Trends and refinements

By V Ramnarayan

From MADRAS MUSINGS (March 1996)                                     

At the start of the Wills World Cup, I had expressed the hope that it might be dominated by bowlers rather more than its predecessors. My hope has not exactly been fulfilled. The bat has so far maintained its sway over the ball and there have been some devastating innings of power and productivity.

The one encouraging aspect of the tournament from a bowling point of view has been the influence the spinners have exerted on the matches. Of the leg spinners, the ever-smiling Paul Strang of Zimbabwe has emerged as an exciting prospect with ability to turn the ball and bowl a very Impressive googly. What is more, Strang has shown a refreshing willingness to toss the ball up, unafraid of being hit for a few, as happened at Kandy when the Sri Lankans went on a rampage. He came back from that mauling well enough to trouble opposing batsmen in the remaining matches.

Leg spin, in fact, has been prominent throughout this tournament India, Pakistan and Australia have used it as their trump card. Anil Kumble has come a close second to Strang at the end of the league stage in the number of wickets taken, while Mushtaq has won at least two matches for Pakistan off the back of his hand. Even after South Africa and the English openers had shattered his bowling analysis, the Pakistani managed to bounce back with match-winning spells.

Kumble has been accurate on the whole except when Mark Taylor and Mark Waugh gave him stick. He has learnt to mix them up a bit, more than he used to in days past, and that has made him a harder nut to crack.

Increasingly, the leggies are coming on fairly early m the innings, sometimes in the first 15 overs. Shane Warne, though not exactly among the wickets, has commanded the greatest respect from every batsman, with his control and variety.

The increased use of spin for strategic advantage has not stopped with leg spin in this World Cup. Venkatapathy Raju has led the left arm spin brigade, in spite of being in and out of the team. He has succeeded in arresting the run rate as well as obtaining breakthroughs almost at will, as he did against the marauding Australians. Both Richard Illingworth and Aamir Sohail have proved economical (till the quarter-finals and both have picked up a few wickets for England and Pakistan respectively. Asif Karim of Kenya returned some splendid figures and generally bowled in a beautiful arc that did him and Kenya proud. Among the off spinners. Aashish Kapoor did not disgrace himself on the solitary occasion he was tried, while Mark Waugh twice provided vital openings to win matches for his side.

With Manoj Prabhakar resorting to off spin. Sachin Tendulkar doing a more than useful job in that style and now Phil Defreitas switching to off breaks in the quarter final against Sri Lanka, there is a sudden explosion in readymade off spinners. The great Jim Laker must indeed be turning in his grave at this slight to his art, but this
is a trend brought on by the flat nature of pitches in the subcontinent and the massacre of the quickies on them. In addition, almost every fast" bowler of any merit has now added to his repertoire an off break as a slower ball.

Of course, another popular ploy in the tournament is now almost standard practice with many teams. Sri Lanka leads the way with two pinch hitters opening the innings. Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana have blazed a trail of attacking batsmanship in this tournament which for sheer audacity and entertainment, value can have few parallels in recent cricket history. Sachin Tendulkar has played so many electrifying innings at the top of the order that a more conventional approach by the Indians has now become virtually unthinkable

The South Africans have been the most flexible in terms of strategy and they have not hesitated to replace their 'agriculturist' opener Palframanan with the more orthodox Andrew Hudson, who too has scored rapidly but in a more refined manner. They have studied their opponents very closely and adapted their game plan to suit each individual opposition team.' Against Pakistan for instance they swept their way systematically to success, but adopted more orthodox tactics in other encounters. They have kept Paul Adams largely a secret, perhaps the best kept one of this contest. By the time you read this, the value or otherwise of this particular tactic will have been there for all to see. If memory serves me right, no bowler of 'chinamen' and left am googlies has figured in a World Cup match before Paul Adams, proof in itself that the mega event has come a long way from its exciting but relatively unsophisticated beginnings in 1975.

