Author: Deeya Nambiar

I believe in taking every day as a learning phase, and exploring my writing skills. I have enjoyed the challenges as a journalist, content writer and college lecturer, and at the moment am living life analysing the extraordinary in the ordinary!

Interesting Facts

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Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh celebrate State Formation Day on November 1.

Here are some interesting facts that I came across about Kerala:

1. Kerala was named as one of the “ten paradises of the world” and “50 places of a lifetime” by the National Geographic Traveler magazine (In 2008).

2. Kerala is one of the few regions in the world where communist parties are democratically elected in a parliamentary democracy.

3. UNICEF and the World Health Organization designated Kerala the world’s first “baby-friendly state”.

4. Kerala’s road density is nearly four times the national average, reflecting the state’s high population density. Kerala’s annual total of road accidents is among the nation’s highest( Kumar KG (2003). ‘Accidentally notorious’, The Hindu Business Line. Retrieved on (2007)).

5. Interestingly, The Cochin International Airport at Kochi is the first international airport in India that was built without Central Government funds, and is also India’s first publicly owned airport

Riotous Colours

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Artist Payal Khandwala has a nice way of expressing her subjects with lines. By Deeya Nayar-Nambiar

“Lines are perhaps the most integral component of form and structure. It is this framework with which the artist visualises a drawing, sculpture or painting. In their purest form, lines come together to plot a narrative; in a non-figurative work they form the building blocks for the subsequent abstraction,” explains Payal Khandwala, a contemporary artist who has carved a niche for herself with her drawings and oil on canvas.

Payal moves her hands with ease whether it is a sketch or a painting and the lines and hues in her work make you think and decode the hidden symbolism. Payal does create an abstract visual language. In fact she constructs a physical reality for a unique intangible moment that is open to interpretation. According to her, “The mark an artist chooses to make ultimately set him apart from another; it is with this vocabulary that he will create a vision that is unique.”

Payal emphasises that when she is painting she tries to distance herself from symbolism altogether, but she does not try to make them narratives. Most of her work is abstract and she makes use of elements like colour, texture, organisation, and sometimes order and geometry.

When she works with the human figure, she tries to keep it uncomplicated. “If it is the face that inspires me, then that is all I include. I don’t like to put in a social, political or gender context into my work,” she explains. But what inspires Payal as an artist? Very thoughtfully she puts it to “many things” – urban landscape, cities like Mumbai and New York where she spent her formative years, textiles, old peeling walls, colours, textures, human forms that surround us.

But Payal is a loyalist when it comes to her colours. She says her palette is an integral part of her painting vocabulary and the slight shift of colours – glazing and making it vibrate to create a visual sensation – is central to her work. In fact she feels that controlling colours allows each painting to have its own mood.

Payal is an art and textile designer from SNDT in Mumbai and holds an honours degree in fine arts and illustration from Parsons School of Design in New York. She also got a diploma from Metafora, an international workshop for contemporary art in Barcelona. To some extent a background in textile design continues to influence Payal’s work. “I’m very receptive to vegetable dyes and Indian textiles that have such a rich and varied history. I tend to retain what inspires me and it forms part of my visual memory bank,” she says.

Payal also likes to experiment in order to break from the monotony of grayscale with dash of colour here and there in figures, adding elements of fun and humour to them. This gives a relief to her work as she tries to develop themes she is not comfortable with. This is evident from the way she has interpreted the Kamasutra in a playful sort of way, keeping the scale of the drawings small true to the miniatures but flooding it with colour.

Talking about her drawings she says, “The subject often determines this choice of line. Gestures, contours, movement have the power to change lines. The medium and scale allow spontaneity and chance and gives the map texture and weight.”

Similarly, her oil on canvas is intrinsic to cultural influences. “Without adhering to the strict formalism of tradition, the work strives to explore a new vocabulary to communicate the emotion behind an experience and to replace what recognisable symbols ordinarily represent.”

Of course, drawing and painting needs both patience and perseverance since no idea can be captured in a day’s time. And beyond that? “I’m just happy to continue doing what I’m…I try not to make many plans. This way I don’t have to break them,” she signs off.

Published in btw, Chitralekha Group

Interesting Facts: Diwali Special

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Happy Diwali

It’s interesting to know that Diwali is a universal festival. From the name to the practices, celebrating Diwali differs from state to state and country to country. Yet they all have the lamp that lights to bind them into a family.

1. As the knowledge of Sanskrit diminished, the word Deepavali was popularly modified to Diwali, especially in northern India

2. It is believed that Diwali is the day Lord Shiva accepted Shakti into the left half of the form and appeared as Ardhanarishvara (half man, half-women)

3. There is a legend that Diwali commemorates the killing of Narakasura, an evil demon by Lord Krishna’s wife Sathyabhama

4. Did you know that Sikhs also celebrate Diwali to commemorate the laying of the foundation stone for the Golden Temple in 1577. It is also known as Bandi Chhorh Divas and they illuminate their gurdwaras and homes with Deewé (earthen oil lamps) or candles

5. Lord Mahavira, the last of the Jain Tirthankaras, attained nirvana on Diwali day at Pavapuri. According to Jain tradition the chief disciple of Mahavira, Ganadhar Gautam Swami, also attained complete knowledge on this very day, thus making Diwali a really special occasion for the Jains to celebrate

6. In Malaysia, Diwali is known as ‘Hari Diwali’(except in Sarawak & Federal Territory of Labuan). The festival is also celebrated in the Caribbean, especially in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. Believe it or not, Diwali is a public holiday in these countries like in India

7. In Nepal, Diwali is known as Tihar and celebrated during the October/November period. Interestingly, on the fourth day Yama, the Lord of Death, is worshipped and appeased

