**[txt. c01**] 0010C01 **<*3Culture and anarchy:*0**> $* $^*Kafka wrote: 0030C01 "^If the Book we are reading does not wake us, as with a 0040C01 fist-hammering on our skull, why then do we read it? ^A book must be an 0050C01 ice-axe to_ break the sea frozen inside us." ^*Chandrasekharan*'s lectures 0060C01 as the Tagore Professor of Humanities of the Madras University, 0070C01 succeed admirably in this mission-- 0071C01 with his formidable condition, depth 0080C01 of argument and terse yet lucid style. ^His perception of the probelms 0090C01 is acute and humane-- rich in portraits and anecdotes, in perspective 0100C01 and implications. 0110C01 $^The lectures cover all aspects of culture, as exemplified in Tagore*'s 0120C01 writings and of our present cultural crisis, as reflected in many spheres 0130C01 of national life. ^Running through the discussion of diverse problems 0140C01 is the unifying theme of the role of the intellectual in the spiritual 0150C01 regulation of society. ^Literature and art are not merely a mirror 0160C01 of whatever passes for contemporary social and cultural values, but 0170C01 a powerful force which helps shape the way people should live and behave. 0180C01 ^Their function is to_ discipline the individual to_ surrender some of 0190C01 his self-love and self-seeking for the progress of society. ^In *4advaitic 0200C01 terms, all education and culture are but methods whereby man transcends 0210C01 his sense-bound ego. ^The ego separates, but behind it is the *4Atman 0220C01 which is the true Self of all. 0230C01 $^The author shows how Tagore*'s comprehensive range of culture and his 0240C01 profound thinking on many of the trends in modernity have added much 0250C01 to any serious discussion of the probelms facing humanity. ^*Gandhiji said 0260C01 that Gurdev as a person was greater than his works. ^This again is true, 0270C01 as Chandrasekharan illustrates from the lives of great men from Valmiki 0280C01 onwards, of all great and good men. ^It is a mark of the freedom 0290C01 of the spirit in which they lived and worked. ^Genuine literature and 0300C01 art are rooted in spiritual living. 0310C01 $^The author has traced the evolution and present status of various forms 0320C01 of literature-- poetry, novel, biography and so on in relation to 0321C01 life. ^The lecture: "^Humour is life-belt" illustrates, with reference 0330C01 to Western, Indian and particularly Tamil writers, the wholesome role 0340C01 of laughter in life. ^Quite often however, pathos underlies humour as 0350C01 where *(0K. S.*) Venkatramani wrote: 0351C01 "^When the youth is yet unequal to the hard labour of the field, he is 0360C01 cheered into adult suffrage." ^*Dickens 0370C01 still remains "the high priest of pathos interlarded with humour" but 0380C01 in all his novels, laughter is used not just to_ define a theme, but to_ 0390C01 commit the reader to it irrevocably. ^To the author as much as the reader, 0400C01 laughter becomes a means for liberation and joy. $^It is not possible 0410C01 in a review to_ touch on all the themes discussed but at the end of 0420C01 it all, is the author*'s poser: "^What is the golden harvest we have gathered 0430C01 by freedom?" \0^*Mr Chandrasekharan argues that literary and artistic 0440C01 culture is related to our current social realities and gives a grim 0450C01 survey of future prospects, unless we recover the will to_ restore civilised 0460C01 values and honour human greatness. 0470C01 $^The younger generation seems caught up in one of those twilight ages 0480C01 which recur periodically in history-- when traditional institutions decay, 0490C01 values crumble and culture is corrupted by the dominance of the bizarre 0500C01 and the coarse. ^Here is a perceptible alienation of the spirit in 0510C01 the art and literature of our times. ^The proliferation of civil rights 0520C01 is attended by licence, rather than the liberation of the creative mind. 0530C01 ^Our biggest failure during the thirty years of independence has been 0540C01 the inability to_ gain an intellectual foothold of our own. ^Such intellectuals 0550C01 as the country has produced have largely either been corrupted 0560C01 by power or stifled by authority. ^The greatest menace to freedom is an 0570C01 inert people: there is urgent need to_ educate people in responsible citizenship. 0590C01 $^While we repeat monotonously that real India dwells in the villages, 0600C01 we forget that the rural folk, despite their vulnerability to cruel forces 0610C01 and gnawing hunger, are rich in spirit, and still possess something 0620C01 of the indigenous culture. ^What have we done to_ develop folk arts? ^Our 0630C01 education generally with its emphasis on the utilitarian is bereft of 0640C01 culture and has failed to_ nurture values vital to a democracy. 0650C01 $^The task ahead can be successfully undertaken only by intellectuals 0660C01 including professionals in voluntary association. ^The primary task of 0670C01 the intellectual in a democracy is, through his own sensitiveness to social 0680C01 change and to developing sensibilities, to_ make himself the voice 0690C01 of the inchoate, confused and complex aspirations of the society of which 0700C01 he forms part. ^He must be a poet and a prophet, rather than a legislator. 0720C01 $^Reading these closely argued, deeply felt, and often moving lectures, 0730C01 one has the curious feeling of standing uneasily with one foot in a dying 0740C01 world and the other in a world that_ at all costs we must see born. ^Again 0750C01 and again we have faced this problem all through history from the 0760C01 Roman days-- that when man loses the centre, his world falls apart and 0770C01 his life becomes meaningless. ^But always the miracle has happened-- whatever 0780C01 happens to a civilisation as a whole, for each individual the centre 0790C01 and the truth are there-- to_ restore a tranquil belief. ^*Tagore wrote: 0800C01 "^Every child comes with a message that God is not discouraged 0820C01 of Man." $**<*3Search for relevant educational system**> 0830C01 $* 0840C01 $^This is a collection of twenty essays including one by Naik himself 0850C01 by different persons known to him largely through his connection with the 0860C01 Kothari Education Commission and his association with the Education 0870C01 Ministry in Delhi. ^As may be expected from such diverse authorship, 0880C01 the essays show the subjective nature, though all are primarily concerned 0890C01 with the primary and secondary stages in some way, with the tertiary 0900C01 stage only occasionally touched on. ^The subjective nature of each individual 0910C01 is noticeable in every essay. ^The approach of Ivan Ilyich on 0920C01 the alternative to schooling is shown by a few excerpts: 0921C01 "^All over the world the cost of educating man for society rises faster 0922C01 than the productivity of the entire economy, and fewer people have a 0923C01 sense of intelligent participation in the commonweal." "^For several 0930C01 decades a quota system in the \0USSR favoured the admission of sons 0940C01 of working parents over sons of university graduates in the university, 0950C01 nevertheless the latter are overrepresented in Russian graduating classes 0960C01 much more than in \0USA." "^When knowledge became a commodity, it 0970C01 acquired the protections of private property". "^An egalitarian economy 0980C01 cannot exist in a society in which the right to_ produce is conferred by 0990C01 schools". 1000C01 $^*Gore*'s essay indicates the abstractness of an academic in dealing with 1010C01 the complex problem. ^He raises some pertinent questions: "^Do we emphasise 1020C01 the individual or the group? ^Which is the major group of orientation 1030C01 of the individual? ^Is it the family, the caste, the village, the 1040C01 workgroup of an industry, a commune or the abstract group entity of 1050C01 the nation? ^*Gunnar Myrdal*'s comments are apt." ^There is no view except 1060C01 viewpoint. "^In referring to underdeveloped countries students were 1070C01 commonly expected to_ be 'deskmen' not soiling hands. ^Importance was 1080C01 given to passing examinations and acquiring status while practical training 1090C01 for life was ignored". ^*Mary Bowman shows a clear understanding 1100C01 of our problems by her comment that it is relatively easy for the new 1110C01 political elites of an ex-colony to_ import a familiar school system with 1120C01 an ordered examination structure-- often more rigid and unresponsive 1130C01 than the metropole system taken as a model. ^*Anderson clearly indicates 1140C01 the role of elementary schools on national horizons "unless provincial 1150C01 versions are locked inside a barrier of languages" and few can disagree 1160C01 with his comment that it is the elementary schools everywhere that_ 1170C01 receive the lowest expenditure per pupil. 1180C01 $^*Shah*'s essay indicates the chief concern of one who has studied the 1190C01 problem and those in power may not relish his remark that "the professions 1200C01 of policy makers and exhortations of political leaders, no matter 1210C01 how high falutin, count for little to_ deceive the people and in the end 1220C01 themselves too." ^The other comment of his which the reviewer appreciates 1230C01 is that the debasement of university life during the emergency was merely 1240C01 the symptom of a malaise that_ has afflicted universities for a 1250C01 number of years." "^Conceived in sin and brought up in bondage the university 1260C01 in India could not promote creativity and innovation". ^Space does 1270C01 not permit further comments. ^The volume deserves a careful study and 1280C01 is a well deserved compliment to the devoted career of *(0J. P.*) Naik 1290C01 in the cause of education. ^It is well got up but the price is beyond 1300C01 the means of an average individual who may want to_ possess a copy. 1310C01 $**<*3Books in Indian Languages**> $* 1330C01 $*<*5*PANIYA BHASHA*6*> 1340C01 $^This is an interesting and useful work dealing with the language of 1350C01 the *4Paniya tribe of the *4Wynad region in Kerala. ^The author has 1360C01 already published a book on this tribe and this is the companion volume 1370C01 which describes their language. ^Though not exhaustive, it gives the reader 1380C01 a clear idea of the subject, as the writer is well equipped with the 1390C01 necessary scientific training. 1400C01 $^The book is divided into three parts. ^The first gives a general idea 1410C01 of the aboriginal tribes (some 54 in number) inhabiting the hilly borderlands 1420C01 of Kerala and their languages. ^Salient differences in language 1430C01 are pointed out with examples. ^The second chapter is a detailed study 1440C01 of the *4Paniya dialect which was conducted with the aid of a good number 1450C01 of informants in the course of field study. ^The phonology and morphology 1460C01 of the language are described briefly but clearly. ^This is followed 1470C01 by lexical material and also by a list of about 300 short sentences 1480C01 in the language. ^A good bibliography also is provided. ^At a time when 1490C01 the uplift of the aboriginal tribes has become a national problem 1500C01 of immense magnitude, it is but proper that we should have first-hand 1510C01 information of their cultural state and dialects. ^It is 1511C01 gratifying to_ note that 1520C01 the Linguistic department of the Kerala University is doing substantial 1530C01 work in this field and this book, though small, written by a member 1540C01 of this department appears to_ be especially valuable. ^It is useful 1550C01 for scholars and lay men alike who take genuine interest in the culture 1560C01 and language of aboriginals. $* $*<*5MANNIN MANAM:*6*>$^This 1590C01 novel depicts how the back-of-beyond village Poonkundram in Ramanathapuram 1600C01 district slumbering for ages under the sway of a family of 1610C01 self-centred plutocratic landlords suddenly comes to life thanks to a 1620C01 shambles. ^*Singaram, fresh from the college and full of visionary schemes 1630C01 for an egalitarian society coupled with the gift of the gab, comes 1640C01 as stormy petrel and looks daggers at his own father Somayya, the last 1641C01 of the tribe of plutocrats. ^The yawning gulf of ideologies between 1650C01 father and son constitutes the plot. ^It is a tense drama, wheels within 1660C01 wheels, though the militant movement launched by Singaram the Proteus 1670C01 was a flash in the pan. ^How Somayya himself turned *8volte-face*9 and 1680C01 brought about a silent revolution of rising expectations is delineated 1690C01 with startling realism. 1700C01 ^A series of musical discourses on Ramayana by that_ paragon of virtues 1710C01 Ponnamma-- an unlettered genius and eldest daughter-in-law of Somayya-- 1720C01 proves the prime mover of the silent revolution. ^This is a very 1730C01 rare angle from which the novelist tries to_ transform the rainbow of 1740C01 *4Ramarajya in the horizon of an intellectual backwater into a reality 1750C01 in an incredibly short period. 1760C01 $^All the 807 pages of the novel are heavily freighted with wit and wisdom 1770C01 which are bound to_ give the author a niche in the temple of fame. 1780C01 ^There is no dross in his imagery, which is keyed to a keen visual sense...... 1790C01 and he infuses his paced-down **[word mutilated**] muscular narrative 1800C01 with a profound, illuminating insight into the symbolic significance 1810C01 of events. ^This book is that_ rarest creation, a gravely beautiful 1820C01 celebration of hard-won and timeless faith. ^Who cannot be struck with 1830C01 awe by the leonine courage exhibited by Meena at feud with her own uncle 1840C01 Somayya.*# **[no. of words = 02001**] **[txt. c02**] 0010C02 **<*3Sedate Stream of Musical Skill**> 0020C02 $^A serious-minded approach marked Calcutta *(0K. S.*) Krishnamurthi*'s 0030C02 vocal concert for the *5Krishna Gana Sabha*6, \0T. Nagar, last 0040C02 week. ^While his manner of presentation revealed that he does not believe 0050C02 in dramatising classical music, the form and substance of the concert 0060C02 testified to a musical mind in pursuit of orderly and thoughtful direction. 0070C02 ^The programme was offered as a sedate stream of musical expertise 0080C02 with a quiet and unruffled execution characterising the exposition of 0090C02 both the sensitive and skilled aspects. ^The recital was supported by Radha 0100C02 Narayan (violin) and Palghat Hariharan (*4mridangam). 0110C02 $^The impression one got during the initial stages of the recital was 0120C02 of a fairly pleasant but none-too-compelling voice and a sobriety which 0130C02 bordered on tameness. ^Only on keen and intent listening could one perceive 0140C02 the merits informing the music. ^The technical embellishments for "*4Aparadha" 0150C02 (*4Lathangi) gave a sampling of Krishnamurthi*'s measured 0160C02 *4vidwat. ^His studied renditions of "*4Pariyachaka" (*4Vanaspati) and 0170C02 "*4Koniyade" (*4Kokiladhwani) brought out with clarity the *4ragas*' 0180C02 colours and contours as conceived by Tyagaraja and packed into the song 0190C02 structures. ^They also bore testimony to an unusual repertoire. 0200C02 $^In *4Poorvikalyani (*4Paripoorna), the vocalist made a determined bid 0210C02 to_ rid his tonality of its propensity to_ float and capture firmness. 0220C02 ^This was quietly achieved without giving the impression that the task 0230C02 was impairing fluency of *4raga phrasing. ^The melody was developed with 0240C02 logic and dignity of movement and the *4neraval and *4swaras for the 0250C02 song at "*4Saketha..." flowed smoothly and with sense indicating musicianship 0260C02 of a high order. $4*^*Sankarabharnam 0270C02 (*4Emineramu) which was taken up as the central *4raga 0280C02 of the evening saw the singer*'s voice deepen in quality and the intelligently 0290C02 formulated essay registered with effectiveness on the strength 0300C02 of a steady *4bhava sense running through the thoughtfully conceived 0310C02 passages. ^There was a small dose of top octave singing mounted on the 0320C02 *4gandhara which did not seem very natural to the vocalist. ^Perhaps, it 0330C02 was felt that this was a "must" to_ fulfil conventional *4cutcheri 0340C02 requirement. $^One relished the reposeful *4Kalapramana 0350C02 at which "*4Emineramu" was sung by Krishnamurthi. ^It suited the mood 0370C02 and spirit of the composition and the interpretation came through evocatively. 0371C02 ^The *4neraval and *4swaras for it displayed *4vidwat 0380C02 which combined musical goodness with clean rhythmic grip. 0400C02 $^It was in the *5ragamalika sloka*6 comprising *4Sahana, *4Varali, *4Ahiri 0410C02 and *4Surati that the aesthetic stature of this vocalist*'s art 0420C02 stood fully revealed. ^His voice acquired a warm glow and his phrases 0430C02 were invested with vivid feeling. *4^*Varali was, indeed, resplendent and 0440C02 provided a striking example of *4manodharma wedded to ripe *5gamaka gnana*6. 0450C02 ^Violinist Radha played with a measure of restraint generally 0460C02 and contributed sweet spells in the *4ragamalika. ^*Palghat Hariharan revealed 0470C02 himself as a very desirable *4mridangam accompanist. ^Apart from 0480C02 the sweet and subdued character of his support, he was never guilty of 0490C02 running ahead of the main performer in the name of anticipatory art. 0500C02 $* 0510C02 $^Excellent instrumental music was offered in the concert by the father-daughter 0520C02 violin duo of *(0M. S.*) Gopalakrishnan and \0G. Narmadha 0530C02 presented by *4Nadopasana at the *(0P. S.*) High School, Mylapore, 0540C02 on Saturday. ^The recital was ruled by a pronounced virtuosic slant but 0550C02 it was all extremely clean and neither melody nor atmosphere suffered. 0560C02 $^The *4Chalanata piece of Kotiswara Aiyar, "*4Edhayagathi", was among 0570C02 the early highlights and evoked moody melody. ^Young and remarkably 0580C02 talented Narmadha claimed attention in the *4swaras for the song with charming 0590C02 contributions which gave proof of her prowess. 0600C02 $^The highly stylised method of instrumental presentation affected the 0610C02 duo*'s song renditions and compositions like "*4Dharadhi" (*4Gowlipantu), 0620C02 the *5Yadukulakambhoji navagraha*6 piece "*4Diwakaram" and "*4Marivere" 0630C02 (*4Anandhabhairavi) came through quaint, at times, without the 0640C02 pregnant *4Carnatic *4rasa that_ should normally inform their interpretation. 0650C02 ^Still, they were melodically slick. ^The *4swaras for "*4Marivere" 0660C02 registered with engaging skill. 0670C02 $^Gopalakrishnan*'s *4alapana of *4Anandhabhairavi, was marked by his customary 0680C02 poise and gave of lucidly phrased melody. ^It was lovely music 0690C02 despite "*5Pa ma ga ri sa*6" played in a style more appropriate to *4Ritigowla. 0700C02 ^A slight *4rishaba-based oscillation of the *4gandhara in 0710C02 this sequence would have made it impeccably *4Anandhabhairavi. 0720C02 $^A major event of the recital was Narmadha*'s interpretation of *4Simmendhramadhyamam 0730C02 as a preface to "*4Natajana". ^It was done with striking 0740C02 beauty. ^Showing remarkable composure for one so young, she blended 0750C02 long *4karvais and sweet phrasings with fine musical deliberation. ^It 0760C02 created splendid atmosphere. ^The father watched the daughter faring 0770C02 excellently in the *4alapana of *4Simmendhramadhyamam with silent and 0780C02 concealed pleasure and chose to_ pack all his skills in the *4swaras for 0790C02 "*4Natajana". ^It was a stunning display of virtuosity. ^The finale movement 0800C02 was tremendously exciting and partook of the nature of vivacious 0810C02 Western classical music too. ^Later, he asserted his quality in a sensitive 0820C02 and sparkling version of *4Janaranjani (*5Smarane Sukham*6). ^*4mridangist 0830C02 Kuttalam Viswanatha Aiyar enlivened the concert with support 0840C02 designed artistically to_ meet its varied requirements. 0850C02 $* 0860C02 $^Listening to the *4veena recital provided by Ranganayaki Rajagopalan 0870C02 for the \0*4Sri Bhaktha Samaj in West Mambalam last week one was 0880C02 really impressed by the strength of her tone and the firmness of her 0890C02 fingering technique. ^The use of the contact mike made her *4veena sound 0900C02 like the cello at times. ^The music she created struck a middle path between 0910C02 the brazenly entertaining and the uncompromisingly classical. 0920C02 $^The *4Gowlai piece "\0*4Sri Mahaganapati" helped to_ create atmosphere 0930C02 in this recital in which "*5Sadha Madhi*6" (*4Gambiravani) was a 0940C02 welcome substitute for the excessively gimmicky piece. ^*Ranganayaki*'s 0950C02 *4alapana of Begada gave evidence of colourful *4raga instincts but 0951C02 her version 0960C02 of "*4Sankarinee" in this *4raga saw its beauty submerged in her percussive 0970C02 style of rendition. ^Her essay of *4Saraswathi (*4Anuragamule) 0980C02 was attractive and fell pleasantly on the ears. 1010C02 $^Considerable weight was conferred on the concert in Ranganayaki*'s 1020C02 evocative *4alpana of *4Madhyamavathi followed by "*4Palinchu". ^In the 1030C02 second tempo *4swaras for the piece "*5Pa dha ni pa*6", a special *5Sriraga 1040C02 prayoga*6 (Tyagaraja has not found use for it), crept in inadvertently. 1041C02 "*4^*Annapurne" (*4Sama) was a popular song in this 1060C02 recital supported on the *4mridangam with lively *4savalaghu flavour by 1080C02 Nellai Devaraja Aiyar. $**<*3More Sensitive in *4Odissi**> 1090C02 $^Two dance styles, *4Bharatnatya and *4Odissi figured in Menaka 1091C02 Thakkar*'s 1100C02 performance on Sunday for the *5Narada Gana Sabha*6 at the Music Academy. 1110C02 ^*4Odissi was presented after the interval and proved Menaka 1120C02 an exceedingly sensitive dancer. ^The *4Bharatnatya session earlier, especially 1130C02 in its pure dance aspects, had vigour bordering on rudeness and 1140C02 one wondered whether this type of treatment of *4Bharatanatya was deliberately 1150C02 designed to_ heighten the effect of her excellence in *4Odissi. 1160C02 $^*Menaka was unquestionably sound in *4Bharatanatya too but just did 1170C02 not have the superior grip needed to_ make a delicate exhibition of it. 1180C02 ^Her *4adavu execution had an athletic force which needed tempering down 1190C02 though her movements, gestures and posturing were crisp and correct. 1200C02 $^The *5Useni Swarajathi*6 was interpreted effectively, if not gracefully, 1210C02 as the principal number. ^The *4aridis would have registered better 1220C02 rhythmicality if the footwork had been stretched to the last beat instead 1230C02 of the right leg being lifted at the culminating point in the name of 1240C02 choreographic novelty. $^The 1250C02 *4abhinaya pieces in the *4Bharatanatya session were sung at an extremely 1260C02 slow *4kalapramana and it was praiseworthy that Menaka captured 1270C02 the essence of lingering *4bhava in her dance. ^Her *4abhinaya in the *4Odissi 1280C02 session was even better. ^Her pure dance in *4Odissi was in expressive 1290C02 rapport with the evocative music and the grace, wile and captivation 1300C02 which one missed in her *4Bharatanatya were generously present 1310C02 in the *4Odissi exposition. 1320C02 $**<*3"*5Ilamai Oonjaladukirathu*6"**> $^*Sridhar has certainly come 1330C02 back with his eternal love triangle (or is it a quadrilateral this time?) 1340C02 in a new dimension \0*4Sri Chitra*'s "*5Ilamai Oonjaladukirathu*6" 1350C02 (colour) has an air of aesthetic sophistication. 1370C02 $^*Kamalahasan gives a good performance with Sripriya vying with him at 1380C02 every stage. ^*Rajinikant as the rich, pompous rival, is the perfect 1390C02 foil. ^*Jayachitra, as the frustrated young widow battling to_ suppress 1400C02 nature*'s rebellion in her, is excellent. ^In the supportnig cast are *(0Y. 1410C02 G. P. V.*) Gopalakrishnan and senior Nirmala. $^*Prabhu 1420C02 (Kamalahasan) in the midst of a tempestuous romance with Padma 1430C02 (Sri Priya) a college girl, gets involved with her friend, Jayanthi 1440C02 (Jayachitra), a young widow, working under him. ^*Padma discovers the affair 1450C02 by accident and goes away in a huff. ^*Murali (Rajinikant), Prabhu*'s 1460C02 adopted brother, is gradually drawn into the triangle, widening the 1470C02 gap between Padma and Prabhu. ^As the misunderstanding deepens, Prabhu 1480C02 learns from Padma herself about Jayanthi*'s impending motherhood, 1490C02 repents, and goes in search of her, to_ marry her on her death-bed. ^The 1500C02 engagement between Padma and Murali does not end in marriage, as Prabhu 1510C02 re-enters their lives. 1520C02 $^*Sridhar*'s dialogues are incisive. ^Enhancing the values are the photography 1530C02 of Niwas, and the delightful music of Elaya Raja. 1540C02 $^The film is being released at Midland Pandian, Roxy and Kamala. 1550C02 $^*Rajinikant adds pep and tempo to the usual story of blind loyalty betrayal 1560C02 and revenge, in Valli Velan Movies "*4Bairavi" directed by 1570C02 \0M. Bhasker. ^*Sripriya, as the village belle, who loves and protects 1580C02 the hero, is attractive. ^*Srikant manages to_ play the suave villain with 1590C02 skill. ^New face Gita, looks pretty but has still to_ go a long way 1600C02 in histrionics while Sudhir makes an impressive debut. \0^*Y. Vijaya 1610C02 is wasted in an insipid role, while the comedy track by *(0V. K.*) Ramasamy, 1620C02 Manorama and Surilirajan in stale and repetitive Elaya Raja*'s 1630C02 music is folksy with a couple of catchy tunes. \0^*N. Sankar*'s 1640C02 composition of fights is spectacular with a craggy background. ^The story 1650C02 is by Madurai Thirumaran. 1660C02 $^*Mookaian (Rajinikant) is separated from his sister Bhairavi (Gita) 1670C02 in childhood because of a drunken father. ^He finds refuge in a rich man*'s 1680C02 house, and becomes the loyal, devoted servant of the heir (Srikant) 1690C02 who is a profligate. ^He takes all the blame and undergoes punishment 1700C02 for his master*'s crimes, against the advice of his beloved (Sripriya), 1710C02 only to_ discover to his dismay, that his master had not only molested 1720C02 his sister, Bhairavi, but also refused to_ marry her, when confronted. 1721C02 ^*Srikant even goes to the extent of murdering her and foisting the 1730C02 blame on Mookaiyan. ^Then begins the story of revenge, where the loyal 1740C02 servant turns avenger and the film ends in a climax of chases, and fights. 1760C02 $^The close-ups of Rajinikant, his jerky mannerisms, his powerful 1770C02 look, as he frowns and glares will enthuse his fans. ^The film tends to_ 1780C02 amble in the first half but picks up tempo after interval. 1810C02 $^The film is on show at Plaza, Agastiya, Sayani and Rajkumari. 1820C02 $**<*3"*4chittukuruvi"**> 1830C02 $^An ordinary detective story given a new look by projecting it in a rural 1840C02 setting, \0*4Sri Vishnu Priya Creations*' "Chittukuruvi" has delightful 1850C02 colour photography. ^*Sivakumar has a double role-- the innocent 1860C02 hero branded a murderer, and a seasoned smuggler who turns into a benevolent 1870C02 dogooder as a result of his romance with a buxom village girl 1880C02 played casually by Sumitra. ^*Srikant makes a brief but impressive appearance. 1900C02 $^*Vali*'s screen play tends to_ meander at some places, and fails 1910C02 to_ grip attention since the mystery is no secret. 1920C02 $^*Raja, the "boss" (Shivakumar) of a gang of smugglers murders in a 1930C02 hotel one of his members, who has betrayed him. ^*Ganesh (Shivakumar), 1940C02 an innocent, jocular young man, accidentally picks up the hotel room-key 1950C02 and returns it to the hotel receptionist. ^He 1960C02 is in love with the sparkling, mischievous sister (Meera) of an alert 1970C02 Inspector (\0A.R.S.) who is in charge of this murder mystery. ^On 1980C02 Ganesh*'s wedding day, he is mistaken for the smuggler. ^On hearsay evidence 1990C02 and finger-print clues on the hotel room key the inspector is forced 2000C02 to_ arrest Ganesh. 2010C02 $^The smuggler, hiding in a village falls in love with his childhood playmate 2020C02 Chittu (Sumitra) who persuades him to_ spend his wealth on improving 2030C02 the village temple, the village school and water-supply. ^A blackmailer 2040C02 (Srikanth) however forces Raja to_ commit a theft. ^Wounded, he seeks 2050C02 refuge in the Inspector*'s residence, where he is mistaken for Ganesh. 2060C02 ^The truth is finally revealed. 2070C02 $^It is a complicated and contrived story. ^*Elayaraja*'s rerecording makes 2080C02 the rustic setting more appealing. 2090C02 $^The film is being released at Willington, Shri-Krishna and Uma.*# **[no. of words = 02009**] **[txt. c03**] 0010C03 **<*3Indian Films Screened At Tashkent Festival**> 0020C03 $^Almost half-way through the international film festival being held here, 0030C03 three Indian films have been screened in the film market, reports 0040C03 \0UNI. ^These were *5Safed Hathi*6, *4Godhuli and *4Priyatama. 0050C03 $^Iraq, Mozambique and some Latin American countries have shown interst 0060C03 in buying the films. ^Negotiations are in progress. 0070C03 $^Over the weekend, Indian film personalities visited a polytechnic at 0080C03 Tashkent University. ^The Indian directors answered questions from students. 0100C03 $^Another group visited a collective farm some distance 0101C03 from Tashkent and 0110C03 visited a martyr*'s memorial and a rose farm. ^Later, a "*7Uzbekpolao" 0120C03 lunch was given in an open pavilion in charming rural surroundings followd 0130C03 by Uzbek songs and dances. $^The 0140C03 language difficulty provided some lighter moments. ^*Shyam Benegal, 0150C03 Gulzar and some others were driven out 120 \0km from Tashkent for the 0160C03 screening of an Indian film in a rural cinema. ^They found on arrival 0170C03 that it was a Pakistani film. $^Meanwhile, the screening of films in the 0180C03 main festival continues. ^The Cuban film "*7Rancheador" about the 0190C03 rebellion of black slaves against exploitation by Spanish rulers proved 0200C03 to_ be a period film of absorbing visual attraction and powerful content. 