknow’s Buddh Vihar said, “When behenji (Mayawati) became CM for the first time in 1995, guruji asked her to go on a pilgrimage.
When she asked to which place should she make the pilgrimage to, he replied Shrawasti. And she indeed did.”He added, “It was also around 1997 that on guruji’s persuasion Behenji declared Shrawasti a district and raised its political importance to match its religious significance.”
Six disciples of the monk lived with him at the Buddh Vihar, one of whom Bhikshu Dharam Priya said, “I came under guruji’s wings in October 1999 and it was from him that I imbibed the unending energy and will to work. He had published 62 books on Buddhist teachings and had authored some of them.”
The disciples recalled, “Guruji spoke little but talking about Ambedkar would always energise him. He would tell us about the ceremony in Nagpur on October 14, 1956, where Babasaheb’s wife Savita Ambedkar was also present.” The group which had performed the ceremony was headed by Chandramani Mahasanghayak and had Bhikshu Paramshanti, Pannanand Mahathero, Bhadant Sadhatiss Mahathero, H Sangratn Mahasthavir and Bhikshu Sumedh.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / by Yusra Husain / TNN / December 01st, 2017
A businessman, president of Daliganj Vyapar Mandal(Daliganj Traders Federation) but the identity of Daliganj resident Manish Gupta is much more than that.
Manish has been organizing mass wedding ceremonies for several years.
Here, girls who come from poor families get married in typical band-baja-barat style.
Manish has four sisters. In his struggling days, he sold even detergent powder in weekly market. He knows how difficult it was to arrange marriages of his sisters. So when his financial condition improved he decided to help in the marriages of poor girls.
He tied up with Daliganj Vyapar Mandal to get support in implementing his idea.
He also founded SarvSamaj Nirdhan Kanya Kalyan Samitia in which and only 5 couples got married. He also arranged wedding a ceremony in Ramdheen Lawn near IT Crossroad on November 2 in which 21 girls got married.
Manish told that he arranges marriage only after mutual consent of both the families. There is also a condition according to which groom will have to gift jewellery worth 30 thousand rupees to his bride.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Cities / by Navbharat Times / November 30th, 2017
The long neglected nomadic ironsmiths or ‘gadiya lohar’ in the Taj city can now hope for a better life, courtesy Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar University, which is planning to bring them into the mainstream of society.
The university is working on a pilot project for their rehabilitation through various government schemes and is also planning to arrange for education of children belonging to this deprived community.(HT Photo)
The long neglected nomadic ironsmiths or ‘gadiya lohar’ in the Taj city can now hope for a better life, courtesy Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar University, which is planning to bring them into the mainstream of society through skill development programmes, apart from giving them access to housing and education.
These ‘gadiya lohar’ or ‘loh-pita’ (blacksmiths), who move from place to place in search of livelihood, are said to have a historical past and it is said their ancestors chose this nomadic lifestyle of their own volition. Earlier, they fashioned swords and javelins but with changing times, they now make axes, kitchen ware and iron tools. But the community still adheres to the old life style and can be found on the pavements during transit.
Ironically, while most other tribes have progressed, this community still languishes at the bottom.
The university is working on a pilot project for their rehabilitation through various government schemes and is also planning to arrange for education of children belonging to this deprived community. Through the project it aims to address problems like illiteracy, low income generation and use of obsolete technology in economic activities .
“We will begin by preparing a pilot project and conduct a survey about the status of these deprived families who live a nomadic life and settle on the road side while moving from one city to another. They work hard with their obsolete instruments to make iron tools and are yet to join the mainstream of society,” said Dr Girija Shankar, spokesperson of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar University.
The university’s attention was drawn towards these iron smiths during preparations for its convocation scheduled in December, because a number of such ironsmiths are stationed along the outer wall of the university campus in Khandari, which encloses the venue for the convocation.
A close look at their plight gave the varsity administration the idea to work towards their uplift.
“We are working on possible measures which include education for children of these iron smiths, who can be part of the Modern School run by the university. They can be given access to various government schemes, including housing and their skill can be used as skill development initiative of the university. Various departments and faculties in the varsity can play an active role in this initiative,” said Dr Girija Shankar.
“Dr Arvind Dixit, vice chancellor of Dr BR Ambedkar University, is relying on departments, particularly those of sociology and social science, conducting courses like MSW (Master of Social Works) for taking up the cause as social responsibility of the university,” he said.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Cities> Lucknow / by Hemendra Chaturvedi, Hindustan Times,Agra / November 28th, 2017
Samsung India conducted the 7th edition of the annual Samsung Innovation Awards at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur in association with Entrepreneurship Cell.
Samsung Innovation Awards aim to recognize and reward innovations that have the potential to revolutionize everyday living and enable students to take their ideas to the next level.
The first prize went to the team that included Kshitij Jaggi, Kumar Shivang and Rishabh Sahu who worked on a peer to peer financial transaction app using Blockchain technology in a distributed environment. The vision of the team is to enable financial inclusion of chit fund subscribers with Circle, a mobile ?rst solution for organisers to easily manage the members, bringing in transparency in the whole process and creating credit history for all Indians.
