Category: history

“This is All India Radio”

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“This is All India Radio, and here is the news read by Melville de Mello.” Nine p.m. and the family is gathered around the radio, as the deep baritone voice begins to read the news of the day–news from home and abroad; the only news that the nation absorbed and digested before retiring for the night. The radio was the meeting point for all generations, and the source of connection to national and international events. And indeed, it was All India Radio that defined this coming together.

Radio broadcasting services started in India during the British rule in 1922-23 under the initiative of the Bombay Presidency Radio Club.  In 1927, the Indian Broadcasting Company (IBC) was set up as a private entity and was granted permission to operate two radio stations. On 23 July 1927 the IBC made the first ever radio broadcast in the country from the Bombay Station.This event marked the start of organised radio broadcasting in India. The Calcutta Radio Club came into existence five months later. IBC dissolved its operations on 1 March 1930; thereafter the Imperial Government took over the broadcasting operations. The Indian State Broadcasting Service (ISBS) was started on 1 April 1930 on an experimental basis for two years, and then permanently from May 1932. Eventually on 8 June 1936, it became what came to be known as All India Radio. It was also in 1936 that the first daily news bulletin was introduced.

All India Radio’s signature tune was synonymous with the name AIR. It was composed in 1936 by Walter Kaufmann, a Czech Jew who was one of the many Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution in Europe who sought refuge in India. Kaufmann became the director of music at AIR. Kuaffman was a serious western music scholar and performer, but the tune he composed for AIR was based on the Indian raga Shivranjani. It remained the identity of AIR, and was the ‘pied piper’ tune that drew the millions of listeners to the radio as the broadcasts began.

During World War II radio was being used for Nazi propaganda and there was a strong need to counter it. Hence, the practice of broadcasting all news bulletins from one central newsroom started. Around 27 bulletins were being broadcasted every day during the war years. In a time when the press was supressed, and news censored, radio broadcasts from underground radio stations played a significant role. The radio was used by nationalists to share news about the real situation on the ground, spread the message of Swadeshi, and rally the people in the non-violent struggle against British rule. These radio broadcasts had an immense impact in rousing Indians and to step up the demands of Indian freedom in the pre-independence era.  One such story on https://millennialmatriarchs.com/2021/10/07/gandhis-women-warriors-usha-mehta/

When India attained Independence on 15 August 1947, there were six radio stations: Delhi, Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, Tiruchirapalli, and Lucknow. In 1956 AIR formally adopted the name Akashvani. The word Akashvani which means ‘voice from the sky’ was derived from the title of Rabindranath Tagore’s poem written in 1938 for the inauguration of Calcutta All India radio’s shortwave transmission service. AIR and Akashvani were used interchangeably until 3 May 2023 when Akashvani became the exclusive name.

After Independence, AIR’s offerings began to expand beyond news and important announcements to a wide range of programmes—music, drama, live commentaries, and more. It was the primary source of news as well as entertainment. Radio continued to be the favourite companion of old and young, initially as the focal point of a household. With the advent of transistors, it became a trusty companion which accompanied wherever one went. It was the provider of songs, weather bulletins and live cricket scores. AIR’s simple listener-friendly format, its ABC of Authenticity, Brevity and Clarity became its USP. The news readers became household names, and the ultimate examples of proper diction and high quality commentary—from the Republic Day parade to cricket matches. The anchors of music programmes (today’s RJs) were popular idols with big fan clubs. Radio became a quintessential way of life for Indians.

This role is beautifully summed by Santosh Desai who grew up in the golden age of AIR: ‘All India Radio had many moods and played different kinds of roles in our lives. It was the official voice of state, the keeper of cultural standards, the chronicler of the times, the certifier of reality, the breathless commentator of the current, the receptacle of small desires of its viewers and an entertainer allowing escape into an imagined world.’

88 years after its first broadcast, AIR remains steadfast, with a widely expanded canvas. It is one of the largest broadcasting organisations in the world in terms of the number of languages of broadcast and the spectrum of socio-economic and cultural diversity it serves. AIR’s home service comprises of 591 broadcasting centres located across the country, covering nearly 90% of the country’s area and 98% of the total population. Terrestrially, AIR originates programming in 23 languages and 179 dialects.

Today as we once more salute the national flag to mark 77 years as an independent nation, it is a good time to remember that it was on AIR that the nation heard Jawaharlal Nehru’s emotional Tryst With Destiny speech, live at midnight of 14th August 1947. And when, for the first time when Nehru hoisted the Indian flag from the ramparts of the Red Fort in Delhi, it was the minute-to-minute narration that the proud nation followed on AIR.

Happy Independence Day!

–Mamata

Celebrating Librarians

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National Librarian’s Day is observed on August 12 every year to commemorate the birthday of Padma Shri Dr S. R. Ranganathan (1892-1972), who is considered not only as the father of library science in India, but who has made immense contributions with worldwide impacts to the development of the discipline.

Dr Ranganathan’s academic journey did not indicate that he would end up as the country’s most significant librarian. He did his B.A. and M.A. in mathematics at the Madras Christian College. He was a brilliant student, and aspired to teach mathematics. He therefore went on to take a degree from the Teachers’ College Saidapet. He started his career at Government College Mangalore in 1917. From there on, he went on to teach at Government College Coimbatore and Presidency College, Madras.

In 1924, he was appointed the first librarian of the University of Madras. He was a reluctant librarian who at first hated to be cooped up in a room with just books and a few staff members. He missed the interactions with students and his colleagues and pleaded to come back to teaching. But other people saw something in him and knew he would do a great job. He was selected to go to the UK to be trained in library science. His principal Mr Duncan assured him that if he still wanted to give up librarianship after his UK visit, he could go back to teaching.

The experiences in the UK transformed Dr Ranganathan’s view of this profession. When he saw the difference that libraries could make in the lives of people, and how they could serve different sections of the community, he discovered a social mission for libraries, and for himself.

