SIkkim Expedition to Mount Everest

Named after the legendary mountaineer and the first Everester from Sikkim, the Sonam Gyatso Mountaineering Institute is located at Gangtok. From the modest beginning as an adventure club in 1961, it assumed the status of a full-fledged mountaineering institute in 1963. In view of the pristine beauty and location of many peaks above the height of twenty two thousand feet, namely, Mt. Khangchendzonga, Mt. Kabru, Mt. Talung, Mt. Siniolchu, Mt. Simvo, Mt. Pandim, Mt. Rathong, and Mt. Paunhari, Sikkim was considered the right choice for training and pursuing the sport of mountaineering and adventure activities. Much ahead of this significant step, HMI, Darjeeling had started giving training to the budding mountaineers by using Yuksom area of West Sikkim as its base.
Though worthy sons of the soil, namely, Sonam Gyatso, Phu Dorji and Nadey Sherpa had achieved the difficult and challenging feat of climbing the Mount Everest, a need was recently felt to form a fresh group comprising of mountaineers from Sikkim as also other states and undertake an expedition to the ‘Sagarmatha’.
As a result of sincere work, commitment and painstaking planning for several weeks, a twenty member team was finally selected under the leadership of G.T.Bhutia, the former Principal of the SGMI. Dr. D.S.Burfal, an experienced mountaineer was chosen as the Deputy Leader and the expedition doctor. Of the twenty members, two were women, who hailed from Sikkim. One of them, Phulmaya Tamang had figured in the HMI Expedition to the world’s highest peak in 2003 but was unlucky in not reaching the summit.
Upon fulfilling the basic requirements and completion of necessary formalities, the team members had to undergo various rigorous sessions to determine their grit, stamina and determination. The objective was to put a sizeable number of mountaineers on the top. The team finally left Gangtok for New Delhi on 16th of March,2008.After some briefings, interactions and sensitizations for nearly a fortnight the highly spirited members were in a position to land at Kathmandu.
Subsequent to arranging essential climbing and camping equipments, food items and medicines, the work relating to logistics was tied up with a reputed company of Kathmandu. It took them another six days before they reached Lukla. There was nothing to worry on account of weather. Days were cool and sunny, while the nights were not very chilly. The team members, in addition, were in good health and high spirits. Perhaps, only setback the team faced was near the Namche Bazar(altitude 11,000 feet) when Bishnu, one of the members suddenly became indisposed. When sincere efforts to cure him failed, he had to be evacuated to Kathmandu.
Following a trek of another ten days over forty odd kilometers and undergoing acclimatization sessions, the team finally succeeded in setting up its first Base Camp at an altitude of 17,500 feet on 15th of April. Many of the members had the rich exposure of earlier expeditions. It became a plus point and an encouraging factor. The location maps began to be read seriously and the tips of seniors soon became the guiding principles. This being the main climbing season, a lot of activities were being witnessed in the surrounding rugged terrain. The team members did not forget to take part in a comprehensive puja for their well being and for the overall success of the expedition.
Slowly the thought of the daunting task ahead began occupying the mindset of every climber. But no one looked worried after a detailed interaction session on probable climbing routes. The next destination for them was the Khumbu Glacier. The climb was steep and therefore tough. The steep and hard ice walls on the way actually tested the technical skills of the climbers. They had to negotiate an ice maze using ladders, fixed ropes and ice axes.

After two days of hard work in the beautiful surroundings, the team could arrange its First Acclimatization Camp. A few of the members, however,had to be examined by the Deputy Leader for testing their endurance skills. They had to retreat on health grounds. With the passage of two more days, the team was in a position to climb a height of 6000 metres followed by another climb of 400 metres in the next five days. Thus, two additional rounds of acclimatizations could be completed. The Camp II was pitched at an altitude of 6400 metres on 26th April. Fourteen out of the original twenty mountaineers managed to reach this point. Intensity of cold was on rise, accompanied by strong winds and avalanche. Adequate precaution, therefore, had to be taken starting from the afternoons. At the night, biting cold conditions would prevail.
By 30th of April, further upward movement took place. Ultimately, the Fourth Acclimatization Camp could be set up. Sign of fatigue, now could be seen over the faces of a few members. When further planning and steps were being discussed, a news was received that the Government of China had imposed restrictions on more treacherous Northern Ridge approach to the peak. This was to ensure unhindered movement of the Olympic Torch. The expedition members, therefore, were compelled to modify their approach route and suspend further activities. They were, thus confined to the Camp II till 10th of May without any notable activity. They, nevertheless, kept themselves in good humor and encouraged each other to the best of their ability. When the Olympic Torch rally finally got over, further movement began.
