Mathures Paul

Picture: Charles Dickens Museum Text by Mathures Paul Charles Dickens is the quintessential Victorian author who is best remembered for books like Pickwick Papers, Adventures of Oliver Twist, The Christmas Carol, Hard Times and Our Mutual Friend. But an ever pervasive gloom marks his work and as his career progressed, so did the note of desolation. Why is this so? The answer may lie in Kolkata. The novelist had 10 children, of whom two died during his lifetime — ninth child Dora Annie died in 1851, aged 9 months and Walter Landor, his second son, died in Kolkata on 31 December, 1863, at the age of 23. He was buried at the Bhawanipore Cemetery but the headstone was shifted to the South Park Street Cemetery in 1987. Little is known about Walter. Born in 1841, he was named after poet Walter Savage Landor who was an inspiration for his father. Dickens was sure of the son having a bright future and did not stop him from travelling to India in 1857 as member of the 42nd Highlanders. He attai...

Picture: Internet Text by Mathures Paul It may sound strange when one credits Bengal for being the birth place of Hindi journalism. Most scholars consider 30 May, 1826 to be the birth of Hindi journalism with the launch of the weekly Oodunt Martand from Kolkata. Bangiya Sahitya Parishad has in its archive the only surviving inaugural issue of the magazine. “With Jooghul Kishore Sookool as the editor, the weekly was published every Tuesday from 37, Aamratala Lane, near Colootala, for a monthly subscription of Rs 2. It continued to be in circulation till 4 December, 1827,” Dr Kanai Chandra Pal, trustee, Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, said. Bijendra Kumar Singh, author of a dissertation tracing the birth of Hindi journalism, said: “Pundit Jooghul Kishore Sookool was the man behind the newspaper. It was published from Munnu Thakur’s residence. Oodunt Martand published 79 issues and each consisted of eight pages. The last issue was published on 4 December 1827.” The weekly was concerned exclusiv...

Photograph by Mathures Paul BEWARE! The typical Indian woman is strong and scares thieves, dogs and rats away with just a stare. On Holi she appears in full regalia! Bloggers, my mother is the sweetest person around. And she is giving my wife pointers every day!

Photographs by Mathures Paul MEATY ROLE In Macau shopping is a pleasure if you are adventurous. While passing through narrow lanes, you would come across shops selling all types of meat and the owner standing outside with a huge pair of scissors or a sharp knife. His job is to cut small pieces and your task is to eat them. Pickled in god-knows-what, they are delicious. Must try.

Photographs by Mathures Paul MAKE A MEMORY Juthika Roy is a forgotten nightingale. After giving a few generations hits such as , she faded away. Today she lives in a house that’s in tatters. A few years back Saregama released a CD but since then nobody has written much about her. Why? Simply because we are foolish. Her voice was appreciated by Mahatma Gandhi. How about you?

SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL Consider yourself lucky if you own the last LP released in India by HMV (now known as Saregama). When you visit Calcutta, don't forget to take a walk down Dharmatolla (Lenin Sarani), which is dotted with makeshift stalls selling LPs. Pick up Abbey Road or Blondes Have More Fun or Tony Brent or Champs for as little as Rs 30.

Photography by Mathures Paul STRIP TEASE M eet Narayan Debnath, without whom a book on cartoons in Bengal is impossible. He lives in Howrah with his family and cats. I have met Debnath only once but it was a trip to Mecca!

Photograph: Mathures Paul MARRIAGES ARE MADE IN HEAVEN To get a feel of Jaipur, avoid putting up at big hotels. Smaller ones offer great service for money and serve authentic Rajasthani food. My wife fed me well during our stay.

Photograph: Mathures Paul  Spare a little prayer for us Phuskar is a must-visit place for travellers to Jaipur. Camel rides have given birth to a thriving business and every tree shade hides a folk singer. And when you sit by the ghats, sadhus are heard chanting slokas that bring tears to your eyes. By the way,  here street signs are usually in German!

Photograph: Mathures Paul BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER Worshipping birds is a ritual across India. My wife Kajari (the sweetest, and I  am not being forced to say this) has a soft corner for birds, cats, dogs... anything that moves, including me. I will always cherish the time we spent in Jaipur.

By Mathures Paul When members of Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk or Beastie Boys leave their bands, which group can they join? Lychee Lassi. Uninhibited, crazy, serious… the quartet plays unlike any other band you have heard so far. Diverse influences have made the team of Beat (bass), Berger (guitar), Roy (drums) and Illvibe (scratching, faderboard) a force to be reckoned with, a name that cannot be ignored. Their promo photographs have them wearing orange bubble suits bouncing across unknown territories, something their music focuses on. Finding Lychee Lassi at their colourful best in Tokyo makes sense. But India? Jalebee Cartel, another electronica outfit based out of Delhi, made them understand the Indian music industry's level of maturity. Instead of a lychee sorbet, the team members share a cup of coffee with Unplugged at the Atrium Café of The Park. The Goethe Institut/ Max Mueller Bhavan-organised concert at Tantra was not less exciting than the WWE Royal Rumble! We started wi...

By Mathures Paul When a six feet plus opera singer turns his back towards the piano, raises his hands heavenward and breaks into an operatic piece, a five-feet three-inch photographer can only jump like a sheep ready to be fleeced! Adam Margulies is in the city to nurture young voices for opera. The New Yorker plans to stay in Kolkata for three weeks, celebrating Luciano Pavarotti and his friends' works at the Calcutta School of Music. Instead of Providence bringing Margulies to Kolkata, a friend of his made him undertake the trip. "He left Kolkata long back and now lives in New York. Here I am giving voice training to young and adult students. People in your city are very sweet. They don't speak too loudly, they are too afraid to yell. I am telling them it's okay to be loud, to be aggressive." And how is he doing that? "Imagine there is a snake in the garden. What would you tell your friend? Shout ‘hey’.” Margulies is also a student who often visits the Metr...

By Mathures Paul You can’t wear a Rolls-Royce, but you qualify for no less an elite circle if you sport a Brioni. And if you don’t know already, it’s the company that has been dressing James Bond since 1994 and it’s now available in India. It’s rather embarrassing to ask any Brioni representative a suit’s price because loyalists of the brand always have a few million to spare. The apparel range is priced between Rs 9,900-950,000, while a made-to-measure line, depending on the exclusivity of the fabric, can cost as much as Rs 15 lakh! Exclusive suit designs, of course, are best found at Saville Row, which has influenced Nazareno Fonticoli, who helped establish the house of Brioni in 1947. Brioni introduced men to the ramp at a show held in 1952 in Palazzo Pitti in an era when fashion shows were synonymous with women’s wear. “Brioni is considered the Rolls-Royce in fashion. It has different cuts to fit all body structures — thin, tall, short, stout, muscular; bodies with unnoticeable def...

By Mathures Paul Some people pass through your life and you forget them. There are some you think about and wonder what happened to them. And there are some you wish you never had to think about again. But you do. Growing up in a joint family comes with its share of quarrels and some happy moments. Grand parents leave behind a few pearls of wisdom, aunts disappear, uncles move away, sisters change address, brothers live a few houses down the road, parents become indifferent… Yet, something makes you remember all of them. Something makes you talk about them fondly to the next generation. The thought of drawing a family tree must have occurred to you. Since we are no longer content to stay put in the country, let alone our state or city, of our birth, family members are dispersing to remote corners and they keep on changing address ~ postal or email. So, how do you draw the family tree? Even till a few months ago, the answer would have been ~ ‘Go online’. Genealogy social networking site...