Day 4 was another intense day, which saw me busy attending a session during each time slot.
The first session I attended was 'Bright Young Things of the Jazz Age' with Lara Feigel, Sarah Churchill and Nicholas Shakespeare talking about the party animal writers of the 20s on both sides of the Atlantic (the US and UK). Fitzgerald occupied the limelight in this conversation. This was a lively session, both because Sarah and Lara were animated speakers and because of the subject matter. The writers conjured up a world of whacky parties organised by the literary luminaries of the time who were drinking themselves silly (perhaps I should down a couple of pegs each time I am stumped for words). This frenetic partying came to an end because it could not be sustained both economically and physically. What probably qualifies as the trivia of the festival, comes from this session, the word 'jazz' originated from the word 'jism' which was slang for sperm!
Next, was Adrian Levy's session on his book, The Seige, on 26/11. Adrian dwelt at length on David Headley, a hybrid character who was able to inhabit two contradictory worlds, that of the liberal USA and the terrorist outfits of Pakistan. Levy when quizzed did acknowledge that the Indian intelligence services should have been prepared for such an attack as there was ample intelligence trickling in about such a possibility. Moreover, according to him, the Pradhan Commission is really not enough as it stands at only 64 pages, which means that there is no act of learning on the part of the Indian government! The most impressive thing about Levy was how at the very start of the session he credited his wife, his co-author, without whom this book would not have been possible. He also later on jokingly stated that in their partnership he was the 'Carrie' and she with her forensic approach was the 'Saul' of their relationship!
Rana Dasgupta was on in the third session, presenting his book Capital. He explained Delhi's extravagant spending habits of today as a shift from the post-1947 fixation on the idea of wealth being the accumulation of gold. He theorised that today's Punjabi culture of Delhi was not a Pre-1947 Punjabi culture but rather a post-traumatic Punjabi culture, which was a 180 degree turn to embrace the tangibles in their lives. He also read an extract from the beginning his book--a description of a farmhouse with sheer glass screens into which he walked straight in...reminiscent perhaps, of another Delhi palace centuries ago where someone mistook a pool for the floor.
Post lunch, one caught Mary Beard talking about Pompeii. It was delightful to see her passion for an archaeological site. Even more interesting, for a person who had visited Pompeii, was the realisation that a lot of what one is told about the site is, well, tourist guide myths. Mary began by stating that a significant amount of Pompeii's appeal was similar to that of a disaster movie with its sense of doom. Moreover, it is the one place one can go to and get really close to Roman daily life. One can get an idea of what the Pompeians thought, their view of the world, from the graffiti on the brothel walls to the Indian statuette from an ordinary house to a chamber pot. On the other hand, there is a lot that is not known about Pompeii.
The pre-tea slot had numerous options...I hate being torn so, but for me there was only one choice--George Michell on Vijaynagar. For anyone who has read his articles in college, this was a wow moment--to hear the scholar in person, especially when he made the talk fun, peppering it with his wry humour. Michell gave a guided lecture on Vijaynagar, with slides to show the buildings he was describing (Delhi University lecturers should take a page out of his book!).
He stated that Vijayangar is a very important site of Hindu Imperial architecture, as it is the earliest and most important of such sites. It was one of the wealthiest cities of all Asia in its time, similar to Bagan or Angkor. Also, unlike other Indian sites, after the city came to an end, it was abandoned, making it a delight for historians.
However, studies till date have posed more questions about the site than answers. This would explain archaeologists believing that the chariot shrine had elephants on it, when there were originally horses. It also explains why scholars are not sure how the royal centre functioned.
This extraordinary landscape of granite rocks was chosen, according to Michell, as it provided a good defence system, it enabled the citizens to develop a hydraulic system, the kings of Vijayanager were local boys and this site had an inherent sanctity as it was imbued with myths (the Kishkindha chapter of the Ramayana was supposed to have taken place here, while the local goddess is supposed to have married Shiva, known here as Pampapati).
He pointed out how the technique of using columns carved out of a single slab of stone, typical of South Indian temple architecture, first originated here. In his opinion, a close study of the Dusshera platform reveals figures wearing hats particular to Central Asia, which suggests that Central Asians worked for the Vijayanagar kings. He felt that Vijaynagar was an "Islamicised Hindu court" while Bahmani was a "Hinduised Islamic court" due to the intermingling of the different forms of architecture.
By the end of the lecture, all I wanted to do was catch the next flight out to Vijayanagar, instead I had to content myself by putting it high on my travel list.
The last session of the day, that I attended, was 'Sex and the Citadel' with Shereen El Feki sharing her findings. What I found particularly interesting to learn was that there has been a long history of Arabic erotica prior to the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. I do think it is important to remember that the Arabic countries were not always so conservative, but that their conservatism is a relatively recent development.
