Notification The largest river island in the world is in Assam. In 20 years, it may not exist anymore. Located on the Brahmaputra river in Assam, Majuli is a small island with a rich history. At the beginning of the 20th century, the island had a total area of 1250 square kilometres, but over time, as the river has flooded its banks, it has eroded down to just about 400 square kilometres. A place of surreal beauty, Majuli is home to a traditional mask-making art unique to the neo-Vaishnavite culture in Assam. Every year, a little more of the island washes away during the floods. Surveys suggest that in 20 years, this island may not even exist anymore. If it disappears, along with it will go the people, the culture, and the traditional arts that they've practiced for generations. Unless something is done to preserve this island, a part of our culture will be washed away with it.
Mumbai's Liberty Cinema is one of the last few screens that still uses the reel projector, and the men who operate it. Back in the day, watching a video involved a lot more than just pressing the play button. It took practice and skill to correctly load a reel into the projector and make sure the show went on uninterrrupted. For decades, Aslam has been the man in the shadows at Mumbai's Liberty Cinema, pouring his love for cinema into the art of running the reel. But with the growth of the multiplex and the digital film, art deco cinemas like Liberty have had no choice but to 'upgrade' to modern technology. Somewhere along the way, the art and science that is the projectionist's trade may just be lost forever.
What good is the skill of sharpening a blade if everyone just wants a new knife? Manu Shaikh roams the bylanes of Mumbai on a cycle, selling his wares and his skills. Take him a dull blade, and in minutes, he will have it razor sharp again. But in an age when cheap Chinese knives have flooded the market, making it cheaper to just buy a new one, this seems like another profession that might be lost to the past.
The twangy sound of the gaddawala's instrument may soon fade away. Back in the days before coir and foam mattresses, pillows and mattresses were stuffed with cotton. And when those mattresses became lumpy, the mattress fluffer would drop by with his 'pinjar'. The twanging sound of his instrument is an instant throwback to a simpler time, when things were not just discarded, but repaired and reused.
Why this veteran has set his hopes for a dying community on a weightlifting competition. Percy Farhad Bahmani runs a farm in Dahanu. But his calm exterior hides a great love and passion for martial arts and weight lifting. For the last 16 years, he, along with a dedicated group of Parsis have been gathering once a year to show the strength, if not in their numbers, then in their arms. For Percy, the annual Zoroastrian Powerlifting Championship is not just a competition, but a way to meet his friends from the fading Parsi community. He sees the event as a great way for young Parsi boys and girls to meet each other, connect over shared passions, and who knows, someday tie the knot!
The owner of the Great Golden Circus talks about its glory days and the bleak future of the circus. Anwar Khan runs the Great Golden Circus, a massive act spanning multiple tents and acts. Once boasting crowds in excess of 2000 people per show, and running as many as 4 shows a day, today, a good show has an audience of 100 people. Anwar fears that the days of the circus are numbered.
ove makes you do crazy things. Like riding a bike in a globe of death every day. Manoj Kumar is one of the last performers of the dangerous circus act called the 'Globe of Death' at the Great Golden Circus. When he was just one of the manual labourers at the circus, he fell hopelessly in love with Mikal, one of the stuntwomen. To earn her love in return, he decided to train and become the best motorcycle stuntman at the Great Golden Circus.
A peek into the lives of the women that make the Great Golden Circus what it is today. Today, women make up 60% of all the performances at the Great Golden Circus. With acts like gymnastics, contortion, hula hooping, and cycling, the performers work day and night to perfect their skills. The life may seem glamorous when you watch the performances on stage, but behind it, their lives are very different
The heartwarming story of how two people found love and a life together at The Great Golden Circus. Mr. Ramata and his wife Bhanumati are trainers at The Great Golden Circus. They met years ago as performers, and fell in love. Their love grew in secret, till their families learnt of the romance. Against the families' wishes, they married and have spent the rest of their lives together ever since.
