Joining as head, Department of History

 I wanted to share this good news with all my friends, well wishers and students that I have joined as a Head, Department of History today on 15th May, 2013. I had said this on that day that now I look forward to organizing a very successful Women's World Congress in  August, 2014  along with this added responsibility. This is the first time that we in India have won  the bid to organise this Congress. The web site is still under construction. I look forward to welcoming you all to India and this beautiful city of ours. And we were able to organise a very beautiful and successful congress .

A traditional Market in Perth Australia

 In Australia, Perth the traditional market is known as the  Fremantle Markets.  I had visited here on June 11th, 2011 which was a saturday. I was staying with Sasi and his wife Renu Sharma and Dr, Sashi Sharma took me to this market .

Here in Perth this has at least 150 stalls selling fresh produce, street food, art, homewares, trinkets and more. Constructed in 1897, the markets are a beautiful mess of colour, smells and keepsakes under one huge roof. While there’s plenty of ephemera, you'll also find lasting treasures to take home, such as panoramic photographs of Perth's white sandy beaches, skin soothing emu oil and that hammock you've always wanted. Dash in to The Yard at closing time for heavily discounted fruit and vegetables, marketed loudly.

Oxford University

 Was able to visit Oxford University today and no visit to England can be complete with out a visit to Oxford. One of the oldest University in UK and the second University in the world after Bologna University, Oxford was established around 1095.This University came into prominence after Henry II, debarred the English students from going to Paris for higher studies. After a dispute amongst some students they set up the Cambridge University around 1167.Both these Universities together are known as Oxbridge. There are about thirty eight  colleges spread over different areas. Some of the buildings are very old with beautiful architecture. Oxford is a mix of the traditional and the modern,with traditional buildings and modern shopping areas. I found Oxford very crowded with a large number of tourists visiting this place unlike Cambridge. I am not sure what is the reason for this but would love to find out. We saw the huge open space where students have their graduation ceremonies. Mathew Arnold called Oxford as the dreaming city of spirals due to the spirals present in many buildings and these dot the landscape.

In Buffalo, USA

 I had been nominated as an  International Visiting Scholar in the Women’s Studies Department at the University of Buffalo, New York. I gave two talks here, on  Women in Indian miniature paintings, Department of Art and culture,  University of Buffalo, The State University of New York, on 8^th March, 2007 and  Women’s Movement in India – issues and agendas, Women’s Studies Department, University of Buffalo, The State University of New York, on  12^th March, 2007. I have nevever seen this amount of snaow and it was literally a bone chilling cold .  The only reason I accepted this was that my elder son Sankalp was working here.  After seeing the weather I was very keen that he moves quickly from this place. Bittu purchased his new car here and we went around to different places includsding the Niagra falls. 

In the Louvre Museum

 The Louvre Palace houses the largest museum in the world. The twelfth century fortress was extended and refurbished several times throughout the centuries. Before it opened as a museum, King Charles V and Philippe II chose this palace as their residence, decorating it with their ever growing art collections. When the Royal Family moved to Versailles, the impressive building that covers a total area of 160,000 square meters was transformed into one of the most important museums in the world. A glass pyramid, which is currently the museum’s principle entrance, was built in the palace’s main courtyard in 1989, piercing the monotony of the Louvre's exterior. Featuring the French monarch’s art collection and the result of the pillaging which was carried out during Napoleon’s Empire, the Louvre Museum opened in 1793. Since its inauguration, the museum was free for the public during a few days a week and was considered revolutionary for its time. The Louvre’s permanent collection features nearly 300,000 works of art that date before 1948, and of which only 35,000 are visible to the public. The enormous collection is organized by themes in various departments: an Oriental Antiquities department, Egyptian Antiquities department, Greek Antiquities department and Roman and Etruscan departments. The museum also includes a part on the history of the actual palace, including the Louvre during the Middle Ages, Islamic art, paintings, sculptures and graphic art. I spent a lot of time around the sculptures and paintings especially with my favorite ones, of Leonardo da Vinci.