Dr Ranganathan served as Librarian and Professor of Library Science for over three decades, at some the largest and most prestigious universities of India.  In 1962, he founded the Documentation Research and Training Centre in Bangalore, and was associated with it through his life.

His major technical contribution to the world of librarianship was the Colon Classification system, which is even now one of the major classifications used in libraries across the world.

But as a lay-person and user of libraries, what deeply fascinates me is the ‘Five Laws of Library Science’, which he first proposed in 1924, and after several iterations, finally published in 1931. These sum up the foundational philosophy on which libraries must be run.

These laws are:

1. Books Are For Use: We have all experienced how some librarians are more concerned that their books not be ‘spoilt’, dog-eared or lost, rather than that they be read. The first law addresses this concern—the primary purpose of a library is not to store and preserve books, but rather to ensure that they are used. With this Law, Dr. Ranganathan refocused the attention on access-related issues, such as the library’s location, loan policies, hours and days of operation; and as importantly, the quality of staffing. Practical matters like library furniture, temperature control, and lighting too fall in this purview.

2. Every Reader His/Her Book: The Second Law recognizes that readers have different interests, and stresses that every reader has the right to read what he or she wants. They have equal rights to be able to access material of their interest. It fixes the responsibilities of the state, the library authority, the library staff, and the readers, and clarifies that a library must serve all users, irrespective of age, social background, or economic status.

3. Every Book Its Reader: Related to the previous Law, the practical implication of the third Law is that there should be a variety of books and that the library needs to figure out ways to ensure that each item finds its appropriate reader. This points to making the collection accessible, including open shelving. Importantly, it means that even if there are few readers for a book, each book has its place in the library.

4. Save The Time Of The Reader: This law is a recognition that library services must meet the needs of library users efficiently. One requirement for this is that the library staff must have strong reference skills, as well as strong technical skills in cataloguing, cross-referencing, ordering, accessioning, and the circulation of materials.

5. The Library Is A Growing Organism: A library is a social institution and will keep growing in terms of documents, readers, and staff. Even when a library seems to have reached its capacity, the growth would be in terms of replacing old books by new books and new users will continuously replace old users. So a library needs to be a continually changing institution, never static in its outlook.

At a time when the reading habit seems to be on the decline, and many libraries are floundering to re-define themselves, it would be a good idea to revisit Dr Ranganathan’s vision of libraries and his Five Laws. They will help us find a new direction in this rapidly changing landscape.

–Meena

Reviving Crafts: Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay

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As the country gears up to celebrate India’s 77th Independence Day, memories are revived of the significant events and persons in the unique movement that led India to her ‘tryst with destiny’ to become a free nation on 15 August 1947.

Photo: https://garlandmag.com/

Among the innumerable individuals who contributed in different ways to reaching this  momentous moment, is a name of a woman whose contributions were not limited to a single area, but spanned a wide range of fields, all of which coalesced into the empowerment and enrichment of the newly-independent nation. She was Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay—freedom fighter, actor, social activist, art connoisseur, and driving force behind the renaissance of Indian handlooms and handicrafts.

Kamaladevi’s interest in the area of crafts was nurtured in her childhood when she had participated in the creation of objects for the innumerable rituals, which were part of the daily life in many homes. She was drawn to the simplicity as well beauty in these everyday objects. But it was after she met Gandhiji that she understood this deep relationship between these objects and our daily lives. As she wrote: “How beneficial it was for us to live with them and make them an integral part of our daily existence”. She quoted Gandhiji: “Association is the essence of relationship which endears articles of everyday use to the user. This endearment finds a way of enhancing the aesthetic values in these articles, just as we love to dress up our loved ones, so we love to embellish our homes. Here, the Craftsman employs his ingenuity through creative imagination. We are mostly carried away by a finished product, may be excited by watching the process, but remain unmindful of the deep chords within us that are stimulated when we create something with our own hands. Therefore, in the Indian tradition, creation does not mean making novel and exotic articles to please one’s fancy, but endowing everything we use in our daily life with beauty. Therefore, nothing is created without a purpose”. Thus there was an inextricable link between form and function.

Khadi was more than a political symbol for Gandhiji; by making spinning an essential part of the process, he brought in respect for working with hands, and the act of creation, as well as a form of meditation and unification. Gandhiji also made the regeneration of crafts an integral part of the freedom movement. According to him, freedom was not to be defined in political and military terms only, but also in the social patterns that would lead to building inner personality, the spiritual content of the nation.

Kamaladevi was deeply moved by this philosophy. At the time, the long tradition of indigenous crafts was threatened by the rise of factory-made goods and mass production; many crafts were rapidly disappearing. For her, crafts revival and independence from British rule were interlinked agendas. Kamaladevi made it her mission to champion the cause of handicrafts and handlooms. She saw crafts not in isolation, but as a part of the rich fabric of our life involving all the creative expressions of people interwoven in their daily lives.  She began at the grassroots, travelling to the remotest villages, getting to know the crafts people and understanding their issues. She formed crafts communities, involved the crafts people in training programmes, and opened up their work for a wider audience through exhibitions and exports of handicrafts. Thus she also supported the notion that crafts could have contemporary significance. Craftsmanship need not, however, be bound up wholly with tradition. While it continues to draw strength from the past, it has also to be tuned to the present, evolve a new relationship with the current flow of life.            

Kamaladevi perceived that cottage industries had an important socio-economic and political role as these led to the decentralization of social and economic power, as well as providing employment and economic security to rural communities. Her efforts towards a crafts renaissance in India were multi-pronged. She made great efforts to rehabilitate women with craft-based livelihoods, in the refugee camps following Partition. She helped establish institutions and systems to empower artisans and to sustain their crafts: The Cottage Industries Board (CIB), the Indian Cooperative Union (ICU), the All India Handicrafts & Handloom Board, the Cottage Industries Emporium, Regional Design Centres, the Crafts Council of India (CCI), and the Crafts Museum, among others. She was appointed the chairperson of the All India Handicrafts Board in 1952.

