India Exposed by Clive Limpkin - Sunset in Narlai, Rajasthan

India Exposed – A photo gallery

India is serenity, beauty, calmness. India is noise, pollution, crowds. India is irony, humor, drama. India is sharp contrasts, extreme wealth and extreme poverty.

India is a billion people and you get to see many facets of their lives in Clive Limpkin’s book,’India Exposed: The Subcontinent A-Z’ (Abbeyville Press)

All photos in this gallery are by Clive Limpkin. He is embarking on another trip to India in 2010 and wants to hear from readers with comments and suggestions -  info@clivelimpkin.com

Related Article: India Exposed by Clive Limpkin

A billboard for Pepsi-flavored hookahs in Mumbai

Getting a clean shave on a slow day in Rajasthan

Woman in a Banni tribal village in Gujarat (Photo: Clive Limpkin)

A poor pilgrim in the Trichy Temple complex in Tamil Nadu

India Exposed: The most over-burdened bicycle in India

Stephen P. Huyler's 'Daughters of India'

Stephen Huyler’s

‘Daughters of India: Art & Identity’

He first entered India not by plane or ship, but by bicycle-rickshaw, furiously pedaling away – with the rickshaw driver happily sitting in the passenger seat!

The year was 1971 and Stephen Huyler, a 19-year-old student from Ojai, California, had spent over two months traveling the overland route from Paris to India, shuttling in local trains and ramshackle buses across Asia, into Pakistan. At the border crossing, being on a shoestring budget and eternally curious, he decided to travel to Ferozepur and into India, by bicycle rickshaw.

“I was so amazed at the thought of somebody cycling me,  who was just turning 20, who was a fit young American man, that I insisted on bicycling half the way myself. That’s how I entered India, bicycling a rickshaw, with the rickshaw-wallah sitting in the back, wondering what the hell I was doing!”

Fast forward 37 years and you find that empathy and deep curiosity are still strong features of Huyler’s relationship with India, and the love affair has blossomed over the years, with the noted art historian, author and photographer making the documentation of India’s crafts and people his life mission.

Stephen P. Huyler, author of 'Daughers of India' with Sonabai

Huyler, who currently lives in Camden, Maine, has served as a curator and consultant for 25 museum exhibitions about India, including those at the Smithsonian in Washington and the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Yet he remains the chronicler of the real stories of real people, of struggles lived, joys celebrated, of art and identity entwined in millions of households across India. His stories, through in-depth field research and images, shine a light on quiet, anonymous lives.

For four decades, he has traversed the Indian-subcontinent, visiting every district in every state, except the Northeast. During 60 visits from America, he has visited hundreds of villages, small towns and cities and used every mode of transport from air to boat to phut-phut. His deep affection and respect for India and its culture seems almost engrained, inborn.

How did he get so interconnected with a country oceans and continents away?

His grandparents and parents were educators in Korea and a grand-aunt had set up the largest women’s university in Seoul, so reaching out to the larger world seems to be in his DNA. He says, “My family is very, very interested in people of other cultures – they are imbued with a fascination for other cultures.”

A community of women in Stephen Huyler's 'Daughters of India'

He was fortunate to have a bit of India right in his backyard: Huyler grew up in Ojai, California, a stone’s throw from the house where the Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurthi lived and he was exposed to him and his ideas at an early age. Through Krishnamurthi he also met two dynamic Indian women, freedom fighter Kamladevi Chattopadhyaya and dance icon Rukmini Devi Arundale, who introduced him to India.

Another big influence in his teens was the friendship of the noted American artist Beatrice Wood who loved India with a passion. She had been influenced by Hindu philosophy and after her visit to India she always wore sarees and ethnic jewelry. Recalls Huyler: “She took me under her wing and was a major mentor in my life – she introduced me to India.”

For Huyler, the challenge was not only understanding Indian craftsmanship and folk art from an art historical perspective but really trying to understand it from the basis of the people, what it meant to them, and how it was used. In his work, art and people are always interconnected, giving a human element to something which can be very esoteric.

“Art history – its styles, forms and techniques – often looks at art as divorced from people but I was interested in what it had to do with rituals and with functions in the home or the temple,” he says. “I realized that it would be a lifelong work and I would not even be able to think about publishing anything for years and it would be too massive an undertaking. I did field research for many years before I even attempted to write an article. I just kept going back.”

So does he find arts and crafts central to Indian life? “I would say creativity is central to humanity and to India and art and crafts are a form of creativity, no more so than music or dance but it’s a visual expression of creativity and it’s one that I can photograph,” he says. “I don’t think art and crafts define the people of India – I think they are very creative in many, many spheres – amongst them being creative in computer programming – but art is visually evocative and helps in telling a story.”

An image from 'Daughters of India' by Stephen P. Huyler

One in every six women in the world lives in India, and ‘Daughters of India’ tells the story of Indian womanhood through tales of 20 women from diverse parts of the nation, with over 250 lush photographs, using their art to link their stories. Huyler feels reportage about Indian women is often misinformed, and he hopes to set the record straight by showing their strengths, their creativity, and their ability to rise above difficulties. He is donating the profits from the book to seven organizations that empower women.

As he points out, ‘Daughters of India’ is really not a book about art – it’s a book about the women but he uses art as a way of linking their stories together: “The trademark of India always is its ability to adapt to change and in the 21st century that adaptability to change is phenomenal. The book is not anchored in tradition per se but in the way women use their own creativity to make change in their lives, to meet their challenges and improve their lives. It is visually sumptuous because India is visually sumptuous.”

While Huyler sought out some of these women, the majority of them came to him by serendipity. He says, “I don’t seek out stories – the stories come to me. Almost every story just happened. India is a very hospitable country and people invite me for a cup of tea or sometimes for a meal in their homes; I meet them and they tell me their stories.”

While each woman’s story is powerful in the unique way she has met life’s challenges, Huyler was most moved by the story of Sonabai, a villager from Chhatisgarh, who was not allowed by her difficult husband to leave her home for 15 years. She taught herself to work with clay, and her whimsical figures brightened up her lonely existence. Today her sculptures have taken her abroad, to museums and acclaim.

Says Huyler: “Sonabai drew from within the depths of herself in the face of phenomenal adversity through creativity, and truly changed her environment and made delightful a life that would otherwise have been dark and foreboding.” In fact, Huyler’s next book is titled ‘Sonabai: Another Way of Seeing’ and will be accompanied by an exhibition in San Diego.

Ask Huyler for one special memory of the women he has encountered, and he says: “There are so many – my mind flashes with hundreds of them. I cannot isolate one – it’s echoed time and time again – a thousand times where I look into someone’s eyes that I’d expect to be dejected because of the circumstances of life and I find a level of pride and humor and presence that meets me eye to eye and says, ‘I am who I am and I am OK’, that doesn’t look for pity.”

