THE NEW YEAR

New Year in India depends on your region of origin and your religious beliefs - the Bengalis celebrate New Year in April, as do the Punjabis.  The Gujarati New Year is the day after Diwali in November, according to the Lunar Calendar.  For some, the date is linked to the winter solstice and the harvest festival, heralding a new financial year.  You become accustomed to wishing various Indian friends and associates, a 'Happy New Year', at the appropriate times, throughout the year.  So the Western, Christian, Gregorian solar Calendar year end,  in place for centuries in the West, is a fairly low key affair in India and is not greeted with the huge pyrotechnic displays of the West !   Though some of the big international hotels do make an effort, for the sake of their guests - like the ice sculpture of 2014 !

'2014' - ice sculpture

GOLDEN BOUGAINVILLEA & PALE GREEN ART DECO

BORDER CONTROL

I had always thought that only Italian women could get away with wearing sequins at midday in the supermarket !  But India changed that misconception - sequins are worn everyday by everyone, even in the hot, dusty streets, buying veggies off a barrow !

The most mundane fabrics can be transformed by bling, they even drape it over their vehicles to ward off the evil eye !  The cotton and clothing industry is big business and the warp and weft of it runs through society.  Sari shops are a dominant part of the urban landscape, tailors abound and colourful fabrics explode out of shop entrances.  And if you don't like the colour, you can have it dyed to suit your palette !

But the shops which offer the most possibility for transformation, are the Border Shops.  Row upon row of fabulous borders in all sizes, colours and designs are a visual delight.  Many of them are hand embroidered in lengths of 8 meters, to be sewn onto a sari, or narrower borders to sew onto a kurti or tunic. The proprietor of the shop usually has an expert eye for colour coordination and a good understanding of ratio and proportion, for this specialised art form.  The border, like a piece of applied art, can define and enhance the garment, raising it to another level - into something unforgettable   !

AWAY IN A MANGER......

The Christmas Carol ran through my head.....but the cows of Gujarat have no manger apart from the city streets !  They are very docile creatures, with their large expressionless eyes, long drooping ears, huge curved shoulder hump, proud upright horns and slow unhurried gait, as they create their own traffic chaos, crossing roads wherever they see fit, or even lying in the middle of the road, traffic parting on either side, to make way for the obstruction !

In the Monsoon season, they head straight for the town, where they can find dry roads and buildings under which to shelter and in winter, they prefer the town environment because the streets are warm and they can be seen sitting in groups of 5 or 6 on the dusty roads, their eyes closed, soaking up the heat of the sun.

New calves are born in this winter season and they quickly learn how to get around the city streets, under the watchful and protective eye of the mother.  However, I'd never seen a calf riding on a scooter before - the farmer had the new born over his lap, presumably transporting it out of town, but what was remarkable was the docility of the small creature, who seemed to accept this as a perfectly pleasant way to travel - but the mother cow's reaction was quite different !  I hadn't realised how fast a cow could move until I witnessed this incident - she was in hot pursuit, at a canter, keeping up with the fast pace of the scooter, her heavy udder swinging, as her hooves clattered over the road, determined to keep her new born within sniffing distance !  Her anxiety and distress were palpable.  The unshakeable maternal bond which transcends all obstacles !

THE PIAZZA

The piazza in Italy is usually found at the confluence of many streets, often irregular in shape, it might be dominated at one end by a church, or in some cases, the seat of Government.  Benches provide a place to sit and you might also find a drinking fountain, but mostly, it's a place of light and air, a relief after the narrow, dark, medieval streets.  The Piazza Repubblica in Florence was created in the 19th century, as a prestigious focal point for a city which had become the Capital of Italy, albeit briefly.  Dominated by a mighty Arch of Triumph, it is lined with expensive restaurants and an antique roundabout for children.

Increasingly, the idea is catching on in India and as new shopping malls go up, they are building them off the street, allowing for a wide, marble paved, piazza in front of the mall, away from the heat and dust of the street.  This rectangular space incorporates a perimeter wall and built in seat, running the full length and breadth of the space.  Trees, provide shade during the day and in the evening, Indian families come out to sit and chat, while the children play in the paved area in front.  Ice cream vendors are on hand to garner business and in some more up-market malls, a merry-go-rounds provides entertainment over the weekend.

With increasing urbanisation, this kind of space is very necessary, as an alternative to available park land.

DOSER

A masala doser for breakfast, is a unique and special Indian treat !   Extraordinary to look at and simply delicious to eat, they definitely have the wow factor.  Served with a flourish, they resemble a Christmas Cracker, but much longer and broader - the thin crisp pancake overlaps the plate on both sides by at least 4" and tucked into the middle, as a complete surprise and change in texture, is the curried mashed potato  !

The pancake is made from rice, which has been soaking in water and lentils, left to ferment over night, then crushed and mixed to form a batter.  This is then applied in a thin layer on a hot griddle and cooked.  Gluten and sugar free, with no saturated fats, it's packed with Vitamins B and C,  enhanced during the fermentation process.

The filling of curried potatoes and peas, is prepared to individual taste and rolled into the centre.  The doser is usually served with two chutneys - cool coconut and also a hot and spicy masala chutney.  The way to eat this amazing parcel of goodness, is to bend over the long protruding ends of pancake, as if you are wrapping a parcel and then pull off pieces of the doser with your fingers, to dip into the chutney.