For Kamaladevi, crafts were not only a way of recognising the significance of one’s own culture but also, of developing a sense of appreciation of other world cultures as well. It was her inspiration that created the World Crafts Council in affiliation with UNESCO. The Crafts Councils became an instrument of the different governments across the world to reach to the masters of their traditions.

Besides her seminal contribution to the revival of handlooms and handicrafts Kamaladevi was instrumental in the creation of several other initiatives and institutions in the field of the performing arts, music, and fine arts, as well as the All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) a national organization of repute that worked for legislative reforms and women’s empowerment. She is remembered not just for espousing the cause of craftspeople, but as a person whose vision was that every human being should live a life of dignity; and one who wanted to enrich the lives of people irrespective of caste, creed or nationhood.

Among the many awards that she was bestowed, the most fitting was the Charles Eames’ Award which honoured her as the one individual, who had contributed to the Quality of Life in India in this era.

Almost a century after Kamaladevi sparked the renaissance in Indian handicrafts and handlooms the country continues to celebrate their creators. 7 August is marked as National Handloom Day to remind us of their contribution to the cultural and economic landscape of the country. The date also commemorates the launch of the Swadeshi Movement in 1905, which emphasized self-reliance and indigenous craftsmanship.  

–Mamata

More on Kamaladevi:  https://millennialmatriarchs.com/2021/03/30/multi-faceted-nation-builder-remembering-kamaladevi-chattopadhyay

Symbolizing the Olympics

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Continuing in the spirit of the Olympics—after all, they will come back only after four years—today I thought we could take a random walk through things other than the mascot which symbolize the Games.

The Olympic Rings of course are the most widely recognizable symbol of the Games. The five interlaced rings are of equal size, and are in five colours–from left to right: blue, yellow, black, green and red. The five rings stand for the five continents. One or more of the five colours is present in the flag of every country. The Olympic rings appeared for the first time as a graphic symbol for the Olympic Games in Antwerp 1920.
As per the Olympic Charter, The Olympic symbol expresses the activity of the Olympic Movement and represents the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games.
Each edition of the Games has its own emblem, which integrates the five rings. These usually combine an edition-specific characteristic symbol, lettering naming the event location and year, and of course the Olympic rings.
Another strong identity of the Games is the motto or slogan. The original motto Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster-Higher-Stronger) was modified in 2021 to Citius, Altius, Fortius–Communiter (Faster, Higher, Stronger—Together). The Games’ motto or slogan is an integrating part of the emblem and is to be used only in the in the context of the Games. The motto is to be displayed, as far as possible, together with the Games emblem. Apart from this, individual Games may have their own taglines—the one for Paris being Games Wide Open.
Apart from these, each Olympics has a ‘Look’. This is the visual identity of that edition of the Games, and tries to capture the zeitgeist of the Games, differentiating one edition from another.  It is designed to promote the culture of the host country and celebrates the spirit of its people. The Look is displayed on sporting and non-sporting facilities, the city, uniforms, tickets, credentials, products, shops, medals, etc., giving a unique identity to wherever the Games are happening. The Look of the Paris Games has been designed to celebrate sport and the festive atmosphere of the Games. It has French sense of style and elegance. The major colours are blue, red, green and purple.
Olympic Pictograms or icons are stylised, non-verbal representations or instructions that help people to find their way and provide information, even if those people cannot read the language. Since athletes come from all corners of the world, there is need for commonly understood signs. Olympic sport pictograms help with their simple, unambiguous representation of athletes, typical poses and/or sports equipment, and have been a key element of all Olympic Games.  The Paris Olympics have 62 pictograms for the various events in the Olympics and Paralympics, which ‘symbolise not only the different sports, but also pride, values, and a large and diverse family’. 
 The Games also have an anthem. A Greek anthem was created for the 1896 Games but was not, at that stage, adopted as the official all-time anthem. For several editions of the Games, there were different anthems. However, in 1960, the original Olympic anthem with lyrics by Palamas and music by Samaras was adopted as the Olympics anthem. Appropriately, it speaks of achievement and of beauty, of greatness and of truth. Again, there is a theme song for the different Games, with the one for Paris being Parade, composed by Vector le Manse.
 The Paris Olympics have seen plenty of controversies, mess-ups and disappointments, as well as moments of joy, splendour, camaraderie and achievement.
2028 will see Los Angles hosting the Games.
Well, what to say but “Faster, Higher, Stronger–Together”!
–Meena

Blending Two Cultures: Anglo-Indians

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What do Ben Kingsley, Engelbert Humperdinck, Cliff Richard, Sebastian Coe and Derek O’Brien have in common? While they have each made a name in different spheres from entertainment to sport, they are all described by a common word ‘Anglo-Indian’.

This word which was more often heard when we were young, as compared with today, was used to refer broadly to people who were ‘anglicised’ in the way they looked, and the way they lived. They were often better English-language speakers, wore ‘western’ clothes and ate food that combined local as well as ‘foreign’ flavours. They appeared in literature as ‘gora memsaabs and sahebs’.

The term Anglo-Indian commonly refers to people with British and Indian parentage. Legally, it means Indian citizens who are of European descent on their father’s side – which means that their paternal ancestors could be British, French or Portuguese. Thus the history of this community is tied with the history of colonialism in India. It goes back to the 16th century when the Portuguese colonised parts of India. It is believed that the Portuguese encouraged their soldiers to marry local women to “create a community that would be loyal to the colonisers, yet comfortable living in the colonies”. The offspring of these couples were called Luso-Indians, and then Eurasians. Later, the Dutch and British traders and colonists also adopted this strategy. In the early years East India Company employees and British officials who came to India left their families behind. The men had relationships with Indian women resulting in mixed-race children.

