Sunday, 16 December 2018
Call for museum to keep 'dyeing' Sungudi art alive
In 2005, 'Madurai Sungudi' became the first product from the city to be conferred the Geographical Indication (GI) mark by the Geographical Indications Registry. On Sunday, the platinum jubilee celebration of the association was organised during which Collector S Natarajan said that the district administration would initiate steps to revive the annual commemoration of Sungudi Day to popularise the art, especially among the youth. Meanwhile, Madurai South MLA S S Saravanan felicitated veteran sungudi weavers who have had kept the dying art alive for more than seven decades. Addressing the gathering, Sreemathy said that the authentic manually tied and dyed sungudi art form was long gone with the gradual entry of sungudi variations like wax-printed and screen-printed sungudi textiles and that the traditional sungudi dots were no longer finer. She further said, "Finer sungudi dots should be revived and it can be best done by teaching the art to school children who can easily master the knack of achieving finer dots with their tender fingers than when done by adults. A museum of sungudi must be set up to document the rich heritage of the art form and to carry it forward for generations to come." Also, the youth must indulge in sugundi textile making with a sense of pride and commercialism, she insisted. Dailyhunthttps://forums.ubi.com/member.php/3443712-meekneekitto
View from the neighbourhood: Lessons from 1971
The reluctance of the political and military leadership in present-day Pakistan to abide by the results of the 1970 general election also helped accelerate the crisis." And to learn lessons from the past, for present conflicts, there must be a fair assessment of erstwhile mistakes. The December 14 editorial in Dhaka Tribune recalls the day in 1971 when "the Pakistan Army and its local collaborators systematically murdered an entire generation of our greatest thinkers in the most brutal way imaginable." Calling it "one of the worst days in our nation's history", the editorial says "over 200 intellectuals perished on this day, and the repercussions are still being felt in our nation". It then reminds the people of Bangladesh that "while the Pakistan army and their local collaborators have taken from us our best and brightest. they have not succeeded in destroying our spirit". It asks for a commitment to free speech as a way to honour those that perished all those years ago. No peace required Imran Jan, a political analyst and regular writer for The Express Tribune in Pakistan, asks in his polemical article on December 13 whether the peace overtures made by Prime Minister Imran to India Khan are "worth the effort". The article tries to dismantle New Delhi's "laughable excuses" at not engaging in talks with Pakistan. First, Sushma Swaraj's claim that "terror and talks cannot go together" do not stand Jan's test as he accuses India of fomenting violence in Pakistan and Kashmir. Second, Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat's (unsolicited) advice to Pakistan to become secular if it wants peace is countered thus: "Let me ascertain that Jinnah had envisioned a secular Pakistan. Nevertheless, even superpower states do not ask other countries to go secular as a precondition for achieving peace, let alone a hungry, naked, extremist, and rape-and caste-infested nation like India. The United States does not ask Saudi Arabia to go secular for peace between the two countries. India and Israel are allies and Israel is by no definition a secular state." The article then tries to dismantle the notion that India is a secular state, citing reports in US media about the lynching and assault on Dalits and the rampant existence of caste hierarchies: "There are endless stories of abuse and discrimination against Muslims, Sikhs and low-caste Hindus. Last month, there was a New York Times story titled "'Tell Everyone We Scalped You!' How Caste Still Rules in India". In late October, a 14-year-old Dalit girl was beheaded by an upper-caste man. Dalit men aren't allowed to ride horses. In March, one Dalit man broke with the tradition and rode one, causing higher-caste men to kill him. Avatthi Ramaiah, a sociology professor in Mumbai, said, "You may talk about India being a world power, a global power, sending satellites into space but the outside world has an image of India they don't know. " Jan then goes on the question the idea that Islamabad's peace overtures have been rebuffed because of the upcoming general elections in India, as the BJP does not want to be seen as being "soft". "The fact that the Indian leadership needs anti-Pakistan credentials for winning the election speaks volumes about how futile these peace overtures would prove to be even after the election. Imran Khan himself said that the BJP had an 'anti-Muslim, anti-Pakistan approach'," he writes. But for Jan, the problem is not merely with the Indian government but the Indian people: "the problem is not merely with the BJP but rather more with the constituency of the BJP which happens to be the majority of the Indian population. It is not just the BJP, it is this anti-Pakistan mindset that won't just disappear even if a different party is voted to power." Dailyhunthttps://www.zintro.com/profile/ziabccab10?ref=Ziabccab10
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RBI board meeting underway to discuss new economic capital framework
Of the 21 state-owned banks, 11 are under the PCA framework, which imposes lending and other restrictions on weak lenders. These are Allahabad Bank, United Bank of India, Corporation Bank, IDBI Bank, UCO Bank, Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Dena Bank and Bank of Maharashtra. On Thursday, Das met the chiefs of a few state-run banks to discuss their concerns. Lenders requested the governor to ease the PCA norms and also sought relaxation in the one-day default norm announced in the February 12 RBI circular on reclassification of NPAs. At the November 19 meeting, the RBI board had also decided to refer the issue of relaxing PCA framework to the Board of Financial Supervision (BFS) of the central bank. Unlike the last meet, which lasted for 10 hours, Fridays meeting is likely to get over by afternoon. ... Dailyhunthttps://foretagslanns.blogspot.com/2018/11/all-about-payday-loan-reasons-and.html
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No guarantee for 'guaranteed jobs'? Telangana election code puts villagers in a fix