Cup for bowling stardom

By V Ramnarayan

(From Madras Musings, February 1996)

The Wills World Cup promises to be a bowlers' contest for stardom more than any of its predecessors, with a number of exciting new talents emerging in the recent past. Veteran of 200 Test and 87 one-day international wickets, Shane Warne will certainly figure at the very top of the popularity charts unless he decides to skip India as well as Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Easily the most glamorous spinner of the Cup, the Aussie will face the sternest test of his career if and when he comes up against the Indians who have, in the past, succeeded in collaring him. The other wrist spinners, Anil Kumble and Mushtaq Mohammed, will almost equally be the cynosure of all eyes as they spring to their task to the accompaniment of deafening local roars.

The spin department may even draw more attention than all the others with Paul Adams of South Africa and his extraterrestrial bowling action providing drama of a kind not witnessed before. Muthiah Muralitharan will be another centre of attraction and his bowling action will be debated, until the cows come home, at cricket grounds and in drawing rooms across continents. For Aashish Kapoor of India, who learnt his cricket in Madras, this will be a great opportunity to display his flair for instant cricket. Besides his offspin, Aashish can bat attractively and innovatively. If the young man grabs his chances, he may achieve international celebrity status before the end of the championship. And let us not forget Venkatapathy Raiu, who may surprise the lot.

Among the quickies, it will be every Indian's fond hope that Javagal Srinath will enhance his reputation as one of the fastest improving bowlers in the world. His stint with Gloucestershine in the English county circuit was an education that helped the' Karnataka paceman's graduation into the ranks of the world's leading speed merchants. With experience has come the maturity to bowl within himself in limited overs competition. Perhaps Azharuddin will feel emboldened to bring him on in the slog overs instead of turning to his second string as he did last season. Venkatesh Prasad too is an improved bowler while Salil Ankola, if he finds a place in the playing eleven, may prove the surprise package of the Indian attack, to go by his recent track record.

I cannot escape the feeling that the World Cup may mark the beginning of the end of the road for veteran all- rounder Manoj Prabhakar, to judge from the decline in pace and accuracy noticed in the series against New Zealand. With Prabhakar, however, you can expect always the unexpected and he may well bounce back, stung by suggestions that he may be over the hill.

Dominic Cork, the new Botham whom England supporters want so desperately to live up to that expectation, is the only English paceman with the ingredients of charisma, though his relatively workmanlike colleagues may ensure yet another semi-final berth for their team with their professional competence. Even little fancied Zimbabwe can boast of a more colourful attack with the young Heath Streak improving by leaps and bounds. Dion Nash and Danny Morrison of New Zealand are worthy performers in both kinds of cricket, but fall short of the aggression and precision of their trans-Tasman counterparts, McDermott, McGrath and Reiffel.

Pakistan has Akram and Waqar Yunus and New Zealand has Chris Cairns. These are three pace bowlers who can be expected to turn matches upside down with their aggressive bowling.

Man to man, however, no other side in the competition appear capable of matching the South African combination of Allan Donald, Fanie De Villiers, Shaun Pollock and Brian McMillan. Young Pollock, one of the world's most exciting young fast bowling prospects, some say he's the fastest bowler in the world, will be keenly watched by the critics to see how he fares on the placid wickets of the subcontinent.

"Never make the mistake of writing off the West Indians", is probably the most sensible piece of advice you can offer anyone going into the World Cup. The old firm of Ambrose and Walsh, supported by new partners, can wring life out of the deadest of playing surfaces. Smarting under recent reverses, the West Indians will be thirsting for success in the Cup. With Lara back in the side, their fast men will be bowling with their tails up.

Sri Lanka has a sharp new pace attack consisting of Vaas, Wickremasinghe, and Pushpakumara. While Wickremasinghe came into his own in the WSC matches in Australia after a relatively indifferent Test series, Pushpakumara has impressed one and all with his persistent pace. But their left-handed partner, Chaminda Vaas, has been the pick of the Lankan attack. If I were to pick the one quickie likely to emerge as the strike bowler of the World Cup, I'll put my money on this talented left armer. It will be a shame if the threat of violence denies this fine young athlete the chance to bowl Sri Lanka to glory in the Wills World Cup.

The best of two worlds

By V Ramnarayan

(From Madras  Musings, June 1995)

Jayakrishna Ambati has a string of achievements to his credit, achievements that put him in the prodigy class. This 24-year·old physician, medical scientist, artificial intelligence expert and electronics engineer rolled into one has been recognised as outstanding and lionised in the US where he now lives. 