The Camp III of the expedition could be set up on 13th May with tremendous hard work by braving inclement weather at an altitude of 7200 metres. This also meant a kind of fresh acclimatization process for the diehard 13 members. Profound discussions thereafter, led to the planning for the final assault. Further meticulous climb over the next seven days took them closer to the Lhotse Face. The view of Mt. Nuptse (25,850 feet) while ascending, was awesome. A halt or two in these beautiful settings lifted the spirits of everyone.
On 21st May, the climb began rather early for the famous transit point- South Col (26,200 ft.). Late in the afternoon, the proposed site of Camp IV located at an altitude of 8,000 metres could be approached. The sight of MT.Lhotse (27,890 feet)from here was simply out of world. It was pristine. It was crystal clear. Since the weather was very congenial, it was decided to make an attempt on the Mount Everest the same evening.
Keeping in view the fitness and overall performance, the leader decided to send D.D. Bhutia of Kalimpong first.By being cheered and encouraged by everyone, he began his climb around 19:30 hours. Kunzang Gyatso Bhutia of Sikkim followed him closely. Subsequent to almost non-stop movement of about eight hours in the trying conditions,including a 'jam' at the famous Hillary Steps, D.D. Bhutia was lucky to reach the summit of the magnificent Mount Everest at 29,035 feet. He made it at 5:30 am on 22nd May. Even though he was tired, he was extremely elated and satisfied. For him, rightly, it was a dream which came true. It was enthralling and mesmerising on top of the world. Peaks in the neighbourhood were also visible clearly.
Before Kunzang Gyatso Bhutia, the next member could make it at 5:40 am, the famous mountaineer, Yappa Sherpa of Nepal reached the peak for a record eighteenth time. Thus, the diehard Sherpa was instrumental in breaking his own world record.
The well deserved success of K.G. Bhutia was immediately followed by Ram Singh of Jammu & Kashmir. He proudly displayed the Indian tri colour and the flag of J&K Police exactly at 5:40 am. The summit was full of colourful prayer flags and many other things left behind by other mountaineers.
The next turn was that of two women climbers from Sikkim - Phulmaya Tamang and Yangdi Sherpa. With their sincerity and determination, they set foot on the highest point of the world at 6:30 am. While doing so they became the first two women to accomplish the feat from anywhere in the North Eastern Region.
Phulmaya Tamang was lucky after a gap of five years, having failed at a substantial height as a member of HMI 2003 Expedition. Recounting their experience and feelings, later, they stated “It was unbelievable. We felt as if we were in the sky. Everything else was down below. We closed our eyes on reaching the top. We thanked God and offered prayers (Mt. Everest is considered Chomolongma or the Mother Goddess of the Earth by the Sherpas).Given a choice, we are ready to climb again.”
The next five members namely, Ashish K. Singh of Uttarakhand, Nima Wangchuk Sherpa of Sikkim, N. Suraj Singh of Manipur, Yaduram Sharma of Siliguri and Atul Karwal of Gujarat reached the top between 6:30 and 8.30 am. Relentless hard work and blessings of God enabled Karwal to become the first All India Services officer to achieve the distinction.Similarly, Nima Wangchuk at the age of fifty nine years and seven months became the oldest Indian ever to accomplish the feat. According to him, it was the greatest achievement of his life.He was working very hard for same for forty years.
It was a very busy and lucky day at the Mount Everest. Including ten victorious members of this expedition, altogether twenty seven mountaineers from different countries made it to the summit. Overall, it was a show of fantastic camrederie and performance by the Sikkim expedition .Putting ten climbers on top in one attempt without any accident or casualty was incredible indeed.
After spending half an hour and expressing pleasure and happiness over their remarkable achievements, all the climbers could return to Camp IV at South Col between 14:00 and 15.00 hours. They had to spend the night therein. This night however, was different. In view of their accomplishments, all could get sound sleep.
The next day, the team reached Camp II located at a height of 6,400 metres. Climbing down ,however ,was not easy. Same precautions or sometimes more had to be taken. By 24th May, the team could reach the base camp at 17,500 feet.
On 27th May ,all except three members, departed for Kathmandu. The three members, namely. Dr. D.S. Burfal, P.W. Sherpa and S. Pokhariyal stayed back at the Base Camp for the Everest Marathon organised by Bikrum Pandey, of the Himalayan Expedition Company,Kathmandu. Organised between the Everest Base Camp and Namche Bazar(42 kms),it is the highest marathon venue in the world.