He adds, “And that I see again and again and I am in constant awe of that. It’s that sense of deep pride, purposeful pride in identity of place, identity of who people are, where they are and where they are going in life. It’s very beautiful, it’s very moving and that’s what keeps bringing me back to India.”

© Lavina Melwani

Photographs © Stephen Huyler

Daughters of India

Each of the women profiled in ‘Daughters of India’ has faced small and big challenges and prevailed. They include Puspha, a sweeper at Mumbai’s Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport who has been the sole support of her family; Lalita, a village woman in Begampura in Rajasthan, who along with the women of her extended family paints the walls and floor of their home with sacred designs; Kusha, a tailor in Badami in the Bijapur district of Karnataka is a widow with a physically challenged son; and Samabai in Ludiya, Kucchh district in Gujarat, who has made a new life for her family through intricate traditional embroidery. In each of the stories, Huyler takes you into the complexities of simple lives and captures the routines through beautiful photographs.

He also balances out the portrait of Indian womanhood through profiles of Achamma Joseph, an IT entrepreneur in Kochi, Kerala and Bangalore, Karnataka, who has made it big in a man’s world, launching successful software companies; then there’s Minhazz Majumdar, a progressive Muslim woman from New Delhi who advocates on behalf of the artists and craftspeople through her non-profit group.

Shyamali Khastgir, an artist-activist at Santiniketan in West Bengal, has been an outspoken protestor, be it the building of dams on the Narmada or nuclear testing in Pokharan. Now she uses art to make her protests, painting on cotton evocative words and images against war, injustice and environmental destruction.

Another impressive figure is Chandaben Shroff who has spent a lifetime training and nurturing village women in Kachchh to streamline their work for the contemporary fashion market through the organization she founded, Shrujan. From first training 30 women, the center now assists 3000 women artisans, and has a design bank of over 1100 embroidered textile panels, which is taken from village to village as a learning tool to help women market their embroideries and make a good living.

(C) Stephen Huyler

Chicago plays on Broadway Credit Photo: ©Paul Kolnik

It entailed a helicopter ride from Washington, secret service personnel and caused traffic jams in New York but in spite of all these hassles, the most powerful man in the world, President Barack Obama, still made it to a Broadway show, ‘Joe Turner’s Come and Gone’, right in the heart of Times Square. As he told reporters, “I am taking my wife to New York City because I promised her during the campaign that I would take her to a Broadway show after it was all finished.”

Such is the lure of Broadway, that all-American icon of theater!

The glitter and brashness of New York, the optimism, vitality and sheer energy of America – nothing captures these elements quite like the Broadway show. For 130 years, creative talents – producers, directors, librettists, lyricists, composers, choreographers, singers, dancers and actors – have been collectively spinning an enticing silken web of song, dance and story and presenting it on Broadway – entertainment’s most famous avenue, from which it derives its name.

The magic and glitter of Broadway

In fact, Broadway is the epicenter of dreams and dollars, business and bravado, stardom and success. It is also about extreme risk taking, about relentless striving, and often, about failure. Yet, when the stars are aligned just right, it is about the highest aspiration in human effort, be it in music, dance or histrionics. Everything here is at such a high octane level that it is little wonder that travelers from all over the world gravitate to this neon-lit avenue to see the best show on earth.

One of the biggest success stories of Broadway has been Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ which opened at the Majestic Theater on January 9, 1988 and week after week, month after month it continues to dazzle theater-goers, becoming the longest running show on Broadway. In January 2010 it will complete 22 years of a continuous run! The show has played in many cities across the world and it is estimated that it has been seen by 100 million people in 14 languages.

Broadway - Phantom of the Opera

I saw ‘Phantom’ last week, almost 22 years after it opened on Broadway, and it was amazing to see the long lines of theatergoers waiting to get in – as if it was opening night! They all come driven by word of mouth, by the anticipation of seeing the ill-fated Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House, of seeing the huge chandelier which weighs a ton come crashing down almost on the heads of the audience. They come to see the mysterious underground lake which leads to the phantom’s candlelit lair. But mostly they come for the haunting love story, of a disfigured phantom, shunned by all, hopelessly in love with a beautiful young soprano.

Putting on such a grand show is no easy task: the phantom’s make-up alone takes two hours to put on. There are 130 cast, crew and orchestra members involved in each performance which also uses 230 costumes, 281 candles, 250 kilos of dry ice and 10 fog and smoke machines. When the show travels, 27 lorries are needed to transport all the sets.  Nor do Broadway shows come cheap, with plays on average costing $2 to $ 5 million while large musicals can cost anything from $12 million to $20 million.

Whether it is a dramatic spectacle like ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, ‘Les Miserables’ or ‘Sunset Boulevard’ or something simple yet unique which touches the heart like ‘Rent’,  ‘Hair’ or the 2009 Tony award winner, ‘God of Carnage’,  Broadway shows have the power to draw crowds.

Often you also have Hollywood names crossing over to Broadway: Antonio Banderas in ‘Nine’, Sean P. Diddy Combs in ‘A Raisin in the Sun’, Julia Roberts in ‘Three Days of Rain’, Kevin Spacey in ‘A Moon for the Misbegotten’, Laurence Fishburne in ‘Thurgood’,  and Katie Holmes in ‘All My Sons’ are just some of the big screen names. Currently playing on Broadway are the two noted Hollywood actresses Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury in Stephen Sondheim and Hugh wheeler’s ‘A Little Night Music.’

For New York, Broadway Inc. is a multi billion dollar business, which keeps the city moving and working. In fact, Broadway contributes $5.1 billion to the economy of New York City, apart from ticket sales and supports 44,000 local jobs. Each Broadway show provides livelihood for actors, artists, set makers, musicians and backstage staff.

Playgoers throng the streets

Stroll down Broadway and you see the thousands thronging the theaters and the ticket office in Times Square, almost like pilgrims waiting for the viewing. Before each show begins, the line waiting to get in snakes down the street, some in jackets and jeans, others in their dressy best for the solemn occasion of seeing a Broadway show.

The tickets don’t come cheap – they range from $66.50 to $116.50 while the premium tickets can go from $251.50 to $377 for certain shows. And yet they come, avid fans who even buy standing room only tickets at $26, which are available on the day itself, if the show is sold out.

America might be going through a recession but Broadway, which suffered with show closings and empty seats in the initial period, has swung back with spirit.  “We are now seeing increases,” says Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League, the trade association for the industry: “Broadway is proving that if you put a great show on, even in tough economic times people will come. I think that’s probably because it’s especially in hard times that we all need our spirits to be lifted or to escape from what’s going on in the world, and there’s nothing like live entertainment to do that.”