0210C03 ^The Pakistan film, which followed turned out to_ be an imitation 0220C03 of the Bombay film and did not offer much competition. ^The Australian 0230C03 and Mexican films were also poor in content, although visually outstanding. 0250C03 $^The delegations will soon leave for a day*'s visit to the ancient 0260C03 city of Bukhara, well-known for its carpets and silks. ^*Indian students 0270C03 in Tashkent are acting as guides for the Indian delegates. 0280C03 $**<*3Black Humour Is Good Fun**> 0290C03 $*3NEGROES*0 in films were generally allotted only minor roles till 0300C03 the cinema industry discovered that catering to America*'s black population 0310C03 can prove profitable at the box-office. ^The first film, or series 0320C03 to_ start this trend was "Shaft", and Richard Roundtree, its superstar, 0330C03 is reported to_ have said "What we want in our movies from now on is 0340C03 to_ show black people winning because they use their heads, 0350C03 not because they do violence with their hands". 0360C03 $^He should also have added "because they use their flair for comedy". 0370C03 *3^Let*'3s Do It Again*0 (New Empire) is a crime caper that_ is 0380C03 ethnically negro, fun, and as unabashedly out to_ entertain as those antic 0390C03 success stories that_ Billy Wilder has made with all white casts. 0400C03 ^*Sidney Poitier stars in and directs the film and Bill Cosby steals 0410C03 the scenes from under his nose. 0420C03 $^They play friends, members of a lodge that_ is in desperate need of money. 0430C03 ^The only way, they can lay their hands on such a large sum is by 0440C03 betting heavily on a puny dumb-bell, and then hypnotising him so that he 0450C03 can \0K.O. the world middleweight champion. ^But first they have to_ 0460C03 catch that_ boxer, and their attempts are deployed with much well-engineered 0470C03 comedy. 0471C03 $^Six months later the leader of one of the gangs they had fleeced 0472C03 tracks them down. ^They are ordered to_ do it again, so that he can recoup 0473C03 his losses. ^More credit is due to the film for coming up with new 0474C03 ideas and not letting the comedy sag during this second time around. 0480C03 $^Though the pair are a milkman and a factory hand, there is nothing shoddy 0490C03 in the production. ^The girls are pretty. ^Their clothes are flamboyant. 0500C03 ^And they hit some of the high spots of New Orleans. ^If there 0510C03 is a drawback it lies in the slow development of the film, and in the fact 0520C03 that we, in Calcutta, are still unfamiliar with the pungency of Afro-American 0530C03 humour. ^Even so "Let*'3s Do It Again" is a film during 0540C03 which some of the people for most of the time, or most of the people 0550C03 for some of the time, can be seduced to_ laugh. 0600C03 $^The negroes in *3\0Mr. Ricco*0 at the Metro are also intelligent 0610C03 and attractive, but are not inclined towards comedy. ^The antagonism 0620C03 between them and the whites surfaces easily, and the theme of racial intolerance 0630C03 is woven into a crime story that_ does not sustain the power of 0640C03 its beginning. $^As a detective thriller the action seems dragged out 0641C03 and unnecessarily 0660C03 contrived. ^It lacks sufficiently convincing suspects. ^Few questions are 0670C03 asked, and those are easily answered. ^Somewhere around the third 0680C03 quarter a clue is planted so heavily that the adept will recognise its 0690C03 significance before the denouement arrives in a hail of bullets. 0700C03 $^The film has the perfunctory number of fist-fights, murder attempts, 0710C03 car chases, harassed policemen and lines like "a cop is not the law, he 0720C03 is only the enforcer". ^*Dean Martin is the Defence Attorney who dons 0730C03 the mantle of hero. ^He is getting on in years now, so he is made to_ 0740C03 live with a dog instead of with a girl, and any sex that_ is added seems 0750C03 more of an obligation than as a necessity in his characterisation. 0760C03 $^There are views of San Francisco, an interesting exhibition, and music 0770C03 that_ is determined to_ signal excitement. ^This is by no means a hair-raising 0771C03 thriller-- just a lazy detective story with more than the usual 0780C03 quota of negro characters. $*<*3*4Kadambari*0*> 0790C03 $*3TO*0 a discerning audience drawn to *3*4Kadambari*0 by the unconventionality 0800C03 of Amrita Pritam*'s novel, the film will make painful viewing. 0810C03 ^Descriptions like "bold" and "provocative" will perhaps be readily 0820C03 forthcoming in the context of the madness that_ still rules a large section 0830C03 of "commercial" Hindi cinema. ^The approach is undoubtedly different, 0840C03 the acting and music low-keyed and the accent more on the psychological 0841C03 adjustment between the two main characters than on loud heroics or 0850C03 display of emotion. ^And yet all this leaves no lasting impression. ^Its 0860C03 script is excruciatingly dull; it fails to_ give a complex situation a 0870C03 convincing cinematic form; and it tends to_ foist an alien style on an 0880C03 Indian milieu-- an attempt that_ has proved disastrous in many of the so-called 0890C03 "new wave" Indian films. $^Considering the apparently progressive 0900C03 outlook of both the film-maker and his characters and the educated, 0910C03 urban circles in which the characters move, it does appear a bit odd that 0920C03 illegitimacy should stand in the way of the young couple, deeply attached 0930C03 to each other, marrying. ^Indeed, there was promise of an absorbing 0940C03 emotional conflict depicted in a quiet, reflective style. ^But the boy*'s 0950C03 mother fixation never carries enough conviction nor does it seem necessary 0960C03 for the boy to_ give the poor girl such a long and listless account 0970C03 of his predicament. ^The incidental story of unrequited love involving 0980C03 the girl*'s brother and another girl is equally pointless and contributes 0990C03 not a little to the boredom. ^It*1s almost as if the film-maker is 1000C03 so desperately lost more than half-way through a difficult and slightly 1010C03 dated theme that he had no option but to_ impose a pedestrian happy ending, 1020C03 passionate embraces, an illegitimate son forming the ultimate bond, 1030C03 identifying marks and all. $^This 1040C03 is a pity because the interrelationships have in patches a quiet sensitivity 1050C03 and realism. ^There is no moralizing tone or any attempt to_ 1060C03 offer dramatic justification for the hero*'s odd behaviour. ^There is also 1070C03 an honest attempt to_ break convention to_ present easily recognizable 1080C03 characters in a contemporary situation. ^*Delhi and Bombay offer interesting, 1090C03 very natural locations. ^Seldom has the camera made Shabana Azmi 1100C03 look so beautiful and Vijay Arora and the other male characters so 1110C03 wooden. ^The tragedy lies in a laboured style a fondness for long and 1120C03 not particularly engrossing verbal exchanges and shades of misplaced technical 1130C03 zeal. $*<*3*5Pronoy Pasha*6*0*> perhaps indicates a point of 1140C03 no return. ^It is 1150C03 by Tollygunge standards, a glossy production. ^It has a director who 1160C03 has observed audience reaction for decades. ^It has a formidable cast headed 1170C03 by Suchitra Sen and Soumitra Chatterjee. ^And it is one of the 1180C03 most ill-conceived films to_ have emerged in recent times. ^It would be 1190C03 futile to_ look for scape-goats; there is little hope of survival withot 1200C03 a thorough shake-up. 1210C03 $^The makers were apparently quite confident that having secured the services 1220C03 of Suchitra Sen they did not need so much as a credible story. 1230C03 ^Hack writers, proliferating on studio floors, have perhaps been the biggest 1240C03 source of disaster for Bengali cinema. ^*Suchitra*'s admirers will 1250C03 find it painful to_ discover that the charming romantic heroine of 1260C03 yesteryears is today so unsure of herself-- trying frantically to_ conceal 1270C03 her advancing years, resorting to_ cheap melodrama, not flinching even 1280C03 from wild sensationalism and ending with a wrestling match. ^It is doubtful 1290C03 how far she is responsible for all this. ^She is as much a victim 1300C03 of puerile imagination as Soumitra, the polished villain who has so 1310C03 little to_ motivate his monstrous crimes. 1320C03 $^It is quite shocking that a Bengali director could conceive of villainy 1330C03 in such an absurd manner and of happenings that_ would do a C-grade 1340C03 Hindi film proud. ^It is more shocking that Suchitra and Soumitra 1350C03 chose to_ get involved in an abomination of this kind and to_ demonstrate 1360C03 that even in its darkest years, Bengali cinema can afford to_ dump talent 1390C03 so contemptuously. $<*3Destination Calcutta*0*> 1400C03 $^*Calcutta should present a bewildering subject for short film makers. 1410C03 ^The imposing serenity of the Victoria Memorial coexists with the desecration 1420C03 of the *4maidan about 100 yards away. ^The unique collection 1430C03 of antiques at the Marble Palace is to_ be reached only after experiencing 1440C03 the horrors of waterlogging and unremoved garbage. ^To the makers 1450C03 of "Destination Calcutta", however, the task is quite simple. ^Presented 1460C03 by Films Division, the film turns its back on the controversial 1470C03 issues and concentrates on the treat that_ awaits a tourist. 1480C03 $"^You will find what you want" entreats the mellow background voice. ^The 1490C03 rush-hour traffic, the rapidly changing skyline, the races and the furore 1500C03 on a football ground are familiar marks of a teeming metropolis. ^The 1510C03 film points to some of the city*'s special features that_ might interest 1520C03 the visitor-- the splendid collections at the zoo and the Botanical 1530C03 Gardens, the ancient monuments embracing the major religions, the cultural 1540C03 diversity, the National Library, museums and other places of academic 1550C03 interest, the coexistence of the traditional and modern. 1560C03 $^The film*'s purpose is more clearly evident in the emphasis on the city 1570C03 being the take-off point for a number of attractive tourist spots-- 1580C03 the beaches at Digha and Puri, the temples of Orissa, the unique charms 1590C03 of Darjeeling and Santiniketan. ^The camera focuses on absorbing 1600C03 details. ^In presenting a wider view, it stresses the beauty and bounties 1610C03 of nature. ^The editing is brisk, allowing a wealth of information in 1620C03 the space of 15 minutes. ^But because of so much work that_ has already 1630C03 been done on Calcutta, the information might appear stale even to those 1640C03 for whom it is primarily intended. ^And pronouncing Rabindranath in 1650C03 British or American accent is not the best way to_ promote tourism. 1660C03 $*3^A GROUP*0 show is being held by four young artists of Bangladesh 1670C03 in the North Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts. ^The participants 1680C03 are Farida Zaman, Abdus Shakoor Shah, Alak Roy and *(0A. K. M.*) 1690C03 Alamgir. ^There are paintings, drawings, graphics and terracottas. 1700C03 $^The standard of work is generally good and most of the exhibits mirror 1710C03 the artist*'s involvement. ^Though they are going through a period 1720C03 of absorption, they emulate styles with sensitivity. ^All of them have 1730C03 a flair for technique that_ enables them to_ carry out their explorations 1740C03 with aplomb. 1750C03 $^*Farida Zaman is represented by a group of oils and some drawings. ^She 1760C03 mostly projects landscapes and bazaar scenes, seeking to_ evoke emotions 1770C03 with restraint. ^She has a penchant for formalism and treats her canvases 1780C03 in terms of segments of painted surface. ^Though she works in one 1790C03 or two cases in a single tonality such as yellow, she does not hesitate 1800C03 to_ enlarge her palette to_ include blues, purples, greens, pinks and 1810C03 reds. ^Her landscapes show an abstract prospect flanked by rows of thick 1820C03 colour which look like vestigal houses. ^The bazaar scenes feature seated 1830C03 women broken into small units of paint and merged with the background. 1840C03 ^Her shaded drawings, involving similar imagery, are also technically 1860C03 compentent. $^*Abdus Shakoor presents a gallery of faces-- clearly 1870C03 outlined and contrasted-- with suggestive features.*# **[no. of words = 02003**] **[txt. c04**] 0010C04 **<*3Expertise marks Tapan*'s graphics*0**> 0020C04 $*3^*Tapan*0 Ghosh, who teaches design and graphics at the Film and 0030C04 Television Institute in Pune, holds his first one-man show in the city 0040C04 at the Taj art gallery. 0050C04 $^*Ghosh has had extensive training in painting and graphics both here and 0060C04 abroad. ^That he has learnt under such internationally known printmaking 0070C04 masters as *(0S. W.*) Hayter of Paris*'s Atelier 17 is clear 0080C04 from even a cursory look at the graphics he has on show. 0090C04 $^*Tapan also has a distinguished background of exhibiting in Delhi and 0100C04 Calcutta, not to_ speak of more than one European capital. ^The French 0110C04 titles of his graphics are soothing to the ear, and one should make 0120C04 an attempt to_ realise that their musicality would have been destroyed 0130C04 in Anglo Saxon terminology. 0140C04 $^Besides, the inspiration of at least a few of these prints is French, 0150C04 "Champs Elysee", for instance, succeeds in transforming a possibly 0160C04 nocturnal view of the famous Parisian locale into a hauntingly bluish 0170C04 abstraction. 0180C04 $^While almost each one of those graphics displays a certain blending 0190C04 of imagination and expertise, Tapan opts out for harmonious patterns and 0200C04 colours rather than austere or crass ones. ^For this reviewer his best 0210C04 is "*8Etoile de Mer*9", which depicts a wall-like crescendo of sea 0220C04 waves. ^*Tapan*'s chequered patterns again have full play in "*8L*'3ombre 0230C04 et la Lumiere*9". ^Yet another notable work is "*8La Terre Obliee*9" 0240C04 (The Forgotten Earth) in which the edge of the land mass is highlighted 0250C04 by way of reflecting a luminous, extra-terrestrial, phenomenon. 0260C04 $^The sea, the skies, the heavens and the universe-- this is the world 0270C04 of Tapan*'s picture-making, indicating a very sensitive temperament, a 0280C04 poetic sensibility and a spontaneous flair for responding to the music 0300C04 of nature. $* 0310C04 $^The young artist*'s paintings do not stand comparison with his graphics. 0320C04 ^This is not because graphics are today a palpably more impressive 0330C04 medium which disguises the obvious flaws that_ a painting compulsorily projects. 0340C04 ^*Tapan*'s paintings are in themselves lacking in originality. 0350C04 ^Such abstractions have been painted by hundreds of artists in this country. 0360C04 ^In fact, these works suggest, once for all, that in a country endowed 0370C04 with a rich pictorial tradition abstraction is no longer a novelty 0380C04 to_ enthuse over but a cliche beaten to death. $^There is nothing to_ relate 0390C04 Tapan*'s graphics with his paintings. $**<*3Mediocre mystery**> 0410C04 $*3^*Dean Martin shuffles through at the Metro without burbling a 0420C04 single note as "\0Mr. Ricco", a sort of do-it-yourself criminal lawyer 0430C04 who does his own sleuthing when he finds himself the target of a crazy 0440C04 assasin. ^The assaults follow his successful defence of Thalmus Rasulala 0450C04 a Negro charged with the murder of a white girl. 0460C04 $^Racial prejudice has been the motivation for a spate of violent, cops-and-criminals 0470C04 essays recently, although in \0Mr. Ricco*'s none-too-novel 0480C04 adventures the racist angle is treated in lighter vein the garnish 0490C04 of violence, chases, shootouts being plentiful. 0500C04 $^Legal eagle Martin succeeds in getting Rasulala off the hook of a murder 0510C04 charge on the technicality that part of the police evidence against 0520C04 his client was faked. ^Homicide Captain Eugene Roche, Martin*'s friend, 0530C04 is convinced about Rasulala*'s guilt and is chagrined that mistaken 0540C04 zeal on the part of policemen has resulted in a murderer getting off scot-free 0560C04 $* 0570C04 $^The court verdict is followed by the killing of two white cops, the finger 0580C04 of suspicion pointing to Martin*'s ex-client who is in hiding. ^The 0590C04 lawyer prefers to_ do his own leg-work in hunting down Rasulala and 0600C04 is surprised no end when he himself becomes the target for someone who looks 0610C04 like his ungrateful ex-client. 0620C04 $^*Rasulala confronted escapes but not before Martin elicits the truth 0630C04 about the murder, the cop killings and the pot shots at himself. ^Back tracking 0640C04 to the beginning and reviewing all the new evidence, he hits upon 0650C04 the true identity of the villain, but not before the climactic blood bath 0660C04 set in the clinical precincts of an art museum. 0670C04 $^One man*'s colour prejudice has been responsible for so much killing, 0680C04 both of blacks as well as whites termed nigger lovers. ^The evil of 0690C04 unreasoning hatred of man for his fellow man is underplayed and buried 0700C04 in \0Mr. Ricco*'s brief exercise to_ provide an excuse for the usual routine 0710C04 violence and action. ^Very much of a muchness after all. 0730C04 $**<*3Sarla and Dinkar shine at *4thumri *4sammelan**> 0740C04 $^As part of its efforts to_ present the various musical forms in vogue 0750C04 in the North Indian tradition, the Music Centre of Bombay University 0760C04 has organised a four-day *4thumri *4sammelan in observance of its foundation 0770C04 day this year. 0780C04 $^The first two sessions of the *4soiree which started on Monday, featured 0790C04 a thought-provoking panel discussion between leading scholar-musicians 0800C04 like *(0V. R.*) Athavale, Madhuvanti Mirashi, Sarla Bhide and 0810C04 the *4Kathak veteran, Mohanrao Kalyanpurkar, on the art, science and 0820C04 aesthetics of *4thumri presentation, followed by brief but memorable recitals 0830C04 by Sarla Bhide and Dinkar Kaikini, the noted exponent of the 0840C04 Agra '*4gayaki'. $*4^*Thumri, 0850C04 which came into vogue in eastern Uttar Pradesh (Purab) towards 0860C04 the close of the 18th century, has flowered into one of the most 0870C04 enchanting forms of expression in *4Hindustani music. ^Sensuous romanticism 0880C04 is the keynote of *4thumri and, unlike *4drupad and *4khayal, the 0890C04 expressive aspect of the lyrical import of the song becomes basic to its 0900C04 effective delineation. ^Imagination thus plays a vital role in the rendition 0910C04 of *4thumri and it calls for a sense of restraint and discrimination 0920C04 on the performer*'s part to_ be able to_ give full musical expression 0930C04 to the poetic mood of the chosen theme. 0940C04 $^The recitals of Sarla Bhide and Dinkar Kaikini were deeply reflective 0950C04 of the shining facets of *4thumri singing as it is in vogue in Uttar 0960C04 Pradesh and as interpreted by the maestros of the *4khayal '*4gayaki' 0970C04 of Agra. ^*Sarla*'s presentation of the great Gohar Jan*'s *(*4tappa-oriented*) 0980C04 '*5Hori Kafi*6', as also the succeeding '*5thumri ki bandish*6' 0990C04 based on 'Khamaj', '*4Adana' and '*4Bahar' and the 1000C04 final *4dadra were all redolent of the distinctive Purab flavour. 1010C04 $* 1020C04 $^On the other hand, Kaikini*'s six-piece repertoire served to_ unfold 1030C04 the changing face of *4thumri-- from its *(*4khayal-based*) depiction 1040C04 to its latter-day portraiture. ^It was a masterly effort by any reckoning-- 1050C04 it captured the hearts of *4thumri connoisseurs, bringing back to their 1060C04 minds the nostalgic memories of maestros like Ustad Faiyaz Khan. 1070C04 $^The artistes received ideal support from percussionists *(0D. R.*) 1080C04 Nerurkar and Shripad Nageshkar and harmonist Baban Manjrekar. $^In 1090C04 keeping with the centre*'s convention, the opening session featured a faculty 1100C04 member, Feroz Dastur, who is also one of the leading lights of the 1110C04 *4Kirana '*4gharana'. ^His slow-and-fast-tempo presentations in '*4Patdeep', 1120C04 '*5Puriya-Dhanshri*6', '*4Chandramukhi (self-composed) and 1130C04 '*4Bahar', with the perennially charming '*5Gopala meri karuna*6' as 1140C04 the tail-piece, brilliantly revealed the lineaments of the sweet, soft 1150C04 and serene vocalism of Abdul Karim Khan. 1160C04 $^*Deepak Nerurkar and Shejwadkar lent able support on the *4tabla and 1170C04 the harmonium. ^*Achyut Abhyankar talented though he is, should be more 1180C04 restrained in his vocal '*4sangat'. ^*Upadhye the other accompanist, was 1200C04 rightly cautiouus. $**<*BRILLIANT *THRILLER**> $*"3^*Sleuth" 1210C04 at the Strand, is a scintillatingly plotted stage success 1220C04 adapted for the screen by its author Anthony Shaffer and its direction 1230C04 has been entrusted to Joseph \0L. Mankiewicz whose wizardry with murder 1240C04 mood-mystery subjects is a byword. $^In 1250C04 addition, the portrayals in an all-male, two-star cast have been entrusted 1260C04 to a pair of virtuoso performers, Laurence Olivier and Michael 1270C04 Caine, who project the protagonists with such fascinating impact, that 1280C04 far from finding the hundred and twenty minutes of their sleuthing tedious, 1290C04 one feels almost deprived when their hijinks eventually terminate. 1310C04 $^Like the maze of its opening sequence, the plot of this delightful spine 1320C04 chiller is a series of puzzles within puzzles, possible openings 1330C04 ending in blank walls over and over again to the bafflement and the enjoyment 1350C04 of alert viewers. * 1360C04 $^The story concerns an eccentric, almost maniac, author of mysteries who 1370C04 invites his barber neighbour for a drink, lets him know that his affair 1380C04 with the author*'s wife is an open secret. ^Untypically, he proposes a 1390C04 bizarre scheme wherein the lover is to_ rob the jewels of his lady love 1400C04 and arrange to_ live with her on the proceeds, while the author-husband 1410C04 collects the insurance money and enjoys it with his mistress. $^The 1420C04 baffled barber plays along with the crazy schemes of the writer, robs 1430C04 the jewels and tumbles on the fact that matters don*'4t end there. ^The 1440C04 old boy has some further wierd tricks up his sleeve. ^Equal to his adversary, 1450C04 it becomes a cat and mouse game, the advantage shifting from author 1460C04 to barber and back with every new development till the unexpected climax 1470C04 overtakes them. 1480C04 $^*Olivier as the kooky author and Caine as the Italian barber lover are 1490C04 both at their superb best, engaging in the battle of words penned by 1500C04 the author for his two characters who are bent on destroying each 1510C04 other with the rapid-fire incisive wit of verbal sparring, here harnessed 1520C04 to perfection in devising a delicious send-up of the classic story 1530C04 of crime and detection. 1540C04 $^Virtuoso performances from its two stars keeps audience attention riveted 1550C04 and guessing even while they play out this complicated mystery with 1560C04 a core of subtle comedy, a story not without social significance in its 1570C04 digs at class distinctions and racial prejudice of the Britisher in whose 1580C04 eyes the foreigner is always suspect. $^See these 1590C04 sleuths in action, enjoy them but please don*'4t reveal their secrets. 1610C04 $**<*KASHMIR PAINTINGS COLOURLESS**> 1620C04 $^With Sharad Waykool*'s Kashmir paintings the Taj art gallery carries 1630C04 on its strongly entrenched traditon of picture postcard landcapes. 1640C04 $^However, there are distinct grades even among the tribe which turns out 1650C04 these superficially-pleasant view of nature. ^*Waykool does not quite 1660C04 belong to the class of Shenvi and Nayak; he is much cruder. 1670C04 $^The paradox about Waykool*'s highly conventional and atrociously photographic 1680C04 work is that, despite splashes of loud colours, the canvas remains 1690C04 essentially colourless. 1700C04 $^Viewed with some generosity, the following efforts may be termed passable: 1710C04 "Mountain surf", "Green paradise", "Spring bloom" and "Reflection". 1720C04 ^These have to_ be viewed from a slight distance and can then be tolerated 1730C04 even though they, too, form part of a deep and desolate rut. 1740C04 $^One is constrained to_ use strong words simply because the artist*'s output 1750C04 has never changed in character from year to year. ^It shows a clear 1760C04 failure of both sense and sensibility. 1770C04 $^Strangely, there is one redeeming factor about Waykool. ^This is not 1780C04 on the artistic level but on a human one. ^His small son is a very sensitive 1790C04 artist, to_ judge from the boy*'s work displayed in Waykool*'s last 1791C04 show in the city. ^This boy could well compensate for the mediocrity of 1800C04 his father-- a mediocrity which might well be born of commercial considerations 1810C04 rather than innate lack of talent. 1820C04 $**<*3Outstanding cello recital by Valter Despalz**> 1830C04 $^The young Yugoslav cellist, Valter Despalz, with Tehmie Gazdar at 1840C04 the piano was presented by the Time and Talents Club on Tuesday in 1850C04 one of the outstanding cello concerts heard in Bombay in recent years. 1860C04 $^Opening with Bach*'s unaccompanied Suit \0No. 5 in C Minor, the lightness 1870C04 of Despalz*'s touch and his preference for the upper range 1880C04 of his instrument were quite evident. ^However his approach in this piece 1890C04 seemed too restrained so that the expressiveness of Bach*'s phrases 1900C04 and the soaring nobility in the Courante were not given their due 1910C04 place. ^Greater dynamic contrasts in the later movements might also have 1920C04 helped towards that_ vision which Bach so uniquely projects. $^If 1930C04 there were any reservations about the Bach, they were completely dispelled 1940C04 in Schubert*'s Sonata in A Minor. ^The opening theme has all 1950C04 the characteristics of Schubert*'s marvellous melodic line, and Tehmie 1960C04 Gazdar set the mood admirably. ^Taking 1970C04 up the lead Despalz*'s bow flowed in sheer enchantment. ^Heir to 1980C04 the great tradition in cello playing after Casals, we had in Despalz the 1990C04 pleasure of witnessing that_ lightness of touch, that_ charm of phrasing 2000C04 and the romantic aura which could do full justice to Schubert. 2010C04 ^What could only be described as the steely lightness of his bowing was 2020C04 remarkable in the first movement. ^*Schubert maintains his inspiration 2030C04 in the second movement, and if Despalz*'s playing in the first movement 2050C04 was inspired, here it was sheer magic.*# **[no. of words = 02019**] **[txt. c05**] 0010C05 **<*3Paradkar, Kaikini \0& Vyas offer rich classical fare**> 0020C05 $^A rich fare in pure classicism, as exemplified by the hallowed vocal traditions 0030C05 of Gwalior and Agra, was presented by two senior executants 0040C05 and an up-and-coming stylist at a three-hour concert held to_ mark the third 0050C05 death anniversary of the noted Gwalior veteran, Padnit Rajaram Buva 0060C05 Paradkar, on Sunday. 0070C05 $^*Shripad Paradkar, Panditji*'s son, who organised the memorial programme, 0080C05 gave a fitting start to the proceedings with a brilliant portrayal 0090C05 of *3*4Lalit in *3*4khayal *4vilambit and *3*4drut 0100C05 ^The scrupulous care and exactitude with which he delineated the *4raga*'s 0110C05 melodic contours compelled unstinted admiration. $^The unfolding was 0120C05 notable for its *(*4bandish-oriented*) manner so typical of the Gwalior 0140C05 *4gayaki. $^The young vocalist, one felt, deserved to_ be heard more 0160C05 often on the concert stage. $*<*3"*5bhupal todi*6"*> 0170C05 $*(0C. R.*) Vyas, who was first groomed by Paradkar Buva and later 0180C05 by other *4vidwans like Ratanjankar and Jagannath Buva Purohit, brought 0190C05 tremendous vocal ability and intellectual skill to his delineations 0200C05 of *3*5Bhupal Todi*6 (a pentatonic submelody of *4Todi without *4madhyam 0210C05 and *4nishad) in *4vilambit and *4drut and *4Goud-Malhar, the celebrated 0220C05 monsoon *4raga in *4drut. $^Rendered 0230C05 with great verve and animation, the presentations showed his erudtion. 0250C05 $^The last to_ perform was Dinkar Kaikini, the well-known exponent of 0260C05 Faiyaz Khan*'s *4rangila vocalism of Agra and now principal of the 0270C05 Bhavan*'s college of music. $^Despite indisposition, 0280C05 he managed to_ offer us a magnificent *(two-*4Dhaivata*) 0290C05 *4Desi in *4vilambit and *4drut. ^The *4raga depiction emerged 0300C05 as a charming blend of classical restraint and aesthetic freedom, revealing 0310C05 something far nobler, far subtler than a mere display of deliberate 0330C05 virtuosity. ^He rounded off with a *4Bhairavi. $*(0i*. S.*) 0340C05 Nirodi and *(0D. D.*) Ratanjankar lent intelligent vocal support. 0360C05 $^The instrumental accompaniment to the main artistes came from harmonists 0370C05 Purushottam Walavalkar and Mukund Nene and percussionists Shripad 0380C05 Nageshkar and Vibhav Nageshkar. $**<*3Exquisite fare by young artistes**> 0400C05 $^The penultimate session of the 17th *5Kal-ke-Kalakar Sammelan*6 0410C05 on Friday evening was memorable for two exquisite performances 0420C05 by Shovana Narayan (Delhi) in *4Kathak 0430C05 and Anandi Ramachandran (Bombay) in *5Bharata Natyam*6. $^*Shovana 0440C05 is already an established and accomplished dancer. ^Trained by 0450C05 the *4Kathak maestro, Birju Maharaj, in Lucknow *4gharana, she revealed 0460C05 her firm grip over the idiom in a delectable manner. ^Her *4Kathak 0470C05 was polished, delicate, graceful and impressive. *4^*Tritaal, *4Savapanch 0480C05 *4matra and *4tatkar showed her *4nritta in a favourable light. ^The 0490C05 lyric dwelling upon the message from Krishna by Udho was enacted in a 0500C05 poignant manner. ^*Shovana deserves to_ visit Bombay more often. 