With a sense of pride, the whole team returned to Kathmandu on 31st May. Half of the team departed for New Delhi. Those belonging to Sikkim and nearby states returned to a rousing welcome and reception by the Tourism Department at Rangpo on 5th of June. People from all walks of life in Sikkim appeared overjoyed. It was a resounding success after a gap of 43 years.(Late Sonam Gyatso had climbed the Mt. Everest in 1965).Sri Pawan Chamling, the Chief Minister of Sikkim expressing his extreme happiness, congratulated the expedition members.
The expedition, per se, had some more achievements to their credit apart from putting ten members on the top of the Mount Everest. These were;
-- Nepal Army was assisted in building a helipad at the Everest Base Camp for the emergency evacuations. Same was used a couple of times in their presence.
--In a rare humanitarian gesture, Ashish Singh gave his oxygen cylinder to a Vietnamese climber when the latter had exhausted his own. Thus a precious life was saved during the return journey between the summit and the Camp IV.
--The medical team of the expedition, in the same way, saved the life of Miss Kalpana Das, a single woman climber from Orissa .On 21st May, after scaling the peak she was reported to have developed severe dehydration and abdominal pain. She was kept on observation at the Base Camp for more than twenty eight hours and given all possible care. Ultimately, she recovered upon being evacuated by a helicopter to Kathmandu.
--Last but not the least, thirty nine expeditions from different parts of the world were also given free medical aid..
One hopes that more young men and women from the North-Eastern Region will be inspired by the achievements of the expedition. They may, perhaps be encouraged to take up mountaineering activity more seriously and diligently than before.

INDIA'S LUNAR MISSION

Twenty Second October 2008 will indeed be a historic and a remarkable day. At 6.22 am on this memorable day, the talented and dedicated Indian space scientists led by G.Madhavan Nair, Chairman ISRO and M.Annadurai, Project Director of the Moon Mission had every reason to feel elated and satisfied. At this auspicious time, Chandrayaan I, the indigenously fabricated spacecraft was successfully launched at Sriharikota from the 44 meter tall,316 tonne Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.
Though it is devoid of an astronaut, it has enabled India to join the select group of six countries to attempt an orbiter mission to Moon. In doing so, India has reestablished its credentials as a scientific super power. One hopes and prays that our maiden mission to ‘Chandamama’ achieves its goals and is in a position to throw more light on the partially known physical aspects of the earth’s nearest neigbour in space, apart from exploring the possibility of finding water, a compound necessary to establish a permanent colony.
Afterall, it has eleven instruments or the payloads on board, including two from NASA, three from the European Space Agency and one from Bulgaria. In this way, the Indian Space Scientists have added a fresh sparkling feather to their distinguished cap worn on April 19,1975, when Aryabhatta, the country’s first satellite was launched from Balkanur in Kazakhstan.
A lot of water has flown down the rivers of the world ever since the Apollo IX spacecraft of the USA facilitated the first man Neil A. Armstrong to land on the surface of the Moon on July 19, 1969. Within a few minutes, he was joined by Michael Colins. Their fellow astronaut, Edward Eldrin had to be satisfied with remaining in control of the Mother ship. Though he could not set his foot on Moon, he may have been equally proud of his achievements.
As a ten year old boy in Ranchi, I followed the mystical developments relating to the Apollo IX rather closely. Thanks to Papa, valuable inputs made available through the AIR, BBC, London and the Indian Nation would be explained to me in full details. I would not forget to religiously narrate the same to my friends in the neighbour hood and classmates in the St.John’s School. On the D day, we were expectedly excited. Close to the midnight, all of us in the family were glued to our large Bush Radio, listening very carefully to each and every word uttered in the golden voice of Amin Sayani, the famous ‘Binaca’ broadcaster.
Apart from giving a flawless and lively commentary about the movements of the Apollo IX, Sayani managed to relay the recorded voice of Neil A. Armstrong. It was simply unbelievable to hear a voice so clearly from a distance of more than 3 lakh 86 thousand kilometers. We would watch Moon Uncle almost every night. But observing HIM that very night was something special. Very innocently if not foolishly, we gazed and gazed in the hope to see if any of the US astronauts would be visible through our naked eyes.
