Meet the Street - Everyone is someone

World's population recently crossed 7 billion and, out of those, over 1 billion people live in India. There is, indeed, a lot of us! But how many people do we know or recognize? Perhaps 1,000 or 2,000 or, if you are socially very active or have an unusually good memory, 15,000.

Of more than 1 billion people, only a handful are famous. And there's enough talk about them already. Twitter, Newspapers, Facebook, post-lunch discussions, all are buzzing with their names and their personal and professional lives are being minutely analyzed. But do we ever stop and think about who runs the country? Not the politicians or famous writers or artists. And definitely not the Bollywood Actors. The country is run by the guard who stands alert outside your housing society and the milkman who delivers milk to your place before you leave for office and your housemaid who cooks, cleans and washes up for you and by you yourself.

Unfortunately, not everyone is gets fame, but everyone does bring something special to the world. Everyone is someone.

Musings brings to you the Meet the Street project to highlight the spark in the so-called common man–someone you are likely to run into on the streets. Hopefully we will someday help some of these faces stand out in the crowd for who they are and what they do for the society to keep functioning.

We hope that you will enjoy these stories. And if there is someone you know who will be a good addition to the project, Musings would love to share their stories too. Feel free to leave a comment on this post and we will get in touch.

Stay tuned!

Purple Night Dress

It shimmers in the faint light that seeps in from beneath the closed doors.

Its touch is like flowers, like clouds, like breath, and it clings and slips

and makes you feel quite queen-like.

You comb your hair a hundred times and you brush your teeth.

You wash your face with the posh, age-defying face wash

and you step out of your soft fur slippers.

In a smooth, royal movement, your stately frame

struts towards your queen-sized bed

with its shiny sheets, covers and pillowcases.

You lift the covers and crawl deep into their velvetty recesses

and, then, all dressed up in your purple night dress

with pink polka dots

you turn on to your side towards

a blank white wall.

Meet the Street - Bhai Mian, the God Father of Kite Flying

You do not meet someone who has followed his passion throughout his life every day. So November 27, 2011 was really special in the fact that I had the opportunity of meeting Bhai Mian and his son Jamal who have spent years making and flying kites all over the world. Bhai Mian is 85 years old now and his movement is severely restricted because of Diabetes. And this was the reason why the person who had put me in touch with Jamal had woefully predicted that probably I'll not be able to meet the national awardee at all. In fact, according to him, I would be lucky to get to meet his son in person. But when I called Jamal on his mobile, he agreed to meet me at his place in the famous Delhi 6.

Full of anticipation, I and my photographer friend followed Jamal through the labyrinthine lanes of old Delhi. This was the first time I was going to enter a home in Old Delhi and the prospects were exciting me to no end. My imagination had run wild and I had painted various pictures of the supposed abode of the great man but I was in for a surprise. One unique thing about the buildings in Delhi 6 is that often when you are standing in the street, you can't look up and guess how many stories the building houses. Soon we stood in the dark staircase leading up to the residential quarters of Bhai Mian and his family. Gradually our eyes adjusted themselves and we were politely escorted by Jamal to a room where daris had been laid out to make for a comfortable seating arrangement. And to our delights, soon the God Father of Kite-Flying, Bhai Mian himself entered the room. We couldn't have asked for more. Misty-eyed, he fondly recalled his active years and, humbly pushed aside all requests to talk about the National Award he's received or the Record for which his name is registered in the Limca Book of World records with a simple "Awards to milte hain bachche, magar apne haathon se patang bana kar, us par kanne kas kar, udhaane ka jo mazaa hai, uska koi muqabala hai?"

He recounted his experience of flying kites in various countries such as in The Dubai Shopping Festival in 1993 where he flew a train of 1184 kites and at the Kite-flying competition at India-Pakistan Border to celebrate the 50 years of Independence. He vehemently maintains that Indian Kites are the best in spite of the active Chinese intrusion in Indian Kite Markets. "China ki patangon mein balance nahin hota. Indian patangein ungliyon ke ishaare par naachti hain." His opinion, in fact, is shared by many others both in India and abroad that the Indian Kite is the ultimate fighting machine.