Billy Elliot is one of the big crowd pullers on Broadway

Broadway shows sold 12.27 million tickets in the 2007-2008 season, grossing $937.5 million. Tourists purchase 65% of the almost 12.3 million tickets sold to Broadway shows in New York City.  As you sit for a performance to begin, you are surrounded by many nationalities, many tongues, a virtual United Nations. All of them understand ‘Broadway.’.

Times Square and its surroundings may be a frenetic neon-lit boulevard but to walk there is to realize its rich past. All the shows are in historic theaters, many of them landmarks, which have a colorful history behind them. The Broadway musical dates back to 130 years, and Hollis Alpert’s book, ‘Broadway!’ is a fascinating look at how the American musical evolved.

One of the famous chains is The Shubert Organization which owns 17 Broadway theaters, and to look at the Shubert Theater, built in 1913, is to realize how colorful is the history of these architectural gems, with opulent, over the top interiors. This is the theater where Lionel Barrymore performed in 1918 in ‘The Copperhead’ and where Katherine Hepburn starred in ‘The Philadelphia Story’. In 1943 Paul Robeson, Uta Hagen and Jose Ferrer performed in ‘Othello’.  In 1948 Rex Harrison made his Broadway debut in ‘Anne of the Thousand Days’. In 1956 Judy Holliday and Sydney Chaplin won Tonys for their performance in ‘The Bells are Ringing.’

There are many highlights through the years, such as Edward Albee’s  highly acclaimed dramas which did not get big audiences. ‘Seascape’ which starred Deborah Kerr, Barry Nelson and Frank Langella closed after just 65 performances, but won a Pulitzer Prize, and a Tony for Langella.

And that’s the thing about Broadway – booms and busts. But the show must go on. At Shubert Theater, the biggest success story was ‘A Chorus Line’. It started in 1975 and kept going and going and going till 1990, winning an armful of Tony awards. Talk of dancing like there’s no tomorrow!

Mama Mia!

Broadway still has legs and is certainly kicking them up even today. I went to the Shubert to see ‘Chicago’ the wondrous song and dance saga of women inmates in prison and to see how a sparse set can be transformed by the energy and dancing charisma of its performers is what makes Broadway so exciting. Not one false move, just electrifying dancing and the singing of angels.

“Broadway is not a cookie cutter business,” says St. Martin. “There’s no formula for what makes a successful show. It’s a great performance and the audience has to love it. You may put what you think is a a great script and great stars – and it may not make it. .And you can take an unknown playwright and unknown stars and there’s something special about the play, it could be a Tony award winning show.”  Last year ‘In the Heights’, you had a 27 year old  who had never done a play on Broadway before and a cast full of unknowns – and it went on to become the surprise hit of the season.

For those who can’t make it to Broadway, Broadway travels to them, the touring shows going to 240 countries across the US and Canada, to an audience of 30 million people.  In fact, productions travel to many countries. Currently the search is on for the lead in ‘Billy Elliot’ in Korea, a young boy who can act, dance – and sing in Korean!

Certain scenes from musicals are as familiar to audiences in many parts of the world as their Do Re Me is a Sound of Music, Nurse Nellie Forbush shampooing that man right out of her hair in ‘South Pacific’; the Jets and the Sharks, rival street gangs, locked in the dance of death in ‘West Side Story’; Eliza Dolittle struggling valiantly with the rain in Spain in ‘My Fair Lady’, and of course, Anna, hoop skirt and all, dancing a vigorous polka with the King of Siam in ‘The King and I’. All originated on Broadway, created sometimes from books and plays, sometimes from just the mere kernel of a thought, an idea. The sparkling scores and the catchy, very hummable lyrics are all the gifts of Broadway.

Nor are children forgotten on Broadway, and Disney has stepped in with shows like ‘The Lion King’ which won six 1998 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘Mary Poppins’. Recently that popular green ogre Shrek also took a bow on Broadway with his own musical. Catching them young seems to be the strategy.

For actors, dancers and musicians, the ultimate is to have one’s name up on Broadway’s marquee lights – and go on to win the approval of that hard-to-please audience. When a musical possesses that magic something which strikes a chord within the hearts of theatre-goers, the rewards can be tremendous.

Some of the current hot shows include ‘Mama Mia’, ‘Jersey Boys’, ‘Next to Normal’, ‘In the Heights’ and ‘Memphis’. As Broadway continues to evolve, we can expect a rich mix, with upcoming shows ranging from Milton’s Paradise Lost to the cartoon character Betty Boop. There may also be more of India in the cards, if Andrew Lloyd Weber’s ‘Bombay Dreams’ is any indication. In fact, Mira Nair’s ‘Monsoon Wedding’ is being readied for Broadway even as we speak!

The Tony award winner for best musical, ‘Billy Elliot’, shows what Broadway at its best is all about.  Set against the grim backdrop of the coal miners’ strike in Thatcher’s England, the musical transports you with its seamless singing, dancing and spirit to a higher place.

Indeed, what Broadway celebrates is the ingenuity of the human mind, its rich creativity and its penchant for weaving tales. Broadway is a place for losing yourself – and sometimes, even finding yourself.

© Lavina Melwani

The tallest tower in the world, the longest road in the world, quaint trams, drum beating Sri Lankan priests, a vibrant gay village, snow packed slopes, the best dim sum, European cafes, idyllic beaches including a ‘clothing-optional’ one, and probably more Hindu temples than in any other place outside of India.

If you thought these journeys took me to several countries, you’ll be surprised to learn that I saw all these sights on just one trip to a single city – Toronto!

Indeed, Toronto is several worlds rolled into one, a smorgasbord for the nature lover, the theater buff, the art aficionado and the diehard shopper.  First, some surprising facts about Canada: it occupies the northern third of North America, spanning 5,514 kilometers and six time zones from east to west. In area, it is second only to Russia, and it is said, could contain 18 countries the size of France or 40 United Kingdoms!

Little surprise then that Toronto, which is capital of Ontario province, is regarded as a truly global city and the economic capital of Canada. It had its beginnings way back in 1834 when the British settlement of York was renamed Toronto, a Mohawk word for ‘meeting place.’ Today Toronto is the heartbeat of Canada and has a population of 2.4 million, or 4.7 million in the Greater Toronto area.

This happening and layered city is one of the most multicultural in the world. In fact, the taxi driver who drove me to my hotel was from India and over the next three days I encountered every nationality from French to Sri Lankan to Chinese to European.