If on reading of Jayakrishna's exploits. you think they are hard to better, wait till you read about his younger brother's. By now it is common knowledge that 17 -year-old Balamurali Krishna Ambati has become the world's youngest doctor, with honours in all basic sciences, medicine, paediatrics, psychiatry, neurology, emergency medicine, community medicine, ophthalmology, otolaryngology and neurosurgery. Bala has been featured in newspapers and magazines in four continents and appeared in several TV and radio programmes worldwide.

I had the pleasure of meeting the parents of these gifted brothers. To meet proud parents Murali Mohan Rao and Gomathy on their recent visit to Madras was to catch a brief glimpse of the well-directed love and guidance responsible for the growth and development of the two gifted brothers.

A few minutes after I reached their newly built home in Mahalingapuram, where the Ambatis were staying, the family arrived after a hectic round of visits. It was 8.00 p.m. and pitch dark, thanks to a power breakdown. "I thought the power cut was confined to the morning," remarked Bala, innocent of the ways of Tamil Nadu's power supply agency. After a few minutes of desultory conversation, we decided to go ahead with the interview in the dark! Unknown to us, Jayakrishna had gone walkabout, in search of candles, as I learnt later, a search that took him as far as T Nagar.  Bala was by then resigning himself to yet another press interview only to be reassured that I'd talk to his parents. Obviously grateful for this reprieve, he gave a wonderful, boyish smile that said it all.

It is pretty obvious to even the casual bystander that the Ambatis are a closely knit, old-fashioned family where traditional South Indian values are respected. Much of the conversation within the family is in Telugu, without a trace of an American accent. In attire, too, the family is difficult to tell apart from the average Madras family. Murali Mohan Rao takes pride in the way his children have been brought up to be truly Indian in their cultural outlook.

Murali Mohan Rao was the fifth of eight sons born to Ambati Subbaraya Gupta, ICS, the first Indian District Magistrate of Cuddapah District. Ambati senior was an ashtavadhani, or an adept at the simultaneous performance of eight different feats of mental agility. After his schooling at RECC High School, Perambur, Murali Mohan Rao finished his B Tech at IIT Madras in 1969. From then, until his departure for the States in 1980, he taught maths at Voorhees College and CMC School in Vellore, followed by a stint at IIT, Madras. In the US, he studied industrial engineering and operations research.

As Murali Mohan Rao grew up, the atmosphere at home was conducive to learning and academic excellence. Another brother to benefit from this helpful atmosphere was Ramalingeswara Rao,  who recently retired as Deputy Director of Health Services. "He does not even own a house," remarks Murali Mohan Rao, proud of his family's standards of integrity. He strongly believes that the mother's presence at home is vital to the well- being of the children, the reason why his wife Gomathy has not taken up a full-time job, though qualified. "Why should the wives of Indian doctors in the US take up jobs when they are so well off? I call It greed."

Gomathy, who is from Madurai, had a degree in mathematics before she went on to higher studies in Tamil. In the US, she obtained a master's degree in education. She teaches a couple of courses at the University, once she has completed her daily household duties. During the first three years of the Ambatis' stay in the US, it was Gomathy who took care of the boys' educational and development needs at home, while Murali Mohan Rao was settling down in his studies. Jayakrishna was ten and Bala three then.

It was Gomathy who first noticed Bala's precocious talent, his language skills, cognitive ability and mathematical aptitude. Jayakrishna would also participate in honing young Bala's prodigious intelligence and memory. Bala could spell quite well at three and knew the multiplication tables before he was five. Yet the US school system did not permit him to join school until he was six.

It was only after Murali Mohan Rao completed his higher studies and started his teaching career that he started devoting time to Bala's intellectual stimulation. He used his new professional status to repeatedly argue with the administrators to win Bala double promotions.

There were, and still are, several brainstorming sessions in the Ambati home, making learning a pleasurable experience - the word 'fun' is anathema to Murali Mohan Rao. There would be quizzes on maths, physics, the environment and so on, in which all four would take part enthusiastically.

