indirasomani

Kolkata, Ranchi and Chennai

somanii — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:16:39 +0000

Click to view slideshow.

Toshniwal reunion Christmas 2011

somanii — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:45:28 +0000

Nanded, Maharshtra, India Click to view slideshow.

Shweta Zanwar’s wedding and reception 12/21/11

somanii — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:41:40 +0000

Nanded, Maharshtra, India Click to view slideshow.

Tirupati

somanii — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:24:27 +0000

On Monday, I went to Tirupati to see the Sri Venkateswara Temple. I’ve always wanted to come here, but I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t realize it was this beautiful drive up the Tirumala Hill to get to the temple. Once we got my ticket, I didn’t have to wait in line for hours for my darshan. I was in a VIP line that moved quickly, and my darshan was at 8pm. But like everyone else, I only had a second to look at Lord Venkateswara. Once you stand in front of the idol, the temple staff pushes you along to keep the line moving. There are a number of armed officers with machine guns in the surroundings, since the gold idol is worth a lot of money. The spot for hundi is outside the worship area in a big white sheet, shaped like a canister that hangs from the ceiling. I’m told that the temple can easily collect at least 1 crore ($188,000 with$1=53 rupees)/day during festival season. There were also a number of men, women and children walking around with balled heads, as I soon learned that the temple was a place where people shaved their heads once a wish had been fulfilled. Apparently the hair is shipped to the U.S. or Japan for wigs to be made. A special thanks to our family friends, Dr. and Mrs. Reddy, who made this possible for me. Click to view slideshow.

Mysore 2011-vs-Mysore 1978

somanii — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 06:35:56 +0000

One of the places that I have remembered the most from a childhood visit to India was Brindavan Gardens. We visited India for five weeks during Christmas break (Dec. 1977 to Jan. 1978), and at the end of the trip we came to Bangalore, Mysore and Brindavan Gardens. I have been dying to return to the gardens, since I last saw it because I remember it as a mystical place with waterfalls. But when I reached my hotel last weekend, the hotel desk said to “hold on to my memories from 1978.” She did not encourage me to visit the gardens as she felt it was not maintained the way it used to be. I refused to listen. I went and saw the gardens that day. It was fun walking around, but it didn’t feel nostalgic. Maybe because, by now I have seen so many gardens just like it in other parts of the world. My childhood memory of the gardens was at night with all the waterfalls lit up. But now, both the gardens and Mysore Palace are lit up at the same time, so unfortunately if you’re only in Mysore for one night, you can only see one or the other. I had to choose between keeping my childhood memory or replacing it with a new memory. I chose to keep my childhood memory of Brindavan Gardens as I do not even remember Mysore Palace at all from my visit in 1978. For me, the palace was worth seeing again, especially lit up at night. Click to view slideshow.

The “Dailies,” Nov. 28 to Dec. 2

somanii — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:05:37 +0000

We did something called the “Dailies” the week of Nov. 28 to Dec. 2. It was basically a daily operation of SoftCopy (the multimedia site), The Observer (the newspaper), Bangalore @ 8 (the newscast) and CityCast (the broadcast website). The students were out in the field reporting and then returned to IIJNM each night to contribute to one of the four publications. Some days students were assigned to the desk as assignment editors and some days they were in the field as reporters. We were all here, all 69 students and eight faculty members, each day and night until 10pm to review stories, headlines, scripts, video and more. I mainly focused on CityCast, which only involved the broadcast reporters. A special section was created on CityCast to run the Urban Poverty: Special Report section, a series of feature stories from the week before that covered health, transportation, labor, housing, energy, and education among the poor in Bangalore. Click to view slideshow. Some mornings the story meetings lacked proper planning and coordination from the editor in charge that day. Students were constantly asked, “did you read the paper this morning?” Something I remember only too well from my student days at Medill. As the week progressed, I think the students really started to understand what was expected of them after they first came to the morning story meetings with weak story ideas or no story ideas at all. Some students noticed how they missed stories when they read the competition the next day, the daily publications and broadcasts in the Bangalore region. Some students noticed how their stories were better reported because context was provided in their writing. Each night the lab was crazy, but exciting! By about 9pm, we (students and professors) sat in the auditorium and reviewed the day’s work. Some of the feedback included “have some more confidence in yourself,” “try to remember all the steps [when using technology] that have already been taught to you,” “you all are working really hard and sincere, but you need to work smarter. It’s a shame to see so much hard work put in, but not achieve the final product.” I remember being part of a daily broadcast operation when I taught a Maryland and of course, from my own student days at Medill. But I have never seen three tracks of students, multimedia, print and broadcast, work simultaneously in the lab to produce four different daily publications. That alone was worth seeing at the end of the day, not to mention how much the students improved from Monday to Friday. Most importantly I think the students all really began to understand how important it was to work as a team, and I’m glad I could be a part of it.