I soon discovered that a constant presence over the city is the dramatic CN Tower, which at 1815 ft, 5 inches is the world’s tallest building and a vital telecommunications hub for the city. With four lookout levels, the higher you go, the more breathtaking the view of the city. The perfect place to catch a panoramic view of the city is at the acclaimed 360 Restaurant located atop the CN Tower with its regional cuisine and award winning wine list. The floor in the 360 Restaurant rotates once every 72 minutes so you have a superb view of the  city below. The tower, at its base, also has a bustling arcade, and a marketplace with 10,000 sq. feet of retail shopping.

Another crown jewel for Toronto is the Royal Ontario Museum – Canada’s leading international museum. Located in the heart of downtown, the big buzz is about the construction completion of the museum’s new architectural gem, the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, a new wing of the museum named after Lee-Chin whose $30 million donation has launched the Renaissance Rom expansion project.

Yonge Street, claimed to be the longest street in the world, is the main north-south road and divides the city into east and west. While certain city spots are known, must-sees for tourists, there’s nothing like getting a few insider tips from the natives,  and I asked two noted Canadians to share the best of their city: Saira Mohan, the international supermodel, and Devyani Saltzman, author of ‘Shooting Water’ and the daughter of filmmaker Deepa Mehta.

Saira Mohan grew up in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and has been in love with Toronto from a very young age. She shares an interesting tidbit which may often confuse tourists: “In Toronto, the street names change every few blocks or so – so, if you are strolling down Avenue Road – something I highly recommend -and it turns into Oxton Ave, and then into Oriole Parkway before turning back again into Avenue Road just before turning into Queen’s Park…don’t worry; you are not crazy! Just welcome yourself to a new city with new experiences for you to tell the family about.”

In fact, the city has over 9 major museums, with 125 museums and national archives in the GTA – Greater Toronto Area, 50 ballet and dance companies, six opera companies, and two symphony orchestras. It has over 90 theaters and is considered the third largest theater center, after New York and London. Whether it is art, literature or film, Toronto is cutting-edge.

Chinatown in Toronto

Devyani Saltzman, who grew up in downtown Toronto, understands the true spirit of this remarkable city. “I love that the city is constantly changing. It’s one of the most multicultural places on earth, and I appreciate that whether walking down the street or stepping onto public transit, you often hear many languages other than English.”

Indeed that is one of Toronto’s greatest strengths. With a population of 2.48 million people (5 million in the GTA -Greater Toronto Area), it is probably one of the most multicultural cities in the world, with over 100 languages and dialects spoken here. Between 2001 and 2005 alone, the Toronto area attracted an average of 107,000 international immigrants each of those years, and of these 69,000 settle in Toronto, which boasts 79 ethnic publications.

All these immigrants have put their stamp on Toronto and changed the landscape of the city. It is possible to encounter so many different worlds within one city because all these immigrants have brought echoes of their homelands into their new home – especially their food! Not surprisingly, there are over 7000 restaurants in Toronto, from the trendy upscale places to small mom and pop places replicating the tastes of home in many ethnic neighborhoods. The strength of immigrant culture can be seen from the fact that Toronto has not one, not two but three Chinatowns, a vibrant Sri Lankan communiy and one of the largest Little Indias in North America.

To paint the town red, stroll down the Entertainment District for pre-show dining and clubbing after hours. Queens St. West is an intriguing mix of fashion, galleries, dance clubs and trendy restaurants. If you want to try places which don’t cost an arm and a leg, Kensington Market and St. Lawrence Market are the places to try ethnic restaurants, pubs as well as produce and baked goods from local merchants.

Midtown Toronto has many upscale hotels and restaurants located in the Bloor/Yorkville area while Church Street, known also as the Gay Village, is the place intimate bars, eateries and clubs. There’s also a Little Italy with restaurants, cafes and trattorias; In East Toronto you will find the neighborhoods of Greektown and Little India as well as the Beaches which offer pubs, cafes and family restaurants which are easy on the budget.

If you think that’s enough, West Toronto too has its own offerings in the myriads of cafes and restaurants of Corso Italia, which showcases the cuisine of different Italian regions, and Little Poland which offers its own traditional cuisine in family bakeries and cafes.

Forget about seeing the city from behind glass, sitting in a cab or bus. “I think Toronto is best experienced on foot,” says Devyani Saltzman. “A visitor should just enjoy walking the neighborhoods, stopping at a little cafe for lunch and continuing to a local gallery.” She points out that the Annex neighborhood is full of beautiful Victorian red-brick houses, while Kensington Market has funky cafes and vintage clothing shops, and Little Italy on College Street is great for a patio lunch.

Eaton Center in Toronto

While walking is the best way to really get to know the city and its people, Toronto’s efficient public transport makes it easy to go large distances without busting the budget. It is the largest public transit system in North America, after New York City and connects the diverse neighborhoods. The TTC Day Pass offers unlimited travel for individuals and families and travel information is offered in 70 languages including Punjabi, Tamil and Arabic. Ride the Rocket for $8.50 single on every day while a whole family with one or two adults and up to five children can use this on weekends and holidays.

I took the train to suburbs like Mississauga to check out ethnic neighborhoods, and also hopped a tram to the largest Chinatown and a bus to the Little India on Gerard Street. All pleasant experiences, a chance to talk to the locals and at a fraction of the cost of cabs. Bargaining over tee shirts in Chinatown and eating a paan while listening to Bollywood music in the Indian area were unexpected experiences in Canada, Land of the Rocky Mountains and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police!

When I asked Devyani Saltzman about her favorite spot in Toronto, she said,  ”The Toronto Islands – a peaceful park and residential space in Lake Ontario, just off downtown. You take a ten minute ferry and have the best view of the city’s skyline from across the water.”

And indeed, the city has 20,000 acres of parkland and 1500 parks. You cannot miss the greenery or the many hiking and recreational activities the city offers. Saira Mohan says one of  the places she  likes to stroll around is Riverdale Farm located in the Cabbagetown section of Toronto where you see Victorian homes, quiet narrow lanes, small cottages and lush gardens.

Her other favorite is Toronto Music Garden, which renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma helped design. “The layout of the Garden interprets Bach’s ‘First Suite for Unaccompanied Cello’, where each dance movement within the suite corresponds to a different section in the garden,” she says.

“How cool is that! For example, Prelude – the first movement of the suite- imparts the feelings of a flowing river, so therefore, visitors can stroll through a curving and bending riverscape lined with granite boulders. I will leave it to your experience to discover how the other parts of Bach’s Suite – Allemande, Courante, Sarabande,
Menuett, and Gigue – are interpreted and incorporated into the design of The Toronto Music Garden.”

From the music of the gods to the more mundane pursuits of mortals – shopping! Here, too, Toronto delivers. It has enough shopping malls, neighborhood shops, discount shopping centers and upscale stores to keep credit card companies very happy! Toronto Eaton Centre is one of the city’s landmarks and a must-see with its 250 stores and restaurants all under one roof. Apart from the many shopping outlets, the city also boasts a men’s only shopping bazaar Gotstyle which has the first males only spa – and that too staffed by women!