The Ambatis follow a traditional lifestyle at home - respect for elders, humility, our spiritual heritage, discipline are important ingredients. There is much Telugu spoken and an effort to bring the boys up as normal persons. Sport is not ruled out - basketball is a favourite and chess is more than a hobby with both the sons. All four are regular visitors to the Hindu temple where they conduct an Educational Excellence Programme on Saturday afternoons to train middle and high school students to prepare for the National Merit Scholarship and SAT exams.

It is easy to see the close ties of the Ambati family, the parents' affection and pride in their children, tempered by orthodox Hindu parental ideas of discipline. No smoking or alcohol is allowed in the house. The young men are models of good behaviour and excellent manners.

Just as the family was getting ready to leave for elder statesman  C Subramaniam's house for dinner, Jayakrishna returned triumphantly with the candles, to lighten the gloom, but, alas, too late to join the conversation. In a refreshing display of adolescent curiosity, Bala asked me whether I spoke Tamil or Telugu and we exchanged notes on our respective heights. 
I asked him whether he watched the TV serial 'Doogie Howser, MD.', the story of a teenage surgeon much like Bala. He is quick to point out that he has been around longer than the serial. In fact, after graduating in biology at 13, he had declared his intention of completing his medical degree by the time he was 17. The TV serial followed a year later, perhaps even inspired by Bala. Like Doogie Howser, Bala is a brilliant young doctor with a maturity and wisdom far beyond his years. Like Howser, too, he does show flashes of boyish innocence and humour.

Power supply as yet unrestored, I came away seeing in different light the simplicity of a family that finds itself in the limelight, their patience with the irritants of life in Madras after the  luxuries of America, there fierce pride in their Indianness. They appear to have found the right mix of tradition and modernity. They are excellent examples of the merits of the best modern education, aligned with a world-view and nourished by the values of a well-knit, traditional Indian family.

INDEPENDENCE DAY 2016 MS TRIBUTE CONCERT

Dear Rasikas, 

Here's a story with this reminder of the MS TRIBUTE concert by N Vijay Siva 

10am, 15 August 2016 , 

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan 

MS was having lunch with some distinguished people 

when she saw a tall man who kept looking at her as he drew on a piece of paper. 

When he finally showed her the picture she gave a bright smile.

But back at home she said with a puzzled look, "Do I really look like that?"

This is the picture. And the painter, yes, you have guessed his name - MF Husain.  

The annual vidwan

Growing up at Suprabha, our home on Murrays Gate Road, meant regular home delivery of haircuts. 

We boys were sat on a stool in our disused garage, and Ekambaram, tall, slim, balding and Hitler-moustachioed, came dressed in his three quarter sleeved white shirt and veshti, and a neat little box of instruments, not very different in appearance from the case our family doctor carried on home visits. Ekambaram had no pretensions to aesthetics. 

To him the hair cut was just that, and the less foliage he left on his poor victim's head at the end of his ministrations the more successful was his mission. My father used to joke that Ekambaram inverted a pot on your head and snipped all round it.

Ekambaram was versatile. On Deepavali morning he was one of our earliest visitors. With his nagaswaram. He was, in addition to being the worst barber in the world, the worst musician as well. 

Normally tight-fisted in the best Mylapore brahmin tradition, my family rose as one man to shower cash and new clothes on Ekambaram. Rather than any philanthropic urges, we owed our generosity to a strong desire to get rid of the assault on our ears.

Watch this space for more on the old practice of barbers doubling as nagaswara vidwans (some of them excellent exponents of both arts).

Bulleya ki jaana main kaun

JustUs Repertory's AHAM SITA Tour Schedule

AHAM SITA

(Written, directed and narrated by Gowri Ramnarayan)

Dance: Vidhya Subramanian

Recorded Vocal: Savita Narasimhan and Aditya Prakash

Music Direction: Gowri Ramnarayan

Lighting Design: B Charles

SCHEDULE

SAN JOSE

Fri, April 8, 2016, 7.30 pm 

PHOENIX

Fri April 15, 2016, 7 pm 

Sun, April 17, 2016, 4 pm 

AUSTIN 

Sat, April 23, 2016, 6.30 pm 

ATLANTA

Sun, April 24, 2016, 4 pm 

CHICAGO 

Wed, April 27, 2016, 6pm

International House, University of Chicago 

1414 East 59th Street, Chicago, IL 60637

Fri, April 29, 2016, 

NIU Naperville Meeting & Conference Center

1120 E. Diehl Street, Naperville, IL 60563

CONTACT 312 436 2789, mridu.sekhar@gmail.com

www. kalapriya.org

Gowri Ramnarayan's US tour: AHAM SITA

With dance by Vidhya Subramaniam and Savita Narasimhan's recorded voice

(Photographs will be added later)

Our first show at San Jose went fabulously.

