Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Clean India campaign unearths century-old record

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All

While preparing for Thursday’s ‘Swatch Bharat’ campaign, the Department of Post recently stumbled upon century old records hidden beneath stacks of files in its store room. The archival documents, throwing light on the functioning of postal services in the British regime, were in a dilapidated state.

The officials and the public have so far been oblivious to the existence of such records that have academic interest. As the officials went through the records maintained in English, Hindi and other languages, they were surprised to find many unknown facts, including the one that malaria drug ‘quinine’ as earlier used to be sent through post offices.

The document says, “Quinine is almost finished. There is a stock of only two packets. The branch master should write to assistant director, public health malaria, Lucknow for new supply.”

Similarly, records dated January 24, 25 and 26, 1905 and signed by the then Post Master General of United Provinces of Agra and Oudh (border almost identical to present Uttar Pradesh) says, “The horses of Allahabad are the best I have seen in this circle. Most of them are in very god condition, but some are thin. Post Master has prepared a statement which shows that some of the horses are overworked.”

He wrote that he want a similar statement from Cownpore, Lucknow and Agra after which he would take any action.

Further during the inspection, the then British Post Master General found plague had hampered the work in the city and the number of absentee in the office had also increased affecting the work.

The document reveals that Allahabad had earlier been the focal point of business transaction among others. Now the officials have decided to maintain and preserve the records.

“The swatch bharat abhiyan was a blessing in disguise as we got rare records related to postal services in Allahabad circle. The service of the circle was termed as the best by the then Post Master General. At present the records and documents running into several pages are being studies and will be preserved,” said KK Yadav, director postal services, Allahabad region.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / by Vinod Khanal, TNN / October 01st, 2014

Waqf board spanner in film shoot at Old City haveli

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel

Lucknow :

A majestic pre-Independence era haveli in Old City is caught in a controversy with the UP Sunni Waqf Board asking district administration to halt shooting schedule of a Hindi film in it.

Tucked away in the congested Akbari Gate area on Abdul Aziz Road, Ahmad Manzil was built in 1922 and belonged to tobacco merchants Ahmad Ali and Sons of global fame. In the 1940’s, owner Khan Bahadur Syed Ahmad Husain Rizvi declared it wakf property and laid out conditions under which the property was to be utilised by his descendants. The current mutawalli (caretaker) Iqbal Rizvi allegedly granted permission to the makers of ‘Tanu Weds Manu-2’ to shoot inside the building.

This has irked other residents of the haveli who allege that shooting of the film in the building is against the will of the wakif Khan Bahadur Syed Ahmad Husain Rizvi. “Shooting cannot be allowed since no such activity can take place on the haveli compound without unanimous consent of all beneficiaries of the property. Also, nothing that’s against the ‘Shariah’ (Islamic jurisprudence) can be allowed,” says Fareed Rizvi whose letter to the Waqf Board prompted the latter’s letter to the district magistrate.

Incidentally, the Waqf Board had written a similar letter to the DM during the shooting of ‘Dabangg-2’ but by the time a district administration inspection team reached the venue, shooting for the film had already concluded.

When contacted, the haveli’s caretaker Iqbal Rizvi remained tight-lipped on the issue. DM Raj Shekhar said the Wakf Board letter could not be tabled for discussion due to holidays but appropriate action will be taken after studying the facts of the case.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City>Lucknow / by Ali Rizvi, TNN / October 08th, 2014

Keeping alive the memory of Begum Akhtar

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All, Uncategorized
Begum Akhtar
Begum Akhtar

As the Centre rolled out a year-long commemoration of the birth centenary year of ghazal queen Begum Akhtar on Tuesday, the lament of her disciples and close confidantes is that Uttar Pradesh – the State where she was born and lies buried – has shown no interest in keeping her legacy alive.

Coins released
The official launch of the birth centenary commemoration with the release of commemorative coins at National Museum here saw another disciple Rita Ganguly enthral the houseful gathering with a rendition of her teacher’s aye mohabbat tere anjaam pe rona aaya…’’

But for recent efforts by individuals to salvage what remains of `Pasanda Bagh’ in Lucknow – where Begum Akhtar was buried in October 1974 – even her grave would have been lost to encroachers. Now, the space around her grave and that of her mother’s has been restored — courtesy a grant from the Department of Archaeology of the Government of India – and this evening resonated with the voice of Shubha Mudgal.