Passion and creativity has driven this man, whose family business is Jewellery making, ever since he was a child and he has made kites in all shapes and sizes. His smallest kite 2mm long and the biggest being 400 feet in length. He takes pride in his collection of carefully crafted kites shaped to look like a peacock, a snake, various birds, and animals. His endeavour to better his previous acheivement stems from an insatiable desire to do something that has never been done before. "Koi cheez aisee udayen jo sab dekhen to kahein ki yeh to pehli baar udte hue dekhi hai."

The family has lovingly preserved some special kites for years. Some of the oldest kites that they proudly showcase are over 50 years old. There are others that they treat as works of art and are not willing to sell at any cost. Jamal fondly remembers one particular time when he was sitting at his counter at the Craft Museum and carefully constructing a minute, few mm long kite. A gentleman was oberving each of his artistic touches carefully. And once the kite was ready, the gentleman offered to purchase it. Jamal politely declined saying that he could have any one of the other kites if he wanted but this particular kite wasn't for sale. But the gentleman was adamant and he kept on increasing the amount he was ready to pay for the kite. But Jamal wouldn't budge. The Gentleman then approached one of the managers of the Craft Museum to request Jamal to see the kite. Jamal then presented the kite to the gentleman as a gift. "Kuch cheezon ki keemat aankna aasaan nahin hota." The gentleman not only accepted the gift but also bought some kites from Jamaal that were actually up for sale.

Not only have Bhai Mian and his sons been making and flying kites, they've also been conducting kite making and flying workshops for school-children and even for the adults. Despite our fear that the popularity of kites might be on a decline in India, Bhai Mian is ever an optimist. He argues that till children are enthusiatic about kite-flying, we have nothing to fear. Kite flying is an art and, like one does in other sports, one has to take time and learn the art. On one 15th August, when Bhai Mian was still a child, his father advised him not to tie kanne of all the kites he was planning to fly at once. But being an impatient child, he still went ahead and did that and started flying the kites. Soon all his kites were lost in kite-cutting battles and he was left without any more kites to fly. His father generously bought him another batch and sat him down and talked to him. "Ek baar mein ek hi patang ke kanne baandho. Phir jab woh kat jaye to doosri patang ke kanne baandhte hue socho ki tumhari patang kyon kati. Aur phir doosri udaao." Isn't this the technique that we should be employing in everything that we do? So much of wisdom is all around us and we never ever tap it simply because we do not care to talk to each other. 

We talked about many more miscellaneous things about Kite Museums, material used to make kites, Kite Flying festivals and purani dilli in general. We also visited the workshop they make kites and jewellery in, on the thirds floor of their home. And on the terrace, we visited their pigeon coup that is the home of 100s of their pet pigeons and talked about how the homing pigeons find their homes. 

Bhai Mian is now retired and usually leaves all kiting to his sons, Jamal and his brothers. At night, he can sleep peacefully because he knows that his tenaciously built legacy is safe in his sons' expert hands.

In the 2 hours that we spent at their place, we were touched by their hospitality and their trust. Bhai Mian and Jamal and even the children of their family opened their hearts to us and made us feel welcome. From practically being the outsiders in Delhi 6, we were now a part of the ecosystem and felt that we were being entrusted with the deep-rooted secrets of this enigmatic place where people like Bhai Mian live humble, unassuming, and unpretentious lives. These are the people who you pass every time you stroll through the streets of Delhi 6 and never ever realize how much they've acheived in their lives and how much our society owes to them. 

It was a pleasure once again to Meet the Street. Soon we will meet a security guard who considers the security of each member of the residential society he's stationed at as his personal responsibility. The purpose of this project is to bring to light the people you are likely to run into on the streets of Delhi and the project does not discriminate based on gender, age, social status, financial status, and anything else for that matter.      

Meet the Street - Daleep Singh turned 40 yesterday!

Daleep Singh has been driving autorickshaws on Delhi roads since 1993. Born and brought up in Delhi, he has seen the starting prices of a ride in the auto rise from Rs 3 to Rs. 20 now. Nowadays, he and his auto can be found plying between Central Secretariat Metro Station and India Gate. Though he's happy this way, he prefers to take tourists on Day-long trips around Delhi during which he shows them India Gate, Qutb Minar, Humanyun's Tomb, Rashtrapati Bhawan and almost all other monuments of Delhi. He earns about Rs. 1000 - 1500 for this kind of a trip.