The theatre is clean, spare, nothing to write about, lighting basic mostly because we had to give cues, 

no lighting man here.

These limitations did not matter. 

But the audience! Their response was astonishing. They were with the production right through.

And sent some really interesting observations. 

The photos by Swagato are really special

Gowri Ramnarayan

I enjoyed how this popular theme was developed and presented from the feminine perspective.The narrator cum sutradhara, Gowri Ramnarayan, who wrote and emoted the characters of Sita, Urmila, Ahalya, Soorpanakha and Mandodari, was very convincing and effective. She set up the context and moved the story along succinctly. 

Vidhya Subramaniam's  finessed dancing and emoting of Sita from when she was a young innocent girl to when she was a jaded, used, rejected and finally a defiant queen was also equally enthralling. The costume changes with simply a dupatta was brilliant. 

The minimalistic stage setting, props and lighting were all well thought out and executed,( although the spotlights lacked the intensity or angle to reveal your nuanced facial expressions. Problem with most theaters for dance). 

The recorded music by Savita Narasimhan and Aditya Prakash augmented our experience of the storyline and characters. 

The music in many Indian languages with so much varied content, including konnakol, in just the appropriate ragas, was also very much appreciated. 

The message in the end that each one of us is Sita, and who likewise need to break the stereotypical mold, refusing to allow others to define us, was very powerful and timely. 

Overall, it was a satisfying, thought provoking and enjoyable performance making us want more.

Prema Sriram

Notes from Kalakshetra

Part 1

Nostalgia is wishful thinking in reverse gear. At least that could be the worst case scenario when an old man like me settles down with a drink like Mr Mulliner at the Anglers' Bar and begins to unleash his tales of fancy from the past, always seen through rose-tinted spectacles.

At its best, however, nostalgia can make you stop and ponder a while amidst the frenetic business of life. If you happen to be honest and objective, and not a victim of syrupy sentimentality, you can actually take stock of both the past and the present, try to see where we have evolved as humans and artists or sportspersons, and where we have allowed time and technology to force shortcuts on us, thus depriving us of something precious that may never come back.

As a writer on cricket, I am invariably asked to recall the past in fascinating ways my editors conjure up. ''How would the greats of my era have fared in today's cricket?'' is a constant refrain. Every time I succumb to such pressures, I find I annoy as many people as I please. Nostalgia- lovers enjoy these stories from the past, though they often accuse me of playing favourites or forgetting to mention their own heroes. Of course, those who worship at the altar of the spectacular present have little patience with what they see as my partisan preference for the past masters. Sometimes, it can all turn out be a lose-lose situation.

Watching some Kalakshetra dancers and musicians past and present at the recent Bani Festival stitched together by the director of Kalakshetra, her staff and her students, I was curious to test my own nostalgia quotient against acceptable parameters of objectivity.  The chronologically graded format of the programme the evening the Kalakshetra bani was presented enabled me to measure the young talent on view with the remnants of the consummate artistry of the seniors, almost all of them septuagenarians today.

The performances of the youngsters who gave margam displays in groups of six gladdened the heart. I shall write about the individual artists in a later post, but it is good to see that the strong foundation laid by Rukmini Devi and strengthened by the early efforts of the likes of Sarada Hoffman and several other good teachers has resulted in a continuing vibrancy of tradition and excellent adherence to techniques. The all round good taste of the institution still pervades every aspect of the programmes offered by Kalaksetra--from the beautiful stage decor, and lovely costumes (though these have grown more ornate through the decades),  to the well-mannered courtesy and quiet dignity of the staff senior and junior as we;; as the volunteers. I can hear murmurs that chaos occasionally tends to rule, but that is preferable to efficient rudeness. Vocalist Harikrishnan was in sublime form, his raga suddham and seamless, sruti-perfect voice an object lesson to many practitioners of Carnatic music. His elaboration of the raga Sahana was easily the best I have heard in many a summer.  

