Bakary Cafe

If giant pandas doing somersaults in the snow is your thing… you’re in luck!

What would you do with your first free days of freedom if you’d spent 15 of the past 21 years under house arrest or in prison?

Released on Saturday, Aung San Suu Kyi has addressed her supporters; given interviews to the press and indicated that she’s ready to meet Burma’s leader to discuss national reconciliation. She also broached the subject of sanctions, saying “If the people really want sanctions to be lifted, I will consider it”. So, not a bad day at the office, hey!

She told the crowd she believed in the rule of human rights and the rule of law and felt no antagonism to those who had kept her detained for much of the past two decades. The basis of democratic freedom, she said, was freedom of speech. But she cautioned that if her supporters wanted to get to where they wanted, they had to do it the right way. “Do not give up hope,” she added (BBC article).

So… no conditions placed on her freedom? Free as in free? Hmmm… I won’t give up hope… just yet.

Sadly, but perhaps not entirely surprising, Burma rejected Aung San Suu Kyi’s appeal. She will not be freed as was expected.

Tells you a lot about the fragility of a country that one person can have so much power over the junta. Some hope for free and fair elections then!

Burma - to go or not to go? Bakary says “Don’t go”.

Progress is slow… but any progress is good news. After the last twenty years, the recent news from Burma is offering a glimmer of hope: Aung San Suu Kyi could be free by the end of the year.

Interestingly, two of my acquaintances holidayed in Burma this Christmas (independently of each other). Well travelled, they both knew that their decision to visit Burma was controversial but both felt that the time was right. I’m still hanging on…

That’s the thing about London… Reading Time Out, you always come across unexpected treasures!

I found out about Indian Late yesterday morning. The programme promised an evening of events, all free. I got there just before 6:30pm and queued straight away for tickets (some events required free entry tickets). I queued for about 40 minutes to be informed, when there were only about 15 people in front of me, that all tickets had gone! Not a good start…

Determined to make the most of my evening, I consulted the programme again.

The main attraction was the Magic Mela: an evening of 1000 joys; performances of music, song and dance of the Federation of Indian Performing Arts in the Great Court. With a big crowd watching, it was hard to get a good view so I decided to go behind stage and watch from the side. Although not ideal, this offered me glimpses of the performers resting between acts. And throughout the evening, I found myself popping back to watch performances and performers.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
There was an opportunity to find out about Indian board games in Room 1. We had a go at Pachisi, the national game of India. With only two of us, the game did not last long. The rules are not hard to grasp but this game would definitely benefit from having more players so you can get more tactical. Still… we had fun!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In Room 17, amidst Greek antiquities, I watched Bharatnatyam dancing from southern India. It felt a lot more colourful and vibrant than the dances in the Great Court. The dancer I watched certainly made me feel that he was dancing a story. I’m not sure if I’m explaining this as best I can… but he wasn’t just dancing, he was acting a dance.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
A section of the Great Court was devoted to an art workshop. The Jumbo painting: Vali, Rama and Lakshmana workshop gave people of all ages a chance to join in and their drawings were all added to a growing herd marching across the museum floor… It was highly enjoyable to watch all these elephants, of various shapes and individuality, coming together over the course of the evening.

I don’t know whether last night was a one-off or whether the Museum will organise similar events in the future. It was educational but it was also great fun…. and it was all free!

On a lovely sunny Sunday morning, you could do worse than take a walk through the East End, through Brick Lane to the Columbia Road Flower market.

I started my walk on Commercial Road. If you look around you, you’ll find constant reminders that this part of London was very much an industrial, working, part of the city.

In the Altab Ali park, just across the road from the Whitechapel Gallery, I came across a Shaheed Minar. And of course, this transported me back to Dhaka, Bangladesh, where last year, I actually saw the Shaheed Minar (the one in East London is a replica of it).

A short walk up Brick Lane, with the obligatory stop at the Brick Lane Beigel Bake, and through an estate and I’m at the Columbia Road Flower Market.

