Dinner with Ram Jethmalani

A few days after our exhibition opened, on Republic Day ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_Day_(India), Ram Jethmalani invited me and a few other people to his house and to dinner. Pictured here is Arnab with Lataa Krishnamurthi, a lawyer and rights advocate at Jethmalani's house.

We all met a Jethmalani's house before going to dinner. There was a film crew at the house and before we went to dinner. Jethmalani did a half hour interview--one of those four talking heads from remote locations news segments--for X News ( http://newsx.com/index.php ) the primary new station in India. The topic was: Does the annual Republic Day military parade set an appropriate tone or India at this point in time?

Recently retired from Parliament, Jethmalani had supposedly also retired from practicing law: in fact, he had a sign in front of his home/office in New Delhi that stated he was no longer taking cases. But he was drawn out of retirement by what is currently India's most infamous and controversial case: the Manu Sharma murder trial ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manu_Sharma . Sharma is the son of a wealth and politically very connected family in India. He has a reputation as a bully, party boy, and not so nice guy. A few years ago he went on trial for killing Jessica Lall an actor and model ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Jessica_Lall ). The charge was that he took out a pistol at a party and shot her point blank in front of a crowd because she wouldn't get him a drink. At the first trial a lot of the witnesses suddenly and seemly mysteriously changed their testimony at the last minute and he was acquitted.

Subsequently, Indian news outlets began investigating the case and set-up a sting operation to catch Sharma and his pals attempting to bribe witnesses. After all the bad press the case was retried and he was convicted. Jethmalani is representing Sharma in the appeal of the conviction. At this point Sharma is probably the most despised person in India: it probably doesn't help that Jessica Lall was beautiful and Sharma looks like a spoiled, smart aleck, man child.

A lot of pundits accuse Jethmalani of betraying his conviction by representing Sharma and the other controversial cases he has taken on. Indeed, one could make the case that Sharma is the poster child for the very kind of corruption and injustice that Jethmalani has railed against his whole life. But I don't think this is a contradiction for him. He is a man who believes in the justice system and in the right of the disenfranchised to have legal representation--even if they happen to be wealthy and privileged.

Driving down the main street in Saidpur

Riding a bicycle in Saidpur

Visiting Pijush Kantiber's Studio

Pijush is an artist who has been taking me around the city and helping me prepare and install the exhibition. He has a studio in Saipur just a few kilometers from Noida where I am staying. Arnab took me to Pijush's studio to see his paintings.

Crossing the street in New Delhi

Wait for it . . . wait for it . . . not yet . . . now

The death of a political leader

The poster pictured here at the entrance to the cultural center is a memorial image for Jyoti Basu, Chief Minister of West Bengal and one of the most influencial leaders of the Indian Communist Party. The cultural center where the U.S.-India Arts & Culture Exchange exhibition was mounted, Muktodhara, Banga Sanskriti Bhavan, in New Delhi was founded by a group of West Bengal community activists--in fact, much of the money for the center came from the West Bengal government. Basu died while I was in India. His death inspired memorials and sparked civil unrest in parts of India.

A roadside tea stand

There are hundreds of small roadside tea stands in New Delhi. I had late night tea here with Arnab and his friends after the exhibition opening.

Meeting Ram Jethmalani

The chief guest for the opening of the exhibition was Ram Jethmalani (pictured here in the center). He is a well-known and controversial figure in India. He is an attorney (or advocate in India legal parlance); he is infamous for defending high profile, publicly despised--and often publicly convicted before trial--clients. He has also been a member of Parliament for forty years (now 87 years old he just stepped down a few months ago). He is known as a man who doesn't mince words. An outspoken advocate for democracy, freedom, and justice, especially for the poor and otherwise disenfranchised, he has made many inflammatory accusations and disquieting characterizations. He's the kind of person from whom the press relish getting quotes. In other words, he's the kind of person I very much looked forward to meeting. Getting to spend some time with him has been the highlight of my trip.

The roottop lawn above my room at the guest house

Me with the dancers

The exhibition and reception

Today the exhibition I came to India to present opened at the Muktodhara, Banga Sanskriti Bhavan cultural center in New Delhi. Before the exhibition opened I gave a presentation about the exhibition design/ museum studies and gallery program at Cal State Fullerton, the CSUF Grand Central Art Center, and the artists in the exhibition. There was also a program of traditional Bengali and Indian dance presented.

Dance Program before the exhibtion

Cutting the ribbon to the exhibition

The exhibition

A sampling of our publications on display in the exhibition

A toll booth

Although Noida is only about 15 miles from downtown New Delhi, technically, it is in another state. Hired cars must pay a tax when they cross this line. The guy at the window collects the money from the driver and then pays the man in the booth.

