Kusum Choppra

I have just finished reading an amazing book Zipporah, by Marek Halter.   It tells the story of the Cushite wife of Moses, the grand old man of the Old Testament and mother of his two sons. Zipporah grew up in the household of Jethro, a sage/ high priest of the Midian kings, an abandoned baby who grew up with his own children, apple of his eye for her dark skinned beauty and wisdom beyond her years.    In her adopted tribe, she is not accepted as a possible bride, but for the refugee from Egypt, Moses, Zipporah was the wife he felt was made for him. The story of Zipporah follows the evolution of Moses from a refugee Eygptian prince to a leader of the Hebrew slaves of Egypt, prodded by both Jethro and Zipporah. The trip across the desert to Eygpt was a revelation for her: accepted as Moses’ destiny by both his adoptive and biological mothers, she is rejected by his brother Aaron and sister Miriam; animosity against Moses’ dark-skinned wife is instigated and ev...

Kangana Ranaut's Queen was a wonderful experience.  How deeply ingrained are our prejudices against ourselves?  That aspect was brought out so well in the beginning with Kangana's reaction to her rejection and her first day in Paris.  How did she find the courage to go for her dream honeymoon by herself? to make friends with the Chamber maid and then make a buddy of her? to go off on her own and made friends across the board and yet retain her own innate dignity? discover her own sense of fun and capacities. It was a mind blowing experience.  Thank you whoever was the director and Kangana for that performance. Perhaps the piece d' resistance was her so very dignified insistence that "we'll talk about it later" and then finally quietly handing him his rang and walking out so full of poise and confidence in herself. Full on Kangana.  five stars.

March 2014 Tucked away in the lanes of the inner city of Udaipur is this gorgeous little restored haveli.  Paintings on the walls, floral and other stencils on the ceiling that reminded me of the pictures my son Mehirr had brought back of the ancestral havelis at Eminabad, now in Pakistan. Lots of steep stairs to be negotiated, but worth the climb, from the first floor bedroom to the lounge and kitchen on the third floor --- awesome breezes and views of the Pichola lake, its palace and the city all around… a true roof top experience. All the basic amenities were there --- not the clinical ‘nicety’ of a hotel, but cheery interaction with Caroline and Vikram who run the place and the motley fellow guests, from Delhi and Surat, from Sardinia, Hungary, England and elsewhere --- lots of views and experiences to exchange. Perhaps best of all was a raucous Holi celebration, right at the doorstep, with a fire whose embers continued well till the morning of Duleti, plenty of c...

March 2014.   Low hillocks with vertical rows of vegetation radiating from the top.   Is this soil conservation or territory demarcation?    What about the cacti hedges? The hills are bare and brown. Flame of the forest adds spots of color. On the road side hill, there are low stone walls – are they there to prevent mudslides onto the highway? The area now boasts of some vegetation --- palm and other trees and fields too.  At one place, I spotted  three hovels amidst green fields, probably the field workers.  Beyond them was a hillock which was fairly green with bushes and trees and a kothi of stone  that looked like that of the owner, as it had a temple close  by on the top of the hillock. Many of the hills show young trees amidst many stumps and large stones.   Are these the result of the afforestation drive during the Rajiv Gandhi era? At that time, the Dungarpur  area was dotted with pits dug by the peopl...