I was extremely delighted to hear the news that a postage stamp was being issued by the Union Government to commemorate the historic moment. Amma gave me the required Paise to buy the stamp from the GPO. Seeing my hero Armstrong in print was simply amazing. He was shown walking slowly carrying his Oxygen Cylinder and essential research apparatus on the back. Behind him the Mother Earth was visible in her pristine glory. It was a scene similar to the Moon as observed on a Full Moon day from the earth.
Soon I was bestowed with the opportunity to see a dedicated documentary film on the Apollo mission followed by a chance to have a close look at a moonstone brought by the historic mission. With a sense of pride, I would tell my relatives and known persons that from amongst all the schools of Ranchi only St.John’s was chosen for the rare display.
A couple of more missions to the Moon were undertaken by the USA, the USSR and some other countries. However, the urge to further explore the satellite began waning, presumably, due to lack of an atmosphere akin to the earth. Only time will tell whether the Indian Mission taken up at an estimated cost of $ 80 million will actually take off from where the American-European mission left behind in the mid 1990’s.
By the time the Chandryaan I moves closer to the Moon on November 8,2008,renewed interest is likely to be generated in researching several unknown facets of the Lunar surface. Such an initiative, so to say, is expected to be followed by the Chandrayaan II which is being designed to actually land on Moon. Simultaneously, Indian manned space missions have been proposed that will take an Indian ultimately to the Moon. That day is therefore not far when the Moon will become a transit station for undertaking voyages to the Mars and many other planets of the vast, yet, mystical Solar system.

A TALE OF FOUR PETS

Pets are domestic or tamed animals. They are kept for pleasure or for the sake of company. Whatever may be their size or breed, they evoke warm and nostalgic memories. They make us smile by bringing in joys. By their sheer nature, they work as stress busters. Unlike human beings, they are trust worthy and loyal. We give them little time, spend an insignificant portion of our income on them, yet, they are large hearted in giving returns.
Pets have been part and parcel of the human civilisation. They have been found working hand in hand with the mankind both in win and loss situtaions. Besides being inseparable members of many a household, their emotions, affection and sense of attachment is truly noticeable if one is away from them for long durations. Their sense of belonging can be felt and experienced only when we spend some quality time with them. Upon developing a particular rapport, they begin asserting and demanding. Sometimes they show the same tantrums as non vocal infants.
Subsequent to adjusting to a particular location or a family, it is hard for them to get used to an alien setting or a new group. In the event of any change, they express their anguish in no uncertain terms. At times, it is silent. They tend to give up food or continuously search for familiar surroundings or the old mates and masters.
The earliest memory of a pet I have, concerns a locality dog named Tipu Sultan. Since he was fed and looked after by more than one family, he could not be considered a pet in the usual sense of the term. I along with my siblings seemed to have developed a certain fondness for him. A black and white dog of medium built, Tipu would occasionally turn ferocious at fellow dogs, hens, cats, cows and buffaloes, who would dare to enter his territory. While protecting the people of the area he would, invariably resist the entry of strangers, more so, at night. His loyalty to the families of the area and affection shown to the tiny tots earned him goodwill.
He was entitled to the delicious meals during the festivals, marriages and birth anniversaries. Though he was fed all kind of food opposite various houses, he will be always be present at the entrance of our house early in the morning or when we would call it a day. During the course of the day, he will find out ample time for rest and relaxation.
Tipu had the unusual strength and determination to bear the summer heat, intermittent rainfall and biting cold conditions. As teenagers, we would often innocently wonder as to how he could manage to withstand the vagaries of nature without wearing clothes. Tipu was very fond of running behind the speeding vehicles, more so, during the Durga Puja holidays when as a result of diversion of route of some town buses, peace and tranquillity of our locality would get disturbed. One by one, Tipu’s legs would get hurt during the chase and run. Despite our wish, nobody would take him to a Vet. By grace of God he would get cured in the natural way in no time. When he would limp, all of us would feel profusely for him.
A time came when Tipu became rather old to carry forward his antics. While chasing a heavily loaded truck on a misty winter evening, he received irreparable injuries. Two of his legs were fractured. It made him immobile for weeks. Even in this condition, he will refuse to vacate a portion of the road. A time came when he began declining food. His pots would be full of milk and wastefood but he stopped even looking at the eatables. Early in the morning of a Sunday prior to the Holi festival, Tipu was found dead. From some elders, we ascertained his age. He lived an active life of twelve years. Very few persons gathered when we arranged his burial in the adjacent jail field.