Insomniatec, comprising students Kaustubh Mundra and Sankalp Rastogi, won the second prize for proposing a project that uses an infra-red camera coupled with computer vision technology to detect drowsiness in a vehicle driver while in motion and provides in-time alerts.
One of the projects, Muskan Solid Waste, consisting Hari Shankar and co-founder Mewa Lal found a special mention at the awards. This is a start-up that converts organic waste into high yielding compost. The technique used reduces time for composting and produces more efficient manure compared to artificial fertilizers.
The awards were presented by Dr. Aloknath De, Chief Technology Officer, Samsung R&D Institute, India Bangalore (SRI-B). The winners were given cash prizes worth Rs. 2.5 lakh while the five finalists received merit recognition from Samsung.
Samsung Innovation Awards 2017 saw an overwhelming response, with eight teams getting an opportunity to present their ideas to the jury comprising Dr. Aloknath De from SRI-B and professors from IIT-Kanpur – Dr. Amitabha Bandyopadhyay from the Department of Biological Sciences & Bioengineering (BSBE), Prof. Sandeep Shukla from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Kanpur.
Samsung R&D Institute Bangalore will engage with the award winners to further develop their innovations.
“Through the platform of Samsung Innovation Awards, we want to encourage students to work on innovative ideas in evolving areas of artificial intelligence, computer vision and IOT. When we see diverse and quality projects in these emerging technology areas, we can sense the pulse of our youth. Novelty of ideas, comprehensiveness in execution and impact of solution are yardsticks in selecting the winners. Samsung has been supporting deep-tech innovation at large and this year’s event in IIT-Kanpur is one such initiative,” said Dr. Aloknath De, Chief Technology Officer, Samsung R&D Institute, India – Bangalore.
Cutting-edge innovations were showcased at the competition. The innovative product ideas and solutions presented this year ranged from a cloud-based healthcare data management system to an intelligence platform for law enforcement and defence agencies.
“Innovation and entrepreneurship ought to become an integral part of institutions of academic and higher technical learnings. We must quickly transform into an innovation driven society where young minds understand societal needs, carve out opportunities and take calculated risks to become job creators and leaders. We are happy that corporates such as Samsung are coming forward to help us create the desired ecosystem at IIT Kanpur,” said Sameer Khandekar, Associate Dean, Innovation and Incubation, IIT Kanpur.
The 2017 edition of the Samsung Innovation Awards was initiated at IIT-Kanpur campus six months ago through an open entry process, where students submitted their innovative ideas. The shortlisting process was led by professors from IIT-Kanpur and researchers from SRI-B, who also selected the eight finalists.
The final teams presented their ideas to the jury at the IIT-Kanpur campus. The winning project was selected based on the degree of innovation, feasibility, usability, relevance and overall impact on masses.
Conceptualised in 2011, the Samsung Innovation Awards seek to support and encourage young talent who have an innovative approach and look to improvise different systems and processes. Further, it aims to develop indigenous products and services for fulfilling mass needs thereby transforming lives and creating sustainable solutions for the benefit of the society at large.
Over the years, Samsung Innovation Awards have become one of the most eagerly awaited ideation contests at IIT’s due to enthusiastic participation from the student community.
The first edition was conducted at IIT Delhi and since then Samsung Innovation Awards have been held at other major IITs. The last edition in 2016 was held at IIT Bombay and had witnessed great interest and enthusiasm from students. Samsung continues to provide the next generation of Indian innovators and entrepreneurs an avenue to showcase and advance their engineering skill sets. (ANI-NewsVoir)
source: http://www.aninews.in / ANI / Home / November 16th, 2017
The Stage season 1 winner Yatharth Ratnum has been nominated for MTV EMA 2017 in London as Best Indian Act.
The singer exclaimed, “This is really amazing as I got nominated for my first single Continents. It’s cool because I am nominated against real heavyweights like Nucleya, Raja Kumari, Hard Kaur and Parekh and Singh.”
The singer is all excited that he is hearing wishes and messages from all the sides on being nominated. He said. “Everyone is sending me a message saying we voted 100 times as multiple voting is allowed. It’s a good feeling for me to be there.”
Talking about his success he said, “The Stage was a much-needed show as there are so many artistes in this country and they are craving to tell their story. The Stage gave me the platform where I was able to tell my story. I come from Varanasi and to me to do western music or English music is a big deal. Stage changed my life around, gave me so much and now I get to work with top people in the industry. I really feel fortunate to be the winner of the show.”
The voting line will be open until 11 November and the final result for Best Indian Act will be announced in London on 12 November.
source: http://www.radioandmusic.com / Radio and Music.com / Home> News / by RnM Team / October 17th, 2017
West Bengal: Miss West Bengal ’17 votes for cleanliness in her hometown | Agra News – Times of India
Agra:
During voting for civic body elections at ward no. 74 here on Wednesday, all eyes were on Shivankita Dixit, a 23-year-old who was crowned Miss West Bengal 2017, who turned up to vote.