One savvy tip for shopaholics is offered by Saira Mohan: “Keep an eye out for some of Canada’s home-grown fashion labels:  Mimi Bizjak, Mercy, Comrags, Ross Mayer, Crystal Siemens, Lida Baday, Brian Bailey, Wolves, and Linda Lundstrom.”

If you ‘re looking to do outlet shopping,  then Vaughan Mills is the place to check out designer names at special prices;  Dixie Outlet Mall offers more than 130 outlet and specialty discount stores; If high end retail shopping is more your style, than Yorkdale Mall’s 240 stores should yield some treasures.

Niagara Falls

Toronto offers many sightseeing trips to surrounding areas, each of which opens up fresh layers of a country of six time zones. Niagara Falls is a must. The Falls are even more dramatic in reality than anything you see on the tourist postcards. As you take a ride on the Maid of the Mist, clad in yellow slick coats along with hundreds of other wanderers, you are amazed and a bit wet as you are taken right up to the indescribably beautiful, powerful falls, a really surreal experience.

The next thing to do is to walk along the boulevard to the point where the water goes over the Falls – spectacular view! You can also visit the caves underneath and come out to an observation deck right next to the bottom of the Falls and to another observation area right behind the bottom of the Falls. There is also a casino in Niagara Falls for those who are in a wagering mood. On the way back to Toronto by bus or car, you should take the scenic route along the Niagara Parkway to Niagara on the Lake which is a picturesque town.

Indeed, there are many different Torontos – yet all are part of one big metropolis with its own unique personality. Toronto is the city where the first fully recognized same-sex marriage in North America took place, and same sex marriages have been legal in Ontario since 2003. Perhaps the world can learn some lessons from multicultural Toronto where people of many different cultures, races and gender live together in a harmonious atmosphere.

(C) Lavina Melwani

Photos:

1. Toronto skyline   2. Saira Mohan  3.Chinatown 4. Devyani Saltzman

5. Easton Shopping Center. 6. Niagara Falls.

VIRTUAL TORONTO

Visit Toronto at the click of a mouse by visiting the following sites:

Everything you wanted to know about Toronto:   www.torontotourism.com

Public transport: www.ttc.ca

Shopping underground: www.torontopath.com

CN Tower information:  www.cntower.ca

India Exposed by Clive Limpkin. The Subcontinent A-Z

India Exposed: The Subcontinent from A-Z

How many Indias are there?

As many as the eyes that perceive it.

Each visitor sees a different India, bringing in their own experiences to the encounter. British photographer Clive Limpkin has a lively new book ‘India Exposed: the Sub-Continent A-Z’ (Abbeville Press)  which shows the results of his brush with India. He and his wife Alex traveled to India for a wedding and ended up getting completely hooked.

Limpkin, who earlier won the Robert Capa Gold Medal from Life magazine for his images of fighting in Northern Ireland, now turns his lens on the vast sub-continent of India, traveling extensively, photographing not only what tourists see but some very intimate offbeat images too.

For the award-winning photojournalist who had worked on Fleet Street, it was a first encounter with India. “My American publisher set the task of comprehensively covering the sub-continent in six months within the format of over 100 subjects, each with photographs and mini-essays,” he recalls.

“So we sought the knowledge of a UK specialist in Indian travel who plotted our routes brilliantly and attended to every detail, leaving us to concentrate on the work in hand.”
Limpkin worked with two digital Canon EOS 1DS Mk. 11 cameras and a variety of Canon lenses.

“Such are the photographic possibilities per hour in India, greater than anywhere else in the world I’ve visited. Speed was essential and the 80,000 images I ended up with would not have been possible without the advances in image stabilization, auto focus and high ISO speeds.”

Each evening this cow wanders into a tailor's shop in Varanasi to spend the night.

80,000 images are equal to myriads of words and in Limpkin’s book, you see a lot of Indias reflected. Look past the beggars and the clutter and the snake charmers, you see many whimsical and touching images of the real India: a cool camel in Rajasthan, with artistic tattoos over its body – yes, ornamentation is such a part of the culture that even animals are decorated like brides.

A child runs through a vast field of drying red chili peppers, conveying the unsung visual beauty that lurks in every corner of the country; a cow sitting placidly inside a garment store in Varanasi, as nonchalantly as a shopper, surrounded by fabrics. This live and let live policy often found amongst humans and animals is one of the endearing qualities of India.

“Though Rajasthan provided the more dramatic photography, I found Gujarat the most rewarding, being freer of tourism and offering a more realistic picture of a sub-continent so dependent on agriculture,” says Limpkin.

He also has the photo journalist’s affinity for striking subjects, and what can be more striking than the contrasts of poverty and affluence?

“City poverty proved visually arresting, being juxtaposed with comparative wealth, and rural poverty less so,” he says. “ I was braced for it to an extent, but it still affronts western eyes that so little is being done to alleviate the gulf between the haves and the have nots.”

Clive Limpkin’s India Exposed

Women textile workers air rugs in Jaipur, Rajasthan

Limpkin’s Passage to India

Limpkin is returning to India in early 2010 to shoot images once again. That usually is the case with India – one encounter is never enough!

“I’ve always had a glass-half-full view on life, probably from my Indian genes, but without doubt my six months altered my approach to material wealth and ambition, showing me how much we westerners can learn from Indians’ more spiritual approach to life,” says Limpkin.

My ears pricked up. Indian genes – how so?

“Ten years ago, when the 1910 UK Census went online, I discovered that my father and grandfather has been born in Allahabad –  no great surprise in itself as we had always known my father had been in the Army in India, only returning to the UK when World War One broke out,” he says.

“But during our shoots in India, I occasionally pointed out to my wife Alex that passing Indian men were the double of my father, even down to his swarthy complexion which after a good English summer I would describe as ‘ash matt.’

He adds, “Slowly –  and I mean slowly –  I put two and two together; it was not uncommon for English troops based in India to take Indian mistresses and I now have little doubt that I have Indian blood which I hope to prove conclusively,  researching the family line during subsequent visits.”

Three sisters, brides-to-be, near Deogarh, Rajasthan (Photos:Clive Limpkin)

India: Food Feasts

Asked about his encounters with Indian food, he says that since the ‘typical’ dishes being offered to western visitors bore little relation to the staple diet of the locals, he took every opportunity to enjoy the latter. In rural areas they tended to choose up-market tented camps that offered power and communication facilities – hardly roughing it, but ‘safe’ food was vital, he says, as they could not afford to be ill for a single day.