8. Thailand celebrates Diwali under the name of Lam Kriyongh during the same time. Diyas (lamps) made of banana leaves are made and candles are placed on it along with a coin and incense

9. According to the great epic ‘Mahabharat’, it was ‘Kartik Amavashya’, the time Diwali is celebrated, when the Pandavas returned after twelve years of banishment

10. It is also said that on this very day Lord Vishnu rescued Goddess Lakshmi (and married her) from the prison of Demon king Bali and for that reason Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped on the day of Diwali

11. In Mauritius, Diwali celebration is an age-old tradition. It holds special significance for the natives, who believe that Diwali has been celebrated even long before the return of Lord Rama from 14 years of exile and his coronation as the king

12. Diwali celebrations were held in the White House in 2004, the first festival to be marked after US President George W Bush’s re-election

13. On the auspicious day of Diwali, Swami Dayanand Saraswati, founder of Brahma-Samaj, took Samadhi

14. Kashmiri Pandits have been celebrating Diwali for ages now. It is one of their oldest rituals, and in the scripture (Nilmat Puran) Diwali was called Sukhsuptika (means to sleep with happiness)

15. One of the unique rituals that makes Diwali in Orissa different from other parts of the country is the practice of calling upon the spirits of one’s dead ancestors

Leaving On A Jet Plane

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Tour operators as service providers are a traveller’s delight serving dream vacations on a platter. By Deeya Nayar-Nambiar

Ride a camel in Dubai, shop for designer clothes on Bond Street, enjoy the concert at the Sydney Opera House or experience the beauty of the island at the Soneva Fushi Resort and Spa in the Maldives; your wish is their command. Tour operators, a one-stop shop for all your travel needs, have simplified the concept of travel and vacation.

As the holiday season approaches, tour operators bring out exclusive holiday packages and even slash prices to woo the customers. Besides package tours for the hoi polloi, they also offer customised holiday plans for the affluent who demand a five star accommodation, fine dining at exclusive getaways.

At a time when tourism has bloomed into a global leisure activity and the buying and spending power of the consumers is on an upswing, reaching out to your favourite destination is just a matter of planning a trip according to a budget that fits your pocket. Indeed, these service providers are a traveller’s delight who serve dream vacations on a platter and offer all your necessities under one roof.

It takes only a couple of minutes but fix your priorities in advance – the duration of your holiday, the period you are travelling and the budget –  much before you decide to walk into the nearest office of a tour operator. Based on your requirement, they prepare the itinerary and organise everything for your trip.

“In customised packages you do not have readymade itineraries, but we make it as per their requirement and duration. Here the budget comes in last,” says Yogesh Selarka, chief operating officer of RAJ Travel World.

Most of the packages include airfare, airport taxes, food (mostly breakfast and dinner), accommodation and sightseeing. Yet, beside the brochures, inquire and get a clear picture of what the package is inclusive of. Remember, tour operators are only service providers; you have to make a wise buy.

Though runaway inflation has affected many leisure holiday plans of even the upper middle class, to the affluent it has made no difference. At a cost (inclusive of all charges other than the holiday packages) of about Rs 70,000 to Rs 7 lakh, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, USA, Australia, UK, and New Zealand are the most preferred destinations. However, “people are open to visiting exotic destinations like Scandinavia, Turkey, Greece, Alaska and Morocco,” says Selarka.

Destinations are a welcome but what entice you are the packages. Kesari takes pride in their Special Interest Tour that is designed taking into consideration the need of a specific segment of people. “This segmentation is done based on various aspects such as age, gender, activities, sports, and adventure etc. For instance, ‘My Fair Lady’ is meant only for women and ‘Second Innings’ for senior citizens. These tours are different from that of the regular tours, they do not have mere sightseeing but also have many fun games, fashion shows, and other interesting activities and that is why they are special,” says Sandesh Sonawale, public relation executive at Kesari. Kesari also offers travel loans for the total tour cost, including airfare; you only need to pay the initial booking amount, which will be refunded once the loan is sanctioned.

Similarly, RAJ Travels offers a Nano series to Far East, Europe and the US, which is an all-inclusive package. Likewise, SOTC, a leading brand of Kuoni Travel Group India, has many ‘Cost Saver’ tours that have been designed keeping in mind the budget of the traveller without compromising on sightseeing and basic holiday needs. However, if you are planning a more high-end customised tour, Kuoni holidays have many a destinations to choose from.

Interestingly, food, especially vegetarian, has been a concern for most of the Indians travelling abroad and tour operators have made it their USP. “We send cooks with our customers to wherever they go. And we provide only vegetarian cuisines including Jain food,” says Jitendra Shah, CMD of Heena Tours & Travels.

In fact RAJ Travels was the first outbound tour company to introduce Indian meals on its Globe Tour Packages, and their concept of ‘caravan kitchens’ serving Indian hot meals in Europe.

“Tour Guides and managers as well as cooks are mandatory additions to our packages. In fact, Cox and Kings have specially stationed Indian chefs at different European destinations,” says Karan Anand, head of business development. Cox and Kings is one of the oldest and reputed travel organisations in India that specialises in foreign exchange and medical insurance assistance as well.

And the point to be noted is travel insurance is a must, say travel operators in unison, but it is not always included in their services. You have to specifically ask the tour operator to get you insured by a reputed company.

With Diwali and Christmas round the corner and summer vacations to follow soon, tour operators are gearing up for business. “Bookings commence well in advance; even for RAJ Travels’ European Holidays the brochures come 8-9 months in advance and enquiries have already begun for 2009,” says Selarka.

Published in September 2008, btw of Chitralekha Group