The East India Company directors in the seventeenth century paid one gold mohur as family allowance, for each child born to an Indian mother and a European father. Children with British or European fathers and Indian mothers were called “country-born” and included those with Portuguese, Dutch or French fathers. These offspring grew to become what was called the Anglo-Indian community, which was a kind of middle population between the British rulers and native subjects.

The term “Anglo-Indian” was first used by Warren Hastings in the eighteenth century to describe both the British in India and their Indian-born children. Once English women also started accompanying their men and living in India, the racial lines became more defined. In the nineteenth century the British in India still separated themselves from coloured people but accepted fairer (and often wealthier) people of dual heritage as “Anglo-Indian”. Darker (and usually poorer) people were given the name “Eurasian”. From 1791 the Anglo-Indians were debarred from the East India Company’s armies and many trained the armies of the Indian princes.

The Anglo-Indian identity originally developed out of this fusing together of eastern and western cultures. But this blending of cultures over time also became a source of discomfort and alienation. Historically, the community was discriminated against by the British for their skin colour and mixed race. They were also viewed with suspicion by native Indians because of their loyalty to the crown.

In the Indian census of 1911 the term ‘Anglo Indian’ was used as a category denoting persons of mixed ethnicity. Being defined as a separate group from both white Europeans and Indians had its advantages and disadvantages. They were put in a superior group from the general Indian population, but remained inferior to the white-skinned British. Within the group itself those with lighter skin had better access to white spaces and privileges. Many secured jobs on the British civil service, trade and industry. They were described as the wheels, the cranks and the levers of the Empire-building machinery. They were employed in large numbers to work on the railways, working in many associated fields from engine driver to fire-fighter. These “railway people” as they were called, lived in railway towns built for them by the British. Later it was the Anglo-Indian girls who were the forerunners in a number of professions, from being one the first air hostesses, to teachers, nurses and secretarial assistants who were skilled at their work. They also evolved their own culture with distinct style, cuisine, and music.

In the early 1930s Ernest Timothy McCluskie, an Anglo-Indian businessman from Calcutta, approached the erstwhile King of Ratu for a 10,000-acre land to establish a settlement, or ‘mooluk’ for the Anglo-Indian community. He was granted land about 65 km from Ranchi in what is now Jharkhand, on a perpetual lease. It was a beautiful location amidst forests and rivers and more than 400 Anglo-Indian families from across the country moved to settle there. Here they created a ‘mini England’ and lived a luxurious life. This continued till the mid-1960s. The lack of livelihood options, and adequate facilities for education and healthcare led to most of the people moving out, and McCluskieganj or the “Gunj” as it was called became a ghost town. Today this almost forgotten town has some educational institutions and is an out-of-the-way tourist spot.  

In 1926 Henry Gidney, who had an Irish father and Indian mother founded the All India Anglo-Indian Association to represent and campaign for the interests of this mixed-race group.

The Government of India Act of 1935 defined an Anglo-Indian as “a person whose father or any of whose other male progenitors in the male line is or was of European descent but who is a native of India.”

When India attained freedom from British rule this community was placed in a dilemma. Those with lighter skin returned to Britain and gradually integrated into British society. Many also chose to migrate to other countries of the Commonwealth, especially Canada and Australia where they set down roots. Most of these immigrants went on to marry the within the population of those countries, and in a couple of generations were completely absorbed within the culture of the country where they had settled. However a section of the Anglo-Indian community continued to remain in India and like their immigrant fellows went on to marry Indians and gradually merge into the mainstream. However they also retained some of the characteristics of their distinct culture.

Meanwhile the All India Anglo-Indian Association, headed by Frank Anthony since 1942, lobbied for an official recognition of the group in India, and secured special provisions for Anglo-Indians in the constitution of the newly independent country. Article 366 of the Constitution defined Anglo-Indian as “a person whose father or any of whose other male progenitors in the male line is or was of European descent”. The key points of this definition were retained when Anglo-Indians were listed as an official minority group in India’s constitution in 1950. Two seats were reserved for Anglo-Indians in the Lok Sabha, and in the Legislative Assemblies of the States. These members were to be nominated by the President of India. The reservation continued until 2020 when the clause was amended, and the special status was removed.

Today the original Anglo-Indian community has dwindled considerably. New generations with Anglo-Indian roots have fully assimilated into the culture of the countries or communities that they have settled in. However in recent times there has been a growing curiosity among these to trace their ancestry and heritage. Today there are internet communities that are inviting people to contribute family histories and memories. Cookbooks with revived recipes of the distinctive dishes like Jalfrezi, country Captain Chicken and Railway Lamb Curry and pepper water are becoming popular. Community gatherings in places where there are still pockets of Anglo-Indian populations are an occasion for the elders to share reminiscences of childhood meals of yellow rice and meatball curry, lively dance parties and perhaps “the good old days.” There is a special celebration every year on 2 August which is as World Anglo-Indian Day. This was the day when the definition of Anglo-Indian featured for the first time as part of the India Act 1935.

–Mamata

The Little Red Caps: Olympic Phryges

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We are well into the Olympics—complete with controversies, exhilarating triumphs and heart-breaking failures. And we will see more super-human achievements in the weeks to come.

