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Haiku
Spirit
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| Dance
Trance: Citaristi performing |
"Most
Indians want to leave the country, while I've found complete peace here,"
says Ileana Citaristi, an Italian Odissi dancer who's lived in Bhubaneswar
since 1979. A self-confessed Indophile and shishya of dance guru
Kelucharan Mahapatra, Citaristi was in Delhi to perform a dance ballet
for the Osho World Foundation. "I'm not a sanyasin," she insists,
and adds, "but Osho's voice was so captivating, I had to perform
to it." Her dance routine, titled 'Images of Change', was
based on Haiku-(a Japanese form of five-seven syllable poems). Citaristi
blended contemporary dance, Odissi and ballet and performed with her somewhat
wooden partner, Nitin Sharma. One sequence depicted the journey of a maiden
through life. Another, unrequited love. Says Citaristi who now runs a
dance institution for local people in Orissa: "Dance is the start
to a spiritual journey." So it seems, judging by the 800-plus crowd
present.
-Leher
Kala
Sid
Basu II?
Some
hobbies are forever. "I've been quizzing since Class VIII,"
says Adittya Nath Mubayi, 28, once the star quizzer of Delhi's St Columba's
School. So now, he takes time off from his regular routine as an architect,
to conduct a quiz for anyone who asks. Last week, it was "Saat Rang:
Literature, Culture and Traditions of the Seven SAARC Countries"
for literary NGO Katha. Siddharth Basu II?
Well, Katha
chanced upon him when they contacted India's best-known quizmaster to
do a quiz for them this April; he was busy, but they were put in touch
with Mubayi who's been doing research work for Basu. They didn't regret
it: Mubayi has worked thrice with them already. "Adittya lets the
participants take centrestage. He's a gentle presence," says Katha's
Chandra Rama Krishnan. Mubayi himself says: "Quizzing is more glamorous
now. In our time it was nerds like us who would go in for it." This
nerd often won.
-Anna M.M. Vetticad
Road
Show
Sleek
railings, closed litter bins and boards may not be a dream come true,
but it can make commuting a lot nicer. Mumbai's civic corporation and
the All India Association of Industries (AIAI) have got companies like
Britannia, Reliance and LIC together, and collected funds (a hefty Rs
25 crore) for a road beautification programme. The first phase includes
sprucing up areas like Chowpatty, Peddar Road and Mahim. The companies
have also agreed to maintain the "road furniture" for the next
five years. Said Nitin Kasliwal of S. Kumar's, "We all love this
city plus we get corporate benefits." Like logos on boards and dustbins.
Good for the companies. Even better for Mumbaikars.
-Himanshi
Dhawan
Top
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In
India, youth is marked by impetuosity and prevented from getting ahead.
Elsewhere, of course, the young rule the world, says INDIA TODAY Deputy
Editor Swapan Dasgupta in 