“Due to the pace of our trips, we had little time to sample local cuisine, often having to snack in our hotel room as we downloaded the day’s images. One of the few chances came in Tanjore, Tamil Nadu, when we offered to take our guide and driver out to dinner at the restaurant of their choice and to hell with the cost.

It proved to be a mud-floored hall where large banana leaves were placed before us and spread with pyramids of rice and angle hair pasta, encircled with a dozen home-made dipping sauces, bowls of dhal and dosa pancakes, followed by sweet milk for dessert. Afterwards, the waiter politely asked why we hadn’t finished it all as he presented a bill of $3 for all four.”

An elderly villager, Nimaj, Rajasthan (Photo:Clive Limpkin)

India: The People

Limpkin offers his own take on India in a number of essays covering everything from cremation to onions to bicycles, from monsoons to Mumbai to cricket. His camera, however, returns time and again to what really moves him: the human connection. As he writes: “When friends ask for one good reason to visit, I offer them a billion – it’s the people.”

He describes the sweetness of the people: “We never met a single ugly moment of dissension whilst photographing, so often being invited to the subjects’ homes to meet their families or share their meals. Embarrassed in photographing a Rajasthan lorry driver whose overload of chaff had burst and covered the road, I mumbled a thank you. He shook his head and said, ‘No, thank you,’ honored to have been photographed. Anywhere but India, I might have expected a smack in the mouth!”

Clive Limpkin recalls the disarming smiles and warm greetings and notes, “These salutations come not from those seeking your tourist dollar but from millions upon millions with nothing to their name that act like they’ve just won life’s lottery and want you to share it.”

© Lavina Melwani

All Photos by Clive Limpkin

Related Article: India on My Mind

Clive Limpkin

Crowds line up at the opening of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, October 21, 1959 Photograph by Robert E. Mates © The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York

This futuristic icon, embedded on Fifth Avenue, has both a present and a past…

There are hundreds of people streaming around a circular, stunning white building on Fifth Avenue as cars and buses and taxis honk and inch their way on the traffic laden street. With a start you realize the men are all wearing suits and hats, the women prim dresses, even the children are dressed decorously in coat dresses – and the automobiles are all large, with chrome plating and flashy tail fins.

Indeed, this is a black and white video clip from 1959, on the cusp of the sixties. Today, in 2009, everything in this scene has changed – except the white edifice, which is still futuristic, still a building before its time.

Or perhaps it is timeless.

Welcome to the iconic Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum which celebrates its 50^th anniversary this year and is still age-defying, creating a new grammar of design. Walk down Fifth Avenue where the Guggenheim stands, opposite Central Park, and you see the cars are transformed, the clothes of the people have changed. People are now dressed informally, casually and yet still fit naturally within this building which 50 years after its birth still looks au courant, perfect for the times.

This museum is the master creation of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright and it has influenced architects, designers, artists and dreamers over the years with its ground breaking idiom of design. “Crafted from within outward, his spaces provide refuge and prospect, uniting as one entity a building, its inhabitants, and the natural world,” says Phil Allsopp, President of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

‘Guggenheim’ is a big mouthful but the charming children’s book ‘I’d like the Goo-Gen-Heim’ by A.C. Hollingsworth breaks up this big word, and shows the museum as a smiling, welcoming building to all people. It is named after the philanthropist Solomon R. Guggenheim who with his wife Irene wanted to create a perfect environment for their eclectic modern and contemporary art collection.

Guggenheim Museum

The permanent collection is a rich treasure trove of nonobjective painting, abstract and Surrealist painting and sculpture. It includes Justin K. Thannhauser’s array of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and early modern masterpieces; and Count Giuseppe Panza di Biumo’s vast holdings of European and American Minimalist, Post-Minimalist, Environmental, and Conceptual art. Over the years these collections have been enriched by gifts from many sources, making it a layered and enriched collection dating from the 19^th century to the present.  (For a comprehensive look at the collections, check out www.guggenheim.org)

The Guggenheims’ vision has expanded to several museums bearing the Guggenheim name including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. It also provides programming and management to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain, and the Deutsche Guggenheim in Berlin. On the drawing board is the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum in the United Arab Emirates. This 452,000 sq. foot museum is set to open in 2013. Designed by noted architect Frank Gehry, it will be the largest Guggenheim and will have global art with a focus on Middle Eastern contemporary art.

With nearly three million annual visitors worldwide, the Guggenheim and its network of museums is one of the most visited cultural institutions in the world. Since 1992 the Guggenheim has produced more than 275 exhibitions including such big ones as Kazimir Malevich: Suprematism, Africa: The Art of a Continent, The Aztec Empire, and China: 5000 Years.  In fact many Guggenheim-organized exhibitions have shown in 80 museums around the world.

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao Photo: David M. Heald, © SRGF, New York.

As Richard Armstrong, Director of the Guggenheim Foundation and Museum, notes about these rich cultural exchanges globally, “Our privilege lies in having access to myriad points of view, definitions of beauty, and venues for conversation and even controversy, and our responsibility is to use this stimulating mix of ideas as inspiration for intellectual and artistic growth and to create exhibitions that can be shared with visitors from around the world.”

And it all started with the very first venture in New York, with the commission to build a museum by Frank Lloyd Wright.

It took 16 years to construct the Guggenheim in New York and ironically Wright never lived to see his masterpiece – he died six months before it was completed. But his creation lives on, and has been designated a national historic landmark.

It is fitting that this 50^th anniversary is marked by an exhibition ‘Frank Lloyd Wright – From Within Outward’, which examines Wright’s work over a span of 70 years and how it influenced modern life in so many aspects.

SO WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT THE  GUGGENHEIM?

“Wright’s practice of urban design for a deep experience of community hinged on the permeability of boundaries, on a destabilizing enactment of new and multiple relations between things,” writes architect Mina Marefat.

Indeed, stand on any floor of this geometric masterpiece with its spiraling ramps which get larger and larger as you go upwards, and you see life, people, and movement on every level – the rush of humanity, like so many theatrical plays being enacted on so many different stages at the same time.

Standing on the top floor near the great dome you feel you are in a soaring cathedral, a temple dedicated to design. It is futuristic looking and yet so utilitarian in its function: built entirely of reinforced concrete, it incorporates seating areas in the same flowing concrete.

As the ‘From Within Outward’ catalog notes: ‘Floor, balcony edge and the outer wall are all woven together by steel and concrete. A further element to the significance of the ramp is that at any one place on it one is able to see where one was and at the same time, where one is going. In this sense, the ramp provides a sort of time-space continuum, a sort of ‘when past is future’. The very nature of the ramp itself suggests change and motion.”