Among the veteran dancers, Shanta and VP Dhananjayan and A Janardhanan gave us glimpses of the technical skill and poignant interpretation of the lyric and theme that made them special in their heyday, Balagopalan stole the show with his extraordinary abhinaya in a cameo appearance. The nattuvangam by Savithri Jagannatha Rao would have won the approval of the giants of yesteryear. It was firm, precise and dignified.

To return to the ambience that made the event so refreshing, the floor seats were, as always, occupied by studious youngsters and some superfit oldies, eagerly drinking in the action on stage. Here again I could not help remembering how 40 years and more ago, I sometimes joined my wife and children of the family as a member of the tarai ticket audience. (The first hints of our mortality were not so subtly conveyed to us when in time the ushers and usherettes started directing us to the chairs). 

It was from these vantage seats that we watched in awe as Janardhanan and Venkatachalapathy as Rama and Lakshmana, Krishnaveni  as Sita and Balagopalan as Hanuman wove magic before our eyes. That every role in the Ramayana dance drama was paid the utmost attention was illustrated for example by the diminutive Stella Uppal's hypnotic gambolling as the golden deer which made Sita's fascination so believable. The grand music by Mysore Vasudevacharya and others sung by Sitarama Sarma, Pasupathy and others often made you turn year eyes away from the stage towards the orchestra pit. It is no exaggeration to say that Hariprasad and company had a similar effect on us last week.  (To be continued).

HLF Part 3

A festival of people and literature

Hari Mohan Paruvu used to be a tall, strapping young fast bowler. When I met him recently at the Hyderabad Lit Fest, I realised that he was still a tall, strapping fast bowler, though looking slightly older than when he played in the Ranji Trophy during 1985-87.

Hari has become a successful author and life coach, with his books and his movie, his lectures and workshops for cricket aspirants and yes, dance students! I first met him at the Chennai launch of his first novel The Men Within, and remember walking up to him and telling him how much  I enjoyed reading the book (though I don't trust my memory any more). We met again at two book events at Hyderabad (the release there of my Third Man) and Chennai (a discussion on Hari's 50 Not Out and Third Man) moderated by our common friend, the brilliant Krishna Shastri Devulapalli (though anyone who knows Krishna knows that he is incapable of moderating anything).

As I said before, I owed my participation in HLF 2016 to Hari's efforts and he also conducted my panel with admirable flair. I also caught a brief glimpse of his workshop focussing among other things on goal setting for youngsters in the same festival. Hari made me feel welcome at HLF and also took me to Vidyuth Jaisimha's cricket academy, where I struggled to bowl one good ball in six deliveries I attempted, and he gave me evidence that he can still bowl impressively. Looking at him I had no trouble believing his account of his regular stint bowling in the nets, even if he is himself more than 50 not out today.  We had a long and meaningful conversation with his efforts towards sports promotion and teaching of life lessons based on his cricket experiences, and hopefully, our paths will intersect in this regard some day.

The organisers of the festival were a friendly and helpful lot who made the delegates feel at home. Prof. Vijay Kumar was a cheerful, sprightly presence throughout the festival, and Jayesh Ranjan IAS was again a most helpful head of the organising committee. The theme of the festival was most thoughtfully inclusive of the marginalised, such as dalits and transgenders, the differently abled and the differently oriented. I was heartened by the overt support HLF extended to free speech and dissent, nowhere better exemplified than in the pride of place given to Nayantara Sahgal. The sessions featuring Kiran Nagarkar and Pervez Hoodbhoy of Pakistan were brilliant examples of discourse that rose above jingoistic noise(More about these in the next instalment).

Meeting Amala Akkineni after a considerable gap was one of the highlights of my HLF experience. I first met her when she was a teenage student of Chennai's Kalakshetra, one of the brightest talents to have learnt bharatanatyam there, and I watched her grow into a fine dancer, film actor, and burgeoning champion of animal welfare, before she moved to Hyderabad. Listening to her speak at HLF was a revelation: her espousal of the cause of animals and our ecology is marked by such wit and wisdom.