“But not many people will be able to attend Shubha’s musical offering as `Pasanda Bagh’ has shrunk to almost the size of a room where not more than 40 people can be accommodated. Our effort is to have an annual ‘Urs’ on her ‘barsi’ but we need a bigger venue so that the public can participate in larger numbers. But this is not something that the few of us can do on our own,’’ said Salim Kidwai, founder-member of Sadbhavna Trust.

“We maintain the mazaar from our own pocket,’’ Mr. Kidwai said; adding that successive Uttar Pradesh governments ignored efforts to get some local governmental support. “We are hoping that the State Government will at least include her mazaar in the tourism map as people have begun visiting it ever since we redid the place two years ago.”

Website soon
Vocalist Shanti Hiranand – a disciple of Begum Akhtar who along with Mr. Kidwai drove the effort to restore the mazaar — told The Hindu that one of the pressing tasks ahead is the setting up of a website on the ghazal queen who was equally accomplished in the `dadra’ and `thumri’ genres of Hindustani classical music. The website will be set up as part of a project of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts which will also organise a three-city showcase of Begum Akhtar as part of the commemoration.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National / by Anita Joshua / New Delhi, October 08th, 2014

Revitalising city monuments

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel

Lucknow:

The city just might have the pride of an underground museum corridor from Darshanbilas to Farhat Baksh via Lal Baradari connecting it to river Gomti.

Teachers at faculty of architecture (affiliated to UPTU) have come up with a proposal to revitalise the Chhatar Manzil complex, a relic of the Nawabi era. The proposed connection of Farhat Bakhsh (earlier part of Chhatar Manzil) can be restored with an underground museum corridor from Lal Baradari and the pavilion bridge can be reconstructed as pedestrian connection across the river. The objective is to revive glory of Chhatar Manzil’s historic manifestation and its connection with the river.

“Chhatar Manzil and Farhat Baksh are isolated monuments on the banks of Gomti. Chhatar Manzil comprises the Lucknow skyline but the royal building does not enjoy the glory it deserves,” said Vandana Sehgal and Ritu Gulati, experts who’ve made the proposal.

As per the proposed design, Farhat Baksh and Bada Chhatarmanzil can be live museums of handicraft and live performance of traditional Lucknowi dance and drama (dastaangoi). The landscaped court of the Bada Chhatarmanzil and the Chhota Chhatarmanzil footprint can be an open sculpture court and area for live fine art demonstration.

The riverside can be developed as a promenade with kiosks for food, drinks and curios, which will also direct movement towards the Gomti, where it will connect the complex to the erstwhile Bridge of Pavilions that needs to be reconstructed to go across the river to the esplanade on the other side, said Vandana. This perspective weaves all the fragmented parts of the complex physically and metaphorically with the river and the city.

During Ghazi-ud-din Haider’s time, the Chhatarmanzil Kalan badaa (next to Farhat Baksh) and the Chhatarmanzil Khurd chhota were connected through a court. The latter was flanked by Darshanbilas and Chaulakhikothi. These two monuments can be connected through a court as a foreground for performances in the backdrop, said Ritu.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / October 01st, 2014

Manipur Tower opens in Ghaziabad

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

Imphal :

An exclusive residence for Manipur is called Manipur Tower (With 19 floors and 152 modern flats in it) in Aditya World City NH-24, Ghaziabad has opened today, according to a release issued by Nivedita Maharabam.

Extending gratitude to the team of Investors Clinic who exclusively marketed the allotment of the flats to Manipuris, social worker Amrik Singh Pahwa said that the Manipuri students and Manipuri families in Delhi and NCR find it very hard to sustain their living apart from struggling to achieve their dreams in the city.

Investors Clinic and its marketing team have done a splendid job in terms of helping the clients with their housing bank loans, issuance of allotment letters as well as signing of allotment agreements at Imphal itself.

They have made history by taking up the initiative as they are the first real estate marketers who took time to visit Manipur for the interest of the Manipuri people.

If they had not taken the initiative, the clients would have had to visit the marketers office which is located in Delhi.

A big team from Delhi who came to issue allotment agreements and required property documentation have gone back to Delhi today.

Their initiative has saved precious time and hard earned money of the clients from Manipur, he added.

He said, “People from Manipur living together under one roof in the city as a society for their safety and security has been my dream and it has now come true.

The crime rates in the city and NCR regions are increasing day after day.

“It was a very crucial initiative taken up by the team to make the dream come true,” he added.