Overseeing all the fun, festivities and sports are the Olympic mascots of Paris 2024, the Phryges. The phryges are little red hats. This is somewhat unusual, because the mascots are often, but not always, characters—often indigenous animals or birds, or human forms representing the cultural heritage of the host country.  Generically, mascots are ‘a person or thing that is supposed to bring good luck, especially one linked to a particular organization or event; a person, animal, or object adopted by a group as a symbolic figure especially to bring them good luck’

Why is a red hat the mascot for the Paris Olympics? Well, the phryge holds a lot of significance for the French, and is a deep part of their cultural heritage. The phryge is a soft hat, generally red, which was first worn by freed slaves in Phrygia, an ancient Greek kingdom (in present-day Turkey). The storming of the Bastille prison in July 1789 marked the beginning of the French Revolution. Revolutionaries who were involved in the storming wore phryges. And slowly the hats came to symbolize the Revolution itself, and since then have since been known as a symbol of liberty and the revolution. Even today, protesters don them as they march. Marianne, the personification of France, is often shown wearing a Phrygian cap.
The Paris Olympics have two Phrygres: one for the summer Olympics, and one for the Paralympics. The Paralympics mascot  which ‘has a visible disability also sends a strong message: to promote inclusion.’

Both the Phryges are blue, white and red — the colors of the French flag.  They sport a gold “Paris 2024” logo on their chests. Their eyes are made out of a “cockade of France” –a knot of ribbons that is the French national ornament.  Each Phryge has its own personality. The Olympic Phryge is ‘the smart one” with a “methodical mind and alluring charm.’ The Paralympic Phryge is ‘a party animal, spontaneous and a bit hot-headed.’ 
Olympic mascots have been around  since 1968. They symbolize the Olympic spirit; spread the values highlighted at each edition of the Games; promote the history and culture of the host city; and give the event a festive atmosphere. They bring a personality to the Games, capturing the styles, traditions and cultures of the host country. The mascots are especially meant to connect with youth.

The very first Olympic Mascot was‘Shuss’, a little man on skis in the skiing position to which his name alludes.  He wears a two-coloured head, resting on a zig-zag flash-shaped foot with the Olympic rings featuring on his head. He symbolized the winter Olympics that took place in Grenoble, also in France. Waldi was the first Summer Olympics mascot. This dachshund, a very popular animal in Bavaria known for its endurance, tenacity and agility, was the symbol of the Olympics held in Munich in 1972.

Sydney Olympics Sovernirs
Sovenirs from Sydney Olympics Year!

Since then, the Olympics have featured various animals, birds and objects. Unusual objects have included Schneemandl’  a snowman wearing a red Tyrolean hat (Innsbruck winter Olympics); Magique, a little imp in the shape of a star and a cube (Albertsville); Neve a snowball; Gliz an ice cube (Turin) etc. There are some mascots which are not an animal, nor a human figure, nor an object. One of the most unusual was Wenlock (London 2012) made from one of the last drops of steel used to build the Olympic Stadium in London. The light on his head was similar to those found on London’s famous black cabs. The shape of his forehead resembled the Olympic Stadium roof. His eye was the lens of a camera. He wore five bracelets in the colours of the Olympic rings.

India has not yet hosted the Olympics, but the 1982 Asian Games mascot Appu the Elephant, and the 2010 Commonwealth Games Shera the Tiger, were much beloved. The Phryges follow in this beloved tradition.

So here is to the spirit of the Phryges which aim to show that sport and its values can do great things, and that sports are about fraternity, solidarity and can help society grow.

–Meena

 

 

Bicycle Marathon: Le Tour de France

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The countdown has begun for the Paris Olympics which are scheduled to begin on 26 July. Even as athletes from around the world are in the final stages of their preparation in pursuit of the prized medals, another historic sports event closely associated with France is already underway. This is the famous Tour de France, a grueling marathon race that pushes riders and their bicycles to superhuman limits. The 111th edition of this event made its start or Grand Depart from Florence in Italy on 29 June this year. The riders made their way to France where they added extra sparks to the already high Olympic fervor.

What is today considered to be the greatest annual bicycle race in the world,  watched by millions around the world, the Tour the France has curious origins. The idea for the race came from George Lefevre a journalist with a sports magazine called L’Auto whose readership was falling. He convinced his editor that the publicity generated by such a race, including the prize money of 20,000 Francs, would attract attention and boost sales. Henri Desgrange, the director-editor of L’Auto and a former champion cyclist himself, loved the idea and gave the go ahead.

The first race was held in 1903. It had 60 riders and the circular route, to be covered in six stages, was 2428 km long. Riders rode as individuals, who were not allowed to receive any help along the way. They rode over unpaved roads on single speed bikes, without helmets, even at night. They had to carry out their own repairs if required; some rode with spare tires and tubes wrapped around their torso. Lefevre covered the tour, following by rail, bus and bike, and sent daily reports to the newspaper. By the time the race ended L’Auto’s circulation had soared.  The first winner of the Tour the France was Maurice Garin, a part-time chimney sweep, who reached the finishing point three hours before the other racers, a record unbroken even today.

The race became an annual feature, and its rules evolved. In its early years the riders were predominantly French but within just ten years the race went international, attracting cyclists from many countries, eager to meet the gruelling challenges that the race offered. Over the years several mountain stages through the Alps and the Pyrenees were included. The annual race has retained its uninterrupted popularity over a century. The only times that the race did not take place was during the World Wars (1915-18 and 1940-46). In 2020 it was postponed due to the pandemic, but took place from August 29 to September 20.

Today the Tour de France route covers over 3,500 km, over a period of three weeks mainly in July. The mountainous terrain and the summer heat demands the greatest stamina and endurance levels.

The race consists of day-long sections known as stages. Each individual participant has his finish time aggregated daily to determine the overall winner at the end of the day. Individual race times are aggregated to determine the overall winner at the end of the race. The rider with the lowest overall time wins the race.

The rider who has the lowest cumulative time to complete a stage gets to wear the Tour de France maillot jaune (yellow jersey) the next day. The yellow jersey which was introduced in 1919, is the most sought-after symbol which indicates the special status of the wearer as the previous day’s leader. It is clearly visible as the riders whiz past, and the mailliot jaune is cheered on by the crowds that line the route.   

