White Shadows of Vrindavan

Vrindavan, for many, is the city of Radha and Krishna- a place where every street reverberates with chants of Radhe Radhe. It is also a city- in whose many nooks and corners live numerous abandoned widows, eking out a hand-to-mouth existence and existing like white shadows- thus giving the city its other name- the city of widows. While in Vrindavan recently, I met some of them.

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Taking a trip down melody lane

Recently, I went to Maihar- a place steeped in history. Right from its old palace, which is crumbling under the weight of its legacy to the town's rich musical past, Maihar is a fascinating place. It is also the place of the origin of the Maihar gharana which has produced musical greats like Ustad Alauddin Khan, Pt Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, Nikhil Banerjee and many others. The town is also home to the Maihar band- a unique multi-member orchestral group which plays only Indian classical instruments & compositions. The following story traces the origins of the band and the challenges that it is currently facing.

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True Legends?

Mythology, it is said, often has its roots in reality. Or, does it? Take for instance, the great Indian epics- Ramayana and Mahabharata. The tantalising question that crops up time and again is -whether the events mentioned in these epics actually happen? In other words, do the Mahabharata and the Ramayana have their roots in history? Did the characters described in them actually exist? Were Rama and Krishna real or figments of poetic imaginations? How much of these epics is fiction and how much is history?

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Fun & Fervour in Krishna's land

Udho, mohe Braj bisarat nahi- “Udho, I just cannot forget Braj”. This was how Krishna expressed to his friend Uddhav, his love for Braj Bhoomi- the land where he grew up and which still reverberates with his presence. This is moreso on Holi, a festival whose origins, as with so many other things in Braj, can be traced to the love story between Krishna and Radha.

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The Village of Twins

Recently, I visited Mohammadpur Umri- a small village near Allahabad. What makes this village different from other villages is that it is full of twins. Out of a total population of 600, there are almost 33 pairs of twins in the village. Considering that even 2 pairs in a population of 600 is considered to be high, this village is being considered by scientists as nothing short of a genetic gold mine.

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