They came here from Africa to perform in the circus. What will happen if it shuts down? Meet Rajab, Yidi, Salum & Yasim - star performers at the Great Golden Circus. They've come here all the way from Tanzania, to perform amazing acrobatic feats of strength and skill for cheering audiences in India. By now, they even speak Hindi and sing Bollywood songs! But with the waning popularity of the circus, they may soon be returning home.
It's every child's dream to join the circus. Here's what happened when Ira's dream came true. Ira Chakraborty has been given a chance to fulfil a childhood dream and be a part of the Great Golden Circus, not as an audience member, but a member of the circus crew. For two days, she will live with and work with the rest of the crew, to see firsthand what goes into putting on the show that has been entertaining folks for decades.
The touching relationship between one of the last Jewish residents of Kochi and her Muslim caretaker. Sarah Cohen's Hand Embroidery is a world famous store selling Jewish speciality items in 'Jew Town', Mattancherry in Kerala. The 95-year-old, affectionately called Sarah Aunty is one of the last remaining members of the Cochin Jews (also known as Malabar Jews) in the city. Her caretaker, Thaha Ibrahim, fondly remembers the glory days of Jew Town, when both sides of the street were home to members of the Jewish community.
The caretaker of a 450-year-old Synagogue worries about the future of the Jewish community in Kochi. Joseph Elias Josephai (affectionately known as Babu), is one of the few members of the Jewish community in Kochi who still remain in the city. After the formation of the state of Israel in 1948, a large number of Cochin Jews (also called Malabar Jews) migrated back to the holy land. As a result, there are now as few as 27 Jews left in the city of Kochi. With no one to care for the Kadavumbhagom Synagogue, Babu has taken it upon himself to manage the security and upkeep of the Synagogue. Lamenting the future of the Jewish community in the city, Babu is looking to international Jewish trusts to help ensure that the Synagogue is maintained after his death.
The community brought horse racing to Kolkata. But how much longer will this legacy last? The Alfords are considered the first family of horse racing in Kolkata. Rutherford Alford was the last in a line of jockeys going back five generations. That is, until a tragic accident on the track in 2006 left him with a spinal injury. Even though he is now unable to ride, the accident hasn't dampened Rutherford's love for the sport. He still visits the track twice a day.
Meet Sonia Shirsat: The Ambassador of Goan music to the world. Fado is a form of traditional Portuguese music dating back before the 19th century. It is arguably the oldest urban folk music in the world. Sonia Shirsat is the best Fado singer or 'Fadista' in India, and perhaps one of the best in the world. She has performed on stages around the world, singing in 13 languages!
Rejected by American soldiers in WW1, it's now home to this dwindling community in the city. The Bow Barracks was a garrison's mess built for the American army soldiers posted in India during World War I. Back then, the US army soldiers thought it beneath them to stay in such housing. The apartments were handed over instead to the thriving Anglo-Indian community, who have held onto them ever since. Located in central Kolkata, just behind the Bowbazaar police station, it is currently home to over 80 Anglo-Indian families, along with several Anglo-Chinese families too.
"If it is our fate to be the last flicker of the Jewish candle in Kolkata, then so be it." Everyone agrees that Kolkata is one of India's most beautiful cities. But not many know that a majority of the landmarks in the city were built not by the British, but by members of the Jewish community. Once a community several thousands strong, they are now down to just over 20 members.
Kolkata was once the hotbed of jazz in India. That era may fade away with the passing of this legendary musician. Carlton Kitto has played with Jazz legends like Sonny Rollins, Charlie Byrd, Chico Freeman, Pam Crain, Braz Gonzalves, Louiz Banks and Pandit Ravishankar. Some say there's no one on the Indian subcontinent with as much knowledge about jazz and music as Carlton Kitto.