There are also other colour jerseys to indicate other achievements. The green jersey was created in 1953 to recognise the rider who wins the race’s points competition. The white jersey with red polka dots, created in 1975, is awarded to the rider who amasses the most points from the numerous categorized climbs throughout the race. The white jersey awarded since 1975, is given to the rider (below 26 years) with the best overall standing to complete the race.

From a largely national attraction when was first launched in France, today the Tour de France has become the world’s largest annual multi-day sporting event, drawing millions of fans from across the globe, and watched by billions across the globe. Fans travel from across the globe to catch a glimpse of the world’s best cyclists. Besides lining the streets to cheer the riders as they speed through cities, towns and villages, there are also enthusiasts that camp along the high mountain routes. These become a community in themselves, as they enjoy the local scenery and explore the surroundings as they wait for the pelaton (the main body of cyclists) to arrive. 

A lot has changed since the first Tour de France in 1903 which started with a 20,000 Franc prize. This year the overall leader will receive 500,000 Euros. The 2024 Tour de France will cover 3,492 kilometres in 21 stages, starting in Florence (Italy) and ending for the first time in Nice. There are expected to be 22 professional teams taking part this year, each with eight cyclists. They will be riding state-of-the-art bicycles carbon fibre bikes that weigh about seven kg, and they will have a choice of styles for different stages: flat, mountain and time trial. Each team will have access to spare bikes, clothing, food and drink in support cars, and as well as by a personal backroom staff masseurs, dietician and chefs (riders need to eat up to 7,000 calories a day – three times what average humans burn in a day).

With Paris on the eve of the opening of the Olympic Games on 26 July, there will be no room for the Tour de France’s traditional final stage finish on the Champs-Elysées in Paris. Instead the race will finish in Nice – the first time it has ever finished outside the French capital. However the race will certainly get the adrenalin flowing, which will merge with the bigger spectacle of the Olympics.

–Mamata

Maze-Amaze

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Last week, I was in a shopping area near my house, and got myself lost. Having no sense of direction, any set of streets can turn into a maze for me, and I can get lost hopelessly anywhere!

That is when I started thinking about real mazes. What would I ever do if I got into one? Probably panic and die!

But apparently that wouldn’t happen in a labyrinth. Because though most of us don’t really stop to think about the difference, they are very different! Labyrinths have a single continuous path which leads to the centre, and as long as you keep going forward, you will get to the centre eventually. So given enough time, it is close to impossible for anyone, even me, to get lost in a labyrinth.Mazes on the other hand, have multiple paths which branch off and will not necessarily lead to the centre or to the exit.

Mazes probably evolved from labyrinths, and over time took on elaborate forms including multiple branching paths, dead ends, etc.

The first recorded labyrinth is a 5th century BC one from Egypt. Labyrinths are found in many cultures, and generally seem to have an underlying spiritual meaning.  Some represent spiritual journeys which guide visitors towards a single path, which may be full of twists and turns, but there is no doubt of reaching the goal as long as one is walking on the right path. In some cases, entering the labyrinth signified death and exiting it signified re-birth. They were also fertility symbols. Labyrinths were also thought to represent protection or fortification. Often in temples, forts etc., one can find carvings or paintings of labyrinths on the floor or walls, to represent one of these symbolisms.

Some temples are like labyrinths themselves, and their orientation, form and geometry have symbolic as well as spatial importance. The process of moving through the pathways is supposed to unwind the Kundalini or stored energy, releasing, magnifying, and ultimately harnessing its flow. 

Chakravyuha labyrinth
Chakravyuha labyrinth

Many military formations adopted in ancient Indian warfare were labyrinths. The famous Chakravyūha (wheel formation, also called Padmavyūha—lotus formation) of the Mahabharata was one such. It was a very special formation and knowledge of how to penetrate it was limited to only Abhimanyu, Arjuna, Krishna and Padyumna on the Pandavas’ side. The Kauravas strategically diverted the senior warriors to different parts of the battlefield, and then went into the Chakravyuha formation, and succeeded in decimating the Pandava warriors. 16-year old Abhimanyu was there and bravely plunged into the wheel, killing many seasoned Kaurava warriors. Alas, he did not know how to get out of the formation, and at the sixth level, was slaughtered by a horde of Kauravas.   

The Bara Imambara of Lucknow houses a famous Indian maze. Said to be the world’s largest structure that is unsupported by beams, the Imambara is considered a marvel of engineering. The fourth Nawab, Asaf-Ud-Dowhala, commissioned this building during the drought of 1784 to help people in the city earn a livelihood. He invited bids and it was won by Hafiz Kifayatullah, an architect from Shahjahanabad who was already well-known by then. Work on the building started in the 1784 and finished fourteen years later.

The Bhul Bhulaiya or Maze located on the upper floor of the Bara Imambara was Kifayatullah’s masterpiece. It is said that there are 1024 ways of getting inside the maze but only two ways of coming out! Once you enter the maze, you might end up going round and round and up and down staircases without being able to come back. It is even difficult to figure out which level you are at—you could think you have climbed down to the lower floor, but may still be on an upper one!

Interestingly, about 10 years ago, archaeologists uncovered a 2,000-year-old labyrinth that is the second-largest ever found in the country. This is in Gedimedu in Tamilnadu, along an ancient trade route on the east coast of India. It measures 56 feet by 56 feet, with passages ranging from 2.6 feet to 3.6 feet. It follows a pattern similar to Greek mazes found on clay tablets from 1200 BC. Archeologists are still studying the maze.

I am not sure I want to ever go into a maze or labyrinth. I don’t want to be loster than I am!

–Meena

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Sweet Celebration

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Time was, when cakes and pastries were not as ubiquitous as they are today. Indian sweets (most often made at home) marked every occasion. A rare treat was the gift of a bar of chocolate, for a birthday, a good exam result, or a sweet sixteen romance. The purple wrapping gave the bar a special identity as a Cadbury chocolate. So much so that Cadbury became the synonym for any chocolate!