0510C05 $^*Anandi Ramachandran, a disciple of *4guru Mahalingam and Govindraj 0520C05 Pillai (Rajrajeswari school), is a dancer worth watching. ^She has an 0530C05 eye-catching grace that_ permeates her dancing in a pleasing manner. ^Petite, 0540C05 with winsome stage presence and a vibrant frame, Anandi scored 0550C05 well in her *4nritta. ^It had a quicksilver quality. ^The movements were 0560C05 crisp and complete with beautiful patterns. ^In *4abhinaya she acquitted 0570C05 herself with equal success as seen in Mira *4bhajan and *4Kshetragna 0580C05 composition '*4Idendu *4Vachithira'. $*<*3*4Sammelana a success*> 0600C05 $^The concluding session on Saturday night featured two dancers from 0610C05 Delhi: Aarati in *4Odissi and Neelma Azeem in *4Kathak. ^The former 0620C05 presented traditional *4Odissi repertoire as taught to her by *4guru 0630C05 Mayadhar Raut. ^The *4chauka position and the *4Bhangis were well-maintained 0640C05 and the *4abhinaya to the *4ashtapadis from the *5Geet Govinda*6 0650C05 was performed with dignity. ^However, she needs to_ liven up her dance 0660C05 else it would look listless. 0670C05 $^*Neelma Azeem was trained in *4Kathak by Birju Maharaj and Munna 0680C05 Shukla. ^Her *4nritta was graceful and reminded one of the miniature paintings. 0690C05 *4^*Thaat, *4amad, *4gatabhava and *4tatkar were highly enjoyable. 0700C05 ^She has a good command over *4laya and *4tala, and a fine sense of 0710C05 programming and presentation. ^She made the grade with a bang. 0720C05 $^An important cultural landmark in the city, the *4Sammelan was a huge 0730C05 success and focussed attention on the young exponents of considerable talent, 0740C05 who, given the right encouragement showed sufficient promise to_ 0750C05 join the grade of the front rankers. 0760C05 $^Special mention must be made of the panel of judges who sat through 0770C05 daily with patience. \0^*Mr. Brijnarain deserves congratulations for organising 0780C05 this festival every year where admission is free. ^One looks forword 0790C05 to seeing the young exponents again. 0800C05 $**<*3Bid to_ revive puppet show**> 0810C05 $*3*"THIS*0 universe is nothing but a puppet show," says Purandara Dasa, 0820C05 the great Kannada composer, whose songs are on the lips of many a 0830C05 musician. ^They still sing of the "divine strings" that_ manipulate the 0840C05 puppets, the mere mortals who have inherited the earth. 0850C05 $^The dextrous hands that_ manipulate puppets behind a screen in the shadow 0860C05 theatre are human. ^Puppetry is classified into many schools, most 0870C05 of which are dying, not excluding the most intricate of them-- leather 0880C05 puppetry. $^A welcome attempt to_ revive interest in puppetry, leather 0900C05 puppetry in particular, was made recently in Bangalore by the Central 0910C05 *4Sangeet *4Natak Akademy. ^The occasion was a five-day national festival 0920C05 on shadow theatre, consisting of seminars, workshops, performances 0940C05 and an exhibition. $* 0950C05 $^As it turns out the shadow theatre is much older than the stage plays 0960C05 we know. ^However, it is now practised by only a few wandering tribal families, 0970C05 the tradition having been handed down from generation to generation. 0980C05 ^They have moved from their original occupation to_ work as agricultural 0990C05 labourers, with leather puppetry as pastime. ^Will these families 0991C05 be enabled to_ carry on this unique art form? ^Or will 1000C05 the art, like many other folk arts, be wiped out? ^Can the shadow theatre 1010C05 be employed as a tool in rural education and communication? ^These were 1020C05 some of the questions discussed during the festival. $^Participating 1030C05 in the festival were troupes from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, 1040C05 Kerala, Orissa and Tamil Nadu. ^Besides, experts on the subject 1050C05 from various parts of the country and abroad also participated. 1070C05 $^Practitioners of leather puppetry in the South originally belonged to 1080C05 Maharashtra. ^Lack of patronage and economic considerations seemed to_ 1090C05 have forced them into moving southward. ^Whether they will survive the 1100C05 onslaught of present-day art forms remains an open question. 1110C05 $^The main raw material for leather puppetry is normally goat or sheep skin, 1120C05 although buffalo hide and deer skin are also used. ^The leather is 1130C05 carefully cleaned, soaked in water and beaten till it almost becomes transparent. 1140C05 ^Various figures of men and women, birds, animals and trees are 1150C05 then marked out with a sharp nail. ^They are carefully cut out and coloured. 1160C05 ^Small perforations are made to_ fix jewellery. 1170C05 $^Colours are usually made with herbs or seeds. ^Red, indigo, jungle-green 1180C05 and black are popular colours because they show themselves much better 1190C05 through the screen than lighter shades. (^Interestingly, the western 1200C05 shadow theatre has started using plastic instead of leather.) 1210C05 $* 1220C05 $^Leather puppet shows are conducted mostly in open air. ^A stage is erected 1230C05 four or five feet above the ground. ^A white cloth tightly hung on 1240C05 the stage serves as a screen. ^During the performance the screen is illuminated 1250C05 by an oil flame or torch from behind. ^Formerly, a coconut oil lamp 1260C05 was used, but this has been replaced by *4petromax or electric light 1270C05 these days. 1280C05 $^The characters, showed in profile, include heroes and heroines of the 1290C05 Ramayana and Mahabharata and the innumerable gods and goddesses in the 1300C05 *4Hindu pantheon. ^Birds and animals, both mythical and real, are part 1310C05 of the scenario. ^The grandeur of a royal *4durbar, the bewitching beauty 1320C05 of a queen, a hunting scene, the wintry face of the poor-- all are 1330C05 grist to the mill of a puppet show. 1340C05 $^The story of puppet show is accompanied by animated speech coupled 1350C05 with music from behind the screen, the dramatic effect often being highlighted 1360C05 by a running commentary or continuous flow of dialogue. ^The movements 1370C05 of the puppets are manipulated by thin canes strung to their limbs 1380C05 and timed to the dialogue, or music. 1390C05 $^Leather puppetry is fascinating and its survival is a must, according 1400C05 to \0Mrs. Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya, chairman of the Central *4Sangeet 1410C05 *4Natak Akademy. ^Adding his voice for the revival of leather puppetry 1420C05 is the Karnataka governor, \0Mr. Govind Narain. "^It should co-exist 1430C05 with modern art forms," he says. $^The 1440C05 gifted puppeteers opened up during seminars and workshops, says \0Dr. **(0H. 1450C05 K.*) Ranganath, festival director and professor and head of Bangalore 1460C05 University*'s department of drama and music, which made the participants 1470C05 feel that they had "come to_ learn rather than air their own 1471C05 views". 1480C05 $^According to \0Dr. Ranganath, the festival had two purposes-- to_ preserve 1490C05 the traditional art of leather puppetry in its pure form and consider 1500C05 how it can be used in informal and mass education and communication. 1510C05 ^There was broad agreement that worthwhile efforts in these directions 1520C05 should be made. 1530C05 $^The executive committee of the Central *4Sangeet *4Natak Akademy scheduled 1540C05 to_ meet in Delhi on December 15, is expected to_ consider the 1550C05 suggestions that_ came up during the Bangalore festival, including the 1560C05 grant of fellowship for the study of the shadow theatre and its application 1570C05 to a wider spectrum than at present. 1571C05 $**<*3Fine one-woman North-South "*4jugalbandhi"**> 1580C05 $^The eight-day 17th *5Kal-ke-kalakar Sangeet Sammelan*6 where over 1590C05 75 artistes danced, sang and played on their instruments, ended at the *(0C. 1600C05 J.*) Hall on Saturday on a high note, holding great promise for 1610C05 tomorrow-- for the artistes and Indian dance and music. ^The marathon 1620C05 programme was organised by the *5Sur-Singar Samsad*6. 1630C05 $^The highlights of the last session were an evocative *4khayal by Somanatha 1640C05 Mardur and a fine one-woman *4Hindustani-Carnatic 1650C05 "*4jugalbandhi" by Shakuntala Narasimhan. 1660C05 $^*Somnatha*'s was perhaps the best vocal recital of the *4sammelan. ^There 1670C05 is depth and range in his voice and imagination and aesthetic beauty 1680C05 in his style of unfoldment of the melody. ^That he could generate so 1690C05 much *4bhava in his half-hour *5Purva Kalyan*6, speaks of his *4raga, 1700C05 *4swara and *5Tala Gnyana*6. $^Though 1710C05 a disciple of Basavaraj Rajguru, Mardur, however, has a near 1720C05 obsession with imitating Bhimsen Joshi, particularly in the *4taan phase. 1730C05 ^And of his exasperating gesticulations, the less said the better. 1740C05 ^Still this spirited Dharwar artiste deserves to_ be heard more in the 1760C05 city. $^*Shakuntala*'s "double role," alternatively as a *4Hindustani 1761C05 and a *4Carnatic vocalist, 1770C05 was impressive. ^Her *4Carnatic "*4jawab" in *4Kalyani set to *5Adi 1780C05 Tala*6 to the *4Hindustani "*4sawal" in *4Yaman in *5Teen 1790C05 Taal*6 clearly demonstrated the similarities and the differences between 1800C05 North and South Indian music. ^The two "voices" of Shakuntala sailed 1810C05 smoothly from one style to the other through *4alap, *4taan, *4sargam 1820C05 and Bandish. ^And she got the applause she deserved. $^*Rajinder 1830C05 Prasanna (Flute, *4Jog), Vidyadhar Oak (harmonium, *4Chandrakauns), 1840C05 Lakshmikant Doshi (*4sarod, *4Chandranandan) and Shobha Doshi-Vijayanthi 1850C05 Limaye (vocal duet, *4Marubihag) gave above-average recitals. 1860C05 ^So also did Rajnarayan (flute) who played *4Hindustani *4Jhinjhoti 1870C05 and the corresponding *4Carnatic *4Kambhoji using the talometer 1880C05 for marking the time and the electronic *4shruti box, both his own inventions. 1900C05 $**<*3*5Krishna Leela*6 a mixed fare**> 1910C05 $^The Krishna legend with its many splendoured facets has a perennial 1920C05 appeal, but the presentation of "*5Krishna Leela*6", a combination of 1930C05 melody, dance and colour by the *4Natya Ballet Centre, Delhi, on Saturday 1940C05 at the Ravindra Natya Mandir was a mixed fare. $^True, 1950C05 the *(*4Kathak-based*) dance-drama moved "on the wheels of music," a spontaneous 1960C05 blend of melody and mood brought about by Anil Biswas. ^Gorgeous 1970C05 costumes and ornaments added to the glitter, while subdued lighting 1980C05 by Tapas Sen lent a pleasing effect. ^And slick handling of the scene-shifts 1990C05 maintained the continuity. ^Not so spontaneous, however, was the 2000C05 dance itself which appeared more like precision movements of a well-oiled 2010C05 machine. ^In ensemble dance numbers such precision lent a coordinated 2020C05 effect, but in individual depictions it suffered from monotony. ^The 2030C05 ballet running through Krishna*'s life-- *4Gokul, *4Brindavan, *4Dwarka, 2040C05 *4Hastinapur and *4Kurukshetra-- had some scenes with philosophic 2050C05 content and morals subtly woven into them. ^Of the few that_ had telling 2060C05 mimetic effect, the message of *4bhakti simple and total, of the *4Brindavanites, 2070C05 especially Radha and *4gopis was one of the finely etched 2080C05 depictions. ^*Radha*'s agony yearning for Shyam and the song "*5Akhiya 2090C05 Hari Darshanki Pyasi*6 in soulful Shivaranjani made the scene moving. 2100C05 ^However the same dancers in the amorous *5Maha Raas*6 made the spiritual 2120C05 look mundane! $^The meeting of old friends, Krishna and Sudhama, 2130C05 was another such scene.*# **[no. of words = 02007**] **[txt. c06**] 0010C06 **<*3Don*'4t Look, They*'3re Kissing: Aspects of a controversial 0011C06 Play**> 0020C06 $*3^THE*0 curtain parts on a couple violently kissing, biting and clawing 0030C06 each other in a mad sexual frenzy. ^The scene is a holiday resort, 0040C06 the couple are a rich landlord and a prostitute from Calcutta*'s infamous 0050C06 Sonagachi. ^Physical exertions of a similar nature follow in a few 0060C06 more scenes along with dialogue culled from the red-light area. ^The 0070C06 action of the first three minutes is more daring than anything the Indian 0080C06 theatre has produced in recent times. 0090C06 $^The single-set play, Baarbodhu, in which these scenes occur, has been 0100C06 showing at least five times a week at a diminutive Calcutta theatre, and 0110C06 travelling to all parts of Bengal for more than five years. ^It has 0130C06 been seen by more than 700,000 people and has collected about \0Rs 0140C06 36 *4lakhs as gate money. ^Aided by sustained publicity (with captions 0150C06 like "blow hot love" and "Every scene for adults") it has evoked more 0160C06 violent likes and dislikes than any other play produced on the city*'s 0170C06 professional stage. 0180C06 $^The producers of Baarbodhu, a theatre group called Chaturmukh, while 0190C06 celebrating the play*'s 1,600th night last year, decided to_ invite the 0200C06 State*'s Information Minister, \0Mr Buddhadev Bhattacharya, who had 0210C06 shown a keen interest in tackling the problems of the Bengali stage 0220C06 and screen. ^An appointment was fixed and \0Mr Asim Chakravarti, the 0230C06 chairman of the group, arrived at Writers Building with the invitation 0240C06 thinking the Minister*'s acceptance would be a mere formality. ^But 0250C06 he was reportedly told by the Minister: "*_^*I have called you not to_ 0260C06 receive the invitation but to_ appeal to you to_ stop staging the play. 0270C06 ^It is an affront to our society and culture." $\0^*Mr 0280C06 Chakravarti tried to_ reason with \0Mr Bhattacharya (hadn*'4t 0290C06 so many well-known figures in the cultural sphere seen the play and given 0300C06 their verdict?) but the latter was not convinced. 0310C06 $\0^*Mr Chakravarti was not unnerved by the Minister*'s action. ^He ignored 0320C06 the threatening telephone calls he had been receiving. ^He instilled 0330C06 confidence in the members of his shaky troupe. "^If it comes to the 0340C06 worst, we will have to_ seek court protection," he told every one who met 0350C06 him. 0360C06 $^The court was a place where \0Mr Chakravarti had gone several times 0370C06 in the last five years. ^The authorities of the Pratap Memorial Hall, 0380C06 where the play is being staged, struck the first blow by asking Chaturmukh 0390C06 to_ quit just when Baarbodhu was sweeping the box-office. ^The group 0400C06 went to_ court. ^An agreement was reached under which it could continue 0410C06 to_ perform at Pratap as long as Baarbodhu ran. ^This made it difficult 0420C06 for the group to_ stage its next production although it had at least 0430C06 three more plays ready. ^Then the Culcutta Corporation made an attempt 0440C06 to_ lock the group out of Pratap for its failure to_ pay trade licence 0450C06 fees. ^This matter was also settled in court. 0460C06 $^*Chaturmukh finds it difficult to_ leave Pratap because Baarbodhu has 0470C06 come to_ be closely associated with it. ^Situated away from Calcutta*'s 0480C06 traditional theatre locality, Pratap was scarcely used before August 0490C06 15, 1972, when the play*'s long journey began. ^In the first one and 0500C06 a half months, Baarbodhu incurred a loss of \0Rs 17,000. ^The group had 0510C06 been suffering losses in the past 20 years during which it had staged 0520C06 about 25 plays. 0530C06 $^Heavily indebted and having to_ support a dejected group of unfamiliar 0540C06 actors and actresses, \0Mr Chakravarti moved into the Pratap Memorial 0550C06 Hall (in a non-Bengali quarter of the city) with a briefcase and 0560C06 \0Rs 40 in his pocket. ^All that_ he found there was a stage and a screen, 0570C06 a 10 \0ft. by 6 \0ft. greenroom for the actors and a 4 \0ft. by 5 \0ft. 0580C06 room for female cast. ^He sold his set of the Encyclopaedia Britannica 0590C06 and approached the ubiquitous Kabuliwala for loans to_ pay for 0600C06 lighting and other equipment. ^He had left a prize job in a multinational 0610C06 firm. ^This was to_ be his last gamble with the theatre. 0620C06 $^Today, Pratap is the locality*'s most prominent landmark. ^More important, 0630C06 the play and the group are regarded as permanent features of what 0640C06 is now a much-sought after hall. ^The interior has been renovated while 0650C06 the adjoining space is used to_ maintain a garden and run a canteen. 0660C06 ^A drama library has come up on the first floor containing books worth 0661C06 more than \0Rs 91,000. ^The group 0670C06 has installed furniture and fittings costing \0Rs 3.2 *4lakhs all 0680C06 of which it cannot remove should it be forced to_ leave. ^Its association 0690C06 with Pratap is financial as well as emotional. 0700C06 $^What of the play itself? ^It is based on a widely read story by Subosh 0710C06 Ghosh which was recently filmed, ironically enough, with aid from the 0720C06 State Government. ^The prostitute of the opening scene is subjected to 0730C06 the "torture" of having to_ behave like a wife in the presence of holiday 0740C06 makers. ^In the process, she undergoes a change of heart. ^Normal 0750C06 human relationships come to the surface but all too temporarily. ^She 0760C06 realises what it means to_ have a father, a mother, a husband, a son, a 0770C06 brother and a friend. ^But the emotional struggle is futile: she must 0780C06 return where she has come from. $^It is a taxing role, 0790C06 but a challenging one. ^When Baarbodhu was staged 0800C06 five years ago Kataki Dutta acquitted herself creditably. ^When she 0810C06 left to_ form a *4jatra unit, \0Mr Chakravarti, who also directs the play, 0820C06 tried several other actresses, but they all succumbed to the tremendous 0830C06 strain of the role. ^About two years ago, he tried out Manju Chakravarti 0840C06 who was at that_ time playing a relatively minor role in the play. 0850C06 ^She was an instant hit. ^The play got a fresh lease of life **[sic**] 0860C06 and Manju bagged the Pramathesh Barua Award. ^It was a stroke of 0870C06 good luck that her departure from the group a few months ago coincided 0880C06 with Kataki Datta*'s retrun. 0890C06 $^The biggest problem the play*'s critics face is to_ prove that it is obscene. 0891C06 ^Unlike films, plays are not subjected to censorship laws. 0900C06 ^Whether kissing, hugging or plain exposure is necessary in a particular 0910C06 scene is a matter of opinion. 0911C06 \0^*Mr Chakravarti argues that the scenes of drunken revelry, 0920C06 physical assault and exposure were absolutely necessary to_ establish 0930C06 the character the novelist had visualised of Lata, the prostitute. 0940C06 ^Without them, the subsequent scenes in which she struggles with her 0970C06 conscience would lose their significance and depth. $^The 0980C06 play*'s detractors tend to_ believe that \0Mr Chakravarti has gone 0990C06 a little too far, that he might have achieved the same effect by keeping 1000C06 within more reasonable limits, of exposure and physical intimacy. "^It 1010C06 is a question of what appears vulgar to the eye in the context of the 1020C06 society in which the play is staged. ^If one is to condone such scenes, 1030C06 can one honestly decry cabaret dances that_ have become a regular feature 1040C06 of the commerical theatre?", an actor associated with another group observed. 1050C06 ^It is also alleged in some quarters that a few of the play*'s 1060C06 "excesses" are omitted when \0VIPs are in the audience. $\0^*Mr Chakravarti 1070C06 says he can hardly be accused of overstepping the limits of decency. 1090C06 ^Indeed, some foreigners who had seen the play had said that the 1110C06 theme was promising but the treatment had left them rather cold. ^Whether 1120C06 they had plays like "Oh Calcutta" in mind is irrelevant. ^The point 1130C06 he stresses is that so many people in the city and the villages (including 1140C06 audiences in the heart of Naxalite territory) would not have seen 1150C06 it without any kind of protest if it was really pornographic. ^Does it 1160C06 really debase the taste of a mentally healthy audience? "^Show me one person 1170C06 who has gone back from the play feeling the need for a drink or a 1180C06 woman. ^The trouble with those who are shouting against the play is that 1190C06 they are either jealous of its phenomenal success or have not cared to_ 1200C06 see it at all. ^There were protests even during the Congress regime 1210C06 from within the party camp till \0Mr Siddhartha Sankar Ray saw the play 1220C06 and gave it a clean *4chit. ^*I can*'4t help it if others shy away from 1230C06 realism. ^Somebody must come forward." ^There was an unmistakable note 1240C06 of self-assurance in his voice. 1250C06 $^What irks \0Mr Chakravarti most is that the play*'s detractors ignore 1260C06 the group*'s record of the past 20 years. ^The group was founded in 1959 1270C06 with little-known names in the theatre world. ^They received no allowance 1280C06 and were bound together by their intense love for the medium. ^The 1290C06 group reinterpreted Arthur Miller*'s Death of a Salesman in a 1300C06 critically well received production called Janaiker Mrityu. ^It was one 1310C06 of the first Calcutta groups to_ handle a Brecht text in *5Ath Malathibhrishay 1320C06 Katha.*6 ^The themes it subsequently selected ranged from 1330C06 the literary (Bisarjan, Saroshi and Shesh Raksha) to the political. 1340C06 ^It was with this background and consciousness of the medium that the 1350C06 group had handled Baarbodhu-- a background and a consciousness that_ 1351C06 "some are 1360C06 attempting to_ destroy in one stroke." ^The attempt has assumed several 1370C06 ugly forms. ^Like being driven out of the Academy of Fine Arts, 1380C06 having power and telephone lines cut, withdrawal of the Rabindra Bharati 1390C06 recommendation for tax exemption, having its accounts seized by the 1400C06 Income Tax Department, and being served with a demolition order from 1410C06 the Corporation for its construction work at the theatre. ^On each occasion, 1420C06 the group had to_ make emergency arrangements or seek a legal remedy. 1440C06 $^Even in theatre circles, however, sympathy for Chaturmukh is mixed with 1450C06 an awareness of the unmistakable shift in its commercial aims. ^Quite 1460C06 a few feel that in the early idealistic years, the group might not have 1470C06 considered staging Baarbodhu at all. 1471C06 $**<*3The World of Women Novelists*0**> 1480C06 $*3^IT*0 is not my intention in this article to_ treat Indian women novelists 1490C06 writing in English as a distinct group sharing common concerns 1500C06 or stylistic peculiarities that_ mark them out from their male counterparts, 1510C06 or to_ display a patronising attitude in according them a somewhat 1520C06 grudging recognition. ^As a matter of fact India*'s women novelists in 1521C06 English share the same cultural 1530C06 dichotomy and sense of intellectual alienation from the earth-bound realities 1540C06 of a major segment of the Indian society as are revealed by Indo 1550C06 English writers, male or female, poets or novelists. ^And yet, in several 1560C06 significant respects, these women novelists are closer to the earthy 1570C06 reality, to the subtle nuances of social behaviour, to the complex structures 1580C06 of man*'s and woman*'s inner life, and to the use of a language 1590C06 that_ varies from the pedestrian and prosaic to the poetic and ornate. 1600C06 $^Nevertheless what seems to_ be a uniting link among the Indo-English 1610C06 women novelists is that they are all emancipated and have all had at least 1620C06 a cross-cultural, if not an altogether cosmopolitan, experience that_ 1630C06 has liberated them from the narrow grooves of a highly stratified and 1640C06 traditional society with its rigid codes and nauseating orthodoxies. ^To_ 1650C06 name only the leading women novelists writing in Engish today, there 1660C06 is Kamala Markandaya who is married to an Englishman and settled in 1670C06 England; there is Ruth Prawer Jhabvala of Polish parentage, who had 1680C06 her upbringing in Germany and education in England and is married to 1690C06 an Indian architect; there is Anita Desai who has a German mother and 1700C06 a Bengali father; there is Santha Rama Rau who is married to an American 1710C06 and settled abroad; and finally there is Nayantara Sahgal, daughter 1720C06 of \0Mrs Vijay Laxmi Pandit. ^All these women novelists have 1730C06 had a part of their education and experience abroad, which naturally sets 1740C06 them apart from the traditional Indian woman living in the suffocating 1750C06 atmosphere of deep psychic repression, economic exploitation and the tyranny 1760C06 of obsolete conventions and ritual. ^And yet they carry the indelible 1770C06 imprint of Indian sensibility and culture in their blood and consciousness 1780C06 which not all the out-landish slogans of women*'s \0lib can 1790C06 totally suppress. 1800C06 $^*Kamala Markandaya, with her nine novels to-date is not only the most 1810C06 prolific, but also one of the most significant novelists that_ india has 1820C06 produced after Independence. ^She is not just a female *(0R. K.*) 1830C06 Narayan or an Indian Jane Austen, using the modes of comedy and irony 1840C06 with the assurance of a highly skilled artiste.*# **[no. of words = 02036**] **[txt. c07**] 0010C07 **<*3Aristophanes, Shakespeare, Gogol and Sudraka in Bhopal*0**> 0020C07 **[begin leader comment**] 0030C07 *3^The Hindi versions of the four plays by the Greek dramatist Aristophanes, 0040C07 Shakespeare, Gogol of Russia and Sudraka presented in folk style 0050C07 in Bhopal recently provided ample proof of the vibrancy of contemporary 0060C07 Indian theatre and its readiness to_ meet the challenges of experimentation.*0 0070C07 **[end leader comment**] 0090C07 $*3^A DRAMATIC*0 performance becomes, according to "*5Natya Drapana*6", 0100C07 an art when it arouses sentiments in the minds of the audience. **[sanskrit 0110C07 verse quoted**]. ^A great drama, as \0Dr. radhakrishnan says, 0120C07 overwhelms, devastates and annihilates us and yet exalts us and makes us 0130C07 new. ^The dramatist induces in us sympathy for the good and hatred of 0140C07 evil. ^Wherefore it is well said **[sanskrit verse quoted**] (of all 0150C07 literary forms, drama is lovely). 0160C07 $^*Aristophanes of Greece, Gogol of Russia, Shakespeare of England 0170C07 and Sudraka of India were among some of these ageless dramatists 0180C07 who came in a bunch to Bhopal to_ delight vast admiring audiences. ^Part 0190C07 of the silver jubilee celebrations of the Government *4Kala *4Parishad, 0200C07 these classics presented in folk styles bear evidence that contemporary 0210C07 theatre in India is freeing itself from the superficial Western influences 0220C07 and finding its own identity. 0230C07 $"^*Lysistra" of Aristophanes brings with overwhelming relevance to the 0240C07 modern age, the voice of protest of 2400 years ago against senseless wars. 0260C07 $"^*Inspector General" of Gogol is a satire on the corrupt bureaucracy 0270C07 of the 19th century Russia which could well apply to the official 0290C07 apparatus of to-day. $"^*King Lear" of Shakespeare is a gruesome tragedy 0300C07 of philosophical complexities of age-old emotions rising into a crescendo. 0310C07 $"*4^*Mrichhakatika" of Sudraka is a wholly artificial but profoundly 0320C07 moving play because "it is not realistic but real". 0330C07 $"*4^*Mrichhakatika" (Clay Cart) will still be fresh and gripping when 0340C07 the jumbo jet will be an anachronism. ^It will be so not because the clay 0350C07 cart carried the weight of two human hands but because it is the cart 0360C07 of man and of humanity, a cart which never grows old, defies time and 0370C07 is ever new. ^Age does not wither not custom stale it. 0380C07 $^An English translation of this drama staged in New York in 1924 provoked 0390C07 this comment from *(0J. W.*) Krutch. **[text mutilated*D**] 0410C07 $^*Habib Tanvir*'s Hindi adaptation in folk style of this drama reminds 0420C07 us of its relevance for all climes and all times. ^The local dialect, 0430C07 the folk style, the superb direction and the histrionic talent of the actors 0440C07 all joined to_ produce an impact. ^Various devices have been adopted 0450C07 in this drama to_ illumine the relations between Charudatta, Vasantasena 0460C07 and Shakar, the 0470C07 brother-in-law of the king. ^The scenes were skilfully presented in order 0480C07 to_ bring the drama to a happy climax. 0490C07 $^Drama mirrors the soul. ^It expresses the desires, the urges of man and 0500C07 the problems of life and the struggle of man to_ make himself at home 0520C07 in this world. ^One such drama is Gogol*'s "Inspector General" which 0530C07 was presented as "*5Aaya afasar*6", Hindi adaptation produced by the 0540C07 talented young Bansi Kaul. ^This drama satirising as it does the corrupt 0550C07 and degenerate bureaucracy of 19th century Russia, has immediate 0560C07 relevance to our days when corruption is conceded as a way of life. **[mutilated**] 0570C07 "^Here, if anywhere, the spectator will be able to_ see a 0580C07 genuine example of that_ pure art theatre of which theorists talk and here 0590C07 too he will be led to_ meditate upon that_ real wisdom of the East 0600C07 which lies not in esoteric doctrine but in a tenderness that_ is far deeper 0610C07 and truer than that_ of traditional Christianity. ^Here wisdom comes 0620C07 from the heart. ^Such a play can be produced only by a civilisation that_ 0630C07 has reached stability." $"*4^*Mrichhakatika" as Nehru says in his 0640C07 "Discovery of India" is a tender and artifical play with a reality which 0650C07 moves us and gives us a glimpse into the life. ^Little wonder, this drama 0660C07 has been translated into all the major languages of the world. $^The 0670C07 drama was presented in Uttar Pradesh*'s *4Nautanki style which is 0680C07 one of the earthiest and most hilarious dramatic styles. ^*Bansi Kaul 0690C07 told this writer that *4Nautanki style is singularly adapted to deal 0700C07 with themes full of ridiculous and melodramatic situations. ^Modifications 0710C07 were however made and chorus introduced to_ heighten effect. ^The 0720C07 theme of Inspector General and the style of *4Nautanki go very well together. 