Bhai Dooj

somanii — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 12:42:01 +0000

Click to view slideshow. These are my nieces, nephews and cousins in Pune celebrating “Bhai Dooj.” This is the final day of Diwali celebrations. On this day, sisters apply tika on the forehead of their brothers and brothers in return bless their sisters and promise to protect them throughout life. They also give gifts to their sisters. It is a very sacred day for all brothers and sisters.

Diwali 2011, Pune, India

somanii — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:53:48 +0000

Click to view slideshow.

Dev Deepavali in Varanasi

somanii — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 03:47:59 +0000

Dev Deepavali was celebrated on Nov. 10th. This is the 15th day after Diwali, a full moon day, also known as Kartik Purnima. I came to Varanasi to experience this festival, where the people of Varanasi pay tribute to the Ganges river, the holy river of India. This is my first time in Varanasi, but I have wanted to come here many times, as it is supposed to be the holiest (or at least one of the holiest) city in India. The Ganges river flows from south to north. As most rivers flow from north to south or east to west, this is the only river in India that flows from south to north. In the early morning, thousands of people bathed in the Ganges. I bathed as well, by bathed I mean I went under water five times. This act of expiation means one has washed away their sins and will return home with a pure soul. One can only I hope . Most of the people were locals, but others from across India came for this act of worship. In the evening, thousands of diyas were lit across the ghats. When I say thousands, one person quoted me 10,000 crores of diyas are now used to light all the ghats for Dev Deepavali. A diya is a small tear-drop shaped clay bowl, filled with oil with a wick. Once it is lit, it burns for several hours. These decorations as well as others, like marigold garlands, are mostly funded with donations from all the residents of VaranasiClick to view slideshow..

Karwa Chauth among the ladies of “Palm Meadows”

somanii — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:58:57 +0000

I had the pleasure of filming Karwa Chauth this Saturday (Oct. 15) in Palm Meadows. This is the exclusive neighborhood of Whitefield (a suburb of Bangalore) where much of the ex-pat community lives or Indians, who have lived abroad and returned to India at a higher socio-economic position, live. It’s a day long fast performed by married women for the good health and prosperity of their husbands. It’s mostly performed by North Indian women. As Bangalore is in the south, I was thankful to be invited to film this major festival among women who celebrate the tradition. It was kind of unusual to be filming this in Palm Meadows, a highly developed westernized housing division as described in an earlier blog. The irony was that in this modern community the Indian women kept an old and perhaps even archaic tradition alive. The women dressed in fancy saris, lehengas or salwar suits with ornate jewelry. Some of the women had mehndi (henna), which is considered a symbol of good fortune for married women in the Indian culture. Some believe the darker the henna color, the more they are deeply loved by their husbands. Typically during Karwa Chauth women also receive expensive gifts from their husbands and relatives.

The Meaning
Traditionally women used to marry at a young age and then live with their in-laws or husband in other villages, leaving their parents and relatives. This was during a time of no cellphones, buses, trains, etc. By living in these new surroundings women would have no support network. As a result, when a bride reached her in-laws after marriage, she would befriend another woman, who would be her friend for life. Thus Karwa Chauth was started as a festival to celebrate the sisterhood formed among new brides. The fast to honor the husband started because this female friendship started after marriage. Hence, the festival of Karwa Chauth was to renew and celebrate the relationship between female friends. It used to be a grand social occasion when the world did not have email, cellphones or list-serves women could use to support each other.

The Puja Process
The fast of Karwa Chauth is kept nine days before Diwali. It falls on the fourth day of the Kartik month by the Hindu calendar. At 4:30pm, the women of Palm Meadows gathered in a neighbor’s home, who had arranged the puja. One of the women in the circle narrated the legend of Karwa Chauth reading from her iPhone. Click to view slideshow. Items used for the puja included: a special mud pot symbolizing Lord Ganesha, a metal urn filled with water, flowers, idols of Ambika Gaur Mata, Goddess Parvati and some fruits and food grains. A part of this is offered to the deities and the storyteller. Everyone lit a diya (cotton wick dipped in ghee) in their thalis while listening to the Karwa story. Sindoor, incense sticks and rice are also kept in the thali. In the evening, once the moon rose, the women looked for its reflection in a thali of water, or through a dupatta or a sieve. They offered water to the moon and sought blessings. They prayed for the safety, prosperity and long life of their husbands. This marks the end of the day long fast.