The physical space serves as a canvas for the great art – each exhibition seems to be transformed by the surrounding architecture and there is drama in those circular passages, sheer poetry in their simplicity.

Woman Ironing - Picasso © 2007 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

The museum is totally devoted to art and architecture, and education is a key element. Upcoming exhibitions include Kandinsky, which brings together 100 paintings of the artist from the Guggenheim, Lenbachhaus in Munich and the Pompidou in Paris.

Another major upcoming show is Anish Kapoor: Memory which is a site specific installation by the Asian-British artist Anish Kapoor. One can only anticipate how this 24 ton installation of Cor-Ten steel will look in the rotunda of the Guggenheim!

One of the upcoming exhibitions is of London-born, Berlin born artist Tino Sehgal, who has a German mother and Indian father.  His startling work defies borders of what is art and what is not, pushing the envelope on the debate for it has no material aspects of traditional art making. His ‘constructed situations’ which only exist in the gestures and memories of participants will be featured in the dramatic undulating circles of the Guggenheim, continuing the debate.

Indeed, in 2010 the museum will host ‘Contemplating the Void: Interventions in the Guggenheim Museum Rotunda’ – an exhibition which celebrates the form and function of this spiraling space where artists have been challenged and inspired by the surroundings to create and invent.

One can almost imagine another video clip, 50 years later. Our clothes, our hair, our  cars will look quaint, out-dated  in 2058, but in the foreground of humanity’s mad dash on Fifth Avenue will stand the Guggenheim, still timeless, the quintessential icon of modernity in the global city of New York…

AT HOME IN THE WORLD

Asia is very much on the radar of Guggenheim, and in recent years many innovative initiatives have taken place. In 2006 the museum started an Asian Art Program with the appointment of Alexandra Munro, who was earlier with the Japan Society, as a senior curator of Asian art in the Guggenheim. She spearheaded a program which would integrate itself into the overall curatorial department, highlighting modern and contemporary art from Asia, on Asia and about Asia within the preexisting structures at the museum.

Sandhini Poddar Photo: David Heald © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, NY

In the past three years several initiatives have been undertaken with that kind of over-reaching plan in mind, encompassing everything from exhibitions to public events and scholarship. In 2007 the museum appointed Sandhini Poddar, who is from Bombay, as the first Assistant Curator of Asian Art. She has MAs in Indian, Islamic East Asian art history and aesthetics from the University of Bombay and also a MA in Visual Arts Administration from New York University.

Since 2006 two major exhibitions have showcased the Asian connection: Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe was the first solo exhibition for a Chinese artist at the Guggenheim, and the show later traveled to Beijing and is now on view at the Bilbao Guggenheim.

The Third Mind: American Artists Contemplate Asia, 1860 to 1989 was another landmark exhibition which highlighted the Asian influences on the work of American artists. Says Poddar: “Very large historic sweep of late 19^th through the 20^th century – artists living in America who have really looked to Japan, India, and China, the literatures that they have, the metaphysics they embodied, the philosophies they created as source material for their own artistic expression.”  This also included artists who happened to be of Asian origin who had contributed to American art history such as Indian-American artists Natvar Bhavsar and Zarina Hashmi.

Anish Kapoor, Memory 2008© The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York

Poddar curated a commission program with London based artist Anish Kapoor and this important breakthrough work called Memory, made of 24 tons of steel,  was on view in the Deutsche Guggenheim in Berlin and will be showcased in New York this October, to coincide with the 50^th anniversary of the Guggenheim.

“Over a period of time this will be accessioned into the permanent collection of the Guggenheim,” says Poddar. “So that’s one of the ways that the Guggenheim can engage with some really dynamic new work,  and that propels the artist to do something that’s really experimental on their end and also quite important and monumental which can come into the collection finally.”

The Guggenheim has also acquired the work of Delhi-based sculptor and installation artist Susanta Madal through its Young Collectors Council which is geared toward emerging talent. Poddar predicts the acquisitions will pick up greater speed with the major initiative with Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi starting in 2013.

In the brave new global world, the Guggenheim is on the cutting edge, catering to different audiences in different spaces and different cultures with its presence in different countries. By including curators from varied cultural backgrounds, like Poddar, the Guggenheim is opening up the space to unique voices, and subsequently to multi-cultural artists who may not have been seen otherwise.

“The Guggenheim has always been an institution that has been very forward thinking, “says Poddar. “It distinguishes itself as an institution that really has a pulse on what’s happening with global culture internationally. It’s an institution which is willing to take risks and is willing to be the leader in the field.”

© Lavina Melwani

Little India in Jackson Heights on 74th Street is also known as Jaikishin Heights

A Little India in Jackson Heights, Queens

Like a teeming, magical souk from the Arabian nights tales, it has everything from precious stones to rich silks to aromatic spices. If you’re craving for a paan or a kesar kulfi – and you’re a continent away from India, this is the place you’ll find it. If you’re looking for an ornate bridal lengha or a traditional gold wedding necklace in the heart of New York, well, have no fear – Jackson Heights is near!

Fondly nicknamed Jaikishan Heights, this gritty Little India has been the salvation of new immigrants for decades, bringing them a sweet piece of their lost homeland. It is here that they find the remembered tastes and sounds that make them feel whole again.

Jackson Heights is located in Queens, which is said to be the most ethnically diverse 115 square miles on earth. Since the 80’s, the South Asian population in New York has escalated to over 600,000 and for most new immigrants Queens has been anchor and safe harbor. While many have settled in Corona, Elmhurst, Flushing, Richmond Hill and Astoria, Jackson Heights happens to be the microcosm, the very pulsating heart of South Asia.

Indeed, you could take a trip around the countries of South Asia in less than a day, without boarding a plane! All you need is a $ 4 Metrocard, for India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are all in Jackson Heights.

The 7-subway line is the nerve center, the train that carries thousands to their jobs in Manhattan and other parts of Queens and then brings them back home. It is because of its proximity to this subway line that Jackson Heights has prospered, becoming a home away from home for so many desis from the Indian sub-continent.

Trying on Indian outfits in Little India in Jackson Heights. Photo: Lavina Melwani

India in New York

Jackson Heights remains the largest Little India in the US, and still draws large crowds from neighboring towns and states.It is a home to Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshis, a home away from home.  The main action is on 74^th Street although the South Asian area spreads from Roosevelt Avenue to 37^th Avenue, from 70^th to 78^th Street. In fact, 74^th Street itself has been renamed Kalpana Chawla Way as a tribute to the Indian-American astronaut who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy. Mayor Bloomberg personally visited and unveiled the sign renaming the street.