0740C07 $^The arrival of an imposter Inspector General throws four corrupt and 0750C07 unscrupulous officials into panic. ^They devise ways to_ save their face 0760C07 and save their skin. ^The imposter takes advantage of their fears. 0770C07 ^By the time he was found out, he had already reaped a rich harvest. 0780C07 $^The music, the freeze and rhythmic action judiciously produced dramatic 0790C07 situations. ^The adaptation transmuted an alien milieu to_ emerge as 0800C07 a satire on contemporary society with telling effect. 0810C07 $^The play has potential for becoming an instrument of mass awakening provided 0820C07 it is taken to the people for whom it is intended. ^The formless 0830C07 anger, impotent fury, protest and disenchantment which rankle in the hearts 0840C07 of the people find expression in the play and could inspire them to_ 0850C07 raise the voice against the exploitative order. 0860C07 $^The sets here were too slick for a country theatre. ^So were the costumes 0870C07 of some of the performers. ^A little slovenly uncouthness would have 0880C07 made for greater authenticity. *4^*Nautanki characters are more caricatures 0890C07 than true-to-life images by tradition which makes them identifiable 0900C07 types who need no introduction to the rural audiences. $^It 0910C07 is the function of drama and other forms of literature to_ produce, 0920C07 what \0Dr. Radhakrishnan calls, a climate of ideas which will prepare 0930C07 for a universal republic and world society. ^One drama that_ comes under 0940C07 this category is "Lysistra". ^This was the most audacious performance 0950C07 ever given in Bhopal. ^No wonder a section of the audience walked 0960C07 out in noisy protest against the obscene portions of the play. $^The 0970C07 drama shows Athenian women in a belligerent mood against their men 0980C07 whose senseless military campaigns infuriated them. ^*Aristophanes who stood 0990C07 supreme in the field of comedy in Greece which delighted in tragedies, 1000C07 may have been voicing his own protest against the penchant for war 1010C07 which was the bane of Greek city states. 1020C07 $^It is remarkable that anti-war protest should have been articulated through 1030C07 the medium of drama 2,400 years ago. ^The conscientious objectors 1040C07 of first and the second World Wars were doing nothing new. ^The women 1050C07 of Lysistra used their bodies as a weapon against their men to_ compel 1060C07 them to_ desist from war. ^They tell them that if they wanted to_ sleep 1070C07 with them they should give up war. 1080C07 $^Women, a critic says, have used their bodies for far worse purposes. 1090C07 ^*Aristophanes in Greece in 411 \0BC and producer Rajendranath in Bhopal 1110C07 in 1977 \0AD did not shiver on the brink. ^They took the plunge 1120C07 and produced a frank bedroom scene between an aroused husband and a strategically 1130C07 cold wife. 1140C07 $^This scene produced a storm of protest. ^It was said that the play had 1150C07 been vulgarised beyond dramatic necessity. $^The 1160C07 agony of men who were denied sexual comforts could have been suggested 1170C07 by other means and it was certainly not necessary to_ show the bedroom 1180C07 scenes in order to_ present a realistic picture. ^There is a wide gap 1190C07 between excellent presentation and its cultural impact. ^For example, the 1200C07 scene shows that while the State delegates of Athens and Sthakyarga 1210C07 were negotiating a treaty, a girl enters whose breasts are marked by a 1220C07 map of Athens. ^During the negotiations ambiguous language and signs 1230C07 are used to_ refer to parts of her body. ^Were they necessary? ^No. 1240C07 $^It is necessary to_ keep the question of good taste uppermost in mind. 1250C07 ^The stress on realistic presentation nearly marred the pleasure. ^This 1260C07 is all the more to_ be regretted because the costumes, stage direction, 1270C07 music and all reflected high imagination and a high standard of faithfulness 1280C07 to the drama. 1290C07 $^With perfect imperturbability, the supporters replied: "*_^Almost every 1300C07 married person has experience of a like nature in his bedroom. ^There 1310C07 is no point in growing indignant. ^They should have done far better to_ 1320C07 applaud and laugh." 1330C07 $^The music, songs and dance were delightful and calculated to_ heighten 1340C07 the sensuality of the scenes of this full-blooded Greek comedy. 1350C07 $^Presentation in Karnataka*'s *4Yakshagana style by nationally renowned 1360C07 Karanth of the Hindi version of Shakespeare*'s "King Lear", renamed 1361C07 "*5Pagla Raja Teen Betiyan*6" was an important attraction. ^It 1370C07 was enchanting to_ see the wicked daughters of King Lear intensifying 1380C07 the effect of their poisonous speech against their father by flitting 1390C07 around the stage in *4Yakshagana style to the accompaniment of beautiful 1400C07 music. ^They really stung the silly old king, stark mad... $^The 1420C07 experiment of an English play in *4Yakshagana style makes it both 1430C07 an exciting creative phenomenon and a challenge. 1440C07 $^*Karanth*'s form asserted itself over the Elizabethan structure and many 1450C07 recognizable elements disappeared revealing the more elemental folk 1460C07 tale of love and betrayal. $**<*3Of chivalrous deeds of men and women*0**> 1470C07 **[begin leader comment**] *3^The 1490C07 folk paintings of Rajasthan are as satisfying to the connoisseurs 1500C07 as the miniatures. ^Artistic creations on long scrolls with legendary motifs 1510C07 are given to bards, known as *4Bhopas, who keep their listeners spell-bound 1520C07 by singing ballads explaining the episodes depicted by folk artists.*0 1540C07 **[end leader comment**] 1550C07 $*3^*RAJASTAN*'S*0 rich heritage of folk paintings has fascinated scholars, 1560C07 historians and critics for a long time. ^The efforts expended on 1570C07 these works of art are immense and the blending of the fine and subtle 1580C07 is so unique that even connoisseurs marvel at the artistic skill bestowed 1590C07 on them. ^They show evidence of dexterity and patience in execution and 1600C07 also firmness of conception. 1610C07 $^Men and women who are traditional painters, prepare intricate and exquisite 1620C07 designs during auspicious occasions like festivals and marriages. 1630C07 ^The symbolic motifs which embellish the walls and floors of houses, gateways 1640C07 and arches, temples and shrines are usually associated with rituals 1650C07 based on mythological themes and chivalrous deeds of men and women. 1670C07 $^These murals are folk in character. ^This can be seen in a developed 1680C07 form in the murals at the Bairrath palace. ^While the historical Amber 1690C07 palace has paintings in some of its *4chhatris, the Udaipur palace has 1700C07 large beautiful frescoes. ^*Bikaner, Kota and Bundi also have very fine 1710C07 murals. ^A large-size mural showing the procession taken out on the 1720C07 occasion of the colourful festival of *4Gangor adorning the walls of the 1730C07 Jaipur railway station, shows that the tradition is still alive. 1740C07 $^An interesting folk technique is painting on long scrolls known as '*4phards'. 1750C07 ^On these are depicted scenes from the life of legendary heroes 1760C07 and heroines of Rajasthan, worshipped and admired by the people. ^The 1770C07 story of Pabuji Ramdeoji and Devi Narainji are vividly portrayed through 1780C07 the '*4phards'. $^They 1790C07 are prepared by folk artists attached to temples and given to the 1800C07 singing bards who move from one village to another. ^Attracted by large 1810C07 crowds, the wandering bards popularly known as *4Bhopas point out the scenes 1820C07 painted on the *4phard and keep their audience spell bound with interesting 1830C07 anecdotes rendered in the local dialect to the accompaniment of 1840C07 music. ^Besides, small paper paintings of Lord Ganesa, Goddess Lakshmi 1850C07 and scenes from *5Krishna-leela*6 are painted in large numbers and 1860C07 sold to the local people for a small amount. $^Another 1870C07 folk painting-- the *4Pechwai-- was originally the cloth painting 1880C07 which was hung at the back of the idol in temples. ^This particular painting 1890C07 was done according to the season and particular festivals. ^Later, 1900C07 the image was also introduced on the *4Pechwai which was popular with 1910C07 the pilgrims who purchased it. 1920C07 $^Painting on cloth is an ancient art as can be seen in the banner paintings 1930C07 of Tibet known as *4chitrapat. ^This form underwent suitable 1940C07 modifications to_ permit rolling of the painting and as such it had to_ 1950C07 develop its own technique. ^However, orthodox-minded people who promoted 1960C07 the modified Pechwai form under Vaishnav influence did not favour 1970C07 the use of glue made out of animal skin and bone. ^Only a thin layer of 1980C07 '*4lai' or starch was applied and the cloth painted with the tempera 1990C07 technique. $^The art of painting on cloth is elaborate and interesting. 2000C07 ^The cloth is first starched heavily. ^Then with the help of a book and 2010C07 with the preparation of an outline, the various colours are filled on 2020C07 the cloth; first the yellow, then green followed by vermillion and lastly 2030C07 the blue, the outlines being worked out in black-- almost similar to 2040C07 the modern technique.*# **[no. of words = 02041**] **[txt. c08**] 0020C08 $*<*3OUR NEIGHBOURS*0**> $*<*3AUSTRALIA*'S MILITARY ALLIANCES*0*> $AUSTRALIA, 0030C08 the smallest and the most sparsely populated but a rich and 0040C08 developed continent, is currently caught in a dilemma of being at "the 0050C08 cross roads of self-reliance and American alliance of insular self-development 0060C08 and international involvement, of its wish to_ develop independnt 0070C08 defence capability and reliance on military alliance". ^*Chakravarty*'s 0080C08 book, the result of research undertaken at Australian National 0090C08 Univeristy, seeks to_ explain this dilemma within the framework of Australia*'s 0100C08 military alliance, its strategic environment, its defence and 0110C08 nuclear potential and regional ties. $^The 0120C08 problems inherent in Australia*'s strategic situation derive from its 0130C08 geography and history though their seriousness at any particular moment 0140C08 is influenced by international and internal political climate (which 0150C08 in Australia*'s case have changed remarkably over the past couple of years). 0160C08 ^The geographical compulsions flowing from close "Asian geo-political 0170C08 proximity" and the ethnic-cum-cultural ethos, emanating from a strong 0180C08 European heritage pull the country in different directions. ^In the 0190C08 early post-war period, withdrawal of British military forces and fear of 0200C08 "monolithic Asian" personality with its regional threat variables, led 0210C08 Australia to_ seek the alliance of the most powerful force in the region. 0220C08 ^The result was that whereas in the early post-war period, the economic 0230C08 political and defence links with Britain constituted almost the whole 0240C08 of Australian foreign policy, by the late \050*'3s the United States 0250C08 assumed a role that_ has steadily been increasing over the years and 0260C08 now it is probably the single most important factor in Australia*'s foreign 0270C08 relations. 0290C08 $^A military pact known as Amzus was signed in 1951 with the United States, 0300C08 along with New Zealand, as a defence arrangement against a rearmed 0310C08 Japan as well as international communism. ^This later became a shield 0320C08 against Indonesian adventurism. ^*Australia joined hands with America 0330C08 also in the South East Asia defence system (\0SEATO) to_ deal 0340C08 with the communist infiltration in the region. ^It later resulted in Australia*'s 0350C08 involvement in the Vietnam conflict. ^Whereas the latter had 0360C08 become almost defunct with the improvement of China*'s relations with 0370C08 the \0USA and other South-east Asian countries Amzus has continued 0380C08 to_ play an important role. ^The \0US has at present no less than sixteen 0390C08 defence installations in Australia, including seven \0NASA 0400C08 tracking stations. 0410C08 $^Though Australian Labour Party had been critical of this alliance 0420C08 and of the over-dependence on the \0USA and has sought to_ maximize 0430C08 the country*'s freedom of manoeuvre its own record in power testifies a 0440C08 lack of conviction for evolving a dynamic Asian policy. ^This heavily 0450C08 documented book lacks in fresh conclusions and interpretations. 0460C08 ^In view of the recent changes in international politics with the \0USSR 0470C08 and China becoming major contestants in South-east Asia and the 0480C08 United States playing a greatly reduced role, Australia*'s foreign 0490C08 policy-- for instance, its open support to Peking in the contest with 0500C08 \0USSR-- should have been analysed in greater detail. 0510C08 $*<*3SOUTH EAST ASIAN POLITICS: MALAYSIA AND INDONESIA*0*> 0520C08 $*3THIS*0 brief study dealing with the evolution of the foreign policies 0530C08 of Malaysia and Indonesia could have been more aptly entitled 'The 0540C08 origins of the foreign policies of Malaysia and Indonesia'. ^The author 0550C08 maintains that the two important factors which shaped the foreign policies 0560C08 of these nations were their colonial experience and the prevailing 0570C08 international situation, in that_ order. ^Analysing this thesis he points 0580C08 out that the low key and pragmatic foreign policy of Malaysia was due 0590C08 to its peaceful transition from a colony to an independent nation, whereas 0600C08 the strong anti-Dutch overtones in Indonesian foreign policy were  0610C08 primarily caused by the bitter struggle which the newly independent Republic 0620C08 had to_ wage against Dutch colonialism and later, on the question 0630C08 of West Iran. $^Before 0640C08 coming to the main theme, the author provides us with background information 0650C08 (in the first two chapters) on the strategic importance of South-east 0651C08 Asia, the various cultural layers which have contributed to 0670C08 plural societies in the region and the serious problem of national integration 0680C08 created thereby. ^The second chapter deals with the history of colonialism 0690C08 specifically in these two countries. ^A short final chapter deals 0700C08 with the theme of regional co-operation and here the author contends 0710C08 that regional co-operation in this area developed following the phase 0720C08 of *3Confrontation*0, a phase which "led to an unprecedented growth in 0730C08 the exchanges between the countries of the region". ^According to the author, 0740C08 this in fact fostered the growth of co-operation in the region. 0750C08 $^The basic theme of the book is by no means original and it leaves one 0760C08 wondering as to what exactly the author is trying to_ prove. ^The title 0780C08 itself is misleading, for there is very little of South-east Asian politics 0790C08 in the book. ^The preface gives the impression that the theme of 0810C08 regional co-operation would be dealt with in detail, but no such attempt 0820C08 has been made. ^The questions regarding regional co-operation, raised at 0830C08 the beginning, remain unanswered. ^A more comprehensive enquiry into 0840C08 this subject would certainly have made the book more topical. 0850C08 $^Besides, the emphasis the author has put, in the case of Malaysia, on 0860C08 its fear of Communist China and, in the case of Indonesia, on the issue 0870C08 of anti-colonialism seems to_ be exaggerated. ^Domestic considerations 0880C08 have been as important in shaping their foreign policies. ^Political 0890C08 ambitions of leaders, equally have shaped the destinies of these nations. 0900C08 ^For instance, Singapore*'s withdrawal from Malaysia in which Lee 0910C08 Kwan Yu*'s own ambition was a factor of no less significance than 0920C08 the conflicting economic interests of the two countries. ^Similarly Sukarno*'s 0930C08 own world outlook moulded in large measure Indonesia*'s foreign 0940C08 policy. ^It is worth pointing out in this connection that Sukarno*'s 0950C08 Guided Democracy was not based on the Chinese model as the author would 0960C08 have us believe. ^Its basic concepts of *3*7Mushawarah*0 and *3*8Gotong 0970C08 Royong*9*0 were totally indigenous. ^The book, however, gives 0980C08 a lot of facts and figures, and some useful appendices at the end. 0990C08 $**<*3BOWING TO THE CENSORS*0**> 1000C08 $*<*3LIBERTY AND LICENCE IN THE INDIAN CINEMA*0*> 1010C08 $*3A BOOK*0 on film censorship without illustrations is like having the 1020C08 choicest food without spice. ^Whatever may be the author*'s reasons 1030C08 for doing away with pictorial illustrations-- the mounting cost of prodution 1040C08 may be one, keeping a cool dispassionate stance on a subject which 1050C08 is easily given to sensationalising may be another-- *3Liberty and Licence 1060C08 in Indian Cinema*0 remains at best a well-researched, well-documented 1070C08 and copiously foot-noted dissertation on an aspect of the Indian 1080C08 mass entertainment which not many have ventured so far to_ tackle. 1090C08 $^In fact, the author*'s introductory remarks confirm that the book is an 1110C08 expanded version of a doctoral thesis for the University of Paris. 1120C08 ^But unlike many academic exercises of this kind Vasudev has scrupulously 1130C08 avoided a pedantic approach to her subject. ^Her chatty, conversational 1140C08 prose, full of asides, betrays the extent of painstaking research that_ 1150C08 has gone into the making of this book, which telescopes almost 60 years 1160C08 of film censorship in India. 1170C08 $^The rise and development of censorship is viewed in the context of socio-political 1180C08 factors, first under colonial domination, then under post-independence 1190C08 Congress regime and finally under the spectre of Emergency, 1200C08 when all existing norms and criteria were conveniently twisted to the 1210C08 sole purpose of boosting the cult of two personalities. 1220C08 $^In the early days the censors*' attention was mainly devoted to coping 1230C08 with the influx of imported films into India. ^Armed with statistics 1240C08 and quotations, the author says that in 1921-22, of the 1,320 films exhibited 1250C08 in India only 64 were Indian. ^In 1920 the Culcutta Censor Board 1260C08 made cuts in 49 films and refused certificates to 13. ^Some of the 1270C08 censors*' directives of the twenties make interesting reading and may 1280C08 not be in any way different from the ones given almost half a century later. 1290C08 ^Portions that_ were required to_ be entirely deleted included scenes 1300C08 such as: "*_^Woman 1310C08 on bed beckoning to man on couch", "The dinner scene showing the 1320C08 man and woman drunk and fondling each other", "scenes where the hero is 1321C08 holding the heroine by the bust", "scene of 1330C08 Eve leaning over the body of Abel, where her breasts can be seen". 1340C08 $^Certain films, now considered classics, were first banned, then released 1350C08 with a large number of excisions. ^Thus *3Sadie Thompson*0 (1929) was 1360C08 refused a certificate because it "is unwholesome and of low moral tone". 1370C08 *3^*Potemkin*0 (1925) was banned because "it depicts scenes of brutality 1380C08 and mutiny and tyranny of successive governments, driving people to_ 1390C08 rebel". *3^*Metropolis*0 (1928) was passed with 18 cuts; *3The Birth 1400C08 of a Nation*0 with 19 cuts. 1410C08 $^*Indian films with political undertones were frowned upon, while a lenient 1420C08 view was taken about their sexual contents, including kissing. ^Thus 1430C08 many films made in the twenties and thirties contained scenes of passionate 1440C08 love-making. ^This writer distinctly remembers seeing in the mid-fifties 1450C08 two such films, *3*5Sher Ka Panja*6*0 (1936) and *3*5Bake Sanvaria*6*0 1460C08 (1938) which starred Sardar Akhtar (Mehboob*'s wife) and 1470C08 Vatsala Kumtekar respectively. ^One lost count of the number of kisses 1480C08 the heroes of these films showered on their sweethearts. ^If shown 1490C08 today the scenes would raise many an eyebrow. 1500C08 $^The censorship issue is discussed in detail, but one searches in vain 1510C08 to_ find out how and when kissing in Indian films was introduced and when 1520C08 exactly was it banned by the censors. ^Was it before the start of the 1530C08 Second World War or after? ^In a chapter titled, "Zero for Conduct" 1540C08 the author has some revealing things to_ say about the invidious ways 1550C08 censorship was used to political ends during the Emergencey. ^While a 1560C08 chosen few, dancing to the tune of powers that_ be, gained in the process, 1570C08 many independent-minded film makers had to_ pay a heavy price for their 1580C08 non-commitment, if not for their tacit disapproval. 1590C08 $^An exhaustive bibliography appears at the end of the book. ^Conspicuous 1600C08 by their absence are the three books on censorship, perhaps the best of 1610C08 their kind on the subject: John Trevelyan*'s *3What the Censor Saw*0 1620C08 (1974) giving an account of the British film censors; Murray Schumach*'s 1630C08 *3The Face on the Cutting Room Floor*0 and Doug McClelland*'s 1640C08 *3The Unkindest Cuts*0, the latter two viewing the subject from 1650C08 the American point of view. ^If the author had cared to_ go through 1660C08 these books, particularly the first one, I am sure she would not have 1670C08 left the present book without pictures-- "the unkindest cuts" for the readers 1690C08 at least. $**<*3THE ROLE OF ORGANISATION*0**> 1700C08 $*<*3REVOLUTIONARY VIOLENCE: A STUDY OF THE MAOIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA*0*> 1720C08 $^THE book seeks to_ answer five questions regarding Maoist movement 1721C08 in India. ^Why 1730C08 did the Naxalites fail to_ evolve their own formulations to_ suit Indian 1740C08 conditions? ^Which factors were responsible for keeping the movement 1750C08 at a "pre-organisation stage"? ^What were the advantages and disadvantages 1760C08 of an organisational character? ^How did the strategy of armed 1770C08 mass struggle peter out to_ become "armed squad action"? ^What lessons 1780C08 do revolutionaries derive from the experience of the past ten years? 1800C08 $^These questions have been answered within a theoretical frame-work of 1810C08 four concepts: environment, ideology, organisation and strategy, and the 1820C08 relationship between them. ^It has been stated that "the interaction between 1830C08 ideology and strategy is constrained by the environment. ^The interaction 1840C08 between environment and strategy is constrained by ideology. ^The 1850C08 organisation tries to_ balance the conflicting considerations while 1860C08 formulating strategy". ^In other words, ideology is a universal category, 1870C08 while the others are variables. 1880C08 $^The Indian Maoists applying their ideological tools to the analysis 1890C08 of the Indian environment concluded that the situation in Darjeeling 1900C08 and Srikakulam, taken together, reflected the entire Indian environment 1910C08 which, accoridng to them, resembled what prevailed in China prior to 1920C08 1949. ^Encouraged by the favourable Chinese pronouncements, the Indian 1930C08 Maoists consequently did not undertake any independent ideological 1940C08 studies and discussions. ^They just mechanically applied Chinese strategy, 1950C08 emulating particularly the ideological activities of the Chinese Red 1960C08 guards during the Cultural Revolution. ^This caused an ideological 1970C08 stagnation, whose impact was noticed in 1973. 1980C08 $^To_ put it bluntly, the Maoists repeated the mistake of Communist Party 1990C08 of India, \0*7viz imitativeness. ^As in Telangana in 1948, international 2000C08 factors played an important role and the Maoists, like the 2010C08 \0CPI rationalized their prior commitment to_ strategy based on a 2020C08 foreign ideology.*# **[no. of words = 02000**] **[txt. c09**] 0010C09 **<*3Indian in White House**> 0020C09 $^WHEN I switched on my \0TV set on Christmas evening and found 0030C09 \0Mr Sayeed Naqvi sitting pretty at the White House in Washington 0040C09 interviewing \0Mr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, the national security adviser 0050C09 to the \0U.S. President and a key figure in President Carter*'s 0060C09 administration, it seemed to_ be someone from outer space. 0070C09 $^Because while any established foreign correspondent can get an exclusive 0080C09 interview with our Prime Minister, foreign minister and President 0090C09 with ease, Indian correspondents abroad seldom seem to_ make it with the 0100C09 top political brass of western countries. \0^*Mr Amrit Mehta and \0Mr. 0110C09 *(0K. K.*) Sood of \0AIR have shown some enterprise in this respect 0120C09 in West and East Asia. ^But certainly *4Doordarshan never even 0130C09 seems to_ have attempted anything of the sort. ^But for the rest, Indian 0140C09 correspondents abroad get so obsessed with living on the periphery of 0150C09 our embassies and high commissions, and sending glowing reports of Indian 0160C09 \0VIP visits abroad (mostly quite disproportionate to the coverage 0170C09 the same dignitaries get in the media of the countries they are visiting), 0180C09 that we have all got into a state where such interviews are looked 0190C09 on as unattainable. $^And 0200C09 yet \0Mr. Naqvi, who is a free-lance journalist in the \0USA. 0210C09 was able to_ establish sufficient contacts with the White House press 0220C09 department to_ have even offered to_ try and get an advance interview with 0230C09 President Carter for \0AIR and *4Doordarshan. ^Apparently his offer 0240C09 remains unacknowledged to date. ^Since one does not get presidents 0241C09 at once, he got the next most 0250C09 important man. ^And it was a neat, sophisticated, professional job which 0260C09 proved that if Indian correspondents have enterprise and are willing to_ 0270C09 take calculated risks India can do it. ^In fact, *4Doordarshan should 0280C09 have its own man in Washington with sufficient standing to_ get these 0290C09 exclusives. ^Certainly, the White House was willing to_ co-operate. 0300C09 $^In reverse, new ground is also going to_ be broken in connection with 0310C09 the coverage of President Carter*'s visit to India. \0^*TV foreign correspondents 0320C09 in India had so far been handicapped by the inconvenient 0330C09 night departures of connecting planes from India to_ take their newsreel 0340C09 footage to their \0TV networks. ^The lack of colour processing \0labs. 0350C09 for 16 \0mm. added to their woes. ^On this occasion, some of President 0360C09 Carter*'s important engagements and speeches will be telecast live in 0370C09 colour with the aid of modern electronic cameras which will enable video-cassettes 0380C09 to_ be plugged in direct to our overseas communications service 0390C09 and then via satellite to \0TV. networks abroad. ^This sort of instant 0400C09 coverage has certainly gladdened the heart of at least one seasoned 0410C09 American \0TV correspondent already in Delhi who has often felt frustrated 0420C09 on previous occasions. 0430C09 $^However, with all this, there still seems to_ exist some sort of communication 0440C09 gap between the \0USA and India, which one trusts this trip 0450C09 will help overcome. ^It is not merely the report that the \0US President 0460C09 might offer us a satellite to_ resume where \0SITE left off. 0470C09 ^It has something to_ do with media attitudes on both sides. \0^*U.S. 0480C09 radio and \0TV have, by and large, carried disaster-oriented news from 0490C09 India, that_ sordid negative picture that_ exists in any country and all 0500C09 against a backdrop of elephants, *4maharajahs, snakecharmers, poverty, 0510C09 beggars and caste. 0520C09 $^*Les Brown of *3The New York Times told this writer that partly 0530C09 this is due to the exigencies of western media where matters have reached 0540C09 a stage where evil is news. ^Even if \0US media are not deliberately 0550C09 picking specially on India, certainly their radio, and \0TV mostly 0570C09 give an impression of being patronising and, at times, downright ignorant. 0580C09 ^Our American media colleagues, who will, hopefully, notice that the 0590C09 Indian capital bears more than a visual resemblance to their native Washington, 0600C09 and that Indian media people can be a highly sophisticated 0620C09 lot, might like to_ attempt a little basic homework on India even during 0630C09 their brief visit and go away a little more informed after what might 0640C09 well be a first aquaintance with the highly complicated country, a blend 0650C09 of ancient culture and modern technology. $^*Indian media, on their 0660C09 part, must, admittedly, within financial limitations, 0670C09 stir themselves a little more and discover some more Sayeed Naqvis 0680C09 abroad, who have dash, enterprise, contacts and talent, so that such 0690C09 interviews and coverage for *4Doordarshan are not sporadic but steady. 