Thanks to her, Calcuttans know what Chinese food made by Chinese people tastes like. When most people look at Monica Liu, they see a smiling restaurant owner in Tangra, Kolkata. But this unassuming grandmother of nine is also known as the Don of Chinatown. Monica Liu owns and runs five authentic Chinese restaurants in Kolkata - Kim Ling & Beijing in Tangra, Tung Fong in Park Street, and branches of her restaurant Mandarin on Sarat Bose Road, and Lake Avenue. She's been awarded the Best Woman Entrepreneur of the Year in 2003.
The Kabuliwalas from Tagore's story still live in Kolkata. A hundred years after Tagore's Kabuliwala walked these streets with his bag of cashews and raisins the community of Pathans have made a life for themselves in the city's bylanes. Named after the city of their origin, Kabul, the Kabuliwalas have integrated seamlessly with the city that they now call their adopted homeland. They get along famously with the Bengalis, the Marwadis, the Catholics and more that make up the melting pot that is Kolkata's culture.
Kolkata's quaint hand pulled rickshaws may not be around much longer. Naresh Yadav has operated a hand-pulled rickshaw in Kolkata for 45 years. Ever since he came to the city following his uncle's footsteps, it's all he's ever known how to do. Starting his day at 6am, Naresh plies the bylanes of Kolkata, hoping to pick up a fare. When he started doing this for a living, the fare used to be 30 paise. Today, it's Rs. 20. Saving what he can, he sends home a meagre Rs. 2000-5000 a month to his family back in Bihar.
What was once a thriving community of thousands of Chinese descendants is now down to just a few families. Kolkata's Chinatown was once home to a thriving community of over 20,000 ethnically Chinese Indian nationals. That number is now estimated to be as low as 2,000. Most of the inhabitants' ancestors moved to Kolkata in the early 20th century, setting up shops and businesses for families of Chinese origin. But of late, the younger generation of the community has been looking to move out of Chinatown, looking for better prospects and standards of living in countries like USA, UK, Australia and Canada. Does this spell the end for the once-bustling Chinatown in Kolkata?
The era of the singing fakir announcing the 'sehri' during Ramzan may be over. A decade ago, there were over 100 fakirs in Kolkata. Today, there are just a handful left. Mohammed Sabbir is one of them. Waking at 1 AM every day during Ramzan, he wanders the streets, singing to wake people up for the sehri or morning prayer. These days, mosques also announce the morning prayer, rendering the fakir's job defunct. For generations, Mohammed Sabbir's family has performed this duty, not for money, but as a good deed.
A historian and conservationist, fittingly named Abraham Benhur, made a startling discovery on his farm in Kerala. Hidden underground were ancient burial chambers unlike anything he had ever seen before. A little bit of digging, both physical and academic, revealed that the tombs on his property could be carbon dated back to the year 300 BC. The burial chambers were arranged in an East-West direction, meaning these could only have been the tombs of ancient Christians or Jews. Since the tombs predated Christianity by a few hundred years, Abraham surmised that these were the remains of one of the Lost Jewish tribes of Israel, which had travelled to India so many centuries ago.
The African community that is India's hope for an Olympic medal. The Siddis are a community that migrated from East Africa to India between the 15th and 19th century. In 1987, the Sports Authority of India set up the Special Area Games program to scout and train members of the Siddi community to perform as athletes for India on the international stage. Despite the glory they have brought to the nation, the Siddis have to battle racism on a daily basis, often being treated as outsiders in the country that they have given their everything for. The Siddis have now settled primarily in the states of Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. They came as merchants, sailors, slaves, and mercenaries, going on to even become rulers. Today, they are India's hope for an Olympic medal in Track and Field. 101 Traces is an ongoing effort to bring to the limelight stories from dwindling or forgotten communities that are a part of the melting pot that is India's cultural landscape.
The twangy sound of the gaddawala's instrument may soon fade away. Back in the days before coir and foam mattresses, pillows and mattresses were stuffed with cotton. And when those mattresses became lumpy, the mattress fluffer would drop by with his 'pinjar'. The twanging sound of his instrument is an instant throwback to a simpler time, when things were not just discarded, but repaired and reused.
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