Ramesh Kumar from Greater Noida
Believe me when I say this posting has absolutely nothing to do with #SilkSmitha.... except...
this song, courtesy #QuarantineFromReality episode 292 triggered or reignited my "silk" connection.
Not to be denied is my liking for Rajnikath, Ilayaraaja, SP Balasubramaniam, P Susheela. And of course, Silk Smitha, the sex siren who is no more. They contributed to this - one of the best compositions. Otherwise, Subashree Thanikachalam would not have episodised this song.
Enough about silksmitha.
This song triggered me to rummage through my travel-related collection in my modest bookshelf - particularly on the historical Silk Road theme Several historical characters tumbled out: Genghis Khan, Alexander, the Great. Marco Polo. Peter Frankopan's magnum opus The Silk Roads: A New History of the World, (read mostly during the 180 minute Delhi Metro ride between Mehrauli and Dwarka Sector 10 up and down 2019 January-February). Actually, this triggered me to go for Robert Brook's Vermeer's Hat: The Seventeenth Century and the Dawn of the Global World. Another classic non-fiction detailing the globalisation theme purely based on researching six paintings of the famous 17th century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeet.
Also the contemporary Chinese Belt And Road Initiative (BRI) was the reason for me to focus on this topic from geopolitical penchant. And Scott Levi's Caravans: Punjabi Khatri Merchants on the Silk Road (read 2018). Another must read.
There's no dearth of material on the cyberworld about the silk road.
Recently on a visit to the Saint Gobain plant on the outskirts of Bengaluru, I crossed the newly inaugurated Silk Institute Metro. Hereagain, the Silk connect. Sheer coincidence.
For Indians, silk saree is a status symbol. Kanjeevaram pattu. Benaras silk.
In this silk series, we will together travel on the historical silk route.
Fasten your belt. ...
To continue
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