0700C09 ^Indeed, since \0Mr. Naqvi is not unfamiliar to *4Doordarshan, it seems 0710C09 strange that they should not have utilised him for two years as a *4Doordarshan 0720C09 correspondent, in the same way as they had a television correspondent 0730C09 in West Germany. ^Is there, for instance, going to_ be an advance 0740C09 \0TV interview by an Indian correspondent with \0Mr. Callaghan 0750C09 in London before he arrives? ^Why should we wait meekly at home for 0760C09 someone to_ arrive and let other networks beat us to it and depend on foreign 0780C09 news agencies? $^*India, let us repeat, can do it and should start 0790C09 the new year with more confidence and zest. 0800C09 $^*American media, to their credit, did a splendid job of coverage of India 0810C09 during the emergency when our own media were bogged and helpless. 0820C09 ^They did an equally splendid job on the elections and the restoration of 0830C09 democracy apparently gladdened Americans to the extent that they now 0840C09 welcome positive news from India. ^Currently they are looking with shrewd 0850C09 eyes at the Janata government*'s performance and Indian media are 0860C09 looking with equally critical eyes at the new American attitudes towards 0870C09 India. ^That_ is how it should be between democracies and this includes 0880C09 not being over-sensitive to each other*'s reactions, which has existed 0890C09 in the past. 0900C09 $^If President Carter*'s visit acts as a stimulus to narrowing the media 0910C09 communication gap between India and the \0USA, it would have at least 0920C09 one major achievement to its credit. $**<*3Meeting The People**> 0940C09 $*3ONE*0 of the programmes which Delhi, and presumably other \0AIR 0950C09 stations have been featuring since the change of government at the Centre, 0960C09 is question and answer sessions between what are described as "common 0970C09 people" and ministers. 0980C09 $^We have had Central ministers meeting actually far from common people: 0990C09 they are usually not only uncommon, but specialists in their line. ^For 1000C09 instance, academics and students, as well as some people who questioned 1010C09 \0Mr. *(0A. B.*) Vajpayee were specialists in international affairs 1020C09 and extremely knowledgeable in their spheres. ^Similarly, when \0Mr. 1030C09 *(0L. K.*) Advani met "the common people", as the announcement rather 1040C09 under-estimated them, there were media specialists from both the older 1050C09 and younger age-groups, some had written books on broadcasting, others 1060C09 had held top positions in \0AIR and some were well-known broadcasters. 1070C09 ^The questions and answers on both foreign policy and mass media were 1080C09 as a result intelligent, topical, and with answers to match. 1090C09 $^This is a good thing and one wonders why the presentation of the programme 1100C09 does not make it clear that everything is going to_ be on a high intellectual 1110C09 and specialist level and thereby admit that it is of interest 1120C09 to specialist listeners as well. ^Some time ago, three or four lively 1140C09 students also had a prolonged question and answer session with \0Mr. *(0L. 1150C09 K.*) Advani which was later carried on transmitters other than *5Yuva 1160C09 Vani*6, from where it originated. ^On \0TV, we have similarly 1170C09 had ministers talking to people but, sadly, mostly to one person at a time. 1180C09 ^Some of the interviewers were very able and coped with different 1190C09 aspects of a particular minister*'s portfolio. ^But one cannot help feeling 1200C09 the discussions would have had much more scope and variety if they 1210C09 had had a panel to_ put questions to ministers. ^Fortunately, solo viewers 1220C09 in some cases were independent-minded people who put tough questions 1230C09 to the ministers and challenged them on various issues. ^One needs much 1240C09 more of this kind of frankness and non-conformism and this implies drawing 1250C09 questioners from different disciplines as well as differing opinions. 1260C09 \0^*TV in this respect can take note of how much more interesting and 1280C09 worth-while radio*'s programmes have been because of the multiplicity 1290C09 of questioners. $^However, 1300C09 as far as the common man (and hopefully women) are concerned, their 1310C09 participation mostly extends to quiz programmes. ^The *5prashan Manch*6 1320C09 programme of \0TV now has a format whereby specific subjects-- such 1330C09 as music, films or theatre are taken up separately and draw audiences 1340C09 from specific interests, in welcome contrast to the previous audiences, 1350C09 who were frankly people anxious to_ get on to \0TV and not necessarily 1360C09 good at it. ^People, overdressed for the occasion and trying to_ look 1370C09 straight at the camera and mostly inaudible when they spoke, are gradually 1380C09 being replaced by more poised and relaxed people who know their subjects 1390C09 and their answers. 1400C09 $^But in the field of youth programmes the guessing games between different 1410C09 colleges are now getting so monotonous and pointless that they well 1420C09 illustrate the Verghese Committee*'s comments that the youth programmes 1430C09 are too urban-based and too student-oriented. ^One misses genuine dialogues 1440C09 between city and rural folk, between artists and young industrialists, 1460C09 between people who work with their hands and those who work with 1470C09 computers. ^One is also getting tired of folk singers and the 'Hi folk' 1480C09 type of dialogue. $^As a reminder of old-world modishness and as part 1490C09 of its broadcasts of 1500C09 archive material for its 50th birthday, \0AIR Delhi broadcast one of 1510C09 its most precious archive recordings on Friday. ^This was a recording 1520C09 of a studio concert before an invited audience at \0AIR Bombay as long 1530C09 back as 1939. ^It was a rendering of *4khayal in the *5Raga Mian 1540C09 Ki Malhar*6 by the noted Marathi vocalist, Ram Krishna Bua Baze, 1550C09 with accompaniment on the *4sarangi by Ustad Bundu Khan and *4tabla 1560C09 by Alla Rakha. 1570C09 $^Most charming of all, the announcements were made by *(0Z. A.*) Bokhari, 1580C09 then the station director at Bombay. ^A timely reminder of the fact 1590C09 that in those days, it was performing artists who headed radio stations 1600C09 and no doubt creative activity flowed from the top. 1610C09 $^*Sai Paranjype*'s half-hour documentary on the Warnanagar children*'s 1620C09 orchestra, trained and projected by musician Shankar Rao Kulkarni, 1630C09 was a good subject. ^But one felt that \0Miss Paranjype would have got 1640C09 a much more compact film in 20 minutes. ^Her close-ups of the child mussicians, 1650C09 from the age of 2-1/2 to 5 were among her best sequences. ^The 1660C09 recitals on bullock carts and in a boat were rather more contrived. ^But 1670C09 there were some light touches, such as the *4ustad getting his pupils 1680C09 only by going round with the milkman, when orthodox parents could not dodge 1690C09 him. ^And the children mostly self-conscious in speaking were at their 1710C09 best when playing. $**<*3Spotlight Changes Spots*0**> 1720C09 $^ONE has really lost count of the weary years during which, Spotlight, 1730C09 \0AIR*'s rather over-ambitious news commentary after the 9 1740C09 o*'3clock news in English and '*4Samayaiki', its Hindi counterpart, 1750C09 have been on the air. 1760C09 $^But one regrets to_ say that, by and large, it has been endured down the 1770C09 years as a government handout belonging to the same 'genre' as the handouts 1780C09 put by the Press Information Bureau down the road, and about as 1790C09 exciting. ^Which is to_ say not exciting at all. ^What has robbed 1791C09 'Spotlight' of most of its credibility 1800C09 and indeed, personality, is the fact that most scripts are ghost-read. 1810C09 ^Thus we hear the name of some well-known journalist, and up booms 1820C09 the unmistakable voice of \0Mr. Surajit Sen or \0Mr. Susheel Jhaveri. 1830C09 ^Some tough propaganda is put across dutifully by Latika Ratnam or 1840C09 Pamela Singh. ^One does not expect these newsreaders to_ get really 1850C09 worked up or sound interesting reading somebody else*'s usually rather 1860C09 badly-written-for-radio copy. 1870C09 $^Happily, some change and liveliness has been apparent recently. ^Thus, 1880C09 instead of the usual tack stuff, there was a discussion on the Azamgarh 1890C09 election hot on the heels of the results. ^One of \0Mr. *(0K. K.*) 1900C09 Sood*'s recent despatches went a little off the beaten track, and at 1910C09 some length, into Indians in Saudi Arabia. ^In fact, ghost voices are 1920C09 at such a discount that actually one has to_ look out for them. ^Naturally, 1930C09 all this has made a perceptible difference to listening. ^What needs 1940C09 to_ be done now is to_ take away at least the veneer of government 1950C09 propaganda.*# **[no. of words = 02013**] **[txt. c10**] 0010C10 **<*3Kumar Gandharva Sings *4Tukaram**> **[begin leader comment**] 0030C10 $*3^For generations the verse of the Marathi poet-saint, Tukaram, has 0040C10 been sung by the devout. ^Recently, for the first time, the well-known 0050C10 vocalist, Kumar Gandharva, tried to_ render it in a classical manner. 0070C10 **[end leader comment**] $**[verses**] 0090C10 $*3^THUS*0, on *4Gokulashtami day, sings Professor narayan Godbole, 0100C10 in *(0E. M.*) Forster*'s novel, *3A Passage to India*0. 0110C10 $^As interesting as the link between the Marathi poet-saint Tukaram and 0120C10 noted vocalist Kumar Gandharva is that_ between the latter and Forster. 0130C10 ^For during his years in India, the British novelist was a tutor 0140C10 in the princely court of Dewas, the very town which Kumar has made his 0150C10 home. ^Indeed, the musician*'s house is located at the very foot of the 0160C10 Hill of *4Devi which gives Forster*'s loving memoir of the period its 0170C10 apt name. 0180C10 $^Unlike Professor Godbole, Kumar Gandharva was not born to a specifically 0190C10 Maharashtrian tradition which looks up to various poet-saints as 0200C10 the blessed who light up One*'s path to god. ^Having tackled the problems 0210C10 of life and attained celestial bliss in different literary veins, these 0220C10 poet-saints have long ago achieved the status of transcendental philosophers 0230C10 whom even agnostics may read with profit. 0240C10 $^*Kumar*'s mother-tongue was Kannada when he was transplanted on to Maharashtrian 0250C10 soil during his formative years. ^He had no reason to_ master 0260C10 the nuances of the centuries-old Marathi, which these poet-saints used. 0270C10 ^It was during his long convalescence in Dewas that along with the 0280C10 realisation of many other musical truths, the innate musicality of such 0290C10 poet-saints as Mira, Kabir and Surdas impinged on his restless imagination. 0310C10 $^But Tukaram does not primarily strike one as a poet who has a special 0320C10 consideration for musicians. ^This is a paradox, considering that he was 0330C10 known to_ perform *4kirtans and forget himself in solitude. ^The tradition 0340C10 of *4bhajan-singing, adopted by some of our well-known classical 0350C10 singers, was restricted to the songs of Mira, Kabir and Surdas. ^The 0360C10 Marathi poet-saints were never touched. ^*Kumar Gandharva, however, approaches 0370C10 Tukaram convinced of his musicality-- but when one hears him 0380C10 meeting the challenge of an unconventional interpretation, one realises 0390C10 that the *4abhangs are literally a tough nut to_ crack, (*4Abhang 0400C10 means 'unbreakable'.) 0410C10 $^To_ begin with, Tukaram writes in a matter-of-fact, prosaic manner. 0420C10 ^What lifts many of his *4abhangs to the unambiguous level of poetry is 0430C10 their depth and urgency of feeling. ^In the *4abhangs 0440C10 which are addressed to the god, Panduranga, a direct communication between 0450C10 man and divinity is implied. 0460C10 $^Secondly, almost ever since Tukaram wrote these verses, they have been 0470C10 sung by groups of *(*4bhajan-singing*) devotees in a set fashion and to 0480C10 the accompaniment of set instruments such as the *4mridang or *4pakhawaj 0490C10 and cymbals. ^Classical musicians who have tackled them have kept to 0500C10 the orthodox format and the prime example of this is Bhimsen Joshi. ^*Lata 0510C10 Mangeshkar, in her recordings of Tukaram, has taken somewhat greater 0520C10 freedom. $^But 0530C10 it is only Kumar Gandharva who appears to_ have made the first bold 0540C10 break from the *(*4bhajan-singing*) tradition. ^On April 29, he staged 0550C10 a recital of 14 *4abhangs in Pune, calling it with pragmatic modesty, 0560C10 '*5Tukaram-- Ek Darshan*6' (a viewpoint). ^He had earlier presented 0570C10 this programme only once, in August 1976, and has yet to_ repeat it in 0580C10 Bombay. 0590C10 $^Two of Kumar*'s close friends, Rahul Barpute and Sharatchandra Chirmule, 0600C10 wrote a foreword to the programme. ^They went out of their way 0610C10 to_ prove that Tukaram was a musically oriented creature. ^They referred 0620C10 to the *4veena which Tukaram always carried with him and suggest that 0630C10 if the saint could strum its strings, he definitely had a mature knowledge 0640C10 of the *4swaras. 0650C10 $^Surely, as a poet, Tukaram must have had a customary knowledge of musical 0660C10 rhythm but do we have adequate evidence today to_ prove that the Maharashtra 0670C10 of the saint-poet*'s time was exposed (say by Moghul invasions) 0680C10 to the art and science of classical music? ^But we can afford to_ keep 0690C10 this point debatable because \0Messrs. Barpute and Chirmule say that 0700C10 the programme is "an attempt on the part of a modern musican to_ explore 0710C10 the poetic world of an impassioned poet of yore through the medium 0720C10 of music". ^It was precisely this that Kumar*'s highly innovative programme 0730C10 failed to_ achieve in large measure. $^The 0740C10 14 *4abhangs were tuned to classic *4ragas, including *4Kalyan, *4Bihagad, 0750C10 *4Hamir, *4Marwa, *4Jait-Kalyan, *4Paraj, \0etc. ^The *4taal 0760C10 that_ was used followed the convention of *4bhajan singing. ^The accompaniment 0770C10 was the usual harmonium and *4tabla. 0780C10 $^What was sought for in the programme slipped through the hands of the 0790C10 musician for obvious reasons. ^Most of the *4abhangs chosen are invocations 0800C10 of Panduranga. ^With the exception of "*5Sundar te dhyaan*6", which 0810C10 evokes the vision of the idol of Panduranga as it stands on a brick, 0820C10 with arms akimbo (as in the Pandharpur temple), almost all the other 0821C10 *4abhangs have an abstract quality. 0830C10 ^The cold abstraction of the words is paralleled by the tantalising abstraction 0840C10 of the classical *4raga. ^One found oneself getting carried away 0850C10 by Kumar*'s characteristic music style hardly caring about Tukaram. 0870C10 $^Indeed, this is the basic snag of our classical music which appears to_ 0880C10 be inadequately realised. ^When we are listening to the rendering of 0890C10 a *4raga we can*'4t care less for the words of the *4cheez (which 0900C10 are clear to us anyway, only at the opening); all we are concerned about 0910C10 are the undulations of the *4swaras, their infinite permutations and 0920C10 combinations and the total form of the *4bandish, which is an unadulterated 0930C10 abstraction. 0940C10 $^And it was this aspect one tended to_ concentrate upon. ^Also, while 0950C10 some *4abhangs (\0e.g., "*5ayadel taise tuja*6" in *5Jait-Kalyan*6) 0970C10 had a remarkable force and a few others, the typical Kumar Gandharva lilt 0980C10 in fast tempo, a composition like, *5mee tava bajsalo*6" in *4Bhoopali 0990C10 had a disturbingly modern air, somewhat like a *4bhavgeet. 1000C10 $^The last thing one thought of during the recital was god! ^The effect 1010C10 of a *4bhajan, conventionally played, is quite otherwise. ^Not only does 1020C10 a feeling of divine frenzy envelop you but the traditional rhythms touch 1030C10 listeners-- or rather, participants-- endowed with a less than average 1040C10 musical sensibility. 1050C10 $^However, this comparative failure only emphasises the consistency and 1060C10 single-mindedness with which Kumar Gandharva is experimenting with music. 1070C10 ^His record of exploration and innovation (\0e.g., his *4ritu-sangeet 1080C10 and *4thumri-tappa-tarana) continues to_ remain as eclectic and dynamic 1110C10 as ever. $**<*3To-day*'s *4Qawwali: Both Sensuous and Spiritual*0**> 1120C10 $^IN March last year, three *4qawwali fans died and fourteen 1130C10 were injured at Biharsharif. ^The *4qawwali programme warmed up around 1140C10 midnight, when Jani Babu, a Bombay *4qawwali singer, chose to_ sing 1150C10 one of his songs recorded for *5Do Khiladi*6, which was being shown 1160C10 at a local cinema. 1170C10 $^No sooner had he begun singing "*5Raat abhi baki hai, baat abhi baaki 1180C10 hai*6", the crowd outside became restive and tried to_ enter. ^Policemen 1190C10 wielding *4lathis came on the scene. ^The crowd retaliated by 1200C10 throwing bricks at them.... 1210C10 $^The *4qawwali, which evolved around the 13th century, is a product of 1220C10 a cultural synthesis. ^During the Turko-Afghan rule. the best-known 1230C10 literary luminary was Amir Khusrau, a refugee in the court of Balban. 1240C10 ^He lived to_ enjoy the patronage of at least five *4sultans and was known 1250C10 as the "Parrot of Hindu." ^Besides being gifted with literary talent, 1260C10 Amir Khusrau was a musician, too. ^With his rare insight and art, 1270C10 he introduced new and finer variations of the *4ragas and invented a new 1280C10 instrument-- a typical lyre, which later evolved into the *4sitar. 1290C10 $*4^Qawwali is primarily religious in content and appeal. ^Its style and 1300C10 technique have been mainly developed by the *4qawwals who had an unflinching 1310C10 respect for Amir Khusrau as its creator. ^*Amir was a *(*7sufi-poet*), 1320C10 and a very favourite disciple of Hazarat Nizamuddin Aulia,-- 1330C10 who issued instructions to his followers that they should visit the tomb 1340C10 of Amir Khusrau first and then his. ^However, the *7sufi-saint Aulia, 1350C10 is respected by all the *4qawwals, even today, mainly because Amir Khusrau 1360C10 was his devotee. ^Recently, Pakistan*'s popular *4qawwals, the Sabri 1370C10 brothers, gave their first recital in their two-month India tour, 1380C10 in commemoration of this great saint. 1390C10 $^The *4qawwali recital, as a formal occasion, is ordinarily chosen at the 1400C10 time of the '*4urs' (the birthday ceremony) of saints and prophets. 1410C10 ^For instance, the birthday ceremonies of Nizamuddin Aulia in Delhi and 1420C10 Khaja Mainuddin Chisti at Ajmer are celebrated every year when the 1430C10 best *4qawwals of India assemble at these places. 1440C10 $^However, the *4qawwali achieved its excellence during the reign of Mohammad 1450C10 Shah (1719-1748), whose encouragement and love for music earned 1460C10 him the sobriquet "*4Sadarangile". ^During his period, musicians composed 1470C10 a number of good *4khayals. ^This, in turn, helped make *4qawwali more 1480C10 melodious. ^Though the traditional style was allowed to_ continue till 1490C10 the reign of the last Moghul emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, it had 1500C10 already started losing its devotional fervour since the period of Moghal 1510C10 rule. ^Women began participating in *(*4qawwali-singing*), the subject-matter 1520C10 was secularised and the *(*7sufi-saints*'*) strong influence 1521C10 curbed. 1530C10 $^Today, the *4qawwali is a curious combination of the secular and the spiritual. 1540C10 ^Its lyrics and music are both virile and deep so much so that 1550C10 the listener*'s mind wanders from the "*4mazaz to *4haqiqat" (the physical 1560C10 to the transcendental). ^Most of these are very delightful compositions 1570C10 with a ready appeal and charm. ^When two groups of *4qawwali singers, 1580C10 facing each other from either side of the canopy, start singing with 1590C10 the accompaniment of the harmonium, *4dholak and *4sarangi, it not only 1600C10 creates a mystical world of music but also an air of musical competition 1610C10 among the singers. 1620C10 $^Considering that the *4qawwali is the religious music of the muslim, and 1630C10 that its lyrics were written in incomprehensible, chaste Urdu, many 1650C10 Hindu music lovers first shunned this form. ^But, for the last thirty 1660C10 years, the emergence of many Hindu *4qawwals, has made the *4qawwali popular 1670C10 among the Hindus in North India and Bengal. ^Noted among these 1680C10 *4qawwals are the late Ustad Ram Naresh of Banaras, Pannalal Bose 1690C10 of Calcutta, Shankar-Shambhu and Raghunath of Bombay. 1700C10 $^The Hindu *4qawwal, especially Pannalal Bose, started composing in 1710C10 simple Hindi, lyrics on popular themes and quickly became popular. ^In 1720C10 one word, the Hindu *4qawwals, have now brought the *4qawwali, from the 1730C10 '*4mazar' to the '*4mandir' (from the tombs of Muslim saints to the temple). 1740C10 $^According to 1750C10 conservatives among *(*4qawwali-lovers*), the *4qawwali has to 1760C10 day degenerated and is much below the standards set by the famed *4qawwals 1770C10 of yesteryear, such as the late Pearoo Qawwal, Bande Hasan and Abdul 1780C10 Rauf Chaus of Bombay. ^But Pannalal Bose, puts it this way "*4Qawwali 1781C10 singing has not fallen from its musical excellence. ^It has been 1790C10 commercialised and the listeners, too, are of two classes: religious 1800C10 and general. ^So the compositions are of two types according to the class 1810C10 of listeners. ^Neither of the varieties are bad if sung with proper 1830C10 articulation, virtuosity and above all with respect. ^Though I am a Hindu 1840C10 by religion, I always sing a '*4nath' or devotional song at the beginning 1850C10 of each recital." ^An open-minded attitude that_ also helps a great 1870C10 deal in easing communal tension. $**<*3Bengali Poetry To-day**> 1880C10 $^The use of modern idiom in Bengali poetry began in the *'3thirties 1890C10 as a necessary reaction to Tagore*'s beauty-centred, harmonious pastoral 1900C10 universe. ^The new poetry was city-centred and attempted to_ give 1910C10 expression to the city man*'s sense of ambivalence and alienation, his international 1920C10 outlook and inescapable insecurity in the concrete jungle 1930C10 of his own city. 1940C10 $^It is a comprehensive description of this poetry to_ say that it is intellectually 1950C10 alive, socially conscious, sceptical yet optimistic about the 1960C10 future. ^It is and it is not. ^For though the description is fair enough 1970C10 for its initial impulse, it does not embrace many of its significant 1980C10 aspects-- especially, its lyrical and imaginative quality and the wonderful 1990C10 poems of love and nature which have added a new tone to Bengali poetry. 2010C10 $^It is impossible to_ give a conclusive label to this poetry, for its variety 2020C10 of technical excellence and diversity of interests defy neat cataloguing. 2030C10 ^If they express rebellion and protest, there is also a spirit 2040C10 of acceptance; if there is anxiety, scepticism and dilemma, there is also 2050C10 a sense of faith and humble surrender; as there is weariness and lassitude, 2060C10 so there is the unquestionable spirit of wonder and joy at life.*# **[no. of words = 02021**] **[txt. c11**] 0010C11 **<*3Indian Arts as Europeans Saw It**> 0020C11 $*<*3Much Maligned Masters*> 0030C11 $*3^THE*0 purpose of this book is set out with unfussy clarity though 0040C11 some reservations are in order as to whether fulfilment has been achieved. 0050C11 \0^*Mr. Mitter*'s is a wide-ranging and exhaustive account **[foot 0060C11 note**] of European reactions to Indian art from Marco Polo to Havell 0070C11 and Coomaraswamy. 0080C11 $^It is a sequential panoramic view of the entire field encompassing western 0090C11 responses too bewildered to_ be capable of assimilating many armed 0100C11 'monstrosities', the compulsions of curiosity, puzzled veneration for 0110C11 the overwhelming magnitude of the rock-cut temples, respect for the 0120C11 technical skill of individual sculptures in isolation from their physical 0130C11 and philosophical context, emergent intimations of the transcendental, 0140C11 and finally a recognition of the idealistic force in Indian art. ^Yet 1500C11 the author*'s conclusion is that a satisfactory aesthetic comprehension 0160C11 has not been reached, relative to the reception given to Chinese and 0170C11 Japanese art. $^The subject 0180C11 is comparatively untrodden ground and \0Mr. Mitter treads it with 0190C11 assurance and has produced a text of exceptional readability. ^It is gripping 0200C11 in that it is a sophisticated version of "as others see us", not 0210C11 without hilarity even in so weighty a matter. ^Not the least of \0Mr. Mitter*'s 0220C11 accomplishments is that he does not unduly obtrude. ^Analysis 0230C11 and comment are subordinated to factual narrative, and there is an abundance 0240C11 of material from the Middle Ages onwards culled from travellers*' 0250C11 reports and diaries, from 18th century antiquarians, from the quite delightful 0260C11 period of the pursuit of the picturesque, and from the Victorian 0270C11 "interlude". ^That the "monster" theme should have predominated, though 0280C11 weakening with the years, is reason for neither surprise nor complaint. 0290C11 ^Difficulties of accessibility, the labyrinthine complexities of 0300C11 mythology, and the seeming grotesquerie of Hindu iconography added up 0310C11 to a near insuperable barrier. ^It says much for the fearsome inquistiveness 0320C11 of travellers and the readers of their exposes that, despite this 0330C11 formidable obstruction, and the weight of their own tradition, they succeeded 0340C11 in penetrating to some degree of percipience. ^The marvel is not 0350C11 that they grasped so little but that they grasped as much as they did. 0360C11 $^*Pietro della Valle, whose travels were published in 1657-63, was able 0370C11 to_ record his conviction "that Indian images contained rational and 0380C11 profound truths behind their monstrous exterior." ^He was smart enough to_ 0390C11 be persuaded that the fables of which the monster figures were seen to_ 0400C11 be an embodiment, concealed the secrets of an arcane philosophy from 0410C11 the probings of the vulgar. ^This was a measured advance on the medieval 0420C11 identification of Indian gods with demons, reports of which, it seems, 0430C11 were avidly read more for the thrills they offered than for enlightenment. 0450C11 $^*Valle*'s attitude owed a great deal to the tradition of symbolism 0460C11 and allegory, particularly after the Renaissance stimulated an interest 0470C11 in neo-Platonism with its opposition to a literal acceptance of an image. 0480C11 ^The concept of art as reticent and allusive is shared by most cultures; 0490C11 and it is one step removed from the related idea of a mystery too 0500C11 sacred for disclosure to the common gaze. ^*East Asian connoisseurship 0510C11 dictates that works of art are not available for all to_ see. 0520C11 $^Awareness of symbolism did not immediately lead to an understanding 0530C11 of what Indian art was symbolic of. ^Meanwhile, there was no insufficiency 0540C11 of applause for the sculptor*'s craft and of awe for the monumentality 0550C11 of the temples; and this was not the less sincerely conceded because 0560C11 these skills were ascribed to the Greeks, a discredited theory that_ 0570C11 was apparently fortified by *4Gandhara art. ^The extravagance of 0580C11 language of early British, Portuguese and French visitors testifies 0590C11 to the fact that they were indeed spell-bound, groping for such terms as 0600C11 "antique" and "Romanesque" from the vocabulary of their own aesthetic 0610C11 framework to_ capture something that_ was quite outside their range 0620C11 of experience. ^Nevertheless an offshoot of this activity was an increase 0630C11 in the expertise of documentation of sculptures and architecture; 0640C11 and a responsiveness to the overall conception of such complexes as Elephanta, 0650C11 Kanheri and Ellora. ^Scrupulous measurements were taken, the 0660C11 beginnings of scholarship were laid and the link between religion and 0670C11 mythology on the one side and art on the other was formally recognised. 0680C11 $^This was the age of the "cabinet of curiosities" followed "by a scientific 0690C11 inquiry into Sanskrit sources" until by the third decade of the 0700C11 eighteenth century a fairly detailed picture emerged of the conceptual 0710C11 significance of Indian gods and their place and role in Indian art." 0720C11 ^So earnest, liberal and, within limits, impartial was this exercise that 0730C11 even "the representation of sexual organs in sacred art" which otherwise 0740C11 might have been expected to_ arrest assimilation, was taken with commendable 0750C11 cool. 0760C11 $^The momentum of literary, archaeological and iconographic investigation 0770C11 rose sharply but, as \0Mr. Mitter points out, the primary concern 0780C11 was academic, not aesthetic, and reactions though laudatory were related 0790C11 to Greco Roman and Renaissance terms and not to those which had 0800C11 inspired the Indian craftsman and artist. ^It was not too distant from 0810C11 the sort of thing that_ impelled ancient cartographers to_ inscribe "here 0820C11 to dragons" to_ indicate areas of the world of which nothing was known. 0840C11 $^The institution of the "grand tour" and the restored magic of the Greek 0850C11 and Gothic resulted in an added impetus to Indian studies. ^The 0860C11 Daniells, among others, gave currency to the visual impact of the picturesque 0870C11 in India the artistic consequences of which can be traced to such 0880C11 English country houses as Melchet Park and Sezincote and, of 0890C11 course, to the Royal Pavilion at Brighton. ^The notion of the sublime, 0900C11 and of Asian art as static and non-progressive had begun to_ shape the 0910C11 way the West looked at the East and soon the field was crowded by officials 0920C11 and army officers of the East India Company, responsible for 0930C11 such landmarks towards comprehension as the discovery that "the chief 0940C11 marks of recognition of each Hindu deity were certain symbols or attributes" 0950C11 similar to the armorial bearings of the leading European families 0960C11 by which they could be identified. 