With the passage of time, Tipu was replaced by a light brown coloured dog named Tiger. In his infancy, he was a cute Puppy. By nature, he was shy but performance wise, he fell short of our expectations. He could not fit into the shoes of Tipu. In order to hone up his skills, Dabloo would take him for jogging every now and then. But Tiger was unresponsive. As a result, the unwanted animals and ruffians began having gala time. His fervent desire to have food without doing anything in return gave him a parasite kind of reputation. No one, therefore, took note of or expressed grief when he was crushed one day by a high speed bus.
Lucy, in contrast to Tipu or Tiger belonged to a superior pedigree. She became our exclusive pet by design. She was born to an Alsatian father and an Indian mother. A lot of care was taken in bringing her up. Thanks to our profound affection and fondness, she became a roly poly. As her performance was getting affected, we were, advised to give her a balanced diet according to a fixed time schedule. To begin with, she would survive on chapati and milk. It was gradually supplemented by pieces of mutton two to three times a week.
Each time we would enter the compound, Lucy would bark. In no time, upon knowing our identity, she would jump in absolute jubilation. Very often, she would leap forward right upto the chest level. It was always a pleasure to throw rubber balls at her and wait for her prompt reaction. At the end of such performances, she would be entitled to tasty sweet biscuits.
Outside animals and unfamiliar human beings would figure in her ‘negative list’. On more than one occasion, theft and house breaking were prevented due to her robust and alert nature. Her strong olfactory sense always worked to our advantage. Though she would not venture to harm anybody, once’ identification parade’ was complete, it was always considered desirable to put her on leash during a pooja or social event at home.
Once she fell sick. She gradually lost her appetite and resultantly, her stamina and charm. Each one of us got disturbed. We tried our level best to go to the root of her problem. At last on the advice of a family friend, we lifted her on a scooter and consulted a Veterinary Doctor. After a thorough check up, he found something wrong in her stomach. She was prescribed liquid medicines and restricted diet. Though she began responding to the treatment, administering her medicines was a herculean task. As a result of our prayers and care, she recovered within ten days or so.
In the meanwhile, in order to stand respectfully on my own feet, I had to migrate to New Delhi. With my shifting, contact with Lucy became a six monthly affair. But I won’t forget to ask her welfare through the weekly letters addressed to Amma. During the peak summer of 1989,when I visited home, no one greeted me at the gate. The familiar jump of Lucy was missing. Something was amiss. Within no time, on my insistence, the sad news of Lucy’s demise two days ahead of my arrival was broken to me. I was deeply upset. Without having water or tea ,I went straight to Lucy’s den. There was a pin drop silence. Closing my eyes, I prayed for the well being of her soul with a heavy heart. Late in the evening, I ate something not because I had to, but because I had to overcome the fatigue of the long train journey.
It is after a lapse of almost 19 years since the demise of Lucy that Tom the cat entered our life. She is incidentally the first pet of my family of procreation. Late in the evening of 30th July 08, she was sighted wandering aimlessly in the green belt behind the Kaveri hostel of J.N.U.I fell for her at the first sight. She showed no signs of resistance when I began touching her. I was therefore encouraged to lift her in my lap. Thereafter, in the good company of Thaks, we began a gentle stroll towards the Administrative Block. The first ten minutes, she maintained silence. When she got an inkling of friendly captivity, she began making little bit of noise. Her sharp nails became active in my chest region. Somehow, I retreated and could succeed in convincing D.T. and Ankoor to adopt the cute, quiet cat. Though they nodded, it was not going to be acceptance from within. Thaks also opined that my act would separate her from her mother and that she may miss her familiar surroundings.
I ultimately managed to bring her home. Although she gave tough time to Ankoor on the way, it was he, who named her Tom on being reminded of the famous cartoon serial ‘Tom and Jerry’. Like any other living creature, she took time to adjust. After turning down the offer of a bowl of milk, she spent her first night in the reasonable comfort of our Drawing Room. Next morning, we found her up and roaming fairly early. We were more than satisfied on noticing the empty milk bowl. We were encouraged to offer her more of eatables. At the earliest opportunity, Ankoor initiated a kind of search on the Internet for food habits, likes and dislikes of the cats etc.. We supplemented it by interacting with the people familiar with the cats.
Each passing day became interesting and full of activity. Gradually, our spacious balcony became her happy hunting ground. Herein, she would get ample scope to see all the developments in the neighbourhood and occasionally may have a friendly interface with the newborns of the Pigeon family. On the 10th day, an excellent photo opportunity was provided by her. We clicked and clicked. Later, some of her snaps were sent to relatives and friends all over the world through the Internet. Her bemusing acts, day after day prompted us to buy a Handycam.