Today the market offers a wide choice of chocolates from ‘imported’ to ‘artisanal’ custom-made ones. Chocolate hampers have replaced the traditional mithai boxes as gifts for all occasions. While Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was once the daydream of every child, today children are spoilt for choice. And as a tribute to this, the world celebrates Chocolate Day on 7 July every year.

This is a good occasion to go back in history to follow the story of this universal favourite. The history goes back at least 2,500 years or more. While the cocoa bean plant may have been growing in the wild for centuries, it is believed to have been first domesticated by the Olmec Indians somewhere near southern Mexico. But in a large part of its early history, these beans were used to make a beverage. This was a bitter drink, a far cry from the ‘hot chocolate’ we know today. Moving further south, the cacao tree became part of the Mayan culture where it was known as cacahuaquchtl, and the bitter drink made from the beans was called xocoatl. This could have been the root of the word ‘chocolate’. The tree continued to migrate on to South America, through trade between the Mayans and the Aztecs for whom xocoatl continued to be the drink. Both the Mayans and Aztecs believed the cacao bean had magical, or even divine, properties, suitable for use in the most sacred rituals of birth, marriage and death. The Latin word for the cocoa tree Theobroma cacao means ‘food of the gods’.

It was the Spanish adventurers who carried the seeds back to Spain from South America. By then cocoa seeds had become an integral part of trade and commerce, even being used as currency. The seeds also transferred the tradition of the drink to this part of the world. By the late 1500s the drink became a favourite in the Spanish court. Other Europeans trading with South America brought back the beans to Italy and France. The bitterness of the drink was offset by adding cane sugar, and spices such as vanilla and cinnamon to suit the European palate. The trend moved to England where the first coffee house selling the drink opened in 1657.

By the 17th century chocolate, believed to have nutritious, medicinal and even aphrodisiac properties was a fashionable drink throughout Europe. But it was expensive because of its elaborate production process. In 1828, a Dutch chemist discovered a way to remove about half the natural fat (Cacao butter) from the liquid cacao, and pulverizing what remained and treating it with alkaline salts to cut the bitter taste. The process became known as ‘Dutch processing’ and the powder produced was called ‘Dutch cocoa’. This was what led to the creation of the early form of solid chocolate.

Meanwhile, in England a young Quaker named John Cadbury opened a grocery shop in Birmingham. John believed that alcohol was the main cause of poverty, and his shop offered alternatives such as tea, coffee and other provisions. Among other things he sold cocoa and drinking chocolate, which he prepared himself using a pestle and mortar. By 1842 John was selling 11 kinds of cocoa and 16 kinds of drinking chocolate. Soon John’s brother Benjamin joined the company to form Cadbury Brothers of Birmingham. The Cadbury brothers opened an office in London and received a Royal Warrant as manufacturers of chocolate and cocoa to Queen Victoria in 1854. The business was taken over by John’s sons George and Richard who continued to expand the product line. Cadbury’s Cocoa Essence, which was advertised as ‘absolutely pure and therefore best’, was an all-natural product made with pure cocoa butter and no starchy ingredients. Cocoa Essence was the beginning of chocolate as we know it today.

In 1847 Joseph Fry of JS Fry and Sons in England discovered that by adding extra cacao butter to liquid chocolate, he could make a mouldable chocolate paste. This led to the first modern chocolate bar. Cacao the drink took on a new form that would go on to become its better known avatar—chocolate that one could bite and chew. 

Now the Cadbury brothers had a new form of chocolate to offer, and they became so successful that they stopped selling other items.  A master confectioner Frederic Kinchelman was appointed to share his recipe and production secrets with Cadbury workers. This resulted in Cadbury producing chocolate in a variety of forms and combinations. By 1868, Cadbury’s boxes of chocolate candies became very popular in England. In 1879 the brothers moved their manufacturing operations to a larger facility four miles south of Birmingham at Bournville. The factory and area became known as the ‘factory in a garden’ which provided a safe and healthy environment for their employees to live and work. Cadbury manufactured its first milk chocolate in 1897. By the turn of the century, the Bournville factory employed 2,600 people and Cadbury was incorporated as a limited company. Cadbury’s most iconic chocolate Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate was launched in 1905.

During World War I, more than 2,000 of Cadbury’s male employees joined the Armed Forces. Cadbury supported the war effort, sending warm clothing, books and chocolate to the soldiers. When the workers returned, they were able to return to work, take educational courses, and injured or ill employees were also looked after. During this period overseas trade increased, and Cadbury opened its first overseas factory near Hobart, Tasmania. In 1919 Cadbury merged with JS Fry & Sons, once a market leader in chocolate.

In 1920 the purple and gold Cadbury wrapper was introduced as a tribute to Queen Victoria. For many years Cadbury claimed exclusive rights to use that shade of purple. The original Cadbury logo depicted a stylized cacao tree interwoven with the Cadbury name. This was replaced, in 1921, with the cursive script logo which was inspired by the signature of William Cadbury, the founder’s grandson. With some simplification, it was adopted as the worldwide logo in the 1970s and continues to be its identity.

In the 1930s, Cadburys became the leading chocolate manufacturer in the United Kingdom. Cadbury also supported the war effort during World War II by converting parts of its factory into workrooms to manufacture equipment like milling machines for rifle factories. During the two wars chocolate was a scarce luxury but Cadbury supported workers and soldiers with chocolate in care packages to keep the morale high. 

In 1969 Cadbury merged with Schweppes, a well-known British brand that manufactured carbonated mineral water and soft drinks, to form Cadbury Schweppes. Cadbury Schweppes went on to become the largest confectionery company in the world, employing more than 70,000 employees. Today it is believed to be the second-largest confectionery brand in the world.  