0970C11 $\0^*Mr. Mitter conducts us through all this meticulously and with forbearance 0980C11 but not without an ill-concealed impatience at the failure of the 0990C11 West to_ enter fully into the spirit of Indian art. ^Insights deepened 1000C11 quite early such as those of Creuzer who observed that these statues 1010C11 of Indian gods "were a call for meditation on the infinite". ^*Indian 1020C11 design and craftsmanship came into their own in the Victorian period, 1030C11 championed by the revulsion against industrialisation. ^Then arrived 1040C11 the climacteric of Havell and Coomaraswamy, the exponents of the transcendental 1050C11 in Asian art as against what \0Mr. Mitter calls the "archaeological" 1060C11 school to which the majority of painstaking East India Company 1070C11 officials and officers belonged. ^To what extent if at all aesthetic 1080C11 responses were retarded by the somewhat dry and methodical punctilio 1090C11 of this officer-cum-official approach is arguable. ^To them we certainly 1100C11 owe much of the necessary ground work, the prelude as it were to Havell 1110C11 and Coomaraswamy who burst on the scene, particularly the former, with 1120C11 an enthusiasm, infectious, penetrating, subtle and profound. 1130C11 $^The story, it would seem, was complete. ^How otherwise could it have been. 1140C11 \0^*Mr. Mitter, however, is not satisfied. ^His verdict is that a 1150C11 new look at Indian art is necessary by restoring its "religious, cultural 1160C11 and social contexts", which sounds more impressive than convincing. ^An 1170C11 almost parallel story of responses to East Asian art could be told 1180C11 but the conclusion that much in Asian art remains a "mystery" is a shaky 1190C11 one to_ make. \0^*Mr. Mitter takes exception to the Coomaraswamy tenet 1200C11 of art as "uncaused spiritual activity" but does not develop this challenge. 1210C11 ^The Havell-Coomaraswamy school is as near the heart of the matter 1220C11 as it is possible to_ be through verbalisation; and obviously it is 1230C11 only the minority that_ finds within it the capacity to_ appreciate. ^But 1240C11 this minority in the West is larger than is suspected. 1250C11 $^The conviction in the East that its esoteric arts are never understood 1260C11 by the West dies hard from Tokyo to Peking of South Asia; and 1270C11 the hint of hidden glories behind the veil is a trifle hard to_ swallow. 1280C11 ^It is not easy, but for the initiated-- these alone are concerned-- 1290C11 the arts of the Orient, as keys to the transcendental, are an open book. 1300C11 \0^*Mr. Mitter asks for a "precise" definition of the relation between 1310C11 art and religion and by so doing surely exposes himself as a paid up 1320C11 member of the "archaeological" school where precision is possible and 1330C11 desirable. ^No one can tell us "precisely" why a misshapen pottery bowl 1340C11 by a Japanese master is beautiful. ^Yet it is, and those who know this 1350C11 are content to_ know and recognise others who know as brothers in that_ 1360C11 knowledge. 1370C11 $^*Indian art objects as vehicles of the transcendent bear no resemblance 1380C11 to the familiar and rational as encountered in our daily lives. ^Neither 1390C11 do Chinese landscapes, Noh drama, or Japanese puppets, although the 1400C11 gap separating representation from what is represented is greatly more 1410C11 intellectualised in India and is perhaps one factor in the slow rate 1420C11 of assimilation. ^There is no qualitative difference at the aesthetic level 1430C11 between the elongated and, therefore, "monstrous" necks of the ladies 1440C11 in *7ukiyo-e and the multiplicity of arms of Indian gods. ^The Japanese 1450C11 ladies even with such necks are recognisable as ladies while the 1460C11 Indian gods are identifiable only by reference to iconography. ^But the 1470C11 spirit and philosophy are identical, as also in the case of Chinese land-scapes. 1480C11 ^They are clearly land-scapes and at the same time something 1490C11 more, sharing a rhythm to an understanding of which the dedicated labour 1500C11 of the "archaeological" school can contribute nothing. $\0^*Mr. 1510C11 Mitter has done something for Indian art that_ is a model for 1520C11 emulation in the cause of all Asian art. ^But his call for precision and 1530C11 the assumption that there is more to_ unravel strike a false note in 1550C11 an otherwise enthralling work. $**<*3Revolution As A Picnic*0**> 1560C11 $*3COMRADE *4SAHIB:*0 $*3^COLLEGE*0 students who become leftists 1580C11 are as common as adolescents who get acne, the only difference being that 1590C11 while one is endured as a private ordeal, those suffering from ideological 1600C11 acne insist on inflicting it on everbody else. 1610C11 $^There is no reason to_ believe that the hero of \0Mr. Rohit Handa*'s 1620C11 first novel, young Pratap (Peter to his parents) Dingra, only son 1630C11 of the Dingras, \0I.C.S., foreign service, members of the new government 1640C11 aristocracy, should turn out to_ be any different when inevitably 1650C11 during his second term at \0St. Stephen*'s, he becomes a naxalite. 1660C11 $^He does so by sending long letters to his "Dearest Mama" explaining 1670C11 why he has opted out of society, (apparently he has been influenced as much 1680C11 by the example of Gauguin as of Mao) and vanishing into a village 1690C11 in the Punjab. ^This gives an opportunity for everyone else connected 1700C11 with him to_ examine their lives and come up with an answer to the burning 1710C11 question, "*_^What is wrong with Indian society?" ^The usual culprits 1720C11 are trotted out, the weather, the colonial system, the moral decay 1730C11 of Hinduism and so on. 1740C11 $^Meanwhile Peter has been floating about in his ideological soup, with 1750C11 his mentor, Bullu the Bengali, who has done his homework so well that 1760C11 as far as Peter is concerned, he is the Party, the only authority above 1770C11 him is Mao Tse-tung, so the revolutionaries can function entirely on 1780C11 their own. 1790C11 $^There is also the local unit boss Gurjit Singh, a *4Jat, who is immediately 1800C11 envious of Peter*'s unquestionable superiority and whose self-serving 1810C11 adventurist behaviour brings about their eventual down-fall. 1820C11 $^Before this happens, there are feeble attempts at action as two clerks 1830C11 of the local electricity board are executed as "enemies of the people" 1840C11 and Peter writes home to Mama that he does not mind killing any more 1850C11 because he has realised that "in India beauty flows out of the sparkling 1860C11 barrel of a gun." 1870C11 $^Fortunately before any further insights of this kind are made, Peter*'s 1880C11 father with the help of his home ministry contacts and the police, 1890C11 who are described at length as sex hungry morons, all conspire to_ bring 1900C11 Pratap/Peter*'s career as a Naxalite to an end.*# **[no. of words = 02013**] **[txt. c12**] 0010C12 **<*3*4tamasha artistes*0**> 0020C12 $*<*3When the Glitter Fades, Poverty Stares*0*> 0030C12 $^RURAL entertainment, including *4tamasha in Maharashtra, *4burrakatha 0040C12 in Andhra and *4yakshagana or *4bailata in Karnataka, has been a 0050C12 popular diversion for *4lakhs of people in the countryside. ^The image 0060C12 of a clown entertaining the whole world and shedding bitter tears in his 0070C12 private moments, is popular. ^The tragedy of the funny man seems to_ be 0080C12 equally true of folk entertainers like *4tamasha artistes. 0090C12 $^The word *4tamasha really means a dispeller of darkness but is today 0100C12 a spectacle and a potpourri of drama, dance, song and bawdy jokes. ^To_ 0110C12 provide this over 200 troupes consisting of 25 to over a hundred people 0120C12 tour all over Maharashtra. ^The entourage, besides the artistes, includes 0130C12 cooks, wiremen, musicians, playwrights and comedians. ^They move in 0140C12 trucks, made into buses, and are similar to a travelling circus party. 0150C12 $^Except for the rainy months of June and July and part of August and 0160C12 September when they perform in theatres, the parties are constantly 0170C12 on the move touring remote villages and putting up shows under tents or 0180C12 in open grounds. ^Usually the itinerary coincides with fairs and shandies 0190C12 or *4urs and *4jatras when large rural crowds assemble in a place and 0200C12 are in the mood for some fun. 0210C12 $^A typical *4tamasha show commences after dinner and can go on till the 0220C12 early hours of the morning. ^Its format is generally standardised and 0230C12 commences with *4Gan, a prayer song to the God Ganapati and *4Gawalan, 0240C12 a piece based on the life of Lord Krishna. ^The incidents chosen 0260C12 include Krishna pinching the figures of *4Gopis, *4Gopis complaining 0270C12 to Krishna*'s mother about his pranks and naughtiness, or visiting 0280C12 the fair with Krishna. ^This bit is made up of songs and dances and 0290C12 some ribald jokes which are popular with the rural audience. ^This is followed 0300C12 by *4Rangbazi, or *5Sawal Jawab*6 and the play for the evening. 0310C12 $^Each of these items takes an hour and half to two hours. ^During *4Holi 0330C12 and *4Diwali the *4tamasha has its venue in Bombay and several other 0340C12 areas, particularly the industrial belt. 0350C12 $^The problems of the *4tamasha artistes are representative of those 0360C12 of the poor in society. ^They get a salary ranging from \0Rs 200-500 0370C12 per month and are provided two meals and a place to_ sleep in during their 0380C12 arduous tours. ^They are cut away from their families and have to_ provide 0390C12 for them from far off places. ^The cook, or *4achari as he is 0400C12 known, makes *4jowar *4bhakris (*4rotis) and one curry for them twice a 0410C12 day. ^The first meal is around noon, while the next is after the show 0420C12 which may be around 2 or 3 \0a.m. ^Most of them sleep during the day and 0430C12 it is difficult to_ imagine the wide difference between their condition 0440C12 while the show is on when they glitter in bright lights and in their free 0450C12 moments when they lie in crumpled clothes on dirty beds. ^Some of 0460C12 the men play cards or imbibe the local brew and generally seem a little 0470C12 lost and depressed. 0480C12 $^Talking to the *4tamasha artistes is absorbing for they are forthright 0490C12 and open in their attitudes. ^*Bapu Rao "*4Gawai" sports long hair and 0500C12 has small, shining eyes. ^He plays the role of a villain and speaks fluent 0510C12 Hindi. ^He joined the *4tamasha group as a youngster after initial 0520C12 experience in *4Ramlila and other village plays, and has graduated to 0521C12 more important roles. ^He is bitter that he has to_ leave his wife and two 0540C12 children with his parents and is unable to_ supervise their education. 0550C12 ^He feels that the government and other social welfare and arts institutions 0560C12 should set up colonies for *4tamasha artistes at important centres, 0570C12 where they can have a semblance of a settled life and provide proper 0580C12 education for their children. ^Being constantly on tour, the family life 0590C12 of the artistes is shattered and their meagre earnings are hardly sufficient 0600C12 to_ make both ends meet. $^*Mangal 0610C12 is a talented middle aged singer-dancer in a leading *4tamasha 0620C12 group and is married to Ramchandra Laxman Bansude who is a playwright 0630C12 in the group. ^She has left two of her children in Bombay to_ undergo 0640C12 schooling and keeps only the younger three with her. ^Speaking with a mixture 0650C12 of pathos and helplessness, she said she has no alternative but 0660C12 to_ live in this nomadic way. "^Our only chance of a *4Sansar (leading 0670C12 a family life) are during the two rainy months, when we can reunite with 0680C12 others in the family." ^But this is a fleeting pleasure and the shadow 0690C12 of long tours and a hard life looms over them perpetually. 0700C12 $^Older members of the troupes are kept as long as they are useful and 0710C12 can perform well and are later sent away. ^They have hardly any savings 0720C12 and have nearly nothing to_ fall back on, in their last days. ^A scheme 0730C12 to_ provide a pension of \0Rs. 200 per year is being implemented by the 0740C12 government but the beneficiaries of this meagre amount are very few and 0750C12 far between. ^There is a need to_ survey the *4tamasha parties and identify 0760C12 their special requirements with a view to reducing their exploitation 0770C12 and hardship. 0780C12 $^*Moos Inamdar is a stocky middle-aged man and is manager of a *4tamasha 0790C12 group. ^Explaining the economics of *4tamasha in a guarded tone, Moos, 0800C12 who sports an Errol Flynn moustache and is keenly anticipating his 0810C12 marriage with a lovely *4tamasha dancer, said that the main beneficiaries 0820C12 are the contractors and owners of the company. 0830C12 $^Two hundred and ten shows are performed in a year, of which about half 0840C12 are sponsored by contractors, while the rest are put up by *4tamasha company. 0850C12 ^The contractors pay about \0Rs 2000 for a show and provide accommodation, 0860C12 publicity and a stage for the party. ^The fees vary, depending 0870C12 on the size of the place, the audience and the season. ^*Moos master-minds 0880C12 the itinerary of the group and carefully chooses dates to_ coincide 0890C12 with village fairs and pilgrim spots during their season. ^The cost 0900C12 of putting up a show is about \0Rs. 1000. ^Once the group reaches a 0901C12 place it does shows both for the contractor and by itself. ^In the 0902C12 latter case, the box office collection can be in the range of \0Rs. 0903C12 5000, all of which goes to the *4tamasha 0910C12 party *4malik or owner. ^The *4maliks can manage with the contracors*' 0920C12 show payments and usually save the proceeds from their own shows. ^On 0930C12 a conservative estimate both the contractors and *4maliks make a 100 0940C12 per cent net profit. $^There 0950C12 is no union for *4tamasha artistes and hence no collective bargaining 0960C12 power. ^Their hours of work and travel are not regulated and they 0970C12 have to_ be on hand round the clock. ^They are paid during the months they 0980C12 work and not in the off season. ^Several wage boards have looked into 0990C12 the working conditions and pay scales of different industries and it is 1000C12 desirable that such an enquiry is made in regard to *4tamasha arttistes 1020C12 also. $^A *4tamasha board has been set up by the state government which 1030C12 looks into some of these problems and also censors the plays. ^But efforts 1040C12 to_ improve the standard of living of *4tamasha artistes are yet to_ 1050C12 be launched. 1060C12 $^*Vithabai Bhanu Mang Narayangaonkar is a leading *4tamasha artiste 1070C12 and owner of a company along with her husband. ^She has been honoured by 1080C12 the President of India and has performed widely. ^She has entertained 1090C12 troops in border areas at \0NEFA and has also performed in Gujarat 1100C12 and Delhi. ^Tall with a soft musical voice and a compelling stage presence, 1110C12 though she is in her fifties and has had eight children, she is 1120C12 remarkably well-preserved and has a zest for life. ^She sings Hindi film 1130C12 songs, dances with aplomb and is totally uninhibited in her "conversation" 1140C12 and exchanges with large audiences. ^As a result, Vithabai has become 1150C12 a legend in her lifetime. ^Rural audiences are crazy about her and 1160C12 walk several miles to_ watch her shows. $^Comparing the *4tamasha of the 1170C12 *'3thirties and the *'3seventies, Vithabai asserted that the 1180C12 popularity of *4tamasha had increased over the years despite the challenge 1190C12 of cinema. ^She has recently acted, danced in a Marathi film *4Sakshant, 1200C12 but is not very enthusiastic about making films, not considering 1210C12 it a "live art", like *4tamasha. ^However, there have been changes in 1220C12 the form and style of *4tamasha over the years and the modern version has 1230C12 a focus on present-day society and focuses on some of its problems. 1240C12 $^The plays are written fairly well, and attention is paid to characterisation 1250C12 and social conflict. ^There is scope for song and dance also and 1260C12 the result is a marathon performance that_ could last for four to six hours. 1270C12 ^In between, there are comedians who take liberties with the script, 1280C12 and often extempore jokes on some current event or personality, are introduced. 1290C12 ^The humour is often bawdy, and refers to marital aberrations, 1300C12 sex and other titillating subjects. ^The use of puns, and slapstick comedy 1310C12 are much in evidence during a show and the audience laps up the fare 1320C12 with enormous pleasure. ^It is not unusual for the successful jokes to_ 1330C12 be repeated in other plays also, particularly during *4Rangbazi, or *5Sawal 1340C12 Jawab*6. 1350C12 $^When a new play is staged, audience reaction is carefully gauged and *4tamasha 1360C12 artistes in plain clothes mingle with the crowds to_ find out the 1370C12 strength and weakness of a show. ^Accordingly, alterations are made 1380C12 and the presentation improved upon. $^A word about the music and dance. 1390C12 ^A four-piece orchestra, consisting of 1400C12 an organ, *4dholki, clarinet and *4halgi (a small drum) supports the singing 1410C12 which does not pay too much attention to *4sur (tune) and *4taal 1420C12 (rhythm) *4^Lavanis (traditional song and dance) have steadily yielded place 1430C12 to film songs and *4qawalis. ^The dancing is also of an indifferent 1440C12 standard and there is no choreography worth the name. ^All one sees is 1450C12 body movements, struggling to_ keep pace with a fast *4dholki. ^The make-up 1460C12 of the female artists is garish and no sophistication is attempted. 1470C12 ^Entertainment is the sole purpose of this show. 1480C12 $^It is estimated that in Maharashtra alone, over two hundred *4tamasha 1500C12 parties are operating while a similar number may be entertaining in other 1510C12 states also. ^The total number of people employed in rural *4tamashas 1520C12 all over India is roughly 15 *4lakhs. ^There is an urgent need for organising 1530C12 this popular form of entertainment on sound and productive lines 1540C12 while making full use of its wide appeal and potential for educational 1550C12 themes. ^The *4tamasha artiste is also an important part of our rural poor 1560C12 and requires sympathy and assistance to_ obtain basic necessities like 1570C12 housing, education, a proper wage and working conditions. ^But probably 1580C12 the first step is to_ organise this force into a well-knit body that_ 1590C12 could stand on its own legs and fight for its rights. ^The akademis and 1600C12 the corporate sector can give them a helping hand, to_ supplement the much 1610C12 needed government guidance and assistance. 1620C12 $^According to \0Mr. Damu Kenkre, director for cultural affairs, Maharashtra, 1630C12 the government is aware of the problems and hardships of the 1640C12 *4tamasha artistes and is eager to_ provide them assistance. ^An important 1650C12 constraint is resources, though a good beginning has been made by arranging 1660C12 *4tamasha festivals, training camps for *4tamasha artistes and 1670C12 an old age pension scheme. ^However, it would be necessary to_ prepare 1680C12 a master plan, not merely for *4tamasha but also various folk arts in the 1690C12 country. ^Much will depend on the financial and manpower resources made 1700C12 available for the purpose. 1701C12 $**<*3Oldest Exponent of Gwalior *4Gharana**> 1710C12 $^*KRISHNARAO Shankar Pandit, at the age of eighty-four is the oldest 1720C12 performing exponent of Gwalior *4Gharana. ^In fact, he is also 1730C12 the only surviving musical genius of the Gwalior *4Gharana in Gwalior. 1750C12 $^*Panditji, as he is affectionately called, was born in a distinguished 1760C12 and highly-talented family of musicians on July 26, 1893. ^His grandfather, 1770C12 Vishnu Shastri Pandit was a great scholar and a close friend 1780C12 of brothers Hassu Khan, Haddu Khan and Natthukhan who were founders 1790C12 of Gwalior *4Gharana. ^His father, the late Shankar Pandit, was 1800C12 yet another celebrity of the Gwalior *4Gharana and had acquired the 1810C12 title of '*5Sangeet Maharshi*6'.*# **[no. of words = 02017**] **[txt. c13**] 0020C13 **<*3History of Kashmir**> $*<*HISTORY AND DOCUMENTS*> 0030C13 $^BEING the only State in India having a separate Constitution a 0040C13 study of the constitutional history of Jammu and Kashmir is of special 0050C13 interest to the students of politics. ^Within a span of one hundred 0060C13 and ten years (1846-1956) the people of the State freed themselves 0070C13 from the hereditary *4Dogra Rule and attained sovereignty for themselves. 0080C13 ^The book under review is the first attempt made at presenting a well-knit 0090C13 record of the Government and the politics of the State during 0100C13 the *4Dogra regime as also of the later developments. 0110C13 $^The book is divided in two parts, the history and the documents. ^The 0120C13 first 221 pages cover the history of the evolution of political institutions 0130C13 and the related constitutional process. ^The authors have, however, 0140C13 not mentioned the steps taken by *4Maharaja Ranbir Singh (1857-1885) 0150C13 to_ ensure effective participation of the representatives of the 0160C13 people in the administration of the State. ^For instance, contemporary 0170C13 historian Peer Ghulam Hassan, in his *3Twarikh-I-Hassan (\0Vol: 0180C13 *=2., Page 871) has mentioned establishment of Councils in the Provinces 0190C13 of Kashmir and Jammu in Bhadon \0S. 1939 (1882). ^The historian 0200C13 has mentioned six members of the Kashmir Council-- Suraj Bal, 0210C13 Hiranand Akbar Beg, Mirza Mohi-ud-Din and Khwaja Sanna Ullah 0220C13 Shawl. ^The Governor of Kashmir, Dewan Badri Nath, was its President, 0230C13 "who had to_ conduct all administrative and financial business 0240C13 in consultation with the Council". ^Similarly there is no mention of 0250C13 the process of decentralisation of the administration started by *4Maharaja 0260C13 Ranbir Singh who assigned the various departments to his Prime Minister. 0270C13 ^*Dewan Anant Ram and three other Ministers-- Babu Nilambar 0280C13 Mukerjee, Wazir Punnu and Sheikh Wahab Din (J \0& K Archives: 0290C13 file \0No: 1288 Persian Records). 0300C13 $^The story of the court intrigues which began soon after the death of 0310C13 *4Maharaja Ranbir Singh (1885) culminating in the virtual deposition 0320C13 of his son and successor, *4Maharaja Pratap Singh has been very well 0330C13 described by the authors. 0340C13 $^After having created an "independent" State in 1846, the British soon 0350C13 began to_ give second thoughts to their transaction. ^In the name of 0360C13 their paramountcy, they soon began interference in the administration 0370C13 of the State. ^The first two *4Dogra rulers-- Gulab Singh and Ranbir 0380C13 Singh-- resisted the pressure as best as they could, keeping also in 0390C13 view that after all the State was a "gift" to them from the British. 0400C13 ^But even before he was duly recognised the ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, 0410C13 Pratap Singh was told that a Resident Political Officer was posted 0420C13 in his State without whose consultation no important step could be taken 0430C13 and whose advice he was bound to_ accept "whenever it was offered". 0440C13 $^To_ tighten their grip over Kashmir, a plot to_ implicate the *4Maharaja 0450C13 and charge him with treason, was well laid out in 1888 in Pratap 0460C13 Singh*'s own words, "by the Resident supported by my own brother". ^The 0470C13 Resident dashed into the *4Maharaja*'s palace with a batch of 34 letters 0480C13 written in *4Dogri character some of them addressed to the Czar 0490C13 of Russia and to the deposed Punjab ruler-- Prince Duleep Singh-- 0500C13 which were testified by Pratap Singh*'s own brother to_ be in the *4Maharaja*'s 0510C13 handwriting. ^Threatening that the *4Maharaja could even be 0520C13 hanged for treason, "the Resident brought such a great and many-sided 0530C13 pressure in all solemnity and seriousness that I was obliged to_ write 0540C13 what was desired-- rather demanded by him." 0550C13 "$^Who is in Russia to_ read the *4Dogri vernacular?" wailed the *4Maharaja. 0560C13 ^But the British wanted possession of Kashmir without actually 0570C13 annexing the State and all the protests made by the *4Maharaja brought 0580C13 him no relief. ^This is the story of Pratap Singh*'s so-called "voluntary 0590C13 resignation" which the documents reproduced in the book reveal. 0610C13 $^The major part of the book-- 455 pages-- cover the documents pertaining 0620C13 not only to the political history of the State but of the speeches 0630C13 and statements of all concerned. ^The documents relating to the freedom 0640C13 movement, the State Constituent Assembly and the Constitution add 0650C13 to the utility of the book. ^This is a pioneering study of its kind and 0660C13 fills a gap in the political history of the State Jammu and Kashmir. 0680C13 $^As Article 370 of the Constitution of India is the bridge which connects 0690C13 it with the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, inclusion of 0700C13 its history and contents with comments would have added to the utility 0720C13 of the book $**<*3Man and values**> $*<*3MAN AND SOCIETY*0*> 0740C13 $^THE theme linking the collection of essays in this slim volume is 0750C13 that modern man in his pursuit of ephemeral values, has created a dehumanized 0760C13 and sick society in which privacy, freedom, and call to serious 0770C13 living have come to_ be dreaded. ^Bereft of spiritual moorings, the 0780C13 human race, like the Gadarene swine, is moving fast on the road to catastrophe. 0790C13 ^How can the disaster be averted? 0800C13 $^As Arnold Toynbee said, Man has to_ re-integrate himself with the 0810C13 environment from which he has been sundered and this he can do only through 0820C13 the ecstasy of the mystery of the contemplation of the sage. ^Science 0830C13 and Technology have to_ become humanised and life oriented. ^The author 0840C13 quotes \0Shri Aurobindo statement that Man is now undergoing an 0850C13 evolutionary crisis and that the evolution of Mind has developed an organisation 0860C13 and use of Matter which can no longer be supported by human 0870C13 capacity without an inner change. ^The author*'s language is often obscure 0880C13 and there is a failure to_ clarify ambiguities. ^The book could have 0890C13 done with more careful editing. ^These caveats apart, this is an interesting 0900C13 and thought provoking collection of essays. $**<*3Two Sanskrit 0920C13 Classics**> $*3*4Sastradipika of Parthasarathi Misra with the commentary 0930C13 *4Prabha by Tatsat Vydyanatha, Part *=1, 0940C13 $*3*4Paribhashendusekhara of Nagesa Bhatta with Sanskrit commentary 0950C13 *4Durga and Hindi annotation by \0Dr. Harishnath Misra, 0960C13 $^THE *4Sastradipika is an independent running commentary on the *5Mimamsa 0970C13 Sutras*6 of Jaimini, following the footsteps of Kumarila 0980C13 Bhatta. ^The *4Mimamsa system is sharply divided into two schools, one 0990C13 following the interpretations of Prabhakara and the other those of 1000C13 Kumarila (both of 7th century \0A.D. ^*Parthasarathi 1010C13 Misra, the learned author of this treatise, was a native of Mithila 1020C13 who lived about the 11th century. ^Two earlier editions of this work, 1030C13 one from Varanasi (about 1898) and another with an excellent commentary 1040C13 from Bombay (1915) have been long out of print. ^The present edition with 1050C13 an unpublished but useful commentary by Vydyanatha Tatsat (17th century) 1060C13 is edited by one of the foremost Sanskrit scholars of the day, 1070C13 Pattabhirama Sastry of Banaras. ^Though it contains only half the work, 1080C13 it fulfils a long-felt want of both students and scholars in the field, 1090C13 who will be eagerly looking forward to the appearance of the second 1100C13 part. 1110C13 $^The *4Paribhashendusekhara is a standard classic in Sanskrit grammar. 1120C13 ^The author Nagesa Bhatta (*4circa 1680-1750) was the last bright star 1130C13 in the galaxy of Sanskrit grammarians. ^His fame mainly rests on his 1140C13 valuable contributions to this diffcult branch of Sanskrit lore. *4^Paribhashas 1150C13 constitute the maxims for interpretation of the intricate, 1160C13 terse *4sutras of Panini. ^In explaining them with critical acumen and 1170C13 originality, Nagesa has driven into oblivion almost all the earlier 1180C13 works on this subject. ^The present edition of the book contains an erudite 1190C13 original commentary in Sanskrit by \0Dr Harshnath Misra, the 1200C13 present senior lecturer in the \0S.L.B.S.K.S. *4Vidyapeeth. ^He has 1210C13 brought to_ bear on his work all the experience of a Professor in that_ 1220C13 subject for over two decades. ^Keeping in view the needs of the student 1230C13 more than those of the scholar, he has made judicious use of some 1240C13 of the earlier commentaries on the text-- over thirty have been unearthed 1250C13 so far. 1260C13 \0^Dr Misra has also added a detailed commentary in Hindi. ^Had the book 1270C13 been published in two volumes, one with the Sanskrit commentary and 1280C13 another with the Hindi one, instead of combining the whole into one unwieldy 1290C13 tome of over 800 pages, it would have been better. 1300C13 $^The *4Vidyapeetha is to_ be congratulated for bringing out the two treatises 1310C13 in their series devoted to the publication of ancient classics. 