It was his birthday on Saturday November 12th and he turned 40 that day.  

When Hanuman and Taj Mahal Took Over the Delhi Sky- Delhi Kite Festival

Yes, Lord Hanuman and Taj Mahal were hovering over the Delhi sky and no one was surprised. Yes, no one! Why? Because it was the first ever Kite Festival organized by Delhi Tourism. And Hanuman and Taj Mahal were just two of the many unusual shapes that had conquered the Delhi sky today. Kite flying enthusiasts from many parts of India headed to India Gate to unravel the strings and to let their kites soar. Never before in India have I seen such unique collection of kites even though the tradition of kite flying has been a part of our culture since the time of Krishna. And, to be honest, I was expecting to see more. Lord Hanuman, Taj Mahal, and the Smiley were the only ones that were truly unique at least while I was there. But since this was the first day, perhaps I am being too harsh.

Click here for more pictures of the event, some of them better than these.

Gaining entry into the festival was surprisingly hassle-free and in spite of VIP presence, the participants and visitors did not feel restricted in any way.

The Festival was inaugurated today by the Chief Minister of Delhi, Smt. Sheila Dikshit, who opened the festival by flying the first kite of the event. After the Chief Minister's opening note, Shayar Mirza Asif enlightened the crowd with some interesting history and patang-related shayari in his speech titled "Dastan-e-Patang". And after that, the band Soul Samvaad performed Mausiki-e-Patang to a very excited and supportive crowd that swayed to the tunes of their Patang Song. The sound system was not the best though and could've been better.

"Jab bhi hawa ke rukh se jo hat gayi patang.

Ya to giri zameen par, ya kat gayi patang."

The Pavilion displayed some interesting designs from Delhi, Rampur, and Jodhpur. Most of the designs displayed there are not actually sold during 15 August Kite Frenzy but are reserved for festivals. There were several kites with traditional Rajasthani prints in the Jodhpur stall. Femira, who was manning the Jodhpur Stall, shed some lights on those. "10 se 20 rupaiye tak mein bikti hain yeh Jodhpur mein." That sounded really inexpensive. If those kites were sold in Delhi, they would cost at least  50 each. I hope many more States and regions join the festival from the next time. It'll be nice to see kites from across India flying in the Delhi skies.

Anyways, moving on, I spotted the Delhi Tourism Stall. They were giving out pamphlets related to tourist spots in Delhi, Maps, and Posters, all free of cost. Mr. Brij Mohan and Mr. Anil Gupta who were managing the stall were polite and eager to offer information about the stall and the festival. I felt that the stall could sell some merchandise such as fridge magnets, pens, post cards, stamps, mugs, and T-shirts etc. They would have found some buyers for sure.

The festivities had started by now and patangbaazs were struggling to get their kites to take off. Kite fliers were there alone, with friends, or with their families. It was a bit congested and a bit more space for each flier would've been useful. There were several people like me who were there as spectators. Meanwhile expert kite fliers designated by Delhi Tourism held on to 150 kites each and steered them easily according to the direction of the wind. These kites were really heavy and when I tried holding one, the string almost managed to lift me from the ground and that is by no means an easy task. Mohammad Sufran, one of the kite flier who was holding and steering these kites told me "Sabse oopar waali kite ko hawa ke hisaab se sambhaalna padta hai" when I asked him whether he could tie the string somewhere and give his arms a rest. "Humein to yeh pakad ke hi khada hona padega." Commendable!

Kites were also being sold at the venue and if you were tempted to fly one yourself, you could purchase kites of all sizes and participate.

By this time, the food stalls by R. K. Caterers were also open. The quintessential Gol-Gappes, Aloo-Tikkis, Pav-Bhajis, Chowmein, Papdi-Chaats were all being sold at prices almost at par with the rest of the market. The stalls looked clean and hygienic. 

I came back during lunch though there were many more things planned for the day such as a magic show, a kite-cutting competition, a mini Dilli Haat, and some cultural programmes.

Delhi Tourism promises to have this festival annually along with many other new initiatives. I feel that this is a good move. Such activities will not only rejuvenate our fading traditions but will also help in encouraging tourists to visit Delhi. To the slogan "Delhi raises its spirit with kite flying", I can only say "Amen!"