Dixit, a resident of Manas Nagar, has been living with her aunt in Kolkata for a year, and had participated and won the contest in that state. She then auditioned for the Miss India contest in Mumbai. She returned to her hometown to vote for the civic body elections.
Wearing tiara on her head, Dixit told TOI, “My vote was for cleanliness. I want the winning candidate to give priority to creating garbage-free localities and clean roads. A clean environment is the first step to a healthy life.”
Apart from cleanliness issue, the local businessman Sanjay Dixit daughter said, “I’m not aware of Agra city, but in my locality, the residents are conservative. They don’t allow their daughters to go out and explore the world. My vote in civic body polls is also important because the mayoral candidate which I have voted for is expected toward empowerment of girls in the city.”
Shivankita Dixit completed her graduation from Dayalbagh University and is the first beautypageant winner from Agra.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Agra News / by Arvind Chauhan / TNN / November 23rd, 2017
Lucknow-born composer and conductor Vijay Upadhyaya is trying to capture the essence of Chinese history and philosophy into a grand musical composition.
Vijay Upadhyaya’s opera Chang’an Men tells the story of Chinese history and culture through music
In Chang’an Men, or The Gate of Eternal Peace, Lucknow-born composer and conductor Vijay Upadhyaya attempts what even Chinese musicians consider a daunting exercise: distilling the essence of Chinese history and philosophy into one grand musical composition.
Unveiled in Beijing on November 13 to a packed Beijing Concert Hall, Upadhyaya’s ambitious 80-minute symphony fuses Western and Chinese styles. It features an elaborate Western choral arrangement, several Chinese classical instruments and a southern Chinese folk singer.
It was an impressive debut, despite the fact that Upadhyaya had only a week with the China National Symphony Orchestra in Beijing. “This was the first time such a composition was commissioned by the government of China to a foreigner,” he said after the concert.
A naturalised Austrian who has lived in Vienna since 1987 and heads the music department at Vienna University, Upadhyaya has been visiting China regularly for a decade. Over the past two years, he has visited every six weeks to research Chinese history and philosophy, and it took him nearly a year to write the opera. “The opera basically tells the story of Chinese history and the roots of Chinese philosophy through music,” he explained as melodious sounds drifted through the grim, Soviet-style residential complex in north Beijing that forms the base for the China National Symphony Orchestra.
Upadhyaya says his hope for the symphony, which will be performed in Vienna next, “is to not only explain Chinese culture abroad but to their own people,” especially to the younger generation that’s forgotten its roots.
The first of the symphony’s four movements draws on the Lunyu, or Analects of Confucius, expressing the five traditional virtues of noble being, righteousness, proper conduct, wisdom and trustworthiness. A quintessentially Chinese piece, it ends with a sense of aggression that Upadhyaya says is meant to represent the chaos of the Warring States period and subsequent search for order that fuelled Confucian thought.
The second movement is inspired by the I Ching or Book of Change. It is slow and melodious, following the tones of language in the tradition of performances of old Chinese poetry. The ‘guzheng’-a stringed Chinese instrument-features prominently, played by musician Wei Ji of the China Central Conservatory of Music.
While this writer found the guzheng-heavy movement to be the most powerful one, Upadhyaya appears most passionate about the third movement. It features singer Cai Yayi performing Nanyin, a type of folk music from southeastern Fujian. “Nanyin is a dying art and she is one of few authentic artists trying to preserve it,” he says.
In India, Upadhyaya performed a similar orchestral arrangement using Tamil and Malayalam folk music, and plans to do so in Telugu and Kannada. He believes China is doing far more than India in promoting traditional culture and fast-fading folk arts. The Chinese government has invited him to be part of a “1,000 experts” programme to advise the government on promoting the arts and preserving traditions. “India and China are facing the same problem, and it’s not due to any political system but because of changes such as the media and globalisation. In India, it is being killed through Bollywood. Besides the Carnatic music tradition, there is the Hindustani music tradition but folk music is dead. The diversity is dying out.”
“The difference,” he says, “is that the government of China has a programme to try and keep this alive. This is a major policy emphasis and in India we simply haven’t seen any such effort.” But music is not the only arena where he feels China’s authoritarian government is outperforming Indian democracy. It’s also doing better in the fight against pollution and gender inequality, he says. “Working in China for 10 years, I don’t believe in democracy anymore,” he said. “India and China started in the 1970s at the same point, and look at where China is today.”
He laments that political squabbles have thwarted more cultural exchanges between India and China. “There is a big acceptance and respect for Indian culture in China, but I find that India is too defensive about the whole thing. They see us as a similar culture, but there seems to be a lobby in India that is against China. Maybe there are political issues in Arunachal or Kashmir, but you can also look at the positive points, whether business or culture.”
Starting a joint India-China orchestra, he suggests, would be one small step in addressing the disharmony. But that, for now, remains an unfinished symphony.
source: http://www.indiatoday.intoday.in / India Today / Home> News> Magazine> Leisure / by Ananth Krishnan / November 14th, 2017