1320C13 $**<*3little light on a dark plot**> 1330C13 $*<*3MIDNIGHT MASSACRE IN DACCA:*0*> 1340C13 $^THE title may lead readers to_ expect a gripping account and hitherto 1350C13 unknown details of the diabolical murder of Sheikh Mujib and almost 1360C13 all his kith and kin who could be found in Dacca in the grisly morning 1370C13 of August 15, 1975. ^If it was the author*'s intention to_ focus 1380C13 on the massacre and the conspiracy behind it, he should have to_ extend 1390C13 the imagery of photography a little further, restricted the depth of 1400C13 field. ^He did not follow this principle and the outcome is a somewhat 1410C13 diffused picture of Bangladesh politics in a wide time-frame with one 1420C13 end stretched to the army mutiny against General Ziaur Rehman in Bogra 1430C13 and Dacca in September October, 1977. 1440C13 $^The story of the massacre of the Mujib tribe is in fact one of the 1450C13 weakest parts of the work. ^No special effort seems to_ have been made 1460C13 to_ ferret out facts from wherever they may still be locked up. ^The result 1470C13 is such sentences as: ^According to "foreign journalists, 1480C13 the operation started at 12.30 \0a.m." and "what happened afterwards (following 1490C13 the shooting of the chief of military intelligence at the gate 1500C13 to Mujib*'s residence) is not clear. ^Probably the exact details of the 1510C13 massacre will always remain shrouded in mystery". 1520C13 $\0^*Mr. Dasgupta can claim to_ have some intimate knowledge of what went 1530C13 on in Bangladesh during the liberation struggle and for a few years 1540C13 that_ followed. ^He worked in Dacca for "Ananda Bazar Patrika." ^He 1550C13 developed interesting connections: for instance, with Tajuddin Ahmed, 1560C13 prime minister of the provisional government of Bangladesh at Mujibnagar 1570C13 and later finance minister in Mujib*'s cabinet in Dacca. ^The 1580C13 story of Tajuddin, the much-wronged Bangladeshi patriot, deserves to_ 1590C13 be told fully-- his role in the creation of Bangladesh, the intrigues 1600C13 against him by Khondaker Moshtaque Ahmed, the Othello-like naivette 1610C13 of Mujib who failed to_ distinguish between a friend and a foe and 1620C13 the final bloody chapter in Dacca central jail where the entire Mujibite 1630C13 old guard was finally wiped out in another burst of brutality at the 1640C13 moment General Ziaur Rehman came to power. \0^*Mr. Dasgupta knew this 1650C13 was a job worth doing but for his part he has done it only in patches. 1660C13 ^His accounts of conversations with Tajuddin are interesting but episodic 1670C13 in a fuzzy whole. 1680C13 $^Nevertheless, if it is true that Tajuddin alerted \0Mr Dasgupta and 1690C13 through him the the Indian intelligence well in time to_ avert the then 1700C13 impending coup against Mujib, many questions cry out for answers from 1701C13 those concerned. 1710C13 ^*Mujib was probably of the type of a marginal Greek tragic hero 1720C13 who was ready to_ fall at the first stroke of a malevolent fate. ^But what 1730C13 were the others doing? ^If Golok Mazumdar of the Border Security 1740C13 Force in Calcutta warned his boss, *(0K. F.*) Rustomjee in Delhi 1750C13 of something sinister cooking in Dacca why was India*'s High Commissioner 1760C13 Samar Sen away from his post in Bangladesh? ^Poor Tajuddin! ^He 1770C13 believed the Indian High Commission in Dacca had its ears to the 1780C13 ground! 1790C13 $^*Indira Gandhi has been reported in this book as having commented well 1800C13 after she had fallen from power, that Indian intelligence had not been 1810C13 very alert in Bangladesh in those crucial days. ^At the same time she 1820C13 claimed she had warned Mujib of possible assassination attempts. ^Where 1830C13 then did she get that_ intelligence? ^The failure evidently lay somewhere 1840C13 else, unless it is contended that Indira Gandhi*'s \0RAW was 1850C13 empowered in those days to_ engage, like America*'s \0CIA in murky 1860C13 operations. 1870C13 $^With better editorial advice and care, the book might have counted as 1880C13 an aid to the understanding of the cruel and convoluted trends in Bangladeshi 1890C13 politics. ^In the form it has appeared it will disappoint many. 1900C13 ^There are mistakes of all kinds. ^*Chattagram (also sometimes identified 1910C13 as Chittagunj) is supposed to_ have fallen "before the concerted attack 1920C13 of the two brigades of a Third Command Battalion and of the Pakistani 1930C13 Navy and Air Force." ^Another sentence reads: "^If the South 1940C13 Block believes that they can improve relations with the military leaders 1950C13 at Dacca it is still living in a fool*'s paradise."*# **[no. of words = 02027**] **[txt. c14**] 0010C14 **<*3From Son-rise to Son-set! THE SANJAY STORY**> $^WHEN 0020C14 it is dawn, and the Sun rises in the East, there is hardly any 0030C14 strength or glow in the Sun, but by the time it sets its glow colours 0040C14 the clouds in the sky and the Sun sets in a blaze of glory. ^Afterwards 0050C14 there comes eerie silence and darkness. 0060C14 $^What is true about the sun-rise is also ture of the son-rise-- for 0070C14 instance the rise of Sanjay (one almost wrote Son-jay) Gandhi in 0080C14 the political-economic firmament of India. ^The son-rise was muffled in 0090C14 the darkness of pre-dawn, but the son-set was a colourful phenomenon to_ 0110C14 watch. $*<*3POWER AND PROFIT*0*> 0120C14 $^This phenomenon of Sanjay Gandhi and his rise to power and profit 0130C14 had both political overtones and it had psychological undertones which 0140C14 are well delineated by Vinod Mehta*'s fair and impartial biography. 0150C14 **[foot note**] 0160C14 $^The mutually-warring Genes inherited from Feroze Gandhi and Indira 0170C14 Nehru-- an extrovert and an introvert, an out-going jolly fellow and 0180C14 an enthusiast, and an insular and lonely child with a martyr (Joan of Arc) 0190C14 complex, were complex enough, but they were inherited by both the 0200C14 sons. ^Why they should produce two boys of disparate characteristics? 0210C14 $^The indulgences shown to the younger boy by the mother and father both, 0220C14 and also by the grandfather who once ordered a toy-train to_ be brought 0230C14 or bought at midnight after all the shops had closed, to_ satisfy the 0240C14 whims of a whining naughty brat, gave Sanjay a feeling that he was something 0250C14 special and out-of-the-ordinary run of mortals. ^The rules of 0260C14 etiquette and the laws of the country did not apply to him. 0270C14 $^He became proud and moody, rebellious and violent (once he almost 0280C14 died in a car crash but he survived) and doubtless, imagined himself to_ 0300C14 be one of the deathless immortals. $*<*3THE CAR CRAZE*0*> 0310C14 $^The wild orgies of reckless car driving had their origin in his early 0320C14 interest in toy-cars. ^He was still playing with toys in the Rolls Royce 0330C14 factroy at Crewe or at Maruti enterprises in Delhi. 0340C14 $*3^He had a grudge against both his mother and father, for neither of them 0350C14 had been able to_ give him the love and attention that_ was his due. 0360C14 ^So he transferred his anger and violence to the people at large.*0 0370C14 $^He had contempt for the Socialist ideals and ideals of his grandfather, 0380C14 and even the populism of his mother*'s pseudo-Socialistic sounding slogans. 0390C14 $^*Vinod 0400C14 Mehta has analysed the development of Sanjay Gandhi with the 0410C14 meticulous attention to detail worthy of a Le Carre mystery-story, piling 0420C14 incident upon incident, detail upon detail-- starting with the Nehrus 0430C14 of Anand Bhavan (the ancestral background), mummy*'s Boy (Relation 0440C14 with his parents), Maruti (the car craze, the collusion with Bansi 0440C14 Lal), "Future Light of India" (The 0450C14 Youth Congress phase), Indira *4bachao (The passion for Forced Sterilization), 0460C14 The Selling of Sanjay (the elaborate Press and the Media 0470C14 Build-up), "Amethi" (The election that_ was a rout), and the last 0480C14 chapter "Getting to_ know her Achilles Heel" (in which Vinod confesses 0490C14 to having "a sneaking sympathy for Sanjay,... in a family of successes 0500C14 he stuck out like a sore thumb.") $*<*3HE IS NO FOOL*0*> 0520C14 $^The best part of the book (which is throughout well-written and eminently 0530C14 readable) is the last chapter, "Getting To_ Know Her Achilles Heel". 0540C14 ^The objectivity and fairness to his subject comes through Vinod*'s 0550C14 writing. "^Let us begin with his intelligence, and straightaway refute 0560C14 the popular impression that he is a fool. (^If he was a fool, he would 0570C14 have done much less damage!-- \0K.A.A.) $"^He 0580C14 could handle difficult situations with cunning and guile", adds Vinod 0590C14 Mehta, and cites the interview to the Foreign Press Journalists 0600C14 Association of Delhi. ^He quotes a Reuter man as saying "^It was a masterly 0610C14 performance. ^He was very impressive." 0620C14 $^*Vinod also gives Sanjay credit for a "simplicity" which he calls "frightening" 0630C14 because Sanjay does not believe in greys, "things were either 0650C14 black or white." ^That_ is a symptom of a magalomania-- or a sadist-- 0670C14 like Hitler. $*<"*3SANJAY-*4VAD*0"*> 0680C14 $^Intellectually, Sanjay does not get full marks from his biographer. 0690C14 "^He was an \0I.S.C. and at that_ educational level you are not likely 0700C14 to_ learn... the art of resolving involved problems." 0710C14 $^In this context, I am sorry, Vonod failed (or forgot) to_ fully analyse 0720C14 the implications of the presumptuous and impudent SURGE interview 0730C14 which, for some time at least, was regarded as summing up Sanjay-*4Vad-- 0740C14 the Sanjay ideology, however amateurish and immature it might have 0750C14 been. ^His distrust of intelligent men and intellectuals is really fear 0760C14 of exposing himself. 0770C14 $^It is true that he speaks softly, he does not lose his temper, but that_ 0780C14 only speaks of his innate shyness and lack of confidence, his feeling 0790C14 of inadequacy which might include his physical and sexual inadequacies, 0800C14 not of his modesty or humility. 0810C14 $^*Vinod Metha does well to_ debunk the outlandish and exotic theories 0820C14 about Indira and Sanjay and thereby adds to the credibility of his narrative. 0830C14 "^Incest?... it is a preposterous assumption, not worth expanding." 0840C14 "^Blackmail?" ^He believes the Washington Post story about Sanjay 0850C14 slapping Indira six times to be false. ^*Vinod says frankly, "*_^*Sanjay 0860C14 had no file on his mother, nor did he blackmail her". $*<*3ONLY 0880C14 A MOTHER*0*> $^His final theory is astonishingly simple and true. 0890C14 $"*3\0^Mrs. Gandhi permitted her son to_ do all the things he did during 0900C14 the Emergency because he was her son. ^Period".*0 0910C14 $^That_ may be an anti-climax after all the hopes and fears roused of exotic, 0920C14 esoteric and melodramatic elements. 0930C14 $^But I think Vinod Metha is right, and it lends credibility to his book, 0940C14 it authenticates what he has written and speaks of his fairness and 0950C14 objectivity as a biographer. 0960C14 $^Also, it approximates to my own conclusions about Indira and Sanjay 0970C14 in my book "20TH *MARCH, 77-- *A *DAY *LIKE *ANY *Other Day" in which 0990C14 I wrote: "$*3^Ultimately she proved herself to_ be not only a woman but 1000C14 the weakest and the most vulnerable of women-- a mother." $"*3^ 1010C14 for a son, mothers have been known to_ lie, to_ cheat, and to_ rob, to_ 1020C14 kill and be killed. ^Evidently, she had not only done all this, she had 1030C14 allowed her son the freedom to_ order to_ kill, torture, and render homeless 1040C14 hundreds of thousands." $^She was a Mother. $^He was her son. 1070C14 $^But Mohters, because of their weakness for their sons, have no right 1080C14 to_ be the Prime Ministers of a great country. ^Only exceptional men-- 1090C14 and women-- can rise to_ a higher position of disinterestedness-- both 1100C14 political and personal. ^Only they have the right to_ preside over the 1120C14 destiny of their people! $**<*3Horrorabad or hyderabad?**> 1130C14 $^*I ALWAYS thought Hyderabad was a beautiful city. 1150C14 $^But now I think its name should be changed to Horrorabad. 1160C14 $^What happened there last week was horrible-- and shameful-- enough. 1170C14 $^But also shameful-- and horrible enough-- is what happened in Bihar. 1180C14 $^*Hyderabad is the capital of Andhra which is ruled-- or was ruled-- 1190C14 by the Indira Congress Party. 1200C14 $^*Bihar is ruled-- or misruled would be better-- by the Janata Party.$^Yet 1210C14 both, within the same week were rocked by violence. ^It shows that 1220C14 the name-- Congress or Janata-- does not matter. ^It is the same 1240C14 always. ^*Bihar or Andhra. $*<*3POLICE *4ZOOLUM*0*> 1250C14 $^What matters is that casteist violence in one place and Police *4zoolum 1260C14 in the other was at the root of the trouble. 1270C14 $^In Hyderabad, the Chief Minister has tried to_ make political capital 1280C14 out of the holocaust-- he blames the Opposition parties, particularly 1290C14 the communists and the *3NAXALITES!*0 1300C14 $^But our reporters in Hyderabad have traced the roots of violence in Police 1310C14 *4zoolum in the 'national integration' of two constables-- one 1320C14 Hindu and the other a Muslim-- who thought they could harass a Muslim 1330C14 and his comely wife who were returning in a *4rickshaw after the last 1340C14 cinema show. 1350C14 $^There was bribe demanded, much more than the poor couple could afford 1360C14 to_ pay and so they were dragged to the Police station on the "suspicion" 1370C14 that they were bad characters. ^Then the man was beaten-- to death-- 1380C14 and the woman was raped. 1390C14 $^There was another case where a man, Das by name, was dragged out of his 1400C14 hut in a *4jhonpad-patti and beaten to death. $*<*3NAXALITES?*0*> 1420C14 $^There were four other arrests. all in the same *4jhonpad-pattis on the 1430C14 charge of gambling. ^The Police would want us to_ believe that gambling 1440C14 goes on only in the *4jhonpad-pattis, and not in the palatial bungalows 1450C14 of the Banjara Hills. ^*Das, according to the testimony of a neighbour 1460C14 of his, was mercilessly beaten and kicked by the Police. ^He was 1470C14 later taken to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. 1480C14 $^These two incidents sparked a mass anger and mass violence which was first 1490C14 directed against the Police, but later became general, diffused and 1500C14 confused. ^Once the contagion of mass violence catches on, reason 1501C14 and logic are the first casualties. $^*British 1510C14 Government or National Indian Government, Congress or Janata. 1540C14 $*3^Police-- and its methods-- have remained the same through the ages. 1550C14 ^Only its masters-- and apologists-- have changed.*0 1560C14 $^Even in sophisticated Bombay, one reads only in today*'s paper of a young 1570C14 man aged 21, one Uttam Mahadev Jagtap, caught selling cinema tickets 1580C14 in the "Black Market", was beaten to death in Police custody. 1590C14 $^Would the Andhra Chief Minister have us believe that Das, Ahmad Husain 1600C14 and Jagtap were all Naxalites-- or communists;-- and that is why 1610C14 the Police beat them to death? "^Naxalites" is a general excuse to_ 1620C14 liquidate all radical-minded and self-respecting young men who are not 1630C14 'intelligent' enough to_ pay bribes to the Police! $*<*3ROOT IS CASTE*0*> 1650C14 $^Casteism is at the root of violence in Bihar, though Police *4zoolumm 1660C14 is evident there also. 1670C14 $^A Government order fixing a proportion of jobs to the scheduled castes 1680C14 and *4Harijans has sparked off mob violence of the upper castes who resent 1690C14 this order or any concessions given to the *4Harijans. 1700C14 $*3^The Janata Party won the last election by pandering to casteism of 1710C14 the Bihar voters, specially in the villages. ^*Bihar is perhaps, the 1720C14 most caste-ridden state in India!*0 1730C14 $^So *4Harijans*' homes have been burnt down (they were already being burnt 1740C14 down by men of the upper castes), even women have been roasted alive. 1750C14 ^Poor *4rickshaw-pullers have been beaten up by the Police. 1760C14 $^The Janata Party itself has been split on casteist lines by their attitude 1770C14 to the Job Reservation Order. ^Large-scale demonstrations are 1780C14 being held and led by Janata \0MLAs of the upper castes. $*3^The 1790C14 interesting thing is that, while in Andhra, the Government is blaming 1800C14 the Janata opposition, the Bihar Government is blaming the Indira 1810C14 Congress and Communists for disturbing the peace of Bihar.*0 1820C14 $^So everyone is blaming the other Party, no one is able to_ look within 1830C14 and see the canker of violence and casteism that_ is eating up the vitals 1840C14 of the body politic. 1850C14 $**<*3Liberty for licence in Indian Cinema*0**> $*3^SHOULD*0 there 1860C14 be more, or less or no, Censorhip (at all) of films? 1870C14 $^This question has been discussed and re-discussed and is perennially debated 1880C14 at symposia and seminars. 1890C14 $^A Government Committee (headed by Justice Khosla) was appointed to_ 1900C14 go into the matter and after thorough investigation of the problem and 1910C14 after meeting all those who had an opinion on the subject-- for, against 1920C14 or in between-- produced a voluminous report which has been only partly 1930C14 implemented by the present Government. 1940C14 $^Now a young woman, Aruna Vasudev has produced a scholarly book on the 1950C14 subject-- LIBERTY AND LICENCE IN THE INDIAN CINEMA. Vikas Publishing 1960C14 House, New Delhi, 220 pages, Price: \0Rs.40. 1970C14 $^Prepared originally as a thesis for doctorate of the Sorbonne University 1980C14 (Paris), it has both the merits of a scholarly treatise. ^It is authentic 1990C14 and authenticated, with bibliography, footnotes, and index, which 2000C14 adds to its value yet does not rob it of its readability on a popular 2010C14 theme. ^In fact Aruna traces the history of censorship in India as a 2020C14 part of the history of the evolution of the Indian cinema from the earliest 2030C14 bioscope to the multi-starrers of today. 2040C14 ^And the cinema itself is seen and examined in the social, cultural and 2050C14 political framework of Indian society as a whole.*# **[no. of words = 02012**] **[txt. c15**] 0010C15 **<*3Movie world**> 0020C15 $*<*3Benegal*'s "*4Bhumika" is sensitive biography*> $^*Blaze Film 0030C15 Enterprises*' Eastmancolor "*4Bhumika" (The Role) portrays in depth 0040C15 and with mature understanding the search for happiness of an actress. 0060C15 $^The Shyam Benegal and Blaze Enterprises combination, which had presented 0070C15 '*4Ankur' and '*4Nishant' explore an entirely different field-- 0080C15 a bold peep into the life of an actress who defied all social taboos of 0090C15 her time. 0100C15 $^Inspired by the noted Marathi actress Hansa Wadkar*'s autobiography, 0110C15 "*5Sangte Aika*6", the film probes in flashbacks the unhappy and fitful 0120C15 childhood of Usha, whose only solace in life is provided by her lonely 0130C15 flights into the woods and music. 0140C15 $^The death of Usha*'s drunkard father brings into the family Keshav, 0150C15 a man a decade older than her, who has his eye upon her. ^Seeing that 0160C15 Usha is becoming something of a singer, he takes the family to Bombay, 0170C15 where she is selected in an audition. 0180C15 $^The world of grease paint and studio lights and her exploitation by Keshav, 0190C15 who marries her and lives on her earnings makes Usha seek happiness 0200C15 elsewhere. 0210C15 $^The search for happiness of this intensely sensitive girl leads her into 0220C15 the arms of a playboy producer-director Sunil Varma, and of a feudal 0230C15 and possessive estate-owner Kale, whose family comprises his invalid 0240C15 wife, mother and child. 0250C15 $^The suffocation in the Kale household is too much for her. ^She secretly 0260C15 writes to her husband who rescues her with the help of the police. ^Her 0270C15 co-star Rajan, who had silently nursed his love for her wants her to_ 0280C15 enter the films once again-- but on realising that she had come a long 0290C15 way without yet finding any meaning, decides to_ make life on her own. 0310C15 $^*Shyam Benegal, who is quite at home in presenting themes of contemporary 0320C15 social significance, has deftly tackled the highly evocative theme 0330C15 with restraint. ^The almost acidic dialogue of Pandit Satya Dev Dubey 0340C15 therefore seems to_ come as a pleasant surprise. 0350C15 $^The waspish and sarcastic overtones of the dialogue are all the more evident 0360C15 in the sequences leading to periodical clashes between Usha and 0370C15 Keshav. 0380C15 $^Considering the fact that Smita Patil, who is comparatively a newcomer 0390C15 to emotional cinema, has to_ portray the entire gamut of the actions, 0400C15 and feelings of an actress into play, her performance could be said to_ 0410C15 be good, judged by any yardstick. $^Here is an acctress, who, if 0420C15 moulded on correct lines, could mature into a sensitive artist. 0440C15 $^*Amol Palekar as Keshav Dalvi, and the Benegal Characters-- Naseeruddin 0450C15 Shah as Sunil Varma, Amrish Puri as Kale and Anant Nag 0460C15 as the silently suffering Rajan-- fit into the plot quite admirably. 0470C15 $*<*3"Guardian" hails fair discard*> 0480C15 $^Director Bapu*'s Telugu film in colour, "*5Seetha Kalyanam*6" (Seetha*'s 0490C15 Wedding), which could not find a place among the 30 Indian Panaroma 0500C15 selections shown to foreign visitors to the *4Filmotsav-*'378 held 0510C15 in Madras last month, has won praise from the film critic of the "Manchester 0520C15 Guardian". 0530C15 $^The critic, Derek Malcolm, who saw this film only at a private showing, 0540C15 has compared it with a Hollywood Bible epic. 0550C15 $^Indeed, this mythological film, based on the *4Ramayana, is scheduled 0560C15 to_ be shown at the London Film Festival in November this year. 0570C15 $^*Malcolm writes: "^It is done with real taste-- an amalgam of lyricism, 0580C15 poetry and spectacle achieved with rare authenticity. 0590C15 ...I*'2ve seen nothing like it before and can*'4t help thinking that its 0600C15 popularity in the West is assured". 0610C15 $^Ironically, *4Filmotsav organisers ignored *5Seetha Kalyanam*6, assuming 0620C15 that few foreign delegates to the festival would care to_ see it. 0630C15 $"^How wrong were the organisers", comments Derek Malcolm. ^This, he 0640C15 says, was proved when other fellow Western critics, after seeing the film, 0650C15 agreed that he was not "going off his head". 0660C15 $^Director Bapu is no flash-in-the-pan film maker. ^He has so far made 0670C15 13 films, mostly in Telugu. ^But he does not figure in the official list 0680C15 of India*'s leading directors. $**<*3Movie World**> $*3"*5Des Pardes*6", 0700C15 "*5Pati Patni Aur Woh*6", and "*4Paradh" from Friday $^*Dev 0720C15 Anand*'s "*5Des Pardes*6", a film based on the life of Indian 0730C15 immigrants in the United Kingdom, *(0B.R.*) Chopra*'s "*5Pati Patni 0731C15 Aur Woh*6", a satire on middle class morality, Shivshakti Productions*' 0740C15 "*4Paradh', chronicling the trials and tribulations of an Indian 0750C15 woman, will be the three new films to_ hit the Pune screen on July 21. 0770C15 $^Produced and directed by Dev Anand, "*5Des Pardes*6", is based 0780C15 on a story idea by Dev Anand himself. ^It describes the exploits of an 0790C15 Indian youth, played by none else than Dev, going in search of Gurnam, 0800C15 a racketeer indulging in the smuggling of illegal immigrants into 0810C15 Great Britain. 0820C15 $^*Tina Munim, a model-turned film star, makes her debut in the film, 0830C15 the cast of which also includes Pran, Ajit, Amjad Khan, Prem Chopra, 0840C15 Bindu and a host of other leading character actors. ^*Anand Bakshi*'s 0850C15 lyrics have been set to tunes by Rakesh Roshan. $^The film will open 0860C15 at the Natraj, Ashok, Vaibhav, Capitol and Arun theatres. 0880C15 "*5^Pati Patni Aur Woh*6", which will have a solitary release at the 0890C15 Neelayam, tells of *4Pati (Ranjit played by Sanjeev Kumar) *4Patni 0900C15 (Sharada played by Vidya Sinha) and *4Woh (Nirmala Deshpande played 0920C15 by Ranjita Thakur). ^*Asrani too has an important role in the film. 0930C15 $^The placid married life of Ranjit and Sharada gets disturbed when 0940C15 the husband gets interested in his sexy-looking secretary. $^Produced 0950C15 and directed by *(0B. R.*) Chopra, "*5Pati Patni Aur Woh*6" 0960C15 has Kamleshwar*'s dialogue. ^*Anand Bakshi*'s lyrics are set to music 0970C15 by Ravindra Jain. 0980C15 $"*4^Paradh" based on the novel of the noted Marathi writer, Madhusudan 0990C15 Kalelkar has for the first time leading Hindi stars playing important 1000C15 roles in a Marathi film. ^Besides Sachin, and Sarika in the lead roles, 1010C15 the film also has Nutan, Ramesh Deo, Dhumal and \0Dr. Shreeram 1020C15 Lagu in other important roles. 1030C15 $^The film, which will be released at the Vasant, is produced, and directed 1040C15 by Kishore Miskin. ^*Ram Kadam has composed the musical score. 1050C15 $*<*3Favourites continue:*> $*3"*5Kala Aadmi*6" 1070C15 $^*Anubhav Film*'s "*5Kala Aadmi*6", an action-filled drama of an atheist 1080C15 turned aesthetic, is drawing huge rush at seven picture houses in 1100C15 Pune since last Friday. $^*Sunil Dutt, Saira Banu, Pran, and 1110C15 Parikshit Sahani head the cast of the film. $^*Laxmikant Pyarelal 1120C15 have composed the musical score of the film. $*<*3"*4Damaad"*> 1140C15 $^*Radha Mohan Arts*' "*4Damaad" a hilarious comedy of would-be father-in-laws*' 1150C15 hunt for suitable grooms for their daughters, is a big draw 1160C15 at Laxmi-Narayan. $^*Amol Palekar, Ranjita, \0Dr. Shreeram Lagu 1180C15 head the cast, Hemant Bhosle has scored music for the film. 1190C15 $*<*3The rest:> 1200C15 $^*Raj Kapoor*'s "*5Satyam Shivam Sundaram*6" (Love Sublime) 4th 1210C15 Week at the Alankar and Deccan; Tahir Hussein*'s "*5Khoon Ki Pukar*6" 1220C15 2nd Week at the Shree Krishna and Neelayam; Ramesh Behl*'s 1230C15 "*5Kasme Vaade*6", 10th Week at the Mangala, are among other 1240C15 films doing well at the box office. 1250C15 $^Among the other films enjoying good box-office response are Geeta Films*' 1260C15 "*4Phandebaaz" , Dharmendra-Mausami Chatterjee starrer (6th week 1270C15 at the Sonmarg); Amitabh-Zeenat starrer "Don" (8th week at the Alpana) 1280C15 and *(0G. P.*) Sippy*'s "*4Sholay" on second run at the Sreenath. 1300C15 $*<*3"*4Pushpa-Saram":*> 1310C15 $^*Subair Anwar*'s "*4Pushpa-Saram" (Lake of Flowers) is a roaring 1320C15 comedy, depicting the blooming and energetic world of young men and women. 1330C15 ^The world is mostly gay, as most of the women are the inmates of a 1340C15 women*'s college hostel. ^The major problem of the girls, the matron and 1350C15 the lady principal is to_ find a male partner. 1360C15 $^*Jayabharati, Vidhubala, Adoor Bhasi, Prem Nasir, Vijaylalitha and 1370C15 Sri Vidya provide this Malayalam film with the realism which the 1390C15 story demands. $^*Prem sings some pathetic songs to the child of the principal 1400C15 and also figures in some fighting scenes. 1410C15 "*5^Puspa Saram*6" is a good treat for all, especially college-goers. 1420C15 $^Having had a release last Sunday, the film will have a repeat run on 1430C15 the morning of Sunday July 23, at the Capitol. 1440C15 $*<*3"*4Shalimar"-- Sleak but Weak handling of drama*> 1450C15 $^*Krishna Shah*'s much talked about Hindi-English production, "*4Shalimar" 1460C15 could at the most pass the test of being a sleek presentation 1470C15 nothing more, nothing less. 1480C15 $^The film, like Raj Kapoor*'s "*5Satyam Shivam Sundaram*6" suffers 1490C15 from over-publicity, what with a book published and stories of its fabulous 1500C15 production hourly dished out. 1510C15 $^This "international suspense-caper movie" as the publicity blurbs claim, 1520C15 is based on Manohar Malgaonkar*'s novel does little credit to the 1530C15 well-known author of "Bend in the Ganges" and other literary works. ^All 1540C15 the same, set against the present genre of Hindi films, its production 1550C15 values and general handling deserve commendation. $^Storywise, 1560C15 the film centres around a famed precious ruby *4Shalimar, in 1570C15 the possession of an aging international jewel thief, Sir John Locksley, 1580C15 who, having no family of his own, devises a scheme to_ find an heir 1590C15 who should inherit *4Shalimar. ^He invites five master thieves and 1600C15 challenges them to_ steal the ruby. ^The one who succeeds in stealing 1610C15 *4Shalimar will do it for keeps. 1620C15 $^Among the guests is an amateur thief, Kumar, in the disguise of one of 1630C15 Sir John*'s invitees. ^Here Kumar meets his former sweetheart, 1640C15 Sheila, who is secretary and nurse to Sir John Locksley. $^The fabulous 1650C15 jewel is protected by the most meticulously devised electronic surveillance 1660C15 system and a group of Naga tribals ready to_ lay down their lives. 1680C15 $^Where the master criminals, while trying to_ pull their capers in 1690C15 their own inimitable style, meet with failure and disaster, the amateur 1700C15 Kumar succeeds in his mission. $^Director 1710C15 Krishna Shah, who has made a name as a producer of social themes, 1720C15 finds himself lost in the maze of adventures of his own creation. 1740C15 $^The net result, therefore, is that while the audience should be sitting 1750C15 at the edges of their chairs, follow the doings of the master-criminals 1760C15 in a relaxed manner as if viweing the happenings through Sir John*'s 1780C15 television screen. $^It is this overzealous emphasis on Krishna Shah*'s 1781C15 part to_ cling to the 1790C15 electronic room of Sir john Locksley to_ unfold the plot that_ more 1800C15 or less kills most of the suspense element in the film. 1810C15 $^*Hollywood-trained Shah also fails to_ grasp a heaven sent chance of 1820C15 providing a thrilling climax when, to a frightened Sheila who comes to_ 1830C15 announce in their hotel hide-out that they are surrounded by the Naga 1840C15 tribals and other jewel hunters, Kumar flourishes his \0CBI identity 1850C15 card. 1860C15 $^The reporter who attended the special show of "*4Shalimar" held at New 1870C15 Excelsior in Bombay last Tuesday, was surprised at the side remarks 1880C15 of some well-known journalists to the effect that Zeenat looked positively 1890C15 dull and lack-lustre. 1900C15 $^On the other hand, I would say that Sylvia Miles, who plays the trapeze 1910C15 artist, positively looked haggard and the mouthing of chaste Hindi 1920C15 dialogue by her and Rex Harrison, playing the role of Sir John, appeared 1940C15 quite out of place. $^Histronics-wise all said and done, Shammi 1941C15 Kapoor takes the cake with Rex Harrison, Dharmenndra, Zeenat Aman, 1960C15 *(0O. P.*) Ralhan and John Saxon playing only second fiddle. 1970C15 $*(0^*R. D.*) Burman*'s music in Stereophonic sound system is one hell 1980C15 of din and cacophony. ^*Harvey Genking*'s photography is the most redeeming 1990C15 factor of the film. $"*4^*Shalimar" in spite of all its shortcomings, 2010C15 will go a long way at the box-office. 2030C15 $*<*3"*4Dillagi", a light comedy*> 2040C15 $^*Basu Chatterji*'s "*4Dillagi" running at the "Neelayam", a light comedy 2050C15 with Dharmendra and Hema Malini*'s good performances. ^Perhaps 2060C15 Basu has made this film for this pair and they have not failed him. 2070C15 $^*Kamal (Dharmendra) is a Sanskrit professor in a girls*' college, while 2080C15 Renu (Hema) is a Chemistry professor and rector of the hostel. 2090C15 ^*Kamal is romantic, but Renu is strict. ^*Kamal*'s target is Renu. 2100C15 ^By hook or by crook, he wants to_ come close to her, but he is rebuffed 2110C15 every time. ^Finally, they get married after a typical Hindi film drama. 2130C15 $^*Basu*'s direction is remarkable as usual, while Dharmendra and 2150C15 Hema have acted well. $^*Rajesh Roshan*'s music is not impressive compared 2160C15 to his previous offerings. $*<*3Three new releases for Christmas*> 2180C15 $^The \0X*'3mas Week will herald the release of three new films, 2190C15 Vijashree Pictures*' "*5Badaltey Rishtey*6", \0B Nagi Reddi*'s 2200C15 "*5Swarag Narak*6" and Chitrashala*'s "*4Bhookh" in over a dozen picture 2210C15 houses in Pune. 2220C15 $*5^*Badaltey Rishtey*6", produced by Sudesh Kumar and directed 2230C15 by \0R. Jhalani, is based on a story by Mahendra Saral.*# **[no. of words = 02009**] **[txt. c16**] 0020C16 **<*3AT THE CINEMA*0**> $*<*3The Marx brothers*0*> $^In the beginning 0030C16 there were just the two of them, Sam and Linnie, an incompetent 0040C16 tailor married to an inefficient house-wife. ^In the ripeness of time 0050C16 they begot five sons-- Chico, Harpo Groucho, Gummo and Zeppo-- 0060C16 the crazy quintet which came to_ be known as the Marx Brothers. 0070C16 ^They were so proud of being brothers that they would not allow anybody 0080C16 else to_ be so. ^In a famous letter Groucho wrote to Warner \0Bros. 0090C16 $"^*Warner Brothers? ^Do you own that_, too? ^You probably have the right 0100C16 to_ use the name Warner, but what about Brothers? ^Professionally, 0110C16 we were brothers long before you were. ^We were touring the sticks as The 0120C16 Marx Brothers when Vitaphone was still a gleam in the inventor*'s 0140C16 eye." $^In appearance they were so similar to one another that no one would 0150C16 have the temerity to_ say that the quintuplets were not brothers. ^Physical 0160C16 resemblance however, was a thoroughly misleading factor in their 0170C16 mental make-up. ^Each brother was unique and on the stage or the screen, 0180C16 no one could mistake one for another. ^Ultimately, when time had lengthened 0190C16 its shadows the quintet dissolved itself into the trio of Chico, 0200C16 Harpo and Groucho which made cinema history. 0210C16 $^Not immediately, however. ^There were years of failure, frustration and 0220C16 futility until they caught up with success. ^Years of vaudeville-- endless 0230C16 travel, bad food, scant money, execrable audience-- made them so 0240C16 miserable that they wanted to_ quit. ^Only the indomitable spirit of 0250C16 Minnie kept them going. "^No, sir!" she would exclaim heatedly, "^There 0260C16 must be some way." ^And, miracle of miracles, the way was there! 0270C16 $^All the ventures, adventures and misadventures of the Brothers had toughened 0280C16 them so much that not only could they take a hundred falls without 0290C16 batting an eyelid. they could go through a play like a battering ram. 0300C16 ^They cared nothing for conventions and demolished acts and scenes with 0310C16 outrageous improvisations. ^It is said that they usually "opened like 0320C16 a tornado and were a riot before they closed." \0^*Prof. Eysenck would 0330C16 probably suffer a heart attack were he to_ attempt the \0IQ. of the Marx 0340C16 Brothers. ^In no time at all they would make toilet paper of the professor*'s 0350C16 score card! 0360C16 $^The Brothers cannot be typed at all; because, as I have already said 0370C16 they are unique. ^They are a law unto themselves in as much as they are 0380C16 utterly lawless. ^Much of the fun in their films comes from the chaos 0390C16 which they deliberately create. ^Here is an example. ^Before he took 0400C16 his vow of silence Harpo had an encounter with Groucho: 0410C16 $"^What*'1s the shape of the world?" asked the latter. 0420C16 $"^Don'4t know" replied Harpo candidly. ^*Groucho condescended to_ 0430C16 give him a hint: 0440C16 $"^What*'1s the shape of my cuff buttons?" "^Square," asserted Harpo. 0450C16 $"^*I mean the cuff buttons I wear on Sunday," reminded Groucho, "Not 0460C16 every day. ^Now! ^What*'1s the shape of the world?" 0470C16 $"^Round on Sunday, square on weekdays," replied Harpo. $^The laughter 0480C16 of the Marx Brothers is quite out of the world. ^It cannot 0490C16 be even properly labelled or catalogued. ^Things happen so unexpectedly 0500C16 that they literally take your breath away-- like the occasion when 0510C16 Harpo drinks the water of the goldfish bowl and eats the fish. ^Or when 0520C16 Groucho declines an invitation to tea at a Women*'s college-- $"^*I 0530C16 eat like a vulture. ^Unfortunately the resemblance does not end there". 0550C16 $^Though surprise is one of the main elements of Marxist humour, it is 0560C16 not the only one. ^Ruthlessness is their chief hallmark. ^They take nothing 0570C16 for granted and no tradition is too time-honoured for them. ^It 0580C16 is possible that their Jewish background, loaded with suffering and persecution, 0590C16 gave the Brothers the hard edge that_ they had. ^They made war 0600C16 on anything cheap, shoddy or sentimental with unholy glee. ^And when 0610C16 the battle was over, it was not the end of the war: it was the prelude 0620C16 to another skirmish. ^It is conceivable that the Brothers were not knights 0630C16 in shining armour. ^They were certainly laughing cavaliers! 0640C16 $^It is said that the night Rudolf Hess parachuted into England, Winston 0650C16 Churchill was busy witnessing one of the Marx Brothers films, THE 0660C16 BIG STORE. ^When he was told about Hess, Churchill refused to_ stop 0670C16 the show. ^Thus the Brothers halted history if only for a brief hour! 0690C16 $^The American Center in arranging their retrospective show of Marx 0700C16 Brothers*' film has rendered us a valuable service. ^For us, old fans, 0710C16 it will be a case of "recapturing the first fine rapture", for others, 0730C16 it will be ecstacy unlimited. $*<*3A Sincere effort*> 0740C16 $^*BONJUI, a recent Assamese film by Abdul Majid, attempts to_ retain 0750C16 the flavour of the soil, despite its occasional lapses into sentimentality 0760C16 and is a sincere effort to_ interpret complex psychological issues 0770C16 in visual terms. ^Set in the pre-independent India, the freedom movement 0780C16 serving as an interesting backdrop to the emotional turmoil of the 0790C16 protagonists the story dwells on the yearning of a couple for a child 0800C16 and the final fulfilment of their dreams through much agony and pathos. 0810C16 ^The film, shot on actual locations, presents the pristine beauty of Assamese 0820C16 landscape in beautiful shades and tones. ^The direction and 0830C16 treatment though not always free from conventional cliches have a ring 0840C16 of honesty and Bhupen Hazarika*'s music makes a creative use of the regional 0860C16 folk tunes. $*<*3A Tortoise-paced Comedy*> 0870C16 $^A young man who leaves his wife on the wedding day to_ join the office 0880C16 should definitely get a raise and a lift and that_ is exactly what is in 0890C16 store for Vinod Mehra in *5SAFED JHOOTH*6. ^The newly wed wife 0900C16 Mithu Mukherjee sits at home sulking all day and Vinod*'s soaring spirits 0910C16 at being promoted to a top executive position are somewhat dampened 0920C16 when the boss Ashokkumar cancels all staff leave for two months and 0930C16 pop goes the blithe honeymoon. ^So there is the resort to the little 0940C16 lie when Vinod reports sick and the couple dashes off to Khandala for 0950C16 a short holiday. ^But the long arms of the boss reach out to_ catch the 0960C16 truant employee and a hill-station circuit-house becomes a scene of a crazy 0970C16 hide-seek game when Ashokkumar lands there on an unscheduled tour. 0980C16 ^*Vinod somehow gives him the slip but Mithu has to_ go through severe 0990C16 grilling by Ashokkumar who thinks that this girl has eloped with her boy-friend. 1000C16 ^*Vinod devises many schemes for extricating himself and hiswife 1010C16 from the embarassing situation with the help of Deven Varma, 1020C16 the garrulous caretaker Amol Palekar, the smart-alee actor and Manick 1030C16 Dutt a compulsive rescuer of damsels in distress. ^The film dithers through 1040C16 a mesh of unfunny incidents to a drab climax when all the problems 1050C16 are sorted out to everybody*'s advantage and the big boss is revealed 1060C16 as having a heart of gold beneath the tough exterior. 1070C16 $^The film somehow confirms the lurking suspicion that a steady rust is 1080C16 being set in Basu Chatterjee*'s comedy arsenal. ^His earlier films abound 1090C16 in robust humour down from the incongruities of daily life. ^But 1100C16 in this film the attempts to_ weave fun around a single thread have proved 1110C16 a little undisciplined and disparate. ^Even Basu*'s genuine flair 1120C16 for funny faces (a creative heritage of his cartoonist*'s past) is lacking 1130C16 here. ^The story unreels with tortoise pace and half-way through the 1140C16 script runs out of gags \0& meanders into a hurried and patched-up resolution. 1150C16 ^*Ashokkumar is full of self-conscious mannerisms and Vinod and 1160C16 Mithu Mukherjee look hopelessly wooden. $*<*3Boundless fun*> 1180C16 $^Though the film is full of corpses, killings and shootouts, 1190C16 SILVER STEAK (Globe) is essentially boundless fun. ^The side-splitting 1200C16 jaunt of the luxury train which carries a cargo of hardened criminals, 1210C16 art-fakers, \0FBI agents and part-time sleuths, crashes its way through 1220C16 crowded streets shops and station establishments, ends in the manner 1230C16 of small-scale disaster movie when it comes to a screeching halt with 1240C16 a crack showing on the engine. ^Throughout the journey the train throbs 1250C16 with excitement and suspense and the comic idiosyncracies of the passengers, 1260C16 a collection of odd types, provide wholesome laughter. 1270C16 $^*Gene Wilder plays the young publisher who smells a rat at the sudden 1280C16 disappearance of a professor who has been doing some revealing researches 1290C16 on Rembrandt fakings. ^He takes his time off from a romantic interlude 1300C16 with the professor*'s secretary and is on the trail of the real culprit. 1310C16 ^After much violent struggle and hairbreadth escapes laced with wild 1320C16 humour, the climax sees the villain put out of the way, come out of the 1340C16 hotel rooms and **[text mutilated**] 1350C16 $^The director Arthur Hiller has hospital cabins of his earlier films 1360C16 (PLAZA SUITE and HOSPITAL) to_ make the train compartment his 1370C16 chamber for psychological probe. ^He has raised the film to the level of 1380C16 creative absurdity and some atmospheric vignettes like the train romping 1390C16 through the desert landscape cluttered with well-designed cactus and 1400C16 the dot-image of the automobile against the purple sky create moments 1420C16 of rare visual grandeur. $**<*3AT THE CINEMA*0**> 1430C16 $*<*3The fairy-tale charm*0*> 1440C16 $^Perhaps the most significant aspect of Alexander Ptushko*'s RUSLAN 1450C16 AND LYUDMILLA (Elite) is that it is made after Pushkin*'s poem by the 1460C16 same name. ^That_ apart, there is lush colour and technical expertise 1470C16 in a film which goes the way of all Sovexport films. ^Since this is 1480C16 a fairy tale witches and wizards galore, Witchcraft, sorcery, magic, and-what-have-you 1490C16 are as strange as strange can be. ^The film begins in explosive 1500C16 style with Lyudmilla, the beautiful bride of Ruslan, being kidnapped 1510C16 by supernatural powers. ^It is interesting to_ see her fly out of 1520C16 the window. ^But it is not as interesting as all that_ thereafter as Ruslan 1530C16 goes searching for his lady-love. ^The antics and tantrums of the 1540C16 witch Naina and of the midget wizard Chernomour with his "mighty" beard 1550C16 begin to_ bore and drag after sometime. ^Like most big budget Bombay 1560C16 films almost everything has been included, valour, chivalry, romance, music 1570C16 and dancing, revenge and the inevitable triumph of the hero, and, like 1580C16 most Bombay films, the monotony at times, is agonising. ^But it is very 1590C16 likely that children would enjoy Ruslan*'s feats inspite of the patriotic 1600C16 slogans that_ have been thrown in frequently. ^For what begins with 1610C16 a "once upon a time" note ends with the most relieving "they lived happily 1630C16 ever after". $*<*3Numbered account*> 1640C16 $^THE SWISS CONSPIRACY (New Empire) unrolls as the five holders of 1650C16 numbered accounts of a Zurich bank receive black mail notes demanding 1660C16 hush money, the non-payment of which will lead to the disclosure of their 1670C16 financial status with the bank. ^The President of the bank, Johann 1680C16 Hurtil enlists the aid of a private detective, David Christopher who 1690C16 meets the blackmail victims by turn to_ get the proper picture. ^He comes 1700C16 up against a bunch of queer characters, Robert Hayes, a Chicago 1710C16 gangster fiddling with Syndicate funds who tries to_ kill Christopher, 1720C16 but is himself shot by the hoodlums, Denise Abbott, a charming socialite 1730C16 whose bank reserves come from an English nobleman anxious to_ steer 1740C16 clear of the romantic entanglement with her (incidentally, she attempts 1750C16 to_ hook Christopher into bed with her), Dwight McGowan, an American 1760C16 businessman on the run from the Inland Revenue authorities, and 1770C16 Andre Kosta who always keeps mum. 1780C16 $^Added to this tangle, there is the inexplicable behaviour of the Bank 1790C16 executive Benninger and his fiancee Rita, creating extra problems for 1800C16 Christopher. ^After a series of shoot-outs and killings, Christopher 1810C16 is able to_ unearth the crafty plot (the final twist should better not 1820C16 be revealed) and the Bank authorities get back their night*'s sleep. 1830C16 $^This is a pointless thriller with superficial flashiness and with a laboured 1840C16 pattern of the complicated plot which does never build up to any 1850C16 effective climax. ^The wooden performances of an impressive cast add to 1860C16 the boredom making the film appear like a long and tiring grind. $*<*3Bond 1880C16 spoof*> $^RETURN OF THE TALL BLOND (Jamuna) features Francois, 1890C16 an unassuming violinist, "that_ guy with the one black shoe" who has 1891C16 been almost hijacked 1900C16 into the espionage world to_ serve as a pawn in the official power 1910C16 game. ^As in the earlier Yves Roberts*' film, here also he is called 1920C16 upon to_ play a similar role to_ don a super-Bond image.*# **[no. of words = 02016**] **[txt. c17**] 0020C17 **<*3*4Hoysala Art**> **<*3Marg: In Praise of *4Hoysala Art*> 0030C17 $^When the *4Chola empire started decaying, the *4Chalukyas defeated 0040C17 them in 1052 \0A.D. ^The *4Chalukyas were, however, defeated by the *4Cholas 0050C17 10 years later. ^At this time further south new dynasties were 0060C17 gathering strength and consolidating empires. ^The result was that when 0070C17 in the 13th and 14th centuries the descendents of the *4Cholas and the 0080C17 *4Chalukyas lost their sway, their kingdom was divided by the *4Hoysalas, 0090C17 the *4Yadavas and the *4Kakatiyas amongst themselves. ^The last two 0100C17 were overcome by the Muslims, but the *4Hoysalas flourished. 0110C17 $^The *4Cholas had left behind a rich heritage of art and architecture 0120C17 and the *4Hoysalas did not let this be lost. ^This far there were three 0130C17 main styles of temple architecture of the Hindus, each with its own 0140C17 distinct features. ^Under the patronage of the *4Hoysalas, the art reached 0150C17 new heights and in this there was a divergence from the traditional 0160C17 forms in vogue during the 13th and 14th centuries. 0170C17 $^The concept of the one *4Brahman becoming the Many had been inherited 0180C17 from the *4Vedas. ^These early poems were *4Sruti, inspired by the 0190C17 Gods but they had been transcended in the aphorisms of the *4Upanishads 0200C17 and the *5Bhagavad Gita*6. ^Life was thought to_ be a sacred tree 0210C17 whose roots were in Heaven and branches and fruit spread 0220C17 downward into the world of experience-- *4samsara. ^The inevitably 0230C17 perilous descent must of necessity compel an upward return through a 0240C17 sudden conversion and the tree must be severed by the razor edge of non-attachment. 0250C17 ^The Gods had to_ remain close by to_ be able to_ remind 0260C17 the mortals of the need for a change of attachments. ^The goal of worship 0270C17 was to_ go from the seen to the unseen, the Chloristic Schist temples 0280C17 of the *4Hoysala however seem to_ radiate their energies from within 0290C17 to the various arrows of the stellate plan. ^The change in style can 0300C17 be seen in the architecture of the Chennakesavara Temple in Belur 0310C17 (1117 \0A.D.) to the Hoysalesvara Temple at Halebid and the Kesava 0320C17 Temple at Somnathpur (about 1230). 0330C17 $^The *4Hoysala temples are marked for their complex, well articulated 0340C17 wall surface and the exuberence of detail hinders true and complete appreciation 0350C17 of the emphasis on detail. ^The Gods Goddesses, *4apsaras and 0360C17 demons literally seem to_ merge into each other. ^Each surface is covered 0370C17 with figures. $^It 0380C17 was in the times of the *4Hoysalas that the art of friezes was perfected. 0390C17 ^An emphasis is found on the female form, *4Mohinis abound and women 0400C17 are portrayed in all their roles-- mother, spouse, paramour nourisher, 0410C17 spy, goddess and attendant of the Gods. ^The *4Hoysala artist was 0411C17 primarily an architect but this did not hinder the creativity which gave 0430C17 birth to the perfection found in the friezes. ^Speaking of the *4Hoysala 0440C17 artist Yeats said that they were men who gave women their dreams and 0450C17 dreams the looking glass. ^He specifically had the *4Mohinis in mind. 0460C17 $^This issue of Marg tries to_ convey a lot about the art of this period. 0470C17 ^The emphasis is on pictorial representation rather than on texts, for 0480C17 the wealth of the *4Hoysala legacy has to_ be seen to_ be believed. 0490C17 ^Nevertheless the main text by Robert \0J. Del Bonta and a short 0500C17 note on the female form by Carmel Berkson do go a long way in satisfying 0510C17 the itch for more details. ^The selection of photographs both in 0520C17 colour and black and white could have been no better. ^And this book does 0530C17 go a long way towards filling the lacunae that exist and hinder a true 0540C17 and complete appreciation of this glorious heritage. 0550C17 $**<*3Do we have a national culture?**> 0560C17 $*<*3THE NATIONAL CULTURE OF *INDIA*0*> 0570C17 $^In this book \0Dr. Husain presents the essential features of the culture 0580C17 that_ has existed in India through the ages, in all its major forms. 0590C17 ^The book is a faithful account of the growth of what is, or at best 0600C17 can be called a national culture, right from the time of the Indus 0610C17 Valley Civilisation. 0620C17 $^The book is predominantly visionary as far as what \0Dr. Husain calls 0630C17 present day culture is concerned. ^He visualises an ideal state in the 0640C17 development of culture and this makes him overlook, at times, the harsh 0650C17 realities that_ exist today or for that_ matter existed back in 1958 0660C17 when the book was written. 0670C17 $^There is now a semblance of unity in Indian life, but keeping all the 0680C17 hard facts in mind, it is difficult to_ say how and why that_ unity is 0690C17 there. ^*India has never been united in the strictest sense of the word, 0700C17 and still is not. ^There is only a semblance of unity brought about due 0710C17 to certain reasons like joining forces to_ oust a common foe; remove the 0720C17 pressures and the unity will vanish. ^This state is the same as it was 0730C17 in the past when there was unity, political or otherwise, only to_ face 0740C17 a common threat. 0750C17 $"^Secularism does not mean athiesm," nor does it mean a facade of peaceful 0760C17 co-existence. ^*India is a secular country, but the attitudes of 0770C17 its people have a deep-rooted violent, communal tendency and in fact they 0780C17 are bred in an atmosphere of mistrust for other religions. ^One cannot 0790C17 deny this, for then one would also have to_ deny the numerous communal 0800C17 riots that_ take place in India even today. 0810C17 $^Religious tolerance has been there and still is there, but again only 0820C17 to an extent and that_ too under duress. ^What little tolerance is there 0830C17 is present not because of an inborn spirit of tolerance but because of 0840C17 the efforts of the numerous 0850C17 *7sufis, saints, visionaries and philosophers who have been able 0860C17 to_ curb the basically volatile nature of those living in their times. 0880C17 $"^Religion is a transforming experience... self-discovery and contact with 0890C17 the Divine. ^When the individual withdraws his soul from all outward 0900C17 events there breaks upon him an experience, sacred, strange, wondrous, 0910C17 which quickens within him, lays hold of him, becomes his very being." 0920C17 ^Yes, but only as long as he is meditating. ^When the individual wakes 0930C17 to reality, the experience is relegated to a corner of the mind. ^We recognise 0940C17 that all paths lead to the same goal, and we talk about the common 0950C17 ground on which all religions stand, but do we practice what we talk 0960C17 about? ^For one to_ be convinced that the path his particular religion 0970C17 preaches is the right one to him, all other religions must of necessity 0980C17 be a farce otherwise he is beset by doubts. ^In such an atmosphere how 0990C17 can there be unity and till there is national unity, how can there be a 1000C17 national culture? $*<*3DIFFERENCES*0*> 1010C17 $^Then, along with religious differences, there are caste differences. 1020C17 ^There are still places in India where *4Harijans are not allowed into 1030C17 temples. ^And amongst the Christians and the Muslims there is a class 1040C17 consciousness even though it is vehemently denied. 1050C17 $^To many citizens of this land, Delhi is a foreign land. ^This attitude 1060C17 is there because of the language issue. ^One of the major forces which 1070C17 bind a nation together is language. ^With 14 regional languages and 1080C17 scores of dialects, which should we choose as the national language. ^The 1090C17 North says "Hindi," the South says "Hindi-never". 1100C17 $^Perhaps the only force that_ binds Indians together is art and music, 1110C17 ^These are the only things which have surmounted the barriers of religion, 1120C17 caste and language. 1130C17 $^The question that_ arises is-- do we have a national culture? ^At present 1150C17 the only truthful answer is-- "No; but we are trying to_ evolve 1160C17 one". ^A distinct culture can be evolved only after there is a polarisation 1170C17 of attitudes towards life and a radical change comes about in the 1180C17 way we Indians think. ^As it stands, the very bases that \0Dr. Husain 1190C17 has laid for a culture to_ take birth, do not exist in India and this 1210C17 fact he has not tried to_ deny. $* 1220C17 $^When we do not have a national culture what do we have? ^As far as culture 1230C17 is concerned, what we have is predominantly an offshoot of Vedic 1240C17 culture complete with all the evils it acquired till it took its present 1250C17 form. ^Side by side, we have in small pockets individual cultures which 1260C17 can be associated with the different religions being followed in India. 1270C17 $"^Unity in diversity" is the catchword, but the catch has surpassed 1280C17 the word. ^Diversity is very much evident, but unity is not. ^It is fast 1290C17 becoming a non-existent thing. ^A cultural disintegration is taking place. 1300C17 ^There are strong opponents of progress and the cycle of history 1310C17 has again brought us to a point where centrifugal forces are gaining strength. 1320C17 ^The need of the hour is a "reformation". \0^*Dr. Husain has 1330C17 proposed certain remedies to_ cope with this situation, if all these proposals 1340C17 were implemented, we would have a culture we could be proud of. 1350C17 ^And for this the vision of \0Dr. Husain is second to none. 1360C17 $**<*3Consumption economics**> 1370C17 $* $^The book explores 1400C17 the relationship between consumption and accumulation in a socialist 1410C17 economy during the so-called phase of "extensive growth". ^*Maurice 1430C17 Dobb writes in his foreword to the book that the time dimension in 1440C17 industrial development of Soviet Union provoked much controversy and 1450C17 continues to_ be so even now. ^According to him this study of the author 1460C17 is a deeply researched study of a difficult but important subject which 1470C17 is sure to_ commend itself not only to serious students of Soviet economic 1480C17 development but also to students of economic growth and development 1500C17 in general. $^Being a modified version of the author*'s doctoral dissertation 1510C17 the book usefully examines the relationship between consumption 1511C17 and accumulation 1520C17 with a theoretical construct and practical experience. ^The first part 1530C17 deals with the theoretical analysis and the second part describes the 1540C17 Soviet industrial experience during 1929-37. ^It is observed that substantial 1550C17 declines in real wages were inevitable given the objective of industrialisation 1560C17 even at a pace less rapid than the actual. ^The author examines 1570C17 extensively the views of Erlich and Lewin. ^He also analyses the 1580C17 contributions of Millar and Barsov. ^An attempt is made to_ find if 1590C17 the Soviet pattern of development can be imitated. 1600C17 "$^A wholesale imitation of the Soviet experience is clearly not possible 1610C17 in many of the underdeveloped countries of the world today-- firstly, 1620C17 their initial conditions are much more unfavourable than the Soviet Union 1630C17 in 1928 (lower per capita income levels, agricultural output, \0etc. 1640C17 and secondly the international pressures for rapid industrialisation have 1650C17 become much less urgent-- there is no threat of capitalist encirclement. 1660C17 "^There is generally insufficient stock of capital in relation to the 1670C17 available supply of labour in underdeveloped countries. $^The book has 1680C17 the merit of provoking thought on controversial aspects of 1690C17 economics in socialist societies, particularly which centre around the 1700C17 subject of consumption. ^The bibliography given is quite exhaustive and 1720C17 many sided. $**<*3FAMILY LIFE IN *ASIA*0**> 1730C17 $^This magnificent book has contributions from a constellation of internationally 1740C17 known eminent scholars in the field of sociology. ^Its editors 1750C17 have done a good job of it in its organisation. ^The editors*' introduction 1760C17 and summary of the specific issues as discussed in the fifteen papers 1770C17 of the book have greatly added to its usefulness. ^Amongst the Indian 1780C17 contributors are Giri Raj Gupta, Man Singh Das and Promilla 1790C17 Kapur, the first two of whom have been teaching in American universities. 1800C17 ^Almost all the contributors are in the field of sociology. 1810C17 $^Family perspectives have been explained and analysed in respect of Thailand, 1820C17 Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Iran, China, Korea, Japan 1830C17 and Philippines. ^Regardless of whether the population size tends towards 1840C17 stability (Japan) or growth (China) the traditional extended family 1850C17 living in a single residence has declined in favour of smaller nuclear 1860C17 family households. ^Because the family circle is smaller the intensity 1870C17 of interaction between mother and child is likely to_ be much greater than 1880C17 in the traditional Asian family. $^In the countryside, nuclear family 1890C17 residences along with residences of unrelated household members are 1900C17 likely to_ be located in the close proximity of a family compound. 1910C17 ^This leads to a slight reduction in the number of adults supervising 1920C17 the care of infants and young children.*# **[no. of words = 02012**]