My FB friend Subbarayudu Kameswara did me proud by attending my panel discussion and getting his copy of my book signed by me. The learned professor was soft spoken and modest to a fault. My former State Bank colleague BS Prakash was an enthusiastic visitor to the Lit Fest and possibly its biggest buyer of books. I cannot thank him enough for the trouble he took over me during the three days.

­

HLF Part 2

A festival of people and literature

If Mahesh Rangarajan, the environmental historian, was brilliant in his discourse on Nature and Nation, the anchor Aloka Parasher-Sen was a knowledgeable facilitator. The session left me, an ignoramus on the subject, thirsting for more, proving quite expensive as I bought every book by Mahesh Rangarajan available at the HLF bookstall.

The panel on Free Speech and Censorship was made memorable by Nayantara Sahgal’s gentle and supportive ways with the firebrand Maharashtrian Dalit writer Urmila Pawar, who was initially quite diffident about her lack of English. In this session and a later one, Pawar spoke of how all Dalit writing started out swearing angrily at God. She was not only the first Dalit woman writer from her part of the world , she was the first feminist author as well.

That evening I met my old friend George Abraham, blind, and one of the best communicators I have known,  in the hotel lobby. With him was Shakila Maharaj, a South African, also blind and a communicator. Though ready to drop at the end of a long day, I decided to wait up for George for a cup of coffe at the restaurant after he returned from his visit to a friend. George, a resident of Delhi,  and I go back a long way—since 2000 in fact, when he came to Chennai to organize the cricket  World Cup for the Blind and I interviewed him for the city portal Chennai Online. When we met around 11pm, it was well worth the wait, for George had stories to tell, stories of his exciting media ventures. He even produced a teleserial, Nazar ya Nazariya, stressing the need to empower the physically challenged. His Score Foundation helps people with disability and he is a proud man who has made light of his own disability, caused in childhood by an attack of meningitis.

George’s friend Shakila is a South African of Indian origin who lives in Durban, and speaks with an Irish accent, thanks to her early years in Ireland. Her husband Maharaj defied parental disapproval to marry her despite her disability. Shakila has had a successful career in the fashion business and now does audio descriptions for films so that the blind can enjoy them in the theatre. She has also written a film script, a comedy with three blind men and their loves, with a dash of mystery thrown into it.

If meeting George after a long gap was thrilling, with Shakila, it was instant friendship. It felt great to be accepted with total trust by someone you have just met. The three of us really hit it off.

George’s panel Through the Lens’s Eye had another member, Partho Bhowmick, who incredibly teaches the visually impaired photography. The panel was moderated by
L Subramani, a blind journalist who guided the conversation expertly, bringing out the best in each panellist. When I asked a question during Q&A time, Subramani stunned me—and the audience—by declaring that he once worked under me and that he owed much of his success to me! I, of course, remembered that he had been a sports correspondent reporting to me at Chennai Online. I was not only embarrassed but moved to tears as Subramani dwelt on my sterling but entirely imaginary qualities. I accosted him immediately after the discussion, and said, “Why did you do what you did? You know I never had a kind word for you when we worked together. I was always pulling you up for some lapse or other, even accusing you of laziness.´ “That is what you did for me sir,” Subramani replied. “You made me an honest, hard working journalist not taking advantage of my disability.”

Through the Lens’s Eye was accompanied by a delightful side show orchestrated by the lovely Anju Khemani—who runs the organization Drama for the Deaf—and a number of deaf members of her theatrical troupe, for whose benefit she was signing furiously throughout the session.

The next afternoon, Shakila and Partha Bhowmick were in conversation with Anju Khemani. Both explained their work most interestingly to  a most attentive audience.


I normally do not ask questions at seminars and panel discussions, rather afraid of making a fool of myself, but this time I could not resist the temptation, only I was a bit late off the starting block. Anju said, “We are already running late, but I will allow this one question from a special guest, who took a special interest in a blind employee. In fact, I am going to invite Mr Ramnarayan to HLF again next year.”

It was all rather heady, not at all what I had expected at HLF. Little did I realise, though, that more pleasant surprises were in store on the morrow.