Pahwa has started working on opening a massive girls’ hostel in Delhi exclusively for Manipuri girl students as they are living in rented rooms with high rental amounts without any assurance of safety, added the statement.

source: http://www.e-pao.net / E-Pao / source: The Sangai Express / Imphal – September 26th, 2014

Star Ladies club hosts party for its members in Kanpur

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Mamta (L) and Manju
Mamta (L) and Manju

Ladies Day Out: A ladies get-together organised by Star Ladies club for its members, was a success from the word go. Completely decked up, the femme brigade indulged in singing and dancing throughout the funfilled evening. “With the shraddh season on, there were hardly any parties happening in the city so we decided to organise one for ourselves,” said Banveet, who played an important role in organising the do. Niharika and Neelam came in early to help Bavneet with the arrangements.

Zara Thumka Laga: The ladies danced on latest Bollywood songs played by DJ Amit. Tracks like Saturday Saturday, Dance Like A Chammiya and Nonsense Ki Night had Komal and Mahak stepping on to the dance floor first, followed by Drashti, Shradha, Manju and Rashi.

Fun Unlimited: The party continued till late in the evening. We spotted Srasthi clicking pictures during the do. “I would not only be uploading all these pictures on FB but will also be getting a nice collage made of them, which I will gift to all my friends,” she said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Events> Kanpur / by Sumit Jha, TNN / September 27th, 2014

Historian’s guide through the Constantia

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

Lucknow :

The grand construction of General Claude Martin, the Constantia, served as a lodge for Freemasons, a secret society, as many of the English officers including Martin were Freemasons.

Many such lesser known facets pertaining to the life and times of Claude Martin were brought to light by celebrated British historian, Dr Rosie Llewellyn Jones at La Martiniere College on Sunday. The talk was organised by Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural heritage (INTACH), Lucknow Chapter.

After being attacked by the Raja of Banaras invading Lucknow through Farhat Baksh Kothi, General Claude Martin began residing in the Constantia which he built as a fort. Constructed with four spiral columns that go right up to the terrace, cleverly with a lone staircase, Gen Martin made sure the building he liked to show off to his fellow Englishmen was secure with iron doors made from imported English iron. These doors could then be shut once a single man defending the building from the top took position upstairs.

Constantia was safeguarded by cannons on the first floor of the building next to lion statues with lamps within them. “Its construction as a defensive structure to frighten people, basically its attackers, is one of the least known features of the Constantia, which prior to being an educational institution, was a fort,” shared Dr Jones.

INTACH’s convenor Vipul Varshney talked about the axial symmetry and architectural genius of the gigantic structure with pioneering ventilation. Dr Jones also spoke about many paintings of Claude Martin.

Iron girders in the basement of the Constantia go deep down to its foundation. Dr Jones denied presence of any such tunnels opening into the Gomti against a popular myth.

Convernor Vipul Varshney talking about the architectural skyline of Lucknow said, “the heterogeneity of cultural conceptions and artistic styles triumphed to strike a harmony between the many buildings of Lucknow getting along the Nawabi and English architecture successfully in Lucknow’s skyline, and so in that order we decided to educate and inform Lucknowites about one such magnificent structure, the Constantia.”

Gen Martin a self taught man had as many as 5000 books and the presence of certain books on creating electricity have made historians like Dr Jones believe that he might have attempted to create electricity as well in the lower rooms of the Constantia. The result of his trial and error techniques on it though are yet to be studied further.

Heritage conservationist and lawyer by profession, Mohammad Haider stating the building as an unprotected monument applauded the efforts of Principal Carlyle McFarland, the staff and students of the college, ” the unique feature of this building stands in the fact that it has been well maintained within the precincts of its original form and the monument an architectural masterpiece is devoid of any uncalled for scribbling on the walls of the campus unlike the state of most protected monuments in the country.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Yusra Husain, TNN / September 29th, 2014

UP’s first drone control room to be set up in city

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Science & Technology

Lucknow :

The immersion of Durga idols and subsequently Muharram processions this year would be under the watchful eyes of drone cameras. District administration officials said drones would be beaming live images of the processions and in the process help keep a tab on anti-social elements.

In addition, the district administration and police are also setting up a drone control room, the first of its kind in the state, for effective collection, assimilation and dissemination of surveillance information.

Confirming the development, district magistrate Raj Shekhar said, “Drone cameras proved their mettle during the recent byelections to Lucknow East assembly constituency and also during Ramzan. However, live streaming and beaming of the images by drone cameras was not done due to technical reasons.” But this time, the DM said, live streaming of high definition images would be possible.