Of course, making the batter is the most time consuming part of the preparation, but you can eliminate this step by buying the batter ready made, mixed for you, at the side of the road, by a doserwallah and sold in plastic bags.  The rest is up to you !

THE ART OF RECYCLING

If you haven't worn it for 6 months, get rid of it !  There's no point in keeping old clothes in the closet.  Easier said than done ?  In Italy, there are charity bins at depot sites on the side of the road, where you can deposit unwanted items of clothing, but what do you do in India, where no such service exists ?

Barkha was quick with her reply...."that's easy, a woman comes round to my house on a regular basis with a bundle of stainless steel kitchen items and trades them for old clothes, which she then sells at the market!  She'll say that she wants 10 items of clothing for that stainless steel mug, and so on....I buy all my basic household items, in this way".  The women have sometimes lost the male breadwinner in the family because they've died or become alcoholics and this is their way of bringing in an income !

SMALL CONVERSATION

"Do you buy diamonds ?"  she asked.  We were in the gym locker room briefly, after training.  Startled by this unexpected question but curious enough to play along, I made some non-commital reply.  We agreed to meet at her house, the next day.

Only in India could one be asked such a bizarre question in passing !  But then Indians love jewelry and it's an important part of their culture, especially for the bride at her wedding.  Both men and women wear an appropriate stone on the first finger to ensure good health, wealth, peace and happiness, if a planetary influence is weak, according to their astrological chart, this will be compensated by a particular stone.  This is very often a yellow sapphire, set in 24 carat gold !  Jewelry, in particular gold and diamonds, is a legitimate investment and the high proportion of jewelry shops in and around town, is impressive - the latest being Joyalukkas, which opened with much fan fare during Diwali, even featuring a Bollywood star in attendance, to draw the crowds.

She carefully opened a small packet holding 1.27 carats of  baguette diamonds.  They sparkled in the light.  "They are exceptionally good quality and have very few impurities"  she told me..."I buy only the best stones from Seurat - they come from South Africa, but are cut and polished in India".  With this she produced a magnifying glass and demonstrated the technique of checking quality.  Then came a packet of ordinary diamonds...."I can also get hold of rubies and emeralds, if you'll give me a day or two".

One of the joys of India is the accessibility of the exotic, in the midst of the mundane !

THE BANDWALLAHS

Like the troubadours of Medieval Europe, the bandwallahs travel around providing music for weddings during the marriage season.  Dressed, to kill, with caps, brass buttons and epaulettes, they have a repertoire of all the latest Bollywood songs.

The wedding procession is a major celebration and the local hotel provides the starting point for many of them, heading towards a number of nearby 'wedding plots'.  Traditionally, the procession or baraat of the groom and his family and supporters, to meet the bride and her family, takes place at night - the exact timing having been worked out according to an astrological chart.  

Two young men carry the firecrackers and rockets - these are laid and lit and they quickly stand back as  they go off with a swoosh and loud bang.  The next in the firing line, quite literally, are the two young men carrying the banner and one wonders if they've ever had to dodge the odd squib !  They're followed by the brass band - at least two tubas, a variety of french horns and cornets, which provide a blast of music, to rival the performance of the drummers further back.  They're followed by the beautifully decorated wedding carriage in the shape of a swan - the drummers provide an earsplitting rhythm - they are then followed by the most spectacular part of the procession, the 12 women carrying tall, brightly lit candelabras on their heads !

These phallic shaped electric lights in multi colours, together with the pulsating music, create an eye catching effect ! The women are linked to each other by a lengthy electric flex, as they light the way for the dancing guests and men bedecked in turbans (a mark of honour). Bringing up the rear, on a cart,  is the all important electric generator, providing power for the candelabras and microphones !


Traditionally, the groom is supposed to ride on a horse, but most elect to travel by car, embellished and decorated with floral wreaths !

The sheer energy and celebration of this procession is infectious.  The bandwallahs give it all they've got with tireless enthusiasm.  It's an important occasion, ensuring the continuation of the line and the joining of two families !


                    
                   

THE FRATERNITY OF GLOBAL PLANTS - PETREA

Petrea - another tropical evergreen plant here in India, which comes from Central America, Mexico and Africa.  Flowering in Spring, it's the tropical equivalent of Wisteria in Europe

FINDING A LINK

The Acanthus is one of the oldest plants in the Mediterranean.  It's distinctive leaf shape was adapted as early as the 5th c BC, in a decorative stylized form, by a Greek sculptor, who was inspired by a votive basket left beside the grave of a young girl - some toys had been put into the basket and a tile placed over the top for protection.  An acanthus plant had grown up through the cross weave of the basket over time, its leaves protruding gracefully.   The sculptor  was so taken by the visual impact, that he adapted it to create the classical capital known as the 'Corinthian Capital', an important element in Greek and Roman architecture.

The use of the acanthus leaf was so beloved by the Romans that they invented the 'Composite Capital', which incorporates both the acanthus leaf and the ionic scroll.  It was also used extensively in other forms of decoration, in every medium and has endured to the present day.  It symbolises eternal life, or life after death, rebirth and reincarnation.

Here, in an old, shady street, lined with Art Deco houses in Baroda,  the acanthus leaf decorates a wrought iron lantern.

THE SEASON FOR WEDDINGS

Winter is the season for weddings and families spend a huge amount of money to create the perfect occasion.  Everything is adorned with flowers - usually white and orange.  Guests wear silk and the hair is decorated with sweet smelling garlands of jasmine.