A woman selling drawings

A cup of tea

You see these plastic cups all over India--more often than not on the ground. I am told that India had a long history of street vendors serving tea in little clay cups. When people finished their tea they would simply throw the cups on the street. The cups would soon be dissolved by the rain. For some reason--I'm sure they have some logical explanation for it--the World Trade Organization dictated that India should use plastic cup instead of the traditional disposable cups they had used. The plastic cups don't dissolve as well as the ceramic cups.

Entering Jaipur

I just found this short video of the street as we entered Jaipur. On the audio Jim and G. Ray are discussing dentists.

The fog persists in New Delhi

Public Works

Road work

Public Works in New Delhi

Painting fences on the street

My temporary home in Sector 41

Noida is located about 15 mile from central New Delhi. In the 1960s the government converted farmland into a planned community. Each residential sector is gated, has parks, and designated areas for markets. The guesthouse I am staying in is located in Section 41 a middle class residential neighborhood.

Dogs with jackets

With the cold weather I've seen a lot of dogs in India wearing jackets.

Irons

These were the irons that were used to iron my close when I sent them out to be laundered.

Leather jackets

More than 80% of the population of India is Hindu. There are McDonald's everywhere, but there is no beef on the menu. It is virtually impossible to find beef on the menu, even in tourist restaurants. The sacred cows freely roam the streets in small towns and big city's such as New Delhi. According to Hindu mythology the earth is supported on the horn of a cow. When you enter a Hindu temple you must remove all leather including belts.

Yet many men wear leather jackets. When I asked about this it was explained to me that it's OK because the cow is dead?

Park bench

Playing marbles in the street

Another professor at NDU College of Arts

These paintings are by Abhimanue Govindan a professor in charge of graduate painting students at NDU College of the Arts. More of his paintings can be found at: http://abhimanue-shiftingfocus.blogspot.com

A professor I met at NDU College of Arts

This is Jyotika Sehgal she is a professor at New Delhi University College of Art. Her four year old daughter used my camera to take this photograph of her mother. Jyotika just returned from a four year stint in the UK where she is working on her Phd in Practice Based Research at the University of Western England in Bristol. She is doing extensive research on the content relative to her painting.

Lunch at Nathu's Sweets

India's like sweets. Nathu's Sweets is a chain of restaurants and sweets shops. To the right is Gulab Jamun basically a fresh fried doughnut hole with simple syrup poured on top.

Below that is Indian pizzas with paneer, onions, and bell peppers.

Lecture at New Delhi University College of Art

Today I presented a lecture at the New Delhi University College of Art. Around seventy students and a group of faculty listed to my lecture. I outlined the history of art in Southern California and gave an overview of art in the region today. The faculty and students were very receptive.

To the right is Professor M.Vijayamohan the Principal (equal to Dean in the U.S. system). He was very helpful facilitating the lecture and accommodating my interaction with the students and faculty.

Below is a picture of Arnab Paul and me at the college.

Monday I spent a few hours at the New Delhi University College of the Arts. I talked with students and professors, made some art and had lunch in the student cafeteria. The plate to the right is what a student gets at the cafeteria for about $.25.

My caretakers at the guest house

To the right are the three young men Sunil, Surash, and Manoj (from left to right) who take care of me at the guest house. Since G. Ray and Jim left I have had the five bedroom house to myself--except for a few nights when a young India couple stayed here. I feel a bit guilty having three people take care of me all the time. They clean, cook, and go to the market and get whatever I need: Surash cooks very good India food. He keeps surprising me with new recipes. It is very quite here. Noida is a suburb about 15 miles outside of Delhi. It wouldn't be my first choice for a vacation spot. But as a place to work it is ideal. I have a wi-fi connection, plenty of space, and no distractions--a luxury I am not used to having.

G. Ray says goodbye to India

Perhaps the blog should be renamed 'Mike in India' from this point forward. G. Ray has gone back to California. As I previously mentioned it has been very cold in New Delhi--more than 300 people have died from the chill. G. Ray was sick with a sinus infection and bronchitis for months before we came to India. He decided it just wasn't worth the health risk to stay here. Arrangements had been made for him to work side by side in the graduate studios at the New Delhi University College of Art, but there is no heating there and the conditions are spartan (like most university studios).

I'll miss G. Ray, but I will carry on the program. I worked in the college studios today in G. Ray's place and Wednesday I will present a lecture at the college about art in California. Our exhibition will open on Sunday, and I will give a talk about G. Ray, my work, and the other artists in the show before the exhibition opens.

G. Ray's friend Jim Farthing left a day before G. Ray. Jim is off to meet another friend in Burma.

On the road back to Delhi

A traffic jam on the road back to Delhi

Me in front of an astronomy instrument at Jantar Mantar