The control room would be set up in Naka Hindola and the police have already reserved a place for the same. There would be two drones that would be pressed into action, four police staff and two men from the administration to monitor the visuals from the drone cameras. Nearly 30-40 television screens are likely to be used for this set-up, the DM said, adding, “The unique advantage which the drone camera enjoys is its cost-effectiveness as against expensive air surveillance by choppers. Moreover, the drones can be remotely operated. They also don’t make too much noise, keeping their presence a secret.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Arunav Sinha, TNN / September 28th, 2014

When Wajid Ali’s mother went to meet the Queen

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinion

Lucknow :

After Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Lucknow lost his empire, his mother Janab-i’Aliyyah went all the way to England to meet the Queen and seek justice, but she failed in her mission as she got no audience.

History lovers in Lucknow will now have access to new insights into the life and times of the last Nawab of Oudh along with rare pictures and never-heard before information. Regarded by the East India Company as a debauched ruler who spent his time with ‘fiddlers, eunuchs and women’ instead of looking after the kingdom, Wajid Ali Shah has become the centrepiece of yet another historical book.

Written by British historian Rosie Llewellyn Jones, ‘The Last King in India’ talks, besides his mother’s failed overseas mission, about Begum Hazrat Mahal’s revolt in 1857.

Though most artifacts of historical importance were lost forever after the downfall, with painstaking efforts, they have re-surfaced to narrate the story of an era in which the Nawab created exquisite poetry, theatrical pieces, music and dance. In the well researched book, he comes across as a compassionate person towards his subjects. The magnificent Qaiserbagh built by him came to be known as one of the most elaborate palace complexes ever created.

Given how little was known about the last Nawab of Awadh, the historian and author researched about Wajid Ali Shah from the original documents in Indian and British archives and through meetings with his descendants.

Several paintings and photographs have also been found. In one of the photographs Wajid Ali Shah is seen sitting with one of his 350 wives and a child on a couch. Although, almost every palace and structure along the banks of Hooghly river was either destroyed or auctioned by the British after his death in 1887, in order to eliminate any chances of a rebellion, his pictures still hang on the wall in Matiya Burj.

It is said that he had actually created a miniature Lucknow in Matiya Burj and transported its multi-faceted culture there.

At the release of her latest book, Jones said “I have always been a fan of Wajid Ali Shah. He was misunderstood by the British as he never wanted bloodshed in his kingdom and continued not to bow against them, much to their dismay. His love for poetry, art and dance is admirable and he was one of the greatest patrons of the cultural landscape.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Shefali Mehrotra, TNN / September 28th, 2014

Women get on Ramlila stage in Aligarh

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Aligarh :

People are long accustomed to it – everyone knows that beneath all the make-up that Sita wears on the Ramlila stage, is a male face. Traditionally, men played all the characters on the Ramlila stage, but things are now changing.

Mahesh C Suharid, president of the Ramlila Gaushala Committee of Aligarh that organises the festivities in the run-up to Dussehra, said, “Earlier, there were problems in getting women to perform the roles of Sita or Kaushalya on stage. Things have changed in the past few years. People have realized that pulling the crowds means having women on stage, and the women are not as reluctant any more to play these roles. There are more people now attending the Ramlila.”

Vipin Swami, who is directing the Ramlila, is in the city from Mathura’s Braj Natya Kala Kendra. He says including women is also one way of shedding some work: “They understand the emotions of Sita and Kaushalya better. I don’t have so much explaining to do to them. And it is not like they have to exert themselves too much to express those emotions, like some of the men.”

Vipin Swami remembers a time when only the character of Sita was played by a woman: “In the 1970s, the sole woman on stage played Sita. That was because she was meant to marry Ram, and the marriage was arranged for the two on stage.”

After Ramananda Sagar’s epic Ramayana serial was aired on TV in the 1990s, the audience had taken to worshipping Deepika Chikhaliya, who played Sita. That was when Ramlilas that were performed live began to include women actors.

“The TV serial eroded the audience for the live Ramlilas. A serious attempt was then made to involve women in the Ramlila, as one way to increase the participation of women and resuscitate the traditional stage,” said Jitendra Vyas, president of Braj Natya Kala Kendra, also a Doordarshan artiste.

The 30-strong troupe from Mathura arrived in Aligarh on September 16. It started practising from September 18. Four members of the troupe are women.

On Saturday night, the show will begin with the kidnapping of Sita, the Sita apharan. Class 10 student Pooja Sharma is set to essay the role of Sita.

“I feel blessed to play Sita,” she said, while Ritu Sharma, a teacher from Mathura who is also part of the Ramlila troupe, says acting is also a means of empowerment.

“The crowd arrives from different strata of society. They see women performing roles in the Ramayana. If a positive message is sent out with the increased participation of women in every other field, then why not also in the Ramlila?” asks Ritu Sharma.