It’s always so colourful and noisy there. Traders plying their trade. People walking and chatting. Haggling. The road is lined with lovely Victorian buildings, most of them now either shops or cafes.

It’s the place to get flowers and plants in London I think… and if you get there just before the traders get ready to pack up (the market closed at 2pm), you can get yourself some real bargains.

The variety and quality of exhibitions on offer at the British Museum mean that it’s not just tourists who go there these days.

I made my way there yesterday to go to the Between Tibet and Assam: cultural diversity in the eastern Himalayas exhibition. It’s a small exibition, relatively obscure (I don’t recall any publicity about it).
 
I was in the Himalayas last March when the Tibetan protests were in the news. I spoke to a few Tibetan refugees at the time and came across large groups making their way to demonstrations. The exhibition at the British Museum reminded me of my trip and of the few minority groups we came across.
  

“Between Tibet and Assam” is about two specific tribes from the state of Arunachal Pradesh in northeast India - the Apatani (who believe in a wide variety of spirits and conduct rituals involving animal sacrifices) and the Monpa (who follow Tibetan Buddhism).

“Over thirty-five different tribes live in the remote river valleys which run south from the Himalayas.”
 
 
 
 
“The culture of these tribes is not frozen in time. They have always had contact with their neighbours and their culture has consequently changed. However, today this rate of change has accelerated dramatically.”
 
“The Apatanis live in a narrow highland valley in the centre of Arunachal Pradesh. They speak their own distinct Tibeto-Burman language and have a rich oral tradition that has only recently been written down.

Rice is the staple food of Apatanis. It is cultivated using a complex system of irrigation, without ploughs, animals, wells, or machines.

Apatanis are animist - they believe in a wide variety of spirits representing traits such as wisdom, strength and fertility. Animist rituals with animal sacrifices and complex oral chants take place in yearly festivals as well as on other occasions.”
 
 
 
 
 
 “The Monpas live in the West of Arunachal Pradesh, near Bhutan and their languages is closely related to Bhutanese.”

“Monpas follow the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism led today by the fourteenth Dalai Lama.”
 
 
 
 
 
 
If you’re in the area and have 30 minutes to spare, I’d say it’s worth checking it out. The exhibition is on until 13 April 2009 and it’s FREE.

Source for information on the Apatanis and the Monpas: the British Museum.

Yesterday was Holi, the Festival of Colours.

“Holi (referred to as Phagwa in Bhojpuri), also called the Festival of Colours, is a popular Hindu spring festival observed in India, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad, the UK, and Nepal. In West Bengal of India and Bangladesh, it is known as Dolyatra (Doljatra) or Boshonto Utsav (”spring festival”).

The main day, Holi, also known as Dhulheti, Dhulandi or Dhulendi, is celebrated by people throwing coloured powder and coloured water at each other. Bonfires are lit the day before, also known as Holika Dahan (death of Holika) or Chhoti Holi (little Holi). The bonfires are lit in memory of the miraculous escape that young Prahlad had when Demoness Holika, sister of Hiranyakashipu, carried him into the fire. Holika was burnt but Prahlad, a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu, escaped without any injuries due to his unshakable devotion. Holika Dahan is referred to as Kama Dahanam in Andhra Pradesh.

Holi is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Phalugna or Falguna (Phalgun Purnima), which usually falls in the later part of February or March. In 2009, Holi (Dhulandi) is on 11th March and Holika Dahan is on 10th March.” (Source: Wikipedia)

I got a colourful email from a colleague in India yesterday:

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY “HAPPY HOLI (the Festival of Colours) Now in our country we are celebrating this festival.

Have lots and lots of fun

It reminded me of my trip to India last year. I was there for Holi and it was such fun watching people covered in colours, throwing colours at each others and generally being merry.

There was a multi-coloured tiny little dog. People were trying to throw colour on us… but we were watching from the safety of a bus!