My collegue is sharing her experience of meeting bunch of Marwaris in the US embassy. They had come for their US visa interview.. It reminds of a similar incident.
Making it to the US is a victory for most Indians, at least until a few years ago. For people in Gujarat obsessed with going overseas, it is a triumph that has no comparision. More so, if you are among those who until a few months ago did not know how to speak English, it is a conquest. So one can clearly imagine the euphoria and celebrations ahead of the departure at the airport. I witnessed one in 2004-05.
It was little past midnight. Me and a friend had come to see off a common friend who was going to the US to pursue Master's degree in Psychology. The usual farewell and parting bit was on until a luxury bus passed us.
The bus looked like one of those political party bus after a win in the election. It also apparently had a banner with something written on it (in Gujarati). There were about 30-40 people, which has to be family members and relatives of the privilege one who is going to make the grand departure. Gradually, the troops make their way out from the bus, amidst the cheer and chants that have gained many decibel. The children and the young ones hopped out, the elderly ones are carefully helped come out. About 30 of them were down on the road by now.
They were shouting and celebrating that one of them was making it to the US. May be Neil Armstrong also got a similar farewell before his trip to the moon. Anyway, after much celebrations, the guys eventually makes it to the international passenger terminal. One of his friends shouted in Gujarati, go and meet George Bush also as he makes his way.
Just before he walked in, he turned back and waived his hands like a US President himself.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Friday, January 23, 2009
10 Oscar nominations for glorifying Indian slums?
Two strong views have emerged from India's most successful movie globally - One that says that SlumDog Millionaire’ sold Indian slums and gave the world slum tourism to bag 10 oscar nominations. Is that an Indian movie, in the first place? The other, say poverty is just the backdrop of the movie which essentially highlights the triumphs of human spirit, against all possible odds.
Millions are still soaking in the glory of unprecedented global recognition and a better review will be known after the people actually see the movie. The movie released today. But is SD actually so good? No doubt, it stunned westerners how poor India is and how we pluck our children's eyes to make them beg at streets? A TV host repeatedly insults and ridicules the participant?
Amitabh bachchan or SRK did not do that. Is Jai ho, (whose initial hym resembles Rang de Basanti, Manchala) Rehman's best music score? I don't think so.
The grand old man of Bollywood BIG B raised objections on projecting India the way Slumdog did. In his blog he says, "If SM projects India as Third World dirty under belly developing nation and causes pain and disgust among nationalists and patriots, let it be known that a murky under belly exists and thrives even in the most developed nations. Its just that the SM idea authored by an Indian and conceived and cinematically put together by a Westerner, gets creative Globe recognition."
So if Big B has such strong comments, reactions are natural. Britain's leading newspaper was quick to respond with a scathing report. "Bachchan is no doubt riled, as many other Bollywood no-talents will be, about the fact that the best film to be made about India in recent times has been made by a white man, danny boyle, " it said
It goes on to add, the bitter truth is, Slumdog Millionaire could only have been made by westerners. The talent exists in India for such movies: much of it, like the brilliant actor Irrfan Khan, contributed to this film. But Bollywood producers, fixated with making flimsy films about the lives of the middle class, will never throw their weight behind such projects..........
Bachchan's blinkered comments prove how hopelessly blind he and most of Bollywood are to the reality of India and how wholly incapable they are of making films that can address it. Instead, they produce worthless trash like Jaane Tu, Rock On!! and Love Story 2050, full of affluent young Indians desperately, and mostly idiotically, trying to look cool and modern......."
Indians have generally been not appreciative of dark movies. Even satyajit ray was also criticised for selling Indian poverty to the west. City of Joy had to shoot parts of the movie back in a studio in London after protestors shut down the movie set in Kolkota.
Millions are still soaking in the glory of unprecedented global recognition and a better review will be known after the people actually see the movie. The movie released today. But is SD actually so good? No doubt, it stunned westerners how poor India is and how we pluck our children's eyes to make them beg at streets? A TV host repeatedly insults and ridicules the participant?
Amitabh bachchan or SRK did not do that. Is Jai ho, (whose initial hym resembles Rang de Basanti, Manchala) Rehman's best music score? I don't think so.
The grand old man of Bollywood BIG B raised objections on projecting India the way Slumdog did. In his blog he says, "If SM projects India as Third World dirty under belly developing nation and causes pain and disgust among nationalists and patriots, let it be known that a murky under belly exists and thrives even in the most developed nations. Its just that the SM idea authored by an Indian and conceived and cinematically put together by a Westerner, gets creative Globe recognition."
So if Big B has such strong comments, reactions are natural. Britain's leading newspaper was quick to respond with a scathing report. "Bachchan is no doubt riled, as many other Bollywood no-talents will be, about the fact that the best film to be made about India in recent times has been made by a white man, danny boyle, " it said
It goes on to add, the bitter truth is, Slumdog Millionaire could only have been made by westerners. The talent exists in India for such movies: much of it, like the brilliant actor Irrfan Khan, contributed to this film. But Bollywood producers, fixated with making flimsy films about the lives of the middle class, will never throw their weight behind such projects..........
Bachchan's blinkered comments prove how hopelessly blind he and most of Bollywood are to the reality of India and how wholly incapable they are of making films that can address it. Instead, they produce worthless trash like Jaane Tu, Rock On!! and Love Story 2050, full of affluent young Indians desperately, and mostly idiotically, trying to look cool and modern......."
Indians have generally been not appreciative of dark movies. Even satyajit ray was also criticised for selling Indian poverty to the west. City of Joy had to shoot parts of the movie back in a studio in London after protestors shut down the movie set in Kolkota.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Just Another Blogger
look, its my first day in office and its quite weird of sorts to start writing on a public domain for a person who could not quiet maintain his own personal diary. but i am excited about blogging and sharing my thoughts with the world... this time around i say "Yes I Can."
Now back to the guy who made the phrase a household name. Some years back, when i read a book on US Presidents, i wondered when the US would have its first non-white president, leave alone an African American with a Muslim lineage. He is young, dynamic, and assertive without being jingoistic like Bush. His presidential speech, watched by over a billion people worldwide, symbolises the hope and aspirations of every American. Every American who heard him was proud to have him as their president.
Sadly, its quite not the same in India. When a bunch of terrorists stormed into India's commercial capital Mumbai, held the country hostage for over 60 hours killing citizens of more than a dozen countries. Our PM's response was anything but inspiring saying that such 'barbaric acts will not be tolerated', 'we will not spare the terrorists, etc etc...
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