The festival is not over yet. You can still be a part of it tomorrow from 11 – 8. Hopefully, your experience will be as exhilarating as mine.

Diwali - We Love the Complexity (Article Published in TOI Jammu)

Many of us may not have seen those days and some might even find it hard to believe that those days existed. But, yes, there was a time when light strings were hardly used. A lot more candles and diyas were used instead. Decorations consisted of a simple rangoli made of rice paste, a “Happy Diwali” sign cut out of card board, and paper lanterns crafted at home.  And even sweets were made at home. Diwali must have meant a lot more hard work back then.

Things have changed over the years. Instead of candles and diyas that burn themselves out, twinkling light strings are used. Gone are the hassles of refilling the oil and replacing the candles, you can simply turn the switch on and sleep peacefully. Your house will not become any less attractive to Goddess Lakshmi while you dream. Special Rangoli colours are available to counter the hassles of preparing a rice paste and then getting a simple mono-coloured Rangoli at the end. Decorations of various types and sizes are so easily available in the market that you don’t have to strain your hands or brains to craft intricate designs. Exquisitely packed boxes of chocolates and specific Diwali gifts abound in the market and even online. You simply have to select and get it delivered to your friends and loved ones. You don’t even need to step out of the house to do any of these things.

But we still do step out. We explore and select the best quality light strings and the most beautiful decorations. We taste and smell chocolates before getting them packed.  We don’t want to make a bad choice and end up being disappointed or worse still end up disappointing our loved ones. We navigate through the festival traffic to deliver gifts to our family and friends because we can’t bear to get them delivered through the emotionless local courier.

So have the Diwali preparations actually become any easier? No! And mostly because we don’t want them to. There’s a certain charm in putting in all the efforts and doing all the tasks with the entire family in the old-fashioned way.   No other festival brings us together like Diwali does. Some things should never change.

Unusual Rituals - Windows into the Past (Article Published in TOI Jammu)

Rummaging through the market to find that one elusive ingredient required for Lakshmi Puja, putting up those flickering, dancing lights to ensure that your house stands out, purchasing those sensational fireworks that light up the sky, and  visiting relatives and friends to exchange those gifts bought at the last minute – yes, we are all caught up in this frenzy! It’s Diwali.

But if you think that the way we celebrate Diwali is wild and frantic, you are in for a surprise. Consider one the traditions alive here in Himachal.  Much after the entire world is moving on after the festival of lights is over, a much darker version of Diwali dawns upon some villages of Kullu, Sirmaur, and Shimla districts. Buddhi Diwali, as it is known locally, is celebrated almost a month after Diwali on the new moon. The revelries involve dancing and singing mantras in tune with the reverberating beats of drums and other local instruments. Hundreds of cattle are sacrificed to appease deities. Gradually, however, breaking of coconuts is being promoted as an alternative to sacrificing the animals.

And when we head south, right on the border of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, sits a little village called Gummatapura where the villagers celebrate Diwali in the most extraordinary way – by hurling cow dung at each other. They call it Gorehabba. The common belief is that frolicking in tons of cow dung collected near the Beerappa temple cleanses one’s soul and cures the body of all kinds of diseases. The celebrations are so lively that many onlookers from nearby villages gather around to enjoy the event.

Diwali in Darjeeling, though not as startling as Buddhi Diwali or Gorehabba, is still different. Locally it is known as Tihar. The first day of the celebrations is dedicated to the crow who is believed to be the messenger of Yamaraj. The first serving of food is offered to the crow and the family eats only after the crow has accepted the food. The same goes for the dog on the second day. The dog is believed to guard the abode of the Yama. The third day is the most significant day with prayers being offered to Goddess Lakshmi. The cow, believed to be the symbol of wealth, is worshipped on this day. In the evening, young people dress up in traditional attires. Singing devotional songs and dancing in tune with the musical instruments, they go from door to door accepting gifts and food.  

In a country like India, it is not a surprise that Diwali is celebrated in so many different ways. What is surprising is that these rituals have existed in isolation for centuries and not many of us know about them. Unlike the traditions in urban India, these traditions have hardly changed at all. They are windows into what Indian society used to be in the yesteryears. Even though practices like animal sacrifice are being and should be discouraged, rest of the rituals should be preserved and cherished like a treasure.