Cadbury was first launched in India in 1948. It had a rocky start as it tried to find a foothold in a culture where traditional mithais were firmly ensconced. It was only in the mid-1990s that a series of attention-catching advertisements helped in creating a brand which was promoted as the symbol of celebration for all occasions and all ages. Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate became the benchmark for other chocolates in India.

Once there was simply Cadbury. Now there are exclusive chocolatiers. Whatever one’s pick, chocolate is always celebrated!

–Mamata  

Happy Birthday To You!

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This month we had a family get together bringing together members from different parts of the world, as well as different generations. It was also an occasion to celebrate together, several birthdays of the gathered family members—from the first birthday to the seventieth birthday. Topping up all the celebrations including cake-cutting and candle blowing, was a lusty rendering of the song Happy Birthday to You.

It is quite incredible how this song has transcended time and space to become a universal symbol of birthday celebrations. It is said to be the most frequently-sung English song in the world. And it is sung quite comfortably by people who may otherwise not know any other word of English. What most people do not know is that this song has an interesting history which dates back over a hundred years.

The creators were Patty and Mildred Hill, two sisters who were kindergarten teachers in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Patty was not just a teacher, she was one of the pioneers who introduced what was then, a progressive philosophy of early childhood education in America. She stressed that in the early years supporting creativity, and social and emotional development of children were as important as academic learning. This could be provided by good kindergartens. The Hill sisters themselves grew up in a progressive family which supported and encouraged the daughters to have a complete education and have a career—both unconventional approaches for that period. Their parents believed that children should be free to play and follow their own pursuits as well as learn the value of hard work. Growing up in such a home had a profound influence on Patty whose future career choice would manifest her beliefs on the kind of education every child deserved. She had a strong commitment to and the importance of self-determination in activity, especially in childhood, as a means of empowering individuals to overcome social and economic disadvantages.

Patty Hill graduated from Louisville Collegiate Institute in 1887 after which she joined the Louisville Kindergarten Training School where the students were encouraged to experiment with different classroom techniques. Patty Hill began her kindergarten work as a teacher, and then became director of the Louisville Free Kindergarten Association in Kentucky in 1893. During her time at the Louisville Kindergarten Training Schools, Hill was very active in the Kindergarten Movement. She participated in numerous conferences and organized events that discussed alternative methods of early childhood education. She developed curricula that encouraged children to learn through play, music, free play, and contact with nature. The Louisville Kindergarten Training Schools became famous in the United States as the centre of innovative ideas about early childhood education. In 1906 Patty was appointed to the faculty of Columbia University Teachers College, where she taught for the next 30 years. There she developed a curriculum that emphasized the importance of a child’s first-hand contact with nature for creative expression. In 1908 she was elected president of the International Kindergarten Union. In 1924 Patty helped to found the Institute of Child Welfare Research at Columbia and also promoted the extension of nursery schools through her work with the National Association for Nursery Education, which she helped to organize in 1925.

Patty Hill served on the faculty of Teachers College at Columbia University until she retired in 1935. After her retirement she continued to give lectures and public speeches until her death in 1946 in New York City.  

Despite her significant contribution to early childhood education, Patty’s claim to fame however lies more in her links with the Happy Birthday Song. In early 1893, when she was at Louisville Kindergarten Training Schools, Patty and her sister Mildred, who was a pianist and performer, composed a simple 4-line song for the kindergarten students which had “words and emotions and ideas” that they felt were suitable for the limited musical ability of a young child. Patti wrote the words and Mildred composed the score. It had only six notes, six words, and four lines, three of them the same. They would work at night on the tune, and the next morning try out the song in the classroom. The lyrics were simple: “Good morning to you / Good morning to you / Good morning, dear children / Good morning to all.” The tune had a simple, repetitive beat, and was easy for children to follow. They tested the song with their young students until they found a combination that children caught onto easily, as they enjoyed the words as well as the rhythm.

The sisters published Good Morning in 1893 in a book of sheet music called Song Stories for Children, which they copyrighted and exhibited that year at the World’s Fair in Chicago.

How did the words ‘Good Morning’ transform into Happy Birthday, even as the tune remained the same? There are many theories, of which one is that the sisters themselves changed the words at a birthday party that they attended. In fact, the tune was amenable to easy exchange of words, and children at the Louisville Experimental Kindergarten School where Patty taught would substitute the words with Goodbye to You, Happy Vacation to You, and other variations.

By 1924, the song appeared in another songbook edited by Robert Coleman with the Hill sisters’ original lyrics as the first verse, and “Happy Birthday to You” as the second. As the song started to appear more in print, it caught on like wildfire and became hugely popular from coast-to-coast. It began to be used in movies and Broadway musicals. Ironically the sisters never published or copyrighted the lyrics to Happy Birthday to You.

There followed a long and complex battle of claims for copyright and licencing of the song. None of the legal battles produced a conclusive verdict on the song’s authorship or ownership. In the 1930s, the Hill sisters won the copyright for the song as it appeared in a songbook for children published by The Summy Co. But in 1988 Warner Communications acquired the rights to the tune. This meant that anyone who wanted to use the song in a movie or TV show would have to pay thousands of dollars. To avoid the high royalty fees, many movies and TV shows figured out creative ways to portray birthday celebration scenes without actually using the ‘Happy Birthday’ song. Despite this, at one time, Warner/Chappell Music was earning as much as $2 million per year in licensing fees from the birthday song.

In 2016, a group of artists and filmmakers filed a lawsuit which challenged Warner’s claim to the copyright of the happy birthday song, and claimed that they should not be allowed to charge licensing fees for use of the musical work. Warner Music Group lost the case, and as part of the class settlement, the company had to pay $14 million to people and organizations that had paid royalties to use “Happy Birthday” since 1949.

As of 2016, the famous Happy Birthday Song is in the public domain, meaning that it can be sung anywhere. The next time we sing Happy Birthday to You to celebrate a birthday, let’s also celebrate its interesting roots and long history.

–Mamata