prelude  When the Mughals came to Kashmir in the summer they called it a paradise. Sublime in beauty and generously gifted by Nature, craftsmen flourished here with equally fine traditions – distinctive and exotic. Their products are most traditional yet fashionable. As winter approaches, life here comes to a standstill, but men and women keep themselves warm with a wicket basket Kangri in their loose apparels known as phirans, perfecting their art. Their carpets, namdahs, shawls, woodwork, embroidery, wicker ware, silverware and jewellery are examples of how ancient arts have been adapted to modern utility goods. Kashmiri carpets, which receive worldwide recognition, are not mere floor coverings. They add a distinctive elegance to any interior. Crafted in the Persian tradition, they are cherished as works of art. Carpet weaving came to India during the Mughal rule and entered its peak towards the mid 19th century. Today, it is second only to Iran. Designs are predominantly inspired by classical Persian and Central Asian rugs. Famous designs are the Kashan and Kirman, Tabriz and Isfahan, Meshed and Bukhara. The weaving is guided by Talim. Talim is a coded script read out by the master weaver to his apprentices, who know how to weft lines in wool and draw the warp in cotton or in cotton and silk. Traditional music is played along or is hummed while the weaving is done. E-mail your questions with answers at: only4_pol@yahoo.co.uk or post at: THE COLOSSEUM, Mosaic, Friday Supplement, The Assam Tribune, Guwahati-781003 or SMS at: 9864102417. Send your name in each SMS.

side screen   1) Picture Clue: Ingredients – 1/2 shot Yukon Jack and 1/2 shot Jack Daniels. Directions – Pour alcohol into the shot glass. Occasionally mix with ice then put into a shot glass. Serve with a lemon wedge. Just tell me the end product!! (Hint: Movie –Harley Davidson and The Marlboro Man) (Jagat Jyoti Saikia, Bangalore).

harmonisers  From Sonmoni Das, Nalbari – 2) If Cynthia Cooper, Coleen Rowley and Sherron Watkins were the most recent, who was the first? 3) Which cartoon’s name is a combination of Yale slang for an amiable fool and the author’s roommate’s name? 4) The most common male figure’s picture to be printed in the 19th century The Times was that of Sherlock Holmes. Who was the second most common figure? 5) Discovered in the early 1980’s by Brian Skiff and Edward Boswell, how are the asteroids 4147, 4148, 4149 and 4150 collectively known as?

unities  From Sonmoni Das, Nalbari – 6) The actor Nicholas Cage is the nephew of which famous movie director? 7) Which movie title comes from a William Burroughs story about people who supply medical instruments to outlawed doctors who can’t obtain them legally? The movie had nothing to do with this but the director liked the name and obtained permission to use it. 8) Which play opened on November 25, 1952 with Richard Attenborough and his wife Sheila Sim among the lead players?

do-re-me  9) Which is the first famous Indian patricide? (Rituraj Saikia, IIT-Guwahati) 10) ‘Lighting up your life’ is the tagline of which company? (Faridur Rahman Choudhury, Mayur Vihar, Delhi) 11) Name the festival Maharastrians celebrate on the eve of their New Year day according to the Marathi calendar. (Madhurjya Bhuyan, East Amolapotty, Golaghat) 12) In Bollywood, what was dance director Basanta Kumar Padukone better known as? (Biswajit Doley, Third Eye, Dhemaji) 13) Who played the role of the editor of the New Delhi Times in the film of the same name? (Geetu Saikia, RGB Road, Guwahati) 14) In which field are the Clio Awards given? (Rajdeep Dutta Bhuyan, J.B. Law College, Guwahati)

crescendo  15) Which Indian author’s book has been adapted into a play for BBC Radio with Rajit Kapoor, Rahul Bose and Ayesha Dharker as part of the voice cast? (Dhrubajyoti Das, Nalbari).

answers  1) A cocktail named ‘Harley Davidson’ 2) Charles Lindbergh (1927), Time Person of the Year 3) Doonesbury = Doone + Pilsbury 4) W.G. Grace 5) The Beatles 6) Francis Ford Coppola. His production company is named as Zeotrope Productions 7) Blade Runner. It was based on Phillip K Dicks’ Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, but Ridley Scott felt that this title would not do and searched around for another title 8) Mousetrap (Agatha Christie) 9) The killing of Bimbisara (494 BC) by Ajatshatru 10) Punjab Power, the company Surinder Sahni (SRK) works for in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi 11) Gudi Padwa 12) Guru Dutta 13) Shashi Kapoor 14) Advertising 15) Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy.