A Divine Gift

Handing over charge of the universe to Shiva, Vishnu had retreated for Anant Shayan. Parvati suggested an aerial survey of the earth, Shiva readily agreed, and they rode the multi-talented Nandi who could also fly.

All is well with the world, don’t you think so? Shiva asked.

Yes, I concur; but can you please help that very poor man down there who’s struggling to feed his family?

Shiva kept silent.

O Lord, O Bhole Shankar, you’re unfailingly compassionate. Why can’t you help that distressed person?

Of course, I can. But he has never asked for anything. No petition or prayer for self or family. Man’s mind is inscrutable, you know. Even I can’t figure out what he wants.

Why don’t you make him wealthy? That’d eradicate his hunger and poverty.

Darling, Gods do not run poverty-alleviation programmes; governments do. Also, it’s not my policy to shower boons without a prayer; but I’ll make an exception to please you.

The poor man was in a forest which was bountiful, and a few hours of foraging gave enough food for a day. He knew the forest like the back of his hand, and knew where to look for fruits and roots.

Shiva dropped a brick of gold a few steps ahead of the lonely forest path the man was presently taking. Exactly at the same moment, a thought occurred to the poor man. I know this forest so well; can I walk this path with my eyes closed?

He closed his eyes, continued walking, and when he stumbled against the brick of gold, he bent down, picked it up, and threw it into the bushes, all without opening his eyes.

Did you note that? Shiva asked Parvati.

Are you suggesting that he is fated to be poor?

Not at all. Only, he must be ready and willing to accept a boon!

***

 

Counting Blessings in 70 Words

·      Life-expectancy at birth: 37; still alive at 70! Survived Covid infection. No diabetes, high BP, or any serious disease, yet.

·      Woke up this morning. Alive. Breathing normal. No heart or brain stroke during sleep.

·      Brisk morning walk; uncompromised mobility.  

·      Trees blushing green after a night shower; vision unclouded.  

·      Heard Koel’s sweet song; hearing unimpaired.

·      Enjoyed breakfast; healthy appetite.  

·      Mind still working; uplifting thoughts and pleasant memories pouring in.

How Blessed!

***

Postscript

Gratitude Quotes

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." - William Arthur Ward

"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." - Epictetus

"The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness." - Dalai Lama

Two Contrarian Quotes

“Gratitude is a sickness suffered by dogs.” - Joseph Stalin

“Does not the gratitude of the dog put to shame any man who is ungrateful to his benefactors?” - Saint Basil

Readers’ Comments

Aditi Das Rout

"When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done."

 

I asked Gemini for the source. It’s reply:

The quote you provided is from the well-known hymn "Count Your Blessings." The lyrics were written by Johnson Oatman, Jr. in 1897, and the music was composed by Edwin O. Excell in the same year.

For the lyrics and the song, here’s the link:

https://www.thetabernaclechoir.org/articles/_count-your-blessings-is-a-reminder-to-be-grateful.html?lang=eng&hl=en-IN#:~:text=%5B1939%5D%2C%20262).,Excell

Ambika Khatua

Nazar mat lagaiye apne aap ko !!

Me: Alas, if my mother were around, she'd rush to apply a kala tika on my forehead!

Ambika: True! Therefore, in her absence, the onus is on you!

S.P. Tucker

You are 55 not 70 !!

Me: Thanks, SP. I'll add that to my blessings. Maybe, I should say it in 55 words!

SP: Do so. Encourage the group.

Me: I dabble with words; you work hard to help people.

SP runs two Free Wellness Clinics at Hyderabad with focus on Type-II Diabetes Reversal through diet, herbal medicine, exercise, and yoga. He plans to launch a Wellness Boutique in a few months.

Best wishes, Dear SP, for your commitment to healthy living and tireless endeavour to help people.

 

 

Apsaras of Angkor Wat

March had just begun, summer was still a few weeks away, but the sun was harsh and the temperature had climbed to 36 C. After an enjoyable though hectic day of visit to Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, and Bayon temples, and a forgettable visit in the afternoon to the Floating villages; the tourists heaved a sigh of relief when they were ushered into Marakot Restaurant for dinner over a cultural performance culminating in Apsara Dance.

Queen Sisowath Kossamak had revived and modernised the Khmer Classical dance form, and her grand-daughter Norodom Buppha Devi had established the Royal Ballet of Cambodia which in 2003 was included by UNESCO among World’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. As Prima Ballerina, Norodom Buppha Devi herself led the dance troupes to several countries in the world.

Apsara dance is heavily influenced by Indian classical dances including Odissi and Bharatanatyam.

“Renowned for its graceful hand gestures and stunning costumes, the Royal Ballet of Cambodia, also known as Khmer Classical Dance, has been closely associated with the Khmer court for over one thousand years. Performances would traditionally accompany royal ceremonies and observances such as coronations, marriages, funerals or Khmer holidays.”[i]

The auditorium-cum-dining hall was large enough to sit 250 diners with enough space for the buffet tables at the far ends of the hall. In the courtyard outside the hall, live food counters took orders from customers and served a variety of hot dishes – local as well as international cuisine.

The dining tables were not theatre style; but ran along the length of the hall perpendicular to the elevated stage. Every diner had a clear view of the stage, though they had to  crane their necks to catch vignettes of the show while enjoying the multi-cuisine dinner. Those who were rather excited paused eating, and stood up briefly to capture a few photos or a video.

The Show which lasted for about one and a half hours - more than enough time for food, second and third helpings, chat, pics, and videos - comprised a series of performances, some by a few, and others by a larger group. Traditional Martial Art, folk stories, and Reamker (as Ramayana is known in Kamboja Desha) episodes. The Apsara Dance was the final performance, the icing on the cake. Seven beautiful Apsaras in traditional costume with the Prima Ballerina in the middle gracefully enacted classical mudras and gently swayed to the beats of the band playing on ancient instruments.

When the Show ended, the diners having already feasted lavishly stood up and applauded enthusiastically as the Apsaras assembled at the front of the stage in a row and bowed gracefully. The troupe’s helper brought out from the side-wings a Tip Box with glass panes revealing the USD, Euro, and Pound notes presented by previous customers.

“You’re welcome to come up to the stage for a photo with the Apsaras,’ the organiser announced.

‘I want a pic,’ said a senior citizen to a friend. ‘A souvenir, actually,’ he added, a bit apologetically.

‘Why not?’

‘Is there a charge for that? How much?’

‘No idea. Why don’t you go up and do what other souvenir-hunters are doing?’

The gentleman, seated towards the back of the hall raced up to the stage by when all slots had been taken except the last one beside the seventh Apsara at the farthest right. He had given his excellent camera-phone to his friend in the hall who clicked several pics.

From the stage, the souvenir-collector beckoned to his friend to get ready for the next pic, moved speedily to the Prima Ballerina, and finding beside her a hefty gora who had already been clicked, tapped him on his shoulder with as much politeness as possible under the circumstances, and before the hapless tourist comprehended the scene, had parked himself beside the PB. His friend did click the memorable pic for the souvenir.

‘How much did you pay?’

‘On my way up, I had checked with the theatre staff. No charges, but a tip was welcome. I had a  10-US dollar note in my front pocket which I put in the box.’

~~~

Every year more than 2.5 million tourists visit Angkor Wat, reckoned the largest temple complex in the world, with an area of 402 acres. For perspective, St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City has a total area of about 120 acres.

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Angkor Wat temple - originally dedicated to Vishnu and later converted to a Buddhist temple - was built in the 12^th century AD by the Khmer king Suryavarman II, the name meaning ‘He who is protected by the Sun’; but he was not related to any Indian dynasty! 

Indian tourists feel justifiably proud since this largest Hindu temple in the world was built in a country which had never been a colony or a vassal of any Indian kingdom. Remarkably, Indian culture deeply influenced life and culture in several south-east Asian countries – Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malayasia, Myanmar, and others; without any political dominion or ambition by the traders from India. William Dalrymple in his book The Golden Road calls this Indo-sphere.

Angkor Wat is a massive temple complex with exquisite sculptures, particularly the large carved wall panels with scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Tourists are also enamoured by the sculptures of graceful Apsaras reminding them of the wizardry of India’s master sculptors of Konark, Khajuraho, and other architectural monuments who had scripted poetry in stone.

Apsaras are water-nymphs (Aps means water in Sanskrit) symbolising fertility (Water is the prime source of life); celestial entertainers in Indra’s Swarga; spouses and partners of Gandharvas, the heavenly musicians; and prominently feature in Hindu and Buddhist mythology. Bharat-Varsh is named after Bharat, son of  Shakuntala who was abandoned by her mother Menaka, an Apsara, and raised by Kanva, a rishi.

Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm (Grandfather Brahma) temple is known for the gigantic tree roots that dangle down over its entryways, walls and terraces, and is popular with tourists after Hollywood star Angelina Jolie filmed here part of her movie Tomb Raider.

                                (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Ta Prohm is under renovation by Archaeological Survey of India[ii]. Mr. Chittaranjan, Assistant Director, and his six colleagues graciously took the visitors around the monument a few parts of which they have renovated with several years of meticulous expertise and dedicated work.

Shri D.S. Sood, who spent nearly fifteen years at Angkor Wat for the ASI project had made an excellent presentation to ‘Saturday Club’ at Bhopal a few months ago.

‘Before Ta Prohm was assigned to ASI for restoration, it was managed by the French archaeologists. They had recovered several broken statues of Apsaras in the premises and had concluded that these statues were in the Hall of Entertainment in Indra sabha, and they had named it the Apsara Hall. However, our work revealed that Avalokiteswara presided over the Hall, and not Indra. Sadly, the statue had been decapitated during the years of rampage and plunder, though the headless statue still seats in his iconic meditative asana. Instead of Apsara Hall, a more apt name for the hall may be ‘Hall of Meditation’ since the apsaras on the walls were paying homage to Avalokiteswara. Apsaras in this hall were not placed for entertainment, they were auspicious symbols of water, clouds, rain, fertility and life.’

***

---

[i] UNESCO: https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/royal-ballet-of-cambodia-00060

 

[ii] The conservation and restoration of Ta Prohm is a partnership project of the Archaeological Survey of India and the APSARA (Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap).

 

Letter to a Nobel Laureate

Hi Abhijit! Hope you’re well at Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.

Establishing epistolary contact with Nobel Laureates is not among my hobbies. So, why do I write to you?

Once the ceasefire was announced, the shelling stopped, the war drums fell silent, and victory marches commenced; my BP returned to 120/80, the dull throbbing headache vanished, the pall of gloom lifted, writer’s-block unblocked – like an accidental release of water in Chenab, appetite resumed, and thoughts migrated miraculously from missiles to mundane masala matters triggered by a lunch hosted at home by spouse for her friends.

Celebrating India’s victory? I asked. No, just our monthly kitty-meet, she said. I chanced upon the menu list she had scribbled on a slip as an aid-memoire; 21 items, including cold drinks, starters, main course, and desserts!

With the heady mix of aromas wafting up from the kitchen on the ground-floor to my study on the first, as I waited to be invited to join the lunch, how could I think of anything but food, especially when deprived of the appetisers?

Just before lunch was served, I greeted the ladies and showed them your book - Cooking to Save Your Life.

What have you cooked today? They asked, remembering the yummy tamarind sweet-n-spicy pickle I had made on an earlier occasion for which I had followed Chandrakanti’s You Tube video in chaste Sambalpuri.

How could I when I was denied visa to enter the kitchen, as though I were an ISI agent? But I’ve already tried a recipe from this book – Moroccan Chilled Drink. Easy and quick to make. Slice cucumbers, put in a tumbler, pour chilled water. That’s it, Done! Ready to serve.

But what’s Moroccan about it?

I have no idea. Maybe, you can field that question.

I enjoyed reading your cookbooks, and particularly loved the interesting ideas, little stories, autobiographical morsels, and typical Bengali penchant for  boasting mildly seasoned with un-Bengali self-deprecating humour.

Lovely illustrations by Cheyenne Olivier, though my daughters draw better sketches, in my opinion.

Banquet of Chestnuts & ‘The Gift’

I also looked up your references. The risqué story about the Banquet of Chestnuts allegedly hosted by the degenerate, delinquent son of a Pope. Was your allusion stronger than a gentle dig at the vulgar display of wealth, the economic debauchery at the Big, Fat, Indian wedding at Mumbai in July 2024?

And the seminal essay ‘The Gift’ written in 1925 – where Marcel Mauss, the French sociologist, explores the role of gift exchange in archaic societies, and argues that gifts are not merely voluntary or altruistic but come with obligations—to give, receive, and reciprocate. The context, I think, was of several communities across the globe independently developing a tradition of sharing food to help those in want without humiliating them.

However, I found your recipes intimidating since I hadn’t even heard of several dishes and ingredients you mentioned, despite which I’ve recommended your books to many friends and contacts.

After reading Chhaunk, I shared a pic of the book cover with Mr. B.K. Saha, a senior colleague and asked, ‘Have you read this book?’

Diligent at work, and a demanding Boss, Mr. Saha is fond of long-leaf Darjeeling tea which he brews to perfection, buys fresh pabda from the fish-market after meticulous inspection - visual, tactile, and olfactory - and cooks a delicious fish curry. All Bengalis love fish, you know, but how many can cook as well as your truly, he had once boasted.

Pat came his response, ‘I don't know why a Bong should use ‘Chhaunk’ as the title of his book on cooking and not ‘Phoron’. I have seen a few of his recipes and felt they were rather complicated and oriented towards ingredients available in the US rather than the middle-class markets of Kolkata. The variety of ingredients both veggies and dry groceries available in India or Kolkata is mind boggling. In fact, I feel that in terms of fresh veggies we are great. Kolkata does lag in fresh fruits, though.’

Yes, I agreed, the recipes are distinctly American and global, with a peppering from his Bengali roots. I forgot to tell Mr. Saha that you’re a half-Bong since your mother is from Maharashtra.

Is this a collection of essays or a cookbook – 24 essays garnished with 69 recipes?

Best to quote you: ‘[It’s] more of a book to read rather than a cookbook. It is more about social science and ideas in general … each essay offers an angle on the food (or drinks) that inspired the choice of the recipes that follow the essay. We hope the reading will inspire you to cook, and the cooking to read further.”

I found your earlier book Cooking to Save Your Life leaning more on your love for food and hobby-cooking though the narrative is still peppered with fascinating ideas.

Both your books were most educative for me, instantly revealing my inadequate vocabulary and lack of initiation into the world of global fine dining. The ingredients were no less exotic and unfamiliar than the names of the dishes. I rushed to Merriam-Webster online dictionary for the meaning of arugula, kumquats, Mundu, Boriya, Khola, Poblano, Burrata, Robbiola, Brie, Camembert, Taleggio, prosciutto, anchovy, halibut, Zaalouk, Tagliata, ceviche, and other unfamiliar words.

A Recipe

A wannabe chef of international cuisine, I thought of cooking Fresh Pasta with Gorgonzola, for which you mandated the procurement of the following ingredients:

“500 GM FRESH TAGLIATELLE, or fettuccini

1 TBSP BUTTER

100 GM GORGONZOLA DOLCE

100 GM CRÈME FRAICHE, or sour cream

2 TBSP GRATED PARMESAN

4 TBSP WALNUT KERNELS, broken PEPPER (plus a pinch of piment d'Espelette, if you have some).”

I looked up the dictionary to decipher your cryptographic list, but gave up since I had only butter, walnut, and green Shimla Mirch. Anyway, I got to know that piment d'Espelette – known in English as Espelette Pepper, Espelette Chiles, or Basque Chiles - is a rare and expensive chile grown in the Basque region of southwest France.

Thanks for improving my knowledge about continental cuisine, agronomy, and geography, too.

Culinary Challenge

Here is my culinary quiz for you, go figure the dishes and ingredients listed below in Sambalpuri/Odia language which as a Bengali you should have no difficulty with:

Patar-purga thuro or jhain-jhuri, kardi, hendua, patalghanta-puda with noon-kancha mircha-ooel, sukha tengni or baenri, bael chhati, khada, kuler, sunsunia, guliaguli, aamil, letha, manda, kakra, aarisa, mahul khiri, madia tikhri.

Cooking utensils and implements: handi, patli, telen, chatu, aenka, dua.

Now I feel better, knowing that you are as much flummoxed as I was when I read your list of dishes, ingredients and utensils. We’re now even, no offence taken or given.

Btw, all the ingredients listed above are locally available, several of them foraged from the fields and forests. With experimentation over millennia, cultures and communities have invented nutritious and delicious dishes from locally available materials. Village economies, as you know, were self-sufficient before the rural market was grabbed by corporations marketing biscuits and namkeen in five-rupee sachets.

Lunch Menu

Should you visit Bhopal, be our guest to sample an authentic Odia meal cooked by spouse and self. Hopefully, in your next cookbook you may mention a few Odia and Sambalpuri recipes, too.

Just so you know, and are tempted to plan a visit to Bhopal soon, here is the menu that spouse made for her recent kitty lunch at our home, all the dishes except three* made by herself:

Cold drinks – 1. Aam pana, 2. Jeera-Pudina Chach, 3. Coconut water.

Appetizers/Starters (Hors d’oeuvres for you) – 4. Paneer fingers, 5. Lightly sautéed mushroom-capsicum-cheese in cute edible cups, 6. Minced cucumber, carrot, tomato seasoned with a dash of lemon, coriander leaves and finely-diced green chili, 7. Nacho with pudina chutney dip.

Main Course – 8. Palak puri, 9. Pepper chicken with gravy, 10. Moong Dal, 11. Jack-fruit curry, 12. Coconut kofta curry, 13. Rice, 14. Dahi Bada, 15. Thin slices of parwal (Tricosanthes dioica, also known as pointed gourd) dipped in rice batter and deep-fried, 16. Ditto for karela, 17. Masala bhindi

Desserts – 18. Sabudana (Tapioca pearls) kheer with diced mango, 19. Shrikhand, 20. Anjeer and date barfi

After-meals – 21. Paan freshly plucked from terrace garden with roasted saunf, laung, and elaichi. We had run out of misri nuggets, had to do with sugar in a little bowl.

An apt 21-Gun salute for the Maharanis of Bhopal, don’t you agree?

*Of the 21, three ammunitions were imported – the anjeer-date barfi from Gagar was a gift brought in by a guest; Amul shrikhand and coconut water bottle were bought from the market.

Don’t ask how long she toiled at the kitchen to cook for her friends, I’m not telling.

She used no fancy ingredients imported from distant lands, having purchased all vegetables from Bittan market (low carbon footprint!); cooked all the dishes without reference to any cookbook, and without measuring portions. Not everyday does she cook a lavish meal for twenty persons, yet all the dishes turned out perfect and were enjoyed by her guests who filled our home with banter, bonhomie, and laughter for hours. The way to  women’s hearts is also through the stomach!

 Odia Cook?

I was rather disappointed to find no mention of any Odia recipe in your books. Didn’t you have an Odia cook at your Calcutta home?

Let me share a little anecdote, possibly apocryphal, with you.

Many decades ago, a young man from Odisha, just out of Ravenshaw college with excellent academic credentials, was interviewed at Calcutta by Khushwant Singh for the post of sub-editor in a national English daily.

After a quick glance at his resume, Khushwant Singh asked with a mischievous grin the thin-like-a-reed boy, ‘Odias come to Calcutta to serve as cooks in Bengali homes. Why do you wish to wield the pen rather than the cooking ladle? Because the ladle is too heavy for you?’

Unruffled by the playful insult, the young man replied, ‘Sir, many Sardars are truck drivers, yet you aren’t.’

The interview ended. He got the job.

Leutia Saag Recipe

Since you’re partial to simple, quick-to-make dishes, here is my leutia saag recipe with minimal ingredients and cooking time of five minutes or less.

Ingredients: tender leutia (Amaranthus Green or Red) saag, a few pods of garlic, two dried red chilies, a pinch of mustard seeds, a spoonful of peanut oil.

Superb taste if the saag is from your terrace garden, organic and with zero chemical fertiliser or pesticide. If buying from the market, sniff lightly, if it smells fishy, don’t buy.

Procedure: Rinse the saag well, put in a colander (a new word I learned from your book) to drain the water, use a thick kadhai (you don’t want your saag to be burnt), pour the oil, when it steams put the mustard seeds which begin sputtering, put the garlic pieces (not minced fine, one pod sliced to two or three pieces), break each red chilli into two and add, reduce flame, don’t burn the mustard seeds, garlic, and chili; add the saag, and keep turning, put the flame at medium, add salt, cover the kadhai, the saag will release water which is enough to cook it. If needed, pour a few spoonsful of water.

Best to cook when the diners are already seated and the other dishes have been served. Serve hot for the wow factor.

I’m tempted to share recipe for basi pakhal and aamil, but must keep it for future when we meet. Once again, You’re invited for a meal at our home.

Where to find me? That’s easy, just ask for the brilliant blogger of Baghmugaliya, Bhopal.

Books Referred

By Abhijit Banerjee, Illustrated by Cheyenne Olivier:

·      Chhaunk: On Food, Economics and Society

·       Cooking to Save Your Life

***

Comments

Sangeeta Verma

Nice one! You took on the mighty Sardar!! 👏👏

Next one- a letter to Banu Mushtaq?

Blogger: Not me. An anecdote someone shared with me. Maybe fictional, but I like it.

Banu Mushtaq? If she captivates me!

Lalita Mathur

Hello Prasanna,

An absolutely delightful read ! 👌👌😁😁👌👌

Kudos to your choice of topic , and of course , your excellent writing skills ! 

I can well imagine the fun n laughter and bonhomie at your beautiful home for Sanjukta's kitty - such a lively bunch of supremely talented cooks and foodies !  😂😂👍

The" 21 Gun Salute" was truly befitting the Maharanis of Bhopal . 

I'm sure the host must've been exhausted by the end of it - don't we all know the solid hard work that goes into making every such get together such a grand success !!! 

Secondly, your mention of  Mr Saha and his culinary skills was also very nostalgic. They're very dear friends , though we've been out of touch for a long time. But we have very fond memories of some wonderful evenings spent at each others homes , when we enjoyed their warmth and  gracious hospitality. A lovely couple , indeed. 

Prasanna , I'm so, so impressed by your amazing critique of "Chhaunk". You've managed to put across everything without offending anyone , especially the Nobel Laureate!! Not an easy thing to do . I'm sure he'll happily accept your most cordial invitation at the earliest!!! 😁😁 Sanjukta , beware !  

Lastly, was the youngster from Ravenshaw College , who was interviewed by Kushwant Singh , this blogger , by any chance ????😂😜 I have a gut feeling it was .....

What a superb reply to his query 👌👌😂😂👌👌👏👏 Must've shocked him out of wits to be outwitted by a young boy , fresh out of college. 

Congratulations for this wonderful piece. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. 👏👏👌👌🫡

Warm regards 🙏🙏

Anshu Vaish

Charming, Prasanna! Greatly enjoyed reading it 😊

Madan Mohan Upadhyay

छोंक नाम के पुस्तक के शीर्षक से मुझे उत्तर प्रदेश की एक खाने के संबंध में कहावत याद आ गई।

कहावत है 

""घी बनाए वैंगना, नाम बहू का होय""

बैगन की सब्जी अच्छी बनने का श्रेय बहू को न देते हुए घी को दिया जा रहा है जिसकी वजह से बैंगन की सब्जी अच्छी बनी है।

वास्तव में भोजन के तत्वों के साथ साथ उसे बनाने की जो विधि है जो तड़का है जो छोंक है, जो बूझने की कला है उन सबका बहुत बड़ा योगदान है।

खाने पर दो हिन्दुस्तान के सभी राज्यों में अलग अलग क्षेत्रों में बहुत सारी पुस्तकें लिखी हैं।

और प्रत्येक पुस्तक अपने आप में अनूठा खजाना है।

मुझे खाने पर कुछ और कहावतें याद आ रही हैं

"" खाओ मन भाया,

पहनो जग भाया""

""कम खाओ और 

गम खाओ""

""मुर्गी जान से गई ।

खाने वाले को स्वाद नहीं आया""

""सेर  चून ,

चौबारा रसोई""

 

Lesson Made Easy!

The dance teacher had a busy schedule and could fit in only brief, sporadic sessions for his new student who was a clumsy dancer, a poor learner, and seldom completed his homework which comprised practising twenty rounds of each new dance move he had been taught.

Each session began with the student performing the steps he had learned in the previous sessions, and the exasperated teacher admonishing him for the poor progress; after which the teacher taught new steps.

Now, do this dance, the teacher asked, after performing a 30-second move.

The pupil’s performance was clumsy as usual, and the unsurprised Master hectored, ‘Be attentive. I’ll demonstrate one last time for you. Repeat it ten times.’

The obedient student did what he was ordered to do, doing a little better each time, but not good enough to satisfy the stern, demanding teacher.

Teacher: How can you be so dumb? Why is it so difficult to do a basic move? It’s really very simple. Just bring your chunmun forward, then take it back fast. Repeat. Like this!

Dance Teacher, just promoted to KG II, was teaching his grandpa the pelvic thrust, so ubiquitous in hot Bollywood dance numbers; a move he had recently learned at the Dance School he attends twice a week after school, homework, and before evening tuition!

***

 

Bharhut: Early Indian Art & Sculpture

You may never have visited Bharhut or even heard of it. Where is Bharhut and why am I writing about it?

Bharhut is a small village about 20 kilometres from Satna, Madhya Pradesh, where I had worked and lived for two years long ago during which I had once gone up the little hillock to find a signage which said it was a protected monument under the ASI. An ancient Buddhist stupa in ruins with a few stone fragments and broken bricks scattered around. There was no security guard since no tourists ever went there.

Then, I knew little about the significance of Bharhut in Indian and Buddhist art and sculpture. Browsing the Indian Museum, Kolkata’s portal the other day, I spotted the virtual Bharhut Gallery  and took a fascinating tour.

Bharhut: Significance

The Bharhut Stupa, built around the time of Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE and later expanded during the Shunga period, holds a seminal place in the history of Buddhist art and sculpture in India; and its relics—particularly the railing panels and gateways—offer one of the earliest and most detailed visual records of Buddhist themes.

Bharhut is especially notable for its extensive use of narrative reliefs that illustrate Jataka tales, episodes from the Buddha’s life, and scenes from Buddhist cosmology. These panels depict stories in a continuous narrative style, helping even illiterate devotees visually engage with Buddhist teachings.

The art of Bharhut follows the aniconic tradition, where the Buddha is not shown in human form but symbolically—through a footprint (Buddha pada), empty throne, or Bodhi tree. This reflects the early doctrinal hesitance to anthropomorphize the Buddha.

Bharhut set the foundation for later Buddhist art centres like Sanchi, Amaravati, and Gandhara. Its themes, iconography, and storytelling techniques continued to inspire Buddhist sculpture across Asia, from Sri Lanka to Southeast Asia.

‘Early Indian classical art passes slowly, but surely, from Bharhut through Bodh Gaya to Sanchi.’ (Remains of Bharhut Stupa In The Indian Museum, 2006-Arabinda Ghosh)

Bharhut Gallery: Indian Museum, Kolkata

Bharhut Gallery displays the red sandstone remnants of the stupa which were transported to Calcutta and re-created there by Alexander Cunningham , who excavated the site in 1874.

Considered the ‘Father of Indian archaeology,’ Cunningham was the 1st Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India, established in 1861. He had begun excavation at Sanchi in 1851. His book The Stupa of Bharhut (1879) is available at archive.org.

The architectural remains comprise railings and the only surviving Eastern Gateway or Torana, sculptures of Jataka tales, stories of Lord Buddha’s life, numerous animal and geometric motifs, and several demigods – Yaksha and Yakshi figurines.

Bharhut rail East Gateway, on the spot of excavation. 

Source: Ideals of Indian Art (1912) by E.B. Havell

Recovered carvings at Bharhut before removal from the site,

Photographs taken Cunningham’s assistant David Joseph Beglar in 1874

Mriga Jataka: Source: Indian Museum, Kolkata; reproduced in The Art of India by Stella Kramrisch

Link for Bharhut Gallery: https://indianmuseumkolkata.org/gallery/bharhut-gallery/

Mahakapi Jataka Medallion

The Mahakapi Jataka medallion in sandstone relief, a relic from the Bharhut Stupa, is a significant example of early Buddhist narrative art.

In the Mahakapi Jataka tale (Jataka No. 407), Bodhisatta, in a previous life as a great monkey king, leads a troop of eighty thousand monkeys residing near the Ganga who feast upon the delicious fruits of a mango tree as huge as a mountain. One day, a mango falls into the river and reaches the king of Varanasi, who, upon tasting it, craves for more. He discovers the tree and orders his archers to kill the monkeys. To save his troop, the monkey king forms a bridge with his own body across the river, allowing the monkeys to escape. However, a treacherous monkey (an earlier incarnation of the wicked Devadatta) climbs onto a high branch and jumps on his back, fatally injuring him. Witnessing this act of self-sacrifice, the king is moved, puts the monkey king on his own bed and tends to his injuries.

"Noble monkey, you made yourself a bridge for all the other monkeys to pass over to safety. What are you to them, and what are they to you?" the king asked.

The monkey explained, "Great king, I guard the herd. I am their lord and chief….

Because I could save them, I have no fear of death. Like a righteous king, I could guarantee the happiness of those over whom I used to reign. Sire, understand this truth! If you wish to be a righteous ruler, the happiness of your kingdom, your cities, and your people must be dear to you. It must be dearer than life itself."

("Jataka Tales of the Buddha: Part III", retold by Ken & Visakha Kawasaki.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/kawasaki/bl142.html)

Mahakapi Jataka Medallion: 

By Biswarup Ganguly - Detail of, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62327589

After teaching the king in this way, the monkey king died. He was given a royal funeral. The king built a shrine at the monkey's burial place, and made offerings of incense and flowers. He had the skull inlaid with gold..

For the rest of his life the king revered the skull as a relic, offering incense and garlands.

Bharhut Relics

Relics are the body parts (tooth, nail, hair, etc.) of Buddha or his chief disciples interred in stupas across India and the world, and held by the Buddhists as most sacred objects of worship. Sanchi stupa contains the relics of two prominent disciples of the Buddha – Sāriputta and Mahā-Moggallāna.

Temple of Tooth at Kandy, Sri Lanka, where the relic is believed to be the left canine of the Buddha has been temporarily opened for the first time since 2009, drawing a large number of devotees.  

Some Buddhists speculate that the Jagannath Temple, Puri was built upon the ruins of an ancient Buddhist stupa, and the ‘brahma padartha (object)’ inside the daru vigraha (wooden idol) is a Buddha relic. Hindus believe the ‘brahma’ to be Lord Krishna’s navel which fire could not burn.

Cunningham’s excavations did not reveal any such relic at Bharhut. If there was one, it might have been pilfered or lost during the centuries after abandonment of the stupa.

Where are the architectural pieces - the only Bharhut relics that remain? A quick search revealed that most of these relics are in the Indian Museum, Kolkata; a more detailed search produced fascinating results.

Out of 374 parts which have been located, most are in India - in Indian Museum, Kolkata, Allahabad Museum, Tulsi Sangrahalaya (Ramvan, Satna), and in 8 villages of Satna; and 19 parts are in 10 museums around the world at Berkley, Boston, Brooklyn, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Virginia, Washington DC, Berlin, Pasadena, and London.

(Bharhut: A Reassessment by Jason D Hawkes, source: academia.edu)

A vindication of the significance of Bharhut stupa in Buddhist art and sculpture!

A Sanskrit Subhashita thus laments the ruthlessness of Time, the great destroyer, who does not spare even avatars of Vishnu:

रघुपते क्व गतोत्तरकोशलः?
यदुपते क्व गता मथुरापुरि?

Transliteration:
Raghupate kva gata uttarakośalaḥ?
Yadupate kva gatā Mathurā-purī?

Translation:
“O Lord of the Raghus, where is now the kingdom of Uttarakoshala?
O Lord of the Yadus, where is now the city of Mathura?”

 

We may possibly wonder:

O Shakyamuni, where is now the great Bharhut stupa?

And where is the magnificent stupa of Amaravati?

Or, say in Sanskrit:

शाक्यमुनि कुत्र इदानीं महाभारहुत स्तूपः।

अमरावतीं च भव्यं स्तूपं कुत्र अस्ति ?

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A few excerpts

The Stupa of Bharhut

A few excerpts from Alexander Cunningham’s book “The Stupa of Bharhut: A Buddhist Monument Ornamented with Numerous Sculptures Illustrative of Buddhist Legend and History in the Third Century B.C.”

Link for the book:

https://archive.org/details/stupaofbharhutbu00cunn/page/n4/mode/1up

Relic casket?

“The present village of Bharhut, which contains upwards of 200 houses, is built entirely of the bricks taken from the Stupa. The removal of bricks continued down to a late date, and I was told that a small box (dibiya) was found in the middle of the brick mound, and made over to the Raja of Nagod. This must have been a Relic casket ; but my further inquiries were met by persistent ignorance, both as to its contents and as to whether it was still in the possession of the Raja….”

Sculptures gifted by Raja of Nagod

“At my request the whole of the sculptures were liberally presented to Government by the Raja of Nagod, in whose territory Bharhut stands, and I am happy to say that they have arrived safely in Calcutta,…”

Cunningham's No to British Museum

“In his letter already quoted Professor Childers (London) expressed a “ hope that the “ sculptures may find their way to the India Office [in London] instead of being “ consigned to the peaceful oblivion of an Indian Museum.” In this hope I should most cordially agree were I not afraid that they might be consigned to the still more oblivious vaults of the British Museum, where some 10 years ago I discovered no less than seven Indian inscriptions in the full enjoyment of undisturbed repose, unseen, uncared for, and unknown.”

A washerman’s plank!

“…all the neighbouring villages within a circuit of 10 miles were carefully explored for portions of the missing sculptures. This search was rewarded with the discovery of two pillars of a second or outer railing of which portions had already been found in situ at Bharhut.   The bas-relief of the Indra Shala-guha, or “ Indra’s Cave Hall,” was then discovered at Batanmara, and the missing half of the famous Chhadanta Jataka at Pataora, 7 miles distant, degraded to the ignoble position of a washerman’s plank.”

Note: Para Headings by this blogger.

The Art of India Through the Ages by Stella Kramrisch

"In the five hundred years beginning with the second century B.C., narrative reliefs carved in stone are one of Buddhism's contributions to Indian sculpture. Although never shown before the late first century A.D., the Buddha inspired legends, symbols, actions and stories. In Barhut these have the simplicity of factual statements, in Sanchi, the exuberance of pageants and the form of idylls. But it was in the ... teeming compositions in Amaravati... (T)he limbs of the figures are those of dancers who reach out into the void. They bend over their mortal youth. At no other moment has Indian sculpture been so acutely sensitive."

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Mesmerizing Mona Lisa

On Apr 15, World Art Day, I saw Mona Lisa* - the world's most discussed, most written about, and most famous painting at The Louvre, even though Tuesday is the weekly holiday for the museum - possibly the world’s most visited museum with about nine million visitors a year. How did I manage that? No prizes for guessing. I enjoyed a virtual tour at zero-cost! Seated at a cosy chair in my study room, I spent an hour or more up close with 12 Masterpieces at the museum’s portal.[i] To continue my immersive experience, I visited the museum through Google Arts and Culture[ii], to check what more this portal offered. Most renowned museums of the world now offer virtual tours and online exhibitions.

In 2005, I had seen Mona Lisa at The Louvre. Visitors appreciate the iconic painting from behind the barricade about twenty feet from the wall which is set up for a good reason; Mona Lisa had been stolen in 1911! A sizeable crowd of visitors, several much taller than me, had already gathered in front, and I had to peer through the shifting torsos and shoulders to catch fleeting glimpses of Mona Lisa’s enigmatic smile. I saw Leonardo da Vinci’s classic painting, but did I really see her?

(Credit: The Louvre Portal)

A visit to a world-famous museum is always overwhelming and a bit unsettling. You are suddenly reminded that life is too short with not enough time to enjoy all the good things in the world. You must quickly decide which exhibits to skip, which ones to see, and how much time to assign to which. Not unlike a grand, royal feast serving choicest cuisines of the world where you may eat all you can but must exit in an hour or earlier.

I recall having spent about two hours at the museum after waiting for an hour and a half for entry. Which masterpieces did I see then? Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, I remember. Btw, the more famous Medici Venus, among about 5000 artworks seized by Napoleon’s troops, had to be returned to Italy under the Treaty of Vienna after Napoleon’s defeat at the Waterloo; and is now at Uffizi Gallery, Florence (Link: https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/medici-venus).

But I remember none of the other masterpieces listed by the museum in its virtual tour; not even The Winged Victory of Samothrace – the goddess Nike, the messenger of victory (yes, the footwear brand is named after the goddess!); Psyche revived by Cupid’s Kiss, or Michelangelo’s Slaves! Wasn’t my visit in the category of value-for money, photo-stop group-tour packages entitling the tourists to boast ‘been there, seen that?’

Those who are passionate about Art may draw up a detailed plan for their museum visits; but even they must skip most of the exhibits on display. The Louvre displays about 35000 exhibits in 400 rooms over an area of 72000 square metres; and an average visitor spends one to three hours in the museum. Should a visitor choose to visit every exhibit in the museum, how long would it take? At one minute per piece, it would take about 79 days to see everything, assuming 8-hour days, excluding the time to walk through 400 rooms at different levels.

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City, USA) has over 2 million exhibits;  to see every exhibit it would take more than 11 years. State Hermitage Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia) has over 3 million exhibits.   It would take more than 17 years to see it all.

So, which museums are in your bucket list? How about the Indian Museum, Kolkata - established in 1814, and Asia-Pacific’s oldest and largest museum with about 2.5 million exhibits? If you’re visiting Amritsar, I recommend the Partition Museum; and at Bhopal the Tribal Museum.

I have a modest goal: to embark upon a virtual tour of top 10 museums in the world and see at least 10 masterpieces in each. That's not much; but dipping a toe in the ocean of art and sculpture is better, I suppose, than not venturing near the ocean at all!

Mona Lisa & India’s Nuclear Programme

Believe it or not, Mona Lisa had a little role in India’s nuclear programme.

India was getting ready to test a nuclear weapon for which  PMO was holding top-secret meetings with only a handful of senior officials. Naresh Chandra, senior Adviser in PMO, suggested to P.C Narasimha Rao, PM in mid-1994 that the Air Force be brought on board and the Defence Secretary be briefed.

“Cautious to a fault, Rao gave the go-ahead for Chandra to meet Defence Secretary K. A. Nambiar-but not in India. He suggested they meet in Paris…

Chandra and Nambiar decided to meet at the art gallery at the Louvre. When Nambiar arrived at the world's largest art museum, he found Chandra pacing up and down restlessly…

One could only imagine the two men, the serious, poker-faced, low profile, South Indian Nambiar, and the tall and portly Chandra standing in front of the portrait of the Mona Lisa, admiring her enigmatic smile, while Chandra briefed the defence secretary on the latest developments in India's nuclear programme. It was inconceivable that any surveillance agency would have picked up their lip movements!”

(Source: How Prime Ministers Decide by Neerja Chowdhury; pg. 361)

***

* Excerpt from The Louvre’s brief description of the painting:

“Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, Wife of Francesco del Giocondo, known as the Mona Lisa

Leonardo da Vinci

The painting’s special appeal lies in its technical excellence, the sitter’s famous smile, the fantasy background landscape and the sfumato technique that envelops the figure in a misty haze.

In 1966, this famous and fragile masterpiece was moved to the Louvre’s largest room – the Salle des États – where it is conserved in the best possible conditions, protected inside a temperature and humidity-controlled glass case.”

***

Postscript

Mona Lisa Song

An esteemed reader shared the following link for the Mona Lisa song by Nat King Cole which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for 1950, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1992:

https://youtu.be/NIDX18Xl16s?si=_So7pWZFmKMASmnt

Louvre Strike: 16 June 2025

On 16 June 2025, employees at Paris’s Louvre Museum staged an unscheduled walkout, forcing the world’s busiest museum to close to the public (theguardian.com, vulture.com). The strike stemmed from mounting frustration with overcrowding, deteriorating working conditions, and long-ignored facility maintenance issues, all exacerbated by mass tourism.

• Key concerns included safety hazards, excessive visitor volumes, and unsustainable workloads.
• The strike highlights a growing trend in service-heavy, tourism-centric industries, where frontline staff demand better conditions amid visitor overload.

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[i] Link for the 12 masterpieces:

https://www.louvre.fr/en/explore/visitor-trails/the-louvre-s-masterpieces/a-superstar-facing-a-crowd-of-132

 

[ii] Google Arts & Culture offers virtual tours and high-resolution images from over 2,000 museums worldwide. It enables one to explore exhibitions, view artworks up close, and even take 360-degree tours of museum interior.

Link: https://artsandculture.google.com/