According to Shiv Dass, past president of the Jackson Heights Merchants Association, there are over 200 businesses in this one-mile stretch, including over 35 boutiques, 20 restaurants and 9 sweet shops. There are more than 30 jewelry stores with an inventory worth millions of dollars on this one street. Indeed, 74^th Street is the mother of all bazaars because it has almost a dozen Indian grocery stores, which carry thousands of ethnic products from the sub-continent as well as UK, U.S. and Canada.

There is energy about Jackson Heights and a community spirit that is reflected in the lighting of the trees in the holiday season to celebrate Diwali, Christmas, Eid and Hanukah, and these lights sparkle right up to the New Year. There is also a vibrant Diwali mela which is sponsored by South Asian owned businesses, and this is attended by thousands of New Yorkers.

Indian outfits in a boutique in Little India in Jackson Heights on 74th Street

Today there is a thriving Little India in Edison, New Jersey, and in almost every major metropolis with a large Indian population. Yet Jackson Heights remains close to the hearts of Indian-Americans and those who are now settled in the suburbs still venture back to the place where they may have started out as new immigrants. Here they find well-remembered treats, their favorite music, a new silk saree and trinkets to go with it, not to mention the street foods of their youth.

Jackson Heights is a vibrant neighborhood, with halal meat shops, fish markets, grocery stores, sweet shops juxtaposed with glittering jewelry stores, boutiques, sari shops and video stores. It has threes of everything – you will find sweet shops with Indian, Bangladshi and Pakistani owners – thus the sweets, like jalebis or gulab jamuns, will reflect the common heritage of these three countries – and yet will be subtly different. There are close to 30 jewelry stores, carrying millions of dollars of inventory on this one street, and the different styles reflect the many regions of India, and indeed the tastes of the sub-continent.

The huge grocery stores like Apna Bazaar, Patel Brothers and Sabzi Mandi are brimming with ethnic foods and spices from not only India but also Pakistan, Bangladesh as well as the UK, US, Canada and Africa. Many of the lentils are from Nairobi, the curry sauces are from London and the desi snacks are manufactured in Toronto and New Jersey!

checking vegetables in an Indian grocery in Jackson Heights, 74th Street

All these stores have a rich bounty of fresh produce spilling out on counters on the pavement, so it seems like one big bazaar with desis milling around, selecting papayas and guavas, and carting gallons of milk and ten pound basmati rice bags. The stores have a reputation for good prices, and many Latin Americans and South East Asians, who live in the area, also frequent the markets.

It’s a bustling street which sees action late into the night. Apna Bazaar, for instance, is open 24 hours a day and walk in at any time and you’ll still find crowds there, be they MDs returning from the night shift or taxi drivers taking a break. .

Patel Brothers is another major grocery chain with produce, spices, nuts of every kind, sauces and a huge array of frozen Indian delicacies, so essential for working immigrants. In the huge freezer section you will find samosas, dosas and a large variety of parathas and ready meals.

Wandering the streets you can pick up a paan or a kulfi and in good weather, even freshly squeezed sugar cane juice, a delight which many immigrants remember from their past lives in India. During mango season, sidewalk entrepreneurs set up stalls brimming with mangoes. These are from Mexico and Latin America, and more recently from India too and shoppers who need their mango fix crowd around buying carton loads.

A visit to Jackson Heights isn’t complete without visiting a mithai or sweet shop and it is amazing to see the large variety of multicolored, gemlike sweets available. During the festive months, thousands of pounds are sold to all three nationalities from the sub-continent.

Indian-style beauty parlors with threading services also thrive here, and it’s interesting to see the number of American women – and even some men – who have become customers!

Shoppers love to frequent the many boutiques. The largest is India Sari Palace, which has fabrics of every texture and hue, saris and kurtis that are quite a trend now with the mainstream.. Karishma Boutique, for instance, not only sells bridal wear and sherwanis for the men, it also has readymade saris, which don’t need to be draped.

Indian store in Little India, Jackson Heights, 74th Street.

If you’re looking for a set of tablas or Ayurvedic products, Butala Emporium is a treasure trove with everything from ethnic furniture to over 10,000 books and magazines. Whether you’re looking for a rakhi or Neem toothpaste or Herbal Henna Tulsi Shampoo – you’ll find it here.

For music lovers, there are several music stores that sell Bollywood, pop and devotional music as well as DVDs, and for Bollywood diehards, there is the small, old-style Eagle Theater, which transports fans to another world with Bollywood films.

Stand outside the cinema hall and you see how ‘phillum’ besotted everyone is: small children and grandparents, young couples, women in hijabs or in jeans and stilettos all stop to gaze at the posters of the latest from Bollywood. And just across the street is a huge larger-than-life hoarding for Tagheuer watches, with King Shah Rukh Khan gazing down on his devout constituency of Jaikishan Heights. More recently Abhishek Bachchan has settled in this bully pulpit!

Shah Rukh Khan billboard in Jackson Heights, 74th street, Little India

A day in Jackson Heights wouldn’t be complete without a quick bite or a leisurely lunch at one of the many dhabas and restaurants like Jackson Diner and Delhi Durbar. You could also stop for some spicy fare at Kabab King, a popular joint that is open 24 hours a day, or pop into Rajbhog or Maharaja Sweets for some hot bhel or pungent mirch pakoras which will make you weep!

Yes, a trip to 74^th Street in Jackson Heights is not unlike going to a Bollywood extravaganza. You cry, you smile, and you get color, spice, music, drama, and syrupy sweetness – all at one go! Paisa Vasool!

Text and photos © Lavina Melwani

Check out the ‘Travel to India for $ 4′ photo gallery for a virtual tour of Jaikishan Heights!

]]> http://www.lassiwithlavina.com/travel/jai-ram-it%e2%80%99s-jaikishan-heights/html/feed 1 http://www.lassiwithlavina.com/travel/travel-to-india-for-four-dollars/html http://www.lassiwithlavina.com/travel/travel-to-india-for-four-dollars/html#comments Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:55:53 +0000 Lavina Melwani http://www.lassiwithlavina.com/?p=680 Want to travel to India? Hop on to the subway and for the price of a $ 4 metrocard, you’ll get a sampling in Jackson Heights, Queens.

Like a teeming, magical souk from the Arabian nights tales, it has everything from precious stones to rich silks to aromatic spices. If you’re craving for a paan or a kesar kulfi – and you’re a continent away from India, this is the place you’ll find it. If you’re looking for an ornate bridal lengha or a traditional gold wedding necklace in the heart of New York, well, have no fear – Jackson Heights is near!

Fondly nicknamed Jaikishan Heights, this gritty Little India has been the salvation of new immigrants for decades, bringing them a sweet piece of their lost homeland. It is here that they find the remembered tastes and sounds that make them feel whole again.

Photos © Lavina Melwani

See related article: Jairam, It’s Jaikishan Heights!