The first day when she had to be left alone in the house, we were not only concerned, we were tense as well. Now we frequently go out by leaving Tom only in the company of milk and curd or whatever she relishes. But each day we venture to go out, one can read the feeling of loneliness in her. There is, no way out, however. All attempts to expose her to outside world have failed. She hates noise and heavy traffic. Despite my sincere attempts, I have not been able to create even one interaction session between her and the elderly cats of our premises. Hope she has a rethinking in her own interest.
TOM is predominantly white with large patches of black. Having a black coloured tail, white whiskers, round black eyes, alert and sharp ears, she gives a friendly appearance. She is fond of nibbling things and chewing her favourite tail when she is in a good mood. She uses her long nails to perfection for climbing up the curtains of the house. She maintains balance and weight of her body equally on her four limbs. Apart from liking milk. curd, cheese cubes, ice-cream, pasta, egg, and the Maggie noodles, she expresses her non-vegetarian intentions amply clear, when flies, pigeons and cockroaches are sighted.
D.T. sums up the behaviour pattern and the overall persona of Tom in the following words -“Tom is cute, beautiful, sweet and loving. She is not rude. She is a kind being. We miss her when she is away. She is obedient. Though she sleeps late, she gets up early. She has a good soul. She is the only being in the world who loves me. She eats, whatever is given to her. She is not fussy. She has the pristine touch of heaven. She is pious. She is like a saint. May God give her a happy and long life”

A RUSSIAN EVENING

Projection of rich and vibrant Russian culture in the Indian situation and the vice versa, is not something new. In view of the mutual respect and admiration for the deep and fascinating cultural ethos of one another, a “Festival of India” pageant was organised in Moscow in the Seventies.
With a view to continue the friendly tradition, the year 2008 is being observed as the ”Year of Russia in India”. Close on the heels of the breathtaking Russian Musical Circus at the Sirifort on 25th September, the “Russkaya Fe’eria, a grand show of Russian folk and modern dances was staged on the 1st October 2008.It was meticulously organised by the Russian Centre of Science & Culture in association with the Mamontov Centre of Moscow.
The curtain raiser was an impressive group dance. Comely fairy look-alikes performing on the pencil heel sandals were a treat to watch. The items presented over the next forty five minutes ranged from the traditional Ballet to the faint touch of the modern disco.
The dances were not only choreographed brilliantly, the artists possessing supple figures managed also to give their best in their attractive costumes and sparkling headgears. The dancers looked awesome in all the appearances, be it a doll or the Charlie Chaplin look, a queen’s poise or the Tango or the Sambha type dance. The change of dresses and accessories was at an electrifying speed. This resulted into a no gap kind of situation between the two performances.
The last group item, dominated by the song-‘Liz Gama, Liz Gama, Liz Gama’ arguably stood out vis-à-vis the rest. A group of five girls also stole the show in the stunning combination of golden hats, tops and flowing coats. These were adequately supplemented by the black slacks and sticks of same colour. Their sense of timing and overall coordination was praiseworthy.
What was prominent, was the grace and the decency at which the artists would strike a statue like pose at the conclusion of an item. Thus, they would, invariably succeed in effectively conveying the sum and substance of every performance.
The discotheque kind of number presented by two girls flaunting white and black figure hugging and revealing dresses respectively, did not perhaps fit well in this cultural show. It looked a bit awkward.
The participation of only two male dancers left much to be desired. Though they were of equal calibre, age difference between them and their female counterparts was apparent and obvious. Inclusion of a few more males could have acted as an icing to the cake. In the same way, change of light to enhance the overall effect of the performances needs consideration.
The costume design, the colour combination, apt choice of jewellery, expressive eyes as a result of professional make up, rhythmic body movements and the flawless rapport among the dancers spoke of their high standards. The capsule of thirteen items presented in forty five minutes could have been staggered, however, to elicit still better applause and ‘Bravo’s’. Neither there was a time constraint, nor was there any visible sign of discomfort amidst the captive audience.

On the whole, it was an excellent and soothing evening treat. Though I regret very much my failure to capture the performances into my camera or the handy cam, the grace, humility and the professional stage manners of the artists will be deep in my memory. Who knows, many from the audience may be tempted to undertake a trip to Russia in 2009 when the ‘Year of India in Russia’ is due to be observed as a natural corollary?