As per the regular process, the village officials prepare proposals, review and approve them during the gram sabha meets, and subsequently take up the works. But as per the code, the officials are currently neither allowed to hold the gram sabha meets for the approval of proposals nor prepare new proposals. "The code has now delayed the entire process," says K Raju, a job card holder in Wyra. "We do not have jobs or food to feed our families. The officials keep saying that they can't help us with the code of conduct in force." In addition, the villagers as well as their representatives are now unaware of the irregularities, if any, found under the scheme. A social audit into its workings are usually held in the presence of villagers. However, the election norms ensure that the audit is now 'internal', conducted entirely within the offices, without the denizens being informed of the proceedings or the findings. According to officials, works estimated to cost up to110 crore and 90 crore were taken up in Khammam and Bhadradrikothagudem respectively. "Our hands are tied until the model code of conduct is lifted. I know many villagers are suffering due to it, but there is nothing we can do. However, we have been planning proposals for Khammam and Bhadradrikothagudem with estimated costs at 250 crore and 120 crore respectively," said an NREGS official. Dailyhunthttps://foretagslanns.blogspot.com/2018/11/no-fax-payday-loans-paperless-loans.html
Haryana's Sohna gets an artsy, colourful makeover. See pics
(HT Photo) While the image of Rhino and a child on the rock is aimed at highlighting environment conservation, an image of Lord Shiva adorns the walls of the Sohna Bus stand showcasing the inseparable connection between humans and animals. Nature, also features in the form of lady bird that has spruced up the walls of a government school, and valour of a fireman has been brought forth through his image in a fire suit. Amitabh Kumar, who painted a dog as part of the festival, shares an interesting anecdote from mythology that inspired the art. 'I was very excited to paint in Sohna. Eklavya's (from the epic Mahabharata) playground was exactly where Sohna stands currently. This is where he was practising when Dronacharya refused to give him any titulage. The piece is revisiting the story when the pandav where in the forest, and just hearing the dog bark Eklavya attacked the dog with 100 arrows. There are various versions of the story. But I thought this was a great way to remind people of the land they are a part of.' Artists from around the country got together as part of a month long Chitrayog art festival. (HT Photo) Echoing similar sentiment, Mumbai-based artist Ranjit Dahiya, who is originally from Sonipat, says: 'I wanted to paint something that resonates with local people. Ever since childhood I have heard about Sohna being known for hot springs and often referred to as 'Shiv Nagri'. So we decided to make an image of Lord Shiva where springs emerge from his lap. He [Shiv] is symbolic of universe, hence the use of dark colours.' Dailyhunthttps://www.intensedebate.com/people/zinzerginger
Ritesh Sidhwani on KGF vs Zero clash: It is not a clash or a fight
The Hindi version of KGF is being presented by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani under Excel Entertainment. Sidhwani was asked how well-prepared is the team to get enough screen space since Zero, the biggest film of the month, is releasing on the same day (December 21). "Two films have released on the same day many times. It is not a clash or a fight. For us to go on this date came purely from Vijay, Yash and the team. This date is very important in the south. We are releasing this film not only in Kannada but also other languages in south. We aren't going as big in north as Zero is. That's not the intention. So, it's not going to be a clash. In fact, there will be enough screens," Ritesh Sidhwani told mediapersons. Also present at the event were Farhan Akhtar, Yash and the film's female protagonist Srinidhi Shetty, who is making her screen debut with KGF. The film will be released in two parts - chapter 1 and 2. The date for KGF chapter 2 is not out yet. If one goes by the trailer, KGF looks like a visually compelling tale. Visual brilliance seems to be the forte of filmmakers from the south. When Akhtar was asked what stops Bollywood filmmakers from going big in the way a story is told, the actor-filmmaker said every industry has its own strengths and it's important to play on those strengths. "These (big) films excite people across the country because of the visual scale. Somebody like Sanjay Leela Bhansali makes epic visual films. So, we do have those filmmakers. "Every industry and culture has its own strengths and we should play to our strengths. I think that is what it is. You will learn as you go along and you will evolve. Similarly, American films which work here are these big, superhero films because it is easier for audience to understand," Farhan Akhtar said. Dailyhunthttps://www.openlearning.com/u/zinzerginger
Miraculous Araku
The trains have executive coaches and glass covered ceilings for better views. In monsoon, the roadway is more enchanting. The three-hour journey passes through luscious, deep dark forests, Prussian blue mountain ranges on both sides, and heavy dark clouds showering moody bursts. The road takes you through drifting aromas of black pepper, cinnamon, coffee plantations and pungent unknown ones, the smoky flavour of bamboo chicken on the way up, through gushing nameless streams overflowing the roads, cascading into seasonal waterfalls. The invisible population of Araku consists of nomad tribes that live in small clusters-a maximum of 150 people in a random one, nested amidst rugged terrains. Araku is also about ethnic art, and solo trekking. Once done with the tribal museum, coffee museum, shopping at the handicrafts store and the routine dhemsa dance performance at the guest house, walk out of the comfort zone. The Araku centre is a tiny area that can be covered in a couple of hours. Get past. Get into the fields, through the crops raising their heads gleefully, and you will be surprised at how miraculously the foreground changes. Roads around Araku are motorable up to four km radius. Then, there's only walking that takes you to places. The snaking paths that go up and down are inaccessible by outsiders but these are the ones you take to experience a new, dreamy world of simplicity. Go for a solo trek only if you want to get lost or have no hurry to return at a stipulated time. Obviously guides are not available here and GPS doesn't work. The paths would be tricky, but the journey would remain a pretty memory for a lifetime. fact file How to reach: Visakhapatnam Airport is 120 km from Araku. Best season to visit: August-November Dailyhunthttps://ask.fm/zikkergikkers
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